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. 

Chilli Con Carne

Chilli Con Carne is a favourite in many households, including my own. I find this is a great recipe to cook at the start of the week with the option to freeze for times of need or to reheat for lunches the next day. A few healthy facts about this recipe:

• I have modified the traditional recipe by including more vegetables. You can include even more by adding grated zucchini to the mix and serving this dish with a side salad. Adding the extra vegetables lowers the total saturated fat and energy content per serve and increases the fibre content.
• This recipe has approximately 25g of protein per serve, which is an excellent amount to consume after exercise or any meal during the day for active people.
• This recipe is great topped with Greek yoghurt instead of the traditional sour cream. Greek yoghurt it much lower in total fat, saturated fat and energy, with the added bonus of some calcium and extra protein.
• This recipe is great served on its own for a light meal or served with rice, spuds or wraps for a more active eat.

Ingredients (serves 8)

2 tablespoons of olive oil

2 medium onions, diced

3 cloves of garlic, thinly sliced

2 red capsicums, diced

1 large carrot, diced

2 tablespoons of cumin

2 tablespoons of ground coriander 

1 tablespoon of paprika

1/2 - 1 tablespoon of chilli powder (depending on your preference)

500g of lean beef mince

800g (2 large tins) of kidney beans

1 large tin (400g) of diced/chopped tomatoes

700g jar of tomato passata

1 cup of mushrooms, thinly sliced

1 bunch of fresh coriander, roughly chopped

To serve

Thick Greek yoghurt

Grated cheddar 

Salad

Rice, baked potatoes or wraps

Method

Heat a large, heavy based pan over medium-high. Add the olive oil, onion, garlic, carrot and capsicum. Cook, stirring, until onion is translucent. Add the paprika, cumin, ground coriander and chilli powder and a good pinch of salt and pepper. Cooking until fragrant and everything is starting to brown.

Add the mince and brown for a few minutes, stirring and jabbing frequently with a big wooden spoon. Pour in the diced tomatoes, mushrooms, kidney beans and passata. Bring to boil, then reduce and simmer for about 20-30 minutes or until sauce reduces, thickens and darkens slightly. Taste the mix to see if you need to add more heat, salt or pepper - you want it to have a bit of heat without too much!

Sprinkle with coriander leaves. Serve accompanied with rice, spuds or wraps and a nice big dollop of Greek yoghurt and a handful of grated cheese.

•  A great recipe to make at the start of the week and reheat for a quick and easy dinner.

•  Keep frozen portions in the freezer.

Nutrition information per serve (for the chilli only) 1332kJ (317 cal), protein 26g, fat 12g, saturated fat 3g, carbohydrate 22g, sugars 9g, fibre 11g, sodium 461mg

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. 

BANANA AND BERRY BAKED OATS

This recipe was inspired by Heidi Swanson's baked oats.

As soon as I saw the original recipe I just had to try it Heidi's way and my own way.

Eating oats baked is a more indulgent way to enjoy this old-time favourite, yet you still reap the many health benefits. 

Eating oats this way provides about the same amount of carbohydrate (~40g), a little more protein from the nut and seed topping (~12g) and a little more fat compared to oats cooked in milk and topped with fruit, but overall a nutrient dense and filling way to start the day.

I have been enjoying baked oats on the weekend when I am looking for a carbohydrate rich, higher protein breakfast following a long run. I just enjoy this with a cup of milk for adequate protein for muscle recovery and enough carbohydrate to refuel my muscle glycogen stores. 

I believe the whole family would just love this recipe for a heart-warming breakfast on a cold weekend morning. 

Ingredients (makes 6 serves)

2 cups of oats

2 teaspoons of cinnamon

 1 teaspoon of baking powder

 100g of a nut and seed mix (I used almonds, cashews, sunflower seeds and pumpkin seeds)

 A pinch of salt

 1 egg

 2 cups of milk

 60g unsalted butter or margarine, melted

 3 tablespoons of maple syrup

 1 teaspoons of vanilla essence

 2 cups of frozen mixed berries

 1 large ripe banana (or two small bananas), sliced

 Method

Preheat oven to 180 degrees.

In a bowl combine the dry ingredients - oats, cinnamon, baking powder, salt and 50g of the nut and seed mix.

In a separate bowl mix the wet ingredients - whisk the egg then add the milk, melted butter (or margarine), maple syrup and vanilla essence.

Line the base of a 20cm x 20cm oven proof dish (grease if required) with the banana and 1 ½ cup of the berries.

Scatter the dry ingredients on top of the banana and berries.

Slowly pour the wet ingredients over the oat mixture, then give the dish a good thump on the bench/chopping board (without breaking) to make sure the wet ingredients mix through.

Scatter the other 50g of the nut and seed mix and ½ cup of berries over the top.

Bake in the oven for about 40 minutes or until brown on top.

Remember to use recipes for inspiration and mix up the ingredients to your own liking. You could also use tinned apples instead of the banana and walnuts instead of the nut and seed mix.

ENJOY