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About the Teleseminar
Food isn't fuel that you eat on the run, nor is it stuff which comes in pre-packaged boxes. Food is what ends up making the cells of your body. What you eat and how you eat it are fundamental to the well-being of your life and the life of this planet. Changing these is simple when you know how and understand why this matters deeply to you.
Lyndon Gee, a leading food influencer with 20 years in the food world, an active food campaigner and writer, shares with us the essentials of Slow Food and how to incorporate it into our daily lives.
If your first response is "I don't have time for slow food" then this is the Regally Graceful™ Teleseminar for you. We will be looking at how to improve your health and well-being through what and how you eat, debunking a lot of the myths that have grown up around the health food industry about what health is and what is healthy food and getting the enjoyment into eating, food and meals. Contrary to popular belief healthy slow food tastes delicious and when it's that good you enjoy it, and that makes your mood improve too.
Makes 12 bars Mash 2 bananas and mix with a chopped apple, 2 cups of rolled oats,1 cup of apple juice, ½ cup of mixed dried fruit, ½ cup chopped apricots and 1 tablespoon each of sunflower seeds, pumpkin seeds and linseeds.
Mix everything together spread out on a medium baking sheet 2cm thick. Press a few whole apricots into the top
Bake 15–20 minutes in a medium oven 180C gas Mk 4. Cool, cut into bars and serve.
Can be eaten warm or cold; they also taste fabulous toasted. The bars last a week in the refrigerator and work very well frozen. Try using different fruits but always use bananas as they bind the whole mixture. Also try adding different spices, a teaspoon of cinnamon, ginger, or mixed spice work really well.
3 Easy salads
1. Quinoa & roast vegetable cocktail
Quinoa is the ideal grain for vegetarians and contains more calcium than milk, it also has the highest protein content of any grain and is high in iron, phosphorous and vitamins B&E. Quinoa (pronounced keen-wah) is gluten free and works well instead of bulgur wheat or cous cous in any recipe, perfect if you’re avoiding wheat.
Method
1. Add one cup of quinoa to 2 parts water with a teaspoon of cumin and pinch each of salt and pepper. Bring to the boil then gently simmer for 10 minutes in a pan with a lid, stirring occasionally. Set aside with the lid still on and leave to absorb any excess water.
2. Roughly chop a red onion, red pepper, yellow pepper and courgette, mix with a dash of olive oil then spread out onto a baking sheet. Cook in a hot oven 240°/Gas 9 for 20 minutes until softened and starting to char at the edges. Remove from the oven and drizzle with balsamic vinegar, a little salt& pepper and a handful of ripped basil leaves.
3. Mix the quinoa with the finely grated zest and juice of an un-waxed organic lemon, 2 tablespoons of olive oil and a handful of freshly chopped parsley then place a spoonful into a glass. Top with roasted vegetables and serve.
2. Minted potato, pea & spring onion salad
Simply mix 400g-cooked baby new potatoes with 100g cooked fresh peas, 4 finely chopped spring onions, 6 large sprigs of shredded fresh mint, 2 tablespoons of olive oil, salt and white pepper. Mix well and serve, either warm or cold.
3. Spinach, lemon & pine nut salad
Cook drain and cool 250g spinach and spread it out on a plate. Sprinkle with salt, pepper, finely grated lemon zest, and a tablespoon of pine nuts. Drizzle with the juice of half a lemon and some really good extra virgin olive oil.
Healthy Chips
High in Vitamin C, the potato itself is low in fat and a good source of fibre potassium & B6, but deep-fry it and lots of fat is added. 1 in 3 British potatoes is turned into chips. Chips do have a good level of satiety so these could actually help you diet! Ready-made oven chips can be lower in fat but vary enormously and they contain artificial additives and flavourings. Usually made with reconstituted potato they simply don’t taste as good as homemade. I’ve used sunflower oil because it’s low in saturated fat and doesn’t burn as readily as olive oil. To increase the fibre and nutrient content I’ve left the skin on, as just under the skin is where the highest concentrations of vitamins and minerals are. Because I’m using the skin I’ve used organic potatoes.
Coating the chips in smoked paprika gives a wonderful flavour and means you need far less salt so they are better for your heart too.
Serves: 2 Preparation time :5 minutes Cooking time: 20-25 minutes
2. Scrub the potatoes and chop into 1cm thick chips
3. Add the tablespoon of oil and the chips to a bowl and mix well, then add the smoked paprika and mix; making sure all the chips are coated.
4. Add the teaspoon of oil to a baking sheet and spread over with a piece of kitchen paper, then put into the oven for a couple of minutes to get hot.
5. Add the chips to the hot baking sheet and spread out over the tray.
6. Bake for 20-25 minutes, turning occasionally with a spatula, until crispy and golden brown.
Tomato Relish
To make a simple and nutritious relish: just add 1 tablespoon of finely chopped fresh tomatoes to one tablespoon ketchup and half a tablespoon finely chopped red onion. Mix well and leave to infuse for 5 minutes. You can add a dash of chilli sauce if you want to spice it up.
Tip
Try adding other flavours to your chips like Chilli seasoning or curry powder or cook them with sprigs of rosemary.
Shepherds Pie
Shepherds pie is a fantastically soothing and satisfying meal but usually high in saturated fat, due to the minced meat plus butter in the potato topping. Instead of meat I’ve used canned lentils, which are little powerhouses of nutrition containing significant amounts of folate and magnesium. They’re also packed with both soluble and insoluble fibre, so are extremely good for controlling cholesterol and also soothing irritable bowel syndrome or constipation. Their iron content is also highly beneficial, especially for anyone menstruating, pregnant or lactating because unlike red meat, which is also a good source of iron, lentils are low in both fat and calories. By eating lentils with vitamin C-rich foods such as tomatoes their iron content is far better absorbed. I’ve not used any butter in the mash but instead there is extra milk to add a little creaminess plus Dijon mustard for flavour.
Ingredients For the topping 800g potatoes 100 ml milk 1-heaped teaspoon Dijon mustard good pinch salt & white pepper
For the filling 1can of puy lentils 1 can of chopped tomatoes 1 large onion finely chopped 1 carrot finely chopped Good pinch thyme Good pinch white pepper 1 vegetable stock cube dissolved in 100ml boiling water 1-tablespoon soy sauce dash sunflower oil
Method
For the topping 1. Peel and roughly chop the potatoes and add to a pan of boiling water, cooking until soft for around 15-20 minutes.
2. Drain then season with salt and pepper and beat in the mustard & milk with a wooden spoon until the mash is smooth and creamy.
For the filling 1. Add the oil to a pan, throw in the onion and cook for 5 minutes stirring regularly.
2. Add the carrot and continue cooking for another 5 minutes until the onions are golden brown.
3. Now add the thyme, tomatoes, lentils, pepper, vegetable stock & soy sauce, stir then bring to a gentle boil, turn down the heat add a lid and simmer gently for 5 minutes.
4. Put the lentil mixture into an ovenproof dish and top with potato.
5. Bake in a preheated oven 200 degrees for 15-20 minutes until golden brown and serve with green vegetables.
Tip -To get a crispy topping use a fork to create lots of little peaks in the potato
Asparagus, pea & green bean risotto
Risotto is thought of as a healthy option on restaurant menus but often contains large amounts of butter, cream and cheese. As it’s made with white rice it’s also not very high in fibre. You just don’t get the same consistency with brown rice so to boost the fibre content I’ve used lots of extra vegetables including peas & beans, which are both good sources. Asparagus and peas are high in folates, which as well as guarding against birth defects are also good for the cardiovascular system. It doesn’t need butter because it’s very moist due to the high vegetable content. Instead of full fat cream I’ve used crème fraiche, which adds a gorgeous creamy texture with less than half the fat of ordinary cream.
Ingredients 2 cups risotto (Arborio) rice 1 bunch asparagus 6 spring onions 100g green beans Handful fresh parsley 1 clove garlic 1-cup peas (fresh or frozen) dash olive oil 3 cups vegetable stock 1 glass white wine 1-tablespoon organic crème fraiche salt & white pepper
Method
1. Remove the tough end of the asparagus stalks and cut the rest into 2 cm pieces, keeping the delicate tips separate from the rest of the stems.
2. Chop the onions into 1 cm pieces, keeping the white parts separate from the green. Top & tail the beans and cut into 2cm pieces. Finely chop the herbs, crush the garlic and shell the peas - keeping all ingredients separate.
3. Add the stock to a pan, bring to the boil then turn down the heat and simmer gently.
4. In another large pan add a dash of olive oil then the white part of the spring onions, stir for a minute, add the garlic and asparagus stems then stir for another minute.
5. Add the rice, salt & pepper and stir for a minute, then add the wine stirring constantly. When the wine has almost evaporated, add half a cup of the hot stock and continue stirring for 5 minutes adding more stock a little at a time.
6. Put in the green beans and keep gently stirring for another 5 minutes, regularly adding more stock as it is absorbed.
7. Now add the peas, the asparagus tips, green part of spring onions, half the basil & parsley and continue stirring another 3-5 minutes. Adding more stock as necessary - you won’t need to add as much towards the end as the rice will have absorbed a lot already (if you run out of stock just add a little boiling water)
8. Finally, check the rice is cooked then stir in the rest of the herbs and the crème fraiche and serve immediately.
