Everyday healthy

These deliciously inventive recipes will get you excited about the week ahead

Recipes GEORGIA LEVY
Photographs SAM A HARRIS

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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).

Vietnamese sticky tofu bun cha

SERVES 4 | PREP 25 MINS | COOK 10 MINS | EASY

600g firm tofu, drained

150g dried rice vermicelli or glass noodles

2 tbsp sesame oil

2 carrots, peeled and julienned

2 Little Gem lettuces or

1 Romaine lettuce, finely shredded

4 spring onions, finely sliced

small bunch of coriander or thai basil, roughly chopped

2 handfuls of mint leaves, roughly chopped

2 tsp soft light brown sugar

1 garlic clove, grated

1 red chilli, deseeded and chopped

4 tbsp light soy sauce

3 tbsp rice wine vinegar

1 lime, juiced

2 tbsp sunflower oil

6 tbsp hoisin sauce

40g roasted salted peanuts, chopped, to serve

1 Wrap the tofu in a clean tea towel or sheets of kitchen paper. Put between two chopping boards with a pan or a few unopened tins on top to help press out the water. Leave this while you prepare everything else.

2 Cook the noodles following the pack instructions – be careful not to overcook them, a little al dente is preferable. Drain and rinse under cold running water until cool, then toss with 1 tbsp of sesame oil and put to one side.

3 Combine the carrots, lettuce, spring onions and herbs in a bowl. Stir together the sugar, garlic, chilli, 3 tbsp of the soy sauce, vinegar, remaining sesame oil and lime juice until the sugar dissolves, then spoon over the salad and toss well. Keep in the fridge while you cook the tofu.

4 Unwrap the tofu and cut it into 3cm chunks. Heat the sunflower oil in a large frying pan over a medium-high heat, then fry the tofu for 5-6 mins, turning as each side turns golden – the more sides you brown the crispier it will be but it’s fine to only do a couple of sides if you want a speedier meal.

5 Mix together the hoisin and remaining soy sauce, then add to the pan and turn the tofu in the sauce until coated and sticky. Take off the heat after a minute or so. Divide the noodles between plates, top with the salad, followed by the sticky tofu, then spoon over the dressing and serve scattered with peanuts.

Cauliflower alla puttanesca with mozzarella and garlicky toast

SERVES 4 | PREP 15 MINS | COOK 10 MINS | EASY

1 large head of cauliflower, florets separated, the stem cut into even-sized wedges and any small leaves reserved

3-4 tbsp olive oil

2 garlic cloves, sliced

6 anchovy fillets,chopped

¼ – ½ tsp chilli flakes, to taste

200g passata

50g pitted black or green olives, chopped

2 tbsp capers, soaked in water if salted

½ tsp dried oregano

large handful of flat-leaf parsley leaves, chopped

2 x125g fresh mozzarella or burrata balls, drained

1 lemon, zested, to serve

GARLICKY TOAST

4 slices of sourdough bread

1 small garlic clove, peeled

extra-virgin olive oil, for drizzling

1 Heat the grill to high and line a baking tray with baking paper. Toss the cauliflower pieces in 1 tbsp of olive oil (2 tbsp if your cauliflower is big), then spread out on the tray, making sure there’s a little space between the pieces. Put under the hot grill for 6-8 mins, adding the small leaves halfway through cooking.

2 Meanwhile, warm the remaining 2 tbsp of oil in a large frying pan over a medium-low heat and cook the garlic, anchovies and chilli flakes for a couple of minutes to soften the garlic, then add the passata, olives, capers and oregano, and simmer for 5-7 mins to reduce the passata slightly – it may look a bit dry but that’s how you know the passata is cooking.

3 Once the cauliflower is nicely crisped on the edges but still has a little bite in the middle, remove the tray from the grill. Taste the tomato sauce and season, if needed, then turn up the heat and add the cauliflower along with the parsley. Stir through the sauce for a minute or so, enough to coat the cauliflower in the sauce.

4 Toast the sourdough and rub each slice lightly with the garlic, then drizzle over some oil and sprinkle with a tiny bit of salt. Put a slice on each plate, then spoon the cauliflower onto the plates. Rip each mozzarella in half and sit on the plates. Grate over a little lemon zest and finish with a drizzle of extra-virgin olive oil.

Savoy cabbage okonomiyaki

This is often called a Japanese pizza but it’s more of a savoury pancake. Much like pizza, however, it’s endlessly customisable (and wonderfully moreish). Try adding sweetcorn, kimchi or cooked peeled prawns. You can use barbecue or brown sauce instead of making the okonomiyaki sauce, too. It’s best to cook these one at a time so they’re easier to flip. For stress-free flipping, put a large plate on top of the pan, quickly and carefully invert the pan and plate, then slide the pancake back into the pan so that the cooked side faces up.

MAKES 2 LARGE PANCAKES | PREP 15 MINS | COOK 20 MINS | EASY | LC

400g Savoy or Hispi cabbage

100g plain white or wholemeal flour

2 eggs

4 spring onions, sliced, green tops reserved for serving

3-4 tbsp rapeseed oil

OKONOMIYAKI SAUCE

1 tbsp oyster sauce

2 tbsp tomato ketchup

1 tsp worcestershire sauce

Kewpie mayo and crispy fried onions, to serve

1 To prepare the cabbage, strip the outer leaves from the stalks, roll into cigar shapes and finely shred, then finely slice the stalks. Next, shred the inner leaves, along with their stalks.

2 Whisk together the flour, the eggs, 1 tsp of salt and 100ml of cold water in a bowl. Add the cabbage, spring onions and any of the additional ingredients of your choice (such as sweetcorn or kimchi) and mix.

3 Stir together the sauce ingredients and put to one side.

4 Warm 1 tbsp of oil in a medium frying pan over a medium heat and add half the fritter mixture. Fry each side for 3-4 mins or until dark golden, pushing down as it cooks. Very carefully turn it over when it’s golden, adding a splash more oil as you turn it. If it breaks, just push it back together. Keep warm in a low oven while you cook the second one in the same way.

5 Transfer to plates and drizzle the sauce and mayo over the top. Serve scattered with the reserved spring onion and crispy fried onions, if you like.

low cal

Warm farro with cavolo nero pesto and ricotta

SERVES 4 | PREP 20 MINS | COOK 35 MINS | EASY | VEGETARIAN

250g farro, pearled spelt or pearled barley, rinsed

105ml olive oil

1 onion, chopped

3 small garlic cloves

2 whole and peeled,

1 chopped pinch of dried chilli flakes (optional)

400g cavolo nero or Savoy cabbage, stems removed

75g parmesan (or vegetarian alternative), grated, plus extra to serve

6 tbsp ricotta

1 Bring a large pan of salted water to the boil and cook the farro for 20-25 mins or until tender, then drain.

2 Meanwhile, warm 2 tbsp of the olive oil in a large frying pan over a medium heat and fry the onion, chopped garlic clove, chilli (if using) and a big pinch of salt for 10-12 mins or until the onion is soft. Rinse the cavolo nero and chop 2 handfuls (still damp from washing). Add to the pan, cooking for 5-7 mins or until soft.

3 Bring another big pan of salted water to the boil. Add the remaining cavolo nero and the 2 whole garlic cloves, and cook for 5-6 mins until just tender. Drain, reserving a cupful of the cooking water. Transfer the cooked cavolo and garlic to a blender (or use a hand blender) with the remaining olive oil, parmesan and the reserved cooking water. Add a good grinding of black pepper and blitz to a purée, adding a few more splashes of cooking water, if needed, to give the consistency of double cream.

4 Stir the cooked farro into the fried onion mixture, then pour in the cavolo sauce. Simmer for 3 mins so the farro absorbs the sauce, adding more water if it looks a little dry. Transfer to plates and spoon over a little ricotta, a good extra dusting of parmesan and a little extra oil before serving.

low salt

Sicilian storecupboard sardine pasta

SERVES 4 | PREP 10 MINS | COOK 20 MINS | EASY

50g sultanas or raisins

a big pinch of saffron strands

3 tbsp olive oil, plus extra for drizzling

1 onion, finely sliced

2 garlic cloves, finely chopped

1 heaped tsp fennel seeds

½ tsp dried chilli flakes

50g flaked almonds or pine kernels, toasted

350g spaghetti or linguine

2 x120g tinned sardines in olive oil

2 large handfuls of flat-leaf parsley leaves, chopped

1 Cover the sultanas and saffron with 120ml of just-boiled water and put to one side. Warm the olive oil in a frying pan over a medium heat and fry the onion with a big pinch of salt for 10-12 mins or until soft, adding the garlic, fennel seeds, chilli and almonds for the final 2 mins. Add the sultanas, saffron and soaking liquid to make a sauce. Season to taste and bring to a simmer, then keep simmering while you wait for the pasta.

2 Bring a large pan of salted water to the boil and cook the pasta until al dente following the pack instructions. Drain the cooked pasta, reserving a cupful of the cooking water. Add the drained pasta to the sauce in the frying pan, then remove the sardines from the oil, separate the flesh from the bones and flake into the pasta, along with the parsley and a few splashes of the reserved pasta water until it forms a nice loose sauce.

3 Transfer to plates, drizzle with a little extra oil and serve.

low salt

Recipes extracted from Let’s Do Lunch: Quick and Easy Recipes to Brighten Up Your Week by Georgia Levy (£16.99, Pavilion Books).

• Discover hundreds of nourishing lunch ideas at olivemagazine.com, including high-protein vegetarian meals, fibre-rich lunch box inspiration and more.

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