Gluten Free Bruschetta with Cashew Pesto, Rocket, Spinach and Fresh Basil!

This is what I am planning on making as one of my favourite afternoon teas.

The gluten free bread is sooo low in calories it's unbelievable, and when you whack it under the grill and toast it each side for a couple of minutes it perfectly toasted and ready for your toppings. i

I used the following on mine:

- Fresh Basil
- Rocket
- Baby Spinach
- Diced Tomato
- Diced Cucumber
- Balsamic Vinegar
- Cashew nut Pesto
- Gluten free bread ( i used sliced loaf, but you could use a roll cut in half)
I will post my recipe for a cashew nut pesto later on, but basically it's a mixture of cashew nuts, olive oil and basil with salt and pepper.

 

Pea and Corn Quinoa Salad

This is a lovely salad hot or cold, as a main or side.

Ingredients:

- can of peas, liquid drained

- can of corn, liquid drained

- small bunch of coriander ( or as much as you like) chopped finely

- small bunch of mint ( or as much as you like) chopped finely

- 4 Shallots, chopped
- 2 cups cooked quinoa

- Juice of 1 lemon

- cracked pepper and rock salt.

Method:

It's simple really, cook your quinoa and place into a bowl with your can of peas, corn, mint, coriander and shallots and mix together. Then drizzle all of your lemon juice on top with enough salt and pepper to taste and mix thoroughly together.

Sugar Free Health Muffins - #1

In my quest to become fit and fabulous, I have come up with a super healthy version of the regular muffins.

I have several health muffin recipes, so the is recipe #1.

These muffins are sugar free, using only natural ingredients such as cinnamon, banana, honey and apple to sweeten the mixture. It also loaded with fibre and super foods.

Try them and let me know what you think?

Ingredients:

- 1 very large very ripe Banana

- 1 Tablespoon of Chia Seeds

- 70g of Dried Whole Cranberries, then chop them in half after measuring

- 4 Tablespoons of Honey

- 1 large red apple, skinned and diced

- 3 Tablespoons of Organic Quinoa Flakes

- 100g Wholemeal Plain flour

- 250g Wholemeal Self Raising Flour

- 1/2 Tablespoon of Cinnamon

- 70g of Walnuts, roughly chopped after measuring

- 1 Teaspoon of Baking Powder

- 1 Organic Egg

- 3 Tablespoons of Grapeseed Oil

- 150ml of Milk

Method:

Mix your flours, chia seeds, cinnamon, walnuts and baking powder together in a bowl.

Then take your cut cranberries and add 3 tablespoons of water to them and microwave for 30 seconds, to moisten and re-hydrate them.

Then take your banana and mash with your honey, place this with your dry mixture and add your cranberries ( with any water that did not evaporate with them ), oil, milk, chopped apple and egg and mix together.

If you find your mixture is a bit dry you could add a little  more milk.


Place the mixture evenly in 12 muffin cases, and drizzle honey on each one.


Place into an oven set at 180C for 15-20 minutes or until they have risen and look golden.

Enjoy xoxo 

Food Tip

I am starting a new thing called Foodie Fabulous Tips.... anything that is food related but is not really a recipe! 

Here is the first one!

Foodie Fabulous Tip #1

Try adding chia seeds to your scrambled eggs, not only is it a great way to add this wonderful super food to your diet but it tastes great too, and surprisingly it doesn't affect the eggs that much ! 

It makes for a wonderful protein filled breakfast ! 

Strawberry Rice Milk Smoothie

Not all food on my blog has to be unhealthy, I have a favourite Strawberry smoothie recipe. 

It it light on the dairy side, but if you are lactose intolerant you can leave the yoghurt out and top it up with some more rice milk or chia seeds.  

Ingredients:

- 1 tsp chia Seeds

- 3 tbsp yoghurt

- 1 punnet strawberries

- 1 tsp honey

- 1 cup rice milk

Blend all together and enjoy xoxo

Chilli and Chive Chicken with Pesto Covered Greens

* Please note the Pesto Covered Greens are the reason why I have added the label vegetarian. 

Lately I have been trying to eat more healthy, of course without the loss of flavour.

So here is my recipe, you can tweak it by adding more or less chilli, depending on how hot you like it.

Serves 1

Chilli and Chive Chicken:

Ingredients:
- 3 Tablespoons of German style cottage cheese
- 1 Heaped tablespoon fresh chopped chives
- 1 large pinch of finely chopped fresh red chillies
- Chicken Breast

Method: 

Mix the above ingredients together thoroughly then completely coat over chicken breast and place in a non-stick pan on medium to high heat. Cook Either side.

The cottage cheese should slowly simmer away until you are left with the chives and chillies coating the chicken. use your spatula to hold down and press on the chicken, this makes it cook quicker.

If you notice that some sauce has started to stick or burn to your pan, remove it from your pan immediately.

Once the chicken has been cooked all the way through, place on your place to rest while you are getting your veggies ready.

Pesto Covered Greens:

Ingredients:

- Handful of green beans
- Handful of snow peas
- 4 or five broccoli florets
- several tablespoons of pesto (preferably home made)
- some water

This is really simple, I made my own home made pesto, using basil, parmesan, olive oil and a little bit of salt and pepper. I followed a recipe I found from a Women's Weekly Cook Book.

Basically all you have to do is stir fry your snow peas, green beans and broccoli in some water until they are soft enough to eat. Then place them in a bowl with several tablespoons of your pesto, mix thoroughly and place on your plate with your chicken, you can add another pinch of freshly chopped chilli on top if you want to really taste that punch.

Enjoy xoxo J

Allspice Pumpkin Soup

This is a lovely healthy pumpkin soup recipe. Add some brown rice to it and it gets very filling very quick.

Ingredients:

- 1kg pumpkin
- 2 tablespoons organic pumpkin seed oil
- 1 teaspoon ground paprika
- 1 teaspoon ground allspice
- 1/2 teaspoon mixed spice
- 1 cube beef stock or beef flavoured stock ( you can get these vegan friendly)
- 1 tablespoon rice bran oil
- 1/2 teaspoon cracked pepper

Method: 

Boil kettle with at least 3 cups of water. In a medium pot, add chopped onion and sauté until brown and caramelised in rice bran oil. Turn off once done. Once kettle has boiled add 2 cups of water to your beef stock cube. Stir until dissolved. Add chopped pumpkin to onion and add stock, then add more water until covered over pumpkin. Cover with a lid and cook until pumpkin is falling away from skin and can be mashed with spoon in pot.

Turn off and let cool for about 5 minutes. Then add to blender with 2 tablespoons organic pumpkin seed oil, ground paprika, ground all spice and mixed spice. Blend together until completely smooth.

Add to bowls with some brown rice if desired, enjoy.

Cous Cous Salad - Vegan

This makes a great side dish with a salad or veggies, or even if you want to eat it with meat.

Ingredients:

- 1 cup of Cous Cous
- 4 dried Bay leaves
- 1 teaspoon smoked paprika
- 1 teaspoon dried oregano
- cracked whole pepper
- 1 teaspoon tumeric
- small pinch saffron
- 1/2 teaspoon vegetable salt  the kind you get from the health food shop)
- 6 cherry tomatoes
- 1 baby zuchini
- 1 small carrot
- 1/2 tablespoon garlic infused olive oil

Method:

Place the cous cous into a bowl. Add Bay leaves, paprika, oregano, cracked pepper and tumeric. Mix dry ingredients together until the spices have evenly coloured the dry cous cous. Pour 1 cup of boiling water into a measuring jug with a small pinch of saffron and 1/2 a teaspoon vegetable salt.

Add to cous cous and stir, then leave to absorb.

In another small saucepan add chopped zuchini and carrot with 1/2 tablespoon garlic infused olive oil. Stir fry until nicely sautéed.

After or while your veggies are sauting, fluff cous cous ( add a little more water if needed, say another tablespoon or so) and add chopped cherry tomatoes. Add Sauted veggies and stir into cous cous.

Enjoy!

Peach and Passion fruit Icy Frozen Yoghurt

This Frozen Yoghurt is not quite as icy as the strawberry version, and it is more creamier. A tip for keeping your frozen yoghurt as smooth as possible, is when scooping it out of the container, try and stay away form the liquid that collects.

I have to say that this is my favourite.




Ingredients:

- 4 Passionfruit
- 1 ripe peach, cut into very small diced pieces
- 3 cups natural Greek yoghurt
- 3 Tablespoon's runny honey
- 3 Tablespoon's Vanilla essence
- teaspoon vanilla essence

Method:

1. Add 3 cups of yoghurt and chopped peach to the container you wish to freeze your yoghurt in and stir together.

2. Add 2 Tablespoons of runny honey to the pulp of 4 passion fruit and stir to make a runny syrup.

3. Add to yoghurt mixture and stir until just combined.

4. Add 1 Tablespoon runny honey on top of yoghurt mixture and fold until most of the honey has disappeared, just leaving a few streaks here and there. Drizzle a teaspoon of vanilla essence on top of your mixture and place into freezer until frozen.



    This is how it looks frozen. 

Icy Strawberry Frozen Yoghurt

When its 38 C and the heat and humidity is getting to you, pull out a tub of this and have a scoop or two of this tasty and healthy treat. It uses Strawberries, Honey, Vanilla essence, and natural Greek Yoghurt.

Because this recipe uses fruit which contains water and no cream, preservatives or the normal chemicals added that stop store bought yoghurt's from going hard, this yoghurt has little chards of ice in the texture. It's texture is kind of like a slushy or icy, but in summer its quite refreshing and cooling.

Ingredients:
- 3 punnets
- 2 cups natural yoghurt
- 2 cup fulls vanilla essence
- 9 Tablespoons honey

Method:

Chop the green tips of 2 of the punets of the strawberries and add to blender, add 2 cups of natural yoghurt and add 4 tablespoon's honey. Blend in blender until runny and frothy.

Pour into container that you want to freeze your ice-cream into.



Take your third punnet of strawberries and remove green tops and add to blender with 5 tablespoons of honey and blend together.

Pour the strawberry blend in a spiral way over the yoghurt mixture, it will sink instantly to the bottom, leaving just a few traces on the top. DO NOT STIR. simply place into freezer.

After about 12 hours, or the next day, take out and fold. Basically you are trying to get a strawberry ripple from the  strawberry syrup that has settles on the bottom throughout your mixture, but its ok if it is not perfect.

It will still be quite soft and slightly frozen. Pur back in freezer for at least another 4-5 hours and fold again, then put back into your freezer until evenly frozen.

Remember this is quite icy and not smooth like your normal frozen yoghurt.

Smoked Paprika and Dill Fish

This Fish is lightly flavoured and fantastic with whatever kind of salad you want to put with it, but I personally love to eat my fish    
   with paypaya.

Serves 2 




Ingredients:

- Whole cracked black pepper - as much as you like
- 1 Teaspoon smoked paprika
- 1 Teaspoon dried crushed onion
- 1 Tablespoon rice bran oil ( or grape seed oil, as both have high smoke points and are therefore better for  
   you for cooking)
- 3 Fresh sprigs ( long stems) Dill, chopped
- 4 Pieces of small fish fillets or 2 normal sized pieces of fish.
- 8 Cherry tomatoes - 4 per person  (optional)

Method:

1. Add 1 Tablespoon of Rice Bran oil into pan, but don't turn it on yet.


2. In a big bowl large enough for your pieces of fish, add teaspoon smoked paprika, dried crushed onion and chopped dill. mix together and evenly spread over your plate.

3. Add your fish flesh side down and skin side up to your spice and herb mic, then turn over so it is coated both sides.

4. Turn on your pan to high heat and while it is heating up add your cherry tomatoes.

5. When oil is just starting to sizzle add your fish with the cherry tomatoes, skin side down and allow to cook until you see about a cm up the sides of the fish is starting to cook, Jamie Oliver says its best if your fish cooks for about 80% of its time on the skin side.




6. When the skin of fish is looking crispy and you can see flesh starting to cook, then you can turn the fish and turn off the heat, allowing the rest of the fleshy side of the fish to cook slowly in the pan.

7. When fish is cooked all the way through, serve onto plate with cooked cherry tomatoes and add Murray River salt flakes and whole cracked pepper.

Enjoy 

Cinnamon Health Oatmeal

This is a comforting healthy recipe. Perfect on a cold winters morning. The skim milk is healthier than full cream milk and is also sweeter which compliments the cinnamon when cooked. The oats also have their own natural creamy milk when cooked.

Not only is this a delicious recipe, but it is healthy for you and can be stored in your pantry ready to go or taken to work as it can be cooked in a matter of minutes in a microwave. All you need to do is add water.

Utensils:

- Large bowl to mix ingredients in
- Measuring spoons
- Measuring Cup for flours and solids ( not liquids)
- Spoon to mix ingredients in
- Beautiful Jar to contain your mixture

Ingredients:

- 2 Cinnamon Sticks, each broken in half (you should have a total of 4 pieces)
- 1 .5 cups microwavable oats
- 1/4 Cup raw wheat germ
- 2 Tablespoons wheat bran
- 3/4 cup powdered skim milk

- 1 Tablespoon Cinnamon

Method:

1. In mixing bowl add oats, wheat germ, wheat bran and mix together.

2. Add skim milk powder and cinnamon to bowl and mix together.

3. Start adding spoonfuls into your jar, occasionally adding you broken cinnamon sticks so that they are evenly sitting throughout your mixture.

To cook all you have to do is put your desired amount of mixture into a bowl, add enough water in relation to the mixture and whack in the microwave, stirring roughly every 30 seconds.

Welcome to the first post of 2013 for Foodie Fabulous.

This blog is dedicated to a foodie and her constant battle with the good and bad,the healthy and naughty and all the different restaurants  chefs, recipes and meals that inspire her to cook and try new recipes and meals. 

Bring on 2013 and all it has to offer!