Irma Green | Healthy Recipes

24th December 2014

Chestnut & sprouted chickpea hummus

The weeks running up to Christmas have been a bit hectic, work, Christmas parties and lunches got the better of me, so here comes a ‘Christmassy’ hummus recipe just on time for the holidays. Chestnut hummus is easy to make and a great way to use… Read more

Chestnut & sprouted chickpea hummus- serves 4

1/2 cup of sprouted chickpeas or canned, if you don’t have time to sprout them
2 cup of roasted & shelled chestnuts
4 tbsp + 3 tbsp extra virgin olive oil to garnish
1 clove of garlic
2-3 TBS tahini
1/2 cup of water

Juice of 1/2 fresh lemon

1/2 tsp Himalayan salt

Sprouting chickpeas: soak 1 cups of dried chickpeas over night, drain and rinse in the morning. Leave in the bowl with no added water and repeat the rinsing process morning and evening, so they keep moist all the time, until they have sprouted. You will start to see little tails growing after the first day or two, on day 3 or 4 they should be ready. They not only make a delicious hummus, they are also a great addition to soups and salads or just eating as a snack. Once sprouted they keep in the fridge for about 3 days.

Fro dry roasting the chestnuts pre-heat the oven at 200 degrees C/gas mark 7. To prepare the nuts for baking, using a sharp small kitchen knife, carefully cut a little cross into the peel on the flat side, that way it will be easier to peel them later as the peel opens up during the roasting process. Lay out on baking paper in baking tray and bake for 20-25 minutes. Shake the tray a few times during the process, so the nuts cook evenly. Remove the peel when they are still warm as the peel won´t come off as easy once they are cool. They are super delicious to eat just baked, so you have to be careful not to eat them all during the peeling process.

Put all ingredients in the food processor and blend until you get a smooth paste. Chestnuts are the only nuts that do not contain a lot of oil, so if the paste is a bit stiff, carefully add some more olive oil and water until the hummus has your preferred consistency. Season for taste with extra salt and cumin if needed. Serve with warm multi-seed bread and a drizzle of olive oil. Avocado, pumpkin seed oil and a pinch of salt works really well too. Chestnut hummus and pomegranate also make a very good combination. Enjoy!!

8th December 2014

Beetroot, Carrot & Ginger Juice & Beetroot pulp brownies

Today is another gorgeous and sunny winter’s day in London. I just love the blue sky and low light of the winter sun. Last week was the start of the Christmas party season and I thought it would be good to send you a nice… Read more

Beetroot pulp brownies – makes 12

Juice pulp of 3 medium sized beets & 4 carrots ( ginger removed-optional)
100g unsalted butter (coconut oil for vegan recipe)
200g bar plain chocolate (70% cocoa- raw for vegan version)
1 tsp vanilla extract or 1 vanilla pod
75g dark caster sugar ( 50g of soaked dates 100ml maple sirup or agave syrup )
3 eggs ( vegan: 1 tbsp ground Flax seeds +3 tbsp Water =1 egg)
100g buckwheat flour mixed with 1 tsp of baking powder
75g cocoa powder ( raw if vegan) & 100g walnuts
Cocoa powder , icing sugar & cinnamon for topping the brownies

Method:
Heat up the beetroot and carrot pulp mix with 250ml of water, add vanilla extract and 2 tbsp of maple sirup to the mix. Once heated up set a side. Pre-heat the oven at 160c/180c fan/gas4 and layer the brownie tin with baking paper. Cut butter into small cubes, break the chocolate into small pieces and put together with hot beetroot pulp and soaked dates into a food processor or blender; blend until smooth. Next mix eggs and sugar in a large bowl for around 2 minutes until it gets a foam like consistency. Now add the beetroot chocolate mix and fold gently under the eggs using a wooden spoon, this process is not one for looks, it will turn out pretty in the end though. Add the flour, baking powder and cocoa powder and fold under the batter until smooth. Make sure the flour and chocolate are sifted well as to not get a ‘bumpy’ mixture.

Finally add the walnuts ( cut into smaller pieces) and also carefully fold under. Now poor the batter into the brownie tin and bake for 25-30 minutes, check they are done using a knife, it needs to come out clean, so no batter sticking to the blade.

Leave to cool down before cutting into squares. You can sprinkle cinnamon, coco powder or some icing sugar to decorate. They are super delicious enjoyed with a chai tea or latte .

30th November 2014

Pumpkin & Coconut Soup

The winter season is soup season ! I just love having a warming soup after a walk on Hampstead Heath on a cold winter’s day or after coming home from work, having frozen my feet off. And pumpkin soup is always a winner. I love… Read more

Pumpkin & Coconut Soup – Serves 3-4

1 medium sized Tom Fox pumpkin ( or any variety you can find) peeled & cubed
3-4 carrots ( peeled & slices)
2 shallots ( diced)
3-4 cm of ginger
1/2 small orange ( grated skin )
Vegetable stock ( enough to cover the pumpkin cubes & carrots well)
1 tbsp of coconut oil
1 can of coconut milk/cream
1 small dried chili or 1/2-1 tsp chili powder
1 tsp of turmeric
1 tsp of cumin powder
1cm vanilla pod ( optional)
Himalayan salt & pepper
Pumpkin seed oil ( optional)

Method:
Cut the pumpkin alongside the marks, so you ‘ll end up with pumpkin slices. Once sliced, it will be a lot easier to cut away the skin. If you can find a Hokkaido pumpkin you won’t need to peel off the skin, as it is edible. Remove the seeds but don’t throw them away as you can roast them in the oven and use as a nutritious garnish for the soup, add to a salad or nibble on as a snack. Just dry them off a bit, add some olive oil so they are lightly coated, season with ground cumin, Ras el Hanut or some Himalayan salt, spread on baking paper and bake at 180 degrees until crisp, keep turning during the process so they crisp up evenly.

Set the pumpkin cubes aside and peel and slice carrots and ginger, then also set aside. Heat the coconut oil in a pot add diced shallots, turmeric, cumin and ginger and sweat for a couple of minutes, taking the pot off the hob as the oil gets really hot and might burn the spices. Now add pumpkin and carrots and cook for a few minutes, keep stirring before adding the stock and the dried chili or chili powder. If you have some fresh vanilla pods you can add 2cm to the cooking process. Simmer until pumpkin and carrots are tender, this will only take about 15-20 minutes.

Whilst the soup is simmering, start preparing the orange and the coconut cream. Grate the skin of half of a small orange and set a side. Once the vegetables are tender, you can start blending the soup, adding some of the orange peel and the coconut milk during the process, keep on checking for taste, so you don’t add too much as it is always a bit tricky to correct. A hand blender will work fine but a food processor or proper blender make the soup a lot smoother. Once blended add salt and pepper for taste. To top you can add some toasted pumpkin seeds and or a drizzle of pumpkin seed oil, super yummy!

25th November 2014

Kale and the crispy version of it

Although Kale is available throughout the year, it is best and most nutritious during the winter months and in early spring. Here are some facts and ideas of what to do with the first leaves of the season. A member of the cabbage family, kale… Read more

One of my favorites are kale crisps, they are easily made at home and so much cheaper and better than from the shop. All you need is: 1 bag of kale , 1-2 tbsp of olive oil and 1/2 tsp Himalayan salt.

Pre-heat the oven at around 80-110 degrees; wash and dry off the leaves, tear them into smaller pieces if needed, sprinkle and massage the olive oil into the dry leaves, add Himalayan salt and mix well. Put some baking paper on a baking tray, spread out the leaves and bake until crisp. It usually takes around 15-25 minutes, but please keep an eye as the kale leaves easily burn. The safest way is to open the oven door now and again, to check on them and let the accumulating steam escape. Enjoy ! If you have a dehydrator, even better & healthier, but it takes a lot longer to make them.

For different flavors add chilli flakes, cayenne pepper or nutritional yeast ( this adds a cheesy flavor). Another delicious variation is to massage the kale with a miso -tamari paste. For one bag of kale (170g) take 1 tbsp of sesame oil, with half a tbsp of miso paste ( I love the Clear Spring barley or brown rice miso paste) , 1 tsp of sesame seed, 1 tsp of Tamari ( or soy) sauce, 1 tsp of Tahini, half a tsp of very finely chopped ginger ( or crushed with a garlic press – saves a lot of time) and mix well. Massage the paste into the leaves, make sure it is distributed well, so that every leaf gets a good coating- spread the kale on baking paper and bake as described above.

18th November 2014

Beetroot Soup

Beetroot is a not everyone’s cup of tea, either you love it or you hate it. I love them raw, juiced, pickled, cooked, baked or in form of crisps . Freshly available from July until October, they are a rich source of folic acid ,… Read more

Beetroot Soup

Beetroot Soup – serves 3-4

400g beetroot, peeled (organic if possible)
200g organic carrots, washed and sliced
1-2 tbsp coconut oil
1 small onion ( cut into small dice or rings), 3-4 small carrot (peeled and cut into slices)
1/2-1 cm of ginger ( peeled and crushed in garlic press)
1 small bay leaf , 1-2 cardamom seeds ( crushed) , 1 star anise (optional)
1-1.5l of stock ( chicken, beef or vegetable)
2-3 tbsp of turmeric, 1-2 tsp of cumin seeds , 1 whole dried chili (or 1tsp of chili powder) , 1-2 long pepper (snapped in half), as an alternative to long pepper use normal pepper corns ( 2-4)
1-2 cloves garlic, peeled and crushed
Ground black pepper & Himalayan salt to taste

Method:
Heat the oil in a soup pot, add onions , ginger, turmeric, cumin seeds and cardamom and saute for about a minute or 2 ( the oil gets really hot, so it’s best to take the pot off the hob for a couple of minutes, as to not burn the spices), then add carrots and beetroot, keep stirring for another minute, before adding the stock. Once the beetroot and carrot are well covered with stock , add the bay leave, the long pepper, star anise (optional), the whole dried chili (pierced) & crushed garlic.

Cook for about 25-30 minutes . You can check the cooking process sticking a knife into the beetroot and carrot, once cooked take off the hob and leave to cool down a bit.

Before blending take out the chili , star anise, bay leaf and half the pepper, as the soup will get mega spicy otherwise. You can always add more pepper and some of the chili during the blending process, keep checking for taste. I usually return bay leaf , chilli and star anise back into the blended soup, so they can keep doing their job adding flavor.

Tips for blending, if you have a glass jar blender, it ll be very easy just to blend the ingredients in that . I have a hand held blender, so I tend to cover the pot holding the lid in one hand and the blender in the other, that way you prevent beetroot splashing accidents. If the soup is quite thick, just add more stock.

Once blended, add salt and pepper for taste. The soup gets better over time, I usually like it most on day three, if there is still any left !!

To garnish add home made kale crisps and seed mix . For the seed mix : 2tbs of pumpkin seeds, 2 tbs of sunflower seeds, 4tbsp of ground flax seeds and just a dash of cinnamon – mix well. Best to use a small jar, easy to shake & mix well, plus you can keep the mix in the jar and store in the fridge to keep the oils in the flax seed fresh. If there is any left.

Other garnish ideas include goats yogurt or cheese , just a tbsp of goats yogurt or some crumbled goats cheese , topped with some seed mix. You can add rainbow trout with a little bit of horse radish on top or roast vegetables work very well too. The different garnishes make the soup a great dish for dinner parties as you can serve the soup and have the different garnishes on the table for people to help themselves to what they want as a topping- patch work soup as a starter or main course.

26th October 2014

Breggfast

Breggfast : Soft boiled egg on buttered wholemeal multi-seed toast topped with thyme and Himalayan salt ! Using all organic ingredients. On the Egg: Despite multiple reports on how bad eggs are for you, they are actually super healthy and a source of many important… Read more