Mushroom and Pea Quinoa Risotto with AsparagusRisotto is a traditional Italian rice dish made from a short-grained, starchy variety of rice called Arborio rice. The technique for making it is called the risotto method, which involves stirring small amounts of hot stock into the rice a little at a time, allowing the liquid to be absorbed slowly and during the whole process of cooking. For a perfect risotto, start by adding the rice to a non-sticky pan and let it get brown, stirring continuously. The Italians name this process “tostatura”.For a healthier twist add quinoa or barley, for example. These cereals are good sources of protein and fiber, and by adding these you can reduce the amount of risotto rice and increase the variety of food in your plate. They also add an interesting texture and flavor.
These recipe is a good source of:
This recipe is also a:
Ingredients (4 portions):
Method:
Suggestion: For the stock, prefer home-made stocks, they are usually healthier. You can use some celery, spring onions, carrots, bay leaves, salt and pepper to create a delicious stock. If you are not a vegan, you can make chicken stock from previous juices and gelatin from left overs of roasted chicken. Just simply added some water and adjusted the seasoning by adding some salt, black pepper and bay leaves. Enjoy! :)
0 Comments
Millet with chicken, courgette and chivesLast weekend my friend introduced me to millet. She is intolerant to gluten and millet is a gluten free grain - a good alternative to wheat. If you never tried, is similar to rice in terms of cooking and can be eaten savory as an accompaniment, sweet as a dessert (similar to rice pudding) or for breakfast (the equivalent of porridge). Nutritional benefits:
Diet advice: Include millet in your diet as an alternative to other grains so you can get the maximum benefit of a varied diet. Each food has its particular benefits, make sure you vary as much as possible. If you suffer from hypothyroidism, don't eat too much miller because this grain contains goitrogens. These are substances that suppress thyroid activity and can lead to goite. Nutritional information: 1 cup of cooked millet (136g) contains 206Kcal, 2g fat, 41g carbohydrates, 6g protein and 2g fiber. Try this healthy and light recipe, for your lunch or dinner and get the maximum benefits of millet. This recipe works well when you have left overs of chicken in your fridge and want to use them for a different and quick meal. Ingredients (1 portion):
Method:
Gnocchi with mushroom sauce and spinachDo you like to impress your other half or your friends with a delicous dish? This recipe could be the one! It's an italian inspired dish with nutritious ingredients and very easy to prepare. It only takes about 15 minutes to prepare...and voila! The final touch is sliced cherrie tomatoes and parmesan cheese. Nutrition tip: This recipe contains calcium from the cream, vitamin D from the mushrooms and iron from the spinach. These are essential nutrients to keep your bones strong and healthy. Plus the vitamin D will help your body to absorb the calcium. It's a perfect combination. Diet advice: If you are trying to lose weight, replace the single cream for cottage cheese. It's lower on calories and fat, rich in protein, and will still give a good flavour. Ingredients (2 portions)
Enjoy! :) Tuna salad with chickpeas and avocadoTuna salad with chickpeas is my type of fast-food meal. For those days, where I don't prepare anything for lunch and I'm very hungry. It's a last minute meal but balanced that requires just a few minutes of preparation. It always helps having in the cupboard some tinned food (tuna, chickpeas, beans) for days like this. This salad brings me memories from my childhood, my mum used to make chickpeas and salt cod salad (in Madeira). It's much more delicious that way! However, far from home, we can't get salt cod so easily. This salad is a different version adapted for the ingredients I can get here in the UK. It also has addition of new ingredients, like celery and avocado. The celery gives a crunchy and fresh flavor. The avocado can be mixed into the salad or served separate (as follow in the picture), it enriches nutritionally the recipe and contributes with a smooth texture which contrasts well with the crunchy of the celery. Nutrition fact about chickpeas: chickpeas is a legume, high in fiber and protein. They are also a good source of carbohydrates, vitamins and minerals, like calcium, iron, phosphate, magnesium - important nutrients for the bone health. Diet advice: Eating chickpeas and other legumes, like beans, lentils and peas can help you to manage your weight and satiety. This is because these foods are high in dietary fiber. The fiber takes longer to digest, in comparison with plain carbohydrates (e.g. plain rice, pasta or mashed potato), making you feel full for longer, reducing your appetite and thereby lowering overall calorie intake. Ingredients (serves 2)
Roasted Vegetable & Lentil LasagnaVegetarian dishes can be so tasty and fulfilling. You don't need to be a vegetarian to eat vegetarian food. I'm not a vegetarian, but I love vegetarian and vegan food. It requires more thinking, if you are not used to cook vegetarian dishes. However the end result might surprise you! The majority of us eat more meat than we should. The British Dietetic Association recommends we should eat no more than 70g of red or processed meat a day! This is slightly smaller than the size of the palm of our hands. Including vegetarian meals in your diet have some advantages:
Nutritional tip: Beans, peas and lentils (which are all types of pulses) are good alternatives to meat because they’re naturally very low in fat, and they’re high in fibre, protein, vitamins and minerals. Diet advice: Try to go vegetarian at least a day a week to cut down your red meat intake. Include different kind of pulses: beans, lentils, peas. Mixing at least two different kind of pulses and adding lots of vegetables will give you the amount of protein your body needs. You don't need to buy just fresh vegetables. It can be a waste, if you don't use it all. Frozen vegetables are also good and you can keep them for longer in the freezer and add to your dishes whenever you need them. This week, I cooked a roasted vegetable & lentil lasagna. It was delicious! Roasting the vegetables enhanced the flavor and the lentils blended the filling together and also added extra flavor. I used red split lentils, they are very quick to cook and also perfect for soups or stews. I used lots of herbs, like rosemary and oregano - they are my favorites for roasts. I also used onion and garlic powder, however you can use fresh. To cook this dish, you will need: Ingredients (serves 6): Vegetables
9 lasagna sheets Method:
Enjoy! :) Apple Scone RoundWeekends are to celebrate! After a long week of work, having fun in the kitchen, trying a new recipe is a good way of sharing love with your family. This recipe came out without planning. I opened the cupboards and the fridge and let my imagination flow. The requirements were: to cook something warm, healthy and sweet. I looked at the ingredients I had in the cupboard, likely I had flour, bicardonate of soda, sugar, apples, cinnamon, milk and a tiny amount of butter. I had all the ingredients to bake an Apple Scone Round! It took me about 20minute to prepare it and another 15min in the oven. I prepared a cup of coffee and after taking all the pictures to share with you, I enjoyed a delicious slice (or two) of this amazing scone. I'm an apple dessert fan! My favourites are apple pie, apple cake and this one is now part of my list. Diet advice: Desserts containing fruit, also counts towards your 5-a-day. However be mindful of the quantity of sugar and fat added to these desserts. Some desserts with fruit might be unhealthy, specially those bought in due to the high contents of fat and added sugars. However if you make your own, where you can control the quantity of sugar and fat addded, these sweet treats can be part of a healthy and balanced diet. Desserts with added fruit allows to reduce the quantity of sugar adedd into the recipe. The natural sugar of the fruit gives the sweet taste you are looking for on a dessert. Ingredients (serves 8)
Cheesecake for S. Valentine's dayS. Valentine's day arrived so quickly! Are you planing to do something special? If you need some ideas, I would suggest a homemade cheesecake with raspberries and blueberries to give the right colour for this day. You might want to match it with some roses on the table or a red tablecloth. This recipe is one of my Valentine's favorite. This is an easy and quick recipe to do. Ingredients: (serves 6) Biscuit base
Cheese filling
Topping
Method: For the biscuit base 1. Crumble the biscuit in a food processor or by hand, using a plastic bag and a roll until get a fine texture. 2. Mix the butter (at room temperature) with the crumble to make it stick together 3. Line clim film on a pie tin 4. Lay the biscuit on the bottom of the tin and with your fingers, fill up all the empty spaces. For the cheese filling 1. Mix the Philadelphia cheese with the mascarpone cheese and stir it with a stick blender, adding the sugar. Keep stirring until you get a light texture. You can add lemon juice or vanilla essence for extra flavour. 2. Pour the cheese over the biscuit 3. Goes into the fridge for 4h (at least) 4. Display the berries on top before serving Brussel sprouts is one of those vegetables you either love it or hate it. I’m on the lucky side, I love them! It’s a seasonal vegetable, typical on winter and not just on Christmas day. If you are also one of those who loves Brussel sprouts and warm salads, why not try this water-mouthing salad? It’s a healthy and delicious recipe.
Roasting the Brussel sprouts with cinnamon, coconut oil will bring out the flavour. You might be surprised how tasty these little cabbages are! Diet advice: Brussels sprouts are a good source of protein, iron and potassium, and also offer other benefits that can boost your overall health. Brussels sprouts, as with broccoli and other brassicas, contain sulforaphane, a phytochemical under basic research for its potential anticancer properties. Although boiling reduces the level of sulforaphane, steaming and stir frying do not result in significant loss. Ingredients (serves 4):
Method:
Enjoy :) Some winter days deserve to be celebrated with a warm & healthy breakfast, all in one pan. There are many different ways of eating eggs, and this one is one of my favourite. It’s a very nutritious and filling meal, with good sources of high quality protein. Perfect start for a great day!
Diet advice: Eggs are a very good source of inexpensive, high quality protein. More than half the protein of an egg is found in the egg white. The whites are rich sources of selenium, vitamin D, B6, B12 and minerals such as zinc, iron and copper. The yolk is source of cholesterol and healthy fats. An egg contains around 77 calories, 6 grams of protein and 5 grams of healthy fats. Ingredients (serves 4)
Method 1. Wash and chop all the vegetables 2. Put olive oil on a pan and add all the veggies 3. Add tomato sauce, seasoning and parsley 4. Add 1/2 cup of water and put lid on the pan, let it cooks for 5 min 5. Add the eggs and lid on 6. Turn the hob off in 2/3min if you want runny eggs, if not, let it cook for more 2min Bon Apetite :) What I like the most about cooking is to surprise the ones I love with amazing flavors.
In the middle of a busy day around the house, I managed to cook a quick and delicious dish. The secret for this recipe was to to caramelized the red onion, before adding the chicken. I also sliced some fresh peppers and sliced vine tomatoes to be added to the wrap. The decision of not cooking these, enriched the recipe with crunchiness, flavors and vitamins. I used herb wraps, however you can try wholemeal wraps to increase fiber content of your diet or if you prefer to cut down the carbs, you can easily replace it for little gem lettuce. Ingredients (4 people)
|
AuthorHi, I'm Joana, registered dietitian passionate about nutrition and healthy cooking. Archives
August 2019
Categories
All
|