Food & Drink
The nutritional chef, Dale Pinnock, shares his tips for a healthier diet on a budget with Ella Walker
Dale Pinnock’s healthy recipes, plus Rose Murray Brown on the best Sancerre rosé
There are always nights, no matter how good a cook you are, that you think, “Sod it, I’ll order a pizza.” Tackling “the general day-to-day hurdles that a lot of families come up against to eating better,” is key to nutritional chef Dale Pinnock’s latest cookbook and accompanying ITV series, Eat, Shop, Save.
“People want to eat better, but a lot have similar sticking points,” he explains. “They might be under very tight financial constraints, they might work every hour that god sends and not get a chance to cook a family meal. Others may not have confidence in the kitchen, or they might have fussy eaters at home.”
Pinnock, known as the Medicinal Chef, became interested in nutrition as an acne-afflicted teen, and is adamant that clarity is crucial if we’re to turn around our eating habits and health concerns as a nation.
“The two big things I think should be taught in schools are, the basics of nutrition and personal healthcare, and money management and wealth accumulation,” he says. “Those are the areas where people struggle the most.”
He believes that currently, nutrition is an area that’s become ‘entangled’ with fashion (and Instagram), leading to a worrying amount of “misinformation, contradiction, faddism and nonsense,” when the facts are quite simple. For instance, type-2 diabetes, obesity and cardiovascular disease are – in all but a tiny, tiny percentage which might be genetic in origin – essentially lifestyle conditions he says, which we can exert control over as individuals.
“There’s always something you can do, whatever your situation, to actually improve eating habits,” promises Pinnock.
Swap white bread for brown bread; white rice for brown, etc. You’ll be bringing blood sugar down, you’re really reducing the potential dangers for cardiovascular health, you’re improving digestive health, you’re feeling fuller for longer, so you’re feeling less inclined to snack and you’ve got more B-vitamins. You’re ticking a lot of boxes.
Be aware of the type of oil you use
I always encourage people not to use vegetable oil and margarines. Keep away from them because they’re very high in omega 6-fatty acids, which can cause problems when you look at patterns of cardiovascular disease. Instead, just use a little olive oil. Find an opportunity at each meal to get something fresh in It doesn’t mean you have to cook every single meal from scratch, but if you are eating a shop bought meal, have a big dense side salad with it. Maybe snack on some fresh fruit between meals – within the fresh foods is where you find micronutrients, fibre and antioxidants.
Shop around
A lot of people always shop at the same place, and often their shopping list will be the same each week. They might shop at a supermarket, but there could be an amazing market in their town. At markets, you can often buy fresh fruit and vegetables for a fragment of supermarket prices.
Buy frozen
Frozen veg is great – nutritionally it’s very good, often it’s frozen at source, so it’s not being kept in storage, and it tends to have a higher micronutrient density. It’s also pre-cut, so it’s less prep time. You can take out what you need and keep the rest for another day, cutting waste too. n
Hummus, beetroot and feta pitta pocket
This is such a satisfying and nutritious sandwich that has so many different flavour elements. The colour is pretty wild too. The prep time is ten minutes and it takes just three minutes to cook.
Serves one
2 small pre-packed cooked beetroot (not the pickled variety) 2 tbsp shop-bought hummus or see recipe right 50g feta cheese 1 wholewheat pitta small handful of mixed slad leaves Preheat the grill. In a bowl, roughly mash the beetroot. Add the hummus and mix the two together. Crumble in the feta, and mix again.
Place the pitta under the grill for 2-3 minutes until warm. This will help you to carefully cut along one edge to open the pitta out to make a pocket.
Line one side of the inside of the pitta with the salad leaves.
Dollop in the hummus, beetroot and feta mixture and press down to fill the pitta and pack it tightly.
Hummus
Shop-bought hummus often contains processed oils, and more oil than is necessary. This keeps for 4-5 days in an airtight container in the fridge. 2 x 400g cans of chickpeas, one drained, one with liquid retained 2 garlic cloves, roughly chopped 2 tbsp tahini juice of 1 large lemon salt, to taste
Place all the ingredients in a blender or food processor and blitz until smooth. If you feel you need any more liquid, just add a little water.
Nutty lemongrass chicken
If people are really, really pressed for time, if they have one day a week where they could do maybe three or four hours in the kitchen, we get them to cook some of their family favourites, but cook five or six times
as much and then freeze in individual portions. It’s there waiting for them when they get home from work and bulk buying dry ingredients can often work out a lot cheaper. You could try that batch cooking approach with this chicken dish.
Serves four
1 red onion, sliced 5 garlic cloves, finely chopped 2 sticks of lemongrass, bashed 1 green chilli, finely chopped olive oil 2 x 400ml cans of coconut milk 2 heaped tbsp peanut butter 1 tsp ground turmeric 4 chicken breasts, diced 2 large handfuls of baby spinach juice of 1 lime salt, to taste
1 In a pan, sauté the onion, garlic, lemongrass and chilli in a little olive oil, along with a good pinch of salt, until the onion has softened.
2 Add the coconut milk, stir in the peanut butter and turmeric and simmer for around 10 minutes until the sauce starts to thicken and the flavour of the lemongrass really begins to penetrate the dish.
3 Add the diced chicken and continue to simmer for around 15 minutes until cooked through.
4 Add the spinach and allow it to wilt before squeezing in the lime juice. Serve.
Chocolate orange avocado pots
OK, you might think I have gone stark raving mad. But chocolate and avocado are now becoming a regular combination and these chocolate pots have taken the health world by storm. The avocado essentially works as a carrier for the flavour. It allows you to get the texture of a chocolate mousse or a ganache, but without the heavy ingredients. Give this a try and I guarantee you will be pleasantly surprised. The prep time is 10 minutes and the pots must chill in the fridge for between three to four hours before serving.
Serves four
2 very ripe avocados, halved and pitted zest and juice of 1 large orange 1 tbsp honey, or to taste 3 tbsp cocoa powder
1 Scoop out the flesh from the avocados and place it in a food processor.
2 Add the remaining ingredients and blend into a thick chocolate orange mousse-like dessert.
3 Avocados can vary greatly in flavour. Some can have a mild, mellow flavour, others can be a little more bitter.
4 So at this stage taste the dessert. You can add more cocoa powder to make it more chocolatey or more honey to make it sweeter.
5 Transfer the mixture into pots and chill in the fridge for 3-4 hours to firm up.