Good Food Friday Treats :: freekeh with roasted parsnip and honey

original image here

Have you heard of Freekeh? It's an ancient grain which holds a nutty flavour and is kinda chewy when cooked well. You can give it a try once you make this delicious recipe.

freekeh with roasted parsnip and honey

165g cracked freekeh

625ml water

sea salt flakes and fresh ground pepper

3 parsnips, halved lengthways, top portions puatered

2 tbs olive oil

1 red onion, cut into 8 wedges

3 sprigs of thyme

25g walnuts

1/2 tsp ground cumin

1 glove of garlic, thinly sliced

1/2 tsp honey

finely grated zest and the juice of one lemon

125ml extra virgin olive oil

95g natural sheep's milk yoghurt

small handful of mache (lamb's lettuce)

1. Place the freekeh and water in a small saucepan over a high heat and bring to the boil. Redce the heat to low, pop on a lid and summer for 15 minutes or until all the water has been absorbed. Pop the lid back on and leave to cool. Transfer to a large bowl, season with a sprinkle of salt and pepper, stir well and let sit.

2. Preheat Oven to 180 degrees

3. Remove the woody centre of the parsnips. Heat an ovenproof fry pan over a medium heat, add the oil, onion and parsnip and cook for 3-4 minutes or until light golden brown. Scatter with the thyme, walnuts, cumin and half the garlic, then season with a pinch of salt. Roast for 10 minutes or until golden brown. Remove from the oven and drizzle with honey and then set asside.

4. Finely chop remaining garlic and place in a small bowl with the lemon zest and juice. Whist in the oil and season.

5. Spread the sheeps's milk yoghurt onto a large plate. Sprinkle with the freekeh, drizzle with a little of the dressing and pile the parsnip, onion and walnuts on top. Scatter with the mache and drizzle with the remaining dressing, then serve.

Good Food Friday Treats :: Aromatic Baked Fish

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I was speaking with the lovely Sam Gowling this week, who by the way will be doing some work in our clinic from time to time. Sam is a therapeutic chef, business coach and motivation speaker - all in all, one heck of a cleaver lady! She asked me if I was vegetarian - I'm assuming she got that vibe from my Good Food Friday Treat's.

Answer: for the most part, yes I am. I do eat the odd bit of meat when fed to me, but I generally don't cook it for myself. I know my body feels better without it. Chinese Medicine understands this. Everybody is different. Some people need meat. Others don't. People with weak Spleens (digestive function) will not respond well to raw foods, just as people who are blood deficient often require meat. Food isn't simply one size fits all. Sam and I sat and talked about this for a little while, where she shared about her new love of specific foods that she can feel are doing her body good.

What I do enjoy is fish. So I guess technically you could call me a Pesceterian. Fish is delicious, baked and grilled. It is easy to digest and gets the digestive system working. This recipe is appropriate for those who are cold or deficient - in other words it is warming and invigorating. It will also assist in getting your blood pumping!

aromatic baked fish

whole trout (cleaned and scaled)

bay leaves

butter

sea salt

chopped tarragon

lemon slices (cut thinly)

bunch chinese green

Place fish in pyrex dish and add remaining ingredients. Bake in a warm over (150 degrees) until fish is tender. Enjoy with rice and a side-dish of steamed greens.

Good Food Friday Treats :: spinach and ricotta pie

I'm being attacked by silverbeet. The patch is thriving and I have mountains of it. I didn't realise how many different names there were for this stuff. Spinach, chard, crab beet, seakale beet... whatever you call it, silverbeet is awesome. Get it onto your plate - your body won't be disappointed. It is high in Vitamins A, K and C, and rich in minerals, dietary fibre and protein. An all round winner really. Popeye knew he was onto a good thing!

spinach and ricotta pie

base

2 cups of cooked brown rice

40 gm melted butter

2 egg yolks (keep whites for pie filling)

filling

500ml ricotta

2 bunches of spinach or 1 bunch of silverbeet chopped

2 whole eggs, 2 egg whites (left over from base)

1/2 tsp nutmeg

salt and pepper to taste

Mix together rice, butter and egg yolks. Gently press the mixture into the base of a flan dish or similar and bake in the oven for approximately 15 minutes or until it begins to brown.

Meanwhile, place ricotta into a bowl and separate using a potato masher. Add all other ingredients and mix well. Place on top of rice base, and cook for 20 minutes or until top begins to brown.

So simple. You can add anything to the topping that you like. Mushrooms would go really well in the filling too!

Good Food Friday Treats :: walnut inspired eats

Original Image Here

My kitchen this week has turned into a nut crackers delight; a result of being given a very large bag of walnuts. I've cracked and I've cracked and let me tell you, quite frankly, I don't want to crack another nut for a long time. My hands feel broken and I'm finding walnut shells in the weirdest of places, because as you crack, they fly. Thankfully, there is a reward for all that, and I now have several jars of walnuts lined up, ready for enjoyment.

Have you taken a look at a walnut closely? They look like a teeny tiny brain. Interestingly enough, they support brain function as well as sport a host of other nutritional benefits (a rich source of Omega 3's, immunity boosting qualities and huge cardiovascular benefits too).

Needless to say, my recipes are based on walnuts for this Good Food Friday.

Pear Salad with Walnuts and Roquefort

(original recipe from 500 Salads by Susannah Blake)

1 bunch of rocket

1 bunch of watercress

5 tbs roughly chopped walnuts

100 g of Roquefort cheese, crumbled (I substituted this for Meredith Goats Cheese)

2 ripe pears

for the vinaigrette:

1 clove of garlic finely chopped

6 tbs olive oil

4 tbs red wine vinegar

1 tsp honey

salt and freshly ground pepper

Remove stalks and tear the leaves of watercress and rocket and place into a bowl. Sprinkle the chopped walnuts and half the cheese in also.

To make vinaigrette, whisk garlic with oil and vinegar. Season to taste with honey, salt and pepper and pour the mixture over the greens. Mix well.

Peel the pears and remove the core. Cut into slices and place pears into the bowl with the salad and toss. Once stirred, top with the remaining cheese and walnuts!

This next recipe, I wasn't going to post but my are these biscuits amazing! So, you are getting it not because they are 'healthy' but coming into Christmas, they would be a perfect addition to your baked gifts. I'm now helping you get organised for Christmas too! This place is like a one stop shop. Of course, homemade goods are always healthier because you know what's in them!

Chocolate Puddle Cookies

(taken from 101 cookbooks)

Toast 3 cups of walnuts lightly and allow to cool. Chop and put into a bowl.

Once the toasting is done, pre-heat the oven to 160 degrees.

Add 3 cups of sifted icing sugar, 3/4 cup coco powder, 1/2 tsp salt. Mix and then add 3 egg whites (straight into mixture, not beaten) Mix well.
Place dollops of the batter onto baking trays lined with baking paper. Don't put more than 6 per tray - they spread out A LOT!
Cook for 12 - 15 minutes. If you don't cook for long enough, you can't get them off the paper. They will go glossy whilst they are cooking and then start to crack. Once they start cracking they are more on the ready side.

I warn you. These spell DANGER! They are so delicious, it is really hard to stop eating them! That said, you may still include me on your list for a bag of your baked goods this Christmas!