Writing about nutrition is one thing; acting upon it another. So I have decided to devote this week’s post to recipes that require the minimum of culinary skill and are manageable on even the most fatigue-plagued days. Since shopping with MS is always a trial, all the ingredients are available at any supermarket.
Butternut and Ginger Soup
Soup is my default choice for meals: easy to prepare, easy to make in bulk for multiple servings and packed with delicious vegetables.
All my soups follow a basic formula. Dry fry a chopped onion, add vegetables of choice, add vegetable stock, bring to the boil and then let the residual heat cook it through. The variations are endless – from using different flavoured stock (I love mushroom) and adding rice or pulses. Where possible, use vegetables that are in season and don’t be afraid to try new flavour pairings. With soup, the only way to fail is to open a tin!
Here’s one of my favourites. It’s perfect for the autumn season and smart enough to serve at a dinner party.
Ingredients
1 large butternut squash
A little olive oil and pinch of salt
1 medium onion – chopped
1 inch / 2 cm of fresh ginger peeled and chopped fine
2 mugs/ 600 ml of water
1.5 teaspoons of vegetable stock powder
Method
Preheat your oven to 180 C/ 350 F
Scrub the butternut squash. Cut it in half and scoop out the seeds and throw them away. Brush/rub the exposed flesh with a little olive oil and a pinch of salt.
Place on a baking tray, skin-side down. Bake in the oven for 30-35 minutes until the squash is soft in the middle and caramelised at the edges.
While it is baking, dry fry your onion and ginger in a large, heavy based pot. (Cook the onion and ginger slowly, stirring all the time. When it starts to catch, add a splash of water to prevent it sticking.)
When the squash is cooked and cool enough to handle, cut into generous chunks and add to the pot. (There is no need to remove the skin.)
Add two mugs of water and 1.5 teaspoons of vegetable stock and bring to the boil. Then remove from the heat and allow to continue ‘cooking’ off the hob.
When cool enough, pour into a blender and pulse until smooth.
Return to the pot, heat thoroughly and adjust seasoning. You may want to add more water at this stage to get the consistency you like.
Serve with a sprinkle of seeds and crusty bread.
Enough for 4-6 servings
Hey presto! pesto
Once I discovered how easy it was to make home made pesto (and how much more delicious it was), I decided to make my own. This can be done in the traditional way with basil or it is equally good when made with parsley or rocket.
I tend to use cashew nuts rather then pine nuts, as they are rather more economical, but both give a delicious and creamy taste. If you are feeling adventurous, walnuts and parsley make a charming combination.
Ingredients
1 small pot of basil (washed and stripped of leaves)
60g / 2 oz cashew nuts
7 tablespoons of olive oil
1 small clove of garlic – peeled and chopped
0.25 teaspoon of salt
black pepper
Method
Start by cooking your pasta as per instructions on the packet. This recipe makes enough pesto for two generous servings, so if you are making more pasta, just double it up!
Place all your ingredients in a food processor and blitz until they make a gritty past. Adjust seasonings and then stir into freshly cooked and drained pasta.
Serve with garlic bread (made with olive oil) and a crisp salad.
Toasted Sesame and Chocolate Power Balls
There are a number of these power balls on the market and often at rather eye-watering prices. It’s true that the ingredients are not cheap; however, my recipe will produce 14 plump balls and cost around 50p each to make. For ease of measuring, I have used cups here. (If you don’t have American measuring cups, a standard sized tumbler will do.)
Ingredients
1/4 cup of sesame seeds
3/4 cup of almonds – roughly chopped
1/4 cup of oats
12 Medjool dates (don’t use regular ones – they are not juicy enough)
2 tablespoons almond butter
1 dessert spoon of cocoa powder
small pinch of salt
Method
Sprinkle the sesame seeds in a single layer across a large frying pan. Apply heat and toast for a few minutes. When the seeds start to pop like popcorn – they’re done!
Tip the seeds into a bowl for later.
Now, gently toast the almonds and oats. Remove from the heat.
Place the dates, almond butter, cocoa powder and salt in a food processor and whizz to combine. Add the toasted almonds and oats and whizz again until they form a well-blended, sticky dough.
Lift out teaspoon-sized portions of the dough and roll in your hands to form a ball. Roll the ball in the toasted sesame seeds and lay on grease-proof paper.
Continue until all the dough is used up then store them in an airtight container in the fridge. (Though you may feel the need to sample one beforehand.)
They will keep in the fridge for at least a week.
I hope that these recipes show how it is possible to follow a healthy diet without compromising on taste.
I would be lying if I said the transition from my old diet to the new one was entirely easy. There were countless times when I wanted to rush around Waitrose on a Friday evening and pick up a ready meal or order fish and chips to eat on the seafront on a summer’s evening. But (for the most part) I resisted and the longer I pursued it, the easier it got . Being a total foodie is definitely an advantage, as I love discovering new flavours and am fascinated by the chemistry of cooking.
My husband has enjoyed our culinary adventures too and four years on, we wouldn’t eat any other way!