How to make herby kale pesto

By Hannah Sherwood

Kale, the prized ‘superfood’ vegetable, is arguably the most talked about veg of 2014. Tesco has seen a 90% rise in sales in the past year alone! And who can blame the hype – kale is rich in essential vitamins A, C and K, as well as being a good source of calcium and folate. Plus, it’s affordable, versatile and available most of the year.

Low-fat gluten-free pudding recipes

In the October issue of Healthy Food Guide (out today!) we give you the ultimate collection of guilt-free comfort puddings. Sounds too good to be true, right? Turn to page 63 and try the 10 recipes for yourself. But wait, there’s more… Here we can serve you an extra slice, as we’ve tweaked two of the recipes to make them gluten-free and still delicious. Plus, try our chef’s tips using some of our favourite free-from ingredients.

Easy ways to cut down on sugar

The Action on Sugar campaign was launched yesterday to tackle concerns that we’re all consuming too much sugar. 

While the debate rages on what can be done about the national obesity problem, here are Healthy Food Guide’s practical tips on how to reduce your own sugar intake – plus we reveal which foods are higher in sugar than you may have thought.

Ceviche masterclass

By Ellen Wallwork

Ceviche is having a bit of a moment and is appearing at an increasing number of restaurants. But while this Peruvian delicacy looks a la carte, it’s surprisingly easy to make in your own kitchen – and you don’t even need to turn on the oven! In its simplest form, ceviche is chunks of raw fish ‘cooked’ in citrus juice – it’s the acid in the juice that denatures the proteins in the fish, similar to traditional cooking methods, turning them opaque.

So, with curing raw fish making it into Kenwood’s top 50 food experiences to try in a lifetime, we decided to try our hand at making ceviche. We sought out the expertise of Fernando Trocca, executive chef of the Gaucho restaurant chain where ceviche has been on the menu for more than 11 years. He shared his simple six-step guide to preparing the dish…

‘Tis the season for a HFG makeover

As part of our mission to Fight the Fads: Make Every Meal Healthier, we regularly feature healthy recipe makeovers in Healthy Food Guide and on our Facebook page. And with the party season drawing ever closer, we thought we’d share a recipe with you so you can indulge in a festive treat or two without overdoing it. Our healthier sausage rolls are made with reduced-fat puff pastry and lean pork mince bulked-up with fibre-boosting wholemeal breadcrumbs – and they taste delicious…

Tina tries... facing her running demons

I can’t express how much I hate running (and rain). As far as I’m concerned it’s the devil’s exercise – I’m still haunted by the schoolgirl memory of running 400m, then throwing up at my PE teacher’s feet.

Tina tries… an aqua class

By Tina Betts

Tina risks getting her face wet in the hope it will do something spectacular to her body…

I'm no mermaid. At the school swimming gala I was always the one having to start in the pool because I couldn't dive in. An underwater wardrobe malfunction aged 14 (in front of the boys – of course!) didn’t help my confidence, but I’ve moved on. And since a friend taught me how to swim the breast stroke correctly, I'm not averse to getting my face wet, just so long as I can still touch the bottom!