There is something so delicious about fresh figs in a salad. Quail eggs are little powerhouse packets of goodness – I am so lucky to have my own hardworking ladies.
I served this salad on a gluten free wrap and added shredded cabbage, onion and carrots- once rolled was difficult to eat but well worth the challenge!
Ingredients:
1 avocado – cut in to cubes
1 papaya peeled – deseeded and cut in to cubes
1 small red onion – chopped in to small pieces
Handful of fresh coriander – roughly chopped
2 red chillies – deseeded and cut in to small pieces
Juice of 1 lemon and lime
Method:
Put all ingredients in to a bowl and mix gently
In the 70’s and 80’s it was trendy to have various pulses sprouting in jars around the house. I remember having jars of alfalfa and mung beans everywhere…along with the obligatory mustard and cress on cotton wool – slightly yellowing and curled at the edges. I did this because ‘everyone else’ did. I did enjoy them but the ‘fad’ soon ended.
Now, all these years on, once again I have jars with sprouting pulses in cupboards and in dark corners. This time however, I do it not only because I enjoy eating them but also because I know the health benefits that eating them brings.
I know that soaking and sprouting de-activates the acids and enzyme inhibitors present in the pulses preventing them from growing until the conditions are favourable. This de-activation then enables our bodies to digest and absorb the vitamins and minerals more readily.
Now I sprout a wide variety of legumes – lentils, chickpeas, quinoa and (of course my old favourite) mung beans, to name few.
Green lentil Quinoa Mung bean
I’m yet to try chia seeds – I’m sure they will but am just not sure how to as when they are soaked they get a mucilaginous coating. Any advice?
Ingredients:
1/2 cup drained sundried tomatoes
Handful fresh basil
1/2 cup grated parmesan
1/2 cup pine nuts
1-2 cloves of garlic
1 red chilli pepper (optional)
1/2 cup extra virgin olive oil
Method:
Using a food processor blend tomatoes, basil and garlic in to a coarse paste.
Add all the remaining ingredients and blitz for 10 seconds.
Preheat oven to 180c / Gas 4
Ingredients:
1 cup of rinsed and cooked quinoa
1 cauliflower cut in to small florets
1 tin of chick peas – drained
Coconut oil
1 tsp turmeric
2 tsps cumin
1 teaspoon cayenne pepper
(or any combination of your favourite spices)
Method:
Arrange the cauliflower, chickpeas and quinoa on a baking tray and sprinkle with the spices. Dot the mixture with coconut oil. Place in oven. After 10 mins remove and gently turn the ingredients to ensure all coated with coconut oil. Return to oven and bake until cooked and – about 30 mins.
Perfect eaten on its own or served with a poached egg on top. Also a great alternative accompaniment for a curry. Delicious cold as well.
Preheat oven to 180c / Gas 4
30 x 23 cm cake tin (12 x 9 inch) greased and lined
Ingredients:
250 g stoned and chopped dates
40 g butter
300 ml boiling water
3 large eggs (2 if using non gluten-free s r flour)
350 g gluten-free self-raising flour
150 g dark muscovado sugar
150 g chopped walnuts
125 g ground almonds
Method:
Soak the dates in the boiling water – allow to cool
Mix all other ingredients together and add the soaked dates (I don’t drain the liquid off)
Bake in the centre of the oven for 50 mins – 60 minutes or until cake is firm to touch
Turn out and cool.
I don’t add icing to my cakes but a lemon icing would taste good with this cake – topped with walnuts.
Ingredients:
50 g pine nuts
50 g parmesan
150 ml extra virgin olive oil
large handful of basil
1 clove of garlic (optional)
Method:
Dry fry the pine nuts until golden brown
Put all the ingredients in to a food processor,
and blitz until the desired consistency.
Ingredients:
Rolled oats – 2 cupfuls
1/2 cup each of cashew nuts, pistachio nuts, flaxseed, pumpkin seeds and sunflower seeds
Coconut oil – sufficient to lightly coat all the dry ingredients
Spread out on a baking tray and roast in a hot oven for 10 minutes or until the nuts turn golden brown
Allow to cool and store in an airtight jar. If it lasts this long, will stay fresh for a couple of weeks! Enjoy playing with different combinations.
I find avocado so versatile.This salad is so easy to prepare.
Ingredients: avocado, eggs, green leaves – rocket, watercress, spinach etc, and salad vegetables of your choice and feta cheese.
Method:
Cut an avocado in half and remove the stone. Crack an egg into each half – I used quail eggs. Pop in the oven to bake until the egg is the desired consistency. Prepare the salad base and top with the baked avocado/egg.
Watercress, tomatoes, pomegranate seeds and feta cheese was the base salad here
Ingredients: gluten free rolled oats, cashew and pecan nuts, chia and pumpkin seeds, unsweetened desiccated coconut, cinnamon and ground ginger and coconut oil.
Mix all the dry ingredients in a bowl and then add melted coconut oil – sufficient to coat the ingredients. Spread out on a baking tray and pop in to a hot oven for 5-10 minutes.
Allow to cool and then put in to a storage jar. If not devoured, it will stay fresh for a couple of weeks.
Jo's food bites. 