Spinach Dip
Ingredients:
1 box frozen spinach, thawed and drained
½ cup low fat yoghurt
1 cup lite mayonnaise
1 packet dried vegetable soup mix
1 can water chestnuts, chopped
(or alternatively 1 apple, chopped)
1 red capsicum, chopped
3 spring onions, chopped
1 round bread loaf (optional)
Method:
* Mix all ingredients together.
* Cover and chill.
* Cut off top of bread for a lid and hollow out centre of bread.
* Fill with dip and garnish.
(can be refrigerated up to 24 hours before use)
Fish cakes - Thai
Preparation time: 20 minutes
Cooking time: 10 minutes
Serves: 4
Ingredients:
4 medium flathead fillets, (see Notes)
1 egg, beaten
1 teaspoon chopped chillies
2 tablespoons chopped coriander
2 tablespoons shredded coconut
1/2 teaspoon five-spice powder
1 Kaffir lime leaf, sliced thinly
1 teaspoon fish sauce
2 spring onions, chopped
1/4 cup sesame seeds, (optional)
1 tablespoon canola oil
Method:
* Process the fish, egg, chilli and coriander in a food processor until
smooth. Transfer the mixture to a bowl and combine with the coconut, seasoning
and spring onions. If you have time, refrigerate the fish mixture for
15 minutes before forming into cakes and you will find the mixture firmer
and easier to handle.
* Form the mixture into small cakes and, if using, roll them in the sesame
seeds.
* Heat 2 teaspoons of the oil in a non-stick frypan over a medium heat
and cook half the fish cakes until golden brown, 2 to 3 minutes on each
side. Add the remaining oil to the pan and cook the rest of the fish cakes.
* Arrange the salad on serving plates and top with the fish cakes.
Notes: If fresh fish is not available you can substitute a medium-sized
can of tuna, well drained. Serve with a crisp green garden salad and some
steamed rice.
If you are preparing food for people on a gluten-free diet, always check
the ingredients on all food labels, especially any prepared items like
sauces.
Berry Nougat Crunch
Ingredients:
Fresh or frozen berries
Chopped almonds or favourite nuts
Sultanas or raisins
Raw almond butter
Maple syrup
Method:
* Fill a mixing bowl with berries (You can use fresh or frozen berries:
if using frozen, thaw for 20 minutes)
* Throw in a hearty quantity of chopped almonds or your favourite nuts.
* Throw in generous amounts of raisins or sultanas
* Add enough raw almond butter & pure maple syrup to combine this
mix together to form a nougat
* Serve in elegant parfait glasses.
Pea & Ham Soup
Ingredients:
500grms dry yellow split peas
2 medium carrots
2 large celery sticks
2 onions
1 ham hock 500grms bacon bones
Salt
2 bay leaves
Stock or water
Method:
* Cover hock/bones with water or preferably stock and simmer for 24 hours
* Remove bones, cut meat into small pieces and return meat to the pot
* Add all other ingredients chopped small and simmer for further 24 hours
stirring occasionally
* Serve garnished with diced mint, basil or parsley. Serve with croutons
or crusty bread
Pork & Almond Stir-Fry
Serves: 4
Prep Time: 10mins
Cooking time: 20 mins
Ingredients:
100 grams blanched almonds
2 tsp peanut oil
500g pork fillet, thinly sliced
1 red capsicum, thinly sliced
150g snow peas, trimmed and halved
2 garlic cloves, crushed
1 tbs oyster sauce
1 tbs sweet chilli sauce
1 tbs water
Method:
* Heat a wok or large frying pan over high heat. Add the almonds and cook,
tossing for about 5 minutes or until toasted. Transfer to a plate.
* Heat the oil in the wok. Add the pork and stir fry till cooked through.
Transfer to plate.
* Add the capsicum, snow peas and garlic to the wok and stir fry for 2-3
minutes or until tender crisp. Add the oyster sauce, sweet chilli and
water and bring to the boil. Return the pork and almonds to the wok and
toss until combined.
* Serve immediately with rice.
Chicken Pie
Prep: 40 minutes
Total: 1 hour 10 minutes
Serves: 4
Ingredients:
500g Chicken breast fillets
Coarse salt and ground pepper
3 tablespoons olive oil
4 carrots sliced round and 1cm thick
1 medium onion, finely chopped
1/4 teaspoon dried thyme leaves
1/4 cup all-purpose flour
2 ½ cups low-fat milk
1 ½ cups frozen peas
2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice
6 filo sheets
Method:
* Preheat oven to 180 degrees. Place chicken on a baking tray; season
with salt and pepper. Roast 25 to 30 minutes and baked through. Let cool
slightly; discard skin and bones. Shred meat, and set aside.
* While chicken is roasting, heat 2 tablespoons oil in a large saucepan
over medium. Add carrots, onion, and thyme; season with salt and pepper,
and cook until carrots are crisp-tender, 8 to 10 minutes. Add flour, and
cook, stirring, 1 minute. Gradually add milk, stirring until smooth. Cook,
stirring occasionally, until mixture comes to a simmer and thickens.
* Remove from heat; stir in peas, lemon juice, and chicken, and season
with salt and pepper. Pour filling into a deep casserole dish
* Stack filo on a work surface. Cut out shape of your casserole dish from
stack of filo discard trimmings. Brush between each layer with oil. Place
filo stack over filling, and press down about ½ an inch from the
edge so filo fits inside rim of your dish. Bake until golden and bubbling,
20 to 25 minutes. Let pie cool 15 minutes before serving.
Easy Peasy Yummy Fruit Smoothie
Ingredients:
1 cup skim milk
1/2 cup low fat, no fat or light yogurt any flavour
1/2 cup fresh or frozen fruit (blueberries, strawberries, mango use anything,
don’t be scared to mix your fruit)
Method:
* Add all ingredients to a blender or food processor and mix well.
* Serve in a tall glass.
Sunny Roll-Ups
(looks like sushi rolls)
Nori Sheets (seaweed sheets you can get from the oriental section of the supermarket)
Sunny Paté (recipe above)
Thinly sliced vegetables for filling e.g. carrot, zucchini, red capsicum, sunflower shoots, avocado
Soy Sauce for dipping (preferably a raw one such as Tamari or Nama Shoyu, or even Braggs Liquid Aminos)
Wasabe (optional)
* Put the rolls together following the instructions on the back of the Nori Sheets packet, using the Sunny Pate in place of the rice. I find it much easier to cut the rolls into slices using a bread knife.
Carob Balls
Handful of Sultanas/raisins
Handful of dates (pitted)
Handful of raw cashew nuts (or any seed/nut)
Tablespoon Carob powder (Cocoa alternative. You can get it from the healthfood shop. If you really can’t stand Carob you could use cocoa powder– its just not as healthy!)
A couple of drops of Peppermint Essence (optional)
* In the food processor chuck in the sultanas and dates. Process it until it gets really sticky and forms one big ball. Add in the nuts and carob powder.
* Process until it is all mixed in. Roll into balls. You can roll them in sesame seeds or coconut or carob powder if you want to. Refrigerate…and eat!
Date Nut Torte
Base of Torte:
2 cups raisins (I usually use sultanas – they’re cheaper)
2 cups walnuts
Frosting:
1 cup of dates, pitted and soaked
½ lemon, juiced.
For Base:
* In a food processor, combine raisins and walnuts and blend until well blended and moist. (This will take a few minutes, and you may see it forming a ball.
* Just make sure the raisins come out looking like a fudgey mixture and are not still grainy). Remove from processor and mold onto a plate in a round circle about 1 ½ inches thick.
For Frosting:
* In a food processor, combine dates and lemon juice until smooth and creamy. Spread the frosting on top of the torte.
* You can serve this at room temperature as the frosting and torte will be sticky, but if you want a firmer texture that will be easier to slice, refrigerate it for a few hours.
I love this served with Banana Icecream (below).
(Reference: Alissa Cohen, Living on Live Food)
Banana Icecream
* Peel bananas and freeze (sealed in a bag).
* Once frozen cut into slices and put in food processor (try doing 2-3 bananas).
* Process until it looks just like soft serve icecream. Eat straight away.
* You can put any leftovers in a container and keep it in the freezer.
* You can also add whatever you want to it e.g. carob powder, honey, natural vanilla essence, soaked sultanas, pistachios, coconut….whatever you can imagine to add!
Marinated Mushrooms
Mushrooms
Soy Sauce (preferably a raw one such as Tamari or Nama Shoyu)
Olive Oil (cold pressed)
* If I’m making this for lunch I use the big field mushrooms, or if as an appetizer the smaller button mushrooms. Wash the mushrooms and lightly dry.
* Put a little soy sauce and olive oil in a bowl (try about a tablespoon of each).
* Roll the mushrooms around in the marinade (you want them to be damp all over but
not drowning).
* Leave them for a couple of hours. They will go softer, like a cooked consistency.
I like these served with a nut cheese (see below for “Best Cream Cheese Ever” recipe) and sundried tomatoes.
“Best Cream Cheese Ever”
(again, a huge quantity. I usually only make ¼ of it)
1 ½ cups pine nuts
1 ½ cups sunflower seeds
¾ cup fresh lemon juice
¾ teaspoon whole black peppercorns
3 cloves of garlic
1 ¾ teaspoons sea salt
* If you soak the nuts and seeds overnight use the full measurements. If you forget to soak them, use scant measurements (e.g. 1 ¼ cup of each). This keeps it from being too thick as the soaked nuts and seeds are less dense.
* Blend until smooth in your blender. Use a spatula to help move it around. You will probably have to add some water to help it move, but use as little as possible. For the Flourish night I made a larger quantity and this worked well in the food processor. I don’t think a smaller quantity would work in the food processor but. I also left the garlic out on the Flourish night –I’m not a fan of too much garlic!
(Reference: Serene Allison, Rejuvenate Your Life: Recipes for Energy, 2003.)
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