Healthy meals the slow cooker way

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Far from being old-fashioned, slow cookers are the cool kids on the block when it comes to making healthy, wholesome food, The brilliant thing about these culinary beauties is that you don’t have to slave in the kitchen for hours to make a wonderful meal for all to enjoy.

From soups and stews, to casseroles and curries, we have a feeling that if you make the move to the slow side, there will be no looking back.

Bolognaise
The days of splashing tomato sauce everywhere when you make a bolognaise are over, because the slow cooker will keep it all contained. You might want to brown off your mince and onions first, then you can add this mix to your pot, together with two tins of tomatoes, onions, carrots, celery, garlic, mushrooms, tomato purée and herbs. Put the lid on and let it cook for around six hours and the magic will get to work. When meal time comes around, cook up some pasta, pile onto plates, add some parmesan and enjoy.

Tofu curry
With more and more people choosing a plant-based diet, the slow cooker is a ‘must have’ for vegans. Put some diced tofu, a blend of spices, curry paste, some peppers, green beans, and diced onions together with coconut milk and a little water, into the pot and leave to slowly simmer. In just a few hours you will have a healthy, totally tasty meal that you can eat for dinner, and pack for lunch the next day. Just add rice, and you are good to go.

Spicy sweet potato and lentil stew
Lentils are a really great source of healthy protein and are also cost-effective when it comes to cooking. Mix a few tablespoons of red lentils, with diced sweet potatoes, sliced carrots, and celery as well as peeled leeks, a thumb of crushed ginger, and a small teaspoon of curry powder. Place it all in your slow cooker with a cup or so of water, put on a low heat for around six hours and you will have a delicious, nutritious meal waiting for you when hunger strikes.

Mean meatballs
You might not have thought about the slow cooker for meatballs, but this dish is perfect for exactly that. Either buy pre-made beef or turkey meatballs, or you can make them yourself, and as with bolognaise, brown the meat and onions before adding them to the pot with tinned tomatoes, tomato purée as well as frozen peas and mushrooms. Put the lid on, press go and let the flavour of the ingredients get to work as you get on with your day. This dish is perfect with rice or pasta and a side of broccoli, and the leftovers are great cold in sandwiches the next day!

Mushroom soup
Mushrooms are jam-packed with B vitamins, potassium, iron and copper, and make a brilliant slow cooker soup. Slice a good-sized pack of mushrooms and put them in your slow cooker together with vegetable stock, browned onions, garlic plus salt and pepper, and cook on high for about three hours. If you want the soup to be thick and full, add some cream, then serve with crusty bread and a cheese board.

Lasagne
You heard it right here, you can totally make a delicious lasagne in a slow cooker. Once the meat and onions have been browned, mix with a couple of cans of tomatoes, tomato purée and a dash of Worcestershire sauce, then layer this with your pasta sheets and cheese sauce. Put the lid on and cook for around six hours on low. Once piping hot, serve with a green salad and garlic bread and we think you will be pleasantly surprised at how good it tastes.

Lentil soup
There is nothing boring about lentil soup if you add in chickpeas, cinnamon, cumin, turmeric, and cayenne pepper as well as any veg you have kicking around in the fridge. Cook on slow for a few hours and you will have a filling lunch or late supper waiting for you when you are feeling peckish.

If you have got a recipe you think we would like, drop us a line as we would love to know what it is.

Team Pure Beauty

Healthy Halloween Treats

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With cooler than cool costumes being chosen and tricks being planned, Halloween is in the air and it is coming to get you!

While many of us think of stocking up on sweets and chocolates for 31st October, but these aren’t the only things you can serve up to party guests and doorstep visitors.

We have had a look at some spooky snacks which look, and taste great, but won’t play havoc with your blood sugar levels or waistline.

Haunted pizzas
Make your own bases, then add tomato sauce, cut out ghost shapes from mozzarella and make olives for eyes, and when it comes out of the oven, you will have a wicked haunted pizza that people will be dying to eat.

Serve a skeleton with slime
This idea is super simple but also totally delicious and good for you. Place slices of crunchy carrot, cucumber, pepper, and celery together on a plate in the shape of a skeleton. Then mix the eye of newt and toe of frog (avocado and lemon juice to you and I) and you will have slime to go with your bones.

Kiwi frogs
If you want to ensure that your five a day goal is reached, even when the temptation is to go for the toffees, fruity frogs are a real winner. Layer thick slices of ripe kiwi fruit, add a slice of strawberry to make a tongue, and blueberries are great for eyes, and you will soon have a healthy witching treat, even fussy eaters will enjoy.

Sick salad
This sounds gross, but it is actually really delicious. Buy an extra pumpkin, wash and clean it, carve out eyes and a mouth and put your masterpiece on a large plate. Then, place a cool concoction of fruit like strawberries, sliced grapes, tangerine segments, blueberries and melon balls in the mouth of the pumpkins, and you will have a sick salad just waiting to be eaten – but take a photo for Instagram (#halloween) before you do!

Banana ghosts
Now you see them, now you don’t! Banana ghosts are really simple to make, look brilliant, and are just a little bit naughty too. Take a bunch of bananas (medium-sized and not too soft), peel and chop them in half, stand flat side down on a plate, create mouths and eyes from chocolate chips and you have a seriously spooky offering.

Satsuma pumpkins
For a tempting dose of Vitamin C, why not use a little magic to turn your satsumas into pumpkins? Take a bag of the little lovelies, peel them, put them on a spooky napkin on a plate, add a carrot stick to make a stork and a sprinkling of plastic spiders, and you have created a scary masterpiece. You can also smear celery sticks with peanut butter, strategically place a handful of fake spiders and you’ll have some spooky logs just waiting to be munched.

Just add eyeballs
If you want to really freak your guests out, forget the ice and add eyeballs to their drinks. You can buy jelly sweet versions, or if you want to go for the natural option, stuff a lychee with a blueberry, pierce with a cocktail stick and then rest this on the rim of a glass and watch their mouths fall open!

We hope we have shown you that sweets don’t have to reign supreme when it comes to Halloween, and we wish you a very scary 31 October.

Team Pure Beauty

It’s time to look after your tummy

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We cleanse our faces, brush our teeth and wax our legs, but when was the last time you looked after your tummy?

We might not be able to see them, but tummies are a massively important part of your body, take care of it and it’ll be your best friend, let things slip then you might find you feel sluggish, bloated and suffering with cramps and constipation.

None of us want to feel like this, so we have had a look at how to take care of your tummy, so you get on better than ever.

Take on water
If you do nothing else to help your tummy, it is important to drink plenty of water. As well as preventing constipation, water is needed because it helps to produce the clever digestive juices which break down your food and keep you gas-free. We know it isn’t always easy in the winter, but aim to drink at least two litres of water every day and remember that tea, coffee, fruit juice and water-based foods like cabbage, celery and tomato can top your water levels up, so add some of those to your daily diet too. If you find it hard to drink enough water, buy yourself a pretty stainless steel bottle, fill it with water before you leave home, and if you want a bit flavour, add lemon, mint or cucumber, rather than sugary squashes.

It’s on your plate
While a diet that is rich in fibre can help keep digestion on track and constipation, away, many of us don’t eat the recommended 30g of fibre a day. To keep things flowing, a diet that is packed with beans, brown rice, fruit and veg as well as oats and wholemeal bread, is a good idea. With supermarkets and farmers markets offering a huge range of fresh, seasonal food, it isn’t hard to hit the mark and this will help to keep your carbon footprint down too. Go easy on greasy chips, burgers and fried doughnuts, as these tend to be harder to digest, consider grilling lean meat and fish as well as drinking skimmed or semi-skimmed milk instead of full fat options.

Eat something sour
Enzymes help to breakdown and absorb food, and sour and bitter foods will naturally stimulate your digestive juices and get them really working. Rocket, kale or spinach served with a simple squeeze of lemon juice is one way to add this into your diet and is pretty tasty too. You can also drink a glass of mineral water with the juice of half a lemon, or half a tablespoon of apple cider vinegar half an hour before you eat a meal, and not only is this refreshing and hydrating, it will also give your digestion a boost.

Go ginger
We all know that ginger tea and ginger biscuits are good for pregnant women suffering with morning sickness, but this handy root could help you too. Make your own cup of goodness by peeling a thumb-sized piece of ginger, thinly slicing it, and then let it steep in hot water with a slice of lemon for around five minutes. This can help soothe an upset stomach, ease cramps and nausea and also work on bloating. If you really can’t bear ginger, fennel seeds are worth a try. Using the seeds to make tea, or chew them as they come, and both can help deal with cramping and bloating, and they also come in handy when your eyes are bigger than your belly at the dinner table.

Jump up
If you sit down all day, then the chances are, you and your digestive system will be slow and sluggish. By taking regular exercise, not only are you helping stay fit and healthy, but it can also stimulate your intestinal muscles, and this will helping move your food through your digestive system more smoothly and prevent any congestion! Whether you walk the dog, jump on your bike, go to a yoga class or do a little kick boxing, not only will your tunny thank you, but you will also benefit from a burst of feel good endorphins and a leaner body.

Team Pure Beauty

Soup To Nourish Your Body

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If you are looking for wholesome, nourishing food that will feed your body this winter, soups are a real winner.

Yes, you can buy tinned and fresh ones at the supermarket, but there is something really satisfying about serving up a steaming bowl of goodness you have made from scratch.

Asian Broth
If you are looking for a light lunch option, you can’t go wrong with this quick and easy recipe that serves four.

You will need:
3 cloves of garlic
One piece of ginger (around 5cm)
200 g of pak choi, choy sum and Chinese cabbage
2 spring onions
1 red chilli
2 star anise
800 ml of clear vegetable stock
1 lime
Soy sauce

To make:
Peel and crush the garlic, then peel and grate the ginger. Trim the greens and finely slice the spring onions and chilli then add to a saucepan together with the garlic, ginger and star anise.
Put the pan over a low heat, add the stock, then bring to the boil. Gently simmer for around half an hour, then finally add the vegetables and cook gently until they are slightly wilted but still give a little bit of crunch.
Serve with soy sauce and a little lime juice and enjoy the fragrant flavours.

Winter Vegetable Soup with Red Lentils
This is a great warming soup to enjoy with family and friends after a country walk but also makes a hearty dinner when served with pitta bread and humus.

You will need:

85g of dried red lentils
2 medium carrots, diced
2 leeks, thinly sliced
1 red pepper, deseeded and diced
2 tablespoons of tomato purée
1 tablespoon of fresh thyme leaves
3 cloves of garlic peeled and crushed
1 tablespoon of vegetable bouillon powder
1 teaspoon of ground coriander
Boiling water
Salt and pepper to taste

To make:
Add the lentils and vegetables to a pan together with the tomato purée, thyme, garlic, bouillon powder and coriander, then pour in one litre of boiling water and stir well. Cover the pan and simmer for 30 minutes or until the lentils are tender.
You can either eat this as a chunky soup, or blitz in a blender and enjoy a smoother meal.

Roast Sweet Potato Soup

This delicious soup is a packed with 2 of your 5 a day and is perfect for taking to work in a flask or eating after a gym session.

You will need:
500g of sweet potato, peeled and cut into small chunks
300g of carrots, peeled and diced
Olive oil
2 small red onions, peeled and finely chopped
2 garlic cloves, peeled and grated
1 tablespoon of vegetable bouillon powder
100ml of fat-free crème fraîche, plus extra to serve
Salt and pepper
Boiling water

To make:
Heat oven to 220C/200C fan/ gas 7 then drizzle the carrots and sweet potatoes with olive oil plus salt and pepper and cook for around half an hour.
Heat two large tablespoons of olive oil in a saucepan and fry the onion until it is soft and translucent. Add the garlic and cook for several minutes then pour in the boiling water and vegetable bouillon powder and mix well and simmer for around ten minutes.
Take the roasted vegetables out of the oven and once cool, add to the pan mix and blend together until smooth and lump free.
Add the crème fraîche, reheat and enjoy.

Bolognese and Mary Berry – what’s all the fuss?

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While Brexit and Trump are still toping the headlines, it was Mary Berry who stole the media show last week with talk about the ingredients of her somewhat unorthodox Bolognese sauce.

The kitchen veteran revealed that she added double cream and white wine to her sauce, but not everyone was impressed.

Whatever we thought of her ideas, she got on thing right by following the one rule of Bolognese, which is that it must not, under any circumstances, be served with spaghetti and rather pappardelle, as she uses.

For many families, Bolognese is a mid-week staple so we have put together a tasty recipe that will make everyone happy.

For one batch, you will need:

• 2 tablespoons of olive oil
• 400g of minced beef
• 1 onion, sliced and diced
• 2 cloves of garlic, crushed
• 100g of carrots, grated
• 2 x 400g tins of chopped tomatoes
• 400ml of stock
• 400g pasta – ideally tagliatelle, pappardelle or fettuccine
• Salt and pepper to season

With the ingredients prepared, here’s how it goes?

• Heat the olive oil in a pan and once hot add the mince and a little salt and pepper. Cook the mince until browned then transfer to a bowl and set aside.
• Add another tablespoon of oil to the pan and gently fry the onions until softened and translucent. Add the garlic and cook for around two more minutes, then mix in the carrot and put the mince back into the pan.
• Next chuck in the tomatoes, stir and pour in the stock. Bring all of this bring to a simmer before reducing the temperature and cooking for around 45 minutes until the sauce is thick and rich.
• Cook the pasta as advised, we love fresh for a really authentic taste, then serve with the sauce and enjoy.

If you do want to have a little extra taste we do have some other ideas to bring your sauce alive.

Dried porcini mushrooms add a depth of flavour that will really surprise you. Soak the mushrooms for around 10 minutes in boiling water and add them into the sauce for a real taste sensation.

If you aren’t a big red meat-eater, why not use turkey instead. This is lower in fat but does need a little added flavour so cook this in a slow-cooker and add a few dried sage leaves over the finished dish, and enjoy.

Soffritto is a mixture of diced carrots, onion and celery, and adding it to your sauce adds extra flavour, colour and texture. Because it’s finely chopped, it clings more easily to the pasta, too.

You can add various herbs for added taste. A teaspoon of dried Italian mixed herbs added at the start of cooking, or a tablespoon of fresh, chopped oregano added to the meat sauce towards the end of the process, can offer depth as well as taste.

For vegetarians, you can swap the minced beef for Quorn, which is a healthy source of protein.

However you cook your sauce, enjoy eating it!

Team Pure Beauty