Broiled Grapefruit with Cinnamon Cottage Cheese

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It can be quite warm or cold in March being a transition from summer to autumn in Perth. One day it is 30+ degrees, next day it drops down to 20. How crazy is that? I took advantage of the cool morning making these broiled grapefruit beauties for a snack. I never made or tasted it before, so was curious about how it would turn out. It is simple to make though I was so impressed with its bittersweet flavour and radiant pink colour. Perfect brunch or snack for chilly weather when it’s served warm with a bit of cheese or yogurt. Highly recommended!

Broiled GrapefruitIngredients

1 Grapefruit
1 tsp of maple syrup or agave or honey
1/2 tsp vanilla bean powder
1 tsp of cinnamon powder
100g cottage cheese

Wash the grapefruit and cut it in half. Cut around the outside of the grapefruit to loosen them. Drizzle maple syrup. Broil for about 3-5 minutes until caramelised on top (don’t burn!). Serve warm with cottage cheese and sprinkle of cinnamon and vanilla. Other serving options? with yogurt, granola, breakfast muffin.

Posted in: Baking, Breakfast, Dessert, Gluten Free, My recipes, Snack, Vegetarian

Mini Hummingbird Bundt Cake

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Hummingbird Cake
Hummingbird cake is a banana pineapple spice cake with a cream cheese frosting from the United States. I have no idea why it is called Hummingbird cake and no one does? The recipe was published by Mrs. Wiggin in Southern Living Magazine in 1978 and was elected the magazine’s favorite recipe in 1990. Some say that the cake is so delicious it makes you hum with happiness while others think the cake is named because it’s sweet enough for hummingbirds (hummingbirds will select only the sweetest of nectar to drink). The first one sounds good to me 🙂 I made little changes to the traditional recipe using coconut oil instead of vegetable oil, reducing the amount of sugar (hummingbirds might not like this), using coconut sugar instead of brown sugar, using flaxseed meal instead of eggs and cottage cheese for frosting. It is similar to making a carrot cake, simply mixing all wet ingredients and dry ingredients, no stand mixer needed. Either making with the traditional recipe or making changes like me, it is lovely using fruits and veggies in baking, a little healthier I guess. And the house smelled incredible while it was being baked in the oven. Beautiful moist flavoursome cake! Try today or weekend…

Hummingbird Cake1Ingredients

150g self-raising flour
50g fine dessicated coconut
50g coconut sugar
1 grated carrot
1 mashed ripe banana
1/4 cup chopped pineapple
1/4 grounded walnut
1 tbsp of coconut oil
1 tsp of molasses
1 tsp of vanilla bean powder
1 tsp of cinnamon powder
1 tsp of coriander ground
1 tsp of baking powder
1/2 tsp of baking soda
100g milk
10g flaxseed meal
a pinch of Himalayan salt

For frosting
1 tbsp of low fat cottage cheese
1 tbsp of raw honey
a handful of walnuts

Preheat the oven to 180. To make flax “eggs”, mix flaxseed meal and milk in a bowl and set aside. Combine grated carrot, mashed banana, coconut oil, coconut sugar and molasses in a separate bowl and then mix with flax “eggs”. Add all dry ingredients (sifted flour and spices) into the wet mixture. Stir to combine with a spatula. Pour the mixture into a prepared baking tin and bake in the oven for 30-40 minutes until cooked. Cool it down and spread frosting on top.

Posted in: Baking, Breakfast, Dessert, My recipes, Snack, Vegetarian

Summer Minestrone

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Minestrone soup, meaning “big soup” in Italian, is great both in summer and winter. There is no standard recipe here. It changes from season to season using the best ingredients you can get your hands on. You can also clean up the fridge and throw in all your vegetable odds and ends. It is simply delicious and nourishing! I made a vegetarian version today but feel free to add beans or meat for additional fibre and protein.

The word minestrone means “big soup” in Italian
The word minestrone means “big soup” in Italian
The word minestrone means “big soup” in Italis great both in summer and winter. There is no standard minestrone recipe. It changes from season to season, using the best produce you can get your hands on. You can also clean out the crisper drawer of the refrigerator and throw in all your vegetable odds and ends, delicious and nourishing!

Summer Minestrone
Ingredients

1 onion
2 cloves of garlic
1 tsp of coconut oil
2 cups of chopped tomatoes or canned
1 carrot
1 potato
1 cup of cauliflower
1 cup of broccoli
1 tsp of harissa
1 bay leaf
2 cups of vegetable stock or water
salt and pepper to taste

Cook chopped onion and garlic with coconut oil in a pan until softened. Add other ingredients and stock to the pan. Bring it to boil and then simmer, covered, for 20 minutes. Taste for seasoning in the last minute. Ladle the minestrone into the bowl. Drizzle olive oil and squeeze a lemon on top. Serve with bread if you like.

Posted in: Dinner, Gluten Free, Lunch, My recipes, Vegetarian

Carrot Muffins, Mediterranean Pasta Salad, Summer Green Salad

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LunchI had one of my friends over for lunch today. I was cooking like a storm, multitasking in the kitchen, which thankfully worked out okay today. She works at the bakery, from 3am to 10am, a bit odd shift. She says she is used to it now though it must be hard getting up that early to go to work when everyone else is still sound asleep. Well I sometimes get up that time and enjoy that hours of quietness, but not for work. She came quite hungry because she had a piece of bread since she got up this morning. Yes, I need to cook some nice food and feed her. I made carrot muffins, Mediterranean pasta salad and Summer green salad for her. We had chit-chats over lunch and coffee for about 4-5 hours. You just lose a track of time when you are with girl friends 🙂

Tiny little seeds are loads of energy-packed nutrition. Flaxseeds among them are one of the best sources of omega-3 fatty acids and lignans. To get the full health benefits, it must be grounded before eating. You can either buy a bag of flaxseed meal which is what I do or you can grind yourself at home.

Flaxseed meal has a rich nutty flavour and numerous health benefits including fighting against inflammation, protecting against heart disease, cancer and diabetes, controlling blood pressure and cholesterol and providing more dietary fibre.

It is also a great egg replacement in vegan baking, called flax “eggs“. A flax seed egg has half the calories of a large chicken egg and much less fat. It is not going to be exactly same as using eggs, but combining flax seeds and water (or non-dairy milk or juice) 1:2 ration will form into a gel, which helps to combine other ingredients together. Use in baking as you would one egg. You can also make a big batch and store in the fridge for up to a week. I made carrot muffins today using flaxseed meal. Recipes follow…
Lunch2Healthy Carrot Muffins

Ingredients

2 grated carrots
2 tablespoons flaxseed meal
100g milk
150g self-raising flour
1/2 cup of oats
50g brown sugar
1 tsp of cinnamon powder
1 tsp of baking powder
a pinch of salt
1 tbsp coconut oil
1 tsp of molasses
1 tsp vanilla extract

Mix all wet ingredients in a bowl and let it sit for 10 minutes to all flax “eggs” to set. Then add grated carrots and dry ingredients and stir. Spoon the batter into the muffin tray and bake in the preheated oven (180) for 20-30 minutes.

Mediterranean Pasta Salad

Ingredients

100g cooked pasta
1/2 cup of chopped spinach
1/2 cup of chopped sun-dried tomato
1/2 cup of chopped green olives
1 tsp of rinsed capers
1/2 cup of lettuce
1 tsp Dijon mustard
1 tbsp e.v.o.o
salt and pepper to taste

Summer Green Salad

Ingredients

1 cup of cooked lentils
1/2 cup of peas
1 bunch of broccolini
1 bok-choy
strawberries
1 tsp of tahini paste
1 tsp of apple cider vinegar
1 tsp of maple syrup
salt and pepper to taste

Cook French lentils in hot boiling water for 20-30 minutes. Rinse and drain once it’s cooked. Steam peas, broccolini and bok-choy until they are cooked al dente. Place lentils and vegetables on the plate. Arrange halved strawberries on top. Drizzle a tahini dressing over the salad.

Posted in: Baking, Dinner, Lunch, My recipes, salads

Eggplant In Two Ways

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Stuffed eggplantStuffed Eggplant

Ingredients

Halved eggplant
250g ground beef
1 small onion
1 clove of garlic
1/4 cup cooked quinoa
1 tsp of coconut oil
1 tsp of soy sauce
1 tsp of cumin
50g feta cheese
1 tsp of pepitas
tahini sauce (1tsp of tahini paste, 1tsp of honey, 1 tsp of water, 1 tsp of apple cider vinegar)
salt and pepper to taste

Cook finely chopped onion and garlic with coconut oil in a skillet. Add ground beef, soy sauce, cumin and pepper and cook over medium heat until cooked. Take off the heat and combine with cooked quinoa.  Cut eggplants in half lengthways. Using a spoon, scoop flesh from the eggplant halves. Spoon the beef mixture into eggplant and place in the preheated oven (180) for 20 minutes or until eggplant is cooked. Sprinkle with crumbled feta cheese, tahini sauce and pepitas before serve.

Eggplant soupEggplant Soup

Ingredients

1 cup of eggplant flesh
1/4 cup of quinoa flakes
water or stock
1 mall onion1 clove of garlic
1 tsp of cumin
salt and pepper to taste
1 tsp of thick yogurt and coriander for garnish

Cook chopped onion, garlic and the flesh of eggplant with coconut oil in a skillet until tender. Season with salt and pepper. Add water or stock and 1/4 cup of quinoa flakes. Keep stirring and cook over low heat until you get a porridge consistency (you might need to keep adding water or stock little by little). Take off the heat and cook it down slightly. Then blend until smooth using a stick blender. Add a dollop of thick yogurt and coriander before serve.

 

 

Posted in: Dinner, Gluten Free, Lunch, My recipes