BlogNews

Healthy Snacks – by Natalia Otero Sancho

Take back control in the kitchen

Keep reading to find some new recipes to inspire you:

Roast monkfish with lemon and parsley/coriander butter

(Ingredients: x2 pax)

  • 360g monkfish fillets
  • 1Tbsp. olive oil
  • Cornish salt
  • Freshly ground pepper
  • 1 lemon
  • 40g grass-fed unsalted butter
  • A few sprigs of flat-leaf parsley or coriander – leaves only

Preheat your oven to 220°C/Fan 200°C/Gas 7. 

Pat them dry with kitchen paper. 

Gently rub a little salt and pepper 

Meaty monkfish fillets are perfect for roasting. Just give them a quick sizzle in the frying pan and then flash cook in the oven for flaky fillets with a golden-brown crust. 

A lemon and parsley/coriander butter sauce is a simple and fresh accompaniment that takes just a few minutes to make.

Place an ovenproof frying pan on a medium-high heat for 2 mins, then add the monkfish. Fry for 2 mins to just brown the monkfish, then carefully turn it over and fry for a further 2 mins.

Transfer the frying pan to the oven and roast the monkfish for 6-8 mins, depending on how thick the fillets are. The monkfish will be opaque and flake easily when pressed with a fork when it’s ready. 

No ovenproof frying pan? Simply fry the monkfish in a frying pan, then transfer to a lightly greased roasting tin or baking tray and roast it in that.

While the monkfish roasts, make the lemon and parsley butter. Finely grate the zest from the lemon. Juice 1 half. Roughly chop the parsley leaves.

Melt the butter in a small pan over low heat, then stir in the lemon zest, juice and most of the parsley leaves. Season with a little salt and pepper. Bubble together for 1 min, then take off the heat. When the monkfish is ready, take it out of the oven and pour over the lemon and parsley butter. Garnish with the remaining chopped

Spanish Christmas Salad

(Serves 4-6)

  • 1 head Frizze (curly endive/escarole) lettuce
  • 1/2 red lollo lettuce
  • 12 white asparagus
  • 75g shelled hazelnuts
  • 1 large pomegranate
  • Dressing: 3 tbsp Spanish extra olive oil, 1 tbsp hazelnut oil, 1 tbsp organic apple cider vinegar, Himalayan salt and freshly ground black pepper

Wash the leaves, separate into bite-sized pieces and place in a salad bowl. 

Place the hazelnuts on a baking tin under a medium hot grill and toast until the skins crack. 

Place in a clean cloth and rub until the skins come off and the nuts should be a golden brown colour. When cool, they can be roughly chopped if wished, or left whole, then added to the leaves and white asparagus. 

Cut open the pomegranate and carefully remove the seeds from the pith, then add to the salad. Whisk together the dressing, pour over the salad, toss then serve. 

Asparagus with truffle oil (Makes 6 servings) 

(1 serving ≈ 1⅔ cup arugula and ⅔ cup asparagus mixture): 

  • 500g asparagus, ends discarded
  • 2 tablespoons truffle oil, divided
  • 500g arugula (or use pound watercress)
  • 2 teaspoons balsamic vinegar or apple cider vinegar
  • 1 pinch salt
  • 1 pinch black pepper
  1. Cut asparagus stalks into .-inch diagonal slices, separating tips.
  2. In a wok or large sauté. pan, stir-fry asparagus stalks, 1 tablespoon truffle oil over medium heat until lightly browned. Add asparagus tips and continue to stir-fry for another 4–5 minutes. Remove from heat and toss with salt and pepper.
  3. Pile arugula (or watercress) in a salad bowl and toss with remaining 1-tablespoon truffle oil. Top with asparagus and drizzle with balsamic vinegar.

Almond chocolate truffles

  •  240g full fat canned unsweetened coconut milk 
  • 1 teaspoon almond, orange, vanilla, or hazelnut extract – Edible essential oils ■ 230g bittersweet dark chocolate (at least 70% cocoa), finely chopped  
  • 30g – 40g cocoa powder or chopped nuts for coating 

Directions: 

  1. In a small saucepan, bring the coconut milk to a simmer. Stir in the extract, then pour the mixture over the chocolate in a separate bowl. Let stand a few minutes before stirring until smooth. Allow to cool, then refrigerate for 30 minutes to 1 hour. (Remove mixture from refrigerator while it is still malleable.)
  2. Using a small spoon, form 1-inch balls and roll them quickly between your palms. Place balls on a baking sheet lined with parchment paper. Refrigerate overnight.
  3. Roll in cocoa powder or chopped nuts. Store the truffles in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to a week.

Recipe by the Institute for Functional Medicine

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

Fill out this field
Fill out this field
Please enter a valid email address.
You need to agree with the terms to proceed

This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed.