Lentil Bolognese

Lentil bolognese with brown rice & corn

Lentils are one of the easiest legumes to digest (especially if soaked overnight), cook quickly, and are a good source of protein. As with all legumes, the protein in lentils is easier to digest if combined with a whole grain, such as spelt noodles or brown rice.

This is a hearty, satisfying vegetarian meal... lighten it up a bit with a nice, big, green salad on the side. It's nicest with fresh herbs and vine ripened tomatoes, and I like to add semi-dried tomatoes and tomato paste to make it richer.

1. Chop in Thermomix bowl for 5 seconds on speed 6:
- 1 onion, quartered
- 2 garlic cloves
- 1 carrot, quartered
- 1 celery stalk, quartered

2. Add oil and cook for 3 minutes, 100 degrees, speed 1:
- 30g extra virgin olive oil

3. Add tomatoes and chop for 5 seconds, speed 5:
- 400g fresh tomatoes, quartered (or can use tinned - if already crushed, don't chop again)

4. Add remaining ingredients and cook for 15 mins, 100 degrees, reverse speed 1:
- 250g red lentils
- 100g semi-dried tomato strips (opt.)
- 550g water
- 2 Tbspns vege stock concentrate or 2 tsp vege stock powder
- 2 Tbspns tomato paste (opt.)
- 1 tsp balsamic vinegar
- 1 tsp Rapadura
- 1/2 to 1 tsp dried oregano, or fresh to taste
- 1/2 to 1 tsp dried basil, or fresh to taste
- herb or sea salt
- freshly ground pepper

5. Serve over spelt or rice pasta, or brown rice, with a green salad.

Flourless Nut Cakes

Hazelnut Coffee Cake

If you're new to eating wheat free, or gluten free, here's a versatile cake recipe that you're sure to love . . . everyone I serve it to loves it, and can't believe there's no flour in it! (Or white sugar!)  I adapted these from one on Debra Lynn Dadd's site, http://www.sweetsavvy.com/. I sometimes make it a Maple Pecan cake, sometimes a Hazelnut Chocolate cake or a Hazelnut Coffee cake - whatever I feel like. Experiment with different nuts and flavourings until you find your favourite!  If you buy nuts bulk like I do, these cakes don't have to be overly expensive.

Maple Pecan Cake

1.  Preheat the oven to 170 degrees C (325 degrees F) and grease or line a 9-inch round cake pan.

2.  Grind in Thermomix on speed 9 for 10 seconds:
- 100g Rapadura

3.  Add all other ingredients and mix for 30 seconds, speed 8:
- 90g butter/ghee/coconut oil
- 4 large eggs
- 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
- 1 Tblspn arrowroot flour (or cornflour)
- 170g pecan halves
- 1/4 teaspoon fine sea salt

4.  Pour into tin and cook 30 - 40 mins, or until skewer inserted in centre of cake comes out clean.

5.  Drizzle with a little pure maple syrup.

Chocolate Hazelnut Cake

This one's a bit heavier - almost like brownies. 

All you do is add 40g of good quality cocoa, change the pecans to raw hazelnuts, and instead of drizzling with maple syrup just dust with cocoa or sprinkle over some grated chocolate.

Hazelnut Coffee Cake

Add a couple of tablespoons of instant coffee instead of cocoa, use hazelnuts instead of pecans, and eat as is or sprinkle with some powdered Rapadura.

Let me know if you think of any other great combinations!

Easy Carrot, Celery & Grape Salad

My good friend Vera tweaked a carrot and raisin salad the other day when I was over for lunch, and made it with green grapes instead of raisins - it was soooo yummy and fresh, and EASY I just had to share it!

Just grate a few fresh, yummy carrots into a nice salad bowl, add a couple of handfuls of fresh, sliced celery, a couple of handfuls of green seedless grapes, and moisten it with a couple of blobs of mayonaise (preferably homemade!). Stir it up and enjoy! Too easy. Even the kids will love it.

Menu Plan Monday - January 26th

Well, this week my 'system' of meal planning is a little messed up because my freezer door accidently was left open a little, and a package of T-bone steak got thawed out, and now must be eaten! So sad! :) (I love steak!) So there's a little more red meat than usual on the menu this time...

Also, we're off to the beach for a little holiday on Saturday, so there are some easy, take-with-us meals for our trip, with both lunch and dinner planned.

Monday: (leftovers night) Leftover roast lamb, veges and gravy (thickened and added to) on mashed sweet potato with choko from my garden.

Tuesday: (meat) Marinated T-bone steak, broccoli, baked potatoes and carrot, celery & grape salad.

Wednesday: (vege) Lentil bolognaise on spelt pasta, with salad.

Thursday: (meat) Crockpot sweet and sour beef stew over quinoa with salad.

Friday: (seafood) Fish (coated in cornmeal and shallow fried), lots of veges (my organic veges come today!)

Saturday: (holiday!) Lunch out (on the way to the beach); Tacos for dinner.

Sunday: (holiday!) Lunch: Tuna patties with spelt bread and salad; Dinner: Apricot chicken risotto (a quick Thermomix meal) & salad.

Monday: (holiday - won't be home to post menu plan!) Lunch: Homemade spelt tortillas (made ahead and frozen) with refried beans & salad; Dinner: Sausage & vege hotpot on rice.

Quinoa Caprese

Quinoa is so yummy, quick to cook, and light and fluffy if cooked properly. It is a very high protein grain which originated in the Andes mountains of Bolivia and Peru as a staple food of the Incas. It's gluten-free and rich in L-lysine, phosphorus, calcium, iron, B vitamins, and vitamin E. Make sure you soak it for a few hours or overnight, or at least rinse it really, really well, to get rid of the bitter coating that is it's natural protection from bugs.

- 1 cup quinoa
- 1 1/2 cups chicken broth
- 2 cups halved cherry tomatoes, or tomato chunks
- 100g (3 oz) mozzarella cheese, chunks or grated
- 1 cup torn fresh basil leaves
- 2 1/2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
- 1 clove minced garlic (opt.)
- salt & freshly ground black pepper

Soak quinoa overnight, or at least rinse really well.

Bring broth to a boil in a medium saucepan. Add quinoa, reduce heat to low, and simmer until tender and liquid has been absorbed, about 12-15 minutes. Fluff quinoa with a fork and transfer to a large bowl to cool.

Stir in cherry tomato halves (or tomato pieces), mozzarella and basil.

Combine lemon juice and oil; stir to blend. Pour over quinoa mix and toss well. Season with salt and pepper.

Delicious!

Menu Plan Monday - 19th January

Well, we had more sick kids last week, (as well as sick Mummy!), so I still didn't get Orange Chicken done - try again! For a couple of days we mostly ate chicken broth (made week before last and frozen), homemade spelt bread (made before we got sick), scrambled eggs and leftovers! My meal 'schedule' is a bit changed this week because of visitors... this is the plan...

Monday: (friends over) Lamb roast, roast veges, homemade bread rolls, with chocolate hazlenut cake for dessert.

Tuesday: (friends over) Orange Chicken, baked veges, broccoli, homemade bread, with apple berry custard crumble for dessert.

Wednesday: (vege) Quinoa Caprese, green salad, leftovers maybe (easy night!).

Thursday: (seafood) Star Anise Seared Salmon (recipe coming), homemade mayonaise, green salad, homemade bread.

Friday: (seafood) Tuna a la King (recipe coming) on mashed potato (easy night!).

Saturday: (vege) Homemade pizza (another easy night!).

Sunday: (meat) Marinated T-bone steak, baked sweet & English potatoes (baked in crockpot), salad.

Snack Sticks

I'm always looking for ideas for healthy snacks for the kids (and me!), and this is one of our favourites. They're usually called 'cheese sticks,' but if you can't have cheese, just leave it out and call them snack sticks! They're still yummy.

1. Preheat oven to moderate heat (180 degrees C).

2. Mix together in Thermomix, speed 5 for 20 seconds:
- 1 cup of grated tasty cheese (if using - can be grated first in Thermomix)
- 230g spelt flour (w/meal, white, or mixture)
- 1/2 t salt
- 1/2 tsp mustard powder (opt.)
- cayenne pepper to taste (opt.)
- 1/3 cup butter/ghee/olive oil
3. Barely mix in on speed 3:
- 3 T rice milk (or enough to form dough into a ball)

4. Roll out thinly on floured board or bread mat, sprinkle with:
- sesame seeds or poppy seeds,
then roll a little more to press seeds in.

5. Cut into strips (or whatever shapes you like) and place on ungreased oven trays.

6. Cook for 10-15 mins, or until lightly browned. Cool and eat!