Oakleaf Salad with Feta, Blackberries and Apricots
Thursday, July 07, 2016Mild, sweet and delicate oakleaf lettuce pairs wonderfully with slightly bitter radicchio, salty Feta, juicy fruits and paprika cashews in this easy healthy salad. Substitute lollo rosso for red oak leaf lettuce and leave out Feta or use some smoked tofu instead if you want to keep it vegan.
Salad | Dressing |
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- Arrange the salad leaves on serving plates and top with feta cubes, apricot wedges, blackberries, herbs and scatter the paprika cashew nuts over.
- For the dressing, mix white balsamic vinegar, mustard, salt, pepper and olive oil. Toss gently and serve.
Quinoa, Coconut Flour Einkorn Banana Bread (Sugar Free, Dairy Free)
Thursday, June 30, 2016A deliciously healthy banana bread made with a mix of freshly milled einkorn flour, defatted coconut flour and quinoa flour. It's dairy free, sugar free, packed with nutrients and perfect for breakfast or a healthy snack in between meals.
Wet Ingredients | Dry Ingredients |
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- Preheat your oven to 180C/350F. Grease and line base of a large 13cm x 21cm loaf pan with parchment paper.
- In a blender, add in overripe bananas, eggs, pumpkin seed oil, sunflower seed butter and brandy. Process all the ingredients until smooth .
- Sift together the flours, baking powder, baking soda, salt, vanilla powder and spices together in a large bowl and pour the wet mixture onto the dry mixture, folding gently but thoroughly.
- Pour into the prepared pan. Smooth the surface. Sprinkle the surface with 1 tablespoon of sunflower seeds if desired and bake for 1 hour or until a skewer inserted into centre comes out clean. Set aside in pan for 10 minutes to cool before turning onto a wire rack to cool completely. Slice and serve with sunflower seed maca butter.
Beluga Lentil Zottarella Salad with Fresh Turmeric Vinaigrette
Thursday, June 23, 2016Tiny, black and round with a rich earthy flavour and chewy texture, beluga lentils are named for the caviar they resemble. They hold their shape and firm texture when cooked, making them a good choice for salads. You can easily replace them with French green lentils. Fresh turmeric is the star in this anti-inflammatory dressing that adds incredible flavour and texture to this comforting salad.
Fresh Turmeric Vinaigrette | Salad |
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- To make the dressing, combine all the ingredients in a jar and shake until well combined. Chill until ready for use.
- Fill a medium pot with 700 ml water and bring it to a boil. Add in rinsed black lentils and simmer for 12-15 minutes or until tender but still firm. Drain immediately through a fine strainer and rinse briefly with cool water. Drain again, set aside and allow to cool.
- In a large bowl, toss the cooled lentils with half of the dressing. Add the zottarella minis, peaches, parsley and basil and toss briefly. Divide the spinach leaves on two serving plates and spoon the lentil salad over. Serve with the additional dressing.
No Bake Almond Butter Tart with Speculoos Cookie Crust
Thursday, June 16, 2016This features a creamy, rich roasted almond butter-ricotta cheese filling in a no bake speculoos cookie crust. I have used homemade roasted almond butter rather than the peanut butter used in the original recipe, but any other nut butter will also work. Also, the recipe called for chocolate ganache as the topping, but I just simply garnished the tarts with a few drizzles of melted white chocolate and some chopped pistachio nuts.
Crust | Filling | Topping |
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- Finely crush cookies in a food processor or blender. Melt butter. In a bowl stir the melted butter and crushed cookies together. Firmly press down cookie mixture into two 12-cm tart pans or one 24-cm pan. Place in the refrigerator while making the filling.
- In a large bowl, beat the ricotta cheese, almond butter, vanilla powder, coconut oil and liquid stevia together until fluffy with an electric mixer.
- Scrape the mixture into the tart shells and smooth the surface with a spatula. Return to the refrigerator for 2 hours or overnight.
- Melt the white chocolate in a microwave and drizzle over the tarts. Garnish with pistachio nuts.
Buttermilk Spelt Emmer Dinner Rolls
Thursday, June 09, 2016I like to play around with rich, sweet and nutty ancient grains when baking bread, but you can use modern wheat flour instead. Emmer is also called Farro and quite similar in flavour of Einkorn. This recipe makes 6-8 rolls depending on the size you want. You could also bake this in a loaf pan for a tasty sandwich bread.
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- Measure all the ingredients and place, in the order listed, into your bread pan. Select the dough setting. Start the machine.
- Once dough setting is complete, remove dough from bread machine and place on a lightly floured surface. Divide the dough into 6 or 8 pieces. Shape each into a ball and place them on a baking sheet lined with parchment paper. Cover with a clean kitchen towel and set aside for 45 minutes until doubled in size.
- Pour a cup of water into the roasting tray at the bottom of the oven and preheat it to 210C/420F and pour. Bake the bread for 25 to 30 minutes or until golden brown.
Paprika Chicken with Quinoa Tabbouleh
Thursday, June 02, 2016With tender paprika chicken breast, an excellent source of lean protein, and quinoa, a gluten-free wholegrain also rich in protein, dietary fibre and antioxidants, this is a satisfying and super healthy dish that is filled with wonderful flavours and textures.
Paprika Chicken with Quinoa Tabbouleh
adapted from taste
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- Combine 300 ml water and rinsed quinoa in a saucepan over medium-high heat. Bring to the boil. Reduce heat to low. Cover and simmer for 12-15 minutes or until the liquid is absorbed. Transfer to a large bowl. Set aside to cool.
- Add herbs, tomato, and spring onion to quinoa and toss to combine. Combine olive oil, lemon juice, 1/2 teaspoon paprika, cumin, cayenne and sugar, then season with salt.
- Place yoghurt in a bowl and drizzle over 2 teaspoons dressing, then sprinkle with some paprika. Toss the salad in remaining dressing.
- Mix 1/2 tablespoon olive oil and remaining 1/2 teaspoon of paprika, season, then brush over chicken. Heat a large grill pan until hot. Add in chicken and cook for 7-8 minutes each side until cooked through. Serve sliced with salad and yoghurt.
White Chocolate Beetroot Truffles
Thursday, May 26, 2016These white chocolate truffles with beetroot powder, which need only a few ingredients and very easy to make, are decadent, sweet, smooth and creamy. They are a wonderful after-dinner treat with a rich espresso shot and will also make the perfect gift.
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- Place almond milk and coconut oil in a small saucepan over low heat. Cook until the coconut oil is melted and well combined with almond milk. Now stir int beetroot powder until well combined.
- Place the chopped white chocolate in a heatproof bowl and set over a pot of simmering water, making sure the water doesn’t touch the bottom of the bowl.
- Stir chocolate occasionally as it softens. When you have just a few small unmelted chunks, remove bowl from heat (residual heat will melt the rest).
- Now stir in the beetroot mixture until well combined. Cover and chill for 1 hour or until pliable but firm enough to scoop.
- Place coconut flakes in a bowl. Working quickly roll a teaspoon of truffle mixture into a ball and gently roll with coconut flakes until evenly coated.
No Bake Raspberry Chocolate Tart (Vegan, Gluten-free, Dairy-free and Sugar-free)
Thursday, May 19, 2016This dessert has a no-bake naturally gluten-free hazelnut crust and a chilled creamy chocolate goodness sweetened with mint-flavoured chocolate stevia syrup and topped with plump and juicy raspberries. You can serve this dusted with icing sugar or fresh cream aside or simply with more fresh raspberries and mint leaves.
No Bake Raspberry Chocolate Tart (Vegan, GF, DF and SF)
adapted from DriscollsCrust | Filling |
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- Combined all the ingredients for the crust and press the mixture into the base and sides of a 35cmx11cmx2.5cm rectangular fluted tart pan with a removable bottom. Chill while you make filling.
- Chop the chocolate into small pieces and place them in a bowl. Bring coconut milk in a saucepan just to a boil. Pour over the chopped chocolate and let stand for about 1 minute, then stir until it became smooth. Stir in mint-flavoured stevia syrup until well combined.
- Pour into the tart pan and chill for 30 minutes. Garnish the tart with fresh raspberries and fresh mint leaves. Dust with icing sugar if desired.
Black Quinoa, Red Lentil and Green Asparagus Salad with Walnut Oil Vinaigrette
Thursday, May 12, 2016Enjoy a delicious quinoa spring salad with lentil and asparagus. It's bursting with flavour thanks to pine nuts, walnut oil and raspberry vinegar. Good-quality vinegar and walnut oil make all the difference in this dressing. If you don't have black quinoa, regular white one will work just great.
Salad | Walnut Oil Vinaigrette |
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- Combine 300 ml water and rinsed quinoa in a saucepan over medium-high heat. Bring to the boil. Reduce heat to low. Cover and simmer for 12-15 minutes or until the liquid is absorbed. Transfer to a large bowl. Set aside to cool.
- In another saucepan, fill in 450 ml water and bring to the boil. Add lentils, asparagus and return to the boil and simmer for 2-3 minutes until lentils are slightly softened and asparagus tender. Be careful not to cook too long, as you the lentils to be al dente and asparagus bright green. Drain and rinse in cold water.
- Combine all the ingredients for the dressing, stirring with a whisk until well-blended.
- Place cooked quinoa, lentils, asparagus, fennel fronds and half of the roasted pine nuts in a bowl. Add in vinaigrette and toss until well combined. Transfer to a large serving plate and sprinkle the rest of pine nuts over.