Brain Food
PAN-FRIED SALMON AND GREENS
Cooking time: 9 minutes.
Melt coconut oil (extra points for MCT oil) in a frying pan. Add the salmon skin-side down, season with salt and freshly ground black pepper and squeeze over a little lemon juice.
Fry for 2-3 minutes, then turn the salmon over and fry for a further 1-2 minutes, or until cooked through.
Squeeze over a little more lemon juice and taste to check the seasoning. Remove from the pan and set aside.
Place the broccoli into a pan of boiling salted water and boil for 3-4 minutes, or until al dente. Drain the broccoli.
To serve, pile the broccoli onto a serving plate and top with the pan-fried salmon. Garnish with lemon wedges and sprinkle with chopped walnuts.
Just click that button below to magically order these ingredients from your favourite supermarket so you can save your brain power.
SUPERFOOD GRANOLA WITH PUMPKIN SEEDS
Start your day off right with this homemade granola from Elly Pear (thanks Elly!). It’s a breeze to chuck together on a Sunday night, and will set you up for a solid week of yummy breakfasts.
Why is it good for my brain?
Pumpkin seeds give your memory a boost and improve your sleep and when served with probiotic yoghurt and blueberries, you’ll also be protecting yourself from anxiety and depression, and improving your cognitive function.
What you’ll need: honey, coconut oil, oats, almonds, raisins, cacao powder, cinnamon, puffed buckwheat, pumpkin seeds, goji berries, hemp seeds. (You can click the button below to automatically add all these to your usual food shop.*praise hands emoji*)
Cooking time: 20 minutes
Melt the honey and the oil together in a large saucepan over a low heat.
Add the oats and almonds and stir well. Spread out on a large baking tray lined with greaseproof paper and bake at 180C (fan) for 17 minutes.
Leave to totally cool then break up into chunks.
Place in a large bowl and add all the remaining ingredients.
Keep in an airtight jar or Tupperware box.
Here’s the full recipe.
PAN-FRIED MACKEREL WITH CHERRY TOMATOES AND BEETROOT
Quick ‘n’ easy to whip up, it’s perfect for a midweek dinner and will do nicely for lunch too if you make double portions. Just don’t warm it up in the office microwave, no one will like you.
Why is it good for my brain?
The star of the show is mackerel, which is super high in omega-3 - the kind of healthy fat that our brains need. Alongside it are antioxidant-rich cherry tomatoes, which are in season right now, so extra delish; and beetroot, which is chock-full of brain-boosting nutrients and gives your libido a boost. You’re welcome.
What you’ll need: puy lentils, watercress and rocket, extra virgin olive oil, pine nuts, lemon, cherry tomatoes, cooked beetroot, mackerel fillets (You can click the button below to automatically add all these to your usual food shop. )
Cooking time: 15 minutes
Cook the lentils according to the pack instructions.
Put half the watercress and rocket into a food processor with 3 tbsp of the olive oil and the pine nuts. Season well and whizz to a rough pesto, loosening with 1 tbsp water if necessary. Stir through the zest of half a lemon.
Toss the warm lentils with half the pesto, then stir through the tomatoes, beetroot and the juice of half a lemon. Divide between 2 plates.
Rub the mackerel with the remaining olive oil and lemon zest. Season. Heat a frying pan, fry the mackerel skin-side down for 2 minutes over a high heat, then turn over and cook for a further 1-2 minutes (depending on the thickness) until cooked through.
Top the lentil salad with a mackerel fillet, then serve with a handful of the remaining salad leaves, a dollop of pesto and lemon wedges to squeeze over.
Here’s the full recipe.
POKE BOWL
Poké is to hipsters what cheese sandwiches were to your grandparents - equal parts essential and on fleek. And after 5 years of working in Shoreditch, I know a hipster when I see one. Sometimes he's in the mirror.
Perfect for a solo couch dinner, or a build-your-own kind of gathering–– poké bowls are a heartier alternative to salads, while still pulling some serious weight in the nutrition department.
This vegan version from Mind Body Bowlis delicious, but for the carnivores, poké traditionally includes raw fish, so you could add in salmon or tuna ceviche to up the ante.
Why is it good for my brain?
That “eat the rainbow” stuff isn’t just for pride. Essentially, the more colours you can cram into a meal, the more balanced and nutritious it will be for your body. But here, we’re all about the brain, so the heavy-hitters in this recipe are; brown rice- excellent whole grain goodness for cardiovascular health and improved blood flowall over the body (including the brain), edamame- high in protein, omega-3 and iron which areessential for brain form and function, and miso- which, as a fermented food, improves memory and is protective against dementia and Alzheimer’s.
What you’ll need:brown rice, miso paste, apple cider vinegar, red cabbage, cucumber, edamame, portobello mushroom, carrots, radishes, garlic, ginger, sesame oil, sesame seeds, mirin, tamari, maple syrup, lime (You can click the button below to automatically add all these to your usual food shop.*praise hands emoji*)
Cooking time: 30 minutes
Cook the rice according to packet instructions, adding 1/2 a teaspoon of miso paste and a dash of apple cider vinegar for extra flavour.
Boil the edamame for a couple of minutes. Once cooked, drain and run under cold water, then leave to one side.
Half the mushroom and slice thinly, then gently fry with the minced garlic and ginger in the sesame oil until brown.
Cut the carrots into matchsticks and finely shred the cabbage. Slice the cucumber and radishes as thinly as you can, and then pop all of this to one side.
Place all of the dressing ingredients in a small bowl and mix well.
Assemble your bowls, adding the rice first, then the cabbage, before arranging the veg on top.
Pour over the dressing generously to serve.
Here’s the full recipe.
ROASTED CHICKPEA AND BROCCOLI BURRITO
This lunchtime faveis from the first Thug Kitchen book. These wraps are quick to chuck together, and I tend to prep a job lot at a time so I can have them a few days on the bounce. That’s the theory anyway... I almost never go back for seconds, or eat it all straight away by accident.
Why is it good for my brain?
Anyway, broccoliis full of choline - great for memory function, and chickpeasare high in protein and benefit your microbiome, which can help with depression and anxiety. As for toppings? Chuck on avocado (for dem good fats) and a handful of greens like kale or spinachfor extra brain vitamins and cancer-fighting properties.
What you’ll need:cooked chickpeas, onion, red pepper, broccoli, garlic, olive oil, soy sauce or tamari, lime, chili powder, cumin, smoked paprika, ground coriander, cayenne pepper to taste.
Cooking time: 45 minutes (it’s around 2.5 minutes per burrito once you’ve cooked up a batch of veggies)
Recipe steps
Preheat the oven to 220C
Stir together all the chopped up veggies (aside from the garlic) in a large bowl with the cooked chickpeas, oil and soy sauce.
Throw spice blend over everything and stir again
Put all of that on a large rimmed baking sheet and bake for 20 minutes. Take it out, add the garlic, stir, and bake for another 15 minutes. (The broccoli might look a little burnt at this point but that is the plan.)
Squeeze the juice of half of the lime over the pan, stir and season to taste.
Now, grab whatever toppings you like, (avocado, leafy greens and salsa is always a win) and in the words of Thug Kitchen. “Make a motherfucking burrito,” or a salad, whatever you’re into.
CHOCOLATE AVOCADO MOUSSE
This pud, courtesy of Hemsley and Hemsley, is chock-a with brain-healthy stuff, contains no refined sugar and still tastes like a proper dessert. Pinky swears.
Why is it good for my brain?
Raw cacao (and super dark chocolate) is packed with flavonoids which help with your attention-span, memory, and processing time; good old avocado is all about the omega-3 fatty acids, which aid blood flow; and bananas are rich in vitamin B6, which helps the body produce serotonin - the chemical responsible for balancing your mood.
What you’ll need: frozen ripe banana, cacao powder, avocado, raw honey, lemon juice, vanilla extract, water, salt, stevia, cacao nibs (You can click the button below to automatically add all these to your usual food shop.*praise hands emoji*)
Cooking time: 5 minutes
Blend all the mousse ingredients together in a food processor until smooth. Add the cacao powder first and, as you blend, have all the ingredients next to so you can adjust the ratios as needed to allow to variation in the size of your ‘nana and avocado. You’re aiming for equal amounts here.
Taste and add a few drops of stevia if you need more sweetness.
Fill cups or shot glasses with the mousse, sprinkle with the cacao powder or nibs and serve.
Tip: If you don’t have a frozen banana, just use a normal one and stick the mousse in the freezer for a bit. If you forget about it by accident, this is also the sh*t when frozen, so you can pretend it was on purpose.
Original recipe above from Hemsley and Hemsley.
GREEN TEA ROASTED SALMON WITH MANGO SALAD
If anyone can get you on the green tea bandwagon, surely it’s the pukka-meister himself, Jamie Oliver. Although simple enough to whip up on a weeknight, this summery dinner (from the Everyday Superfood book) is also a fairly impressive crowd-pleaser if you’ve got to feed a few people at the weekend too.
Why is it good for my brain?
Well, green tea is in there, obvs (see above for all the good brain stuff there). Also, salmon provides your brain with essential DHA omega-3 fatty acids, and mangois high in vitamin C and B6, which help support neurological function and help fight depression.
What you’ll need:brown rice, salmon tail, green tea, sesame oil, garlic, carrot, cucumber, tomato, chicory, mango, lime, soy sauce, red chilli, ginger, sesame seeds, cress (You can click the button below to automatically add all these to your usual food shop. 🙌)
Cooking time:35 minutes
Preheat the oven to 180°C.
Cook and drain the rice.
Meanwhile, score the salmon skin 1cm deep at 2cm intervals and place in a snug-fitting baking dish.
Season with salt, pepper and the green tea, then rub all over with 1 teaspoon of sesame oil, getting it well into the cuts. Peel and finely slice the garlic, then poke a slice into each cut.
Bake for 25 minutes, or until cooked through.
Prepare all your salad veg, chopping everything into bite-sized chunks or slices.
Chop up the mango and put it in a bowl with all the veg. Squeeze all the juice out of the mango centre into a separate bowl, then squeeze in the lime juice and season to taste with soy sauce to make a dressing.
Deseed, finely chop and add the chilli to the dressing, then toss with the veg and mango.
Peel and matchstick the ginger and fry on a medium heat with 1 teaspoon of sesame oil and the sesame seeds for 2 minutes, tossing regularly. Then stir in the rice and season.
Scatter the cress over the salad, and serve with the salmon and rice.
Click here for the original recipe. [jamieoliver.com]
BERRY CHERRY SMOOTHIE
This week’s brain-healthy recipe is courtesy of our follow recco from last week, Lizzie Loves Healthy. As soon as June hits I’m firmly on the smoothies-for-breakfast train, and this one’s a corker.
Why is it good for my brain?
Berries are in season right now, so it’s awesome to be able to buy local. I quite often like to stock up and chuck them in the freezer (little Dan-hack there for you). Anyway berries (especially blueberries), are pumped with antioxidants and vitamin C, which improve immune function, cognitive function and protect from free radicals. Chia seeds give you some omega 3s, fibre and protein; and a sneaky half an avocado also provides you with all-important good fats, potassium and may help with the absorption of other nutrients in your smoothie.
What you’ll need: coconut milk, cherries, berries, avocado, banana, milled seeds (this recipe uses goji berries and linseeds but any will work), chia seeds, optional protein powder (check the package for sneaky sugar content). (You can click the button below to automatically add all these to your usual food shop. 🙌)
Cooking time: 3 minutes
Measure and place all ingredients in a blender. Whiz for a minute. Drink straight away, save for up to 10 hours in the fridge, or freeze into smoothie pops.
ADD THE INGREDIENTS TO YOUR SHOP
Original recipe from Lizzie Loves Healthy.