Sometimes all you need is a bit of green. Would you agree?

After holidaying recently at the beautiful Rainbow Beach with my husbands sister and her super cute family it was great to get back into my little kitchen and food routine. We had a lovely week away and it was fantastic to give the boys (all four of them) some wonderful freedom and space to run amok. The serenity and vastness of the environment lent itself beautifully to their energetic personalities. We feel so lucky to live where we do and have freedom at our fingertips.

I can still see the boys faces beaming with excitement as we pulled off the bitumen in our 4WD and headed up the beach toward our destination. They were in another world. We counted eagles soaring on the thermal currents, dodged jelly fish washed ashore and hung on for our dear life a couple of times. But perhaps the highlight for the boys was feeding dolphins at Tin Can Bay. The boys were  silenced by their serenity. Sealed in our memories forever we can’t wait to do it again.

Rainbow Beach is certainly somewhere I could get to know much better. Luckily it is only a couple of hours from home.

A Very Green Salad

For the Dressing:

1 head of garlic
1/4 cup extra virgin olive oil (cold pressed)
50 ml lemon juice salt and pepper to season

Preheat oven to 200 degrees celcius
Wrap garlic tightly in foil and place on an oven tray
Roast until tender (approx 30 - 35 mins)
When cool enough to handle, squeeze the garlic from skins into a bowl (discard skins)
Whisk in oil and lemon juice Season and set aside

For the Salad:

Sift through your fridge and find anything green - celery, spinach,lettuce, corainder, avocado, sprouts, brussel sprouts, brocolli and chop, chop chop.
Mix through some chickpeas (canned will do if you are short on time) and top with a generous sprinkle of pumpkin seeds or even dukkah would go nicely here.
Load it all into a bowl and dress as you wish.

These little cupcakes constitute what I would regard a worthwhile indulgence and they are both grain and gluten free.


Chocolate Coconut Cupcakes
Adapted from Comfy Belly
Makes 12

Dry Ingredients

1/4 cup coconut flour
1/4 cacao powder
1/4 tsp sea salt
1/4 tsp baking soda
1 Tbs pecan meal

Wet Ingredients

1 Tbs olive oil
3 eggs, lightly beaten
1/4 cup brown rice syrup
+
1/3 cup chocolate (70%), roughly chopped

Preheat oven to 185 degrees celcius
Line a cupcake tray with patty papers
Combine the dry ingredients in a medium size bowl and use a whisk to mix together
In another bowl combine the wet ingredients and whisk together
Mix the dry ingredients into the wet ingredients and mix together with a spatula to combine
Add the chopped chocolate and mix again
Spoon a heaped tablespoon of mixture into each cupcake liner
Bake for 20mins or until a skewer when inserted comes out clean
Remove from the oven and allow to cool on a wire rack

For the Frosting

250 gm block cream cheese, softened
1 heaped Tbs of honey*
Juice of half a lemon

Beat all the ingredients together until combined and smooth
Adjust the sweetness if you wish
Transfer mixture into a piping bag with your chosen nozel and pipe away

* If the frosting seems a little soft then put it in the fridge for a little while to firm up then pipe.

I have had this on my list for some time now.  In fact there is a couple at our local farmers market who make and sell a version which is how I first discovered it.  The fact that it was delicious meant I couldn’t not know how to make this so I started to search the internet where I found quite a few to choose from.  Most of them seemed ok but I decided to go with one created by Robyn from Girl on Raw.  I became familiar with her work a little while ago via one of the Raw Cafes not far from us.  Also the fact that there is also an aussie connection probably swayed me as well.

Some points to note with this tart is that it needs to be sliced whilst frozen and taste as you go to ensure you create something to your palate.  Add more or less sweetener or lime juice as you desire.   The same applies to the dates in the base.  Just make sure it is sticking together nicely.  I also think some dried cranberries or sour cherries would make a nice addition to the base as well.  I garnished the tart with dehydrated limes because I could.  It just added something a little bit extra and I made double the recipe.  It was perfect for a 22cm springform pan.




For the Base

½ cup almonds
½ sunflower seeds
½ cup pumpkin seeds
½ cup shredded coconut
10 pitted fresh dates (judge this as you go as to whether you require more or less)
6 Tbs coconut oil

Place all the ingredients into the bowl of a food processor with the S blade attached and whiz until crumbly and sticky
When happy with the consistency press the mixture into the base of a springform pan that has been lightly oil and lined with a piece of glad wrap
Place in the freezer whilst you attend to the filling

Tart Filling

4 ripe avocados ( i like the hass variety but any would be fine)
2/3 cup freshly squeezed lime juice
4 Tbs agave
4 Tbs coconut oil
1 tsp xantham gum

Place all the ingredients into a blender and whiz and smooth
Adjust the flavours to your palate
Pour the mixture into the springform pan
Place in the freezer until set (this may vary depending on freezer)

To serve:

Remove from the freezer10 mins prior to serving
Use the glad wrap to help with lifting it from the base of the springform tin
Slice using a wet knife

Sorrel Pesto

Makes approx 2/3 cup

1 bag of fresh sorrel

2 garlic cloves, roughly chopped

¼ cup pine nuts

1/3 cup packed coriander leaves

1/3 cup freshly grated romano

¼ cup olive oil

1 tsp honey (optional)

Place all the ingredients except the olive oil in a food processor and blend together

Gradually add the olive oil and continue to blend to a paste or your desired chunkiness

Place in a jar with a tight fitting lid and chill in the fridge where it will last for 1 week.

Za’atar

Fine Cooking

Makes 1/3 cup

3 Tbs Dried Thyme

1 Tbs Lightly Toasted Sesame Seeds

1 Tbs Ground Sumac

½ tsp Dried Oregano

¼ tsp sea salt

Mix all together in a bowl or if you have a spice grinder pulse a few times to break up slightly making sure not to over processs (you should still have some whole seeds in the mix)

Store in an airtight container for up to 6 months.

Roasted Baby Eggplants

10 baby eggplants, cut in half

2 Tbs olive oil

1 Tbs Za’atar

Preheat oven to 185 degrees celcius

Line a baking tray with foil

Prepare eggplants by washing and cutting into half

Place the halved eggplants in a bowl and add 2 tablespoons of olive oil and 1 Tbs Za’atar, tossing well to coat the eggplant.

Place in the oven for approximately 20 mins or until soft and cooked through

** Roasted baby eggplants are super to have on hand for pepping up and adding variety to a salad or even as a side when a quick dinner is called for. 

Since recently attending a cooking class at the Spirithouse I’ve had an asian influenced cooking bug of which this ketchup by Kelly Lord forms part of.  Generally I am very bad at sticking to any recipe however on this occasion i managed to stick to the lines fairly closely which, is possibly a world first for me.  My personal spin on the dish entered when i decided to serve this luscious sauce over  freshly roasted kipfler potatoes which isn't asian but pretty darn good none the less.

Use this sauce as you wish.  For that matter it is great as a sauce for pizza or anywhere else you may use a tomato based sauce (within reason).  Beware it does make quite a large quantity so feel free to halve the recipe below.  I have done this numerous times and it makes approximately 500ml.  A perfect amount if you ask me.

Kelly Lord’s Spiced Tomato Ketchup
Makes - a lot

Step 1

1.5 kgs vine ripened tomatos
1 medium red onion, diced
2 cloves garlic, crushed
2 tspns black peppercorns
2 tspns mustard seeds
2 whole cloves
1/2 stick cinnamon
1 tsp smoked paprika
10 red chillies, deseeded and sliced

Place all the above ingredients into a large stock pot and simmer slowly for 45 mins or until a third of the juices have evaporated.
Stir frequently whilst cooking.
Remove from the heat and allow to cool.
Once cooled, place the tomato mixture in a blender and blend on high for approx 1 minute
Strain the blended mixture through a sieve and into a saucepan, making sure you have extracted as much juice as possible from the pulp.

Step 2

1/3 cup coconut sugar (original recipe calls for brown sugar)
1/3 cup rice wine vinegar
1 lime, juiced
1tsp sea salt

Place the saucepan with sieved ingredients on a medium heat and add the ingredients from Step 2.
Allow to simmer for about 10 - 15 mins.
If you prefer a thinner consistency then only simmer for 5 mins.

Once cooked, allow to cool before placing into a sterilised jar in the fridge for up to 3 weeks.

The mercury is starting to rise and on the weekend we welcomed the return of the juicer from the depths of the cupboard.  It was greeted by two cheering boys, a punnet of strawberries,  fennel and a few other bit and bobs.  I only got a mouthful of this thanks to two greedy boys who decided to help themselves whilst I was photographing but I have managed to make it again since.  I love it with lots of mint and on one occasion I added some lemon but as I always say make it your own - add more strawberries, bump up the apple for extra sweetness or downsize on the mint, if you wish, then savour and enjoy.

Strawberry and Fennel Juice
Serves 2 greedy boys in this instance

1 x 250gm punnet strawberries
1 large apple or 2 smalls
1/3 of a medium size fennel
1/2 lebanese cucumber
1 small zuchinni
a handful of mint leaves

Wash and prepare the above ingredients
 Juice according to your juicers instructions.
Then add some ice cubes for some chill factor.

Perfect!

Well  I can now say “I have tried it ”.  After months of spying this around the traps my intrigue got the better of me and I decided to give it a go.  I tweaked the base to my own liking then topped it with tomato paste, a sprinkle of grated parmesan grilled it and then finished off with a leftover salad.  You of course could could top it whatever you like and cook it as a traditional pizza which i have also done as well.   It was truly tasty but not comparative to my tried and tested whole wheat spelt pizza base that as a family we regularly enjoy on a Friday night at the end of the working week.

Cauliflower Pizza Base
Adapted from Supercharged Food

I small cauliflower riced **
1 cup almond meal
1 egg
zest of a 1/2 lemon
fresh thyme leaves from 3 - 4 sprigs
1/4 - 1/3 cup parmesan (you decide)
sichuan salt and pepper to season or sea salt

Preheat oven to 225 degrees celcius
Place a pizza stone in the oven to preheat as well
In a bowl combine all the ingredients and mix well to combine
Spoon out the mixture on to a sheet of baking paper and using your hands press into a round shape that resembles a pizza base
Place in the oven on the pizza stone and cook for 12 - 15 mins or until well browned
Remove and allow to cool slightly before topping with with whatever you desire before grilling to warm toppings or melt some lovely cheese of your choice....

* to rice cauliflower - place florets of cauliflower in a food processor.  Whiz until finely chopped but not to much as you don’t want to puree it.

If using almond meal is a problem then check out this post which omits it.

Enjoy!