Peppery Salmon and Loadsa Goodness

OVEN ROASTED PEPPERY FILLET OF SALMON WITH A SUPER HEALTHY COUSCOUS SALAD 

Just like the title suggests this juicy piece of fish is accompanied by a mountain of nutrients. Very easy to prepare, this dish is perfect for a weekday night - it does not take longer than 25-30min.

Salmon is a wonderful source of protein. Consuming it also has numerous health benefits, and just to mention some of them:

• increases cardiovascular health - high levels of omega-3 fats, EPA and DHA help to keep the blood from clotting excessively and dilating the arteries; regular consumption can help with preventing heart attacks, strokes and high blood pressure
• is beneficial in the treatment of inflammatory joint conditions -
  it increases, regulates and stabilizes collagen synthesis in human osteoarthritic cartilage
• helps you sleep (!!!) - being a source of natural sedatives, salmon shortens the time it takes to fall asleep 

Well, who knew...?

Black pepper relieves respiratory diseases, coughs, common colds; peppery foods are beneficial when trying to lose some weight. Broccoli needs a special mention as it lowers cholesterol, detoxifies and gives our bodies a shot of vitamin D (the lack of which became an epidemic!). And kale! This super fashionable green is an excellent source of vitamins and antioxidants. 

What's not to like?

Prepare your salmon and season it with a tiny bit of salt, a whole lot of black pepper (freshly ground would be awesome) and drizzle it with virgin olive oil and lemon juice. Place it on a baking paper covered roasting pan, in the middle of the oven and cook for around 25min.

To prepare your salad, put half a cup of dry couscous in a bowl and cover it with boiling water. When it soaks in all the liquid, uncover it and leave to cool. 

In the meantime, wash and chop half of a small broccoli into small chunks. Wash and finely slice a spring onion. Wash and dry your baby kale leaves. Drain and rinse a small can of red kindey beans. Add all of those ingredients to the couscous, mix thoroughly, drizzle with olive oil and season to taste. 

  

Finally, take the salmon out of the oven, dish it up with the freshly made salad and serve with a dollop of natural youghurt.

                                                  ENJOY!      

The Great Chinese Improvisation - spicy and crispy chicken skewers

Now, I am no specialist, don't know much about cooking Chinese dishes. But once you get that craving (and don't have spare £15), there's not much you can do, but improvise.

Ladies and gentlemen, I present you:

                    

SESAME SEED COATED SPICY CHICKEN SKEWERS 

WITH EGG FRIED RICE AND STIR FRIED GREEN BEANS 

AND ASPARAGUS IN SOY SAUCE (SERVES 4)

Warning: this is not a professional recipe, but my own interpretation (heavily improvised). Still pretty damn tasty though...

Chop 4 skinless and boneless chicken breasts into bite-sized chunks. Prepare a marinade using a thumb-sized piece of ginger (peeled and finely chopped), 3 gloves of garlic (again peeled and finely chopped), 2 spring onions, 2 teaspoons of sesame seed oil, a splash of soy sauce. Cover your chicken with the marinade and leave for at least 45min.

Stick the marinated chicken breast pieces onto the skewers, put on a flat(ish) roasting pan, cover generously with sesame seeds and chuck it into the oven. Roast for around 30min, or until sesame seeds start getting golden.

In the meantime, boil the brown rice (or even better, use leftover rice as it fries better and gets less sticky) and cool it. Fry with spring onions and peas on 1 tablespoon of sesame seed oil, beat an egg and pour into the rice. Stir quickly until egg is firm and rice dry. Season to taste.

Parboil your green beans and asparagus, rinse and transfer to a large, flat pan. Stir fry briefly with a dash of soy sauce.

Serve everything hot.

                               

This little beauty is full of nutrients. Apart from the obvious load of protein in the chicken breast and egg, fibre in brown rice, you will find that sesame seeds are a great source of copper and calcium, green beans prevent heart disease and regulate diabetes and asparagus is packed with antioxidants and vitamins. 

Do be careful with the amount of soy sauce though, as it has got a high salt content.

ENJOY!

Not such a gloomy morning after all

You know that feeling when you wake up after a lie in at 7.30am, stretch your muscles and smile to yourself at the thought of having a day off? Yeah... You've planned a trip to the park, a long walk or being a tourist in your city, you've promissed yourself to stay active all day.

Well then, there is nothing more annoying than having that perfect day off ruined by British weather. The gloominess will mess up your mood and kill your motivation. With so many plans, that's the last thing I needed.

And with the view from my window looking like this today:

I had to act quick. 

But quick doesn't have to mean boring. You don't have to stick to the boring cereal only because you've got no time. Breakfast should be cherished as it gears us up for the day ahead.

Today I've spent 5-7min preparing mine and it sure gave me motivation to get going and complete all the tasks I've planned for today.

So here it is...

BRUNCH OF CHAMPIONS: SALMON, EGG AND AVOCADO and BACON AND EGG OPEN SANDWICHES

Start off with preparing yourself your favourite hot drink. For me it's got to be a smooth and light latte. No sugar though! Xylitol instead (no sugar, far less calories, far more benefits, still awesome taste).

Toast two medium slices of multigrain/wholemeal/granary bread.

Scramble two eggs (I do it without any milk, just eggs, black pepper and a pinch of salt) and grill two rashers of bacon. 

Peel and slice half of a super-ripe avocado and arrange it on one of the toasts. Drizzle with lemon juice. Then dish half of your eggs onto avocado and place salmon slices on top. A tiny bunch of cress will add it colour (something you definitely need on a gloomy morning) and nutrients. 

Slightly butter the other toast and dish the rest of scrambled eggs onto it. Arrange crispy bacon on top and decorate with spinach leaves.

ENJOY AND GO CONQUER THE WORLD!

Autumn Blues and the Squash Stew

Colder days and longer evenings are upon us. Autumn is slowly creeping into our daily routine.

With that comes a change in our diets. Crispy light salads, fruity drinks and light deserts will gradually make way for heavier, more filling and warming meals.

This, however, does not need to mean ditching your healthy summer diet and hiding your foodie indiscretions under a comfy blanket. On the contrary! As the high street shops, and the trees around us, fill with dark greens, warm burgundies and deep oranges, so can our fridges.

Dark green of savoy cabbage, warm burgundy of purple sprouting broccoli and deep orange of ripening butternut squash, bursting with flavour and nutrients are all waiting impatiently to jump straight into your dishes!

In fact, autumn is by far the tastiest of all the seasons in the northern and central European climate. Therefore, there are no excuses for lazy and unhealthy junk food shortcuts. And if you do take those shortcuts because of the constant lack of energy, well, healthy, wholesome food is where you will definitely find it.

Today, as the autumn officially begins with strong winds and heavy rains, I’ve decided to cook something hearty and filling, yet wholesome and healthy. The colours reflect the changing seasons: warm orange, fresh green, gentle creams. The recipe is easy and perfect for a week night.

BUTTERNUT SQUASH, SWEET POTATO, CHICKEN BREAST AND BACON 'STEW' WITH A ZINGY ROCKET, PEAR AND PECAN SALAD (Serves 4)

Stew:

1 leek

1 onion

3 garlic cloves

3 rashers of unsmoked bacon

2 sprigs of rosemary

½ of butternut squash

2 small sweet potatoes

100g white mushrooms

4 skinless, boneless chicken breasts

tomato puree

paprika

salt

pepper

olive oil for frying

Salad:

fresh rocket leaves

½ ripe pear

5-7 pecans

honey

squeeze of lemon juice

Peel and cut your butternut squash and sweet potatoes (or buy them ready prepped to save some precious time) and parboil them until just about soft.

Whilst the oven preheats to 190-200C, peel and chop the onion and garlic and slice the leek. Peel the rosemary leaves and chop the bacon (not too finely). Place all of the ingredients on a warmed up pan with a drizzle of olive oil. When it’s sautéed, add some paprika and black pepper and cook for around 5-7min.

In the meantime prepare your chicken breasts and cut them into quite big chunks. Throw them into the pan and cook until only sealed.

Put the washed, but still whole mushrooms into the casserole dish, using a spatula transfer all the ingredients from the pan into the pot.

To use up the delicious juices off the pan, pour in a little bit of water and stir in the tomato puree. Keep stirring until it boils, season to taste and pour it over the rest of ingredients in the casserole dish.

Place the beautiful concoction in the oven and cook for around 25-30min.

Meanwhile, prepare your salad. Peel and slice the pear, crush pecans and mix up with the salad leaves. Drizzle a tiny bit of honey and squeeze a wedge of  lemon over it.

Serve the chilled salad as a side to the steaming hot main.

ENJOY!