1 large ripe avocado (you know it’s
ripe when the stalk falls off easily)
1 red chilli finely chopped (optional)
1 small garlic (optional)
1 small tomato finely chopped
1 small shallot finely chopped
Few sprigs of coriander leaves
chopped
½ a large lime
½ teaspoon hot sauce
Salt to taste
Method
Cut the avocado in half and scoop
out the flesh into a bowl. Using a fork, mash it so there are a few small
chunks here and there. Add the remaining ingredients and give it a mix. Serve
as a dip or relish for burgers or potato wedges.
Peel and slice the onions as
thinly as you can. Sprinkle and mix the salt and sugar. Place in a jar and pour
in the apple cider vinegar and water. Mix or shake jar and allow to rest
fifteen minutes before serving. Will keep in refrigerator for up to a week. Use
for burgers or in tacos as a topping.
750 grams potatoes washed (Agria
or Red Desiree potatoes)
4 teaspoons vegetable oil like
canola
1 teaspoon smoked paprika
½ teaspoon chilli powder or
ground cayenne
½ teaspoon hot chilli flakes
½ teaspoon dried oregano
½ teaspoon mild paprika
Salt and pepper to taste
Preheat your oven to 220 degrees
Celsius.
Dry the washed potatoes
thoroughly. No need to peel. Cut to make about 8 wedges from each potato (depends
on how thick your potatoes are). Place the wedges in a large mixing bowl. Mix all
the spice powders in a separate small bowl and sprinkle on the wedges tossing
them as you go along. Then drizzle the oil and toss to ensure all wedges have a
bit of the spice mixture and the oil. Lay them out on a large shallow baking
tray. Place on top shelf for 40 minutes turning them once or twice during
cooking. Serve hot.
This is a very colourful and scrumptious salad that can be served on its own, or as a side dish to quesadillas or tacos. Poached chicken is optional.
For the Salad:
¼ small red cabbage
¼ small green cabbage
1 large carrot
3 or 4 pink table radishes
2 sticks celery, peeled and
sliced
3 or 4 spring onions sliced
Handful of parsley roughly
chopped
Handful of mint leaves sliced
½ cup sunflower seeds toasted
(optional)
For the dressing:
4 tablespoons tahini
4 tablespoons apple cider vinegar
2 tablespoons lemon juice
2 tablespoons liquid honey
2 teaspoons salt
Freshly ground pepper
For poached chicken (you will
need an instant read thermometer)
400 grams chicken breasts
2 -3 pods of garlic
1 teaspoon pepper corns
1 teaspoon Worcestershire sauce
1 sprig of coriander or parsley
stalk
If using poached chicken, prepare
this first so chicken has time to cool. Place chicken in a deep sauce pan. Add
enough cold water so the chicken is at least submerged 5 centimetres deep. Add
the remaining ingredients. Put the sauce pan on gentle heat and check
temperature has reached to 65 degrees Celsius at the thickest part of the
breast. This normally should take about 10 -12 minutes depending on the size of
pan and amount of water. Once the desired temperature has reached, remove
chicken breasts and let cool completely on a plate before slicing on a diagonal.
Prepare the salad by finely
slicing the cabbages and julienning the carrot and radish. I normally use a
mandolin for this. Mix all the prepared salad vegetables and set aside in a
large bowl as it yields about 12 cups or so. You can add the parsley and mint
after dressing the salad.
For the dressing, mix all the
dressing ingredients until well combined. Taste and adjust seasoning to your
preference. Set aside.
Mix the dressing a little at a
time with the salad vegetables and chicken if using (I normally take out enough
for one time use and store the remaining vegetables in the refrigerator). Once
the dressing is mixed in, I stir in the herbs and garnish with the toasted
sunflower seeds on top.
1 x 400 grams tin of chick peas
drained and rinsed
1 red onion sliced
½ head cauliflower washed and cut
into florets
Juice of one lime
Curry Paste
4 tablespoons peanut butter
2 cloves garlic minced
1 tablespoon minced ginger
1 tablespoon tomato paste
2 tablespoons light soy sauce
1 teaspoon fish sauce
1 red chilli finely chopped
To Serve:
3 tablespoons coriander leaves
35 grams toasted peanuts and
sesame seeds
1 lemon cut into wedges
Silverbeet Rice:
4 silverbeet leaves washed and finely
chopped removing the rib
4-5 spring onions finely chopped
2 cups Basmati rice rinsed
30 grams butter or ghee
1 teaspoon cumin seeds
2 x 5 centimetre cinnamon pieces
Salt to taste
For the curry:
Mix all ingredients for curry
paste and set aside. You can thin by adding a couple of tablespoons of warm
water.
Heat oil in a sauce pan. Fry
pumpkin cubes, then add the lentils. Add a cup of water and after ten minutes,
add sliced onion, chick peas and cauliflower florets. Increase heat, add the curry
paste and coconut milk. Stir to combine and check amount of liquid – add more
if necessary. Bring to the boil, reduce heat and cook for 15 -20 minutes making
sure all vegetables are cooked to your liking. Finish off by adjusting seasoning.
Serve immediately with the toppings or the silverbeet rice.
Silverbeet rice:
Heat half the butter (15 grams)
in a large fry pan with a lid. When the butter is starting to froth, add the
chopped silverbeet. Increase heat, add a half teaspoon salt and fry until the
silverbeet is nicely wilted and partially cooked. Remove and set aside. Heat
the remaining butter in the same pan. When frothing, add the cinnamon stick and
cumin seeds. After frying about 20 seconds, add the rice and continue to fry so
the rice is toasted (maybe about a minute or so). Add half a teaspoon salt and
about three and three quarters cups of cold water. Stir, increase heat and cover
with lid. Let it come up to the boil, reduce heat and cook without stirring for
15 minutes. Mix in the silverbeet, cover and let cook for a further minute.
Once rice has blossomed and is cooked, stir in the spring onion and serve with
the pumpkin and peanut curry.
1 large broccoli washed and
trimmed into florets (the stems are sweet and tasty, just peel lightly)
For the Miso dressing
3 tablespoons lemon juice
1 tablespoon white miso paste
1 small garlic grated
2 teaspoons grated ginger
1 teaspoon sesame oil
¼ cup vegetable oil like canola
Salt and pepper to taste
Put the broccoli florets into a
microwave safe bowl and microwave for 6 minutes or less if you prefer the
pieces crunchy, taking out after three minutes and giving the broccoli pieces a
shuffle. Drain any liquid and set aside to cool.
Prepare the dressing in a large
bowl by mixing the ingredients together. Taste and adjust seasoning as desired.
When the broccoli is warm to touch, pour in the dressing and mix well. Serve at
room temperature. Serves four.
Put all ingredients in a large
bowl and mix well. Taste and adjust seasoning as desired. Refrigerate for at
least an hour and take out one hour before serving. Great with Cos lettuce or
microwaved broccoli.
1 x 400g tin of plum tomatoes mashed
up using your hand
5 plump garlic peeled and sliced
5 tablespoons extra virgin olive
oil
½ teaspoon chilli flakes
1 tablespoon plain flour
8-10 basil leaves
12 pitted black olives and
roughly sliced
Salt and pepper to taste
Pinch of sugar
Creamy Polenta:
400 grams Instant Polenta
40 grams butter cubed
30 grams freshly Microplaned
Parmesan cheese
Salt to taste
Cook the ragu first. Cube the eggplant
(no need to peel). Sprinkle salt generously on the eggplant and let sit in a
colander for at least an hour. Squeeze out all the water and dust pieces with
the flour. Heat the olive oil in a deep enough sauce pan (one that you would use
to make the sauce / ragu in) and fry the eggplant pieces in batches. Set aside.
Once all the eggplant is fried, add the garlic to the oil taking care not to burn
the garlic pieces. Once garlic gets a bit of colour and the fragrance is
evident, add the tomatoes, chilli flakes, olives and some of the basil leaves
saving a few for garnish. Add salt (may not need much as you have salted the eggplant),
pepper and pinch of sugar. Stir to combine and let it come up to the boil. Mix
in the eggplant pieces and cook for a further 15-20 minutes. The sauce should
be rich and thick. Adjust seasoning if necessary. Serve with creamy polenta or
pasta.
Creamy polenta
Cook the polenta as per the
instructions on the packet. Once cooked, stir in the butter mixing to avoid
lumps. It should look smooth and creamy. Then stir in the microplaned parmesan.
Taste and adjust salt according to your taste. Serve hot immediately.
This is a traditional South
Indian (very popular in Andhra and Telangana) breakfast item. I have modified
it and use bulgur instead of semolina.
Ingredients:
1 onion diced into 1 centimetre
piece
1 large carrot diced into 1
centimetre piece
1 large potato diced into 1
centimetre piece
1 cup frozen peas
1.5 cups of bulgur
1 thumb size ginger finely
chopped
1 – 2 green chillies (deseeded if
you don’t want the heat) finely chopped
2 -3 sprigs of curry leaves
washed
½ cup of cashew pieces roasted
3 tablespoons vegetable oil like
canola
1 teaspoon black mustard seeds
1-2 dried red chilli cut into
couple of pieces each
3 cups water from the kettle
2 teaspoons salt
½ large lemon or lime for serving
Method:
Heat oil in a large fry pan or saute pan (kadai). Add the mustard seeds and dried red chillies – you need to wait until mustard seeds sputter (about a minute or so – if you don’t allow the mustard seeds to sputter, they will be bitter). Then add the curry leaves. When you can smell the curry leaves frying add the onion. Allow the onions to fry, then add the green chilli and ginger. After thirty seconds, add the carrots, potatoes and peas along with the salt. Once the vegetables are all mixed in, add the water. Allow the vegetables to cook for about 5 minutes, add the bulgur in a steady stream mixing continuously so as no lumps are formed. Once all bulgur is incorporated, reduce heat to lowest setting and allow to cook for a further 5 minutes. Adjust seasoning if needed. Serve with a squeeze of lemon or lime along with the cashew pieces on top. Serves four.
Notes: You can add other
vegetables like cauliflower, green pepper and or tomato.
