I think it’s safe to say that the last year has played havoc with numerous parts of our lives, not only physical health but mental health too – pushing us all to dig deep and find strength and patience in places we did not know we had reserves. As we prepare for the summer holidays feeling a tad discombobulated and fatigued from all the stop-starts this year, there is no better place to start than nutrition. With the help of nutritionist Stephanie de Chillaz, we have discovered some fun summer recipes inspired by the Mediterranean to get into the holiday season and feel great in ourselves.
Being half Italian, one of the things I cherish the most is a meal time with friends and family and with summer in full swing and school holidays around the corner we intend to spend a lot more time in our garden doing just that. The Mediterranean lifestyle and relationship with food is one that celebrates all of the above – Not only are the principle ingredients loaded with delicious vegetables and fruit but spending time with the ones we love is a vital ingredient too.
Stephanie has crafted out a career in nutrition that covers all the best and more difficult bits to create a better lifestyle and feel great all year round.
In her practice Stephanie covers everything from digestive health, skin issues, hormonal imbalance and weight loss. One of the many perks about Stephanie’s approach to food and lifestyle are all the fun facts that she shares about particular foods (figs, avocados, nuts) .
I recently discovered through the delicious recipes from Stephanie, that in addition to the yummy food the Mediterranean diet promotes, that eating and spending time with others during meal time can bring down cortisol (aka Stress levels) and inflammation and furthermore leads to higher levels of wellbeing and happiness.
See here some fun summer recipes to share with the ones you love.
Beatrice.
To read more about Stephanie de Chillaz and hear about her practice and private consultations please click here https://stephaniedechillaz.co.uk.
Lambs lettuce salad (vg, df, gf)
Recipe (serves 4):
1 bag of lambs lettuce
2 peaches, chopped
2 figs (black or green), chopped
2 apples, chopped
Dressing
1 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
1 lemon, juiced
1 tbsp red wine vinegar
A pinch of salt
Use lambs lettuce as a base and add the dressing. Add all of the fruit on top! As easy as that!
Kale strawberry salad (vg, df, gf)
Recipe: (serves 4)
1 bag of kale
100g cooked quinoa
1 punnet of chopped strawberries
1 punnet of blueberries
1 handful of nuts such as pecans as shown here
Dressing
1 tbsp tahini
1 tsp mustard
1/2 lemon juiced
1 pinch of salt
Combine the kale and quinoa and add the dressing. Then add the fruit and pecans on top.
Vegan Raspberry chocolate tart (gf, df)
Recipe
For the crust:
150g almond flour
20g cocoa powder
50g coconut oil
20g maple syrup
For the filling:
115g coconut milk (full fat)
160g bitter chocolate, finely chopped
80g raspberry jam (preferably low sugar)
200g fresh raspberries
1. Lightly grease a pan with a removable bottom with coconut or light olive oil.
2. In a bowl, combine all of the ingredients for the curst and stir together.
3. Press evenly into the tart pan and set aside.
4. For the filling, place the finely chopped chocolate in a large bowl and in a small saucepan bring the coconut milk to a boil.
5. Pour the hot coconut milk over the finely chopped chocolate and let stand for 1 minute. Then stir until smooth and creamy.
6. Stir in the raspberry jam and pour the filling into the prepared crust.
7. Garnish the top with fresh raspberries.
8. Place into the fridge and let set for 1-2 hours. Slice, serve and enjoy!
