Pumpkin Chili Soup

Ingredients

1 large butternut pumpkin or 2 smaller ones
1/6 bunch of parsley
1 red chili (This makes it quite hot - don't add the chili if this is for people who have a low tolerance for hot food, or if there is a mild tolerance use half of the chili.)
1/2 bunch of spring onion (green tops only for low FODMAP)
Dash of oil (you could use garlic infused olive oil)
500 ml of chicken or vegetable stock - I used Sue Shepherd's low FODMAP stock.  (Obviously, use vegetable stock if you are making this vegetarian/vegan.
1 cup of almond milk (you could use coconut or soy if you need it nut free)
1/4 teaspoon paprika
2 pinches of salt - optional

 Method
Wash all veggies
Put the parsley, chili and spring onion in the bellini and blitz for 20 seconds starting on speed 5 and going up to speed 7.
Peel and chop up the pumpkin into small cubes.
Add the pumpkin, stock, oil, paprika, salt and almond milk.

Cook on speed 1 at 100 degrees for 30 minutes
Using a tea-towel on top of the lid to prevent any blow out slowly increase the speed from 3-6 - but wait until it has cooled somewhat so you don't accidentally get 2-3 degree burns!  Alternatively, leave this step out, and just let it take it's time to break the pumpkin up by stirring.
Cook again on speed 3 at 90 degrees for another 10-30 minutes with the clear top out to allow it to reduce.

Very yummy.  If you need to keep protein up add some cooked chicken to the soup when you serve it.

Serve with hot multi-grain toast.

Schnitzels

I used to love eating schnitzels, but after going gluten free I found that it was nearly impossible to find gluten free schnitzels.

A few weeks ago I decided to remedy this by going online and finding something I could modify.  And this recipe is the result.


1 cup quinoa flakes
lemon rind of 1 lemon
2 tablespoons of chives (fresh or dried) - if it's fresh dice them finely
2 tablespoons of basil (fresh or dried)
2 tablespoons of psyllium husk for psyllium husk "egg"*
4 tablespoons of boiling water
1/2 cup gf flour
1/2 cup rice crumbs

2-4 cuts of defrosted meat

• for chicken get butterflied chicken breast
• for beef get veal cutlets or a thin cut low fat and gristle meat

Garlic infused olive oil for frying.

Method

Boil the kettle
If you are using fresh basil and/or chives chop these finely.
Grate your lemon rind
Thoroughly mix flours in with the spices and lemon rind.
Place meat on a plate/3rd bowl out of the way, but close at hand.
Prepare your frying pan with oil.
In a second bowl add your psyllium husk, and add 4 tablespoons of boiling water mixing constantly with a fork.

As soon as you get a sticky gel consistency add the meat slices and coat with the psyllium mixture.
Immediately transfer to the bowl of spices and flour and coat.
Quickly transfer to frying pan for cooking.

Repeat the coating process for each slice of meat.

The psyllium may become extremely gelled, and if so, add a dash of hot water to it an mix again, then repeat the process.

Fry for approximately 7 minutes on a medium-high setting before turning to the other side for approx 5 minutes to finish it.

Enjoy!

PS for a gluten free gravy use massels lucky 7s or Sue Shepherd's chicken stock with gf cornflour.  (I'll try to provide a recipe for that soon.)

Slow Cooked Beef Stew

Ingredients:
Approximately 1 kg (plus or minus 250grams) of beef - with bones is fine.
4 teaspoons of beef style stock (ensure this meets your dietary requirements - I use massells)
1 Large brown onion
A mix of chopped vegetables (I use carrots, broccoli, cauliflower, peas, beans, baby spinach, pumpkin, zucchini, egg plant, leek, etc. You could use sweet potato and corn also but they are very high in carbs so I avoid them.)
Water to cover.
Optional- gravy mix (I use organ)
Garlic minced- dry

Method:
Put the beef and onion in the slow cooker and cover with water (ensure there is plenty of water in the cooker) and cook on high for 8+ hours. (Longer is fine providing you have plenty of water.)

Add in vegetables except for fresh spinach. You may need to add (boiling) water again. Cook on high for 90 minutes.

For gravy, on the stove create a very thick gravy, and remove from the heat as soon as it starts bubbling. Skip this step if you're not having gravy.

Add both gravy and baby spinach at the last 5 minutes and gently mix through.

Remove from the heat and serve immediately.

To make this a soup emit the gravy and up the water.

This serves quite a few... depending on if you're feeding teenage boys or not. ;)

Slow Cooked Apricot Chicken

Ingredients:
4 chicken breast fillets
1kg of apricot halves (canned or jar is fine)
3 teaspoons of chicken stock (ensure the stock is appropriate for any dietary requirements)
1 large brown onion, chopped
Water to cover.

Method:
Place chicken in the slow cooker.
Add onion and apricot on top.
Cover with water.
Add stock, sprinkling it around so that it is mixed through.
Cook on high for 5 hours.
Serve with steamed veggies.

Apple Crumble

Ingredients:
7 apples

2 Teaspoons of cinnamon
1 Teaspoon of nutmeg
1 cup GF flour (I use organ)
1/2 cup organic raw sugar
1/4 cup rice bread crumbs (check they are GF)
2/3 cup coconut oil
3/4 cup rolled quinoa
3/4 cup psyllium husk
2 teaspoons vanilla essence

Method:

Core and chop apples into small chunks. Boil on a low heat on the stove just covered in water for 10 minutes.

An apple corer that chops it too is an amazing tool for this job.

While that is cooking add all other ingredients to a bowl and mix well.  I mix by hand - its that easy.

When the apple is cooked take it off the stove and put it in the bottom of an oven dish.  Spread topping over the apple.

Put in preheated oven for 15-30 minutes at 180 C.  Let it cool before you eat it, as it will be very hot!!!!

Easy Dinner, Healthy Dinner?

Recently I took too much on.  By too much, I mean, I was drowning in it.  I had about one free day normally, and I took on enough extra stuff to cover a full week!  Might be slightly crazy.

I started getting worn out and exhausted.  I just couldn't cope.  Finally I spoke to someone who is like a father to me.  His first question for me was: what happened to your boundaries Felicity?  You can't let that happen.  People will violate your boundaries if you don't enforce them.  I sobbed something about it being so hard... and I was trying, but they weren't being respected, and I wasn't being respected either.

I was so discouraged I nearly quit a subject because I couldn't manage it all, and I was as miserable as a little kid with a cold.  The spark of life was missing.  In fact, it felt plain awful in every way.

It's funny.  It was a short conversation, because he didn't have long, but I felt a thousand times lighter afterward.  I spent a bit of time in worship, and let the tears and pain that had been held back for weeks go, and the tension and the stress left.

For the first day in several weeks I wasn't exhausted half way through the day.

I even got home and wanted to cook.  (The dishes took priority though.)

When I get around to cooking I think it will either be bread, brownies, or hot cross buns.  :)

Yesterday evening my easy, yum and healthy dinner was:

Easy Roast Chicken Dinner

1 chicken breast fillet

1 onion

4 chunks of butternut punkin (Washed, unpeeled)

2 carrots chopped in wedges

1/4 section of sweet potato (Peeled)

I poured a little olive oil over them and sprinkled with mixed herbs and garlic.

Covered with alfoil and put in the oven at 180C.

I then went for a walk, etc., and when I got it out the oven about 1.5 hours later it was cooked.  (I checked and turned it in-between, and I ended up cutting some of my chunks smaller.

Then I put some water on to boil with broccoli in it, and added some frozen peas and beans for about 5 -7 minutes.

It took almost nil effort and hardly any prep, but I then had a really nice dinner and leftovers for another 2 meals. 

As they say, winner, winner, chicken dinner.

Chicken Curry

Ingredients:
2 chicken breasts
Dash of Macadamia Nut Oil
3 cloves of garlic
3 tins of coconut milk
3 carrots
1/2 bunch of kale
1 brown onion
1/2 bunch of spring onion
1 capsicum
2 small zuccini

1 broccoli head
1/2 cauliflower
Additional dried garlic, curry, tumeric - to taste

Method:

Chop and cook the chicken in a wok or huge frying pan.

After a few minutes add the onion and 1 tin of coconut milk.

Blitz the garlic and add.

Blitz the carrot, broccoli and cauliflower in a blender until they are fairly small chunks, but not tiny, add them, stir in a bit.

Blitz kale and add.

Add another tin of coconut milk.

Add other herbs and spices.

Blitz capsicum, and zuccini and add (if you wanted more veg then you could add eggplant and/or mushroom here - especially if you want a vegan version.)

Stir in final tin of coconut milk.

Cook for a few more minutes, and then it should be done.  (taste test - curry amounts vary on the strength of the curry and the stomach of the person eating it.)

This can easily be vegan, just skip the chicken, and it should still be just as delicious.

Shepherd's Pie

One of my favourite recipes is Shepherd's pie.  The normal version has potato and butter and milk and nasty things I can't eat, but this version is amazing and contains none of those things.  You can make this using leftovers or you can make it from scratch.

Ingredients:
500gm of mince - preferably lamb
1 onion (finely chopped if using stove, not if using a kitchen aid)
Half a cauliflower
Approx 2.5 kg of other veggies (carrots, peas, beans, cabbage - green or purple, zucchini, eggplant, spinach, broccoli,pumpkin etc.)
Organ veggie gravy
Gluten free beef stock (I use Massels)
Cheese, soy cheese or a nut based replacement cheese

Method:
Preheat oven to 180 degrees

Keeping cauliflower separate, cook vegetables on the stove by either boiling or steaming for approx 15-20 minutes until soft.

If you have a Bellini, Thermomix or Thermochef, etc. you can cook the mince and onion in that on speed 3, heat 90 - 100, with a good dash of water and oil each, for 20 minutes.  After about ten minutes add gravy and 2 teaspoons of stock.  You can add other flavourings if you like such as garlic, rosemary, or whatever herbs suit your fancy.  So easy as it cooks it for you and you don't have to worry about stirring.

On the stove method: cook mince in a pot on a lowish heat with a small dash of oil and/or water. Once it has browned a little, add the herbs, etc and onion.  When it is fully cooked add gravy stirring continuously until it has thickened, and then take off the heat.

Assemble veggies into your oven dish in layers.  I usually put chunky stuff at the bottom, but really veggies can go in any order or even mixed through except your cauliflower.

Add mince with gravy on top of veggies.

Mash the cauliflower well and add a dash of olive oil to it for texture.  You can add salt and pepper to it also or leave that out if you're keeping the salt low.

Add the cauliflower mash to the top and smooth over.

(If you want to freeze it unmade this is the best point to do so)

Put your cheese or fake cheese on, and zip in the oven.

If everything is already hot it will only take a few minutes, but if you have prepared ahead and then stored in the fridge or freezer then it will take 40 minutes in the oven from defrosted.  Just check it has heated all the way through.

Delish!

Quinoa and Chia Seed Porridge

This is my standard breakfast, quinoa and chia seed porridge.  It's very yummy, warm, quick to make and just plain fabulous.

I have several variations, so if you're wanting to try it different ways, be brave - it's better with variations!

For one person:
In a bowl place:
1/4 cup rolled quinoa
1 Tablespoon chia seed
1 cup of milk of choice (I like almond milk and coconut milk) or 3/4 cup of water.
Good teaspoon of cinnamon
Fruit to sweeten (1 handful of sultanas, or 1 mashed banana or 1 mashed pear, or stewed apple, etc.) Alternatively you could use honey, agave, stevia or another sweetener.

I prepare that the night before, and leave it in the fridge to soak, as it tastes better this way.

The next morning I pull it out the fridge, and pour it into a small pot. Mix it around well so everything is evenly distributed, and if it's completely absorbed the liquid add a little more so it's slightly runny.

Put it on a very low heat, and check it regularly, but it will probably take around 7 minutes to heat up.  DO NOT raise the temperature to make it happen faster.  (I usually use this time to clean the kitchen or do some other job, as it will take a few minutes...)  Once it has heated it will start bubbling a little.  Stir it gently, to make sure it doesn't stick.  This may take another 2-3 minutes.  (You don't need to stir constantly, give it a stir, leave it for a sec, come back give it another stir...)  Once it's a nice porridge consistency, you're done!  Take it off the heat and pour into a bowl to eat.  Yummy, yummy.  Just beware - it's hot.

Variations:
Chuck in a handful of nuts at step 1- almonds or walnuts are nice.

1 Tablespoon of coconut at step 1

You could add 2 teaspoons of Cacao powder for a nice chocolate flavour instead of the cinnamon, but you would want to think carefully about what fruit you matched with it (banana might be nice) and it may need extra sweetener to take off the bitter edge.