Drink to your health vitality

Beyond any shadow of a doubt, vegetable juices offer abundant health and longevity. Reams and reams of papers containing research data areavailable to prove that, with the right combinations and regular, sustained intake, these healthy liquids improve the condition of your body in leaps and bounds, and help cure a wide range of ailments.

The eating plan that follows, suggests that you drink two vegetable juices per day. These will depend on the availability of fresh produce and on the state of your health from time to time. The Daily Health Juice (recipe below) is for everyday consumption, and the recipes that follow are for specific ailments, as are the teas and broth of beans and onion.

As far as your weight loss is concerned, vegetable juice can help you achieve your goals far more readily and speedily than you ever thought possible. It regulates the appetite, improves your looks in general (cabbage and lettuce juice are excellent for hair and nails and carrots improve the skin) and it provides your body with loads of essential nutrients, minerals and tissue salts. Spinach is great for regularity and tomatoes keep your electrolytes (minerals required for a regular heartbeat) normal. Juices will cleanse and protect your body, which will not only improve your health, but also ensure that all your systems function at optimum efficiency, aiding efficient weight loss.

Vegetable juices are concentrated nutrients, especially mineral salts, so essential for glowing health. If the juices don't taste good, that's just too bad. Here I have to rely on the old adage: If it tastes this bad, it has to be good for me!"

Herbs can play an important part in improving your health, so here's a good way of consuming them: simply put them through the extractor together with your vegetables and they will release their health-promoting benefits directly into your vegetable juice. Ginger (excellent for digestion and to alleviate nausea) goes well with most yellow vegetables and parsley (beneficial as a kidney cleanser and diuretic) tastes divine in just about any combination. Buy a good herb book and read about all the specific benefits of herbs so that you can use them appropriately. That way you can truly have a medicinal pantry!

Daily Health Juice - large quantity

750 ml carrot juice

100 ml spinach juice

250 ml apple juice (or, when in season, grape juice)

50 ml lettuce juice

25 ml parsley juice

50 ml green bean juice

All juices must be freshly extracted, even the apple juice. Store in 5 small containers in the deep freeze. This is sufficient for 5 days' intake. Defrost at room temperature or in the fridge. Drink as indicated on the eating plan. Yes, some vitamins will be lost in the freezing process, but most of the fibre and minerals will remain completely intact.

Daily health juice - single portion

It is of course far better to enjoy your vegetable juices fresh - as fresh as can be, and usually chilled. Since standing tends to make the juices lose nutrients and taste bitter, have them as soon as extracted and use chilled vegetables to begin with. The bother of having to clean your machine is a small price tag for great health. And as for the pulp, it makes terrific compost. If you are really the prudent type, freeze the pulp and use it at a later stage in soups and stews.

1 large carrot

1 large spinach leaf

1 apple

2 lettuce leaves

10 sprigs parsley

4 green beans

Push everything through your juice extractor. The leaves are more manageable if you roll them into a little ball before pushing the funnel of your extractor through. Drink at once.

Dukkah-Crusted Fish with Cucumber Salad

Dukkah is an Egyptian nut and seed mixture. Eat on bread, sprinkle over salads and vegetables, or use to coat fish. It keeps well in an airtight jar, so mix a reasonable quantity at a time.

6 x 180 g portions filleted, firm white fish, skinned and sliced on the diagonal

freshy squeezed lemon juice, salt,

milled black pepper, butter

lemon wedges for squeezing

Dukkah

250 g sesame seeds

125 g coriander seeds

125 g hazelnuts, roasted and skinned

75 g cumin seeds

Cucumber Salad

1 English cucumber

salt

1 red onion, finely sliced

1 fresh red chilli, seeded and finely chopped 10 ml sugar

50 ml freshly squeezed lemon juice

Dukkah: Roast all the ingredients separately in a dry frying pan. Grind in a hand mill or blender, keeping the mixture coarse (don't allow the nuts and seeds to become oily). Mix and store in a sealed bottle.

Cucumber Salad: Make ahead so that it can drain and chill; it is best within 2 hours of preparing. Finely slice the cucumber (a mandoline works best), sprinkle with salt and pile in a sieve. Set aside to drain for 10 minutes.

Rinse with cold water and spread on a cloth to dry. Mix in a bowl with the onion, chilli, sugar and lemon juice. Cover and chill.

To Serve: Sprinkle fish with lemon juice, season with salt and pepper, roll in dukkah and fry in sizzling butter in a non-stick frying pan, turning once. As it's thinly sliced, the fish cooks in a minute or two.

Place on warm plates and serve with cucumber salad and lemon wedges. Serves 6

Pomegranate's Pickled Fish

This is well worth making in large quantities, as it improves with keepin and has a fridge life of two weeks, if kep well covered.

1,5 kg yellowtail, kabeljou or geelbek (Cape salmon), filleted and skinned

200 ml vegetable oil

1 kg onions, finely sliced

15 ml fresh, well-made masala

5 ml fennel seeds

5 ml coriander seeds

5 ml black peppercorns

2 ml whole cloves

4-5 bay leaves, preferably fresh

125 g dried apricots

500 ml red or white wine

(red gives a deeper colour to the dish)

10 ml coarse salt 75 ml vinegar

30 ml brown sugar

Place fish in a baking dish which allows sufficient space for the sauce.

Heat the oil in a large saucepan and fry the onions very slowly until they begin to colour; allow about 30 minutes, so the onion becomes nice and sweet.

Stir in the masala, fennel, coriander, peppercorns, cloves and bay leaves, fry for about 30 seconds, then add the apricots, wine and salt. Simmer very gently uncovered for about 20 minutes (or longer) until the flavour is just right; the wine reduces and the oil begins to thicken the sauce; don't rush things!

Add the vinegar and brown sugar. Check and adjust the flavour if necessary.

Set the oven at 200 °C. Pour sauce over the fish, cover with foil and bake for 20 minutes. Pierce with a fork to see if the fish is-nearly done; if not bake for 5 minutes more (cooking time depends on the oven and the baking dish, but remember that the fish will continue to cook as the sauce cools).

Cool completely, then cover and refrigerate for at least a day before serving.

To Serve: Offer as is, or serve on salad leaves with home-made mayonnaise. Serves 10 as a starter or light lunch

Smoked Salmon Gnocchi with Parsley Butter

If you wish to make gnocchi ahead of time, cover with oil and store in the fridge for up to four days. Drain well and dip in hot water to reheat.

3 potatoes (about 350 g), peeled and cubed 200 g smoked salmon

80 g (150 ml) cake flour

1 egg

5 ml dried dill

milled black pepper

Parsley Butter

100 g butter

5 ml chopped fresh parsley freshly squeezed lemon juice

Boil the potatoes in salted water until cooked. Drain and mash.

Purée the smoked salmon in a food processor or blender. Mix in the potato, flour, egg, dill and a little pepper, and knead well. Roll into about 40 small, irregular pieces - they should not be perfect rounds.

Bring water to the boil in a medium saucepan. Add the gnocchi in batches;

when they rise to the surface they are cooked. Remove from the pot with a slotted spoon, place on a warm plate and keep warm.

Parsley butter: Melt the butter in a small saucepan. Stir in the parsley, and season with pepper and lemon juice. Pour over the gnocchi and serve hot.

Serves 4-5 as a main course;

6-8 as a starter

Baby Octopus in Peanut and Soy Sauce

750 g baby octopus, well cleaned freshly squeezed lemon juice, olive oil watercress sprigs for garnish

Peanut and Soy Sauce

125 ml soy sauce

15 ml crushed green ginger

50 g roasted peanuts, crushed 100 ml cream

Place the baby octopus in a bowl and pour over plenty of boiling water. Drain, tip back into the bowl, and squeeze over plenty of lemon juice.

Peanut and Soy Sauce: Whisk together all the ingredients in a small saucepan, adding the cream last. Bring to the boil.

To Serve: Heat a little olive oil in a frying pan, add the octopus and fry for a few minutes until sizzling hot. Toss in the peanut and soy sauce and garnish with sprigs of watercress.

Serves 6