Healthy Eating Series
Week 1
Joes Healthy Cardamom & Raspberry quinoa porridge
Serves 4
150g quinoa
50g porridge oats
8 cardamom pods
500ml almond milk
20 raspberries
2 tsp maple syrup
Put the quinoa, oats and cardamom pods in a small saucepan with 250ml water and 100ml of the almond milk. Bring to the boil, then simmer gently for 15 mins, stirring occasionally.
Pour in the remaining almond milk and cook for 5 mins more until creamy.
Remove the cardamom pods, spoon into bowls or jars, and top with the Raspberries and maple syrup.
Week 2
Joes Spiced chicken, spinach & sweet potato stew
3 sweet potatoes cut into chunks
200g leaf spinach
1 tbsp. rapeseed oil
8 chicken thighs, skinless and boneless
500ml chicken stock
For the spice paste
2 red onions, sliced
1 red chili, chopped
1 tsp paprika
1 inch sized piece ginger peeled and, grated
400g can tomatoes
2 preserved lemons, deseeded and chopped
To serve
Pumpkin seeds, toasted
2-3 preserved lemons, deseeded and chopped
4 naan bread, warmed
Method
Put the sweet potato in a large, deep saucepan over a high heat. Cover with boiling water and boil for 10 mins. Meanwhile, put all the paste ingredients in a food processor and blend until very finely chopped. Set aside until needed.
Cook sweet potatoes in salted water until tender, drain into a colander and let air steam dry.
Return the saucepan to the heat (no need to wash it first), then add the oil, followed by the spice paste. Fry the paste for about 5 mins until thickened, then add the chicken. Fry for 8-10 mins until the chicken starts to colour. Pour over the stock; bring to the boil and leave to simmer for 10 mins, stirring occasionally.
Check the chicken is cooked by cutting into one of the thighs and making sure it’s white throughout with no signs of pink. Season with black pepper, then add the sweet potato and spinach. Leave to simmer for a further 5 mins.
Scatter over the pumpkin seeds and preserved lemons, and serve with warm naan bread on the side.
Week 3
Joes Mini Quiche without pastry
8 ounces turkey breakfast sausage, removed from casing and crumbled into small pieces
1 teaspoon extra-virgin olive oil
8 ounces mushrooms, sliced
¼ cup sliced scallions
¼ cup shredded Swiss cheese
1 teaspoon freshly ground pepper
5 eggs
3 egg whites
1 cup 1% milk
Position rack in centre of oven; preheat to 170c/325°F/gas mark 3. Coat a non-stick muffin tin generously with cooking spray.
Heat a large non-stick pan over medium-high heat. Add sausage and cook until golden brown, 6 to 8 minutes. Transfer to a bowl to cool. Add oil to the pan. Add mushrooms and cook, stirring often, until golden brown, 5 to 7 minutes. Transfer mushrooms to the bowl with the sausage. Let cool for 5 minutes. Stir in scallions, cheese and pepper.
Whisk eggs, egg whites and milk in a medium bowl. Divide the egg mixture evenly among the prepared muffin cups. Sprinkle a heaping tablespoon of the sausage mixture into each cup.
Bake until the tops are just beginning to brown, 25 minutes. Let cool on a wire rack for 5 minutes. Place a rack on top of the pan, flip it over and turn the quiches out onto the rack. Turn upright and let cool completely.
Week 4
Joes Healthy Nutty and Pear Salad
Ingredients
70g walnut halves
1 tbsp. maple syrup
1 tsp olive oil
Pinch ground cinnamon
2 ripe pears
80g mixed salad leaves
20ml balsamic vinegar
20ml rapeseed oil
Salt and pepper
1 tbsp. mixed seeds
Method
Preheat the oven to 160C and scatter the walnut halves over a baking tray. Once the oven is up to temperature, roast the nuts for around 7 minutes until golden brown and sizzling.
Meanwhile peel and top and tail the pears, and slice lengthwise into 1cm thick slices. Heat a griddle pan on a high heat and fry for around 2 minutes on each side until dark golden grill lines are visible. Set aside.
Mix the maple syrup, olive oil and cinnamon, and toss with the hot walnuts once out of the oven before returning to the tray and roasting for another 4 minutes. Leave to cool. Top the mixed leaves with the griddled pear slices and scatter over the candied walnuts. Whisk the balsamic with the oil, salt and pepper, and drizzle over – with the mixed seeds if you like – just before serving.
Week 5 bbq
Joes Homemade Burgers with Special Burger Sauce
4 tablespoons unsalted butter
1 clove garlic, minced
1/2 teaspoon ground chipotle pepper
3 tablespoons cider vinegar
2 tablespoons ketchup
2 tablespoons honey
1 tablespoon tomato paste
400g ground lean mince beef
3/4 teaspoon sea salt
3/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
Rapeseed oil, for grill
4 large iceberg lettuce leaves
8 thick tomato slices
12 dill pickle chips
- Melt 2 tablespoons of the butter in a small saucepan over medium heat. Add garlic and chipotle; cook, stirring often, until garlic begins to turn golden, 1 to 2 minutes. Stir in vinegar, ketchup, honey, and tomato paste; bring to a simmer. Reduce heat to medium-low and cook, stirring occasionally, until thickened, 2 to 3 minutes. Remove from heat.
- Melt remaining 2 tablespoons butter; let cool to room temperature. Combine mincemeat, melted butter, salt, and pepper in a medium bowl; stir gently until just combined. Gently shape mixture into four 4-inch patties.
- Heat a grill pan or grill to medium-high; lightly coat grill pan or grates with oil. Add patties; cook until a thermometer inserted into thickest portion reaches 75c. Remove and let stand for 5 minutes.
- Place 1 patty on each lettuce leaf. Top each with 1 1/2 tablespoons of the special sauce, tomato slices, and pickle chips. Wrap leaf around patty to form a “bun.”
Week 6
Joes Quick and Easy Baked Pear
2 large pears
2 teaspoons sugar
1/4 teaspoon cinnamon
90g dried mixed fruit
90g low-fat granola
60 ml apple juice
- Peel pears; cut in half lengthwise. Remove core and seeds, creating a hollow.
- Place pear halves, with cut sides up, in an oven friendly dish. Combine sugar and cinnamon; sprinkle evenly over pears.
- Combine dried fruit and granola; mound into hollows of the pear halves. Pour the apple juice in and around pear halves. Cover dish loosely with wax paper.
- Cook in microwave on HIGH 6-8 minutes or until the pears are tender when pierced with a knife. Let stand in the dish 5 minutes. Use a large slotted spoon to transfer the pears to serving plates.
- Drizzle juices from pie plate over pears and serve with frozen yogurt.
Week 8
Joes Easy Thai Green Chicken Curry
Serves 4
500 g skinless chicken breast cut into strips
Groundnut oil
300 g wild mushrooms
1 x 400g tin of light coconut milk
100ml chicken stock
3 lime leaves
150 g mange tout
½ a bunch fresh basil
1 lime
1tbls pf green curry paste
Heat 1 tablespoon of oil in a large pan on a medium heat, add the chicken and fry for 3-4 minutes, or until just turning golden, then transfer to a plate.
Cut mushrooms into even pieces. Return the pan to a medium heat, add the mushrooms and fry for 4 to 5 minutes, or until golden. Transfer to a plate using a slotted spoon.
Reduce the heat to medium-low and add the Thai green paste for 4 to 5 minutes, stirring occasionally.
Pour in the coconut milk and 400ml, chicken stock and add the lime leaves. Turn the heat up and bring gently to the boil, then simmer for 3-4 minutes, or until reduced slightly.
Stir in the chicken and mushrooms, reduce the heat to low and cook for a further 5 minutes, or until the chicken is cooked through, adding the mangetout for the final 2 minutes.
Season carefully to taste with sea salt and freshly ground black pepper. Pick, roughly chop and stir through the basil leaves and remaining coriander leaves. Serve with lime wedges and steamed rice.
Week 9
Joes Bulger, Chili and Cashew Stuffed Aubergine
1 tbsp. olive oil
3 clove garlic
½ c. golden raisins
½ tsp. curry powder
1 red chili de-seeded and chopped
¼ tsp. salt
1 c. quick-cooking bulgur
500ml water
2 medium Aubergine
2 tbsp. olive oil
200g cashew nuts
Chopped mint
In small saucepot, heat 1 tablespoon olive oil on medium. Add crushed garlic, golden raisins, curry powder, chili and salt. Cook 2 minutes, stirring. Add bulgur and water. Heat to simmering. Cover; simmer 15 minutes, or until bulgur is tender.
Meanwhile, cut Aubergine in half lengthwise. Scoop out seeds. Arrange Aubergine on lined baking sheet, cut sides up. Brush with remaining 2 tablespoons oil and sprinkle with 1/2 teaspoon salt. Bake in pre-heated oven 180c 7 minutes, or until tender.
Remove Aubergine from oven; cover with foil. With fork, fluff bulgur; stir in cashews. Stuff eggplant with bulgur mixture; garnish with chopped mint.
Week 10
Joes Pasta Bake for the kids
6 tablespoons butter, plus more for baking dishes
Coarse salt and ground pepper
400g dried penne pasta
1 teaspoon rapeseed oil
2 boneless, skinless chicken breast cut into strips
| 170g flour
4 garlic cloves, chopped |
| 1.5lt milk |
10 ounces white mushrooms, trimmed and thinly sliced
100g sun-dried tomatoes, drained and thinly sliced
200g grated parmesan
Preheat oven to 180c.
Butter a large earthenware baking dishes. In a large pot of boiling salted water, cook pasta 3 minutes short of al dente; drain pasta, and return to pot.
In a large nonstick pan, heat oil over medium-high. Season chicken with salt and pepper; cook until cooked throughout, 3 to 5 minutes per side.
In a heavy pot, melt butter over medium heat. Add flour and garlic; cook, whisking, 1 minute. While whisking, gradually add milk; bring to a simmer, whisking frequently. Add mushrooms and tomatoes; cook 1 minute. Off heat, gradually stir in 150g of Parmesan.
Add chicken and pasta to pot; season with salt and pepper. Place pasta mixture between baking dishes; sprinkle with remaining with Parmesan.
Bake, uncovered, until top is golden and bubbling, about 25 minutes. Let stand 5 minutes before serving.
Serve with a nice green salad