Stuffed Sweet Peppers with Chicken, Einkorn and Egg
Saturday, October 03, 2020These chicken-einkorn-egg stuffed mixed peppers are packed with flavour and add a burst of beautiful colour to your meal, not to mention a boost of Vitamin C. I used chicken mince because I happened to have some on hand, you can also use other ground meat (pork, beef or lamb) in the place of chicken. Don't like eggs or have egg allergy? No problem, just omit them entirely or sprinkle some cheese on the top of ground meat filling instead. The great thing about stuffed peppers is how well they take just about anything and make it tasty.
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- Preheat oven to 200C/180C fan forced/400F. Line a large baking tray with baking paper. Place bell pepper halves on prepared tray and bake for 10 minutes.
- Cook einkorn in a pot of salted simmering water until al dente, about 25 minutes. Drain and set aside.
- Meanwhile, heat oil in a large non-stick frying pan over medium heat. Cook chopped shallot, stirring, for 4 minutes or until softened. Add crushed garlic, zest, cumin and cinnamon and cook, stirring, for 1 minute or until fragrant. Add chicken mince and cook, breaking mince up with a wooden spoon for 3-4 minutes or until just cooked.
- Add in einkorn, diced tomatoes and walnuts and cook, stirring, for 2 minutes. Season with salt and pepper and stir in the parsley.
- Drain any liquid from bell peppers. Spoon filling into capsicums and make an indent in each half. Carefully crack an egg into indent and bake for 10-15 minutes or until eggs are cooked to your liking. Serve sprinkled with fresh herbs. Drizzle a bit of balsamic glaze over the egg if using.
Maple Syrup Glazed Hasselback Butternut Squash
Thursday, October 01, 2020With just a few of simple ingredients from your pantry and a baking tray, this dish is much easier than it looks and makes an amazing side dish that is a comforting and fun addition to any Fall meal or holiday table and will wow your family and guests. The aromatic, earthy oregano and sage pair really well with that slightly sweet flavour of the butternut squash.
Hasselback is a technique of slicing a vegetable or fruit thinly while still leaving it connected, opening it up like an accordion. It’s visually appealing and it’s also a great way to insert more flavor into the dish.
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- Preheat your oven to 200C / 180C fan-forced / /400F. Cut the butternut squash in half lengthways, then scoop out the seeds and pulp and discard. Remove the skin with a vegetable peeler.
- Coat the pumpkin halves with oil and season with salt. Place pumpkin halves, cut-side down, on a baking tray. Roast for 20 minutes, then set aside to cool slightly (par-cooking makes the pumpkin easier to cut).
- While the squash is in the oven, combine tpgether the olive oil, maple syrup, chilli flakes, Dijon mustard, chopped herbs, salt and pepper and mix well with a small whisk until completely combined.
- Using a thin metal spatula, transfer pumpkin to a cutting board. Place a chopstick along each long side of pumpkin. Using a sharp knife, cut slits into pumpkin crossways about 4mm apart, cutting through to chopsticks to prevent cutting all the way through. Return the pumpkin to the baking tray. Repeat with remaining pumpkin half.
- Brush about 1/2 of the maple syrup mixture over the pumpkin halves and roast for about 45 minutes, brushing pumpkin every 15 minutes with the pan juice. At the last 15 minutes, add the chopped walnuts to the remaining syrup glaze and stir to combine. Spoon the nut mixture over the top of the pumpkin halves and bake until golden and tender.
- To serve, carefully remove the squash from the baking sheet with a spatulas and transfer them to a platter. Drizzle the pan juice over and sprinkle with extra herbs and walnuts. Enjoy!
Mascarpone Raisin Loaf with Sesame Seeds
Tuesday, September 29, 2020With a combination of creamy, decadent Mascarpone cheese and full fat Greek yoghurt, you can easily imagine how rich, tender and delicious this raisins studded loaf cake would taste. It is very moist and has just the right amount of sweetness from the naturally sweet raisins. You certainly can add some sugar to the batter if you have a sweeter teeth. Or apply a coat of icing over the top after baking which would do the trick too.
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- Preheat the oven to 190C/375F. Line a small cake tin with baking paper.
- In a bowl, combine spelt flours, baking powder, baking soda, and salt. In a separate large bowl, beat the mascapone, Greek yoghurt, eggs and vanilla together until smooth.
- Fold the dry ingredients through the mascarpone mixture until just combined. Add in raisins and fold until just combined.
- Pour the batter into the prepared cake tin. Sprinkle the top with sesame seeds. Bake in the middle of the hot oven for 40 minutes until golden-brown. Remove and set aside for 5 minutes to cool before turning out onto a wire rack to cool completely.
Chicken Pak Choi Salad with Greek Yoghurt Dressing
Sunday, September 27, 2020Chicken breast from the roasted chicken (homemade or storebought) tossed with a Greek yoghurt dressing for a fuss free, midweek meal that's high in protein, big on flavour and low in calorie. Enjoy it in a sandwich, wrap, or over a bed of pak choi greens or lettuce.
Greek Yoghurt Dressing | |
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- Place the diced chicken, grapes, chopped pak choi white stalks, spring onions, red onions and peanuts in a large bowl.
- In another bowl, whisk together the Greek yogurt, lemon juice, honey or maple syrup, salt, and pepper until smooth. Pour over the chicken mixture and toss to coat. Taste and season. Cover and chill for at least 1 hour or up to overnight for flavours to meld.
- When ready to serve, sprinkle with fresh dill. Serve as a filling for sandwiches, atop salad greens, as a dip with crackers, or simply enjoy it directly out of the bowl.
Sumac Roasted Delicata Squash Rings with Tahini Parsley Sauce
Friday, September 25, 2020There are loads of ways to turn delicata squash into a delicious treat. In my opinion, roasting makes the squash taste sweeter without adding extra sugar and brings about an amazing depth of flavour. You can also stirfry or steam them. No need to peel the delicata as the skin is thin and edible.
Tahini works in perfect harmony with roasted squash. Adjust the amount of water in the dressing depending on the consistency of the brand you use. The sauce should be thick yet runny, like honey or pouring consistency of mayonnaise.
Tahini Parsley Sauce | |
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- Pulse garlic, parsley, tahini, lemon juice, and water in a blender, adding more water if needed, until smooth. Season with salt. Sauce can be made 1 day ahead. Cover and stored in the fridge for up to 1 week.
- Preheat oven to 200C/400F and line a baking sheet with parchment paper.
- In a large bowl, toss squash rings with the olive oil, sumac, salt, and pepper until the squash rings are thoroughly coated. Arrange them evenly on the baking sheet in a single layer.
- Bake for 25 minutes, until tender and slightly caramelized on the edges. Remove from oven and let cool slightly.
- Tranfer the squash rings on a serving platter. Drizzle some tahini dressing over and scatter with pomegranate seeds and chopped parsley. Enjoy!
Pumpkin Boule with Cardamom and Chia Seeds
Thursday, September 24, 2020This is a perfect yeast bread for Autumn, so soft, chewy and flavourful with cardamom, yoghurt and chia seeds. With a beautiful golden pumpkin crumb and light texture this yeast bread goes really well with soups and dips, also perfect for sandwiches.
This recipe, inspired by Dan Lepard's Pumpkin Bread Recipe, is easy, versatile, and perfect for your holiday table. The original recipe called for green olives, which I omitted, instead I used some chia seeds in the dough. You can use nuts or sundried tomatoes if you prefer.
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- Cook pumpkin in a steamer over a saucepan of simmering water for 20 mins or until tender. Set aside to cool completely. Measure 150 grams of pumpkin into a bowl and use a fork to coarsely mash. Save the rest for other use.
- Stir in the water then whisk in the yeast until dissolved. Mix in the yoghurt and chia seeds, then add the flour, crushed cardamom, and salt and mix everything to a soft dough, adding more flour if the dough feels very sticky. (When you have cooked or grated vegetables in bread dough, the salt will draw moisture out and the dough will get even softer as it rises, so aim for a dough that's slightly firmer than you would normally make.)
- Knead the dough until smooth on a floured surface then return it to the bowl and leave for about one hour somewhere warm until risen by half.
- Dust a proof basket liberally with flour. Shape the dough into a boule. Place the boule, with the seams up, into the basket. Cover with a clean kitchen towel and leave to rise for 45-60 minutes.
- Heat the oven to 200C (fan-forced)/400F. Turn the proofed boule onto a baking pan lined with baking paper. Score the dough as you like. Bake for about 40 minutes until nicely golden brown.
Butternut Squash and Chickpea Soup with Saffron and Pecorino
Tuesday, September 22, 2020This nourishing soup is made with butternut squash, chickpea, coconut cream, Italian hard cheese, and plenty of fresh ginger and saffron. It’s robust, has a lovely silky texture and super tasty. Serve this as a starter for a dinner party or a filling supper with crusty buttered bread when you need a bit of comfort. This soup keeps well in the fridge and is easy to freeze.
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- In a large heavy saucepan, sauté garlic and ginger in the butter over a low heat until aromatic. Add the saffron, pumpkin and half the broth, then cook over a low heat, with the lid on, until the pumpkin is almost cooked.
- Add the cooked chickpeas, the remaining broth, coconut cream and plenty of cracked black pepper. Bring to a boil, then reduce to a simmer, with the lid on, and cook for about 15 minutes.
- Use an immersion blender to process the soup until smooth. Season with salt, then add nutmeg to taste. Stir in the grated Percorino cheese and ladle into soup cups. Drizzle some pumpkin seed oil over and top with a few chives and pepitas.