Falafel

These are great as a main meal when it's a warm day and they're an excellent encouragement to eat plenty of fresh salad.

I'm a bit of a chickpea fan and it turns out they are very good for PCOS and your blood sugar levels. They are very high in protein and fibre which means that your body takes a while to digest them, so you don't get a sudden spike in blood sugar which is so common in women with PCOS (and considering insulin resistance).

Serves 4

Ingredients
425g can chickpeas, rinsed and drained
1 onion, roughly chopped
2 garlic cloves, roughly chopped
2 tsp cumin seeds
3 tbsp chopped fresh coriander
2 tbsp chopped fresh mint
1 tsp mild chilli powder
50g breadcrumbs

1. Heat the oven to 180C and grease a baking tray.
2. In a food processer, blend the chickpeas with the onion, garlic, spices, herbs and breadcrumbs to create a chunky paste.
3. With your fingers or a dessert spoon, form slightly flattened round cakes and arrange on the baking tray.
4. Bake the falafels in the oven for 10-15min until they are brown and no longer sticky.
5. Serve with lots of fresh salad leaves, peppers and cucumber in brown pitta breads. A dash of lime juice is perfect instead of oily dressings.

Banana and Nut Flapjacks

I started making banana flapjacks when I lived in a student house with eight other people. Whenever I was baking there seemed to be a large influx of people, who lived in the house and those who magically appeared from neighbouring houses! This meant that anything I baked disappeared instantly. I did discover however that many of my friends didn't like bananas so this was my recipe for whenever I wanted to actually eat my food.

I love them because they are moist, filling and keep for days in an air tight tin. My friend and I used to keep a box of 'goodies' during exam period and these were always in there.

They are also depression busting wonders. Doctors are not sure whether PCOS causes depression or whether the large number of depressed women with PCOS is due to low self esteem and medical fears over living with a chronic illness. Either way, sometimes you need a pick-me-up. Bananas are high GI for fruits which may make them look terrible for PCOS, but coupled with the slow-energy release of the oats your blood sugar levels will be stabilised. Bananas contain potassium which as we all know from school helps your brain function efficiently, but potassium deficiency has also been linked to depression so a little extra in your diet can help prevent low moods. Whilst only a moderate source, bananas also contain tryptophan which stimulates serotonin production which has a calming effect on your mood. The inclusion of nuts in this recipe will also help to balance your blood sugar levels.

Makes 24

Ingredients
125g margarine (or butter)
50g brown sugar (or fruit sugar)
2 tbsp golden syrup
250g porridge oats
1 large banana, mashed
50g chopped mixed nuts (or your favourite nuts)

1. Heat the oven to 180C, grease a 20cm (8") square sandwich tin.
2. In a pan over a low heat, melt the sugar, margarine and golden syrup together. Remove from the heat.
3. Add the porridge oats, banana and nuts to the syrupy mixture and stir well. The mixture should be sticky and moist, if it is too dry add a small amount of water and stir.
4. Spoon the mixture into the sandwich tin and bake in the oven for around 30mins or until golden brown.
5. As soon as the flapjack is removed from the oven, mark out portions approximately 1" square. Allow to cool fully before removing from the tin.

Watercress Soup

This is an old favourite of mine, I eat a lot of soup but watercress soup is my 'posh' soup for special occasions. It has a lovely, fresh, peppery flavour and this version is lower in fat using greek yogurt rather than cream for that smooth flavour.

Watercress in particular has many benefits for women with PCOS, it is high in iron which helps with fatigue, hair loss, infertility and irregular or absent periods. There is also plenty of calcium, folic acid and vitamins A and C present.

Serves 4 (as a starter)

Ingredients
1 small onion, finely chopped
150g watercress (2 bags)
2 medium potatoes, diced
500ml vegetable stock
1 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
A dollop of 0% fat greek yogurt

1. Sauté the chopped onion in the olive oil for a few minutes until soft and golden.
2. Add the potatoes and stock and bring to the boil, allow to simmer for ten minutes.
3. Add the washed watercress and cook for a further 10 minutes until the potatoes are soft.
4. Remove about 3/4 of the liquid and retain. Transfer the mixture to a food processer and blend until smooth. Reintroduce the stock slowly, stirring and carefully checking the consistency. The final soup should be reasonably thick, you will probably not need to use all of the stock.
5. Serve the soup with a spoonful of greek yogurt and some fresh wholemeal bread.