COOK UP SOME NUTRITION

A stack of studies has consistently shown that light cooking not only doesn’t damage the nutritional content of greens (such as spinach) but can also greatly improve it. What’s more, there are some ways of cooking greens that appear to be much better at conserving their ingredients than others. For example, steam or microwave kale (or sauté with a splash of water) and its antioxidant and polyphenol levels jump 40 per cent; boil it and about half of these leak into the cooking water. The same holds true for a range of other greens, so stick to light steaming, sautéing and microwaving, and leave boiling for soups and stews. Studies at Reading University have shown that what you serve with cooked crucifers can also have a phenomenal impact on their potential health benefits. Adding just half a teaspoon of mustard powder for every 200g made cooked greens, almost as if by magic, pretty much as good as raw. MAGIC MUSTARD DRESSING This makes enough to transform the nutritional content of an average 300g head of broccoli. In a bowl whisk together 2 tbsp extra virgin olive oil, 2 tsp lemon juice, 1 tsp mustard powder, a large pinch of sea salt, ¼ tsp dried dill and ¼ tsp clear honey. Use immediately. Larger batches of the dressing can be stored in a sealed jar in the fridge for up to 2 weeks. BROCCOLI MADE BETTER Serving cooked broccoli with raw cruciferous veg like rocket or watercress can have a similar effect to mustard, so why not add both? Chuck in some pistachios and crumbled feta cheese and that’s the veg course sorted. SAUTEED KALE WITH LEMON & GARLIC Sauté 150g kale, washed and sliced, in a hot frying pan with a splash of water for 2-3 minutes until wilted and dark green. Toss in ½ red chilli, sliced, 30g chopped honey-roast cashews, 2 tbsp extra virgin olive oil, 2 garlic cloves, sliced, and the finely grated zest and juice of ½ lemon. Season generously with salt and pepper and serve immediately.