Healthy food is boring? These recipes will change your mind

healthy food boring? These recipes will change your mind
My kind of balanced eating: a flavour-filled feast with good-for-you ingredients

Sport and fitness were not high on my agenda when I was growing up. I was famous in my school for scoring the only own-goal in the school’s sporting history. I knew as I sat in the school bus on the way home, filled with shame, that sport would not be my forte.
Thankfully, my interest in food kept me occupied during my formative years, but now that I am slightly older and working in a job that requires plenty of eating, finding an activity that keeps me active and I actually enjoy has been important.
Recently, when I moved to Los Angeles, with a lack of cliffs and green landscapes to hike with the dog, I was all set to finally find an activity I could call my own. A CrossFit gym in the neighborhood was offering free trial classes, so I signed up. A week of not being able to walk after dropping a kettle bell on my foot, combined with muscles that were in protest after what they had been subjected to, meant that CrossFit was certainly not for me.
After a couple more false starts, with a soul cycle class – pedaling to music while going nowhere fast on a stationary bike – that nearly caused me to collapse, and a cardio barre class that had me exercising with a ballet bar, I stumbled across hot yoga.
I had been to regular yoga classes before and had fallen in and out of them over the years, but this time I became completely obsessed. I go almost every day. For the first time, I’m excited about exercise, and with all this extra energy being expended, having a balanced diet has never been more important to me.
The recipes this week are aimed at more-balanced eating. Fresh vegetables, good grains, and protein are all high on the menu.
A niçoise salad with the spoils of summer, a spiced fish dish full of vibrant color and flavors and – for those looking for a sweet treat minus the processed sugar – mango, chia seed and yogurt ice pops to keep you cool.
This is my kind of balanced eating: a feast of flavor filled with ingredients that are good for you.
NIÇOISE TUNA WITH TENDER BOILED EGGS
A niçoise salad might feel somewhat passé, but it’s time for a comeback. This is instant summer food: fresh summer vegetables arranged on a platter with the best-quality tuna – or fish of your choice – popped up with salty capers, olives, and peppery French mustard dressing. Add or subtract ingredients as you wish: this is an ideal salad for interpretation.
Serves 4
200g small, waxy purple and red potatoes
3 large free-range eggs
250g green beans, topped and tailed
2 baby gem lettuce heads, washed and leaves separated
A good handful of watercress washed
300g of line-caught tuna in olive oil
200g olives pitted
8 radishes, halved
100g cherry tomatoes halved
3tbs capers
For the French mustard dressing:
3tbs extra virgin olive oil
1tbs white wine vinegar
1 heaped tsp Dijon mustard
1 garlic clove, finely grated
Sea salt and ground black pepper
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Method
Prepare the dressing by whisking together all the ingredients and seasoning generously with salt and pepper. Set aside.
Place the potatoes in a medium pot and fill it with cold water. Add one to two tablespoons of salt, cover with a lid and place over a high heat until the water boils. Lower the heat to a steady simmer and cook for 12-13 minutes, or until the potatoes are tender when pierced with a fork. Using a slotted spoon, drain the potatoes from the water and place on a plate to cool completely.
While the potatoes are cooking, lower the eggs into the water and cook for six minutes. Remove the eggs with a slotted spoon and plunge them in a bowl of ice water. Once they have cooled completely, carefully peel the eggs and slice in half.
Bring the pot of water back to the boil and add the green beans. Cook for three minutes before refreshing in a bowl of ice water and, once cooled, draining completely.
Arrange the baby gem and watercress leaves across a large serving platter, and top with the green beans, olives, tomatoes, eggs, radishes, and potatoes. Break the tuna into large pieces and arrange in the center of the platter. Scatter the capers over the top and drizzle generously with the prepared dressing.