Favourites (26.7.13)

Fresh from the oven

It's been way too long since I've shared a list of my favourite reads and discoveries here. It kind of just dropped off without me realising it.  But lately I've read too many awesome articles, recipes and all kinds of posts to ignore sharing the love. I hope you enjoy these gems x

• Where the f does confidence come from anyway?  No further introduction needed.

• Blog planning Meet Me at Mikes style.

• Petite kitchen's White Chocolate and Raspberry Almond muffins. I've baked these goodies a few times now (pictured) with butter instead of cacao butter, but I've got cacao butter in the pantry for next baking urge.

• Save this one! A quick go to guide on using whole food flours and sweeteners.  Jude Blereau's Baking with Wholefoods: Sweeteners and Flour.

• The best in farm to plate, local, ethical and story behind the food innovative ideas to look out for Real Food Projects, The Bread and Butter Project, The Local Harvest Collective and Arthur Street Kitchen.

• Favourite winter staple Dahl recipe. I used chana dal instead of split red lentils.

• Fascinating article on Why Time Slows Down When We're Afraid, Speeds Up As We Age, and Gets Warped on Vacation.

• The Kale and pumpkin love continues Quinoa and kale salad recipe. 

Image by The Local Harvest Collective

Farmers Market to Table: Vanilla Spiced Baked Rhubarb & Mandarin + A Winter Sandwich

When eating fruit, remember who planted the tree; when drinking water, remember who dug the well. 

Vietnamese proverb

The weekly visit to my local farmers market is one of my most cherished weekly routines. Produce is fresh, seasonal, organic and limited. I like that there isn't an endless amount of choice. It's easier to stay connected with seasonal rhythms this way, to live a little more connected to mother earth. 

Wandering around each stall I don't have a list to get through, or planned meals I want to make. I'm lead by the colours, smells and the abundance of what's in season. As I wander flavours and dishes start to emerge in my mind. Roasted fennel with garlic; a fresh salad of rocket; kale with olive oil, garlic and lemon and it goes on as my excitement increases. Lately my basket has been filled with an abundance of leafy greens, grounding root veges and zingy citrus.

The mandarin season is mighty fine this year and I was curious to see how I could make the most of the mandarin season. Everyone loves stewed and baked fruit in winter so I decided to make a twist on baked rhubarb with orange and use mandarins instead. The result- yum! It adds a nice sweetness to the rhubarbs and goes well with the warming spices.

Another simple but oh so satisfying combination I've been eating a lot of has been this winter sandwich combination. Something about the taste and texture of warming toast topped with the strong and salty taste of anchovies and finished off with crisp greens, makes it melt and zing in your mouth all at once.

Both recipes are great anytime of the day to satisfy winter cravings for warm and comforting food. Enjoy x 

(p.s you may have noticed a few new buttons on the side. You can now follow me on bloglovin' and facebook).

Winter Sandwich

good quality sourdough bread (I love Sol Bread's pumpkin and rice gluten free)

avocado, smashed

anchovies (from a jar)

cucumber, sliced

tomatoes, sliced (small variety, tomatoes not quite seasonal but a local farmer had managed to harvest some!)

rocket, baby spinach, parsley

olive oil

salt and pepper to taste

directions: toast bread and pile ingredients on toast, drizzle with olive oil. season with salt and pepper. yum. 

Vanilla Spiced Baked Rhubarb and Mandarin

3-4 stalks of rhubarb

1 mandarin

juice of 1 mandarin (you could substitute with oranges or lemons)

zest of 1/4 lemon

1/2 teaspoon mixed spice (or cinnamon, star anise and cardamom)

2 inch piece of split and scraped vanilla bean

1 tbsp rice malt syrup

Preheat the oven to 160C. Trim the rhubarb and cut it into short pieces. Place the rhubarb and mandarin into a baking dish in a single layer. Juice the mandarin, I used my hands and squeezed each segment over the mandarin and rhubarb. Add zest, mixed spice and vanilla. Drizzle over the rice malt syrup. Cover with enough water to almost cover the mandarin and rhubarb. Bake uncovered for 30-45 minutes until the rhubarb is soft but still keeps its shape. 

Serve with goat's milk yoghurt, or your favourite yoghurt. 

Serves 2-3

Cardamom and Rosewater Love Tarts

The first time I made these little gems it was to celebrate love. Two beautiful friends of mine were getting married in an old church and I wanted to give a gift in the form of dessert. A dessert that was a little indulgent, romantic and a delight for the senses. With a vague idea to make something with exotic flavours I narrowed it down to Indian and Persian influenced flavours and finally found the perfect 'love' dessert of Cardamom and Rosewater Tarts.

Common to both Indian and Persian cooking, cardamom and rosewater have been used for centuries, and have a sweet and heavenly scent that is quite distinct.  If you've ever had the pleasure of visiting an Indian Sweet cafe you'll know the warm and heavenly scent I'm talking about and the power  those endless rows of soft fudge like desserts have over you.

This really is a recipe to save for when you can set some time aside to lovingly prepare the tarts. The tarts are both delicate in taste and in preparation. They need your attention and patience and most importantly your love.  Raw cashews are a great non dairy cream alternative. They are full of fat,  have no strong taste, and thus perfect for a non dairy cream base. Use organic ingredients where possible, medjool dates (they are softer and moister that 'regular' dates),  raw (not processed) honey and fresh vanilla beans.

Enjoy and share the love. x

updated (P.s I've entered this recipe in a competition at these newish night food markets. Competition closes this Friday 21st June. If you like why not head to Miami Marketta's Facebook page, scroll down, keep scrolling and find my picture entry of the tarts and hit like. I'd love it if you did. thanks.)

Cardamom and Rosewater Love Tarts

for the tart base

1 cup raw pecans soaked, drained and rinsed or 1 cup raw dry pecan nuts
3/4 cup medjool dates
1 inch strip vanilla bean or 1/2 tsp vanilla extract
1/2 tsp coconut oil
4cm base; 2.5cm height silicone cupcake liners (optional)

for the cashew filling

1 cup raw cashews soaked, drained and rinsed
3 tbsp coconut oil
3/4 cardamom powder
1/2 inch strip vanilla bean or 1/4 tsp vanilla extract
1-2 tsp rosewater
3 tbsp raw honey
1/8 cup water

to dress your tarts

handful of pistachio nuts
cardamom pods
food grade dried rose petals (I used rose petals from a T2 loose tea mix I had in the cupboard)

Preheat oven to 175C. Blend all tart base ingredients in a food processor and pulse until smooth. This next step takes practice and patience. Spoon a few tablespoons of nut mixture into silicone cupcake liners and press lightly to form a thin case. If you spread the mixture to thin it will break, the trick is to try and spread it evenly over the cups. Place on a flat tray in oven and bake for 7-10 minutes or until darkened and firm- keep an eye on them. (I burnt my first batch!)  If you want to keep the recipe raw skip the oven and chill them in the fridge until firm, approx 1 hour. I'd love to hear your results with this as I tried the raw method but they didn't firm up enough for me.

Remove from liners, place on plate or base you are going to serve on (the less transferring from dish to dish the less chance of the base breaking- yes they are delicate!) and fill with the cashew cream.

Cashew Filling

Blend all ingredients until smooth. Spoon into cashew tart bases.

And now for the fun part. Place a few cardamom pods in the centre of each tart. Roughly chop pistachio nuts into small pieces. Loosely sprinkle pistachio and rose petals over the top.

Makes:  8 small beautiful tarts.

Free of refined sugar, dairy, grain and egg (vegan if honey is replaced with agave, coconut sugar, rice malt syrup or sweetener of your choice).

Vegetable and Goat's Feta Muffins (gluten and grain free)

I've been a long time fan of home baked sweet muffins (anything that combines sweet and home baked is pretty much a sure thing with me). Homemade sweet muffins look or taste nothing like those big, puffed up blueberry muffins that in every second cafe these days. They look a bit rustic, each one a little unique with good sized chunks of berries or nuts bursting through the nicely golden top. And warm from the oven with a dollop of butter you've got yourself a perfect any time of the day treat. 

Until about a month ago savoury muffins had never really registered on my radar. I don't recall ever having had a savoury muffin, possibly the closest thing would have to be a mini frittata muffin and I would have to rate them as average. At a friend's place recently I was introduced to Tania Hubbard's Gluten Free Grain Free Food We Love cookbook and after sampling two of the grain free recipes that my friend so kindly cooked us for lunch (thanks Kirst, it was an amazing meal) I rushed out the next week and borrowed the book from the library. 

Tania has a great wholesome recipe for savoury muffins and I got straight to testing it out. The result you ask...wholesome goodness!  Very easy to make, extremely satisfying, nourishing, great to pack for lunch or when you're in a rush and they freeze well. And you don't have to stick exactly to the recipe. The goats feta though is a must!  I've made quite a few batches now, each time including different vegetable combo's depending on what I have on hand, and slightly mixing up the flour mixture.

Wholesome Vegetable and Goat's Feta Muffin Recipe 

Recipe adapted from Tania Hubbard's cookbook. 

(gluten and grain free) 

2 small zucchini
2 small carrots
1/4 cup roasted pumpkin
1/4 cup firmly packed silver beet, stalk removed
1 tsp dried thyme or mix of dried thyme, rosemary, oregano, basil and sage
3 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
180g goat milk feta
1/2 cup buckwheat flour (you could use coconut flour instead or 1/4 buckwheat and 1/4 coconut flakes chopped finely)
1/2 tsp bicarb soda
1 tsp creme of tartar
6 eggs
salt and pepper to taste

Heat oven to 180C. Use a 12 muffin tray, either grease or use cupcake papers. I used left over roast pumpkin, if you don't have any on hand, chop pumpkin and roast for 20mins both sides. Grate zucchini and carrots into a large bowl. Chop or crumble goat milk feta into small pieces and add to bowl. When your pumpkin is done add to the bowl. I used my hands to shred silver beet into smallish strips, add to bowl. Add dried herbs, olive oil, salt and pepper to the bowl. Use a spoon and combine until well mixed through. Add flour, bicarb soda and creme of tartar. Blend well. In a separate bowl lightly whisk the 6 eggs and pour into the main mixture. Stir until all ingredients are well combined. 

Spoon mixture into cupcake papers, about 3/4 full. Bake for 20-25 minutes or until they spring back when lightly pressed in the middle. Or use a cake tester and put through the middle of a muffin, when cooked it will come out dry. They will be golden brown on the top. Take out and let sit for 5 minutes. Transfer to a baking rack until ready to eat. Serve warm with good quality butter and a side salad.

Keep in the fridge for about 4 days. Excellent to freeze.

Makes 12.

Nourishing Recipes: Warm Quinoa and Asparagus Salad

Quinoa, the wonder grain that isn't really a grain. Love it or hate it, quinoa has spread like wildfire and it's fast becoming a staple for the health conscious individual.  With the not so obvious pronunciation, 'keen-wah' ( and be sure someone will correct you if you mispronounce it), or keen-wahhhhh wahhhhh wahhhhh if you sit on the 'hate it, I don't see what all the fuss is about' side of the fence, a fairly high price tag and it being a food favourite amongst vocal health foodies ....well, I wouldn't be surprised if it's been coined the superfood for pretentious wankers. Ha! Reminds me of the recent frenzy sparked by Pete Evans' food choices such as alkalised water and activated almonds, featured in 'Day on a Plate' in The Sunday Life magazine.

Jest aside,  there are many really good reasons why I love quinoa...it's high in protein, it's actually a seed not a grain and is gluten free, it doesn't mess with my digestion, it tastes good and is super versatile. I'm still a little unsure on my position on the grain thing, to eat or not to eat. I do eat some grains, but I know there's lots of people out there with similar immune and chronic fatigue issues who have convincing reasons why they don't eat grains. Something for me to continue to ponder.

So how to prepare, cook and eat quinoa? I'm a huge fan of Wholefood cook Jude Blereau, and most of my whole food cooking tips come from her cookbooks. Quinoa Tip 1 rinse quinoa to remove its toxic, bitter coating. Tip 2 all grains (and quinoa) must be soaked before cooking. "Soaking delivers huge benefits to grain which all contain phytic acid in the outer layer or bran and enzymes that inhibit digestion. As little as seven hours of soaking in water at room temperature with some acid (lemon juice, vinegar, whey, buttermilk, yoghurt or kefir) encourages lactobacilli and other helpful organisms to break these down. Another huge benefit is that lactobacilli break down gluten and other difficult to digest proteins, and in effect, pre digest the protein" Jude Blereau in Nova Magazine. For more info on how to prepare grains check out this extract from Nourishing Traditions by Sally Fallon and Mary G. Enig, PhD.

After soaking a cup of quinoa for a few days I ate it for breakfast with raspberries, coconut oil and almond milk and made this quinoa salad with seasonal ingredients, lemon zest for zing and slivered almonds for some crunch, served with grilled white fish.

Warm Quinoa and Asparagus Salad Recipe

1 cup quinoa, rinsed, soaked overnight at room temperature with 1 tbsp sheep's yoghurt

2 tbsp extra virgin olive oil

1 bunch asparagus

1 garlic clove, minced

2 tsp vinegar (apple cider, or your choice)

1 punnet cherry tomatoes

large handful green beans

baby spinach leaves

handful of slivered almonds

1 tbsp mint, chopped

zest of 1/2 lemon

Optionals 

red onion, caramelised; goats cheese, crumbled 

Rinse and soak your quinoa with 1 tbsp of yoghurt (or other acidic food-lemon, whey) overnight. Rinse and bring 2 cups of water to 1 cup quinoa (note: you may find you only need to use half of the cooked quinoa for this recipe, depending on the ratio of quinoa to veg you like, and if you're serving it as a main or side dish. If so, save half some of the quinoa for another meal). Simmer with lid on for approx. 15 minutes, or until all the water has been absorbed. 

Tail and top green beans and cut in half. Chop woody ends of asparagus. Steam beans and asparagus for 1-2 minutes, just enough to gently cook, you still want them nice and crisp. Meanwhile turn your grill on to medium heat. Oil an oven proof tray with a little of the olive oil. Slice tomatoes in half, or leave them whole. Mix remainder of olive oil with minced garlic. Place asparagus and tomatoes on the oiled tray, and brush vegetables with the olive oil/garlic mix. Grill for approx. 10 minutes, or until tomatoes browning and starting to sink. 

Mix quinoa with a little extra oil olive, salt, pepper, stir through lemon zest and add the remainder of the ingredients. I didn't have any red onions or goats cheese on hand but I think they would bring a perfect balance of sweet and savoury to the dish. 

Serves 4.

NOURISHING WEEKEND RECIPES: FRENCH LENTIL SALAD

It's been a lovely sunny week with ocean swims, reading and ample time to make a mess in the kitchen.

Tomorrow I'm going on a little road trip down south, yippee! to the Ukitopia festival, a small community festival in, yep you guessed it, the town of Uki. Yippee! With a strong community focus the festival is run by the local arts collective showcasing live music, art displays and workshops. All this nestled amongst the beautiful surrounding mountains and rivers sounds good to me. 

Before I go, here's a tasty lentil recipe I made by Sarah from My New Roots, a food blog I discovered this week. I used leftover French green lentils I had stored in the freezer and as I didn't have all the ingredients I just used what I had. I did have fresh mint and coriander and they added that extra freshness. It really is one of the best lentil salad recipes ever!

If you're looking for something on the healthy and sweet side of things I did a spot of baking earlier this week from a 101 cookbooks recipe, and posted the recipe today- Rustic Carrot Cake Recipe. I'll definitely make it again, but next time gluten free for me. Delicious!   Enjoy x

French Lentil Salad Recipe

2 1/4 cups French lentils
1 medium red onion, diced
1/4 cup dried currants, or sultanas
1/3 cup capers

Dressing
1/3 cup cold pressed, extra virgin olive oil
1/4 cup apple cider vinegar
1 tbsp strong mustard
1 tsp cumin
1/2 tsp coriander
1/4 tsp cayenne pepper (or paprika)
1/4 tsp ground cloves
1/2 tsp mixed spice

Optionals
baby spinach, rocket
walnuts
goats cheese
Fresh herbs: parsley, coriander, mint, basil
Fresh salad or vegetables

Prepare lentils- rinse lentils well, drain. Place in medium sized saucepan and cover with 3-4 inches of water, bring to the boil, reduce to a summer. Cook for about 20 minutes, until lentils are soft, but are still holding their shape. Rinse lentils under cold water. For the dressing..place all dressing ingredients in a jar and shake to mix well. When lentils have cooled slightly, toss with salad dressing. Add onion, capers and currants. If using other optional ingredients add use before serving.

Serves 4

NOURISHING WEEKEND RECIPES: GREEN SALAD WITH PAPAYA SEED DRESSING

Papaya, a long time favourite of mine, is delicious, versatile, and boasts a long list of health benefits. As the weather warms up I've been craving more cooling foods and eating a LOAD of papaya... papaya breakfast smoothies, papaya with yoghurt and freshly sliced with a good squeeze of lime juice. 

To date I've mostly neglected the goodness of the seeds and discarded them, but with a new focus on 'waste less food' my awareness has increased and realised I'd been wasting a good part of the fruit! Whilst I had a vague knowledge that papaya and the seeds were good for digestive health, having eaten the seeds on the odd occasion when hit with a traveller's stomach bug whilst living in Cambodia (no they didn't work, but fair to say I probably only consumed a handful, hardly enough for a medicinal dose)! I hadn't really thought about using them in cooking.

Green papaya, papaya skin and papaya seeds all contain the enzyme papain, which does good things for our digestive health, including assisting to break down proteins and helping to eliminate parasites and other nasties. Here are a few more good reasons to eat your papaya seeds....Because papain acts as a digestive aid papaya seeds are a good choice to match with a meal high in meat or other proteins.  Papaya seeds are also said to have antibacterial and anti-inflammatory effects on our digestive systems. 

And if that's still not enough to entice you to eat more papaya, they are also a good source of antioxidants to protect skin against free radicals and promotes good heart health by reducing oxidisation of cholesterol in our arteries.

My conclusion. Eat more papaya! Wishing you a delicious weekend x

Green salad with Papaya Seed dressing Recipe

I made this simple salad dressing using fresh papaya seeds. Great over a plain green salad as a side, or add French green lentils and cucumber for a more filling salad. The seeds are quite peppery so start off using small amounts if your new to the taste. Note: If you are pregnant it is advised not to eat papaya seeds.  

      3 tablespoons Papaya seeds

      3 tablespoonsTahini, good quality hulled or unhealed. I used hulled.

      1/2 cup Sheep or goats milk yoghurt

      Lemon juice, about half a lemon

      1/2 teaspoon Apple cider vinegar, or other good quality vinegar

      Pinch of salt

Mix all ingredients in a blender until seeds are coarsely ground.

Refrigerate and drizzle over salad greens.

Serves 4

Information source: Superfood Profiles

Gluten and Sugar-free Ginger Spice Biscuit Recipe

Gluten and Sugar-free Ginger Spice Biscuit Recipe

I love this quick and easy to make biscuit recipe. They are light, easy on the digestion, and good for everyday.

Ingredients

150g gluten-free plain flour (I used Orgran's all purpose plain flour because I had it in the cupboard. I'd like to try it with rice and buckwheat flour).

150g butter, at room temperature

80g xylitol (here it really depends on how sweet you like it. Original recipe called for 90g caster sugar. 1 tsp sugar=1tsp xylitol, but I usually find you don't need as much)

60g ground almond meal

1 tsp ground ginger

1tsp mixed spice

1/4-1/2 vanilla bean paste (found in good quality grocers)

Heat your oven to 170C. Grab two baking trays and line with baking paper.  Place all ingredients in a bowl and using your hands blend until you have a soft dough. Cover with plastic wrap (save and re-use for another time) and pop in the fridge for about an hour. 

Grab your rolling pin and roll out the dough on a lightly floured work bench until 1cm thick. Here is the fun part. Select the cutter shape of your choice (will yours be classic, fun, pretty?), cut away and lift onto the baking trays. If you need to re-roll the dough keep in mind that by adding more flour the dough mixture will be more crumbly when baked.

Bake for 15-20 minutes, or until pale golden on top. From my experience they are best eaten within 3 days if kept in an airtight container at room temperature or longer if kept in the fridge.

Makes 20.
(Recipe inspired by Manna from Heaven's Gluten-free Ginger and Cardamom Biscuits)

Berry Kale Smoothie Recipe

Berry Kale Smoothie

Not technically a very much in fashion 'green smoothie' (these are water based, there's loads of recipes on the internet), but still packed with lots of goodness. I put any powdered vitamins I'm taking (currently magnesium) in my smoothies, it's an easy way to get them down and disguise their taste!

Ingredients

1 cup unsweetened Almond Milk

1/4-1/2 cup berries

1 big handful of baby kale leaves (or other green of your choice- spinach, parsley, lettuce, cucumber)

1tsp-1tbsp chia seeds

1 large pinch of coconut flakes

1 tsp-1tbsp of flaxseeds soaked overnight 

Mix all ingredients in your blender until smooth. Yum!

Berry, Coconut Flakes and Chia Snack Recipe

Berry, Coconut Flakes and Chia snack

Super easy, yummy and surprisingly filling afternoon snack. Fruit for a natural energy pick me up. Chia seeds for protein. Coconut shavings give it crunch and that extra 'I'm having a treat' element.

Ingredients

Berries (strawberries, blueberries, mulberries), fresh or frozen.

Organic Coconut shavings (all natural, nothing added)

Chia seeds

As much or as little as you like.

Recipes for the Weekend: Three healthy gluten & sugar-free treats

My biggest food challenge eating mostly sugar-free is finding new ways to satisfy my love of baking and my love of sweet treats that taste good. I love trying new healthy cake and biscuit recipes made from real ingredients. The less refined and processed the ingredient the better. It does take a little more prep time using real whole ingredients, but with a bit of organisation and experience it becomes easier. Saying that, you don't want to get obsessed by every single little detail, if you're only going to end up unhappy and stressed. 

Flexibility and having a good hard think about what is important to you and for your body can be really useful. A good strategy is to work out what your negotiables and non-negotaiables are in the food department, and put in the best effort you can to achieve them. I'm ok with using ready made gluten-free flour blends or packaged unsweetened almond milk but I'm not ok with using sugar as an ingredient, so if I'm going to cook I'll make sure I have a substitute, such as xylitol or stevia, on hand. Good luck with discovering what works best for you. 

And now for the recipes. Three easy gluten and sugar-free sweet tasting delights on my radar this week. I hope you enjoy them too... 

Happy weekend x

RECIPES

Gluten and Sugar-free Ginger Spice Biscuits

Berry, Coconut and Chia snack

Berry and Kale Smoothie

Recipes for the Weekend: Kale, Goats Cheese and Dill Frittata + Beetroot Leaf salad

Good health and happiness is about so much more than just eating the right foods, exercising and having a holiday once a year to keep stress at bay. This article in the New Yorker, about the people of Ikaria (one of the 'Blue Zones' populations where people live measurably longer) explains it well. A long healthy life involves the interplay of many factors... being part of a community, finding purpose, laughter, good food, time to relax and enjoy life. What struck me the most, what I feel most lacking in modern society, is the importance of social structure and community. If you make an awesome lunch full of goodness but eat it in a rush, at work, by yourself staring at the computer, you're probably not going to really get the most out of food or the experience. It's a good reminder for me. Sharing a meal is one of the simplest and oldest ways of bringing people together to celebrate, to laugh, to cry. 

Grab a couple of treasured friends, head to the place you enjoy food shopping, select the freshest ingredients and cook with love and music. Make as much mess as you like and enjoy the feast in good company with plenty of laughter. I made these recipes with fresh ingredients from the local farmers markets, and enjoyed them with loved ones.  

Wishing you a wonderful weekend. 

Beet Leaf Salad Recipe

I have only just starting using beetroot leaves in food recipes. I have juiced them a few times before but that's the extent of it. Your local organic co-op, grocer or farmer's markets are probably your best bet at finding young, not too tough leaves. Beetroots often don't come with their leaves still intact at supermarkets. This is a throw it all in recipe, without measurements. Go wild.

Ingredients

1 bunch young beetroot leaves 

1 grated raw beetroot

garlic

a handful of cherry tomatoes

rocket

macadamia nuts

pinenuts

pepitas

sunflower seeds

extra virgin olive oil and lemon for dressing

salt and pepper to taste

Cut beetroot leaves from beetroots, soak and rinse well in water. Heat a dash of your preferred oil to cook with (avoid vegetable blends of oil- they're not good for you, try to stick with butter, olive oil and coconut oil) in pan sauté the garlic and beetroot leaves until they soften, about 5 minutes. Set aside. Wash and scrub beetroot, use a peeler to peel off the outside layer. Then grate away. Grab another pan and dry roast your seeds and nuts until they slightly brown, you don't want them to burn, a few minutes at most. Dry roasting really brings out the flavours of seeds and nuts. Mix all ingredients in a salad bowl, dress with olive oil, lemon, salt and pepper. 

A beautiful mixture of warm beetroot leaves with fresh, raw ingredients for an energising lunchtime salad.

...................................................................................................................................................................

Kale, Goats Cheese and Dill Frittata Recipe 

I'm a little obsessed with greens and frittata's are a new favourite. For best results  de-stem the kale and sauté. 

Ingredients
1 large bunch of kale 
1 zucchini, sliced finely
6 eggs
2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
1 yellow onion, chopped finely
1 garlic clove
goats chèvre or feta to your taste
fresh dill to your taste
salt and pepper to taste

Heat your oven to 200C. To de-stem your kale hold the stem and strip the leaf. Tear the leaves into bite-size pieces. Rinse well in water and drain well.

Heat the olive oil in a medium sized pan, add onion and cook until they begin to soften, about 5 minutes. Add sliced zucchini and kale and sauté for  about 5 minutes, the kale will be nice and soft. Stir in the garlic, and sauté for a bit being careful not to burn, about 30 seconds. Transfer the greens to a greased quiche dish. Size of the dish? Not sure, just use whatever you have around the home. Set aside.

In a bowl beat together the eggs, dill, goats cheese and salt and pepper. Pour egg mixture over the greens, mix gently to distribute ingredients evenly. Pop it in the oven and bake until golden brown and firm, about 20 minutes. It's ready to serve. Best served hot or warm with a crisp green salad. (Any leftovers can be covered in the fridge for a fews days ready for hungry hands to grab when the urge hits).

Serves 4
(Recipe adapted from this recipe I stumbled upon)

More gratitude. More hope. More love. #9 (Gluten & sugar free blueberry muffin recipe)

24.09.12
Gluten and sugar free blueberry muffin goodness. 

I love baking with the music turned up and was grateful to have time in the afternoon to indulge this pleasure. I made these lovely muffins singing along to Regina Spektor's - 'What we saw from the cheap seats'. 

I adapted and halved the recipe from gluten-free goddess.
Makes 6 muffins.

Ingredients:
1 cup plain gluten free flour (mix from packet)
1/4 cup xylitol
1 teaspoons double acting baking powder
1/4 teaspoon baking soda
 1/4 teaspoon fine sea salt
1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/4 teaspoon ground nutmeg
1/4 cup olive oil
1.5 free-range organic eggs, beaten
1/4 cup almond milk
1/2 teaspoon vanilla paste (the paste makes all the difference- expensive but worth it)
1 cups frozen blueberries

Instructions:

Preheat the oven to 180ºC. Grease a 12-muffin tin- as I was only baking 6 I filled the empty tins with water so they would cook evenly.

In a large mixing bowl, whisk together the flours, xylitol, baking powder, baking soda, sea salt, cinnamon and nutmeg.

Add in the olive oil, eggs, almond milk, and vanilla and beat to combine. Continue beating for 2 minutes until the batter is smooth. It should not be overly wet or too dry- this batter is a fairly moist batter, akin to thick cake batter. If the flour has absorbed too much liquid and the batter appears dryish, add another tablespoon of almond milk to loosen it. Stir in the blueberries by hand, using a big spoon.

Using a spoon, drop the batter into the 6 muffin cups, leave the top a bit messy with a bit of a peak and the muffins will rise nicely. Bake in the center of the oven for 22-25 minutes, until risen and golden brown. A cake tester inserted into the center should emerge clean.

Cool on a wire rack of five minutes, then turn out the muffins to continue cooling on the rack. Delicious when still warm.