Everyday healthy

Sunshine suppers to make you feel good inside and out

Recipes MELISSA HEMSLEY
Photographs LIZZIE MAYSON

Craving something nutritious? Look out for the new Nourish tag on our healthy recipes. We’ll also spotlight high fibre, high protein, low cal, low fat, low salt, and low sugar. For more information, go to olivemagazine.com/olive-nourish (ingredients listed as serving suggestions are not included in the nutritional analysis).

Shiitake mushroom adobo

The key flavours of Filipino adobo are garlic, vinegar, black pepper, soy sauce and bay leaf. I grew up on chicken adobo. This mushroom version is delicious and simple. Traditionally, adobo is served with white rice – but some of my Filipino aunties (my titas) will tell you that they have adopted quinoa later in life and love it as much as rice.

40 MINUTES | SERVES 4 | EASY | V | LC | GF

ghee or coconut oil 4-6 tbsp

shiitake mushrooms (or something equally firm such as oyster mushrooms) 300g, roughly sliced

chestnut or button mushrooms 300g, roughly sliced

red onions 2 small, diced

garlic 4 big cloves, finely chopped

bay leaves (fresh or dried) 3

whole black peppercorns ground to make 1½-2 tsp (to taste)

tamari or soy sauce 5 tbsp

apple cider vinegar 5 tbsp

coconut sugar 3 tsp

TO SERVE

cooked rice

sliced cucumber or a large handful of watercress

fried eggs (if you’re feeling hungry!)

chilli sauce

1 Heat a large wok or deep-sided frying pan and melt 1 tbsp of the ghee. Add half of the shiitake mushrooms, a little pinch of salt, stir to coat in the hot ghee and then fry, undisturbed, over a high heat for 2 minutes before turning and frying for a further 2 minutes. Liquid will be released as they fry and the mushrooms will take on a firmer, meatier texture. Remove from the pan and set aside.

2 Using the same pan, repeat with the remaining mushrooms, adding a little more ghee, if needed, plus another little pinch of salt, and set aside.

3 Heat up another tbsp of the ghee over a medium heat and fry the onions for 4 minutes, then add the garlic and bay leaves, and cook for another 3 minutes, stirring regularly. Add the black pepper, tamari or soy sauce, vinegar and sugar, and simmer gently, uncovered, for 5 minutes to thicken and reduce a little, then add back the mushrooms and simmer for another 2 minutes. Taste for seasoning – you might want to add a little more pepper. Remove from the heat and serve with rice, some sliced cucumber or watercress, and chilli sauce. I like a fried egg, too.

Crab and courgette spaghetti

This reminds me of both Italy and the beautiful Isles of Scilly, where I’ve eaten the tastiest seafood of my life. This dish is speedy but special. When I have friends coming over, it is a fail-safe meal that looks and tastes impressive but is ready in a flash, so I can relax and spend time with my loved ones. Good-quality crab meat is expensive but a little goes a long way. I find this combination of three parts white crab meat to one part brown goes down a treat.

15 MINUTES | SERVES 4 | EASY | LC | LOW SALT

spaghetti 400g

butter or olive oil 3 tbsp, plus extra to finish (optional)

spring onions 4, finely sliced

garlic 3 big cloves, finely chopped

red chilli 1, deseeded if you prefer, and finely sliced, or a good pinch of dried chilli flakes, plus extra to serve (optional)

courgettes 2 medium (400g), roughly grated

British crab meat 200g (150g white and 50g brown meat)

flat-leaf parsley a big handful, finely chopped

lemon 1, juiced to make 2½ tbsp, plus ½ tsp grated zest

parmesan grated to make a handful, to serve (optional)

1 Bring a large pan of salted water to the boil and cook the spaghetti following pack instructions – I cook it for just under a minute less than the specified time. Drain, reserving a mug of the cooking water.

2 Once the spaghetti is in the pot, heat the butter in a large, deep frying pan over a medium heat, and stir-fry the spring onions, garlic and chilli for 2 minutes until the garlic is softened but not brown. Add the courgettes and seasoning, turn up the heat, mix and fry for 4 minutes, stirring, until the courgette liquid evaporates.

3 Take off the heat and stir in the crab meat, parsley, lemon juice and zest. Quickly add the spaghetti to the crab pan, adding half a mug of the pasta cooking water and gently toss to get a beautiful glossy sheen. Add more of the cooking water if needed to loosen. Add an extra drizzle of olive oil or knob of butter, if you like.

4 Taste for seasoning and serve straight away with some extra chilli or black pepper and the grated parmesan, if using.

Fried halloumi and chickpea rainbow salad

Definitely make this! It’s also delicious stuffed into a wrap, or serve it with rice or quinoa. Halloumi needs to be served straight away, so make this fresh. Swap the halloumi for paneer, or use extra-firm tofu, patted dry, for a plant-based version of this dish.

15 MINUTES | SERVES 2 | EASY | V | GF

ghee or coconut oil 2 tbsp

chickpeas 400g tin, drained and rinsed

garam masala 4 tsp

ground cumin 2 tsp

halloumi 225g, cut into small cubes

maple syrup 2 tsp

SALAD

red onion ½ small or spring onions 2, finely chopped

carrot 1 large, roughly grated

tomatoes 2 ripe, diced

CASHEW-CORIANDER-MINT CHUTNEY

cashews or other nuts 4 tbsp

coriander a small bunch

mint a small bunch, leaves picked

green chillies 2, deseeded if you prefer, and chopped, or a good pinch of dried chilli flakes

ground cumin ½ tsp

limes 3, juiced

olive oil 4 tbsp

1 Divide the salad ingredients between two bowls. Heat a large frying pan over a medium heat and toast the cashews for the chutney for 3-4 minutes, tossing halfway through, until lightly golden, then tip half into a food processor and set aside the rest.

2 Put the pan back on the heat, melt 1½ tbsp of the ghee and fry the chickpeas over a medium heat for 4 minutes with half of the spices and a pinch of salt, stirring occasionally. Tip into a bowl, scraping out any bits from the bottom of the pan.

3 While the chickpeas are frying, add all the other chutney ingredients to the food processor – saving some herbs for garnishing – with 3 tbsp of water, then blend together. Season.

4 Put the pan back on the heat with the rest of the ghee and, when melted, fry the halloumi over a medium heat for 2 minutes on one side, then turn, sprinkle over the rest of the spices and fry for 1 minute until lightly golden brown and crispy at the edges. Add the fried chickpeas and the maple syrup, then toss together with the halloumi and fry for 30 seconds so that the chickpeas warm through and the maple syrup bubbles and thickens. Scatter the chickpeas and halloumi over the salad, drizzle over half the chutney and top with the remaining nuts.

Zingy Vietnamese-style noodles with fried sesame tofu

A must make! The sticky sesame tofu works beautifully in this dish but you could swap it for mushrooms, prawns, shredded chicken or fish. This is one of my all-time favourite dressings. I also like to drizzle it on roasted cauliflower, baked squash and fried brussels sprouts. I love thin rice vermicelli for speed but cook up any type of noodles you like. This is also fantastic with left-over cooked rice or quinoa, and use vegan fish sauce to make this completely plant-based.

extra-firm tofu 280g

coconut oil 2 tbsp

maple syrup 1 tbsp

mixed sesame seeds 2 tbsp

DRESSING

limes 3, juiced

maple syrup or coconut sugar 2 tbsp

fish sauce 2 tbsp (or use vegan if you prefer)

tamari or soy sauce 2½ tbsp

garlic 2 cloves, finely chopped

thai chilli 1, deseeded and finely chopped or 2 squirts of chilli sauce

NOODLE SALAD

thin dried vermicelli (rice or mung bean) 300g

mixed herbs (such as coriander, basil and mint) 2 handfuls

Little Gem lettuces 2, leaves separated

cashews or peanuts 2 tbsp

carrots 2, cut into matchsticks

cucumber ½, cut into matchsticks

radishes or cabbage 2 handfuls of finely sliced

1 Mix the dressing ingredients in a small bowl or put in a clean screw-top jar and shake well.

2 Drain the tofu well. Chop into 2cm cubes, then pat dry in a clean tea towel. Put into a bowl, stir in 2 tbsp of the dressing and marinate for 10 minutes.

3 Meanwhile, put the dried vermicelli in a large, wide heatproof serving bowl, pour over just-boiled water and leave for the time specified on the pack – usually around 5-8 minutes.

4 Reserve the leaves of the herbs and finely chop the stalks (discard any mint stalks). Tear the lettuce.

5 Heat a large frying pan over a medium heat, add the cashews and toast for 2 minutes until golden, then tip onto a chopping board and roughly chop.

6 Put the pan back on the heat and melt the coconut oil. Use tongs to put the tofu pieces in the pan, spacing them out, and fry on a medium-high heat for 4-5 minutes, turn over and cook for another 4 minutes. During the final minute of cooking, stir in the maple syrup and sesame seeds, and remove from the heat.

7 Drain the noodles, wipe out the bowl and return the noodles to the bowl, roughly snipping with scissors. Drizzle over half of the dressing, add the herbs and veg, and toss. Scatter over the tofu, followed by the nuts. Serve with extra dressing on the side.

Spicy fish with coriander and lime quinoa and simple salsa

Inspired by a trip to Mexico, this lovely fresh green sauce instantly perks me up and makes my kitchen feel sunnier on grey days. The whole recipe is quick enough to put together for a midweek meal and friends love it. For veggie friends, I like to rub the spices into sweet potato wedges or corn on the cob and grill them in place of the fish. The quinoa can be swapped for rice or buckwheat, if you prefer.

25 MINUTES | SERVES 2 | EASY | GF

quinoa 120g, rinsed

black beans 400g tin, drained and rinsed

ghee or coconut oil 1 tbsp

fish fillets (ask your fishmonger what’s in season) 2

smoked paprika ¾ tsp

dried chilli flakes a pinch

lime wedges to serve

SIMPLE SALSA

tomatoes 2 ripe, diced

red cabbage large handful of finely chopped

extra-virgin olive oil 1 tbsp

GREEN SAUCE

spring onions 4, trimmed

coriander a small bunch, stems included

garlic 1 clove, peeled

extra-virgin olive oil 8 tbsp

lime 1, juiced (save a little squeeze for the salsa)

dried chilli flakes a pinch

1 To make the salsa, mix the tomatoes and cabbage in a bowl with the olive oil, a squeeze of lime and some seasoning. Set aside.

2 Blitz the green sauce ingredients in a food processor and season.

3 Put the quinoa in a pan with 250ml of water and a pinch of salt and cook, covered, for 18 minutes (or following pack instructions). After 17 minutes, remove the lid, scatter the black beans on top and cook, covered, for 1 minute. Remove from the heat.

4 Heat the ghee in a frying pan over a high heat and add the fish fillets, spaced apart and skin-side down. Scatter over the spices and a pinch of seasoning, using the back of a spoon to pat them into the fish, then tip the pan so you can spoon over a little of the hot ghee. Cook the fish for 3 minutes on one side until they come away easily, carefully turn, lower the heat a little and cook for another few minutes until the flesh is just cooked through.

5 Meanwhile, gently stir the beans into the quinoa, along with half the green sauce, then divide between two plates and add a generous spoonful of salsa to each. Top with the fish as soon it’s ready and serve with the remaining green sauce alongside.

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