Heavenly, Healthy Eating

Kick-start your healthy lifestyle  by revamping mealtimes with these healthy eating ideas.

Try these recipes to make nutrient- and flavour-rich snacks and meals, which not only offer you healthy eating options, but also taste like something out of this world.

Fresh veggie and fruit juices

Serves 2

Different combinations to blend in a juicing machine …

Refresher

• 70g broccoli
• 70g cucumber
• 3 granny smith apples
• 3 sprigs fresh mint

Energiser

• 2 small beetroot
• 1 small sweet potato
• 2 granny smith apples
• 2 carrots
• knob of root ginger

Thirst quencher

• 2 carrots
• 3 granny smith apples
• knob of root ginger
• mint

Cleanser

• 3 spinach leaves
• 2  carrots
• knob of root ginger
• 2 oranges
• 1 pineapple

All-in-one greens

• 2 granny smith apples
• handful parsley
• 2 stalks celery
• 4 spinach leaves
• handful coriander
• knob of root ginger

Tomato cocktail

• 4 fresh tomatoes
• 1 stalk celery
• ¼ cucumber

Note: 125ml of juice = 1 fruit portion. This can be diluted with water as desired. It is not advisable to replace more than one fruit portion per day with juice, as you will be missing out on the important fibre content of a whole piece of fruit.

Dips

Limit the amount of salt, preservatives and artificial flavourings in what you eat by making your own dips and spreads. This will ensure that your snacks still qualify as healthy eating.

Avocado salsa

serves 4

Ingredients

• 1 ripe avo cut into small cubes (add a squeeze of fresh lemon juice to stop the avo turning brown)
• 1 small tomato, finely chopped
• ½ small onion, finely chopped
• 30ml low fat cottage cheese
• herb salt and ground, black pepper

For guacamole: Add mashed avo, coriander and fresh chilli and serve with provita biscuits or spooned on to a salad.

Hummus

serves 6

Ingredients

• 175g chickpeas, cooked
• 30ml lemon juice, freshly squeezed
• 30ml olive oil
• 45ml tahini (sesame paste)
• 5ml ground cumin
• 1 clove garlic, crushed
• pinch cayenne pepper

Method

• In a food processor, blend all ingredients to form a thick paste.
• Add a little water if necessary to make it smooth.
• Season with herb salt and freshly ground black pepper.
• Serve as a dip with veggie sticks or on a slice of health/rye toast or oat cakes or digestive biscuits.

Tzatziki

serves 6

Ingredients

• 1 cucumber, finely grated
• 250ml low fat plain yoghurt
• 30ml olive oil
• 5ml white wine vinegar,
• 1 clove garlic, crushed
• pinch of herb salt and freshly ground black pepper
• fresh mint, chopped

Method

• Place cucumber in a colander to drain off all liquid.
• Combine together all ingredients.
• Refrigerate for about an hour before serving.
• Serve with veggie sticks, provitas or on a slice of rye toast, or use as a spread on a wholewheat salad wrap.

Guve your child a healthy start to life with these ‘free-from’ recipes.

Butter bean, pea and mint pâté

serves 6

Ingredients

• 410g tin butter beans, drained and rinsed
• 125ml frozen green peas
• 1 clove of garlic crushed (optional)
• herb salt and freshly ground black pepper
• sprigs of fresh mint

Method

• Place all ingredients into food processor and blend. Season to taste
• Serve with cucumber, carrot, cherry tomatoes, baby corn, cauliflower and broccoli florets or rice cakes or crackers.

Sweet potato muffins with cinnamon pecan topping

This is not just a healthy eating option, but it is also packed with flavour and is visually appealing.

serves 18

Ingredients

• 150g cake flour
• 40g oat bran
• 5 ml salt
• 7.5ml baking powder
• 5ml cinnamon
• 5ml nutmeg
• 185ml canola oil
• 100g caster sugar
• 3 eggs
• 350g sweet potato, peeled and grated
• 100g pecan nuts, chopped

method

• Mix these ingredients together.
• Whisk together oil and caster sugar.
• Then add eggs, one at a time.
• Fold in dry ingredients. After that, fold in sweet potato and pecan nuts.
• Spoon into greased muffin paper  cases and sprinkle with topping.
• Bake at 170 degrees for 20 minutes

topping – mix the ingredients below and crumble over the muffin mix before baking

• 100ml dark brown sugar
• 60g butter
• 90ml cake flour
• 125ml pecan nuts, chopped
• 10ml cinnamon

Cherry Tomato and Pattypan

A health salad with a lemon, wholegrain mustard and honey dressing

serves 4

Ingredients

• 300g yellow pattypans, cut in quarters and steamed (al dente)
• 200g cherry tomatoes, cut in half
• 1 lemon – zest and juice (for dressing) herb salt and freshly ground black pepper
• 30ml parsley, oregano or fresh
• 30ml basil, chopped

for the dressing

• 25ml honey
• 15ml wholegrain mustard
• 60ml lemon juice
• 120ml olive oil

Method

• Toss pattypans in the dressing and allow to stand for 20 minutes  before serving.
• Add the tomatoes and sprinkle with the lemon zest, salt and pepper.
• Spoon on to a salad platter, then sprinkle with fresh chopped herbs.

Moroccan Vegetable and Chickpea Curry

serves 4

Ingredients

• 60ml olive oil
• 1 onion, finely chopped
• 10ml garlic, crushed
• 10ml turmeric
• 5ml chilli paste (optional)
• 10ml paprika
• 30ml ground cumin
• 30ml ground coriander
• 45ml brown sugar
• 45ml chopped fresh coriander or parsley
• 410g whole, peeled tomatoes chopped
• 30ml tomato paste
• 410g chickpeas, drained and rinsed well
• 250ml vegetable stock
• 250g baby potatoes cut in half
• 250g baby carrots
• 200g white button mushrooms, halved
• 2 red peppers, cubed
• 200g baby marrows cut in half
• 200g baby butternut cut length ways herb salt and ground black pepper to taste

Method

• In a large saucepan, sauté onion, garlic and spices in olive oil.
• Add sugar, herbs and tomatoes and, after that, add chickpeas and vegetables.
• Allow to simmer for 20–30 minutes until vegetables are just tender.
• Correct seasoning if necessary.
• Serve with whole-wheat couscous, brown rice or quinoa, garnish with fresh sprigs of coriander. Lastly, add a dollop of  homemade coriander yoghurt for a real flavour kick.

Homemade coriander yoghurt

• 250ml low fat yoghurt
• 5ml ground coriander
• herb salt and ground black pepper
• handful of fresh coriander, chopped

Mix together the ingredients.

Meringue nests

serves 8

Ingredients

• 2 egg whites
• 110g caster sugar
• 5ml cornflour

for the filling

• Fresh assorted berries or fruit that is in season, sliced strawberries, banana, kiwi fruit, mango and granadilla
• 250ml Low fat cottage cheese or low fat plain yoghurt

Method

• Preheat oven to 140 degrees. Line an oven tray with baking paper.
• Beat egg whites in a bowl with an electric beater until soft peaks form. Then, gradually add sugar one tablespoon at a time. Beat until the sugar dissolves between each addition.
• Fold in the cornflour and spoon mixture onto baking tray to form eight nests or use a piping bag to pipe mixture.
• Bake for 15 minutes, then reduce temperature to 120 degrees and bake for a further 30 minutes
• Turn off oven and allow to cool in the oven
• Serve meringue nest filled with cottage cheese or yoghurt and top with fresh assorted berries and decorate with sprigs of fresh mint.

About the book

As part of their 20th birthday celebration, KwaZulu-Natal based Brookdale Health Hydro has launched Heavenly & Healthy Foods, a recipe book that will help you achieve better health. Filled with over 100 tasty meals, beautifully illustrated with tips and suggestions it also has an easy-to-follow three-week healthy eating meal plan to kick-start your healthy lifestyle. The book is available exclusively from brookdale.co.za for R240.

Brookdale Health Hydro