Yoghurt beet dip

March 12, 2019September 7, 2022 Belinda

This fuchsia-colored dip is so visually beautiful and even better eaten smeared on bread or endive leaves. The tang from the vinegar and yoghurt balances perfectly with the earthy sweetness of the beets.

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Serves 6

1 medium beet, cooked and peeled
1 cup Greek yoghurt
3 tbsp red wine vinegar
1/4 tsp Kosher salt, or to taste
1 tsp dried mint
1 tsp finely chopped fresh tarragon
Olive oil for drizzling

Into a medium bowl, grate the cooked beet on the large holes of a box grater.
Add the rest of the ingredients except the olive oil and mix well to combine.
Taste to make it delicious, keeping in mind that the flavors will deepen as the dip rests.
Cover and refrigerate for at least one hour for the flavors to develop.
Stir, drizzle with olive oil before serving.

Do ahead
You can prepare this up to 3 days in advance in an airtight container.
If the yoghurt “weeps” just stir in together again and drizzle with a little olive oil before serving.

Appetizer Vegetarian · Gluten Free · Vegetable sides · Vegetable-related · Whole30 compliant

Cauliflower steaks with walnut-caper salsa and lemon-yoghurt sauce

March 10, 2019 Belinda

This is a fabulous adaption of an Ottolenghi recipe by the food blog, Alexandra’s Kitchen. If you have a Le Creuset braiser it will help, as the shallow sides help caramelize the cauliflower steaks.The combination of the lemony yoghurt sauce under the cauliflower steaks and the walnut caper salsa on top is spectacular

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For the salsa:
1/2 cup walnuts
¼ cup olive oil, plus more to taste
2 tbsp drained capers, patted dry
1/4 tsp crushed red pepper flakes, or more to taste
1/3 cup coarsely chopped parsley
1 tbsp dried currants
1 tbsp vinegar, such as white balsamic, sherry or red wine, plus more to taste
zest of 1 lemon
Kosher salt to taste

For the cauliflower:
1 small head of cauliflower
2 to 3 tablespoons grapeseed or olive oil
Kosher salt

For the yogurt sauce:
1 cup Greek yogurt, (I like Fage 5%)
1 tbsp fresh lemon, from about 1/2 a lemon
1/4 tsp kosher salt
parsley, optional

Make the salsa.
Preheat oven to 350°F.
Toast the walnuts on a small pan or rimmed baking sheet, until golden brown, 10 to 12 minutes. Let cool, then use your hands to break the walnuts into small-ish pieces. Set aside.

Increase oven temperature to 425° for roasting cauliflower.

Heat the oil and capers in a small saucepan over medium, swirling often, until capers burst and are golden brown and crisp, about 5 minutes. Carefully pour the oil and capers into a small heatproof bowl. Add the crushed red pepper flakes and currants. Let cool. Then, stir in the walnuts (leaving as much papery skin behind), parsley, vinegar, and lemon zest; season with salt. Taste.
If it tastes too sharp, add more olive oil by the tablespoon. (I almost always add 2 more tablespoons of oil.) If it needs more salt, add to taste.

Make the steaks.
Trim the cauliflower stem on the bottom to create a flat base. When I first made this, I trimmed away the greens, but now I like to keep the outer greens attached — they taste good roasted. Remove them if you wish.
Cut straight down through the center, then make another cut 1.5 inches away from the center on each side — you’ll likely get 2-3 steaks total. I used to save the cauliflower pieces that broke away for another day, and you definitely can do this, too, or you can sear and roast them right along with the steaks in the pan.

Heat the oil in one or two large skillets over medium-high. Add the cauliflower steaks and any florets/greens that broke away, if you wish. (If the steaks don’t fit in a single layer, you should use two pans or you won’t get a nice sear.)

Cook, gently lifting up cauliflower occasionally to let hot fat run underneath, until steaks are deep golden brown, about 3 to 5 minutes. Turn steaks and season with salt. Transfer skillet to oven and roast until cauliflower stems are fork-tender, 15-20 minutes.

Make the yogurt sauce:
Stir together the yogurt, 1 tablespoon lemon juice, and 1/4 teaspoon kosher salt. If you have leftover parsley from the bunch you purchased, and you think you might not use it anytime soon, chop it up finely and stir it in. Taste. Adjust seasoning to taste.

To finish: smear the yogurt sauce over a large platter. Top with the cauliflower steaks. Spoon the caper-yogurt sauce over top. Serve immediately or at room temperature.

Appetizer Vegetarian · Asian flavors · Dairy-free · Gluten Free · Vegan · Whole30 compliant

Meet my beets.

March 4, 2019July 23, 2019 Belinda

This is such a lovely (and quick) recipe with a really super combination of flavors

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Recipe and photo c/o Lakshmi Sundar on the website “Food 52”

Serves: 4
Prep time: 5 min
Cook time: 15 min

2-3 beets
2 cups fresh spinach leaves, cleaned
4 tbsp freshly grated coconut (or 2 tbsp coconut milk)
1 tsp mustard seeds
1-2 dried chili pods
1 tsp turmeric powder
1 tbsp olive oil or avocado oil
1 tsp salt (or to taste)

Wash and peel the beets and cut into small cubes.
Heat oil in a pan.
Add the mustard seeds and dried chili pods to the hot oil.
When the mustard seeds start popping, add the beets, salt, and turmeric powder. Stir, cover and cook till the beets are cooked, yet crunchy (about 10-15 minutes).
Add the spinach, fresh coconut or coconut milk and toss a few times.
Serve

Appetizer Vegetarian · Dairy-free · Gluten Free

Roast eggplant with green tahini dressing

March 4, 2019July 23, 2019 Belinda

Eggplant and tahini always play well together, and this fresh fibre-loaded salad by Yoni Kalfus is no exception. A lovely low-calorie dish.

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Serves 4

2 eggplants, cut into wedges, flesh lightly scored
2 tsp mild paprika
1 tsp ground coriander
1/2 tsp ground cumin
1/4 cup (60ml) olive oil
400g can chickpeas, rinsed, drained
250g punnet cherry tomatoes, halved
1/3 cup (35g) flaked almonds, toasted
Mint leaves, flat-leaf parsley leaves and lemon wedges, to serve

Green Tahini Dressing
1/2 cup chopped flat-leaf parsley leaves
1/2 cup chopped coriander leaves
1/2 cup (140g) tahini
1 tbs olive oil
1/2 cup (125ml) lemon juice
1 garlic clove, chopped

Preheat the oven to 200°C.

2. For the green tahini, whiz all ingredients in a food processor until smooth. Set aside.

3. Place the eggplant in a bowl, add the spices and oil, and toss to combine. Season with salt. Place in a single layer on a baking paper-lined baking tray with chickpeas and roast for 30 minutes or until tender and golden. Add tomatoes for the final 5 minutes of cooking. Cool slightly.

4. Arrange the eggplant, chickpeas and tomatoes on a platter.
Top with the almonds, mint, parsley leaves, and sumac.
Drizzle with green tahini dressing to serve.

Dairy-free · Dessert · Gluten Free · Nuts · Whole30 compliant

Paleo grilled peaches with coconut cream

March 4, 2019 Belinda

I scraped my bowl clean. It reminded me of peach cobbler without the crust. Even simple desserts can pack a lot of flavor.

These very low calorie, sugar-free grilled peaches are delicious topped with coconut cream for some added sweetness, with a sprinkle of cinnamon and nuts. They have a bright flavor for a refreshing end to a meal.

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Serves 1

3 medium ripe peaches, cut in half with pit removed
1 tsp good vanilla essence
1 can coconut milk, refrigerated
1/4 cup chopped walnuts
Cinnamon (to taste)

Place the peaches on the grill with the cut side down first. Grill on medium-low heat until soft, about 3-5 minutes on each side.

Scoop the cream off the top of the can of chilled coconut milk. Whip together the coconut cream and vanilla with handheld mixer.
Drizzle over each peach.
Top with cinnamon and chopped walnuts to garnish.

Asian flavors · Curry · Dairy-free · Gluten Free · Poultry

One pot Thai green curry roast chicken

March 3, 2019February 8, 2023 Belinda

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This recipe is from the food blog, “HonestlyYum”
The dish is a Thai twist on the recipe: milk chicken.
Instead of roasting a chicken in milk and aromatics, like cinnamon, lemon and sage, your use a basting sauce that is composed of traditional Thai curry ingredients– coconut milk, fish sauce, green curry paste, chiles and kaffir lime leaves.
(If you can’t find kaffir lime leaves, you can still make the curry without it.) You can also switch up the curry paste, it doesn’t have to be green, it could be yellow or red.
“This recipe makes insanely flavorful chicken and the best part for me is a bowl of jasmine rice covered in that delicious curry sauce in the bottom of the pot!”

Serves 4

1 whole organic chicken, or you could use 4x whole chicken legs which would cook beautifully.
2 cans coconut milk
1 1/2 cups water
4 tbsp green curry paste (or less if you don’t want it too spicy)
3 tsp sugar (palm sugar ideally)
1 tsp fish sauce
2 sprigs Thai basil (plus more for garnish)
4 kaffir lime leaves
3-5 Thai chiles
Vegetable oil
Kosher or sea salt
Freshly ground black pepper

Preheat the oven to 375 F.
Season your chicken liberally with salt and pepper. Heat a glug of oil over medium heat in a large cast iron pot. Sear the chicken on all 4 sides, until the chicken is well browned, about 5-7 minutes on each side. Transfer the chicken onto a plate and drain off most of the oil, leaving about 1 tablespoon behind
Sauté the curry paste in the oil and scoop the solid part of the coconut milk out.
Sauté until the curry is fragrant. Add the liquid part of the coconut milk and cup of water and bring to a simmer. If your coconut milk didn’t separate, you can just add it all in– this isn’t an essential step.

Add the sugar and fish sauce. Season with salt to taste.
Add two large sprigs of basil, lime leaves and 2-3 sliced Thai chiles. Place the chicken back in the pot.

Roast at 375F with the lid uncovered for about 1 hour or until the thickest part of the thigh is cooked through, basting the chicken with the curry a couple times during the roasting. Cooking time will vary depending on the size of your chicken.

Asian flavors · Dairy-free · Fish · Gluten Free · Whole30 compliant

Salmon Poached in Lemongrass Scented Coconut Milk

March 3, 2019March 3, 2019 Belinda

This is a quick and flavorful dinner easy enough to throw together after work, but nice enough to impress guests.

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Serves: 4
1 lemongrass stalk
1 knob of ginger
13.5 ounces coconut milk (1 can, preferably full fat)
1/4 tsp salt
1lb salmon, cut into 4x 4 ounce filets
1 lime, zest and juice

Cut the lemongrass stalk into 1 inch segments and then in half lengthwise.
Cut the ginger into slices. Bruise both with the butt of a knife. Reserve a small piece of lemongrass and mince that piece finely for garnish (you’ll want about a teaspoon or so total), then set aside.

Skim the cream off the top of the can of coconut milk and warm it in a skillet that will comfortably fit all the salmon pieces (but preferably not too much larger because then you will end up with a lot of extra liquid at the end).
When the cream starts to bubble and the surface looks shiny, add the lemongrass, ginger, and salt.
Lower the heat and stir and simmer for 5 minutes until the sauce is quite thick and fragrant.
Add the salmon pieces and the rest of the coconut milk. If the coconut milk does not cover (or mostly cover) the salmon, add a bit more water.

Raise the heat and just when the liquid starts to bubble, reduce heat to a simmer, cover, and cook for about 8-10 minutes or until salmon begins to flake when poked with a fork.
Remove salmon from sauce and raise heat to medium high.
Reduce volume by about half (or until the sauce is thick). Stir in lime juice right before serving.
Pour sauce over the salmon, garnish with minced lemongrass and lime zest.

Gluten Free · Salad

Kale, carrot & date salad with tahini/yoghurt dressing

February 27, 2019 Belinda

Why is it so hard to get an interesting and tasty salad in a restaurant? With such a wealth of fresh ingredient choices and interesting dressings out there, they’re usually so boring and bland.
This recipe is c/o Bite, the New Zealand food magazine and I was drawn to the combination of flavors. I’m constantly on the lookout for interesting salad recipes.

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For the dressing
½ cup Plain unsweetened yoghurt
2 Tbsp Tahini
1 tsp Liquid honey
2 Tbsp Extra virgin olive oil
½ tsp Smoked paprika
2 Lemons, juice of

For the salad
3 Carrots, small, peeled and shredded or coarsely grated
2 cups Kale leaves, finely shredded
6 pitted Medjool dates, chopped
3 Tbsp Sesame seeds, toasted
⅔ cup Roasted cashew nuts, salted
½ cup Pumpkin seeds
½ cup Roasted almonds, chopped
⅔ cup Fresh cilantro, chopped
⅔ cup Fresh mint, chopped

Combine all dressing ingredients and season to taste with salt and pepper.

Combine the carrot, kale, dates, sesame seeds, cashews, pumpkin seeds, and almonds, coriander and mint and divide between plates.

Drizzle over dressing just before serving.

Asian flavors · Curry · Dairy-free · Fish · Gluten Free

Coconut-miso salmon curry

February 25, 2019February 27, 2019 Belinda

Recipe from Ken Chun

This light, delicate weeknight curry comes together in less than 30 minutes and is defined by its deep miso flavor. Miso is typically whisked into soups toward the end of the recipe, but sweating it directly in the pot with ginger, garlic and a little oil early on helps the paste caramelize, intensifying its earthy sweetness. Adding coconut milk creates a rich broth that works with a wide range of seafood. Salmon is used here, but flaky white fish, shrimp or scallops would all benefit from this quick poaching method. A squeeze of lime and a flurry of fresh herbs keep this curry bright and citrusy. For a hit of heat, garnish with sliced fresh jalapeño or serrano chile peppers.

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3 tbsp safflower or canola oil
1 medium red onion, halved and sliced 1/2-inch thick (about 2 cups)
1 (1-inch) piece fresh ginger, minced (about 2 tablespoons)
3 garlic cloves, thinly sliced
Kosher salt and black pepper
¼ cup white miso
½ cup unsweetened, full-fat canned coconut milk
1 (1 1/2-pound) salmon fillet, cut into 2-inch pieces
5 ounces baby spinach (about 5 packed cups)
1 tablespoon fresh lime juice, plus lime wedges for serving
Steamed rice, such as jasmine or basmati, for serving
¼cup chopped fresh basil
¼ cup chopped fresh cilantro

In a large pot, heat 2 tablespoons oil over medium. Add onion, ginger and garlic and season with salt and pepper. Cook, stirring occasionally, until softened, about 3 minutes. Add miso and cook, stirring frequently, until miso is lightly caramelized, about 2 minutes.

Add coconut milk and 3 cups water and bring to a boil over high heat. Cook until liquid is slightly reduced, about 5 minutes. Stir in salmon, reduce the heat to medium-low and simmer gently until just cooked through, about 5 minutes. Turn off heat and stir in spinach and lime juice.

Divide rice among bowls. Top with salmon curry, basil and cilantro. Serve with lime wedges for squeezing on top.