Right, there are 8 weeks until Christmas so there is time for a health burst before the festive food hits the menu. I’m going to be really good and avoid sweets, chocolate, yogurt coated loveliness and anything else that tastes good but is bad.

I’m also going to make sure that I eat foods that provide my body with the nutrients that I need. Homemade Indian food tastes delicious and some dishes are also packed with antioxidants so I’m starting my health kick with Tandoori Salmon and sweet potato mash. I thought I’d share the recipe with you…

Salmon is rich in Omega 3 and easy to prepare. Sweet potato is a great tasting, low-fat alternative to chips, making this meal the finest successor to fish ‘n’ chips.

For the salmon you will need:

Tandoori masala power

Salmon fillet

Oil spray

For the mash you will need:

Two sweet potatoes

Olive oil

Cumin

Turmeric

Chilli powder

Turn the oven on at gas mark 5, and bring some water to boil on the hob for the mash.

To make the mash: peel and cut up the sweet potato, then add it to the boil water until the pieces are tender. (You can stem the potatoes to retain more nutrients). In another pan lightly add a table spoon of olive oil and ½ teaspoon of cumin seeds and heat until the seeds begin to pop. Stir in 1/3 teaspoon of chilli powder and turmeric and mix well. And finally, mash in this seasoning to the sweet potato.

For the salmon: mix 1 tablespoon of Tandoori Masala with 1 tablespoon of cold water and coat this over the salmon and place it in the oven for 15 -20 minutes (you may need to spray a little oil over to avoid it sticking to the pan).

You can now serve it all together with a crisp green salad. Yum!

(The spices in the dish above have antifungal, antibacterial and anti-inflammatory properties – perfect for deflecting a winter cold!).