Recipes for Healthy Living
Eating a healthy balanced diet is just one of the many ways that you can make living with MS easier. These are just a few recipes that you might like to try:
Spinach and Shallot Dip with Fresh Vegetables
Roasted Red Pepper, Garlic and Potato Soup
Barbecued Chicken in Lime Chilli Marinade
Banana and Pear Soy Drink
Spinach and Shallot Dip with Fresh Vegetables
This simple starter provides an easy source of vitamins and fibre.
o Serves: 1-2
o Fat content: 6.9 g per serving
o Preparation time: 1 hour
o Calories: 218 per serving
Ingredients
For the dip:
o 100 g shallots
o 1 teaspoon olive oil
o 500 g spinach
o 400 g low-fat cheese
o 125 ml low-fat sour cream
o 1 teaspoon fresh thyme, chopped
o 2 teaspoons fresh parsley, chopped
o 1 tablespoon lemon juice
o 1/2 teaspoon sugar
Vegetables:
o 1 bunch asparagus
o 1 small fennel bulb
o 1 medium yellow pepper
o 1 medium red pepper
o 1 medium courgette
o 1 medium carrot
Preparations
1. Finely chop shallots. Heat oil in a non-stick pan and add shallots, cook, stirring until tender. Chop and add spinach, stirring until most of the liquid has evaporated.
2. Leave mixture to cool, then add cheese, sour cream, herbs, lemon juice and sugar and process until smooth.
3. Cover and refrigerate for 3 hours. (The dip can be eaten immediately but the flavour will improve over time).
4. Add asparagus to a pan of boiling water. Drain immediately and rinse under cold water and drain well.
5. Chop the other vegetables.
6. Serve dip in a side bowl on a large plate. Decorate plate with vegetables.
Roasted Red Pepper, Garlic and Potato Soup
This is a wholesome and tasty soup - don't be put off by the amount of garlic! The soup can be thinned with some water if desired, and is suitable for freezing.
o Serves: 4
o Fat content: 1.4 g per serving
o Preparation time: 1.5 hours
o Calories: 191 per serving
Ingredients
o 1 medium bulb garlic
o 2 medium leeks
o 250 ml water
o 4 medium potatoes
o 2 teaspoons fresh thyme, chopped
o 1 litre vegetable stock
o 2 tablespoons finely chopped fresh chives
o 2 large red peppers
Preparation
1. Bake the whole, unpeeled garlic, uncovered, on an oven tray in a moderate oven (gas mark 4, 180°C) until garlic is soft (about 50 minutes).
2. When cool, cut garlic in half and carefully squeeze out pulp.
3. Slice leeks and place in a large pan with the water. Bring to the boil, and stir until water has evaporated.
4. Chop potatoes and add to the pan with garlic, thyme and stock.
5. Grill peppers whole, turning occasionally until skin blisters and blackens. Leave to cool in a small plastic bag, then remove skins. Keep any juices.
6. Blend and process peppers and juices with potato mixture until smooth and strain through a sieve. Return to pan and heat.
7. Serve, sprinkled with chives.
Barbecued Chicken in Lime Chilli Marinade
This easy-to-prepare chicken dish has quite a bite to it - you can use less chilli if you wish. You can prepare this a day in advance and refrigerate it to improve its flavour. Suitable for freezing.
o Serves: 4
o Fat content: 4.4 g per serving
o Preparation time: 15 minutes
(marinade for minimum 30 min)
o Calories:186 per serving
Ingredients
o 4 skinless chicken breasts
o cooking oil
Lime chilli marinade:
o 80 ml lime juice
o 1 clove garlic, crushed
o 2 teaspoons grated fresh ginger
o 1 tablespoon low-salt soy sauce
o 1 small fresh red chilli, finely chopped
o 2 spring onions, chopped
Garnish:
o 2 tablespoons fresh coriander, chopped
o 1 lime
Preparation
1. Flatten chicken breasts with a mallet to an even thickness.
2. Combine all marinade ingredients in a bowl.
3. Add chicken to the marinade, cover and leave for 30 minutes or overnight.
4. Drain chicken. Heat barbecue or griddle pan, coat with a little cooking oil. Add chicken and cook for about 25 minutes, until tender. Baste with marinade twice during cooking.
5. Sprinkle with fresh coriander and decorate with lime quarters.
Banana and Pear Soy Drink
This drink makes a delicious dessert, yet is surprisingly healthy too.
o Serves: 6
o Fat content: 1.8 g per serving
o Preparation time: 5-10 min
o Calories: 113 per serving
Ingredients
o 1 medium ripe banana, chopped
o 1 medium ripe pear, chopped
o 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
o 1 tablespoon honey
o 80 ml orange juice
o 2 tablespoons finely chopped fresh chives
Preparation
Place all ingredients in a blender and mix until smooth.
