Summer fibre feast! 3 recipes to keep you feeling great

Fibre is incredibly important for our health, but it can be hard to know exactly what to incorporate in our diet and where to start.

To help you get the fibre you need, our nutritionist James Hudson has three delicious fresh dishes you can try at home.

From his twist on a Turkish tradition - the fibre-rich Börek - to gut-friendly pickled blueberries which you can use in more ways than you might think, get ready to surprise and delight...

Recipe 1: Mushroom & lentil Börek with green dressing (4 portions)

Watch James make the recipe below:

Ingredients:

For the Börek:

• 450g chesnut mushrooms
• 240g Jus-Rol filo pastry ready rolled sheets
• 250g puy lentils
• 1 medium red onion
• 100g walnuts
• 30g balsamic vinegar
• 1 cup, chopped fresh parsley
• 2 cloves garlic, grated
• 2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
• 3 teaspoons fresh thyme
• 3 teaspoons mixed sesame seeds

For the Green Goddess Dressing:

• 200g yogurt (dairy or plant-based)
• 50ml water
• 2 tablespoons tahini paste
• 2 tablespoons lemon juice
• ¼ cup, chopped fresh parsley
• 3 tablespoons fresh mint
• 2 cloves garlic
• 3 teaspoons fresh basil

Method

1. Pre-heat the oven to 180ºC. Put the walnuts in a roasting tray and place in the oven to toast for 10-15 mins until golden brown.
2. In a frying pan add 1 tbsp olive oil and gently cook the finely chopped red onion for 5-7 mins until soft and turning golden.
3. Add the garlic and the mushrooms to the pan and cook these down over a medium heat until the water has been released and evaporated and the mushrooms are browning.
4. Add 3 tsp of fresh thyme to the pan and stir well to combine.
5. Pour the pouch of cooked Puy lentils, the chopped parsley and 2 tbsp balsamic vinegar. Stir well to combine and cook for a further 2-3 mins until the vinegar has cooked off.
6. Finally, add the toasted walnuts that have been chopped, mix well and leave to cool for 10-15 mins whilst you prepare the pastry.
7. Take 3 sheets of the filo at a time and overlap them spraying olive oil between each layer. Place a third of the filling along the edge of the pastry and roll over into a long cylinder shape.
8. Take a skillet pan or circular roasting dish and spray with olive oil. Place the first cylinder length of pastry into the pan coiling from the centre outwards.
9. Repeat this twice more adding to the circular pattern until the dish is full. Spray well with olive oil and sprinkle over the 2 tbsp of sesame seeds. Place the dish into the heated oven at 180­­­­ºC for 30 mins until browned and crispy.
10. For the the dressing, add all of the ingredients to a blender apart from the water and blend until smooth. Add a little water to get desired consistency.
11. When cooked, remove from the skillet and cut slices through the Börek getting the layers of crispy pastry. Drizzle the dressing over the slice or serve on the side and enjoy. When cooked remove from the skillet and cut slices through the Börek getting the layers of crispy pastry. Then drizzle the dressing over the slice or serve on the side and enjoy.

332 kcal, 27.2g carb, 12.4g protein, 18.4g fat

Recipe 2: Pickled blueberries (Ingredients for 350ml Kilner jar - Approx. 14 servings)

Ingredients:

• 300g blueberries
• 120g red wine vinegar
• 100g white caster sugar
• 100g dark brown sugar
• 6g cinnamon
• 5g Madagascan vanilla extract

Method

1. Take a heavy-bottomed pan, preferably stainless steel, and place over a medium heat.
2. Add the vinegar and two cinnamon sticks to the pan and bring to a simmer for 3-5 mins to cook off the vinegar (watch your eyes). Add both types of sugar to the pan and allow it to dissolve.
3. Give the blueberries a good rinse under running water to remove any flowers, stalks and dirt.
4. Lower the heat and add the blueberries and vanilla extract (this can be a good quality extract or a vanilla pod cut in half and scored lengthways). Allow it to bubble away gently for another 5 minutes. Gently swirl the pan occasionally to move the berries (avoid stirring as this may squash them or remove the skins).
5. When the pickling liquor has thickened remove the pan from the heat and allow to cool at room temperature.
6. When cooled, transfer to a Kilner or sealable jar (this has to be clean but not sterilised unless they are going to be kept for longer than 3 months out of the fridge). Place in the fridge overnight and then use. Makes a great accompaniment to goats cheese or even in drinks.

1,005 kcal, 243g carb, 3.2g protein, 0.6g fat

Recipe 3: Blueberry Sunrise (1 portion)

Ingredients:

• 200g low calorie tonic water
• 1 lemon
• 15g pickled blueberries
• 60g fresh orange juice
• 1 handful crushed ice
• Sprig of mint

Method

1. In a glass, place 2 tsp of the pickled blueberries and 1 tsp of the blueberry syrup. Use the teaspoon to lightly squash the blueberries.
2. Next, add a handful of crushed ice to the glass, 1/4 cup of fresh orange juice, a good squeeze of lemon and a strip of zest.
3. Mix well and then top up with the tonic water.
4. Give it one final stir and you can also dress the glass with a few more whole blueberries from the jar and a sprig of mint. Sip and enjoy.