Courtesey of our nutritional therapist, Sophie Crosswaite.

This is a recipe that I’ve adapted from one my Mum used to make as soon as it was warm enough to get the BBQ out. It is now a firm favourite with my three girls and a great summer recipe for getting the whole family round the table. This is especially crucial right now with my eldest revising hard for GCSEs. In fact as I’ve just read today, a study by the university of Michigan has concluded that the single strongest predictor of better achievement scores is frequency of and duration of family meals. Its even been shown to be more beneficial than doing homework but I might not tell them that part just yet!!

Nutritionally it packs quite a punch as a really well-balanced meal with protein from the chicken, slow release energy from the wholemeal pitta bread and healthy fats from the avocado. It is high in fibre, which is not only good for gut health, but also leaves you feeling fuller for longer. The turmeric contains curcumin, which studies have shown is associated with reducing stress and inflammation in the body and may also help improve joint health. The evidence isn’t really there as to how much of these benefits you can get from just one teaspoon, although combining it with black pepper has been seen to dramatically increase the bioavailability of curcumin. So it maybe better to just enjoy the flavour and the vivid yellow colour rather than just rely on it for its health benefits! Spinach and houmous are also great sources of iron, which is more easily absorbed by the body with vitamin C from the lime juice.

Ingredients (serves 4)

  • wooden skewers
  • 4 chicken breasts cut into strips
  • juice of 2 limes
  • 2 tsp ground coriander
  • 2 tsp ground cumin
  • 1 tsp turmeric
  • 1 tbsp chopped fresh mint

To serve

  • 150g houmous
  • 150g Greek yogurt
  • wholemeal pitta bread
  • spinach
  • avocado
  • cherry tomatoes

Method
1. Soak the wooden skewers in water.
2. Make the marinade by combining the lime juice, ground coriander, cumin, turmeric, and mint together in a bowl, season well with salt and pepper.
3. Add the chicken and allow it to marinate for at least 30 minutes.
4. Thread the chicken on to the wooden skewers and cook over a BBQ or under a grill for 8-10minutes, turning regularly.
5. Cut the pitta breads in half and heat on the BBQ or grill.
6. Mix the yogurt and hummus together in a bowl and serve the chicken skewers along with the salad of tomato, avocado and spinach. Allow everyone to either assemble their own pitta pockets or eat straight from the skewers.