So now you know what foods to include as part of your weekly diet (didn't see last week's story? Read it here)
Eating for maximum collagen building can be super delicious. You don't have to feel like you're on a diet, it's not all about salads. It's about adding collagen rich foods to your week. Here are some tasty recipes to lift your spirits and your cheekbones!
Braised Chicken with Lemon and Olives
This is actually a Neil Perry dish that I've adapted and have been cooking for years (since I was Editor at Good Food!) and it is delicious, plus has all the collagen boosting ingredients - chicken on the bone, chicken bone broth and lemon.
Ingredients
600g boneless chicken thighs, skin on
1 lemon
1 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
2 tbsp butter, cold
1 cup chicken stock (check gluten-free if required)
1 tbsp chopped flat-leaf parsley leaves
2 tsp fresh oregano leaves, plus extra to serve
1/2 tsp chopped thyme leaves
1/2 cup of your favourite black olives
1/2 tbsp honey
1 tsp sea salt
freshly ground black pepper
boiled rice or soft polenta, to serve (use rice for gluten-free)
Method
1. Cut the chicken thigh pieces in half.
2. Cut about a quarter off one end of the lemon then slice very finely, stopping about a quarter from the other end. Discard the two end pieces and remove any pips.
3. Heat oil and half the butter in a shallow pan over high heat. Brown chicken on both sides in batches, remove from pan. Drain half the oil from pan and discard.
4. Add the chicken bone broth and lemon slices to the pan and bring to a simmer, then return chicken to pan. Cover and simmer very gently for about 12 minutes, or until chicken is just cooked. Add parsley, oregano, thyme and olives to pan.
5. Increase heat, remove chicken and lemon, and simmer sauce until reduced by half.
6. Add remaining butter to sauce, remove from heat, and quickly start whisking. The sauce will change colour and thicken slightly.
7. Stir in the honey, salt and pepper then return chicken and lemon to pan. Simmer for 1 minute.
Serve with polenta or rice or eat on its own.
Beetroot and barley salad
This mostly raw salad is super easy to make and a welcome change from the usual, plus is full of collagen-boosting ingredients. It can work as a side or is perfect to prepare the night before and take to work for lunch. And you know how they say we should "eat the rainbow"? This is quite literally the rainbow.
For the Salad:
1 cup uncooked barley, rinsedBone broth to cook the barley in as opposed to water
1 cup edamame, prepare as per package instructions.
1/3 cup pumpkin seeds, toasted
2 medium uncooked beets, peeled
1 medium carrot, grated
1 avocado, cubed
2 cups torn or roughly chopped super greens (baby spinach, chard, rocket or kale)
For the Dressing:
2 tbsp olive oil1 tbsp apple cider vinegar
1tsp maple syrup
1 small lemon, juiced
1 tbsp fresh parsley, chopped
1 tsp Dijon mustard
Sea salt and black pepper to taste
1. Rinse barley in a fine mesh strainer under running water for a minute or until water runs clear. Place in a medium-sized pot along with the bone broth (or water) — the amount may vary, so go by the package directions. Bring to boil and cook for 30 - 45mins (you'll know it's ready by tasting it regularly from 30 mins).
2. Place the raw pepitas in a small pan over medium-low heat. Stir often to keep them from burning. When ready, the pepitas will be fragrant and will turn a light golden color around the edges. Remove and set aside.
3. Grate the beetroot and transfer them to a large bowl. To avoid a red mess, do this at the sink and run the beets under cool water every so often while grating them.
4. Peel and grate carrots. Toss them into the bowl with the beets.
5. Once the barley has cooled a little, add to the bowl with the beets and carrots, along with the edamame, cubed avocado, greens, and toasted pepitas.
6. Place all of the ingredients for the dressing into a jar and shake until well mixed.
7. Drizzle over the salad and toss to coat.
*Adapted from One Green Planet
Lamb, white bean and marjoram casserole
Casseroles are fab because a) they're easy b) they're full of collagen boosting ingredients c) slow cooking meat is a much healthier way to eat it. This is another one adapted from a Good Food recipe that is a regular every winter, by Jeremy and Jane Strode. FYI, you don't have to exist on salads to be healthy. Healthy food can be absolutely warming, comforting and soul-satisfying.
Ingredients
1kg lamb shoulder
150ml olive oil
3 brown onions, finely diced
8 garlic cloves, finely chopped
500ml white wine
300g dried white beans, soaked overnight in water
2 bay leaves
10 marjoram sprigs, plus 1 tbsp picked leaves
800g tinned tomatoes
Salt and pepper
Method
1. Trim and dice lamb into two-centimetre square pieces. Place in a saucepan of cold water and bring to the boil. Drain and reserve lamb.
2. Heat oil in a heavy-based saucepan and gently fry onion and garlic until soft, about 10 minutes. Add wine and reduce by two thirds. In a separate saucepan cook beans until half cooked through, about 20 minutes, then drain.
3. Add bay leaves, marjoram sprigs and tomatoes to onions. Add lamb and simmer until starting to soften, about one hour. Add beans to lamb and cook until beans and lamb are soft and sauce has thickened. Season well with salt and pepper and sprinkle with marjoram leaves before serving.
Serves 4-6. Or make it for yourself and freeze portions for future dinners without cooking!
Salmon and quinoa bowl
Salmon is a great source of omega-3 fatty acids, which are great for bone and joint health as well as brain function. Eat it with the skin on and you'll get all that collagen which sits just under the skin. Mix with collagen boosting ingredients like sweet potato, lemon and avocado and you have a skin-lifting meal!
Ingredients:
1 cup quinoa, cooked
400gm raw salmon
1 sweet potato, chopped
2 cups baby spinach
1 shallot, chopped
1 avocado, pitted and sliced
For the dressing:
1 tbsp Dijon mustard
½ tbsp red wine vinegar
1 garlic clove, crushed
Juice of ½ lemon
3 tbsp olive oil
1 scoop collagen peptides
Salt and pepper to taste
Method:
1. Preheat oven to 200°C
2. In a roasting tin, add the sweet potatoes, drizzle with olive oil and bake for 30 minutes, or until tender.
3. Rub the salmon with one tablespoon of olive oil, salt and pepper. Place skin side down on a hot pan. Cook for two mins or until skin turns brown-ish. Turn over and cook for two minutes then remove.
4. Add all the ingredients for the dressing in a jar with a lid, shaking until combined (can also be done in a blender for a smoother dressing)
5. Once sweet potatoes and salmon are done cooking, get out two bowls and evenly divide the kale and quinoa. Add the sweet potatoes, salmon, shallots, and avocado, then drizzle with dressing.
Serves 2
*Adapted from Healthline.com
Paleo Spaghetti Bolognese with carrot and zucchini
This is adapted from the paleo king himself, Pete Evans, and contains collagen rich mince with vitamins in the vegetables - you eat such a large amount of vegetables with this spaghetti it really increases your daily intake, plus there's added chicken bone broth.
Ingredients
2 tbsp coconut oil or good-quality animal fat
1 onion, chopped
1 carrot, diced
1 celery stalk, finely diced
4 garlic cloves, finely chopped
500g beef mince
2 tbsp tomato paste
1 tbsp chopped oregano leaves
200ml dry, preservative-free red wine
500g tomato passata or whole peeled tomatoes
300ml chicken bone broth (either homemade or high-quality, shop-bought)
pinch of chilli flakes (optional)
sea salt and freshly ground black pepper
baby basil leaves, to serve
Vegetable spaghetti
3 zucchini
2 carrots
Method
1. To make the spaghetti, use the thick noodle blade on a spiraliser to create carrot and zucchini noodles. If you don't have a spiraliser, simply julienne the carrot and zucchini using a sharp knife. Set aside until needed.
2. Melt the oil or fat in a large frying pan over medium–high heat. Add the onion, carrot and celery and cook for 4–5 minutes until the onion is soft. Stir in the garlic and cook for 1 minute until fragrant and starting to brown.
3. Add the beef and brown, breaking up any lumps with a wooden spoon, for 5–6 minutes. Add the tomato paste, stir and cook for 1 minute. Mix in the oregano and wine and cook for 4–5 minutes until the wine has almost evaporated.
4. Add the passata, half the broth and the chilli flakes (if using) and season with salt and pepper.
5. Simmer on low heat for 30 minutes, adding more broth if needed.
6. Bring a saucepan of salted water to the boil. Add the carrot noodles and cook for 30 seconds, then add the zucchini noodles and cook for a further 15 seconds until just tender. Drain well.
7. Spoon the noodles into four serving bowls, top with the bolognese, then sprinkle on the basil.
Serves 4 - again, freeze leftovers for future dinners where you won't have to cook!
Roasted veggie bowl
