The medicinal chef's chocolate avocado pots

By Dale Pinnock

OK, I know avocado and dessert don’t sound as though they belong in the same sentence. But trust me – when making healthy desserts, avocados can be your best friend. They provide a creamy texture without the need to add any nasties, and happen to be packed with heart-healthy nutrients to boot. These chocolate pots are also incredibly quick to make… 

Nutty chocolate avocado pots

Prep: 5 min + chilling

Serves: 2 

1 very ripe avocado 

1tbsp almond butter 

1tbsp maple syrup or ½tsp stevia 

1–2tbsp cocoa powder, to taste, plus more to serve (optional)

1 Scoop the avocado flesh into a blender or food processor. Add the remaining ingredients with 1–2tbsp cold water. 

2 Process on full speed until all the ingredients have mixed into a smooth chocolatey dessert. 

3 Spoon the mixture into ramekins and chill in the fridge for 2–3 hr before serving, sprinkled with cocoa powder, if you like.

Per serving:

217kcal

3.9g protein

19.1g fat

3.8g saturates

7.3g carbs

5.2g sugar

4.7g fibre

0.1g salt

35mg calcium

1mg iron

LOW SALT

VEG

GLUTEN FREE

DAIRY FREE

This recipe is taken from Dale Pinnock’s book Heart Disease: Eat your Way to Better Health (Quadrille, £14.99), out now. 

How to make jam with chia seeds

We’ve reached the end of our chia-fuelled week, and we saved our favourite recipe for last…

This raspberry and chia jam is taken from Green Kitchen Travels by David Frenkiel and Luise Vindahl (Hardie Grant; £20), and it’s as delicious as it is simple to make. Three ingredients and a quick stir is all it takes – that’s right, no cooking! We’ve been enjoying it spread on toast and dolloped on top of fat-free Greek yogurt. Why not whip up a pot ready for a Valentine’s day breakfast treat…   

RAW RASPBERRY AND CHIA JAM

PREP 5 min, plus chilling

SERVES 12tbsp

250g raspberries, thawed if frozen

2tbsp chia seeds

2tsp maple syrup or runny honey

1 Put the raspberries in a bowl and crush with a fork. Stir through the chia seeds, then add the maple syrup or honey and mix to combine.

2 Pour the jam into a sterilised jar, then chill for at least an hour for the jam to thicken. It will keep in the fridge for up to 5 days.

Per tbsp

20kcal

0.7g protein

0.8g fat

0.1g saturates

2.6g carbs

1.5g sugar

1.6g fibre

0g salt

22mg calcium

0.4mg iron

LOW CAL

LOW SAT FAT

LOW SALT

HIGH FIBRE

VEG

GLUTEN FREE

DAIRY FREE

How to make a healthy festive starter

With the countdown to Christmas now in single figures and the prospect of cooking the big lunch soon to become a reality, we couldn’t have been happier to receive a preview of Abel & Cole’s festive recipe boxes. This smoked salmon starter went down a treat – a fresh and zingy prelude to the rich-tasting dishes that are to follow. Try it for yourself, then pick up a copy of the December issue of Healthy Food Guide for more festive inspiration.

Merry Christmas!

Smoked salmon salad with citrus and spice

Prep: 30 min

Serves: 6–8

• 150g watercress

• 2 red onions

• 1 cucumber

• 3 limes

• 2 tbsp brown rice wine vinegar

• Pinch demerara sugar or to taste

• Pinch dried chilli flakes or to taste

• 400g smoked salmon

1 Rinse the watercress and pick out and discard any thick stalks. Gently pat the remaining sprigs dry with kitchen paper, then set aside.

2 Peel and very finely slice the red onions. Halve the cucumber lengthways, then use a vegetable peeler to make thin strips, stopping when you reach the seeded core.

3 Finely grate or pare the zest from the limes, then add to a bowl. Squeeze in the lime juice. Add the brown rice wine vinegar, sugar and chilli flakes. Whisk until the sugar dissolves. Taste and add more sugar/chilli as needed.

4 Divide the watercress, red onion and cucumber ribbons among 6–8 small serving plates, or pile it all onto one big platter. Top with the smoked salmon, then spoon over the dressing. Serve straightaway.

Per serving (based on serves 6)

123kcal

18.4g protein

3.3g fat

0.6g saturates

5.2g carbs

3.9g sugar

1.7g fibre

3.2g salt

58mg calcium

1mg iron

LOW CAL

LOW FAT

LOW SAT FAT

LOW SUGAR

HIGH PROTEIN

GLUTEN FREE

DAIRY FREE

1 OF 5-A-DAY

This year, Abel & Cole is offering a choice of three Christmas Feast boxes with ingredients and recipe cards, each to serve 6–8. Take a look at what’s included, then place your order by 22 December at abelandcole.co.uk/christmas/feast-box:

The Merry Veggie Christmas Feast Box £80.00 (reduced from £100)

Cauliflower Soup with Saffron & Sage

Roast Stuffed Squashes with Christmas Spices

Hot Harissa Tomato Sauce

Potato Skordalia

Cumin Roast Celeriac & Parsnips

Broccoli with Sesame & Lemon

Red Cabbage with Pomegranate

Brilliant Baked Orange & Cardamom Cheesecake

The Brilliant Beef Christmas Feast Box £140.00 (reduced from £160)

Smoked Salmon Salad with Citrus & Spice

Roast Topside of Beef with Mustardy Onion Gravy

Dishy Horseradish Crème Fraiche

Yorkshire Puddingle Bells

Goose Fat Roast Spuds & Snips

Lemon & Cumin Carrots

Brussels Sprouts with Chestnuts & Lardons

Honeyed Red Cabbage with Bramley Apples

Jewelled Chocolate Torte

The Terrific Turkey Christmas Feast Box £180.00 (reduced from £200)

Smoked Salmon Salad with Citrus & Spice

Butter Roast Turkey with Cider Gravy

Sage & Shallot Stuffing Balls

Goose Fat Roast Spuds & Snips

Lemon & Cumin Carrots

Brussels Sprouts with Chestnuts & Lardons

Honeyed Red Cabbage with Bramley Apples

Jewelled Chocolate Torte

How to make gluten- and dairy-free banana bread

By Rebecca Almond

Here at HFG we love to tinker with recipes, both in the test kitchen and in our own homes – swapping out less healthy ingredients for nutrient-rich and allergy-or-intolerance-friendly alternatives. So when a friend with coeliac disease invited me to her new flat for coffee, I set about searching for a sweet treat I could bake to take along – one that everyone would enjoy.

Banana bread is a classic coffee break snack, and one that’s simple to make. Cookery books and recipe websites are filled with variations on the theme, but many are high in calories and contain gluten. For me, bananas are sweet enough, so I decided to leave out the usual maple syrup/sugar/agave nectar component. And to make the loaf gluten-free, I put the coconut flour I’d picked up at a health food store a few weeks ago (clueless as to what to do with it) to the test.

The result? A moist, subtly-sweet loaf that’s low in calories (only 117kcal per slice!), high in fibre and protein, and, crucially, something all of my friends and I happily tucked in to. Give it a go yourself and let me know how you get on…

Coconut, chia and banana loaf

PREP 10 min + resting COOK 40–50 min CUTS INTO 10 slices

3 ripe bananas (you want the skins to be nicely speckled)

6 eggs

1tsp vanilla bean paste

½tsp ground cinnamon

2tsp gluten-free baking powder

70g coconut flour (I used Sukrin)

20g chia seeds

Desiccated coconut, to sprinkle (optional)

1.     Put the bananas, eggs, vanilla bean paste, cinnamon and baking powder in a blender and whiz until smooth (the mixture will be quite runny, like a smoothie). 

2.     Sift the coconut flour into a large bowl, then stir through the chia seeds. Slowly pour in the banana mixture, whisking with a balloon whisk until thickened and combined. Cover and set aside for 10 min to allow the flour and chia to expand. Heat the oven to 170C/fan 150C/gas 3½ and line a 1lb loaf tin with baking paper. 

3.     Pour the cake batter into the prepared tin, then smooth the surface with a spatula. Decorate the top with a sprinkling of desiccated coconut, if you like (you could use sliced banana or chopped nuts, or leave plain – it’s just as delicious), then bake on the middle shelf of the oven for 40–50 min until golden and an inserted skewer comes out clean. If the top looks like it’s browning too quickly, cover loosely with foil. 

4.     Remove the loaf from the oven and leave to cool for 5 min before turning out on to a wire rack to cool completely. The loaf will keep, well wrapped, in the fridge for up to a week – if you can make it last that long…

SERVING SUGGESTIONS: A slice of this loaf is perfect as it is, but you could top with a drizzle of runny honey, natural seed butter or a little ricotta cheese, if you like.

Per slice

117kcal

6.6g protein

5.6g fat

2g saturates

9g carbs

7.1g sugar

4.7g fibre

0.4g salt

47mg calcium

1.2mg iron

LOW CAL

HIGH PROTEIN

HIGH FIBRE

VEG

GLUTEN FREE

DAIRY FREE