Get the Glow (18 page)

buckwheat, asparagus and pea risotto

This has all the flavours and textures of spring. The creamy coconut offers a dairy-free alternative to this familiar dish, while the protein-packed buckwheat adds a wonderfully nutty taste.

serves 2

150g buckwheat

1 tbsp coconut oil

1 small white onion, finely chopped

2 cloves garlic, crushed

250ml chicken or vegetable stock

1 x 400ml can coconut milk

zest and juice of 1 lemon

100g petits pois

3 spring onions, finely chopped

1 bunch asparagus

25g mint leaves

4 tbsp chopped walnuts

salt and pepper

Rinse the buckwheat in a sieve. Heat a pan with the coconut oil for 1 minute over a medium heat, then throw in the onion and a pinch of salt and sauté for 5 minutes, or until the onion is lightly bronzed. Add the garlic and the buckwheat, and stir-fry for another minute. Pour in the stock, and allow to simmer for 10 minutes with a lid on.

Open the coconut milk and separate the coconut milk from the cream. (The cream is at the top and is more solid, and the milk is the liquid at the bottom. If the contents of the can are mostly solid, warm 100g of the coconut cream with 50ml water.)

Take the lid off the pan, and gradually add the lemon zest and juice, petits pois, spring onions and coconut milk. Make sure you keep stirring constantly, and cook for 10 minutes. For the last 7 minutes place the asparagus on top, and pop a lid back on the pan to let the spears steam.

Remove the asparagus spears and set aside. Stir the coconut cream into the mixture in the pan, with good grind of salt and pepper.

Scatter the mint leaves over the plated risotto with the asparagus and the chopped walnuts.

sesame seared tuna salad, pea mash and bean shoots

This simple dish can be whipped up in minutes. I like to keep the tuna steak rare and slice it thin. The tahini sauce gives the dish a gingery finish and ups your calcium intake for the day.

serves 2

6 tbsp sesame seeds, toasted

2 tuna steaks

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

1 large clove garlic, crushed

1 tbsp honey

4 tsp coconut oil

1 shallot, finely diced

300g frozen petits pois

2 limes

2 tsp freshly grated ginger

1 tbsp tahini

50g beansprouts

fresh coriander leaves, to serve

salt and pepper

Spread the sesame seeds on a plate. Rub the tuna steaks in the tamari, soy sauce or Liquid Aminos and the crushed garlic and honey, then put them in the sesame seeds to coat both sides.

Heat 1 teaspoon coconut oil in a large frying pan over a medium heat, then throw in the shallot with a pinch of salt, and cook for 5 minutes. Next add the petits pois, 2 tablespoons water, ground pepper and the juice of 1 lime, and cook for 4 minutes. Blend the pan mixture in a blender until puréed.

Heat a frying pan over a high heat with the remaining coconut oil. Wait until it is hot, then sear the tuna steaks for 2 minutes one side then for 1½ minutes on the other side; this will keep it pink in the middle.

Mix the ginger, tahini and zest and juice of 1 lime together. Plate the tuna, beansprouts and pea purée on two plates and slather with the dressing. Serve with fresh coriander.

monkfish curry with indian spiced cauliflower rice

I actually made this dish up trying to impress my boyfriend, whose family is Indian. I think it worked.

serves 4

400g monkfish, cut into bite-size chunks

2 tsp turmeric

3 tbsp fresh grated ginger

1 tbsp coconut oil or butter

1 white onion, finely sliced

1 red chilli, deseeded and finely chopped

1 clove garlic, crushed

1 x 400ml can coconut milk

juice of 1 lime

1 tbsp mustard seeds

1 handful fresh coriander, finely chopped

salt and pepper

Put the chunks of fish in a bowl with a pinch of salt, the turmeric and the ginger. Massage the spices into the fillets and marinate.

Heat the coconut oil or butter in a large pan over a medium heat. Add the onions and a pinch of salt, and sauté for 5 minutes.

Add the chilli and garlic. Stir-fry for a minute, then add the coconut milk, lime juice and some freshly ground pepper, and let this all simmer for 5 minutes. Finally, throw in the fish and simmer gently for 10 minutes, or until the fish is cooked through. Remove from the heat.

In a small frying pan, dry-roast the mustard seeds for 1 minute, then crush them slightly.

Sprinkle the fresh coriander and mustard seeds over the top of the curry, and serve with Indian Spiced Cauliflower Rice, below.

indian spiced cauliflower rice

Indian spiced cauliflower rice

1 cauliflower, stalk removed and roughly chopped

1 tbsp coconut oil or butter

1 tsp turmeric

½ tsp ground cumin

¼ tsp cinnamon

¼ tsp ground ginger

fresh coriander, to serve

Put the roughly chopped cauliflower into a food processor and process for a few minutes until you get a rice-like consistency.

Heat the coconut oil or butter in a pan over a medium heat for 1 minute, then add the spices and stir for 1 minute more until fragrant.

Add the cauliflower ‘rice’ and sauté for 3 minutes, stirring constantly, until cooked through. Serve sprinkled with some fresh coriander.

smoky roast chicken with sweet potato wedges

This is the gift that keeps on giving. Make it on Sunday, and enjoy it throughout the week. Sweet potato offers a lower-starch alternative to regular potato varieties, and when you have an organic, free-range roast chicken in the fridge, no one will complain.

serves 6

6 tbsp coconut oil

2 tbsp cayenne pepper

2 tbsp smoked paprika

zest and juice of 1 lime

1.5kg whole chicken

5 sweet potatoes, cut into wedges

4 cloves garlic, crushed

salt and pepper

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

In a frying pan melt the coconut oil with the spices and lime zest and juice over a very low heat. Rub the spicy oil all over the chicken and sweet potato wedges, massaging every part of the chicken. Grind a generous amount of salt and pepper over both. Put the chicken in a large roasting tin and roast for 1 hour 20 minutes. After 35 minutes scatter the sweet potato wedges around the outside of the chicken and let them cook with the chicken for the last 45 minutes.

Let the cooked chicken rest for 5 minutes, and serve with the sweet potato wedges.

Once cooked this will keep in the fridge all week, and can be used for lunches
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