DATE, OAT & ORANGE GRANOLA

There's usually not much variety in my breakfasts, as I rush out of the house most mornings at 4:45am and need to grab something really quickly from my kitchen. I've been experimenting with making my own granola and muesli recently on Sundays and here is my latest creation. I am what some would call seriously obsessed with Medjool dates and have recently been using them in most sweet creations. If you keep the quantity of fresh dates that you use low, you will keep the calorie count and the sugar content minimal. I love added quinoa flakes to granola & muesli, as well as buckwheat (which has no traces of wheat in it), chopped nuts and oats (which you can buy gluten-free if you have an intolerance). The orange zest and orange juice adds a beautiful flavour to this simple granola. Serve with a generous dollop of natural yoghurt or with 1/4- 1/3 cup of the milk of your choice. 

Ingredients

• 150g fresh Medjool dates, pitted & roughly chopped
• 2 1/2 cups rolled oats (225g)
• 45g raw buckwheat
• 50g quinoa flakes
• 1 tablespoon maple syrup
• 15g chia seeds
• 50g cashews, roughly chopped
• 2 tablespoons orange zest, finely grated 
• the juice of 1 medium orange (around 70ml)

Cooking 

1. Preheat a fan-force oven to 150 degrees celsius, then line a large baking tray with baking paper. 

2. Combine all of the ingredients together in a large bowl, stirring well. 

3. Spread the granola in a single layer on the prepared tray. Bake for 10 minutes in the oven, then remove and stir well, returning the granola to a single layer. Continue to bake for around 20 minutes, or until the granola is a light golden brown, repeating this stirring process every 5 minutes. Remove from the oven and set aside to cool completely. 

Store in an airtight container for up to 2 weeks. Serve topped with 1/4-1/3 cup almond, rice, oat milk. 

Makes / 8 servings
Total Preparation time / 20 minutes 
Total Cooking time / 30 minutes plus cooling time 
Approx calories / 263 per serving 

x Emily 

BUCKWHEAT NOODLES with CHINESE CABBAGE, EGGPLANT & EDAMAME

This noodle dish was adapted from another amazing salad recipe from the Arthur Street Kitchen cookbook. We have been feeling a little under the weather in my household and as soon as this happens I know that we need to up the vegetable intake fast. Hence this weeks' recipes will be packed with nutrients and vitamins and will be very colourful. The reason for the strange edamame quantity of 227g is because they come in a 454gram frozen packet from all major supermarkets and Asian grocery stores, hence this recipe calls for half a packet. Make sure to thaw and pod the edamame yourself before adding it to the pan (and if you have never podded edamame before it is an oddly satisfying experience!). I tried to make this recipe as simple as I could using less ingredients, however you could certainly add ginger, garlic and chilli when you fry the spring onion for added nutrients and flavour. Buckwheat noodles are a favourite of mine, due to having no gluten, however you could also use soba, ramen or udon noodles.

INGREDIENTS

• 1 large eggplant (400-500g), cut into even 2-3cm pieces 
• 1 heaped teaspoon ground sumac 
• 1 teaspoon olive oil
• 250g buckwheat noodles 
• 1 teaspoon sesame oil
• 2 spring onions, finely chopped, plus extra to garnish
• 1 Chinese cabbage, washed & base chopped off 
• 227g frozen edamame beans, thawed & podded
• 2 tablespoons sweet chilli sauce 
• 2 tablespoons oyster sauce
• the juice of 1 ripe lime
• 1 tablespoon black sesame seeds 
• 1 tablespoon white sesame seeds 

COOKING 

1. Preheat a fan-forced oven to 200 degrees celsius. Line a large baking tray with baking paper. Toss the eggplant pieces, sumac, olive oil and a pinch of sea salt & black pepper in a large bowl, then place in a single layer on the prepared tray. Roast in the oven for 25 minutes or until eggplant is tender. 

2. Meanwhile, bring a medium pot of salted water to the boil. Cook the buckwheat noodles for 3 minutes over high heat, stirring often. Remove from heat and place in a colander, rinsing with cold water and draining. 

3. Heat the sesame oil in a large frying pan over medium heat. Add the spring onions to the pan and cook, stirring for 1 minute. Add the Chinese cabbage and stir until it has just wilted. Add the sweet chilli sauce, oyster sauce and lime juice to the pan and continue to stir until all ingredients are combined. Add the edamame and stir-fry for 1 minute, stirring. 

4. In a large bowl, toss the cooked noodles with the roasted eggplant and Chinese cabbage & edamame. Sprinkle the sesame seeds on top and garnish with extra spring onions. 

Serves / 4

Total Preparation time / 15-20 minutes 

Total Cooking time / 30-35 minutes 

x Emily