Beetroot and Dill Dip

Beetroot and Dill Dip/Topping/Spread makes 1 ¼ cups

Paleo; no gluten, dairy, legumes, onion, garlic or nightshades; with option for vegan

Fabulous colour that shouts nutritious good looks.

Excellent dip with sliced carrot, kumara chips or corn chips. Or for a hearty Chef Salad, you can toss pasta, quinoa or rice, cubed tofu or back beans, or steamed veg – or a mixture – with a little olive oil, salt and pepper. Place on a platter. Make a depression in the middle and fill with the beetroot topping. Sprinkle with fresh dill or parsley. Surround with leafy greens. Read more

Genuinely Healthy Wraps (most others aren’t)

No gluten or dairy – with options for grains, nightshades, legumes, plant and animal protein

Smoking was once thought of as glamourous. The reality is especially ironic in terms of the associated premature ageing; wrinkles; yellowed skin, nails and teeth; bad breath; as well as chronic and killer diseases.

Before purchasing a prepared food be sure to turn the product over and check out its reality in terms of ingredients. Most wraps have a long list of highly processed artificial additives to cheaply keep them fakely flavoured, supple and long lasting. Read more

Maria Middlestead - Clinical Nutritionist, Auckland. Call (09) 418 5422

Sushi Salad Hot or Cold

Serves 2-3
(No gluten, dairy, or cane sugar; with options for nightshades*)

It is a surprise when something light, balanced and healthful such as sushi becomes a fashion hit across demographics. This simple hot or cold rice main dish has many similar ingredients and flavours. Serve with sliced cucumber, steamed or baked beetroot. Uncharacteristically, basmati rice is used rather than short grain sushi rice. Long grain rice holds a distinct shape better so the salad doesn’t become wet and gluggy. The rice is boiled using the easier, stick-resistant, nutritionally superior absorption method.

Maria Middlestead - Clinical Nutritionist - Featured Recipes

Tex-Mex Beans

Salad, Dip, Spread, Filling, Pie or Casserole

Serves 4 as a main
(Vegan; no gluten, dairy, citrus or egg, with options for cane sugar and nightshades).

A culinary chameleon, ideas follow for serving this as a substantial salad or dip, a sandwich filling, or as one of several main dishes. About half the beans are chunkily processed at first to create a smooth carrier for the punch of the seasonings. The remaining beans and vegetables are stirred in for some visual and textural contrast. Easy and delicious.

Festive Fruit and Ginger Salsa

Serves 4
(Vegan; no citrus, cane sugar, dairy, gluten, legumes or nightshades)

Profuse with colour, sweet and tangy flavours, this is an ideal partner for a rice or Asian noodle dish, curry, barbeque, grilled or smoked fish. Look in health stores for pickled ginger that is prettily pink without artificial colours.

TOFU TEMPTERS

(Mostly vegan options; no gluten, dairy or cane-sugar – plus options for nightshades)

Tofu Quick Tip

This is my favourite way of easily using tofu. It solves many a lunch and dinner dilemma. Guests assume it is cheese. Yet it has more protein, little saturated fat, and none of the adverse hormone disruptors of modern dairy products.

Pear and Fresh Date Salad

Serves 3-4

A hearty salad with some savoury grunt and a warm accompaniment can accommodate many seasons. Among its many other nutritional virtues, the carbohydrate content is an important source of water. In addition to the 6-8 cups we need to drink, even more top quality fluid is needed to help produce the astounding 9 litres of digestive juices required daily.

Coleslaw with Tahini Dressing

(Vegan: no gluten, dairy, cane sugar, egg or nightshades)

When I arrived in New Zealand in 1973, coleslaw was an exotic newcomer. As if mandated by legislation there was only one other existing salad. This consisted of iceberg lettuce, tomato, cucumber, with optional tinned beetroot or hard boiled eggs, and a thick dressing made from sweetened condensed milk.

Asian Cashew Combo

Hot Veg Combo, Salad or Main – serves 4
(No gluten, dairy or cane sugar; with options for soy and potato)

This is a substantial side dish with mild but evocative Asian flavours. It can readily achieve status as a main. Four tasty versions follow. The colourful Sauce/Dressing can also bring instant pizzazz when tossed with or draped over Asian noodles or steamed fish.