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ROASTED BEETROOT HOUMOUS

by February 13, 2018

This roasted beetroot houmous is very easy to make and tastes delicious.

Wrap three medium sized beetroot separately in foil and roast on a roasting tray for approx 1 to 1 1/2 hours at 180 degrees. You need them to be soft in the centre, so do check them.

Once they are cooked peel them (the skin slides off very easily, but it is messy) and chop into pieces and put in a food processor. Add three cloves of garlic crushed, one tablespoon Tahini, one tin of chickpeas (drained and rinsed until the bubbles stop forming), the juice of 1/2 lemon (sometimes you need to use the juice of the other 1/2 but only put 1/2 in first and check consistency and taste) and 1 tablespoon of extra virgin olive oil. Plus a pinch of salt and some black pepper. Whizz until it is combined and creamy. You might need to scrape down the sides of the bowl and whizz again.

Tahini is made from ground sesame seeds and is an extremely good source of calcium. Tahini is also a good source of protein, healthy fats, B vitamins and minerals such as magnesium, copper, phosphorus, manganese, iron and zinc.

Beetroot is a source of phytonutrients called betalains and these have been shown to have antioxidant, anti-inflammatory and detoxification support properties. Beetroot is an excellent source of folate and is high in minerals such as magnesium, potassium and iron. It is also a good source of fibre.

Chickpeas are an extremely good source of fibre and a very good source of protein, folate, copper, phosphorus, iron and zinc.

COURGETTE SLICE

by February 9, 2018

Another recipe using up my fabulous farm produce!
Courgette Slice – it is a great recipe also to use cooked quinoa which you might have in the fridge. The cooked slice keeps very well in fridge and is great for lunches.

6 small courgettes, grated mixed with 1 1/2 cups cooked quinoa (I cooked mine in vegetable stock), 2 big handfuls of baby spinach leaves, 1 large handful of basil leaves torn in half, 1 bunch of spring onions sliced, 1/2 cup buckwheat flour, salt and pepper – all mixed together in a large bowl.

In a separate bowl, whisk 8 eggs and two cloves of garlic crushed.

Mix eggs into vegetable mixture until well combined.

Pour mixture into a greased oven proof dish and put 1 block of feta cheese, crumbled, on top.

Bake in oven for 45 minutes at 180 degrees till the cheese is just starting to brown.

I used Buckwheat flour in this recipe. Buckwheat is not a cereal grain, but it is actually a seed that is high in protein and fibre. Buckwheat flour is gluten free so it is a good alternative to regular flour for people that need to follow a gluten free diet.

Buckwheat is also a good source of Manganese, Copper, Magnesium, Phosphorous, Zinc and B Vitamins.

BONDI CAFE HALLOUMI AND EGG LUNCH

by February 8, 2018

This is my version of the dish we ate in the cafe in Bondi a few weeks ago. I plated it like this so you could see all the ingredients.

I roasted the potatoes in some coconut oil. I scrubbed them and left the skin on and cut them into pieces, but not too small. They took about 1 hour to cook.

I sauteed 2 red onions and one crushed clove garlic in ghee (I like the buttery taste of ghee with spinach) until they were translucent and then added two big handfuls of baby spinach and just tossed it through so it wilted.

I steamed broccoli and I soft boiled some eggs.

I fried thinly sliced halloumi in a small amount of coconut oil until it was nicely browned.

To serve I put the roast potatoes on the bottom of the bowl, placed a tablespoon of good quality (bought) tomato relish on top of them, then placed the onion/spinach mixture on top, with the broccoli, soft boiled egg and the fried halloumi. I then sprinkled it with smoked paprika. Whilst in the photo it looks a bit dry, it actually is quite juicy with the runny egg yolk mixed with the juicy spinach/onion mixture and the relish underneath. I did not bother with the hollandaise sauce, but it was very tasty without it.

Just a note about Halloumi cheese – it is really worth paying a little bit extra for the best quality halloumi you can get, as it makes a big difference. Cheaper versions can be very rubbery and do not really melt when you are frying them, but a good quality one is actually really creamy when you are frying it and is not rubbery once you have fried it.

DRINKING VS EATING CALORIES

by February 7, 2018

I saw this article about alcohol and thought I would share it with you.

It is very clearly written and full of facts about how it affects many aspects of your body.

However what really caught my eye was the drink vs eating calorie visual, which was actually quite a shock to me.

One cocktail can have the same calories as one donut – one glass of champagne can have the same calories as a cup cake with icing – scary !!! And these are calories with no nutritional value.

Also it is interesting how the body has to prioritise the breakdown of alcohol over all the other macronutrients and how this can result in the body actually storing fat rather than burning it off. This fat is usually stored around the middle, the worst possible place for fat storage.

Anyway, hope you find it as interesting as I did and make sure you scroll down for the visual !

http://www.thebitingtruth.com/nutrition/alcohol-does-body/

MIDDLE EASTERN STYLE LENTIL DISH

by February 7, 2018

Hope you like this Middle Eastern style Lentil dish !

Roast chopped up butternut squash in the oven in a little bit of coconut oil – takes about 1 hour.

Cook 250g brown lentils in water/stock for approx 35 minutes. I checked mine after 30 minutes and they were still hard, checked again 35 minutes, but actually took 40 minutes until they were done. So keep checking as you don’t want them to be too hard, or turn to mush !

Make the dressing – juice of 1 large lemon, 3 tbsp Extra Virgin Olive Oil (EVOO), 50 mls pomegranate molasses, 1 tbsp balsamic vinegar, 1/2 tbsp ground cumin and 1 clove garlic crushed. Mix together and leave whilst preparing the rest of the dish.

Saute 1 punnet of cherry tomatoes (sliced in half) with one bunch of spring onions (finely sliced) in a little EVOO until they are just softening.

Finely chop a big bunch of parsley, and take the seeds out of one pomegranate (very messy wear an apron). Crumble up some feta cheese.

Once the lentils are cooked, drain them and add them to the tomato and spring onion mixture. Pour in the dressing and let it soak into the lentil mixture. Put lentils on a large plate (or in your serving bowls) and cover with the chopped parsley, promegranate seeds, roast pumpkin and feta cheese.

Lentils are rich in fibre, both soluble and insoluble. Soluble fibre forms a gel like substance in your digestive system and traps bile, which contains cholesterol, and takes it out of your body. So lentils are a very good option for anyone trying to reduce their cholesterol levels.

Lentils are also high in Folate and Magnesium and a good source of B1, Zinc, Potassium and B6.

Lentils are a good source of Iron and Protein, so a very good food choice for vegetarians/vegans.

MORE FARM FRESH PRODUCE

by February 6, 2018

A fabulous selection of vegetables and eggs from my friends farm. I used the asparagus and four of the eggs to make an omelette – his suggestion for the use of the asparagus!!

Asparagus is an excellent source of the flavonoid Quercetin. (Flavonoids are phytonutrients found in almost all fruits and vegetables and they are responsible for their vibrant colors)

Quercetin is a potent antioxidant. It is also excellent at fighting inflammation in the body. Quercetin is a natural anti histamine making it effective for lowering the effects of allergic responses such as runny noses, hives and watery eyes.

Asparagus is also an excellent source of Folate, Copper, Selenium, Vitamins B1, B2, C, E and K.

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