California breakfast sushi roll

January 27, 2013September 9, 2022 Belinda

This tickled me, as it’s a breakfast sushi roll and really works. It’s simple and a bit different.

Yields 2 servings

4 eggs, divided
6 tbsp milk, divided
4 tbsp grated Jack cheese, divided
cooking spray
2 flour tortillas
4 strips crisp bacon
1/2 large avocado, sliced
1/2 large tomato, sliced

For the spicy sour cream

2 tbsp sour cream
1 tbsp hot sauce
1 tsp milk

Coat a medium skillet with cooking spray and heat over medium high heat.
In a small bowl, whisk 2 eggs and 3 tbsp milk until incorporated. Pour into the hot skillet.
Sprinkle with 2 tbsp grated cheese and cook without stirring for 3 to 5 minutes until the top is no longer wet. You may need to turn the heat down so the bottom doesn’t burn.

Place the tortilla over the egg and gently flip them out onto a cutting board.
Place 2 strips of bacon on the bottom 1/4 of the tortilla (closest to you)
Top with half of the sliced avocado and tomato. Roll up as tightly and gently as you can.
Allow to rest for a minute then slice with a sharp knife into sushi rolls.
Repeat the process with the remaining eggs, cheese etc.

In a small bowl mix together the sour cream, hot sauce and milk. Drizzle over the sushi rolls and serve immediately

Asian flavors · Gluten Free · Salad · Whole30 compliant

Asian avocado salad

September 23, 2012January 7, 2017 Belinda

This is lovely and a bit different with the Asian dressing complementing the avocado beautifully.
A simple but very effective starter

Serves 4

2 ripe Haas avocados
mixed greens

Dressing

1 tbsp white sesame seeds
2 tbsp safflower oil
2 tbsp balsamic vinegar
1 tsp honey
1/2 tsp Chinese pepper mix (Equal amounts of whole black, white and Szechuan peppers, toasted then ground in a spice mill. You will be able to keep this for quite a while)
1/4 tsp salt
1 tbsp finely minced fresh ginger

Dressing
Toast the sesame seeds in a small ungreased skillet set over a high heat until they are light golden.
Combine the sesame seeds with the remaining ingredients in a jar and shake well.

Cut the avocados in half, seed and thinly slice.
Place some mixed leaves on 4 salad plates. Fan an avocado half across each bed of greens.
Shake the dressing in the jar and then drizzle it over the avocado.
Serve at once

Vegan

A CleanCuisine breakfast

September 6, 2012February 11, 2016 Belinda

Let me explain the thought process behind my “CleanCuisine” series.

I am in my 50’s and start to notice physical changes. (very few I’m happy to see!)
It’s also the time of life when you start “wearing” anything you eat and health issues can start to arise.
I loathe diets as I don’t like to be so “nitpicky” about food so I started researching all the different diets and health benefits like low cholesterol, low sodium, low sugar, low fat, gluten free……..

My husband and I both need to start losing some weight, get our cholesterol and blood pressure down, generally try and do better maintenance and enjoy the next 20 to 30 years to the full. The children are grown and living independently and it’s OUR time.

CleanCuisine is to do with eating food that tastes and feels “clean” ie doesn’t give you that oily or buttery “slick” in your mouth, doesn’t make you wake up feeling lethargic and generally makes you feel good as you eat it. It’s not necessarily vegan or vegetarian, however it may lean that way at times. It must, however feel clean as you eat it.

This picture is one of the delicious breakfasts I have some mornings;

1 nectarine, sliced
1 toasted piece of Rudy’s Ancient Spelt Grain bread (Wholefoods have it and it’s non wheat)
1/2 small avocado, spread on to the toast instead of butter, then seasoned with salt and pepper
fresh basil leaves put on top of the avocado
slices of vine ripened tomatoes on top of the basil leaves, seasoned again with salt and pepper

I forgo the red onion and garlic at breakfast!

Appetizer Vegetarian · Appetizers · Do-ahead · Gluten Free · Salad

Lentils and quinoa with avocado, arugula and burrata cheese

August 23, 2012September 9, 2022 Belinda

I made this up a couple of nights ago as Ollie was coming to stay the night and he’s been trying to be vegetarian for health reasons. Since the kidney transplant he’s been recommended to minimize meat as it contains Creatinine.
I had some leftovers and wanted to make something vegetarian. It is delicious and well worth trying.
It’s also delicious for the next few days to have cold for lunch!

1 cup quinoa
2 cups chicken or vegetable broth

1lb vacuum pack of cooked puy or green lentils (available from quite a few supermarkets and they last months in the fridge)
2 good handfuls or fresh baby arugula
1 large avocado or 2 small ones, cut into 1/2 inch cubes
1 tub of Italian burrata cheese (it usually has 2 balls of cheese in it)

Dressing
5 tbsp good olive oil
2 tbsp red wine vinegar (you could try lemon juice too)
2 cloves garlic, crushed
1 tsp Dijon mustard
2 tbsp chopped fresh basil

Put all the dressing ingredients in a small bowl and whisk to emulsify. Set aside.

Cook the quinoa in the chicken or vegetable broth according to the instructions on the packet. Tip cooked the quinoa into a serving bowl.

Remove the lentils from the packaging and put into a microwave- proof container. Heat through on high for about 3 minutes. Break up lentils with a fork, then tip into the serving bowl with the quinoa and mix together with a fork. Pour in all but 2 tbsp of the dressing and mix well.

Gently mix the arugula leaves and avocado cubes into the quinoa/lentil mixture, so the avocado is covered with the dressing and the arugula starts to wilt in the heat.
Season with salt and pepper to taste and set aside to cool for about 30 minutes.
When you are about to serve, break the burrata cheese into big chunks and dot over the salad. Pour the reserved dressing over the burrata and serve

Asian flavors · Fish · Gluten Free · Nuts · Poultry · Salad

Marie Claire’s Vietnamese prawn and chicken salad (CleanCuisine)

August 9, 2012February 8, 2016 Belinda

This is so light and tangy and one of the best salads I know. Well worth making and wonderful for entertaining in the summer!

Serves 4 – 6

12 oz small cooked prawns
1 tsp ground cumin
2 tsp fish sauce
4 tbsp lime juice
4 tbsp olive oil
1 tbsp sesame oil
15 fresh mint leaves, finely sliced
1 tsp sugar
2 cooked boneless, skinless chicken breasts, shredded
2-3 carrots, grated
4 oz snow pea sprouts or other sprouts
1&1/2 English cucumbers peeled, seeded and diced
6 scallions (spring onions) , finely sliced
3 x baby cos (romaine) lettuce, finely sliced
1 -2 tbsp sesame seeds, toasted
optional 1/3 cup chopped dry roasted peanuts
optional 1 avocado, cubed

Peel the prawns and put them in a bowl
In a small bowl, combine the cumin, fish sauce, lime juice, olive oil, sesame oil, mint and sugar.
Stir until the sugar has dissolved, then pour the mixture over the prawns and toss until the prawns are well coated.
Add the chicken, carrot, snow pea sprouts, optional cubed avocado, cucumber, spring onion and lettuce.
Lightly toss together then pile onto a serving platter or into individual bowls and sprinkle with sesame seeds. (dry roasted peanuts)

Fish

Seared fish with beet, avocado, garbanzo bean and pecan salsa

August 2, 2012February 8, 2016 Belinda

This is so delicious and light! You can use a firm fish like halibut or even better, a fillet of wild salmon works really well with the salsa. It’s very pretty on the plate as the garbanzo beans turn bright pink!

Serves 4

6 small diced cooked beets (If you roast your own, season them with salt and pepper, olive oil and balsamic vinegar, then cover them with foil and roast at 400 F for 1 hr 20 mins or until tender, then peel them, and allow to cool)
1 x 15.5 oz can garbanzo beans (chickpeas) drained and rinsed
8 chopped scallions
¾ cup pecan pieces, toasted in the oven until browned
1 seeded and chopped red chili
3 tbsp chopped fresh mint
2 tsp ground roasted cumin
4 tbsp fresh lemon juice
1 1/2 tbsp balsamic vinegar
5 tbsp olive oil
Salt and pepper

Put the diced beets into a good-sized bowl. Add the chopped scallions, seeded and chopped red chili, chopped fresh mint, toasted pecans, cumin, lemon juice, balsamic and olive oil.
Mix and season well with salt and pepper. Add more balsamic or lemon juice if you think it needs it.

Season 4 fish fillets and sauté in hot oil over medium high heat on both sides until just done and crispy on the outside then serve on or beside a good dollop of the beet salsa.

Fish · Gluten Free · Salad · Whole30 compliant

Cilantro, lime and sardine salad in avocado halves

July 9, 2012January 7, 2017 Belinda

I am posting this because it is a really delicious, quick lunch dish that is packed with calcium, protein, Vitamin B12, Omega 3 and 6 via the sardines and avocados.
It’s a sort of retro dish, and you can also use smoked trout instead of sardines.

Serves 2

1x 3.75 oz can boneless, skinless sardines packed in oil, drained
2 tbsp fresh cilantro, finely chopped
1 tbsp good mayonnaise (or Whole 30 compliant mayonnaise)
1 tbsp fresh lime juice, divided
1 ripe avocado
salt and pepper
salad greens
Good granary bread, optional

In a small bowl combine the drained sardines, cilantro, mayonnaise and 2-1/2 tsp of lime juice.
mash together thoroughly with a fork and season to taste with the pepper and a pinch of salt, if needed.
Cut the avocado in half lengthwise and remove the pit. Using a large spoon, with a wide shallow bowl, scoop each avocado half from it’s skin, run the tip of the spoon around the edge of the avocado to loosen it, then plunge the spoon between the skin and flesh. Keep the back of the spoon as close to the skin as possible, and work from the wider to the narrower end of the avocado.
Rub each half with the remaining 1/2 tsp lime juice to prevent discoloration.
To serve, scoop half of the sardine mixture into the hollow of each avocado. Serve over dressed salad greens if desired.

Do-ahead · Gluten Free · Salad

Cucumber and avocado salad with lime, mint and feta cheese

June 10, 2012September 9, 2022 Belinda

This comes from another great food blog ‘Kalyn’s Kitchen”

Serves 2 – 4

Ingredients

2 cups peeled and chopped English cucumbers (3-4 medium sized ones or 2 large)
salt, for drawing water out of cucumber
1 – 2 ripe (but not too squishy) avocados, peeled and chopped into 1/2 inch pieces
1 – 2 tsp fresh lime juice, to toss with the avocado pieces
1/2 cup finely chopped fresh mint, measure after chopping
1/2 cup crumbled Greek (not French) feta, make sure you buy the solid block, not the crumbled.

Dressing Ingredients

2 tbsp olive oil
1 tbsp fresh lime juice

Directions

Peel the cucumbers and scrape out the seeds, if they are large. Cut the cucumber into half inch pieces and put into a colander. Sprinkle with a generous amount of salt and let it sit for 30 minutes. make sure you put a bowl underneath as there will be a fair amount of liquid that the cucumbers give off.
After 30 minutes use paper towels to blot the moisture and salt from the cucumbers.

While the cucumber is draining peel the avocados and chop into 1/2 inch pieces. Put the avocado into a large salad bowl and gently toss with the 1 to 2 tsp fresh lime juice.
Wash the mint and chop finely.
Whisk together the olive oil and lime juice to make a dressing and measure out 1/2 cup of crumbled feta.

Add the drained cucumbers, mint and dressing to the avocado and combine.
Then gently stir in the crumbled feta into the salad ingredients.
Serve immediately.

This salad doesn’t do well sitting in the fridge for too long