Olive, Garlic and Rosemary Lamb

A simple weeknight recipe - marinate the lamb as long as possible for maximum flavour.

Olive, Garlic and Rosemary Lamb
(Serves 2)

2 lamb forequarter chops, or 4 small lamb cutlets
1/4 cup kalamata olives, chopped
2 garlic cloves, minced
1 large stalk of rosemary, leaves chopped roughly
1 tbsp olive oil
salt and pepper

Place all marinade ingredients in a ziplock bag. Add lamb and massage the bag to coat the lamb evenly. Refrigerate until ready to cook.

When ready, oil a barbeque or grill plate on high. Add lamb and cook until golden on one side, then flip and cook on the other side until cooked to your liking.

Serve with a large green salad or some steamed vegetables.  

Grilled Chicken with Caper-Orange Gremolata

Spending time on holidays with unlimited, stress free kitchen time is such a blessing. Many weeknights during the school term are a rush of grilling some protein and rummaging through the fridge for a few vegetables to chuck alongside. In the holidays, I will frequently spend the morning browsing through neglected cookbooks, carefully selecting a recipe, shopping for the best-quality ingredients, and then cooking up a storm when I get home.

I have been fiddling around with a bread recipe for the slow cooker, which I will post as soon as I figure out some kinks - in the meantime, the cockatoos certainly enjoyed their taste test on the balcony yesterday!

Last night I tried a recipe based on the gorgeous blog Roost. It happens to be one I will keep in my head for weeknights, as it is extremely simple and delicious, and took all of fifteen minutes from chopping board to plate. It's also a very healthy way to spruce up a simple grilled chicken without adding many calories.

Grilled Chicken with Caper-Orange Gremolata and Spring Greens
(Serves 2)

2 large or 4 small chicken thighs, fat trimmed and seasoned

1 cup flat-leaf parsley, chopped
1 garlic clove, minced
zest and juice from 1 orange
1 1/2 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
1/4 cup capers, rinsed and roughly chopoed

4 cups mixed green vegetables (I used broccoli florets and quartered brussel sprouts)

Grill chicken on a barbeque or a grill pan until browned and cooked through.
Meanwhile, stir together gremolata ingredients. Taste for seasoning and set aside.

Steam vegetables until bright and just tender.
Serve chicken topped with gremolata and alongside greens.

Carrot Salad, Coconut Cookies and other kitchen happenings...

Wow, OK, I just finished the blog post and my computer deleted it. FML, and so on and so forth.

Now, to begin again...

School holidays are finally here, which means I can spend more time in the kitchen preparing meals that take more effort than the five minutes I am prepared to dedicate to it on weeknights. We had some family come to stay a couple of nights, so we fed them by grilling up a whole bunch of meat - spicy sausages for them, and kangaroo burgers for me) and making this gorgeous carrot salad. I love that it is so bright and colourful. It's also a good one to make for entertaining if money is tight, because carrots are always so inexpensive. As per usual, it is also very healthy, and clocks in at around 96 calories for a generous serving.

Carrot, Orange, Chilli and Mint Salad
(Serves 4)

4 carrots, grated
1 orange, peeled and segmented (save the juice from the chopping board!)
5 dried dates, chopped
1 long red chilli, seeds removed and finely sliced
a decent handful of mint leaves, torn
salt and pepper
1 tbsp white balsamic or white wine vinegar

Toss all ingredients together in a serving bowl. Pour over any reserved juice from the orange slicing. Allow to sit for a while before serving, as the flavours will meld, the dates will soften and the oranges will bleed more juice into the salad. It was fine 10 minutes after making it, but was even better for lunch the next day.

What else? Well, I've been considering trying the Whole30 Challenge, which as a diet goes is pretty similar to the way I eat now, with the focus on fresh vegetables and fruits, good quality protein and minimal processed foods. However, it does involve cutting dairy, which will mean giving up my beloved after-dinner skim hot chocolate.

Then I created these as a nifty substitute. I'm a happy lady now.

Ugly Coconut Cookies
(aka Raw, Vegan, Sugar-free, Low Carb Cookies)
(Makes about 8-12)

1 1/2 cups shredded unsweetened coconut
1/2 cup cocoa powder
3-4 sachets Stevia (not artificial sweeteners like Equal)
1 x 110g jar organic 100% apple baby food
3 tbsp melted coconut butter
1 tsp vanilla essence
2 tsp chia seeds
a pinch of salt

Combine all ingredients until thoroughly mixed and the whole mixture is moistened and will stick together if pressed. Roll into balls and flatten slightly. Place in an airtight container and refrigerate to serve.

Carrot Ginger Salad Dressing

My god, but salads can get boring, can't they?

I have a tendency to eat very similar lunches each week. This week was the last week of school, and I was feeling drained and cranky and in need of cheering up desperately.

Who would have thought that four carrots and a blender would do the trick?

This recipe, adapted from Appetite for Reduction, is bright BRIGHT orange and has loads of fresh, zingy flavours. I paired it with a salad of mixed lettuce, chickpeas, red cabbage, avocado, cucumber and nashi pear. Not to mention that fact that this is an excellent way to dress a salad with a thick and almost creamy dressing that has very little fat in it.

Carrot and Ginger Salad Dressing
(Makes enough for five or six large salads)

4 carrots, peeled and chopped roughly
1/4 cup water
1/4 cup lime juice
1 tbsp fresh ginger, grated
1 garlic clove, crushed
1 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
1 tsp toasted sesame oil
1 tbsp white wine vinegar
1/2 tsp salt

Steam carrots until very tender. Drain and place in a blender with all remaining ingredients. Puree until very smooth and place in a jar to refrigerate. Serve dolloped on top of salad.

This made a very nice change of pace from my usual work lunch!

Cheers

Alcohol is such an enemy to health and vitality.

I know this, and yet I still get so excited by the prospect of sitting down to a chilled glass of NZ Savignon Blanc every now and then. And I don't feel guilty - enjoying wine in moderation makes me happy, and being happy keeps you healthy and reduces cortisol levels, which make you retain fat, so in the long run, in fact, wine will keep me thin.

Desperate justification much?

But seriously, enjoying a couple of wines is a pleasure I don't want to give up. But social occasions do pose a difficuly. Once you've had those couple of glasses and you don't want to drink any more, but everyone around you is still pouring pinot noir down their throats like they're at a very sophisticated version of a frat party, where do you turn?

Do you switch to water? Everyone will just assume you're a penny-pinching loser, or a macrobiotic, or some other social outcast.

What about soft drinks? Sure, if you don't mind liquified diabetes in a glass.

Mocktails? Delicious, until all the sugar from the fruits and syrups hit your head in a blinding spear of headache.

No, you switch to this little number.

I'm not at all a fan of sweet cocktails. Hence, mocktails usually gross me out. This is a great way to keep yourself hydrated at a party without people questioning your lack of alcoholic beverage and as an added bonus, nibbling on the olives will keep you away from the horrendous cocktail food being served.

The Teeny Bikini Martini (all cocktails have to have silly names, right?)
Serves 1

300ml sparkling mineral water
1 slice of lime
juice of 1/4 lime
4 green olives, threaded onto a skewer

Pour mineral water and lime juice into a glass. Add the lime slice and the olive skewer. Enjoy!

I wouldn't mind trying a few variations on this. This is easy enough to order in a bar, but if I was at home, I would consider switching the lime for grapefruit and skewering alternate red and green grapes on the skewers.

This is one drink that will help you fit into that teeny bikini! Cheers to that!

What's your best trick for keeping healthy at social events?

Cinnamon Oat and Egg White Pancakes with Stone Fruit

Well, this breakfast just made me happy to be alive.

I've been trying to boost my protein in the mornings, and I've been having poached eggs with steamed greens and a quarter of an avocado, which certainly keeps me full with all those healthy fats and proteins - not to mention the good feeling I get from having a full serve of vegetables in my daily diet before 6am!

However, sometimes you just need to mix things up a bit. This still has a hefty dose of protein from the egg whites, as well as some healthy carbs and fibre from the oats. They are also boosted with the latest nutritional superfood, chia seeds. Breakfast is actually one of my favourite meals of the day, and I love that with recipes like this I can feel like I'm treating myself without actually having anything that could be classified as a 'treat' nutritionally.

Cinnamon Oat and Egg White Pancakes with Stone Fruit
(Makes 1 very substantial serving)

1/3 cup rolled oats
1/2 tbsp white chia seeds
1/2 tsp cinnamon
a pinch of nutmeg
1 packet stevia or sweetener of choice
3 egg whites

To serve: 1 white nectarine, thinly sliced and a dollop of fat-free Greek yoghurt

Mix in a bowl the oats, chia seeds, stevia or other sweetener, and spices. Cover with warm water and allow to sit - the longer you let it sit the more water you will need to add. I only had time to leave mine for about 15 minutes, in which case, JUST covering the top of the oats with liquid should work fine. Chia seeds tend to absorb a fair amount of water though.

Pop this mixture into a blender with the three egg whites. Blend for a few seconds until smooth.
Heat a frying pan on high and spray with oil. Place a quarter of the mixture in and allow to spread. When bubbles have started to form on the surface, flip and cook the other side until set and golden. Repeat until mixture is used up.

Place on serving plate with the sliced nectarine, a dollop of yoghurt and dust the whole thing with extra cinnamon.

This was a delightful way to start the morning on a random Thursday when I was feeling a bit bored and tired of life. There's nothing like a fancy breakfast to brighten your day. And, according to my calculations, the nutritional stats on this whole breakfast is 256 calories. Including the fruit and yoghurt. And I struggled to get through the whole plate!

Next time I think I can afford to add in some chocolate chips for an Easter breakfast!

What's your favourite 'treat' breakfast?

Chicken, Apple and Walnut Salad with Dijon Dressing

Too tired. No words. Just recipe.

Chicken, Apple and Walnut Salad with Dijon Dressing
(serves 1)

100g grilled chicken breast, shredded
1/2 firm apple, thinly sliced
1/2 cucumber, sliced
2 handfuls mixed lettuce
4 walnut halves, chopped roughly

Dressing:
2 tsp Dijon mustard
juice of 1/2 lemon
1 tsp extra virgin olive oil
2 tsp water
salt and pepper

Mix together the salad ingredients and pack into your pretty green BPA-free work lunchbox. :)
Whisk together the dressing ingredients and store seperately.
Take to work. Eat.