EPC Come Dine With Me Cookbook - Eating Psychology Coach UK€¦ · Increasing numbers of people are being told they are obese and rising numbers are being diagnosed with type 2 diabetes

Sue Bradley – Eating Psychology Coach – www.eatingpsychology.co.uk

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My Come Dine With Me e-book Hi, I’m Sue, and you’re probably reading this either because you saw me on the Channel 4 television programme, Come Dine With Me (CDWM), or you visited my website via a recommendation. I’m a Certified Eating Psychology Coach, which is a bit like being a nutritionist, but rather than focussing on nutritional requirements and supplements, I tend to concentrate more on their eating habits. I have an interest in good quality food and I specialise in helping people to eat less.

My mission is to keep everyone happy and at a weight that is healthy for them by changing people’s mind-sets about what and how much they eat. Why Eating Psychology? The field of nutrition is like the Wild West – it’s a battleground, with nutritionists disagreeing with each other, and often favouring whichever eating system worked for them. All science is an on-going conversation funded by specific industries, and food science is no different. Last century we were told to eat more meat, and then in the 1970s we were told to eat more oat bran, margarine and polyunsaturates and to eat less fat. Now the latest food advice centres around paleo and vegan diets, and fermented foods for your gut biome – it’s all very confusing! Increasing numbers of people are being told they are obese and rising numbers are being diagnosed with type 2 diabetes. They are being told what to eat, but not how to be the general managers of their own bodies in terms of the other side of eating: the where, when, why, how and who of eating. This is what I deal with as an Eating Psychology coach and food educator. We’re living in an experimental food laboratory – for instance, in nature we would only be surrounded by sugary food once a year when the fruit ripened, but now we are confronted with it everywhere we go and it’s hidden in our savoury foods too.


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No wonder we are confused and have lost touch with what, and how much, we want to eat, and feel we have to be told. Nutritionists tell you what to eat, Eating Psychology helps you to know what – and how much – to eat for yourself.


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Why did I apply to be a contestant on Come Dine With Me? Everyone is different, so what I wanted to do on CDWM was to show how to cook a delicious 3-course menu to suit everyone’s needs – something that everyone would love. So I cooked recipes that

could be easily adapted to different ways of eating – to be suitable for meat-eaters, vegetarians, vegans, paleos and clean eaters. Why did I cook gluten-free and refined sugar free? Most cookbooks only tell you how to cook with gluten and refined sugar – so I wanted to offer an alternative, as many of my friends like to avoid these substances. I personally like to eat as naturally as possible and avoid artificial or processed foods where I can, so I always prefer to use a less refined sweetener such as honey or maple syrup. I also avoid gluten as I don’t digest it very well – I feel bloated after eating too much of it – so again, if I can use something else, I will. It’s not diff icult to adapt your recipes. It’s really not a problem to cook quinoa (which is a seed) instead of rice for someone who does not eat grain, or to make cauliflower rice (see below) for someone following a low carb diet. You can always put meat on the side for meat eaters, as I did, or make your veggie food so delicious they won’t even miss the meat! Nowadays there are substitutes available for everything – so with a little forward planning, it’s easy to cater for everyone. My Come Dine With Me recipes. The great thing about this three-course meal is that you can prepare the starter and dessert in advance – the day before if you like (although I had to do it all in one day, as per the rules of the programme). It’s all free from gluten and refined sugar, and is easily adapted to the requirements of vegetarians and vegans. It is also suitable for those on a paleo diet as it contains no grains (quinoa is a seed) and as it involves no processed items it is also suitable for ‘clean eaters’. All recipes feed four people.


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STARTER (Vegetarian, gluten free) Caramelised Garlic Tart With Almond Pastry and Salad Leaves For the fi l l ing 250g butternut squash cut into 2cm chunks Peeled cloves from 3 bulbs of garlic 30g butter 1tsp coconut oil or ghee 1 tbsp maple syrup 2 eggs 7 tbsp plain full-fat yoghurt 60g mature cheddar cheese, grated 70g hard or medium-hard goats’ cheese Chopped fresh tarragon (or other herb e.g. parsley, sage) Sea salt, black pepper

For the pastry 375g ground almonds 1 tsp sea salt ½ tsp bicarbonate of soda 30g butter (at room temperature) 2 eggs

Method 1. Roast the squash in a tsp of oil or ghee at 180c/gas mark 6 for about

30-40 mins, turning occasionally. Remove when cooked.

2. Mix the pastry ingredients together to form a dough and roll into a circle to fit your pie dish between 2 pieces of parchment paper. Press the pastry and both sheets of paper firmly into your dish and put in the fridge for 20 mins. Then whisk the eggs, yoghurt and grated cheddar together in a bowl with salt and pepper, and set aside.

3. Remove the crust from the fridge and bake for 20 mins.

4. Simmer the garlic in a pan for a few mins with 1-2 tbsps of water until

almost tender. Add the butter, increase the heat and cook until the


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water has evaporated and the garlic is starting to brown. Add the maple syrup, cider vinegar and a pinch of sea salt and simmer for 10 mins until the cloves are coated in dark syrup.

5. Take the tart base from the oven and arrange the chunks of squash at

the bottom. Pour the whisked egg, yoghurt and cheddar mixture into the base.

6. Drizzle the syrup over the tart and scatter with pieces of goats’ cheese,

caramelised garlic and tarragon.

7. Reduce the oven heat to fan 170c/gas mark 5 and bake for 30 mins, until it is set and the top goes golden brown. Eat warm or at room temperature. I served it with a green salad and a thick squiggle of balsamic dressing on the side.

Adaptions For a vegan, you could make this tart using soya or coconut yoghurt instead of dairy yoghurt, vegan cheese and spread instead of cheddar/goats’ cheese and butter, and a straight substitute of ‘flaxseed eggs’ instead of eggs (whisk together 1 tbsp freshly ground flax or chia seeds and 3 tbsp water until well combined, then place in the fridge to set for 15 mins). All these are available in health food shops or large supermarkets. Also make sure to use coconut oil rather than ghee for vegans.


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MAIN COURSE (gluten free, easily adapted for vegetarians/vegans) Gril led Mackerel with Miso Dressing, served on a bed of Red Quinoa with Roasted Mediterranean Vegetables. For the Mackerel 4 large mackerel fillets 1 tsp ghee or coconut oil Sea salt and black pepper 1 tsp sesame seeds 1 tsp chives For the Miso Dressing 1 large carrot, grated 2 tbsp miso paste About 40g grated fresh ginger 1 tsp honey Juice of 1 lemon or lime 5 tbsp extra virgin olive oil For the Roasted Mediterranean Vegetables A range of colourful vegetables – I used 4 carrots, 1 red pepper, 1 aubergine, 1 red onion, 2 beetroot and 16 cherry tomatoes on the vine 1 tbsp ghee or coconut oil Fresh or dried herbs – I used fresh oregano and rosemary Spinach leaves For the Red Quinoa 250g red quinoa (or black or white if you prefer) 250ml water Method

1. Preheat the oven to fan 200c/Gas mark 7

2. Roughly chop a large handful of the vegetables per person.

3. Put all of the vegetables except the beetroot, tomato and spinach in a single layer on a roasting tray, season, add dabs of ghee or coconut oil and the herbs. Then do the same with the beetroot, but in a separate tray to avoid turning everything pink!


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4. Roast for 30-40 mins, turning once or twice.

5. While the veg are roasting, mix together all the miso carrot dressing ingredients, except for the olive oil, in a blender or processor. Blend for a few seconds then add 4 tbsps of water and continue blending until smooth, gradually adding more oil. Add more water if needed. You can make this dressing in advance and keep in the fridge until required.

6. Boil the quinoa in water for about 20 mins, drain and keep warm.

7. Turn the grill on to medium/high, then turn the veg in the oven. Add

the tomatoes to the beetroot-roasting pan; they’ll need about 10 mins (keep them on the vine to look pretty).

8. Toast the sesame seeds in a hot dry frying pan for a couple of minutes

until they turn light brown and start to pop.

9. Grill the mackerel skin side down first, then turn. It takes about 2 mins per side and is ready as soon as the flesh turns colour.

10. Spoon the quinoa onto individual plates, shaping it into an oval bed

for the mackerel fillet. Pop the fish on top, season, and sprinkle over the sesame seeds and chives. Mix the spinach leaves in with the Mediterranean vegetables for colour, then place a helping of the vegetables to the side of the fish. Finish with a fat squiggle of miso carrot dressing (you can use a pouring bottle or make a funnel with greaseproof paper). Serve the rest of the dressing in a separate bowl.

Adaptations I adapted this course to suit both a vegetarian guest and one who does not eat fish by serving a home-made bean burger with a slice of grilled halloumi cheese instead of the mackerel – sprinkled with a garnish of pan-fried pancetta lardons for the non-vegetarian. See below for the bean burger recipe.


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DESSERT Key Lime Surprise with Blueberry Sauce and Cashew Nut Cream (vegan, gluten free) I called it ‘surprise’ to keep the avocado content a secret! For the base 125 g pecans 45g desiccated coconut 70g cacao nibs 185g pitted dates 3 tbsp coconut oil, melted For the fi l l ing 560g avocado flesh (about 5 avocados) 200ml lime juice (about 8-10 limes) 1 tsp lime zest (avoid the bitter white pith) 190g honey 175ml coconut oil, melted For the Berry Sauce 1 punnet fresh organic blueberries 1tsp honey For the Cashew Nut Cream 150g cashew nuts, soaked for a few hours 1 tsp honey ½ cup water Method

1. Preheat the oven to fan 150c/gas mark 3. Line the bottom and sides of 4 ramekin dishes with baking paper.

2. Toast the pecans and desiccated coconut on a lined baking tray on

the oven for 7-8 minutes until golden.

3. Transfer the pecans and coconut to a food processor and add the rest of the base ingredients. Blend until the mixture is crumbly and holds together when pinched (not too smooth).


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4. Press the mixture firmly into the bottom of the ramekins, making it flat and neat. Put in the fridge.

5. Place all the filling ingredients into a food processor and blend until

smooth. Taste, and add more lime or honey according to preference.

6. Take the ramekins out of the fridge and pour the filling over the bases. Put back in the fridge until time to serve.

7. For the berry sauce, simply place blueberries in a saucepan with a

teaspoon of water and a teaspoon of honey – soften the fruit for a few minutes, blend until smooth, then chill in the fridge until ready for use.

8. Drain and rinse the cashew nuts, then put them in a blender or food

processor with the honey, add half of the water and blend. Keep adding water until a creamy consistency is reached. Add more honey if required.

9. To serve, remove the pies from the ramekins and cut them into

wedges. Transfer a wedge to each plate and finish with a squiggle of blueberry sauce and a squiggle of cashew nut cream, then draw a skewer through the 2 lines of sauce for a feathered ‘Bakewell Tart’ effect.


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VEGETARIAN ALTERNATIVE FOR THE MAIN COURSE Black Bean Halloumi Burger 1 tbsp ghee or coconut oil 1 onion, finely chopped 1 garlic clove, grated 1 tin of black beans (drained weight 250g) 50g gluten-free flour 1 tsp dried oregano or thyme 85g sundried tomatoes, chopped Handful of fresh parsley ½ tbsp fresh chillies or jalapeno peppers 50g feta cheese (or vegan cheese) 2 slices halloumi cheese (or vegan cheese alternative) Sea salt Method:

1. Preheat the oven to fan 180c/gas mark 6.

2. Fry the onion in ghee or oil until soft. Add the garlic, cook for a minute or two then stir in the drained beans.

3. Mash the beans so their moisture evaporates.

4. Transfer the mixture to a bowl, add flour and stir well.

5. Add all the other ingredients and season.

6. When cool, form into oval-shaped burgers to match the shape of the

mackerel fillets. Lay them on a baking tray and flatten so they are about 2cm thick.

7. Bake them for about 50 mins, turning them over halfway through.

8. Grill a slice of halloumi cheese to place under each burger.

9. To serve, place a slice of grilled halloumi on each bed of quinoa and

place the burger on top. Garnish with chopped chives (and pan-fried pancetta lardons for a meat eater).


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WHAT ELSE CAN I COOK? Caulif lower Rice This is a great substitute for rice if you have guests who are paleo or grain-free. You can add toasted flaked almonds or pistachios, or fried onion, garlic and turmeric to accompany a curry. Cauliflower florets 1 tsp ghee or coconut oil 2 tbsp stock or water Sea salt and black pepper Method

1. Grate or process the florets into rice sized pieces. 2. Put the ghee or oil, cauliflower pieces and stock into the pan and stir.

3. Cook for 4-6 mins on a medium heat, lid on, to steam the pieces until

tender. Add more water if it is evaporating too quickly.

4. Season and serve. Chocolate Avocado Mousse (vegan) You can make any creamy dessert with avocados; the trick is to flavour it strongly enough to overpower the taste of the avocado! For my CDWM menu I used lime juice, here I’ve used chocolate. 2 avocados 3 tbsp raw cacao or cocoa powder 2 tbsp honey 1 tbsp lemon juice 1 tbsp vanilla extract 2 tbsp water Pinch sea salt Method:

1. Mash or process all the ingredients together until smooth.

2. Taste and add more honey if necessary.

3. Spoon into tiny bowls or glasses and chill before serving.


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How else can I use these ingredients to adapt my favourite recipes? Almond Flour You can use ground almonds (aka almond powder) to replace wheat flour – but it can work out quite expensive so you might like to substitute or mix it with a cheaper gluten-free flour for those on gluten-free diets (but not for those who don’t eat grains at all or who are Paleo). Grain-like seeds Quinoa, buckwheat, amaranth and millet are all seeds that can be used as grain substitutes both as a flour or to accompany a dish, as I did with my bed of quinoa with mackerel fillets. LEARN MORE I hope you found my book useful and do contact me on [email protected] if you’d like to learn how to use foods like this, or if you are an overeater and would like me to help you to eat less. Join my social media community for more food inspiration and resources on healthy eating.

@eatinpsychuk @eatinpsychuk /eatingpsychologyuk

Documents

EPC Come Dine With Me Cookbook - Eating Psychology Coach UK€¦ · Increasing numbers of people are being told they are obese and rising numbers are being diagnosed with type 2 diabetes