Last weekend, I was lucky enough to be a part of the inaugural Free From Food Festival in London where I gave a cooking demonstration of a Christmassy take on my banana bread: Cranberry Orange Bread. It went over very well with the crowd, despite very windy and cold conditions! But I’m happy to say, the bread came out beautifully in the small convection oven Caroline, the organizer, brought with her to the demonstration tent. When our train was stopped outside Putney station for half an hour on Sunday coming home from the festival, I ended up sharing the cakey bread around with my fellow frustrated passengers which seemed to lighten the mood a bit!

Here’s a quick video of some of Sunday’s demo, if you’d like to see my Britney microphone in action

This video does not include the part where I forgot to add the “flax egg” to my cake mixture before placing it in the oven! Fortunately, I realized soon enough to salvage it, but man what a blunder. While the finished product would have been fine without the addition of flax, it’s nice to have the added insurance in the baking process (to help bind the mixture together) but also for the nutritional value of the seeds. It got me thinking about omega 3′s, an area of confusion to many. I’ve spoken to quite a few people who aren’t sure what omega-3′s actually are or where they come from but have heard that they are important to the diet. Are you confused too? Let me see if I can help.

Essential Fatty Acids

Without getting too “science nerd” here, I’d like to break it down to the simplest terms possible. There are good fats and there are bad fats. The bad ones are found in deep fried foods, margarine & spreads, and commercial oils. This includes trans fats, which are present in partially hydrogenated vegetable oils such as soybean oil (get to know your ingredients labels – this is in a LOT of processed foods). These bad fats are the reason people think they should be eating low-fat or fat-free foods, but this is slightly inaccurate. What is key to a healthy diet is replacing the bad with the good. Instead of just eliminating fat from your diet altogether, better to get rid of the nasty stuff and put back in the nice stuff.

And the nice stuff, as you may have guessed, includes omega-3 fatty acids, one of the essential fatty acids. Why are they essential? Because they are required for human health but aren’t manufactured in the body, so they have to come from our food. Omega-3s, found in certain types of fish, nuts, and seeds, are anti-inflammatory, while omega-6s, found in meats and soybean oil, tend to promote inflammation. Since most Western diets, particularly the Standard American Diet, are quite high in omega-6s, it is important that we get the right balance with the omega-3s. The ratio for optimal health is around 2:1 (omega-6 to omega-3); in other words, for every 2 grams of meat you consume, make sure you grab a gram of walnuts too.

Omega-3-rich foods

• extra virgin olive oil
• oily fish, such as mackerel, trout, herring, sardines, wild salmon, and halibut
• flaxseeds and flaxseed oil (also known as linseed)
• walnuts
• krill oil
• chia seeds
• hemp seeds
• pastured eggs
• grass fed meats
• kelp
• pumpkin seeds

Zesty Salmon with Pepper & Mushroom Lentils

Serves 2

Email or print this recipe

The particulars:

• 2 wild salmon fillets
• zest and juice of 1 orange
• 2 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
• 1 cup black or brown lentils, cooked
• 1 tbsp organic virgin coconut oil
• 1 small red onion, roughly chopped
• 3 garlic cloves, finely chopped
• 1 small yellow chili, finely chopped (optional)
• 1 green pepper, sliced
• 1 cup dried mushrooms, rehydrated and roughly chopped
• 1/3 cup sunflower seeds
• 2 tsp ground cumin
• 1 tbsp Bragg’s liquid aminos or tamari

as far as fresh vegetables grown in england go, we’re in a bit of a dry spell. february and march are generally not the most exciting for locally grown produce. but what can be grown can still be delicious. it just takes a little bit of imagination and a lot of other food to serve it with

last week, i cooked up a couple of simply seared wild salmon fillets, some nutty brown basmati rice, and a whole slew of fresh veggies easily roasted in the oven for an hour. but i opted for all local stuff that was light and, well, different, rather than the usual stodgy veg that you imagine would be roasted. red onions, garlic (lots), celery, and cauliflower were all chucked into a roasting tin with some olive oil, salt, and pepper, and okay a red chili that certainly isn’t grown here this time of year. what can i say, we needed the spice! roasted cauliflower is delicious. roasted celery is… interesting.

this isn’t worth typing out as a recipe, so instead, feast your eyes on the photo and pay a visit to your local fresh veg stall at a farmer’s market or whatever you have nearby. even if it’s not a huge variety on offer right now, you can definitely cook up a hearty meal!

don’t you just hate it when a recipe doesn’t come together? i started out last night’s dinner with all but two of the ingredients – we improvised to make up the rest, but it certainly didn’t come out the way i had planned.

the items in question were capers and horseradish sauce. i know i’ve used both in my kitchen before, and assumed the little jars would still be sitting there in the fridge. however, when i got home and started to prepare the fish supper we were going to have, i discovered a great lack of both.

IMPROVISE. it’s the best part of cooking. as long as you know what tastes good together, one ingredient lost is another ingredient gained! we threw in some baby plum tomatoes and artichoke hearts instead, and it was damn good.

which fish to choose? recently here in the uk, there has been a big campaign to buy sustainable fish from the waters surrounding great britain, as it has been discovered that “half of all the fish caught in the north sea are thrown back overboard dead”. this information comes from hugh’s fish fight – a campaign started by hugh fearnley-whittingstall, one of my favorite british celebrity chefs. he is using his powers for good, and getting a massive following via facebook, twitter, the website, and a 3-part tv series on channel 4. jamie oliver, gordon ramsay, and heston blumenthal are all behind the cause as well. and it’s great because this brings the issue into the public’s collective conscience.

fish is obviously a big part of the diet here – but we’re not necessarily talking fresh, catch of the day. ever heard of fish n chips? that deep-fried version may be tasty to most, but perhaps not when we strip away the batter and chips. hugh’s message is to try some of the lesser-appreciated types of fish, the ones that are cruelly chucked back into the sea – like flounder, coley, and dab. we know what we’re used to seeing on menus and in shops: salmon, cod, haddock, tuna. perhaps it’s time to try something different.

now, i’ve said all this – but guess what we had for dinner last night? salmon. I KNOW! practice what you preach, lady! now before you accuse me of being a selfish, flounder hater, i chose the salmon for its lovely, dark, rich color and the fact that it is wild alaskan. if i’m gonna eat salmon, it’s gonna be the good stuff and not farmed, pumped full of junk. while i could do better to choose a sustainable, overlooked variety, preferably a local one, i can at least choose the salmon i buy carefully. better yet, i picked up a few packets and put the other two in the freezer for future use. after all, weddings are expensive!

so, dinner. here it is, in all its one-pan glory. super easy to make, nice flavors, and best of all – you can throw in whatever you want if you’re not sure you can be bothered to pick up a bag of pea shoots (which they may not even grow where you live). anything green and leafy will do

roasted salmon & potato supper

serves two

the particulars:

• 500g organic baby potatoes (about 12), thinly sliced
• 1 red onion, cut into wedges
• 8 baby plum or cherry tomatoes, sliced in half
• 6 artichoke hearts, sliced in half
• optional: 2 cups radishes, quartered; 4 cooked beets, quartered; 1 tbsp capers
• 2 tbsp olive oil
• 2 salmon fillets
• 2 tbsp chopped dill
• a handful of pea shoots or other leafy green veg
• lemon wedges and horseradish sauce to serve

1. preheat the oven to gas mark 6 / 400f. in a large roasting pan, toss the potatoes with the red onion, tomatoes, artichokes, and radishes (if using) in the olive oil. add plenty of salt and pepper, and throw in the beets (if using). roast for 30 minutes.
2. remove the pan from the oven, stir everything around, then place the salmon fillets on top of the vegetables. place back in the oven for 10-12 minutes until the salmon is fully cooked through.
3. divide the pea shoots between two plates, serve the vegetables and salmon on each, then sprinkle some dill and capers (if using) on top. squeeze the lemon on the fish before serving.

we love to make curry here – and they all usually start in the same way. we typically cook up an onion, some garlic, and a blend of spices to start off a curry. it couldn’t be easier!

if you’re not sure about curry, or have never tried making it before, don’t feel overwhelmed! the spices you use are generally not that difficult to find. and to try and tempt you some more, there are plenty of health benefits to a wide variety of your everyday kitchen herbs and spices. but for the sake of this post, i’d like to address some of the more common indian spices that i used in the recipe found below. and after seeing how beneficial they are, you’ll want to grab them and cook up a curry yourself tonight!

cumin - not only is it found in most indian dishes, it is also widely used in mexican and middle eastern cooking. in the dish below, the cumin is part of a spice mix called garam masala. cumin seeds (usually ground up to be used in curries) contain a great amount of iron, which gives you lots of energy and keeps your immune system functioning properly. it also promotes good digestion and has anti-carcinogenic properties. enough reasons for you to use it?

coriander – cilantro is the name for the herby plant that we use to adorn curries in the states, but here in the uk it is called coriander. however, the seeds are called coriander worldwide. and the goodness they bring is outstanding! coriander is known as the “anti-diabetic” plant because of its ability to lower the levels of LDL (bad cholesterol) and increase the levels of HDL (good cholesterol). not only does it pack in tons of phytonutrients, it contains good levels of iron, fiber, magnesium, and manganese.

mustard seeds – part of the brassica family of plants, mustard seeds aren’t just used to make mustard. as seeds they provide a wonderful flavor to curries. they also benefit our wellbeing because of their phytonutrients, and high levels of selenium and magnesium. all this means is that you’re getting protection from nasty inflammatory diseases and cancer.

turmeric – i’ve definitely saved the best for last here! the list is endless of the health benefits that come from using turmeric in your cooking. to summarize, here’s a brief breakdown of how it can help you: anti-inflammatory, treats ibs, relieves rheumatoid arthritis, prevents cancer, helps cystic fibrosis sufferers, inhibits cancer cell growth, improves liver function, protects the heart, lowers cholesterol, and protects against alzheimer’s. phew!

with all of that in mind, here’s a wonderful and simple dish that uses all of the above spices, some delicious salmon, and a little tlc to create a fragrant, curry-like fish wrap. the recipe comes from a wonderful chef, anjum anand.

while i continue my studies at bauman college (from afar) i keep finding so many tidbits about nutrition that i want to share on the blog. most of it is head-smackingly simple stuff: eat less sugar, drink less alcohol, etc. but sometimes, you know what you should be eating, but how to incorporate it?

the underlying philosophy behind bauman college is what’s called “eating for health“. it was originally designed as an alternative to the usda food pyramid (or in england, the eatwell plate). it adds in extra special nutrients called “booster foods” that will provide that extra dose of health in your daily meals. some might consider nuts and seeds to be an added extra in their diet – but bauman believes they should be a basic staple. booster foods include things like spices, algae, nutritional yeast, and seaweed. flaxseed, sesame seeds, almonds – these are perfect for snacking and sprinkling onto almost any meal of the day.

for example, the other night phil and i had fish with rice. of course, it was a bit more complex than that – the fish was beautiful organic salmon simply fried with olive oil, salt and pepper, and the rice was brown basmati with chopped apricots, chopped walnuts, toasted mixed seeds, and a mixture of spices. all of a sudden, our seemingly bland dinner turned into an omega-3 party!

the heat continues and so does my appreciation of light dinners. last night’s meal was easy breezy and was thrown together on the fly. i knew i wanted to use the fennel and asparagus i bought at the farmer’s market on saturday, it was just a case of finding what else i could put with it.

we had a couple of salmon fillets in the freezer, so i thawed them out during the day. the rest was just stuff i already had around the house. like i said, easy breezy.

i hope everyone enjoys their weekend – i’ll have a few recipes for you in a couple of days all to do with the 4th of july bbq we’re having on sunday. one of the recipes is from my mom – exciting! the other is a vegan dessert i am going to be making today. fingers crossed…

stay cool!

after an indulgent and carb-heavy week in paris, i felt like i needed at least a day off! i relished my sunday, not eating bread – perhaps not because i was craving any, but because i knew that whatever i found in london wouldn’t be half as good as a parisian baguette.

it was extremely lucky, then, that phil had already planned our dinner of fresh salmon and asparagus from the farmer’s market – that was it, nothing else on the plate – and it was exactly what i wanted. a very simple and lovely welcome-home dinner.

the salmon was cooked on a griddle pan with olive oil and a bit of seasoning. when it was almost finished, we brushed it with a little pit of mustard-dill sauce, very similar to the one used in this recipe back in feb. the rest was poured on top of the cooked salmon on our plates. and the asparagus was quite simple roasted in a hot oven with olive oil and seasoning, then spritzed with fresh lemon juice once on the plate.

if you’re feeling a bit softer in the belly than normal, i’d really recommend a dinner like this. something light, fresh, and easy to prepare – but still satisfying. have some brown rice on the side if this doesn’t fill you up enough.

i’m spending the day out and about southwest london with my dad, but i’ll be baking a couple of new desserts tomorrow in time for a hen do i’m attending this weekend, so i’ll post those recipes in a day or two (barring any failures).

hope your summer is going well so far!

i used to be petrified of wasabi. one sniff of the green stuff and i’d recoil in horror! no way would i voluntarily eat it. but, as i’ve mentioned before, taste buds change, and here’s another example of something i’ve learned to love.

while i might not coat a piece of sushi in wasabi, i’ll gladly munch a handful of wasabi peas (or 8… thanks nat!), and i’ll certainly be making the following recipe again. it is tweaked slightly from a recipe i saw in olive magazine, the main differences being that i used brown rice instead of white and sesame seeds instead of poppy (didn’t have any).

and now that i’ve got a little tin of wasabi powder in my kitchen cupboard, i’ll have clear sinuses forever!

the worst part about cooking is the washing up. am i right??

so it is lovely to find a recipe such as the one i’m about to share with you where it only requires one pan. one pan! that’s it! it couldn’t be easier – you just continue adding things to this pan and keep popping it in and out of the oven. depending on how big your roasting pan is, you could feed lots of hungry mouths, and still only use ONE PAN. is the point made yet?

this meal benefits from any fresh, seasonal vegetables that roast well and of course the freshest fish you can find. for ours, i bought some fresh cod, along with a few asparagus spears (they are SO GOOD right now), a fennel bulb, and a red onion – all from the farmer’s market on saturday. what a delight!

feel free to add to the number of veggies used in this dish. the more the merrier.

we’ve gone the healthy fish n chips route before – with distinct flavoring on both the sweet potatoes and the fish (fennel). but this time, it was a bit more freeform, a bit special, and a lot tasty. the pesto isn’t so much a spread as a mash of pesto-like flavors. combine that with the sweetness of the potatoes (and a hint of spicy heat) and the subtle crunch of the kale, and you’ve got a supremely healthy dinner.

obviously this is naturally gluten-free, dairy-free, egg-free, soy-free, etc etc etc. i don’t usually mention gluten here, because i’m not actually intolerant to it myself. but i know that many many people are, including my own mother, so i thought i’d just point that out here. i do try and keep my wheat intake to a minimum (hence the “wheat-free” tag you can find on the right of the page) – so i’ll use spelt instead of regular flour whenever possible. but gluten seems to do me no harm. go figure.

hope everyone enjoys their may day (and bank holiday weekend for the british folks) and has some tasty springtime food!