Autumn quick dish: Brussels Sprouts with marinated feta and sesame seeds

Gosh, I remember the days when I hated these things. Oh how times have changed! Brussels can make an impressive side dish with the right treatment. Here’s one of my faves…

Braised brussels sprouts in butter with black and white sesame seeds and marinated feta

1. Remove stem, quarter and wash the sprouts
2. Blanch in salted water until slightly soft
3. Melt a nob of butter in a fry pan, once hot add blanched sprouts
4. Saute on high for about a minute or two flicking the pan to coat sprouts with the butter, then turn off heat
5. Sprinkle with black and white sesame seeds and dot some marinated feta

Quick health facts: sesame seeds are high in calcium and great for tonifying the Kidneys. Brussels sprouts are also high in Vit C and come from the cruciferous family, sporting the same anti-cancer properties.

Delicious Kofta Curry with Coriander Sauce: Energy Food for Autumn

The days are cooler, the leaves turn pretty colours, and often we sneeze and cough our way through Autumn to the coolest of seasons. If you’re like me, Autumn is a time you could do with more energy too.

For me – and women in general – a struggle for energy goes hand in hand with a tendency for anaemia, or what is called blood deficiency in TCM. This is a very common amongst us females as we, you know, cycle. It’s literally is like that…blood goes out, blood must be replenished. However fellas, this doesn’t mean you can’t become blood deficient. All pathologies come down to lifestyle, diet and constitution.

One of the most potent form of blood building foods is Lamb. I get a bit nervous blogging about meat because I’m vocal about my penchant for plant-based eating. After a dabble with the V-diets and feeling like a half dead crustacean lying listlessly at the bottom of the ocean, I made my peace with the circle of life and call myself flexitarian.

And happily so, because I found this fantastic recipe by Stephanie Alexander and can’t stop raving about it! Simple to make, it’s gently warming with a hint of green chilli and includes aromatic spices like cardamon and coriander seed that are great for digestion. I’ve added kale to super charge the dish with energy. Perfect Autumn fuel.

Eat for taste, lose weight?

I posted a thought recently about eating for taste vs. eating for health. How about eating for taste to promote weight loss? Hear me out a sec…

What if you were so satisfied by a meal, your taste buds happily stimulated, you were inclined to eat less?

Perhaps when we are enjoying a meal so much, we slow down and savor. Are we more inclined to chew to capture the moment? Maybe there’s a bit of rolling the food over the whole surface of the tongue, give all tastebuds a chance to transduce. All the while, our olfactory sense is engaged.

What you’ve just done is what we ought to be practicing with every meal. If we aren’t enjoying it, it’s more of a case of wolfing down food as a mechanical action. In the process consuming more, not masticating enough which is harder work for the digestion.

It’s just a thought….try it sometime.

Cauliflower Soup with crispy cauliflower crumbs

Soups are the easiest way to get nutrition combined with taste. This little gem is no different. Try this recipe, it’s easy peasy.

Eating for health vs. eating for taste

Here’s a thought. Have you ever considered eating for what your body needs, rather than taste or what you “feel like”?

Most people are out of sync with their body and excesses can cause cravings of the wrong sort.

Once your body is in harmony, and you are attuned to it, only then is it possible to go with your gut. So to speak.

It’s not uncommon for Spleen deficient types to crave sweet food, further harming the energetics of this key digestive organ. Similarly, those with Liver constraint may crave fried foods more often. I know I do!

Spend some time getting to know your body, it knows what’s best for you better than you do.

Part 2: An Autumn Easter Feast, soup and entree recipe

Here is the first of the recipe sections to the Autumn Easter Feast series beginning, naturally, with the starter and entree. Feel free to use the recipes in this series as a complete menu or individually. The kibbeh make fantastic snacks and can be made ahead of time, frozen and cooked on an as-need basis.

On the menu:

Matzoh Ball Soup with dill and parsley

Smokey Carrot Kibbeh with labne and cavallo nero

Part 1: An Autumn Easter Feast, the menu

Impressive vegetarian starter: Smokey carrot kibbeh stuffed with labne and cavallo nero

Easter was celebrated this year with friends in the form of a feast of seasonal autumn (or Fall if you prefer!) produce. This is the first dinner party I’ve hosted since staging in two healthy minded New York restaurants last year. A timely reminder of how satisfying preparing a meal for loved friends is.

This is part one of a four part series on creating Autumn Easter Feast, which includes recipes.

Gluten Free Breakfast Inspiration

Buckwheat bread, marinated goats feta with trimmings. Love it when breakfast turns out like a rainbow!

Buckwheat bread, marinated goats feta, tomato with shaved asparagus, yellow capsicum and spring onion

Breakfast Inspiration. Lavender & Coconut Oatmeal with Chia Seeds.

Mmmmm fragrant

No sugar doesn’t equal no sweetness in life. And what’s sweeter than the smell of a rose?

Hunting around my cupboards I realised I don’t have much in the way of rose water, rose geranium essence…I’m even all out of vanilla essence. But what I did have is edible lavender! The right kind of lavender has to be used in cooking, being the sweeter tasting English variety. I *think* all lavender is edible, but other varieties have higher levels of camphor oil which is toxic to the body. No we don’t want that one.

English Lavender (Lavandula angustifolia) Source: gardenexpress.com.au

Voila, lavender oatmeal was born.

Cook the oatmeal (here and here), adding some fragrant and naturally sweet coconut shavings, some chia seeds for superfood content, and a pinch of dried lavender. Don’t go overboard or it’ll overpower your tastebuds. I even think some banana would compliment nicely.

Don’t forget to skip through the tulips on your way to work!

More “Isn’t breakky fun” posts coming your way.

Beans, beans good for your heart…and other things.

source: eatfoo.com

I’m re-blogging this post because I think it’s so darn useful. And I like beans.

Surprisingly versatile, cheap and tastier than you think, legumes are a good option to creating rich and satisfying meals. Obvious ingredient if you’re vegan or vegetarian. Under-utilised if you’re carnivorous.

Peas, lentils and peanuts all form the legume family. These powerful little pods are an amazing source of B-vitamins, potassium, calcium, iron, protein, good fats, carbohydrates. Sprouting them, legumes become a good source of Vitamin C and beneficial enzymes. And of course we know they have a high soluble fiber content. That’s what gives us those bowel churning reactions.

Don’t give up on beans just yet.