BUDDHA & BUBBLES

IF you don’t fancy taking your chances in a restaurant yet or can’t get a table, another eating out option still open to us is a picnic.

Traditional choices tend to be high-fat processed foods – sausage rolls, pork pies, scotch eggs etc. But you don’t have to fur up your arteries to enjoy an al fresco feast. My friends love my varied Buddha bowls – especially when served with a glass of fizz.

Some say this healthy way of eating is so named because the bowls look like a Buddha’s rounded belly. Others insist it, like Buddhist philosophy, is all about balance.

I just think it’s a great way to eat a light, healthy, tasty meal without it becoming boring.

The idea is that you serve at least six or seven small portions of different food – usually vegetarian but chicken, salmon or tuna work well – and serve it unmixed in one bowl. Avocado and roasted sweet potato work too.

I usually include my home-made red pepper hummus, recipe below. I often just look in the fridge, rummage through the cupboards and see what I can come up with.

There are some very strange combinations at times but it’s the variety that makes it interesting.

RED PEPPER HUMMUS

1 can of chickpeas (½ drained) 2 roasted bottled peppers 1 tablespoon olive oil

1-2 cloves crushed garlic Juice of a lemon

1 teaspoon of tahini paste

(if liked)

Our fitness and well-being coach JULIE BARTLETT with inspirational advice to help you hone a healthier mind and body