Spinach, almonds and cranberry salad with sesame vinaigrette. How much iron does spinach really contain?

Is that true that spinach contains a lot of iron? Let's start with the fact that the absorption of iron depends on the chemical form. There is haem and non-haem iron. With the first one we can absorbed in 5-35% while with the second only 2-20%. In the daily ration, heme iron is about 10% while the rest is non-heme iron. Daily requirement for women is 16-19mg and 14-15mg for men. Spinach contains 2.8mg of iron per 100g. So to cover the minimum need for iron for women should consume 570g of spinach. In addition, we must take into account that 10% of this value will absorb up to 35% and the rest up to 20%. In conclusion, if we wanted to cover our daily intake for iron only with spinach (a little absurd situation) we would need to eat over 2.5kg which even Popeye wouldn't manage to do that. Therefore, it is worth to reach for other sources of iron such as offal, red meat or legumes.

Ingredients:

• 250g of fresh spinach
• 100g of dried cranberries
• 100g of almonds
• 4 tablespoons of sesame oil
• spoon of sesame
• spoon of molasses
• tablespoon of apple cider vinegar

Method:

Mix molasses with apple cider vinegar and sesame oil. Mix vigorously to create a thick sauce. Then mix the sauce with spinach. Put the cranberries and almonds (roast it first) on top. Sprinkle with sesame seeds.

Delicious vegan curry, boosting your metabolism and immune system.

Great alternative to meat dishes. Rich in flavour, full of aroma and very healthy. Contains many spices and vegetables, used regularly, will boost the metabolism and immune system, improving skin colour, and  improving the body's immunity or speeds up digestion.

Ingredients:

• large butternut squash
• 250g of canned chickpeas
• onion
• 4 garlic cloves
• 250g of canned tomatoes
• 200ml of coconut milk
• 150g of cocktail tomatoes
• 2 cm ginger
• 2 cm tumeric
• teaspoon of ground cumin
• table spoon of desiccated coconut
• Chilli, salt, pepper
• 2 tbsp coconut oil

Method:

Peel butternut squash and cut into small cubes. Dissolve the coconut oil dissolve and mix together with the butternut squash. Put in the preheated oven (180ºC) and bake for about an hour until the butternut squash softens. In a saucepan on the remaining coconut oil, add a finely chopped onion. After few minutes add chopped garlic, ginger, chillies and turmeric. Fry for a moment. Add the half-cut cherry tomatoes, stir well and pour chopped tomatoes and cook for about 10 minutes. Add coconut milk and the rest of the spices. Boil another 10 minutes. In the end, mix with the butternut squash and chickpeas. Serve with rice or naan bread.

Courgette and prawns spaghetti, low in carbohydrates meal rich in omega 3.

How many times have you heard you eat not enough fish? Did you know that fish can be replaced with seafood for example prawns? They are a very good source of omega 3 and has a very low content of mercury.

Ingredients for 2 servings:

• 3 small courgettes (about 700g)
• 150g of prawns
• 2 garlic cloves
• small onion
• 2 tablespoons of cream creme fraiche
• chilli, cumin, salt, pepper

Method:

Peel courgettes using special peeler to make spaghetti. You can also take an normal vegetable peeler and make thick strips a la tagliatelle. Put some salt and set aside for half an hour. Then fry the courgettes on a tablespoon of rapeseed oil for about 5 minutes until slightly softened. Don't do it to long because cougette will become to soft.

Fry finely diced onion and garlic on rapeseed oil. Add prawns and fry it for about 5 minutes. Put some cream and season with salt, pepper, chilli and cumin. Mix with courgettes.

Peanut butter and raspberry oatmeal, a good source of dietary fiber, magnesium, niacin, and many others.

Peanut butter is a good source of protein, fiber, vitamin E, Vitamin B3 and B5. Additionally, it contains a variety of minerals such as manganese, magnesium, phosphorus, zinc, copper and iron, and zinc. Particularly well suited for vegetarian and vegan diets because as I said earlier is a rich source of protein. This time I prepared peanut butter porridge layered with raspberries. Salty - sweet porridge with sour raspberries is a great start to the day.

Ingredients for 2 servings:

• cup of rolled oats
• 2 cups of milk
• 2 ripe bananas
• 2 tablespoons of peanut butter
• 200g of raspberries

Method:

Cook rolled oats and milk on low heat. Add banana and stir until the oatmeal is thick and banana fall apart. Mash raspberries with a fork. In a glass layered porridge then raspberries, porridge and raspberries. Bon Appetit!!!

Low fat, low calorie and healthier macaroni and cheese.

Macaroni and cheese is a paradise for cheese gourmets. It is made from pasta and cheese sauce, baked in the oven. Cheese and bechamel sauce makes this dish quite fat and heavy. It contains no vegetable and a very small amount of fiber, and everybody knows that is not the greatest choice when it comes to healthy dinner or lunch. I prepared my healthier version of macaroni cheese with chick peas. Instead of béchamel sauce I used cream of chick peas, seasoned with mustard and nutmeg. Almost did not feel the difference compared with the standard macaroni cheese!!!

Ingredients for 2 servings:

• 100g of pasta
• chickpeas (250g)
• teaspoon of mustard
• onion
• 2 cloves garlic
• nutmeg, salt, pepper
• cheese (50g)

Method:

Fry chopped onion and garlic in small soucepan. Add chickpeas from a can with 2 tablespoons of water from the can. Blend it all together and season with mustard, nutmeg, salt, pepper and half the grated cheese. Cook the pasta. Mix it with cheese sauce and put into the baking tray or bowl greased with butter. Put the rest of grated cheese on the top and bake until cheese is nicely browned.

Healthy, low fat peanut butter cheesecake with chocolate base.

Why healthy? Instead of buttery biscuit base I used pearl barley cooked with turmeric. This helped to increased the amount of fibre and mineral content.Then cocoa powder which is wealth of magnesium, chromium, iron, and zinc. The fat in the cake is only from peanut butter and mascarpone cheese (instead of butter or oil)!!!

Ingredients for the chocolate base:

• cup of pearl barley
• teaspoon of turmeric
• 4 tablespoons of stevia
• half a cup of cocoa powder
• 3 eggs
• 200ml natural yoghurt

Ingredients for the cheesecake:

• 400g of mascarpone cheese
• 2 eggs
• 2 tablespoons stevia
• 2 heaped tablespoons of peanut butter
• 200ml natural yoghurt

Dark chocolate and peanut butter to decorate cake

Method:

Cook pearl barley in 2 cups of water with turmeric. Set aside to cool. Add the eggs, yogurt and stevia. Blend until smooth. Mix with cocoa powder. Grease baking tray with oil or butter, put baking paper and then the chocolate dough.

Mix mascarpone cheese with the eggs, stevia, peanut butter and yoghurt. put it on the top of chocolate base.

Put in the preheated oven (180 ° C) and bake for 40 minutes. At the end put some peanut butter on the top and sprinkle with grated dark chocolate.

Dried cranberries and coconut bars, healthy sweet snack.

Urinary tract infections are one of the most frequent woman bacterial infections. Most often caused by the bacterium Escherichia coli. Cranberry contains proanthocyanidins - very unique nutrient which will prevent E. coli to locate in the urinary bladder, reducing the risk of developing this type of infection. Cranberry is also a wealth of vitamin C, fiber and manganese. It taste sour and a little bit of sweet in the end. Together with a hint of coconut is a delicious idea for a sweet snack.

Ingredients (7 servings):

• 250g dried cranberries
• 2 flat tablespoons of coconut oil
• 2 tablespoons of desiccated coconut
• 4 tablespoons of oat bran

Method:

Melt coconut oil and mix it with dried cranberries. Blend it to make a smooth mixture. Stir in desiccated coconut and bran. Wrap in cling film to form a flat rectangle. Put in the fridge for about 3 hours. Then cut up into bars.