Energy Cookies

I am often asked about snack foods that can be eaten on the run by busy people. There are lots of muesli bars, snack bars, energy bars and protein bars on the market but to be honest, I wouldn’t touch most of them so I know how hard it is sometimes to find a snack that is healthy and convenient. It’s rare to find a packeted product which has unprocessed organic ingredients, healthy good quality oils and is devoid of flavourings and excess salt and sugar so I would go for homemade snacks every time. And it’s good to know what you are eating.

Marcus is doing the Oxfam 100 km walk in August and he was given an energy cookie recipe by one of his team mates. I have been dutifully making the cookies for their training sessions and they are really quick and easy to make (which means he can start making them himself!). I have changed the recipe a little here and reduced the saturated fat and sugar content because we are not all walking 50km a day. However, these cookies are made from low GI grains and contain lots of soluble fibre along with protein and essential fatty acids. They should keep you going for quite a while…

Makes about 12

All ingredients organic where possible

• 1 cup of wholewheat flour
  
• 1 tbsp of baking powder
  
• 1 cup of rolled oats
  
• 1 cup of oat bran
  
• ½ cup of LSA mix (ground linseeds, sunflower seeds and almonds, found in the fridge in health stores)
  
• 1 cup of chopped up organic apricots
• 100mls of EV olive oil
•  ½ cup of honey
  
•  ¼ cup of boiling water
  

Mix the dry ingredients together. Mix the olive oil, honey and boiling water and then pour the liquid into the dry mix and beat it all together, moistening it with more water if needed. Make approx 12 cookies with the mixture and cook on a non stick baking tray in the oven for about 25 minutes at 150 degrees. When cooked, place on a wire rack until cool and firm.

Bobby beetroot salads

Beetroot is not a particularly popular vegetable in England although this is changing. In Australia however, it’s a different story. I was amazed at how much beetroot figured on menus when I first moved to Oz and the recent memory of boiled beetroot in vacuum packs made me a little apprehensive. However, after exposure to the beautiful fresh version, I became a purple plant convert. It is a staple in any juice, makes a yummy dip and is a regular addition to winter salads. I’m a big fan of roasted beetroot in olive oil, salt and pepper but you can also boil or bake it. Beetroot greens are also highly nutritious and can be prepared in the same way as spinach.

Beetroot is a good source of folate, fibre and antioxidants and has been shown to reduce blood pressure due to its nitrate-rich properties (also found in green leafy vegetables). Throw together roasted beetroot and pumpkin with rocket leaves and goats feta for a delicious salad to accompany lamb. A lighter salad with beetroot, freshly chopped apple, onion and spinach is equally as good.

Beetroot and pumpkin salad

·       Beetroot, washed, topped, tailed and chopped into cubes

·       Pumpkin chopped into cubes

·       Pumpkin seeds

·       Wild rocket leaves

·       Goats feta

·       Thinly sliced onion

·       Olive oil

Dressing

·       Balsamic vinegar

·       Olive oil

·       Sea salt and pepper 

Roast the beetroot, pumpkin and pumpkin seeds in olive oil until cooked then throw together with rest of ingredients and toss in the dressing.

Beetroot and apple salad

·       Beetroot, washed, topped, tailed and chopped into cubes and roasted in olive oil

·       BOB’s apples washed and chopped into cubes

·       BOB small onion, thinly sliced

·       Baby spinach

Dressing

·       Lemon juice

·       Flaxseed oil

·       Sea salt

Grilled eggplant with tomato and parmesan

Eggplant, or aubergine as we call it at home, is one of my favourite vegetables. I think this recipe originally came from my friend Beth as we ate it a lot at her dad’s beautiful old house in Le Marche, Italy. It’s great as a starter with grilled sourdough (rubbed with freshly cut garlic and a drizzle of olive oil) or as a side to lamb. I usually use normal blackbell eggplant but BOB gave us Lebanese eggplant this week which can also be used. If you have tomatoes left over from last week, they can be used to make the tomato sauce.

·        Eggplants cut into inch thick slices or lebanese eggplant cut in half along the length

·        3 tomatoes chopped

·        2 large cloves of garlic finely chopped

·        olive oil

·        basil

·        parmesan

·        rocket

·        lemon juice

·        parsley roughly chopped

·        sea salt and pepper

Rub olive oil all over the eggplant and grill gently over a barbeque until cooked. Alternatively, roast in the oven. Meanwhile, make the tomato sauce by gently cooking the garlic in olive oil until golden. Add the basil leaves and stir for a few seconds and then add the chopped tomatoes. Add some sea salt and then simmer with lid for 30 -45 mins, stirring and breaking up the tomatoes every so often. Lay the cooked eggplant on top of the rocket leaves tossed in lemon juice and then spread the tomato sauce over the top. Finish with grated parmesan, black pepper and chopped parsley. Belissimo!

Oranges and Lemons

Oranges have been a running theme in BOB for the past few weeks which has helped me to rediscover my love for the citrus fruit. One orange provides more than the daily requirement of Vitamin C. Vitamin C has been shown to reduce the severity of infection but has numerous other roles in the body including the formation of collagen, defence against free radicals and as an antihistamine. Citrus fruits also contain lots of fibre and important antioxidants. BOB gave us beautiful lemons this week which are so cleansing when squeezed into warm water and drunk first thing in the morning. I also use lemons in most of my salad dressings and marinades.

I have started putting oranges into salads because they are so delicious. This is a really simple salad that would be a perfect accompaniment to meat. The sweetness of the oranges works so well with the salty sour taste of olives.

2 or more oranges, peeled and cut into segments
Rocket leaves
Fennel thinly sliced
Olives

For the dressing:
Lemon juice
Olive Oil
Salt and pepper

Mix the salad ingredients together and then toss in the lemon juice and olive oil dressing.

Easy Tabbouleh

BOB gave us beautiful flat leaf parsley and tomatoes this week, and with the sun shining, I thought a yummy Tabbouleh was in order. I am often asked about easy healthy lunches to take to work, well, this would be a good one. Parsley, when used in large amounts such as in tabbouleh, has incredible antioxidant properties, particularly those that promote eye health. Tomatoes are THE source of lycopene which has been shown to protect against a variety of cancers. Parsley and tomatoes are both rich in vitamins, minerals and dietary fibre. Bulgar wheat is traditionally used in tabbouleh and due to minimal processing boasts a low GI and high levels of vitamins and minerals.

70g bulgur wheat
4 tomatoes seeded and chopped into small cubes
1 large bunch of parsley, chopped
1 small bunch of mint, chopped
2-3 spring onions chopped

For the dressing:
Garlic clove crushed to a paste
¼ tsp of cinnamon
¼ tsp of allspice
Lemon juice
Olive Oil
Salt and pepper

Sit the bulgur in water for about 3 min, wash and then mix with the other salad ingredients. Toss the salad in the dressing and its ready to go! So easy. If you are wheat intolerant or gluten free, you can swap the bulgur for quinoa.