I live in Tuscany. I should have a lot to say about pasta. We eat it sometimes, but certainly not as often as Italians do. They love it, but they don’t eat a whopping big bowl of it like I used to in America. At a meal, they have antipasti, then a small bowl of pasta and then fish, chicken or meat with vegetables. Continue reading
Healthy Types of Pasta
Posted in Ingredients
Tagged brown rice pasta, gluten-free pasta, kamut pasta, maize pasta, millet pasta, penne, quinoa pasta, spaghetti, spelt pasta
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Asparagus with lemon and parmesan
We moved from Marble Arch to Italy in the summer of 2009 to slow our lives down for a year. We had every intention of returning – if not to London, then to England. But after about six months, when we should have been starting to plan our return, we said, ‘Okay, let’s leave this stunningly beautiful, peaceful, stress-free place and return to…’ Hmmm. It just didn’t make sense, so we decided to stay – for now, anyway.
Sardine fish cakes
My kids love sardines, but if yours don’t, this is an excellent way to serve them. Shaped like little fish, these don’t really taste of fish, but are very tasty. My kids love them and love to help make them, mixing the ingredients and shaping the fishy cakes. Recipe from ‘Me, you and the kids too’.
Healthy brownies
Densely chocolate and lightly sweet, these sweet potato brownies are a healthy twist on the American classic. Although the brown rice syrup won’t get you agitated, the chocolate will, so go easy on these! Recipe from ‘Me, you and the kids too’.
Swiss style muesli
I love soaking grains with yogurt because it makes your food very creamy. It also makes muesli more digestible and makes important minerals such as iron, magnesium, calcium and zinc more available to your body than they would be if you ate the muesli unsoaked. Recipe from ‘Me, you and the kids too’.
Healthy sweet nut bar
The idea for this comes from a nut pie my brother David used to bring home from Chinatown in Boston. This bar doesn’t really resemble that recipe, but oh is it good! It’s a great snack – full of protein and delicately sweet – and incredibly delicious. I’ve been enjoying it for breakfast.
Could rice be the spice of life?
Historically, rice has been associated with prosperity and fertility, which is why it was thrown at weddings. It is such an important staple today that about half the world’s people eat rice every day. There are about 40,000 varieties, so if you think there is only white rice, it’s time to think again. Continue reading
Artichoke Cannelloni
Artichoke Cannelloni
I created this recipe because I thought the kids would find the cannelloni rolls fun, but these are so delicious and elegant, that they have become a favourite for lunches with friends. If you can’t get hold of frozen artichokes, don’t use tinned, which are usually overcooked and fairly flavourless. Use the Seggiano Roast Artichokes in Extra Virgin Olive Oil and make these a gourmet delight.
Rice & aduki beans
When I don’t have a plan for the next day’s dinner, I usually put rice and beans on to soak with plans to make this simple, satisfying, tasty meal that we all enjoy. I prefer to cook my own beans and have used aduki here, but you can use any bean for this recipe that you cook yourself or take from a tin. If you are cooking your own beans, start with 1 cup dried and after they are cooked, add 1 teaspoon of fine sea salt. If you are using tinned beans, use about 250g cooked.
Eat less white flour and be happier, thinner and live longer!
There is an old saying that I like: ‘The whiter the bread, the quicker you’re dead.’ If you don’t know it already, it’s surprising and annoying to learn that white flour is bad for your health. It is the mainstay of many people’s diets – and we just don’t need it.
What is white flour?
White flour (wheat flour or enriched wheat flour) is the white powder that is left after stripping all of the nutrients and fiber out of a grain of wheat. Milling removes the best bits of the grain – the wheat germ and the outer bran layer – so out go the vitamins, minerals and most of the dietary fiber. White flour contains 60 per cent of the whole grain – excluding the best part. You are left with poor quality proteins and fattening starch. Continue reading
