Clean Mango Salsa

Seeing as it is bbq season creeping up upon us here in Europe with the warmer weather finally arriving I thought I would share one of my favourite salsas. This is super simple, yet delicate and delicious. If you have something spicy then this is perfect to balance the spice out. I paired it with BBQ Cajun Spiced chicken thighs and homemade guacamole and steamed corn on the cob. Perfectly filling and nutritious!

Clean Mango Salsa

1 ripe mango

1 small red onion

5 springs curly parsley (or coriander)

3 large tomatoes, seeds removed

1 Tbs Sunflower Oil

1/2 Tbs Vinegar, Apple Cider

2 Pinches Himalayan Salt (High in Minerals and excellent to use!)

Method

Simply chop the mango, tomatoes, and red onion into small pieces. The finer the better. Make sure they are all roughly the same. Combine and add the oil, vinegar and salt. Chop the herbs and stir in gently. Let sit aside for roughly an hour and serve with choice of mains. 

This is fantastic with anything spicy. Specially spicy seared tuna! Yum!

Enjoy 

Clean Mango Salsa

Serving suggestion. Grilled Cajun Chicken, Steamed Corn with Himalayan Salt, Guacamole

Nutty Quinoa Power Lunch!

Hello all! 

So sorry for the silence for the past couple of weeks. I have got a new job and with that some hours that take some getting used to. So my precious kitchen hours have been put on hold, but its all for the greater cause of being able to make a living, right!?

Anyhow, I have snuck in a few hours finding some yummy things for you all to try. This for example is my nutty quinoa and vegetable salad. So good, so gluten & dairy free and so vegan! I hope you all enjoy! 

Ingredients

1 cup cooked quinoa (white, red or black)

1 large broccoli

2 carrots

1 zucchini

1 pack green beans

1 handful brazil nuts

1 handful walnuts

1 handful pecan nuts

2 Tbs chia

3 Tbs black sesame seeds

Dressing 

1/3 cup Olive Oil

5 Tbs Tamari Soy

2 Squeezes of Agave (to taste)

1 cm of fresh ginger grated

3 Tbs Rice Vinegar

Method

Chop the raw (washed and dried) broccoli, carrots and (peeled) zucchini into small cubes. Steam the beans for a few minutes then immediately pour cold water on them and chop them into smaller pieces with the other vegetables. Feel free to add whatever veggies you have lying around your fridge. Add the vegetables to a large bowl and add the quinoa. Chop the nuts finely or add them to your Vitamix or blender and blitz quickly till they are in smaller pieces. Add them to the quinoa and vegetables. Last drizzle the chia and sesame seeds on the mixture. 

In a separate bowl add all the dressing ingredients. Be careful here and add as much as you like depending on your own taste and preferences. I adore ginger so I tend to use a lot of it. The agave is just to balance it all out. However, skip it entirely should you be on a no sugar / sweet diet. 

Note: I use no salt in this recipe and if you want to, then try and stick to himalayan salt it contains minerals and has health benefits. 

Add the dressing to the quinoa and place in the fridge for 2 hours. Serve on its own or with salmon! 

Enjoy x

Crazy good Almond salad

Imagine the most delicious tuna salad. Salivating? Now take away the tuna and replace it with Almonds. Huh? I know, sounds odd. But trust me when I tell you this is truly one of my new favourite things to eat. The next time I am throwing a dinner party I am serving this. So all my friends know already, this is your welcome nibble. Amisa does this gluten free crisp bread which is heavenly and served with the almond salad on top is just too darn good. 

Almond Salad / Spread

Ingredients

1 Cup Raw Almonds

2 Celery Sticks, Finely chopped

2 Shallots , Finely chopped

1 Small clove garlic, Finely chopped

4 Small Spring Onions, Finely chopped

4 Tbs Amisa Egg free Mayo

2 Tbs Organic Dijon Mustard

1 Tsp Himalayan Salt

Method

In a bowl soak the almonds in water overnight. Keep in the fridge. At least 3 hours. Let them plump. Rinse and drain well. Place in powerful blender and blast till flaked and looks almost like "tuna".  Add the rest of the ingredients and mix well. Add or reduce salt to taste. Alternatively you can add 1/2 granny smith apple finely chopped. 

Chill for 2 hours and serve. It keeps well for a week in the fridge but there is no way it will be there that long!! 

Enjoy (I know I did :)

Salads for the happy bloat-free stomach

If you are looking for a recepie for something satisfying, stunning colors and incredibly tasty I have a good one for you! 

Beet root, Pecan, Lentil and Goats Cheese Salad.

Serves 2-4 

Ingredients

4 Beet roots

100 g Goats Cheese (soft)

200 g cooked Puy Lentils

1 red onion

2 handfuls of Pecans or walnuts

Method

I would recommend roasting the beetroots in the oven but this can be very time consuming so if you want you can cook them for the recommended time. I threw in some salt and two pressed garlic cloves in the boiling mixture. Cook the lentils and let cool. Once the beets are cooked slice them in quarters or cubes depending on what you prefer and toss them with the lentils and the red onion which is finely sliced! Crumble the goats cheese on top and add more if you like, but 100 g should be enough depending how much lactose you can tolerate. Although goats cheese is easier to tolerate compared to cows cheese. Chop the nuts and sprinkle on top!

Dressing.

2 tbs oil ( I use neutral oil )

1 tbs apple cider vinegar (I use this a lot as it is Gluten free!) 

1 tbs seeded mustard

1/2 clove garlic

Whiz the ingredient in a mixer and ta dah! 

Toss the salad so that it is gently coated with the dressing. 

The goats cheese salad served with a side of avocado bites on gluten free bread with egg free mayonnaise. Perfectly healthy and very nutritious! 

 

Glorious Poached Salmon Salad!

This glorious salmon salad will even have the non fish eaters begging for more. Its that good! This is amazing in the fridge and added to sandwiches, salads, crackers... Just about anything. Its good for 5 days in the fridge. I made it dairy free but you can use regular ingredients if you are not fussed. Naturally it is gluten free as well. 

Glorious Salmon Salad

Ingredients

2 fillets poached salmon (just add salmon to simmering water and cover for 5  mins) 

2 Tbs Egg free mayonaise (I use Amisa)

1/2 Chopped red onion

1 Stalk Celery finely chopped

Handful Dill (fresh)

Salt & Pepper to taste.

Method

Simply combine all the ingredients in a bowl. The salmon should flake gently and mush it together with a fork. Add ingredients depending on taste. Don't over salt! Just one or two shakes of pink himalayan works wonders. 

Refrigerate for a few hours. The longer it sits the better it tastes! Mmmm. This is great on crackers or crisp bread, as a snack or as a canapé for a pre dinner snack. 

Enjoy!

Quinoa salad with herbs, chilli, pom and Feta

First, let me say sorry for not having updated the blog in so long! I have been super busy and when I am done for the night and tucked into bed I tend to fall asleep in a matter of minutes. My intentions have been good though! 

Now for some cooking ideas, I know this is usually made using bulgur but I try to stick to as much gluten free as possible. Now this is an incredible dish best served cold, so it is perfect for summers ( if you live in the southern hemisphere) but super as a stable fridge addition for when you want something to quickly eat or serve with a newly roasted chicken ( like I did last night ).

Just try this you will never go back!

Incredible Qunioa Power Salad

1 cup uncooked quinoa

1 3/4 water

1 whole pomegranate seeds

Lots of Flat leaf parsely

Lots of Fresh Mint

Feta 200 g

1 Yellow Chilli

Tbs Olive Oil

Cook the quinoa, remember to wash and drain it properly. Rinse it under cold water for a while using a fine mesh strainer. Then add the water and cook till all the water has been absorbed. Then put a piece of kitchen towel between the lid and the saucepan and let stand with heat off for 5-10 mins. Fluff with a fork afterwards. 

Let cool and add to a bowl, chop the parsley and mint add as much as you like. I added more parsley than mint but lots of both. Then add the finely chopped yellow chilli, and pomegranate seeds, and cut the feta into small cubes. Combine it all, and add olive oil, salt & pepper to taste as well as lemon!

Yum! Enjoy... I am obsessed with this right now. 

Crunchy Cambodian Salad

Fantastic Salad to give your metabolism a kick and give you a boost of Vitamin B12 from the beef. Lovely for winter and summer

Crunchy Cambodian Salad 

Serves 4

Ingredients:

500 g Fillet Beef

2 Tsp Olive Oil

1 Stick Celery

100 g Cucumber

100 g Pomegranates

100 g Fresh Bean Shoots

1 Yellow Pepper

100g Red Onion

100 g Cashew nuts (chopped)

2 Cloves Garlic

1 Red Chilli

2 Tsp Ginger Root (grated)

1 Cup Chicken Stock

1 Lime

Coriander

Chop the Peppers, cucumber, celery, onion and half of the chilli. Slice them thinly. Rub the fillet with olive oil, and add chilli powder if you like. Place the steak in the grill or in a frying pan and cook 2 -3 mins on either side and serve medium rare. In a bowl add the vegetables, and pomegranates. To make the dressing whiz the garlic, other half of chilli, chicken stock, ginger and lime in a blender and pour over immediately. Last sprinkle the nuts on top! Each serving has 407 kcal and is the good kind of calories! Add some extra lime juice and the coriander to garnish! This is definitely a crowd pleaser. Perfect for dinner parties.

Quinoa and Chickpeas

Looking for some super easy lunch ideas that you can quickly throw together and everyone likes? Try these... oh and did I mention they are healthy and nutrient packed?

Quinoa Bites
 Ingredients

2 cups Cooked quinoa
6 Basil Leaves
1 cup Cherry tomatoes
Half a Red Pepper
100 g Shredded Mozarella ( Goats Cheese or Tofu)
2 Pressed Garlic Cloves
1 Red Onion Finely chopped.
1 Tsp cayenne Pepper
1 Tsp Chilli Powder
Salt & Pepper to taste.
2 Organic Eggs


Preheat your oven to 400 F or 200 C
Combine all the ingredients in a bowl and mix with a large spoon. Feel free to add or substitute any of the other ingredients to taste! Mine are just a guideline, no need to follow exactly! Press the quinoa mixture into muffin trays. I filled them halfway! Pop in the oven until they have a brown crust. I added Parmesan at the final 5 mins of cooking but this is optional.

Serve after a few mins cooling. You can dip them in tomato sauce, or eat them on their own! Perfect to have at home to snack on.

Quinoa bites, who doesn't love quinoa?

Chickpea Salad

Serves 4

Ingredients

1 can Chickpeas (preferably Organic)

1 red Onion (or Scallions)

100 g Feta

4 Tomatoes

2 Tbs Neutral Oil

1 Tbs Apple Cider Vinegar ( Gluten free Vinegar)

Pepper to taste

Garnish with either chopped Mint, Parsely or Coriander depending on which you prefer. The Mint is excellent for summer days. 

Drain the chickpeas from the can and wash over a few times until they are throughly washed and place them in a strainer to drip off the last of the water. Slice the red onion thinly and quarter the tomatoes. Crumble the feta in and add the chickpeas. Pour on the oil and vinegar and a few churns of pepper. Serve immediately. 

I usually make this in a big bowl and then leave the rest in the fridge, is perfectly fresh up to 2 -3 days, if kept in a metal bowl. 

Enjoy!