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 !

“Holy Herbed Whole Roasted Cauliflower, Batman!”

Tags

AIP, Autoimmune Protocol, Cauliflower, Cauliflower Recipe, Herbs, Paleo, Vegetables, vegetarian

(Image by TSL)

Ever since I came back from my Christmas break in New Zealand, I’ve been meaning to post about my take on Al Brown‘s roasted cauliflower salad. And I will. Promise.

It’s just that I got a little side tracked this week…

While I was at the farmers market on Saturday, I found the most perfectly formed little cauliflowers. I bought one, thinking I would make the salad. Only, when it came time, I couldn’t bring myself to chop it up. It was so pretty. TRULY! And, then I told myself that, “Really, it was too small to do justice to a salad”.

And, so this wee number for whole roasted cauliflower was born.

Bella sunning herself next to my hanging herb patch by Missy K
(Image by TSL)

I have a super-special mate (Australian vernacular: mate = friend!). Here at Casa TSL, she is affectionately known as Missy K. And, among other things, Missy K is known for giving awesome pressies. This Christmas just past, she made me a hanging herb garden. She’s the ultimate D.I.Y. lawyer!

I love my hanging herb patch.

The best thing about having herbs growing in your garden (or, in my case on my wall) is that you use them more often in your cooking. And, when I say more often, I really mean all the time.

Which can only be good for me. 

Now that I have such a variety of gorgeous smelling greenery, I’m experimenting. I’m branching out from my usual – parsley, rosemary and thyme. In the past, I might have bought some coriander (cilantro) for a recipe. Now I have it all in my wee garden. At my fingertips.

So, for this recipe, I used oregano. And, the house may have smelled the littlest bit like a pizza parlour while the cauliflower was cooking…

In fact, LM walked in the door and wanted to know what smelled so good!

Whole roasted cauli’ is a great way to experiment with herbs and spices. I’ve kept this number AIP-friendly (the toasted hazelnuts are completely optional). If you prefer a different herb, then just switch it out. Thyme would work equally well.

And, if you’re fine with nightshades and seed spices, then have a play. The potential flavour combinations really are endless. Think about adding some of the following:

– Ground cumin

– Turmeric

– Fennel seeds

– Ground coriander

– Cinnamon

– Mustard seeds

– Paprika

Whole roasted cauliflower is an impressive way to serve your vegetables. This little number would be a great addition to a dinner party table. It looks fabulous.

Herbed Whole Roasted Cauliflower

• Servings: 4
• Time: 50 minutes
• Difficulty: easy
• Print

Ingredients:

1 x organic cauliflower
Salt (I use Himalayan sea salt)
2 x Tablespoons coconut oil or lard
Small handful of fresh oregano, finely chopped (can substitute 1 x teaspoon dried oregano)
2 x cloves garlic, minced
zest and juice of half a lemon
Extra Virgin Olive Oil (EVOO), for drizzling
Handful of fresh parsley, chopped
Small handful hazelnuts (optional – omit for elimination phase of AIP)

Method:

1. Heat your oven to 180°C / 350°F. Remove the outer leaves of your cauliflower and pop into a roasting dish.

2. In a frying small pan, dry fry your hazelnuts over a low-medium heat. Keep your eye on them – they will burn quickly. Once toasted, roughly chop and set aside.

3. In the same pan, gently melt one Tablespoon of fat. Pour the melted fat over your cauliflower. Season generously with salt. Pop into the oven and roast for 35 – 40 minutes until golden.

4. When your cauliflower is almost ready, melt the remaining fat. Stir in your oregano, minced garlic, and lemon zest.

5. Remove the cauliflower from the oven and reduce the temperature to 160°C / 320°F. Pour the herb-infused fat over the top of your cauliflower and pop back in the oven for a further 10 minutes.

6. Serve the cauliflower with a drizzle of EVOO. Squeeze over the lemon juice and garnish with fresh parsley and optional toasted hazelnuts.

E N J O Y !

This recipe features in the Phoenix Helix Recipe Roundtable.

HEARTY Cauliflower and Leek Soup with Crispy Bacon Bits

Tags

AIP, Autoimmune Protocol, Cauliflower Soup, Dairy Free, Hearty Soup, Paleo, vegetarian, Winter soup, Winter warmers

(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. And, if you want to know why I’m on the sugar-free version of the Autoimmune Protocol, you can read about that here.

When you have a good stock, you can make a good soup.(Martin Yan)

Well into week two of this sugar-free AIP caper and I’m starting to get into the swing of things. It must be said that not reaching for the fruit bowl when I feel like a snack has taken a bit of getting used to. And, there has certainly been a sense of withdrawal, which is interesting given my sugar consumption wasn’t that high before – but I’m definitely not going hungry and – once you wean yourself of the sugar-fixes, I’m living proof that it can be done.

You already know that I’m the queen of the breakfast hash from my photo montage post earlier in the week. With such a nutrient dense and filling breakfast, I find that I feel like more of a snack at lunch time. And, soup is fitting the bill perfectly – especially as we’ve been having a cold snap here in Sydney.

Cauliflower and Leek Soup With Crispy Bacon Bits
(Image by TSL)

Soup is a great way to get both more nourishing and gut healing bone broth and more nutrient-dense fresh vegetables into your body. And it’s so easy to make – about half an hour and you have enough for 3 or 4 days. It’s pretty cost efficient, too.

Good manners: The noise you don’t make when you’re eating soup.(Bennett Cerf)

It would be so easy to make a vegetarian version of this soup – just sub in vegetable stock (or even water) for the chicken stock. Instead of the bacon bits, garnish with freshly chopped parsley or chives.

• Servings: 3 - 4
• Time: about 30 minutes
• Difficulty: easy-peasey
• Print

Ingredients:

1 x large leek
1 x eschalot (or a small onion)
1 x medium head of cauliflower
salt (I use pink Himalayan salt) & freshly ground pepper
1 x Tablespoon coconut oil (or fat of choice)
800mls chicken bone broth (or vegetable stock)

Optional extra:

1 x rasher bacon, chopped and fried until crisp in a teaspoon of coconut oil

Method

1.Peel and roughly chop your eschalot. Wash and roughly slice your leek. Wash, core and roughly chop your cauliflower.

2. In a large pot, heat your fat of choice. Throw in your eschalot and leek. Saute for about five minutes over a medium heat (until soft).

3. Add your cauliflower and bone broth. Bring to  the boil and then reduce to a low simmer for about 8 minutes until the cauliflower is ready. Season to your taste.

4. Puree your vegetables and stock in your blender. Check for seasoning.

5. Serve immediately and garnish with optional bacon bits (or fresh herbs).

E N J O Y !

 

The Galloping Gourmet’s Trans-Tasman Root Vegetable Soup Competition…

Tags

AIP, Autoimmune Protocol, Best Vegetable Soup, Dairy Free, Graham Kerr, Paleo, Soup, The Galloping Gourmet, vegetarian, Winter Warmer

(Original image sent by TSL’s Dad. Copy from Graham Kerr’s cookbook)

A couple of weeks ago, I posted about my all time FAVOURITE root vegetable soup from my childhood. My Mum used to make it. It was a Graham Kerr recipe. And, I didn’t actually have the recipe to hand when I was wanting to make it, so I ‘approximated’ using a bit of this and a dash of that. To be honest, I was pretty happy with the outcome. It wasn’t exactly the soup of my childhood, but it was thick and creamy and made me feel good… I was very happy with it.

And, then my father got involved.

Dad lives in New Zealand. He is a big fan of this wee blog. He reads every post. And, while he doesn’t always comment, he often tries my recipes and gives me his verdict. He’s a pretty fab’ Dad, really. My four-hour lamb is now his ‘new signature dish’! Dad and I compare notes on our Healthy Ice Cream flavour experiments (I love the sound of his feijoa and ginger version). And naturally, he and Mum tested my take on the root vegetable soup and, while they liked it, Dad said it wasn’t quite as good as the original.

That particular post actually generated quite the discussion amongst my immediate family. Clearly, just the thought of that soup brings back so many memories for us all.

And, just to prove his point, Dad sent my sister and me a copy of the original recipe from Graham Kerr’s circa 1967 ‘Galloping Gourmet’ cookbook (which, if you’re interested, is older than me!)

The Graham Kerr Cookbook (circa 1967) – very Don Draper!
(Image by TSL)

So, of course, I had to make the original soup (only, mine was adapted to fit the Autoimmune Protocol).

And, as much as it pains me to admit it, I think Dad was right. As good as my soup is, it’s not the original. And, when it comes to childhood memories, the original is what counts.

It is worth noting that LM – who does not have the same childhood memories – favours my version. It is entirely possible that he is a smidge biased… I’ll let you be the judge!

The original BEST Root Vegetable Soup

• Servings: 5-6
• Time: 1 hour
• Difficulty: easy-peasy
• Print

(Image by TSL)

Adapted from the Graham Kerr recipe

Ingredients

1 x Tablespoon fat (I used lard)
340g carrots, peeled and chopped
170g kumara (sweet potato), peeled and chopped
170g parsnips, peeled and chopped
230g onions, peeled and chopped
3 x cloves garlic
860 mls chicken bone broth (substitute with vegetable stock for a vegetarian option)
Salt
10 x Black peppercorns
5 x Bay-leaves
1 bunch parsley
5 sprigs thyme
230 mls Coconut milk

Method

1. Throw your fat into a large pot. Melt over a medium heat.

2. Add chopped vegetables and sweat for five minutes (I use a timer).

3. Add the bone broth, herbs, peppercorns and season generously with salt.

4. Bring to the boil. Pop on the lid and lower the heat to a simmer. Cook for twenty minutes or until the vegetables are tender.

5. Remove the herbs. Carefully purée your mixture (in batches) in your blender. Add the coconut milk as you blend.

6. Taste for seasoning and serve with freshly chopped parsley as a garnish.

E N J O Y !

And, the first person to let me know, via a comment here or on the ‘This Sydney Life’ Facebook page, which soup they prefer (and why!) wins a prize. Immediate family members are not eligible!

Shared on the Phoenix Helix AIP Recipe Round Table

Tostones, Sydney-style…

Tags

AIP, Autoimmune Protocol, Gluten Free, Healthy Snack, Paleo, Plantains, Snacks, South American food, Tostones, vegetarian

(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.

I’ve long believed that good food, good eating, is all about risk. Whether we’re talking about unpasteurised Stilton, raw oysters or working for organised crime ‘associates’, food, for me, has always been an adventure. (Anthony Bourdain, Kitchen Confidential: Adventures in the Culinary Underbelly)

I know, I know – my last post was for plantain crackers, and here I am giving you another ‘snack’-type recipe. And worse, its Easter Sunday as I write this – hardly the time to be posting about a South American plantain speciality. But, I am. Such a renegade, me!

It’s been a funny old week here at Casa TSL. The house sold at auction last weekend. Which, is great news for us. But, then I caught the flu-bug that LM had, and I went down. Hard. Of course, I’d been a teeny bit unsympathetic to his ‘Man Flu’. At least until I got it, too. And, he was far more gracious than I. He cooked me stewed apple with cinnamon – which was all I could face eating for a couple of days. It’s really taken me until today – Easter Sunday – to get back on my feet.

And, then – since chocolate is out on the Autoimmune Protocol (don’t even mention the hot cross buns!), and because we’re not really very church-y, it really hasn’t felt very much like Easter here.

But – the weather has been glorious for the past couple of days. Just perfect for sitting outside in the sun of an afternoon. And, I had these lovely plantains.

So, today was declared ‘Tostone Day’

Bella sneaking into the tostones shot…
(Image by TSL)

Tostones, for the uninitiated, are a South American treat. We think they taste most similar to the potato scallops you used to get with your fish and chips wrapped in newspaper from the corner fish ‘n’ chip shop back in the day.

Also called ‘patacones‘ in some locations, they are fried, crushed, and then fried again. Apparently, they are popular in many Central and South American countries.

I reckon the absolute best thing about these bad boys is that they are absolutely, 100% AIP compliant! Woop!

For this recipe, I chose to give my home-made lard a rest. Instead I cooked them in coconut oil – full of healthy medium chain triglycerides.

Tostones with Smashed Avocado

• Time: 15 minutes
• Difficulty: easy-peasey
• Print

(Image by TSL)

Ingredients

2 green plantains
5 Tablespoons coconut oil (approximately)
1 ripe avocado
1 clove garlic (crushed)
Juice of 1/2 a lime
1 Tablespoon fresh coriander, chopped
Salt and Pepper

Method

1. Peel the skin from the plantains. The best way to do this is to cut two slits down the length of the plantains and remove the flesh from the skin.

2. Cut the plantains into angled slices – about 1 1/2 cm.

3. Melt your coconut oil in a heavy based frypan. Pop the plantain pieces into the pan and fry until lightly golden on both sides, about 3 minutes a side.

4. While your plantains are cooking, remove the flesh of your avocado into a small bowl. Throw in the crushed garlic, lime juice and a generous pinch of salt and pepper.

5. Take the plantains out of the pan, and drain them on a paper towel.

6. With the base of a mug or cup, crush each plantain chip  – so they are about 1/2 cm thick. It’s not an exact science.

7. Place the crushed plantains back into the oil and let them fry until crisp. This takes about 1 to 2 minutes

8. Take out the crushed plantains, drain them on a paper towel, and salt immediately.

If you are preparing your to stones in advance: Prepare the dish to step 5. Soak the flattened plantain pieces in salted water for a few seconds. This prevents them from oxidising on you before you’re ready to serve them.

E N J O Y !

I get my plantains from the Fiji Market in Newtown.

 

My FAVOURITE Root Vegetable Soup

Tags

AIP, Autpimmune Protocol, Cheap Eats, Cooking, Family, frugal, Graham Kerr, Paleo, Recipe, Soup, Vegetable Soup, vegetarian

(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.

What keeps me motivated is not the food itself but all the bonds and memories the food represents. (Michael Chiarello)

I have such fond memories of sitting down to a big bowl of my Mum’s soup on rainy winter afternoons when I was a girl. Mum had this thing about us all sitting down together as a family at meal times (which I now appreciate!). We would have lovely steaming bowls of soup served with toasted Vogel’s bread and butter. Dad’s favourite soup was a beef shin consommé. And mine was Mum’s root vegetable soup. I LOVED it. Turns out I still do.

Mum’s root vegetable soup was based on a Graham Kerr (aka the Galloping Gourmet) number. It’s a super thick and hearty vegetable soup. Chock full of goodness.

Even now, the memory of that soup takes me back to the round table at our old family home in Auckland…

Isn’t it lovely how certain foods can evoke such strong memories?

After I posted about bone broth the other day, a girlfriend asked for some ideas on how to incorporate more of this wonder-food into her family’s diet. One thing led to another. The synapses started firing in ways I don’t begin to understand, and I somehow arrived at my childhood root vegetable soup… A perfect way to use lots of yummy chicken bone broth. And, with the added bonus of including a seriously hefty amount of vegetables. Gotta’ be happy with that combo!

The beautiful thing about this soup is that, thanks to all those lovely root veggies, it is wonderfully sweet. Kids will love it!

And of course, this version is autoimmune protocol-friendly, too.

(Image by TSL)

Soup is a lot like a family. Each ingredient enhances the others; each batch has its own characteristics; and it needs time to simmer to reach full flavor. Marge Kennedy

So, here’s my take on Graham Kerr’s soup. I reckon it comes pretty close to his in flavour – and, I’ve added some turmeric because its such a potent anti-inflammatory.

I’m pretty chuffed with how my soup turned out. I’ll definitely be making it again, and I’d love to hear from you if you give it a go, too…

The BEST Root Vegetable Soup

• Servings: 5-6
• Time: 1 hour
• Difficulty: easy-peasy
• Print

(Image by TSL)

Ingredients

1 x Tablespoon fat (I used coconut oil)
2 x large onions, chopped
2 x cloves garlic
750g kumara or sweet potato (2 large ones)
750g carrots (about 5 large ones)
1 x teaspoon dried sage
1 x teaspoon dried oregano
1 x teaspoon dried basil
1 x teaspoon turmeric
2 1/2 cups chicken bone broth/stock (substitute with vegetable stock for a vegetarian option)
1 x cup coconut milk
Parsley, chopped (for garnish)

Method

1. Throw your fat into a large pot. Melt over a medium heat.

2. Add chopped onion and sweat for ten minutes (I use a timer) While the onions are working their magic, peel and chop the kumara and carrots. Peel and crush the garlic.

3. Add the garlic to the pot. Stir for a minute or two. Add the kumara, carrots, herbs and turmeric. Season generously with salt. Sweat the mixture for a further ten minutes. Give it a good stir every now and then.

4. Add the vegetable stock. Bring to the boil. Pop on the lid and lower the heat to a simmer. Cook for thirty minutes.

5. Carefully purée your mixture (in batches) in your blender. Add the coconut milk as you blend.

6. Taste for seasoning and serve with freshly chopped parsley as a garnish.

E N J O Y !

Shared on the Phoenix Helix AIP Recipe Round Table

SCRUMPTIOUS Raspberry Coconut Tea Cakes

Tags

Afternoon Tea, AIP, Autoimmune Protocol, Cakes, Dairy Free, Gluten Free, Healthy Sweets, Paleo, Snacks, Sweet Treats, vegetarian

(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.

Oh the thinks you can think up if only you try! (Dr. Seuss, Oh, the Thinks You Can Think!)

I’m a little bit excited about my newest wee kitchen experiment.

When you’re on the Autoimmune Protocol, there’s so much you just can’t eat. And, most of the time I’m actually fine with that, but it does make for a bit of a challenge when you’re entertaining. Especially when you want to try something new…

We had invited good friends over for a long overdue catch up and to check out Casa TSL (which, just quietly, has never looked as tidy as it does at the moment). Sidenote: if you ever need some motivation to declutter – put your house on the market!

Any-who, I already knew that my friend, Sal’ was inordinately fond of my Macaroon Balls, but it’s always nice to offer a choice in your wee sweet morsels, I think. And, in my search for something new, I came across a wonderful-looking technique where you process/blend desiccated coconut* into a batter. Sounded simply too good to be true to me. I had to give it a try…

Guess what? It worked a treat. Even in my twenty year old food processor.       A M A Z I N G !

I amended my recipe from the talented baker, Mary, from the amazing Simple&Merry. If you’ve never checked out her wonderful blog, I urge you to go and have a wee look-see.

SCRUMPTIOUS Raspberry Coconut Tea Cakes
(Image by TSL)

A couple of tips if you’re planning on giving this recipe a whirl:

• I kept an eye on my food processor as my shredded coconut was working its magic. Maybe I’m a little paranoid but I imagine five minutes of processing can be a little challenging for older food processors (like mine!)
• The batter is essentially coconut ‘butter’. Your tea cakes will keep their shape and texture much better if you keep them in the fridge. We had a warm autumn afternoon here. My tea cakes were a little worse-for-the wear as a result.

• Servings: 20 mini cakes
• Time: 35 minutes
• Difficulty: a teeny bit fiddly
• Print

(Image by TSL)

Ingredients

3 cups desiccated coconut
Zest of one lemon
1/4 cup freshly squeezed lemon juice (conveniently approx. one lemon!)
1/4 cup maple syrup
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
20 raspberries (frozen or fresh)

Method

1) Heat your oven to 160°C/320°F. Line a couple of mini muffin pans (I used 20 liners).

2) Pop your desiccated coconut into your food processor*. Process on high for 5 minutes. Let your food processor cool down for 5 minutes. Use a spatula to scrape down the sides of the bowl. Turn on for another 5 minutes or until the coconut begins to resemble a batter.

*This can be done in a high-speed blender, like a Vitamix, if you have one. Since not everybody has one of those, I thought I’d experiment. I’ve had my trusty Braun food processor for nearly 20 years and he did get quite warm during this process, but he got there.

3) Add your lemon juice and zest, maple syrup and salt. Mix until your batter is fully combined.

4) Add your baking soda. Pulse a couple of times to just combine.

5) Spoon the mixture into your mini muffin tins. Pop a frozen raspberry on the top of each one and press down gently.

6) Bake for 15 – 20 minutes, until lightly toasted. Allow to cool on the bench

7) Pop your tea cakes into a sealed container in the fridge until you are ready to eat them.

E N J O Y !

 

* finely shredded coconut

The Easiest Chocolate Recipe In the World…

Tags

Chocolate, Coconut oil, Dairy Free, Easy Chocolate, Gluten Free, Healthy Dessert, Healthy Sweets, Homemade Chocolates, Paleo, vegetarian

(Image by TSL)

Sometimes a girl’s gotta have some chocolate! (Carrie Underwood)

Carrie would get on well with LM. He loves his chocolate. In his world, chocolate is its own food group…

This particular recipe is so unbelievably easy, yet so unbelievably good, that I reckon you won’t be able to understand why you haven’t made it before. At least – that’s how I felt after making it for the first time.

And, that’s not all. The base recipe has just four ingredients. Yep – I said four! Items you have just lounging around in your pantry waiting to be made into
c h o c o l a t e . How good is that?

And, you can whip this baby up in less than 10 minutes. It truly is so easy. The only downside is having the patience to wait for it to set…

And, then the flavour combos you can create are endless. This time, I chose to add some toasted hazelnuts and popped the mixture into mini muffin cups. But, you could easily make wee nut clusters on a baking sheet. Any nuts would work – I just happen to prefer mine toasted. You could add some fruit or shredded coconut – Cherry Ripe inspired, maybe? You could even use the chocolate as a base for Chocolate Macadamia Butter Cups. Or, maybe some nut butter balls dipped in chocolate?

Easy Chocolate Hazelnut Cups

• Servings: 18 chocolates
• Time: 10 minutes + time to set
• Difficulty: easy-peasey
• Print

(Image by TSL)

Ingredients

For the base chocolate recipe

1/2 cup coconut oil
4 Tablespoons honey
1 cup best quality cocoa powder
1/2 teaspoon vanilla

Plus

1 cup toasted hazelnuts

Method

1) Prepare a mini muffin tin with papers or silicone cups

2) Place the coconut oil in a medium pot on a low heat. Once melted, add the honey and whisk.

3) Whisk in the cocoa powder. Once it starts to go glossy, remove from the heat and whisk again until smooth.

4) Add the vanilla and stir. Check for sweetness and adjust to your taste.

5) Add the hazelnuts and stir.

6) Place small spoonfuls of the mixture into your moulds. Refrigerate until set.

E N J O Y !

A Simple Sorrel Pesto

Tags

Chocolate and Zucchini, Dairy Free, Darling Mills Farm, Gluten Free, Joel Robuchon, Moobi Valley, Paleo, Pesto, Real Food, Sorrel, vegetarian, Wholefood

Adventures with Sorrel
(Image by TSL)

The simpler the food, the harder it is to prepare it well. You want to truly taste what it is you’re eating. So that goes back to the trend of fine ingredients. It’s very Japanese: Preparing good ingredients very simply, without distractions from the flavor of the ingredient itself. (Joel Robuchon)

It sounds a wee bit silly as I write this, but one the of the commitments I made to myself at the beginning of the year was to try cooking with new ingredients. Regularly. That is: ingredients I have never prepared myself before. I just seem to have this rotation of the same old recipes. They work, but that’s what I cook. I’m sure I’m not alone in this – cooking takes time, and sometimes the last thing you want to do is get creative after a long day. But, this year I’m going to try new things! 

Don’t worry, though. I’m not planning on going crazy. Today, I’m starting with Sorrel…

LM, Bella and I tootled off on our weekly farmers market jaunt this week. One of our regular and favourite stops is at the Darling Mills Farm stall. Their range of herbs, salad greens and edible flowers are always so tempting that it generally takes me a few minutes to make a decision as to just what goodies I’m going to pick up for the week. This week, they had some lovely looking sorrel hiding in the back corner. So, after a wee taste test (lemony and sour) and without having the faintest idea what I was going to do with it, I bought some…

Don’t know what sorrel is? – Sorrel looks a little bit like spinach but is actually an herb. While it can apparently be available year-round, it is at its youngest and mildest in spring. It’s not the kind of leafy green you’ll readily find at the supermarket, though.

It’s sourness comes from high levels of oxalic acid. It is also high in vitamin A and contains some calcium, phosphorus, potassium, magnesium and vitamin C.  

According to the very fabulous Yotam Ottolenghi, “as with lemon juice, the more sorrel you use, the more it has to be balanced with something sweet, starchy or creamy. For sorrel to shine in a spring soup, say, the onions must be softened slowly, so their natural sweetness comes out, while you need the addition of potatoes or haricot beans to cushion the sorrel’s kick.”

In my search for just the right introduction to sorrel, I discovered it is often found in creamy soups, fish stuffings, omelets, salads and sauces. Who would’ve known? Younger sorrel is more often cooked and served like spinach, or added raw in salads. Older, more acidic sorrel is better in creamy soups where the addition of sour cream is said to reduce some of the more tart overtones.

Clean sorrel like spinach – folding each leaf in half lengthwise and stripping the tough central stem away from the soft leaves. 

The very talented Clotilde at Chocolate and Zucchini has a wonderful post dedicated to 50 things you can do with sorrel. But, I chose to disregard all her suggestions. Instead, given sorrel’s bitter taste coupled with LM’s seriously sweet tooth (the two don’t really mix!), I elected to ease into our sorrel introduction and adapted one of Yotam’s pesto recipes.

Green Beans with Sorrel Pesto & Roasted Hazelnuts
(Image by TSL)

We had ours mixed with beans and roasted hazelnuts and served with perfectly barbecued (by LM!) Moobi Valley scotch filet and duck fat roasties. It tasted fine!

..and, then I had some more on my eggs the following morning!

Sorrel Pesto

• Time: 20 minutes
• Difficulty: easy
• Print

(Image by TSL)

Ingredients

1 x bunch of sorrel (about 75g after washing and de-stalking)
a handful of parsley (about 20g of leaves after washing and de-stalking)
50g walnuts
2 garlic cloves, peeled
a teaspoon of apple cider vinegar
1/2 a teaspoon of maple syrup
3 Tablespoons of extra virgin olive oil
a pinch of salt
1/2 a lime, juiced (optional)

Method

1) Bung all the ingredients in your a food processor and blitz until you reach your desired consistency. Taste and season to your preference.

E N J O Y !

 

I Can’t Believe it’s Not Cheesecake!

Tags

Adriano Zumbo, Cheesecake, Dairy Free, dessert, Fruit Dessert, Gluten Free, Healthy Dessert, Paleo, raw, Sweets, vegetarian

TSL’s Cheesecake
The cheesecake you’re having when you’re not having cheesecake!
(Image by TSL)

You know that saying? The one about hoofbeats? It goes something along the lines of,  ‘When you hear hoofbeats behind you, think horses, not zebras.‘ That one. Well, in this case – don’t. Think horses, that is.

I mean in this case it looks like cheesecake, but it’s not. And, while it tastes pretty damn fine, it doesn’t taste a lot like cheesecake, either… Rather, it tastes nutty and creamy, with a wee citrus hit, coupled with raspberries.

LM’s dairy allergy has seriously curtailed his desert habit. Despite divorcing Adriano Zumbo* well over a year ago, he still misses all things cream-y, custard-y, ice cream-y, mousse-y… you get the picture. So, every now and then, I try to surprise him with a treat. Some treats work better than others! Last night, it was this wee number.

And, it ain’t half bad…

You could easily play around with the fruit topping for this – it is just puréed fruit, after all. If mangoes are still in season next time I make this, I reckon that could be the go.

• Servings: 8-12
• Time: 2.5 Hours (including soaking nuts)
• Difficulty: easy
• Print

(Image by TSL)

Ingredients

For the Base

3/4 cup desiccated coconut
1/2 cup walnuts
1/2 cup hazelnuts
2 Tbsp tahini
2 Tbsp coconut oil  (or butter)
5 Medjool dates**

For the Filling

3 cups of cashews (soaked for 1 hour in water) this will soften them so they will make a cheesecake consistency
1/2 cup filtered water
3/4 cup of freshly squeezed lemon/lime juice (I used about half & half)
3/4 cup of coconut oil
3/4 cup of raw honey
1 teaspoon of vanilla paste
1/2 teaspoon of salt

For the Topping

2 cups frozen raspberries (defrosted)

Method

For the Base

Lightly grease your cake tin with coconut oil/butter. I used a 22cm springform tin, but anything close to this size will work.

Place the walnuts and hazelnuts into your food processor. Blitz until they resemble breadcrumbs. Add the desiccated coconut, coconut oil/butter, tahini, dates and salt. Pulse until it looks like wet sand.

Press the mixture evenly and firmly into the base of your cake tin. Place the tin in the freezer.

For the Filling

Put all ingredients for the filling into your food processor and mix on high until it is a thick cake mix consistency.

Remove the cake tin from the freezer and pour the filling over your base. Tap the pan on your bench a couple of times to ensure there are no air pockets.

Place the tin back into the freezer. 

For the Topping

Place your raspberries into your food processor and blitz on high. Pour over the top of your cake.

Place it back in the freezer for 1 hour.

Remove from the freezer and place n the fridge until ready to serve.

* there were three of us in this relationship. Now, we are back to a more manageable two.

**If you are using the more common smaller dried dates, try increasing to 8 and soaking in water for ten minutes before using.