Gillian McKeith | You Are What You Eat

Almond pate

Ingredients
Makes 75-100ml. Keeps for three days in the fridge

200g whole almonds, presoaked in water overnight

75g pine nuts

2 tbsp lemon juice

2 tbsp olive oil

1 garlic clove, peeled and crushed

3 tbsp chopped fresh basil

Method

Drain the almonds and place in a food processor with all the other ingredients and 2 tablespoons of water. Blend until smooth; you may need to scrape down the sides during the processing. Transfer to a small bowl, cover and place in the fridge until required.

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Sesame rice balls

Ingredients
Makes about 12

200g brown rice

8 tbsp sesame seeds

410g can red kidney beans, drained and rinsed

2 tsp umeboshi paste

4 tbsp lemon juice tamari sauce, for dipping

Method

Preheat oven to 180˚C/Gas 4.

Bring a large pan of water to the boil. Add the rice and cook for 20 minutes. Drain and rinse in cold water.

Heat the sesame seeds in a medium-sized pan over a moderate heat until lightly toasted. Place the rice, beans, umeboshi and lemon juice in a food processor and blend until it forms a stiff mixture.

Roll the rice mixture into walnut-sized balls, then roll in the sesame seeds and place on a baking tray lined with greaseproof paper. Bake for 12-15 minutes until hot.

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Black olive tapenade

Ingredients
Makes 125ml. Keeps for 5 days in the fridge

100g drained pitted black olives

2 garlic cloves, peeled and crushed

1 tsp lemon juice

Method

Blend all the ingredients in a food processor until smooth. Transfer to a clean screwtop jar and place in the fridge until required.

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Buckwheat, lemon and ginger porridge

Ingredients
Serves 2-4

250g buckwheat groats

juice and zest of 1 lemon

2cm piece fresh root ginger, peeled and grated

1 pinch dried mixed herbal seasoning

1 handful of shelled hemp seeds

Method

Place the buckwheat, lemon juice and zest, ginger, herbal seasoning and 1 litre water in a medium-sized pan. Bring to the boil, then lower the heat and simmer for 20 minutes.

Top with the hemp seeds and serve immediately.

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Spicy chickpeas

Ingredients
Serves 4

225g chickpeas, soaked overnight

2 tsp olive oil

1 onion, finely diced

225g spinach, shredded

1 tsp ground cumin

1 tsp oregano

1 tsp paprika

1 tsp miso paste

a handful of chopped parsley

Method

Boil the pre-soaked chickpeas in plenty of water for 45 minutes or until tender.

Meanwhile, sauté the onion in the olive oil until translucent. Add the cumin, oregano, paprika and shredded spinach and cook for a few more minutes.

Puree half the chickpeas in a blender with some of the cooking water and the miso paste. Add the whole chickpeas and the pureed chickpeas to the vegetables and simmer for 5 minutes. Turn off the heat and stir in the chopped parsley.

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Lentil pate

Ingredients
Serves 2

125g red split lentils, preferably soaked for a few hours

1 onion, finely diced

1 garlic clove, finely chopped

2 carrots, diced

2 tsp olive oil

1 tsp turmeric

1 tsp garam masala

1 tsp miso paste

Method

Place the lentils in a pan with 1 cup of water. Bring to the boil and skim off any scum that arises. Turn down the heat, cover and simmer until the lentils soften and become a thick puree. Heat the oil in a pan and add the onion. After sautéing for 10 minutes add the garlic and cook for 5 more minutes. Add the carrots, turmeric and garam masala and cook for a few more minutes. Transfer the onion mixture to the lentils and cook for a few more minutes. Mix the miso with some of the lentil cooking water and then add it to the lentils. If necessary cook the lentils for longer with the lid off until the mixture thickens.

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Butter bean spread

Ingredients
Serves 2-4

1 can (400g) organic butter beans, drained

½ small onion, peeled and chopped

2-3 tbsp chopped fresh parsley

2-3 tbsp chopped fresh chives

1 tbsp tahini (sesame paste)

2 tsp miso paste (optional)

1 small garlic clove, peeled and chopped (optional)

Method

Place all the ingredients in a food processor and blend until as smooth or as chunky as you like. Spoon into a small serving bowl and serve as a dip with lots of assorted fresh vegetable sticks. Alternatively, serve as a topping for baked vegetables or a spread for corn cakes, rice cakes and wheat-free bread. Cover and keep in the fridge for up to two days.

Tip
Canned beans make a great base for a host of fantastic spreads and dips. Simply switch your favourite variety for the butter beans in this recipe and follow the method as above. You can always vary the herbs or add spring onions instead of the small onion too. If you don't have a food processor, finely chop the onion and garlic and mash into the beans, herbs and pastes with a potato masher.

Serve with radishes.

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Hummous

Ingredients

1 tin of chickpeas

1 garlic clove, crushed

3 tbsp of tahini

juice of ½ a lemon

1 tbsp of olive oil

Method

Combine the chickpeas, garlic, tahini, lemon juice and olive oil in blender until smooth.

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Buckwheat, pumpkin seed and ginger porridge

Ingredients
Serves 2-4

250g buckwheat groats

2-cm piece fresh root ginger, peeled and grated

1 pinch of dried mixed herbal seasoning

1 handful of pumpkin seeds

Method

Place the buckwheat, ginger, herbal seasoning and 1 litre of water in a medium-sized pan. Bring to the boil, then lower the heat and simmer for 20 minutes. Top with the pumpkin seeds and serve immediately.

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Spicy bean dip

Ingredients

1 tsp olive oil

1 cm cube of root ginger, grated

1 garlic clove, finely chopped

1 tsp ground cumin

1 tsp ground coriander

1 pinch of cayenne pepper

1 tin of kidney beans, drained and rinsed

1 tbsp tamari

Method

Sauté the ginger and garlic in the oil until soft. Add the cumin, coriander and cayenne pepper and cook for a couple more minutes.

Put the kidney beans and cooked spices into a food processor with the tamari and process until smooth, adding water if necessary.

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Bean dip

Ingredients

1 tin of cannelloni beans

1 garlic clove, chopped

olive oil

lemon juice

hazelnut butter

Method

Combine the beans, garlic, olive oil, lemon juice and hazelnut butter in a food processor.

Serve with vegetable crudités (sliced raw vegetables) of your choice, eg carrots, peppers, celery

Tip
You can make a bean dip by combining any cooked or tinned beans with some sunflower seed or almond nut butter, lemon juice, water and chopped chives or garlic. Experiment and make according to your own taste.

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Nori sushi rolls with dipping sauce

Ingredients
Makes 20 pieces

2 small ripe avocados, halved, stoned, peeled and roughly chopped

2 spring onions

½ garlic clove, peeled

¼ tsp ground coriander

freshly squeezed juice of 1 lime or half a lemon

1 pack nori sheets (5 sheets in each pack)

2-3 tbsp chopped fresh dill or parsley

dipping sauce

1 tbsp wheat-free tamari soy sauce

1 tbsp water

½ clove garlic, peeled and sliced (optional)

spring onion, sliced, to garnish

red pepper, finely diced, to garnish

fillings
Prepare a selection of different fillings in separate bowls, eg peeled and finely grated carrots, alfalfa or mung beansprouts, finely shredded savoy cabbage or Chinese leaf, thin sticks of cucumber and cooked brown rice. About 1 cup of each.

Method

Place the avocado, onions, garlic, coriander and lemon or lime juice in a food processor or liquidiser and blend until smooth (you can also use a stick blender for this job).

Place a sheet of nori, shiny side down on a board. Spread with roughly a fifth of the avocado mixture, leaving a large gap at the top. Place narrow rows of raw vegetable filling, starting from the bottom of the nori, across just over half the sheet. Sprinkle with the dill.

Roll up the nori from the bottom, squeezing tightly to hold the filling. When rolled it should be firm and strong. Trim ends then cut into 4-5 rolls with a very sharp knife and put on a serving plate. Repeat the method using the remaining 4 sheets of nori, avocado paste and fillings.

Mix all the ingredients for the dipping sauce in a small bowl and serve with the sushi.

Tip
If you don't have a liquidiser or food processor, you can chop the onions and garlic finely, add to the other ingredients and mash really well with a potato masher. Or simply use well-mashed plain avocado for the filling paste.

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Seed balls

Ingredients

50g pumpkin seeds, soaked and rinsed

50g sunflower seeds, soaked and rinsed

50g sesame seeds, soaked and rinsed

2 sticks of celery, finely diced

1 tsp mixed dried herbs

4 tsp lemon juice or water

1 tsp miso paste

freshly chopped parsley or coriander

Method

Grind the seeds thoroughly in a food processor or nut mill. Some juicers also have an attachment for this.

Add the celery, dried herbs, water or lemon juice and miso and blend until the mixture holds together.

Roll into balls and sprinkle on fresh parsley or coriander.

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For more recipes go to www.drgillianclub.com

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