5 foods that make you happy

Let's enjoy cooking !!

From the simple energy kick of a good protein-filled breakfast to delicious suppers enjoyed with family and friends, we don’t need a scientist to tell us that we are what we eat! Food refuels us, affecting our energy levels and therefore our ability to run around after the kids, get things done and end each day feeling we’ve achieved what we wanted to.

The good news is that eating well isn’t hard work. Try these delicious foods in easy recipes to keep your body and your tastebuds happy.

1. Cauliflower

Good source of vitamin C for boosting your immune system and warding off stress. Snack on cauliflower florets along with cucumber and carrot sticks as crudités before dinner, or if the kids turn their nose up at it, puree cooked cauliflower with a little milk then add it to mashed potato.

Let’s try this!

Cauliflower cheese

is a healthy family meal that is perfect for growing kids after a busy day at school.

Ingredients (serves 5 people)

1. Cauliflower florets
2. Butter
3. Flour
4. Skimmed milk
5. Grated cheese

Directions

1. Steam cauliflower florets
2. Make a light cheese sauce by combining butter, flour, skimmed milk and grated cheese.
3. Serve with jacket potatoes.

2. Lentils

Lentils are rich in iron, essential so you don’t feel tired and run down. They’re also a cheap way of bulking out dishes and thickening stews. Try cooking up red lentils with chopped carrots, onions, spices and water and then pureeing them down for a filling autumn soup.

Let’s try this!

Lentils in feta or sausage casserole

Like an easy addition to a party table to give your buffet a boost.

Ingredients (serves 8 people)

1. 400g tin of green or puy lentils
2. A pint of hot vegetable or chicken stock
3. Chopped celery or largish chunks of garlic clove
4. Three meaty saussages or feta cheese

Directions

1. Take a 400g tin of green or puy lentils and add it to a pan with about a pint of hot vegetable or chicken stock. (If using dried puy lentils, these don’t take too long to cook first, but do follow the packaging instructions for preparation so they don’t get too mushy or stay too hard.) According to your taste, add chopped celery or largish chunks of garlic clove. Warm the ingredients through by slowly simmering in the pan for 20-30 minutes, making sure it stays moist enough towards the end. Don’t to speed up the cooking by boiling otherwise your lentils will lose their shape. By the time it is ready, the garlic should be soft and not at all strong to taste. Drain off any excessive liquid but make sure the lentils haven’t dried too much. Tip the cooked mixture out onto a wide shallow bowl and toss in either two or three meaty sausages cooked and chopped into bite-sized chunks, or diced feta cheese.

3. Squash

Butternut squash really is a hero food for nutrients, especially magnesium, manganese, iron, copper, potassium, calcium, phosphorus and zinc. Squash as a great for energy, growth and a boost to your immune system. You can even turn the seeds into a healthy TV snack: toss them in a little olive oil, sprinkle them on a baking tray then roast at 135°C (gas mark 1) for about 15 minutes, until they start to pop. They’re perfect for children’s lunchboxes, too – why not find more ideas for packed lunch makeovers.

Squash supper

Making a great meal doesn’t have to involve a trolley’s worth of ingredients. Keeping it simple saves time, money and effort – often with great results.

Easy as 123 – 10 great meals from three ingredients

Corned beef chow
Fry slices of potato in a large pan, then when they’re nearly ready push them over to one side and fry some slices of corned beef quickly on the other side. Add baked beans (and a splash of Worcestershire sauce if you have some to hand) and stir until the beans are hot. It is the great comfort food for a winter brunch.

Quick Chicken
Stuff skinless chicken breasts with herby goat’s cheese but cutting a small slit in each piece and packing the cheese inside. Add a slice of tomato on top of each chicken breast and bake for 25 minutes in an oiled ovenproof dish. Tasty and quick.

Simple fish
Heat a little of the herby oil from a jar of roasted peppers in a pan and then add the peppers themselves, along with a handful of green beans and some chunks of white fish like haddock, cod or Pollock, skin side down. Cover and cook for five minutes until the fish is tender and flakey.

Veggie supper
Roasted squash is a classic winter warmer, great on its own or with a few simple greens. For a hearty supper with extra oomph, crumble blue cheese and pecan nuts over the squash as they come out of the oven. Works well with pumpkin, Jerusalem artichoke or sweet potato too.

Posh bangers for dinner
Fry good-quality meat or veggie sausages in a pan and cook through before adding a jar of your favourite tomato-based pasta sauce. Serve with polenta.

Store-cupboard salad
A light lunch or a quick starter made from store-cupboard ingredients: combine a can of tuna with a can of mixed beans (both drained and the beans rinsed), then add stuffed olives with a little of their oil.

(P)easy soup
Puree some cooked frozen peas (and enough water for the consistency you want) with some chopped spring onion, then add a swirl of pesto sauce for a vibrant green soup.

Nighttime noodles
Cook a nest of wholewheat noodles and some ribbons of savoy cabbage or pak choy in water flavoured with the granules from a packet of instant miso soup for a low-calorie oriental treat.

Fast Mexican
Cook and drain some spinach, and then layer it with grated cheese between two tortillas. Press this ‘sandwich’ together, put it in a dry, non-stick pan and press down gently with a spatula to fuse the whole thing together. After a couple of minutes turn it over and press the other side – when it’s all melted together you have a classic Mexican quesadilla.

1, 2, 3 Cake
For a dense, sugar-free fruit cake mix 500g dried fruit with 250g self-raising flour and 250ml of fruit juice. Slow-bake in a lined tin for two hours at 130 degrees, and (if you can keep your mitts off it) you can make it a couple of days before it’s needed.

4. Sesame seeds

Packed with zinc – an essential mineral for producing collagen and giving skin more elasticity – sesame seeds are a great snack when you want to give yourself an energy boost. Try tahini or hummus, or sprinkle toasted sesame seeds over your favourite cereal or salad.

Let’s try this!

Crunchy seeded salmon and Chinese broccoli

Put something new on your plate this summer

This easy dish makes for a healthy lunch with a crunch

The exciting flavours and interesting textures make this an ideal dish to keep kids entertained, both in the making and the devouring. Plus, it’s a healthy, filling lunch option and it’s really quick to make.
Crunchy Seeded Salmon and Chinese Broccoli

Serves 4
Prep time: 15 minutes
Cook time: 15 minutes

INGREDIENTS
4 salmon fillets, skinned and cut into chunks
40g plain flour
1 egg
2 tbsp soy sauce
150g sesame seeds
50g sunflower seeds, roughly chopped
25g fresh brown breadcrumbs
300g broccoli
4 cm fresh ginger, peeled and grated
1 clove garlic, crushed
2 tbsp tomato ketchup
1 tbsp sweet chilli sauce (optional)
1 tsp sesame oil
1 tsp sunflower oil

INSTRUCTIONS
Preheat the oven to 200c/Gas Mark 6. Line a baking tray with parchment paper. Beat the egg with 1tsp of soy sauce. Mix the seeds and breadcrumbs together. Dip the salmon pieces in the flour, followed by the egg, then roll in the seeds and crumbs before placing on the baking tray. Divide the broccoli into florets and cut the stalk into matchsticks. Stir together the remaining soy sauce, along with the ketchup, chilli sauce (if using) and 1tbsp of water. Cook the salmon in the preheated oven for 15 minutes. Heat the oils in a wok and then add the broccoli and stir fry for 3 minutes before adding the garlic and ginger. Cook for a further 2-3 minutes before pouring over the soy sauce mixture. Stir fry for 3-4 minutes and serve with the salmon.

SAVVY TIP
If your little ones find salmon too strong in flavour, try this recipe with a mild white fish or tuna .

5. Oranges

As well as packing a vitamin C punch, oranges contain inositol which helps the body regulate levels of serotonin and insulin, helping even out your moods and lift you when you’re feeling low. Squeezing fresh orange juice over pancakes makes a nice change from lemon and is sweet enough to replace the need the add sugar.

Let’s try this!

pomegranate sangria bliss mocktail recipe

When the sun makes an appearance on one of our rare hot days in summer, there’s nothing better than sitting out in your garden to enjoy a delicious, refreshing drink. Why not mix up one of these cooling non-alcoholic treats, sit back and enjoy a few quiet moments.

Pomegranate Sangria Bliss
Pomegranates are well known for their health benefits being loaded with antioxidants and, while the fruit isn’t available in the summer, you can find the juice in all supermarkets. Try this healthy fruit-infused cocktail recipe, which is a non-alcoholic take on the summer party staple, sangria, so the kids can drink it too.

Ingredients
1 quart pomegranate juice
2 cups papaya, mango or apple juice
1-2 oranges (depending on size)
6-8 strawberries
2 kiwis
1/2 cup sugar

Instructions

1. Mix juices and sugar briskly until sugar dissolves.
2. Wash oranges and berries and cut into thin, round slices.
3. Remove kiwi skin and cut into thick, round slices. Place all fruit into your juice mixture and allow the flavours to blend in fridge for 2-3 hours or overnight, before serving.
4. Serve in individual glasses, garnished with fresh fruit slices.

Mango Smoothie

Ingredients
1 mango, peeled, pitted and sliced
1 cup coconut milk
2 cups ice
1/2 fresh pineapple, cut into chunks (or one 12-oz can pineapple chunks)
1 tablespoon honey

Instructions

1. Place all ingredients, except honey, into a blender and blend until smooth.
2. Pour into chilled glasses and drizzle with honey.
3. Garnish with a mango or pineapple slice, if desired.

Tip: Freeze your blended smoothie for 20 minutes for a firmer texture.

Lemonade Raspberry Ice Cubes and Ginger Ale Ice Cubes with Lemon Zest
Add a taste of summer to any drink with these flavoured ice cubes. Serve with iced tea, cranberry juice or whatever quenches your thirst.

Ingredients
2 cups lemonade
24 fresh raspberries
2 cups of ginger ale
Zest of 2 lemons
4 ice cube trays

Instructions

1. Pour the lemonade into two ice cube trays.
2. In the lemonade trays, place one raspberry per cube.
3. Pour the ginger ale into a large bowl and stir in lemon zest.
4. Pour the ginger ale mixture into the other two trays.
5. Freeze and serve.

No summer party or BBQ is complete without special summer drinks. These recipes for sweet summer sips will help bring something unique and refreshing to your summer table.