Menolicious: Eat Your Way to a Better Menopause
by Mariella Frostrup and Belles Berry
Published by DK RED. Out now, £22.
Photography credit: Dan Jones
Recipes to Help You Eat Your Way to a Better Menopause
The essential cookbook for anyone navigating the challenges and changes of midlife, Menolicious is co-authored by Mariella Frostrup and Belles Berry, two women passionate about food and feeling your best through perimenopause, menopause, and beyond
With more than 100 easy and nutritious recipes designed to help balance hormones, boost energy levels, improve weight management, and help you embrace the freedom of a new stage of life, here we share three of our favourites.
Sunshine in a Bowl soup
Also known as Vitamin D Soup, this is a perfect blend of nutritious ingredients for the winter months, when sunlight is hard to come by. Let it introduce some sunshine and happiness into your kitchen.
NUTRITION
Shiitake mushrooms are a natural source of vitamin D, crucial for immune function, bone health, and reducing the risk of autoimmune diseases. They also support energy production
and nervous system function.
Carbs 15g | Protein 6.1g | Fibre 9.4g
SERVES
4 (MAKES 1 LITRE)
TIME:
30 MINUTES
Ingredients
- 500g carrots, trimmed and roughly chopped
- olive oil, for cooking
- 8 sage leaves
- 300g shiitake mushrooms, roughly chopped
- 1 litre vegetable or chicken stock
- 1 tbsp Worcestershire sauce
- 1 tbsp English mustard
- 4 bay leaves
- 15g thyme leaves
- ¼ tsp cayenne pepper, plus extra to serve
- 2 tbsp crème fraîche
- zest of 1 orange plus 2 tbsp juice
- flaky sea salt
Method
Bring a large pan of water to the boil, add the carrots and cook for five minutes until al dente. Drain and set aside.
Heat a drizzle of olive oil in a small frying pan and fry the sage leaves for one minute on each side. Sprinkle with flaky sea salt, then remove from the pan and leave to cool.
Heat one tablespoon of olive oil in a large saucepan with a lid and cook the mushrooms on a high heat for five minutes. Add the stock, carrots, Worcestershire sauce, mustard, bay leaves, thyme, cayenne pepper, and ¼ teaspoon salt and simmer gently, lid on, for 10 minutes. Remove from the heat and leave to cool a little.
Remove the bay leaves and either transfer the soup to a blender or blitz the soup until smooth in the pan with a hand-held blender.
Return the soup to the pan (if needed) and reheat gently. In a small bowl, mix the crème fraîche, orange zest, and orange juice.
Serve in individual warmed soup bowls, each with a swirl of the crème fraîche mixture, topped with the sage leaves and sprinkled with a little cayenne pepper.
Easy Harissa Beans with Greek Yogurt
A healthy alternative to a British staple of baked beans – fuel your morning with these harissa beans instead, full of vital ingredients that are a potent source of dietary fibre, protein, vitamins, and minerals. It’s economical, easy to make, supports metabolic function, reduces fatigue, strengthens bones, and boosts memory. What’s not to love?
NUTRITION
Tomatoes offer antioxidants and vitamin C to support skin health and reduce inflammation during menopause.
Carbs 50g | Protein 20g | Fibre 16g
SERVES
2
TIME:
15 MINUTES
Ingredients
- 1 tbsp olive oil
- 1 red onion, finely diced
- 3 garlic cloves, crushed
- 400g can of cherry tomatoes
- 2 tbsp rose harissa paste (use the Belazu brand, if you can get it)
- 2 tsp soft dark brown sugar
- 1 tsp cider vinegar
- 400g can of cannellini or haricot beans, drained and rinsed
- flaky sea salt and freshly ground black pepper
- To serve
- 2 tbsp Greek yogurt
- a few saffron threads
Method
Heat the oil in a medium pan over a medium heat. Add the onion and sauté for two minutes until softened, then add the garlic and cook for a further minute. Add the cherry tomatoes, harissa paste, sugar, vinegar, and three and a half tablespoons of water. Simmer gently for seven minutes, stirring occasionally, then add the beans and simmer gently for a further five minutes.
Season to taste, then divide between two bowls. Serve with a dollop of Greek yogurt on top, sprinkled with a few saffron threads.
COOK’S NOTES If you like it spicy, use three tablespoons of harissa paste. This can be kept in an airtight container in the fridge for up to five days.
Firecracker Sesame Beef Stir-fry
We love this recipe. Firecracker sauce is an Asian classic, an explosion of flavours – sweet and spicy, and works perfectly with the sesame beef stir-fry. So easy to make, from chop to plate in 25 minutes, but tastes like you spent hours on it!
NUTRITION
Beef is a rich source of heme iron, which is easily absorbed by the body and helps prevent anaemia. Protein is essential for maintaining muscle mass, which can decline during menopause due to hormonal changes.
Carbs 13g | Protein 31g | Fibre 2.5g
SERVES
4
TIME:
25 MINUTES
Ingredients
- 1 tbsp sesame oil, plus an extra drizzle
- 2 x 200g sirloin steaks
- 250g choi sum or pak choi, leaves trimmed and chopped
- 1 green pepper, deseeded and sliced into 1cm strips
- 200g Chinese leaf cabbage, roughly chopped
- 225g can of sliced water chestnuts, drained and rinsed
- 4 spring onions, cut into thin strips lengthways
- handful of coriander
- 1 tbsp black sesame seeds
- flaky sea salt and freshly
- ground black pepper
- For the firecracker sauce
- 2 tbsp soy sauce
- 2 tbsp rice vinegar
- 1 tbsp sriracha
- 1 tbsp honey
- 1 banana shallot, finely chopped
- 2cm piece of fresh root ginger, peeled and grated
- 3 garlic cloves, crushed
- 1 red chilli, deseeded and finely chopped
Method
Put all the ingredients for the sauce in a small saucepan with two tablespoons of water and heat gently for about 10 minutes.
Season the steaks with salt and pepper, then heat a drizzle of sesame oil in a wok. Cook the steaks over a high heat for a couple of minutes on each side, turning every minute. Once the steaks are cooked to your liking, place them on a plate and cover.
Wipe the wok clean, then heat the tablespoon of sesame oil over a high heat. Add the choi sum or pak choi, green pepper, Chinese leaf cabbage, and water chestnuts. Stir-fry for a couple of minutes, flipping the veg often. Remove from the heat.
Slice the beef in strips, removing any excess fat, then stir them into the vegetables and sprinkle with the spring onions, coriander, and sesame seeds. Pour over the sauce (or serve it on the side).
COOK’S NOTE Serve with any grains you like. We like to serve it with brown rice.
