Recipe

Here’s a super-simple recipe that also makes for a super-quick, nutritious, flavoursome breakfast or snack when you need it.

This simple, healthy yoghurt cake is an adaptable basic cake that I know you’ll keep coming back to. I think the combination of pear and ginger is a match made in heaven, but you can alter the spices and fruit to suit your taste and the season.

For this recipe I use culinary grade matcha powder from Matcha Yu. I love the way all their teas come in eco-friendly home-compostable packaging. Also note that these cupcakes are best made in a silicon muffin tray or inside unbleached paper patties because the batter is quite sticky.

Speculaas is a traditional Dutch biscuit made with a delicious spice blend of cinnamon, nutmeg, ginger, cardamom and cloves. I grew up eating these biscuits in Holland, especially around the festive season when they’re traditionally eaten. This is a version using more nutrient-dense flours such as brown-rice flour, blanched almond meal and spelt flour.

Biscotti can be a little more time-consuming to make but they’re well worth the effort. These are savoury biscotti that would work very well on a cheese board. I cut my biscotti nice and thick so they look extra rustic on a cheese board.

The combination of peas, mint, ginger and lemon is so delicious. When I make this dish, I always have a second helping.

Chicken provides amino acids needed to build and restore the body. Eating protein helps stabilise blood sugar levels and gives you a sense of satiety after eating. Chicken also supplies plenty of zinc, an important nutrient needed for wound healing, healthy immune function and male and female fertility. Including dark green leafy vegetables like spinach in your daily diet is one of the best things you can do for your health. These nutritional powerhouses are rich in B vitamins, including folate, B6 and B12, which are all needed for good heart health.

This hearty risotto is a great source of dietary fibre. Brown rice contains around seven times more fibre than white rice per serving and has a lower GI (glycaemic index), which means it takes longer to digest and won’t cause sharp spikes in blood sugar levels. Fibre is important, not only for keeping blood sugar levels stable but also for cardiovascular health, as it helps to lower cholesterol levels.

This is a simple, fresh and flavoursome risotto that uses ricotta to amp up the creaminess. You can serve as is or it also works well with extra roasted veg — especially tomatoes!

These burger patties are soft inside and crispy on the outside. Make yourself a double batch and freeze some so you can quickly make an awesome plant-based burger whenever you get the craving.

Tahini, made from sesame seeds, is particularly rich in healthy polyunsaturated fats and the antioxidant vitamin E, both of which have a protective effect against heart disease and stroke. Dark chocolate is a great source of polyphenols that also promote heart health by helping dilate blood vessels and in turn reducing blood pressure.

Tahini is a good source of beneficial polyunsaturated fats that help improve brain function and memory. Tahini is also a rich source of magnesium for strong bones and reduced risk of osteoporosis, which makes it beneficial for balancing blood sugar levels.