HOMEMADE HUMMUS

I greatly enjoy making dips myself, as I then know exactly what ingredients go into them. Store bought Hummus can often be disguised as a healthy dip, but the huge quantities of oil and preservatives added to it can be very scary. In addition dips always taste so much better when they are made out of your own kitchen. This is one of my go-to dips when I have friends coming over or when I am asked to bring snacks somewhere. 

Ingredients

• 400g tin of chickpeas, rinsed and drained 
• 2 garlic cloves, crushed or finely chopped
• 1 teaspoon tahini paste 
• 1 teaspoon ground cumin
• 1 teaspoon ground coriander 
• the juice of 1/2 a small lemon
• 2-3 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil 
• Optional - 1 tablespoon fresh parsley, finely chopped, plus extra to serve 

Preparation

1. Place all the ingredients except for the oil in a blender or food processor and blend/process for a few minutes or until all the ingredients are combined. You may need to stop the machine a few times to scrape the mixture from the sides so that it all mixes evenly. Slowly pour in the oil whilst the blender/processor stays on. If the hummus is not smooth in consistency after adding 2 tablespoons olive oil you may add a 3rd and/or add more lemon juice. 

Serve the hummus alongside sliced raw vegetables, such as carrot, capsicum, celery, cucumber, zucchini, etc. 

HOMEMADE SEED CEREAL

Below is a muesli recipe I made up in 10 minutes before rushing out of the house on a Sunday am. You can make this cereal gluten-free by using puffed corn instead of oats. I tend to steer clear of dried fruit in my cereal or muesli, due to its high sugar content. I like to use several different seeds and one or two types of nuts to fill me up at breakfast time. I have tried to keep the ingredient list small here, as I know that the idea of making your own cereal can seem time consuming and daunting. However I urge you to try, as this homemade cereal takes a maximum of 10 minutes! I know that flax, chia, sunflower and pumpkin seeds can appear to be expensive, but if they are bought in bulk they last for a very long time and consuming them comes with numerous health benefits. 

For example, did you know that chia seeds expand in your stomach, making you feel full for longer and therefore resulting in you eating less?  Flaxseeds are acclaimed for burning body fat, as they speed up your metabolism and are full of fibre and omega-3s. Sunflower seeds contain copious vitamins and minerals, including vitamin E, B1, B6 & B3 as well as magnesium and folate. Pepitas or pumpkin seeds contain a very wide diversity of antioxidants including vitamin E and are a great source of the minerals zinc, iron, magnesium and phosphorus. This is a very small snapshot of only a few of the many benefits these seeds provide you with, hence my use of them in this muesli and in every different muesli I make.

Ingredients

• 200g rolled oats or 170g puffed kamut or 170g puffed corn (for a gluten-free option)
• 100g puffed rice
• 50g flaxseed or LSA 
• 50g sunflower seeds
• 50g pumpkin seeds (pepitas)
• 50g chia seeds
• 150g almonds, roughly chopped
• 2 teaspoons ground cinnamon

Preparation

1. Place all ingredients in a large bowl and stir well to combine. 

Store in a sealed container and serve with 1/2 cup (125ml) milk of your choice (I like unsweetened almond milk) or 100g full-fat greek yoghurt 

Serving size / makes 10 serves 

Total Preparation time / maximum 10 minutes 

x Emily 

QUINOA SUSHI 3 WAYS

I've always wanted to try my hand at making quinoa sushi and yesterday was the day. I have made rice sushi numerous times and whilst I love the end result, it has always seemed like an immense undertaking. The prep and rolling of this quinoa sushi felt very different however; easy, fuss-free and fun! 

I have included 3 different ways to make the sushi; theres a vegetarian option, a tuna filling and a beef roll (this was specially for my fiancee, who will eat anything if it has red meat in it). My personal favourite? The vegetarian. These fillings are just a guide and I encourage you to roll whatever ingredients you think will work in your sushi. 

Ingredients

• 1 cup quinoa, rinsed well in cold water twice
• 2 1/2 cups water 
• 3 tablespoons brown rice vinegar, plus extra, to brush onto the seaweed sheets 
• 1 large carrot, grated 
• 2 spring onions, finely chopped
• 1 cucumber, sliced into long, thin pieces
• 1/2 avocado, thinly sliced
• White or black (or a mixture of both) sesame seeds 
• 8 seaweed sheets 
• gluten-free soy sauce or tamari 

Tuna Sushi

• 2 x 95g tuna in brine, drained
• 1/2 teaspoon ground chilli
• 1/2 teaspoon sesame oil
• grated carrot
• spring onion
• avocado or cucumber slices 
• 1 teaspoon sesame seeds

Vegetarian Sushi

• grated carrot
• spring onion
• avocado slices
• cucumber slices
• 1 teaspoon sesame seeds

Beef Sushi

• 250g beef mince
• 1 teaspoon sesame oil
• grated carrot or cucumber slices 
• 1 teaspoon sesame seeds 

Cooking 

1. Place the quinoa and the water in a medium saucepan and bring to the boil over high heat. Once boiled, reduce to a simmer and cook, stirring occasionally, for 12 -15 minutes or until the quinoa is tender and all the water is absorbed. Remove from the heat and place on a large plate to cool. 

2. Meanwhile, cook the beef by swirling the sesame oil in a small to medium saucepan over medium heat. Add the mince and cook, stirring frequently to break up the lumps, until the beef is browned and cooked. Remove from heat and place on a plate to cool. 

3. Make the tuna sushi by combining the tuna, chilli and sesame oil in a small bowl and stirring well to combine. 

4. If you have any extra time whilst the quinoa is cooked and then cooling down, use it to grate the carrot, slice the cucumber and avocado and finely chop the spring onion. 

5. Once the quinoa has cooled, stir the brown rice vinegar into the cooked quinoa. 

6. To make the sushi - lay out 1 seaweed sheet on a flat surface. Spoon quinoa evenly onto the bottom 1/3 of the sheet closest to you, leaving a few centimetres of seaweed bare at the very bottom. Make sure to flatten the quinoa with the back of the spoon. Then add the toppings from above directly on top of the quinoa. You should be able to make 3 of two types of sushi rolls and 2 of the other type of roll. Once the toppings have been added, brush the top 1/3 of the sheet with rice wine vinegar and the bottom few centimetres of seaweed that you left bare. Then tightly roll the sushi, starting with the bottom end, all the way to the top end. Place in the fridge when finished rolling. 

7. When you are ready to eat the sushi, remove from the fridge and trim the ends of the sushi with a sharp knife brushed with rice wine vinegar. Then cut the sushi rolls in half and half again to make 4 sushi rounds per roll. 

Serves / 4 / 2 sushi rolls each or 8 sushi rounds

Total Preparation & Cooking time / around 45-60 minutes 

x Emily 

NUT, RICE & SEED GRANOLA

Making my own breakfast is one of my favourite things to do, as I love experimenting with gluten-free grains and different combinations of ingredients. My latest invention is below; a very simple homemade granola. So simple in fact that I did not even chop the nuts and instead left them whole as I prefer them this way...and I was being a tad lazy! Beautiful toppings such as chia seeds, flaxseeds and/or fresh fruit can be added to the granola, however make sure not to add them before cooking in the oven. 3/4 of a cup of this granola is very filling and keeps me going for most of the morning from 5am onwards. As this recipe makes approximately 10 cups you will have breakfast sorted for days! 

P.S- if gluten-free use puffed corn or quinoa flakes in place of puffed kamut, as it contains wheat. 

Ingredients

• 4 cups puffed rice
• 1 1/2 cups quinoa flakes / 3 cups puffed corn / 3 cups puffed kamut 
• 1/2 cup almonds
• 1/2 cup cashews
• 1/2 cup walnuts
• 3 tablespoons organic maple syrup
• 1/2 cup pepitas (pumpkin seeds)
• 1/2 cup sunflower seeds
• coconut oil / rice bran oil spray

Cooking 

1. Preheat a fan-force oven to 180 degrees celsius. 

2. Combine all ingredients except for the oil in a large bowl and stir well to combine. 

3. Evenly spread out the granola on 2 large baking trays lined first with baking paper. Lightly spray the coconut oil over the top. 

4. Cook in the oven for 12-15 minutes, depending on how golden brown you would like your granola. Remove from the oven and leave to cool completely before storing in a large jar. 

Makes / 10 cups

1 generous serving / 3/4 cup with 1/3-1/2 cup milk 

Total Preparation time / 5 minutes max

Total Cooking time / 12-15 minutes plus cooling time 

x Emily 

SIMPLE HOMEMADE POPCORN

Who doesn't love popcorn? I love eating it as a snack, especially as it tricks my brain into thinking I am consuming something akin to 'junk food', such as chips. I like making my own popcorn as it is so much cheaper than buying the packaged bags from stores. In addition, making your own means that you can control the amount of salt and oil that goes into it. The recipe below is very simple and makes a whopping 13 cups of popcorn! I put the popcorn in small zip lock bags so I can control my portion size. 

Ingredients

• 2 tablespoons rice bran oil or coconut oil, melted
• 2/3 cup popping corn
• a small pinch of sea salt & ground black pepper

Cooking 

1. Heat the oil in a medium to large saucepan over medium-high heat, covered with a tight fitting lid. Swirl to coat the oil and add just 3 kernels to the oil.

2. When all 3 kernels have popped, add the remainder of the popcorn to the pan. Cover and shake the pan well so that all the kernels are coated with oil. Continue cooking the popcorn until you can no longer hear the kernels pop (this will take between 2-4 minutes, depending on your stove). 

3. Remove the kernels from the stove, place in a large serving bowl to cool and sprinkle salt & pepper on top. Toss well to combine. 

Makes / 13 cups 

Total Preparation & Cooking time / around 6 minutes 

x Emily 

HOMEMADE SEED CEREAL

Below is a muesli recipe I made up in 10 minutes before rushing out of the house on a Sunday am. You can make this cereal gluten-free by using puffed corn instead of oats. I tend to steer clear of dried fruit in my cereal or muesli, due to its high sugar content. I like to use several different seeds and one or two types of nuts to fill me up at breakfast time. I have tried to keep the ingredient list small here, as I know that the idea of making your own cereal can seem time consuming and daunting. However I urge you to try, as this homemade cereal takes a maximum of 10 minutes! I know that flax, chia, sunflower and pumpkin seeds can appear to be expensive, but if they are bought in bulk they last for a very long time and consuming them comes with numerous health benefits. 

For example, did you know that chia seeds expand in your stomach, making you feel full for longer and therefore resulting in you eating less?  Flaxseeds are acclaimed for burning body fat, as they speed up your metabolism and are full of fibre and omega-3s. Sunflower seeds contain copious vitamins and minerals, including vitamin E, B1, B6 & B3 as well as magnesium and folate. Pepitas or pumpkin seeds contain a very wide diversity of antioxidants including vitamin E and are a great source of the minerals zinc, iron, magnesium and phosphorus. This is a very small snapshot of only a few of the many benefits these seeds provide you with, hence my use of them in this muesli and in every different muesli I make.

Ingredients

• 200g rolled oats or 170g puffed kamut or 170g puffed corn (for a gluten-free option)
• 100g puffed rice
• 50g flaxseed or LSA 
• 50g sunflower seeds
• 50g pumpkin seeds (pepitas)
• 50g chia seeds
• 150g almonds, roughly chopped
• 2 teaspoons ground cinnamon

Preparation

1. Place all ingredients in a large bowl and stir well to combine. 

Store in a sealed container and serve with 1/2 cup (125ml) milk of your choice (I like unsweetened almond milk) or 100g full-fat greek yoghurt 

Serving size / makes 10 serves 

Total Preparation time / maximum 10 minutes 

x Emily 

HOMEMADE VEGETABLE STOCK

This recipe comes straight out of the My Petite Kitchen Cookbook, by Eleanor Ozich. A lovely client photocopied Eleanor’s home-made vegetable and chicken stock recipes for me, as she is on a wholefood eating journey herself. After making this stock on the weekend I am going to run out and buy Ozich’s book for myself. Eleanor adopted a simple, clean way of eating as a solution to her young daughter’s incurable eczema and behavioural issues and her cookbook reflects how this change has transformed her daughter’s health and her life for the better.

As I mentioned in a recent blog post, I have been eager to make my own stock as I use it in spades during winter and worry about all the salt and unknown ingredients in the prepackaged powder and liquid stock on the supermarket shelves. I am always guilty of buying a little too much produce at the market every weekend and this recipe is an ingenious way to use up unwanted, sad vegetables and herbs in your fridge. For the time poor, cooking this stock did not take up much of my weekend. I put the stock on the boil on Sunday afternoon, went about my business around my home for 2 and a half hours, checking the stock every half an hour for a maximum of 30 seconds each time. The end result was approximately 3.5 litres (14 cups) of home-made, low salt and extremely flavoursome vegetable stock. Keep following the blog for the chicken stock recipe or buy Eleanor’s wholefoods' cookbook to accompany your healthy eating lifestyle. 

INGREDIENTS

• 2 tablespoons nutalex or coconut oil
• 1 large brown onion, roughly chopped
• 3 medium carrots, roughly chopped
• 3 large celery stalks and leaves, roughly chopped
• 1/2 a large fennel bulb, roughly chopped
• 1 leek, white part only, roughly chopped
• 1 garlic bulb, each clove peeled and roughly chopped
• 2 large handfuls of fresh herbs, such as thyme, rosemary, parsley, sage, stems removed
• 3 bay leaves 
• 2 teaspoons sea salt 
• 2 teaspoons ground black pepper

COOKING 

1. Melt the nutalex or oil in a large, deep saucepan over medium-high heat. Add the vegetables and garlic to the pan and cook, stirring often, for 8-10 minutes or until the vegetables are soft. 

2. Add the fresh herbs, bay leaves and salt & pepper to the pan. Cover generously with water and bring to the boil. 

3. When the stock has boiled, reduce the heat to a simmer and cook, covered, for 2 hours or longer if possible. Check the stock every 30 minutes and add more water as it evaporates. 

4. After 2 + hours of simmering, taste the stock and add more salt & pepper if needed. Strain the stock through a large sieve, into a very large clean saucepan or bowl. Discard the vegetables and herbs or use for a soup or stew. 

5. Let the stock cool completely, then pour into smaller containers. The stock will keep in the fridge for up to 1 week and in the freezer for up to 6 months, provided that the containers are freezer-proof. 

Makes / 3-4 litres / 12-16 cups

Total Preparation time / 15-25 minutes 

Total Cooking time / 2 hours 30 minutes minimum 

x Emily 

GLUTEN-FREE GNOCCHI with SAGE in a DAIRY-FREE sauce

Gnocchi is something that I have always aspired to make, but negative thoughts constantly persuaded me that I was not a good enough cook to try my hand at it. As summer fades away and my business becomes steady and stable, I openly admit that whilst everything in my life is trucking along wonderfully, I need to continually set audacious goals for myself so I have things to strive for and look forward to. One of these big bold goals was decided just the other night; to run 14km for the City2South Brisbane run on June 16^th, which supports several commendable charities. Whilst I am only 25 and fairly fit, my exercise regime consists of lots of Pilates, Yoga and a few walks, with the very and I stress VERY occasional 4-5km run every month or so. So, where does this fit in with homemade gnocchi? Well, I woke up super inspired on Wednesday morning, ran 12km along the Brisbane river and came home feeling exhausted, sweaty and thinking that I could achieve anything I set my mind to. So I decided it was Gnocchi cooking time at 7:30am! Also, I must admit that the scrumptious looking gnocchi made on My Kitchen Rules on Tuesday night was another motivation for me getting my ass into gear.

For the lucky dairy and/or gluten-intolerant people, this gnocchi fits the bill perfectly. You can add sheep’s pecorino grated cheese as a topping if you desire, but I found that the simple sage & dairy-free butter sauce was delicious on its own. I am still surprised that only 6 ingredients made this tasty dish. If cooking for less than 6 people, feel free to freeze the potato gnocchi mixture before making the shapes and defrost for later use.

I am so happy that I tackled this big, hairy goal that I had put on the back shelf for so long. Any goals that you have that are close to their expiration dates? Perhaps its high time to face them head on.

INGREDIENTS

• 600g floury potatoes (I used pontiac potatoes), peeled & cut into small cubes
• 1 free-range egg, lightly beaten
• 175g ( 1 1/2 cups) gluten-free plain flour
• 2 tablespoons coconut oil
• 80-90g Nuttelex (dairy-free & gluten-free butter)
• 3 tablespoons fresh sage, finely chopped

COOKING 

1. Bring a medium saucepan of lightly salted water to the boil. When boiled, add potato cubes and cook for 10 minutes or until tender. Remove the potatoes from the heat and drain well. Return the potatoes to the pan for thirty seconds over a low heat to dry them out. Remove from the pan and mash well in a large mixing bowl so that no lumps are visible. Add the egg, flour, oil and 1/2 teaspoon sea salt and mix well to form a sticky dough. (The dough should not be so gooey that it sticks to your hands, if this is the case, add slightly more flour. If you are having trouble forming the dough as there is too much flour, add water very sparingly, one splash at a time). 

2. With your hands, make very small oval (egg-like) shapes with the dough and lightly imprint the four tines of the fork into the dough. Repeat until no more dough remains. 

3. Gradually bring a large saucepan of lightly salted water to the boil (you can start gently warming up the water when you are close to finishing the rolling of your gnocchi) and add the gnocchi to the water. Cook for 3 minutes or until all gnocchi pieces have risen to the surface of the water. Drain the gnocchi under water and transfer to six serving bowls. 

4. To make the sage butter sauce - melt the nuttelex in a small to medium frying pan over medium heat. When the nuttelex ceases to foam, add the sage and stir for 2 minutes or until sage is crisp and the nuttelex is golden in colour. Drizzle evenly over each of the 6 servings of gnocchi and add more chopped sage as well if desired. 

Serves / 6

Total Preparation time / 15 minutes 

Total Cooking time / 30 minutes plus time to shape the gnocchi - if it is your first time allow 30 minutes for this. 

x Emily