Hope you guys all had a great Thanksgiving and even tried some or all of my recipes. Myself, herself and head da ball headed to Texasland to see the in-laws (or out-laws depending on who you ask). It was defo a wam-bam visit but we managed to eat some good southern chow while there. Apart from the usual Mexican fare with the freshly made tortillas, which is an great site to see, I was fixin’ for some real authentic Texas BBQ. (As you can see I picked up some slang while I was there–when in Rome an’ all.) We were brought to a very famous eatery by my father-in-law called The Salt Lick. Some of you Texas folk might know of this place. We got there around 1pm on Sat and the place was jointed. The restaurant was full with, no shit, at least 150 people waiting outside. They even had some honky tonk musicians to keep us entertained while waiting. The place is located in the middle of nowhere but as soon as you drove in you could smell the smoking. They don’t sell beer but encourage you to bring a cooler of said alcoholic beverage (I really enjoyed that Shiner beer) and being a guest of the state of Texas I didn’t want to offend!

You pay just $18.95 for ALL YOU CAN EAT and boy did I.

Potato salad, baked beans, coleslaw, slow cooked brisket, ribs, sausages & habanero sauce…mmm mmmm (just look at Ross’s face below!)…and don’t forget all topped of nicely with 1 or 2 (dozen) beers.
Now, you don’t always associate bbq food with healthy, especially the sides but I have to say I was pleasantly surprised when neither the potato salad nor the coleslaw were covered in mayo.

This was defo the highlight of my 3 day excursion for sure, well food-wise anyway. As for nightlife, besides the stellar live music, you’d be hard pressed to beat the craic on 6th street in Austin.
The Irishmen likey!

Nothing like being called up last minute to do a bbq for new clients, but as usual I was able to pull it off without a hitch! (Thank God!) The host couple were friends of friends, who were visiting from Australia on business for a couple of weeks. Call it a Hello/Goodbye barbecue. I love these types of small causal gigs where I get to showcase my personality as well as my food. I adapted a bunch of previously posted recipes and turned them into this simple afternoon barbecue. Here’s a few pics from the day of yours truly in action.

MENU:

ANTIPASTO PLATTER
Trio of Hummus: Roast Sweet Pepper, Basil-Artichoke & Lemon-Parsley
Cheese & Salamis
Assorted Flat Breads & Baked Pita Chips
BUFFET
Mini Turkey Sliders with Caramelized Onions
Sweet Soy Glazed Chicken Skewers
Grilled Skirt Steak with Cilantro Pesto
Grilled Asparagus Spears with Tomato & Herb Infused Olive Oil
Roast Mini Potato Salad with Herb Vinaigrette
Baby Spinach Salad with Shaved Fennel, Pear & Gorgonzola with Sweet Balsamic Vinaigrette

DESSERT
Fresh baked cookies and customized cupcakes! Perfect ending to a great day!

All recipes are made with the finest quality farmers market whole foods, natural and non-processed ingredients as much as possible.

My neighbor not only has a fantastic fig tree (that I’ve been delving into for the past few weeks), but she also had success this year growing fresh tomatoes. The poor crater hasn’t even been in town to enjoy the fruits of her labor so to speak, but we certainly have (with her blessing of course!)

left on our doorstep

Thanks Cristina but now what to do with them? Figs and tomatoes….

You see, I wasn’t really big on figs until I found myself with a tree full of  ‘em so pardon me if I went searching for recipes online. Didn’t take me too long to find this gem created by A Gluten Free Guide. I know it may sound strange but this salsa is the dogs bollix. Right now figs are in season so it’s the perfect time to make this with fresh figs vs. dried. For those of you that missed my
Fig and Goats Cheese Pizza from last week it’s well worth a gander. Quick and damn tasty!

Healthy Fig and Avocado Salsa Recipe

1 cup diced dried figs or 3 cups diced fresh figs
juice of one lime
3 medium firm ripe California avocados, diced
3 fresh jalapenos, small diced, seeds and ribs removed
2-3 medium, vine-ripened tomatoes, diced, seeds removed
4 teaspoons honey
1 teaspoon fine sea salt
1 teaspoon ground coriander
1 teaspoon ground cumin
2 small cloves of garlic, minced

TIP: If you use agave like I did, you can use less than honey because it’s sweeter than honey.

Combine all ingredients in a medium bowl and stir gently. Refrigerate several hours to let flavors blend. Serve with gluten-free corn tortilla chips.

(It’s great right away if you are like me and aren’t patient enough to wait for it to come out of the fridge.)

This salsa lasted about 2 days in my house because it was so good. Thanks to Catherine for this idea!
Cheers!

All recipes are made with the finest quality farmers market whole foods, natural and non-processed ingredients as much as possible.

I can hear it now across the pond…’What is Kweenoah anyway?’ That was you Mr. Eske, was it not?
Pronounced KEENWA, this is an ancient “grain” native to South America. It is high in protein and has light, fluffy texture when cooked. Its mild, slightly nutty flavour makes it an excellent alternative to rice or couscous. I actually started making this recipe with couscous so if you can’t find quinoa in your local health food store, substitute couscous and you’ll be good to go–delicious either way.
Not only is this dish packed with nutrients but it also makes a brilliant light summery side dish perfect for barbecues, picnics (Labor Day anyone?), lunches for the kids or even just as a snack in the fridge.

QUINOA & LENTIL SALAD

Serves 6

1 cup lentils (I used regular green lentils)
1 cup quinoa (I used red quinoa)
3 tbsp white-wine vinegar
2 tsp salt
3 tbsp extra-virgin olive oil
½ cup fresh mint, finely chopped
2 tbsp lemon zest
S&P to taste

DIRECTIONS

Begin by rinsing the lentils under cold water. In a small saucepan add enough water to cover the lentils by 2 inches, add 1 tsp salt and simmer until tender but not falling apart, about 15 minutes.
Meanwhile, place quinoa, 2 cups water and 1 tsp salt in another saucepan and bring to a boil. Reduce to simmer, cover and cook until all water is absorbed, about 15 minutes, approx.
When lentils are done, drain well. Remove hot lentils to a large mixing bowl and stir in 1 tbsp of vinegar, salt and pepper to taste. Cool lentils completely, stirring occasionally.
When quinoa is cooked, drain any excess liquid. Cool and add to lentils in mixing bowl.

In a small bowl whisk together remaining 2 tbsp vinegar, oil, S&P to taste. Combine lentils, quinoa and dressing. Add in mint and zest. Mix well. Cover and chill until ready to serve.

I also throw in a little fresh chopped lemon balm if I have some in the garden, which adds another dimension. I’ll definitely be making this for the weekend!

All recipes are made with the finest quality farmers market whole foods, natural and non-processed ingredients as much as possible.

Why is it that I like cumin so much? I don’t have many memories of eating it growing up (apart of learning how to use it at Ballymaloe). So what is it that attracts me to its peppery nutty flavour? It’s really just down to how good it makes food taste.

Along with flavour cumin has many health benefits including aiding digestion, supplying a good source of iron and research is starting to show that cumin seeds may also have anti-carcinogenic properties. It’s also a must have in many Mexican and Middle Eastern dishes and is available both in its whole seed form (like we used in the last post) or ground into a powder. Actually, now that I look back, I’ve used cumin in several of my recipes from tortilla soup to glazed baby carrots to Spanish potatoes and of course last week we used cumin in conjunction with our turmeric recipes.

RECIPE:

Serves 2

1 1/2 lbs Organic/Sustainable lamb shoulder or leg of lamb – cut into uniform pieces (Ask your butcher to cut it for you, much easier)
1/2 green pepper – cut in cubes
1/2 red onion – cut into cubes
1 tsp ground cumin
3 tbsp olive oil
1/4 tsp salt
1/2 lemon – zested

DIRECTIONS:
Preheat barbecue or stove top grill pan.

Begin by mixing the oil, cumin, salt and lemon juice in a small bowl.  Assemble the kabobs as per the photo, alternating between lamb and red onion with green pepper at the top and bottom of each skewer.

TIP: Soak the bamboo skewers in water for at least 2 hours before grilling. This will help prevent the skewers from burning.

Once together and ready to cook, brush all sides of the lamb with the olive oil mixture. Spray your grill or grill pan with oo spray. Sear the lamb for 15 minutes on all sides or until nice and pink inside, 130F for medium rare.

Tatziki

1 cup fat-free Greek yogurt
1 tbsp fresh mint
1/4 cup diced cucumber
1/2 lemon – zested
pinch S&P to taste

Mix all above ingredients together and serve with grilled Lamb. This works really well with it. Cool and refreshing. (Sounds like a toothpaste commercial!)

All recipes are made with the finest quality farmers market whole foods, natural and non-processed ingredients as much as possible.

Welcome to our 3rd and final installment for turmeric week. I suppose when I asked myself, ‘could I do more?’ I wasn’t messin’ about! I had a blast trying out all these new recipes and I definitely learned some new skills. I hope you enjoyed this week as much as I did.

If you’re not familiar with quinoa, it’s time to try it out! Quinoa is packed full of nutrients and is cooked very much like rice although it has more protein than most other grains. I’m a big fan of using quinoa in place of rice because it adds a nutty flavor, which also adds a new dimension. It’s not as heavy as rice tends to be, it’s light and nutty—just like my Missus. (Ha! I’ll get some brownie points for that!)

RECIPE:
Serves 4

1/2 can garbanzo beans (15 oz can) Also known as chickpeas.
1  tbsp fresh lemon juice
1/2 lemon – zested
2 1/2 tbsp olive oil

1 garlic clove – minced
1 tsp cumin seeds
1/2 tsp turmeric
1/2 tsp sweet paprika
1/4 tsp cinnamon

1 cup veg broth / water
1/2 cup quinoa – rinsed (any color quinoa works–I used Inca Red)
1/4 tsp salt

2 zucchini, topped and tailed, sliced in half lengthwise, sliced in diagonal slices 1/4″ thick
3/4 tsp ground cumin

2 green onions (scallions) – thinly sliced
1/8 cup chopped parsley

DIRECTIONS:

Begin by adding beans, lemon juice & zest and olive oil in a small bowl. Combine and let stand for at least 15 minutes.
Preheat medium saute pan on medium heat for 1 minute.
In small pot add broth and quinoa. Cook for 15 minutes, partially covered until tender. While that’s going, add 1 tbsp olive oil to a saute pan and add cumin seeds, turmeric, paprika and cinnamon. Mix together for about 30 seconds over low heat. Add in zucchini and minced garlic and continue sauteing on medium heat for 10 minutes, stirring occasionally.
Once quinoa is cooked, drain.
In a large bowl, combine the cooked quinoa, spiced zucchini and add in ground cumin, green onion and parsley to finish. Mix well. Taste and season. Serve warm or at room temp.

Here’s another great quinoa recipe to try out.

Now, the first time I made this I realized I forgot to buy quinoa. Luckily I had couscous in the pantry, which is my usual substitute for quinoa as they’re similar-ish in texture. So yes, you can use couscous instead if you wish.

One good one down, one to go.

To accompany my couscous I made a traditional Tikka Marinade, which I decided to use with a lovely piece of wild salmon. I thought the flavours would work really well together. They did but….the salmon didn’t turn out as I had expected. It wasn’t bad but it wasn’t great. It happens, right?
I decided to post it anyway, in hopes that you could help me out. Here’s what I did:

Tikka Marinade
Serves 2

1″ piece of ginger, minced or finely grated
2 garlic cloves, crushed to a fine paste
1/4 cup non-fat Greek yogurt
1 tbsp lime juice
1/4 tsp ground turmeric
1/8 tsp cayenne
3/4 tsp garam masala
1/4 tsp cumin (plus an extra dash)
1 tsp peanut oil
1/4 tsp salt

DIRECTIONS:

Mix the garlic and ginger into a paste-like mixture. In a bowl, mix together the paste, yogurt, lime juice, garam masala, cumin & salt.

Heat the oil in a small sauce pan over medium-high heat for about a minute or until hot hot. Then add in turmeric and cayenne–you should hear them sizzle upon contact with the hot oil. Mix quickly for just a few seconds so it doesn’t burn, then stir this into the yogurt mixture.

I then marinated the salmon for about 2 hours and baked on 400F for 15 mins approx. At first guess I think I put too much marinade on the fish. What do you think? Where did I go wrong and how can I make it better?

Ah, the glory of cooking!

All recipes are made with the finest quality farmers market whole foods, natural and non-processed ingredients as much as possible.

So, the  4th of July has come and gone for another year and hopefully everyone had a great time. We had a bunch of people over for a bbq, which we decided to throw kinda last minute. Fortunately a lot of our friends were able to make it and it was great craic catching up. Although I did most of the food some people brought some great dishes (and lots of people brought lots of beer), which was great to take some of the pressure off. If only we would’ve taken more photos of the brilliant spread to show you how great everything turned out. Such donkeys!

Thanks to everyone who helped make it a brilliant day!

Da Menu:

Homemade Pita Bread with Hummus
Crudite and Guacamole (compliments of my friend and celeb trainer, Valerie Waters)
Gazpacho
Steak Tacos with Avocado salsa
Sausages
Jerk Marinated Chicken
Grilled Veggies with Cilantro Lime Olive Oil
Grilled Sweet Potato Wedges
Black Bean and Corn Salad (thanks Jennifer!)
Green Salad with Balsamic Dressing
Fresh Fruit
“Secret Family Recipe” Dream Bars (a la Robyn)
Healthy Cookies & not-so-healthy mini cupcakes
Chris’ Famous Homemade Peach Pie with Corn Ice Cream (did I mention my neighbors are great?)

A lot right? Here’s the kicker, I also made turkey burgers and a couscous lentil salad that I completely forgot to put out. I had them in my neighbors fridge and there they stayed ’til Sunday. Ah well, meatloaf for dinner tonight me thinks. Luckily we had plenty of food anyway so all good.
I’m working on getting a couple of these recipes for you all this week such as Jennifer’s gazpacho recipe, which was awesome. Did I mention homemade whole wheat pita bread? Not kidding here folks, Ryan and Sheila from livewell360 made pita from scratch and I’m working on getting their secret recipe just for you guys! I’ll throw these up as soon as. They also made some amazing sugar free choc chip cookies. These are defo worth a look and yes, I did try one (or five) because they’re healthy and damn tasty!

That’s it. Just a quick update.

BTW if you haven’t subscribed to my newsletter yet please fell free. I’ll send you a brilliant entertainment booklet with 5  fabulous recipes and some quick tips to help you pull off a great dinner party.

Spread the word and make sure you leave any questions or comments below. I love the feedback.

Cheers!

The name says it all!

RECIPE:
Serves 2

1 bunch baby beets (red and golden)
1/2 red onion – thinly sliced
1 fennel bulb – halved, stem removed, thinly sliced
1 lemon – zested
1/2 lemon – juiced
1/4 tsp salt
1/4 tsp white pepper
2 oz goat’s cheese

DIRECTIONS:

Begin by trimming the stalks from the beets and cook them in boiling salted water until tender, 20-30 minutes approx. While the beets are boiling, add the sliced red onion and fennel to an ice bath. This will crisp them up and add a beautiful crunchiness to the salad. Once beets are cooked, drain well and peel skins under running cold water. Cut into quarters and chill in the fridge until cool. When cooled, drain onion & fennel and pat dry with a kitchen towel.
To assemble salad simply mix all the components together. Taste and season.

Happy 4th!

All recipes are made with the finest quality farmers market whole foods, natural and non-processed ingredients as much as possible.

This is potato salad my way. That means no mayo. Instead I use whole grain mustard dressing mixed with fresh herbs to dress the potatoes which makes for a clean fresh taste that won’t weigh you down. Literally. Good news for your bikini/mankini body. Bring on summer!

RECIPE:
Serves 2

8oz baby red potatoes – halved
1 garlic clove – minced
1/2 red onion – thinly sliced
3 tbsp olive oil
2 tbsp green onion (scallions) – thinly sliced
S&P

Vinaigrette:
1 tbsp whole grain mustard
1 garlic clove – peeled & chopped
1 tbsp fresh oregano
1/2 lemon – juiced
1/2 cup olive oil
S&P to taste

Pop the mustard, garlic, lemon juice and oregano in a food processor and with the machine running drizzle in the olive oil. Taste and season with S&P. Alternatively if you haven’t got a processor, add the mustard, minced garlic, chopped oregano and lemon juice in a bowl. Stir and whisk in the olive oil to lend. Taste and season. This recipe will make more than you need for this dish so don’t add it all in at once.

DIRECTIONS:

Preheat oven 400F. Begin by tossing the potatoes in 1 tbsp olive oil, S&P and garlic. Place on a foiled oven tray in a single layer and roast for 20 minutes, approx or until cooked. Once roasted, let sit on tray for 5 minutes (they’ll be easier to peel off the foil and won’t stick). Meanwhile saute the onions in 2 tbsp on medium low heat for 20-25 minutes, stirring occasionally. You want to caramelize them and not burn them on a higher heat. By caramelizing them the natural sugar of the onions will come out and give your salad a delicious flavor. Once cooked take off the heat and let cool.

To assemble salad:
Place the potatoes, onions & scallions in a large mixing bowl. Add 1 tbsp of dressing to coat. Toss well. Taste and season with S&P. If you need more dressing go for it but keep in mind the potato salad should not be runny or drenched in dressing. A light coating is perfect.

All recipes are made with the finest quality farmers market whole foods, natural and non-processed ingredients as much as possible.