SWEET POTATO & BROCCOLI CURRY

I’m loving the cooler weather we are having at the moment, as it means that I get to use my stove without sweat in profusely. I have had so much sweet potato to get rid of this week that I decided a big curry would be the best way to utilise it. A very simple curry to make, the spices really are essential here as otherwise this dish could be considered bland. Garam masala is a strong blend of spices that is used in Indian cuisine. The spices that are often used to make this fusion are coriander, cumin, cardamom, cloves, black pepper, cinnamon and nutmeg. I usually use around 1/2- 1 teaspoon of this spice with every 500g of meat or vegetables I cook as it is an intense combination of flavours. You can find ground garam masala, ground turmeric and ground coriander from your local big supermarket.

INGREDIENTS

• 1 cup quinoa
• 2 tablespoons coconut or rice bran oil 
• 1 leek, white part only, finely chopped
• 700g sweet potato, peeled & chopped into even cubes
• 2 teaspoons ground coriander
• 1 teaspoon ground turmeric
• 1 teaspoon ground garam masala 
• 2 cups water
• 400ml light coconut milk
• 1 large head of broccoli, florets cut evenly and stalk roughly chopped
• Optional: coriander leaves, to serve 

COOKING

1. Rinse the quinoa over cold running water throughly, using clean hands to remove any grit. Then place the quinoa in a saucepan with 2 cups of water, cover and bring to the boil over high heat, then simmer once boiled for 8-10 minutes or until the quinoa is cooked and the water is absorbed. Remove from heat and fluff with a fork. 

2. Whilst the quinoa is cooking, heat the oil in a large, deep saucepan over medium heat and swirl to coat the bottom of the pan. After 1 minute add the leek and stir, cooking for 2 minutes. 

3. Add the sweet potato and stir to coat in with the oil. Lower the heat and add the ground coriander, ground turmeric and ground garam masala to the pan. Stir vigorously to combine so that the spices do not stick to the pan. 

4. Pour in the water and coconut milk and bring to the boil, covered. Then reduce the heat to a simmer for 4 - 5 minutes. After this time add in the chopped broccoli, stirring to the combine with the curry sauce and cover again for another 5 - 7 minutes. After 5 minutes check the tenderness of the sweet potato and broccoli by sticking a fork into the vegetable (if the fork slides in smoothly, then the curry can be taken off the stove; if the fork meets resistance, keep simmering for another few minutes before checking again). When the vegetables are tender remove from heat. 

Serve the curry on a bed of quinoa topped with coriander leaves, if desired. 

Serves / 6

Total Preparation time / 15 minutes 

Total Cooking time / max 25 minutes

x Emily 

RAMEN NOODLES with a PEANUT SAUCE

This recipe was created early last week, when I was desperately craving peanut butter. I've had peanut butter in stir fries before, however I often find it super rich and fatty. After some researching online I created my own with the use of some beautiful Mrs Flannery's all natural peanut butter. I felt like tofu in my dinner, however I knew my fiancee would turn up his nose at the no meat factor, hence the chicken addition. You can make this recipe with either tofu, chicken or half each quantity and combine both. Just a tip for preparing tofu; if you purchase a water based tofu you will need to dry it out and press it- if you have the time. I chose to just dry my tofu out, due to time restrictions yesterday. Here is a great link that explains how to dry and press tofu: http://www.veggiebelly.com/2011/04/how-to-press-tofu.html 

Ingredients

• 270g ramen noodles 
• 1 tablespoon sesame oil 
• 450g free range chicken breast, cut into even strips or 350g firm tofu, cut into even rectangular pieces 
• 2 tablespoons green shallots, plus extra to serve 
• the juice of 1 lime
• 1 x 400g tin light coconut milk
• 1/4 cup organic or all natural peanut butter 
• 1 head of broccoli, cut into even-sized florets and stalk chopped
• 1/4 wombok (chinese cabbage), shredded 
• 250g carrots (3 medium), cut into even rounds 

Cooking 

1. Bring a large saucepan filled with around 10 centimetres of water to the boil. Once boiled, add the ramen noodles to the water and cook for 3-4 minutes until tender. Remove from the stove and drain under cold water. 

2. Meanwhile, heat a large, deep frying pan over medium heat and add the sesame oil, swirling to coat the pan. Cook either the chicken or the tofu pieces or half of each serving for around 6 minutes or until just cooked. Stir the chicken often until it is lightly golden in colour. For the tofu- flip each piece only once, cooking for around 3 minutes on the first side and 2-3 minutes on the second side. Remove the chicken / tofu from the pan and place in a bowl. 

3. Add the shallots to the pan and the lime juice, stirring for a few seconds. Next add the coconut milk and stir for 2 minutes, making sure that the liquid does not boil by continually stirring and keeping the heat at a medium range.

4. Next, add the peanut butter to the pan and stir until the mixture is smooth and not lumpy. This should take a few minutes. Once smooth, add the broccoli to the pan and stir well to cover the broccoli with the sauce before covering the pan. Cook for 4 minutes or until a fork can slide through the broccoli stalks with a little bit of resistance. Add the wombok and carrot to the pan and toss well to combine all ingredients, then cover the pan for another 3-4 minutes until the vegetables are tender. 

5. Lastly, add the cooked chicken and /or tofu and the noodles to the pan and stir all ingredients together. 

Serve warm, with extra shallots sprinkled on top, if desired. 

Serves /  6 

Total Preparation time / 15 minutes 

Total Cooking time / 25 minutes

x Emily 

CAROB or DARK CHOCOLATE GLUTEN FREE COOKIES

I've made this recipe five times over the past week, in an attempt to get the ingredients and their amounts exactly right. I have also served these cookies to many people over this time period, but the person who has most enjoyed these cookies is my fiancee! He has put in a request for these cookies to be baked every single week from now on. If you do not like the idea of caffeine in your cookies, opt for the carob option. If you feel cheated eating a cookie without chocolate in it, add dark chocolate chips or cacao nibs. If you do not eat eggs, replace the 1 egg with 2 extra tablespoons of coconut oil. The only problem you will face with these cookies is just eating one at a time! 

Ingredients

• 1/3 cup real maple syrup (not flavoured)
• 1/3 cup carob buttons or dark chocolate or cacao nibs 
• 3/4 cup almond meal
• 1/2 cup coconut flour
• 1 teaspoon bi-carb of soda
• 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
• 1 free range egg
• 2 tablespoons coconut oil, in liquid form 
• pinch of sea salt

Baking

1. Preheat oven to 180 degrees celsius and line a baking tray with baking paper. 

2. Combine all ingredients in a large mixing bowl and stir well to combine. 

3. Shape the dough into 12 even sized balls, then flatten with your hand or a fork on the prepared baking tray. 

4. Bake for 20 minutes at 180 degrees, then lower the heat to 160 degrees for 5 minutes. 

5. Remove from the oven and leave to cool completely - this is the hardest step of all! 

Makes / 10 / 12
Total Baking time / 25 minutes 

x Emily 

CHICKEN SALAD with ZESTY DIJON DRESSING

This recipe was initially going to be a Quinoa salad dish, however I wanted something light for a light dinner and decided to leave out the quinoa carbs. You could use whatever raw vegetables you have on hand, such as capsicum, cabbage, shallots, the list goes on. I like adding lentils or legumes to my salads for an additional hit of protein. As you may have realised with the ingredients in my recipes, I do not prescribe to the Paleo way of eating and think that eating lentils, legumes and grains is very important for my health.  You can also add a touch of crumbled feta or toasted almonds, walnuts, pumpkin seeds or sunflower seeds to this salad for more texture and flavour. Look back at my Poaching Chicken recipe for steps on how to poach correctly or if pressed for time, buy a free range cooked chicken! The zesty dijon mustard is a favourite of mine, as it is filled with flavour and is low in calories- try to use apple cider vinegar as it contains less sugar than other vinegars. 

INGREDIENTS

• 300g cooked chicken breast, shredded 
• 150g green beans, trimmed & roughly chopped
• 2 generous handful of baby spinach
• 2 medium tomatoes, finely diced
• 1 x 400g tin of brown lentils, rinsed & drained 
• 100g carrot, grated 
• 1 Lebanese cucumber or 1/2 continental cucumber, diced 
• 1 small to medium ripe avocado, diced 
• 3-4 tablespoons fresh chives / basil / parsley, finely chopped 
• a generous amount of ground black pepper 

Zesty Dijon Dressing

• 1 garlic clove, finely chopped or minced 
• 1 heaped tablespoon dijon mustard
• 1 tablespoon apple cider vinegar
• the juice of 1/2 a lemon or lime 
• 2 tablespoons water 
• ground black pepper 

COOKING 

1. Combine all the salad ingredients in a large serving bowl and toss well to combine. 

2. Make the salad dressing by combining all the ingredients in a small bowl and stirring with a fork to combine. If the salad dressing is too thick, try adding a little extra water. 

Serves / 4 

Total Preparation time / around 20 minutes 

x Emily 

VEGETARIAN OR NOT STUFFED CAPSICUMS

People seem to have the opinion that making stuffed capsicums is fiddly and an ordeal. I am here to smash that belief. I love making stuffed capsicums as it is an incredibly filling and nutritious meal. I often use quinoa, however brown rice works well too. The bacon is only optional and added for my fiancee's benefit. I like adding some form of lentil or legumes to the stuffing, as well as a variety of herbs (I often use fresh chives, basil, thyme and parsley) as these really bring a punch of flavour. Don't forget to add vegetables to the stuffing as well! 

INGREDIENTS

• 4 medium to large sized red or green capsicums
• 3/4 cup quinoa 
• Optional- 80g bacon, finely chopped
• 1 small zucchini and / or carrot, finely chopped
• 3 tablespoons of a mixture of fresh herbs, finely chopped (such as chives, parsley & thyme) or 2 tablespoons dried mixed herbs
• 1 x 400g tin chickpeas, rinsed and drained
• 75g feta cheese, crumbled into small pieces
• 1 large lime, quartered 

COOKING 

1. Rinse the quinoa thoroughly, twice, with your hands. Bring the quinoa to boil in a medium saucepan over high heat with 1 1/2 cups of water, covered. Once boiled, lower to a simmer and continue to cook until all the water is absorbed, around 10 minutes. 

2. Meanwhile, slice the top part of the capsicum off to make lids (around 3cm in thickness). Remove the seeds and membranes and discard. Heat a large saucepan over high heat of just enough water for the capsicums bottoms to be covered. Once the water has boiled add the capsicum bottoms and lids and cook for 5 minutes. Drain. 

3. Preheat oven to 180 degrees celsius. Line a large baking tray with baking paper. 

**Optional step if using bacon - Dry fry the bacon (use no oil) for a few minutes or until cooked how you like it, stirring regularly. 

4. Add the zucchini and / or carrot, herbs, chickpeas, feta cheese and a generous pinch of ground black pepper to the cooked quinoa and mix well to combine. 

5. Stuff the capsicum bottoms with the quinoa mixture. If you have extra quinoa left over try to compact the mixture in the capsicum and add more. Place the lids next to the capsicums. Bake for around 15-20 minutes or until the filling is cooked and the feta cheese has started to melt. 

Serve warm, with lime juice drizzled on top. 

**If you have any brown rice mixture left over, add a handful of washed lettuce to this and serve separately as a salad the next day/ meal. 

Serves / 4 / 1 stuffed capsicum per person

Total Preparation time / 10 minutes 

Total Cooking time / max 40 minutes 

x Emily 

FLEXIBLE PAD THAI

What I love about Pad Thai is how many different ways there are to create it. You can go vegetarian and use tofu and egg in the place of chicken. One can fry up chicken or pork and add it to a Pad Thai overflowing with crushed peanuts and sprinkled with fried shallots. This dish can even be transformed to suit a strict vegan. It seems like whatever spin one puts on Pad Thai, they can’t go wrong with this iconic dish.

Personally, I like a little chicken for protein and a whole lot of vegetables. Whilst I am a fan of fried shallots, I use fresh green shallots as they are healthier. The recipe below is just a base recipe that I use. Get imaginative and create your very own Pad Thai! 

INGREDIENTS

Pad Thai 

• 100g flat rice-stick noodles 
• 2 teaspoons sesame oil
• 450g chicken breast fillets, cut into even thin strips OR around 350g firm block tofu, chopped into even cubes
• 1 broccoli head, cut into even sized florets and stalk chopped
• 2 medium carrots, cut into matchsticks
• 1 medium red capsicum, seeds & membrane removed and thinly sliced 
• 1 large bunch of buy choy or 3-4 smaller bunches, base removed and roughly chopped 
• 3 green shallots / onions, roughly chopped
• 1/4 cup unsalted peanuts
• a handful of fresh coriander leaves, to serve

Sauce

• 2 tablespoons sweet chilli sauce
• 2 tablespoons soy sauce or tamari
• the juice of 1 medium lime 
• 1 teaspoon fish sauce (if vegetarian or vegan omit)

COOKING 

1. Bring a large saucepan of water to the boil. Add the rice noodles and cook, stirring occasionally, for 4-5 minutes or until the noodles are tender but not mushy. Drain well with cold water and set aside. 

2. Meanwhile, make the sauce by combining all the ingredients in a small bowl and whisking well to combine. Add a few tablespoons of water to thin out the consistency (I add 4-5 tablespoons of water). Set aside. 

3. Heat a small frying pan over medium heat and toast the peanuts for 3-4 minutes or until lightly toasted and fragrant. Remove from the heat and set aside to garnish later. 

4. Heat 1 teaspoon sesame oil in a large wok or deep frying pan over high heat. Add the chicken pieces and cook, stirring frequently, for 5-6 minutes or until chicken is white or lightly golden in colour and no pink flesh remains. Remove chicken from the stove and keep warm.

If cooking with tofu, make sure you blot the tofu cubes with paper towel gently to remove any excess moisture before frying. Heat 1 teaspoon sesame oil in a large wok or deep frying pan over medium heat and cook, stirring carefully for a few minutes or until lightly golden. Remove from the stove and blot again with paper towel if oily. Set aside and keep warm. 

5. Add the remainder of the sesame oil (1 teaspoon) to the wok and then add the broccoli, carrot, capsicum and buk choy, stirring to combine. Cook, covered, for 5-6 minutes or until the vegetables are tender but not mushy. Add 3/4 of the chopped green shallots/onions, cooked noodles, chicken or tofu and sauce to the wok/pan and stir until all ingredients are well combined. Remove from the stove and place in a large serving bowl. 

Serve warm with the remaining green shallots/onions and toasted peanuts sprinkled on top as well as the coriander leaves, if you wish.  

Serves / 4 

Total Preparation time / 15 minutes 

Total Cooking time / maximum 30 minutes 

x Emily