Recipes: Celebrate with these healthy treats

When you think of movies, popcorn somehow springs to mind. So why not make some for a party or an at home film night? Make sure you source organic, non-GM corn kernels; genetically modified food is a no-no. Now, sit back, enjoy and watch the movie. SERVES: 4

• 1 tbsp sunflower oil • 5 tbsp corn kernels • 75g coconut palm sugar • 160g agave syrup • 1 tbsp vegan butter • A pinch of Himalayan pink salt

1. Preheat the oven to 100°C and line a baking tray with baking parchment. 2. Heat the sunflower oil in a large lidded pan, add the corn kernels, replace the lid and leave the corn to pop over a medium heat. Transfer the popcorn to a large mixing bowl. 3. Now make the caramel. Put a non-stick pan on a medium heat and add the coconut palm sugar and agave syrup. Once the coconut palm sugar has dissolved into the agave, add the butter and salt to it to make it a little creamier. This entire process should take about 5–7 minutes. 4. Pour the caramel over the popcorn and mix well, ensuring that all the popcorn is coated. 5. Lay the caramel-coated popcorn on the prepared baking tray and bake in the preheated oven for 30 minutes to dry out. Keep a close eye on it, to make sure it does not burn. 6. Serve in a large bowl for everyone to share or make up some fun paper cones.

NUTRITIONAL NUGGET Homemade popcorn is packed with cancer-preventing polyphenols – and fibre too.

This is a real crowd pleaser – it’s visually stunning and the textures work really well together. However, the secret is that it’s so easy. So, here’s to making you look like a pro without trying too hard! SERVES: 3–4 AS A STARTER OR 2 AS A MAIN DISH

For the salad: • 1 butternut squash (you need about 200g roasted squash) • 1 tsp sunflower oil • 3 ripe medium-sized peaches • 50g wild rocket • 30g (1 ¼ oz) feta cheese • 10g (¼ oz) dill, chopped • Finely grated zest of 1 lemon For the dressing: • 10g (¼ oz) dill, chopped • 4 tbsp olive oil • 1 tbsp rice vinegar • ½ tsp brown rice syrup • Pinch of Himalayan pink salt • Juice of 1 lemon

1. Preheat the oven to 180°C. 2. Peel the squash, cut into quarters and coat in the sunflower oil. Roast for 30–40 minutes. Remove from the oven and set aside. 3. Slice the peaches and the squash and place on top of a bed of rocket leaves. 4. Crumble feta cheese and sprinkle the dill and lemon zest over the top. 5. To make the dressing, simply whisk all the ingredients together and pour over the salad.

TASH’S TIPS: Be sure to pick the ripest of peaches for this recipe. And, if you want, dice up the squash and peaches to create a chopped salad for a change.

NUTRITIONAL NUGGET: Peaches originate from the rose family and are a great source of vitamin C and beta-carotene to support your immune system.

These are not your average muffin – when you make them, the mixture looks more like it’s going to be for patties, but when they’re baked they are transformed into something truly divine. MAKES: 8

• 170g buckwheat flour • 30g cornflour • 2 tsp baking powder • 1 tsp xanthan gum • 3 tbsp chia seeds, milled in a blender or spice grinder • ½ tsp Himalayan pink salt • ½ tsp nutmeg, grated • 3 eggs • 240ml almond milk • 200g fresh spinach leaves, roughly chopped • 200g (7oz) carrot, grated • 1 onion, grated • finely grated zest and juice of ½ lemon • 1 clove garlic, grated • 40g raw pumpkin seeds, for topping 1. Preheat the oven to 180°C and you’ll need to line a 12-hole muffin tin with eight paper cases. 2. Mix the flours, baking powder, xanthan gum, chia seeds, salt and nutmeg in a bowl and set aside. 3. Beat the eggs and almond milk together in another bowl. Add the spinach, carrots, onion, lemon zest and juice and garlic. Stir for a minute and then tip in the dry ingredients. Mix gently to combine. 4. Pour the mixture into the paper cases, top with the pumpkin seeds and bake in a preheated oven for 25 minutes. 5. Remove the muffins from the oven, allow to cool in the tin for 20 minutes then transfer to a wire rack to cool completely. NUTRITIONAL NUGGET Chia seeds contain the highest source of vegetarian omega-3 essential fats as well as abundant cholesterol-lowering fibre.

This recipe was one of those that I stumbled on by mistake – and what a great mistake it turned out to be! When I bit into one of these for the first time, childhood memories of eating Bounty bars came flooding back. So, now you don’t have to miss out on that luxurious coconutty chocolate dream, you can make a batch and reach for this healthy version. MAKES: 24 For the filling: • 85g raw cashew nuts • 8 tbsp desiccated coconut • 1 tbsp coconut oil • 3 tbsp xylitol For the chocolate: • 225g raw cacao butter • 12 tbsp raw cacao powder • 130g agave syrup • ½ tsp vanilla extract

1. Soak the cashews for 1 hour in water that just covers them and then drain. 2. In a blender or food processor, whizz all the ingredients for the filling together to give a textured paste. Push teaspoonfuls of the mixture into a silicone ice-cube tray and put into the freezer for 1 hour. 3. Meanwhile, melt the raw cacao butter in a heatproof bowl over a pan of simmering water, or in a bain marie, and then allow to cool for about 10 minutes. Next, mix in the cacao powder. Once incorporated, add the agave and vanilla extract. 4. Leave the chocolate to cool down, until it’s thick enough to run off the back of a spoon – this thicker chocolate will give your bars a wonderful coating. 5. Take the filling mixture out of the freezer and pop the shapes out of the ice-cube tray. Dip them into the chocolate mixture, one at a time, taking them out with a fork so that they are covered all over. 6. Put them onto a baking tray lined with baking parchment and pop back into the freezer to set for 15 minutes. 7. These are triple-dipped delights, so take them out of the freezer, dip in the chocolate and return to the freezer to set twice more and then keep them in the freezer until you’re ready to eat them. 8. The chocolate coating for these Bounty bars also makes the perfect dipping chocolate for fruit of all kinds.

TASH’S TIPS Hide these in the freezer, out of sight, as they are so delicious you will want to eat them all!

NUTRITIONAL NUGGET Desiccated coconut is rich in protein, and cholesterollowering essential fats.

READ Honestly Healthy for Life by Natasha Corrett and Vicki Edgson (£25 Jacqui Small)

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