Beautifully balanced
Eating alkaline has gained huge momentum as an ideal way to eat for energy, health and wellbeing, using delicious organic ingredients.
In its simplest form, eating alkaline means you adopt a predominantly vegetarian approach. To ensure you eat the best combinations of nutrients, we recommend a variety of vegetables along with pulses, nuts and seeds, sprouted and living foods from the land and sea.
Eating nutritious meals doesn’t mean depriving yourself of anything. Homemade treats are never off the menu and our recipes use natural sweeteners (fruits and spices or naturally sourced sugars) rather than commercially produced items that are laden with refined sugars.
So we encourage you to try these mouthwatering recipes and see for yourself how quickly your energy will soar, your ills will abate and you will regain your former, younger self.
Honestly Healthy For Life: Healthy Alternatives For Everyday Eating, by Natasha Corrett and Vicki Edgson, with photography by Lisa Linder (Jacqui Small, £25).CARROT AND COURGETTE PATTIES
Makes 10
Ingredients
For the patties:
Method
Heat 2 tbsp of oil in a pan on a low heat; add the fennel seeds. Sauté for 3 mins, take off the heat and set aside. In a bowl, mix the remaining ingredients together, along with the fennel seed oil.
Preheat the oven to 170C/325F/gas 3 (you’ll need a baking sheet).
Take a handful of the w mixture and squeeze out the moisture to make a small patty; it should fit in the palm of your hand. You’ll probably be able to cook three or four patties at a time. For each batch, heat 1 tbsp of oil in a frying pan over a medium heat. Sear each patty till golden on each side. Then bake on the baking sheet in the oven for 15 mins.
For the dressing, mix all the ingredients together. Remove the patties from the oven and serve three patties on a bed of rocket with the dressing drizzled over the top. Cook’s note Make sure you squeeze out all the moisture when you are forming the patties, then they will stay together much better when you’re sealing them.
Nutritional note Courgettes are rich in potassium, zinc and phosphorus, making them a mineral-rich alkaline food.
Ingredients
Method
Preheat oven to 170C/325F/ gas 3 and line a baking tray with baking parchment.
In a large bowl, toss the aubergine with the sunflower oil, red onion, ground ginger, ground coriander and salt. Tip out onto the prepared baking tray and roast for 20 mins.
Meanwhile, in a large pan of boiling water, cook the black rice noodles and keep stirring them to ensure they don’t stick to each other. When cooked, refresh immediately (drain and plunge into cold water) and pour the sesame oil over them to keep them from sticking to each other.
Once the aubergine is roasted, remove from the oven and allow to cool.
In another bowl, mix the mango cubes with the chopped coriander, lemon zest and black onion seeds. Mix this ‘mango salsa’ with the roasted aubergine. Split the mixture, and gently mix half of it into the noodles.
Portion the noodles into four bowls and top with the rest of the salsa mixture along with a sprinkling of sesame seeds and fresh chilli. To make the tahini dressing, place all the ingredients in a blender and blend well. Drizzle the dressing over the noodles.
Nutritional note Black rice is rich in calcium and zinc.
RAW GREEN CURRY WITH COURGETTE ‘NOODLES’
Serves 4-5
Ingredients
For the sauce:
Put all the sauce ingredients in a blender and whizz until smooth. Set aside.
Using a spiraliser, spiralise the courgettes, then mix all the sauce over the ‘noodles’. Add in the sliced vegetables. Pack into containers and refrigerate until ready to serve or eat. (You can make the sauce a day or so ahead and mix with spiralised noodles just before serving.)
Garnish with a sprinkle of cashews just before eating. Cook’s tip If you don’t have a high-speed blender, soak the cashews for a few hours, then they’ll blend a lot easier.
Nutritional note Bean sprouts are a ‘living’ food: this ensures all the protein therein is at its highest available level. Adding these to any dish completes the protein requirement for a meal.
Serves 2
Ingredients
Method
Using a spiraliser, spiralise your courgette and put the pile of raw ‘noodles’ on a serving plate.
In a bowl, put the cooked lentils, pomegranate seeds, fresh chopped herbs, mirin, brown rice vinegar and toasted sesame oil and mix together.
In a cup, make the dressing. Whisk the tahini with the water until smooth – don’t worry if it looks as if it’s curdling, just whisk faster. Add the umeboshi plum purée and lime juice and mix again.
Pour the dressing over the lentils and mix well. Serve over the raw courgette ‘noodles’ and sprinkle with sun ower seeds.
Cook’s tip A spiraliser is a fantastic kitchen implement but also a great toy – so this is one to get the children involved in. If you like, you can also spiralise carrots, which will add extra colour and texture to the dish.
Nutritional note Pomegranates have abundant insoluble bre and contain most of the B-complex vitamins, vital for energy. The seeds and juice provide antioxidants, vitamin C and ellagic acid, for great heart health.
In its simplest form, eating alkaline means you adopt a predominantly vegetarian approach. To ensure you eat the best combinations of nutrients, we recommend a variety of vegetables along with pulses, nuts and seeds, sprouted and living foods from the land and sea.
Eating nutritious meals doesn’t mean depriving yourself of anything. Homemade treats are never off the menu and our recipes use natural sweeteners (fruits and spices or naturally sourced sugars) rather than commercially produced items that are laden with refined sugars.
So we encourage you to try these mouthwatering recipes and see for yourself how quickly your energy will soar, your ills will abate and you will regain your former, younger self.
Honestly Healthy For Life: Healthy Alternatives For Everyday Eating, by Natasha Corrett and Vicki Edgson, with photography by Lisa Linder (Jacqui Small, £25).
CARROT AND COURGETTE PATTIES
Makes 10 Ingredients
For the patties:
- 2 tbsp sunflower oil, plus 3-4 tbsp for frying
- 2 tbsp fennel seeds
- 4 large carrots, grated
- 1 courgette, grated
- 4 spring onions, chopped
- 30g coriander, finely chopped
- finely grated zest and juice of 1 lemon
- 100g halloumi, grated
- 1 clove garlic, crushed
- 20g red onion, grated
- 40g rice flour
- 1 egg white
- 4 tbsp olive oil
- juice of 2 limes
- 1 tsp agave syrup
- rocket leaves, to serve
Method
Heat 2 tbsp of oil in a pan on a low heat; add the fennel seeds. Sauté for 3 mins, take off the heat and set aside. In a bowl, mix the remaining ingredients together, along with the fennel seed oil.
Preheat the oven to 170C/325F/gas 3 (you’ll need a baking sheet).
Take a handful of the w mixture and squeeze out the moisture to make a small patty; it should fit in the palm of your hand. You’ll probably be able to cook three or four patties at a time. For each batch, heat 1 tbsp of oil in a frying pan over a medium heat. Sear each patty till golden on each side. Then bake on the baking sheet in the oven for 15 mins.
For the dressing, mix all the ingredients together. Remove the patties from the oven and serve three patties on a bed of rocket with the dressing drizzled over the top. Cook’s note Make sure you squeeze out all the moisture when you are forming the patties, then they will stay together much better when you’re sealing them.
Nutritional note Courgettes are rich in potassium, zinc and phosphorus, making them a mineral-rich alkaline food.
ROASTED AUBERGINE AND MANGO SALSA WITH BLACK RICE NOODLES (see above right)
Serves 4Ingredients
- 2 aubergines, roughly cut into 2cm cubes
- 3 tbsp sunflower oil
- 1 red onion, thinly sliced
- ½ tsp ground ginger
- ½ tsp ground coriander
- pinch of Himalayan pink salt
- 250g black rice noodles
- 4 tsp sesame oil
- 1 large mango, cut into 1cm cubes
- 50g coriander, chopped
- finely grated zest of 1 lemon
- 1 tsp black onion seeds
- raw sesame seeds, to garnish
- 1cm chilli, sliced at an angle, to garnish
- 2 tbsp tahini (sesame seed paste)
- ¼ clove garlic
- 1 tbsp tamari
- 2tbsp sesame oil
- 2 tbsp water
- 5g coriander
Method
Preheat oven to 170C/325F/ gas 3 and line a baking tray with baking parchment.
In a large bowl, toss the aubergine with the sunflower oil, red onion, ground ginger, ground coriander and salt. Tip out onto the prepared baking tray and roast for 20 mins.
Meanwhile, in a large pan of boiling water, cook the black rice noodles and keep stirring them to ensure they don’t stick to each other. When cooked, refresh immediately (drain and plunge into cold water) and pour the sesame oil over them to keep them from sticking to each other.
Once the aubergine is roasted, remove from the oven and allow to cool.
In another bowl, mix the mango cubes with the chopped coriander, lemon zest and black onion seeds. Mix this ‘mango salsa’ with the roasted aubergine. Split the mixture, and gently mix half of it into the noodles.
Portion the noodles into four bowls and top with the rest of the salsa mixture along with a sprinkling of sesame seeds and fresh chilli. To make the tahini dressing, place all the ingredients in a blender and blend well. Drizzle the dressing over the noodles.
Nutritional note Black rice is rich in calcium and zinc.
RAW GREEN CURRY WITH COURGETTE ‘NOODLES’
Serves 4-5 Ingredients
For the sauce:
- 12g dried or fresh curry leaves
- 150g raw cashew nuts, soaked for 30 minutes and drained
- 120ml water
- juice of ½ lime
- 10g coriander
- 200ml coconut milk
- 1 tsp each of ground cumin, ground ginger, dried lemongrass, fresh chilli (chopped), garlic (chopped), root ginger (grated), ground coriander
- 5 courgettes
- 100g bean sprouts
- 120g mange tout, finely sliced
- 2 red peppers, sliced
- 70g sugar snap peas, finely sliced
- 200g baby corn, sliced
- raw cashew nuts, to garnish
Put all the sauce ingredients in a blender and whizz until smooth. Set aside.
Using a spiraliser, spiralise the courgettes, then mix all the sauce over the ‘noodles’. Add in the sliced vegetables. Pack into containers and refrigerate until ready to serve or eat. (You can make the sauce a day or so ahead and mix with spiralised noodles just before serving.)
Garnish with a sprinkle of cashews just before eating. Cook’s tip If you don’t have a high-speed blender, soak the cashews for a few hours, then they’ll blend a lot easier.
Nutritional note Bean sprouts are a ‘living’ food: this ensures all the protein therein is at its highest available level. Adding these to any dish completes the protein requirement for a meal.
PUY LENTIL AND POMEGRANATE SALSA RAW ‘NOODLES’
Serves 2
Ingredients
- 1 courgette
- 200g cooked Puy lentils
- seeds of ½ pomegranate
- 5g chervil, chopped finely
- 5g dill, chopped finely
- 5-7 drops each of mirin, brown rice vinegar and toasted sesame oil
- sunflower seeds, to garnish
- 1 tbsp tahini (sesame seed paste)
- 2 tbsp water
- ¼ tsp umeboshi plum purée
- juice of ½ lime
Method
Using a spiraliser, spiralise your courgette and put the pile of raw ‘noodles’ on a serving plate.
In a bowl, put the cooked lentils, pomegranate seeds, fresh chopped herbs, mirin, brown rice vinegar and toasted sesame oil and mix together.
In a cup, make the dressing. Whisk the tahini with the water until smooth – don’t worry if it looks as if it’s curdling, just whisk faster. Add the umeboshi plum purée and lime juice and mix again.
Pour the dressing over the lentils and mix well. Serve over the raw courgette ‘noodles’ and sprinkle with sun ower seeds.
Cook’s tip A spiraliser is a fantastic kitchen implement but also a great toy – so this is one to get the children involved in. If you like, you can also spiralise carrots, which will add extra colour and texture to the dish.
Nutritional note Pomegranates have abundant insoluble bre and contain most of the B-complex vitamins, vital for energy. The seeds and juice provide antioxidants, vitamin C and ellagic acid, for great heart health.