As someone who is allergic to most nuts, I’ve never had a Snickers bar, but I have heard they are filled with crunchy peanuts, sweet caramel and coated in chocolate. I’ve not got a very sweet tooth, so I’m subbing in dark chocolate for milk, adding extra plant polyphenols which my gut will love. It’s also got the benefit of fibre from the naturally sweet and caramel-like date, and the crunchy almond butter has been blended with the skins on for even more fibre benefit, as these are the nuts I’m not allergic to.
All in all, this is a really easy recipe which will help to satisfy your sweet tooth when you might normally reach for a shop-bought version. Make a larger batch and keep them in an airtight container, if they last that long!
Serves 5
Ingredients
5 Medjool dates, pitted and split down one side
5 tsp crunchy almond butter (or any other nut butter of choice)
100g dark chocolate, melted
Method
Add a teaspoon of nut butter to the middle of the date and close as best you can
Roll the stuffed date in the melted chocolate, getting an even coating over the whole surface
Allow to set on baking parchment for around 30 minutes
Enjoy straight away, or store in an airtight Tupperware for up to 2 weeks
Reindeer Poops
Per serving: 257kcal/ 15g fat/ 5.5g saturated fat/ 24g carbohydrates/ 4.4g fibre/ 4.6g protein
Post-exercise, you want to consume carbohydrates and protein to help replenish glycogen stores as well as help repair your muscles. My Turkish Inspired Eggs contain plenty of protein thanks to Yeo Valley 0% Greek Recipe*, as well as carbohydrates from the sourdough bread served with them. I’m also pairing in plenty of vitamins, minerals and antioxidants to help with recovery in the form of fresh fruits, veggies, and herbs and spices.
Pasta is my comfort food, so when Ninja asked me to create an autumn comfort meal using the 8-in-1 Foodie Possible cooker, I knew it had to be pasta-based as that’s the equivalent of a big cosy hug in a bowl for me.
What you might not realise is that there are recommendations for red meat intakes, with health bodies recommending no more than 70g cooked weight per day, or 350-500g cooked weight per week if you eat red meat. So, is it possible to make a meat sauce which complies with these guidelines whilst still making it taste delicious? Absolutely! And here is my Short Rib Ragu which has all the rich flavour of the meat, but is cleverly padded out with plant-based protein from lentils. This additionally provides extra fibre (resulting in 11g of fibre per serving with pasta) as well as making it more sustainable through the use of plant-based proteins.
This recipe also makes a whopping 15 portions, which is great for a big get together, but also perfect for batch cooking and freezing down so you can have easy meals on hand when you need them in the future. Store in Tupperware or freezer bags in suitable portion sizes for up to 6 months, keeping you going throughout all these dark nights!
Makes 15 portions
Ingredients
1kg short ribs, excess fat trimmed off
3 large onions (350g), diced
4 large carrots (380g), diced
3 sticks of celery (200g), diced
250g mushrooms, diced
1 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
4 cloves of garlic, finely chopped
10 sprigs of thyme
10 sprigs of oregano
3 sprigs of rosemary
4 bay leaves
10g of sage leaves, roughly chopped
2 tbsp tomato puree
1 beef stock cube
100g red lentils
100g brown lentils
100g green (puy) lentils
1 tin chopped tomatoes
350ml red wine
10g dried porcini mushrooms
1 parmesan rind
20g basil
To serve
15 portions of cooked pasta
150g parmesan
Extra basil
Method
Set your Ninja Foodi Possible Cooker* to Saute High setting and brown the short ribs on each side for around 12 minutes. Remove from the pan.
Add the onions, carrots, celery, mushrooms, and olive oil to the same pan and cook for 10 minutes until soft, then add the garlic and cook for a further 5 minutes.
Return the ribs to the pan along with the herbs, tomato puree, crumbled stock cube, lentils, tomatoes, and red wine, topping up with water until the pan is full. Add your optional flavour enhancers of dried porcini mushrooms and parmesan rind. Set your Foodi Possible Cooker to Slow Cook on High for 6 hours, covering with the lid.
After 5-6 hours the meat should be extremely tender and falling off the bone. Remove the ribs from the pan and separate the meat from the bone before shredding. Remove the herb stems and parmesan rind before returning the shredded meat to the pan with the basil.
Serve with freshly cooked pasta, using a little of the pasta water to loosen the ragu if needed, and serve topped with parmesan and extra basil.
Short Rib Ragu
Per serving: 622kcal/ 15g fat/ 6.0g saturated fat/ 84g carbohydrates/ 11g fibre/ 32g protein
A super quick meal to make with plenty of umami flavours in addition to also providing you with your daily vitamin K requirements, needed to maintaining strong and healthy bones.
Serves 2
Ingredients
180g smoked tofu, very thinly sliced
1/2 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
1 tbsp white miso paste
2 egg yolks
30g parmesan cheese
1/2 tsp cracked black pepper
2 packets of udon noodles
200g sprouting broccoli (or Asian greens such as choi sum or gai lan)
Method
Pan-fry the tofu with the olive oil for 8-10 minutes till golden brown and crispy.
Meanwhile cook the udon noodles according to the packet instructions, adding the broccoli in for the last minute of cooking.
While the noodles are cooking make the sauce by combining the miso paste, egg yolks, parmesan cheese and cracked black pepper together, mixing well.
Using a little of the cooking water, temper the sauce to get the same consistency as double cream. Add the hot noodles and mix well till each noodle is coated with a glossy and smooth sauce.
Plate up and enjoy straight away.
Udon Carbonara
Per serving: 488kcal/ 20g fat/ 5.7g saturated fat/ 43g carbohydrates/ 7.8g fibre/ 29g protein
My friend bought me back some lovely Italian gifts, including this handmade orecchiette made by an actual nonna, and a local cheese called ricotta salata which is a salty and sharp cheese. So, I wanted to make something worthy of these ingredients, and my friend suggested pasta alla norma, which is an aubergine and tomato pasta, and something I absolutely love.
I probably haven’t made this the traditional way, but roasting the vegetables in the oven means hands-free cooking for the best part as well as making a really creamy sauce that even my friend was admiring from through her phone!
Serves 3
Ingredients
500g tomatoes, cut up into 1″ chunks
2 large red onions, cut up into 1″ chunks
4 garlic cloves, skin left on
4 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
2 aubergines, cut into 1″ cubes
300g pasta shape of choice
A big handful of fresh basil
Ricotta salata to serve – if you can’t find this cheese, Parmigiana would work well.
Method
Preheat the oven to 180°C fan/200°C convection
Add the tomatoes, onion and garlic to a large roasting pan with half the olive oil and mix well, ensuring the garlic cloves are closer to the centre so they don’t burn. Roast for around 45 minutes, mixing half way through.
In a separate baking tin, add the aubergine and remaining olive oil and roast for 30 minutes, till crispy on the edges but soft on the inside.
When the vegetables are almost finished roasting, boil the pasta for 2 minutes shorter than the cooking time, reserving some pasta water.
Blend half the tomato mixture with all the garlic cloves, removing the skin, before adding it back to the roasting tin with the cooked pasta, aubergines, and basil. Add a little pasta water if needed to get the desired sauce consistency.
Serve hot and fresh with grated ricotta salata over the top and enjoy!
Pasta alla Norma
Per serving: 676kcal/ 24g fat/ 5.8g saturated fat/ 86g carbohydrates/ 11g fibre/ 21g protein
Any squash variety will work here, I’ve used Kuri and Crown Prince, but Butternut, Table or Delicia would also work well here. If you can’t find giant wholegrain cous cous you can use standard wholegrain cous cous which only require rehydrating in 110% boiling water.
Serves 3
Ingredients
400g squash, skin on, cubed
1 large onion, sliced into wedges
2-3 beetroot (300g), peeled and cut into cubes
3 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
150g giant wholegrain cous cous
1 heaped tablespoon djion mustard
1 tbsp red wine vinegar
200g salad leaves e.g. rocket, baby leaf spinach or watercress
90g goats cheese
Method
Mix the squash, onion and beetroot together with 1 tbsp olive oil. Roast in a preheated oven set to 180°C fan.
Meanwhile cook the giant cous cous according to the packet instructions, drain, and add 1/2 tbsp olive oil to stop the grains from sticking together.
Mix the dijon mustard, red wine vinegar and remaining olive oil and pour onto the cous cous while hot and mix to combine.
Add the roasted vegetables, deglazing the pan with a little boiling water, before adding the spinach.
Plate up and top with goats cheese.
Roasted Squash & Beetroot Salad
Per serving: 434kcal/ 24g fat/ 7.7g saturated fat/ 34g carbohydrates/ 9.1g fibre/ 15g protein
I used to work at King’s College London as a postdoctoral researcher and there was this little falafel stall just around the corner which would be mine and my colleagues go to spot when we were treating ourselves to lunch out (or running back to the metabolic research unit!).
These falafel are a nod to those which I used to have more frequently than I would like to admit, but I’ve put a healthy twist on them by cooking them in the air fryer, making no deep fat frying. This helps to reduce the overall fat of the falafel, as well as using extra virgin olive oil, which is a healthy fat which probably wasn’t the oil used for frying at the stall.
Makes 24 falafel
Ingredients
250g dried chickpeas, soaked for at least 8 hours in cold water
1 large red onion
45g flat-leaf parsley
20g dill
30g coriander
Green chillis to taste (optional)
1 tbsp ground cumin
1 tbsp cumin seeds
1/2 tsp salt
1/2 tsp bicarbonate of soda
2-3 heaped tablespoons of gram flour
30g sesame seeds
3 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
Method
Add the soaked chickpeas, onion, herbs, spices, salt and bicarbonate of soda to a blender and pulse till everything is finely chopped and combined.
Mix in the gram flour to get a consistency that is still wet, but just holds together when gently pressed.
Rest in the fridge for 30 minutes.
Using a 2 tbsp measure, create little pucks of the mixture and gently top with sesame seeds on each of the flat sides.
Place each falafel onto a non-stick baking tray (or line with baking parchment) leaving a 1cm gap between them.
Brush with olive oil on the top and bake in the air fryer* for 15 minutes, flipping halfway through.
Serve hot and crispy!
*option to bake in an oven set to 200°C fan for 15-20 minutes
Air Fryer Falafel
Per serving (4 falafel): 280kcal/ 12g fat/ 1.7g saturated fat/ 24g carbohydrates/ 11g fibre/ 13g protein
My friend doesn’t like thick soups, which is often the case when using curcubits. This, however, is a very thin soup, which still packs a punch.
Each serving provides you with a third of your daily fibre requirements, making it a great meal choice on cold winter days.
Serves 4
Ingredients
1 large red onion, roughly chopped
2.5 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
2 cloves of garlic, roughly chopped
1 tbsp cumin seeds
650g pumpkin, skin on and roughly diced, seeds reserved
100g red lentils
1/2 tsp salt
1/2 tsp white pepper
1 tsp ground turmeric
15g fresh coriander
Method
Gently fry the onion and 2 tbsp oil in a large pan till soft and translucent. Add the garlic and cook for a further 2 minutes.
Add the cumin seeds and cook till fragrant before adding in the butternut squash and lentils with 1 litre of boiling water.
Allow to simmer for 20 minutes till the lentils and squash are cooked through and soft.
Meanwhile, coat the squash seeds with the remaining 1/2 tbsp extra virgin olive oil and roast in an oven set to 180°C fan for 12 minutes, or 6-8 minutes in an air fryer.
Blend till smooth, seasoning with the remaining spice and serve with the crispy seeds and coriander leaves.
Spiced Butternut Squash and Lentil Soup
Per serving: 302kcal/ 13g fat/ 2.0g saturated fat/ 29g carbohydrates/ 10g fibre/ 13g protein
Blueberry sourdough bagels. Just a small amount of work and you will have the most delicious bagels – chewy crusts with a soft centre, filled with sweet and tangy blueberries which you know will do you good.
If you can’t find freeze-dried blueberries you can leave these out. Most shop-bought dried blueberries are sweetened with fruit juice and therefore won’t work as a replacement.
Makes 9 bagels
Ingredients
200g frozen blueberries
40g caster sugar
150g active starter, refreshed 10-12 hours before
500g bread flour
8g salt
75g freeze-dried blueberries (optional)
20g molasses (to make vegan) or honey
Rice flour for dusting
Method
Add the frozen blueberries to a large mixing bowl and pour over 200ml of boiling water. Allow the blueberries to thaw for 5 minutes.
Add the caster sugar and sourdough starter and mix.
Add the flour and salt, and mix in the bowl by hand for around 5 minutes before transferring to the work surface and kneading for a further 5 minutes. It will be sticky but keep working it.
Transfer back to the mixing bowl, cover and rest for 1 hour.
Top the dough back onto the work surface and knead for 1-2 minutes, adding the freeze-dried blueberries if using. Cover and prove at room temperature for 3 hours.
Divide the dough into 9 equal portions around 125g and shape into a tight ball, using rice flour to stop them from sticking. Allow to rest for 30 minutes.
Pinch the centre of each ball with your thumb and index finger, creating a hole. Then using both index fingers spin the dough around to create a bagel shape. Cover and rest in the fridge overnight, or for at least 8 hours.
The next day, set the oven to 220°C fan, bring a large pan of water to a boil, and add the molasses.
Boil each bagel for 30 seconds on each side before removing onto a wire cooling rack.
Bake on a lined tray for 18-20 minutes, till golden brown and nicely puffed up.
Delicious served with your favourite cream cheese and extra berries.
Sourdough Blueberry BagelsSourdough Blueberry BagelsSourdough Blueberry BagelsDelicious served with fresh berries for further added phytochemicals
Soak 4 small squares of rice paper in cold water for 1 minute before layering 2 as a square and 2 as a diamond.
Place 1 heaped teaspoon of mixture into the middle of the rice paper and fold the diamond corners in followed by the square corners in. Pinch at the top to seal.
Place in a lined steamer and cooker for 10-12 minutes.
Enjoy hot with your favourite chilli oil or sauce.
This whole dish could very easily be made completely in the oven, making it more hands-free.
I used Isle of Wight tomatoes and aubergines which are currently in season, and are more locally produced with fewer air miles, making them more sustainable as part of Sustainable September.
In a large ovenproof dish, cook the onions in the olive oil for 5 minutes over a medium heat before adding the aubergine. Cook for a further 5 minutes before adding the garlic*.
Add the tomatoes and transfer to the oven to cook for 30 minutes till the tomatoes have softened.
Add the beans with their stock and most of the basil, stir to combine and return to the oven, cooking for a further 10 minutes till the sauce thickens.
Scatter the mozzarella over the top with half the Parmigiano Reggiano and return to the oven for 10-15 minutes when the cheese has melted and is golden brown. Scatter with the remaining basil and Parmigiano before serving straight away with thick slices of bread.
*Option to do this step in the oven
Parmigiana Beans
Per serving (excluding bread): 422kcal/ 21g fat/ 8.8g saturated fat/ 28g carbohydrates/ 15g fibre/ 20g protein
Dr Pippa 