Get the Glow (17 page)

ginger steamed snapper parcel with cauliflower rice and chard

What I love most about this is its versatility. You can choose whether you want the fish or the vegetables to be the main event, and either way you won’t be disappointed. Ginger and soy give an oriental aroma to this wonderful dish.

serves 2

2 snapper fillets (or sea bass, salmon or cod)

1 tbsp freshly grated ginger

1 tbsp gluten-free tamari, soy sauce or Liquid Aminos

½ cauliflower, stalk removed and roughly chopped

1 tbsp coconut oil, plus 2 tsp

3 spring onions, chopped into ½cm pieces

1 tsp turmeric

50g Swiss chard, chopped (or any other chard or pak choi)

10 cherry tomatoes, halved

2 limes

salt and pepper

Preheat the oven to 200°C/400°F/Gas mark 6.

Rub the fish in the ginger and tamari, soy sauce or Liquid Aminos.

Put the roughly chopped cauliflower into a food processor and process for a few minutes until you have a rice-like consistency. Heat 1 tablespoon coconut oil in a pan over a medium heat. Toss the spring onions into the pan with a pinch of salt, stir-fry for a few minutes, then add the turmeric and cauliflower rice. Stir-fry for 1 minute, until the cauliflower has coloured, then take it off the heat.

Grab some foil or baking paper and cut two rectangles measuring at least 45cm in length. For each person, dollop 1 teaspoon coconut oil in the middle, then add the chard, cauliflower rice and tomatoes. Finally, place the fish on top. Grind some salt and pepper over the fish and squeeze the juice of 1 lime into each parcel. Wrap the foil or baking paper around the food and seal up the edges.

Bake for 15–20 minutes, until the fish is cooked through, and serve in the parcels.

beef stir-fry with courgette noodles

Everyone loves a stir-fry. But everyone also always asks me ‘how can I make it healthier?’ If you have an intolerance, remove the gluten: get your spiraliser out and make courgetti! This is so delicious, and goes perfectly with the flavours of the stir-fry. And the beef and chilli go hand in hand with all the other ingredients.

serves 2

2 sirloin steaks, or another favourite cut, sliced into 2.5cm strips

2 courgettes, ends cut off

1 tbsp coconut oil

1 red onion, finely chopped

2 cloves garlic, crushed

2 tbsp freshly grated ginger

1 red chilli, finely chopped

100g sugarsnap peas, cut in half

juice of 1 lime

2 tbsp sesame seeds

1 tbsp gluten-free tamari, soy sauce or Liquid Aminos

salt and pepper

Grind salt and pepper over the steaks, and set aside.

Spiralise or julienne the courgettes, or cut them into very fine strips with a peeler to make the ‘courgetti’.

Heat the coconut oil in a large wok or pan. Add the onion to the pan and cook for 5 minutes with a pinch of salt. Add the garlic, ginger and chilli, and stir-fry for a further minute. Add the steak, and stir-fry for another minute, and finally throw in the sugarsnaps and courgette. Cook for 3 minutes more, stirring constantly.

Remove from the heat and squeeze over the lime juice. Serve with the sesame seeds and tamari, soy sauce or Liquid Aminos over the top.

lemon sole, pancetta, peas and salsa verde

My golden rule: always make sure you have peas in the freezer. They will go in anything, and this dish illustrates that perfectly. Lemon sole is a beautiful, soft, white fish, and with the saltiness of the pancetta and that fresh burst from the peas, you have a winning combination.

serves 2

50g flat-leaf parsley

50g basil

100ml olive oil

1 tbsp capers

1 tbsp cider vinegar

1 tsp mustard

2 lemon sole fillets

4 pancetta rashers (or Parma ham)

½ tbsp coconut oil

100g petits pois

zest and juice of 1 lemon

salt and pepper

Make the salsa verde first by blending the parsley, basil, olive oil, capers, vinegar and mustard in a food processor. Blend until you have a smooth paste, and set aside.

Salt and pepper the fish fillets and set them aside.

Heat a frying pan over a medium heat and grill the pancetta for 1 minute on each side, until crisp, then set aside.

Heat the same pan with the coconut oil over a medium to high heat. Wait until the oil starts to bubble, then fry the fish for 2 minutes on the first side, then 1 minute on the second. Put the cooked fish to one side.

Throw the petits pois into the pan and sauté them over a medium heat with the lemon for a few minutes, then serve to the side of the fish with a smear of salsa verde and the pancetta.

fish burgers with raw carrot slaw

Fish burgers are slightly unorthodox, but so easy to make and a joy to eat! My raw slaw is super-light, using yoghurt instead of mayonnaise, and with that much-needed crunch from grated carrot, as well as sesame seeds, it’s perfectly textured.

serves 2

fish burger

200g haddock, skinned and roughly chopped

200g salmon, skinned and roughly chopped

1 tbsp freshly grated ginger

2 tsp gluten-free tamari, soy sauce or Liquid Aminos

4 tbsp chopped coriander

1 tbsp gluten-free flour (if needed)

slaw

2 large carrots, grated

juice of 1 lime

1 tbsp olive oil

1 tbsp freshly grated ginger

2 tbsp natural yoghurt

2 tbsp sesame seeds

1 tbsp coconut oil or butter

olive oil, for drizzling

salt and pepper

To make the burgers, whizz the chopped fish in the food processor with the rest of the burger ingredients and a grind of salt and pepper. Form the mixture into four patties on a plate, add a little gluten-free flour if the pattie mix is too moist, and refrigerate for 30 minutes.

Mix the grated carrot with the lime juice, olive oil, ginger, yoghurt, sesame seeds and a pinch of salt.

Heat a pan with the coconut oil or butter over a medium to high heat, and fry the patties for 4 minutes on each side. Serve two patties per person with the slaw and a little drizzle of olive oil.

green queen quinoa dish

This ticks the boxes for both vegetarians and protein loaders. My senses were excited by the multiple textures going on here. Quinoa, onion, pumpkin seeds . . . all steeped in seasoned stock or water. A suggestion of fresh chopped chilli as a garnish always makes me happy.

serves 4

250g quinoa

500ml boiling water or chicken stock

1 tsp ground cumin

100g spinach leaves

½ red onion, finely sliced

3 spring onions, finely sliced

1 fresh green chilli, deseeded and finely chopped

50g pumpkin seeds

pinch salt

dressing

25g mint

100g basil

3 tbsp tahini

juice of 1 lime

80ml olive oil

salt and pepper

Put the quinoa in a saucepan with the boiling water or stock and a pinch of salt. Bring it to the boil, then turn the heat down and let it gently simmer for 12–15 minutes, or until all the liquid has been absorbed.

Heat a large frying pan, and dry-roast the cumin for 1 minute. When the quinoa is cooked through, add the toasted cumin and the spinach leaves, and stir until they are fully combined and the spinach starts to wilt.

Add the red onion, spring onions, green chilli and pumpkin seeds to the quinoa mix, and pour into a serving bowl.

In a blender, blend the dressing ingredients. Slather the dressing over the quinoa.