Nutrient-dense egg curry

This frugal, family-friendly egg curry is big on nutrients.
The curry sauce is a blend of vegetables that work together to create a thick, creamy and sweet sauce.
Blending vegetables doesn’t just thicken the sauce, it also adds heaps of nutrients and fibre, making the sauce ‘nutrient-dense’.

Nutrient-dense = contains a high percentage of nutrients in relation to its caloric value

Nutrients aside, I really enjoy making curries (any curry) by blending veggies into the sauce. Items like carrots and peppers add natural sweetness and thicken the sauce at the same time.
Ordinarily, the sweetness and thickness is achieved by hours of cooking, or by making shortcuts (sugar and starches commonly), but here, the pureed vegetables step in.
It becomes a quicker and smarter way to make a nourishing curry sauce.

The protein component, and any extra ingredients, for that matter, are up to you.
Here, I added eggs and potatoes to keep the dish frugal, family-friendly and delicious.
Chicken, tofu or paneer would all be great additions.

A note on the obvious: this recipe is not as gas-inducing as you may think, with a few caveats.
Contrary to popular belief, eggs don’t cause wind. They are rich in methionine, which naturally contains and can cause sulphur to be released, but only in “specific conditions”.
Sulphur is the smelly wind culprit.
The specific conditions for its release include:
- A fatty or very high fibre meal (think beans/ pulses) - these slow how eggs are digested, meaning more of that sulphur may be released, which in turn may cause smelly wind.
- Under-cook rather than over-cook eggs. Here, the eggs are cooked for 6 and a half minutes, creating a “jammy” centre and leaving the eggs free of the sulphur-like smell that overcooked eggs are often associated with.
- Cook the eggs fresh for leftovers. The sauce makes great leftovers, but the longer eggs are left in the fridge, the more likely they are to release sulphur, potentially leading to smelly gas. Spending the extra 6.5 minutes to cook the eggs from fresh may be a smart move.

Serves 4
Takes approximately 30-40 minutes to make.

Ingredients

1 onion
1 large or two medium carrots
1/2 a pepper (any colour)
2 cloves of garlic, peeled 

A thumb-sized piece of ginger
A handful of coriander, separated into leaves and stalks (optional)
1 tin of chopped tomatoes

A fat of your choice for cooking, I used a tablespoon of butter.
3 large potatoes
1 tin of good-quality coconut milk
6-8 eggs, aiming for 2 eggs per adult and 1 per child
Rice and/or flatbreads to serve.

Spices

1 tablespoon of medium curry powder - don’t worry, it won’t be spicy with the volume of sauce

1/2 a teaspoon of turmeric
1 teaspoon of cinnamon
1 teaspoon of ground coriander


Method:
1. Peel and roughly chop the onion, carrot, garlic and ginger.
2. Roughly chop the pepper.
3. Add the onion, carrot, garlic, ginger, pepper, coriander stalks (if using) and chopped tomato to a blender. Blend until completely smooth.
4. Peel and cube 3 potatoes. The smaller the cubes, the quicker it will cook. The larger, the more tasty chunky pieces you’ll have.
4. Grab a medium or large saucepan. Put it on a medium heat. Add the butter/ oil and spices and allow this to mingle for 30 seconds.
5. Throw in the cubed potatoes and stir for a minute so the spices coat the potatoes.
6. Pour in the sauce from your blender. Let it cook for 10 minutes until the sauce has thickened up.
Stir it every now and then to make sure nothing sticks.


7. Pour in the coconut milk and allow it to simmer for 10 more minutes to thicken up.

Season well with salt and pepper.


8. Check to make sure your potatoes are cooked through. They may need longer depending on the size of the cubes. This is absolutely fine. If your sauce starts to look a bit too thick while the potatoes cook, just add a splash of water.
9. Set aside until you cook the eggs and sides (rice/ flatbreads).
10. Boil the eggs for 6 and a half minutes.
Peel and then add to the curry sauce. 


11. Ladle the curry into bowls. Serve with rice or flatbreads and a sprinkle of coriander leaves.

Scandi prawn open sandwich

Cold water prawns are often overlooked thanks to their smaller size, but I’m here to give them some airtime.
My reason: they are often much cheaper, while being very nourishing.

During my era of “accidentally” living in Sweden (2020 to 2022), I was fortunate to gain a lot of inspiration from Scandiland’s culture of open sandwiches.
These half sandwiches feature generous toppings piled on top of a single slice of bread.
Nutritionally, they strike the right bread-to-topping balance to create filling lunches.
Taste-wise, they were a big hit for being flavour-forward.
In a nutshell, this affordable cold water prawn open sandwich makes a great speedy lunch.
The filling can be left in the fridge for a day, if needed.

Ingredients to feed 2

1 pack of cooked cold water prawns (from the fridge section of supermarkets, approximately 200g)
A small handful each of dill & parsley
2 tbsp of mayo
1 tbsp of creme fraiche (add more mayo if you’d rather not buy an extra ingredient, or replace it with a thick yogurt )
Zest & juice of 1/4 of a lemon
Sea salt and black pepper to season
Bread to serve - suggested 2 large slices of sourdough bread
Rocket & radish to top

Method
1. Roughly chop the parsley and dill.
2. Put the prawns on the same chopping board and roughly chop those too.
3. In a bowl, combine the prawns, mayo, creme fraiche, herbs and the juice and zest of 1/4 of a lemon.
4. Season really well and stir to combine.
5. Top the bread with the prawn mixture. Sprinkle some rocket and the sliced radishes on top.
Enjoy!

Venison ragu

A rich, elevated twist on a classic. This hearty recipe brings together deep, savoury flavours and a focus on nutrient density, transforming a humble ragu into a wholesome, satisfying dish that’s as nourishing as it is delicious.

Now that the official intro is over, it’d be valid to let you in on why this recipe exists.
The brief tale begins at a luxury care home (yes, the ones for old folks, except this one is more like a 5* hotel), where I was tasked with helping older folk become healthier.
This statement may seem normal but it is nothing short of revolutionary.
The general landscape of feeding our elderly in a care setting is very much centred around just providing enough calories. Except calories do not make us healthy. They merely keep us alive.
Luckily, this revolutionary new luxury care home group let me work my magic by fully embracing the notion of wellbeing through food.
There was just one “little” issue: Having thoroughly researched this topic (via scientific reviews, not Googling), what I sadly realised is that in order to feed our over 75s the required amount of nutrients, we would pretty much have to ask them to put away 3 trays worth of food per day.
A minor curveball, some might say.
Undeterred, I carried on my research to land on venison and other British game meats. These underappreciated sources of food seemed to boast a better nutrient profile.
By further adjusting the content of meals via other highly nutritious ingredients, I could considerably reduce the size of meals but keep them, amazingly, just as nutritious.
This ragu is one such example.
A beautifully tasty dish that scores very high on the chart of essential nutrients.

If you enjoy “spag bol”, then trust me, you will get on with this recipe too.

Ingredients (makes 4 portions)

300g wild venison mince
1 organic chicken liver, 30g - 40g approximately
1 medium carrot
1 medium onion
1 stick of celery
1 clove of garlic

400g passata or chopped tomatoes

1 sprig of fresh rosemary
1 sprig of fresh oregano
2 sprigs of fresh thyme

Good quality extra virgin olive oil (I used Positively Good For You’s EVOO)

Sea salt 

Freshly ground black pepper



To serve:

A handful of fresh basil leaves

Parmesan cheese (optional)

350g of pasta, cooked al dente

Method:

1. Peel and dice the onion, celery and garlic.
2. Finely grate the carrot.
3. Pick the rosemary, thyme and oregano leaves from their stems. Roughly chop the herbs to release their flavour. 
4. Put the onion and celery in a casserole-style dish or a wide-brimmed frying pan.
5. Drizzle with a generous amount of olive oil, turn the heat to medium and allow the onion and celery to sauté for 5 minutes until they are starting to turn translucent.
6. Turn the heat up to medium-high. Add the carrots, garlic, rosemary, oregano, thyme and venison mince to the pan. Stir and break up the venison mince. Cook for a couple of minutes to lightly brown the venison.
7. Add the passata to the pan. Turn the heat down to medium. Season with sea salt and black pepper and allow it to simmer gently for 10-15 minutes. You may need to turn the temperature down to low.
8. While the ragu is simmering, trim the chicken livers and dice them finely.
9. Add the chicken liver to the pan and cook for a further 5 minutes.
10. Check the seasoning and season again if needed.
11. Stir in the pasta to coat it in the sauce. Add a splash of the pasta’s cooking water to loosen the sauce and stir again.
12. Serve with fresh basil leaves scattered on top and a generous portion of freshly grated Parmesan cheese.

Burrata and rhubarb (or stone fruit) salad

Mild and creamy burrata with the sweet and sour notes of British rhubarb (or in season stone fruits) is such a delicious combination in a salad.
This recipe would make a great starter for 2 or a tasty lunch for 1.
Here are a few notes on the ingredients:

Burrata - meaning “buttered” is an Italian cheese whereby mozzarella is wrapped around a creamier version of mozzarella. The resulting cheese has a mozzarella-like exterior but a super creamy and soft centre. Its mild flavour makes a nice base for salads.
Look for it near the mozzarella in supermarkets.
For best results, season it well with sea salt and freshly ground black pepper and drizzle a generous amount of olive oil on it. Which brings me nicely onto the next ingredient:

Olive oil - The type of olive oil you use can make or break this recipe. Aim for a milder flavoured olive oil rather than the more bitter versions. Quality is worth paying attention to because a lot of olive oils are oil blends rather than pure olive.
The olive oil I’m using is the newly launched Positively Good For You Spanish olive oil.
As well as having an utterly beautiful flavour, it is also packed with heart-healthy antioxidants. Before you pose the legitimate question of “aren’t all olive oils packed with heart-healthy antioxidants?”, let me just answer this for you. Yes, polyphenols/ antioxidants are present in most olive oils but the longer the olive oil is stored, the more those antioxidants disappear. It is rare for a company to test for the polyphenols, guarantee their presence and provide a best-before date that is a true indication of freshness.
Also, the Positively Good For You olive oil is incredibly well priced (read: it’s cheap) considering the quality and care that goes into every bottle.

Rhubarb or stone fruits - At the time of making this recipe, British rhubarb was in peak season; however, burrata pairs well with any stone fruit. As the seasons change, juicy peaches or nectarines, gooseberries and plums would all work well.
To substitute the rhubarb in this recipe, simply use some grilled or roasted fruit and some raw fruit.
This will provide the best version of that sweet & sour flavour that makes this recipe so nice.

Ingredients (serves 2 as a starter or 1 as a lunch)

1 burrata cheese
2 sticks of rhubarb (or a handful of gooseberries, 1-2 peaches or 2 plums)
Great quality olive oil (I used this one)
5-6 mint leaves, finely sliced
5-6 basil leaves, roughly torn
6 chives, finely chopped
A small handful of parsley, roughly chopped
3x radishes, thinly sliced
1/3 of a cucumber, thinly sliced
A large handful of watercress or a mix of bitter leaves such as watercress and rocket
A handful of blanched hazelnuts, toasted
Sea salt and freshly ground black pepper for seasoning

For the dressing:
Juice of 1/2 a lime
1 tablespoon of maple syrup
2 tablespoons of olive oil

Method:

1. Preheat your oven to 180 degrees C.
2. Roughly slice 1 stick of rhubarb into 1-2” chunks. Pop this on a roasting tray, drizzle with olive oil and roast for 10 minutes until soft but not falling apart. Allow it to cool slightly.
3. Very thinly slice 1/3 of a stick of rhubarb. This will add a lemon-like flavour and a different texture profile.
4. Put your burrata in the middle of a plate. Cut the shape of a cross in the top of it and pull it apart so it spreads out. Season really well with sea salt and black pepper and drizzle some olive oil over the top of it.
5. Sprinkle the herbs over the burrata.
6. Put the radish, cucumber, raw and roasted rhubarb on top of the burrata.
7. Make the dressing by mixing the maple syrup, olive oil and lime juice. Taste it to check the flavour. It should be sweet to balance the tartness of the rhubarb. If you are using a sweeter stone fruit then you can get away with less maple syrup.
8. Spoon the dressing over the salad.
9. Put a handful of bitter leaves on top. Season again and serve straight away.

Minestrone - A nutritionally stellar soup

Soups are an actual necessity of warmth and comfort when the weather is cold.
Sadly, not many soups tick all of the nutrition boxes, which may mean one may start feeling hungry a short while after eating them.
Luckily, minestrone is pretty stellar.
It brings together an array of whole food ingredients, as well as the right combination of veggies and protein-containing beans to create a nourishing and warming bowl of food that’s perfect in winter. Or any season for that matter.

It ticks the box for:
- veggies - 3 portions
- antioxidants - thanks to the herbs, veggies and optional drizzle of olive oil
- protein - hello beans
- it is packed with gut-supporting fibre
- flavour
- comfort

Before you go on to the recipe, there is a small disclaimer: if you are of Italian heritage, please look away now.
This version of minestrone is far thicker than regulations permit and uses many shortcuts to make cooking this delicious soup much easier.
If you aren’t fond of thick soups, then feel free to add more water.
I quite enjoy the consistency being somewhere between a soup and a stew.

To the recipe:

Ingredients for 4 portions

1 medium onion
1 clove of garlic, peeled and sliced
1 bay leaf
1 little sprig each of rosemary and thyme
2 medium carrots, roughly chopped
2-3 sticks of celery, blend it into a paste if you don’t like celery, otherwise roughly slice it
120g pasta of your choice, I used small flower shapes
2 tins of any beans, I used butterbeans and white kidney beans
1 tin of plum tomatoes or chopped tomatoes
1/2 small savoy cabbage, roughly sliced
Around 4 tins of water. I made a thick version of minestrone that was more like a stew so if you prefer a soupier soup, then add more water. Just remember: more water = more salt & pepper required.
Sea salt & black pepper to season
Olive oil for cooking & drizzling

Optional toppings (recommended)
Freshly chopped parsley
Parmesan cheese
Lemon zest from an organic lemon

Bread of your choice

Method

For a video explainer go here: Minestrone Reel
1. Grab a large pan.
2. Add a couple of tablespoons of olive oil, the onion, garlic and herbs.
Turn the heat on to medium and cook for a couple of minutes.
3. Add the carrot, celery and cook for a further 5 minutes.
Stir it every now and then to stop things from catching on the bottom of your pan.
4. Add the tinned tomato and a tin of water.
If you are using plum tomatoes, then break these up roughly by stabbing them with a wooden spoon as you are stirring the soup. It’s nicer to have a few chunks of tomato, so don’t go too wild with the prodding.
5. Add the 2 tins of beans and another 2 tins of water.
Stir well.
6. Add the pasta.
Stir well again.
7. Season the soup really well. Remember this is at least 4 portions and it contains a lot of water so it will need a decent quantity of sea salt and freshly ground black pepper.
8. Add the sliced cabbage and another tin of water.
9. Put a lid on the pan and allow everything to cook for 10 minutes.
10. Taste the soup to check the seasoning. Unless you went wild with the salt and pepper earlier then chances are it’s going to need a bit more seasoning. Season it, stir it and taste it again.
11. Serve with grated parmesan, lemon zest, parsley and chunky bread.

The soup stores well in the fridge for 3 days.
I haven’t tried freezing it.