Jasmine and Melissa Hemsley’s philosophy is simple: a healthy gut leads to a healthy body and mind, and a better, happier you; that changing the way you eat doesn’t have to involve deprivation, but can be enjoyed everyday. Their down-to-earth, encouraging and practical guidance will motivate you to try new foods and no longer crave high sugar and processed foods. These recipes will leave you and your family feeling energized, healthy and strong
chia chai butternut breakfast pudding
SERVES 2–4 This is an overnight breakfast or make-ahead dessert. We’ve infused omega-3-rich chia seeds with our favourite rooibos chai breakfast tea and together they turn the usually savoury butternut squash into a sweet start to the day. Gently heating up the pudding before layering with Mango Cashew Cream is our favourite way to breakfast and warm our bellies in the autumn. This is so yummy that you’ll also fancy it as a cool, creamy dessert. We love it with summer fruits, such as blackberries, grapes, figs, plums or peaches, which are just in season as butternut comes in. In the winter months, try apple chunks, chopped clementines or blood orange. If you bake the butternut squash the night before, then it’s ready to go in the morning. Don’t forget to chew well in order to get the most goodness out of the tiny chia seeds.
• 1 large butternut squash (enough to make 400 g cooked purée) • 2 rooibos chai tea bags or 2 tsp rooibos chai tea leaves • 4 tbsp white chia seeds (we used white chia to keep the pudding’s bright orange colour, but black also works – and is cheaper and easier to find too!) • 3 tbsp coconut oil • 1 tbsp raw honey
1. Preheat the oven to fan 180°C and roast the butternut squash in the oven for 40–50 minutes until cooked through and tender. Scoop out 400g of the squash flesh and mash well. Any leftover squash can be frozen and used in a soup or smoothie.
2. Add the squash to a saucepan with 350ml water, the coconut oil and the tea leaves (or the contents of the tea bags, if using). Bring to a medium simmer, then remove from the heat and leave to cool for a few minutes.
3. Stir in the chia seeds, continuously whisking at first to avoid lumps, then add the honey. 4. Leave to sit for at least 20 minutes to an hour for the chia to swell (unless you like it crunchy).
quinoa tabbouleh
In this Middle Eastern dish herbs are so much more than a garnish to a pretty plate. Parsley is the star and for flavour, flat-leaf parsley has to be our favourite. It’s choc–full of vitamins, antiinflammatory and great for digestion, muscle stiffness and your bones. It keeps the immune and nervous system strong and its folic acid content is like a tonic for the heart.
4 medium tomatoes, diced into eighths • 1/2 cucumber, slice length ways, remove seeds and slice • 5 large handfuls of fresh, flat-leaf parsley, roughly chopped (save the stalks for smoothies, sauces and stews) • 1 small handful of fresh mint, roughly chopped • 1 small handful of fresh dill, roughly chopped • 60g quinoa - ideally soak overnight or for 8 hours then drain and rinse • 1 large avocado • 1/4 teaspoon of ground allspice • 2 tablespoons of flaked almonds, toasted • The seeds of 1 pomegranate • 2 large handfuls of leaves such as watercress, lambs lettuce, rocket DRESSING • 6 tablespoons of extra virgin olive oil • 2 tablespoons of fresh lemon juice, lime juice or try apple cider vinegar • 2 teaspoons of raw honey • 1 garlic clove, crushed • Sea salt, to taste • Freshly ground black pepper, to taste
1. Drain and rinse the quinoa well. Cook according to packet instructions, usually 15 minutes, then drain and set aside to cool (we steam in a little water rather than boil in plenty of water).
2. Meanwhile, dice the tomatoes and cucumber (remove the cucumber seeds by scraping down the middle with a spoon).
3. Whisk the dressing ingredients in a bowl with a fork or shake together in jam jar.
4. Make a bed of leaves on your serving plates or bowls.
5. Combine the warm quinoa, tomatoes, cucumber and herbs with the dressing (we like to use our hands here). Pile the tabbouleh onto the leaves and top with thick slices of avocado and pomegranate seeds.
6. Dry fry the flaked almonds and ground allspice together for a few minutes on a medium heat until toasted and scatter over the tabbouleh.
7. Serve warm or cold – it tastes even better the next day.
courgette and aubergine curry
(serves 4 as a one-pot meal or 6 if served with a side dish) A simple one-pot supper that is warming for the soul. Red split lentils provide a quick-andeasy creamy base without the need to soak them. The coconut and ginger have incredible immune-boosting properties, and, as usual, we like to sneak nourishing homemade greens into all our cooking; serve with a pile of watercress on top or add in lots of finely shredded cabbage towards the end of the cooking time.
• 200g bar of creamed coconut (use the oil for frying) or 2 tins of full-fat coconut milk plus 2 tbsp coconut oil or ghee, for frying • 2 large onions, diced • 2 thumb-sized pieces of fresh root ginger (about 80g) – unpeeled if organic – grated • 6 large garlic cloves, diced • 200 g red split lentils, rinsed (no need to soak these) • ½−1 litre water (use a little less if you are using coconut milk and depending on how thick or saucy you want your curry to be) • 1 large aubergine, chopped into 1.5 cm pieces • 4 large tomatoes, quartered • 2 large courgettes, diced • Grated zest and juice of 1 unwaxed lime or lemon (avoid the bitter white pith) • 2½–3 tsp tamari or 2 large pinches of sea salt • 1 tsp maple syrup • A handful of roughly chopped fresh herbs, such as coriander, mint or basil (Thai basil if you can get it)
1. In a large wide pan, dry fry the peanuts or cashews for a few minutes to toast them, roughly chop and then set aside.
2. In the same pan, heat the coconut oil over a medium heat and fry the onion, ginger and garlic for 10 minutes until soft (don’t let the onion and garlic go brown).
3. Add the lentils, the roughly chopped coconut solids or coconut milk, and then most of the water and stir well. This should be enough liquid for the coconut solids to dissolve, but keep an eye on the liquid levels so that the lentils don’t stick and burn at the bottom.
4. After 6 minutes of cooking over a medium-high heat, add the aubergine and stir.
5. After a further 10 minutes, add the tomato, courgette, lime or lemon zest and the tamari or salt. Add more water if you think your curry needs it.
6. After 6 minutes, turn off the heat and add the lime or lemon juice, the maple syrup and fresh herbs, then stir and taste. You might need a little more tamari or salt or lime or lemon juice to add sourness.
7. Top with the nuts and serve with watercress. If we’re having guests round, we like to serve our curry with some little bowls of extras (such as toasted nuts, herbs, lemon or lime wedges and a bowl of tamari or sea salt) so everyone can help themselves to the extra toppings they fancy.
roasted frangipane peaches
This is a very easy pudding. It’s simple and rustic, it’s hot and sweet. Mix up our almond topping, known as a frangipane, spread it over half a peach and roast. The result is individual little puds that look like muffins or mini peach cobblers with soft “peachy bottoms”. They have a crumbly cake layer in the middle with a smooth, crunchy golden top - “like an amaretti biscuit” said our Italian friend Stephanie.
Serves 3-6 • 3 ripe peaches • 30g room temp butter (approximately 3 tablespoons) or 2 table spoons of coconut oil • 1 small/medium egg • 1 tablespoon of pure maple syrup • ¼-½ teaspoon of almond extract • 50g ground almonds • 1 tiny pinch of sea salt • Flaked almonds or whole almonds, sliced to decorate, and lemon zest • Probiotic full-fat yoghurt to serve
1. Preheat the oven to 190C. 2. Beat the butter, almond extract and maple syrup until pale and fluffy.
2. Gradually beat in the egg, the sea salt and then fold in the ground almonds.
3. Or do as we do to make your frangipane and throw everything together and beat well with a whisk!
4. Split the peaches with a knife, remove the stones and place cut side up in a roasting dish.
5. Divide the mixture between the peaches, using a spatula or knife to smooth the mixture over the top and keep a neat edge.
6. Sprinkle over the sliced/ flaked almonds before placing the peaches in the oven and roasting for approximately 20 minutes.
7. Scatter over ribbons of lemon zest to serve and enjoy – with or without a dollop of something creamy or a drizzle of raw honey.
READ The Art Of Eating Well by Jasmine and Melissa Hemsley (Ebury Publishing, £25)
