Tutti-frutti pudding

This moist steamed banana sponge, studded with fruits and topped with a gorgeous lemony syrup, is a traditional treat that everyone will love.

Ingredients
Butter or margarine, for greasing
4tbsp golden syrup
2tbsp fresh white breadcrumbs
Juice and finely grated zest of 2 lemons
150g butter or margarine, softened
150g light brown sugar
2 large eggs, beaten
175g self-raising flour
1 large, ripe banana, peeled and mashed
50g ready-to-eat dried apricots, chopped
50g glace cherries, chopped
50g sultanas
Custard, to serve

Preparation

Step1,
Grease a 1.5 liter pudding basin. Heat the syrup in a small pan until just softened and stir in the breadcrumbs along with the juice and zest of one of the lemon. Pour into the basin. Set aside.

Step2,
In a mixing bowl, beat together the butter and sugar until creamy and pale. Gradually stir in the eggs and 2tbsp of the flour. Sieve the remaining flour into the bowl and fold in using a large metal spoon.

Step3,
Carefully fold in the banana, apricots, cherries, sultanas and the juice & the zest of remaining lemon. Spoon the mixture into the basin and smooth the top.

Step4,
Fold a pleat in the middle of a square of baking parchment and put on top of the basin. Cover with a sheet of foil with a pleat in the middle. Secure in place with string. Tie an extra length of string across the top to make a handle.

Step5,
Put the pudding in a steamer placed over a pan of simmering water. Alternatively, stand the basin on a trivet or upturned saucer in a large pan, pour in boiling water until it covers half the basin and bring to the boil. Cover and simmer for 2 and half hours, topping up with boiling water if necessary, until the pudding has risen and is firm to the touch.

Step6,
Carefully lift the basin from the pan and remove foil and paper. Run a knife around the edge of the pudding and turn it out onto a warmed serving plate. Serve with custard.

Serves 8
Preparation time 20 minutes.
Cooking time 2.5 hours
Fat per serving 20g
Calories per serving 380

Chicken and corn chowder

A chowder is a thick, chunky soup-and this one, packed with chicken and sweet corn, makes an extra-special lunchtime treat.

Ingredients.
40g butter
1 onion, chopped
450g potatoes, peeled and diced
25g plain flour
900ml full-fat milk
1 bay leaf
300g can sweet corn
350g skinless cooked chicken, diced
2tbsp double cream (optional)
1 tsp ground nutmeg
Salt freshly ground black pepper
Chopped fresh parsley, to garnish

Method of preparation.

Step 1,
Melt the butter in a large pan, add the onion and cook gently for 5 minutes to soften. Add the potatoes and cook, stirring, for a further 5 minutes.

Step 2,
Sprinkle over the flour then gradually add the milk, stirring constantly. Add the bay leaf and half the sweet corn. Bring to the boil, cover and simmer gently for 15 minutes. Set aside to cool for 10 minutes. Discard the bay leaf.

Step 3,
Pour the soup into a blender or food processor and blend until smooth, or pass through a sieve. Return to the remaining sweet corn and the chicken. Add the cream, if using, the nutmeg and seasoning. Heat through gently for 4 to 5 minutes until hot, serve each portion garnished with chopped ground black pepper and parsley.

Serves 4
Preparation time 20 minutes
Cooking time 15 minutes
Fat per serving 25g
Calories per serving 540

Are you healthy or hungry?

The key to weight Management.

Maintaining a healthy weight throughout life is vestal for the ohysical and psychological health of an individual. Eating habits and attitudes are usually established early on in life and are most often influenced by the environment. Just switch on the TV or open up a magazine and “healthy” is seen to equate “thin”. The way eat is also influenced by our emotions and “comfort eating” is often a result.The desire to gain weight is less common than the need to lose weight. Nevertheless it can be vary important for some people. Failure to maintain an ideal weight can be due to medical, biochemical or psychological problems where there is ca poor relationship with food resulting in compulsive eating, anorexia, bulimia, binge eating and orthopedic.

ARE you UNDERWEIGHT?

As most people are trying to lose weight, the group of people who are trying to gain weight are often ignored, but some reasons for low weight could be a low calorie intake, psychological problems, malabsorption, nutrient deficiencies, poor digestion and increased intestinal permeability. This can lead to a number of health complaints such as nutrient deficiencies, degenerative diseases, low self esteem, anxiety disorder as well as eating disorder.

ARE you OVERWEIGHT?

Obesity and increased weight is becoming a serious problem globally even through there are more medical diets that claim to ‘lose those unwanted pounds forever’ and hi tech gyms with the latest equipments designed to tighten muscles that we never even knew we had. Even through you may do Pilates, yoga, aerobics or weight training, if you are not educated about food and don’t listen to your body, weight will always be an issue.

TO MAINTAIN A HEALTHY WEIGHT AND TO AVOID HUNGER.

WATER.

Water is very essential if you are trying to lose weight as it flushes out stored toxins that accumulate over the years in fat cells. Ideally you should be drinking a minimum of one 300ml glass of good quality bottled water every one and a half to two hours. Please avoid ordinary water as it may contain chemicals and xenotoxins that the body is trying to rid itself and these are stored in fat cells increasing body weight over time.

CARBOHYDRATES.

Carbohydrates supply our bodies with the energy it needs to function as it is the main source of blood glucose, which is a major fuel for all the body’s cells Carbohydrates are divided into simple carbohydrates where the sugar is absorbed quickly into the bloodstream and complex carbohydrates including fiber and starches where the sugar absorption is at a slower rate. Good sources of carbohydrates are fruits, vegetables, wholegrain-wheat products, peas and beans as they are nutrient dense. Their slower sugar imbalances such as low and high blood sugar are avoided as are stripped of fiber and nutrients.

FATS.

Fats contrary to general opinion are vital to our well-being. There are three types: saturated, polyunsaturated and monounsaturated. The fat that we should be avoiding is saturated fats found un animal products as well as coconut oil and palm kernel oil. Excessive intake of this can increase body fat. Essential fatty acids are a combination of polyunsaturated and monounsaturated fatty acids. As their name suggests they are essential as they must be obtained from the diet. Good sources of essential fates are oily fish such as salmon, mackerel, herring, nuts and seeds.

PROTEINS.

Are vital for essential growth and development and are needed for the manufacture of hormones, antibodies, enzymes and tissues. Amino acids are the “building blocks” of protein and any food that contains all the essential amino acids is called a complete protein. Good sources containing all the essential amino acids are meat, fish, poultry, cheese, eggs and soy beans. It is possible to make a complete protein food for vegetarians by combining partial protein foods such as combining brown rice with beans, nuts, seeds and wheat or beans with corn, nuts, seeds and wheat.

FIBRE.

Fiber acids in the function in the digestive system by retaining water resulting in better bowel movements. A high fiber diet can help lose weight over time. Good sources of fiber include wholegrain brown rice, whole wheat bread, oats, bran, rye, fruits, raw vegetables and legumes