1 fresh pineapple, skinned and cut into cubes
150g prunes (Agen mi-cuit, if possible)
85g dried apricots
1 large pear (or 2 small), cored and cut into cubes
1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
1 star anise pod, ground in a pestle and mortar
250ml water

Place all the ingredients into a saucepan.  Bring to the boil and turn down immediately to a simmer.  Allow to cook with a lid on for 30-40 minutes or until most of the water has been absorbed and the fruit is soft.  When cooled, transfer into a container and keep in the fridge until needed.

Categories: detox delicious, healthy food recipes, and Sweet Treats.

Serves 4

1 tbsp olive oil
1 onion, chopped finely
2 carrots, peeled and chopped into cubes
2 sticks of celery, washed and chopped into cubes
2 cloves garlic, peeled and sliced
1 ½ tsp smoked pimenton
1 tsp harissa (I like Belazu Rose Harissa best)
1 x 400g tin cannellini beans, rinsed
1 stalk Kombu (optional)
750ml vegetable stock
6-8 stalks of curly kale
Salt & pepper
Sprouted seeds to serve (optional)

Heat the oil in a saucepan and add the chopped onion, carrots and celery. Allow to saute gently over a medium heat for 10-15 minutes until softened. Add the sliced garlic and stir, allowing to cook for a moment before adding the beans, the harissa, and the smoked pimenton.  Keep stiring to combine the spices.

Pour in the vegetable stock and allow the soup to cook for at least 30 minutes, giving the flavours time to combine and the beans to cook. It’s a great idea when cooking with beans to include a stalk of dried kombu seaweed (available from deli’s and healthfood shops) which helps to soften the beans but also boosts the mineral content of any dish. If you include it, remove from the soup before serving.

Wash the kale well and cut out the stalks. Chop both the stalks and the leaves and add the stalks to the soup as they will take longer to cook. Add the chopped kale leaves to the soup 5 minutes before serving to ensure the kale leaves are not overcooked and are bright green in colour. Taste the soup and adjust the seasoning as required. Ladle into bowls and serve sprinkled with mixed sprouted seeds.

Categories: all the veg, detox delicious, healthy food recipes, and Sustaining Soups.

Serves 4

4 large baking apples
Seeds from inside of 8 cardamom pods
8 fresh dates, stoned and chopped
2 tbsp Highbank Orchard Syrup (or maple syrup or honey)
Juice from ½ a lemon
60g dark chocolate, chopped into large chunks

Preheat the oven to 180º C.

Wash the apples and core them. Using a sharp knife, score a line around the middle of each apple to stop the skin from cracking in the oven when they expand during cooking. Place into an ovenproof dish.

Grind the seeds from the cardamom pods in a grinder or pestle and mortar and mix in a bowl with the dates, syrup, lemon juice and dark chocolate. Spoon this mixture into the centre of the apples, pushing down with the thin end of a wooden spoon to fit as much of the filling as possible into each apple.

Bake in the oven for approximately 25-30 minutes, watching closely to make sure any overflowing chocolate doesn’t burn.

Serve with natural yoghurt drizzled with some additional syrup.

Categories: Autumn, healthy food recipes, Sweet Treats, and Winter.

Watch Dorcas explaining this recipe on Ireland AM :

500g sustainable white fish (ling is perfect and not expensive)
50g panko breadcrumbs
30g cornmeal
30g grated parmesan cheese
zest of 1/2 a lemon
1 level tsp. of paprika
1 egg, beaten

Skin the fish (or ask your fishmonger to do this), and cut into finger sized pieces.

Mix all the dry ingredients together in a bowl.   Beat the egg into another bowl.  Keeping one hand dry, drop fish pieces into the egg and then into the dry breadcrumb mixture.  Lay the fish fingers out on a baking tray and place in the freezer until completely frozen.  Place into freezer bags to store in the freezer until needed.

To cook from frozen, preheat the oven to 180ºc.  Place the fish fingers on a baking tray, sprinkle with olive oil and bake for 20-25 minutes or until golden.

Serve with Mango Baked Beans.

Mango Baked Beans :

1 red onion, chopped
1 tin cherry tomatoes
2 cloves garlic, finely chopped
1/2 tsp smoked pimenton
1 tsp dried oregano
1 tin of cannellini beans
1 mango, skinned and finely chopped

Place the cherry tomatoes and the chopped onion into a food processor or liquidiser and blend until smooth.

Heat a little olive oil in a saucepan over a moderate heat and add the beans, garlic and spices.  Cook for a couple of minutes and then add the tomato and onion mixture along with the mango.  Allow to simmer over a low heat, approx 20-30 minutes, until the sauce has thickened and the beans are very soft.

5 Healthy tips:

• Using Irish sustainable fish helps support our fishing industry.  It also means that the fish is really fresh!
• Making homemade fish fingers allows you to control levels of sugar and salt.
• Tinned baked beans can contain a lot of sugar and salt, this recipe uses mango to provide sweetness and you can control the amount of salt that is added.
• Beans provide fibre, B vitamins, minerals and protein.  B vitamins play an important role in making energy in the body, so essential for busy kids!
• Hiding the onion in the tomatoes, lets children get used to the taste of onion without realizing.

Categories: family feasts, healthy food recipes, Ireland AM; Healthy Family Food, and tv3.

Serves 4

3 sweet potatoes
2 tbsp olive oil
1/2 tsp paprika
sprigs of fresh thyme
Sea salt & Pepper
1 packet of halloumi cheese
4 eggs

Preheat the oven to 180ºc.

Peel the sweet potatoes, cut into chunky chip shapes and place in a bowl.  Mix the olive oil, paprika and fresh thyme together and pour over the sweet potato chips.  Using your hands, mix the oil with the sweet potatoes, making sure they are all evenly coated.  Place in a roasting tray and season with sea salt.  Put in the oven to bake for 20-25 minutes or until the chips are cooked and slightly crispy outside.

While the chips are cooking, cut the halloumi into slices about 1cm thick and heat a nonstick frying pan.  Fry the halloumi in a little olive oil until browned on both sides and softened.  Fry the eggs (or poach if preferred).

To serve, arrange the the sweet potato chips on a plate, with the halloumi and then the egg on top.  Serve with homemade tomato ketchup.

Homemade Tomato Ketchup

400g tinned plum tomatoes
2-3 sun-dried tomatoes, chopped small
1 onion
2 cloves of garlic, skinned and sliced
1 knob of ginger, peeled and grated
pinch of ground cloves
1 tbsp cider vinegar
1 tbsp maple syrup
1 tsp tamari soy sauce

Place all ingredients into a saucepan and bring to the boil on a moderate heat.  Once bubbling, reduce the heat to a low simmer and cook for approx. 30-40 minutes.

Place the mixture into a liquidiser or food processor and process until well blended.  Place a sieve over the same saucepan and sieve the ketchup in 2 or 3 batches using a spoon to push the liquid through.  Place the ketchup back on a very low heat to reduce a little further and to thicken and then spoon into a sterilized jar or bottle.  Will keep in the fridge for up to 3 weeks.

Healthy tips :

• Sweet potatoes are a great food to introduce to kids in place of potatoes as they are much higher in vitamins and antioxidants and lower GI than white potatoes.
• Sweet potatoes are also high in Vitamin C, providing lots of anti- oxidants in this meal.
• This is a quick and useful store cupboard recipe for a meat-free meal.
• Eggs are high protein, cheap and nourishing food.
• Making your own ketchup allows you to control the amounts of salt and sugar,  shop bought ketchup is high in these.

Categories: family feasts, healthy food recipes, Ireland AM; Healthy Family Food, and tv3.