Delicious Cauliflower Rice

I was skeptical at first as to how this would turn out, however I was pleasantly surprised and will definitely be making it more often.  Blitz a whole lot of cauliflower (half to 3/4 of a medium one) in a food processor and keep it in a container in the fridge to use throughout the week in other dishes such as tabouleh.
Here’s my step by step guide for the rest:

1) Scramble 3 eggs in a large hot pan with a little butter, set aside and cut into chunks
2) Fry 1 onion (diced) in some coconut oil for a few minutes, then add in 4 rashers of bacon (diced)  until the bacon is crispy and the onion soft
3) Add in around 6 mushrooms (sliced or quartered), and chopped or minced garlic*
4) Season with ground coriander, ground cumin and some chili flakes (as much as you like!)
5) Add in 1.5 cups thawed (or fresh) peas into the pan and 1 tin corn kernels (or fresh) and cook on med-high heat for a few minutes
6) Stir through the scrambled eggs, that have been set aside
7) Add in about 2 cups of the blitzed cauliflower and fry for only a few minutes (any more than 2 mins and the cauli will go mushy)
8) season with some salt, pepper, a few drops of both sesame oil and soy sauce
9) top with some toasted cashews, chopped coriander, chives or mint

*You could also add in cooked prawns, leftover roast chicken, beans, broccoli or diced carrots in step 3*

Some other dishes you may like:
~ Quinoa Cauliflower Salad with Pistachios and Cranberries
~ Stuffed Mushrooms
~ Zucchini Slice
~ Banana Coconut Bread
~ Coconut Chia Almond Blueberry Muffins

Moroccan Rice

This is a great accompaniment to slow cooked Moroccan lamb, full of flavour!

Cook 1 cup Jasmine rice in 2 cups chicken stock (or water), while it is cooking you can prepare the rest of the dish:

You will need:
~ 1 brown onion, finely diced
~ 2 tbsp olive oil
~ couple of handfuls of natural almonds, chopped roughly
~ 1/4 tsp ground cumin
~ 1/2 tsp ground coriander
~ 1/8 tsp ground tumeric
~ handful of raisins/sultanas
~ small bunch of coriander leaf, chopped roughly
~ handful of cashews
~ juice from 1/4 orange

While the rice is cooking, fry the onions and oil in a pan for a few minutes on med-high heat
Add the almonds and spices and keep stiring the mixture until fragrant
Add a bit more oil if the mixture starts to get a bit dry
Add the raisins for the last few minutes
When the rice is cooked, stir through the onion/almond/raisin mix
Add the coriander leaf, cashews and orange juice and mix thoroughly

Coconut Rice

This is a great side to accompany asian dishes, adding the toasted coconut really makes all the difference!

Place the following in a rice cooker (or med heat on stove top):
~ 1 cup uncooked jasmine rice
~ 1 cup light coconut milk
~ 1 cup water

(The rice is cooked when all the liquid is absorbed)

Toast some shredded coconut lightly in a fry pan and place on top of the rice ready to serve.

Bibimbap

This is a great dish when you have a bit of everything in the cupboard, but nothing at the same time – just throw them all together for a delicious Korean inspired dish (serves two)

Place 1 cup uncooked brown rice and 2 cups water in a rice cooker and leave to cook while preparing the rest of the dish

Place the following in a bowl to marinade:
~ around 500g chicken thigh, boneless and sliced into small-med pieces
~ splash of soy sauce (enough to coat all the chicken)
~ few drops of sesame oil
~ splash of white wine vinegar
~ about 1/2 tsp oyster sauce (optional)
~ about 1/2 tsp crushed garlic (jarred or fresh)
~ 1/2 a fresh chili, finely diced
~ salt and pepper

Fry the following in a little butter, salt and pepper and set aside:
~ 6 button mushrooms, sliced finely
~ 1 courgette, sliced finely

Prep the following for toppings:
~ 1 carrot, peeled and sliced (or grated)
~ 1 radish, sliced finely with a mandolin (or vege peeler)
~ 1/2 bunch coriander leaf, chopped chunky

Cook the chicken in a fry pan on high heat for about 5-10 minutes
Add a few french green beans towards the end for a few minutes (optional)

To put the dish together:
~ place rice in bowl
~ add chicken and beans on top
~ add mushrooms and courgettes
~ top with carrot, radish and coriander
~ place a fried egg on the top

Lamb Pilaf

This is a great one pan, one pot dish if you are feeding the masses! It is packed with flavour and perfect for a cold night.

~ 1/4 small pumpkin, peeled and diced
~ 2 cups chicken stock
~ few saffron threads
~ 1 brown onion, diced
~ 500g lamb mince
~ 1 cup jasmine or basmati rice
~ cinnamon quill
~ 1/2 cup sultanas
~ handful green beans, cut in half
~ 3 tomatoes, diced
~ 1/3 cup slivered almonds (or chopped whole ones)

To Serve:
~ greek yoghurt
~ fresh coriander leaf

Roast the pumpkin in the oven for about 20 minutes at 180c
Place the chicken stock and saffron in a medium saucepan/pot turn to medium/high
Heat a large fry pan and sauté the onions until soft
Add the mince and brown, breaking up as you go
(At this point you may like to drain the mixture as it can be quite an oily meat)
Add the cinnamon, rice and sultanas and continue to cook for a few minutes

Add in the chicken stock, which would have come to the boil by now along with the rice
Reduce heat to med/low and cover to cook for around 12 minutes (you may need to add a little more chicken stock/water if the mixture dries out before the rice is cooked)
Towards the end, add in the beans and stir through (they will braise a little in the heat)
Finally add the pumpkin and stir through, then the tomatoes.
Sprinkle over the almonds when in the serving dish.

Serve with greek yoghurt and fresh coriander leaf

Beef Chili

A great staple recipe which I usually have as a fallback option, as I usually have all the ingredients on hand.

~ 1 large brown onion (or red), peeled and chopped finely
~ 2 sticks of celery, finely chopped
~ 2 medium carrots, peeled and finely chopped
~ 1 clove garlic, peeled and finely chopped
~ 1/2 tsp ground cinnamon
~ 1/2 tsp ground cumin
~ 1/2 tsp ground coriander
~ 1 small chili, finely chopped (or ground chili)

Heat a large pot on the stove top, add a little olive oil and place each above ingredient in, one at a time
Once everything is in the pot, reduce the heat to medium and add the following, stiring after each additions:
~ 1 tin diced tomatoes
~ 1 tin of water
~ 500g beef mince (break it up as you add it)
~ 1 tbsp tomato paste

Reduce the heat to med-low and allow to simmer for as long as possible (I find about 2 hours is the best, adding water as you need to and stirring often)
With about 30 minutes to go until serving, add in:
~ 1 tin chickpeas, drained and rinsed
~ 1 tin kidney beans, drained and rinsed
~ good splash of balsamic vinegar
~ 1 red capsicum, roughly chopped

Serve with either rice, corn chips or wraps along with some sour cream/greek yoghurt, avocado or grated cheese – garnish with some coriander leaves.

Consistency before simmering:

Serves 6 – Serving Size 336 g

Amount Per Serving (below is without the sides or the rice):
Calories 312 (Calories from Fat 60)
Total Fat 6.7g (10% RDI)
Saturated Fat 2.2g (11% RDI)
Trans Fat 0.0g
Cholesterol 74mg (25% RDI)
Sodium 96mg (4% RDI)
Total Carbohydrates 29.1g (10% RDI)
Dietary Fiber 8.0g (32% RDI)
Sugars 7.4g
Protein 33.5g
Vitamin A 95% RDI
Vitamin C 66% RDI
Calcium 7% RDI
Iron 31% RDI