Kale Chips

Without any doubt, kale chips are my absolute favourite snack. They are super healthy and so incredibly delicious that I never seem to be able to make enough. The good news is that they are also extremely simple to prepare.

What you will need:

• Kale
• Olive oil
• Salt

What you need to do:

1.  Pre-heat the oven to 160 degrees Celsius.

2. Rinse off the kale leaves and pat them dry with a tea towel.

3. Tear the kale into smallish pieces and place on a baking tray,

4. Pour over some olive oil and add a sprinkle of salt.

5. Use your hands to massage the oil and salt through the kale, making sure each piece is well coated.

6. Place in the oven to cook. Cooking times vary and you need to keep a very close eye on your kale as it can very quickly burn. Usually 10 to 15 minutes is all it takes. I usually take it out two or three times to mix and turn as necessary.

7. When the kale is crisp, but still quite green, remove from the oven and eat immediately.

Chocolate Chia Pudding

This recipe may be the simplest and healthiest dessert I have ever made. For anyone who is dairy free or vegan, it is always exciting to discover a delicious and creamy dessert. Chia seeds have a long list of health benefits and are high in fibre, protein and omega-3 fatty acids. As a result, this dessert is so nutritious you can eat if for breakfast.

The secret to a thick and creamy pudding is to use a canned coconut milk rather than the coconut milk now sold in cartons, which is much more watery. It will still work with any dairy free milk, but will be less creamy and far runnier than this version.

What you will need:

1 400ml can of coconut milk (organic if possible)
2 tablespoons of maple syrup
3 tablespoons of raw organic cacao powder
4 tablespoons of white chia seeds
  
What you need to do:

1. Push cacao powder through a sieve to make sure there are no lumps. Add the coconut milk and maple syrup and whisk until combined.

2. Add the chia seeds and stir well. Leave to sit for about 15 minutes.

3. Stir again to mix the seeds through. They will have started to absorb the liquid and swell. Cover and refrigerate overnight, or at least for several hours.

White Chia Seeds

Lebanese Style Spinach and Lentil Soup

This delicious soup is simple to prepare and packed with nutritious ingredients. It is the perfect soup if you need to build up your iron levels. Both lentils and green veggies are high in iron, and the lemon juice will help with absorption.  This soup is wonderful all year round, but is especially good as the nights begin to cool down.

What you will need:

• Olive oil
• 2 medium brown onions
• 2 cups of green or brown lentils
• 2 litres of water
• 2 litres of vegetable or chicken stock
• 1 tablespoon of cumin
• 1 cinnamon stick
• 2 cloves of garlic, crushed
• A large bunch of Swiss chard OR English spinach OR kale
• Juice of half a lemon
• Coriander or mint, or a combination of both.

What you need to do:

1.  Roughly chop the brown onions and cook over a low heat for about 5 minutes.

2.  Add the crushed garlic and stir quickly, add the cumin and cinnamon stick and stir for about 30 seconds.

3.  Add the rinsed and drained lentils and mix well before adding the stock and water.

4.  Bring soup to the boil and then reduce heat. Simmer, covered, for about 30 to 40 minutes until the lentils are tender but still firm.

5.  Rinse the chard or spinach and chop into 1 cm strips and then add to the soup. Simmer gently for a further 5 minutes if using spinach, 10 minutes if using chard or 15 minutes if using kale.

6.  Add lemon juice and chopped herbs. Season to taste.

Cauliflower Soup

I love this recipe because it is so simply, and also so delicious.  Cauliflower can be very inexpensive when in season and so often I'll buy two, one to eat during the week and the other I turn straight into this wonderful soup.

What you will need:

1 medium to large head of cauliflower (at least 750 grams)
1 - 2 tablespoons of olive oil
3 cups of chicken or vegetable stock (if cauliflower is bigger, just add another 1/2 to 1 cup of stock)
salt and pepper to taste

What you need to do:

1. Cut the cauliflower into small florets.

2. Heat the olive oil in a large stock pot. Add the cauliflower and stir for about 3 - 5 minutes, until the cauliflower has just started to soften and turn golden-brown.

3.  Add the stock to the pot. Simmer, covered, for about 15 minutes until the cauliflower is tender.

4.  Use a stick blender to process until smooth.  Add salt and pepper to taste.  (You can use a food processor by transferring the soup in batches and then returning to the pot).

5.  Serve with freshly ground black pepper.  If you eat dairy products, you can also grate some fresh parmesan cheese on top.

Kale and Brown Rice

This really isn't a recipe at all but rather, it's a quick showcase of my favourite comfort foods, brown rice and kale.  My husband jokes that I have the most boring taste and after 17 years together still can't understand how I can be content to eat plain boiled brown rice.  He was the one who first named it my 'comfort food'.  When I was in my early 20s and saving up for my first overseas trip, I at brown rice for lunch every day while my workmates feasted on an array of delights from the nearby food court.  The rice served me well and I was soon jetting off to the UK while my colleagues were still stuck in their cubicles, albeit with tasty lunches.  It was many years later that I discovered kale and thankfully it is now readily available in supermarkets here.  How I lived without it so long I don't know.

Often, for a quick lunch, I'll serve brown rice with sautéed kale.  My girls and I absolutely love it.  A quick 'recipe' follows.

What you will need:

• 1 to 1 1/2 cups of brown rice
• lots of fresh kale
• small clove of garlic (I often use just half)
• 1 tsp chilli in soy bean oil (from Chinese supermarkets, not spicy at all)
• Peanut oil
• about a tablespoon of good quality gluten free oyster sauce

What you need to do:

1.  Put the brown rice on to boil, usually takes about 25 to 30 minutes.

2.  Meanwhile, wash the kale, remove from stems and chop roughly.

3.  When the rice is about 5 minutes from being ready, heat the peanut oil in a wok.

4.  Add the garlic and chilli in soy bean oil and stir quickly.

5.  Add the kale and mix well, stirring constantly.  Add a little water and cover to steam.  Cook until the kale softens, but is still green.

6.  Add the oyster sauce and mix well.  Cover and let sit while you drain the rice.

7.  Serve the rice and kale side by side.  If you want to really go wild, sprinkle with toasted sesame seeds for a taste sensation.

Dad's Super Gluten Free Pancakes

Pancakes are a favourite breakfast/brunch in our home and for years my husband has been working to perfect a healthy gluten and dairy free version for the girls and I.  He has finally happy with his mix and has agreed to let me share his recipe at last.

What you will need:

• 2 cups of gluten free flour (see note below for options)
• 2 tsp baking powder
• 1/4 tsp bi-carb soda
• 2 eggs, separated
• 2 tbsp golden syrup
• 2 tbsp rice bran or vegetable oil
• 2 cups non-dairy milk (we use soy)
• pinch of salt

A note about the gluten free flour mix:

When it comes to gluten free flours there are a huge array of possibilities, with greatly varying results. The standard supermarket bought flour mixes are predominantly starch with little, if any, nutritional value. Our aim has been to use a mix of flours that give a finished product that is light, delicious and highly nutritious. Here are a few possibilities you can try:

Flour option 1 - one cup of a starchy type of GF flour like a commercial blend or tapioca, and one cup of a more nutritious flour like sweet sorghum.

Flour option 2 - 3/4 cup of starchy GF flour, 1/4 cup brown rice flour, 1/4 cup sweet sorghum flour and 1/8 cup of high protein GF flour like quinoa or teff.

Flour option 3 - the Superfoods option, and the one we use for best results - 1/2 cup starchy GF flour (commercial or tapioca), 1/2 cup sweet sorghum flour, 1/3 cup brown rice flour, 1/3 cup quinoa flour, 1/3 cup teff flour.

You can play around with the flour mix as long as you end up with 2 cups of flour. 

Gluten free flours are now readily available in supermarkets and health food stores.

What you need to do:

     1.  Sift the flours, baking powder and bi-carb into a large mixing bowl. 

     2.  Separate the eggs and add the egg yolks to the flour mix. Set the egg whites aside

     3.  Add the golden syrup, oil, milk and salt to the bowl and mix together.

     4.  Whist the egg whites until they form stiff peaks.  Slowly fold egg whites into the pancake 

           batter.

   

     5.  Heat a frypan to medium and lightly oil before cooking batter in batches.

   

     6.  Enjoy with maple syrup, fresh berries or whatever toppings your prefer.

Sweetcorn Fritters

Everyone loves a fritter.  Well, everyone except my children.  They are finally coming around after years of rejection.  This is the recipe that seems to have won them over.

What you will need:

• 3 cobs of corn, steamed and kernels removed
• Chopped fresh parsley, roughly quarter of a cup
• 2 organic eggs
• 1/4 cup non dairy milk (I use soy as it is less sweet than some others but unsweetened almond would be fine too)
• 1/3 cup quinoa flour
• 1/3 cup brown rice or sorghum flour
• 1/2 tsp ground cumin
• 1/4 tsp salt
• freshly ground black pepper
• Olive oil for cooking

What you need to do:

1.  In a bowl, lightly beat the eggs and add the milk.

2.  Mix in the flours, cumin and salt and pepper to make a smooth batter.

3.  Add the cooled corn kernels and the chopped parsley and mix well.

4.  Heat a non-stick pan and add a little olive oil.

5.  Place heaped spoons of the mixture into the pan.  Cook for a few minutes before flipping.  Ensure that the fritters are golden brown and cooked through.

6.  Keep fritters warm in the oven while you cook the remaining batter.

7.  You can serve the fritters with green salsa, a quinoa salad or any other salad or vegetable side dish.

Notes:

• You can substitute a can of corn kernels but the result is nowhere near as tasty as using fresh corn.
• Any combination of gluten free flours will work.  I use quinoa to increase the nutrient profile and provide additional protein.
• If you can tolerate dairy products, regular cows milk would be fine.
• If the batter is too thick, just add a little extra milk to the mixture.
  
  
  
  
  
  
  

Chunky Green Salsa

I suppose this recipe is more of a salad than a salsa, but in our family we know it as 'Mum's green salsa'.  It works well served with sweetcorn fritters and is fantastic with grilled seafood or as a side dish with almost anything.

What you will need:

•  3 - 4 Lebanese cucumbers
• 2 medium avocados (ripe, but with firm firm flesh)
• Fresh parsley, small handful
• Fresh mint, small handful
• Juice of 1 lemon
• Olive oil\
• Salt and pepper

What you need to do:

1.  Chop the cucumbers into 1cm squares.  Do the same with the avocado.

2.  Rinse and then finely chop the parsley and mint.  Mix together in a bowl.

3.  In a small jar or dish, whisk together the olive oil and lemon juice (use equal parts).  Add salt and pepper to taste.

4.  Dress the salsa and leave to sit for about half an hour before eating.  Stir gently several times to mix the salad and herbs through the dressing.