Red Rice Salad with Green Beans, Mushrooms and Sardines
Wednesday, August 21, 2019Chewy, nutty, nutritious, this delicious red rice salad is perfect for outdoor eating on those hot summer days. It is great served with grilled beef, chicken or fish and pack up any leftovers for lunch the next day. It actually tastes much better the next day. The nutty, earthy flavour and crunchy, firm texture of red rice elevate the dish instantly, but you can use any brown rice in its place.
|
- Boil the rice in plenty of salted water until just cooked, about 25 minutes. Drain.
- Meanwhile, prepare the roasted vegetables. Toss trimmed green beans and button mushrooms with 2 tablespoons of olive oil. Season with black salt and freshly ground peppers. Roast for 25 minutes or until tender.
- Place apple cider vinegar, lemon juice, the remaining olive oil and the minced garlic in a glass jar with a fitted lid. Season with salt and peppers and shake well.
- Tip the drained red rice into a large bowl. Pour the dressing over the warm rice and mix well. Let it soak in a little, then toss in the roasted vegetables together with roasting juice, sliced celery and chopped chives.
- To serve, place them over some salad greens and top with sardines.
Blackberry Chia Crumble Bars
Wednesday, August 14, 2019The base and topping are made with butter, spelt flour, almond, baking powder, a little coconut sugar, zero-calorie sweetener and lemon zest. The cookie dough is then enriched with an egg and perfectly firm to support the thick layer of berries, that are coated in coconut sugar, freshly squeezed lemon juice and chia seeds. You can easily make this all year round with seasonal fruit. The chia seeds helps to thicken the mixture and add another layer of nutrition. You can use 2 tablespoons of cornstarch instead.
Crust | Black Berry Chia Filling |
---|---|
|
|
- Preheat oven to 180C/350F. Grease a 26-cm / 10-inch springform pan or a 5cmx30x25cm cake pan. Line base and sides with baking paper.
- In a mixing bowl, add in coconut sugar, erythritol sweetener, almond meal, spelt flour, baking powder, salt and lemon zest. Whisk all the ingredients to combine. Use a for to blend in diced butter and egg. Dough would be crumbly. Pat two thirds of the mixture into the prepared pan.
- In a large bowl, combine coconut sugar, lemon juice and chia seeds. Add in berries and gently fold to combine.
- Spread the berry mixture onto the crust and crumble the remaining dough over the berry layer. Bake in preheated oven for 45-50 minutes, or until top is slightly brown. Cool completely before slicing.
Baked Zucchini with Parmesan
Wednesday, August 07, 2019This easy delicious baked zucchini dish is the BEST way to use up summer zucchini when the season is in full force, esp. if your garden has blessed you with an abundance of this summer squash! Enjoy it with some salad leaves with a simple vinaigrette or with grilled chicken.
|
- Preheat oven to 180C/350F. Grease a 22cm round ovenproof dish with olive oil.
- Place sliced zucchini and potato in a large bowl. Add half of olive oil and toss to coat. Season with black salt pepper. Arrange the vegetable slices in a single layer in prepared dish, alternating between the green, yellow zucchini and potato slices, for a colour effect.
- Drizzle with remaining oil. Sprinkle with freshly grated Parmesan. Bake for 30 minutes or until golden and tender. Sprinkle with chopped parsley leaves to serve.
Zucchini Bread with Port Soaked Raisins and Brazil Nuts
Wednesday, July 31, 2019This amazing zucchini bread recipe is made healthier with spelt flour, a combination of coconut sugar and zero-calorie erythritol sweetener instead of refined sugar, and Brazil nuts--a good source of healthful fats, protein, fiber, and selenium. Tawny port soaked raisins add a delicious dimension to the bread that you should not pass up.
|
|
- Soak raisins in tawny port for an hour or overnight.
- Preheat oven to 160C320F. Grease and line a 30cmx11cmx7cm loaf pan. Sift flour, baking soda, baking powder and spices into a large bowl. Stir in coconut sugar, sugar sweetener.
- Make a well in the center and add in eggs, melted butter, vanilla, zucchini, Brazil nuts, port-soaked raisins and a pinch of salt. Stir with a wooden spoon until well combined, then spread into the prepared pan. Top with extra Brazil nuts.
- Bake on middle shelf of oven for 55 minutes or until a skewer comes out clean. Cool slightly in pan, then turn out onto a wire rack to cool completely. Slice and enjoy!
Radish Tomato Salad with Celery Leaves and Walnuts
Thursday, July 25, 2019Light, fresh, and delicious...here is the recipe for radish salad, a simple summer treat that requires minimum preparation. Daikon radish has a mild flavour and adds great texture and crunch to a salad.You can also add some mango or stone fruit to make this salad fruity and sweet.
|
- Peel the radish and slice it into thin even disks. Place them in a bowl and toss with salt and wait 20 minutes. Press out excess water.
- Place celery leaves on serving plates. Rinse and dry the tomatoes. Cut them into slices too.
- Arrange the slices of radish and tomato in overlapping concentric circles on the celery leaves.
- Combine walnut oil and apple cider vinegar together and season with salt and pepper. Drizzle the salad with the dressing. Crumble the toasted walnuts over.
Slow Cooker Veal Tongue with Bok Choy Pesto
Tuesday, July 16, 2019Veal, or beef tongue, when done right, is very tender, juicy and delicious. I served it with some homemade bok choy pesto, but you can use other pesto or even salsa verde.
Veal tongue is high in fat, and like other organ meats, it is very nutrient dense (an excellent source of vitamin B12, zinc, iron and selenium). It has a unique, but mild flavour, tastes like muscle meat, fleshy, firm, but so much more tender and succulent. The tongue has a thick, bumpy skin and once cooked, it must be peeled while it's still warm. Don't let the meat cool too much, as the skin will stick.
Bok Choy Arugula Pesto | |
---|---|
|
|
- In a food processor, combine the toasted pine nuts, garlic, arugula, bok choy leaves, Parmesan, and 1 tsp salt and pulse to blend. With the machine running, pour in the olive oil through the food tube in a slow, steady stream and process until smooth, stopping to scrape down the sides of the bowl as needed. Taste and adjust the seasonings.
- Rinse the veal tongue under running water until the water runs clear and there’s no blood. Place veal tongue, onion, broccoli, fennel stalks, bay leaves, juniper berries, and parsley stems in your slow cooker. Generously season with sea salt. Pour in enough water to cover the veal tongue.
- Cook on Low for 8 hours or on high for 4-5 hours. Transfer veal tongue to a work surface and cool slightly. Peel the thick outer layer of skin off the veal tongue while it is still warm.
- To serve, cut the veal tongue crosswise into thin slices, and arrange on a platter in a single layer. Spoon the pesto sauce over and top with some fresh herbs, a generous drizzle of olive oil and some crushed red peppercorns.
White Chocolate Cherry Tart
Sunday, July 07, 2019Coconut sugar sweetened spelt pastry filled with a decadent creamy filling of white chocolate ganache and cherries in this heavenly dessert. I absolutely adore this egg enriched spelt shortcrust paired with white chocolate and fresh cherries. They go together so well, and taste incredibly delicious. I garnished the tart with lemon thyme and cacao nibs, but you can leave them out or use chocolate chips instead.
Crust | Filling |
---|---|
|
|
- Whisk flour, salt and coconut sugar in a bowl. Add butter and rub in with your fingers until mixture resembles coarse meal with a few pea-size pieces remaining. Drizzle egg over butter mixture and mix gently with a fork until dough just comes together.
- Turn out dough onto a lightly floured surface and knead until smooth. Form dough into a disk. Wrap in plastic and chill until firm, at least 2 hours.
- Take dough out of the fridge and let it sit on the counter for a few minutes to soften slightly for easy rolling. Roll out the dough between 2 layers of plastic film into an 11-inch circle, then place gently into a 8-9-inch fluted tart pan. Trim the edges of the pastry to fit the tart pan. Cover the tart pan with plastic wrap and freeze for 30 minutes.
- Preheat the oven to 190C/375F. Line the frozen crust with baking paper and fill with enough dried beans to cover the bottom and side of the crust.
- Bake crust for 15 minutes, remove the parchment and pie weight. Bake for an additional 10-12 minutes or until the crust is golden brown. Remove and cool on a wire rack.
- For the filling, place the white chocolate, cream, and butter in a microwave-safe bowl, and heat in 20 second intervals, stirring after each one, until melted and smooth.
- Pour the chocolate filling into the tart crust. Garnish with lemon thyme, cherries and cacao nibs when the filling is set.
Saffron Orange Tea Buns with Blackberry Craquelin
Thursday, June 27, 2019The sweet, crisp cracked topping you see on those dinner buns is called craquelin. With just butter, coconut sugar, flour and blackberry powder, this simple dough gives a really great crunchy texture to the buns. You can add different flavourings or colours to the craquelin to create various baked goods.
Blackberry Craquelin | Dough |
---|---|
|
|
- Cream the butter, coconut sugar and white sugar together. Beat in the flour and blackberry powder and beat until the dough to become crumbly. Knead the craquelin and roll it between two pieces of parchment paper until 2mm thick. Chill at least 4 hours or until ready to use.
- Place all the dough ingredients, except butter, in the mixing bowl of your stand mixer. Mix with a dough hook at slow speed for 1 minute. Increase the speed to the medium, and continue mixing for 3 minutes until dough is formed. Add butter gradually and knead for about 5 minutes on medium speed until gluten is fully developed, i. e. elastic, smooth, non-sticky and leaves from sides of the mixing bowl.
- Turn out the dough and shape into a ball. Lightly grease the mixing bowl. Return the dough ball into the greased mixing bowl. Cover it with a plastic film or a kitchen towel. Leave it in a warm place until dough is double in volume.
- Punch the dough down to release the air produced in the proofing process. Divide dough into 6 even portions and round up. Cover and let stand for 10 minutes at the room temperature. Gently press it down to release the air and shape into a round. Place it on a parchment-lined baking tray. Repeat with the rest of dough balls.
- Cover the buns with a plastic wrap and proof for 45 minutes until almost double in volume. Preheat the oven to 190C/375F.
- Take craquelin out from the fridge and using a round cookie cutter about the same diameter of the buns, cut out circles of the dough and set them on top of the buns. Bake the buns for 25-28 minutes until the tops browned and cracked.