Beet & Lentil Salad

Ingredients (serves 4)

4 medium-large beetroots, leave skin on

 1 cup of brown or black lentils

 ½ of a fennel bulb, thinly sliced

Seeds from 1 pomegranate (or thinly sliced pear when pomegranates aren't in season)

2 large handfuls of greens – either rocket, baby spinach, thinly sliced kale or the beetroot greens from the bunch

½ bunch of loosely chopped flat parsley leaves

50g of crumbled feta if desired

Simple dressing

3 tablespoons of extra virgin olive oil

1 tablespoon of lemon juice

Method

Preheat oven to 180 degrees (fan forced).

Wrap beet bulbs individually in foil and cook for 45-60 minutes or until tender.

Meanwhile, cook lentils in enough boiling water for about 20-25 minutes.

Once lentils are cooked and drained, combine with the fennel, pomegranate seeds, greens and parsley.

When the beetroot has cooled, peel skin and chop into chunks and add to the lentil mix.

Make dressing and gently stir through the dish.

Serve in individual bowls or on a large platter and top with feta if using.

A few notes about this beautiful dish:

• This is a great dish to make at the start of the week and enjoy for lunches.
• Lentils are a great vegetarian meat alternative, providing protein and low GI carbs, therefore leaving you full and satisfied!
• This dish is gluten free for those requiring a gluten free diet.
• The plant compounds that make beetroot the beetroot the colour that it is, packs powerful antioxidants.

• The different textures help us slow it down, chew thoroughly and take our time to eat. 

Warm Mexican Bean & Rice Salad

With the vibrant colours, interesting textures and obvious nourishing ingredients, this recipe speaks for itself. Please don't be alarmed by the long ingredients list, this dish is so quick and easy to prepare.

Ingredients (serves 4)

2/3 cup of uncooked brown, black or wild rice

2 tablespoons of olive oil

1 large red capsicum, diced

1 large red onion, roughly chopped

1 garlic clove, finely sliced

1 teaspoon of paprika

2 teaspoons of cumin

1 large zucchini, diced into small pieced

Kernels from one cob of corn (you can use a small tin for convenience if needed)

1 large (400g can) of black beans or kidney beans

1 fresh chilli, seeds removed and thinly sliced 

1/2 bunch of coriander, leaves picked and stems chopped 

Juice from 2 limes

To top

1 tomato or 1 cup of cherry tomatoes (when in season), diced

1 avocado, mashed

1/4 cup of pepitas (pumpkin seeds) 

Cracked pepper to season

Method

Start cooking rice (remember brown rice takes double the amount of time to cook than white rice).

Meanwhile, heat pepitas with a big pinch of cumin over a low-medium heat in a dry pan. When the pepitas start to become fragrant remove them from the heat - they are easy to burn! 

When there is about 5 minutes left for rice to cook, heat olive oil in a frying pan or heavy saucepan over a medium heat.

Add onion and capsicum and cook for about 2-3 minutes, stirring regularly.

Add garlic, zucchini and corn and cook over a high heat for 1-2 minutes, or until zucchini starts to become tender.

Stir through spices, chilli, beans and half of the lime juice and cook for a further minute. 

Remove from heat and stir through coriander and rice.

Serve in bowls, and top with avocado, pepitas, tomato and an extra squeeze of lime juice. 

Serve this dish hot, cold or at room temperature.

Nutrition information per serve Energy 2370kJ (564cal), protein 20g, fat 28g, saturated fat 5g, carbohydrate 50g, sugars 6g, fibre 17g, sodium 21mg

Notes

This dish is great for lunch or dinner and don't forget to save some for leftovers!

Have a smaller serving size and match with some fried egg, grilled chicken tenderloins or a small lean steak. 

fig, apple & gorgonzola cheese salad

This is a beautiful recipe for fig season (generally around feb-March). Take it to your next BBQ or match with some white fish and/or crusty bread. 

Ingredients 

2-3 cups of baby spinach and rocket

Half an apple, thinly sliced

3 fresh figs, halved

A drizzle of olive oil

A squeeze of fresh lemon

Gorgonzola cheese (amount as preferred – it can be quiet strong for some)

Method 

1. Combine apple, rocket and baby spinach

2. Drizzle with olive oil and lemon

3. Spread the halved figs around the salad (as in the image)

4. Top with small chunks of gorgonzola cheese

Bon Appetit

Mediterranean vegetable & ricotta frittata

Finally, a new recipe on the blog!

Time has been very limited these days, which means my blog hasn’t been getting the attention it deserves AND my lovely followers haven’t had a new recipe for a little while.

Part of my time limitation has been due to my training for the Melbourne marathon. Unfortunately my training has been a little ineterrupted (just weeks out!) due to injury. This means that my HIGH carb eating days are few and far between and I have opted for lighter options such as this lovely Mediterranean Vegetable & Ricotta Frittata. This does not mean that I have been following a low carb diet – nor is this recommended.

My point is, carbohydrate requirements vary for each individual and even when we look at the carbohydrate requirements for one person, this varies from day-to-day depending on what they are up to. When I make recommendations for athletes, each day could be different depending on their stage of training and the type, intensity and duration of the training session.

Just another reason why blanket nutrition statements and ‘one size fits all’ approaches don’t work. Food and nutrition is complex.

All I wanted to do was point you in the direction of this new recipe, so here you go….ENJOY!

Three words to describe this recipe…simple, nutritious & delicious…

Please enjoy as a light meal served with salad or cut into smaller pieces for a filling snack.

Ingredients

1 small to medium sweet potato – sliced, making 1 cm thick circles

1 small zucchini, cut in half then cut into thick strips

1 red capsicum – cut into eights

½ an eggplant – cut into long, strips

1 cup of ricotta

½ cup of grated cheddar or mozzarella cheese

7 eggs

1/2 cup  chopped basil

1/2 cup of chopped parsley

 Method

Preheat a fan-forced oven to 180 degrees.

Line a baking dish with baking paper, add vegetables, sprinkle with a little salt and drizzle enough olive oil for roasting.

Cook in the oven for approximately 40 minutes or until tender.

When vegetables are done whisk eggs in a bowl and add ricotta, cheese, basil, parsley and season with pepper.

Over a low heat, brush a 20cm x 20cm frying pan with some olive oil then line the bottom of the pan with the sweet potato, then spread the other vegetables evenly over the sweet potato.

Next, pour the egg, cheese and herb mixture evenly over the vegetables.

Cook over a low heat for approximately 10 minutes.

Meanwhile preheat a grill ready to cook the top of the frittata for approximately 3-5 minutes until the frittata is cooked through and starting to brown on top.

Once ready, knife around the edge to separate it from the pan and flip onto a plate.

To serve, cut it in quarters and add a teaspoon of your chutney/jam to the top of each piece – I like caramelised onion jam.

I like to serve this with a tomato, basil and rocket salad or grainy toast on an active day.

* For an alternative cooking method, place in an oven proof dish and cook for 20-30 minutes in an oven at 180 degrees.