Quinoa, Buckwheat, Maple Nut-ola and a Lesson on FAT…

I make this once a fortnight, store it in a large jar, and slowly watch it reduce in volume. It’s seriously that good. But not only is it worth the taste buds of an exceptional palette, when accompanied by a good quality fat, it acts as great fuel for the body.

There has been a lot of flak given to fat in the past few decades, which has impacted our understanding around the many advantages of ingested fat.

We are here to advocate fat!

Side series: the humble brussel sprout

Oh how we hated these all as children.  I remember my brother used to hide his in a little cavity inside our family table.  The main reason I remember this is because I was the one blamed when my father found them there.  I felt this was particularly unjust because I had already suffered the punishment of eating my brussel sprouts in the first place.

Two theories on why brussel sprouts tasted so bad when you were 7 years old:

1) The average adult reportedly has approximately 10,000 taste buds, but children have more.  Infants seem to arrive hard-wired to react to bitterness because most natural poisons also have a bitter taste.  So it is really a survival mechanism.  After time we learn that bitterness won't kill us and learn to enjoy the flavour more, and some of our taste buds die off.

2) Boiling brussel sprouts in water until they are translucent really doesn't do them much justice.

Brussel sprouts are actually a delightful vegetable when cooked well.  Here is one way you can do it but there are many more.  Some particularly tasty versions involve bacon.

First Times with Apple and Prune Cake

This Tuesday my dad is having dinner at our house for the first time. We moved into our new home only three months ago, and it has taken this long to get our A into G and haul over the parentals.

I recently discovered that something he has never experienced before is a wholefoods, unrefined cake…. So, out come my cake pans, bell domes, and wooden spoons for an evening of first times.

This delicious dessert is most complimented by a side of coconut cream or Greek yoghurt. It is perfect during the colder winter months as it has that cosy nourishing feel to it, especially when served straight from the oven.

If you have a particular fancy for apples you can always add another one to the batter.

Here goes dad....

Winter Vegetable Beef Lasagne with Flourless White Sauce

Childhood is characterized by the rich scent of beef Bolognese bubbling away on the stove, and cheesy white sauce being poured from a large Pyrex bowl over layers of beef mince and lasagne sheets. It’s a happy space, and one I want to relive from time to time with what new skills I’ve learned since then.

So when we had friends over the other day I relished the opportunity to create a meal designed for more than just two people. Out came my Pyrex jug and baking dish… only to realise this version of Beef Lasagne didn’t require a Pyrex jug after all! With the help of The Healthy Food Chef, I managed to adapt a recipe for white sauce made with cauliflower, and still make it taste like my mother’s. It was a small, but happy feat, and was made in the bowl of a food processor – how modern can I get?!

Another adaptation to the classic lasagne in my recipe, is what I used instead of pasta. This recipe calls for layers of thinly sliced vegetables. Nourishing, protein-rich, and with all those good fats!

This meal makes a happy family, at least in my experience anyway…

Winter warmer: spicy lentil and butternut soup

It can be hard work satisfying one's appetite in winter.  One seems to want bigger portions of everything and salads don't seem to cut it.  I find that pulses such as lentils really help to fill you up in the colder months.  Pulses are high in protein and fibre and, my favourite part... quite affordable.

This soup is warming in all kind of ways.  I love using whole cumin seeds- it just makes the spice a bit more noticeable.  It's a pretty simple all round soup, but it's a goodie. You have probably seen lots of versions of it so don't be too worried if you don't have one of the ingredients- this one is definitely not a science.