Tortilla Espanola

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Spanish Omelet1Eggs are a great source of protein (One egg contains 6 grams of high-quality protein and all 9 essential amino acids) and numerous vitamins, including vitamin A, potassium and many B vitamins like folic acid, choline and biotin. Eggs are one of the only foods that contain naturally occurring vitamin D. Amazing!

Many people believe that egg yolks contain high cholesterol, enemy for the risk of heart disease and so prefer having egg whites only for protein. However, many vitamins and minerals are actually in egg yolks, not whites. Your body needs a balance when it comes to cholesterol. Eggs are a beneficial source of healthy fat and research has documented that eggs do not appear to promote heart disease risk. It could also help to prevent breast cancer. So eat the whole eggs, not just egg white!

Tortilla Espanola, a fancy name for Spanish omelet, is a fantastic way of cooking your eggs. Simple ingredients, healthy, inexpensive and tasty! You can even have it next day, which I think is better in terms of flavour. You can serve like pizza as a main or cut into little squares to serve as entree for your dinner party. You can add other vegetables or cheese as well for variations. Whichever you choose to do, it is all delicious 🙂

Ingredients

6 eggs
1 onion
2 potatoes
1 tbsp of coconut oil
1 tsp of smoked paprika
Himalayan salt and ground black pepper

Heat coconut oil in a light, non-stick pan. Add chopped onion and potatoes and cook for 15 minutes or until soft (you don’t want too much colour). Season with a generous amount of salt and pepper. You should be able to mash the potatoes with the back of the spoon. Crack the eggs in a large bowl and whisk gently. Season the egg mixture and then pour into a pan making sure the potatoes are just submerged. Turn down the heat and cook on low heat until the edges start to firm and the centre is still wet. Time to flip! Fun part starts. Use a palette knife or spatula to loosen up the edges and shake the pan so that the omelet is not stuck to the pan. Put a large plate over the pan and flip over. Slide the omelet back on to the pan and cook for another couple of minutes. Take it off the heat and transfer to a serving plate. You can serve this hot, cold or at room temperature.Spanish Omelet

Posted in: Breakfast, Dinner, Gluten Free, Lunch, Snack

Warm Mediterranean Chickpea Salad

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I am very excited about the real food revolution seminar this weekend. I am going with my mother-in-law who found about this course and recommended it to me. Hopefully it helps me to expand my food knowledge and write more healthy recipes and nutrition information on my blog. I also get to see Pete Evans who is the reason why I watch MKR on TV 🙂 I’m making a big batch of beef bourguignon and some salad for my hubby now since I know I will be busy with the course this weekend and don’t want him to starve himself.
Chickpea salad
The base of this salad is creamy and nutty chickpeas. Plus Mediterranean style ingredients with a depth of the flavour and the almonds with a crunch and nutty flavour work really well with the cumin dressing. It is embarrassingly easy to put together and doesn’t take much time at all if you’ve soaked your beans overnight or you can choose to use a tinned chickpeas.

Ingredients

2 cups of cooked chickpeas
1/2 cup of chopped spinach
1/2 cup of chopped cucumber
1/2 cup of chopped green olives
1/2 cup of marinated artichoke hearts
1 tomato
30g feta cheese
a handful of slivered almonds

For cumin dressing
1 tsp toasted cumin seeds
1/2 tsp minced garlic
1/2 tsp dried oregano
1 tbsp e.v.o.o
a squeeze of lemon
salt and pepper to taste

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

Beetroot Patties with Feta and Pickled Cucumber

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Beetroot patty
You might think veggie patties/ burgers are only for vegetarians/ vegans, but once you try this beetroot patties, you will be amazed how tasty they are. I still enjoy cooking meat for my hubby, but I find vegetables are a lot more exciting for my taste, especially when I make a good vegetarian dish like this. Caramelising beetroot and onion makes this patties taste sweet and mellow. A variety of spices is not too over-powering but enhances the flavour. Creamy salty feta cheese and refreshing cucumber pickles are a great accompaniment to the patties. You can even use other veggies if you are not a beet person. For example, zucchini, carrots, sweet potatoes, parsnip, etc. You can add this to your salad or make a beautiful vegetarian wrap or a burger. So versatile and freezer-friendly, as well. Give it a go and let me know how it turned out 🙂

Ingredients

1 grated beetroot
1 sliced onion
1 tsp apple cider vinegar
1 tsp cumin
1 tsp cardamom
1 tsp cayenne pepper
1 tsp thyme
1/2 tsp minced garlic
1 tsp molasses

1 tbsp brown rice flour
1 tbsp flaxseed meal
a pinch of Himalayan salt
1 tsp coconut oil for frying
small block of feta cheese for garnish
pepper to taste

For pickled cucumber
1 cup of chopped cucumber
2 tbsp of white wine vinegar
a pinch of Himalayan salt and pepper
1 tsp of coconut sugar

Put vinegar, sugar, salt and pepper in a saucepan and bring it up to a boil. Take it off the heat once it bubbles. Pour over the chopped cucumber and set aside. For the patties, grate beetroot and finely slice onion. Put it in a pan and cook with vinegar, garlic, cumin, cardamom, cayenne pepper, thyme and molasses for 5-10 minutes until the mixture gets tender and sticky. Add a bit of water if too dry. Transfer to a large bowl and set aside to cool. Add rice flour and flaxseed meal into the cooled mixture. Season with salt. Shape into little patties. Heat coconut oil in a pan over medium heat and cook the patties for 3-5 minutes each side until cooked. Transfer to a serving plate, garnish with crumbled feta cheese and season with ground pepper. Put the pickled cucumber on the side.

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

GF Beetroot Chocolate Cake

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Beetroot cacao cakeRoots are amazing nutrition-dense vegetables. Beets, turnips, carrots, sweet potatoes, onion, garlic, radish, yam, ginger, artichoke, celeriac, etc. They grow under ground which means they absorb good nutrition from the soil, full of antioxidants, vitamins and iron. Root veggies also have a slow-burning carbohydrates and fibre, which leaves you full longer and regulates blood sugar level.

Red sexy beets are available all year around, but best from summer to autumn. They’re full of beta-carotene and betalains, which are antioxidants and anti-inflammatory. I love using beetroots for its earthy and sweet flavour, great when roasted, pickled, grilled or even raw. Beets go really well with citrus fruits, berries, goat cheese, cumin, nuts and tahini.

I made this decadent chocolate cake using grated raw beetroot, cacao powder and almond meal. It is gluten-free, refined sugar-free and guilt-free. Beautiful rustic texture, moist and chocolatey! It will be also nice to add a shot of espresso or ground coffee for the dark and intense flavour next time.

Ingredients

1 cup of grated beetroot
20g of flaxseed meal
20g chia seeds
2 eggs
50g almond meal
50g buckwheat flour
50g raw cacao powder
1 tsp of grated ginger
1/2 cup of maple syrup
1 tbsp of coconut oil
a pinch of salt
1 tsp of baking soda
1/2 tsp of baking powder
50g water

Add flaxseed meal, chia seeds and water into a bowl and let it sit for 10-15 minutes until it’s set. Add eggs and maple syrup in and whisk gently. Then add other ingredients and combine well with a spatula. Pour the mixture into a prepared baking tin and bake in the preheated oven (180) for 40 minutes or until cooked. Put a dollop of cream cheese frosting on top to serve.

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

Girly Lunch

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girly lunch
Having my friend coming over for lunch, I wanted to make something quick and easy, looking elegant, a bit of Korean and a bit of Western style. So I came up with these two dishes. Japchae is Korean stir-fried sweet potato noodles with soy-based sauce, whereas this noodles salad is inspired by Busan-style Japchae with spicy Gochujang sauce. I only cooked noodles underneath otherwise all veggies are raw and healthy. For the sauce, it is best to make it in advance so that the flavour gets all balanced and rich. You can find Gochujang paste at Korean or Asian grocery shops. Go easy on this sauce if you don’t like chili. This salad is totally vegetarian, vegan and gluten-free. Second dish is a great party finger food idea. This beautiful Tasmanian salmon gravlax is cured in sugar, salt and dill. It is moist, sweet, succulent and melting in your mouth, perfect match with savoury pancakes. I cannot wait to actually go to Tasmania and explore all the fresh seafood. I heard it is amazing. There you have it! Lunch is ready!
Noodle saladRaw Veggie Noodle Salad with Gochujang Sauce

Ingredients

200g of dried sweet potato noodles
1 carrot
1/2 cucumber
1 cup of bean sprouts
alfalfa sprouts
shredded nori for garnish

For the sauce
1/2 tsp Gochujang paste
1/2 tsp Korean chili flakes
1 tsp white wine vinegar
1 tsp honey
1/2 tsp minced garlic
1 tsp sesame oil
1 tsp sesame seeds
salt and pepper to taste

Cook the noodles in boiling water until cooked, drain and rinse in cold water. Set aside. For the sauce, mix all ingredients in a bowl and whisk to combine. Add noodles into the bowl and mix with the sauce. Transfer to a serving bowl. Cut the noodles if too long. Arrange prepared veggies on top and garnish with shredded nori.
Salmon and pancakesSpring Onion Pancakes with Gravlax Salmon

Ingredients

1 bunch of spring onions
100g buckwheat flour
a pinch of Himalayan salt
1 tsp cayenne pepper
1 tsp cumin
cold water
1 tbsp coconut oil

100g Gravlax salmon
2 tsp of capers

Wash the spring onions and peel off the outer layer if too tough. Mix buckwheat flour, finely chopped spring onions, cumin, cayenne pepper, salt and pepper in a large bowl. Add water little by little while whisking until you get a pancake batter consistency, not too runny or thick. Heat coconut oil in a non-stick pan over medium heat. Spoon the batter into a pan and cook for 2-3 minutes each side until golden brown. Repeat with the rest of the batter. Transfer to a serving plate. Garnish with salmon and capers on top.

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