Recipes
Blackberry and Apple Crumble
For the filling:
4 apples, peeled and cored and diced
1 tbsp lemon juice
1 tbsp water
1 tsp cinnamon
500 g blackberries
For
the crumble:
150g porridge oats
3 tbsp butter or coconut oil
2-3 tbsp brown sugar or maple or agave syrup
100g ground mixed nuts
Heat apples with lemon juice, water and cinnamon and simmer until apples begin to soften.
Add blackberries and leave to stand for a few minutes.
Mix
all the crumble ingredients until it resembles breadcrumbs, either very gently with a food processor, making sure it does
not over-process the crumble, or with your fingers. Using your fingers makes it easier to get the desired
crumble.
Fill the apple/blackberry mixture into an ovenproof dish
and cover with the crumble. Bake at 180°C for approximately 25-30 minutes until
the crumble starts to turn golden. Serve with good quality custard or vanilla ice cream.
Muesli Bars
Most commercial cereal bars are
full of added sugar. This homemade one gets all its sweetness from dried fruit which is a good source of
iron. The seeds are rich in zinc, calcium and magnesium. The muesli bars only take 10
min preparation time and can be stored in a sealed container in the fridge for up to a week.
225g dried apricots
150g dried figs
150 ml apple juice
225g porridge oats
100g
mixed seeds (pumpkin, sesame and/or sunflower seeds) or chopped mixed nuts
Gently heat apricots and figs in a pan with the juice and leave to soak for 10 minutes. Place in
a food processor and process to a stiff puree. Mix in the rest of the ingredients. Spoon
into a greased and lined 20cm square baking tin. Bake in a preheated oven at 180°C
(gas mark 4) for 25 min. Leave to cool slightly and then cut into slices. For different flavours try with different dried fruits or nuts/seeds.
For more recipes and information on superfoods please
click on the links below.
broccoli recipes
quinoa recipes
beetroot recipes
strawberry recipes
carrot recipes
tomato recipes
blackberry recipes
butternut squash recipes
avocado recipes
salmon recipes
lentil recipes
garlic recipes
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 Oats
An oat-based breakfast like porridge
or oat-based muesli is a great way to start the day. Oats have a low glycaemic index/load, i.e. they release
sugar slowly into the blood stream, giving you sustained energy.
The soluble fibre in oats can help reduce cholesterol levels by binding bile acids which would
otherwise be reabsorbed and converted back into cholesterol. Oats also contain antioxidants which further
protect the cardiovascular system by helping to prevent oxidation of the “bad” LDL cholesterol (it is oxidised
LDL cholesterol that is thought to be harmful).
The fibre in oats also helps
keep the bowels regular and unlike wheat bran which many people find irritates their gut, it is smooth and does not interfere
with mineral absorption.
Oats also appear to have a relaxing
action on the nervous system and oat extracts are used medicinally for nervousness and anxiety. If you
have trouble sleeping, maybe try a small oat based snack, such as a couple of oatcakes before bedtime.
Oats can also be beneficial for dry skin conditions. A
traditional remedy for eczema is to put a few tablespoons of oats in a small cloth bag and hold it under the water when running
a bath and use the bag as a sponge for a soothing bath.
The
traditional oat dish is of course porridge. Add different types of ground or chopped nuts and seeds and
fresh or dried fruit for more variety and additional nutrients. Oatcakes with a bit of cottage cheese or
nut butter or oat biscuits make a healthy snack that helps balance blood sugar. For more ideas on how to
add oats to your diet see left.
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