Bobby beetroot salads

Beetroot is not a particularly popular vegetable in England although this is changing. In Australia however, it’s a different story. I was amazed at how much beetroot figured on menus when I first moved to Oz and the recent memory of boiled beetroot in vacuum packs made me a little apprehensive. However, after exposure to the beautiful fresh version, I became a purple plant convert. It is a staple in any juice, makes a yummy dip and is a regular addition to winter salads. I’m a big fan of roasted beetroot in olive oil, salt and pepper but you can also boil or bake it. Beetroot greens are also highly nutritious and can be prepared in the same way as spinach.

Beetroot is a good source of folate, fibre and antioxidants and has been shown to reduce blood pressure due to its nitrate-rich properties (also found in green leafy vegetables). Throw together roasted beetroot and pumpkin with rocket leaves and goats feta for a delicious salad to accompany lamb. A lighter salad with beetroot, freshly chopped apple, onion and spinach is equally as good.

Beetroot and pumpkin salad

·       Beetroot, washed, topped, tailed and chopped into cubes

·       Pumpkin chopped into cubes

·       Pumpkin seeds

·       Wild rocket leaves

·       Goats feta

·       Thinly sliced onion

·       Olive oil

Dressing

·       Balsamic vinegar

·       Olive oil

·       Sea salt and pepper 

Roast the beetroot, pumpkin and pumpkin seeds in olive oil until cooked then throw together with rest of ingredients and toss in the dressing.

Beetroot and apple salad

·       Beetroot, washed, topped, tailed and chopped into cubes and roasted in olive oil

·       BOB’s apples washed and chopped into cubes

·       BOB small onion, thinly sliced

·       Baby spinach

Dressing

·       Lemon juice

·       Flaxseed oil

·       Sea salt

Grilled eggplant with tomato and parmesan

Eggplant, or aubergine as we call it at home, is one of my favourite vegetables. I think this recipe originally came from my friend Beth as we ate it a lot at her dad’s beautiful old house in Le Marche, Italy. It’s great as a starter with grilled sourdough (rubbed with freshly cut garlic and a drizzle of olive oil) or as a side to lamb. I usually use normal blackbell eggplant but BOB gave us Lebanese eggplant this week which can also be used. If you have tomatoes left over from last week, they can be used to make the tomato sauce.

·        Eggplants cut into inch thick slices or lebanese eggplant cut in half along the length

·        3 tomatoes chopped

·        2 large cloves of garlic finely chopped

·        olive oil

·        basil

·        parmesan

·        rocket

·        lemon juice

·        parsley roughly chopped

·        sea salt and pepper

Rub olive oil all over the eggplant and grill gently over a barbeque until cooked. Alternatively, roast in the oven. Meanwhile, make the tomato sauce by gently cooking the garlic in olive oil until golden. Add the basil leaves and stir for a few seconds and then add the chopped tomatoes. Add some sea salt and then simmer with lid for 30 -45 mins, stirring and breaking up the tomatoes every so often. Lay the cooked eggplant on top of the rocket leaves tossed in lemon juice and then spread the tomato sauce over the top. Finish with grated parmesan, black pepper and chopped parsley. Belissimo!

Oranges and Lemons

Oranges have been a running theme in BOB for the past few weeks which has helped me to rediscover my love for the citrus fruit. One orange provides more than the daily requirement of Vitamin C. Vitamin C has been shown to reduce the severity of infection but has numerous other roles in the body including the formation of collagen, defence against free radicals and as an antihistamine. Citrus fruits also contain lots of fibre and important antioxidants. BOB gave us beautiful lemons this week which are so cleansing when squeezed into warm water and drunk first thing in the morning. I also use lemons in most of my salad dressings and marinades.

I have started putting oranges into salads because they are so delicious. This is a really simple salad that would be a perfect accompaniment to meat. The sweetness of the oranges works so well with the salty sour taste of olives.

2 or more oranges, peeled and cut into segments
Rocket leaves
Fennel thinly sliced
Olives

For the dressing:
Lemon juice
Olive Oil
Salt and pepper

Mix the salad ingredients together and then toss in the lemon juice and olive oil dressing.

Easy Tabbouleh

BOB gave us beautiful flat leaf parsley and tomatoes this week, and with the sun shining, I thought a yummy Tabbouleh was in order. I am often asked about easy healthy lunches to take to work, well, this would be a good one. Parsley, when used in large amounts such as in tabbouleh, has incredible antioxidant properties, particularly those that promote eye health. Tomatoes are THE source of lycopene which has been shown to protect against a variety of cancers. Parsley and tomatoes are both rich in vitamins, minerals and dietary fibre. Bulgar wheat is traditionally used in tabbouleh and due to minimal processing boasts a low GI and high levels of vitamins and minerals.

70g bulgur wheat
4 tomatoes seeded and chopped into small cubes
1 large bunch of parsley, chopped
1 small bunch of mint, chopped
2-3 spring onions chopped

For the dressing:
Garlic clove crushed to a paste
¼ tsp of cinnamon
¼ tsp of allspice
Lemon juice
Olive Oil
Salt and pepper

Sit the bulgur in water for about 3 min, wash and then mix with the other salad ingredients. Toss the salad in the dressing and its ready to go! So easy. If you are wheat intolerant or gluten free, you can swap the bulgur for quinoa.

I love BOB

BOB and I have become very close over the last six months. Every Monday I get excited about coming home because BOB is always there, waiting for me. In the past few weeks, we have become closer than ever and I am pleased to say, it is now official.

Bondi Organic Box, or BOB for short, is the creation of my good friend Lisa Kanani. BOB supplies the local area with boxes of beautiful organic fruit and vegetables every Monday. I love organic food but it can be prohibitively expensive. I love BOB because it makes organic fruit and veg so much more accessible by being cheaper than other organic retailers.

Lisa is off to blighty for a few months and has entrusted me with BOB in her absence. I will endeavour to write a recipe each week using BOB ingredients to help BOBBERS use up their yummy fresh produce. It’s so good to eat organically and in season and to support local farmers and businesses.... so get on with it and order your BOB now!

Innocent Fish Pie

This is a delicious fish pie that can be eaten without the fear of loading up on excessive calories. There are some beautiful fish pie recipes out there but all are considerably high in fat listing ingredients such as puff pastry, double cream and cheddar cheese. There is no doubt that these elements create a luxurious and great tasting pie, however, this type of meal should be the exception not the rule.

If you want to eat fish pie more frequently than a treat, this recipe cuts down dramatically on the saturated fat content and still tastes good. It is suitable for wheat free diets and dairy free diets where yoghurt and goats cheese is tolerated and is also nutrition rich with lots of veggies and protein. I have a weakness for truffles so I add a small amount of truffle oil but this is optional. Serve the fish pie with steamed organic broccoli dressed with organic unrefined linseed oil.

· ½ - ¾ pumpkin, peeled and chopped into 1 inch cubes
· 2 organic eggs
· 2 large handfuls spinach
· 1 onion, finely chopped
· 1 carrot, finely chopped
· Olive oil
· 1 cup fat free organic yoghurt
· 150-200ml Bonsoy milk
· 50g of goats fetta cheese
· 1 lemon, juiced
· 1 heaped teaspoon Dijon mustard
· 1 large handful flat-leaf parsley, finely chopped
· 2 tsp of truffle infused oil (optional)
· 500g of white fish (such as blue eye cod, barramundi etc) chopped into strips
· Macrobiotic sea salt and freshly ground black pepper
· Nutmeg

Preheat the oven to 200 degrees celsius. Steam the pumpkin until soft and then mash with 50ml of soy milk, some grated nutmeg, salt and pepper.Add the eggs to a pan of boiling water and cook for 8 minutes until hard boiled. Steam the spinach in a colander above the pan for a minute and then squeeze out moisture. Remove the eggs, cool under cold water, then peel and quarter them and put in bowl with spinach and fish.

In a separate pan slowly fry the onion and carrot in a little olive oil for about 5-10 minutes, then add the yoghurt and remaining soy milk and bring to the boil for about a minute. Remove from the heat and add the goats cheese, lemon juice, mustard, parsley and truffle oil if using. Pour the vegetable sauce over the eggs, fish and spinach and mix together carefully. Put into an ovenproof and spread the pumpkin mash on top of the fish. Cook for about 30 minutes or until cooked through.

Mineral Rich Chicken Noodle Soup

I love roast chicken on a Sunday evening, particularly because it means an excellent chicken soup on Monday. Once the meat has been used up (save some for the soup), the chicken carcass can be boiled with a carrot, onion and some peppercorns for a few hours to make a nutrient rich broth. This concoction can be chilled making it easy to remove the fat from the top and can be frozen for later use. Always use organic chicken where possible.

Boiling bones, tendons and cartilage breaks minerals down into a form the body can easily absorb including calcium, magnesium, phosphorus, silicon and sulphur. The extracted gelatine also nourishes and heals the digestive tract and has been found to be beneficial for a long list of diseases.

I find making soup on a Monday from home made chicken stock gives the week a wholesome start, particularly if the weekend has involved excess. I vary the ingredients but always include lots of green leafy veg which are great for detoxing and stimulating the liver, seaweeds, shitake mushrooms, lean protein and wheat free soba noodles/beancurd noodles. It’s quick and easy to make and leaves me feeling satisfied and cleansed afterwards. The below is enough for two people.

· 600 ml of chicken stock
· Clove of garlic chopped
· Tsp of chopped ginger
· Chopped fresh chilli
· 5 shitake mushrooms soaked for 30 mins in hot water and chopped. Some of the soaking water can be added to the chicken stock
· 2/3 strands of wakame seaweed soaked for 10 mins in hot water
· Shredded cooked chicken or fish
· Tbsp of Tamari sauce
· Tbsp of Mirin
· Tsp of agave nectar
· Bok choy/spinach/chinese broccoli
· 100g of buckwheat soba noodles
· Tbsp of organic shiro miso (optional) mixed with small amount of hot water
· Drizzle of organic sesame oil
· Squeeze of lime

Simmer the chicken stock with the garlic, ginger, chilli and shitake mushrooms for fifteen minutes. Then add the seaweed and the chicken. Meanwhile cook the soba noodles and then drain in cold water to stop them overcooking and divide between two bowls. Add the tamari, mirin and agave nectar and then add the vegetables. Cook for a further couple of minutes being careful not to overcook the greens and then turn off the heat. Stir in the miso and ladle the soup over the noodles. Drizzle with sesame oil and a squeeze of lime and eat with chopsticks and a spoon. Yum.