BROCCOLI with BACON & LEEK

A client gave me the idea for this dish when she told me about a meal she had made a few weekends ago, featuring broccoli, bacon, walnuts and herbs. You can add any herbs you like to this dish; I just kept it nice and simple as I was (and am) running a few minutes behind today! If you do not eat meat, replace the bacon with 3 hardboiled eggs for your protein. 

Ingredients

• 1 head of broccoli, stalk & florets chopped into even pieces
• 1/4 cup almonds, halved 
• 1 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil
• 1/2 a leek, white part only, finely chopped
• 100g bacon, fat removed and chopped into even pieces 
• paper towel
• 30g reduced-fat feta, crumbled 
• ground black pepper

Cooking 

1. Bring a small to medium saucepan filled 1/4 with water to the boil, covered. Once boiled, remove the lid and replace with the broccoli in a small colander or sieve, then cover with the lid. Leave to steam for around 4-5 minutes, then check to see if the broccoli is tender by placing a fork into a stalk. If the fork slides in with just a little bit of resistance, the broccoli is tender but not mushy. Remove the colander or sieve with the broccoli and discard the pan. 

2. Meanwhile, dry fry the almonds in a medium fry pan over medium-low heat for just 2 minutes or until the nuts are fragrant but not burnt. Remove from heat. 

3. Using the fry pan from step 2, swirl the oil to coat the pan over meidum heat. Add the leek to the pan and cook for 2 minutes, stirring often. Remove the leek from the pan and add the bacon to the pan, covering with a lid. Cook for around 2-4 or until the bacon is cooked to your liking. Remove the bacon from the stove and pat the excess oil out of the meat with a few paper towels. 

4. Toss the broccoli, almonds, leek, bacon, feta and a generous pinch of pepper in a large serving bowl. 

Serves / 2 
Total Preparation time / 10 minutes
Total Cooking time / around 10 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 

CHICKPEA, BACON & ALMOND SALAD

This salad initially started off as a Lentil & Bacon salad, made with tomatoes, red onion, sheep's pecorino cheese and a vinegary dressing. Having none of these ingredients in the kitchen the other day, I opted for a green type of salad with cooked bacon and toasted almonds thrown in. My little secret to avoiding salad dressings is to toast nuts or seeds and scatter them on top of salads for a bit of texture and a whole lot of flavour. I use sunflower seeds, pepitas, coconut chips, almonds, cashews, you name it. You could serve this salad sans (without) bacon and add a hard boiled egg or some more chickpeas to buff it up. I try to add meat to salads as it is a sneaky way for me to get my partner Chris to eat salads. Also omitting the lettuce makes him more partial to them. As the weather cools down at night, this warm salad is perfect for a light fall dinner. 

INGREDIENTS

• 80g bacon with fat removed, finely chopped
• 1 x 400g tin chickpeas, washed & drained
• 1/2 a large green capsicum, finely chopped 
• 1 lebanese cucumber or 1/2 a continental cucumber, roughly chopped
• 1/2 an avocado, finely diced 
• 1/4 cup almonds, whole or halved, toasted 
• Optional-a handful of watercress

COOKING 

1. Heat a small frying pan over medium-high heat. Add bacon pieces when pan is hot and dry fry (using no oil) for 2-3 minutes, stirring frequently, until the bacon is golden. 

2. Meanwhile, combine the chickpeas, capsicum, cucumber and avocado in a medium to large salad serving bowl. 

3. When the bacon has cooked, remove from heat and leave to cool for a few minutes before adding to the salad. Dry fry the almonds in the bacon pan over medium heat until toasted (you will be able to tell this when the air is fragrant with the smell of almonds). Remove from heat and toss the almonds and bacon in the salad bowl. 

Serves / 2 for a very substantial meal 

Total Preparation time / 10 minutes 

Total Cooking time / 5 minutes 

x Emily 

BACON, ZUCCHINI & CHILLI PASTA

The drizzling weather in Brisbane yesterday led me to creating this comfort food Pasta dish. I wanted something warm, slightly spicy and colourful in my belly. The picture above does not do the dish justice, as the golden green of the zucchini, the light purple of the red onion and the seared pink of the bacon are lost in the flaming red of the chilli, pasta sauce and tomato paste. Nonetheless  it was a very tasty, filling gluten and dairy-free meal. This was actually the first time I have ever worked with raw chilli and I must say that I really enjoyed their fiery flavour in the end product. What I did not enjoy was the fierce hotness I felt for 1 hour on my upper lip after I touched my chilli fingers to my mouth. But you live and learn. I now know not to do that ever again...

INGREDIENTS

• 400g gluten-free penne pasta
• 60g weight watchers bacon, finely chopped
• 2 medium zucchini, chopped into 2cm cubes
• 1 red chilli or 1/2 teaspoon chilli flakes, finely chopped
• 1 large garlic clove, finely chopped
• 1/2 red onion, finely chopped
• 2 tablespoons balsamic vinegar
• 1 cup tomato pasta sauce (any type will do; I used bolognese)
• 2 tablespoons tomato paste 
• 125g cherry tomatoes, washed & halved
• 1 tablespoon coconut oil
• 1/8 -1/4 cup sheep's pecorino cheese, finely grated 

COOKING 

1. Bring a large, lightly salted saucepan of water to the boil over high heat. Add gluten-free pasta and cook, stirring occasionally, for 8-9 minutes or until pasta is tender. Remove from heat and drain in a colander. 

2. Meanwhile, heat coconut oil in a large saucepan over medium heat and swirl to coat pan. Add bacon and zucchini pieces and cook, stirring frequently, for 4 minutes or until bacon and zucchini is golden brown. Add cherry tomatoes, red onion and garlic and stir for 2 minutes. Pour in pasta sauce, tomato paste and 1/2 cup water and bring to the boil. Reduce heat to a simmer and cook for another 2-3 minutes or until zucchini is tender. Add drained pasta and a pinch of sea salt to the pan and stir until pasta is warmed through and all ingredients are combined. Remove from heat. 

Divide pasta evenly into 4 bowls and serve with sheep's pecorino cheese sprinkled on top or another cheese if not dairy intolerant. 

Serves / 4 

Total Preparation time / 12 - 15 minutes 

Total Cooking time / 15 minutes 

x Emily 

WARM LENTIL & BACON SALAD

When I started this blog back in September 2011 I promised myself something; that I would never force myself to write if I did not feel like it. Hence I have had the occasional week off from Soulful Sandwiches when for one reason or another the words do not seem to jump off my fingertips onto the keyboard. But this Wednesday I am inspired and ready to go with a few Autumn recipes for you. First off is a very simple Lentil & Bacon salad, made with weight watchers bacon which has a huge percentage of less fat than any other brand of bacon on the market. Putting meat in a salad is a sneaky way for me to get my partner Chris to eat salads. Also omitting the lettuce makes him more partial to them. As the weather cools down at night, this warm salad is perfect for a light fall dinner. 

INGREDIENTS

Salad

• 2 x 400g tin brown lentils, washed & drained
• 125g cherry tomatoes, washed
• 60g weight watchers bacon, finely chopped
• 1 lebanese cucumber, roughly chopped
• 1/2 red onion, finely chopped
• 2 heaped tablespoons sheep's pecorino cheese, finely grated
• 1 scant tablespoon coconut oil

Dressing (Optional)

• 1 large garlic clove, finely chopped
• 2 tablespoons red wine vinegar
• 1 teaspoon lime juice
• 1 teaspoon olive oil 

Stir all dressing ingredients until combined. 

COOKING 

1. Heat coconut oil in a small frying pan over medium-high heat. Add bacon pieces when pan is hot and cook for 3-4 minutes, stirring frequently, until the bacon is golden. Remove bacon from heat and pat dry with paper towel to remove excess oil. 

2. Meanwhile, combine the lentils, tomatoes, cucumber and red onion in a medium to large salad serving bowl. Place bacon pieces on top of the salad and scatter grated pecorino cheese on top. Drizzle the dressing above on top, or use a touch of balsamic vinegar or leave plain. 

Serves / 4 for a light meal

Total Preparation time / 8-10 minutes 

Total Cooking time / 6 minutes 

x Emily