The London Porridge Championships

Last Friday saw HFG recipe consultant Phil Mundy go pan to pan with fellow porridge pros in the London Porridge Championships, hosted by Rude Health. His tasty offering was awarded 8 out of 10 for innovation – and here's the recipe for you to try at home…

Almond porridge with warm figs and pear

PREP 2 MIN COOK 10 MIN SERVES 4

125g rolled porridge oats

A few pinches of ground cinnamon

600ml almond milk

2tbsp almond butter

1 tsp oil

4 baby figs, quartered

1 ripe conference pear, sliced

Drizzle of honey

Flaked almonds, to serve

1 In a large pan, combine the oats and cinnamon with the almond milk and 150ml water. Bring to the boil, stirring now and then, over a high heat. Reduce the heat to low and simmer, stirring constantly, for 5–6 min until thick.

2 Remove the porridge from the heat, then stir in the almond butter and keep warm.

3 Heat the oil in a frying pan, then lightly cook the pear slices until tender and golden. Add the figs and a splash of water and cook for 1 min. Sprinkle with a little more cinnamon, to taste.

4 Divide the porridge among 4 bowls. Spoon over the figs and pear, then drizzle lightly with honey and top with a few flaked almonds.

Phil Mundy is the recipe consultant for Healthy Food Guide magazine. For each issue, he creates healthy, nutritious dishes that are full of flavour yet easy to make. His new website eatcleandrinkdirty.com, which includes recipes, healthy eating, fitness and lifestyle advice for men, launches today.

Juliette Kellow, registered dietitian and Healthy Food Guide’s nutrition consultant, says: ‘This is a great recipe for getting your day off to a warming, tasty and nutritious start. Each serving has just 300 calories and is low in saturated fat, so it’s a great choice for waistlines and a healthy heart. Unlike many other breakfast choices, such as toast, croissants or a bacon sandwich, it’s also low in salt, so a good option if you need to lower your blood pressure. This breakfast also provides fibre to help fill you up and keep you going until lunchtime, which can help prevent the desire to snack on sugary foods mid-morning. Better still, oats are packed with a soluble fibre called beta-glucan, that’s been shown to help lower blood cholesterol. Finally, this is a great choice if you need to follow a dairy-free diet because it includes almond milk rather than regular cow’s milk.

For more porridge recipes, pick up a copy of the Winter issue of Healthy Food Guide.

Tonia Buxton’s warming Greek recipes for winter nights

In our Winter issue, TV chef Tonia Buxton explains why the traditional Greek diet is one of the healthiest in the Mediterranean. Here is one of her favourite Greek recipes…

‘Healthy cooking is something that comes very naturally to me, because I‘ve been cooking since I was 10,’ says Tonia. ‘In Greek culture you learn to cook when you’re very young, so we never develop this fear some people have of putting together a healthy meal. I never cease to be amazed that people get to university and don’t know how to cook anything other than toast! Here, I want to share with you a recipe that proves healthy cooking doesn’t have to be complicated.’ 

Chickpea and cumin soup

Prep 10 min

Cook 20 min

Serves 5

3 tsp cumin soup

Chilli flakes, to taste                                                                                        

3 tbsp olive oil

1 red onion, chopped

850ml reduced-salt vegetable stock

2 x 400g tins plum tomatoes

1 x 400g tin chickpeas drained

Bunch of fresh coriander, chopped, to garnish

6tbsp 2% fat Greek yogurt, to serve

1. In a large saucepan, dry fry the cumin and chilli flakes until they start to jump. Add the oil and onion and gently fry until translucent but not browned.

2. Add the tomatoes, followed by 3/4 of the chickpeas and the stock. Simmer for 20 min.

3. Use a stick blender to whiz the soup to a smooth texture. Add the reserved chickpeas, then season to taste.

4. Serve in bowls, topped with a dollop of yogurt and a sprinkling of coriander.

Per serving: 200kcal, 11g protein, 9.6g fat, 2g saturates, 18.8g carbs, 8.6g sugar, 4.5g fibre, 1.2g salt, 117mg calcium, 2.8mg iron

This recipe is: LOW CAL, LOW FAT, LOW SAT FAT, LOW SUGAR, LOW SALT, HIGH PROTEIN, VEGETARIAN, 3 OF 5-A-DAY

Pick up a copy of Healthy Food Guide’s Winter issue and enjoy an exclusive reader offer of 15% off your food bill at The Real Greek restaurants.

Ceviche masterclass

By Ellen Wallwork

Ceviche is having a bit of a moment and is appearing at an increasing number of restaurants. But while this Peruvian delicacy looks a la carte, it’s surprisingly easy to make in your own kitchen – and you don’t even need to turn on the oven! In its simplest form, ceviche is chunks of raw fish ‘cooked’ in citrus juice –it’s the acid in the juice that denatures the proteins in the fish, similar to traditional cooking methods, turning them opaque.

So, with curing raw fish making it into Kenwood’s top 50 food experiences to try in a lifetime, we decided to try our hand at making ceviche. We sought out the expertise of Fernando Trocca, executive chef of the Gaucho restaurant chain where ceviche has been on the menu for more than 11 years. He shared his simple six-step guide to preparing the dish…

 1. Cut the fish into small chunks

‘Make sure you select quality fish,’ says Fernando. ‘Fresh, locally and responsibly sourced fish is always best. The fresher the fish, the better the taste.’ Cutting the fish correctly is essential, too. ‘If the chunks are too big, the cure won’t reach the middle so the fish will still be raw.’

2. Season (optional)

Traditionally, ceviche is seasoned with salt. But the good news for healthy foodies is this is very much down to taste preference, so you can use as little salt as you want, or none at all. However, if you don’t add salt you’ll need to cure the fish for a little longer.

3. ‘Cook’

‘When preparing ceviche we refer to cooking, but it is actually curing,’ explains Fernando. ‘The citrus juices marinate the fish and seep through to the middle.’

Cure the fish in lime juice, then drain. The cure time depends on the type of fish and the size of the pieces you use. It can take from 30 sec (for thinly sliced tuna, scallops, lobster and sole) up to 5–7 min (for prawns). Cod and octopus need around 3 min.

4. Prepare the vegetables

Thinly slice red onions and cut vegetables into bite-size cubes. Popular veg choices include avocado, tomatoes and steamed sweet potatoes.

5. Make the marinade

Chilli, coriander and garlic are typically used in ceviche marinades, but spicy red pepper and tomato sauce also works well. ‘Spice is incredibly important,’ advises Trocca. ‘You want the dish to pack a punch with every mouthful.’

6. Assemble

Gently combine the cured fish with the sliced onion and the marinade. Serve topped with the sliced vegetables, with a grinding of black pepper and a sprig of fresh coriander.

Enjoy!

Tina tries… an aqua class

By Tina Betts

Tina risks getting her face wet in the hope it will do something spectacular to her body…

I'm no mermaid. At the school swimming gala I was always the one having to start in the pool because I couldn't dive in. An underwater wardrobe malfunction aged 14 (in front of the boys – of course!) didn’t help my confidence, but I’ve moved on. And since a friend taught me how to swim the breast stroke correctly, I'm not averse to getting my face wet, just so long as I can still touch the bottom!

I must admit lane swimming sounds as dull to me as running on a treadmill, though, so I'm quite excited by my first aqua class with Cheryl. I've even got the perfect cossie - the websites call it a legsuit, but I prefer to call it my Victoriana. It’s basically an all-in-one with shorts and it’s perfect for holding all the right bits in and making you feel secure when stepping out of the changing rooms (take that, class of ’86!).

So I'm raring to go. I’ve been warned this is not about fancy footwork – it’s a proper workout, but your body and joints are completely supported, ‘like gloves around a hand’, as Cheryl explains. 

The pool is the perfect temperature and once I've got the hang of facing the right direction and minimising my splashing (I did notice the other members of the class giving me a wide berth!), I'm smiling and having fun. The challenge of getting an ‘eddy flow’ is particularly good – that’s where the whole group runs in one direction for a few strides, then abruptly changes direction. A great mix of different exercises means you get a good workout without the pain of not being able to walk the next day.

And I've been back. Unlike my Spanish class, I haven’t had to force myself to join in Cheryl’s aqua class after a rubbish day because the old endorphins kick into action and I always feel loads better afterwards. I’m conscious I need to keep my new exercise regime varied, so I guess that's where Lloyd steps in again. I wonder what he has lined up for me next? Oh, my lord, I do believe I'm getting excited!

Cheryl Stafford is a personal trainer at Nuffield Health (nuffieldhealth.com). For anyone interested in what’s actually happening to your body underwater, here’s what Cheryl told me…

·       Water provides hydrostatic pressure, which basically means pressure all around the body (rather like a glove around a hand). This aids blood circulation and has a massaging effect on the muscles.

·       Water protects the joints from impact, so you’re able to replicate high-impact land moves more safely and for longer periods of time. The cooling effect of water also allows for a quicker recovery.

·       Water provides frontal resistance – basically, the harder you push, the harder the water pushes back! The same movement on land will be approximately 12 times harder in the water, so you use far more energy.

·       Water provides a dual concentric contraction, which means both your front and back muscles have to work concentrically as water exerts force all around the body. In land-based exercises you work against gravity, so one muscle is working eccentrically (ie lengthening), while the other is contracting or shortening. The eccentric contractions are related to DOMS (Delayed Onset Muscle Soreness, ie not being able to walk downstairs the day after a workout!). This is less likely in an aqua class as it’s difficult to work a muscle eccentrically.  

·       The water turbulence requires you to be more balanced and so results in greater postural gains.

·       Working against the eddy flow or turbulence is very difficult and so increases intensity – for example, when you’re running in a circle and are then required to change direction. This principle can be used a lot in aqua exercises. The turbulence is increased when there are more people in the pool, working in opposite directions, and when the pool wall is higher than the water level, as the water rebounds back off the wall.

·       It’s an ideal complement to a weight-based routine as you’re using muscles differently. The body adapts to exercise, so there are diminishing returns if you’re constantly doing the same thing. In addition to a varied exercise regime, you should change your routine every 6–8 weeks to prevent de-training.

Break the diet cycle

Diet is a four-letter word that often spells failure. In the November issue of Healthy Food Guide, our experts explain how you can lose weight for good by breaking free of the vicious cycle of deprivation and disappointment caused by fad diets.

Successful weight loss is all about creating healthy relationships with food and your body. We asked nutritionist Zoe Wilson for her top tips for healthy eating…

1 It’s OK to have an ‘imperfect’ meal or snack

You eat three meals a day, seven days a week – so if one or two of these meals aren’t great, it’s no big deal!

2 Before you eat ask yourself, ‘Am I actually hungry?’

That’s the grumbling, empty tummy hungry — not the ‘I don’t want to sit at my desk anymore’ hungry. If you’re not really hungry, is there something else you could do? Maybe you could step outside for some fresh air or make that phone call you’ve been putting off for a while.

3 Turn off the TV, computer or phone to enjoy food
By eating with distractions such as these you won’t register you’ve had your meal or snack, leaving you wanting more when you don’t need it. Take time out and sit at a table so you can concentrate on what you’re eating.

4 Have what you really want

There’s no point in choosing a yogurt or piece of fruit if you really want a piece of chocolate — you’ll feel cheated! Have that piece of chocolate (but not the whole bar) and savour every moment of it.

5 Take note of the ‘sigh moment’
There comes a point, when eating a meal, when our stomach says it’s full – we will often pause and take a deep breath. But many of us miss this cue because there’s still food on our plate. Be mindful of this cue, then put down your knife and fork.

6 Eat slowly!

Try to take at least 20 minutes to eat your meal. This gives your stomach enough time to tell your brain it’s full. Put your knife and fork down between mouthfuls, cut your food into smaller pieces and focus on tasting your food.

7 Don’t deprive yourself in social settings

Food is at the centre of many social occasions, and it’s fine to join in. But if you’re not hungry, don’t feel pressured to go to the buffet table or to take that canapé. And in restaurants, order a starter instead of a main or share something with a friend.

8 Leave the table satisfied but not full

There’s a difference between not feeling hungry anymore and feeling stuffed to the brim. Listen to your stomach as you eat and try to finish on a hunger scale of about 7/10 — with 0/10 being starving and 10/10 being full-to-bursting.

9 Pretend you’re a critic

Think about the flavour and texture of each mouthful, and assess how appealing the meal is to your eye. By appreciating the elements of your food you will feel more satisfied.

10 Use smaller crockery and glassware

This makes a smaller portion look bigger, helping you eat less but still feel satisfied. Replace dinner plates with starter-sized plates, and swap 500ml wine glasses with 250ml glasses. 

For more advice on breaking the diet cycle, check out the November issue of Healthy Food Guide magazine.