Tuna & Sweetcorn Burgers

It's been quite sunny & thinking about burgers on the BBQ has begun! This healthy burger takes 15 minutes to make & cook - simple!

Although not the most healthy recipe on this blog, the 35%* magnesium and 80% B-12 with 15% B-6 makes this dish an aid to insomnia with a contribution to helping your emotional swings and memory problems.  The niacin (B-3) at 70% also helps your relax & fall asleep more quickly, plus it eases migraines. 
*Recommended Daily Allowance

Serves 4 

Ingredients
85 g x wholemeal bread, torn into pieces
200 g tin x sweetcorn, drained
2 x 185 g tins tuna in water, drained well
25 g x cheddar, grated
3 x spring onions, finely chopped
1 x egg, beaten
2 tbsp x vegetable oil

4 x wholegrain bread rolls
Optional - salsa, mayonnaise, tomato ketchup, harissa for burger sauce

Instructions
1. Whizz the bread in a food processor to crumbs, tip into a bowl, then whizz half the sweetcorn until finely chopped. 

2. Add the chopped corn, remaining whole corn, tuna, cheese, spring onions and some seasoning into the bowl with the bread and mix well. 

3. Add the egg, bit by bit (you may not need it all), until the mixture is sticky enough to be shaped into four even-size burgers.


4. Heat the oil in a non-stick pan, then cook the burgers for 5 mins on each side until golden and hot through the middle. 

5. Stuff into wholemeal buns with your favourite lettuce and a good dollop of salsa.

Sweet Potato & Chickpea Tacos

A dish only takes 30 minutes to make & is loved by everyone I cook it for. It freezes really well if you make extra & then defrost it for 12 hours before reheating it on the hob for 10 minutes.

With roughly 100%* of vitamin C and manganese, and 60% B-6 this dish really helps with dizziness.  With 40% magnesium, some turmeric, 10% B-12 & 30% vitamin B-2 it will aid your memory, but also these levels of nutrients will also aid insomnia, emotional issues and a bit of fatigue.

*Recommended Daily Allowance

Serves 4

Ingredients
300 g x sweet potatoes, cubed
400 g tin x chopped tomatoes
400 g tin x chickpeas (pre-cooked)
1/2 tsp x chilli flakes
2 tbsp x curry paste* (buy pre-made or make your own with recipe below)
100 g x spinach (frozen or fresh)
6 x tacos

Topping either: 
2 tbsp x plain yoghurt
50 g x mature cheddar, grated

Instructions
1. Heat oven to 180C.  Meanwhile, over medium heat, boil sweet potatoes for 10-12 minutes & drain. 

2. In a saucepan over medium heat add curry paste, tomatoes, chickpeas & chilli flakes together & cook for 5 minutes.

3. Add drained sweet potatoes to saucepan with tomato mix.  

4. Add spinach & let it wilt (approx. 3 minutes).

5. While spinach wilts (or melts if frozen), place tacos in the hot oven & cook for 3 minutes. 

6. Serve as separate components for each person to stuff tacos with filling & add preferred topping. 



*Curry paste can be made by grinding or blending the following together:
1 x garlic clove
1 tsp x curry powder
1 x bay leaf
1/2 tsp x fennel seeds
1 tsp x coriander (ground or seeds)
1 tsp x cumin (ground or seeds)
1/2 tsp x turmeric
1 tbsp x tomato puree
1 tbsp x ghee

You can keep the curry paste in a fridge for up to a week.

Kale, Eggs & Beans

This one can make a healthy breakfast, but you don't have to. It takes 12-15 minutes to make. 

This dish has over 200%* vitamin C, and manganese, plus 100% of your magnesium and almost 70% B-6 making this dish great for helping co-ordination & dizziness, emotional issues and insomnia. The 21% vitamin D in the eggs & 12% vitamin E in dried chillies will go towards reducing fatigue, whilst the barlotti beans provide 25% B-1 and 90% folate that support your B-12 and nerve function in the brain, increasing effectiveness of B-12 in your diet. 

*Recommended Daily Allowance

Serves 2

Ingredients

100 g x kale, cut up without spines

1 x onion, diced

2 x garlic cloves, diced

2 x eggs

1/2 tin x barlotti beans, pre-cooked and drained

1 cup x vegetable stock

1 tsp x paprika
1/2 tsp x fennel seeds
1/2 tsp x dried chillies

Instructions

1. In deep frying pan over medium heat, cook onion & garlic for 1-2 minutes. Add SPICES and leave to cook for further 2 minutes. 

2. Add half the kale to the frying pan & let it wilt (approx. 2 mins). Add other half of kale & leave to wilt. 

3. Add barlotti beans and vegetable stock to pan, & leave to cook for 6 mins, stirring occasionally. 

4. Make little indents in the cooked kale & break eggs into these gaps. Leave to cook the eggs (approx. 2 mins). 

5. Serve and enjoy!

Sausage, Kale & White Bean Pasta

This is a hearty filling meal for those who enjoy a more meaty dish. It works better with a thinner pasta like spaghetti. It takes about 15 minutes to make. 

Kale and lemon juice give this dish over 200%* vitamin C and 45% manganese from kale and barlotti beans and 25% B-6 from the kale, sausage and lemon juice.  Kale also has 11% magnesium and 6% B-2. The barlotti beans also contain 25% B-1 that improves memory and concentration, and 90% folate which supports B-12 function in reducing emotional issues.  This recipe is great for co-ordination & dizziness issues. It will also go part way to aid your emotional stability, light sensitivity, insomnia, memory and fatigue.

*Recommended Daily Allowance (RDA)

Serves 2

Ingredients
2 nests (120 g) x spaghetti (or other pasta you like, I had penne handy)
200 g x Pork sausages with herbs
1 tbsp x olive oil
100 ml x dry white wine
1 clove x garlic, crushed
2 tsp x butter
50 g x curly kale, chopped
200 g x barlotti beans, rinsed
1 tsp x lemon juice
25 g x parmesan, finely grated

Instructions
1. Bring a large pan salted water to the boil & add pasta. Cook for 4 mins or until tender.

2. Grill sausages until browned, then slice into chunks.

3. In deep frying pan over medium-low heat add wine, garlic, butter & kale. Cover & simmer for 5 mins until kale is tender. Remove from heat. 

4. Add beans & lemon juice to frying pan.  Then add chunks of sausage to the frying pan. 

5. Transfer pasta from water to frying pan & add 4 tablespoons of cooking water to frying pan to create sauce. 

Serve with extra parmesan!

Japanese style Salmon & Avocado Rice

The only cooking required for this dish is the rice, the other ingredients just marinade in the fridge for 12 minutes. It makes a lovely refreshing dish. 

The salmon provides over 200%* B-12, over 100% Vitamin D, and 50% Omega 3s. The combined ingredients then give you 100% B-6, over 400% Vitamin C, 100% magnesium and some manganese. This dish can assist with insomnia, memory, dizziness, fatigue and emotional issues, with the B-6 aiding your confusion and light sensitivity. 

As a bonus there is over 90% calcium and 80% iron in this dish - this helps the brain in a couple of ways. The calcium is used to help transmit messages to the inside of the brain cells aiding with memory, it also helps the body absorb vitamin D, so it is best to have vitamin D with calcium in your meal. Iron is important for haemoglobin & carrying oxygen around the body, which in turn makes you feel more energised. 

*Recommended Dietary Allowances (RDA)

Serves 2

Ingredients
300 g x sushi rice or white basmati rice
100 g x smoked salmon, sliced
2 small, ripe avocados, cubed 
1  x lemon, juice
4 tsp x light soy sauce
4 tsp x toasted sesame seeds
2 x spring onions, thinly sliced
1 x red chilli, deseeded and thinly sliced
small handful coriander leaves

Instructions
1. Boil rice in a saucepan for 10-12 mins until the rice is almost cooked, then remove from the heat & leave for 5-10 mins.

2. Place salmon & avocado in a shallow bowl. Drizzle over the lemon juice, soy, chilli, spring onions & sesame seeds then mix in well, making sure everything is evenly covered. Leave in the fridge to marinate for 10 mins.

3. Serve salmon & avocado mix on top of rice & sprinkle coriander over the dish (omitted in photo as I had run out). 

Not Greek Salad with sardines and chickpeas

Based on a Greek Salad this has sardines, chickpeas & pepper added to it. These additional ingredients really help with providing nutrients for the brain. As I don't like raw red onion I used spring onion, but pick your preference. No cooking means it's super quick to make!

The sardines are packed with over 100%* B-12, 60% Omega 3s, 48% Vitamin D and some B-6 too. The chickpeas contain 28% magnesium and 25% B-6. For a high vitamin C kick the bell pepper, tomatoes and coriander contribute over 200% Vitamin C, plus some help from feta cheese that also contains 28% B-12 and 20% B-6.  This dish should really help with dizziness, emotional issues, insomnia, fatigue, memory and to some extent confusion and light sensitivity. 

* Percentages are of your Recommended Daily Amount (RDA). 

Serves 4 or 2 giant lunches

Ingredients

1 x Red bell pepper, diced
1 x Spring onion (or red onion), diced
1 tin x chickpeas (pre-cooked), drained
1 tin x sardines (pre-prepared), roughly chopped
8 x cherry tomatoes, halved
1 tbsp x coriander, chopped
1/2 x cucumber, skinned & diced
100 g x feta cheese, cubed
75 g x olives (green or black as you prefer)

Instructions
1. Compile all in a bowl & enjoy!

Peppers stuffed with Baby Beetroot

Oops! I'd eaten it all before I remembered to take a photo - so delicious!  This makes a yummy snack!  Takes 5-10 minutes depending your grill. 

Bell peppers have well over 100% of your RDA for Vitamin C plus 10% RDA of B-6, whilst baby beetroot is rich in B-6 with lots of magnesium and manganese.  This makes this dish great for insomnia, depression, anxiety and dizziness. 

Serves 2

Ingredients

2 x bell peppers, halved

150 g x baby beetroot (pre-cooked), sliced

Instructions

1. Grill the peppers until they are soft & slightly golden on the edges.

2. Place the beetroot inside the peppers & enjoy!

Chorizo, Pepper & White Beans

Another simple & tasty dish for when you just need some meat! 

Chorizo has 25%* vitamin B6 and 33% vitamin B12, and white beans give you 20% magnesium, 40% manganese & 16% B6. The dried herbs and spices add B6, manganese & vitamin E - so this dish helps if you have insomnia, exhaustion & dizziness or co-ordination issues. It will also help depression & anxiety a bit too. 
*Percentages are of your Recommended Daily Allowance (RDA). 

Remember to check out the beginner posts about symptom nutrients and which foods contain those nutrients to help you pick your recipes. 

It should take you 10-15 minutes to make, so it's good when you're hungry. 

Serves 2

Ingredients
100g x chorizo sausage, cut into mouth-sized chunks (spicy or not depends on your taste)
1 x red pepper, cubed
1 x red onion, diced
1 tin x white beans (pre-cooked cannellini is my preference)
1 tsp x cumin
1 tsp x oregano
1/2 tsp x chilli powder (or fresh diced)
1/2 tbsp x olive oil

Instructions
1. Heat olive oil over medium heat in frying pan & add red onion for 2 minutes.

2. Add cumin, oregano & chill powder, stir in & cook for a further 2 minutes. 

3. Add the chorizo & pepper to the pan, stir it in & let it cook for 5 minutes. 

4. Add white beans to the pan & stir through for 2 minutes. 

Beetroot, Feta & Lentil Salad

Another salad for a busy day moving around & a standard salad recipe that is nutritious for the brain!

Serves 2

Ingredients
4 x beetroot bulbs aka beets (pre-cooked in vacuum sealed pack), chopped into cubes
170 g x feta cheese, cut into small cubes
1 cup x raw spinach
1/2 cup x green or brown lentils (pre-cooked in a tin saves you boiling them)
Squeeze x lemon juice
Pepper to taste

Instructions
1. Boil lentils in water for 20 minutes until tender (unless pre-cooked in a tin, then just combine with 2). 

2. Combine beets, feta, spinach lentils into bowl. Squeeze lemon juice & season with pepper. 

Okra and Tomato Stir fry

My sister made this for me to accompany a roast chicken & I'd eaten most of it before I remembered to take a photo! 

Okra is high in vitamin C, magnesium and is 10% of your RDA for manganese (some B6 and lots of vitamin K), so combined with the garlic and tomatoes this makes the blog. 

Serves 2

Ingredients
300 g x okra
2 tbsp x olive oil
4 x garlic cloves, thinly sliced
1/2 lemon, juice
200 g x cherry tomatoes, halved
1/2 tbsp x chopped coriander
2 tbsp x water
Salt & pepper to taste

Instructions
1. Over a high heat DRY fry the okra until it begins to blister (almost popping seeds).

2. Reduce heat to medium and add olive oil & garlic for 2 minutes. 

3. Add tomatoes, lemon juice & coriander for a further 2-3 minutes, so tomatoes warm through. Season to taste. 

Sweet Potato Lentils & Mackerel

This is a staple dish for me as you can keep frozen spinach, lentils, tinned mackerel & a squash (supplements the sweet potato) in your kitchen for ages. Then one night when there's little in the cupboards, you can make this yummy dish! 

Everyone who has tasted this has been inspired to go home & cook it!

P.s. If you're a non fish eater, just don't add the mackerel. It still tastes yummy.

Serves 4

Ingredients
2 x mackerel fillets (smoked or tinned can work fine)
1 x onion, chopped finely
1 inch x ginger, chopped finely
2 x cloves garlic, chopped finely
1-2 tsp x cumin, ground (or powder)
1-2 tsp x coriander powder
500ml x vegetable stock
1/2 cup x red or yellow lentils
2 x sweet potatoes, chopped into small cubes (can substitute with squash)
1 cup x spinach (frozen or fresh)
Pepper to taste
1 tbsp x olive oil

Instructions
1. Heat olive oil in a sauce pan, add the onion & garlic and cook for 2-3 minutes until softened. 

2. Add the sweet potato (or squash), coriander, cumin & ginger and cook for a further 2 minutes.

3. Stir in the stock, bring to the boil and add the lentils. 

4. Cover and simmer for 25-30 minutes, stirring occasionally, until the lentils are tender and the stock has been absorbed. Add a little more stock if necessary throughout. Season with sea salt and black pepper and add the spinach, heat for 1 minute (allow 10 minutes if frozen spinach).

5. EITHER:
(a) FRESH Mackerel - Heat the 1 tsp of oil in a large frying pan, place the mackerel fillets skin-side down in the pan and cook for 4-5 minutes until the skin is crisp.  Turn over, season with black pepper and cook for a further 4-5 minutes until just beginning to flake.

(b) TINNED or Smoked Mackerel - chop into chunks and add to lentil pan for 1 minute to heat through. 

Broccoli, Green Bean & Cherry Tomato Salad

Veg salad to accompany the crustless tofu quiches.

Serves 3

Ingredients
1 x Broccoli head, chopped into mouth sized chunks
50 g x Green beans, ends removed & chopped in half
12 x Cherry tomatoes, halved
1 tbsp x Sesame seeds

Instructions
1. You can have this all raw, so combine all ingredients into a bowl & enjoy OR

2. Steam the broccoli & beans for 5-8 minutes. Then combine with cherry tomatoes & sesame seeds. 

Crustless Tofu Quiches

Super yummy & brain food! I made these to accompany the green bean, broccoli & tomato salad also posted on the blog. 

Serves 3 

Ingredients
1/2 tbsp x olive oil 
1 tsp x garlic, minced
1/2 cup x bell pepper, chopped
1 cup x mushrooms, chopped
1 tsp fresh chives (or one green onion), minced
1 tsp minced fresh rosemary (or 1/2 tsp. dried, crushed)
black pepper to taste

350g firm silken tofu, drained of water 
1/4 cup x plain soymilk
2 tbsp  x nutritional yeast
1 tbps x cornstarch (may sub another thickener such as arrowroot or potato starch)
1 tsp x tahini (preferred) or cashew butter
1/4 tsp x onion powder
1/4 tsp x turmeric powder
1/2-3/4 tsp x salt

Instructions
1. Preheat the oven to 190 C. Grease muffin cups/tray with butter or non-stick spay. 

2. In frying pan heat oil over moderate heat & sauté the garlic, bell peppers, and mushrooms over medium heat until the mushrooms just begin to exude their juices. Stir in the chives, rosemary, and freshly ground black pepper, and remove from the heat.

3. Place the tofu, soya milk, yeast, tahini, onion powder, turmeric & cornstarch  into a food processor or blender. Process until completely smooth and silky. 

4. Add the tofu mixture to the vegetables and stir to combine. Spoon equally into the muffin cups: it will fill regular muffin cups about halfway.

4. Put the muffin pan into the oven and immediately reduce the heat to 175 C. Bake for approximately 25-35 minutes depending on your oven, until the tops are golden and a knife inserted into the middle of a quiche comes out clean. 

5. Remove from the oven and allow them to cool for about 10 minutes. 

Detox Soup

This is a simple soup that you can eat tonnes of & never seem full!  Sometimes I like to add in jerusalem artichokes if they're in season. 

You can forget the parsley & lime juice if you don't have them in stock. I'm posting 2 photos to show it with and without broccoli. 

Serves 4 
Ingredients
2 bunches x spring onions or 1 x large leek, finely chopped
1 x small cauliflower, chopped to bite sized chunks
1 x small broccoli, chopped to bite sized chunks
1-2 tsp x cumin powder
1-2 tsp x coriander powder
4-5 large ripe tomatoes or 400g tinned
2 x garlic cloves, crushed 
1/4 tsp x cayenne pepper
1 litre x vegetable stock
1 tbsp x olive oil
1 x lime, juice
Handful x Flat leaf parsley, roughly chopped

Instructions
1. Heat olive oil in large saucepan over medium heat.  Add cauliflower, spring onion/leek & garlic with coriander, cumin & cayenne pepper for 3 minutes. 

2. Add vegetable stock & bring to boil. Reduce to simmer & cover for 20 minutes. 

3. Add tomatoes & lime juice to saucepan & simmer for 10 minutes. 

Chickpeas with Spinach & Tomatoes

If you stock up your cupboards with tins and dried foods, and your freezer with frozen vegetables, you can save yourself the dreaded grocery shop on bad days when all those lights, items, people & decisions will turn you into the babbling wreck in the corner ('flooding'). 

This is basically a chuck it in a pan & let it cook for 15 minutes recipe. Simple & healthy, but simple to make on your bad days. 

Serves 2

Ingredients
1 x tin chickpeas (pre-boiled)
1 x tin of chopped tomatoes
50 g frozen spinach (fresh if you have it)
1 tspn x cumin powder
1 tspn x coriander powder
1/2 tspn x chilli powder (optional)
1 x garlic cloved, crushed
1 tbsp x olive oil

Instructions
1. Heat olive oil in saucepan & add crushed garlic until lightly browned. 

2. Pour in chickpeas, tomatoes, spices & spinach and stir. Heat it to boiling & then simmer for 15 minutes, stirring occasionally. 

3. Eat with wholemeal bread if you need something a bit more energy. 

Kale, Kipper & Rye bread for breakfast

A filling and rounded breakfast to start the week.  This can take a bit of time juggling so I'll set out the times in order. 

Serves 2

Ingredients
2 x kipper fillets, smoked
50 g kale, spines removed
2 x medium eggs
2 x slices rye bread
Salt & pepper 

Instructions
1. Cook kippers according to instructions - if in a bag then boil in the bag for 14 minutes. 

2. Steam kale for 7 minutes. 

3. Grill rye bread until lightly toasted.  Meanwhile, boil egg for 4-7 minutes depending on how hard you like it. 

4. Combine on plate & season with salt & pepper to taste. If you have chilli salt I think this adds something extra delicious!

Blueberry, Kale & Quinoa Salad

The last day of my course & I made this salad. It's a bit fruity!

Ingredients
1/2 cup x blueberries
1/2 cup x quinoa
1 cup x water
50 g x kale, shredded & spines removed
75 g x feta cheese, cubed
1/2 lemon juice
1 tbsp x olive oil
1/2 cup x sliced almonds (I only had whole ones but flaked is better)

Instructions
1. Boil 1 cup of water in saucepan & add quinoa.  Cook according to instructions on packet. 

2. Meanwhile, steam kale for 5 minutes.

3. Mix feta, kale, almonds, blueberries & quinoa in bowl. Drizzle lemon juice & olive oil over the salad & mix. 

Tofu, Tomato, Flower Sprout Rice Salad

Flower sprouts are not commonly found, but are a cross between broccoli and kale - so a dream super brain food! They taste a little nutty and look like flowered sprouts of mini kale bunches. If you can't get flower sprouts you can substitute with kale. 

Serves 2 

Ingredients

200g flower sprouts (200g kale as alternative)

50g silken tofu, cubed

2 tomatoes, chopped into cubes

1/3 cup basmati rice

1 tbsp sunflower seeds

1 tbsp pumpkin seeds

Piri piri lemon sauce: 

1/2 red onion

2 cloves x garlic

1 bird's eye chilli (remove stalks)

1 tbsp x sweet smoked paprika

1 lemon, juice

2 tbsp x white wine vinegar

1 tbsp Worcestershire sauce

Instructions

1. In boiling water, boil the rice for 20 minutes or until soft depending on the packet. 

2. Meanwhile, steam flower sprouts/ kale for 5 minutes and drain. 

3. Mix all piri piri sauce ingredients into blender & whizz until smooth. If you don't have a blender you can cheat with a pre-made piri piri lemon sauce. 

4. Combine tomatoes, tofu, flower sprouts/ kale, sunflower seeds, pumpkin seeds & rice in a bowl. Mix in piri piri lemon sauce. 

Mussels in red Thai curry broth

Another lovely dish from my boyfriend to support me doing my course. Mussels are so simple to cook and really quite cheap bought fresh from the fish counter!

Serves 2 

Ingredients

1/8 cup butter

1 plum tomatoes, seeded & roughly chopped

1 tbsp x garlic, minced

1/2 tbsp x ginger, peeled & minced

1 can unsweetened coconut milk

1 can water

1/2 tbsp x Thai red curry paste (more if you like the heat)

1/2 tsp x salt

1.5 lbs mussels, scrubbed & debearded

3 tbsp coriander, chopped

Instructions

1. Melt the butter in a large pot over medium heat. 

2. Add the tomatoes, garlic & ginger, sauteeing for about 2 minutes (until the garlic is tender).

3. Pour in the coconut milk and can of water, then add the the curry paste, coriander & salt.  Stir together & simmer for 4 minutes.

4. Add mussels, cover & cook for about 5 minutes until the mussels are opened. 

5. Discard any unopened mussels as they are not good for you! Serve in bowls with crusty wholemeal bread if you require. 

Salmon, spinach & kale lasagne

My boyfriend made this for me one night after my course to show me his support to feed my brain. It was so yummy! 

Maybe serve it with a green leafy side salad. 

Serves 4

Ingredients

200 g lasagne sheets (you could use gluten free)

200 g fresh salmon fillets, peeled, boned & diced

2 handfuls baby leaf spinach

1 tbsp x olive oil

Salt & pepper

Optional: 1 cup x flower sprouts

White sauce:

1 tbsp x butter

1 tbsp x plain flour

1/4 litre milk

4 tbsp x grated cheddar cheese

1/4 tsp x grated nutmeg

Instructions

1. Preheat oven at 180C & butter lasagne baking pan. 

2. Heat olive oil in frying pan over a low heat. Add salmon & spinach, stirring occasionally leave to cook gently until soft. Season with salt & pepper. 

3. If adding flower sprouts, steam or boil them for 4 minutes and add to the salmon & spinach mix. 

4. To make white sauce, in a sauce pan melt the butter over a medium heat. 

5. Add the flour to the butter and mix in thoroughly for about 1 minute. 

6. Slowly add the milk to the butter & flour mix, ensuring it is fully mixed in before adding more milk.  Constantly stir until it thickens into a creamy consistency. Remove from heat & add nut meg. 

7. Take a ladle of the white sauce & mix it into the fish & salmon mix. 

8. Pour half the salmon mix into the baking pan, spreading it out evenly across the pan. Place one layer of lasagne sheets over the salmon mix. Pour some white sauce over the lasagne sheets. Pour the second half of the salmon mix over, layer the lasagne sheets and then white sauce over the top. 

9. Sprinkle the cheese across the top of the dish. 

10. Bake in the oven for 40 minutes until golden on the top.