VEGETARIAN ANTIPASTO PIZZA

A dairy-free, gluten-free, vegetarian, antipasto and health-conscious pizza for your viewing pleasure! Perhaps not for everyone out there, but it worked for me on a dreary Monday lunchtime. If you have never tried goat’s cheese before, break away from traditional pizza cheese and branch out. There is a multitude of vegetables you can add, such as olives, sun-dried tomatoes, artichokes and/or capsicum. 

INGREDIENTS

• 2 gluten-free pizza bases
• 1/4 bunch basil leaves, washed & drained
• 30g goat's cheese, crumbled 
• 1 medium to large tomato, finely sliced
• 200g eggplant, cut into 3-4cm cubes
• 1/4 red onion, sliced into thin wedges 
• 1/2 cup tomato paste

COOKING 

1. Heat a fan-forced oven to 180 degrees celsius. Line 2 large baking trays with baking paper. 

2. Bring a small saucepan of salted water to the boil. Add eggplant cubes and cook for 3-4 minutes, then drain well and rinse with cold water. Pat dry with a tea towel or paper towel and season with sea salt. Set aside.

3. Meanwhile, spread 1/4 cup tomato paste evenly over each pizza base. Place basil leaves on top of the tomato paste, covering the pizza base. Sprinkle eggplant, red onion and goat's cheese on the pizza and bake in the pre-heated oven for 20 minutes or until pizza bases are golden. 

Serves / 4 

Total Preparation time / 10 minutes 

Total Cooking time / 30 minutes 

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TOMATO, BASIL & CHEESE PIZZA

Pre-made gluten-free pizza bases are just my version of a godsend. When I’ve had a long work day or just don’t feel like standing in the hot kitchen slaving away, I buy these from Coles or Woolworths, add whatever toppings I have on hand and the oven does the rest. When I am feeling enthusiastic I experiment with more ingredients, such as an Antipasto pizza or a Tandoori chicken pizza. Yesterday I just wanted simple, quick and damn tasty. I must admit, this is the best tasting pizza out of all the ones I have made, and it’s the humblest.  

INGREDIENTS

• 2 x Gluten-free pizza bases (available at all major supermarkets in the bread aisle)
• 6 tablespoons tomato paste or prepared pizza sauce
• 1 large garlic clove, finely chopped
• 3/4 bunch of basil, roughly chopped
• 3 medium tomatoes, thinly sliced 
• 1/2 cup loosely packed light grated cheese

COOKING 

1. Preheat a fan-forced oven to 180 degrees celsius. Line 2 baking trays with baking paper. 

2. Spread 3 tablespoons of paste/sauce on each pizza base. Arrange tomato slices on top. Scatter 1/2 a clove of finely chopped garlic, 1/4 cup of cheese and 1/2 of the chopped basil on each pizza. Bake in the oven for around 20 minutes or until base of the pizza is golden and no longer soft. 

Serves / 4 

Total Preparation time / 10 minutes

Total Cooking time / 23 minutes 

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BOCCONCINI, TOMATO & BASIL SALAD

In my world, bocconcini is up there as one of the ultimate cheeses in life. I can’t really describe why. These miniature Italian mozzarella cheese balls just do something to me. Translated, bocconcini means ‘small mouthfuls’ and originated in Naples, Italy. Initially made from the milk of water buffaloes, nowadays you will generally find bocconcini made from a combination of water buffalo and cow’s milk.

My boyfriend’s mother made this simple yet delicious dish on Saturday night, alongside tender Barramundi, lemon-zested prawns, guilt-ridden twice deep-fried potato wedges and a fetching walnut, beetroot and goat’s cheese salad. Whilst all these dishes were weighing down the table, I really just wanted to eat all of the bocconcini salad. The best and tastiest things in life always seem to be the simplest. 

INGREDIENTS

• 1/2 large bunch of basil leaves, washed & roughly chopped
• 1 tub of bocconcini (around 210g), drained & cut up into slices 
• either 1 punnet cherry tomatoes halved, 2 large tomatoes thinly sliced or half of each
• 1/4 cup balsamic vinegar
• Optional- 1 teaspoon garlic powder 

PREPARATION

1. Place tomato pieces in a single layer on the bottom of a small baking or cooking tin or casserole dish (I used a square tin 20cm x 20cm). Drizzle 1/3 of the vinegar on top. Top the tomato with the bocconcini slices, then drizzle another 1/3 of vinegar on top. (Optional step- combine the basil leaves and the garlic powder in a medium bowl and toss to mix well). Scatter the basil leaves on top of the cheese and pour the remaining vinegar over the top. 

Serve cold alongside a main dish. 

Serves / 4 as a side salad 

Total Preparation time / 10 minutes 

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LIGHT PORK SALAD with PLUM SAUCE

Below is my first Pork dish. EVER. Big steps here people. I suppose what has kept me away from cooking this meat for the past year has been a number of things; 1. I thought all pork was fatty, 2. It is an understatement to say that it is difficult to cook correctly and 3. I was scared of cooking something new and so foreign to me. I grew up in a very red meat and three vegetables type household. Well, more like seven or ten vegetable childhood. However, the year 2012 is almost up and its time to stop being a wuss and try new things. Hence the pork.

Now you may be thinking that a salad was not very creative or brave for my first pork venture. Well that may be, but we all have to start somewhere. The plum sauce marinade softened the hardness of the pork and the garlic, ginger and goat’s cheese all added their unique essences to the dish. Definitely a meat I will cook with again.

INGREDIENTS

Salad

• 1 teaspoon coconut oil
• 50g goat's cheese, roughly torn 
• 1/2 a large cos lettuce, washed and roughly chopped

Plum sauce

• 300g lean pork cutlets, fat trimmed and cut into even 4cm pieces
• 3 tablespoons gluten-free plum sauce
• 2 garlic cloves, finely chopped
• 1 tablespoon rice wine vinegar
• 3cm fresh ginger, finely grated 

COOKING 

1. Combine all the ingredients for the plum sauce and toss to combine. Marinade in the refrigerator for a minimum of 30 minutes (Don't cut corners and skip this refrigeration step, as the garlic and other ingredients need this time to tenderise the tough pork). 

2. Meanwhile, combine the lettuce and goat's cheese in a large serving bowl. 

3. After 30 minutes, heat the oil in a medium frying pan over medium heat. Cook pork pieces, stirring, for 5-7 minutes or until cooked and there is no pink flesh remaining. (It can be really tricky cooking pork! One minute too long and the meat is very tough, one minute too short and you can end up with food poisoning. Just make sure you are constantly around the cooking pork, and cutting a few pieces open to make sure it is no longer raw). 

Serves 2-3 as a main / 4-6 as a side 

Total Preparation time / 10 minutes

Total Cooking time / 7-9 minutes 

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BBQ CHICKEN, BAKED SWEET POTATO & FETA SALAD

I often find that I acquire much of my cooking inspiration by eating out at restaurants. I don’t allow myself to dine out as often as I’d like to, particularly now, as starting a business and moving house is not cheap. However, I’ve recently discovered the importance in enjoying a nice meal out with my significant other and have made it a once a week occurrence. The other night we went to a burger joint in Southbank and ever the gluten-intolerant being; I had no choice but to order a salad. I was already planning my second dinner in my head when my salad came out. Succulent large chicken pieces, baked to perfection eggplant & sweet potato and spicy, yet sweet red onion. This totally blew my preconception about salads being not filling right out of the window. So of course, the next day I re-created this substantial salad in my inferior, but homey kitchen. The bbq chicken seasoning can be pre-purchased as taco or chicken seasoning if you do not have the time or number of spices to create it yourself. Whatever type of lettuce you have on hand will do, just make sure you roughly chop it. If you keep your eyes open, creativity and inventiveness is everywhere around you.

INGREDIENTS

BBQ Chicken Seasoning

• 250g chicken breast, preferably free-range, cut into even 4cm pieces
• 3 teaspoons smoked paprika
• 2 teaspoons ground mustard
• a generous pinch of sea salt and ground black pepper each
• 1 garlic clove, finely chopped/crushed 
• 2 teaspoons dried oregano
• 1 teaspoon rice bran oil

Salad Ingredients

• 300g sweet potato, peeled & cut into thin, even slices
• 1 teaspoon rice bran oil 
• 60g feta, crumbled or cut into small cubes
• 4 cups of a mixture of baby spinach and any type of lettuce, washed & roughly chopped
• a splash of balsamic or apple cider vinegar 

COOKING 

1. Preheat a fan-force oven to 180 degrees celsius. Line a large baking tray with baking paper. 

2. Combine the sweet potato with the teaspoon of oil in a medium bowl and toss well. Place the potato in a single layer on one side of the prepared oven tray. Bake in the oven for 10 minutes. 

3. Whilst the sweet potato is baking, combine all the BBQ chicken ingredients in a medium bowl and toss well. Place the baby spinach, lettuce (I used shredded iceberg) and feta in a large serving bowl and 

4. Once the sweet potato has been baking in the oven for 10 minutes, place the chicken in a single layer on the empty half of the prepared tray. Bake the chicken in the oven for approximately 8-10 minutes, or until the chicken meat is white inside (to check this find the biggest piece of chicken and cut it in half). Remove the tray from the oven and place the sweet potato and chicken in a large serving bowl. 

Serves / 4

Total Preparation time / 10 minutes 

Total Cooking time / 20 minutes 

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