VEGETABLE & TURKEY BAKED CASSEROLE

This recipe is loosely adapted from the Breakfast Casserole recipe in the 'I Quit Sugar' cookbook by Sarah Wilson. Whilst I could happily consume this casserole for breakfast, it only saw lunch and dinner at my house. I love this recipe because it is so easy; I just stuck it in the oven for 45 minutes and went for a run whilst it was baking. There are a fair few ingredients in this casserole, however I encourage you to substitute the ingredients that you do not have available to you in your kitchen for ones you have on hand. For example, if you do not have turkey fillets, use chicken breast instead. If you do not have fresh chives or spring onions, use what you do have on hand, such as fresh parsley or even dried herbs will work. Regular potato will work in place of sweet potato and zucchini can be substituted for carrot. If you are not lactose-free like myself, add some real cheese on top! 

Ingredients

• 500g sweet potato, peeled & grated
• 250g zucchini, cut into small cubes
• 1 broccoli head, cut into small florets & stalk roughly chopped
• 500g turkey fillet, cut into small even pieces 
• 3 spring onions, finely chopped
• 3 tablespoons fresh chives, finely chopped
• 2 teaspoons mustard powder
• a generous pinch of salt & pepper
• coconut oil spray 
• 10 eggs, preferably free-range 
• Optional- small handful of grated lactose-free or other cheese

Cooking 

1. Preheat a fan-force oven to 190 degrees celsius and lightly grease a ceramic or glass baking dish with coconut oil spray.

2. Spray a medium frying pan with coconut oil and heat over medium heat. Add the turkey to the pan and just cook until white / par cooked.  

3. Combine all the ingredients except for the oil, eggs and cheese in a large bowl and mix well. 

4. Whisk the eggs and 1/3 cup of water in a separate bowl or jug. 

5. Place the combined ingredients into the prepared dish, taking care to spread out the vegetables evenly. Carefully pour the egg mixture on top of the vegetables until covered. Sprinkle the cheese on top if using. 

6. Bake in the oven for 45 minutes. Let the casserole stand for 5 minutes so that it sets before you start serving. 

Serves / 4 

Total Preparation time / 

Total Cooking time / 60 minutes (including cooling time)

x Emily 

POWER PACKED SWEET POTATO SALAD

This isn't so much of a salad as a kind of boiled, washed and toasted mixup of sweet potato, baby spinach, avocado, sunflower seeds, pepitas, coconut and nuts. However, if I made that the title of this meal I'm sure you wouldn't still be reading! This is my new favourite lunch to make; it fills me up, gets my daily vegetable intake soaring and gives me ample amounts of energy to tackle the rest of my day. I love it so much I've made it several times in the past two weeks, even though its been as humid as hell in my non a/c kitchen. What I especially love about this meal is that you can substitute any ingredients that you have on hand. One day I toasted chopped walnuts instead of pine nuts, another day I used fresh chives and basil in the place of parsley. And not being an avid measurer in the kitchen, I love the fact that I can place 'a handful' of most of the ingredients into this salad and have the dish still taste delicious! 

Ingredients

Salad

• 200g sweet potato, weighed after being peeled & cut into small, even pieces
• a handful of pepitas (pumpkin seeds)
• a handful of sunflower seeds
• a handful of almonds/walnuts, roughly chopped
• a handful of roughly shredded coconut 
• a handful of pine nuts 
• large handful of baby spinach
• 3 tablespoons of fresh parsley/chives/basil, finely chopped

Avocado paste/dressing

• 1/2 a large or 1 small avocado
• juice of 1 lime
• 1 garlic clove, finely chopped/crushed
• salt & pepper
• water

Cooking 

1. Place the sweet potato in a small to medium saucepan with enough water to cover the potato. Bring to a boil, then simmer over low heat for 6 -7 minutes or until the potato is tender but not mushy. Remove from heat and drain in cold water. 

2. Whilst the potato is cooking, place the pepitas, sunflower seeds, nuts and coconut in a small to medium frypan over low heat. Stir often, toasting the ingredients until fragrant and/or until the coconut pieces begin to brown. Turn off the heat and leave to sit for a little longer on the stove, as the ingredients will continue to toast. 

3. Make the avocado dressing by combining all the ingredients in a small bowl. Mash the avocado until smooth and add a splash of water at a time to get the dressing to your desired consistency. (I like my dressing to be like a paste; you may prefer yours runnier). 

4. Combine the cooked sweet potato, toasted nuts, baby spinach and herbs in a medium serving bowl. Add the avocado paste/dressing and extra salt & pepper if desired. Serve warm. 

Serves / 1 

Total Preparation time / 10 minutes 

Total Cooking time / 15 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 

FRUIT ICEBLOCKS

What better than another popsicle/ice block recipe to celebrate the very first day of summer in Australia?! Regardless of the fact that Queensland has been feeling the summer heat for the past two months, I except this December, January and February to be absolute scorchers! And what better way to cool down than with a refreshing, guilt-free fruit ice block? Besides jumping in the pool that is;) Below are my four favourite fruit iceblock recipes! I encourage you to get creative and blend whatever fruit you have in the fridge with some no sugar coconut water for a low calorie treat! 

Mango Coconut 

Ingredients

• 200g fresh or frozen mango 
• 2 tablespoons shredded coconut 
• 1 cup (250ml) unsweetened almond milk / coconut milk / whatever milk you wish
• 1/2 cup water 
• 6 popsicle/ice block moulds

Method

1. Place the mango, coconut, milk and water in a blender and blend until smooth. 

2. Pour the mango mixture evenly between the 6 moulds.

3. Freeze for a few hours (minimum of 4) before serving. To remove the popsicle from its mould, run under boiling hot water for a few seconds. 

Makes / 6 iceblocks 

Watermelon & Kiwifruit 

Ingredients

• 200g fresh or frozen watermelon, no black seeds
• the flesh of 2 medium kiwifruit or 100g 
• 1 cup coconut water 
• 6 popsicle/ice block moulds 

Method 

1. Combine the watermelon, kiwi and coconut water in a blender and blend until smooth. 

2. Pour the mixture evenly between the 6 moulds. 

3. Freeze for a few hours (minimum of 4) before serving. To remove the popsicle from its mould, run under boiling hot water for a few seconds. 

Makes / 6 iceblocks 

Tropical

Ingredients

• 150g fresh or frozen mango 
• 150g fresh or frozen pineapple
• 1 frozen banana
• 1 1/2 cups no sugar coconut water 
• 6-7 popsicle/ice block moulds 

Method 

1. Combine the mango, pineapple, banana and coconut water in a blender and blend until smooth. 

2. Pour the mango mixture evenly between the 6 moulds. This recipe fills a little more than 6 moulds; if you do not have any more iceblock moulds you can freeze it in a small bowl. 

3. Freeze for a few hours (minimum of 4) before serving. To remove the popsicle from its mould, run under boiling hot water for a few seconds. 

Makes / 6-7 iceblocks 

Raspberry & Rockmelon

Ingredients 

• 100g raspberries, fresh or frozen 
• 200g rockmelon pieces, fresh or frozen 
• 1 cup coconut water 

Method

1. Combine the raspberries, rockmelon and coconut water in a blender and blend until smooth. 

2. Pour the mixture evenly between the 6 moulds. This recipe fills a little more than 6 moulds; if you do not have any more iceblock moulds you can freeze it in a small bowl. 

3. Freeze for a few hours (minimum of 4) before serving. To remove the popsicle from its mould, run under boiling hot water for a few seconds. 

Makes 6 / 7 iceblocks 

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 

MEDITERRANEAN SUMMER PASTA

I really love pasta, however for many years I used to consume a massive amount in one sitting (I'm talking almost a whole 500g package cooked!). Over recent years and particularly in the last few months my relationship with food and portion control has changed greatly. I have learnt that I do not have to completely avoid certain foods, such as pasta, but instead I have to cook a lot less and relish every single bite. Hence pasta has been allowed back into the house (the gluten-free variety) and my waistline and mental battles with food are becoming quite miniscule. 'Mediterranean summer pasta' is a very loose term for this meal, as I have gone for simple, fresh, available ingredients found in my kitchen and have avoided olives, red onion and cheese (due to Chris and my allergies and likes & dislikes). I urge you to make this pasta your own with what you have in your fridge. 

Ingredients

• 150g gluten-free pasta
• coconut oil spray
• 2 garlic cloves, finely chopped
• 2 spring onions, finely chopped
• 150g zucchini, chopped into small even pieces
• 100g green capsicum, deseeded & chopped into small even pieces
• 1 large handful baby spinach
• 55g ready to eat calamari, roughly chopped
• 200g tomatoes, finely chopped
• 3 tablespoons fresh chives and/or parsley and/or basil, finely chopped
• 1 tablespoon good quality olive oil 
• salt & pepper

Cooking 

1. Bring a medium saucepan of water to boil over high heat. Once boiled, add the pasta and cook for 7-8 minutes or until the pasta is just tender. Remove from heat and drain, reversing 1/2 cup of the pasta liquid. 

2. Spray a large, deep frypan with coconut oil and warm over medium-low heat. Add the garlic and spring onions and cook, stirring frequently, for 2 minutes or until the garlic and onion is soft but not burnt. Pour in the reserved pasta liquid and add the zucchini and capsicum. Cook for 5 minutes, covered, over medium heat or until the vegetables are tender. 

3. Remove the lid from the pan, add the baby spinach and cover again for one minute or until the spinach has wilted. Remove the pan from the stove and add the calamari, tomatoes, herbs, olive oil and a generous pinch of salt & pepper. Toss well to combine and divide into two bowls to serve. 

Serves  / two

Total Preparation time / 10 minutes 

Total Cooking time / approx. 20 minutes 

x Emily 

SALT & PEPPER TURKEY QUINOA SALAD

Recipes come from the oddest places, if you keep your eyes and mind open. I was relaxing on the beach this Saturday after a brutal but rewarding week of work and renovating and stumbled upon this summery recipe. Where did I find it, you may ask? To answer this question you need to understand one thing about me. I hardly ever read gossip websites, I never watch reality tv shows (unless they are renovation or food related!) and I am about 5-10 years behind which celebrity is dating whom. That being said, when I am truly in need of relaxing, I buy a gossip magazine (usually Who or OK) and sit alone on the beach reading it cover to cover. Call it an indulgence, a guilty pleasure, whatever you wish. I cherish this time of escapism. And in this pages of Who's most recent addition was one recipe, which turned out to be delicious, packed with protein and healthy. 

Ingredients

Salad

• 1/2 cup quinoa, rinsed and drained twice
• salt & pepper 
• 400g turkey fillets, cut into 2 even portions
• 1 tablespoons coconut oil 
• 2 large handfuls of kale, shredded 
• 1/4 large iceberg lettuce,  shredded
• 200g green beans, trimmed & cut into small pieces
• 1 pink lady apple, thinly sliced
• Optional - 1/2 cup fresh herbs, such as parsley, mint and/or coriander 

Dressing

• the jest & juice of 1 large lemon
• 2 tablespoons olive oil
• 1 large garlic clove, finely chopped or crushed
• 1/4-1/2 teaspoon dried chilli flakes

Cooking 

1. In a saucepan cover the quinoa with 1 1/2 cups of water and bring to a boil over medium heat. Reduce to a simmer and cook for 15 minutes or until the water is almost all absorbed. Add the kale to the pan and cover, cooking for a further 2 minutes. Remove the quinoa & kale from the stove and rinse well with cold water, then drain and set aside. 

2. Whilst the quinoa is cooking, prepare the turkey by massaging a small amount of salt and pepper into each fillet. 

3. In a medium frypan heat the coconut oil over medium heat. Add the fillets and cook for 2 minutes each side, then add 1/3 cup of water, cover with a lid, turn the heat down to low and cook for 5 minutes. After this time, turn off the heat and keep covered for 5 minutes. 

4. Meanwhile, make the dressing by combining all ingredients in a small bowl and whisking well to combine. Season to taste and a splash of water at a time if the dressing seems too thick. 

5. Slice the cooked turkey into thin strips. Place the quinoa and kale in a large serving bowl, then top with the shredded lettuce, beans, apple slices and herbs, if using. Drizzle the dressing over the top and toss well to combine. 

Serves / 4 

Total Preparation time / 10 minutes 

Total Cooking time / 25 minutes 

x Emily