PaleoLite

Salmon fillets with ginger, chilli, lime and holy basil.

Thai red chicken curry with vegetables.

I love making this at home because I usually have some if not all of the ingredients and you can pretty much use up any vegetables you have in the fridge. I also like it because when you make it at home it is quite a clean dish whereas in restaurants I always feel they have put in things that make it naughty...cane sugar in most cases for starters.

Serves two                                  Prep time 30 minutes (including chopping)

2 chicken breasts 2 tsps coconut oil 1 onion 1 inch grated ginger 2 tbsps red curry paste (I use Thai Taste) 1 tin coconut milk (400ml) 1 tsp amino acids Juice of 1 lime 2-3 kaffir lime leaves (I have a bag of these in my freezer as then you don't have to try and find them each time) 1 red pepper 100g mushrooms large handful spring greens or cabbage  100g tenderstem broccoli 1 fresh red chilli or as required if you like spice 2 spring onions  small handful of coriander small handful of thai basil

Slice the chicken breasts on a plastic board into slim pieces of equal size about 1/2 inch thick and long. Set to one side. Slice the onion and grate the ginger, fry in coconut oil until the onion is softening and starting to brown. Add the curry paste and lower the heat (it will spit a bit otherwise). Fry the curry paste for a couple of minutes and then add the coconut milk, stir the paste and the milk together and add the lime juice, amino acids and kaffir lime. Lower heat to a very lower simmer. At this point the sauce is done, so all you need to do is prepare (slice/dice/cube as you prefer) the vegetables and then add them and the chicken into the sauce to cook in the appropriate order. In the case of my vegetables I added the chicken first, waited for the sauce to return to a simmer for 2 minutes then added in the cabbage, broccoli, mushrooms and peppers all at the same time. After another 4-5 minutes on a slightly higher heat everything should be cooked and you can add the chilli and thai basil. Put it in bowls and sprinkle the coriander on top before eating. 

Courgette spaghetti with prawns in rich tomato sauce. 

This is a completely delicious alternative to pasta and to be honest with so much else going on is just as tasty as satisfying as the real thing, if anything it is improved by guilt free second helpings.

Serves 3                                                        Preparation time 30 minutes

4 normal sized courgettes 3 banana shallots finely chopped 1-2 red chillies depending on spice preference 2 garlic cloves crushed 2 anchovies (the tinned or jarred kind) 1 tbsp tomato puree 400g chopped tinned tomatoes 100g fresh cherry tomatoes olive oil 30g pine nuts 300g fresh raw tiger prawns  handful of torn fresh basil

Slice the courgettes into long strips and then slice again into long thin strands (like thick spaghetti) pop them into a steamer and put to one side until later.

In a large frying pan fry the shallots and chilli in about 2 tbsp of light olive oil, try not to heat too high as this spoils the oil. Once starting to soften and colour add the garlic, stir, then add the anchovies and tomato puree. Don't worry about breaking up the anchovies as they disintegrate as they cook giving the base of the sauce a lovely rich and umami based flavour. Once all stirred through add the chopped tomatoes and the fresh tomatoes and simmer the sauce on a low heat for 20 minutes or so, if it starts to dry lower the heat and add a bit more oil.

While the sauce is cooking prepare the prawns. You could put these in whole but I like the texture and the way they curl when cooked when you split the prawns down their spines, so they are just joined at the bottom and butterfly them slightly. Don't worry about being too precise with this as it is more for texture and consistency of cooking and so doesn't matter if they are not all perfect. I also find this makes it feel like you have many more prawns in a dish as it makes them seem bigger, good cheat if cooking for more people! 

Once the prawns are prepared make a space in the tomato sauce pan and put the pine nuts in it, fry off in the oil for a couple of minutes and then stir into the rest of the sauce. At this stage add the prawns and turn the heat right down (really low).

Then start cooking the courgette spaghetti in the steamer. Pour some boiling water over the top to get the cooking started. The spaghetti should take around 5 minutes, but do check as you want it a bit al dente and not soggy as this will make it watery. Once cooked remove from heat, drain and return the courgette spaghetti to the pan above which it was steamed.

At this point stir the prawns again and raise the heat until all the prawns are cooked, stir through the torn basil and season with salt and pepper. I stir half the sauce through the courgette spaghetti and then serve the other half on top so that people have lots of sauce, but this is purely personal preference. I would definitely advise stirring the sauce through to some extent though.

Chicken tikka masala. Yum. This is one of my favourite things to eat on a Saturday night in, all the satisfaction of a take away but none of the guilt.

Serves 4           Time including marinating 2hr30 time for cooking 30mins

Curry paste: 2 garlic cloves Inch of ginger 2-3 roasted red peppers (the ones in a jar) 1 tbsp light olive oil 1 tbsp tomato puree 2 red chillies Handful fresh coriander or more to taste ½ tsp Salt 1 tsp ground black pepper 1 tsp cumin 1 tsp ground coriander 1 tsp paprika ¼ tsp turmeric 1 tsp garam massala 1 tsp curry leaves 

8 chicken thighs de-boned (ask your butcher to do this or you can use chicken breast but I find the thigh meat tastier in this recipe) 1.2 tbsp coconut oil 1 large onion sliced 6 cardamom pods 2.5cm piece of ginger finely sliced 2 tsp tomato puree 5 chopped fresh plum tomatoes Left over curry paste 200ml coconut milk

Fresh coriander for serving

Whizz all the ingredients for the curry paste in a blender, once smooth add the marinade to the chicken pieces in a large bowl, these should be cut quite chunky like kebab pieces. Leave for minimum 2 hours in the fridge…up to a day is great.  For cooking take the chicken pieces out of the marinade one at a time and lay on a baking tray covered with foil with some space between each piece, keep the remaining marinade.  Cook at 180C for 10-15 minutes, until cooked but not dry.

While the chicken is cooking put the cardamom pods in some coconut oil and after 30 seconds add the onion and ginger. Once the onion is slightly browned add the remaining curry paste (this should be left over after removing the chicken earlier), the fresh chopped tomatoes and the tomato puree. Cook for 3 minutes on medium heat, turn it down if spitting, then add the coconut milk and stir for a further 2 minutes. Check the chicken is cooked and then add to the sauce.

Rich tomato and slow cooked lamb shank curry with spinach.

This doesn't look like much but it is absolutely delicious, utterly rich and warming and such good comfort food as the Autumnal nights start to creep in on us. The preparation time takes about 20 minutes and cooking time is 10 hours.

Serves 2-3 2 lamb shanks 1 tbsp ghee 2 medium onions sliced 1/2 red chilli chopped 1 inch of fresh ginger chopped 2 garlic cloves crushed 6 curry leaves 1.5 tsp garam masala 1 tsp cinnamon 1 tsp ground coriander 1/2 tsp turmeric 7 cardamom seeds 1 tbsp tomato purée 2 tins of tomatoes (can be chopped or whole it doesn't really matter) 1 tsp amino acids

Heat the oven to 120C.

Start by browning the lamb shanks in a casserole pot (one that has a lid for the cooking later) with the ghee, once browned on all sides remove from the pan and set to one side. Add the onions, chilli and ginger to the warmed ghee in the casserole pan. Cook until soft and starting to colour, add the garlic and all spices (garam masala, ground coriander, cinnamon, turmeric, cardamom and curry leaves), stir for 30 seconds and then add the tomato purée  stir for another 30 seconds before adding the tinned tomatoes and amino acids.

At this stage bring to a simmer and add the browned lamb shanks. Put the lid on and transfer to the oven for 10 hours, the timing does not need to be too precise as at this low heat it won't burn and with the lid on it won't dry out, so don't panic if it is a bit longer or shorter. I did mine overnight so it was in from roughly 9pm to 7am the next morning.

When you remove the dish from the oven take the lambs shanks out and remove the bones, they will literally fall out of the meat. Throw away the bones and replace the meat in the casserole dish. Please note there are two bones in the shanks (or at least there were in mine) one is the large long bone through the middle but the second is around the bottom of the shank and is more like a small disk...try to get this one as well to avoid broken teeth.

Don't panic if the top of the curry is a bit browned/nearly blackened when you open the dish you can stir the darker crust back in no problem and this adds to the rich flavour. Obviously if anything is charcoal consistency or very burnt then try to remove it from the pan rather than stir it back in.

Superfood seared tuna salad with avocado, pomegranate, mango, caramelised onion, chilli, red pepper and coriander.

As I like the tuna a bit rare in this recipe I am careful to make sure it is fresh, the best way to do this is buy from a fish monger you trust. I have used supermarket tuna in the past though and have never had any trouble with leaving the fish a bit pink in the middle.

Serves 2-4                   Preparation time: 25 mins (mostly chopping time)  Calories 340

Ingredients: 2 tuna steaks (around 1 inch thick and 160g each) 1 little gem lettuce (sliced) 2 spring onions (finely chopped) 1/2 pomegranate seeds 1/2 mango (sliced) 1 red pepper (deseeded and sliced) 20g (about ten sprigs) fresh coriander with lowers stems removed 1 avocado (sliced) 1/2 red onion (finely sliced) 2 tsps tamari sauce

Dressing: 1/2 tsp sesame oil 1/2 tbsp light olive oil Juice of 1 lime 1/2 tsp thai fish sauce 1/2 tsp rice wine vinegar 1/2 red chilli (finely chopped) Remaining coriander stems (finely chopped) 1 tsp of grated ginger

Remove the tuna from any packaging and wash thoroughly, then pat down with kitchen towel. Add the little gem, spring onions, pomegranate seeds, mango, red pepper, coriander and avocado once chopped and prepared to a large salad bowl.  Make the salad dressing by adding all the ingredients to a small jar (I keep my mustard jars for this), place lid on firmly and give a good shake.

Chop the red onion and place a small frying pan on a high heat. Add a small amount of oil (sesame or coconut) in the pan to stop the fish sticking and place the tuna steaks into the pan. Leave for a minute and then turn over, at this stage add the red onions around the fish (shown above). Shake your salad dressing and pour a little over each tune steak, then add the tamari sauce to the onions around the tuna. Keep moving the onions a bit to stop them sticking and burning and turn the tuna steaks a few times.

How long the tuna steaks take depends on how pink you like them but a rough guide would be 3 minutes on each side for a thicker steak. If in doubt take the smallest one off the heat and cut open to see the colour. Once cooked to your liking remove the tuna steaks and place on a board. Place the onions straight from the pan to the top of the salad. Slice the tuna and add to the salad, add the dressing to the salad and give it a good stir.

24hr slow cooked pork with chilli, garlic, fennel, rosemary and lemon served with a salad of rocket, flat leaf parsley, pomegranate and lemon juice.

This is such a decadent meal, you feel as though you are partaking in a mediaeval feast (although this may be influenced by the fact that I am currently reading about Henry VIII!). The key here is the lemon juice which cuts through the fat and makes something that could be overly rich a little lighter and fresher. As one might imagine from the name this needs some advanced planning, not least to get your butcher to order either a shoulder or a hand of pork and score the crackling for you, however the preparation of the meat itself is not time consuming and after the initial hour at a hot temperature it does not need a huge amount of attention...I was at work while this was doing most of its cooking.

Ingredients: Hand or shoulder of pork (my hand fed about 10 people) n.b. you may well need to order this from a butcher in advance and it is useful to get them to score the meat for you as well, if possible ask them to score more than usual and quite deep, ie nearly into the flesh underneath the fat Whole bulb garlic 5-6 sprigs rosemary 1 tbsp fennel seeds 1 tbsp dried chilli flakes 2 tsp black pepper juice of 3 lemons 6 tbsp light olive oil Loads of salt...really loads, sorry not very good I know but this really helps with the crackling

Heat the oven to 240 degrees celcius.

Grind the dry ingredients together until coarse but no longer whole (peppercorns, fennel seeds and chili). Then crush up the garlic with the finely chopped rosemary and add the dry spices to the mix. At this stage you need to check that the scores in the meat are deep enough, you want them about 0.6cm deep and about 0.5cm apart (which is closer than usual) this is because you really want the flavour to get into the meat, rather than just the crackling, Then once you have the meat ready stuff the garlic mix into the crevices in the crackling, put it all over and in every crevice, try to get the garlic in deep as you don't want it to burn. Once you have covered the meat with the garlic rub, talk a handful of ground Himalayan pink salt (or any salt you want) and rub it into the crackling...do this all over at least twice.

Once prepared place the meat into a large roasting tin and place in the oven. You will only keep the pork in at 240 degrees until the crackling has started to bubble and colour (about 45-60 minutes), but this will vary from oven to oven so you do need to keep an eye on this stage of cooking. Once the crackling has started to bubble (not just in one place but fairly evenly all over) you want to bring the oven temperature down to 110 degrees. At this stage you mix the lemon juice with the olive oil and pour it over the meat (you want to do this at least twice so hold some liquid back). Don't worry about the olive oil overheating and becoming "rancid" as you have lowered the heat to 110 degrees it is within range than olive oil can resist change.

You can then leave the meat for at least 10 hours and up to 24 hours, I did the latter. Halfway through cooking time, although don't worry too much about the timing, baste the pork again with lemon and olive oil. You should check the meat about an hour before you plan to serve it, if the crackling is not to your liking you can up the heat to get it to really crisp up before serving, this will also raise the temperature of the pork for serving.

Prepare a simple salad of rocket, flat leaf parsley and pomegranate seeds (100g each of rocket and parsley and seed from 1 pomegranate) and dress the salad with the juice of two lemons and some olive oil just before serving.

Gazpacho with homemade salsa of avocado, cucumber, tomato, spring onion, coriander and line juice. Delicious fresh starter. You can make you own gazpacho but I have to admit I cheated and bought the brindisa one…delicious, fresh and only whole ingredients so I didn’t feel too bad!! Paleo cheat starter!