poached eggs with sweet potato and kale

Since returning home from our Italian escape (and yes I need to report back on that amazing foodie adventure) we have been thrown back into the hectic life we lead. My husband is back training and studying, while I have taken on a little more work in the sports nutrition world and have decided to run a little event we call the marathon. The thought of the marathon isn’t making me crazy just yet (or maybe I am crazy for contemplating it)?… I like to run for my daily exercise and running with my group on Tuesday and Thursday nights has become a nice habit and time to relax…

Again we need to make sure we are prepared. This has been working well, however the other Thursday night we were both home late and I didn’t have anything pre-prepared. I knew however that I could whip up something quick and healthy with some ingredients that I had in the house.

Now I believe these meals are often the best, and in this case we both thoroughly enjoyed what I came up with.

This meal can be served as a breakfast, lunch or dinner option and the quinoa could be replaced with any grain of choice (or leave that part out if you haven’t had an active day). This meal is gluten free for those requiring a gluten free diet, provides carbohydrate for refuelling and sustained energy and provides the benefits of the nutrient dense ingredients – sweet potato, kale, quinoa and olive oil (you will notice that I don’t use this sparingly).

Because I had just been running I wanted to ensure that I had enough protein for recovery. Two eggs gives you about 50% of your protein needs after training so I had a glass of milk after the meal to make up for the rest.

Here it is…

Ingredients (serves two)

 1/3 cup (60g) quinoa - or other grain of preference

 1 tablespoon olive oil

1 small-medium (300g) sweet potato, cut into 1cm x 1 cm cubes

1 handful kale roughly chopped into strips

¼ cup water or vegetable stock

1 teaspoon chilli flakes (or more if you like it hot)!

 1 garlic clove, finely chopped

 ¼  teaspoon paprika

 ½ teaspoon cumim

 ½  teaspoon ground coriander seeds

 2 tablespoons fresh coriander or parsley

4 fresh eggs (the freshest you can find for perfect poaching)

 Method

1.    Start cooking quinoa (or grain of choice) and set to the side when ready.

2.    Meanwhile, heat oil in a pan over a medium-high heat.

3.    Add sweet potato and sauté for about 3 minutes then add the chilli and garlic and sauté for a further 2 minutes  or until almost tender, stirring frequently.

4.    Add paprika, cumin and ground coriander and stir through sweet potato for a couple of minutes.

5.    Add kale and water (or stock) and continue to stir frequently on low-medium heat for ~5 minutes or until the kale starts to shrink.

6.    Once the kale is tender add the quinoa to the pan, stir through and turn off the heat.

 Poaching the eggs

1.    Fill a small saucepan with about 2-3 inches of water from the kettle and add a pinch of salt.

2.    Bring water to the boil then reduce to a gentle simmer.

3.    Crack an egg into a cup and gently pour it into the water. Do this for each egg.

4.    They should be ready in about 4 minutes for soft yolks or 5 minutes for firm yolks. When they are cooked to your liking, remove the eggs from the water and set on paper towel to soak up excess water.

To serve, divide the quinoa, sweet potato and kale mix between two bowls, top with the eggs, a little salt, cracked pepper and the fresh coriander or parsley.

Nutrition information (per serve): Kilojoules: 1978kJ (470cal) Protein: 22g Carbohydrate: 48g Fat: 20g Saturated fat: 5g Fibre:7g Sodium: 178mg

Nutritious Eats for Hectic Weeks - pesto pasta

Last week we had a crazy week! Our evenings were full. My husband was playing soccer and studying and I was working and training (mostly running and riding). This meant that I had to be organised for our weekly eats. To do this I dedicated one afternoon to cooking up a storm.

Monday night was FREE so I cooked up homemade pesto pasta (pasta is a ritual in our house the night before a soccer game), a Jamie Oliver chicken and vegetable soup (I just added some green beans and white quinoa to make it a more balanced meal) and chilli con carne. All of these meals can be reheated, enjoyed as lunch and frozen in portions for a later date, so they were the perfect choice for us.

The chilli con carne just needed to be served with some rice, balanced with some salad and topped with Greek yoghurt - this dish is PERFECT for busy weeks!

Being organised meant that we enjoyed nutritional meals that provided the energy we required, without the time spent in the kitchen or picking up odds and ends at the supermarket through the week.

When I posted an image of the pesto pasta on Instagram it immediately got a lot of attention so I just had to share.

This meal is quiet famous in the Boogaard house.

Remember you can always increase or decrease the different ingredients mentioned, my recipes are purely there for inspiration, so please let your taste and senses lead the way…

Chicken pesto pasta with pumpkin and sundried tomatoes

Ingredients (serves 4)

3 cups of uncooked penne or spiral pasta

1 tablespoon of olive oil plus extra for drizzling pumpkin

½ a butternut pumpkin, cut into 1cm x 1 cm cubes

400g of chicken breast, thinly sliced

1 large red onion thickly sliced

1 cup of thinly sliced mushrooms

 ½ cup of thinly sliced sundried tomatoes (or sundried tomato strips)

Baby spinach

For the pesto

2 cups fresh basil leaves, packed

1/2 cup freshly grated Parmesan cheese

1/2 cup olive oil

1/2 cup pine nuts

2 garlic cloves, minced

Salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste

Method

Pre-heat the oven to 180 degrees Celsius.

Place pumpkin cubes on a tray lined with baking paper, sprinkle with drizzle with olive oil. Cook for 15-20 minutes or until soft.

Meanwhile boil water in a large saucepan and cook pasta for approximately 10-12 minutes.

Put all pesto ingredients into a food processor and mix until a paste forms.

After about 5 minutes of the pasta cooking heat oil in a pan over a medium heat then add the chicken and cook for a few minutes until starting to brown.

Add the sundried tomatoes (plus a bit of the oil from the sun dried tomatoes), onion and mushrooms and cook altogether for another 4-5 minutes until all ingredients are cooked, stirring regularly.

When the pasta is ready, drain and return back to the saucepan over a low heat. Add the chicken, pesto, baby spinach and pumpkin, heat through then remove from the heat. 

Note

This dish is also lovely as a warm salad without the pasta or as a vegetarian option by leaving the chicken out.

Vegetarian Barley Pilaf with Halloumi

When I say barley many of you likely think of beer… RIGHT? Well this little ancient grain serves more purposes than it's role in beer production. Although it is one of our oldest cultivated crops, it is starting to become a modern culinary delight.

Some people however are still yet to discover what barley has to offer in the way of versatility and nutrition.

The barley that we commonly consume today is pearl barley, which has had the tough hulls removed. The end product is a highly nutritious, nutty textured grain that can be used in soups and stews and as an alternative for risotto or pilafs.

Not only is it packed with the goodness of minerals such as selenium, magnesium and phosphorus, it has a low glycemic index (GI). This means the carbohydrate breaks down to glucose at a slow and steady rate, leaving you with more sustain energy levels and keeping you fuller for longer. Barley also contains beta glucans that can help to lower blood cholesterol levels.

So have I sold you yet?

Why not start your barley discovery with this very simple barley pilaf recipe. The recipe calls for certain fresh vegetables (pretty much what I had in the fridge when I set out to develop this recipe), however you can use whatever vegetables you desire. You may even like to use frozen mixed vegetables when the fresh produce is almost at an end.

Let me know what you think, especially if this is your first experience with barley.

Bon Appetit

Barley Pilaf (serves 3-4)

1 cup of pearled barley

250g of halloumi, thickly sliced

1 bay leaf

2 ½ cups of salt reduced vegetable stock

2 tablespoons of olive oil

1 red onion, finely chopped

1 zucchini, diced

1 red capsicum, diced

1 carrot, diced

½ cup of frozen peas, thawed

½ cup chopped parsley (or herb of your choice)

1 teaspoon of lemon zest

Juice from half a lemon

Method

Heat 1 tablespoon of olive oil in a heavy saucepan over medium heat.

Add onion and season with pepper and cook until tender.

Add barley and cook for approximately 3 minutes.

Add stock and bay leaf, bring to the boil then simmer covered until barley tender (stirring occasionally), this will take approximately 25 minutes.

Once the barley is tender add vegetables (except for the peas) and some extra stock if required, cook for approximately 5 minutes (or until vegetables start to cook through).

Remove from heat, stir through peas, cover and let stand for 5 minutes.

While to pilaf is standing, heat the other tablespoon of olive oil in a pan over a medium to high heat, cook the halloumi for approximately 1 minute on each side. 

Then, remove the bay leaf from the pilaf, season with pepper and stir through the the parsley, lemon zest and lemon juice. Divide between bowels and top with halloumi. 

Vegetable Chilli Bowl

Ingredients Serves 4-6

2 tablespoons of olive oil

3 red onion, roughly chopped

3 garlic cloves, finely chopped

2 red capsicums, halved and cut into squares

2 zucchini, cut into chunks

1 tablespoon of chilli powder or flakes (or to taste)

1 tablespoon of ground cumin

2 x 400g cans of diced tomatoes

1 420g can of red kidney beans, rinsed and drained

1 420g can of chickpeas, rinsed and drained

Ground pepper

½ cup of chopped flat parsley

½ cup of chopped coriander leaves

2 tablespoons of lemon juice

Method

Heat the oil in a casserole dish over medium heat. Add the onions, garlic and capsicum and cook for 5 minutes, then add the zucchini and cook for a further 3 minutes.

Add the chilli powder and cumin and stir for a minute to combine

Add the chopped tomatoes with their juice, the drained kidney beans and chickpeas. Season with pepper. Cover and cook over low heat for 8-10 minutes, or until the zucchini is tender.

Stir in parsley, coriander and lemon juice.

I always serve this with a very generous helping of Greek yoghurt and a slice of sour dough or mixed grain bread to mop up all of the lovely flavours.