Chana Dahl with Cauliflower, Sweet Potato and Broccoli

3/4 cup Chana Dal, soaked for 30mins in boiling water (make sure you rinse first)
1 cup raw cashews
1 onion thinly chpped
1 tablespoon grated ginger
2 tsp mustard seeds
2 tsp Ground cumin
1 tsp ground tumeric
1/2 tsp ground cardamon
500 gm cauliflower
2 small sweet potatoes
handful chopped kale
400 ml coconut milk

Cook the Chana Dal and chopped sweet potato in 2 1/2 cups water.  Bring to boil and simmer till soft.  Approx 15 mins.

In another saucepan add a little water and saute onion tll translucent.  Add all the spices and cook till the house smells like curry.  Add the cauliflower and brocolii and coat with the spices.  Add a little water, cover and cook for about 10 mins.  Add the Chan Dal, sweet potato and coconut milk, bring to boil then add Kale and cook till wilted.

Spinach, Mushroom & Caramelised Onion Quesadillas

I had been looking for a vegan type quesadilla recipe (without all the cheese) and kept finding ones with vegetables, like sweet potato and black beans.  And while that sounds good too I was really looking for something more maybe fajita like with onions or capsicums.  We love our Mexican dishes and looking to create some new ones to complement our new lifestyle.

But everything had cheese and sour cream and I didn’t want that since we are eating unprocessed and organic.

I stumbled upon this recipe yesterday and knew I just had to try it.  We had some organic superfood wraps in the cupboard (Chia, Spinach, Kale & Broccoli) so I knew I was on to a winner with this one.  Becki had not had an appetite since her surgery; taste buds and smell were off as a result of all those drugs in her system, so I knew this would liven up her senses.

 It was a hit with Becki’s verdict?  “Tastes like real food.  Best meal in a really long time”.  Lucky we have left overs for tonight.

Ingredients

2 Tablespoons olive oil

3 large yellow onions, peeled and sliced

handful  mushrooms (I used button and baby bella)

fresh spinach leaves

vegan cheese

Refried Beans

•  1 brown onion, finely chopped
•  2 garlic cloves, crushed
•  3 teaspoons ground cumin
•  1 teaspoon ground coriander
•  400g  cooked red Kidney beans, (Instructions on how to cook the beans)

Instructions

1. Start by sautéing the onions in a little water or stock over low heat. This will take between 30-40 minutes until they are a deep caramel color. Stir often checking if they need more water to keep from burning. Season with salt and pepper.
2. Add the mushrooms about 30 minutes in and let them release their liquid and soften, another 10 minutes.
3. Wipe out the frypan and keep over low heat.
4. Spread a small amount of refried beans on an organic wrap, spread some of the onion/mushrooms on ONE SIDE only and top with some baby spinach leaves.
5. Place in the skillet and let it crisp up (1 min or 2) add the vegan cheese then fold the tortilla in half.
6. Cut in 2 and serve with fresh coriander

Instructions to make refried beans

1. Heat water in a saucepan over medium heat. Add onion. Cook, stirring, for 3 minutes or until softened. Add garlic, cumin and coriander. Cook, stirring, for 30 seconds or until fragrant. Add beans and 1/3 cup cold water. Cook, uncovered, for 5 minutes or until heated through. Remove from heat. Cool slightly.
2. Transfer mixture to a heatproof bowl. Using a potato masher, coarsely mash. Season with pepper.

Warm Brussels Sprouts Salad

I have never liked Brussels Sprouts, but now I can eat them almost every day.  Bought a few bags at the markets on Saturday and made this yummy warm salad for lunch.

Wash and halve about 1/2 kilo of brussels sprouts.  toss in balsamic vinegar, smoked paprika and onion powder.  Place in baking dish in oven for approx 15 mins.

Toss together thinly sliced apple, fennel, cranberries and tomato with a spinach and rocket mix.

To make dressing - mix Tahini, Maple Syrup, mustard and apple cider vinegar with a little hot water and pour over the salad.  Pepper to taste.

Buckwheat

Buckwheat – a nutrient-packed, gluten-free seed abundantly consumed in Asian countries for centuries – is now becoming increasingly popular in the U.S., Canada and Europe due to its many health benefits.

While most people think of buckwheat as a whole grain, it’s actually a seed that is high in both protein and fibre. It supports heart and heart health and can help prevent diabetes and digestive disorders. In fact, buckwheat seeds, also called “groats,” are so packed with nutrients and antioxidants − like rutin, tannins and catechin −that they are often called “superfoods.”

Despite its recent rise to nutrition fame, buckwheat is actually an ancient grain with a long history. Today, buckwheat is a favorite amongst plant-based and gluten-free eaters alike since it provides a high source of amino acids, vitamins, minerals and antioxidants – all with relatively few calories and practically no fat.  

Despite its name, buckwheat actually doesn’t contain any wheat or the protein gluten..

As a vegan, buckwheat is a great food to regularly include in our diet because it provides two types of essential amino acids — types we cannot make on our own and must get from the foods we eat. Buckwheat nutrition contains essential amino acids called lysine and arginine. What’s important about this? These specific amino acids aren’t found in many other common cereal or whole grains, so getting them from buckwheat ensures you cover the full range of essential proteins your body needs.

INGREDIENTS:

• 1 small zucchini, cut into ½-inch dice (substitute or add other vegies)
• 1 cup  buckwheat

FOR THE DRESSING:

• Juice of ½ lemon
• 2 tablespoons white wine vinegar
• 1 clove garlic, minced
• Sea salt and freshly ground black pepper
• ½ onion, cut into ½-inch dice
• 1 cup cherry tomatoes, halved
• ½ cup chopped coriander
• 1 cup baby rocket
• 1 cup baby spinach
• ½ cup fresh orange juice

Instructions:

1. Place the buckwheat and 1¾ cups hot water in a medium saucepan and bring to a boil over high heat. Remove from the heat, cover, and let stand for 10 minutes, until the water is absorbed and the grains are soft but chewy. Drain any excess water. Fluff the grains with a fork and set aside to cool.
2. To make the dressing, combine the lemon juice, vinegar, and garlic in a small bowl. Add salt and pepper to taste.
3.. In a large mixing bowl, combine the zucchini, buckwheat, onions, tomatoes, and coriander . Add the dressing and mix well.
4.. In another bowl, toss the rocket and baby spinach in the orange juice. Place the greens on individual salad bowls, and top with the grain mixture. Serve garnished with roasted pumpkin seeds.

Serve either chilled or at room temperature.

Buckwheat Benefits

1. Improves Heart Health By Lowering Cholesterol and Blood Pressure Levels

2. Contains Disease-Fighting Antioxidants

3. Provides Highly Digestible Protein

4. High Fibre Content Helps Improve Digestion

5. Can Help Prevent Diabetes

6. Doesn’t Contain Gluten and Is Non-Allergenic

7. Supplies Important Vitamins and Minerals

Quinoa is a versatile, protein-filled superfood

Did you know quinoa is not actually a grain, but a seed that's closely related to the beet family? Of course, in cooking it's used as a grain because its nutritional and culinary properties more closely resemble true grains like millet, brown rice, and oats. Quinoa has been cultivated for over 3,000 years in the Peruvian Andes, where they call it the mother of all grains, and there are over 120 varieties!

Quinoa can grow in diverse climates and terrains, including areas with minimal irrigation and fertilisation, or as little as three to four inches of annual rainfall. 

The quinoa crop protects itself from predators with a waxy, bitter-tasting coat of saponins, an organic chemical compound that gets rinsed away during cultivation. Resourceful Andean families would traditionally save this saponin-heavy wash water to use as shampoo. Waste not want not.

We love our quinoa dishes.  Red is our favourite, but mixing the white, red and black gives lots of different textures.  This week we had a special vegan guest and it was our turn to shine making a special breakfast for her every morning.  We made a Farmers Market Breakfast Bowl and added tofu scramble.  As a spin off on this dish we enjoyed a Farmers Markets Dinner Bowl and added some char-grilled baby eggplant and zucchini.  This was a bowl full of goodness.

Ingredients

• 1 tbsp stock
• ½ tsp turmeric
• ½ tsp chilli powder
• ½ tsp garlic powder
• ½ tsp smoked paprika
• salt & pepper to taste
• 1 green onion, chopped
• ½ red pepper, chopped
• 2 cups spinach or kale
• 1 cup red quinoa cooked in 2 cups of stock
• char-grilled vegies

Cook Quinoa according to directions.
Heat a little stock in fry-pan.  Add spices, onion, red pepper and saute a few minutes.  Add the kale or spinach and heat until just wilted.  Add the cooked quinoa and stir through gently.  Place on plate and add the char-grilled vegetables.

Warm Winter Salad

Summer and Autumn Salads have pretty much disappeared from the Farmers Market, and winter is here with cold days that really call for something warm for lunch.  This salad was warm, filling and nutritious.

Red Quinoa, Purple and Green Kale, Red Onion, Mudrooms, Apple with toasted pumpkin and sunflower seeds. Dressing was tahini, lemon juice, balsamic vinegar and a dash of maple syrup. 

Red Quinoa - is an ancient grain that is one food that fit people love due to its unique nutritional profile, as it contains a significant amount of protein, antioxidants, vitamins, and minerals when compared to other grains. Quinoa is one of the few grains contains all nine of the essential amino acids. Most grains are low in lysine, therefore they are considered incomplete proteins. But, quinoa actually contains lysine, as well as all eight of the other amino acids, making it a complete protein, similar to animal proteins. 

Quinoa is considered one of the super foods!  It is a tremendous source of vitamins and minerals such as riboflavin, magnesium, and iron. Quinoa nutrition is high in many nutrients lacking in our modern diet due to the overconsumption of highly processed foods. It is high in B-vitamins such as riboflavin and folate, which are low in many modern diets as these nutrients tend to be lost during food processing. Since quinoa is a whole grain, it is not refined or processed, therefore all of the important vitamins remain intact.

Quinoa also provides significantly more calcium, iron, magnesium, potassium, and zinc when compared to other grains

Red Lentil and Spinach Soup

It's winter and spinach is growing well in Pauline's garden.  We received 2 huge bags so google to the rescue to find a recipe and then adapt it to suit our lifestyle.

Ingredients

1 large onion, finely chopped
2 gloves garlic, minced
2 cups red lentils rinsed well
6 cups of vegetable broth
1/2 teaspoon turmeric
1-2 teaspoons curry powder
big bunch spinach, finely chopped
1/2 cup coconut milk
Salt and Pepper to taste

Method

Heat a little water in a large soup pot.  Add onions and saute over medium heat until translucent.  Add garlic and continue to saute until both are golden.

Add vegetable broth, followed by lentils and seasoning.  Bring to boil, lower heat, cover and simmer till lentils are mushy (approx 20 mins)

Remove from heat and add spinach, stir through and allow to wilt.  Season to taste and serve with coconut yogurt and fresh coriander.

NOTE:  Substitute Kale for Spinach.

Asparagus and Strawberry Salad with Maple Vinaigrette and Candied Pecans

I love our Albany Farmers in the Spring.  So many colourful fruit and vegies for our meals.  I am glad the produce knows it is Spring, because the weather certainly doesn't.  The last two weeks the farmers had to sell their produce in the rain and cold.  I am glad they are committed every week.

I used two of my favourite Spring ingredients for our salad this week.  Asparagus and Strawberries.  "Spring on a Plate" 

All measurements are approximate.  I don't normally measure just adjust and season to taste.

Roasted Asparagus

Prepare asparagus and roast your favourite way.  I like to toss in a little oil, salt and pepper and then in the oven for 10 - 15 mins, so they are still crunchy.

Candied Pecans

2 tablespoons Organic MapleSyrup
1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
1 teaspoon Smokey Paprika
Dash of Cayenne Pepper
Splash of Olive Oil (or try Macadamia Oil)
Cup of Pecans

Toss together and bake in 185 degrees C oven for 10-15 mins

Maple Vinaigrette Dressing

1 tablespoon Olive Oil (or try Macadamia Oil)
1 tablespoon balsamic Vinegar
1 teaspoon Dijon Mustard
1 tablespoon Organic Maple Syrup

Whisk Together and drizzle over salad

To assemble salad, arrange the roasted asparagus on top of English Spinach. Toss sliced strawberries evenly through the salad and top with pecans.  Drizzle with the dressing when ready to serve.

Enjoy and know that it is good for you as well.

Nutritional Facts

Maple Syrup - contains calcium, iron, magnesium, phosphorus sodium, potassium, and zinc. Vitamins such as thiamin, riboflavin, niacin, and B6

Strawberries - rich in the essential nutrients vitamin C, potassium, folic acid, and fibre. One cup of fresh strawberries contains 160 percent of the daily recommended quantity of vitamin C

Asparagus - excellent source of vitamin K, folate, copper, selenium, vitamin B2, vitamin C, and vitamin E. It is a very good source of dietary fibre, manganese, phosphorus, niacin, potassium, choline, vitamin A, zinc, iron, protein, vitamin B6, and pantothenic acid. (listed as one of the worlds healthiest foods - World Health Organisation)

Spinach - excellent source of vitamin K, vitamin A (in the form of carotenoids), manganese, folate, magnesium, iron, copper, vitamin B2, vitamin B6, vitamin E, calcium, potassium and vitamin C. It is a very good source of dietary fibre, phosphorus, vitamin B1, zinc, protein and choline.

Pecans - contain health benefiting nutrients, minerals, antioxidants and vitamins that are essential for wellness. The nuts are rich in monounsaturated fatty acids like oleic acid and an excellent source of phenolic antioxidants.

The Party Isn't Over When You Get Healthy

The longer we are following our healthy lifestyle, the easier it is and the best part is we now actually enjoy it. Our first step in getting to that happy place was to change our attitude.

At first, it may look like we had to give up everything (wine, chocolate, bacon) to lose weight and get healthy, but what we gained from those changes is much more meaningful and satisfying. The reason we should eat is to keep the body healthy and strong, and a healthy body leads to a happy mind! Not only has our body changed, but our mind has changed as well.

 We are gladly giving those things up as we experience how our body feels after healthier meals.

It didn’t cross our mind that working out was something we would look forward to. During the first few weeks of exercise, our body and mind rebelled against our new workouts and we wondered if we would have get used to it or enjoy it..

Like healthy eating, however, exercise actually became easier over time and now we look forward to it every day.  Well most days.  Cold 5 am mornings are still a bit of a challenge.

Here's what can happen when you make exercise a regular part of your life:

 Exercise can help with diabetes, heart disease, depression, anxiety and high cholesterol, as well as protect our bodies from some types of cancer.

We are more alert, focused and not dragging towards the end of the day.

We are so blessed to live in this corner of paradise with so many amazing beautiful beaches.  Imagine waves gently crashing along the shore, sunlight streaming through the beautiful fluffy clouds and kilometres of seemingly-endless sand joining the horizon.  This is our happy place during some of our exercise time.  Maggie loves getting out early enough, watching the sun rise from the horizon and feeling the warmth of the early morning sun.  Then there are the wonderful benefits of negative ions generated by the sea.  A Columbia University showed it to be a natural type of antidepressant; it also increases the flow of oxygen to the brain, reduces allergies, and helps us get a wonderful night sleep. 

Our Garmin has also made it so easy to WANT to exercise and get in shape. It is one of the things that drives us every day. We want to hit our goals and we get excited to get out bed in the morning and start moving. We LOVE seeing those smiling faces on Garmin dashboard at the end of the day, and we look forward to weighing ourselves every morning. We LOVE watching the kilos drop off and the feeling of loose clothing — clothes we couldn’t fit into before!

You don’t have to use a Garmin or FitBit, but finding ways to make exercise fun and you will want to do it as often as possible. Our Garmin’s just makes it easy and fun as we challenge each other and ourselves..