I am a big fan of Jamie Oliver and I was so pleased to hear the premise
of this new book was around super foods and balanced eating; not low
calorie foods but making nutritionally balanced meals that will still
bring you in under your recommended calories for the day. Perfect.
I have posted a full RECIPE LIST at the end of this review for those wondering what kind of recipes are in the book.
I
have to start this review with a summary in that I really do love this
book, it’s a wonderful addition to my (growing) collection of Jamie’s
books, plus I know that I should be eating a bit better and this book
really has sincerely given me a fresh burst of inspiration… I made one
of the best pasta dishes I’ve had in a long time from this book (Skinny
Carbonara)... without cream.
Before actually trying it I wasn't
sure if I would be ok with replacing the cream in my carbonara with
natural yoghurt (and a few other changes), but honestly it was an
absolute dream, the skinny carbonara tasted fresh and light and was
still filling (thanks to the whole wheat pasta). You can tell these
recipes are really well researched and thought through but it tasted so
good too!
Unlike Jamie's other books I think this one may have a
very slightly narrower appeal; all the recipes look very tasty indeed
but there are some, my parents for example, who are very traditional
shall we say, and wouldn't dream of blitzing up dates and mixing them
with spices to make 'energy balls', or taking cream out of pasta dishes
for that matter! But they do love all of Jamie's other books. Personally
I love this book as it's about making tasty and balanced meals and it's
packed full of beautiful pictures too.
The book is full of
doable super food recipes, split by meal time and a really nice section
at the back of the book with advice on ‘living well’.
I’ve
uploaded a couple of images of my skinny carbonara and 'happiness pasta'
that I have already made from this book (thanks to some pre-release
recipes I had). In short if you are looking to eat a more balanced,
nutritionally dense diet and want a book packed with doable recipes,
with lots of images as well as calorie information, then this is one of
the best out there in my opinion and I have a room literally stacked
full of cook books.
So that’s my summary, but if you want a bit more detail about the book please read on…
FIRST IMPRESSIONS & PAGE LAYOUT
***********************************
When
I first got the book I absolutely loved how it felt and looked; in line
with its theme the book has a very 'clean' and fresh layout, that's a
little paired back.
Every recipe page has a photo (huge bonus for me) and also has the following information:
Recipe subtitle – explaining health benefits of the super foods in the recipe listed
Serving size
Prep time
Ingredients in g
Method
Nutritional info per serving: calories, fat, sat fat, protein, carbs, sugar, fibre
SECTIONS
***********************************
The book is split into 4 main recipe sections, split by meal time:
Breakfast (up to 400 calories)
Lunch (up to 600 calories)
Dinner (up to 600 calories)
Snacks and Drinks (varies)
I
love this, I'm not a calorie counter (although my wife is), but this
means I can do recipes from this book knowing I will be staying under my
daily recommended calories (2500 for me, 2000 for my wife), with the
option for additional snacks.
The last section of the book after the recipes is called ‘Live Well’, it has the following sub sections:
My philosophy in this book and the balanced plate
Illustrious veg and fruit
Celebrating good carbohydrates
The power of protein
Fat is essential
Dipping into dairy
Drink water and thrive
Alcohol
Vote for organic food
Revolutionise shopping
The basics of sleep
Do you want to live to be 100 years old
As
you can probably tell from the section headers, the last 40 pages of
the book are dedicated more to generic diet advice. For the book Jamie
has taken advice from experts in the world of nutrition, health and
sleep and put it into bite sized chunks of advice. It’s definitely worth
checking out this section once you’ve got over the excitement of the
recipes; although if I’m honest it was the recipes and trying them out
that I was most excited about.
RECIPES ON TEST
***********************************
I
have tried three recipes so far and all have come out very well, and
very different to any pasta dishes that I would typically make (I have
uploaded a couple of images of my attempts).
It is nice to be
able to make healthy meals where the ingredients are very easy to come
by. Other ‘health’ books that I own require a specific trip a health
foods store but not the case with these recipes.
I made Happiness
Pasta and this was lovely, using ricotta and aubergines and with no
meat it was very tasty indeed, and having the calorie information to
hand is such a huge bonus. Small changes made this recipe healthier than
how I would normally cook including steaming the aubergine with the
chillies was absolutely beautiful, whereas normally I would griddle it
with a good lug of oil.
Same with the skinny carbonara and
differences, as I normally make a very ‘fat’ carbonara. This one
contained fat free natural yoghurt in place of cream and I was sceptical
but it was genuinely absolutely gorgeous. It was fresh, zingy, I would
never have dreamt of doing a pasta dish like this with yoghurt and
lemon, I did wonder if I was potentially going to end up wasting
ingredients as I was making this and it all came together at the end as
with all of Jamie's recipes over the years.
I also made the
‘Energy Balls’ which were basically medjool dates blitzed up with some
lovely spices, and coated in blitzed pumpkin seeds, but these were
devoured very quickly, which I take as a huge compliment, so whilst the
basis of the recipes are healthy I think we have to work on our portion
control.
SUMMARY
***********************************
I
have high expectations with Jamie’s books as I’ve found all his others
to be the ones I reference most out of my entire collection, and this
Everyday Super Food book is a wonderful addition to my shelf.
I
feel like I've grown up cooking from all of Jamie's books, and this
Super Food book is quite timely for me as I start to feel a little more
like I should start to take care of my body and be conscious of what I
eat as I approach my mid-thirties.
And true to form Jamie has
given me inspirational recipes with unfussy and easy to find
ingredients, I like that you don't have to take a special trip to the
health foods store to do these recipes, Jamie has made them accessible
and tasty. I really can't think of a more reliable cook book author. I
love Jamie's other books and I'm over the moon with this one. Love it.
RECIPE LIST
***********************************
BREAKFAST
Baked eggs – cherry tomatoes, ricotta on toast
Awesome granola dust - nuts, seeds, oats and fruits galore
Microwave poached egg - smashed avo and seeded toast
Smoothie pancakes - berries, banana, yoghurt and nuts
Mexican pan cooked brekkie - eggs, beans ,tomatoes and mushrooms
Black rice pudding – mango, lime, passion fruit and coconut
Figgy banana bread – blood orange and nut butter
Silken omelette – spinach, tomato, parmesan and rye
Pretty fruit pots – trendy chia and nut milk
Protein porridge – blended oats, seeds, nuts and quinoa
Vegeree not kedgeree – spiced rice, veg, eggs and yoghurt
Fruit soups – yoghurt and granola dust
Harissa waffles – sesame fried eggs and carrot salad
Rye soda bread
Perfect porridge bars – nuts, seeds, fruit and spices
Breakfast popovers – cheese, ham, mushroom and tomato
Berry pocket eggy bread
Rainbow open wrap
Scrambled eggs part one
Smoked salmon and spring onion eggs
Spinach, parmesan and chilli eggs
Scrambled eggs part two
Tomato cheese and basic eggs
Mushroom and marmite eggs
Quick homemade tortilla
Toasted oats with mango, blueberries and yoghurt
Sweet potato muffins - chilli, cheese and seeds
Epic fruit salad
Superfood protein loaf (and topping ideas galore)
Post gym super salad – chicken, quinoa and loadsa veg
Healthy cheese and corn pancakes, smoky bacon and caramelized banana
Sexy stewed prunes – toast, banana, yoghurt, almonds
My bircher muesli – fruit, nuts, yoghurt, seeds
Pan cooked mushrooms – tomato, pancetta, spinach and cheese
Earl grey banana bread – griddled peaches, yoghurt and nuts
LUNCH
Tasty fish tacos – game changing kiwi, lime and chilli salsa
Asian crispy beef – brown rice, noodles and loadsa salad
Happiness pasta – tomato, aubergine and ricotta
Orange garden salad – bresola and giant rye crispbreads
Healthy chicken Caesar
Sprouting seed salad – smoky bacon and balsamic dressing
Amazing Mexican tomato soup – sweet potato chips, feta and tortilla
Tomato and olive spaghetti, garlic bread and sardine sprinkles
Easy scandi crispbreads – picked herrings and rainbow veg
Portable jam salads
Skinny carbonara – smoky bacon, peas, almonds and basil
Roasted sweet potatoes – black beans and jalapeno tomato salsa
Beets and sardines – horseradish, yog and rye bread
Super green soup – chickpeas, veg and smoky chorizo
Herby pasta salad – radishes, apples, feta and bresola
Hot smoked trout – green lentils, fresh tomato sauce
Tasty veg omelette – tomato and chilli salsa
Cosy squash soup – chickpea salad flatbreads
Seared tuna – Sicilian couscous and green
Healthy chicken club – tomato, lettuce, pear and tarragon
Chicken and garlic bread kebabas
Wholewheat spaghetti, sprouting broccoli, chilli and lemon
Mexican gazpacho – flatbreads and garnishes
Super summer salad – watermelon, radishes, quinoa and feta
Asian green salad – tofu, noodles and sesame
Seared turmeric chicken – houmous, peppers, couscous and greens
Salmon ceviche – chopped salad and black rice balls
Asian stir fried veg – crispy sesame noodle omelette
Squash it veg sandwich – houmous, avocado and cottage cheese
My Russian salad – golden paprika chicken
Sesame seared salmon – tahini avocado and shred salad
Grilled corn and quinoa salad
DINNER
Bombay chicken and cauli – poppadoms, rice and spinach
Mega veggie burgers – garden salad and basil dressing
Spelt spaghetti – vine tomatoes and baked ricotta
Seared golden chicken – mint sauce and spring veg fest
Easy curried fish stew
Golden salmon steaks – sweet peas and smashed veg
Delicious squash daal – special fried eggs and poppadoms
Roasted squash laksa bake – chicken, lemongrass, peanuts and rice
Golden chicken skewers – yellow pepper sauce and black quinoa
Roasted mustard mackerel – rainbow beets and bulgar wheat
Super squash lasagne
Sizzling Moroccan prawns – fluffy couscous and rainbow salsa
Asian steamed fish – black rice, greens and chilli sauce
Smoky veggie feijoada – black beans, squash, peppers and okra
Crumbed pesto fish – roast cherry vinces, spuds and greens
Harissa roasted aubergine – pomegranate, pistachios and olives
Tasty samosas – beef, onion and sweet potato
Veggie ramen – walnut, miso, kimchee and fried eggs
Indian roasted cauliflower – pineapple, chilli and coronation dressing
Roasted carrot and squash salad – millet, apple, jalapeno and pomegranate
Crispy sea bass – pea, mint and asparagus mash
Spring squid – peas, asparagus, beans and greens
Chicken and squash cacciatore
Moreish fish soup – mackerel, mussels, broth and couscous
Fagioli fusilli – sweet leeks, artichokes and bay oil
Super tasty miso broth – chicken, mushrooms and wild rice
Lemon sole and olive sauce – sweet courgettes and jersey royals
Mighty mushroom curry – red lentils, brown rice and poppadoms
Green tea roasted salmon – ginger rice and sunshine salad
Griddled steak and peppers – herby jewelled tabbouleh rice
Ginger and chicken penicillin – brown rice and crunchy veg
Crazy fish – veg and noodle stir fry
Pork and apple sauce – glazed carrots, brown rice and greens
SNACKS AND DRINKS
100 calories snack bowls
Skinny homemade houmous
Feisty beet and horseradish dip
Healthy poppadum snack combos
Popcorn fun: hot chilli sauce flavour / marmite flavour / balsamic vinegar flavour
Cucumber sticks stuffed with lovely things
Blushing pickled eggs – red cabbage, cloves and anise
Homemade nut butters
Raw vegan flapjack snacks – nuts, seeds, dates, oats and fruit
Fro-yo fun
My tasty energy balls – date, cocoa and pumpkin seed
My tasty energy balls – apricot, ginger and cashew
Flavoured waters:
Cucumber, apple and mint
St Clements
Watermelon and basil
Pomegranate, ginger and lime
Therapeutic teas:
Fennel seeds, lemon and honey
Grapefruit, orange and mint
Ginger, turmeric, lemon and honey
Strawberry, hibiscus and star anise
