January Blues? Food to make you smilier and slimmer!!

Its the same for all of us, the Festive Season has the power of making us believe that we have bottomless tummies and all accommodating livers....only to then turn around in the New Year and slap it on our cheeks and bottoms!

Well if your feeling like me - a waddling little turkey - then you too will be desperately searching for the miracle cure that will flatten your tummy and brighten yours eyes. Sadly there is no one miracle cure, but I'm always a great believer that food is medicine and therefore here are my three favorite things to eat to cure those January Blues.

1. Beetroot and Pearl Barley Salad

Its a known fact that Beetroot is brilliant for your liver (a great hangover cure) and it full of vitamins which brighten your skin too!

4 x Beetroots (buy pre cooked to save time)
1 x Cucumber
200g Pearl Barley
1 x spring onion
Rocket
Tbsp good Olive Oil

Prepare the Pearl Barely by washing it in cold water. Add the barley to a pan of cold water and bring to the boil. Then drain and refill with cold water and bring to the boil. Leave to simmer for 45 mins or until soft.

Slice the Beet Root and Cucumber, finely chop the spring onion and place all the ingredients in a big bowl. When the pearl barely is cooked add it to the bowl with the olive oil, season and stir. Serve on a bed of rocket and ice-breg lettuce.




2. Seabass with Prawns and Tomato Puree

Two Seabass Fillets
300g Raw King Prawns
500g Cherry Tomatoes
3 x Spring onions finely chopped
5 x sprigs fresh Thyme
3 x cloves garlic finely chopped

Place the Cherry Toms, spring onion and Thyme in a saucepan and cook on a medium heat for 15 minutes. Add water if the mixture starts to stick.

Hear a little oil in a frying pan, add the prawns and then place the Seabass skin side down in the pan. Cook for 3-5 mins until the skin is golden. Turn over and add a know of butter to the pan, turn the heat of after about 30 seconds.

Strain the tomato mix and place back on the heat for 2 minutes.

Place the fish in the centre of the plate with the prawns around the side. Pour over the tomato puree.

Serves with mixed salad leaves or mash potato if you feel a bit hungrier!



3. Spicy Chicken Soup

2 x Chicken Breasts cut into strips
2 x  tablespoon White wine vinegar
1 x Red chilled de seeded and finely chopped
A pinch of nutmeg
1 x bunch of coriander
2 x Lime zest
3 x Pak Choi
1 x Red pepper cut into strips
2 x pints chicken stock
1 tbsp of freshly grate coconut

Fry the Chicken in a little oil until golden on each side. Add the white wine vinegar, chili and nutmeg and simmer for 5 minutes.  Finley Chop the stalks of the coriander and add to the pan with the lime zest and cook for a further 3 minutes. Add the pak choi, red peppers and chicken stock and cook for a further 5 minutes. Serve with the coconut and chopped coriander leaves.