I LOVE FOOD.

I LOVE good food!  I’m one of those weird people that gets excited about silly stuff - going into health food shops, finding a nutritious alternative to an ingredient or discovering what concoctions I can fit into my juicer.  I am a GREAT believer that all food

should taste amazing, and if it tastes like cardboard, looks like mush, or doesn't excite you at the thought of eating it, then don’t! People think dieting is about counting calories or cutting out ‘the bad stuff’, it’s not. ‘Dieting’ is about changing your diet –simply what you eat.   It’s not about giving things up, but more about adding! It’s about loving your body so much you want to give it the best.  Eating should be an enjoyable experience that leaves you satisfied and full, not a restrictive act , one that leaves you hungry and feeling deprived. 

So this week I thought I’d share with you some of my favourite recipes.  Some savoury, some sweet, but they taste great, are easy to make and are nutritious too. Why not cook one this week and just enjoy the feeling of eating well!

Enjoying loving yourself this week. J

Day 1: Tagine of butternut squash, shallots, sultanas and almonds.

This is a tagine, but you haven’t got one, just cook it in a casserole or heavy dish on the stove.

Ingredients:

3 tablespoons of Olive Oil

10 shallots, peeled and left whole

7 cloves of garlic

2 average handfuls of sultanas (raisins or dates is good too)

2 average handfuls of almonds (or nuts of your choice)

1 tsp of chilli paste (or 2 medium chopped chillies with tsp cumin, olive oil and coriander)

2 tblsp of honey or algave

1 medium butternut squashed, peeled, and diced into 2 inch pieces.

Sea salt and cracked black pepper.

Fresh Coriander

1 lemon cut in quarters.

Method:

1>    Heat the oil in the tagine/dish. Stir in the shallots and garlic and sauté them until they begin to change colour.

2>    Add the sultanas and almonds and stir in the chilli paste and honey/algave.

3>    Toss in the butternut squash making sure it is covered in the flavours.

4>    Cook on simmer for 15-20 mins or until the shallots and squash are tender but still quite firm. If it is getting dry, a small dash of water will help.

5>    Season to taste with salt and pepper, sprinkle over with fresh coriander and top with a ¼ wedge of lemon.

6>    I like to serve this either on it’s own, with cous cous, or a healthier alternative- buckwheat.

Enjoy!

This recipe is adapted from ‘Tagine: Spicy Stews from Morocco’, by Ghillie Basan.