pumpkin & bean spiced soup

Ingredients (serves 6)

Olive oil for drizzling (also anti-inflammatory)

1 large butternut pumpkin, chopped into chunks (about 2-3cm x 2-3cm)

2 medium carrots, chopped length ways and again in 2 cm pieces

1 small red capsicum, chopped into chunks (about 2-3cm x 2-3 cm)

4 cloves of garlic

1 brown onion, chopped into chunks 

800g (2 large tins) of cannellini beans (you can use any white bean or chick peas) 

1L of vegetable stock

1 teaspoon of turmeric

1 teaspoon of ground cumin

2 teaspoons of ground coriander

4 tablespoons of pepitas (pumpkin seeds)

Thick Greek yoghurt to serve 

Method

Preheat oven to 180 degree.

Line two baking dishes with baking paper and add all vegetables to the tray, drizzle with olive oil.

Cook vegetables in the oven for 30-40 minutes or until soft and starting to get some nice colour.

Add vegetables to a large saucepan and add beans, spices and stock, heat over a high heat until starting to bubble. Meanwhile, heat a small pan with a drizzle of olive oil over a medium heat and toast the pepitas. As soon as they start to become fragrant remove them from the heat so they don't burn. Set aside to cool. 

Turning back to the soup, turn of the heat and puree using a bamix blender (you could also put the mix in your blender but you will just have to do this in batches). 

Divide soup between bowls and top with a big dollop of thick Greek yoghurt and the pepitas. 

Enjoy as a family with some crusty sourdough bread.

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Nutrition (without the bread)

Kilojoules 1650 Protein 17g Carbs 40g Fat 16g Saturated fat 4g Fibre 14g Sodium 680mg

This dish also gluten free for those requiring a gluten free diet. 

Macadamia and herb crusted salmon

Not only does this dish boast healthy fats for cardiovascular health, it is quick to prepare and tastes sensational. The whole family will be impressed. 

Ingredients for salmon

½ cup of macadamia nuts

Rind of 1 lemon (finely grated)

Garlic clove, crushed

½ cup chopped parsley

Small amount of salt to season

4 x 150g salmon fillets with skin on

Lemon wedges to serve

 Methods for salmon

Preheat oven to 220ºC.

Place macadamia nuts, lemon rind, parsley, garlic and salt in a food processor and process until combine.

Place the salmon flesh side up on a baking tray lined with baking paper and spread the paste evenly over the fleshy part of the salmon, press on evenly using your fingers.

Cook salmon for ~15-20 minutes or until cooked through.

Nutrition information (per serve): Kilojoules: 2000kJ (476cal) Protein: 44g Carbohydrate: 1g Fat: 32g Saturated fat: 6g Fibre: 2g Sodium: 83mg

The MuffQuin - Made with Love from Leftovers

Yes you read right, this post is about a little snack that was dubbed the muffQuin by my good friend Nancy. This snack was born when I had some leftover quinoa and vegetables at the end of the week.

As a child I was always aware of the environment and encouraged my family to recycle.  As I have grown and matured I have adapted these traits to my eats. I always look for opportunities to use leftovers from meals or produce that will soon perish. It often means that left over roasted veggies are made into slices or omelettes, or older vegetables are made into soups or thrown into those always interesting “one pots.”

When I had some leftover quinoa and sautéed sweet potato and kale I knew I could do something a little more interesting than add it to my salad (although this is a good option too).

Lets start with how I made the sautéed sweet potato and kale because this dish is enough to write about in itself. This dish is a great side to any meal and adds a good punch of nutrients with a great taste to say the least.

Sautéed sweet potato and kale

Ingredients

Approximately 2 tablespoons of cooking oil (type as you desire)

1 medium to large sweet potato, peeled and cut into small cubes

1 handful of kale, leaves cut from stems and roughly chopped 

1 teaspoon of chilli flakes

1 garlic clove, finely chopped

¼ of a teaspoon of paprika

1/2 of a teaspoon of cumin

1/2 of a teaspoon of ground coriander seeds

Method

Heat oil in a pan over medium to high heat.

Add sweet potato and sauté for 4-5 minutes or until almost tender, stirring frequently.

Add chilli, garlic, cumin and ground coriander, a dash of water and stir through sweet potato for a couple of minutes.

Add kale and continue to stir frequently for ~5 minutes or until the kale starts to shrink.

I served this with a lamb roast, green beans and a quinoa salad.

With the left overs I made these MuffQuins…

Ingredients - Makes 6 MuffQuins

1 cup of sweet potato and kale mixture (although I am sure you could use any leftover roasted veggies or tinned corn and with some spices).

1 cup of cooked quinoa

2 eggs

¼ cup of grated cheddar cheese

Cracked pepper to season

Method

Preheat oven to 180 degrees.

Whisk eggs in a large bowl.

Add quinoa, vegetables, cheese and season with pepper.

Lightly grease muffin moulds.

Evenly distribute mixture into 6 muffin moulds.

Cook for approximately 30-40 minutes.

These are tasty, nutrient dense snacks with approximately 5g of protein, 10g of carbohydrate and 365 kilojoules (87 calories).

 Bon Appetit