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Couscous Salad with Almonds and Raisins

Tuesday, November 16, 2021

This fresh Middle Eastern-inspired couscous salad features zingy ras el hanout, sumac and herbs on a bed of couscous with raisins – it’s filling, flavoursome and makes for an easy, satisfying meal that's on the table in 30 minutes.

Salad	Dressing
2 tbsp Olive oil 3 Red onions, thinly sliced 250 ml Chicken stock or water 2 tbsp Ras el hanout 200 g Organic couscous 80 g Raisins 500 ml Hot chicken stock 70 g Arugula Parsley, roughly chopped 50 g Flaked almonds, toasted Sumac, to taste	3 tbsp Extra-virgin olive oil 2 tbsp Pomegranate molasses (or Balsamic syrup or honey) 1 Lemon, juiced Salt and pepper to taste

Heat the olive oil in a large skillet over a medium heat and cook the sliced red onions with a large pinch of sea salt for 5 minutes until beginning to brown. Pour in 250ml chicken stock or water and rapidly boil for 10 minutes or until all the liquid has evaporated and the onions have softened. Turn down the heat and cook for 10 minutes more until the onions are sticky and caramelised. Stir in the ras el hanout and cook for another few minutes. Season and leave to cool.
Put the couscous and raisins in a large heatproof bowl and pour over the hot chicken stock. Cover and leave for 10 minutes until all the stock has been absorbed, then fluff up with a fork. Leave to cool.
Whisk all the ingredients for the dressing together. Season.
Scrape the caramelised onions into the couscous. Add the arugula, parsley and dressing, and toss really well. Tip onto a platter and top with the flaked almonds and sumac.

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Couscous with Lamb, Dates and Roasted Pumpkin

Sunday, October 24, 2021

This is an easy, nutrient-dense and delicious salad that's satisfying enough to have as a complete meal with protein, carbohydrate, fiber, and healthy fat and will fuel you for whatever comes your way. If you want to make this vegetarian, but still want to have some protein, swap chickpeas for ground lamb. This salad also combines, roasted pumpin, fresh herbs, dates, pomegranate to really elevate the flavour and texture.


600-800 g Organic Hokkaido pumpkin, cubed 3 tbsp Olive oil 1 tbsp Dijon whole grain mustard 2 Garlic cloves, chopped 1 tsp Sea salt 300 g Ground lamb 1 tbsp Moroccan spice blend Salt and black pepper to taste	150 g Couscous 350 ml Boiling water 30 g Flat parsley, chopped 10 g Coriander, chopped 100 g Dates, diced (or dried apricot) Pomegranate seeds Juice of 1 lemon

Preheat the oven to 200C/400F. Place cubed pumpkin in a baking tray. Add in olive oil, wholegrain mustard, salt and garlic. Toss everything together. Bake in the upper rack of hot oven for 40 minutes until tender and golden brown.
Dry the raw ground lamb on paper towels and let it come up to room temperature. Add the meat to a hot, lightly oiled cast-iron pan and spread it into an even layer. Once you see crisp edges, use a spatula to divide the patty and flip it in pieces. Brown the other side, then break into bits. Add Moroccan spice blend, salt and pepper. Stir to combine.
Meanwhile, add boiling water and 1/2 teaspoon salt to the couscous in a medium saucepan. Cover and set aside for 10 minutes.
Fluff the couscous with a fork. Add in browned ground lamb, chopped herbs, diced dates, pomegrante seeds and lemon juice. Toss everything together. Serve with roasted pumpkin.

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Pasta with Creamy Pumpkin Sauce

Tuesday, October 19, 2021

This easy, creamy pumpkin sauce tossed with your favorite pasta for a quick, warm, and comforting weeknight dinner. It's utterly delicious and perfect for Fall. I use Hokkaido pumpkin, but kabocha or butternut squash would do just great. Top with some bacon or walnuts if you like.

1 Small Hokkaido pumpkin, cubed (650g)
2 Garlic cloves
2-3 Thyme sprigs
2 tbsp Olive oil
Salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste
200 Pasta of your choice
240 ml Homemade broth
100 ml Cream / milk
1 tbsp White balsamic
1/2 tsp Cayenne
Large pinch of nutmeg
Large pinch of chilli flakes
1-2 tbsp Flat parsley, chopped
Parmigiano-Reggiano, to serve

Preheat the oven to 200C/400F. Combine cubed pumpkin, garlic cloves and thyme sprigs with olive oil in a bowl and season with salt and pepper. Spread out on a baking sheet. Bake until pumpkin is very soft and has browned slightly, about 25 minutes.
Cook pasta in a large saucepan of boiling, salted water, following packet directions, until al dente, about 8 minutes. Drain in a colander.
Reserve about 1/3 of cubed pumpkin. Place the remaining roasted pumpkin and garlic cloves in a saucepan together with homemade broth, cream, white balsamic and spices. Use an immersion blender process until the mixture is smooth and creamy. Add more broth or noodle water if mixture is too thick.
Stir the drained pasta and chopped parsley into the sauce. Divide the pasta in two plates. Shave some Parmesan over. Enjoy!

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Beetroot Penne with Parmigiano-Reggiano and Arugula

Saturday, August 21, 2021

This fuss-free, low-cost and delicious pasta meal only takes 10 minutes to make, perfect for a simple lunch for any weekday and is guaranteed to be a crowd pleaser. Deep purple-red beet juice is used to transform the plain penne into a vibrant, fun and exciting pasta dish. Use gluten-free pasta if you have a gluten intolerance or other gluten-related disorders.

250 g Organic vacuum-packed beetroot
200 ml Water
350 ml Organic beetroot juice
200 g Penne
2 Scallions, chopped
Salt and pepper
50 g Arugula
Parmigiano-Reggiano (30-months aged)

Cut the beetroot into 1/2cm thick slices, then slice each into 4-5cm long sticks. Set aside.
Place water and beetroot juice in a medium saucepan and bring the mixture to a boil. Add in pasta and cook, uncovered, over high heat for about 7 minutes. Add in beetroot sticks, and lower the heat to medium, and cook 3 more minutes until the beet juice mixture is almost absorbed and the pasta al dente.
Wash and dry scallions, then cut into fine rings. Season the pasta with your favourite sea salt and freshly milled black pepper.
Divide arugula and beet pasta between serving plates. Sprinkle chopped scallions over and top with shaved Parmigiano-Reggiano. Scatter some chopped toasted walnuts over if you desired.

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Green Pasta Salad with Pine Nuts

Monday, July 12, 2021

A quick, easy green pasta salad chock full of the tasty, nutrient-rich ingredients with a creamy salad dressing. You can make this flavourful pasta ahead of time, then keep it in your fridge until time to serve. I use whole spelt pasta, but you can choose a variety that meets your nutritional requirements-regular wheat pasta or gluten-free pasta made from rice, lentils or beans.

	Salad Dressing
150 g Organic spelt fusilli 200 g Frozen peas 75 g Arugula 2 tbsp Chives, chopped 50 g Pine nuts, toasted	100 g Crème double (Dr. Oetker) 100 g Crème fraîche 2 tbsp Herb vinegar (Hengstenberg) 1 tbsp Honey (or sugar) 2 Garlic cloves, peeled and finely minced Salt and pepper to taste

Mix everything for the dressing in a bowl. Taste and season. Chill until ready for use.
Fill a saucepan for the pasta with about 800ml of water. Place over high heat and bring it to a boil. Add 2 teaspoonfuls of salat to the boiling water. Add in pasta and cook until al dente, about 8 minutes. In the last minute of cooking, add frozen peas. Drain the pasta and peas and return to the saucepan.
Add in arugula, chives and two thirds of the dressing. Gently toss everything together. Season and taste. Place them on a large serving platter. Scatter the roasted pine nuts over and enjoy!

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Spelt Spirals with Hazelnut Pesto, Roasted Sweet Potato and Nutritional Yeast

Friday, January 15, 2021

In this easy 30-minute dinner recipe, wholegrain spelt pasta spirals are tossed in a rich pesto made with toasted hazelnuts, nutritional yeast and a mix of fresh herbs together with roasted sweet potatoes. Enjoy it on its own or with a green salad or serve alongside grilled chicken or fish for a more substantial meal.

	Hazelnut Pesto
600 g Sweet potatoes 3 tbsp Extra virgin olive oil Salt and freshly ground black pepper 120-150 g Organic wholegrain spelt spirals Nutrional yeast, to serve Crushed toasted hazelnuts, to serve	50 g Hazelnuts, lightly toasted and skinned 2 Garlic cloves Zest and juice of 1 lemon 120 ml Extra virgin olive oil 30 ml Hazelnut oil 30 g Fresh herbs (I used a mix of arugula, parsley and basil) 2 tbsp Nutritional yeast, unfortified (or 50 g Parmesan) Salt and freshly ground black pepper

Preheat the oven to 180C/350F. Spread the hazelnuts on a baking sheet and toast until golden, 10 to 12 minutes. Transfer the hazelnuts to a kitchen towel and rub together to remove the skins.
In a food processor blend together pesto ingredients with pepper and salt to taste until smooth. This recipe makes more pesto than you’ll need. Keep the excess covered in a layer of olive oil in a jar for up to 2 weeks in the fridge.
Increase the oven temperature to 200C/400F. Use a vegetable peeler to peel sweet potatoes. Dice the flesh into 1-inch pieces and toss with olive oil and season generously with salt and pepper. Spread pieces into an even layer, and roast, stirring sweet potato pieces once or twice, until golden brown and tender, about 30 minutes.
Meanwhile, cook the spelt spirals in plenty of boiling salted water until al dente, about 7-8 minutes or according to the packet instructions.
Drain pasta, return to pan and toss with a few tablespoons of the pesto and the roasted sweet potatoes. Serve with extra nutrional yeast and crushed roasted hazelnuts over.

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Black Rice Yoghurt Bread

Thursday, November 05, 2020

By adding rice to the bread you’ll get a softer crumb, and by using black rice you’ll get a lovely rustic colour and interesting nutty flavour too. The texture is amazingly soft and tender, thanks to the moisture of forbidden black rice with yoghurt and rendered chicken fat. The bread is delicious when eaten plain or with butter or toasted as a breakfast item or for sandwiches.

130 g 3.5% Yoghurt, room-temperature
2 Eggs, room-temperature
50 g Rendered chicken fat (or ghee)
200 g Cooked black rice
1/2 tsp Salt
300 g Bread flour
7 g Active dried yeast

Add all ingredients, in the order listed, into the bread machine loaf pan.
Place pan in bread machine and select dough program, then start. After 3-5 minutes of kneading, gently scrape down the dry ingredients stuck on the sides of the pan with a spatula.
The bread machine will beep when done. Turn out the dough onto a lightly floured work surface. Press the dough into a rectangle that is as long as a standard-size loaf pan. Roll the dough tightly from the narrow end, jelly-roll style. Pinch the ends and seam to seal. Place into the loaf pan lined with baking paper.
Cover the loaf with a clean towel, and let it rise until it has doubled in size. Preheat the oven to 190C/375F. When the loaf has risen, brush the surface with water and bake for 30 minutes until nicely golden brown.

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Black Rice Goat Cheese Salad with Mango and Sweet Pointed Pepper

Tuesday, October 20, 2020

Black rice cooked in homemade broth, topped with goat cheese (or your favourite cheese), mango and sweet pointed pepper with a simple dressing made with red wine vinegar, date syrup and avocado oil, for a delicious, healthy, flavourful, and gluten free Fall meal! You can serve this as a side along with some grilled meat or fish.

	Dressing
200 g Black rice 400 ml Homemade broth(I used beef broth) 1 tbsp Finely chopped coriander 2 Sweet pointed pepper, cut into rings 1/2 Ripe mango, peeled and diced 4x20 g Fresh goat cheese Fresh coriander or parsley leaves	1 Chilli pepper, finely chopped 2 tbsp Red wine vinegar 1 tsp Date syrup (or maple syrup) Red wine sea salt (or regular sea salt) 2 tbsp Avocado oil (or olive oil) 1 tbsp Walnut oil

Bring broth in a medium saucepan to a boil. Add in black rice and cook for about 30 minutes until tender. Drain. Cool completely. Place in a large bowl. Set aside to cool to room-temperature.
For the dressing, place all the ingredients in a jar with a tight-fitting lid and shake well to combine.
Add chopped coriander, sweet pointed pepper rings and mango to the rice. Drizzle with two-thirds of the dressing and toss to combine.
Divide the salad between two plates and top each with 2 goat cheese. Drizzle with the remaining dressing and garnish with fresh coriander or parsley.