SILVERBEET & CHICKPEAS with TAHINI DRESSING

Janella Purcell’s Wholefood Kitchen is one of my all time favourite cookbooks. It got a little misplaced in our big house move, so I was so happy to dig it up the other day and immediately started tagging away at the recipes I wanted to make. First up is this vegetarian delight Silverbeet & Chickpeas with Tahini Dressing. If you are not a fan of silverbeet or have none on hand, Janella suggests using kale. Purcell writes that this dish has Lebanese origins and is one that she grew up on. The spices & salt really liven up the taste of the silverbeet and chickpeas, so make sure to use them. 

INGREDIENTS

Silverbeet & Chickpeas

• 1 tablespoon coconut oil
• 1 brown onion, finely sliced
• 1 teaspoon ground cumin
• 1 teaspoon ground coriander
• 5 generous handfuls of silverbeet, stems removed, washed & roughly chopped
• 1 x 400g tin chickpeas, washed & drained
• 1/2 teaspoon sea salt

Dressing

• 1/2 cup hulled tahini 
• juice of 1 medium lemon
• 2 garlic cloves, crushed
• sea salt 
• water 

COOKING 

1. Heat a large deep frying pan or saucepan over medium heat and swirl the oil to coat. When the oil is warm add the onion and garlic, stirring frequently until the onion is transparent. Add in the cumin and coriander, adding a few splash of water if the spices stick to the pan. Stir in the spices, then toss the silverbeet into the pan. Toss the silverbeet in with the other ingredients until it is well combined. Place the lid on the pan and cook for 2-3 minutes or until the silverbeet has wilted. Change the stove to low heat, add the chickpeas to the pan and mash a little until the chickpeas are slightly deformed. Remove from heat, add the salt and season to taste. 

2. To make the tahini dressing; first stir the tahini so that the oil no longer separates from the tahini paste. Combine all ingredients except for the water and stir/whisk to combine. Add small splashes of water (or more lemon juice if you like a sour taste) until the dressing is smooth and runny. 

3. To serve; place the silverbeet and chickpeas in a bowl/plate and drizzle the tahini dressing on top. 

Total Preparation time / 12-15 minutes 

Total Cooking time / 15 minutes 

Serves / 4 

x Emily 

THE BEST LATE-NIGHT FOODS TO FEAST ON

  

Ever start craving naughty foods late at night and feel like you simply cannot go to sleep until you consume them? I know this feeling very well and have trained my body to change these habits due to my early morning, late night schedule. Below are some strategies for dealing with these natural cravings for sweet, salty & starchy foods that your body is programmed to desire at night! 

1.  Prepare, Prepare, Prepare

I know that it can be difficult to find time to eat during your busy day, especially if you are relying on a takeaway lunch and vending machine snacks. Get up a few minutes earlier than usual each morning (or stay up a few more minutes at night) to prepare snacks that you think you will need for your working day. Pack leftover dinner, fresh fruit or cut up carrot, celery, zucchini and/or cucumber sticks. One of my favourite snacks at work is a hard boiled egg, as it is a meal in itself. Don't have a fridge at work or travel in your car during the day? Throw some mixed nuts and dried fruit into a small container or make your own goodie balls using these ingredients for a tasty, filling & healthy on-the-go snack. My rule is to always pack more snacks that I think I could ever possibly eat, that way you do not run the risk of running out of food and being tempted to buy crap. You'll also snack a lot during the day, which will decrease your appetite for dinner and late night feasting. And I do not want to hear that you don't have time to prepare snacks; its a poor excuse! I wake up at 4:30am for work every day and usually do not get home from work or finish work until 9pm and I find the time, so you can too! All it requires is an attitude shift and perhaps a 10 minute sacrifice of extra sleep.

2. Eat the majority of your calories before 7pm 

Do you recall this saying; 'Eat breakfast like a king, lunch like a prince and dinner like a pauper'? Truer words were never spoken. Go large at breakfast and lunch. I try to eat my main meal around 12pm every day, as I know that if I eat after 1 or 2pm I will not be touching any more food until at least 7 or 8pm. Fill your body with lots of good, healthy food during the day so when you crash at home at night you are less likely to try to 'catch up with calories' and consume the bulk of your daily kilojoules then. 

3. The later the dinner, the lighter the meal

This is something I struggled with for a long time, as I often do not get home from work until 9pm. What I finally realised was that eating heavy, carbohydrate-rich dinners late at night was not only leading to weight gain, it also meant that I woke up for work the next morning not hungry and skipping breakfast (the most important meal of the day!). As you can see, this can lead to a rather vicious weekly cycle. Nowadays when I get home late at night, I cook up an omelette or a filling, yet light salad. A light piece of fish like salmon or a tin of tuna will also go down nicely after 7pm. This does not mean that I never indulge in pasta or rice or noodles; I just pick my timing and usually eat these meals on the weekend at around 5 or 6pm so they have plenty of time to digest. This also means that I look forward to these meals and think of them as a 'special treat'. 

4. Use your freezer

I'll admit that myself and my fiancé are quite big eaters so we often do not have any of our meals left over to freeze! However, if it was just myself at home I would definitely utilise my freezer as a means to prevent late night dinner blowouts. Freezing a healthy meal you have made yourself is a much better scenario than coming home starving to an empty fridge and reaching for a convenient bag of chips or ordering oily takeaway. Try to cook an extra serving or two of what you make for dinner on Sunday or Monday and you will be set for half of that week. Remember to freeze individual serves so you eat a small portion size and are not tempted to eat more than one serving. 

5. Keep your pantry & fridge well stocked

I may not often follow point 4 above, but I certainly keep my pantry filled to the brim. My pantry looks like I am getting ready to hibernate for winter. I always keep tinned beans, corn & rice crackers, nuts, dried fruit and healthy tinned soups on hand. My fridge is constantly bursting at the seams with eggs, fresh fruit & vegetables, other salad ingredients and leftovers from the day before. I overstock my kitchen with supplies for a few reasons; the most prevalent to this discussion being that I feel very guilty if I have to throw anything away at the end of the week, therefore I am constantly making healthy meals to use up all my produce! 

Emily's 5 top late-night dinners

1. An omelette with fresh tomato, onion & herbs. 

2. A salad with hard-boiled eggs, beans and balsamic vinegar

3. A baked sweet potato stuffed with beans, corn & chicken

4. Lentil salad, featuring brown lentils, diced tomatoes & cucumbers, parsley with a garlic, lemon & lime juice

5. A filling smoothie with a protein supplement 

x Emily 

RAW KEY LIME TARTS

I have to thank social media outlet Instagram for this amazing recipe, as I came across it whilst looking through my feed. Nutrionistinthekitch.com is the author of this recipe and she has an amazing website, with so many healthy, vibrant and inventive dishes listed for all to view. Friday afternoon called for some creative baking and 12 of these little bright green tarts were made in my kitchen. I do not often make raw food (as I overdosed on a raw cheesecake once (I ate too many slices) and was very very ill) however this tart is something special. Do not be scared of the green colour or the amount of avocado in the tart, as the end result tastes fresh and citrusy.

INGREDIENTS

Crust/Base

• coconut oil, for greasing
• 1 cup shredded unsweetened coconut 
• 1 cup walnuts
• heaped 1/2 cup pitted dates (soaked in warm water for 30 minutes)

Filling 

• 2 1/2 avocados
• 1/2 cup fresh lime juice
• 2 teaspoons lime zest
• 1/2 cup honey 
• 2 kiwifruit, skin peeled & thinly sliced, to garnish

PREPARATION / COOKING (of some description!)

1. Lightly grease a 12 cup muffin tin with coconut oil. 

2. Combine the coconut and walnuts in a food processor and blend until coarse. Add the dates and process until the mixture starts to stick together. You may need to add a splash of water or two to get the mixture to this point. Place 1 1/2 tablespoons of the date, walnut & coconut mixture into the bottom of each muffin cup and press down gently, so that the mixture fills 1/3 of the hole. 

3. Place all the filling ingredients into the food processor and process until smooth. Spoon a large tablespoon of the filling into each muffin cup and smooth the top with a spoon. Place a fresh slice of kiwi fruit on top of each tart. 

4. Freeze for 60 minutes / 1 hour to set. Continue to leave in the freezer and remove a few minutes before eating by placing the tart at room temperature. 

Serves / 12

Total Preparation time / 

Serving size / 1 tart = 192 calories 

x Emily 

SWEET POTATO & COCONUT 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 ½ a 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 brown rice 
• 2 tablespoons coconut oil 
• 3 spring onions, finely chopped
• 3 large garlic cloves, finely chopped / crushed
• 700g sweet potato, peeled & chopped into even cubes
• 1 teaspoon ground coriander
• 1 teaspoon ground turmeric
• 1/2 teaspoon ground garam masala 
• 2 cups Massel vegetable stock (or 2 cups water)
• 325 - 400ml light coconut milk
• 1 head of broccoli, florets cut evenly and stalk roughly chopped
• extra chopped spring onions & coriander leaves, to serve 

COOKING

1. Place the rice in a saucepan with 2 cups of water and a generous pinch of sea salt. Cover and bring to the boil over high heat, then simmer when boiled for 20 - 25 minutes or until the rice is cooked and the water is absorbed. Remove from heat. 

2. Whilst the rice 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 spring onions and garlic and stir, cooking for 2 minutes or until the spring onions begin to wilt slightly. 

3. Add the sweet potato and stir to coat in with the oil, onion and garlic. Add the ground coriander, ground turmeric and ground garam masala to the pan and stir vigorously to combine so the spices do not stick to the pan. 

4. Pour in the stock and coconut milk and bring to the boil. Simmer, covered for 4 - 5 minutes, then add in the chopped broccoli 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 brown rice, topped with chopped spring onions and coriander leaves. 

Serves / 4 - 6

Total Preparation time / 15 minutes 

Total Cooking time / 30 minutes (including cooking the brown rice)

x Emily