Category Archives for Recipes

Baba Ganoush

Middle Eastern Cuisine has always been a favourite of mine. The food is so fresh and bursting with flavours. I will always have a freshly made dip in the fridge ready as an option for a snack. A little extra time is needed to make my baba ganoush dip due to the initial roasting of the eggplant, but at the end of it, you will be thankful that you made it.

Ingredients

2 large eggplants, roasted
½ lemon, juiced
2 garlic cloves, minced
1 teaspoon cumin
2 tablespoons tahini
salt and pepper to taste

Method
Preheat oven to 200 degrees. Pin prick the eggplant and place on a baking tray in the oven, roasting for 35-45 minutes until the eggplant begins to look sunken.
Place eggplant in a bowl of cold water once removed from oven and wait a few minutes.
Once eggplant has cooled slightly, peel the skin away and add the flesh to a blender.
Add all other ingredients and blend until nice and smooth. Adjust seasoning as required.

Makes approximately 1.5 cups

Chicken Bruschetta Style

Italian meets Greek in this one pot wonder. The flavour combination of the oregano seasoned chicken cooked in a classic tomato and basil sauce will make you want to go back for seconds. This dish can be prepared one day ahead to allow the flavour to be absorbed, and is also a dish that freezes well (if there are any leftovers!).

Ingredients

8 chicken steaks
2 tablespoons dried oregano
salt and pepper
1 tablespoon olive oil
8-10 Roma tomatoes, chopped
6 cloves of garlic, crushed
½ cup fresh basil, chopped

Method

Prepare chicken steaks by cutting them in half and seasoning with oregano, salt and pepper.
Heat the oil in a heavy based saucepan that can be also transferred to the oven.
Brown the chicken steaks on each side for 3-4 minutes. Whilst the chicken is cooking, prepare your tomatoes, garlic and basil, mixing them together in a bowl and seasoning with salt and pepper.
Remove the chicken steaks and keep aside.
Pre-heat oven to 180 degrees.
In the same saucepan, place your tomato mixture and simmer on low heat for 5-6 minutes, stirring constantly.
Return chicken to saucepan, cover and place in the oven to cook for 35-40 minutes until chicken is tender. Check regularly to ensure that chicken is covered in sauce.

Serves 8

Kale and Papaya Salad

This recipe was inspired by my visit to the local fruit and vegetable store. It’s simple with only a few ingredients, but exotic. This is the first time that I have used papaya in any of my dishes, but now that I have found it, I think it may become a regular. The sweetness of it really balances out the bitterness of the kale.

Ingredients

1 bunch kale, de-stemmed and washed
1 tablespoon olive oil
1 tablespoon lemon juice
½ teaspoon salt
¼ papaya, deseeded and thinly sliced
1 carrot, peeled and grated
2 spring onions, sliced diagonally
1 tablespoon sesame seeds

Dressing
1 tablespoon olive oil
1 tablespoon sesame oil
2 tablespoons brown rice vinegar
1 tablespoon miso paste
1 teaspoon honey
1 garlic clove, minced

Method
Prepare dressing by placing all ingredients in a small jar and mix well. Set aside.
Place kale in a bowl and massage in the oil, lemon and salt until kale is soft.
Add the remainder of the salad ingredients.
When ready to serve, drizzle with dressing and mix well.

Serves 4

Cherry Ripe Smoothie

Who doesn’t like a little indulgence in the morning? This recipe brings me back to my childhood days where I used to enjoy the odd cherry ripe every now and again. There’s no guilt in this “guilty pleasure”, as the creation of this smoothie enables me to still get the flavour combination that I love (chocolate and cherries), whilst nourishing my body from the inside out.

Ingredients:
1 cup frozen cherries
1 cup almond mylk
1 large ripe or frozen banana
1 tablespoon cacao
2 pitted dates
1 tablespoon almond butter
1 tablespoon cacao nibs

Method:
Place all ingredients except for the cacao nibs into a high speed blender and blend until smooth.
Add cacao nibs and pulse one or two times. This adds a great crunch to the smoothie.

Serves 1

Coleslaw Salad

From a young age I have always enjoyed eating coleslaw, especially on a warm summer’s night when we had barbecues. However, coleslaw as you know it is full of mayonnaise, and not very good for you. This coleslaw is a fresh healthy take on the old classic, but still hits the spot.

Ingredients:
¼ white cabbage, thinly sliced
¼ red cabbage, thinly sliced
5 gherkins, diced
¼ cup dill, chopped

Dressing:
2 tablespoons olive oil
2 tablespoons apple cider vinegar
Salt & pepper to taste

Method:
Using a food processor, mandolin or knife thinly slice the white and red cabbage.
Prepare gherkins and dill and toss it all together.
Add dressing ingredients to salad and mix well.

Serves 4-6

Broccoli Salad with Vegan Mayonnaise

Sometimes what makes a salad is the dressing, and I would say that this is true for this one. The salad only has a handful of ingredients, but the creamy vegan mayonnaise dressing makes it absolutely delicious. It’s slightly more complicated than some of my other recipes, but definitely worth the effort.

Ingredients:
2 heads of broccoli
2 celery stalks, finely diced
2 spring onions, finely sliced
2 tablespoons sunflower seeds
2 tablespoons pumpkin seeds

Dressing:
1 cup vegan mayonnaise
2.5 tablespoons apple cider vinegar
½ teaspoon celtic seas salt
2.5 tablespoons fresh lemon juice
2.5 tablespoons raw honey

Vegan Mayonnaise:
1/4 cup filtered water
1/4 cup cold-pressed extra-virgin olive oil
1 cup raw cashews (soaked for 2 hours)
1/4 cup raw cauliflower
1 1/4 teaspoon yellow mustard (like you put on hot dogs)
1 teaspoon raw coconut sugar or 1 chopped pitted date
3 tablespoons lemon juice or more to taste
1 teaspoon apple cider vinegar
1/4 teaspoon Celtic sea salt or more to taste

Method:
Make vegan mayonnaise first by placing all ingredients in a blender and blend until smooth and creamy. Set aside.
Chop broccoli to fine pieces or place in blender for 3-5 seconds until you get the size that you want.
Place broccoli on serving platter and add additional ingredients.
Continue to make the dressing using the vegan mayonnaise that was prepared earlier.
Pour enough dressing on the salad to make sure that it is all coated.

Serves 4-6

Rainbow Salad

Not only does a rainbow salad look great but it provides our body with the best sources of nutrients to maintain long term health. The vibrant colours of fruits and vegetables come from phytonutrients, which are healing plant chemicals and each colour carries its own unique disease fighting nutrients. This is why when we put together a salad we should endeavour to include fruits and veggies from all the different coloured groups. This is how my rainbow salad came about.

Ingredients:
3 medium sized zucchinis, grated
1 red capsicum, sliced
¼ purple cabbage, sliced thinly
150g orange cherry tomatoes, halved
2 spring onions, sliced diagonally
handful parsley chopped

Dressing:
80 ml lime juice
80 ml coconut aminos or tamari
½ teaspoon grated ginger
1 tablespoon olive oil
Salt and Pepper to taste

Method:
Prepare dressing and set aside.
Grate zucchini and place in colander to remove excess liquid.
Combine all ingredients in salad bowl and dress prior to serving.

Serves 6

Chicken San Choi Bao

These make delicious little appetisers or tapas for when you are entertaining, or can be a quick and easy meal to prepare for dinner. I used chicken this time, but there is no reason why you can't change the protein or even have it purely vegetarian. The best thing about this recipe is that you can add any vegetables that you have in your fridge at the time.

Ingredients:

1 cos or iceburg lettuce
1 tablespoon coconut oil
600g chicken mince
1 zucchini
5 shitake mushrooms
100g snow peas
2 small bunches bok choy

Marinade:

½ cup tamari
¼ cup raw honey
1 garlic clove, minced

Method:

Prepare marinade and set aside.
Finely dice all vegetables.
Heat coconut oil in hot wok.
Add chicken mince and as it is cooking break it up into small pieces. Once chicken is mostly cooked, add diced vegetables and marinade. Mix well and cover with lid.
Whilst mixture is cooking, gently peel leaves of lettuce so that they remain whole. Wash well, dry and set aside.
Cook mixture for about 10-15 minutes until all vegetables are soft and have absorbed flavour of marinade.
Place 2-3 heaped tablespoons of the mixture in the lettuce cups and enjoy.

Serves 4-6 people

Cauliflower Puree

I love using cauliflower as an alternative to mashed potatoes. This accompaniment works great with chicken, beef, and fish, and the velvety and creaminess of this recipe may transform you into excluding mashed potatoes from your regular dinner menu forever!

Ingredients:

1 medium sized cauliflower head
¼ cup coconut cream
Salt & Pepper

Method:

Bring large pot of water on stove to a boil.
Wash cauliflower and cut into small florets.
Add cauliflower to boiling water and return to simmer for 15-20 minutes until cauliflower is soft.
Drain water and place in high speed blender together with coconut cream. Blend for 30-60 seconds (depending on blender strength) until puree is smooth and creamy.
Adjust with seasoning as required.

Serves 4-6

Eggplant Bruschetta

I love the flavour combinations of Italian food and it is so good to know that eliminating bread and pasta from my diet doesn't mean that I have to miss out on some amazing flavour combinations. This eggplant bruschetta is such a great option to have either when you’re entertaining or just wanting a light meal for yourself. The flavour combination of tomato and basil goes a long way and having this with your anti-oxidant rich eggplant leaves you salivating for more.

Ingredients:
2 eggplants
2 roma tomatoes, chopped
¼ red onion, diced
Handful fresh basil leaves, sliced
Goats cheese (optional)

Dressing:
1 tablespoon Extra Virgin Olive Oil
2 tablespoons Organic Coconut Vinegar (Balsamic Style)
Salt & pepper to taste

Method:
Slice eggplant length ways and sprinkle with salt. Set aside for approximately 30 minutes for eggplant to soften.
In the meantime, combine tomatoes, onion and basil.
Add dressing ingredients to tomato mixture and set aside until eggplant is ready.
Preheat oven to 180 degrees.
After 30 minutes, rinse and pat dry eggplant. Place on tray and top with prepared tomato mixture. Season with salt and pepper and if using Goats cheese, place small pieces over tomato mixture.
Cook in oven for approximately 40 minutes.

Makes approximately 6-8 slices

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