The remnants of festive excess are long gone, so it's time for lean ingredients to get you back on the straight and narrow, writes DOMINI KEMP

OKAY, I’VE FINALLY done it. All traces of the leftover Christmas treats have been either demolished or binned, according to their various states of edibility. For a week or two, you could still find dodgy biscuits hiding in the depths of the cupboard, but now our place is a haven of lentils, quinoa, vegetables and fruit.

All the empty wine bottles (en route to the bottle bank) and the paper in the recycling bin that contained posh biscuits and confectionary, seem to mock our attempts at an Amish-like existence. But it feels good to be on the straight and narrow, or at least on the cobbled-but-paved-with-good-intentions road.

Luckily, this bout of good behaviour coincided with a visit from our very own Yankee godmother who is a bona-fide health nut and always trying to out-do me in the healthy recipe stakes. Although I’m partial to red meat, bad fats and sugar from time to time, I am quite prepared to lay down the steam gauntlet to this crazed American who thinks the Irish are incapable of cooking without tons of butter and cream. She is the type who, if you’re making a salad with a simple vinaigrette, will say, “no dressing on mine”. She’ll then take a spoonful of the dressing, add a few tablespoons of water and sprinkle that over her salad, so as to “reduce the fat”. But I made two dishes that actually got the thumbs up from her – to such an extent that she asked me for the recipes. High praise indeed.

The lentil, lemon and ginger soup is bursting with goodness, has no fat (other than a glug of olive oil at the start to get it going), and, once liquidised, has a smooth and creamy texture that is extremely satisfying. Feel free to add even more ginger than the recipe calls for as it is one of those fantastic ingredients that does you lots of good. Ginger is great for relieving nausea and stomach upsets from pregnancy or travel sickness, and although it can be simply consumed by chopping up a few slices and chucking them into some hot water to sip, it’s a great condiment to add to anything that needs some kick or zing. Try peeling it with the edge of a teaspoon and then grating it if you find its texture too fibrous. It also makes an appearance in the dipping sauce for the broccoli, which, although a little evil, is worth making for the fact that kids will happily munch through a pile of florets if they are able to dip them into something yummy.

Lentil, lemon and ginger soup (serves 4-6)

4 tbsp olive oil

4 big carrots, peeled and sliced

½ head celery, sliced

2 red onions, peeled and chopped

big knob ginger, peeled and finely chopped

6 cloves garlic, peeled and sliced

225g red lentils

225g yellow split peas

2 litres vegetable stock

juice of 2 lemons

black pepper

coriander to garnish

Heat the olive oil in a large, heavy pot and sweat the carrots, celery, onions, ginger and garlic for five minutes, without allowing them to colour.

Rinse the lentils and split peas in a sieve and then add to the vegetables, along with the stock. Bring up to a simmer and then cook gently for 40 minutes or so, until the lentils and split peas are soft. Taste and season, then whizz it with one of those soup guns, or in a blender or food processor. At this stage, you could add some more raw ginger and garlic, along with the lemon juice and lots of black pepper. Taste and serve with some coriander and another glug of olive oil for extra richness.

Broccoli with sesame dipping sauce

(serves 4-6 as a side dish)

2 heads broccoli

toasted sesame seeds (to garnish)

Dipping sauce

2 cloves garlic, peeled and crushed

2 tbsp tahini

2 tbsp crunchy peanut butter

1 tbsp honey

4 tbsp olive oil

2 tbsp Mirin

juice of 1 lime

Knob of ginger, peeled and grated

3 tbsp soy sauce

Chuck all the ingredients for the dipping sauce into the food processor and whizz until smooth. Taste, and adjust the seasoning if necessary. This will last in your fridge for a few days. Trim the broccoli and chop it up into florets. Blanch them in boiling water for a couple of minutes until just tender. Drain and serve while still warm, with the sesame seeds sprinkled on top and the dipping sauce on the side. But, if you wanted to chargrill the broccoli for extra flavour, then use this method: blanch the broccoli for a minute or two, then re-fresh in cold water and let it drain very well. At this stage you could refrigerate the broccoli overnight. When ready to cook, toss with some olive oil and then chargrill for a couple of minutes on each side and serve while still war.

See also itsa.ie