High Nutrient Recipes for Mental Health

Author-Vi..Cult...Wikimedia
Quinoa

This is my post on recipes for mentall health,a follow up on  Diet for Mental Health Part 1

Quinoa-Vegetable Dish -serves 4  
You will need:
3 white onions cut in small pieces
A few florets of broccoli/cauliflower chopped into small pieces
3 cloves of garlic chopped

salt,pepper,a little bit of turmeric
peas/carrots,chopped
white/red/black quinoa 2dl
(optional) cooked chopped potatoes and a vegetable stock cube if you are not a great fan of quinoa or if this is your first time trying it & you like potatoes

Place all the ingredients (except peas & potatoes in a pan add 5dl of water and cook with a lid on at moderate heat for 20-25mins until all the ingredients are cooked.Add the peas & potatoes last to heat them up.Enjoy!

 
Fruit & Date Cake -serves 4 (dairy & egg free)


Author-Badagnani Wikimedia
Blackstrap Molasses

This will take 2 hours but turn out very yummy & healthy!
You will need:
125g (4 oz) oats or "Breakfast Bran"
1 teasoon of molasses
125g (4 oz) dates (dried) chopped/raisins
50g (2oz) chopped walnuts/pecan nuts
125g (4 oz)wholemeal spelt flour
2 teaspoons baking powder
300ml of oat milk (easy instructions on how to make your own oat milk)

1)Put the oats,molasses,dates/raisins,nuts & milk in a mixing bowl,stir well,cover & leave for 1 hour.
2)Preheat your oven at 180 degrees (350F), Gas mark 4.
3)Sieve in the flour & baking powder & mix thoroughly.
4)Pour into a lined & greased 1lb(500g) loaf tin and cook for 55mins-1hour,or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean.Turn out onto a wire rack and allow to cool.


Herb Salad Dressing
You will need:
10 tablespoons Olive/rapeseed oil preferably cold pressed
A large handful of fresh herbs of your choice-parsley/tarragon/chives/basil all work nicely
2 cloves of garlic
Turmeric,black pepper,salt
5 tablespoons Apple Cider Vinegar (preferably un-filtered)
Place all the ingredients in a food processor & blend thoroughly
If you do not have a food processor chop all the incredients finely & add them to the oil & vinegar.Taste to see if more of any ingredient is needed.

Serve with a salad of lettuce/tomato/cucumber/raw grated beetroot/carrots/beans/raw cabbage

Hummous-Serves 4-6
This recipe requires overnight soaking or a can of cooked chickpeas,takes approximately 3hours
You will need:
A blender
A few leaves of lettuce
2 tablespoons of olive oil preferably cold pressed
2tablespoons of tahini(ground sesame seed paste) or flax seeds that have been kept refrigerated for an omega 3 boost.
1-2 cloves of crushed garlic
Juice from half a lemon
Salt & Pepper
2 teaspoons of chopped mint/parsley(or a combination of parsley & chives)
125g (4 oz) chick peas soaked overnight ,then rinsed thoroughly & cooked in a pan of cold water for 2- 2.5hours adding a little salt at the end of the cooking time.You can also use a pressure cooker or rice cooker to cook the chickpeas.

1)Drain the chickpeas but keep 120ml (4 fl oz)of the liquid,if you are using canned chickpeas use lukewarm water and rinse the chickpeas thoroughly.
2)Blend the chickpeas,oil,lemon juice,water,garlic & tahini.Add half a teaspoon of salt and a quater of a teaspoon of pepper and blend again,taste to see if more salt/lemon/pepper is needed.
3)Place the hummous on the lettuce leaves and add the chopped herbs on top.

Triple Treat Cabbage Salad

Serves: 4

Preparation Time: 15 minutes
Ingredients:

• SALAD
• 2 cups green cabbage, grated
• 1 cup red cabbage, grated
• 1 cup savoy cabbage, grated
• 1 carrot, peeled and grated
• 1 red pepper, thinly sliced
• 1/4 cup dried currants
• 2 tablespoons raw pumpkin seeds
• 2 tablespoons raw sunflower seeds
• 1 tablespoon unhulled sesame seeds
• DRESSING
• 1/3 cup soy, almond or hemp milk
• 1 apple, peeled and sliced
• 1/2 cup raw cashews or 1/4 cup raw cashew butter
• 1 tablespoon Dr. Fuhrman's Spicy Pecan Vinegar or balsamic vinegar
• 1 tablespoon dried currants
• 1 tablespoon unhulled sesame seeds, lightly toasted*

Instructions:

Mix all salad ingredients together.

In a high powered blender, blend soy milk, apple, cashews and vinegar and toss with salad.

Garnish with currants and lightly toasted sesame seeds

Mixed Greens and Strawberry Salad

Serves: 3

Preparation Time: 15 minutes

Ingredients:

• CASHEW DRESSING
• 1/4 cup raw cashews or 2 tablespoons raw cashew butter
• 1/3 cup unsweetened soy, hemp or almond milk
• 1 apple, peeled and sliced
• 2 tablespoons dried currants or raisins
• SALAD
• 1 head (about 6 cups) romaine lettuce
• 5 ounces (about 5 cups) organic baby spinach
• 1 12-ounce bag frozen strawberries, defrosted and sliced in half

Instructions:
To make dressing, blend cashews or cashew butter with soy milk and apple in a high powered blender until smooth. Add the currants and blend well.

Pile the lettuce and spinach leaves on a plate and lay the strawberries on top. Pour the juice from the strawberries over the greens.

Drizzle dressing over the greens and berries.

Yummy Banana Oat Bars

Serves: 8
Preparation Time: 10 minutes

Ingredients:

• 2 cups quick-cooking rolled oats (not instant)
• 1/2 cup unsweetened shredded coconut
• 1/2 cup raisins or chopped dates
• 1/4 cup chopped walnuts
• 2 large ripe bananas, mashed
• 3/4 cup finely chopped apple

Instructions:

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Mix all the ingredients in a large bowl until well combined. Press into a 9-by-9-inch baking pan and bake for 30 minutes. Cool on a wire rack. When cool, cut into squares or bars.

Image: 

FreeDigitalPhotos.net

Eat Your Greens Fruit Smoothie 

Serves: 2

Preparation Time: 3 minutes

Ingredients:

• 5 ounces baby spinach
• 1 banana
• 1 cup frozen or fresh blueberries
• 1/2 cup unsweetened soy, hemp or almond milk
• 1/2 cup pomegranate juice or other unsweetened fruit juice
• 1 tablespoon ground flaxseeds

Instructions:

Blend all ingredients in a high powered blender until smooth and creamy.

Little Red Lentil  & Broccoli Sauce (serve with wholemeal pasta)
Serves: 3
You will need:
250g/90z Split red lentils (if they are not split the cooking time increases)
600ml/1 pint 2and a half cups of water
A few florets of broccoli,chopped in small pieces (you can add the trunk of the broccoli if you peel away the outer "bark" and chop it finely
2 gloves of garlic crushed/chopped in small pieces
A little dried rosemary
A little Turmeric
A little Salt & black pepper

1) Rinse the lentils with a fine sieve/collander and take out any debris you see.

2) Place the all the ingredients in a pan,heat so that the water is boiling,when it is, reduce the heat.

3)Make sure you stir regularly to prevent your sauce sticking to the pan.

4)When the lentils turn all mushy and they taste soft remove them fromthe heat,let the sauce cool a little and taste to see if seasoning(salt & pepper) is needed and pour over pasta.


Sugar Free Fruit Sorbet
Serves: 3
You will need:
A blender
Some fresh lemon balm/mint (about 1-2 handfuls)
You have 2 options here:

2 bananas frozen overnight (placed in a plasticbag/container WITHOUT the skin)
& a fresh mango/fully defrosted pack of mango at room temperature

2ripe bananas (fresh) & a packet of frozen mango.

1)Let the frozen fruit de-frost a little so that you won't overwork & destroy your blender.
2)Place all the ingredients and blend until you get a smooth texture.
3)Eat when it is not too cold,do not freeze again...


Feel free to use this image I took,no copyright

Onion-Courgette Dish
Cooking takes about 50 minutes & 5 minutes preparation
You will need:
3 onions (white)
1 medium/2 small cougettes (they have a stronger flavour)
1 dl Water
Herb Salt or salt with dried herbs,parsley works well.
Rice/other wholegrain cereal cooked
Extra vegetables like broccoli,steamed carrots,peas,sweetcorn (optional)

Tip-place the onions overnight in the fridge to stop them from hurting your eyes when you cut them

1)Cut off the ends of the courgettes,rinse them and use a vegetable peeler to thinly slice the courgette like in the picture.Turn the courgette 360 degrees if the peeling becomes difficult so you have something that resembles a large pencil/pen.
2)Cut the onion into small pieces.
3)Add all ingredients into a pan and leave on a medium-high heat for 30 minutes with a lid on,take off the lid and cook for a further 20 mins,stirring often to make sure its not sticking to the pan.Tste to see if it is cooked enough.
4)Add your wholegrain cooked creal (rice/quinoa...) add the optional vegetables and taste to see if more salt is needed.

Sources:
Recipes addapted from Wholefood Cooking Carole Handslip
My own experimentation with preparing food.
http://www.drfuhrman.com/library/recipes.aspx