Food & recipes

Nutrition: Recipes with healthy oils

Boost your vitality and tickle your taste buds with these delicious dinners

Boost your vitality and tickle your taste buds with these delicious dinnersImproving cognitive function, supporting digestion, regulating blood sugar levels and promoting cardiovascular health – just some of the reasons essential fatty acids (EFA) should be part of your diet. Found in fish, nuts and seeds, EFAs are in two families, known as omega 3 and omega 6 oils, and you need to obtain them from food as the body can’t produce them. Here are some tasty meals that incorporate them. They’re good for you and full of flavour; simply perfect!

CHICKPEA AND FETA SALAD

SERVES 4

400g of chickpeas
½ cucumber, diced
150g radishes, thinly sliced
150g red seedless grapes, halved
200g feta cheese, cut into 4 pieces
2 tablespoons extra virgin rapeseed or olive oil
½ teaspoon of dried oregano
2 heaped tablespoons of pumpkin seeds
Small handful of radish
Sprouts (optional)
Salt and pepper
Lemon wedges, to serve

Mix together the chickpeas, cucumber, radishes and grapes in a large bowl. Toss lightly with the radicchio, season with salt and pepper and pile into serving dishes. Place the feta on a foil-lined grill pan, drizzle with two teaspoons of the oil and sprinkle with the dried oregano and a little pepper.
Cook under a preheated grill for three to four minutes or until golden. Remove from the grill and leave to cool for two to three minutes.
Heat a small frying pan over a medium heat, add the pumpkin seeds and dry-fry until lightly golden. Tip onto a small plate. Arrange the grilled feta on the salad. Scatter over the toasted pumpkin seeds and radish sprouts, if using. Drizzle with the remaining oil and serve immediately with the lemon wedges and pumpkin seeds.

Foody fact

Pumpkin seeds are being studied for potential prostate benefits

TUNA STEAKS WITH WASABI DRESSING

SERVES 4

4 tuna steaks

2 teaspoons of mixed peppercorns, crushed

250g of sugar snap peas

1 teaspoon of toasted sesame oil

2 teaspoons of sesame seeds, lightly toasted

For the dressing:

2 tablespoons of light soy sauce
4 tablespoons of mirin
1 teaspoon of sugar
1 teaspoon of wasabi paste

Season the tuna steaks with the crushed peppercorns. Heat a griddle pan over a medium-high heat and griddle the tuna steaks for two minutes on each side until browned but still pink in the centre.
Remove from the pan and leave to rest. Put the sugar snap peas in a steamer basket and lower into a shallow saucepan of boiling water so that the peas are not quite touching the water. Drizzle with the sesame oil, cover and steam for two to three minutes or until tender.
Place all of the dressing ingredients in a screw-top jar and seal with a tight-fitting lid. Shake vigorously until well combined. Divide the sugar snap peas between four serving dishes, then cut the tuna steaks in half diagonally and arrange over the peas. Drizzle with the prepared dressing and sprinkle with the sesame seeds. Serve immediately, with rice noodles.

Foody fact

Eating tuna is a great way to help control hypertension

BEAN CHILLI WITH AVOCADO SALSA

SERVES 4

For the dressing:

2 tablespoons of light soy sauce
4 tablespoons of mirin
1 teaspoon of sugar
1 teaspoon of wasabi paste

Heat the oil in a large saucepan over a mediumlow heat, add the cumin seeds, oregano, onion, celery and chilli and cook gently, stirring frequently, for about six to eight minutes.
Add the tomatoes, sun-dried tomatoes, sugar, stock, beans and coriander and bring to the boil. Reduce the heat and simmer for about 20 minutes.
Peel, stone and dice the avocado. Halve the tomatoes, scoop out the seeds and finely dice the flesh. Add to the avocado along with the chilli sauce and lime juice. Mix well.
Season the bean mixture with salt and pepper and spoon into bowls. Top with soured cream and the avocado salsa. Serve with toasted pitta or flatbreads.
For the bean stew, heat four tablespoons of olive oil in a small saucepan, add two crushed garlic cloves, one tablespoon of chopped rosemary and two teaspoons of grated lemon rind and gently fry for three minutes. Add butter beans, four large skinned and chopped tomatoes and a little chilli powder. Bring to the boil, then simmer over a high heat until the sauce is thickened. Season and serve with the avocado salsa and soured cream.

THE SUPER OIL

For a blast of goodness add a splash of Udo’s Choice Oil, £10.99, to your dinner. Every dollop contains flax seed, sunflower seed, sesame seed, coconut oil, evening primrose oil, soy lecithin, rice bran and rice germ oils, oat bran and oat germ oils! This blend includes the optimum ratio of omega 3, 6 and 9 and will taste great in all meals.