Healthy food can sometimes get a bad wrap as being tasteless. But Dr Kate Gregorevic is here to remind Australians that is not the case.
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Her new book, Staying Alive, which is due out on June 30, is a lifestyle guide aimed at understanding ageing.
Not only does Gregorevic outline how you can live a long life, but how you can do it while still enjoying what you eat.
"The first, most important thing when we are feeding ourselves is to always keep in mind that food is supposed to be enjoyed," she says.
"It is something that we use to connect with other people, it's an act of self-care and when we are talking about the value of food in our health, first and foremost we've got to be cooking things that we like."
Gregorevic says a healthy diet should start with a base of fresh vegetables, fruits and wholegrains. Ultra-processed foods should also be avoided.
"These are foods that are energy-dense, they are high in unhealthy types of fat, refined starches, sugar and salt," she says.
"When we think about an orange, and orange is a vehicle for a seed. It's got multiple types of fibre, a variety of bacteria, it's got vitamins that we can't make ourselves like vitamin C.
"When you take away all of that fibre and strip away all of that nutrition, we're getting this orange juice where glucose is absorbed immediately in our small intestine."
Staying Alive includes a selection of recipes that Gregorevic makes in her household, including some quick and easy options for weeknight meals.
"They're things that make a decent quantity, they make enough for the family," she says.
"The corn fritters I put in because it was something that we can put together at home.
"I have three children and they need to be fed quite early and if I've been at work it's something I can put together really quickly."
The following are recipes from Staying Alive.
Corn fritters with avocado salsa
This is a fast weeknight dinner staple at our house. I usually have it with some poached eggs and leafy greens.
Makes: 8
Ingredients
- 70ml milk (cow's milk or soy)
- 2 eggs
- 3 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
- 125g wholemeal or plain flour
- 1 tsp smoked paprika
- 1 tsp baking soda
- pinch of sea salt
- 2 spring onions, finely sliced
- 420g tinned corn
- haloumi, grilled (optional)
- 1 avocado
- juice of 1 lime
- 1 tomato, finely chopped
Method
Step one: Whisk the milk, eggs and olive oil in a bowl and set aside. Combine the flour, paprika, baking soda and sea salt in a separate bowl. Add the wet ingredients to the dry ingredients and mix until combined. Add in corn and spring onion and mix well.
Step two: Heat a frying pan with a tablespoon of olive oil and heat over medium heat. Take a serving spoon of the mixture and add to the pan. Cook for 3 minutes each side or until golden and cooked through. Remove and keep warm.
Step three: For the avocado salsa, mash the avocado then add the lime juice and tomato and mix until combined.
Step four: Divide the fritters among plates and top with the avocado salsa to serve. You can also add some grilled haloumi, if you like.
Coconut curry fish pie
This is one of my favourites for the winter months - the warm, aromatic flavours are perfect for a cold day.
Makes: 6-8 serves
Ingredients
- 400g desiree potato, peeled
- 1 tsp fenugreek
- 20g piece of ginger, finely chopped
- 15g piece of turmeric, finely chopped
- 2 lemongrass stalks, white part only, roughly chopped and crushed with a pestle or the side of a large knife
- 1 long red chilli, deseeded and chopped
- 30g oil
- 20g water
- 400g salmon, cut into two 2cm pieces
- 200g white fish, cut into 2 pieces
- 200g green prawns, peeled, deveined and heads removed
- 280ml coconut milk
- 1 tbsp coconut sugar
- 1 tbsp fish sauce
- 2 tomatoes, finely chopped
- 2 handfuls of spinach leaves
- canola oil, for cooking
Method
Step one: Steam the potatoes until soft. Meanwhile, add canola oil to a non-stick frying pan and place over low heat. Gently toast fenugreek for a few minutes or until aromatic. Remove from the pan and place in a mortar and pestle.
Step two: To make the curry paste, place the ginger, turmeric, lemongrass, chilli, oil and water with the fenugreek in the mortar and pestle and grind to a fine paste. Alternatively blend in a food processor.
Step three: Heat some canola oil in a large non-stick saucepan over medium-high heat. Add the curry paste to the saucepan and cook for 1-2 minutes then take the saucepan off the heat.
Step four: Preheat the oven to 200°C (180°C fan-forced).
Step five: Coat the fish and prawns in the curry paste and place in a baking dish. Place coconut milk, coconut sugar and fish sauce in a bowl and whisk until combined.
Step six: Add the mixture, tomato and spinach to the baking dish. Mash the potatoes then cover the fish mixture completely. Bake for 45 minutes.