Spruce Up Your Dinner Menu with 3 Exclusive Recipes from Julie Montagu's New Book

We may not be married to a Viscount or reside in a historic British estate, but at least we can live a little more like Ladies of London's health and fitness guru Julie Montagu by eating the same foods. The yogi has published her third cookbook, Superfoods Superfast, which features 100 nutritious recipes that can be made in under 20 minutes.

As a follow-up to her bestseller Superfoods, Julie shares breakfasts, snacks, salads, soups, main courses, and desserts that can be made so quickly even the busiest of people will be able to make healthy (and delicious!) eating a priority. Don't believe us? Julie shared three of her recipes with The Daily Dish and we're already drooling. (Seriously, just look at those brownies.) Try one or all three to live just like a Lady of London.

1 tablespoon olive oil

1 large onion, finely diced

1 garlic clove, crushed

1 x 400g tin (14oz) lentils, drained and rinsed

1 x 400g tin (13/4 cups) chopped tomatoes

2 tablespoons tomato purée (paste)

1 tablespoon maple syrup or honey

1 teaspoon chilli (chili) powder

1 teaspoon sweet paprika

60ml (1/4 cup) water or vegetable stock

Sea salt and freshly ground black pepper

4 buns (preferably wholemeal/wheat or gluten free), to serve

Serves 4

Growing up in America, Sloppy Joes were a staple meal at home and even at restaurants. And my mum made the best! So, here is a veggie twist on an American classic that, frankly, I think is just as good as my mum’s! Heat the olive oil in a large saucepan over a medium-high heat. Cook the onion and garlic for 5 minutes until soft, then add the rest of the ingredients, season to taste and mix well. Bring to the boil and then reduce the heat and simmer for 10 minutes, or until the mixture thickens to your liking.

Serve in the buns and enjoy the sloppiness of the Sloppy Joe!

When I was growing up in the middle of America, I loved and lived on mac and cheese. I mean, let’s be honest, it is just SO good! However, most mac and cheese isn’t exactly going to give you what you need nutritionally and it depletes the energy supply. So, for my kids’ sake, I had to find a mac and cheese that tasted as good (if not better) AND filled them with all things good. This recipe takes 20 minutes, but you do need to do a little planning and place the cashews in a bowl of water the night before. Then you’re ready to go when you come home the next evening.

250g (2 cups) dried macaroni (even better if it’s gluten free and/or wholegrain!)

1 tablespoon coconut oil

1 small onion, finely diced

2 garlic cloves, crushed

140g (heaping 1 cup) cashews, soaked overnight, then drained

350ml (1½ cups) almond or coconut milk

1 tablespoon arrowroot powder

25g (3 tablespoons) nutritional yeast

½ teaspoon sweet paprika

½ teaspoon ground cumin

Juice of ½ lemon

Large handful of kale, shredded

Serves 6

Cook the macaroni according to the packet instructions.

Meanwhile, heat a medium-sized saucepan over a medium heat, add the coconut oil and sauté the onion and garlic for 5 minutes or until soft.

Put the onion and garlic, soaked cashew nuts and the rest of the ingredients, except the kale, into a blender and blitz on high until thoroughly blended.

Pour the cashew ‘cheese’ back into the saucepan with the shredded kale and cook on a low heat, stirring frequently, until warm and the kale is wilted – about 2–3 minutes.

Add the drained, cooked macaroni to the pan, stir well and serve immediately.

Okay, I know this might sound a bit weird and you might be asking, "Is she serious?" But yes, I am serious! I urge you to try this because I promise you, these brownies are seriously good and gooey! They do not disappoint.

Coconut oil, for greasing

2 x 400g tins (1¾ lb) lentils, drained and rinsed

4 tablespoons almond butter

1 small banana

4 tablespoons raw cacao powder, plus extra for dusting

1 tablespoon honey

½ teaspoon bicarbonate of soda (baking soda)

12 Medjool dates (make sure you are using soft dates and Medjools are the softest!), pitted

20 x 20-cm (8 x 8-inch) baking tin

Makes 12

Preheat the oven to 200º/400ºF/gas 6 and grease the baking tin.

In a food processor, pulse the lentils until they are blended. Add the almond butter, banana, cacao, honey and bicarbonate of soda and blend again, scraping down the sides to make sure everything is mixed together. Add the dates and blend again. Pour the mixture into the prepared tin and bake for 15 minutes. If it’s gooey, that’s good!

Let cool, slice into 12 bars and enjoy right away, dusted with cacao powder, or place in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 2 days.

Superfoods Superfast is out August 2 in the U.S. and is available on Amazon.