Food creator and fitness guru: Jeffrey Boadi. Photo: Clare Winfield
Jeffrey Boadi is a former semi-professional footballer turned gym enthusiast who advocates for the benefits of proper nutrition. “Sport and fitness have always been an integral part of my life,” he says. “I am super passionate about health and wellbeing.”
Jeffrey, who is 37, has 181,000 followers on Instagram, writes a weekly wellness newsletter and has just published Plant Fuel – a cookery book which makes a high-protein, plant-based vegan diet look irresistible. As he puts it: “It’s an invitation – from me to you – to discover just how delicious, satisfying and energising plant-based eating can be… My dishes are proof that healthy eating doesn’t mean compromise.”
Jeffrey, whose parents are Ghanaian, was born and raised in London and admits that up until eight or so years ago he thrived on a meat-based diet and “three or four eggs every single day”. Curious to explore plant-based diets, he had his lightbulb moment when his sister encouraged him to watch What the Health. This Netflix documentary explored the link between diet and disease while highlighting the health benefits of a wholefood diet centred around plants. “It proved to be a great motivator to try this way of eating … and I haven’t looked back since!”
Here he shares his recipe for a Ghanaian red red stew. He says: “I’ve got fond memories of enjoying it as a child at home. And whenever I visit Ghana these days, I pretty much have it every day. I love it – and so will you!”
Words by Jane Ferguson
Jeffrey’s Ghanaian red red stew
Serves 4
Ingredients
75g red bell pepper, chopped
250g tomatoes, quartered
1 medium onion (150g), halved; one half finely diced, the other quartered
70g carrot, chopped
3 tbsp palm oil
½ scotch bonnet (optional)
3 cans black-eyed beans (keep the water, rinse the beans)
300ml aquafaba (the water from the canned beans)
3 garlic cloves, minced
1 tbsp chopped fresh ginger
1 tsp ground cumin
1 tsp curry powder
1 tsp ground coriander
1 tsp cayenne pepper
1 bay leaf (optional)
1 tbsp tomato paste
2 vegetable stock cubes, crumbled
4 ripe plantains
3 tbsp avocado oil
2 medium avocados (300g), sliced, to serve
Sea salt and black pepper, to taste
Pinch of chilli flakes, to garnish
Method
Preheat the oven to 200C/180C fan, Gas Mark 6.
Add the red pepper, tomatoes, onion quarters and carrot to a roasting tin. Drizzle with 2 tbsps of the palm oil, then sprinkle with salt and pepper and toss to coat evenly.
Roast for 20–25 mins until the vegetables are caramelised and tender.
Add the roasted vegetables, scotch bonnet if using, and 200ml of the aquafaba to a jug blender. Blend to make a sauce and set aside.
In a large saucepan, heat the remaining 1 tbsp of palm oil. Add the diced onion and cook for about 2 mins until translucent.
Add the garlic, ginger, spices and bay leaf, if using. Sauté for 1–2 mins.
Pour the vegetable sauce into the pan, then add the tomato paste, stock cubes, black-eyed beans and remaining 100ml of aquafaba.
Mix well and cook for about 10 mins over a low heat while you prepare the plantain.
Peel, halve and slice the plantains lengthways, then sprinkle with salt and toss in a mixing bowl.
Heat the avocado oil in a medium frying pan over a medium heat. Fry the plantain for about 15–20 mins, flipping occasionally until golden brown. Alternatively, coat the plantains with a little palm oil and salt, then bake them in the oven at 180C/160C fan, Gas Mark 4.
Once the plantain is ready, use a potato masher to mash the beans slightly to make the stew creamy.
Serve the stew with the baked or fried plantains and avocado slices, garnished with chilli flakes.
Plant Fuel is published by Bloomsbury, £22
Photos by Clare Winfield