World FAMOUS Roasted Cauliflower Salad with Sultanas, Capers and Hazelnuts

Tags

AIP Reintroduction, Al Brown, Cauliflower, Dairy Free, Healthy Salad, Paleo, Roasted Cauliflower, Salad, vegetarian

(Image by TSL)

I’ve promised you this salad for a while now. Ever since it became my ‘go-to’ dish over the Christmas break. It’s so easy to make. And, if you’ve never tried roasted cauliflower florets before, you’re in for a treat!

Trust me when I say, “It’s a winner!”

I was going to post it last week, but I got a little side tracked by the gorgeous wee baby cauli’s at the markets. And, instead I gave you my Whole Roasted Cauliflower. (I know! Two cauli’ recipes in the same month. What is the world coming to?)

This week I picked up the ‘Mama Cauliflower’ at the markets. A lovely big one. And so, today I am pleased to give you my take on an Al Brown recipe my Mum cut out of the paper…

Cauliflower is available year-round here in Sydney, but it seems to be absolutely everywhere I look at the moment. Which doesn’t upset me one bit. I L O V E cauliflower.

To be fair, it’s a recent love affair that has sprung up over the past couple of years as I discover the incredible versatility this benign-looking vegetable brings to my cooking repertoire…

SO good!
(Image by TSL)

I used to be into ‘forbidden fruit’, but I’ve moved on to ‘verboten vegetables’
― Josh Stern

You can eat it raw – as part of a crudités selection (GREAT with homemade aioli!). You can add it to salads.  And, of course, you can use it in your cooking – whole, cut into steaks, mashed, roasted, steamed. It’s a particularly good base for herbs and spices, too.

Cauliflower has lots of vitamin C and B6. And it offers useful quantities of folate, protein and fibre, too. It is a member of the cruciferous family of vegetables. And, in the past, here at Casa TSL it may have been overshadowed by its green cousin broccoli…

But no more! Broccoli-shmoccoli!

Well. Not really. Just for today’s post…

Just one observation – cauliflower seems to shrink when it is roasted. Do make sure you get a large one for this recipe, or even consider two.

And here it is. Your Roasted Cauliflower Salad. As promised. I hope you like it.

Oh! – and if you omit the nuts, this baby is AIP compliant, too!

Roasted Cauliflower Salad with Sultanas, Capers and Hazelnuts

• Servings: 2 - 4
• Time: 45 minutes
• Difficulty: easy
• Print

Adapted from a recipe by Al Brown

Ingredients:

1 x large cauliflower
6 x Tablespoons Extra Virgin Olive Oil (EVOO)
2 x Tablespoons capers, rinsed and dried
1/2 cup sultanas
1/2 x cup hazelnuts (omit if in the elimination phase of AIP)
1/2 x cup flat leaf parsley, chopped
Juice of one lemon
Salt

Method:

1. Heat your oven to 180°C/350°F.

2. Wash and cut your cauliflower into small florets. Pop into a roasting dish with 4 tablespoons of the EVOO. Salt generously and mix well. Roast for 30 – 45 minutes until a little brown and crunchy.

3. While the cauliflower is roasting, dry fry your hazelnuts until toasted to your liking. Pop the nuts aside. Using the same pan and a drizzle of EVOO, fry your capers off in a little olive oil.

4. When the hazelnuts are cool, roughly chop.

5. Mix the roasted cauliflower, capers, raisins, almonds and parsley in a bowl. Finish with the remaining olive oil, lemon juice and a generous serve of salt.

E N J O Y !

FANTASTIC Fennel, Celery, Apple and Pomegranate Salad

Tags

AIP, Autoimmune Protocol, Fennel Salad, Festive Salad, Healthy Salad, Paleo, Salad, Summer Salad

(Image by TSL)      

Fun fact #1 about pomegranates: Pomegranates are awesome.
Fun fact #2: Pomegranates are like little explosions of awesome in your mouth.
Fun fact #3: A lot of people think you’re not supposed to eat the seeds of a pomegranate – but that’s not true, people who tell you that are liars, and they don’t know anything about life, and they should never be trusted. (Tahereh Mafi)

This post comes to you largely because of the lovely Erin over at Enjoying This Journey.

Erin and I have never met in the real world. And, it is entirely possible that we never will. She lives with her family on a wee homestead in the U.S. And, I live in a wee townhouse in central Sydney. But, still – she is my friend. My blogging friend. And, we both happen to follow the Autoimmune Protocol.

I love this blogging world that has opened up to me over the past few years. I love the fact that I have connected with people all over the world. And, I love that I have connected with some who are not so far away, too. It’s bloody brilliant!

Back to Erin and her pomegranates. Erin loves pomegranates. I get the feeling they may even be her favourite food. And, I will admit that I find them hard to resist, too – their beautiful, jewel tones coupled with their bursts of intense flavour in your mouth (channelling Nigella Lawson!). There’s something festive about them, too.

And, they’re even good for you – arguably the most powerful anti-oxidant of all fruits with seriously potent anti-cancer and immune supporting effects. True!

A pomegranate is filled with rubies when you open it up. Diamonds may be a girl’s best friend – but not for me. I love rubies; they’re great over necks, you know. (Lynda Resnick)

Erin is collecting pomegranate recipes.

And, even though it’s completely the wrong time of year for her to be thinking about summer salads up there in the northern hemisphere, I thought I’d give her a wee something to bookmark for later.

Because, I am definitely thinking of salads down here. We’re having a very hot start to summer…

This little number is fresh and crunchy. It’s the perfect counterpart to my Slow Cooked Pork Neck (which is on permanent rotation around here), but would be equally good at a barbecue, too.

Fennel, Celery, Apple and Pomegranate Salad
(Image by TSL)

I picked up some gorgeous looking organic fennel at the markets on Saturday. And, rather than braising or roasting it, this time I thought fresh might just be best.

I got the LM two thumbs up. Always a good sign!

And, normally, I would have used my mandolin for all the slicing involved. But this time, I did all my chopping, slicing and dicing by hand. Just to see if I could. And it worked. Quite a calming process, really…

FANTASTIC Fennel, Celery, Apple & Pomegranate Salad

• Servings: 4-ish
• Time: 45 minutes tops
• Difficulty: REALLY easy. Even easier with a mandolin
• Print

Ingredients:

3 x small/medium fennel bulbs
3 – 4 celery stalks
Leaves from 3 – 4 stalks of celery
1 x Fuji or Gala apple
1 x shallot
1/2 bunch flat leaf parsley
Seeds from 1/2 a pomegranate (or more if you’re greedy like me)
Zest of 1 lime
1/4 cup lime juice
1/4 cup extra virgin olive oil
Salt and pepper (omit black pepper for strict AIP)

Method:

1. Wash and thinly slice your fennel and celery. Peel and thinly slice your shallot. Wash, core and slice your apple into match sticks. Coarsely chop your celery leaves and parsley. Throw all your chopped ingredients and lime zest into a large salad bowl. Mix with your hands.

2. Add your lime juice and EVOO to the bowl. Toss through.

3. Check for seasoning. Top your salad with the pomegranate seeds.

E N J O Y !

This recipe features in the Phoenix Helix recipe roundtable.

‘O for OARSOME’ Ottolenghi-Inspired Kohlrabi, Carrot and Apple Salad

Tags

AIP, Autoimmune Protocol, How do I prepare kohlrabi?, Kohlrabi, Paleo, Salad, Slaw, Summer Salad, What is kohlrabi?, Yotam Ottolenghi

(Image by TSL)

Ugly vegetables deserve love, too (TSL)

I may have mentioned before that this autoimmune protocol caper that I’m on has had a side benefit that I never expected. I am far more open to experimenting with new, previously unknown ingredients vegetables.

And, even before I committed to the full on elimination process, I was introducing less common veggies into my life. I’ll definitely be making my Simple Sorrel Pesto again, now that nuts have been successfully reintroduced. And, I have been waiting for my recently acquired plantains to ripen so that I can make Knock Out Plantain Hotcakes again, too…

This week I picked up some sexy-ugly looking kohlrabi at the farmers market. I see them sitting there every week and I have never bought one. To the best of my knowledge, I’ve never actually tasted one, either. Until today, that is.

Purple Kohlrabi
(Image by TSL)

Have you ever eaten kohlrabi?

These bulbous-shaped vegetables come in green or purple. They can apparently be eaten raw or cooked, and taste a little like broccoli stems, although I think they are a wee bit sweeter.

I have always associated kohlrabi with my German heritage (my Mum grew up in Germany), and it turns out I was right to do so. The word kohlrabi is German for ‘cabbage turnip’ (kohl as in cole-slaw, and rübe for turnip). Don’t get confused, though – the kohlrabi is not a root vegetable. Rather, it’s a member of the Brassica family – like cabbage, broccoli, cauliflower, and kale – which all grow above ground and are known for their antioxidant properties. In other words, kohlrabi is really good for you!

Specifically, fresh kohlrabi is a very rich source of vitamin-C which helps the body maintain healthy connective tissue, teeth, and gums. All pretty good stuff (says the girl with periodontal issues!)

As far as actual preparation goes, it transpires the humble kohlrabi is a rather versatile vegetable when it comes to how to eat it. They can be eaten raw—peeled, sliced and added to a salad or used for serving with a dip – or, they can be cooked. A truly multi-seasonal vegetable! They can be steamed, boiled, baked, grilled, mashed, stir-fried or roasted. You can even eat the leaves – think sautéed with a little bone broth and onions.

Kohlrabi, Carrot and Apple Salad
(Image by TSL)

My first recipe for kohlrabi was inspired by the delicious Yotam Ottolenghi. He’s a big fan of this old-world vegetable. I wrote about my gorgeous piece of pork neck that I slow-cooked earlier in the week, and today I wanted a bit of crunch to go some of the porky leftovers. And so, this salad was born.

And, I have to say, this is definitely not the last time I’ll be cooking with kohlrabi. It may well be my new favourite thing…

O for Oarsome Kohlrabi, Carrot and Apple Salad

• Servings: 6-ish
• Time: 30 minutes tops
• Difficulty: REALLY easy with a mandolin
• Print

Ingredients:

2 x large kohlrabi
2 x apples (I used granny smiths)
3 x medium carrots
1 x large handful coriander, roughly chopped, plus extra for garnish 1 garlic clove, crushed
50ml apple cider vinegar
50ml extra virgin olive oil Salt and pepper (omit pepper for AIP)

Method:

1. Peel the kohlrabi, wash and core the apples, peel the carrots. Shred on a mandolin (preferred option!) or julienne into match sticks by hand.

2. Mix all the julienned vegetables together in a large bowl. Add the coriander, apple cider vinegar and olive oil. Stir well. Taste and season generously. 

E N J O Y !

This recipe features in the Phoenix Helix Recipe Roundtable

ROCKING Fennel and Apple Slaw

Tags

AIP, Autoimmune Protocol, Coleslaw, Healthy Salad, Linga Longa, Paleo, Pork, Salad, Winter Salad

(Image by TSL)

I’m currently on the Autoimmune Protocol, a nutrient-rich elimination diet that removes foods that irritate the gut, cause gut imbalance and activate the immune system. You can read more about the protocol and why I’m doing this here.

You can never put too much pork in your mouth as far as I’m concerned. (Lewis Black)

I love pork. I r e a l l y love it. And, not a week goes by that we don’t pick up some cut of the best-pork-in-the-whole-world from the lovely team at Linga Longa. I’m not kidding – their pork is so good that I’m salivating just thinking about it… It just melts in your mouth.

And don’t even get me started about their bacon.

The Linga Longa stand is our first stop during our weekly jaunt to the farmers market at Eveleigh. And, I would still love them, even if they didn’t tell me every week that Bella is their favourite market dog!  Anyhoo, this week I picked up 2.8 kilos – that’s just over a whopping 6 pounds for you Americans! – of pork neck. I guess-timated that this amount of meat would just squeeze into my Le Creuset… It did, but it was a tight fit!

Now, I’m no expert (and I’ll be confirming this with Greg from Linga Longa on Saturday), but I’m pretty sure that this is the very same cut as the ‘Boston Butt’ I keep reading about in all the U.S. recipes for pulled pork.

Pork Neck = Boston Butt?
(Image from here)

I ended up making a very tasty pulled pork with my ‘Boston Butt’. I’ll post the recipe after I’ve tweaked it a bit more. Of course, it may take a wee while – I have an awful lot of meat to get through!

It almost goes without saying that coleslaw is the traditional accompaniment to pulled pork. The thing is, the temperature has suddenly taken a dive here, so I played around with a slaw that might just be considered a tad more wintery. Apples marry so well with pork, and so does fennel – seems almost logical to pair them both up in my slaw.

(Image by TSL)

Don’t just eat McDonald’s, get something a bit better. Eat a salad. That’s what fashion is. It’s something that is a bit better. (Vivienne Westwood)

For this recipe, it definitely helps if you have a mandolin. You could chop the apples and fennel by hand, but so MUCH easier (and faster) with a mandolin…

ROCKING Fennel & Apple Slaw

• Servings: 4
• Time: 20 minutes + sitting time
• Difficulty: easy-peasey
• Print

Ingredients

1 Tablespoon freshly squeezed lemon juice
2 x small or 1 x large granny smith apples
1 medium head of fennel
1/2 x small red onion
1/8 cup best quality EVOO
1 x Tablespoon freshly chopped flat leaf parsley

Method

1. Pop your lemon juice in a medium-sized bowl.

2. Peel and core your apples. Julienne into match sticks using your mandolin. Toss the apples in the lemon juice (this stops them from browning).

3. Wash and julienne your fennel. Add to the apples.

4. Remembering to change the blade on your mandolin, finely slice the red onion Add to the apples and fennel.

5. Add the olive oil and parsley. Season well to taste.

6. Leave for at least 30 minutes before serving. (All slaws improve in flavour after sitting!) Check seasoning once more.

6. Serve with a generous dollop of coconut yoghurt and raspberry sauce.

E N J O Y !

This recipe features in the Phoenix Helix AIP Recipe Roundtable.

Hopping on the Kale Bandwagon

Tags

Cook, Dairy Free, Health, Kale, Leaf vegetable, Massaged Kale, My New Roots, Olive oil, Omega-3 fatty acid, Recipe, Salad, Sarah Britton

Kale!
(Image from here)

I have become a bit of a kale devotee. Granted, not the sexiest of produce but never the less, seriously good for you AND, it is possible to make it very tasty, too…

Kale is supposedly a nutritional powerhouse. Loaded with calcium, iron, vitamins A, C, and K, and 10% of the RDA of omega-3 fatty acids in every cup, it’s no wonder this leafy green is becoming more and more popular among the health conscious.

Of course, there’s a rather large reason why kale gained popularity as a garnish, rather than as the main course – the leaves are incredibly tough and fibrous! At first glance, not exactly the type of leafy green you’d want to feature in a salad.

But wait! – Just by massaging the leaves between your fingers breaks down their tough cellulose structure, making this cruciferous veggie not only taste less bitter, but also making it easier to digest. After just a few minutes of squeezing the leaves between your hands, they will turn a darker green and have a wilted, silky texture. I know it sounds weird, but trust me. It’s a wee bit of magic…

My favourite massaged kale salad (to date) comes from the super talented Sarah Britton of My New Roots, the award-winning blog that has become an online destination for foodies everywhere, not only for its one-of-a-kind recipes, but also for its amazing nutritional information and mouth-watering photography.

Sarah Britton’s Massaged Kale Salad
(Image from My New Roots)

It’s like having dessert with your salad. (LM)

Sarah Britton’s Massaged Kale Salad and Grapes with Poppy Seed Dressing

For the massaged kale:

1 bunch kale, stemmed and sliced into ribbons
1 lemon
Cold-pressed olive oil
Sea salt

1. In a large bowl, dress kale with lemon juice and olive oil onto kale leaves and add a pinch or two of sea salt. Roll up your sleeves and massage kale until it’s deep dark green, soft, and tender, 2 to 3 minutes. (I use a timer. Anal, yes.)

2. Add anything you like: fruits, veggies, cooked or sprouted grains and legumes, nuts and seeds. Get creative. Once you’ve massaged your kale, store it in a tightly sealed container for up to 4 days in the fridge.

Here’s what Sarah added to her massaged kale (It worked for her, so who was I to argue?):

A couple handfuls each red and green grapes
1 ripe avocado
¼ cup toasted pine nuts

Poppy Seed Dressing

¼ cup cold-pressed olive oil
2 tablespoons apple cider vinegar
1 teaspoon Dijon mustard
½ shallot, diced
1 tablespoon poppy-seeds
Pinch sea salt
1 teaspoon honey

Whisk all ingredients together. Store leftovers in a glass jar for up to one week.

Massaged kale keeps in the fridge and doesn’t wilt like normal lettuce. Honest! A large bunch of kale massaged into one of Sarah’s fab’ salads feeds LM and me for two nights. Try it. I reckon you’ll be surprised at how much you love it.

The One About Russell Jackson and the ‘Ripe’ Cookbook…

Tags

angela redfern, Aotearoa, Art, Auckland, Cook, Cookbook, food, land of the long white cloud, New Zealand, New Zealand Art, Orakei, Photograph, Recipe, Ripe Deli, Russell Jackson, Salad, Travel

Back in the Lucky Country after a lovely long weekend in the Land of the Long White Cloud. Four days in my home town of Auckland and, for the most part, the weather was kind to us.

One of the highlights of the trip was a Sunday lunch with old friends – lots of great food and wine, and even better company (complete with happy kids running around and the inevitable stubbed toe).

Hanging on the wall in the dining room was a most fabulous Russell Jackson painting of the Orakei Boat-sheds – a little Auckland landmark, so very familiar to me from my childhood.

Arguably, one of New Zealand’s most important naturalist painters, Jackson says, “My landscapes are affirmative and pleasurable, rather than revolutionary. I speak directly to my audience, confirming the fact of place and living things in the World.” Russell Jackson, you spoke to me on Sunday… I love this piece.

‘Orakei Basin Shag‘ by Russell Jackson

Orakei Boat-sheds in a photograph (source unknown)

I also love this piece, but then I have a soft spot for this part of New Zealand, too – as seen in a earlier post, here.

‘Tomtit and Kingfisher – O’Neill Bay’ by Russell Jackson
(Available from NKB Gallery in Auckland)

Our hostess is known for her culinary cleverness, and she definitely delivered, this time including a couple of wonderful salads from Angela Redfern’s the ‘Ripe Recipes‘ cookbook. I just happen to have this fabulous cookbook on my shelf and thought you may like to know a little more…

In the nine (or ten?) years since Ripe first opened its doors, it has established a reputation amongst Auckland food lovers for creating fresh, home-made style, seasonal food. There is a focus on free range products and using seasonal ingredients (so you guys up in the Northern Hemisphere would have to swap the months around to match your seasons!) The book showcases more than 130 recipes regular Ripe Deli customers have come to love.

This is one cookbook from down under that you guys up in the Northern Hemisphere should definitely consider. I particularly love the salads that are crammed full of herbs and some wonderful dressings.

The following recipe is one of the salads we had on Sunday. I’m giving you the recipe straight from the Ripe Recipes cookbook (Page 191).  In ours, the buckwheat was substituted for Israeli Cous Cous, and the green cabbage for red. It was superb!

Buckwheat & Broad Bean Salad
(Serves 6 – 8)

Ingredients

1/2 cup (100g) Buckwheat
500g Broad Beans, fresh or frozen
1/4 green cabbage, finely sliced
2 large raw courgettes (zucchini), freshly sliced
1 cup fresh mint leaves
5 artichoke hearts, drained and sliced
250g cottage cheese

Dressing

Juice of 2 – 3 lemons, & zest of 1
1/2 cup (125ml) olive oil
1/2 cup (125ml) white wine vinegar
2 tbsp honey
Salt and freshly ground pepper

Cook the buckwheat

To prepare the dressing: place all the dressing ingredients in a jar with a tight fitting lid and shake well

To prepare the salad: blanch broad beans for 2 – 3 minutes in a large saucepan of boiling water. Drain and refresh in cold water. Drain. Remove and discard the skins.

In a large bowl combine the cabbage, broad beans, courgette, mint, artichoke and buckwheat.

Add the cottage cheese and the dressing and toss to serve. Taste and season with salt and pepper if needed.

Enjoy!

The Ripe Recipes book ain’t that easy to come by. I found some copies available here if you’re interested.

What’s been cookin’ this week…

Tags

chocolate mousse, Delia Smith, Lasagna, Lentils, Mousse, Pasta, Salad

The teenager turned 16 this week.  When asked, his birthday meal of choice was lasagne with a side of baked broccoli followed by chocolate mousse.  Not what I would have chosen, but hey – not my birthday, either.

I have a very splendiforous lasagne recipe from my trusty, never-fail, go-to girl (woman), Delia Smith.  For the uninitiated, Delia is a goddess when it comes to recipes that ALWAYS WORK.  If you have a spare 5 hours, this is THE lasagne to make.  It is seriously good.  I did not have a spare 5 hours this week, so I picked up a ready-made lasagne from Pastabilities while at the markets on Saturday.  Not bad for a bought one.  <Insert slightly guilty ‘I didn’t make your birthday meal from scratch’  face here>. I did, however, manage to whip up some of Delia’s ‘a very chocolatey mousse’.  Yummo!

Delia Smith's 'a Very Chocolatey Mousse'

On a healthier note, one of my newest blog finds is My New Roots.  It’s gorgeous.  Sarah Britton, an holistic nutritionist and vegetarian chef, is an inspiration with her mouth-watering recipes and beautiful photography.

Sarah Britton's 'Best Lentils Salad, Ever' from My New Roots

This week I made her self-proclaimed ‘Best Lentil Salad, Ever’.  It was seriously good.  I threw in rocket (arugula), goats cheese, a few walnuts and some left over broccoli.  She has me hooked and I’m definitely going to try more Sarah Britton recipes in the future.  If you are thinking of making the lentil salad, it is ENORMOUS.  I shall consider halving it next time I make it.

Off to the gym to work off some of that lasagne and chocolate mousse…