Time to jump on the Grain Train?

Woah! Grains are the most fashionable food on the planet right now. Taylor Swift's been instagramming buckwheat pancakes, Jennifer Aniston's cooing over quinoa (pronounced keen-noir), Eva Mendes raves about aramanth - and for good reason. Supergrain recipes are full of fibre, antioxidants and protein to keep you feeling fuller for longer.

So here I'm introducing the 5 Supergrain Heroes here to solve your energy dips with some simple recipe tips.

AMARANTH
Turn it into ah-maize-ing popcorn without the corn....
Spread 1 tbsp amaranth over the base of a hot pan and cover. Keep moving the pan around and listen to the amaranth pop, stop before they're all popped or you may risk burning them.

QUINOA
A Toast to it......
Boil for 15 mins, then pop in a hot oven, toasting until its cccccrunchy. Did you know Kate Moss starts her day with toasted quinoa? (well if it's good enough for her)

BLACK RICE
Lighten up a pudding with black rice....
Make rice pudding with black not white rice plus swap  cow's milk for coconut milk and sweetener, honey or palm sugar. (Be warned: It's life changing good)

SPELT OR PEARL BARLEY
Do I have to spell it out to you? Stir up a rissotto with spelt....
Put your fancy rissotto rice aside and use spelt or pearl barley for an earthy-tasting rich dish.

MILLET
Don't mill about, Make millet into muesli...
Add millet or quinoa flakes to porridge made with oats, and stir in some sunflower or sesame seeds for added bite.

Now Introducing The Healthiest Breakfast Ever
Despite not being a grain (it's officially a seed) quinoa is the 'pioneer' of the supergrain movement. Don't think this versatile little high-fibre and protein-rich megastar is simply a side dish. Quinoa makes the perfect porridge. It make take a few extra minutes to prepare but make big batches and keep in the fridge to reheat. (or try cold....it becomes a lovely muesli style medley)

Quinoa POWER Porridge (I promise this will live up to its name)

(enough for 5 servings)

400ml (almond or skimmed) milk
180g quinoa
1 grated apple
2  tbsp flaked almonds
1 tsp cinnamon
runny honey to serve
greek yoghurt to serve

1. Bring the milk to the boil, add the quinoa and serve. Gently simmer for  15 mins with the lid on until absorbed and quinoa cooked.
2. Stir through the apple and flaked almonds, and serve the yoghurt, cinnamon and honey.
BOOM!

Introducing the Nourishing Speedy Salad for lunch or dinner
Like quinoa, amaranth is a great source of fibre and protein, plus it's full of magnesium and nutrients like magnesium and iron that many of us are deficient in.

Andean Grain and Salmon Salad

40 - 50g Andean mix (combo of amaranth and red, white and black quinoa found in health food shops or aisles of supermarkets)
1 - 2 tsp olive oil
100g salmon fillets (or smoked salmon)
60g sugar snap peas
1- 2 tsp lemon juice and some lemon zest
1/2 tsp sugar
a handful red grapes
handful of watercress
40 - 50 g feta cheese
handful of cut chives

1. Cook the grains and set aside
2. Brush salmon with oil and cook or sear (or use ready cooked smoked salmon)
3. Blanch peas in boiling water until tender.
4. Whisk the olive oil, lemon juice, zest and caster sugar together combining with other ingredients to toss together and serve immediately.

MMMMMmmm

Watch out more dessert recipes using supergrains to come

Live Healthy, Love Life x

Coconut Crazy: The World's Healthiest Chocolate Bounty

I've always been a fan of the humble Bounty bar and if you don't know what one is, where have you been? A bounty is a coconut filling enrobed in chocolate and comes in 2 pieces should you need to half your time or temporarily half your guilt. (You may spot the Bounty, keeping the Topic coming, come Christmas at the bottom of the Celebrations box.) Now despite coconut being one of my favourite fruits and native Pacific Islanders believing the humble coconut a "cure for all illnesses" (let's face it who'd argue with them?) the Mars company and more recently Nigella Lawson have done little to help publicise their immune boosting health benefits (In case you missed it Nigella recently deep fried the Bounty bar, liberally buttered up with double cream and ate from her fridge and did little to advocate its anti-oxidant profile, high fibre, vitamin, mineral and amino acid content.) So quite the little power house coconuts can actually extend your life (not to mention substantially shorten it should you be caught under a coconut tree in monsoon weather or when a nut decides to accompany gravity to the ground). 

So anyway more uplifting news about the Coconut and my aim to find ways to get more of it into my diet. Let's crack on with one fun way I've found....introducing the Bounty bomb….tiny clusters of chaos that explode in your mouth and take you to the shores of the Caribbean in a mouthful (too much?)

Ingredients

•       1/3 cup natural sweetener/sugar 

•       1/4 cup unsweetened cocoa powder

•       1/2 cup almond milk or skimmed (fat free) milk (I use Blue Diamond)

•       1/4 cup Choc coconut protein powder (I use Myprotein's)

•       3 Tbsp peanut butter – 250 cals (I used Bulk Powders for value)

•       1 banana, mashed or 2 tbsp apple sauce 

•       A few splashes of Myprotein flavdrops to taste

•       1/2 tsp espresso or coffee powder

•       2 1/2 cup instant oats

•       1 1/2 cups Desiccated coconut

(if you haven't got a cup measurement device then go nuts and get one...it's not a threat of going all-American I promise but it does help speed things up)

Instructions

1.      Grab a saucepan and heat natural sweetener/sugar, cocoa, milk and protein powder over medium heat. Be careful to heat continuously to stop catching the bottom but until mixture starts to bubble slightly. Remove from heat and stir in the peanut butter, banana/apple, espresso powder and star of the show Coconut. Fold in oats until fully combined and looking yummy. Add a few flav drops to taste.

2.      Spoon onto parchment paper using a scoop. Using bottom of scoop (or spoon) make a small indentation and sprinkle a few choc chips on top if feeling naughty, pressing lightly with fingertips. Should make around 24. Allow cookies to set, about 30 minutes.

3.      Store clusters in airtight container in refrigerator for up to one week….if they last that long.

Time to go COCONUT CRAZY? (What? All the cool cats use large font for Emphasis) 

Whether you’re eating the meat, drinking the juice, or consuming it as oil, coconuts are a delicious and nutritious source of fibre, vitamins, minerals and amino acids. It has loads of calcium, potassium, and magnesium, as well as plenty of electrolytes. In fact, coconut water is known to have the same electrolyte levels as human plasma, and has even been used for plasma transfusions!
The oil is excellent for keeping one young and beautiful. Its antioxidant properties slow down the ageing process by protecting the body from harmful free radicals (little blighters). I like to put a little bit of coconut oil on my skin every day to keep it nice and smooth, as well as free from dryness. I apply it onto my skin before showering. The hot water opens my pores, allowing the oil to absorb through my skin more efficiently.
Coconut oil is also great to cook with and definitely something trendy to adorn any larder/pantry or store cupboard (more recipes with coconut oil to come.)

Enjoy! Live healthy, love life! x