Eat healthy, eat well
The ill effects of a high-sugar, high-gluten, overly processed and chemical-laden diet have become so much a part of mainstream eating that we can be forgiven for being confused about what the ideal diet is. Natural foods are often overshadowed by commercially produced ‘health foods’, which are usually designed in a lab and are full of ingredients we struggle to recognise.
We encourage eating food as close to nature as possible. Food free from gluten, grains and refined sugars, and focusing on nutrient-dense, unprocessed food, good fat, including butter, unrefined oils and animal fat, bone broth, organic vegetables, sustainable and ethically caught wild fish and grass-fed, naturally reared, free-range meat and high-quality dairy. The answer is not to limit calories but to eat more high-quality foods and listen to our bodies – mindful eating.
The Art Of Eating Well, by Jasmine and Melissa Hemsley; photography by Nick Hopper (Ebury Press, £25).
Serves 2
Ingredients
For the salad:
Gently toast the sesame seeds in a dry pan until fragrant. Use a spiralizer or julienne peeler to make the cucumber noodles. Or use a regular vegetable peeler to slice the cucumbers lengthways into wide pappardelle-style ribbons. You might want to cut the long, spiralized strands in half to make them easier to eat.
Prepare the dressing by whisking together all the ingredients in a bowl or shaking them together in a jam jar.
Add the lettuce, pak choi, spring onion and coriander to a bowl. Pour over the dressing and mix everything together (hands are best). Plate up with some shredded chicken and top with toasted sesame seeds and chilli, if using. Serve immediately.
No leftover chicken?
Roast two large chicken thighs at fan 200C/gas mark 7 for 25-30 mins until cooked, then shred quickly with two forks to cool the meat quickly.
Makes 10-12 pieces
Ingredients
For the crab rolls:
Method
To make the mayonnaise, whisk the egg yolk and then, drop by drop, whisk in the oil, stopping when the dressing goes very thick. Stir in the apple cider vinegar. Pour a slow, steady stream of the remaining oil into the mayonnaise, while continuing to whisk. When all the oil has been added, mix in the rest of the ingredients and taste for seasoning.
For the rolls, put the crabmeat in a bowl with the avocado, spring onion, mayonnaise, lime juice and a pinch of salt. Mix very carefully to avoid crushing the ingredients and then stir in the chilli, to taste.
Wash the cucumber and remove one end. Cut the cucumber into even 2.5cm-thick slices. Use a small knife to carefully cut out the flesh from the centre of the cucumber, leaving just a few millimetres of flesh all the way around. We found the neatest way was to use a melon baller to scoop the seeds out, leaving the bottom of the cucumber intact.
Distribute the crabmeat mixture between each cucumber roll. Finish with a sprinkle of sesame seeds and serve with the tamari, wasabi or pickled ginger.
COURGETTE AND AUBERGINE CURRY
Serves 4
Ingredients
Method
In a large wide pan, dry fry the peanuts or cashews for a few minutes to toast them, roughly chop and then set aside. In the same pan, heat the coconut oil over a medium heat and fry the onion, ginger and garlic for 10 mins until soft (don’t let the onion and garlic go brown).
Add the lentils, the roughly chopped coconut solids or coconut milk, and then most of the water (a bit less if you’re using the coconut milk) and stir well. This should be enough liquid for the coconut solids to dissolve, but keep an eye on the liquid levels so that the lentils don’t stick and burn at the bottom.
After 6 mins of cooking over a medium-high heat, add the aubergine and stir.
After a further 10 mins, add the tomato, courgette, lime or lemon zest and the tamari or salt. Add more water if you think your curry needs it.
After 6 mins, turn off the heat and add the lime or lemon juice, the maple syrup and fresh herbs, then stir and taste. You might need a little more tamari or salt or lime or lemon juice to add sourness.
Top with the nuts and serve.
We encourage eating food as close to nature as possible. Food free from gluten, grains and refined sugars, and focusing on nutrient-dense, unprocessed food, good fat, including butter, unrefined oils and animal fat, bone broth, organic vegetables, sustainable and ethically caught wild fish and grass-fed, naturally reared, free-range meat and high-quality dairy. The answer is not to limit calories but to eat more high-quality foods and listen to our bodies – mindful eating.
The Art Of Eating Well, by Jasmine and Melissa Hemsley; photography by Nick Hopper (Ebury Press, £25).
SESAME CHICKEN SALAD WITH CUCUMBER NOODLES
Serves 2
Ingredients
For the salad:
- 2 tbsp black or white sesame seeds
- 2 cucumbers
- 1 small head of romaine or cos lettuce, shredded into ribbons
- 1 small head of pak choi or 150g Chinese cabbage, shredded into ribbons
- 3 spring onions, thinly sliced
- a handful of fresh coriander, roughly chopped
- 250g cooked shredded chicken (a good way to use up leftover chicken)
- 5 tbsp sesame oil (not toasted) or extra virgin olive oil
- 2 tbsp toasted sesame oil
- juice of 1 lime or 3 tbsp lemon juice
- 2 tsp raw runny honey
- 1 tsp tamari or sea salt
- 1 finely chopped red chilli, to garnish
Gently toast the sesame seeds in a dry pan until fragrant. Use a spiralizer or julienne peeler to make the cucumber noodles. Or use a regular vegetable peeler to slice the cucumbers lengthways into wide pappardelle-style ribbons. You might want to cut the long, spiralized strands in half to make them easier to eat.
Prepare the dressing by whisking together all the ingredients in a bowl or shaking them together in a jam jar.
Add the lettuce, pak choi, spring onion and coriander to a bowl. Pour over the dressing and mix everything together (hands are best). Plate up with some shredded chicken and top with toasted sesame seeds and chilli, if using. Serve immediately.
No leftover chicken?
Roast two large chicken thighs at fan 200C/gas mark 7 for 25-30 mins until cooked, then shred quickly with two forks to cool the meat quickly.
CUCUMBER MAKI CRAB ROLLS
Makes 10-12 pieces
Ingredients
For the crab rolls:
- 100g crabmeat, mixed or white only
- ½ avocado, diced
- 2 spring onions, sliced
- 1 tbsp Ginger Poppy Seed Mayonnaise or full-fat probiotic yoghurt
- 2 tsp lime juice
- ½ red chilli, finely chopped or a sprinkle of chilli flakes, to taste
- 1 large cucumber
- black or white sesame seeds, to garnish
- sea salt
- 1 egg yolk
- 200ml sesame oil (not toasted) or macadamia oil
- ½ tbsp apple cider vinegar
- 1 tsp raw runny honey
- ½ a thumb-sized piece of fresh root ginger (about 20g), grated finely and added with any juices
- 1 tbsp poppy seeds
- a pinch of salt
- tamari
- wasabi paste (or 1 tbsp tamari mixed into the paste with ½ tbsp water)
- a few slices of pickled ginger
Method
To make the mayonnaise, whisk the egg yolk and then, drop by drop, whisk in the oil, stopping when the dressing goes very thick. Stir in the apple cider vinegar. Pour a slow, steady stream of the remaining oil into the mayonnaise, while continuing to whisk. When all the oil has been added, mix in the rest of the ingredients and taste for seasoning.
For the rolls, put the crabmeat in a bowl with the avocado, spring onion, mayonnaise, lime juice and a pinch of salt. Mix very carefully to avoid crushing the ingredients and then stir in the chilli, to taste.
Wash the cucumber and remove one end. Cut the cucumber into even 2.5cm-thick slices. Use a small knife to carefully cut out the flesh from the centre of the cucumber, leaving just a few millimetres of flesh all the way around. We found the neatest way was to use a melon baller to scoop the seeds out, leaving the bottom of the cucumber intact.
Distribute the crabmeat mixture between each cucumber roll. Finish with a sprinkle of sesame seeds and serve with the tamari, wasabi or pickled ginger.
COURGETTE AND AUBERGINE CURRY
Serves 4 Ingredients
- a handful of peanuts or cashew nuts
- 200g bar of creamed coconut (use the oil for frying) or 2 tins of full-fat coconut milk, plus 2 tbsp coconut oil or ghee, for frying
- 2 large onions, diced
- 2 thumb-sized pieces of fresh root ginger (about 80g) – unpeeled if organic – grated
- 6 large garlic cloves, diced
- 200g red split lentils, rinsed (no need to soak)
- ½-1 litre water (use a little less if you are using coconut milk and depending on how thick or saucy you want your curry to be)
- 1 large aubergine, chopped into 1.5cm pieces
- 4 large tomatoes, quartered
- 2 large courgettes, diced
- grated zest and juice of 1 unwaxed lime or lemon (avoid the bitter white pith)
- 2½-3 tsp tamari or 2 large pinches of sea salt
- 1 tsp maple syrup
- a handful of roughly chopped fresh herbs, such as coriander, mint or basil (Thai basil if you can get it)
Method
In a large wide pan, dry fry the peanuts or cashews for a few minutes to toast them, roughly chop and then set aside. In the same pan, heat the coconut oil over a medium heat and fry the onion, ginger and garlic for 10 mins until soft (don’t let the onion and garlic go brown).
Add the lentils, the roughly chopped coconut solids or coconut milk, and then most of the water (a bit less if you’re using the coconut milk) and stir well. This should be enough liquid for the coconut solids to dissolve, but keep an eye on the liquid levels so that the lentils don’t stick and burn at the bottom.
After 6 mins of cooking over a medium-high heat, add the aubergine and stir.
After a further 10 mins, add the tomato, courgette, lime or lemon zest and the tamari or salt. Add more water if you think your curry needs it.
After 6 mins, turn off the heat and add the lime or lemon juice, the maple syrup and fresh herbs, then stir and taste. You might need a little more tamari or salt or lime or lemon juice to add sourness.
Top with the nuts and serve.