Mexican Sang Choy Bow

I’m a massive fan of Sang Choy Bow in its traditional form so I was a little sceptical when my girl made this for me the other night. “What is it?” I asked. “It’s like Sang Choy Bow…only Mexican!” was her reply. Hmmmm…….But I was so blown away by the simplicity of it and the delicious flavours that I had to make it again!

So what is Mexican Sang Choy Bow? Slices of pork, with salsa, in a little lettuce cup. We had it as a main meal but I can imagine it would also make a lovely light starter. It’s super healthy, high in protein and low in the bad stuff.

The pork is flavoured with taco seasoning – it’s nice to make it from scratch because it’s so much better for you and you can make it as hot or as not as you want – and it’s not as time consuming as you’d think!

Ingredients

• 500g pork loin or pork steaks
• 1 butter lettuce
• 1/2 avocado
• 1/2 bunch coriander
• 1/2 red onion
• 1 tomato
• 1/2 Lebanese cucumber
• olive oil
• salt + pepper

Taco Seasoning

You can use a packet taco mix or a combination of the following spices. Use a teaspoon of each and add the chilli flakes according to your level of love for all things spicy!

• ground cumin
• paprika
• dried oregano
• chilli powder
• onion powder
• sea salt
• chilli flakes

Method

Rub a teaspoon of seasoning on to each side of the pork loin. Cook for about 3 minutes per side until cooked through. Be careful not to have the heat too high as the seasoning can burn easily.

While meat is cooking, dice tomato, cucumber, red, onion and avocado. Combine in a bowl. Chop coriander and add to mix. Drizzle with olive oil and season with pepper and salt to taste.

Slice pork into thin strips. Serve on a dish with the butter lettuce leaves.

To eat, place a few strips of pork into the lettuce leaf, spoon in some salsa and wrap it up!

WARNING: This is not a delicate dish to eat. It involved delicious juices streaming down your hands as you eat. Best not on a first date. Enjoy with those who are not afraid to see you getting down and dirty with your food!

Bon appétit!

Butterflied lamb + chargrilled veggies

I love a barbie…but I have to admit that up until now I’ve never actually cooked one myself. Don’t get me wrong, I didn’t think it was a man’s territory or anything like that (feisty feminist shakes her head). It’s just that…well, I never had one, so I never learned to use one. But in my gorgeous share house in Sydney’s Inner West we are blessed with the most amazing BBQ contraption ever – complete with hood.

And so last night I was instructed in Barbecuing 101. I’m not really sure why I thought it was so hard (was it because of all the year’s my Dad talked about the ‘art’ of barbecuing?) Not that I want to diss his BBQs but a BBQ is really just a big frypan. And if you can cook something on a frypan, you can cook on a BBQ.

So, what did I cook? A superb butterflied lamb with chargrilled veggies. The lamb was cooked to perfection and the veggies had that beautiful smoked flavour. And it was all oh, so healthy!

Ingredients

• 1kg piece butterflied lamb
• 1/3 cup olive oil
• 1/3 cup balsamic vinegar
• sprig of rosemary
• vegetables (I used snow peas, large mushrooms, red capsicum and zucchini) chopped lengthways (capsicum & zucchini only)
• salt + pepper

Method

• Combine olive oil, balsamic vinegar and rosemary in a bowl. Add lamb and marinate for as long as possible.
• Preheat BBQ on high for about 5 – 10 mins.
• Sear lamb for 3 minutes on both sides then turn heat to medium.
• Cook for a further 30 mins on medium (turning the lamb to ensure even cooking).
• Take lamb off heat and stand covered for 10 minutes to rest.
• When lamb is 15 mins away from cooked, place capsicum, zucchini and mushrooms onto grill part of BBQ.
• Cook veggies on grill for about 15 minutes. After 10 minutes, cook snow peas (they cook really quickly and should still be crunchy).
• Slice lamb and serve with chargrilled veggies.

Bon appétit foodies!

Alex

 

Haloumi + cranberry + caramelised macadamia salad

It’s hard to believe that last week the mercury came in at a whopping 46 degrees when today I am sitting under my doona in winter pjs and crocheted slippers. The garden is getting a good soak which might prevent the death of many a beloved plant. I’m not the most devoted gardener in the world so rain is like lazy watering – the plants are happy and I didn’t have to get the hose out. It’s a win win really!

Anywho, during last week’s heat wave I was a little off my tucker. I spent a number of afternoons eyeballing the deliciously luxurious flavours at Messina Gelato (it’s too hot to eat anything else was my excuse) but apart from cream cheese and red velvet gelato (my new favourite flavour) I was low on dinner ideas. There was really nothing else I could stomach other than salad. But salad is soooo boring! Or is it?

I decided that since it was likely to remain hot for a while, I needed to find some new and interesting ways to make healthy but drool-worthy salads. Because we all know that  a simple garden salad is super healthy but it doesn’t really light my fire in the taste department. Let the experimenting begin!

My first salad = haloumi + cranberries + caramelised macadamias = yummo!

This salad really was a winner. How could it not be? It has haloumi in it….and everyone knows that ‘fried cheese makes me happy’. Plus the sweetness of the cranberries complements the saltiness of the haloumi. And the macadamias were just that little crunchy bit of heaven on top. There are also some interesting flavours from the fennel seeds. Quick and easy to prepare, it was delicious and filling….not a side salad in sight!

I don’t really measure ingredients with this salad. Just make enough for one serve and refrigerate the rest.

Ingredients

Salad

• Rocket
• 1/2 block haloumi (I grill it rather than fry it – let fattening – but watch out because it cooks super fast! It’s also important to get a good brand. I’m rather spoilt in Marrickville where much of Sydney’s Greek community live)
• cherry tomatoes (halved)
• handful macadamias
• maple syrup (make sure you get the pure 100% maple syrup with no added sugar)
• fennel seeds
• capsicum (sliced)
• cranberries

Vinaigrette

• 1 1/2 tablespoon oil
• 1 1/2 tablespoon verjuice (I like Maggie Beer’s San Giovese verjuice. It’s sweet and crisp and fab in salad dressings)
• rock salt + cracked pepper
• 1 tablespoon honey

Method

Toss rocket with capsicum, cranberries & cherry tomatoes. Sprinkle with fennel seeds. Cut haloumi into slices (about 1cm thick) and grill in oven. Cut macadamias in half and place in frypan. Pour a slurp of maple syrup over macadamias and gently heat until syrup is caramelised. Place grilled haloumi over salad, then sprinkle with caramelised macadamias. Whisk together all ingredients of vinaigrette and pour over salad. Enjoy!

Bon appétit!

Alex xxx

The simple things…

It’s the simple things in life…yeah, we’ve all heard the saying but tonight I decided to pay heed to this old truth. In my search for delicious but healthy food, I often find myself trawling through the internet in search of recipe inspiration. Unusual ingredients, surprising combinations, new techniques…sure it’s great for my cooking skills, but sometimes it means I over look what’s right in front of me.

Take tonight’s dinner for example – poached chicken with a baby spinach, buffalo mozzarella, cherry tomato and pecan salad, drizzled with a simple vinaigrette. A combination of ingredients that I found….right in my fridge! Using left overs from this weeks recipes, I decided to go with the most simple thing I could think of – chicken and salad. It’s not earth shattering stuff but the flavours were delicious and took all of 10 minutes to prepare.

So while there’s endless amounts of fun in getting sexy with the latest Nigella recipe, there’s a lot to be said for keeping it simple.

Honey Mustard Vinaigrette

• 1 tablespoon apple cider vinaigre
• 1 tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil
• 1 tablespoon honey
• 1 teaspoon wholegrain mustard (Dijon is also great)
• salt and pepper to season

Method

Simple really is the theme here…..combine all ingredients and whisk.

Goat’s cheese + asparagus frittata

Frittatas. I love them – now. When I was young, I would groan in agony anytime Mum would make one. They seemed so wobbly and, honestly, I just felt ripped off, like it wasn’t a proper meal because there was no meat.

These days I make them regularly, especially when my vego friends pop around for dinner. They’re nice and light and (yay) gluten free and super healthy! Relatively easy to make too – although nothing felt easy in the heat tonight. Today it was about 43º and according to WeatherZone – it’s still hot, hot, hot….a balmy 37º at 10pm. Yikes! As I stood over the stove, trying to make sure my sweat droplets didn’t find their way into my sautéd asparagus, I dreamt I was swimming in the icy cold pool in some exotic Balinese resort. Rhonda is lounging on the deck chair nearby and Ketut has just bought us another cocktail. It’s so hot…like a sunrise…..

Ahem, sorry. It must be the heat.

Anyway, I used goat’s cheese, asparagus, shallots and mushrooms in this frittata but you can substitute for so many things – whatever’s in the fridge really.

Ingredients

• 4 eggs
• 4 egg whites
• 1 bunch asparagus
• 1 bunch shallots
• 5 large mushrooms
• 1 vine ripened tomato (sliced)
• 150 grams crumbly goat’s cheese
• salt and pepper to season

Method

1. Cut off woody ends of asparagus and chop into pieces (4 cm length). Place on oven tray and spray with olive oil. Roast in oven for about 15 mins at 180º.

2. Chop shallots and slice mushrooms. Heat in pan with oil spray until soft. Add asparagus when it’s finished in the oven.

3. Beat eggs and season with salt and pepper. Making sure the pan is still a little greased, add eggs to asparagus mixture. The heat should be on low. A frittata cooks very slowly. Crumble the goat’s cheese over the mixture and place sliced tomato around goat’s cheese.

4. Once the frittata has cooked on the bottom, remove from heat and place frypan under grill. This cooks the top of the frittata. It should only take a few minutes as it will dry out if you leave it any longer.

Serve with a garden salad, or just eat it on its own.

Enjoy!

Alex x x

Actually delicious gluten-free muesli

Gluten-free muesli

This is based on a recipe from my amazing naturopath (Michelle Mravunac from The Holistic Health Clinic) but takes out all the gluten-filled grains my body can’t seem to process and adds lots of high protein grains and seeds that I can. At the moment I’m just spooning it into my bowl every morning until I find the combination that works best rather than make up a big batch. This morning I think I got it! I bought most of the ingredients at Dr Earth on King St, Newtown. This is an amazing healthy living store that has food, skin care, home wares, supplements and everything in between.

N.B. All spoons are dessert spoons. I buy organic products when they’re available.

Ingredients

• 2 spoons quinoa puffs
• 2 spoons amaranth puffs
• 2 spoons millet puffs
• 1 spoon brown rice flakes
• 1 spoon LSA*
• 1 spoon sesame seeds
• 1 spoon pumpkin seeds
• 2 spoons coconut flakes
• 2 spoons dried cranberries
• 1 spoon pistachios
• 1 pinch nutmeg

*LSA = Linseeds, sunflower seeds and almonds. It’s a mix you can buy from supermarkets and it’s in a ground up form.

Method

You pretty much just spoon it into your bowl, add whatever milk you drink….and enjoy! At the moment I’m using rice milk and I find it quite nice. Unsurprisingly rice-like but milky and tasty all the same. You can substitute the pistachios for another kind of nut and grated apple is a nice alternative to cranberries. Make sure you buy cranberries that are just dried and have no added sugar.

Oh, and don’t forget to let me know how it turns out when you make it!

Alex x x

Dear Sugar….we need to talk!

Dear Sugar,

We need to talk. For years now you’ve pretended to be my best friend. When I’m sad and down, you make me happy with your sweet chocolatey Dairy Milk goodness. When I just need a little pick-me-up, you energise me with your soft, fluffy marshmallows. And when I’m hell bent on self-destructive carbocide, you let me whip you into some home-made rocky road, or baklava, or gooey chocolate fondants. You’ve been by my side for 32 years and I’ve loved you like no other. But recently I found out some shocking information about you. Information that has made me question our friendship. And I have come to the conclusion that we can in fact be friends no more….well for a little while anyway.

You see, I am addicted to you. Everyday I cave into the cravings – Cadbury Dairy Milk, marshmallows, chocolate cake, M&Ms, desserts….oh so many desserts! I didn’t realise how much I needed you – or how much you tricked my body into believing you were needed. And now as I try to cut you out of my life (even if it is only for a week or two), you are yelling and screaming at me to stop this madness. No, don’t give me up!!! You want me!!! YOU NEED ME!!!

Well, I’m at the end of Day 1 of my New Year’s resolution to give you up and I’ll admit the only thing that is standing in the way of me and getting my fix of you is 8 hours uninterrupted sleep and the certainty that I won’t sleep walk my way to the fridge and binge in the middle of the night. Once I finish this post, I’m taking myself off to bed, along with my sugar withdrawal headache and my cranky pants. This is what happens to me when I have to live without you, sugar.

As well as giving up sugar, my naturopath has instructed I go without alcohol and caffeine. That means my morning tea, white with sugar, is also off the agenda. I pity the fool who comes anywhere near me tomorrow morning.

Good night all.

Confessions of a Wannabe Skinny Foodie

My name is Alex and I’m a foodie. I love cooking. And eating. And snacking. And trying new recipes. And going to food markets. And finding amazing new restaurants. Basically I love anything to do with food. And I love all the delicious drinks that go with food. Like wine. And champagne. And cocktails. And milk. And tea. Oh, how I love tea. Unfortunately, I also would like to lose about 10 kilos. And be a bit more healthy. And get my digestion under control.

You see, my whole life I have struggled with my weight and my body image. Until recently, I hated the way I looked. All the wobbly bits. And the cellulite. And the veins. And the scars. And the uneven skin tone. But these days I’m a little more comfortable with the person I see in the mirror. I’m slowly learning to love my body and show it some respect. Respect. That means not shoving just any old thing into it.

How did this all start? Well, about a month ago I went and saw a naturopath/nutritionist because of some digestive troubles I’ve been having. Often after eating my stomach blows up like a balloon. I look like somebody popped a swiss ball under my shirt. And then there’s the pain. And the gas. And the constip…Ok, you get the picture and it’s not pretty. So, I am sick of all this and the constant pregnant comments. Sure, getting offered a seat on the crowded bus is better than being squished into someone’s armpit but it does nothing for your self-esteem. Getting told certain yoga postures are not recommended for someone ‘in your condition’ is just plain embarrassing. Enough is enough.

So I have decided I am going to eat myself into wellness. And eat myself into my skinny jeans. Wish me luck!

Stay happy fellow foodies!

Alex x x