Get the Glow (20 page)

Scatter the coriander leaves over the curry with a squeeze of fresh lime juice, and serve with the ‘rice’.

tomato turkey meatballs with homemade tomato sauce and courgetti

We don’t eat turkey enough, as people tend to associate it with Christmas. But it’s so lean, and when done properly it’s beyond delicious. When teamed with my classic ‘courgetti’ (the best alternative to pasta, helping you avoid the bloat!) and a hearty homemade tomato sauce, I think even the Italians would love this.

serves 4

600g turkey mince

1 white onion, very finely diced

3 cloves garlic

10g fresh coriander, chopped

1 tsp paprika

2 eggs, beaten

1 tbsp coconut oil

2 sticks celery, very finely diced

2 tsp chopped fresh rosemary

2 x 400g cans tomatoes

4 courgettes, ends cut off

salt and pepper

Preheat the oven to 180°C/350°F/Gas mark 4.

Put the mince, half of the onion, 2 crushed garlic cloves, the coriander, the paprika and eggs into a bowl. Combine with your hands, and grind in some salt and pepper. Roll the mixture into 3cm balls and set aside in the fridge.

Heat the coconut oil in a saucepan over a medium heat for 1 minute, then add the rest of the onion, the rest of the crushed garlic and the celery, and sauté with a pinch of salt for 5 minutes. Add the rosemary and continue to cook, stirring, for 1 minute. Add the tomatoes, a pinch of salt and some ground pepper, and simmer for 10 minutes.

Meanwhile, spiralise or julienne the courgettes, or cut them into very fine strips with a peeler to make the ‘courgetti’.

Take the meatballs out of the fridge. Put them in a roasting tin, and pour over the tomato sauce. Bake in the oven for 20 minutes. Serve with the courgetti.

orange, fennel and pomegranate chicken

Every element of this dish contributes to making it easy to eat, easy to digest and – most importantly – easy to enjoy. Fennel is great for the stomach, and the antioxidants you get from pomegranate give the chicken a perfect finish.

serves 2

1 orange

4 tbsp coconut oil or melted butter

1 tbsp thyme

2 tsp sea salt

1 tsp freshly ground black pepper

4 chicken thighs

2 small fennel bulbs, quartered

½ a pomegranate

Preheat the oven to 200°C/400°F/Gas mark 6.

Zest the orange, and cut it into eighths. Put the orange zest, coconut oil or butter, thyme, salt and pepper in a bowl. Massage the chicken with this marinade, then put the fennel and orange pieces in too, and mix them with the marinade – try not to break the fennel up.

Place the chicken in a roasting tin, skin facing up, with the fennel and orange pieces in between. Roast for 45 minutes. Halfway through the roasting time, take the chicken out and baste it with the juices from the tin.

Bash out the pomegranate seeds with a spoon, then remove the white pith and sprinkle them over the top of the roasted chicken to serve.

cauliflower pizza four ways

Quite simply: the best invention ever. Gluten-free, fun to make and delicious. I like to mix up my toppings, so I’ve given you a few ways to enjoy your pizza feast. The base is always the same, and the garnishes are up to you.

makes 2 pizza bases with tomato sauce

basic base

1 small cauliflower, stalk removed and roughly chopped

2 egg whites, whisked

1 tbsp oregano

6 tbsp quinoa flour (or other gluten-free flour alternative)

1 tsp coconut oil, melted

1 tbsp coconut oil

1 white onion, very finely chopped

1 tsp dried rosemary

1 x 400g can tomatoes

salt

Preheat the oven to 180°C/350°F/Gas mark 4.

Put the cauliflower into the food processor and pulse until you have a fine texture (smaller than rice, but not quite flour). Add the egg whites, a large pinch of salt, the oregano and the flour, and blitz until a dough forms.

Grab a baking sheet, line it with baking paper and put half of the dough on it. Place another square of baking paper over the top, then roll or press out the pizza base with a rolling pin or spoon, until you have a circle about 1cm thick. Repeat with the other half of the dough on a separate baking sheet.

Brush the melted coconut oil over the pizza bases. Put them both in the oven and cook for 20 minutes.

Meanwhile, heat the tablespoon of coconut oil in a saucepan over a medium heat for 1 minute, then add the onion, rosemary and a pinch of salt and sauté for 5 minutes. Add the tomatoes and cook for another 10 minutes at a medium simmer until the sauce is slightly reduced.

Pour the tomato mix on top of the base, and get ready to add your choice of toppings . . .

bacon and ricotta

200g ricotta, cut into chunks

6 bacon rashers, cut into bite-size chunks

Put the cheese and bacon on after the tomato sauce, and cook at 180°C/350°F/Gas mark 4 for 8–10 minutes.

pesto, sun-dried tomato and green olives

3 tbsp Homemade Pesto (see
here
)

50g sun-dried tomatoes

50g green olives

Cook the pizza with the tomato sauce on it for 8–10 minutes at 180°C/350°F/Gas mark 4. Sprinkle on the toppings after the pizza is cooked.

cheese and pepper

½ red pepper, sliced into 1cm strips

100g mozzarella, thinly sliced

1 red chilli, deseeded and finely chopped

Put all the ingredients on after the tomato sauce, and cook at 180°C/350°F/Gas mark 4 for 8–10 minutes.

goat’s cheese, spinach and pine nuts

100g spinach leaves

100g goat’s cheese, torn into chunks

50g pine nuts

salt and pepper

Boil some water and soak the spinach in it for a minute, then drain. Put all the ingredients on after the tomato sauce, and cook at 180°C/350°F/Gas mark 4 for 8–10 minutes.

quinoa burgers with tahini sauce

While I am a meat lover, it’s nice to have a veggie burger once in a while. I adore this sweet tahini sauce, and it complements the gluten-free bun alternative wonderfully. Perfect for the barbecue!

serves 2 (makes 6 patties)

125g quinoa

250ml boiling water or chicken stock

1 courgette, grated

2 spring onions, finely chopped

2 cloves garlic, crushed

2 eggs, beaten

zest of 1 lime

30g chives, chopped

30g quinoa flour (or ground almonds, buckwheat flour, oat flour or rice flour)

salt and pepper

tahini sauce

1 clove garlic, crushed

50g tahini

1 tsp ground cumin

juice of 1 lime

1 tsp miso paste

1 tbsp olive oil

1 tbsp coconut oil

1 small cos lettuce, leaves separated, to serve

Put the quinoa in a saucepan with the boiling water or stock and a pinch of salt. Bring it to the boil, then turn the heat down and let it gently simmer for 12–15 minutes, or until all the liquid has been absorbed.

Squeeze out the water from the grated courgette. Put the grated courgette in a bowl with the spring onions, garlic, eggs, lime zest, chives, flour, a large pinch of salt, a grind of pepper and the cooled quinoa. Combine everything with your hands, and put it the fridge for 30 minutes to set. (You can do this the night before you want to eat, ready to cook immediately when you get home the following day.)

Put all the tahini sauce ingredients in a blender, and whizz together.

When you are ready to eat, form the quinoa mix into six patties. Heat 1 tablespoon coconut oil in a frying pan over a high heat, and use a spatula to gently lay the patties in the pan. Cook them for 3–4 minutes on each side.