Mood foods: Eat your way to happiness with these healthy recipes

DIETICIAN Dr Sarah Schenker has devised a selection of healthy and delicious recipes to help you eat your way to happiness

These simple houmous recipes have been developed to help give some of the nutrients your body needs to balance your mood throughout the day. 

Trio of humous dips
This tasty trio of houmous recipes is so nutritious [S MAG]

Trio of humous dips

British

Starter

Preparation Time 0 minutes
Cooking Time 0 minutes
Serves 4 people

Ingredients

Preparation:
  • pepper

Brazil nut houmous  

Serves: 4

Preparation time: 5 minutes plus 24 hours’ soaking time

Cooking time: 5 minutes

180g (6¼oz) Brazil nuts, soaked in water for 24 hours, drained and rinsed

1-2 garlic cloves, to taste

3 tbsps lemon juice

4 tbsps rapeseed oil

2 tbsps tahini

A pinch of cayenne pepper

Sea salt and freshly ground pepper

Place all the ingredients into a food processor and blend until you have a smooth paste. Add a little water to loosen if necessary.

Taste and adjust the seasoning then transfer to a bowl.

Cover with clingfilm and chill until ready to serve.

Store in an airtight container and it should keep in the fridge for 3-4 days. 

Minted pea and soya bean houmous

Serves: 4

Preparation time: 10 minutes

Cooking time: 5 minutes

100g (3½oz) frozen petits pois

100g (3½oz) frozen soya beans

100g (3½oz) artichoke hearts 

  from a jar, drained

2 tsps ground cumin

2 tbsps lemon juice

4 tbsps olive oil

A small handful of mint leaves

Salt and freshly ground black pepper

Tip the peas and soya beans into a bowl then cover with boiling water. 

Leave for 5 minutes then drain well and place into a food processor. Add all the remaining ingredients and pulse to make a rough purée.

Season to taste and spoon into a serving bowl.

Cover with clingfilm and chill until ready to serve.

Store in an airtight container and it should keep in the fridge for 3-4 days. 

Beetroot houmous

Serves: 8

Preparation time: 5 minutes

Cooking time: 40 minutes

500g (17½oz) raw beetroot, leaves trimmed

2x400g (14oz) tins of chickpeas, drained and rinsed

Juice of 2 lemons

4 tbsps olive oil

1 tbsp ground cumin

Salt and freshly ground black pepper

1 tbsp Greek yoghurt

1 tsp cumin seeds

Cook the beetroot in a large pan of boiling water with the lid on for 30-40 minutes until tender. When it’s done, a skewer or knife should go all the way in easily. Drain the beetroot then set aside to cool.

Peel the beetroot and discard the roots (wear rubber gloves to prevent your hands from staining).

Roughly chop the beetroot flesh then place into a food processor along with the chickpeas, lemon juice, olive oil and cumin. Whizz together until a coarse paste has been formed.

Season to taste with the salt and pepper.

Transfer to a serving bowl and swirl through the Greek yoghurt.

Lightly toast the cumin seeds in a dry frying pan for about 30 seconds then sprinkle over the top of the houmous.

Cover with clingfilm and chill until ready to serve.

Store in an airtight container and it should keep in the fridge for 3-4 days. 

Goats’ cheese and asparagus basmati and quinoa risotto
Nourish your body and balance your hormones to help keep you in a better mood with this delicious dish. [S MAG]

Goats’ cheese and asparagus basmati and quinoa risotto

British

Main course

Preparation Time 5 minutes
Cooking Time 10 minutes
Serves 4 people

Ingredients

Preparation:
  • 2 tbsps rapeseed oil
  • 4 spring onions, finely diced
  • 2x250g (9oz) Tilda Brown Basmati & Quinoa pouches (available from supermarkets nationwide)
  • 200ml (7fl oz) vegetable stock
  • 1x200g (7oz) bundle of asparagus spears, tough ends snapped off and discarded
  • 200g (7oz) frozen peas, defrosted
  • Salt and freshly ground black pepper
  • 125g (4½oz) soft goats’ cheese

Put the oil into a large, heavy-based pan over a medium heat. Add the spring onions then cook gently for about 5 minutes until they turn soft and translucent.

Increase the heat a little and stir in the Brown Basmati & Quinoa straight from the pouches, making sure each grain is coated in the oil.

Add the stock and stir through. Reduce the heat slightly and cook for about 8 minutes until hot and most of the stock has been absorbed.

Meanwhile, steam the asparagus spears for about 7 minutes until tender. Slice into pieces about 2cm (¾in) in length.

Add the asparagus and peas to the risotto. Increase the heat, stir for a few minutes to heat everything through and season to taste.

Just before serving, dot the risotto with ¾ of the goats’ cheese, giving it a stir to slightly mix it through.

Serve hot with the remaining goats’ cheese dotted over the top.

Harissa chicken
Spice things up with harissa chicken [S MAG]

Harissa chicken

4

Main course

Preparation Time 5 minutes
Cooking Time 40 minutes
Serves 0 people

Ingredients

Preparation:
  • 4 skinless chicken breasts
  • 2-3 tbsps harissa paste
  • 1 tbsp olive oil
  • Salt and freshly ground black pepper
  • 2 tbsps pine nuts
  • 250g (9oz) quinoa
  • 200g (7oz) kidney beans, rinsed and drained
  • 2 spring onions, chopped
  • ¼ cucumber, chopped
  • 2 tomatoes, chopped
  • 1 tbsp raisins
  • 1 tbsp pumpkin seeds
  • A handful of flat-leaf parsley, chopped
  • A handful of mint, chopped

The chicken in this dish is a good source of tryptophan, which is important for digestion, skin, nerves and serotonin production – great for helping to make you feel happy. 

Preheat the oven to 170°C/325°F/gas mark 3.

Smear each chicken breast with two teaspoons of the harissa paste and place in an ovenproof dish.

Drizzle over the oil, season and bake in the oven for 20-25 minutes until cooked through.

Put the pine nuts in a dry frying pan and place over a medium heat for a few minutes to toast – remove from the heat as soon as they turn golden, as theycan burn quickly.

Add 300ml (10½fl oz) of slightly salted water to a pan and boil. Rinse the quinoa in a fine sieve and add to the pan, then cover and cook for 20 minutes.

Add the kidney beans for the last 5 minutes.

Drain then combine with all the remaining ingredients.

Serve each chicken breast on a bed of steamed Tilda quinoa.

Salmon and broccoli pilau
Salmon and broccoli pilau is the perfect slow-release fuel [S MAG]

Salmon and broccoli pilau

British

Main course

Preparation Time 5 minutes
Cooking Time 30 minutes
Serves 4 people

Ingredients

Preparation:
  • 200g (7oz) salmon fillets
  • 250g (9oz) broccoli, cut into small florets, or ½ broccoli florets and ½ kalettes (a kale/Brussels sprout cross)
  • 1 tbsp olive oil
  • 1 onion, finely chopped
  • 2 garlic cloves, crushed
  • Grated rind of ½ a lemon
  • 150g (5oz) wholegrain rice, steamed
  • 150g (5oz) wild basmati rice, steamed
  • 700ml (1¼ pints) gluten-free vegetable stock
  • 100g (3½oz) baby spinach leaves
  • A handful of snipped chives
  • 40g (1½oz) flaked almonds
  • Lemon wedges, to serve

Wholegrain basmati has a low GI and releases energy slowly, which helps to keep blood sugar levels stable throughout the day.

Use a steamer to cook the salmon and broccoli or wrap the fish in foil and bake in the oven for 15 minutes (at about 170°C/325°F), adding the broccoli to the fish for the last 5 minutes.

Meanwhile, heat the oil in a saucepan over a medium heat. Cook the onion for 5 minutes or until soft.

Add the garlic and lemon rind then cook for 1 minute or until aromatic.

Add the steamed wholegrain and wild basmati rice then stir for 2 minutes or until the grains appear slightly glassy. Add the stock and bring to the boil. Reduce the heat to low, cover and simmer for 15 minutes.

Remove the skin from the salmon and gently break it up into flakes. Add the broccoli and salmon to the rice. Stir in the spinach and chives, then top with the almonds and serve with the fresh wedges of lemon.

Chocolate bean brownies
With the indulgence of chocolate and nourishment of butter beans, what’s not to like with these brownies? [S MAG]

Chocolate bean brownies

British

Dessert

Preparation Time 10 minutes
Cooking Time 25 minutes
Serves 12 people

Ingredients

Preparation:
  • Oil, for greasing the baking tray
  • 1x400g (14oz) tin butter beans, rinsed and drained
  • 250g (9oz) apple sauce
  • 200g (7oz) rice flour
  • 2 tsps baking powder
  • A pinch of salt
  • 3 tbsps cocoa powder
  • 3 eggs
  • 75g (3oz) coconut sugar or caster sugar
  • A few drops of vanilla essence
  • 100g (3½oz) pecan nuts, roughly chopped

Preheat the oven to 180°C/350°F/gas mark 4 and lightly grease a 26x18cm (10x7in) baking tray.

Blend the beans with a splash of water in a food processor until they’re the consistency of mashed potato. Add more water if the mixture looks too dry. Add the apple sauce then process again until smooth and well combined.

Sift the flour, baking powder, salt and cocoa powder into a large bowl. In a separate bowl, whisk the eggs then add the sugar in 3-4 batches, beating well. Carefully fold in ¹/³ of the bean mixture to the egg mixture and ¹/³ of the flour mixture. Repeat until all the ingredients are combined.

Add the vanilla essence and pecans then gently fold through. Pour the mixture into the baking tray and 

spread evenly. Bake in the oven for 20-25 minutes. Check to see if it’s done by inserting a skewer into the middle – it should come out clean.

Allow to cool before cutting into square brownies. 

Find out more about how food can affect your mood at tilda.com.

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