Very simple, inexpensive, easily sourced ingredients. Amazingly good at feeding your super gut bugs. Quick to make, cooks in bulk and freezes well for weekday lunches. Allergy friendly ….. AND YUMMY!!!
400g Broccoli (1 medium size), roughly chopped
600g Cauliflower (1 large), roughly chopped
1 small brown onion (about 120g), diced
1 tbsp olive oil
2 tbsp veggie stock paste
8 cups boiling water
150g cream cheese (*dairy, soy or nut based – you can even use a light silken tofu here)
If you don’t have stock paste you can use 2 cups liquid stock and then only 6 cups water.
Heat the oil in a large saucepan then add in the onion and cook, stirring, until it is soft and golden.
Add in the cauliflower and broccoli plus the stock paste and stir well. Cook down for about 3 minutes then add in the boiling water.
Cover and simmer for about 20 minutes or until the veggies are very soft. *If you need a quicker cooking time you can give them veggies a quick blitz in your food processor first.
Remove from the heat and add in the cream cheese.
Use an immersion blender to blend until the soup is very smooth. If you are using a blender/thermo cooker/bullet machine to blend – BE VERY CAREFUL! Allow it to cool quite a bit first and then do small batches.
Serves 8.
If Macros are important to you, here they are for 1 serve.
This is a soup-er simple meal, really inexpensive and delicious. A pretty mild soup, so it is very kid friendly too.
400g Cauliflower (1 medium size), roughly chopped
1.2kg Butternut pumpkin roughly chopped
1/2 small brown onion (about 60g), diced
1/2 tsp ground nutmeg
1 tbsp garlic infused olive oil
2 tbsp veggie stock paste
10 cups boiling water
225g cream cheese (*dairy, soy or nut based – you can even use a light silken tofu here)
If you don’t have stock paste you can use 3 cups liquid stock and then only 7 cups water.
Heat the oil in a large saucepan then add in the onion and cook, stirring, until it is soft and golden.
Add in the cauliflower and pumpkin plus the stock paste and stir well. Cook down for about 3 minutes then add in the boiling water.
Cover and simmer for about 20 minutes or until the veggies are very soft. *If you need a quicker cooking time you can give the veggies a quick blitz in your food processor first.
Remove from the heat and add in the cream cheese. Use an immersion blender to blend until the soup is very smooth. If you are using a blender/thermo cooker/bullet machine to blend – BE VERY CAREFUL! Allow it to cool quite a bit first and then do small batches.
I love to serve mine topped with roasted pumpkin seeds and pine nuts (switch hemp seeds for nut free) …. Just pop the seeds in a hot, dry frying pan and cook, stirring, for a couple of minutes until they are golden brown. Sprinkle on the soup and if you want a little extra kick … sprinkle on a little pinch of chilli flakes!
Serves 12.
If Macros are important to you, here they are for 1 serve (roughly 2 ladles of soup) , worked out for the dairy based cream cheese – not including the seed topping.
This will last several days in the fridge, or it freezes and defrosts well.
Well, these are easy, have only a few ingredients, freeze well, pack in a heap of good stuff to stretch the meat further aaaaand… they’re delicious!
Plus I kind of feel like they’re a complete meal in one. Protein, veg and grain … All right there! Which means that if I’m in a hurry and grab a couple of these from the freezer, I’ve got everything I need for a balanced meal. Winning 👌
4 medium chicken thighs (about 485g), skinless and boneless
200g broccoli
1/2 cup tricoloured quinoa (110g)
1 tbsp coconut aminos
1/4 cup (15g) Nutritional yeast
1 birdseye chilli or 1/2 tsp chilli flakes (you can skip the chilli if you’re not a fan!)
Start by bringing a small saucepan of water to the boil and cooking the quinoa. Rinse it well first, then it should take about 15 mins. Drain it, rinse it again and set aside.
Wash the broccoli well and shake dry (too much water and your patties will be soggy). Break into chunks and add to your food processor. Process until fine (Speed 4, 8 seconds, scrape down then Speed 5 for 5 seconds).
Whilst still processing (speed 4), add the nutritional yeast and chicken through the top chute and process until it is finely chopped and well combined. (Up to Speed 5 for 8 seconds once it is all added)
Continue processing (Speed 4) and add in the chilli and coconut aminos.
Add add in the (very well drained) quinoa and process until it is evenly combined.
Scrape mixture into a bowl, cover and place in the fridge for 2 hours, or up to over night. I usually make the mix in the morning before work and then form the patties in the afternoon.
Use tablespoons of mixture to form patties with slightly oiled hands and place them on a lined baking tray.
So pretty!
Spray with a little olive oil, then place into a 200C oven for about 20 minutes, then flip and cook for another 5-10 minutes, or until cooked through (you can use a thermometer to check that the centre has reached 75C) and golden.
Makes 12. These freeze and defrost well – use a little kitchen paper to absorb excess moisture when defrosting and reheating.
Serve warm with extra veggies, and an extra drizzle of coconut amino sauce – or use them the next time your build your own burgers!
Enjoy
If macros are important to you – here are the details per patty (1 /12th of the recipe):
We don’t heat a huge amount of red meat, but a few months back, my biggest boy was reading and the characters in the book described the Lamb Koftas they were eating.
Will had never heard of them before so he asked me about them and then asked me to make them.
They were very simple to make and a winner of a meal with 6 empty plates, so they have been added to the menu and we hope you like them as much as we do!
500g lamb mince
120g chick peas, drained and rinsed
1 small brown onion
2-3 clove cloves garlic
1 tsp tahini
1 tbsp hemp seeds
1 medium carrot
1 large handful spinach
1/2 tsp ground turmeric
1 tsp dried paprika
1 tsp ground coriander
1 tsp ground cumin
1/2-1 tsp dried chilli flakes (depending on the amount of bite you like)
2 tsp finely grated lemon zest
good pinch salt
Optional: Dressing of Minted yoghurt (see below the recipe) and crunch of toasted pine nuts or pumpkin seeds
Into your food processor/thermo cooker, place the onion, garlic, chick peas, lemon, seeds, tahini, carrot, spinach and all of the herbs and spices.
Process until they are finely chopped (Speed 4, 8 seconds, scrape down and repeat)
While the machine is still processing, add in the lamb in through the top opening and process until the mixture is very well combined and quite smooth.
Place the mixture into a bowl, cover and place in the fridge for at least an hour (over night is fine). This will help the mixture to hold together without egg as a binder.
Divide the mixture into 12 and form in to small fat sausage shapes.
Place on a lined baking tray, spray or brush with a little olive oil and bake at 180C for about 40 minutes, turning them over after 30 minutes.
We like to serve ours with ribbons of carrot and cucumber.
We also used minted yoghurt as a dressing (you can used which ever kind of unflavoured yoghurt fits your dietary needs). About 4 tbsp mixed with 2 tsp of finely torn fresh mint.
Top with toasted pine nuts (or pumpkin seeds).
If Macros are important to you here are the details. Each serve is 1 kofta (that is 1/12 of the mix)
A little while ago I posted my Salmon Tart and I have had a few requests for a vegetarian version.
So, here is a my baked veggie omelette – you’ll need a frying pan that can transfer from the stove top into an oven.
I tend to make tarts like these so I have them on hand work work lunches – delicious cold or warm . Or if you’re in a rush, grab a couple of slices out of the fridge and steam some extra greens – speedy and filling dinner!
8 medium eggs
1 large zucchini
12 swiss brown mushrooms, finely sliced
250g spinach
1 tsp olive oil
1 tbsp nutritional yeast
salt and pepper to taste
Optional: 50g grated tasty cheese
Heat the oil in the frying pan, then slice the zucchini into rounds and place into the frying pan.
Fry for 1 minutes until the first side is golden, then flip over the zucchini before adding in the mushrooms to the pan. Cook, stirring for another minute until the mushrooms start to soften. Then add the spinach to the pan.
it’s a LOT of spinach!
Add in the salt, pepper and nutritional yeast and stir through to make sure the veggies are evenly coated.
Whisk together the eggs and then pour evenly over the veggies.
Turn the frying pan to a gentle heat and allow to cook until the side of the omelette just start to pull away from the sides of the pan – the top of the omelette will still be very wet at this point.
Sprinkle the top with cheese if you wish before popping it in a pre-heated 180C oven for about 10 minutes or until the top just stops wobbling … Remember that the eggs will keep cooking while it is warm so if you leave it in the oven for too long you’ll get a rubbery omelette.
Let it cool and then slice into 6.
Store it in the fridge for about 3 days.
If macros are important to you here are the details (which includes the cheese) for 1 slice, which is 1/6th of the omelette:
So simple to make and I love the way that you can bulk them up with whatever you had on hand – so they’re budget friendly too!
I tend to make tarts like these so I have them on hand work work lunches – delicious cold (so I don’t stink out my office colleagues!) or warm (for those days I work at home). Or if you’re in a rush, grab a couple of slices out of the freezer and steam some extra greens – speedy and filling dinner!
7 medium eggs
130g (approx) salmon fillet*
150g broccoli
3 large celery sticks
20g olive oil
25g milk of choice (I mostly use unsweetened high protein almond milk)
1 tsp freshly chopped dill
salt and pepper to taste
*If you don’t have a salmon fillet, just used plain tinned salmon, and skip the cooking part.
Start by pan cooking the salmon, so it is almost cooked – it will finish in the oven. Then break it in to small pieces.
Steam your broccoli – I did a couple of minutes in the microwave. And then use a knife to diced it evenly.
Finely dice your celery.
Place the broccoli, celery and salmon into a bowl.
In a separate bowl (I prefer a decent sized measuring jug because it pours well), break all of your eggs. Then add in the dill, salt and pepper, milk and oil and then whisk really well.
Pour the egg mix into the salmon and veg mix and then fold together until even.
Pour into a lined baking dish (21cm x 21cm) and place into a preheated 180C oven.
Bake for about 25 minutes or until it is golden and the egg is mostly set …. as the egg is still hot it will continue to cook as it cools when you remove it from the oven.
Allow to cool a little before slicing into 9 squares.
You can gently reheat this one in a microwave from the fridge. Or if you are going to freeze it, lay it between 2 sheets of kitchen paper before you do, as this will help to absorb the ice crystals as it defrosts.
If macros are important to you, here are the details for 1 slice (that is 1/9 of the total dish)
If you want an easy switch to make this a vegetarian option, omit the salmon and replace with a few handfuls of sliced mushrooms – I like the swiss brown variety!
Burgers aren’t a very frequent meal in our house. I’m not sure why. Peter and the kids adore them and serving themselves makes for a very happy family meal.
It’s been several weeks in isolation now, and our local supermarket is still very low on many things (totally empty shelves in many aisles) so our grocery shopping and planning has looked a little different. We’ve needed to be a little more creative and adaptive with what we can access – that’s ok by me!!
When my biggest boys asked for Cheeseburgers, we went back to the style of burger patties that we haven’t made in a long time. Very simple, quick to make and not many ingredients. Devoured by everyone. Winning.
500g beef mince
1 large carrot
1 medium brown onion
1 tsp fresh chopped thyme (or dried Italian Style herbs)
*You can add in 2 tbsp of suitable breadcrumbs here if you’d prefer.
Grate the onion and carrot and mix together with all other ingredients, except the beef.
Break up the beef mince and add to the carrot mix.
Smoosh (yes, that’s the technical term!) the mince in until well combined. You can do this with a spoon, your hands, or even a short burst in the food processor.
Using your hands, for the mix into patties and lay on a lined baking tray.
Place into a preheated 180 oven for about 30 minutes, turning them over after 20 minutes. You can also fry them in a pan with a little olive oil if you’d prefer.
Makes 6-8 burger patties (depending on their size)
We like to have this as a ‘serve yourself meal’. Some add only cheese and cucumber, others add EVERYTHING!
They are delicious in a bunless burger ….
Or with your favourite bun – We particularly enjoy them with fresh spelt/hemp buns!!!
As are you all, we are spending a LOT more time at home at the moment.
Which, I guess, in good news – means more time for baking!
Although getting all the ingredients we normally use has been a little tricky….
But sweet potatoes are plentiful in our garden right now, so they are featuring quite a bit on our plates!
I was thinking about making rolls to go with our soup, when I remembered that I had seen these yummy looking rolls on ‘Super Healthy kids. The original (see the link) is a sweet version that they eat in the states for Thanksgiving.
I didn’t want a sweet roll (although I’m sure I will another time!) and I needed to adapt it to our dietary requirement (no egg, or dairy). So I got experimenting.
Our family adores these rolls. Even the sworn sweet potato hater inhaled 3 before I stopped him!
Hope you enjoy them too 🙂
3 1/2 cup flour (2 cup plain & 1.5 cups wholemeal) – we use spelt
1 flat tablespoon yeast, active dry
1 teaspoon salt
1 cup, mashed Sweet potato, cooked (about 1 medium potato)
1Â cupmilk of choice (oat milk works well here)
1/4 cup olive oil
1 tsp each of rosemary and thyme, finely diced (or 1 tsp dried Italian Style herbs)
spray olive oil
extra flour for rolling
Start by peeling and dicing your sweet potato. Then steam it until it is soft (approx 4-5 mins in a microwave)
While the potato is steaming, place into your bowl/machine (see instructions below for multiple machine methods), the flour, salt, herbs, oil and yeast.
As soon as the sweet potato is cooked, drain it and mash it. Measure out your 1 cup and add it to the cup of milk. The milk doesn’t need to be warmed – by adding the potato to the milk, you’ll bring both the milk and the potato to the right temperature to make sure you don’t kill off the yeast.
Whisk the milk and potato together until they are roughly combined and then pour into the flour mix.
Give a rough mix of the dough for a few seconds and allow it to sit for 5 minutes (it won’t be all combined at this stage). Use a wooden spoon in the bowl if you’re doing it by hand, or speed 3 for 5 seconds in a thermal cooker, or about 5 seconds with a dough hook in a stand mixer.
Now get kneading –
For a bread machine: Use the dough only function. Set and walk away.
For a stand mixer with a dough hook: you’ll need to mix for 6-7 minutes
For a thermo cooker: set your knead function (for a less powerful machine, like a Bellini, you might need an extra minute or two)
By hand: flour the bench and get your muscles ready! Knead until your dough is smooth and elastic.
Place the dough ball in a lightly oiled bowl, cover with a cloth and let rise in a warm area until doubled in size – about an hour, or until your machine has finished it’s rise function.
Remove from the bowl and knock down the dough.
Cut it into two and roll each one into a circle – like you’re making a pizza base.
Cut each circle in to 8 wedges (again, like a pizza).
Then start at the outside edge (where the the pizza crust would be) and roll toward the point to make your crescent shape.
Little rolls, ready to start the second rise
Place on a lined baking dish, spray lightly with olive oil and then allow to rest in a warm place until the have doubled in size again (roughly another hour)
2nd rise complete – into the oven they go
While the dough is doing it’s second rise, preheat your oven to 180C degrees.
When the second rise is complete, place into the preheated oven. Bake for 12-15 minutes or until golden brown. The bottom will sound hollow when you tap it.
Delicious perfection!
Remove from the oven and cool for just a couple of minutes before you dig in!
I adore it and my husband is totally won over (despite the way he looked at me when I first told him about it!). But I think it might be the worst thing he’s ever heard of, according to my dad!
Where will you sit I wonder? Are you game to give it a try?!
Lots of people choose not to eat traditional bread, because they are wary of carbohydrate levels, or their bodies don’t respond well through either allergies or intolerances.
Me? I love bread. I don’t eat it often, but when I do, I relish it! Seeded sourdough rye is my favourite!!! Especially with avo ….yuum!
So why this recipe then? Well I have seen recipes around for wraps or bread sticks or pizza bases using cauliflower (like this one …Â but too much dairy for us) and you know that I LOVE anything that involves cauliflower!
I love to include a variety of veggies in our meals and since there is more and more information around about the potential benefits of fermented food, I’ve been playing more with Miso paste.
I think it’s quite possible that the outrageous health and healing claims that abound about the miracle properties of fermented food could be over-stretching it! But it does seem likely that there is certainly some health benefit to these foods. Since, due to allergies, cabbage is right out for us (no kimchi or sauerkraut here!), yoghurt and miso are our go-to ferments.
The recipe isn’t going to replace your morning toast but it is a great option if you need a naan bread type option for curries or if you want to change up your lunches a bit.
350g cauliflower
150g broccoli
1/2 cup (20g) Nutritional yeast
40g white miso paste
2 medium eggs
Wash the cauliflower and broccoli and let it drain before patting it dry – you don’t want any extra moisture in this recipe.
Put it in to the food processor/blender/thermo machine and process until fine (Speed 4, 10 seconds, scrape down and repeat)
Add in the nutritional yeast and miso and process again until the miso is well combined (Speed, 4, 6 seconds)
While the machine is still processing add in the 2 eggs through the top chute and continue to process.
It won’t initially look like enough egg … but keep processing (on Speed 4 or 5) for a little longer – it will come together!
Spread the mixture out onto a large, lined baking tray. It needs to be even and fairly thin spread – about 3 to 4mm thick. Then place in to a preheated 180C oven
Cook for about 20 minutes before removing from the oven and gently scoring into 8 pieces – this make it much easier to flip and helps with even cooking.
Flip the pieces over and return to oven for a further 10 minutes. Until golden brown.
Remove from oven and allow to cool on tray for 10 minutes.
Serve warm or cold.
Our favourite way to eat it is slightly warm, and layered with a bit of tinned salmon or topped with some avocado and tomato. Yum!
If you aren’t using this all straight away, it does not freeze well, but it does keep well in the fridge for a couple of days – place some kitchen paper in the air tight container to help absorb any moisture and then reheat gently.
**If you don’t have a food processor, or similar: Grate the veg as finely as you can, mix the yeast and miso well, then whisk the eggs well before adding in and keep stirring until you bring it all together
If Macros are important to you, here are the details for 1 slice, that is 1/8th of the recipe:
Enjoy …. and let me know if you were brave enough to try!!
A couple of months ago I saw Dr Michael Mosely’s idea of using what is essentially a very thin spread omelette base to use as a substitute for a grain based wrap.
Pretty cool if you need to avoid gluten (several of us). Or if you need to keep an eye on your carbohydrate intake (Me thanks to PCOS).
Except 1 single egg wasn’t really enough for a meal for my husband or I so, to make a more filling option that gives a decent vegetarian source of protein with your meal … this is how we make ours:
2 medium eggs
1 tsp hemp seeds
2 tsp nutritional yeast
pinch flaked pink salt
1/2 tsp Italian style herbs, or 1 tsp fresh chopped thyme
optional: small spray of olive oil
Whisk the eggs together, then add in all the other ingredients and whisk again until well combined and frothy.
If you’re not sure about how non-stick your frying pan is, then give it a little spray of olive oil and set to a medium heat.
Pour in the egg mix and swirl around the pan until it is evenly distributed over the whole base.
Allow to cook gently for about a minute, then test that the side of the egg are well cooked, slide a spatula underneath to the centre and then flip it over to briefly cook the other side.
Remove from heat and lay on plate. Eat warm or cold.
Treat it like a normal wheat based wrap – We fill ours with a variety of salad and it keeps us full of ages – plus … it’s really delicious!
You can make several in advance and store them in the fridge for a couple of days – lay a paper towel between each one for storage.
Enjoy!
If Macros are important to you … are are the details for just the wrap – you will need to account for your own fillings:
Itchin' Kitchen 