Hidden health: Easy recipes to eat more fibre in every meal

A high fibre diet may help to reduce your risk of heart disease and stroke, type 2 diabetes and bowel cancer

Fibre-rich foods for breakfast, lunch, dinner and dessert

Wholewheat pasta, chickpeas, lentils, chia seeds and pears are bursting with fibre. Here’s how to incorporate those high-fibre foods into your diet.

Tagliatelle with chickpeas

Fabulously rich, bursting with fresh, vibrant tomatoes and covered in a smooth chickpea purée as well as whole chickpeas, this is an easy yet nutritious meal

Servings

4

Preparation Time

 10 mins

Cooking Time

 20 mins

Total Time

 30 mins

Course

 Imported

Cuisine

 Italian

Ingredients

• ½ medium yellow onion

• 3 tbsp extra-virgin olive oil, plus a little extra for drizzling at the end

• 1 medium clove garlic

• 1–2 sprigs fresh rosemary

• 450g fresh tomatoes

• salt

• 255g canned chickpeas, drained

• freshly ground black pepper

• 280g dried egg tagliatelle

Method

1. Fill a pot for the pasta with about six quarts of water, place over high heat, and bring to a boil. Peel the onion and finely chop it. Put it and the olive oil in a 12-inch skillet and place over medium-high heat. Sauté until the onion turns a rich golden colour, about five minutes.

2. While the onion is sautéing, peel the garlic and finely chop it. Finely chop enough rosemary to measure one teaspoon. Peel the tomatoes and coarsely chop them. When the onion is ready, add the garlic and rosemary. Sauté for 10 to 15 seconds, then add the tomatoes. Season lightly with salt and cook until most of the liquid the tomatoes release has evaporated (about 10 minutes).

3. Add the chickpeas, season with pepper (and again lightly with salt), and cook for five more minutes. Scoop out about half the chickpeas and puree them. A food mill will produce a smoother texture, but if you don’t have one you can use a food processor. Mix the pureed chickpeas into the sauce and cook for another one to two minutes.

4. Once the pureed chickpeas are back in the pan, add about two tablespoons of salt to the boiling pasta water, add the tagliatelle, and stir until all the strands are submerged. Cook until al dente. After the pasta has cooked about two minutes, mix two tablespoons of the pasta water into the sauce. When the pasta is done, drain well and toss with the sauce. Drizzle a little olive oil and grind some black pepper over each portion, and serve at once.
   This recipe is from Giuliano Hazan’s Thirty Minute Pasta, published by Stewart, Tabori & Chang

 

Moroccan lentil chorba

recipe by:Darina Allen

This nourishing soup is filled with robust flavour and root vegetables, with turmeric and ginger for colour - a perfect comforting lunch with bread

Servings

4

Preparation Time

 15 mins

Cooking Time

 40 mins

Total Time

 55 mins

Course

 Starter

Cuisine

 Moroccan

Ingredients

• 175g green lentils

• 3 tbsp olive oil

• 1 onion, diced

• pinch of salt

• pinch of cayenne

• 1 small carrot, diced

• 1 stick of celery, diced 

• 1 red or yellow pepper, diced 

• 1 tsp cumin seeds, lightly roasted and ground

• 1 tsp coriander seeds, lightly roasted and ground

• pinch of turmeric

• 1 tbsp of peeled and grated fresh ginger

• 4 garlic cloves, crushed

• 700g ripe tomatoes, peeled and chopped or 500g tinned tomatoes

• 1.35l stock

• salt

• pepper

• 110g vermicelli, broken into pieces

• 4 tbsp fresh coriander, chopped

Method

1. Rinse the lentils in cold water and place in a saucepan. Cover with water. Bring to the boil, reduce the heat and simmer gently for 20 minutes or so until tender.

2. While the lentils are cooking, heat the olive oil in another saucepan and add the onions, pinch of salt and cayenne. Cover and cook on a gentle heat until the onions are soft.

3. Add the diced vegetables and the rest of the spices. Cook for 5 minutes, add the ginger and garlic and cook for another minute.

4. Add the chopped tomatoes and stock, taste and correct seasoning and simmer gently for a further 20 minutes.

5. Add the vermicelli and continue to cook for a further 10 minutes or until the diced vegetables are tender.

6. Strain the cooked lentils, reserving the cooking water and add the lentils to the broth. If the soup is too thick, thin out with some of the lentil cooking water. Bring to a simmer. Taste again and correct seasoning. Serve with lots of chopped fresh coriander or parsley.

 

Cinnamon pear crumble

recipe by:Michelle Darmody

This oaty, gently spiced golden crumble is paried with a pear, apple and golden raisin filling - a treat with every bite!

Servings

8

Preparation Time

 20 mins

Cooking Time

 40 mins

Total Time

 60 mins

Course

 Baking

Ingredients

• For the crumble:

• 120g plain flour

• 50g wholemeal flour

• 130g cold butter, cubed

• 30g muscovado sugar — a little extra for sprinkling

• 80g porridge oats

• 30g hazelnuts, chopped

• For the fruit layer:

• 500g pears, cored and sliced

• 100g apples, cored and slice

• 50g golden raisins

• 1 tbsp honey

• 3 tsp ground cinnamon

• 1 tsp ground nutmeg

• 1 tsp vanilla essence

Method

1. Heat your oven to 180°C.

2. Beat together the flour, butter and sugar until the mixture resembles rough breadcrumbs. Do not over beat as it will start to combine too much. Stir the nuts into the crumble mixture along with the oats.

3. Toss the pear, apple, raisins, honey, nutmeg, cinnamon and vanilla together. Scoop the mixture into an ovenproof dish.

4. Gently sprinkle the toping onto the fruit. Sprinkle with the extra muscovado sugar and place into the oven for about 40 minutes, until the fruit are soft and the topping has turned golden.

 

Wholewheat pasta with Ricotta and walnuts

recipe by:Currabinny Cooks

This recipe is also an ode to simplicity, leftovers and humble eating, with crunchy walnuts, delicate cheeses and notes of lemon zest for enhanced flavour

Servings

4

Preparation Time

 10 mins

Cooking Time

 15 mins

Total Time

 25 mins

Course

 Main

Cuisine

 Italian

Ingredients

• 60g walnuts

• 120g Ricotta

• 1 garlic clove, crushed

• juice of ½ lemon

• zest of 1 lemon

• sea salt and black pepper

• 60g Parmesan, grated

• 400g wholewheat pasta

• 60ml extra virgin olive oil

Method

1. Preheat the oven to 180°C.

2. Cook the wholewheat pasta as per packet instructions in boiling salted water.

3. Line a baking tray with parchment, scatter over the walnuts and place in the oven for 5-10 minutes until slightly toasted. Turn them halfway through cooking. When toasted, take them out of the oven and leave to cool.

4. In a pestle and mortar, crush the walnuts with the garlic cloves, salt and pepper until very well pulverised and becoming almost cream like. Scoop out of the mortar and in a bowl, vigorously combine the walnut/garlic mix with the Ricotta, lemon juice, zest and olive oil. Lastly mix in the Parmesan and check the seasoning, a good crack of black pepper is always welcome. 

5. Combine with the wholewheat pasta, which can either be freshly cooked and hot or else left cold, this dish works well both ways. If you leave the pasta to cool, make sure you drizzle the pasta with olive oil to prevent sticking together. 

 

Chia pudding with passionfruit and blueberry yoghurt

recipe by:Michelle Darmody

An explosion of tropical flavour combines superbly with creamy blueberry yoghurt to create a unique summertime treat

Servings

8

Preparation Time

 3 hours 30 mins

Total Time

 3 hours 30 mins

Course

 Dessert

Ingredients

• For the pudding:

• 50g chia seeds

• 520mls coconut milk

• 4 tsp honey

• For the topping:

• 100g blueberries

• 100g coconut yoghurt

• zest of 1 lime

• ½ tbsp maple syrup

• 2 passionfruit, cut in half and inside filling scooped into a bowl

• 2 tbsp coconut flakes, toasted

Method

1. Mix the chia seeds with the honey and coconut milk.

2. Place into the fridge in a covered bowl for at least three hours.

3. Stir once or twice. The seeds should expand and soak up all of the liquid.

4. To make the blueberry yoghurt, place the berries, lime zest, coconut yoghurt and maple syrup in a blender. Blitz until smooth. Taste and add some more maple syrup if you would like it sweeter. Likewise taste the passionfruit and if it is a particularly bitter one you can add some syrup to this as well.

5. Scoop the chia pudding into four bowls. If the pudding is very set you can add a drop of water to loosen it. Scoop some blueberry yoghurt and passionfruit on top. Sprinkle with some toasted coconut and serve.