Cousin Reid's Tuna Pasta Salad

So as you can tell by the name, this isn't my recipe, but one that my cousin Reid shared with me on a recent dinner catch up. First let me describe Reid, he's a 6'4 mountain of a man, the kind of guy that has seconds of seconds and then still has room for dessert. 

Let's just say, he has a BIG appetite, so when he shared his staple pasta salad with me, I knew it must be good. Reid will make a batch of this to last him for a couple of days; dinner, and the next couple of days lunches sort of thing. 

Ingredients (6 servings; or 4 Reid sized serves): 

• 500g packet of spiral or shell shaped dried pasta
• 4 hard boiled eggs, peeled and roughly chopped
• 1 cup of canned corn kernels, drained  
• 1 punnet of cherry tomatoes, halved
• 2 stalks celery, sliced 
• 425g can Chunky Style Tuna in oil, well drained 
• handful of parsley, finely chopped 
• 2/3 cup of mayonnaise - Best Foods is good, just not light mayo
• 1/2 cup green pitted olives, sliced - optional 
• 1/4 cup red onion, finely diced - optional  

Cook the pasta according to packet directions. *You could boil the eggs in the pasta water if you need to, just add the room temperature eggs to the water when there is 9 minutes of cooking time left. 

While the pasta is cooking prepare the vegetables and pop them into a large salad bowl. Half the tomatoes, drain the corn, slice the celery and olives (if using) chop the onion (if using) and parsley. 

Drain the tuna and add it to the salad bowl with 2/3 of a cup of mayonnaise. 

Once the pasta is cooked, drain well and add to the salad bowl. Use two dessert spoons to toss everything together till coated and well mixed. Chill until required. 

Curried Rice Salad

Rice salad is a classic dish come summer and BBQ season, and over the years I've tried many different varieties. All of which are delicious. Often they are dressed with soy sauce, and contain nuts and dried fruit. Personally (unless it's baking), I'm not a fan of dried fruit. More so, with gluten and nut allergies, which can be present when it's a 'bring a plate' scenario, soy sauce and nuts are not always suitable. 

This rice salad is gluten free and nut free, and is a twist on another favourite dish of mine: Kedgeree. Kedgeree is a warm, lightly curried, rice dish; containing peas, smoked fish and hard boiled (or poached) eggs. Originating in India, mixed with lentils, it is known as Khichri, however the popular version is more British and often found on cafe menus. 

My version is a take on the British version and can be served immediately and warm, or set aside to chill and served later. The subtle spice means it's great served alongside BBQ'd meats, fish, or even eggs. 

Ingredients: (Serves 4 as a main, 8 as a side): 

• 2 cups of brown basmati rice
• 4 cups of water
• 1 tsp salt 
• 1 tbsp butter or olive oil
• 1-2 tbsp curry powder - depending how mild or hot you like it
• 2 spring onion, finely sliced
• 1/2 cup finely chopped parsley
• 1/2 cup sliced spinach or silverbeet leaves - optional, but if you have them in the garden it's always a nice addition
• 1 tomato, diced
• 1 capsicum, diced
• 1 cup steamed peas or sliced beans - 3 or 4 minutes steamed or boiled, then refreshed under cold water
• 1 juicy lemon
• 2 tbsp olive oil
• salt to taste

In a large saucepan place rice, water, salt, butter (or olive oil) and curry powder. Mix to combine and bring to the boil. Once the water begins to boil, reduce the heat to a minimum and place the lid on the pot. Simmer according to the packet directions (usually 22-25 minutes). Keep the lid on during this time and don't be tempted to stir. 

After the time, test the rice, and if cooked, drain any excess liquid, then pop the lid back on and leave to steam for 5 - 10 minutes. 

Meanwhile prepare the vegetables. Place the sliced spring onion, chopped parsley, sliced spinach or silverbeet, diced tomato and capsicum into a large salad bowl with the steamed peas or beans. Squeeze over the juice of the lemon and olive oil. Mix well to combine.

Stir the warm rice through the vegetable mix and chill if not serving immediately. 

Curried Rice Salad served with BBQ Snapper

Lentil salad with lemon and herb dressing

I concocted this salad one day when I had a craving for lentils, yes, craving lentils is a thing. As an ex-vegetarian I used to eat a lot of lentils, but these days have forgotten about what a satisfying and delicious meal they can make!

What's fantastic about this meal is it's generally pretty user friendly, so it makes a great dish to take when you're not sure what people can or can't eat. And with daylight savings now with us, I'm anticipating many more impromptu BBQ's where I might need to whip this one up.

It's naturally gluten free and vegetarian, and can easily be made dairy free or vegan by removing the feta, or substituting for a dairy free alternative. More so, it's a hit with carnivores alike and tastes fantastic alongside a hunk of crispy skinned salmon (as I served it today) or a medium-rare fillet of steak.

Best of all, any leftovers keep well till tomorrow and will make a quick and filling lunch.

Ingredients (serves 4 - 6):

• 1 1/2 cups of green puy lentils
• 4 1/2 cups water
• juice of 1 large lemon (about 1/3 cup)
• 4 tbsp olive oil
• 1/4 cup finely chopped fresh parsley
• 2 tbsp finely slice fresh mint
• 1 clove garlic, crushed
• salt and pepper to taste
• 1 tbsp olive oil, extra
• 4 zucchini, halved lengthways and sliced on the diagonal
• 150 grams baby spinach leaves
• 1/2 red capsicum, finely diced
• 150 - 200 grams feta, crumbled (optional)

In a saucepan bring the lentils and water to the boil. Simmer gently, covered for 40 - 45 minutes.

Meanwhile prepare the dressing. Combine chopped parsley and mint in a jar* with crushed garlic, lemon juice, and (at least) 4 tbsp of quality extra virgin olive oil. Season with salt and pepper, screw on the lid and shake well. Leave the dressing to mingle with itself while your lentils cook and you prepare the zucchini.

Heat the extra tbsp of olive oil in a heavy saucepan, add the zucchini and cook turning occasionally for 5-10 minutes, till it is golden on the outside, and soft in the middle (This could also be done on the BBQ, simply half the zucchini, brush with oil and grill cut side down first, turning once. Slice once removed from the BBQ). Place in a large bowl

In the same pan add the washed spinach leaves, leave a little water on them as this will help them to steam as they fry. Once wilted remove to the bowl with the zucchini.

Soon the lentils will also be cooked. Drain well and add to the bowl with the vegetables and the diced capsicum. Give the jar of dressing a good shake and pour half of it over the lentils. Stir well and set aside for at least 10 - 15 minutes. If serving with steak or salmon, this is when you would start cooking the meat.

To serve, stir well before sprinkling over crumbled feta and pouring over the remaining dressing.

This salad is delicious warm or cold, and although it makes a meal on it's own, it is also a fantastic accompaniment to BBQ'd steak, or crispy skinned salmon fillets.

Served with crispy skinned salmon fillet

* I always keep an old jam jar on hand for this very purpose. It also means that if I'm taking a dish somewhere I can easily take the dressing with me, pre-prepared, to pour on just before serving.

COOK.NOURISH.GLOW with Amelia Freer

Amelia Freer is a registered dietician and this new cookbook COOK. NOURISH. GLOW. is full of delicious meals, snacks, baking, and breakfasts that you can cook, that will make you feel nourished, and with any luck leave you with a glow. 

We've all heard of the clean eating, paleo, gluten free, dairy free, sugar free, chia filled food trends that have been gracing food blogs, pinterest and social media news feeds. If the mention of paleo and chia makes your eyes roll, then fear not. Though this book might tick those boxes (so you can still impress and feed your friends with various preferences), however the main focus is on healthy, home prepared food. All of which is grounded with nutritional scientific evidence, but don't worry - you're spared the lecture. Amelia's philosophy with food is that anyone can learn how to create nourishing food in minutes with fresh ingredients. Naturally, the recipes are generally low in sugars, low carb, and low in gluten and dairy. They are however full of protein (both plant and animal based), healthy fats, and flavour. If you're looking to recreate your love of food, or learn more about healthy cooking then this is an ideal kitchen accompaniment. 

"We have been stripped of our confidence when it comes to food. We no longer trust our instincts.... I want to encourage people to just give it a try. Set aside some time to invest in cooking and caring for yourself" Amelia Freer

Chapters include It's all about taste, Friendly fats, The naughty chapter, Entertaining, Happy Tummy, Everyday food, and On the go; so there's something to feed every occasion. 

One of the first recipe's I tried from this book were the Spiced Seeds

Simply toast the following ingredients independently in a large dry frying pan over a high heat. Then mix together and store in an airtight jar. I've been sprinkling them over salads meat, with hummus, they're superbly versatile.
Toast 100g pumpkin seeds, 30g each of sunflower and sesame seeds, 10g each of fennel and cumin seeds. Mix together with 1/2 tsp sea salt, 1 tbsp olive oil, sprinkle of smoked paprika and a dash of cayenne pepper. 

They've been brilliant sprinkled into slaw, with hummus, over scrambled eggs, or to zest up a sandwich or salad. 

Next I tried the Chickpea and Aubergine Salad (pictured above). It made a delicious al fresco dinner for one sunny midweek meal. Amelia explains that the combination is an excellent source of fibre, protein and iron. 

Ingredients (serves 4 as a side, 2 as a meal): 

• 1/2 small red onion, finely sliced
• 1 large aubergine (eggplant), cut in half lengthways and sliced into half moons
• a good lug of extra virgin olive oil
• juice and zest of 1 lemon
• 2 x 400g cans of chickpeas, drained and rinsed
• 2 large fresh tomatoes, cubed
• 1 bunch of fresh parsley, chopped
• 2 tsp of garlic infused olive oil
• 1 tsp cayenne pepper
• flaked almonds to serve 

Cover the onion with water and set aside for 30 minutes - this reduces the harshness of taste of raw onion. 

Prepare the aubergine, spread the half-moons onto a baking tray and brush them with olive oil. Place under a hot grill for 5 minutes. Remove from the oven and brush again with a mixture of olive oil and the half the lemon juice - you can make it quite wet, the aubergine will absorb the liquid. Place back under the grill until the edges are slightly blackened and the flesh is soft. Set aside in a large bowl. 

On the same baking tray spread out the chickpeas and grill 5 - 10 minutes till they are golden. Add them to the aubergine. 

Dice the tomatoes into small cubes and add them to the bowl along with the parsley, drained red onion slices, garlic oil, cayenne, remaining lemon juice, zest, salt and pepper and mix well.

Serve warm, with a sprinkling of flaked almonds. 

The next things I'll be making from this book are the: 

Baked chicken meatballs with almond sauce (p.292), and the 

Pork belly with pumpkin and gingered kale (p.277). 

and for breakfast a Peanut butter and jam smoothie (p.178), with some Coconut pancakes (p.220).  

"Goes with everything" Parsley Sauce

If your garden patch is anything like mine at the moment, it's overgrown with parsley. Trouble is, it's usually saved as a garnish left on the side of the plate. Parsley is however extremely good for us. Full of vitamins C, K, A, B12, and folic acid. So it's great for upping your anti-oxidant intake, and supports a healthy heart [Source].

I've been making this parsley sauce for a while now, and have found it pairs nicely with so many things. A few of my favourite ways are:

• Steak
• BBQ or Roasted Chicken
• Scrambled Eggs, mixed in or served on. 
• Mixed with mayonaise for salad dressings
• Stirred through pasta or potatoes

Best of all it's easy to make and stores in the fridge for up to a week. 

Ingredients (makes 1/2 cup):

• 1 1/2 cups of packed parsley leaves, washed, stalks removed
• 1/3 cup olive oil 
• 1/4 cup lemon juice
• 2 tbsp capers
• 1 cloves garlic 

Wash parsley and remove excess stalks. Put into a food processor or using a kitchen whizz stick with remaining ingredients. Mix for a few minutes till well combined. 

Leave to sit for at least 30 minutes for flavours to develop before serving. 

Midwinter slaw with Kale Buckwheat & Beans

Who says salads can't be eaten all year round? This salad is perfect for winter, using seasonal ingredients and makes a great side dish or can be eaten on it's own as a complete meal. 
Packed with colour, crunch; vitamins, protein and fibre this is sure to please.
Buckwheat is, despite it's name, gluten free and free from wheat. It looks like little pyramids and can be cooked or just soaked as in this recipe. It's high in fibre and protein, it's crunchy and has a slightly nutty flavour. The beans just add another texture as well as fibre and protein, helping to make it a complete meal. 
What I really like about this salad, is it keeps well and can even be served warm (toss it quickly in a fry pan with a little extra sesame oil). The first day I ate this with a piece of grilled five spice chicken and the second day with a diced hard boiled egg for an extra protein kick. 

This meal was created as part of my JUNK FREE JUNE challenge, raising money for the Cancer Society. To support me, and support the Cancer Society you can donate here. 

Ingredients 

• 1/2 cup sliced red onion
• 1/4 fresh lime juice
• 1/2 tsp salt 
• 1/2 cup buckwheat groats 
• 1 cup of shredded kale 
• 2 cups of shredded purple cabbage 
• 1 cup of shredded green cabbage 
• 1/2 cup grated carrot
• 1 large red chilli, seeds removed
• 2 tbsp soy sauce*
• 2 tbsp sesame oil 
• 1 tbsp white sesame seeds
• 1 tbsp black sesame seeds
• 1 tin of four bean mix (or your favourite beans) 

Method 

• Slice onion and mix in large serving bowl with the lime juice and salt. 
• In another bowl mix buckwheat groats with 1 cup of lukewarm water. Set aside to soak for 30 minutes. Drain and rinse thoroughly. 
• Meanwhile finely slice (or use a food processor) purple and green cabbage, kale and grate carrot. Slice chilli and add all veggies to the red onion. 
• Over a low heat, add sesame oil, and sesame seeds and stir until seeds start to pop. Add to salad, with remaining oil. 
• Rinse and drain four bean mix, add to salad with soy sauce. 
• Stir to combine. Taste and add more salt, lime, soy or sesame oil to taste. 
• Dig in (and save some for lunch tomorrow) 

*to make gluten free, be sure to use gluten free soy sauce

Thanks for reading - leave a comment. 

S

Moroccan Carrot Salad

My favourite salad, quick, easy and delicious. Carrots are one of my favourite vegetables, and I prefer them raw. There's a mildly spicy and fruity dressing, making it go well with barbecued meats or seafood. We served this salad to 300 guest at our wedding which consisted of hangi'd chicken, pork, and potatoes as well as a plethora of seafood. 

You can swap the type of nuts or dried fruit to whatever you have on hand as well as alternate coriander for parsley. I use a food processor to grate the carrots which makes it quick and easy to whip up. 

Ingredients:

• 6 carrots, peeled and grated
• 3 spring onions, finely sliced diagonally
• 1/4c of chopped coriander (or parsley, mint) 
• 1/4c flaked almonds (or cashew, walnuts)
• 1/4c of currants (or dried cranberries, dates, raisins, sultanas) 
• 1/4c of fresh orange juice
• 2 tbsp freshly toasted cumin seeds
• 1/2 tsp of ground cinnamon 
• 2 tbsp of olive oil 

Prepare the dressing by soaking currants in the orange juice, cinnamon and olive oil.

Leave dressing for at least 30 minutes.  

Prepare vegetables, placing into a large salad bowl, sprinkling nuts and cumin seeds on top. 

Pour dressing over top. 

Toasted Cumin Seeds

Keep chilled till serving. Eat alongside barbecued meats, or in a wrap with hummus, tabbouli and tzatziki. 

Shades of Green

The title of this post seems fitting as I'm currently foraging through palettes and palettes of different shades of green in preparation for upcoming renovations. I'm currently torn between a Rainforest, Bright Olive and Citron green. 
So when making a salad to take to a BBQ recently a green salad was the obvious choice. It contains 6 green ingredients and a simple vinaigrette, for an easy fresh side dish. 






Ingredients 

• 1 cos lettuce
• 1 cup of frozen peas
• 1 handful of snow peas (8-10)
• 1 avocado 
• 1 large handful of parsley 
• 1 handful of pumpkin seeds. 
• 6 tbsp good quality olive oil 
• 2 tbsp red wine vinegar
• flakey salt and cracked pepper

First, blanch the peas in a pot of boiling water. Boil two minutes, till bright green, drain, and plunge into a bowl of iced water to cool. Drain. 

Shred the lettuce leaves and scatter on a platter. Scatter drained cooled peas over top. 

Finely slice snow peas, and scatter these over also. 

Dice avocado, scatter. 

Finely chop parsley, scatter. 

Toast pumpkin seeds in a hot dry pan, scatter. 

To make dressing place olive oil and red wine vinegar in a jar, season with flakey salt and cracked pepper, put lid on and shake vigourously. Drizzle over the salad. 

Serve. 
Enjoy.

 

Taste the Rainbow

Taste the Rainbow: Turkey koftas with salad trio, feta and pita breads.

I love colourful food and this seemed like the perfect filling combo for a healthy midweek meal.
The 'rainbow' came from the salad trio, consisting of a shredded spinach, a beetroot slaw, plus a buckwheat and avocado salsa, combined with the healthy turkey koftas, feta and pita, this was a meal to delight all the senses. 












Turkey Koftas
300g turkey mince
1 onion
1 egg
1/4c fresh mint
1/2 breadcrumbs or polenta (for gluten free) 

Method
Peel and finely dice onion, mix all ingredients together. Shape into golf ball sized balls and place on a lined baking tray. Grill on high for 20-30 mins, turning once. 


Buckwheat & Avocado Salsa

1/2c buckwheat groats
1 avocado
1 tomato
juice of half a lemon
2 tbsp olive oil
salt and pepper, to taste

Method
Soak groats in 1c of boiling water for at least 30mins. Rinse and repeat if required (they should be soft enough to eat, but still a little crunch and a subtle nutty flavour).
Dice avocado and tomato and fold through groats with lemon juice, oil, salt and pepper

Beetroot Slaw 
1 beetroot
2 carrots 
1 tbsp sesame seeds
1 tbsp sunflower seeds
1 tbsp olive oil
1/2 tsp cinnamon 
juice of 1/2 lemon

Method
In your food processor grate beetroot and carrots (you can use a hand grater, but it's messier). Lightly toast seeds in olive oil, stirring as they burn easily. 
Toss through grated beets and carrots with remaining ingredients. Set Aside. 


Shredded Spinach Salad
3 small bunches of spinach
1 tsp oil
squeeze of lemon juice

Method
Rinse in cold water, remove thick stalks and finely shred spinach. Toss through lemon and oil. 


Arrange all items on serving plates including diced feta and toasted pitas. Drizzle with more olive oil and dig in. 

Honeydew melon salsa and prawn salad

This refreshing appetizer was delicious!
After I was given a heap of melons I decided to get creative with how I used them.
In this dish I used diced honeydew melon with ripe peaches, thinly sliced red onion,  and fried chilli prawns. The result: zesty, fresh and mouth watering!

Ingredients  -  Serves 4

1/4 c white wine vinegar
1/4 c brown sugar
1/4 honeydew melon, diced
1 peach, diced
1 small red onion, thinly sliced
1 bunch fresh mint
2 tbsp chilli oil (or, 1 tbsp chilli & 2tbsp oil)
12-16 prawns, peeled and deviened

Method

• The first part may be prepared an hour or so in advance.  
• In a heavy pan simmer vinegar and sugar till reduced slightly
• Pour into bowl and chill (do not clean pan, you will cook prawns in it. 
• Prepare fruit,  onion and mint, toss them through the dressing, season with black pepper and return to the fridge.
• When you are ready to eat, heat the chilli oil in the same pan.
• Cook prawns,  turning once till lightly browned and flesh is white.
• Serve on top of melon salsa.