Blackberry Goat Cheese Mousse Tart
Wednesday, July 20, 2016This fresh goat cheese mousse tart with blackberries and a buttery wholegrain cookie crust, adapted from 'Pastry' by master chef Michel Roux, is so deliciously light and fruity. The mousse is sweetened with pure stevia syrup, but feel free to swap out and use raw sugar or maple syrup instead.
Crust (adapted from 'Pastry' by Michel Roux) | Blackberry Goat Cheese Mousse |
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- Heap the flour on the counter and make a well. Put the butter, egg, maple syrup and salt in the middle. With your fingertips, mix the ingredients in the well.
- Now little by little, draw the flour into the center and work the dough with your fingertips to a grainy texture. Add the cold water and mix it in until the dough begins to hold together.
- Using the palm of your hand, push the dough away from you 4 or 5 times until it is smooth. Roll the dough into a ball, wrap in plastic wrap, and chill for an hour.
- Roll out the dough to a 3 mm thickness and line a loose-bottomed oblong tart pan, measuring 35x11x2.5 cm and a 12 cm round pan. Chill for about 20 minutes.
- Preheat the oven to 190C/375F. Prick the pastry shell bases. Line the shells with baking paper and fill with a layer of dried beans to weigh the dough down and prevent it from rising unevenly.
- Bake the shells blind for 18-20 minutes. Lower the oven setting to 170C/340F. Remove the beans and paper and return the shells to the oven for about 8 minutes. Remove and leave in the pans to cool completely before using for the filling.
- Soak the gelatine granules in water in a bowl for 5 minutes. Warm up the frozen blackberries and stevia syrup in a saucepan over low heat until the berries are thawed. Don't let the mixture boil. Puree the mixture and pass through a fine sieve. Now add the soaked gelatine in the warm berry mixture and stir until dissolved. Set aside and allow the mixture to cool to room temperature.
- Add fresh goat cheese and vanilla powder. Mix until well combined. Cover with plastic wrap. Refrigerate for 30 to 45 minutes, or until starting to set.
- Whip the heavy cream lightly to soft peaks, then fold it into the berry mixture. Pour into the crust bases and leave to chill for 4 hours or overnight, until set. Garnish the tart with fresh blackberries,edible flowers and lemon balm leaves.
Coconut, Bee Pollen, Oat and Chia Muesli Bars
Thursday, July 14, 2016Chewy, filling, and packed with natural energy, these oaty nutty muesli bars are made with immune-boosting bee pollen, coconut, almonds, chia, and honey. They are a good source of carbohydrates, protein, healthful fat and fiber. Take them camping, pack in lunch box or as breakfast on the go!
Coconut, Bee Pollen, Oat and Chia Muesli Bars
inspired by Donna Hay
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- Preheat oven to 180C/350F. Place the coconut oil, honey and sugar in a small saucepan over low heat and cook, stirring, for 3–4 minutes or until melted and combined.
- Pour into a large bowl and add the oats, coconut, bee pollen, almonds, chia seeds, dates and cinnamon and mix well to combine.
- Spoon into a lightly greased 20cm x 30cm baking pan lined with non-stick baking paper. Flatten the mixture using the back of a spoon. Bake for 25 minutes or until dark golden. Set aside to cool completely. Lift the slice from the pan and cut into bars to serve.
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.