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food envy
'I never skip breakfast anymore': 5 recent favourites from a health-conscious Dublin cook
Jennifer Carroll shares the meals she cooks from scratch.
EACH WEEK, WE ask a home cook about the dishes they’ve been whipping up of late – from simple suppers to lavish lunches.
This week, Tallaght-based mum-of-one Jennifer Carroll filled us in on her favourite healthy dishes, which she makes from scratch as often as she can.
Having lived in south London for nine years, Jennifer said the experience broadened her palate and now she loves “experiencing and experimenting with foods from around the world.”
Jennifer shares her daily meals on Instagram, @jens_journey_ie.
1. My go-to breakfast: Breakfast is one of my favourite meals and one I don’t skip anymore. Warm couscous in nut milk is my go-to. I cook 40g of plain couscous in 180ml of dark chocolate and almond milk or hazelnut milk, top it with berries and nuts and seeds and enjoy. It can also be made with porridge.
2. A ‘fakeaway’ spice bag: This is such a popular takeaway dish, but it’s very easy to recreate a healthy version at home. Mix together a spicy breaded sliced chicken breast with fresh chilli, spices, garlic, onion and peppers. Serve it with chunky potato chips and curry sauce. I love recreating recipes to fit them into my healthy diet and making them as tasty and clean as possible.
3. The ultimate comfort food: Nothing beats nacho fries. Make them with chilli mince poured over a bed of hand-cut spicy wedges, top with cheese and jalapeños and bake in the oven. Perfect for when you have left over bolognese too. Just add in spices, chilli and kidney beans.
4. Soup that’s worth the wait: I love soup and eat it all year round. It’s a great way to get loads of goodness into you and into the little ones. Slow roasted tomato and basil soup is my favourite. It takes a little more effort than most, but it’s so worth it. I slow roast two or three trays of plum tomatoes in the oven in some sea salt, thyme and oregano and a drizzle of olive oil for about an hour. When I’m liquidising them, I add in a cup or more of fresh basil.
5. Turkey Yuk Sung: This is such a tasty meal and it’s really healthy. I cook the turkey mince and veg in plenty of spices, stock and oyster sauce, then serve them in baby gem lettuce cups with cauliflower rice and soy sauce on the side for dipping.
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