This delicious, satisfying lunch takes no time at all to prepare. It’s a staple at our office for lunch.

420g can beans e.g. pinto, borlotti or mixed
1 large tomato, roughly chopped
2 spring onions, sliced
10 runner beans, sliced
1 tsp soy sauce
1 tbsp olive oil
½ lime, juiced
1 tbsp fresh coriander, finely chopped
Dash Tobasco sauce

Mix the drained and rinsed beans with all the other ingredients and serve.

You can use parsley, instead of coriander if you prefer and freshly ground black pepper instead of Tobasco. Or, for a more Mediterranean version, you can just use olive oil, lemon juice and parsley with a bit of sea salt, leaving out the soy sauce, coriander and Tobasco.

Serve with a good green salad.

Serves 4

Poach 2 large free range chicken breasts in a stock with water, lime juice and sesame oil. Then tear the meat apart with 2 forks. Marinate in equal amounts of lime/lemon juice, tamari, coriander, ginger juice. Then simply bake in the oven till slightly hot.

For the salad:

1 Oakleaf lettuce
100g rocket or mizuno
1 pack of buckwheat soba noodles cooked
1 punnet of strawberries & blueberries
1 mango & 1 papaya cut into strips
1 pack of beanshoots
1 red, yellow, green pepper sliced
1 red chilli deseeded sliced
50g of pickled ginger sliced
1 handful of chopped coriander
1 handful of finely sliced lemongrass
1 kiwi fruit skinned & cut into 16 pieces

Then, we recommend as follows:

1. put the salads on the middle of the plates
2. put on the soba noodles
3. mix the rest of the ingredients & place on top of the noodles
4. cover with the chicken
5. for the sauce put 100ml tamari,50ml fish sauce, 100ml orange juice, 100ml lemon juice, handful coriander, 1 stick of lemongrass finely sliced,50ml sesame oil
6. pour over the sauce & garnish with ground toasted cashew nuts, ½ a depipped lime & some fresh coriander leaves

This versatile salad is full of nutrients. Serve it with poached salmon or even on its own for a healthy lunch. For a more substantial version, add 300g boiled new potatoes, cut into chunks.

Ingredients:

250g wild rice
200g green beans, trimmed
1 small red onion, finely diced
1 red pepper, finely diced
Handful parsley leaves, roughly chopped
Handful mint leaves, roughly chopped
Handful dill, chopped
Juice and jest of 1 lemon
2 Tbsp extra virgin olive oil

Fill a saucepan with water, add the wild rice and bring to the boil. Simmer for 30-40 minutes, until tender and just beginning to split.

In a separate pan blanch the beans: boil for 5 minutes, until just tender, then drain and refresh under cold running water. This will fix the green colour and prevent them from over-cooking.

To assemble the salad, mix the wild rice, beans, onion, diced pepper, herbs, lemon juice and the olive oil. Season to taste.  Serve cold or at room temperature.

Quick, easy to prepare, delicious and filling, this salad is rich in immune-boosting vitamin C, vitamin A, essential fatty acids, antioxidants and protein.

Ingredients:

2 sweet potatoes, scrubbed and cut into 1cm discs
1 red pepper, cored, deseeded and sliced
3-4 thyme sprigs
Olive oil, to drizzle
1 head of purple sprouting broccoli, cut into florets
150g feta cheese, cubed
1 tbsp sunflower seeds
1 tbsp cider vinegar
20 or so hazelnuts for garnish
Freshly ground black pepper

Preheat the oven to 180 degrees C/Gas mark 4. Put the sweet potatoes, red pepper and thyme sprigs in a roasting tray and drizzle with some olive oil. Toss well and roast in the oven for about 30 minutes until the potatoes are tender. Set aside to cool.

Meanwhile, plunge the broccoli florets into a pan of boiling water and blanch for no more than a minute. Drain and refresh in cold water, then drain thoroughly.

Under the grill, toast the hazelnuts for a few minutes.

When all the vegetables are cool, toss them in a bowl with the feta, sunflower seeds, cider vinegar, pepper to taste and a little more olive oil. Scatter the toasted hazelnuts on the top for garnish. Serve at once.

Why is broccoli so good for you?

February to April is when purple sprouting broccoli comes into season (whereas broccoli is in season between July and October in the UK) Broccoli is one of the most power-packed vegetables – it’s loaded with nutrients that can contribute to a healthy body. Not only is it rich in vitamin C – at least one and a half times as much as in oranges, broccoli is also a good source of fibre which helps keep the bowel working efficiently and feeds good bacteria there.

Broccoli (and other members of the brassica family such as cauliflower and kale) is a rich source of chemicals called glucosinolates. These help the body’s detoxification processes in the liver.

This is a wonderful wintry salad that has a beautiful combination of colours and contrasting flavours and textures.

This is definitely a good way to eat salad in the winter. Another advantage is that it can be made in advance – just leave it in a cool place ready to eat later on.

Serves 6

½ red cabbage, cut in quarters and very finely sliced
3 ripe tomatoes, chopped
2 cooked beetroot (optional), cut in wedges
3 spring onions very finely sliced or ½ red onion, very finely chopped
3 tbsp fresh parsley, finely chopped
2 tbsp fresh dill, finely chopped
juice of 1 lemon, to taste
4 tbsp olive oil

Begin by chopping the onion and then leave it to soak in a little cold water for a few minutes. Drain well.

In a large bowl, mix the cabbage with the lemon and olive oil, add salt and pepper stirring well to make sure it is thoroughly covered with dressing. Add the finely chopped herbs and onion and mix well, correct the seasonings. Scatter the beetroot and tomatoes and toss lightly. Taste again and serve.

Created by Al, our Aussie chef.  This is a huge favourite on our in:spa retreats, as many of you may remember!

Serves 4

3 medium sized beetroots – peeled and grated
3 medium sized carrots – peeled and grated
1 red onion – peeled and finely sliced
Handful of raisins
1-2 tbsp dessicated coconut (according to taste)
1-2 tbsp hemp oil
1 lemon
Black pepper

Place all the ingredients in a bowl and mix thoroughly. Dress using hemp oil and the lemon juice and season to taste with black pepper.

Yummy!

Serve this salad with grilled white fish, seared tuna or poached chicken for a quick, healthy dinner.

Serves 6

2 tins black beans
150g green beans, topped
2 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
2 tbsp lime juice (or to taste)
1 tsp ground cumin
2 long green chillies, seeded and finely chopped
sea salt (optional)
freshly ground black pepper
6 spring onions, finely sliced
Handful coriander, chopped
1 avocado, sliced

Blanch the green beans in boiling water until they are bright green, tender and crisp (approx 5 minutes). Drain and rinse under cold water. This will stop them from cooking and will fix their colour. Cut on the diagonal into 2 cm lengths.

Drain the black beans, rinse and set aside.

Put the black beans into a bowl, add the olive oil, lime juice, cumin and chilli. Season with salt (if using) and pepper. Stir in the green beans, spring onion and coriander and top with slices of avocado

This dish leaves you feeling remarkably satisfied, yet lightly fed, as with most Japanese food.

The permutations are endless – you can change the marinade for an entirely different meal. You could also use different types of fish or seafood, such as baby octopus or squid.

Ingredients:

350g fresh tuna steak
large bunch rocket
½ large cucumber, sliced in long strips
4 spring onions, finely sliced
8 cherry tomatoes, halved
1 tablespoon sesame seeds

For the marinade:
2 tbsp tamari or soy sauce
1 tbsp sake/sherry
½ tsp wasabi paste

For the dressing:
1 tbsp lime juice
2 tbsp tamari or soy sauce
2 tsp sesame oil

Mix the tamari, sake and wasabi in a bowl. Cut up the tuna into bite-sized chunks and mix it with the marinade. Combine the dressing ingredients in a small bowl. Pile the rocket, cucumber, spring onions and tomatoes on four plates.

Heat a griddle pan (or non-stick frying pan) and toss the tuna pieces for a few seconds on each side to sear them. Lay them on top of the salad and drizzle with dressing. Top with toasted sesame seeds.

Fresh, raw spinach offsets comforting warm squash and crumbly feta cheese perfectly.

Serves 4

Ingredients:

1 small butternut squash, roughly cubed
A few thyme sprigs, or half tsp dried
Splash of olive oil
Dash of balsamic vinegar
Freshly ground black pepper
225g baby spinach leaves, washed
squeeze of lemon juice
8-12 cherry tomatoes, quartered
200g feta cheese, cubed
3 spring onions, trimmed and finely sliced
1 red pepper, cored, deseeded and cut into squares

Pre-heat the oven to 180C / Gas 4. Don’t bother peeling the butternut for this but do scoop away the seeds. Put it into a roasting dish with the red pepper and thyme, plus generous dashes of olive oil amd balsamic vinegar. Season with pepper, toss well and roast in the oven for about 40 minutes.

Meanwhile, pile the spinach equally on to four plates. Scatter the spring onions over, drizzle with a little olive oil and add a squeeze of lemon juice.

When the butternut and red pepper are cooked, leave to cool slightly, then mix in the tomatoes and feta. Pile the warm mixture on top of the spinach leaves and eat immediately.

Delicious with warm, crusty brown rolls.

This is a fabulous ‘skin boosting’ recipe, combining smoked mackerel and sweet potato salad with leeks, pumpkin seeds and lemon Dijon dressing.

Serves 4

450g sweet potatoes, peeled and cut into 1 inch chunks
2 medium leeks, finely sliced
225g smoked mackerel, skinned and filleted
100g pumpkin seeds
250g watercress, spinach, wild rocket
A little light olive or coconut oil to sauté the leeks

Lemon and Dijon dressing:
60ml extra virgin olive oil
30ml lemon juice
3 tsp Dijon coarse grain mustard

Steam the sweet potatoes until tender. This will take approximately 10-12 minutes depending on the size of the chunks. The smaller the potato pieces the quicker they will cook.

Heat a frying pan to moderate and add the oil of choice followed by the finely sliced leeks. Allow the leeks to sauté until soft. This will take approximately fifteen minutes. Occasionally stir the leeks with a wooden spoon in order that they do not stick to the pan. Add a splash of water is necessary to finish off the cooking process.

Meanwhile skin the mackerel fillet and break into large chunks, but not so big that they become difficult to eat.

For the dressing mix all of the ingredients together and set to one side.

When ready to serve divide the sweet potato and salad leaves into 4 salad bowls followed by the sautéed leek. Add the mackerel pieces and pour the dressing over each plate and top with the pumpkin seeds.