Monday, March 28, 2011

Biodynamic brown rice, broccoli, steamed tempeh and tamari












The simplest meals are often the most nourishing and nutritious and I really enjoyed creating this dish for a quick lunch.
When I was vegan I ate tempeh by the truckloads now I eat animal products I don't feature it much in my culinary tool box. I have found the most delicious way to prepare it is steaming.

You can steam it for 15 minutes in a steamer basket, it becomes very moist and has a strong flavour. Tempeh originates in Indonesia and is a fermented soy product, it is more preferable than tofu because it is fermented it digests better and is rich in b12 and protein for plant based eaters.

First I cooked the rice, then steamed the tempeh, adding the broccoli right at the end so it is bright and crunch, I made a little sauce with tamari, grated ginger and a little of spiral cold pressed sesame seed oil, pouring it over at the end.

Friday, March 25, 2011

Dr Yuen Lee















I'm very excited to just discover one of my favourite integrative doctor's in Sydney has a food blog. Dr Yuen Lee is a very talented doctor who specialises in women's health, she works at The Pymble Grove Medical Centre and uses food as medicine in her practice, she often sends me referrals and is a passionate foodie and dedicated practitioner so here is her blog for some more food wisdom

Monday, March 21, 2011

Bream with sourdough breadcrumbs, lemon, parsley and pine nuts












My clients Christina and Rob surprised me with this fresh caught bream in their fridge I kept it simple with what I had in my produce box. This dish reminds me of my childhood, my late father had boat's and I would go fishing with him when I was around 8 we would go far out to sea and I remember seeing breaching whales and in his family my uncle is a commercial fisherman so I have a close connection with the ocean and it's edible creatures....

If you don't have any fresh caught fish of course that is ok you can go to your fish monger and buy some.



1 bunch parsley
2 tablespoons pine nuts
3 tablespoons sourdough breadcrumbs (I use demeter) or make fresh ones in the food processor
1 lemon, grated
Sea salt and pepper

Throw all these ingredients into a mortar and pestle and then stuff the fish, bake for 30 minutes

Tuesday, March 15, 2011

Salad for Ariana
















My Catalan friend Ariana came by for lunch and luckily I had some tempeh in the fridge because she is a vegetarian, I put together this simple and delicious salad in 10 minutes( seriously) and she loved it.......

1/3 block tempeh (fermented soybean originates in Indonesia)
1 tablespoon coconut oil ( i finally found one that doesn't go rancid and I'm going nuts over it! Oil4life
1/4 avocado
Salad Greens (whatever you have)
1 tablespoon balsamic vinegar
1 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil
Sea salt and pepper to season
Baby tomatoes
mung beans or sprouts

Cut the tempeh into think strips, in a skillet or fry pan (not teflon of course) heat the coconut oil and put in the tempeh turning over when crispy. Take out and put on a paper towel, assemble the other ingredients in a salad bowl and layer with the temepeh and avocado, dress with the vinegar and oil.

Thursday, March 10, 2011

Baked root vegetables with rosemary and sea salt













When one chilly day bestowed upon us here in Sydney going into Autumn my body craved some baked vegetables with chunks of sea salt and coriander, rosemary from my garden and baby tomatoes for a touch of sweetness.
Easy and delicious with some baked fish and fresh pesto or garlic mushroom and brown rice which is what I did.


1 medium size sweet potato
1 tablespoon celtic sea salt
freshly ground black pepper
coriander seeds cracked in a mortar and pestle with the salt and pepper
3 sprigs rosemary
a spanish onion
250g pumpkin
baby tomatoes
parsnip


Cut all the above vegetables into good size chunks throw in large bowl and season with the spice mix good quality olive oil and the baby tomatoes. Bake in a medium oven for 25 minutes

Thursday, March 3, 2011

Harissa chickpea burgers with alaskan salmon, coriander and mint











These burgers came about after a conversation with my friend Michal as I was explaining my dilemma in creating a menu for a bunch of childcare centres here in Sydney. She asked me what about fish balls ? Michal is Israeli Jewish and has the special culinary skills to to turn anything into a tasty ball of some kind. So here is my creation on a budget potentially for a child but definitely for an adult. I threw together a salad of mixed greens, mung beans and cherry tomatoes from my garden and just simply dressed with red wine vinegar and bio dynamic olive oil.


1 tin of chickpeas (for quickness)
1 tablespoon harissa (recipe on this blog)
1 tablespoon Celtic sea salt (the special ingredient they are quiet salty)
1 tin paramount Alaskan red salmon
2 eggs
1/2 cup sourdough organic breadcrumbs
handfuls of fresh coriander and mint

Throw all these ingredients except the eggs into a food processor
Pulse so that the ingredients are mixed well but not mush (very important)
Transfer the mixture from the bowl into a larger bowl and add the 2 beaten eggs
The mixture should be wet but not sloppy
now mould into patties and fry in a little organic ghee or coconut oil or if you prefer bake in the oven for 20 minutes on 170 degrees.