Roasted eggplant with date syrup

This is a must try. Perfect as a meal, or a side and suits the vegetarians in the room. The perfect combo of the sweet with the savoury goes like two peas in a pod. it’s super easy. You could chuck it in the oven when you get home from work then get the kids ready and bam! Healthy dinner done. It would go perfect with chicken or salmon. Looking for less dishes at the end of a long day? Throw the salmon in about 10 min before the eggplant is ready on the same cooking tray.

1 large eggplant

1 tbsp olive oil

1 tbsp date syrup

1/2 tsp salt

1/2 tsp pepper

2 tbsp tahini

2 tbsp pomegranate arils

1/8 cup roughly chopped mint leaves

1/4 cup parsley chopped

2 tsp zaatar (or dukkah)

Preheat oven to 190 degrees. Slice eggplant in half and score. Later in olive oil then rub in with salt and pepper. Drizzle the date syrup and rub in again.

Roast for about 40 min.

Then drizzle both with tahini and scatter the pomegranate over the top. Along with the parsley and mint. Sprinkle the zaatar and wayla!! Eat!

Enjoy

J

jessicacox.com.au

Ferraro balls

This recipe has landed in my inbox from one of our trainers, Jemma. Thanks for sharing Jemma.

It’s super easy and healthy. The good fats and sugars from the dates gives this beauty a nice smooth taste.

If you don’t want to use the dark chocolate, you could melt some cocao and cocao butter and roll the balls in that.

1 cup pitted dates soaked in boiling water for 5mins then drained.

1/2 cup chopped hazelnuts

1/4 cup cacao powder.

Blended in food processor.

Roll into balls.

Melt 1/2 cup dark choc

1 Cup crushed hazelnuts

Dip balls in melted choc and roll in crushed hazelnuts

Chill in fridge

 

Thanks Jemma!

 

Enjoy

 

Flavio’s Italian Cake

,

So the real name of this cake is “Castagnaccio” but we all know it as the cake Flavio’s mum made, and the cake Flavio ate every day she was here! ha ha If you were lucky enough to try it, well it was amazing. (Thanks for sharing Flav!)

 

250g chestnut flour

700ml water

100g mix of raisins & cranberries

70g pinenuts or sliced almonds

 

 

Add half of the water to the flour and mix using a whip, let it rest for 2 hours.

 

Then add the other half of water mixing with the whip.

 

Add the other ingredients now and back at 180 degrees for 45 min

 

Enjoy!

 

 

Classic Salmon with leek topping

,

My mum brought up this recipe when she came to stay recently, and I have to say, I am always a little scared when she brings recipes. We are from the country and she is happy with old school cooking … all of the time! So I am always  a little nervous about how healthy or not so healthy her recipes are. But, I was willing to give it a try and, well, thanks Mum!

I am all for butter. There are so many benefits to butter. The good stuff is full of vitamins, especially vitamin A (great for your skin!), loaded with Vitamin D which helps you to absorb calcium and heaps more. So if you can tolerate dairy, this is for you. Otherwise, you could use Ghee.

Ingredients

Serves 3

1/2 cup dry white wine

1/5 cup white wine vinegar

1 shallot, finely chopped

80g butter, cut into small cubes

2 baby leeks, trimmed, washed and finely sliced

salt and pepper to taste

1 tbsp extra virgin olive oil

3 salmon fillets

 

Method

Bring the wine, vinegar and shallots to a boil in a medium saucepan, then reduce the heat to a simmer and cook until the liquid is reduced by half, 15-20 mins.

Reduce the heat to low and slowly whisk in the butter until the sauce is smooth. Stir in the leeks and season with salt and pepper. Set aside.

Heat oil in pan and cook the salmon to your liking.

Transfer to a plate once cooked, and lather in the sauce.

Serve with fresh greens.

 

Enjoy x

 

Pumpkin hummus with cauliflower topping

I wasn’t sure how this was going to go down to be honest. But when my husband (fuss pot 010) said it was a thumbs up, I was pretty chuffed!

We had this with a slow cooked garlic stuffed lamb. The meal was wholesome, fresh and lots of colour.

The pumpkin is great in winter as it is packed with vitamin C, helping to ward off the cold and flu.

This recipe comes from the cookbook Community and it’s a must try. Simple. Healthy. Winter warmer. And delicious!

Serves 4-6

 

Ingredients

2 cauliflowers (about 2kg) cut into florets

4 tbsp olive oil

Sea salt and black pepper

2 garlic cloves, finely chopped

1 tsp ground cumin

1 tsp ground coriander

500g cooked butter beans (about 2 cans), drained

1 cup flat parsley chopped

1 cup coriander leaves chopped

1/4 cup pumpkin seeds, toasted

 

Pumpkin hommus

750g butternut pumpkin peeled and cut into 2cm pieces

2 tbsp tahini

1 garlic clove grated

1 tsp sea salt

1-2 tbsp olive oil

1 tsp cumin

1 tbsp lemon juice

2 tbsp natural yogurt (I use natural coconut yogurt)

Pepper

 

Method

Pumpkin hummus – place pumpkin in saucepan with a splash of water and salt. Cover and cook over medium heat for 15-20 min., Don’t let it run out of water.  The pumpkin is ready when it is soft and falling apart. Let cool

Combine pumpkin, tahini, garlic, salt, oil, cumin and lemon juice and whisk to make smooth. Stir in yogurt. Adjust seasoning but adding more salt and pepper, oil or lemon as you need.

Roast the cauliflower in the over until dark brown. Coat it in olive oil with salt and pepper and roast at 180 degrees.

Heat a pan and add garlic, cumin, coriander and salt and cook for 10sec to release the flavours. Then add the butter beans and stir to coat in the spices. Cook for 5-6 minutes, shaking the pan often until the butter beans go crispy on both sides.

Combine the cauliflower and butter beans with the herbs. On a large dish, spread out the pumpkin hummus, then spoon the cauliflower mixture on top and then top with pumpkin seeds.

Enjoy

Janet x

Orange and Turmeric Cake

,

Another stella recipe from Sofie Van Kempen. This chick knows how to make some seriously yummy and low sugar food!

I am in love with this cake. It leaves you feeling light and satisfied. I have orange trees at home so I was over the moon to be able to use my own, fresh oranges for this one.

So easy to make and it doesn’t need any icing, it’s good on it’s own. Of course I had a piece fresh out of the oven, and it’s just too good warm!

And in Winter, we need more turmeric to help ward off the colds and flues. So this cake is an all round winner 🙂

 

Servings: 16-20  // prep time: 10 minutes, cooking time: 15 minutes

INGREDIENTS

  • 2 whole oranges
  • 2 cups almond meal
  • 1/3 – 1/2 cup honey (depending how sweet you want it)
  • 3 eggs
  • 2 tsp turmeric (fresh or ground)
  • 2 tsp baking powder
  • 1 tsp vanilla essence or powder
  • 1 tsp cinnamon

METHOD

  1. Preheat oven to 170’C and line a cake/slice tin with baking paper, set aside.
  2. Boil whole oranges in a pot on the stove for 1 hour, drain and allow to cool.
  3. Blend oranges in a food processor, then add eggs, honey, vanilla, turmeric and blend again.
  4. Mix through almond meal and baking powder until combined.
  5. Pour batter into tray it will be quite wet and place in the oven.
  6. Bake for 35-45 minutes in the oven until golden brown. Check with a skewer.
  7. Allow to cool in the tin and store in the fridge for up to a week.

NOTE: this is a moist cake (don’t you love that word) so expect it to come out a little wetter then usual cakes. Also you could try flax eggs as a replacement for ‘egg’ in this recipe.

 

Enjoy 🙂

Chicken soup to kick the common cold

This soup is fully loaded with all things necessary to send your cold packing! Seriously, so much goodness in one bowl. And delicious too. You can make your own chicken stock (which I do and it’s so easy using the slow cooker), but if you are buying it, choose organic in the fridge section 🙂

Garlic, ginger and turmeric are all good for reducing inflammation. Garlic also is full with Vitamin C and B6 which help with increasing energy  –  something you need more of when you are feeling low from the cold.

Enjoy this one this winter 🙂

 

Ingredients

2 litres of chicken stock

2 cups shredded chicken meat (extracted from stock making recipe)

1 1/2 cups finely chopped celery

1 1/2 cups finely chopped carrots

2 – 5 cloves garlic minced garlic (a garlic crusher works a treat)

1 tablespoon finely grated ginger

1 teaspoon finely grated turmeric

1 cup (loosely packed) finely chopped parsley

1/2 cup (loosely packed) finely chopped fresh coriander

1 can green lentils, drained and rinsed (optional)

generous seasoning of sea salt

 

Method

Add the finely chopped celery, carrots and a dash of olive oil to the bottom of a cooking pot on a medium heat. Let it simmer for 3-5 minutes or until the vegetables soften.

Add your stock to the cooking pot, together with the chicken meat. Bring to a gentle simmer and cook for 5-10 minutes or until vegetables soften further.

Add the garlic and spices and simmer for another minute or so. Season generously with sea salt. Remove the pot from the heat and stir through the coriander and parsley. Serve immediately.

Frugavore’s tip: After removing the meat from the bones you can make another batch of stock by covering the bones with water, adding some thyme, celery, carrot and onion and simmering for a further two hours on the stove-top. Use this as a base for your next batch of soup.

Time saver: As a short-cut you can buy ready made stock and use chicken breast or leftover roast chicken. However, using a whole chicken is more economical and also provides leftovers for the next meal.

 

A good one for all the family

J

https://www.goodfood.com.au/recipes/coldbusting-chicken-soup-20140625-3asfo

Super healthy and simply Dahl

You are going to love this!

For a few reasons:

  • It’s simple and quick – put it on, bath the kids and it’s ready
  • It’s packed with all the goodness to keep the colds and flus away this winter
  • It’s a one pot meal!

So you know I love turmeric. It has amazing healing powers, anti-inflammatory and gives a great orange curry colour. This recipe is originally from Nat Jones but I changed it a little (surprise surprise!) and added chickpeas instead of lentils, and added the turmeric because? Well, why not!

Such a great winter warmer without all the calories.

Enjoy x

 

Ingredients:

1 onion finely diced

1 tsp olive oil

1 clove of garlic micro planed

knob of ginger micro planed

knob of turmeric micro planed

chili to taste

1 tin chickpeas

2 cup chopped pumpkin – diced

2-4 tsp curry powder

6 cup stock

2 tbsp coconut cream

Coriander togarnish

 

Method

Heat oil and add garlic, onion, ginger, chilli and saute.

Add remaining ingredients except chickpeas and then place a lid on and bring to the boil.

Simmer for until pumpkin is half done and then add chickpeas. Continue to simmer until chickpeas are soft.

Serve on quinoa, buckwheat, rice etc and add coriander on top.

Total cooking time is about 45 minutes.

Ta-da!!

Butter chicken – the healthiest version ever

I just want to eat this all the time! Everyone loves a good curry right? Well this is going to knock your socks off that you can have your curry and feel so dam good afterwards.

This recipe comes from Honestly Emma, Functional Medicine Pharmacist (you can find her on Instagram) who I had the pleasure of working with late last year.

Her method is done on the stove top, but I love using the slow cooker for this one. A few reasons, I loooovvee my chicken being all mushed up and you can guarantee with enough time in the cooker, this is going to happen. Also, the slow cooker is like having mum cook for you… it’s ready when you get home. I pop it on in the morning, go about my day and come dinner time, it’s good to rock and roll. For those who are time poor, this is def the way to go. 5 minutes in the morning saves you the headache of organising a healthy meal for the family after a long day and getting home late.

 

Turmeric is the best! It is one of the best and natural anti-inflammatory foods you can use. It adds flavour, but if you aren’t that keen on it, you can do what I do and add it to everything else you are cooking, just use less of it. This gives you the benefits without overriding the flavour of whatever you are cooking. I buy mine from my local fruit store. And of course, chilli is great for metabolism (speeding it up), while the garlic and ginger also help with keeping those nasty colds away. Great for a winter cook up.

 

Ingredients

4 garlic cloves

3cm fresh ginger

1 long red chilli, halved

1 brown onion, halved

100g ghee or coconut oil (I don’t use this because it’s creamy enough in the slow cooker)

1/2 tsp ground cinnamon

2 tsp ground paprika

3 tsp garam masala

1 tsp ground cardamom

2 tsp ground corriander

2 tsp ground cumin

2 tsp ground turmeric (I always use fresh and use the micro-plane to grate it in. I use a full stick of turmeric – about 2.5cm long)

500g coconut cream

2 tsp lemon juice

200g tomato paste

2 tsp sea salt

1.3kg chicken thigh, roughly chopped

 

Method

Chop onion, garlic, ginger and chilli by hand, then saute in a saucepan with ghee or coconut oil until soft.

Add remaining ingredients and simmer gently, covered for 20 minutes or until chicken is cooked through, and sauce is being thickened.

Stir every now and again.

Serve with quinoa or cauliflower rice and steamed greens.

 

Note

Because I use the slow cooker, I literally chuck everything in at the same time, gives it a stir so all spices are in and the chicken is covered with the liquid, walk away and come back about 8 hours later. Then I indulge!!  Enjoy 🙂

Protein packed breakfast – and it’s easy!

Having protein for breakfast is one of the best ways to kick the 3pm sweet tooth craving. Why? Because it sets your body up with lots of fuel from the start. While there are some really good and healthy carb breakfasts, I find it leaves me hungry a little while after. So for a past fewyears, I have opted for the basic eggs and bacon or eggs and veg for breaky. And I have to say, it keeps me going and gives me  a head start with my veg intake for the day too.

Protein is essential for building muscle, so if you are planning a workout later today, or have just done one, rebuilding what you have just broken down is super important. It is also a great way to fill you up for longer, reduce your overall calorie intake (if that’s what you are after) because you won’t be looking for those naughty snacks later on.

But I don’t have time in the morning …

Most of this can be prepared the night before, while you are already making a mess in the kitchen getting dinner ready. Then while you are having shower, putting your makeup on or getting the kids ready for their day, there is 10 minutes that this baby could be slightly cooking in the background. There is always a way 🙂

Ingredients

2-3 eggs (depending on exercise level)

1/2 cup of last nights cooked veg, roughly chopped

Pepper

Optional: 1 slice short cut bacon

Method

Pop a bit of Macadamia oil in your pan (this oil has a really high smoke point), stir all ingredients well in a bowl, pour into pan. Leave until the bottom is cooked, then flip. Wallahh! Done.

I enjoy mine with some smashed avo on the side (1/4 avo).

So you have got protein from the eggs, started your day with some veg (big tick), full of nutrients and low calories and have radiant looking skin from the avo. I’d call that an award winning meal. Enjoy 🙂