Avocado Hummus

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avocado hummusWithout doubt, home-made hummus is healthier, tastier and cheaper than store-bought ones. Chickpeas are rich in fibre, easy on digestion, a good source of protein and antioxidants. Avocados! Beyond the delectable flavour, they are a nutrition booster. Avocados offer a variety of nutrients, such as monounsaturated fat, vitamin E, potassium and magnesium that help keep your metabolism and energy level. We need to eat healthy fats, like avocados, olive and coconut oil because fat helps your body to absorb more fat-soluble nutrients, such as alpha- and beta-carotene as well as lutein, in foods.

A classic creamy garlic hummus is delicious itself, though adding other ingredients makes it more flavoursome and special like this mushroom hummus I made earlier. This time, I used this creamy ripe avocado to add extra smoothness and richness. It is absolutely addictive on its own as a great appetiser or snack. If you happen to have leftovers, use it as a spread in your sandwiches or wraps or fillings when making sushi like this one. It is delicious!

Ingredients (serves 3-4)

1/2 ripe avocado
100g raw chickpeas, soaked overnight
2 tbsp tahini
3 tbsp e.v.o.o plus more for serving
1 clove of garlic
1/2 tsp of cumin
juice and zest of 1/2 lemon
salt and pepper to taste
smoked paprika for a sprinkle

Cook soaked chickpeas in boiling water over medium heat for about 15 minutes or until beans are soft. Drain and transfer to a food processor along with all other ingredients. Pulse for a few minutes until smooth. Taste and adjust seasoning. Transfer to a serving bowl and top with extra drizzle of olive oil and a sprinkle of smoked paprika. Serve with vegetables sticks or pita chips.
avocado hummus1

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

Grapefruit, Avocado and Grilled Halloumi Salad

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Grapefruit saladGood thing about a cold season is the abundance of citrus fruits. Oranges, mandarins, grapefruits, lemons…among them I adore this beautiful pink grapefruit. Grapefruit can add a healthy and refreshing flavor to entrees, desserts and drinks. They are high in vitamin C and a half of a medium grapefruit has only 60 calories. It is well known fruit for weight loss because grapefruit is high in enzymes that burn fats, has high water content and has less sodium. A combination of these three characteristics make grapefruit a perfect food for increasing your body’s metabolism. Not only that, lycopene, a carotenoid pigment that is responsible for the red color, is a powerful anti-cancer agent. If one is worried about their body fat they could also opt for a painless cryoslimming technique. Other benefits of Grapefruit are fighting against common cold and fever, dissolving gallstones, boosting liver function, better digestion and enhancing immunity against infections.

This salad is embarrassingly so simple to make with only three ingredients – the salty flavor of halloumi cheese, creamy sliced avocado and sweet-tart ruby grapefruit. It is best to serve this salad when citrus is at its best and avocados are perfectly ripe. Perhaps serve with a beautiful fish? I like adding grilled halloumi cheese here, which has the different texture when cooked – brown and crispy outside, but still soft and gooey inside. Simple dressing made of freshly squeezed grapefruit juice, olive oil and white wine vinegar brings all ingredients together. Sprinkle a good quality of sea salt on top to season.
GrapefruitAnother way of using grapefruits is preserving them in syrup. It can be used for grapefruit sweet tea, cakes, desserts such as adding on top of ice cream or panna cotta, etc. It is perfect for later use. I peeled and segmented about  5 grape fruits. As you do so, try to collect as much juice from the grapefruit into a cup as you can. Once all your fruits are segmented, place the grapefruit juice into a medium sauce pan along with maple syrup, grated ginger and a couple of sprigs of mint. Bring to a boil, stirring occasionally, for about 15-20 minutes. Then, strain out the mint leaves. Pack sterilized jars with grapefruit segments and pour the boiling syrup into the jar leaving a inch space. Cool it down completely before you put it in the fridge. I like adding a teaspoon of this syrup into my green tea, full of vitamins! Maybe use it for happy hour in gin, vodka or margarita as well?

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

Honey Glazed Salmon on Fluffy Millet

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salmon and millet2Want to boost calcium and magnesium in your diet? Here is a great vegetarian source for strong healthy bones.

First of all, yummy nutty sweet gluten-free grains yet inexpensive and easy to prepare. It is millet! If you haven’t heard of it or seen it, you can find them in health food shops or markets or online. It looks like couscous or quinoa. It is an ancient seed originally from African and Northern China. Why is it good for us? It is naturally gluten-free, non-allergenic, easy on digestion and alkylising your body. Millet is also rich in iron, B vitamins (Niacin to lower your cholesterol), magnesium (helps with migraine and heart disease), calcium, serotonin (great for your mood), fibre (helps with constipation) and protein (great for a vegetarian diet). So how do you use this awesome guys? You can add to your salad, make patties, use grounded millet in baking healthy muffins, serve stir-fry or protein with it, make stuffing or make a bowl of creamy porridge. It is so versatile!

Sesame seeds are also loaded with calcium and magnesium. Eating a teaspoon of sesame seeds a day can help provide 28% (based on a 2,000 calories diet) of the calcium needed daily. I like lightly toasting them just before use to maximise nutty fragrance and flavour.

Today, I made honey glazed salmon served on fluffy millet and corn. Fresh, delicious, nutritious and full of calcium and magnesium. Your tummy will love it 🙂

salmon and millet

Ingredients

100g salmon fillet
2 tbsp raw honey
1 tbsp olive oil
1 tsp soy sauce

100g millet, soaked 6-8 hours
1 tsp coconut oil
100-200g water or vegetable stock
1/2 white onion, chopped
1 cup of corn
2 bunches of coriander
Himalayan salt and grounded pepper to taste
a sprinkle of toasted sesame seeds

Mix honey, olive oil and soy sauce and marinade salmon for half an hour. Then pan fry for 3-4 minutes each side over medium heat. Set aside. For the millet, soak 100g of millet in water for 6-8 hours or overnight. Drain and rinse off to remove the phytic acid. Heat coconut oil in a pot over medium heat. Add finely chopped onion, corn and millet. Stir for about 5 minutes until onion is fragrant and translucent and millet is well coated with coconut oil. Then add water or vegetable stock to cover millet, put a lid and cook for about 10-15 minutes in low heat until water is all absorbed. You can add more water depending on how you want your millet to be cooked (fluffy or moist). Stir occasionally. Turn off the heat, season and stir in roughly chopped coriander. Taste and adjust seasoning. Let it sit with a lid on for a few minutes before serve. Serve flaked salmon on warm millet. Garnish with fresh coriander and sprinkle toasted sesame seeds.

Posted in: Dinner, Gluten Free, Lunch, My recipes, Uncategorized \ Tagged: ,

Harissa Carrot Salad

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Harissa is eaten in its native Tunisia as a side dish to meals like cous cous and grilled meats. It is delicious when you stir in into soups and stews for a definite kick, mix with yogurt to marinade chicken or spread onto wraps or add into grilled vegetables. It is so versatile to use either a dry mix or a paste when you have a home-made one in your pantry. So here is the recipe (warning! easy on chilli if you are not a fan)

Harissa spice mix

4 tsp Coriander seeds
2 tsp Himalayan salt
4 tsp Cumin seeds
4 tsp Smoked paprika
2 small dried chilli
1 tsp Cayenne pepper
1 tsp Garlic powder
1 tsp Caraway seeds
1 tsp Mint (optional, but it adds refreshing note)

Simply toast the seeds in a dry frying pan until fragrant, shaking a pan so that they don’t burn. Place them in a mortar and pestle or food processor to combine all together. Let it cool and keep in a air-tight jar. To make a harissa paste, mix equal parts spice with boiling water. Let it sit for 5 minutes then add a good quality of olive oil until you get a paste consistency. Simple!

Harissa Carrot Salad
Harissa Carrot Salad (serves 3-4)

3 carrots
1 cup of cooked French lentils
1 cup of salad mix
1/2 cup of snow pea shoots
1 tbsp coconut oil
1-2 tsp harissa spice mix
Himalayan salt to taste

Heat coconut oil in a pan over medium heat. Add sliced carrots and harissa spice mix into a pan and stir well until carrots are well coated with oil and spice. Stir occasionally for 10-15 minutes until cooked. Combine with cooked lentils, salad mix and snow pea shoots in a large bowl. Taste and adjust seasoning. Serve warm. It goes well with any kind of grilled meat, tofu or even toasted bread.

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

GF Socca Pizza with Massaged Kale and Marinated Mushrooms

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socca pizzaSocca is a traditional dish from Nice, France. It is a flat bread browned or even blackened around the edges, and it has an almost custard like, tender texture inside. As with many traditional dishes, there are a dozen different ways you can make it – pan-frying, broiling, baking. It is pretty easy to make. All you need is equal parts chickpea flour and water, mixed with a tablespoon of olive oil and a pinch of salt. You can use more water to make a thinner crêpe-like socca or less water to make it thicker. You can also add some herbs and spices in the batter to jazz it up.

Thanks to socca, I can have “pizza” which needs only a few ingredients and no brain. To me, it is too hard making GF pizza dough >.< It is totally gluten-free, perfect for GF pizza, wraps or flat bread. I made this socca pizza for my lunch today with some raw toppings to make it nice and fresh, but feel free to sauté the kale and mushrooms if you like.

Ingredients (single serve)

For socca
50g chickpea flour
1 tsp thyme
1 tsp sumac
1 tsp nutritional yeast
a pinch of Himalayan salt
50g warm water
1 tbsp coconut oil + extra for frying

For topping
1 cup of kale leaves
1/2 cup sliced button mushrooms
1 tbsp coconut amino sauce or tamari
1 tsp coconut vinegar or white wine vinegar
a pinch of Himalayan salt
pepper to taste

To make socca, mix all ingredients in a bowl, cover and put in the fridge for 30 minutes until the mixture is set. In the mean time, clean the kale and mushrooms. Tear the kale leaves into bite size and massage with salt and vinegar until softened. Marinate sliced mushrooms in coconut amino sauce. Take the socca mixture out of the fridge. Heat coconut oil in a non-stick frying pan and pour the mixture into a pan. Spread evenly with a spatula and cook for a couple of minutes each side over medium heat or until golden. Transfer to a serving plate and top with massaged kale and marinated mushrooms. I also added caramelised beetroot and onion on top.

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