Nourish Naturally Seasonal Recipes

Our health and vitality is largely dependent on the nutritional content of food. Eating seasonally – eating foods that are available and grown locally – means getting the best flavour and nutritional value from fresh food. It’s cheaper and cleaner as fewer chemicals are required for storage and shipping. Eating crops you've grown yourself can't be beaten for ultimate satisfaction.

Each month, you will find three favourite seasonal recipes, based on key foods in season, noting their health benefits.

January

You would think in the cold, dark month of January that we are limited to fresh and nutrient-rich food now. But do not despair! You can still have nutritious foods that aren't as high in calories indulged over Christmas but still retain the essence of comfort food. Root vegetables and leafy greens are the key ingredient here. Throw in some crab or succulent scallops to add zing to a dish and make the most of the short satsuma season to bring a burst of sunshine to your day.

And for me, best of all, it is rhubarb season. A school pet hate but now a love that knows no abound. It's raining outside so let's get cooking...

Crab and Lemon Spagehetti

The sweet, scculent flesh of crab reminds me of lunching with my grandparents in Jersey - usually with a dollop of mayonnaise. The most commonly eaten crab in the UK is the common edible or brown crab that weighs up to 3kg.

Crabs are rich in high quality proteins and minerals and omega 3 essential fatty acids. While crab meat crab meat is low in saturated fat, the presence of chromium helps to increase the level of HDL (good cholesterol) in the body, and thus reduces the risk of strokes and coronary and circulatory heart disease. In fact, crabs contain sterol, which restrict the absorption of other cholesterol, eaten during a meal.

Useful for daibetics, chromium also helps insulin metabolise sugar thereby lowering the blood glucose levels in the body. Plentiful in selenium, this a powerful anti-oxidant is used to cancel out the carcinogenic effects of cadmium, mercury and arsenic, which can cause tumors.

This recipe is a delicious, light and refreshing pasta dish - quick to make when home from work, and not over-burdening the digestive system post-Christmas. For ease, you can used canned crab but then that seems to be a waste if they are in season now.

350g spaghetti or linguine (try brown or non-wheat types)

1 garlic clove

1½-2 fresh red chillis

40g flatleaf parsley

340g fresh crabmeat

3 tablespoons lemon olive oil

Half a glass of white wine

1. Bring a large pan of salted water to the boil, feed in the spaghetti and

follow cooking directions on the packet. Stir a couple of times to prevent

sticking.

2. Crush, peel and finely chop the garlic. Halve, seed and finely chop the

chillis. Roughly chop the parsley.

3. Open the can of crab meat and tip the contents into a sieve. Drain well.

4. Heat 2 tbsp of the oil in a large frying pan, add the garlic and chilli and fry

for 1 minute. Tip the crab meat into the pan, pour in the wine, and season

with salt and pepper. Heat through for a further minute or so, stirring.

5. Drain the pasta, and add to the crab mixture. Pour over the last

tablespoon of oil and the parsley. Toss everything together and serve.

You may prefer to use extra virgin oilive oil and a squeeze of fresh lemon instead of using lemon olive oil. Roasted cherry tomatoes or some wilted spinach at the end add a nice flavourful and nutritional touch.

Serves 4 Prep 15 mins Cook 15-20 mins Low fat

Fish Pie with Swede and Potato Topping

Swede is one of the many root vegetables in abundance right now. Possibly not the prettiest of vegetables they are useful to make an alternative fluffy orange mashed potato; roasted with beetroot and carrot wedges or as a cheap filler to hearty soups.

The swede is in fact a member of the cabbage (cruciferous) family and often mistaken for the turnip. The best swedes have smooth, unblemished skins; smaller swedes have a sweeter flavour and a more tender texture. They easily break up when overcooked, so stick to cooking times.

Swedes may help to protect against developing cancer due to the same cancer protecting phytochemicals found in other cruciferous vegetables like cabbage and broccoli. They also contain betacarotene and vitamin C. High fibre content stimulates regular bowel movements, while its high levels of potassium provide it with natural diuretic properties. In addition, it is very low in calories which makes it a sueful weight loss food.

This is a simple, non-creamy way to make fish pie, ideal for middle of the week suppers. And an easy way to get vegetables into the mouths of young ones. You can add frozen peas and mushrooms to the fish mixture instead of

the prawns to make this dish more economical.

500g floury potatoes , peeled and cut into chunks
1 medium swede (weighing about 600g/1lb 5oz), peeled and cut into chunks
200g tub low-fat soft cheese (with garlic and herbs - optional)
150ml vegetable stock
4 tsp cornflour, blended with 2 tbsp cold water
650g skinless, boneless cod, broken into large chunks
100g cooked peeled prawns
1 teaspoon chopped fresh parsley

1. Cook the swede and potatoes in boiling water until tender (about 20

minutes).

2. Preheat the oven to 190C/gas 5/fan 170C. While the potatoes and swede

cook, put the soft cheese and stock into a large saucepan and heat gently,

stirring with a wooden spoon, until blended and smooth. Add the blended

cornflour and cook until sauce thickens.

3. Delicately stir the fish into the sauce with the prawns and parsley. Season

with pepper. Transfer the fish mixture into a 1.5 litre/2¾ pint baking dish.

4. Drain the potatoes and swede, mash them well and season with black

pepper. Spoon the mash over the fish to cover it completely.

5. Bake for 25-30 minutes until piping hot, then transfer to a hot grill for a

few minutes to brown the top. Serve with frozen peas.

Serves 4 Prep 20-30 mins Cook 25-30 mins Low fat

Baked Rhubarb

Rhubarb is essentially a vegetable, ralted to sorrel, but treated as a fruit, despite the tart flavour. The rhubarb in season now has been forced, grown under pots, unlike the Spring rhubarb which is grown outdoors. At this time of year, the rhubarb the pink stalks and lime green leaves are more tender and delicately flavoured.

Rhubarb contains a good source of vitamin C, fibre and calcium.

British rhubarb has natural chemicals called polyphenols that may help destroy cancer cells. To best harness the effects of the cancer blasting polyphenols in this veggie, rhubarb needs to be exposed to heat – by baking it in the oven. Rhubarb is also a good source of compounds called anthraquinones that have natural laxative properties to help regulate digestion. Another health benefit is that it helps to lower cholesterol levels by inhibiting certain enzymes involved in cholesterol synthesis.

All rhubarb is too tart to be eaten raw, so should be cooked with sugar or Xylitol, a natural and more beneficial alternative. It goes well with both ginger and strawberries. Rhubarb wilts quite quickly - store it in the fridge and eat within a couple of days. Rhubarb leaves contain a poison, oxalic acid, so should never be eaten - cut them off and discard. Keep the leaves on until you're ready to eat it, as they'll help keep it fresh.