Jamie Oliver’s latest cookbook, Eat Yourself Healthy, and accompanying Channel 4 TV show by the same name, aims to prove that good nutrition can be simple and achievable, and that we can all be in better control of our own health, with some colourful go-to recipes and a bit of practice in the kitchen.
“So many of us have good intentions to eat healthier, but time and time again, convenience always rules and it’s never been easier to just order a takeaway,” says Oliver.
“And it’s totally understandable when so many of us have never been taught to cook at home or at school so at large, people have lost their confidence – and life is busy! But convenience only wins if you don’t know how to cook.”
Here are three simple, nutritious recipes to get started.
Golden cheese and jammy berries
In the Mediterranean, fried cheese is often served with fresh or jammy fruits – a magical combo.
Ingredients:(Serves 2)Total time: 12 minutes. 2 of your 7-a-day
Olive oil80g halloumi or paneer cheese320g mixed berries, such as strawberries, raspberries, blueberries1tsp balsamic vinegar2 sprigs of basil2 slices of wholemeal sourdough bread1tsp runny honey
Method:
1. Put a non-stick frying pan on a medium heat with one tablespoon of olive oil. Slice and add the cheese, cook until golden on both sides, then remove.
2. Hull and halve any strawberries, then put all the berries into the pan. Cook for three minutes, or until soft, gently stirring occasionally. Drizzle over the balsamic, pick in most of the basil leaves, and stir gently until just wilted.
3. Toast the bread and divide between your plates, then spoon the jammy fruit on top. Pick over the remaining basil leaves, add the golden cheese, drizzle over the honey, and tuck right in.
Energy: 330kcalFat: 15.1gSat fat: 6gProtein: 11.7gCarbs: 37.1gSugars: 20.9gSalt: 0.8gFibre: 3g
Chopped rainbow salad
Delicious just as it is, or paired with couscous or a steaming jacket potato.
Ingredients:(Serves 1)Total time: 11 minutes. 10 of your 7-a-day
80g each pomegranate seeds, yellow pepper, ripe tomatoes, red onion, cucumber, tinned chickpeas, radishes, ripe avocado, little gem lettuce30g dried mango½ a bunch of mint (15g)1 limeExtra virgin olive oil
Method:
1. Leaving the chickpeas and pomegranate seeds whole, trim, peel or deseed and finely chop all the veg and fruit, along with the dried mango and the mint leaves, then dress with the lime juice and one tablespoon of extra virgin olive oil.
2. Season to perfection with sea salt and black pepper, and serve.
Energy: 539kcalFat: 26.2gSat: Fat 4.4gProtein: 12.2gCarbs: 66.6gSugars: 45.6gSalt: 1.2gFibre: 11.8g
Easy prawn curry
Popular prawns cook very quickly, so they’re perfect for this quick, speedy, fragrant curry.
Ingredients:(Serves 2)Total time: 10 minutes. 4 of your 7-a-day
1 onion (160g)250g ripe cherry tomatoes1 x 50g sachet of creamed coconut1 x 400g tin of chickpeas1 bunch of coriander (30g)2tbsp of your favourite curry pasteOlive oil250g frozen mango165g raw peeled king prawns, from sustainable sources1 x 250g packet of cooked wholegrain basmati rice30g Bombay mix
Method:
1. Put a large non-stick frying pan on a high heat. Peel and very finely slice the onion and place in the pan to dry fry with the tomatoes, tossing regularly for four minutes, while you put the creamed coconut in a blender with half the chickpeas and all their juice, half the coriander leaves and all the stalks, and a splash of water. Tip in half the onions and tomatoes from the pan and blitz until smooth to make a sauce.
2. Stir the curry paste and ½ a tablespoon of olive oil into the pan, followed a minute later by the frozen mango and remaining chickpeas, then the sauce. Toss over a medium heat for two minutes, then add the prawns and let it bubble away until the prawns are just cooked, loosening with splashes of water, if needed. Season to perfection.
3. Cook the rice according to the packet instructions, then divide between plates. Chop and stir most of the remaining coriander leaves into the curry, spoon it on top of the rice, then scatter over the last few coriander leaves. Crush and crumble over the Bombay mix for added crunch, to finish.
Energy: 600kcalFat: 17.8gSat fat: 6gProtein: 30.9gCarbs: 79.5gSugars: 27.7gSalt: 1.2gFibre: 14.4g
Eat Yourself Healthy by Jamie Oliver is published by Penguin Michael Joseph. Photography by David Loftus, available now
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