Blog Archives

Haloumi Salad - Pita Balancing

11/20/2014

I recently went to a wonderful Ayervedic Nutrition seminar. I came away with plenty of good knowledge as well as some fantastic recipes. Here's a variation of my favourite! It can be served as a meal on its own for 3-4 people (or 2 dinners and 2 lunches for the next day) - or as a side salad for more.

Ingredients
1 punnet of small tomatoes cut in half or 6 roma tomatoes quartered
100g Rocket
75g green beans
Dill – ½ bunch
mint – ½ bunch
1 spanish onion
250g Haloumi cheese, sliced
½ cup pitted Kalamata olives
Olive oil
Balsamic vinegar
a pinch of sea salt
Fresh cracked pepper 

To Make
Brush tomatoes with olive oil and oven roast on baking paper (cut in half first if using the Romas) – slow roast at 160 degrees for about 45 minutes.

Top and tail green beans, chop Spanish onions, dill and mint. Mix the olive oil, balsamic, seasalt and cracked pepper. Mix dressing and salad. Pan fry haloumi in thin strips (30-45 seconds each side - just till they are brown) and top salad with them and the tomatoes.

0 Comments

Banana and Coconut Bread

11/20/2014

0 Comments

My sister in law gave me the recipe for this delicious banana bread. Its a much healthier alternative to your average banana bread and I haven't met a kid or grown up yet who doesn't like it!

Sugar, gluten and dairy free

8 dates, seeded and chopped*  
3 ripe bananas, mashed 
4 eggs
1 tsp vanilla 
½ cup coconut oil, melted 
1 tsp bicarb soda, or gluten free baking powder
1 cup shredded coconut 
1 cup brown rice flour (I put 1 cup of brown rice in the food processor and pulse it for about 15 seconds - its course which adds to the texture of the bread)

I often add a cup of berries (fresh or frozen and defrosted)

To make
Preheat oven to 180.  In a bowl combine melted coconut oil with vanilla, eggs, dates, and bicarb, then add bananas, coconut, berries and brown rice flour and mix till combined.
Pour into a lined loaf tin and bake approximately 50-60min. Test with a skewer at 50 minutes. If it comes out clean remove from oven and allow to cool in pan for 10min.

It is delicious warm or cold. I’ve served it warm for dessert with yoghurt, or with banana coconut icecream (see recipe).
Best kept in an airtight container in the fridge. I usually make a double mixture and make muffins or slice the extra loaf and put in the freezer whole or in individual slices for lunchboxes/park snacks.

* Medjool dates will give the best result as they are soft and rich. If using other dates which tend to be dryer, add a few extras and soak in some water before using.

0 Comments

Bone Broth

11/2/2014

1 Comment

Bone broth is wonderfully simple and so nutritious. The addition of the apple cider vinegar leaches the minerals and nutrients from the bones into the water. It is one of the best remedies for healing hyperpermeability of the gut (leaky gut), and boosting the immune system.
Good gut health is the naturopathic key to good health - strong immune systems, good absorption of macro and micronutrients, mental health and general well being.

Bone broth is packed with goodies including:
·       Calcium, magnesium, phosphorus and trace minerals.
·       Gelatin for connective tissue, particularly important for gut health, which in turn boosts immunity
·       Glycine – one of the most important amino acids for liver detoxification (lets face it, when we humans evolved we didn’t have the toxic load we have today, and are bodies are yet to evolve that far!)
·       Glucosamine and chondroitin for joint health, even helping arthritis sufferers
·       Collagen – your skin will love you, as will your hair and nails, it helps wound healing

It forms the basis for many of my meals, it can also be delicious (with a pinch of sea salt), on its own for a light meal, breakfast or tonic when someone is not well. I always have some available in the freezer as the base for a quick soup or casserole. This is based on the Nourishing Traditions bone broth…

Use the best quality produce you can – grassfed/organic meat, organic vegetables wherever possible. For chicken bone broth, simply replace the beef with organic chicken carcasses – your organic butcher will usually have these available.

Ingredients
1kg beef marrow bones and a knuckle bone, grassfed
1kg beef meaty bones (oxtail is great), grassfed
or instead of both of the above - 2kg of organic chicken carcasses (the beginnings of chicken bone broth are pictured above)
3-4 whole carrots, peeled and roughly chopped
3-4 stalks celery, roughly chopped
2 onions, peeled and
8 heads of garlic peeled (optional)
2 bay leaves
1 teaspoon black peppercorns
1/4 cup apple cider vinegar
bunch of fresh parsley

Instructions
You will need the largest stockpot you have. Place the bones and meat in a large roasting pan and roast at 180 degrees for about 15 minutes each side.
Place the browned bones in the pot with the vegetables and seasonings and fill with water and add vinegar (leave about 2cm from top of pot)
Bring to a boil and quickly lower to a simmer. If using a slow cooker put on low.
Remove scum from the top every 15 minutes or so for first hour. You can cook beef broth for 12-48 hours (I usually do 24 hours), chicken broth should be cooked for 6-12 hours add the parsley about an hour before you finish cooking it.
Remove from the heat and carefully remove the bones with some tongs.
Pour the broth through a sieve into another pot to cool. When making chicken broth I use a piece of muslin over the sieve and squeeze the muslin to get all the juice out.
When the broth is cooled fill the mason jars, cover and refrigerate. Beef broth can stay for 1 -2 weeks in the refrigerator as long as there is a layer of fat on top. This protects and seals it. Chicken broth I only leave for a couple of days.

For what I can't use in the fridge I reduce down by continuing to simmer broth - and freeze in small blocks

Uses:
- Soups -add vegetables and some meat if you like,
- casseroles - use instead of water/stock
- babyfood - wonderful addition instead of water into baby purees, and can be added early as it is so easily digested and gives their digestive system a wonderful start.

1 Comment

Haloumi Salad - Pita Balancing

Banana and Coconut Bread

Bone Broth

Alexandra Luffman

Recipe Categories

Archives

Haloumi Salad - Pita Balancing

Banana and Coconut Bread

Bone Broth

Alexandra Luffman

sign up to my blog

Recipe Categories

Archives