Gluten Free · Vegetable-related

Mediterranean roasted cabbage steaks with basil pesto and feta.

Belinda

This recipe is from the food blog, “Inspector Gorgeous”
It’s gluten-free and vegetarian, infact her whole blog is!

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Serves 3

1 small head cabbage, sliced into “steaks”
4 oz basil pesto
1 cup shredded parmesan cheese
2 oz feta cheese, crumbled
2 small tomatoes, sliced
5-6 marinated artichoke halves
1 tbsp mediterranean Seasoning
Fresh basil, to garnish

OPTIONAL TOPPINGS include olives, mozzarella, mushrooms, roasted red pepper, etc.

Heat the oven to 400F and spray a large sheet pan with nonstick spray.
Arrange the cabbage steaks in a single layer on the sheet pan so the edges are all touching. Slather pesto on the steak halves and be generous as a lot will melt into the cabbage folds.
Top with cheese and tomato and bake until the edges of the cabbage are crisp and all of the cheese is bubbly, about 20 minutes.
Sprinkle with seasoning and fresh basil.
Serve hot with an extra scoop of Pesto for dipping!

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

Meet my beets.

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

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

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

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

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.

Breakfast · Egg based · Vegetable-related

15-minute Turkish eggs

Belinda

Try these quick and easy Turkish eggs with crunchy sourdough for your next brunch. The smoked paprika gives a smoky kick and a beautiful red color.

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Serves 2

5 oz Greek plain yogurt
1/2 clove garlic, crushed
1 tbsp finely chopped fresh dill
1 tbsp olive oil
3 tbsp salted butter
1/2 tsp hot smoked paprika
2 large organic eggs
a small handful of chopped flat-leaf parsley
2 thick slices of grilled sourdough

Put the Greek yogurt into a large bowl and whisk in the garlic, dill, olive oil and some seasoning. Leave on the side while you prep the rest of the ingredients so the yogurt can lose the chill of the fridge.

Heat the butter in a small pan until melted, stir in the paprika and leave over a low heat.

Poach the eggs by gently cracking into a pan of just-simmering water. Leave for 2-3 minutes then scoop out with a slotted spoon and gently poke the yolk to see if it is done to your liking. Drain on kitchen paper.

Divide the yogurt between 2 bowls. Add an egg to each then drizzle over the paprika butter and sprinkle with a little parsley.
Serve with the sourdough for dunking.

Fish

15 minute salmon with a pesto crust

Belinda

This is a great tasting and easy weekday meal for the family from the “Olive Magazine”.

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4 x skinless salmon fillets
4-6 tbsp fresh pesto sauce (or from a good jar of pesto sauce)
4 tbsp breadcrumbs
4 tbsp grated Parmesan cheese
olive oil
3/4 lb green beans

Heat the oven to 450 F. Put the salmon fillets on a non-stick baking tray, skinned-side down.
Spread the pesto over the tops, then mix the breadcrumbs and cheese together and sprinkle over.
Drizzle with a little oil then bake for 10 minutes.

Boil the green beans for 3-4 minutes, then drain and toss with a little olive oil and season well.
Divide the beans between plates, sitting the salmon on top.

Dessert · Do-ahead

Easy, heavenly lemon cheesecake on a ginger crust

Belinda

Mary Berry of “The Great British Bake-off” fame, is one of those incredible foolproof recipe writers. This is a really quick, easy and scrumptious recipe that will be in your repertoire over and over and it only takes 10 minutes to make!!

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3 ½ oz ginger cookies, crushed
1 ¾ oz butter, melted
2 x 8oz tubs mascarpone
12oz jar good quality lemon curd
Juice of 1 small lemon
Fresh raspberries and blueberries, to decorate
Icing sugar, to dust

1 x 8in round loose-bottomed cake tin, greased and base-lined with baking parchment

Serves: 8

Mix the cookies with the butter in a bowl, then press into the base of the tin (but not up the sides)

Put the mascarpone, lemon curd, and lemon juice in a bowl and beat with a spatula until smooth

Spoon on to the cookie base and level the top. Chill in the fridge for at least 4 hours and up to 24 hours to firm up

To serve, remove the cheesecake form the tin, peel off the baking parchment, and arrange on a platter.
Decorate with the fruit and dust with icing sugar.

GREAT FOR A CROWD
You can make up to three cheesecakes in one go (but take care not to over-beat the mixture at step 2). If you’re making more cheesecakes than that, prepare them in separate batches.

PREPARE AHEAD
The cheesecake can be made up to the end of step 3 up to 1 day ahead. Not suitable for freezing.

Gluten Free · Salad

Kale, carrot & date salad with tahini/yoghurt dressing

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.