Nutrition
Feed your body
Studies show that diet plays an important role in healing. We’ll show you how to get the right nutrition with easy recipes and information about how best to feed your body.
Nutrition
Keeping skin healthy
One of the most important factors in keeping the skin healthy is nutrition and hydration. Based on the advice given within the NHS Eatwell Guide, we have created some recipes to help you feed your body to support your overall recovery.
Veggie fajita stuffed sweet potatoes
A tasty veggie twist on a Mexican classic.
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Minestrone soup with granary toast
A warming hearty soup.
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Baked salmon fillet, stir fried veg and noodles
A tasty but light fish dish.
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Light beef stew and dumplings
A light but heartwarming stew.
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Veggie fajita stuffed sweet potatoes
A tasty veggie twist on a Mexican classic.
Ingredients
- 3 medium sweet potatoes, scrubbed clean and pierced all over with a fork
- 1 teaspoon chili powder
- 1 teaspoon ground cumin
- 1/2 teaspoon dried oregano
- 1/4 teaspoon garlic powder
- 1/4 teaspoon smoked paprika
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 1/2 of a red onion, sliced thin
- 1/2 of a red pepper, sliced thin
- 1/2 of a yellow pepper, sliced thin
- 2 portobello mushrooms sliced thin
- 1/2 cup corn
- 1/2 of a lime
- Coriander for garnish
For the Guacamole
- 1 avocado, pitted and skin removed
- 1/2 of a lime, juiced
- 1/4 teaspoon ground cumin
- 1/8 teaspoon granulated garlic
- 1/8 teaspoon chili powder
- Salt and fresh ground black pepper to taste
Instructions
Preheat oven to 200° C. and line a baking tray with foil. Place the prepared sweet potatoes on the baking sheet and bake for 45-60 minutes or until a fork can easily be inserted into them.
In a medium sized bowl combine all of the guacamole ingredients and mash with a fork until desired consistency is reached. Taste for seasoning, cover and refrigerate until ready to serve.
In a small bowl combine the spices for the veggie fajitas. Heat a large pan over medium-high heat. Add a couple teaspoons of olive oil to the hot pan and swirl to coat the bottom.
Add the onion and peppers to the pan and fry approximately 2 minutes. Add in the mushrooms and spice mixtures and fry another 2-3 minutes or until the vegetables are tender. Add in the corn and lime juice stirring everything together. Taste for seasoning, then remove the pan from the heat.
Split the baked sweet potatoes down the middle and stuff them with the fajita filling. Top with guacamole and chopped coriander.
Minestrone soup with granary toast
A warming hearty soup
Ingredients
- 2 tablespoons olive oil
- 1 cup diced onion
- 2 carrots, diced
- 2 stalks of celery, diced
- 3 cloves of garlic, grated or minced
- 1 teaspoon Italian seasoning
- 1 teaspoon dried oregano
- 1 teaspoon dried basil
- Salt and fresh ground black pepper to taste
- 1 tablespoon tomato paste
- 1 can chopped tomatoes
- 1 can lentils
- 1 bay leaf
- 1 Parmesan cheese rind (optional)
- 250ml chicken stock
- 2 cups water
- 3 cups chopped kale
- 1 can cannellini beans, rinsed and drained
- 1 cup uncooked pasta such as shells or macaroni
- 1/2 cup frozen peas
- Grated Parmesan cheese and chopped parsley for garnish
Instructions
Heat the olive oil in a large pot over medium-high heat. Add the onion, carrots, celery, salt and pepper to the pot and cook until the vegetables have softened, 6-8 minutes. Stir often. Add in the garlic, spices and tomato paste and cook another 1-2 minutes.
Pour in the tomatoes, lentils, Parmesan cheese rind, bay leaf, chicken stock and water. Stir everything together and bring the soup to a boil. Once boiling, reduce the heat, cover the pot partially with a lid and simmer for 15 minutes..
Uncover the pot and add in the kale, cannellini beans and pasta. Continue to simmer for another 15-20 minutes or until the pasta is al dente. Remove the pot from the heat and stir in the frozen peas. Pull out the bay leaf and Parmesan cheese rind.
Taste the soup for seasoning and adjust if needed. Serve in bowls topped with shredded Parmesan cheese and chopped parsley if desired.
Baked salmon fillet, stir fried veg and noodles
A tasty but light fish dish.
Ingredients
- 2 x 100g salmon fillets
For the marinade
- 2 tsp reduced salt soy sauce
- 2cm piece ginger, peeled and finely chopped or grated
- 1 garlic clove, finely chopped
- 2 tbsp lemon or lime juice
- 1 tsp sesame oil
For the noodles
- 85g vermicelli rice noodle
- 2 tsp rapeseed oil
- 1 tsp sesame oil
- 1 spring onion, trimmed and thinly sliced
- 1 garlic clove, finely chopped
- ½ red chilli, deseeded and finely chopped
- 2cm piece ginger, peeled and finely chopped
- 100g sugar snap pea
- 100g pak choi (or spinach)
- 1 large red pepper, sliced
- 1 tsp soy sauce
- 1 tsp Thai fish sauce
- juice ½ lime
- 1 tbsp finely chopped coriander
Instructions
Make the marinade by mixing together all the ingredients. Place the salmon fillets in a small bowl and spoon over the marinade, turning the fish so that it’s nicely coated. Cover with cling film and leave to sit for 10 mins (or longer if you have time).
Meanwhile, cook the noodles following pack instructions, then drain and sit them in a bowl of cold water.
Heat a non-stick frying pan. Add the salmon fillets, skin-side down, and leave for 3 mins. When the fish is slightly crispy, flip over and cook for a further 3 mins on the other side. Just before you remove the fish from the pan, add any remaining marinade and let it sizzle for 10 secs. Place 2 of the fillets, skin-side up, with their juices on a plate and cover with foil to keep warm. Put the other 2 fillets on another plate if using for Flaked salmon salad (see ‘goes well with’), cover with foil, leave to cool, then chill.
In a frying pan or wok, heat the rapeseed and sesame oils over a high heat. Add the spring onion, garlic, chilli and ginger, and stir constantly for about 1 min. Add the sugar snap peas, pak choi and pepper, and stir for another 1-2 mins, then add the cooked noodles. Toss well, then add the soy sauce, fish sauce and lime juice, and mix until well combined and the pan is sizzling.
Remove from the heat and divide between 2 bowls. Top each with a salmon fillet and drizzle over any juices. Sprinkle with coriander and serve.
Light beef stew and dumplings
A light but heartwarming stew.
Ingredients
For the stew
- 1 tbsp rapeseed oil
- 2 medium onions, chopped
- 2 bay leaves
- 4 thyme sprigs, plus extra leaves to serve
- 550g chunks of lean braising steak
- 100ml red wine
- 1 ½ tbsp plain flour
- 1 tsp English mustard powder
- 230g can plum tomatoes
- 500ml vegetable bouillon
- 280g carrots, halved lengthways and sliced
- 400g piece butternut squash, deseeded, peeled and cut into 3-4cm/11/4-11/2in chunks
- 140g chestnut mushrooms, quartered or halved if large
For the dumplings
- 140g self-raising flour
- ½ tsp English mustard powder
- 2 spring onions, ends trimmed, finely chopped
- 3 tbsp chopped parsley
- 2 tbsp rapeseed oil
- 100ml buttermilk
Instructions
Heat the oil in a large saucepan or deep sauté pan. Tip in the onions, bay leaves and thyme sprigs, and fry over a medium heat for about 8 mins, stirring often, until the onions are turning golden. Raise the heat, add the steak and stir-fry briefly until it starts to lose its raw, red colour. Pour in the wine, stir to deglaze the brown sticky bits from the bottom of the pan, and let it bubble briefly. Lower the heat, sprinkle in the flour and mustard powder, and stir for 1 min. The meat should now be coated in a thick, rich sauce.
Mix in the tomatoes, stirring to break them down. Stir in the stock and bring to the boil. Tip in the carrots, squash and mushrooms, lower the heat, cover with a lid and leave to simmer gently for 1 hr 40 mins, stirring occasionally. Uncover and cook for a further 20 mins, still on a gentle simmer, until the meat is very tender. Season with pepper.
When the stew is nearly cooked, heat oven to 190C/170C fan/gas 5. Put a 2.25-litre casserole dish in to heat it up. Meanwhile, make the dumplings. Put the flour, mustard powder, some pepper and a pinch of salt in a bowl, then stir in the spring onions and parsley. Mix the oil and buttermilk together and gently stir into the flour. Add a drop or two of cold water, if needed, to pick up any dry bits on the bottom of the bowl, and stir to make a soft and slightly sticky dough. Be as light-handed as you can, as overmixing or overhandling will toughen the dumplings. Cut the dough into 8 pieces and very lightly shape each into a small, rough ball.
Carefully transfer the stew to the hot casserole dish and remove the bay leaves and thyme sprigs. Sit the dumplings on top and press them down into the gravy to very slightly submerge. Put the dish on a baking sheet and cook for about 20 mins until the dumplings have risen and are golden on top. Serve with a light scattering of thyme leaves.