ESCAPE FROM TUNA SALAD

Poached Chicken Pesto Salad I made this for lunch at work this...

Tue, 12 Feb 2013 23:23:55 +1100

Poached Chicken Pesto Salad

I made this for lunch at work this week. It was pretty great. For the recipe below I’ve stayed true to the quantities in the original recipe from Taste For Adventure, but when I made it I almost halved the oil in the pesto, and have added in a big squeeze of fresh lemon juice when I’m making the salad to compensate for it being a bit dry with less oil. I add in more salad ingredients, too.

Ingredients

600g chicken breast
6 cups baby spinach, divided
1/4 cup sliced almonds
1/4 cup freshly grated parmesan cheese
2 cloves garlic
1/3 cup extra-virgin olive oil
2 ribs celery, chopped
1 can cannellini beans, drained and rinsed
1/2 cup cherry tomatoes, sliced in half
2 pinches coarse salt and freshly ground pepper

Method

Bring a pot of salted water to a boil. Add the chicken and boil until cooked all the way through. Transfer to a plate and let cool. Once cooled, shred with your a fork.
In the meantime, place 2 cups spinach in a food processor. Add the almonds, cheese, garlic, salt and pepper. Pulse a few times. With the motor running, add the oil in a thin stream.
Toss pesto with shredded chicken. Add the celery, beans and tomatoes. Give another toss.
Serve chicken pesto mixture over the remaining 4 cups of spinach, equally divided onto 4 plates.

Super Lean Turkey and Brown Rice Meatballs with Tomato...

Thu, 07 Feb 2013 22:44:26 +1100

Super Lean Turkey and Brown Rice Meatballs with Tomato Sauce

Alright, I will be the first to admit that these don’t look too sexy, but OMG THEY ARE AMAZING. I usually eat clean, so I munch through a lot of salad and really light food - it’s tremendously satisfying to dig into something that’s clean and lean, but also has that warm heart song of Italian food.

The meatball recipe comes unedited from iFOODreal (worth a visit!), and my boyfriend made me the tomato sauce. I have done my best to transcribe it as he tells it, I get the distinct feeling that it’s not too precious and you can tweak it as suits you best.

Meatballs

Ingredients (makes 10)

500g extra lean ground turkey
1/2 cup brown long grain rice, uncooked
1 egg
1 medium onion, finely chopped
1.5 cups low salt chicken stock
salt and pepper to taste

Method

Wash rice really well under cold water
FInely chop your onion, or run it through a food processor if you have one handy
Add all ingredients except the stock to a bowl and mix. Form 10 meatballs Pour your chicken stock into a crock pot, lay the meatballs in the stock
Cover and cook on low for about 3 hours

Tomato Sauce

Ingredients

5 x very ripe tomatoes
1 x carrot
1 x brown onion
2 cloves garlic
Chili flakes to taste
Generous handful of basil
Olive oil
Red or white wine (your choice!)

Method

Finely chop your carrot, onion and garlic
Chop your tomatoes into eights, season with salt and pepper
Pop your carrot, onion, garlic and chili in a saucepan at a medium-high heat, with a splash of olive oil. Cook until these ingredients have softened
Add a big splash of wine and about 1/3 of your basil, stir through, then add your tomatoes
Put a lid on your saucepan, turn the heat down to low, and simmer for about an hour, until everything is very squishy
Take it off the heat, let it cool down, then wazz it in a blender until it’s as smooth as you like it
Stir through the rest of your basil

Cous Cous Alla Panzanella Lately I’ve been really bored...

Sun, 03 Feb 2013 23:13:15 +1100

Cous Cous Alla Panzanella

Lately I’ve been really bored with everything I can cook, so spent much of my weekend (spent sick at home on the couch) doing some food research. Here’s the first of my new summer recipes.

It’s lifted with few changes from Nooschi (have only amended quantities a bit), and to make it a complete dinner I added some poached shredded chicken - about 150g per serve. I reckon some toasted almonds would be really great in it too, for a spot of extra crunch, with bonus protein.

It’s cool that the cous cous is just cooked at room temp in the vege juice, nice and low fuss. It all came together really easily, and was a great light summer meal.

Ingredients (serves four)

1 cup cous cous
1.5 Tbsp extra virgin olive oil
1/2 red onion, chopped
1/2 red pepper, chopped
1 yellow or orange pepper, chopped
10 grape tomatoes, halved
1 (400ml) can chopped tomatoes with juices
juice of one lemon
40g basil leaves, torn
salt and pepper to season

Method

Place olive oil, 1/2 tsp salt, and canned tomatoes in a large mixing bowl. Add cous cous and mix thoroughly.
Add red onions, peppers, and grape tomatoes to the bowl. Mix well.
Add in lemon juice, and torn basil leaves. Mix well. Add pepper to taste (and more salt if needed).
You can serve immediately or wait a few hours for the flavours to intermingle.

Pear and Walnut Plus I’ve been thinking about a really...

Sun, 07 Oct 2012 23:40:00 +1100

Pear and Walnut Plus

I’ve been thinking about a really healthy take on a pear/walnut/rocket/cheese salad for a while, and last week I took the basics as above, and improvised a bit. The result was surprisingly excellent. Lots of different colours and textures.

I haven’t specified quantities below, I just made a serving for one a few days in a row. Adjust the quantities to reflect your tastes/the contents of your fridge.

Ingredients

Rocket (or arugula, if you are in the Americas)
Beurre bosc pear (or whatever you can get ripe)
Red capsicum
Red radish
Avocado
Walnuts
Grilled chicken breast
Seeded mustard vinegarette, or whatever dressing you’re feeling

Method

Slice, combine and serve. Boom!

Chickpea Wrap with Basil Yoghurt Hi internets. Sorry I have been...

Tue, 04 Sep 2012 21:39:00 +1000

Chickpea Wrap with Basil Yoghurt

Hi internets. Sorry I have been so slack with new recipes lately! This guy comes almost unedited from Whole Living Daily, just simplified a bit for a work lunch, and it’s made such a brilliant fresh lunch this week. I give it about eighty thumbs up.

In the ingredients below, I’ve gone along with the quantities originally specified - but you know - it’s a wrap - you don’t need to be a slave to a recipe here. Use more or less where you feel it needs it.

Ingredients (makes 4)

Wrap

1 ½ cups cooked chickpeas
1 large raw beet, grated
1 apple, sliced
A few handfuls of baby spinach
4 whole grain wraps (I use Wattle Valley wheat and rye wraps, they’re AWESOME)

Yoghurt

1 ½ cups natural yoghurt (I use Barambah Organics Low Fat Natural Yoghurt, it’s brilliant)
juice of ½ lemon
2 cloves garlic, minced
4 Tbsp. chopped basil leaves (or mint, or tarragon. Whatever you have fresh on hand will do the job)

Method

Make your yoghurt by adding all of the ingredients together and shaking in a lidded container. You can store it this way for up to a week.
Lay down your wrap. Layer on baby spinach, chickpeas, grated beetroot, then apples. Top with a big dollop of your yoghurt sauce. Roll her up!

Chicken and Barley Soup This recipe comes (almost) unedited from...

Tue, 10 Jul 2012 23:08:00 +1000

Chicken and Barley Soup

This recipe comes (almost) unedited from Elizabeth at Guilty Kitchen.

This soup is incredible. INCREDIBLE. I know it’s ugly, but take a leap of faith with me. It has nothing naughty in it at all, and it tastes like a huge warm hug. I like it so much, I’m eating it every day this week for my lunch at work. My #boyfriend loves it too, which is always a strong recommendation for healthy foods not tasting tooooo healthy.

Ingredients

8 boneless chicken thighs
1 tbsp olive oil
2 carrots, peeled
2 celery stalks
1 onion
2 small bay leaves
1 tsp each marjoram, basil, ground sage, thyme, oregano, rosemary
1500 ml low sodium chicken stock + 1-2 cups water
salt & pepper
2/3 cup barley (optional)

Method

Dice onions, celery and carrots into desired sized chunks. Cut your chicken into smallish chunks.
Sauté veggies in large stock pot with vegetable oil on medium high heat until they begin to soften.
Add seasonings to vegetables and then place thighs into pot. Allow to cook and brown a bit, about 15 minutes.
Add stock and water (Add extra cup of water if using barley), bring to boil, lower and simmer for 2 1/2 hours. (Add barley in last 40-60 minutes if using.)
Serve with crusty bread or on it’s own.

Honey Lime Chicken Skewers I don’t count calories - I just...

Tue, 10 Jul 2012 22:48:00 +1000

Honey Lime Chicken Skewers

I don’t count calories - I just eat clean food in sensible portions. But if I did count calories, I feel like this recipe might be a spot naughtier than most of the recipes on here. It’s the honey that feels like the culprit. Looking at the bigger picture though, I don’t think the odd tablespoon of honey is a diet killer. : )

I invented a salad to go under the chicken (the chicken recipe is unchanged from where I found it on Kitchen Meets Girl), and it was pretty not great. I do not recommend that you try to replicate it. It’s purple cabbage and blackbeans and pickles and tomato and cucumber and a lime vinaigrette. It was weird. Anyway. On with the show.

Ingredients

3 tablespoons soy sauce
2 tablespoons honey
1 tablespoon vegetable oil
juice of one lime
2 garlic cloves, minced
1-2 teaspoon Siracha
chili flakes, to taste
2 tablespoon rocket
500g skinless, boneless chicken breasts

Method

In a small bowl, combine your ingredients. Mix thoroughly.
Pour marinade over chicken breasts and turn to coat. Cover and allow to marinate for at least 1 hour.
Grill on medium high heat for 6 to 8 minutes per side, until juices run clear.

Asian Style Chicken Soup Sometimes, when I go to the gym after...

Mon, 02 Jul 2012 21:05:00 +1000

Asian Style Chicken Soup

Sometimes, when I go to the gym after work, #boyfriend will do the prep for our dinner, and I’ll put it all together when I get home. This is a brilliant recipe to get someone else to chop up for you, because the cooking time is so quick, but even if you have to do your own knife-work it’s impressively fast - definitely a good one for a work night.

Ingredients (serves 4)

4 cups salt-reduced chicken stock
1 tablespoon soy sauce
2 small red chillies, thinly sliced
2 carrots, peeled, cut into short, thin sticks
100g fresh shiitake mushrooms, sliced
150g snow peas, shredded lengthways
2 chicken breasts
1/2 Chinese cabbage, finely shredded
1 bunch coriander, leaves picked

Method

Poach your chicken breasts, let them cool a bit, and then shred with a fork. Put aside for now.
Combine stock, 2 cups water, soy sauce and chillies in a large saucepan over medium heat. Bring to a simmer.
Add carrots, mushrooms, snow peas and chicken to pan. Reduce heat to medium-low and simmer for 2 minutes. Add cabbage and cook for 1 minute or until cabbage wilts.
Stir half the coriander into soup. Divide soup between bowls. Top with remaining coriander and serve.

This recipe is from Taste originally, and the only modification I’ve made is subbing in poached chicken for BBQ chicken. If you weren’t being terribly strict about your calorie consumption, using a BBQ chicken would probably speed up your process a bit. Also, sometimes I top it with some chili flakes, because that’s how I roll : )

i think im going to start living off your recipes!

Mon, 02 Jul 2012 20:43:45 +1000

This is the best compliment ever. Thanks : )

For what it’s worth, other than some basics (omelettes, grilled fish and salad), I pretty much live off these recipes too!

Awesome blog is awesome! Thanks for the follow :D

Mon, 02 Jul 2012 20:40:37 +1000

Thanks, Ersveth!

Hope you can take away something useful : )

Egyptian Lentil Soup I was genuinely shocked by how brilliant...

Sun, 01 Jul 2012 23:33:00 +1000

Egyptian Lentil Soup

I was genuinely shocked by how brilliant this recipe was. I made a week’s worth of lunches to take to work, and gleefully prepped my toppings every day before happily plonking it down to eat.

I have made almost no change to the recipe, which I found at These Peas Are Hollow.

Seriously. How good are lentils!?

Ingredients

olive oil spray
1 large onion, diced
3 celery ribs, diced
2 large carrots, diced
4 garlic cloves, minced
1 teaspoon ground cumin
1/2 teaspoon ground coriander
1/2 teaspoon ground hot chili
1/2 teaspoon hot curry powder
2 litres chicken or vegetable stock
1 450g can diced tomatoes
2 cups red lentils Salt and pepper to taste
Greek yoghurt
Lemon
Chives
Tin of chickpeas

Method
Spray a light coat of olive oil into a large saucepan, and put it on a medium-high heat. Add the onions, celery, carrots, and garlic and saute until soft, about 10-15 minutes. Add the cumin, coriander, chili powder, and curry powder and stir to coat the veggies with the spices. Cook for a few minutes until the spices are aromatic. Add the tomatoes and the stock and bring to a simmer. Season generously with salt and pepper and add the lentils. Simmer for about 30-40 minutes, until lentils and vegetables are very soft.

In a few batches, puree the soup in a food processor until completely smooth. Transfer back to pot and season with salt and pepper to taste. If you like it a bit more spicy, you can add a little cayenne pepper and more black pepper.

To serve, here are some recommendations. I know it’s easy to skip the toppings in a recipe - but the combination of bits and pieces served with this soup elevate it from good to great. I promise it’s worth the extra work!

Mix some fresh lemon juice with some Greek yoghurt, and splash a dollop on top. Chop up some chives and sprinkle. And the piece de resistance is roasted chickpeas - just a tin of chickpeas, rinsed and dried, rolled in a bit of olive oil and the spices you’ve already used, and stuck in a really hot over til they’re crispy. Boom!

Pumpkin Soup As the weather gets colder, soups are inching...

Sun, 10 Jun 2012 23:32:00 +1000

Pumpkin Soup

As the weather gets colder, soups are inching higher on my list of things I want to eat. This guy turned up in my inbox recently as one of the most popular recipes on Taste, so I made some really minor substitutions (sweet potato for potato, low fat dairy), and unsurprisingly, it was absolutely brilliant.

If you’re watching your calories really closely, you can cut one or both of the creams. It’s pretty good with them, though!

Ingredients

2 tbs olive oil
1 onion, finely chopped
1 leek, white part only, finely sliced
1 garlic clove, crushed
1/2 tsp ground coriander
1 tsp ground cumin
1/2 tsp freshly grated nutmeg
1kg peeled pumpkin, diced
1 small sweet potato, peeled, diced
1L chicken or vegetable stock
1/2 cup (125ml) low fat cream
shallots
low fat sour cream

Method

Heat oil in a large saucepan over low heat, add onion and leek and cook for 2-3 minutes, until softened but not coloured. Add garlic and spices and cook, stirring, for 30 seconds. Add pumpkin, potato and stock and bring to the boil. Turn heat to low, cover and simmer for 30 minutes. Allow to cool slightly, then blend in batches.
Return soup to pan, stir through cream and reheat gently. Season and add a little more nutmeg if desired.
Serve with finely chopped shallots and a dollop of low fat sour cream.

Pumpkin and coriander baked falafel It can be hard to organise a...

Fri, 25 May 2012 22:54:00 +1000

Pumpkin and coriander baked falafel

It can be hard to organise a work lunch that’s nutritious and fresh and not too much effort. Baked falafels are great because a batch will last happily in the fridge across the week, and you can build it into a fresh wrap or salad day by day. I have a cooking session on Sunday evening then bundle everything into a big ole lunchbox that’s good to go on Monday morning.

This recipe comes from Wholepromise.

Ingredients

500g pumpkin, deseeded and cubed
olive oil spray
2/3 of a cup of dried chickpeas - soaked and cooked as per the instructions on the packet (or a 400g tin chickpeas, if you don’t have time to soak)
2 garlic cloves, roughly chopped
½ tsp bicarb of soda
1 small bunch coriander, leaves only chopped
1 small bunch Italian flat leaf parsley
1 tsp ground coriander
1 tsp ground cumin
Juice half lemon
Salt and pepper to season

Method

Preheat the oven to 200 degrees celcius.
Lay out your pumpkin on a baking tray lined with baking paper, season with salt and pepper, and hit it with a gentle spray of olive oil
Roast for approx 35 mins until soft and caramelised, then let cool
Put your chickpeas, garlic, bicarb, herbs and ground cumin and coriander in a food processor, pulse the machine until you’ve got a rough, gritty paste (don’t blend till smooth!), tip it into a bowl and season it with salt and pepper
Crush the roast pumpkin with a fork until very roughly mashed and add to the chickpeas, fold everything together, and chill for 30 minutes if you have time
Scoop dessertspoonfuls onto a baking sheet lined with non stick baking paper and space out well
Spray on a very light coat of olive oil and bake for 15 – 20 mins or until golden underneath

Serving suggestion

In the photo above, lunch consists of three of the falafels, tzatziki (suuuper easy recipe here), baby spinach, tomato, spanish onion, cucumber and parsley on a wholemeal wrap - which yes, is absolutely bursting at the seams when it’s pushed into wrap form. It was DELICIOUS.

Balsamic Chicken and White Bean Salad I ear marked this recipe...

Sat, 12 May 2012 13:35:00 +1000

The finished product : )

Marinating chicken

Lovely fresh ingredients

Check out the smoke!

Balsamic Chicken and White Bean Salad

I ear marked this recipe as simple enough to try for the first time on a weeknight, but when it came down to it I was still surprised by just how little wok was involved.

I modified the original recipe down to a recipe for two, so the quantities are a bit of a mess, but you’ll be fine. It’s a salad, you won’t wreck it if you chuck in too much tomato. : )

Ingredients (serves 2)

400g chicken breast
2 garlic cloves, crushed
1 tablespoon wholegrain mustard
2 tablespoons balsamic vinegar
olive oil cooking spray
About 2/3 of a 400g can cannellini beans, drained
200g cherry tomatoes, halved
1/3 cup low-fat feta cheese, crumbled
100g rocket leaves
1 lemon, cut into wedges, to serve

Method

Season chicken with salt and pepper. Whisk garlic, mustard and vinegar in a ceramic dish. Add chicken and turn to coat. Cover and refrigerate for at least 20 minutes.
Preheat a barbecue plate on high heat. Remove chicken from marinade. Lightly spray chicken with oil. Cook for 1 minute each side or until golden. Reduce heat to medium-low. Cook chicken for 6 to 8 minutes each side or until cooked through. Transfer to a plate. Cover and stand for 5 minutes.
Slice chicken. Combine beans, tomato, feta, rocket and chicken in a large bowl. Toss gently. Spoon onto plates. Season with pepper. Serve with lemon.

Thank you for following me! I spy a falafel recipe on your page... you have won my heart.

Thu, 03 May 2012 22:55:32 +1000

Thanks so much!

It feels good to know someone is out there. : )

Soy Poached Chicken This is a re-post, because the first time I...

Wed, 02 May 2012 21:18:00 +1000

A boyfriend sized serving.

The chopping board.

The poaching liquid.

Chicken in!

Broccoli bed in the steamer.

Asian greens on top of the broccoli.

Steamer hat on your poaching saucepan!

Serving for me. More greens less other.

Soy Poached Chicken

This is a re-post, because the first time I posted this recipe, the photos didn’t do it justice.

Please trust me when I tell you that I am not someone who would typically register excitement at the thought of poached chicken and steamed veges, but this is ACTUALLY AMAZING. It’s just so fragrant and fresh and full of flavour while being super healthy. You should cook it! I love it. : )

The recipe originally comes from Everyday Gourmet.

Ingredients (serves 2)

2x 200g chicken breast 
500 ml chicken stock 
200 ml water
 ¼ cup light soy sauce 
2 tbs. honey 
1 chilli, roughly chopped 
2 knobs ginger, roughly chopped 
1 clove garlic 
1 star anise
 juice of a lime
1 cup couscous
Green veges of your choice

Method

Pop your couscous in a heat proof bowl. Cover it with a cup of boiling water, cover with plastic wrap, and leave for 10 minutes, or until all the liquid has been absorbed.
In a medium saucepan, add all ingredients except the chicken, green veg and couscous. Bring to the boil. Turn the heat down and add the chicken. Allow to gently simmer for 10 minutes. Turn the heat off and allow the chicken to infuse in the stock.
As soon as your chicken is cooking, prep your bamboo steamer. Place a layer of baking paper on the bottom of it, and puncture holes in it with a fork. Place your veges in the steamer, with the thicker stuff that really needs cooking closer to the bottom (ie. broccoli at the bottom, leafy greens on the top). When your chicken has been on for about five minutes, place the bamboo steamer on top of your poaching saucepan. Remove it after you’ve finished cooking the chicken, the veges should be cooked through.
Put a layer of couscous in your serving bowls. Remove your chicken from the saucepan and slice it into four even pieces, place your chicken and veges in the bowl, and add few tablespoons of the cooking liquid to each bowl (a big splash is really tasty!)

Lovely Lentil Soup For me, one of the keys to eating healthily...

Tue, 01 May 2012 22:48:00 +1000

Lovely Lentil Soup

For me, one of the keys to eating healthily has been to put in the planning/shopping/cooking time and plan one really brilliant lunch, then stick with it for the whole week at work. The easier it is to eat healthily, the less likely I am to go looking for junk food, so this recipe which yields a week’s worth of lunches from one batch is pretty spot on. It’s one of few foods I’ll happily freeze and re-heat, too, a lentil soup won’t suffer much from a round in the microwave.

Also, check out the ingredients! So much lovely lean protein. What a winner.

The recipe comes from Taste.

Ingredients (serves 4)

2 tbs extra virgin olive oil
1 leek (pale part only), thinly sliced
2 carrots, finely chopped
2 celery stalks, finely chopped
2 tbs tomato paste
1 cup (200g) green or brown lentils, rinsed, drained
2L (8 cups) vegetable stock
400g can chopped tomatoes
400g can cannellini beans, rinsed, drained
2 tsp ground coriander
1 tsp smoked paprika (pimenton)
1/3 cup finely chopped flat-leaf parsley

Method

Heat the oil in a large saucepan over medium heat. Add the leek, carrot and celery, then cook, stirring, for 3-4 minutes until softened. Add the tomato paste and cook for 1 minute. Add the lentils and stock and bring to the boil. Reduce heat to medium-low and simmer gently for 1 hour, skimming the surface occasionally, until the lentils are tender.
Add the tomato, cannellini beans, coriander, paprika and some salt and pepper to the pan, then cook, stirring occasionally, for a further 20 minutes or until soup is thick. Taste for spices and seasoning, then stir in half the parsley.
Divide soup among shallow bowls and top with remaining parsley. If you are not watching calories too closely, a drizzle of olive oil an some crusty white bread would be a brilliant accompaniment. If you are more health focused, never fear, it’s great just as it is.

Indian-spiced Chicken Quinoa Pilaf I’ve made this a few times...

Sun, 29 Apr 2012 23:18:00 +1000

The greens

Everything in.

A mix of red and white quinoa.

Beautiful fragrant spices

The end result!

Indian-spiced Chicken Quinoa Pilaf

I’ve made this a few times now, this time with a heavy tweak, and I feel like I’ve got it pinned. Boyfriend gave it his official seal of approval, which is a good litmus test for healthy recipes.

Anyway. This recipe’s a cracker. Really warm and hearty, great for a rainy Sunday.

It’s based on this recipe from Taste, but I halve the quinoa they specify and it really makes it extra punchy.

Ingredients (serves about 3)

1 tbs olive oil
400g deboned chicken thigh fillets, cut into 2cm pieces
1 brown onion, finely chopped
2 garlic cloves, crushed
1 tbs finely grated ginger
1 long fresh green chilli, seeded, finely chopped
1 tsp cumin seeds
1 tsp ground coriander
1/2 tsp black mustard seeds
1/2 tsp fennel seeds
1/2 tsp ground turmeric
1 cup quinoa
1.5 cups chicken stock
1/2 cup water
1 cup fresh or frozen peas
1/2 cup of green beans, chopped to about 3cm lengths
1/2 cup toasted cashews and/or almonds
1/2 cup coarsely chopped coriander
Natural yoghurt, to serve

Method

Heat the oil in a large saucepan over high heat. Add half the chicken and cook, turning occasionally, for 5 minutes or until brown all over. Transfer to a bowl. Repeat in another batch with remaining chicken.
Add onion to pan and cook, stirring, until onion softens and begins to brown. Add garlic, ginger, chilli, cumin, coriander, mustard seeds, fennel seeds and turmeric and cook, stirring, for 1 minute or until aromatic. Add quinoa, stock, water and chicken; bring to the boil. Reduce heat to low and cook, covered, for 20 minutes or until liquid is absorbed and quinoa is tender. Remove from heat. Scatter peas and beans over quinoa. Set aside, covered, for 5 minutes. Add nuts and coriander; gently toss until just combined.
Spoon the pilaf onto serving plates. Serve immediately with a dollop of yoghurt

A note on buying yoghurt

The yoghurt aisle seems so fraught with missteps! So much deceptive labelling, ‘Low Sugar’ filled with fat and weird chemicals or ‘Low Fat’ filled with sugar.

For this recipe I used Jalna BioDynamic Organic Yoghourt. My process for picking yoghurt is pretty much to check the fat and sugar percentages on the packaging and avoid anything gnarly - they should both be under 10%, and the Jalna comes in under 5% for both. You’ll usually find that the ‘natural’ ones are more reasonable than the flavoured options labelled as diet.

I also reeeeeally love the Barambah Organics Natural Yoghurt - they do a Bush Honey variety for the sweet toothed among you that is both acceptable in terms of sugar content and totally delicious. Their low fat natural variety is AMAZING, more creamy and delicious than any low fat dairy product has any right to be : )

Quinoa Salad with Asparagus and Feta Quinoa is high on the...

Wed, 25 Apr 2012 22:54:00 +1000

Quinoa Salad with Asparagus and Feta

Quinoa is high on the list of FOODS I FEEL I SHOULD EAT, but I am still building up a repertoire of ways to use it. Today was my first crack at this salad as a work lunch, and it was pretty successful! I’ve adapted this recipe from Taste to make a batch big enough for two work lunches.

Ingredients

500ml (2 cups) water
150g (1 cup) quinoa, rinsed, drained
Olive oil spray
1 bunch asparagus, woody ends trimmed, cut into 4cm lengths
1 large red capsicum, roasted
40g crumbled reduced-fat feta
30g sunflower seed kernels
2 shallots, trimmed, thinly sliced
1 tbs chopped fresh continental parsley
1 1/2 tbs fresh lemon juice
2 tsp honey
2 tsp olive oil
1 tsp sweet paprika
2 big handfuls of baby rocket leaves

Method

Combine water and quinoa in a large saucepan over medium-high heat. Bring to the boil. Reduce heat to low. Cover and simmer for 12-15 minutes or until the liquid is absorbed. Transfer to a large bowl. Set aside to cool.
Meanwhile, preheat a large chargrill on high. Spray lightly with oil. Cook the asparagus for 2-3 minutes or until tender crisp.
Char grill your capsicum however you prefer - I just popped mine in our little toaster oven and rotated it until it was black all over, then remove the charred skin and slice it up.
Add the asparagus, capsicum, feta, sunflower seed kernels, shallot and parsley to the quinoa.
Whisk the lemon juice, honey, oil and paprika in a small bowl until well combined. Add the dressing and rocket to the quinoa mixture. Season with pepper and toss to combine.

Note: For work lunches, I separated out the quinoa, the dressing, the rocket and the other stuff into separate containers, then put together just before I ate them. It’s worth the hassle to stop everything getting soggy.

Chicken with Tomato, Corn & Blackbean Salsa This is a recipe...

Wed, 25 Apr 2012 22:39:00 +1000

Chicken with Tomato, Corn & Blackbean Salsa

This is a recipe I learned from the boyfriend, I don’t have the original to hand. Take the quantities as approximate, and enjoy making it to taste - it’s not one that’s too scientific.

Chicken

Ingredients

400g chicken breast
The spices you like that have a mexican vibe - cumin, mexican spice mix, chili powder - adapt to your taste

Method

Trim the fat from your chicken, cut the breast in half
Apply spices to the outside of the chicken, rub them in with your hands, cover and pop it back in the fridge while you prepare the salad
Spray a griddle frying pan with a light coat of olive oil, heat it up to a pretty high heat, whack in your chicken
Try to just turn the chicken once. When it’s cooked through, let it rest for 5 minutes then carve it into smaller pieces - you’ll have nice soft insides contrasted with spicy crispy edges

The Salsa!

Ingredients

400g tin of black beans (we get ours from Harris Farm)
One nice big ripe tomato
One purple onion (to taste, you don’t need to use it all)
One ear of corn
One juicy lime
A bunch of coriander
Dollop of salsa verde
Salt and Pepper

Method

Cook your corn in your preferred low fat way. We stick it in the microwave for 6 minutes, then cut off the kernels and toss them around a frying pan (you don’t need oil in a non-stick pan) to give it a nice bbq flavour. Pop it in the fridge to cool while you prep the other ingredients
Rinse your black beans and place them in a bowl, add your tomato (diced), onion (cut fairly finely) and coriander (again to taste, cut fairly finely)
Add in your cooled down corn. Squeeze in the juice of a whole lime, and stir through, season to taste with salt and pepper
The last step is optional, and a little bit naughty. I like to add in a dollop of salsa verde and stir through. Technically it’s a bad idea, because you’re giving up control of your ingredients, and it’s probably got some sugar and salt and chemicals. But it’s delicious and adds a real kick and you only use a dollop, so I roll with it.
If you have time, stick it in the fridge for about 20 minutes before you eat it - it’s nice to let it have a chance for all of the flavours to squish together a bit