Jamie's Super Food (2015) s01e02 Episode Script
Pancakes, Tasty Fish Tacos and Chicken Cacciatore
Super food for me is a new way of thinking.
It's not about goji berries and green drinks, it's about cooking smart with simple foods that are nutritious and delicious.
I think it can be really confusing these days.
There's such a lot of noise about what is and what isn't healthy.
So in this show, I'm going to some of the healthiest places in the world, where people live the longest, to find out what they eat.
So good.
'And how they live.
' It's like a pantry of heaven.
'From the jungles of Costa Rica' It's like a gobstopper in your mouth.
'.
.
to the islands of Greece' This is what life's all about -- the old, the very young all having a party, great food.
'.
.
and Japanese city life.
' Oh-ho-ho! It's really, really good.
They're all using humble ingredients to make some of the simplest and tastiest dishes I've eaten.
It's so incredible.
Inspired by what I've learnt, I'm going to show you the tricks and tips to build my version of super food into your life.
I really love eating this kind of food -- full of life, gorgeous.
Breakfast, lunch and dinner.
I don't want you to eat healthy food because you have to, I want you to eat healthy food because it's delicious.
My wish is that through incredible tasty food I can inspire you to live a longer, happier, healthy life.
But what does a day of super food eating look like? Tonight, I'm hitting the road to find out.
There are five longevity hotspots around the world, and I'm visiting two of them.
Hola! Kicking back with the locals in Costa Rica inspires street food-style, protein-packed delicious fish tacos.
Who said eating healthy was boring and tasteless? Rubbish! And a surprising super food ingredient in Japan adds a powerful nutritional punch to a sumptuous chicken stew.
Mm! So good.
An incredible super food day, high in nutrients and all for under 1,600 calories.
So plenty of room for healthy treats and drinks too.
But first up, my own version of breakfast.
It's the most important meal of the day.
So many of us don't have it, and it really starts you off badly if you don't have it.
So if you want to stop snacking, if you want to have great energy, great concentration, especially if you're a kid, then breakfast is where it's at.
This breakfast might feel like an indulgent treat, but it's actually full of goodness.
Savoury cheese and corn pancakes topped with smoky bacon, caramelised banana and maple syrup, ticking off two of your five-a-day and only taking in about 430 calories.
It all starts with batter, but not as you know it.
First up, sweetcorn.
One regular 340g tin, juice and all.
Add two eggs then, for a twist in this batter, 200g of cottage cheese.
It's really great.
It's high in protein, it's the lowest fat of all cheese and there's so much you can do with it if you apply and use it properly.
A pinch of salt and pepper to season and then we want 150g of whole-wheat self-raising flour, which has more fibre than white and has great flavour.
Add to the batter mix six finely sliced spring onions and one red chilli.
Chilli in the morning I really, honestly, truly believe is a brilliant thing.
It wakes you up, it gets your endorphins going.
I love it.
So this is enough mixture here for four portions.
That's eight, big, fluffy, fat pancakes.
If it was just one or two of you, you can keep it in the fridge for two, three days, no problem at all.
For each pancake, you need one heaped tablespoon of batter cooked over a medium heat in a non-stick pan, no oil needed.
Next job, bacon.
You would think, "Is bacon healthy? Are you allowed to have it?" Absolutely.
But just don't have ten stacks of it.
So we've got one lovely smoked rasher per person, and we're going to cook it until it's really, really crispy.
Look at that.
Gorgeous.
So next job -- add a banana, which has vitamin B6, great for our metabolism.
For each person, we're going to have a whole banana.
What I want to do is cook it.
So if you're thinking this is weird, when you put smoky, crispy, salty bacon in your mouth with sweet, cooked banana and sweetcorn and chilli and spring onions, I'm telling you, it's a game-changer.
Time to turn these lovely little pancakes.
Let's get under there.
Just do one confident little tip.
Look at the colour! Then push it down.
Cook on each side for four-and-a-half minutes until golden brown and fluffy.
Then it's time to plate up.
Look at that, you'd never think you'd get that on a healthy breakfast! If you want to turn you the heat, splash on some chilli sauce, a tablespoon of natural yoghurt and, if you're feeling indulgent, just a little drizzle of maple syrup is gorgeous.
There you have it -- a delicious breakfast packed with two of your five-a-day fruit and veg, the dairy and protein you'll need to take you through to lunch and all for about 430 calories.
Great.
Oh, yeah.
It's a winner.
I salute you, beautiful pancake.
So good.
For all the recipes, go to In this series, I'm travelling the globe to discover the secrets of some of the world's healthiest populations.
My first stop is the Nicoya Peninsula in Costa Rica, home of endless sandy beaches, lush tropical rainforests and some of the longest-living people on the planet.
Experts know that diet is a big factor in longevity, but have identified a strong social life as also being important.
Nicoyans believe that without this, your life has no "plan de vida", sense of purpose.
Fisherman Otto Vargas and his son meet up on the beach for a meal every week with family and friends, and tonight they've invited me along.
Hola.
Did you get lucky? - Yes.
Got some tunas.
- Ooh.
- Red snapper.
- Super fresh.
Super, super fresh.
So what are these ones, then? I haven't seen that before.
- This one is one that we call chancho.
- Chancho? - Yeah.
- Nice.
And this one is the caraflaca that we call.
- Caraflaca? - Yeah.
Yeah, that's a nice one.
So are we going to cook these today? Yes, of course.
Nicoyans eat a low-fat, high-protein diet and consume more fish than the rest of the Costa Rican population.
So we're going to make ceviche.
It's cooking fish in lemon juice and salt and garlic and herbs and things like onions and peppers.
It's delicious, isn't it? - It's really good.
- Good and fresh.
When do you have ceviche? For lunch or dinner or any time? Any time.
My dad makes, for me, like, the best ceviche.
So he likes a quick ceviche.
Raw fish, yeah.
Is it right that you said this fish is typically thought of as the not-wanted fish? Nobody buys it, but we like it.
The local people, we love this kind of fish.
He really likes this fish.
The butchers and the fishermen always know the best ones.
Most of us don't eat enough fish in our diet, and white fish like caraflaca, the one Otto's using, is an excellent low fat sauce of protein, which also helps protect ourselves from damage caused by stress and keep our immune system in tip-top condition.
I've just found the first person in the world that actually squeezes lemons like me -- through the fingers.
The acidity from the lemon juice cures and effectively cooks the raw fish.
For me, the wonderful thing about ceviche is you can leave it for an hour, you can leave it for half an hour.
Of course, the more you leave it, the firmer it gets.
So good.
There's only one thing that would make this super fresh fish dish taste even better, and that's enjoying it with the ones you love.
You know that people that live here do live very long, healthy lives.
Do you think seafood is an important thing? We are in a part of Costa Rica where people live the longest, healthiest lives.
We want a little bit of that, yeah? We want some of that.
So, fish -- you can't argue that they eat a lot of fish.
Most of us need to eat more.
Most of us struggle getting enough, so we need to get our heads around that.
Big up fish -- it's amazing protein and so good for the body.
The Nicoyan attitude towards food and socialising has really rubbed off on me, and fish is definitely now one of my hero ingredients.
So here's a lunch dish stuffed with goodness and perfect for enjoying with your friends and family.
OK, it's lunchtime and we're going to make fish tacos a game-changing kiwi, chilli and lime salsa.
It is so, so good.
This delicious fish lunch is protein-packed, low in fat and has three of your five-a-day fruit and veg, and all for just 418 calories per portion.
We're going to make the tacos, we're going to cook the fish and the peppers and the salad.
It's going to be delicious.
First up, let's talk about the salsa.
We're going to kick off by peeling two kiwi fruits, which are rich in vitamin C, then cut them in half and cook them on a medium heat in a non-stick pan, no oil needed.
We've got some jalapeno.
Now it could be any green chilli, but if you could get the fresh jalapeno -- fantastic.
Slice one in half, remove the stalk and seeds and then into the pan.
Then we've got the onions here.
We'll save the white bits for later.
The green part here, is going to go into the pan as well.
While the kiwi, onion and chilli cook, we're going to make these cool soft tacos.
They're so simple -- they're quick to make, they're beyond cheap, they're pennies, and they're really, really tasty when you make them fresh.
We've got 100g of fibre-rich wholemeal flour, a pinch of salt and 60ml of water.
Essentially, we're going to make a basic dough, no time at all to make.
Done.
Over here I'm starting to smell caramelised smells going on.
We want some colour.
Look at that.
Beautiful.
To finish off our salsa, the kiwi, onion and chilli go into a blender.
Then we need half a bunch of coriander, the zest and juice of a lime, then whizz it all up until smooth.
Finally, season to taste and add some spice.
There's nothing worse than having the kind of limp salsa.
The Chipotle Tabasco is really, really good.
I'm going to get that in there, because you get that smoky flavour as well.
There you go, lovely people.
That is the game-changing kiwi, chilli and lime salsa.
Now on to the tacos.
Cut your dough into four then roll them out into little circles.
Number one.
That's what we've got.
It goes straight into our pan.
Again, there's no need for oil.
Cook the tacos for about 40 seconds on each side, then wrap them up in a tea towel to keep them soft and warm.
In Britain, most of us don't have our recommended two portions of fish a week.
I'm using haddock today, but you could use any fish -- oily fish, salmon, trout.
Honestly, just have fun with it.
Just slice, about 1cm thick.
120g is more than enough.
That portion of haddock per person provides seven of your essential vitamins and minerals a day, which is great.
It's packed full of the good stuff.
Finley slice the white part of the spring onion and half a red and yellow pepper.
The cool thing about this dish is it feels kind of like street food, but it's really healthy.
Totally balanced cos it's got all the food groups in there and it's three of your five recommended fruit and veg a day, which is great.
Add the peppers to the fish and spring onions, season and add a tablespoon of cold-pressed extra virgin olive oil.
Look at these colours.
The fish and these peppers, we don't want to cook the life out of it.
They're going to take, on a medium heat, two minutes to cook.
While that's happening, I'm going to make a delicious super-quick salad.
Simply slice a quarter of vitamin-C-rich red cabbage, a tablespoon or red wine vinegar, some fresh coriander, then squeeze over the juice of half an orange.
Look, we're all done.
We've got this beautiful dish.
Let's plate it up.
Load up those soft tacos with the fish, peppers and spring onions straight out of the pan, a couple of dollops of yoghurt and that spicy, gorgeous kiwi salsa.
Take a little pinch of your salad and then just roll it up.
Then you get something like that.
Oh! Unbelievable.
That's 418 calories of gorgeous fish goodness per portion.
Who said eating healthy was boring and tasteless? Rubbish! It's so good.
Coming up, I head to Japan, where my chopping skills are put to the test.
Keep practising.
And, inspired by my trip, I cook up a stew that will blow your mind.
It feels comforting, but it's really good for you.
Super food, for me, isn't one ingredient, it's a collection of incredible, nutritious, delicious things to make a wonderful dish.
So far in our superfood day, we've had corn pancakes with bacon for breakfast and fish tacos with a kiwi salsa for lunch.
Next on my journey to find out how we can eat our way to a longer life, I'm heading to Okinawa.
400 miles off the coast of Japan, this island is home to more 100-year-olds per capita than anywhere else on the planet.
Okinawans of all ages live active lives, but what I'm really excited about is this is also the birthplace of karate.
It might have been 30 years since I was in Clavering village hall with my orange belt, but I couldn't come here without checking it out, could I? So, to find out what these guys are eating to stay so healthy well into old age, who better to speak to than the toughest guy on the island -- the grand karate master, who happens to be 74 years old.
Meet Sensei Haiga.
He's invited me for lunch but wants me to work a bit for it first.
This is his dojo.
In here, they're all black belts.
Of course, being the home of karate, keeping fit into your later life is kind of much more normal out here.
Hai-ya.
- Sensei, konichiwa.
- Konichiwa.
You're 74 years old.
You're as strong as an ox.
Do black-belt karate experts ever retire? And before lunch, there's just enough time for Sensei to teach me some key moves.
Keep practising.
Finally, time to dig in.
The Okinawans traditionally eat a low-calorie, mainly plant-based diet rich in soy.
Please tell me, what have we got here? With the sweet potato? Oh.
The leaves taste really good.
Mm.
And then this stuff over here, please tell me what's going on.
Wow.
The dominant ingredient on the table is the nutrient-rich sweet potato.
I expected rice to be the staple food but, because of typhoons, it's actually nearly impossible to grow on this island.
Wowzers.
Look at that colour.
Wah! Beautiful.
Guys, when you were little children, what would you eat in your diet? For decades, the affordable sweet potato, a purple and a white variety, made up more than half of Okinawans' daily calorie intake which is no bad thing as this happens to be a powerhouse veg.
They are incredibly rich in all sorts of minerals, nutrients, vitamins.
I mean, it's an absolute knockout cocktail of wonderful things in a sweet potato, so, if you don't eat sweet potatoes, go and get some and, if you eat them already, double it because they're really, really good.
In my superfood day, the sweet potato is definitely a hero ingredient.
The orange variety that we get at home are low in fat and some experts say one of the healthiest vegetables on the planet.
I just didn't realise how incredible sweet potato was until I went to Japan.
They are considered one of your five a day, unlike potatoes, which are a starchy carb and they don't count, so this is a really good thing just to get in your life.
So let's get going.
OK, dinner time, and I've got a great one here.
Chicken cacciatore, which means hunter's stew.
This is proper food, but with my superfood twist.
It's rocking in at only 421 calories per portion.
I bet you never thought it could be super-healthy and balanced and tick all of those boxes.
Yes, I've done it for you.
First up, we're going to start off with one piece of smoked pancetta to give us big flavour.
Slice it up into little matchstick-sized pieces.
Then heat up a tablespoon of olive oil on a medium heat, and in it goes.
And, as it starts getting crispy I've got some rosemary here, just a couple of sprigs.
I've got some bay leaves.
This makes all the difference and herbs do so well in oil.
That's how they transmit all their flavour.
Next, finely slice four cloves of garlic.
Instead of using loads and loads of oil and the calories going up and up and up, just clever little tips like angling it like that and you can cover all of those bits of garlic The smell, by the way, is already incredible.
We can go in with the four chicken thighs here.
One nice thigh per person.
You've got the bone there for flavour.
Just by getting skinless thighs, you're reducing the saturated fat by 50% straight away.
We're going to roughly chop up an onion into eighths, then it's going in the pan.
With that, slice up the white of a leek into one-centimetre pieces then rinse and finely chop the green part.
What I'm going to do now is I'm going to add something that's not in the classic recipe, just a little bit of chilli.
I only want a half, OK? And the point is this -- I'm not going to chop it up so everyone gets it, but I'm going to lose it in the bottom of the pan and it's just going to be this lovely little hum that adds character to the whole dish and then, at the end, you can take it out and, if you want to chop it up and put it back in, you can, and it's a nice little extra.
I want to add some chestnut mushrooms so I'm trimming 100 grams of them.
And, then, on to the sweet potato.
I'm just going to cut off little inch chunks like this and the reason I'm just cutting them quite chunky like this is I want nice, meaty, chunky bits and, as that roasts and kind of stews, it's just going to be less like a vegetable, more like a protein, more like a meat.
Pour in 250mls of Chianti along with a pinch of salt and pepper and then you want eight black olives.
Squash them with your thumb and get the stone out.
And in they go to add another dimension to the dish.
It's kind of not in there to be an olive, it's a sort of seasoning.
Go in with two tins of tomatoes and, once you've done that, let's half-fill these tins and get all the last sort of remnants out of the tin but also we do need a little bit of water as well.
Gently break up the tomatoes and give it a little stir.
Just look at that.
That is beautiful.
That's an amazing one-pot dish.
You know, ten, 15 minutes just to put it together.
Now that's coming in oven at 190 degrees Celsius, which is gas mark five, for about an hour.
I'm very excited about this.
Look at that.
First up, look at the way I cut that sweet potato.
Just by having a big chunk, it's cooked differently.
If you chop it up small, it goes like something you'd see in a soup but, like that, it's just kind of substantial and gorgeous.
Serve with a chunk of wholemeal bread and some fibre-rich greens.
That is proper food right there.
This really is an easy-to-make dinner packed full of goodness using that humble hero -- the sweet potato.
Mm.
So good.
I like getting the old bread and just using it to mop up all the little bits, the sauce.
Super good.
Mm.
So, there we go.
Fluffy cheese and corn pancakes with crispy bacon for breakfast, fantastic fish tacos with that amazing kiwi salsa for lunch and an incredible chicken dinner with sweet potatoes.
A whole day's worth of delicious, nutritious dishes and all for under 1,600 calories.
But you know what? It's not about the calories, it's about filling your bodies with the good stuff.
That's super food.
Next time, a trip to Greece Just look at that.
Beautiful greens.
.
.
inspires a healthy spin on chicken and garlic bread kebabs.
So damned tasty.
And my time in Japan Oh-ho-ho, it's really, really good.
.
.
convinces me that there is such thing as a healthy burger.
Something a little bit different and really delicious.
It's not about goji berries and green drinks, it's about cooking smart with simple foods that are nutritious and delicious.
I think it can be really confusing these days.
There's such a lot of noise about what is and what isn't healthy.
So in this show, I'm going to some of the healthiest places in the world, where people live the longest, to find out what they eat.
So good.
'And how they live.
' It's like a pantry of heaven.
'From the jungles of Costa Rica' It's like a gobstopper in your mouth.
'.
.
to the islands of Greece' This is what life's all about -- the old, the very young all having a party, great food.
'.
.
and Japanese city life.
' Oh-ho-ho! It's really, really good.
They're all using humble ingredients to make some of the simplest and tastiest dishes I've eaten.
It's so incredible.
Inspired by what I've learnt, I'm going to show you the tricks and tips to build my version of super food into your life.
I really love eating this kind of food -- full of life, gorgeous.
Breakfast, lunch and dinner.
I don't want you to eat healthy food because you have to, I want you to eat healthy food because it's delicious.
My wish is that through incredible tasty food I can inspire you to live a longer, happier, healthy life.
But what does a day of super food eating look like? Tonight, I'm hitting the road to find out.
There are five longevity hotspots around the world, and I'm visiting two of them.
Hola! Kicking back with the locals in Costa Rica inspires street food-style, protein-packed delicious fish tacos.
Who said eating healthy was boring and tasteless? Rubbish! And a surprising super food ingredient in Japan adds a powerful nutritional punch to a sumptuous chicken stew.
Mm! So good.
An incredible super food day, high in nutrients and all for under 1,600 calories.
So plenty of room for healthy treats and drinks too.
But first up, my own version of breakfast.
It's the most important meal of the day.
So many of us don't have it, and it really starts you off badly if you don't have it.
So if you want to stop snacking, if you want to have great energy, great concentration, especially if you're a kid, then breakfast is where it's at.
This breakfast might feel like an indulgent treat, but it's actually full of goodness.
Savoury cheese and corn pancakes topped with smoky bacon, caramelised banana and maple syrup, ticking off two of your five-a-day and only taking in about 430 calories.
It all starts with batter, but not as you know it.
First up, sweetcorn.
One regular 340g tin, juice and all.
Add two eggs then, for a twist in this batter, 200g of cottage cheese.
It's really great.
It's high in protein, it's the lowest fat of all cheese and there's so much you can do with it if you apply and use it properly.
A pinch of salt and pepper to season and then we want 150g of whole-wheat self-raising flour, which has more fibre than white and has great flavour.
Add to the batter mix six finely sliced spring onions and one red chilli.
Chilli in the morning I really, honestly, truly believe is a brilliant thing.
It wakes you up, it gets your endorphins going.
I love it.
So this is enough mixture here for four portions.
That's eight, big, fluffy, fat pancakes.
If it was just one or two of you, you can keep it in the fridge for two, three days, no problem at all.
For each pancake, you need one heaped tablespoon of batter cooked over a medium heat in a non-stick pan, no oil needed.
Next job, bacon.
You would think, "Is bacon healthy? Are you allowed to have it?" Absolutely.
But just don't have ten stacks of it.
So we've got one lovely smoked rasher per person, and we're going to cook it until it's really, really crispy.
Look at that.
Gorgeous.
So next job -- add a banana, which has vitamin B6, great for our metabolism.
For each person, we're going to have a whole banana.
What I want to do is cook it.
So if you're thinking this is weird, when you put smoky, crispy, salty bacon in your mouth with sweet, cooked banana and sweetcorn and chilli and spring onions, I'm telling you, it's a game-changer.
Time to turn these lovely little pancakes.
Let's get under there.
Just do one confident little tip.
Look at the colour! Then push it down.
Cook on each side for four-and-a-half minutes until golden brown and fluffy.
Then it's time to plate up.
Look at that, you'd never think you'd get that on a healthy breakfast! If you want to turn you the heat, splash on some chilli sauce, a tablespoon of natural yoghurt and, if you're feeling indulgent, just a little drizzle of maple syrup is gorgeous.
There you have it -- a delicious breakfast packed with two of your five-a-day fruit and veg, the dairy and protein you'll need to take you through to lunch and all for about 430 calories.
Great.
Oh, yeah.
It's a winner.
I salute you, beautiful pancake.
So good.
For all the recipes, go to In this series, I'm travelling the globe to discover the secrets of some of the world's healthiest populations.
My first stop is the Nicoya Peninsula in Costa Rica, home of endless sandy beaches, lush tropical rainforests and some of the longest-living people on the planet.
Experts know that diet is a big factor in longevity, but have identified a strong social life as also being important.
Nicoyans believe that without this, your life has no "plan de vida", sense of purpose.
Fisherman Otto Vargas and his son meet up on the beach for a meal every week with family and friends, and tonight they've invited me along.
Hola.
Did you get lucky? - Yes.
Got some tunas.
- Ooh.
- Red snapper.
- Super fresh.
Super, super fresh.
So what are these ones, then? I haven't seen that before.
- This one is one that we call chancho.
- Chancho? - Yeah.
- Nice.
And this one is the caraflaca that we call.
- Caraflaca? - Yeah.
Yeah, that's a nice one.
So are we going to cook these today? Yes, of course.
Nicoyans eat a low-fat, high-protein diet and consume more fish than the rest of the Costa Rican population.
So we're going to make ceviche.
It's cooking fish in lemon juice and salt and garlic and herbs and things like onions and peppers.
It's delicious, isn't it? - It's really good.
- Good and fresh.
When do you have ceviche? For lunch or dinner or any time? Any time.
My dad makes, for me, like, the best ceviche.
So he likes a quick ceviche.
Raw fish, yeah.
Is it right that you said this fish is typically thought of as the not-wanted fish? Nobody buys it, but we like it.
The local people, we love this kind of fish.
He really likes this fish.
The butchers and the fishermen always know the best ones.
Most of us don't eat enough fish in our diet, and white fish like caraflaca, the one Otto's using, is an excellent low fat sauce of protein, which also helps protect ourselves from damage caused by stress and keep our immune system in tip-top condition.
I've just found the first person in the world that actually squeezes lemons like me -- through the fingers.
The acidity from the lemon juice cures and effectively cooks the raw fish.
For me, the wonderful thing about ceviche is you can leave it for an hour, you can leave it for half an hour.
Of course, the more you leave it, the firmer it gets.
So good.
There's only one thing that would make this super fresh fish dish taste even better, and that's enjoying it with the ones you love.
You know that people that live here do live very long, healthy lives.
Do you think seafood is an important thing? We are in a part of Costa Rica where people live the longest, healthiest lives.
We want a little bit of that, yeah? We want some of that.
So, fish -- you can't argue that they eat a lot of fish.
Most of us need to eat more.
Most of us struggle getting enough, so we need to get our heads around that.
Big up fish -- it's amazing protein and so good for the body.
The Nicoyan attitude towards food and socialising has really rubbed off on me, and fish is definitely now one of my hero ingredients.
So here's a lunch dish stuffed with goodness and perfect for enjoying with your friends and family.
OK, it's lunchtime and we're going to make fish tacos a game-changing kiwi, chilli and lime salsa.
It is so, so good.
This delicious fish lunch is protein-packed, low in fat and has three of your five-a-day fruit and veg, and all for just 418 calories per portion.
We're going to make the tacos, we're going to cook the fish and the peppers and the salad.
It's going to be delicious.
First up, let's talk about the salsa.
We're going to kick off by peeling two kiwi fruits, which are rich in vitamin C, then cut them in half and cook them on a medium heat in a non-stick pan, no oil needed.
We've got some jalapeno.
Now it could be any green chilli, but if you could get the fresh jalapeno -- fantastic.
Slice one in half, remove the stalk and seeds and then into the pan.
Then we've got the onions here.
We'll save the white bits for later.
The green part here, is going to go into the pan as well.
While the kiwi, onion and chilli cook, we're going to make these cool soft tacos.
They're so simple -- they're quick to make, they're beyond cheap, they're pennies, and they're really, really tasty when you make them fresh.
We've got 100g of fibre-rich wholemeal flour, a pinch of salt and 60ml of water.
Essentially, we're going to make a basic dough, no time at all to make.
Done.
Over here I'm starting to smell caramelised smells going on.
We want some colour.
Look at that.
Beautiful.
To finish off our salsa, the kiwi, onion and chilli go into a blender.
Then we need half a bunch of coriander, the zest and juice of a lime, then whizz it all up until smooth.
Finally, season to taste and add some spice.
There's nothing worse than having the kind of limp salsa.
The Chipotle Tabasco is really, really good.
I'm going to get that in there, because you get that smoky flavour as well.
There you go, lovely people.
That is the game-changing kiwi, chilli and lime salsa.
Now on to the tacos.
Cut your dough into four then roll them out into little circles.
Number one.
That's what we've got.
It goes straight into our pan.
Again, there's no need for oil.
Cook the tacos for about 40 seconds on each side, then wrap them up in a tea towel to keep them soft and warm.
In Britain, most of us don't have our recommended two portions of fish a week.
I'm using haddock today, but you could use any fish -- oily fish, salmon, trout.
Honestly, just have fun with it.
Just slice, about 1cm thick.
120g is more than enough.
That portion of haddock per person provides seven of your essential vitamins and minerals a day, which is great.
It's packed full of the good stuff.
Finley slice the white part of the spring onion and half a red and yellow pepper.
The cool thing about this dish is it feels kind of like street food, but it's really healthy.
Totally balanced cos it's got all the food groups in there and it's three of your five recommended fruit and veg a day, which is great.
Add the peppers to the fish and spring onions, season and add a tablespoon of cold-pressed extra virgin olive oil.
Look at these colours.
The fish and these peppers, we don't want to cook the life out of it.
They're going to take, on a medium heat, two minutes to cook.
While that's happening, I'm going to make a delicious super-quick salad.
Simply slice a quarter of vitamin-C-rich red cabbage, a tablespoon or red wine vinegar, some fresh coriander, then squeeze over the juice of half an orange.
Look, we're all done.
We've got this beautiful dish.
Let's plate it up.
Load up those soft tacos with the fish, peppers and spring onions straight out of the pan, a couple of dollops of yoghurt and that spicy, gorgeous kiwi salsa.
Take a little pinch of your salad and then just roll it up.
Then you get something like that.
Oh! Unbelievable.
That's 418 calories of gorgeous fish goodness per portion.
Who said eating healthy was boring and tasteless? Rubbish! It's so good.
Coming up, I head to Japan, where my chopping skills are put to the test.
Keep practising.
And, inspired by my trip, I cook up a stew that will blow your mind.
It feels comforting, but it's really good for you.
Super food, for me, isn't one ingredient, it's a collection of incredible, nutritious, delicious things to make a wonderful dish.
So far in our superfood day, we've had corn pancakes with bacon for breakfast and fish tacos with a kiwi salsa for lunch.
Next on my journey to find out how we can eat our way to a longer life, I'm heading to Okinawa.
400 miles off the coast of Japan, this island is home to more 100-year-olds per capita than anywhere else on the planet.
Okinawans of all ages live active lives, but what I'm really excited about is this is also the birthplace of karate.
It might have been 30 years since I was in Clavering village hall with my orange belt, but I couldn't come here without checking it out, could I? So, to find out what these guys are eating to stay so healthy well into old age, who better to speak to than the toughest guy on the island -- the grand karate master, who happens to be 74 years old.
Meet Sensei Haiga.
He's invited me for lunch but wants me to work a bit for it first.
This is his dojo.
In here, they're all black belts.
Of course, being the home of karate, keeping fit into your later life is kind of much more normal out here.
Hai-ya.
- Sensei, konichiwa.
- Konichiwa.
You're 74 years old.
You're as strong as an ox.
Do black-belt karate experts ever retire? And before lunch, there's just enough time for Sensei to teach me some key moves.
Keep practising.
Finally, time to dig in.
The Okinawans traditionally eat a low-calorie, mainly plant-based diet rich in soy.
Please tell me, what have we got here? With the sweet potato? Oh.
The leaves taste really good.
Mm.
And then this stuff over here, please tell me what's going on.
Wow.
The dominant ingredient on the table is the nutrient-rich sweet potato.
I expected rice to be the staple food but, because of typhoons, it's actually nearly impossible to grow on this island.
Wowzers.
Look at that colour.
Wah! Beautiful.
Guys, when you were little children, what would you eat in your diet? For decades, the affordable sweet potato, a purple and a white variety, made up more than half of Okinawans' daily calorie intake which is no bad thing as this happens to be a powerhouse veg.
They are incredibly rich in all sorts of minerals, nutrients, vitamins.
I mean, it's an absolute knockout cocktail of wonderful things in a sweet potato, so, if you don't eat sweet potatoes, go and get some and, if you eat them already, double it because they're really, really good.
In my superfood day, the sweet potato is definitely a hero ingredient.
The orange variety that we get at home are low in fat and some experts say one of the healthiest vegetables on the planet.
I just didn't realise how incredible sweet potato was until I went to Japan.
They are considered one of your five a day, unlike potatoes, which are a starchy carb and they don't count, so this is a really good thing just to get in your life.
So let's get going.
OK, dinner time, and I've got a great one here.
Chicken cacciatore, which means hunter's stew.
This is proper food, but with my superfood twist.
It's rocking in at only 421 calories per portion.
I bet you never thought it could be super-healthy and balanced and tick all of those boxes.
Yes, I've done it for you.
First up, we're going to start off with one piece of smoked pancetta to give us big flavour.
Slice it up into little matchstick-sized pieces.
Then heat up a tablespoon of olive oil on a medium heat, and in it goes.
And, as it starts getting crispy I've got some rosemary here, just a couple of sprigs.
I've got some bay leaves.
This makes all the difference and herbs do so well in oil.
That's how they transmit all their flavour.
Next, finely slice four cloves of garlic.
Instead of using loads and loads of oil and the calories going up and up and up, just clever little tips like angling it like that and you can cover all of those bits of garlic The smell, by the way, is already incredible.
We can go in with the four chicken thighs here.
One nice thigh per person.
You've got the bone there for flavour.
Just by getting skinless thighs, you're reducing the saturated fat by 50% straight away.
We're going to roughly chop up an onion into eighths, then it's going in the pan.
With that, slice up the white of a leek into one-centimetre pieces then rinse and finely chop the green part.
What I'm going to do now is I'm going to add something that's not in the classic recipe, just a little bit of chilli.
I only want a half, OK? And the point is this -- I'm not going to chop it up so everyone gets it, but I'm going to lose it in the bottom of the pan and it's just going to be this lovely little hum that adds character to the whole dish and then, at the end, you can take it out and, if you want to chop it up and put it back in, you can, and it's a nice little extra.
I want to add some chestnut mushrooms so I'm trimming 100 grams of them.
And, then, on to the sweet potato.
I'm just going to cut off little inch chunks like this and the reason I'm just cutting them quite chunky like this is I want nice, meaty, chunky bits and, as that roasts and kind of stews, it's just going to be less like a vegetable, more like a protein, more like a meat.
Pour in 250mls of Chianti along with a pinch of salt and pepper and then you want eight black olives.
Squash them with your thumb and get the stone out.
And in they go to add another dimension to the dish.
It's kind of not in there to be an olive, it's a sort of seasoning.
Go in with two tins of tomatoes and, once you've done that, let's half-fill these tins and get all the last sort of remnants out of the tin but also we do need a little bit of water as well.
Gently break up the tomatoes and give it a little stir.
Just look at that.
That is beautiful.
That's an amazing one-pot dish.
You know, ten, 15 minutes just to put it together.
Now that's coming in oven at 190 degrees Celsius, which is gas mark five, for about an hour.
I'm very excited about this.
Look at that.
First up, look at the way I cut that sweet potato.
Just by having a big chunk, it's cooked differently.
If you chop it up small, it goes like something you'd see in a soup but, like that, it's just kind of substantial and gorgeous.
Serve with a chunk of wholemeal bread and some fibre-rich greens.
That is proper food right there.
This really is an easy-to-make dinner packed full of goodness using that humble hero -- the sweet potato.
Mm.
So good.
I like getting the old bread and just using it to mop up all the little bits, the sauce.
Super good.
Mm.
So, there we go.
Fluffy cheese and corn pancakes with crispy bacon for breakfast, fantastic fish tacos with that amazing kiwi salsa for lunch and an incredible chicken dinner with sweet potatoes.
A whole day's worth of delicious, nutritious dishes and all for under 1,600 calories.
But you know what? It's not about the calories, it's about filling your bodies with the good stuff.
That's super food.
Next time, a trip to Greece Just look at that.
Beautiful greens.
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inspires a healthy spin on chicken and garlic bread kebabs.
So damned tasty.
And my time in Japan Oh-ho-ho, it's really, really good.
.
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convinces me that there is such thing as a healthy burger.
Something a little bit different and really delicious.