Honestly Healthy recipe gems
These easy, genius, health-giving recipes from Natasha Corrett, founder and creator of Honestly Healthy, have springtime dining written all over them. Her philosophy is right up our street: "Never tell yourself you can't have something, just find the healthy alternative."
Chickpea and Sweet Potato Stew
Serves 4
2 tbsp olive oil
1 red onion, finely sliced
2 garlic cloves, finely sliced
600ml (1 pint/2½ cups) water
1 sweet potato, cut into 2.5cm (1in) cubes
5 large vine tomatoes, cut into quarters
3 fresh or dried bay leaves
½ red chilli, finely chopped
1 tsp ground cumin
Pinch of cayenne pepper
1 small aubergine (eggplant), quartered lengthways and cut into 1cm (½in) slices
800g (1lb 10oz/4 cups) canned chickpeas, rinsed and drained
Cooked brown rice, to serve (optional)
I leave the skin on the sweet potato as it contains so many nutrients and is very tasty – just make sure you scrub well before cooking. Vine tomatoes are very tasty but you can use plum or beef tomatoes instead. This is a perfect cosy lunch or dinner on a cold day.
Heat the olive oil in a large pan over a medium heat, stir in the onion and garlic and cook for 3–4 minutes, until softened. Add 50ml (2fl oz/scant ¼ cup) of the water and stir in the sweet potato, then
crush the chopped tomatoes into the pan and add the bay leaves. Cook for 5 minutes.
Add the chilli, cumin, cayenne and 300ml (½ pint/scant 1¼ cups) of the water and simmer for 15 minutes, or until reduced to a thick sauce. Add the aubergine (eggplant), chickpeas and remaining water and simmer for a further 10 minutes, stirring frequently, until the aubergine (eggplant) is tender and the sauce is reduced. Serve the stew on its own or with brown rice.
Cheesy Kale Crisps
Makes 60g (2½oz)
6g (¼oz) thyme leaves
Juice of 1 lemon
60g (2½oz) nutritional yeast flakes
100g (3½oz/²/³ cup) raw cashews
120ml (4fl oz/½ cup) water
60g (2½oz) kale, chopped into
5cm (2in) pieces
The first time I tried a kale chip I was simply blown away at its sheer super-tastiness. I couldn’t quite believe that a dehydrated vegetable could be both quite so delicious and quite so nutritious.
Whizz all the ingredients, except the kale, in a blender until smooth. Pour the mixture over the kale pieces and, using your hands, coat the kale pieces gently but thoroughly.
Spread out on a dehydrator sheet and place in the dehydrator for 10 hours.
Spinach and Chickpea Hummus
Serves 4
400g (13oz/2 cups) canned chickpeas, rinsed and drained
60g (2½oz) spinach
1 tbsp tahini
Juice of ½ lemon
2 tbsp olive oil
1 small garlic clove
About 125ml (4fl oz/½ cup) water
Chickpeas are the perfect base for any flavour or seasoning. I love the colour the spinach adds to this yummy dip.
Place the chickpeas, spinach, tahini, lemon juice and olive oil in a blender, grate in the garlic clove and whizz to a paste, gradually adding the water until it forms the consistency you like.
Cleansing Juices - part 1
The importance of hydration cannot be overestimated during the Cleanse phase. The recipes below contain a wide variety of nutrients that support liver, kidneys and bowel to clear the backlog of toxins you have accumulated. They help to keep energy up and sugar cravings down.
Toxin Reducer
1 fennel
½ cucumber (or 1 small)
2.5cm/1in piece of fresh root ginger
juice of ½ lemon squeezed in
1 green apple
Liver Love
1 large beetroot (beet)
2 handfuls of spinach
3 carrots
½ handful of flat-leaf parsley
To make any of these juices, simply put through a juicer.
Raw Summer Spring Rolls
Serves 2
4 rice paper rounds
1 nori seaweed sheet, cut into
4 squares
1 carrot, cut into julienne strips
1 courgette (zucchini), cut into
julienne strips
1 spring onion (scallion), cut
into fine strips
1 small cucumber, cut into
julienne strips
Chunk of Chinese leaf lettuce,
shredded
1 packet beansprouts
1 handful of coriander
(cilantro), chopped
100g (3½oz) smoked tofu, diced
Practice makes perfect with these little parcels. At first it’s a little fiddly but you’ll get the hang of it in no time. The trick here is not to over-soak the rice paper rounds.
Soak the rice paper rounds in cold water for about 1 minute to just soften them, then remove from the water and pat dry. Lay each rice paper round on a flat surface and place a nori square on top of each.
Arrange a medley of vegetables, tofu and coriander (cilantro) in the centre of each paper/nori wrapper. Roll the edge nearest to you over the filling and then tuck in the outside edges. Continue to
roll carefully but tightly. This does take a little practice, but delicate handling will get you there in a short time.
Serve alongside a cashew dipping sauce and perhaps some watercress or salad leaves.
All recipes taken from Honestly Healthy Eat With Your Body in Mind. Published by Jacqui Small.
For more, check out honestlyhealthyfood.com.
