The Royal Chef At Home: Easy Seasonal Entertaining

all kids of citrus and rhizomes like turmeric and ginger are wonderful for a healthy diet. Grains and pulses are also abundant, varied and interesting. One superfood is quinoa, a south american grain with such a high protein content that it is a feasible protein substitute. Another is lentils, which provide protein and complex carbohydrates—a two for one combo that is both easy and flexible. It’s great hot in soups and cold in all sorts of salads. Among seeds, I am really impressed with flax, an ancient seed with documented use as far back as ancient Babylonia. Flax has high levels of Omega 3 fatty acids, plant estrogens and antioxidants. Best of all most grains, seeds and pulses are high in fiber, a plus for good digestion. There are some new ingredients which help me in the kitchen. Xanthan gum is one of them; a thickening agent which works better

than either flour or cornstarch, is gluten free and can be used to set both cold and hot sauces. The gum will yield a shiny, perfectly thickened sauce without requiring additional heating. When my clients tell me they want to start eating healthy I challenge myself to create new recipes with as many Superfoods in them as possible. Salads are a great place to start. Vary your salads each day and throw away all of the bottles of salad dressing in the fridge. Rapeseed oil (cold pressed – it has half the saturated fat of olive oil, rich in vitamin E andOmega-3) with a little apple cider vinegar and honey make the most delicious healthy dressing. Drizzled over freshly shredded kale, chard or beet leaves and topped with papaya and blueberries with a few walnuts yields a fabulous, healthy appetizer. Challengeyourself—seehowmanySuperfoods you can eat each day.

SPRING · SPOTLIGHT

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