ROAST VEGETABLE SALAD

This colourful vegetable salad was inspired by a roast salad my beautiful cousin made for me whilst I was visiting her in Perth. Her salad was similar to this one and was paired with tender lamb and a divine homemade dressing. You are the inspiration for this meal Anne! This is also the ONLY way that I can get my fussy husband to eat a 'salad'- by roasting vegetables and serving it alongside a big hunk of meat. I have made this salad numerous times since and love eating it by itself. You can use any vegetables that you have on hand to roast as well, so its a wonderful way to clean out your fridge! 

INGREDIENTS

Salad

• 700g sweet potato, peeled & cut into 4cm pieces 
• 2 1/2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil 
• 2 medium garlic cloves, 1 unpeeled, the other peeled & finely chopped
• 2 teaspoons ground paprika
• ground black pepper & sea salt
• 2 zucchini, ends removed and chopped into 3-4cm rounds
• 1 head of broccoli, florets & stalk cut into even sided pieces
• 1 medium red onion, finely sliced
• several stems of fresh thyme, leaves removed & stems discarded, or 1 teaspoon dried thyme
• 100g sliced mushrooms
• 3 large handfuls of baby spinach or mixed salad leaves 

Dressing

• 1 medium roasted garlic clove (see step 2. of cooking)
• 1 heaped tablespoon seeded mustard
• 2 tablespoons apple cider vinegar
• 1/2 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil
• the juice of 1 medium lemon or lime
• water 

COOKING 

1. Preheat a fan force oven to 200 degrees celsius. Line a large baking tray with baking paper. 

2. Combine the sweet potato, 1 tablespoon olive oil, 1 teaspoon smoked paprika, a pinch of sea salt & pepper and the unpeeled garlic clove in a large bowl and toss well. Using as little of the tray as possible, place the sweet potato and garlic clove in a single layer. Bake in the oven for 15 minutes. 

3. Whilst the potato is cooking, use the same large bowl to combine 1 tablespoon olive oil, 1 teaspoon smoked paprika, the zucchini, broccoli and red onion and toss well. 

4. Depending on how much time you have this step could be done before or after Step 5 - Heat the remaining 1/2 teaspoon of olive oil in a small to medium frying pan over medium-low heat and swirl to coat. Add the chopped garlic and thyme and cook for 1 minute or until fragrant. Add the mushrooms, reducing the heat down to low. Cook the mushrooms for 3-4 minutes or until wilted. Remove from heat. 

5. Once the 15 minutes are up, remove the sweet potato tray from the oven and lower the heat to 180. Add the zucchini, broccoli & onion to the tray alongside the sweet potato, trying to keep the vegetables in a single tight layer if you can. If not you may need to use another oven tray. Return the tray to the oven and cook for another 15 minutes, then remove. The sweet potato, zucchini and onion should be tender but not mushy and the broccoli should be just slightly firm and charred.

6. Make the dressing. Remove the roast garlic clove from the oven tray and carefully squeeze the garlic out of the peel and mash it. In a screw top jar combine all the dressing ingredients including a splash of water and shake well to combine. I like to add a little more water to thin out the dressing and make it last. 

Place the roast vegetables in a large serving bowl and add the spinach leaves, tossing well to combine. Drizzle the dressing on to your liking. 

Serves / 6-8 as a side / 3- 4 as a main 
Total Preparation time / 15-20 minutes 
Total Cooking time / around 35 minutes 

x Premium Pilates Studio 

SWEET POTATO CHIPS with LIME

I’ve made sweet potato chips numerous times since I first started cooking. The problem is that I usually make way too many and then proceed to eat the equivalent of 4 servings. This recipe serves 2 as a side dish and is approximately 188 calories per serve. These delicious chips accompanied tomorrow’s recipe, Kale & Quinoa Mix up. I’ve never made sweet potato chips with lime rind before, instead opting to use spices such as ground coriander, cumin, chilli, lemon pepper, etc…I was pleasantly surprised by how well the tangy lime flavour complimented the sweetness of the potato. My poor sweet potato chips look a tad deflated, as they were cooked about 4 hours prior to this photo being taken, however I urge you not to judge a book by its cover, or in this case, a side dish by someone’s tardy photography.

Ingredients

• 600g sweet potato, peeled and cut into 1cm-thick chip shapes
• 1 free range eggwhite (33g)
• 1 tablespoon lime rind, finely grated
• pinch of sea salt & ground black pepper

Cooking 

1. Preheat a fan force oven to 200 degrees celsius. Line a large baking tray with baking paper. 

2. In a large bowl, toss the potato, egg white, lime rind and salt & pepper until well combined. 

3. Place the chips in a single layer on the prepared tray. Bake in the oven for 35-40 minutes or until the chips are golden. 

Serves / 2 as a side 

Total Preparation time / 15-20 minutes 

Total Cooking time / 35-40 minutes 

Calories per serve / 188 calories approx. 

x Emily 

PUMPKIN, BROCCOLI & COCONUT MIXUP

I have been trying to incorporate more vegetables into my daily intake recently. It’s been a bit of a struggle. Don’t get me wrong, I do honestly like vegetables, but as they can take some time to prepare I find myself reaching for rice or corn cakes to curb my appetite. And whilst these aren’t bad for you in moderation, I find that when I increase my weekly vegetable intake I build up a fierce immunity to winter illnesses (and also feel really healthy and energised!). As some of my readers may know, I seem to go through food phases and right now its all about vegetables to ward off those nasty winter flus. Because no one has the time for these. I hope you enjoy this pumpkin, broccoli and coconut dish as much as I did…throw in some walnuts and/or another herb if you want added flavour. And don't throw away the broccoli stalk- they taste so good in this dish. 

INGREDIENTS

•   1 tablespoon coconut oil 

•   1 large garlic clove, finely chopped

•   1/2 medium pumpkin or 1/4 large pumpkin, skin & seeds removed and cut into even pieces

•   sea salt 

•   1 head of broccoli, cut into even florets & stalk cut into even slices 

•   1/2 cup gluten-free vegetable stock 

•   1/2 cup shredded coconut 

•   1-2 tablespoons fresh parsley, finely chopped

COOKING 

1. Heat oil in a large saucepan over medium-high heat. Add garlic, pumpkin and a pinch of salt to the pan and cook, stirring frequently to sauté, for 4-5 minutes or until pumpkin is almost tender and slightly golden. Add broccoli and chicken stock and keep stirring often for a few minutes or until stock has reduced completely. Remove from pan and place in a medium serving bowl. Place shredded coconut in the pan and cook for just 30 seconds to a 1 minute or until coconut is toasted and just golden. Remove from heat and sprinkle over the pumpkin and broccoli and scatter fresh parsley on top. Serve warm. 

Serves / 2 

Total Preparation time / 10 minutes 

Total Cooking time / 12 minutes 

x Emily 

AVOID WINTER WEIGHT GAIN by EATING SMARTLY

As June 1 approaches, the weather in Brisbane starts to (finally!) cool down. What usually comes hand-in-hand with chillier weather is a few extra kilos that often lands right in the places we don't want it to (such as our stomach, inner thighs, butt, hips). What if there was a way to cook delicious warm wonderful winter food without stacking on the kilos? This is definitely achieveable, if you steer clear of certain ingredients, which are listed below:

Cream: AVOID it at all costs. In Australia the levels of fat in cream are not regulated, therefore labels are solely under the control of the manufacturers. Therefore the fat content in cream products may be considerably higher than what is actually listed on the label. Cream is basically fat skimmed off the top of milk and is no good for us. As a substitute, use vegetable, chicken or beef stock. Massel makes a great stock that is gluten-free, dairy-free, preservative-free and low in fat and is available in all major supermarkets.

Butter: Skip it. The problem with butter is that it contains two cholesterol-raising ingredients: dietary cholesterol and saturated fat. High-cholesterol is a serious issue that many Australian's face. It is recommended that a healthy person consumes no more than 200 milligrams of cholesterol a day. Butter has 33 milligrams of cholesterol in just one tablespoon! Saturated fats increase the 'bad' cholesterol in the body. Alternatives you could use include healthy oils, such as coconut, grapeseed and avocado oil.

Fatty meat: Always buy lean meat. Avoid meat that has ample amounts of fat in it, such as rump steak, gravy beef, ribs, chicken wings and chicken thighs. Purchase eye fillet steaks, chicken breast, turkey breast and fish. Try to purchase meat that has an Extra Lean sticker on it whenever possible. Even if the lean meat costs more, consider how much healthier it is for your insides and rationalise it.

Cook with these alternative ingredients and this will save your body from thousands of unwanted calories and unhealthy fats. 

image by http://www.8700.com.au. 

WINTER FOODS to BOOST YOUR IMMUNITY

As we approach the beginning of winter, sniffles, colds, coughs, viruses and the dreaded flu are still all around us. There's always so much talk about what you should eat in winter that it is natural to feel a little confused and overwhelmed over all the super foods that people tell you to eat. Below is a list of ten vitamin & mineral rich winter foods for you to incorporate into your diet. 

Broccoli - exceptionally high in antioxidants.

1. Carrots - full of the antioxidant beta carotene.
2. Red capsicum - massive hit of vitamin C.
3. Kiwifruit - just one contains your entire daily requirement of vitamin C.
4. Oranges - just one contains your entire daily requirement of vitamin C.
5. Green tea - powerful antioxidant.
6. Mushrooms - rich source of antioxidants.
7. Lean beef - rich in zinc.
8. Oysters - exceptionally high in zinc and iodine.
9. Berries - packed with antioxidants and hardly any kilojoules.

These 10 foods are vital for your immune system to function properly. As you Âcan see,vitamin C is essential to fighting colds and coughs and is present in red capsicum, kiwifruit and oranges. However, not many people struggle with consuming enough vitamin C a day. We usually go overboard on the vitamin C and ignore a very important mineral; zinc. 

Many people, particularly women and children, suffer from a low intake of zinc. Foods rich in zinc include red meat, seafood, wholegrain bread, nuts and fortified breakfast cereals (cereal that has had vitamins & minerals added to it in the production stage). 

Adults require 8-12 milligrams of zinc a day, half of which can be found in a palm-sized piece of lean red meat. Surprisingly one little oyster contains almost your entire daily requirement of zinc. Once you know you are satisfying your daily intake of zinc, you can move onto the really colourful foods; fruit and vegetables! 

Fruit & vegetables are full of numerous antioxidants, including our good friend vitamin C, which assists in protecting our cells from infection. I absolutely love this next fact; the brighter the fruit and vegetable, the better it is for you! Therefore, stock up on beetroot, broccoli, green beans, oranges, pumpkin, red cabbage, red capsicum and sweet potato and use them in smoothies & juices or in casseroles, stir-fries or soups. 

The one thing that most of us fail at in winter is keeping our fluids up. The air is brisk, the wind is chilly and we just do not feel like drinking water. We desperately need to! Dehydration not only exacerbates our cough and flu symptoms but it is also horrible for our digestion. If you cannot face icy cold water in winter, don't put your water in the fridge! Or drink Green Tea Hawaii, a delicious green tea and noni energising drink that can be purchased at alohahealth.com.au. One sachet of green tea hawaii contains an enormous amount of antioxidants; in fact, to get the same antioxidant value from regular green tea, you would need to drink 45 cups!  If all you crave in winter is hot drinks, get into hot green tea or warm water with a slice of lemon. 

Wishing you all a warm and toasty winter! Stay healthy with these 10 top winter foods and keep drinking! 

x Emily