Hemsley & Hemsley Chia Chai Butternut Breakfast Pudding

SERVES 2–4

This is an overnight breakfast or make-ahead dessert. We’ve infused omega-3-rich chia seeds with our favourite rooibos chai breakfast tea and together they turn the usually savoury butternut squash into a sweet start to the day. Gently heating up the pudding before layering with the Mango Cashew Cream (page 49) is our favourite way to breakfast and warm our bellies in the autumn. This is so yummy that you’ll also fancy it as a cool, creamy dessert.We love it with summer fruits, such as blackberries, grapes, figs, plums or peaches, which are just in season as butternut comes in. In the winter months, try apple chunks, chopped clementines or blood orange.

If you bake the butternut squash the night before, then it’s ready to go in the morning. Don’t forget to chew well in order to get the most goodness out of the tiny chia seeds.

1 large butternut squash (enough to make 400 g cooked butternut squash purée)

2 rooibos chai tea bags or 2 tsp rooibos chai tea leaves

4 tbsp white chia seeds (we used white chia to keep the pudding’s bright orange colour, but black also works – and is cheaper and easier to find too!)

3 tbsp coconut oil

1 tbsp raw honey

OPTIONAL

Coconut Yoghurt (pages 305–306) and goji berries,to serve

1 Preheat the oven to fan 180°C/Gas mark 6 and roast the butternut squash in the oven for 40–50 minutes until cooked through and tender. Scoop out 400 g of the squash flesh and mash well. Any leftover squash can be frozen and used in a soup or smoothie.

2 Add the squash to a saucepan with 350 ml water, the coconut oil and the tea leaves (or the contents of the tea bags, if using). Bring to a medium simmer, then remove from the heat and leave to cool for a few minutes.

3 Stir in the chia seeds, continuously whisking at first to avoid lumps, then add the honey.

4 Leave to sit for at least 20 minutes to an hour for the chia to swell (unless you like it crunchy). Alternatively, transfer to a flask and by the time you get to work, you’ll have a nice warm chia breakfast pudding.

5 Add the Coconut Yoghurt and goji berries, if using, and enjoy.

TO MAKE A CREAMY DESSERT, take a jar or glass and layer up the Chia Chai Butternut Breakfast Pudding with Mango Cashew Cream (page 49) and scatter 2 handfuls of seasonal fruit, such as blackberries, between the layers.Top with more fruit and enjoy.

The Art Of Eating Well by Jasmine and Melissa Hemsley (Ebury Publishing, £25) Photography by Nick Hopper

Hemsley & Hemsley Sesame Chicken Salad with Cucumber Noodles

Today is the release date of the anticipated cookbook from the Hemsley sisters. Jasmine and Melissa Hemsley are food lovers who are passionate about delicious cooking and wellness. The Art of Eating Well is their first cookbook and a definitive healthy eating bible. It’s packed with 150 nourishing and fun recipes that are good for the body and mind, and will make you look and feel amazing.

The Hemsley sisters believe in bringing food back to basics. Their food philosophy developed over ten years is simple: a healthy gut and good digestion leads to a healthy body and mind; that changing the way you eat doesn’t have to involve deprivation, but can be enjoyed every day – whether you are at home, work, with family or friends, or eating out. The Art of Eating Well includes reworked classics all of which are free from grain, gluten, refined sugar, high starch and are alkaline friendly. Throughout the book are user-friendly practical tips and tricks and Jasmine and Melissa’s helpful 12 Golden Rules.

I have been lucky enough to get some preview of some the recipes to share with you guys. The book is released today- so what are you waiting for? Get cooking and order your copy here

Hemsley & Hemsley Sesame Chicken Salad with Cucumber Noodles

A refreshing summer salad with cucumber noodles and Asian flavours. This is the perfect way to use up leftover chicken or serve instead with a little fish or sliced seared beef. We love raw chopped pak choi, but you

can substitute with Chinese-style cabbage or finely shredded English cabbage. Eat this within a few hours as the cucumber will start to get watery or make everything else up in advance and prepare the cucumber

noodles just before serving. If you’re taking this for lunch, pack the chicken first, then arrange all the veg on top so they don’t get squashed, and take your dressing in a separate jar.

FOR THE SALAD

2 tbsp black or white sesame seeds

2 cucumbers

1 small head of romaine or cos lettuce, shredded into ribbons

1 small head of pak choi or 150 g Chinese cabbage, shredded into ribbons

3 spring onions, thinly sliced

a handful of fresh coriander, roughly chopped

250 g cooked shredded chicken

FOR THE SESAME DRESSING

5 tbsp sesame oil (not toasted) or extra virgin olive oil

2 tbsp toasted sesame oil

juice of 1 lime or 3 tbsp lemon juice

2 tsp raw runny honey

1 tsp tamari or sea salt

OPTIONAL

1 finely chopped red chilli, to garnish

NO LEFT OVER CHICKEN?

Roast 2 large chicken thighs at fan 200°C/Gas mark 7 for 25–30 minutes until cooked, then shred quickly with 2 forks to cool the meat quickly

1 Gently toast the sesame seeds in a dry pan until fragrant

2 Use a spiralizer or julienne peeler to make the cucumber noodles. Or use a regular vegetable peeler to slice the cucumbers lengthways into wide pappardelle-style ribbons.You might want to cut the long, spiralized strands in half to make them easier to eat.

3 Prepare the dressing by whisking together all the ingredients in a bowl or shaking them together in a jam jar.

4 Add the lettuce, pak choi, spring onion and coriander to a bowl.

5 Pour over the dressing and mix everything together (hands are best).

6 Plate up with some shredded chicken and top with toasted sesame seeds. Serve immediately.

The Art Of Eating Well by Jasmine and Melissa Hemsley (Ebury Publishing, £25) Photography by Nick Hopper