Alix Rech, Nutritionist in London, SW14

December recipe: Coconut Muffins

I found this recipe on thecoconutmama.com. These muffins don’t have the texture that you would expect of a muffin but given that gluten is the ingredient that makes cakes rise, it was inevitable that these would be more dense. You can add blueberries to these muffins because they burst and bring moisture, acidity and sweetness as well as colour. I replaced the sugar with stevia, which is a natural sweetener that doesn't have the calories of sugar and doesn't raise blood sugar levels.

Suitable for people with gluten and dairy intolerance AND people with insulin resistance or high blood glucose levels.

Ingredients:

3/4 cup coconut flour
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/4 teaspoon salt
6 eggs
1/2 cup coconut oil
1/2 cup Canderel Stevia
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 cup of blueberries
Dried shredded coconut for decoration

1. Preheat the oven to 180 degrees Celsius (350 degrees Fahrenheit).

2. In a small bowl, mix all the dry ingredients together and set aside.

3. In a medium bowl, beat eggs and mix in melted coconut oil and vanilla.

4. Add dry ingredients and mix well. Add the blueberries. Let sit for 3-5 minutes or until the coconut flour has absorbed the liquid.

5. Scoop batter in muffin cases in muffin tray.

6. Bake for 25-30 minutes. Let muffins cool before serving. Store in airtight container in refrigerator.

Nutrition: These muffins are sugar-free. They have a very low glycaemic index which makes them ideal if you have high blood glucose levels or insulin resistance. If you are trying to lose weight but craving cake, these are a better option because they are real fuel for your body and will keep you fuller for longer. Also if you have a lactose or gluten intolerance, these muffins are totally dairy-free and gluten-free.

November recipe: Crust Free Quiche

Ingredients:

A good bunch of asparagus, about 250g

Organic white cup mushrooms 250g

Creme fraiche, 200ml (you can use low fat)

Eggs, 4

Shallot, 1 small

Nutmeg, half a tsp

Parmesan cheese, 2 to 3 tbsp

Grated cheddar cheese, 3 to 4 tbsp

Pepper to taste. No need for salt because cheese is naturally quite salty

A little bit of butter

How to make it:

Preheat the oven to 180-200 degrees.
Slice the mushrooms and shallot.
Cook the mushrooms and shallot in a frying pan with butter and pepper.
Steam the asparagus for just 3 minutes.
In a big bowl, mix the eggs and creme fraiche together. Then add the cheese, some pepper and nutmeg. Give it a good stir.
Pour into quiche dish and add the veggies. The mushrooms and asparagus do not need to be cooked thoroughly as they are going to cook in the oven for half an hour.
You can add a bit of cheese on top
Cook in the oven for about 30 minutes. It is important that it is cooked enough because there is no crust. If it is a bit runny it won’t hold together.

You can serve it with a green salad and French dressing. And best of all, you can freeze slices for another day. Convenient to take with you for lunch and reheat at the office or eat cold. Both are good.

Nutrition: This recipe is a healthier version of a traditional quiche. It contains vegetables instead of bacon and is low in carbohydrates because it has no crust. However, it is quite high in saturated fat so it is not for everyone. If you have high cholesterol levels, you can use low fat creme fraiche. I find it a good winter comfort food - to have occasionally.

October recipe: Autumnal soup

Serves 4 (starter)

Ingredients:

2 small pumpkins
3 parsnips
3 carrots
2 leeks
2 onions
1 tsp turmeric powder (or more)
1 tsp chilli powder (or more)
salt and pepper to taste

Instructions:

Peel and de seed the pumpkin (it's hard work but worth it). Peel the onions. Wash and chop all vegetables and cook in a large pan with a pint of water or two. Season with salt, black pepper, chilli powder and turmeric. Cook until soft. If you would like a thick texture, remove some of the cooking water (you can drink it, it contains vitamins and minerals from the vegetables and tastes great). Finally, blend all and it's ready to eat. You can add a tablespoon of olive oil or crème fraiche. You can also fry some ham or chorizo in small amounts and add it to the soup. The added fat to this soup will increase your absorption of vitamin A.

Bon appetit!

NUTRITION: This recipe is rich in vitamin A, which is needed for good eye health. It also stimulates the production and activity of white blood cells (the immune system), which we need working well especially this time of year. This recipe also contains a lot of potassium from root vegetables. Potassium contributes to lowering the risks of cardiovascular disease. Turmeric and black pepper together have anti-cancer properties.

September recipe: Quinoa Salad with Roasted Vegetables

Serves 4

1. Chop 1/2 a sweet potato, 1 medium carrot, 1 courgette and 1/2 a red onion. Place on baking tray and drizzle with olive oil, add a pinch of turmeric, cayenne pepper, salt and black pepper. Roast until soft inside and crispy outside. (If using extra virgin olive oil, do not exceed 150 degrees but if you are using virgin or refined olive oil, you can roast to up to 200 degrees, I suggest 180. If heated above the smoking point, the oil oxidizes, releasing free radicals that are harmful for our health.)

2. Fry half a red pepper & half a yellow pepper with 2 handfuls of kale in a table spoon of olive oil.

3. Cook 150-200g of quinoa as instructed on packaging.

4. When all the separate ingredients are cooked, mix them in a large bowl together and taste. Add a little salt and / or pepper if needed.

5. Tip: You can add some crumbled feta cheese for extra flavour.

NUTRITION: Quinoa is a complete protein, that also provides good amount of carbohydrates. This salad offers lots of nutrients, healthy fat, vitamins and minerals. Each colour in vegetables contains different vitamins, that's why it is important to eat a rainbow! This salad in itself constitues a healthy, nutritious meal.

August Recipe: Light Summer Plum Clafouti

We have a French traditional summer cake called CLAFOUTI. The most commonly found clafoutis are made with cherries. But this time of year, cherries are no longer in season so we need to get creative and use other fruits, and basically whatever fruits we like. Last year I made one with nectarines, this time, small green plums. You can really chose the fruits you have available locally.

Ingredients (serves 6):

400-500g fruits (as many as you can fit in your dish, they will shrink when baking)
100g flour
25cl milk
4 eggs
70g sugar or to make it lighter like mine, use natural stevia, half a tsp is enough because the fruits when cooking release a lot of natural sugar.
small pinch of sea salt
1 tsp of vanilla essence (optional)
20g butter to butter the dish

1. Wash and chop the fruits in small pieces.

2. Butter the dish, then add the fruits.

3. In a bowl, place the flour in the centre and dig a hole, add the sugar, salt and eggs all together (and vanilla essence if using it).

4. Mix well then add the milk gradually while stirring.

5. Pour into the dish and bake in the oven for 30-40 minutes at 180 degrees c, 350 degrees f.

6. The clafouti is ready when the consistency is the one of a flan and the fruits looked cooked. Inserting a knife, as we do in sponge cakes, won’t work because the inside of the clafouti will stay a bit wet from the fruits.

NUTRITION: Plums are rich in fibre, which is important for a healthy digestion. They are also rich in the mineral iron, necessary for red blood cell formation. Eggs are a complete protein, it means they contain all 9 essential amino acids and are especially rich in the amino acid leucine, needed for muscle protein synthesis.

July recipe: Strawberries and goat cheese salad

Serves 4 (starter)

Ingredients:

half a bag of young mixed leaves
1 avocado
about the same quantity of strawberries, washed and cut in halves
half a small red onion
6 slices of goat cheese log
a handful of almonds, chopped
nothing more nothing less, it’s perfect just like that!

For the dressing:

1 tbsp honey
3 to 4 tbs olive oil
2 tbsp apple cider viegar
1 tbsp of poppy seeds
half a teaspoon of Dijon mustard
salt and pepper

For the dressing, whisk all ingredients together until combined. Toss the salad, add the dressing and serve. If you fancy a bit of animal protein, the salad goes well with Parma ham.

Enjoy!

NUTRITION: Avocados provide mono-unsaturated fatty acids, important for your heart health. They are also high in minerals such as potassium, which we need for water balance and electrolytic functions. Potassium also contributes to lowering blood pressure and enhancing muscle strength (among other benefits). Almonds are also a good source of healthy fats, minerals and protein. Together with avocado and goat cheese, they help reducing hunger and promote weight loss.

June recipe: Gazpacho

This quick and easy recipe brings lots of vitamins and freshness for a warm summer evening.

Serves 4 (starter)

Ingredients:

4 ripe tomatoes

1/2 a cucumber

1 red pepper

2 garlic cloves

2 tbsp extra virgin olive oil

Directions:

Chop all the ingredients and put in a food processor with the oil. Blend well for about 30s to 1min. Serve.

NUTRITION: Garlic is a strong antioxidant, boosts your immune system, can reduce blood pressure and help prevent cancer.

May recipe: Dad’s Stuffed Tomatoes

Serves 8 (two stuffed tomatoes each)

Ingredients:

16 big tomatoes
900g sausage meat
1 onion
1 shallot
3 cloves of garlic
parsley (as much as you want)
1 to 2 slices of bread
a dash of milk
salt
pepper
olive oil

1. Preheat the oven to 180 degrees Celsius.

2. Slice the top off the tomatoes and empty the flesh into a bowl. Save for later.

3. Roughly chop the onion, shallot and garlic and put in a mixer. Add the parsley and mix.

4. In another bowl, tear the bread up and add the milk.

5. Add the sausage meat and the chopped onion and parsley to the bread bowl and and mix well.

6. Put the stuffing into the tomatoes, add a drizzle of olive oil and cook in the oven for about an hour.

7. Meanwhile, drain the tomato flesh and heat in a saucepan with olive oil, salt and pepper.

8. Serve with rice and home-made tomato sauce.