Creamy Pesto

3 05 2013

Fresh herbs are the bomb, they add a flavor punch to any salad, meat or veggie dish with very little effort. They can jazz up the most pedestrian of dishes & make them into something amazeballs and the top news is, they are pretty easy to grow yourself so you always have some on hand. You don’t need much space, just a few small pots and, a hot tip for new players, get the kind of pot that has the self-watering bit at the bottom….. Trav bought me these ones after I kept killing the last lot of herbs because I forgot to water them. Poor herbs.

Basil has been hailed for its excellent anti-inflammatory benefits as well as its antioxidant properties that can protect the body from premature aging, common skin issues, and even some types of cancer. Did you know that dill is a very good source of calcium!? It is also a great antibacterial and contains oils that can help neutralize some types of carcinogens.

1 full packed cup chopped herbs (I used a mix of dill, basil & parsley)
3 cloves garlic, crushed
1 heaped tsp fresh grated ginger
1 avocado
Juice 1 lemon
1 tbs tahini
2 tbs olive oil
Pinch salt & pepper

Blend in your food processor the herbs, ginger & garlic until it is as finely chopped as you can get it. Add the remaining ingredients & blend well until smooth. You can add extra olive oil or even some water or green tea of you want a runnier consistency. I used this to dress my super salad concoction of kale, fennel, grated beetroot, grated carrot, chopped apple, baby tomatoes, capsicum, dried seaweed flakes, celery, cucumber & homemade turmeric sauerkraut. I will certainly NOT get scurvy after that meal!

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And here’s my kick a$$ super salad

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Raspberry Chilli Relish

6 02 2013

This is kinda a crossbreed of chilli jam & some form of relish or chutney. I actually don’t even know what constitutes a relish v’s a chutney. Let me know if you know, I may need to rethink the name of this condiment. Off track. Back on. This condiment/saucey thing is delicious and makes a splendid accompaniment to chicken, fish, turkey & salads. Probably other things too but they are all I have tried it with at this stage. Not jammed full of sugar like most of its kind, and not loaded with random things to thicken it.

2 red chilli’s, finely diced (take the seeds out if you don’t like a ‘burn your face off” kinda relish)
2 cloves garlic, crushed
1 red onion
1 1/2 cup frozen raspberries
1/4 cup chia seeds
Pinch stevia or dash honey
Coconut oil for cooking

In a saucepan heat a little coconut oil, once hot, sauté onion, garlic & chilli until onion is translucent. Reduce to a low heat & add raspberries & stevia/honey and stir gently until berries are completely defrosted and are warm. Remove from heat. Stir through chia seeds and pour into a sterilized jar or air tight container. Store in the fridge. We had ours with a spinach slice, roast turkey, goats cheese stack. It was delicious.

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Here it is with the turkey creation…..

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Capsicum & Walnut Dip

24 01 2013

Say no to cr@ppy sugar loaded, preservative full & artificial everything dips from the supermarket! That would work well on an election banner ;) Make your own people! It is cheap, super easy, you know EXACTLY what is in it, and, the best bit is it will not de-rail your clean eating. Have your dip & eat it too. Woo hoo! This made LOADS of dip, I ended up eating it with my salads, omlettes, dinner for a few days as well as taking a container of it to a party with my own home made crackers.

2 red capsicum, deseeded
3 cloves garlic
Handful fresh basil leaves
1 tbs fresh grated ginger
2 tbs coconut aminos (or tamari)
Juice 1 lemon
1 tbs apple cider vinegar
1 cup lightly toasted walnuts (or nuts of your choice)
About 2 tbs olive oil
Pinch salt & pepper

In the food processor add everything except capsicum & nuts and blitz until all chopped as best you can. Add capsicum & nuts and pulse a few times until it is the chunkiness you like. That is it. Done. Told you it was easy didn’t I?

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Paleo Spinach Hummus

6 01 2013

This is a great version of hummus if you are after a Paleo-friendly dip. You can leave out the spinach & peel the zucchini if you want to really trick people into believing it’s the regular kind but I like to add green stuff to whatever I can. This totally tastes like hummus because tahini is what gives hummus it’s distinctive flavor, not the chick peas that are traditionally used, they are just there for texture & the raw zucchini does that just fine.

Zucchini is low calorie and a great source of fibre. It is rich in vitamin A, flavonoid and poly-phenolic antioxidants such as carotenes, lutein and zeaxanthin. These compounds help scavenge harmful oxygen-derived free radicals and reactive oxygen species from the body that play a role in aging and various disease process. Tahini is high in vitamins E, F and T, as well as vitamins B1, B2, B3, B5, B6, B15, biotin, and choline. It is also a source of vitamin A & is one of the highest sources of methionine, an essential amino acid, and is high in minerals such as magnesium, potassium, iron, and phosphorus, and is an excellent source of calcium.

2 raw zucchini
1 big handful baby spinach (optional)
1-2 cloves garlic
1 heaped tbs tahini
Juice 1 lemon
Big pinch salt & pepper
Few tbs extra virgin cold pressed olive oil – as much as you need to get the consistency you want

Blitz everything in the food processor until smooth. Ta da!

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Paleo Spinach Hummus

6 01 2013

This is a great version of hummus if you are after a Paleo-friendly dip. You can leave out the spinach & peel the zucchini if you want to really trick people into believing it’s the regular kind but I like to add green stuff to whatever I can. This totally tastes like hummus because tahini is what gives hummus it’s distinctive flavor, not the chick peas that are traditionally used, they are just there for texture & the raw zucchini does that just fine.

Zucchini is low calorie and a great source of fibre. It is rich in vitamin A, flavonoid and poly-phenolic antioxidants such as carotenes, lutein and zeaxanthin. These compounds help scavenge harmful oxygen-derived free radicals and reactive oxygen species from the body that play a role in aging and various disease process. Tahini is high in vitamins E, F and T, as well as vitamins B1, B2, B3, B5, B6, B15, biotin, and choline. It is also a source of vitamin A & is one of the highest sources of methionine, an essential amino acid, and is high in minerals such as magnesium, potassium, iron, and phosphorus, and is an excellent source of calcium.

2 raw zucchini
1 big handful baby spinach (optional)
1-2 cloves garlic
1 heaped tbs tahini
Juice 1 lemon
Big pinch salt & pepper
Few tbs extra virgin cold pressed olive oil – as much as you need to get the consistency you want

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