Kumato Avocado Salad
Friday, August 16, 2013A very juicy and tasty kumato tomato salad layered with traditional red tomatoes and avocado drizzled with argan oil, white wine vinegar and lemon juice.
Kumato, originally from the Galapagos Islands, also known as the black tomato, its colour actually ranges from dark green to a deep brownish-red when ripe. Besides its markedly darker colour, the Kumato is much sweeter and has a intenser aroma than the regular tomatoes.
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- Dry roast the sesame seeds in a pan on medium-low heat, shaking the pan occasionally, until toasted. Remove from the heat and set it aside to cool.
- Cut the tomatoes into even slices. Simply slice the avocado in half, remove the pit, cut into slices and remove the peel.
- Arrange the slices of tomatoes and avocado and basil leaves on a plate. Season with salt and pepper. Drizzle with argan oil, white wine vinegar and lemon juice. Sprinkle with toasted black sesame seeds.
Oven Roasted Balsamic Beetroot with Tapenade and Fenugreek Leaves
Monday, August 12, 2013This delicious, easy-to-make beetroot recipe is oven roasted, which intensifies their natural sweetness, and then tossed with a Mediterranean olive-based sauce, served on a bed of homegrown fenugreek leaves. You can substitue them with celery leaves or other leafy greens of your choice.
Tapenade | Salad |
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- Place pitted olives, minced garlic, capers, anchovy fillets, lime juice, parsley and olive oil in the blender. Process to combine, stopping to scrape down the sides of the bowl, until the mixture becomes a coarse paste, approximately 1 to 2 minutes. Season to taste with salt and pepper.
- Preheat oven to 190C/375F. Peel and cut the beets in half. Place the beets in a baking pan. Toss the beets with olive oil, balsamic vinegar. Sprinkle with sea salt. Cover the beets with a sheet of aluminum foil. Roast for 1 hour until firm but tender. Remove from the oven.
- Once the roasted beets are cooled enough to touch, slice them into bite-sized pieces. Place in a large bowl. Toss with tapenade, olive rings and dill. Arrange fenugreek leaves in a serving plate, spoon the well-tossed beet in the center, and sprinkle some sesame seeds over.
Red Currant Quark Cheesecake
Wednesday, August 07, 2013This redcurrant cheesecake is really easy to make and has a great balance between sweet and tart. It's perfect for a light yet creamy dessert on a hot day when you don't want to turn your oven on. You can easily replace the red currants with raspberries or blueberries.
Quark is a very common fresh cheese in Germany. It is a mild creamy cheese without the sour taste of yogurt. It usually has much lower fat content than cream cheeses and has no salt added.
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- Place the chocolate chiffon cake layer in a springform pan lined with a piece of parchment paper.
- Place 150 grams of red currants in a saucepan over medium heat. Cook, stirring frequently, until berries are completely soft, about 10 minutes. Once cooked, strain through a fine sieve. Set aside to cool. Discard the pulp.
- Soak sheets of gelatin in a bowl of cold water to soften, 5-10 minutes. Remove and gently squeeze to remove any excess water. Melt the softened sheets in a saucepan or microwave over very low heat, stirring just until melted completely.
- In a mixing bowl, whisk together the Magerquark, sour cream, red currant puree and sugar. Slowly stir in the melted gelatin until well combined. Fold in the rest of red currants. Cover and chill for 15 minutes until it begins to thicken.
- Whip the cream until soft peaks form and fold into the Quark cheese mixture. Pour the mixture into the prepared chiffon cake layer. Cover with a plastic film and chill for 3-4 hours. Garnish with red currants.
Broad Bean Salad with Feta and Almonds
Friday, August 02, 2013Broad beans, also known as fava beans, are sweet, tender and delicious pod beans with a smooth creamy texture. This is a lovely summer salad which can be eaten on its own or as an accompaniment to any meaty main dishes.
Broad Bean Salad with Feta and Almonds
adapted from BBC Good Food
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- Briefly cook the broad beans in simmering water, drain and refresh in cold water. Squeeze them out of their grey outer pods, if you want.
- Put the cilantro in a bowl, add the shallot and feta. Heat the olive oil in a small frying pan and toast the almonds, add a little salt to the pan, toss, then add the cilantro mix along with the beans. Dress with the lemon juice.
Beetroot Salad with Pan Seared Prawns
Monday, July 29, 2013This simple but elegant salad contains sweet, tender vacuum pack beetroot beets, which is a truly convenient and versatile ingredient and great for use in a wide range of dishes, cilantro, and pistachios, plus protein-rich pan-seared prawns. The sweet but tangy taste of white balsamic and a rich, buttery macadamia oil make a perfect compliment to those naturally sweet root vegetables.
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- Using a mandoline, slice the beetroot into a bowl. Add the white balsamic, a tablespoon of macadamia oil, and season with a little salt and pepper. Mix together.
- In a pan, heat the sunflower oil over high heat until hot. Add in prawns and cook until they have turned pink and cooked through, about 3 minutes.
- Arrange the thinly sliced beetroot onto two serving plates. Place the cilantro in the center and top with pan-seared prawns. Scatter the chopped pistachios over. Drizzle with a little bit more macadamia oil if desired.
Gluten Free Brown Rice Bread
Wednesday, July 24, 2013This bread is a staple in our house whenever we go wheat-free. It is soft, moist and tastes almost just like a hearty dense sourdough bread. Don't leave out or replace the eggs with applesauce as they not only serve as the natural leaveners, also add moisture, flavour and protein to the bread. Mungbean starch is used as a thickening agent to replace the gluten. You can of course substitute it with tapioca or potato starch.
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- Preheat the oven to 180C/350F. Line a 9x4-inch loaf pan with parchment paper.
- In a large mixing bowl, combine together the brown rice flour, mungbean starch, baking powder, baking soda and salt. Mix in the buttermilk, eggs, and honey. Stir with a wooden spoon until well combined and lump free.
- Pour the batter into the prepared pan and sprinkle the top with flaxseed if desired. Bake for about 1 hour. Remove from the oven and cool the bread in the pan for 15 minutes before turning out onto a wire rack to cool completely.
Agar Agar Raspberry Snack
Friday, July 19, 2013These healthy and delicious snacks are made mainly from seasonal fruits, and agar agar which has the advantage of being calorie-free. There is no artificial food colouring or sugar, just lightly sweetened with a tablespoon of maple syrup.
Agar agar powder has a more powerful gelling agent compared to gelatin. So if you plan to use gelatin to make fruit snacks, you will need more amount of gelatin. And unlike gelatin, agar agar powder needs to be heated for 2 minutes with fruit mixture to get dissolved.
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- Pour the lemon juice and raspberries into a small saucepan. Heat over medium heat, stirring occasionally until raspberries have softened.
- Stir in maple syrup and stir until combined. Use a stick blender to puree the mixture. Strain the raspberry seeds out if desired.
- Stir in agar agar powder until completely dissolved. Heat the mixture to a rolling boil and continue to cook the mixture for 2 minutes. Pour into a baking dish or into silicone moulds. Place it in the fridge for about 30 minutes until firm. Remove and cut into bars. Garnish with coconut shreds and serve.