I am a great believer in pushing the message that healthy food does not mean boring food. I am also passionate about promoting the foods that these Great British Isles produce from within. I am not going to start a debate about Supermarkets (in fact I am going to perch myself nicely on the fence on that issue), but one of the negatives that come from shopping in the Supermarkets is we never shop in season. Now this does of course mean there is more choice from all of the foods from around the world, but it also means we are likely to form habits of eating the same foods week in and week out, it also means we are missing out on some of the amazing home grown ingredients when they are at their best.
So this is the first in a new series of monthly articles that will give a list of the best foods in season (UK
Seasonal Foods for October:
Vegetables: Artichokes, Aubergines, Beetroot, Butternut Squash, Cabbage, Cauliflower, Courgettes, Lettuce, Marrow, Mushrooms, Parsnips, Potatoes, Leeks, Watercress
Fruit: Apples, Blackberries, Grapes, Peaches, Pears, Plums
Meat/Seafood:Guinea Fowl, Partridge, Mussels, Oysters, Venison
Vegetarian Recipe: Spicy baby aubergine stew with coriander and mint
This is a really healthy vegetarian main dish that counts as 5 of your 5 a day and is
only 150 calories per serving.
Ingredients: 2 tbsp of olive oil, 2 sliced red onions, 2 red chillies (deseeded & sliced), 2 tsp coriander seeds (toasted & crushed), 2tsp cumin seeds (toasted & crushed), 16 baby aubergines left whole with stalks in tact, 2x 400g chopped tomatoes, bunch of mint leaves & coriander leaves roughly chopped. Couscous and low fat Greek Yoghurt to serve.
Method: 1) Heat oil in a heavy based saucepan, add the onions and garlic and cook until they begin to colour. Add the chillies, coriander and cumin seeds. When the seeds give off a nutty aroma toss in the whole aubergines, coating them with the onions and spices.
2) Tip in the tomatoes and sugar, cover and gently cook for 40 minutes until the aubergines are tender.
3) Season sauce and toss in half the mint and coriander. Cover and simmer for 2 minutes. Sprinkle the remaining herbs and serve with couscous and yoghurt.
Nutrition: 148 kcal, 5g protein, 16 carbohydrate, 7g fat, 1g saturated fat
per serving
Non Vegetarian recipe: Mussels with tomato and chilli
A super healthy spicy seafood dish. Ideal for a meal for two.
Ingredients: 2 ripe tomatoes, 2 tbsp olive oil, 1 garlic clove finely chopped, 1 shallot finely chopped, 1 green or red chilli (deseeded & chopped), small glass of dry white wine, 1tsp tomato paste, 1kg cleaned mussels, handful of basil leaves.
Method: 1) Put the tomatoes in a heatproof bowl. Cover with boiling water, leave for 3 minutes, then drain and peel. Quarter the tomatoes and scoop out and discard the seeds using a teaspoon. Roughly chop the tomato flesh.
2) Heat the oil in a large pan with a tight fitting lid. Add the garlic, shallot and chilli, then gently fry for 2-3 minutes until softened. Pour in the wine and add the tomatoes, paste and seasoning. Stir well and simmer for 2 minutes.
3) Tip in the mussels and give them a stir. Cover tightly and steam for 3-4 minutes shaking the pan half way through, until the shells have opened.
4) Discard any empty shells that remain shut, then divide the mussels between two bowls and add the basil leaves.
Nutrition 267 kcal, protein 20g, carbohydrate 11g, fat 14g, saturated fat 2g
per serving:
A healthy but tasty dessert: Spiced roasted apples and blackberries
A guilt free pudding that tastes great with low fat fromage-frais mixed with a little
Honey.
Ingredients: 4 medium Bramley apples (200g per apple), 4 tbsp clear honey, ½ tsp ground cinnamon, finely grated zest and juice of an orange, 250g blackberries
Method: 1) Pre heat the oven to 180 °C/gas mark 4. Core the apples so you have a hole the size of a pound coin in each one. Make a cut just into the skin around the middle of each apple.
2) Stand the apples in a shallow baking dish large enough to take all four. Mix together the honey, cinnamon and orange zest, put an equal amount into the cavity of each apple, then pour the orange juice into the dish.
3) Roast the apples for about 40 minutes, spooning the juices over them occasionally. Then, when the apples are almost ready, spoon the blackberries around and over each apple. Return to the oven for 10 minutes.
Nutrition: 129 kcal, protein 1g, carbohydrate 32g, fat 0.3g
per serving
All recipes courtesy of http://www.bbcgoodfood.com/
Great recipes I will try a few of them this weekend
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