Category: Salads

Keema with peas + Kachumber Salad (Vegetarian)

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A little spicy Indian inspired meal, this one. It’s probably not super traditional – but it’s my take on it!

Keema is ground or minced meat – with a curry flavour. Here, obviously my version is vegetarian – where I use a plant based mince. It can be made in one pan, in as little as 15 minutes.

You can get your Keema cooking, whilst you prepare the salad.

Perfect for four x

Keema

400g plant based mince
1 peeled brown onion
1 heaped tbsp ghee
1 inch long piece of ginger
4 garlic cloves
1 tsp red chilli powder
1 tsp garam masala
1 tsp cumin powder
1 tsp coriander powder
½ tsp turmeric powder
1/2 tsp sea salt
1 cup water
1/2 cup fresh peas

to serve

steamed white rice
natural yoghurt
fresh sliced chillies, or chilli flakes
fresh coriander leaves
lime wedges
gf flat breads

method

Place your onion, ginger and garlic cloves in a mini chopper. Pulse until very fine (this is so you don’t have large chunks of onion in your mince).

Heat the ghee in a deep based frypan over a medium – high heat. Add the onion mixture to the frypan. Sauté until translucent. Add your mince and cook until there is no moisture. Add the ground spices, stir and cook for a further minute. Add the water and stir. Turn down to low – medium heat, over and allow the mince to continue to cook until all the water is evaporated.

Add the peas and stir through.

Serve on steamed rice with a dollop of yoghurt, scatter with chilli and coriander leaves. Squeeze fresh lime on top.

KACHUMBER SALAD

Kachumber Salad

1 small cos lettuce
1/4 red onion sliced thinly
1 lebanese cucumber *cut into rounds
400g organic chickpeas *drained
3 tomatoes chopped
fresh coriander leaves
8 fresh mint leaves
1 lime juice
evoo
2 tsp toasted cumin seeds
sea salt
chill flakes

method

Wash + cut your lettuce into bit sized pieces. Add to a large bowl. Throw in the sliced onion, cucumber, chickpeas and tomatoes. Mix through.

Add the juice of a lime + a good drizzle of evoo. Season with sea salt and chilli flakes. Throw in the toasted cumin seeds.

Slice the mint finely and add to the salad. Add the coriander leaves. Mix through.

Serve alongside the keema, rice + flat bread.

Gada Gado + the simplest peanut sauce… plus, Cooking with essential oils

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Gado Gado is an authentic vegetarian Indonesian salad, full of protein (tofu + usually with boiled eggs, but I somehow missed them) – with a dense peanut sauce that takes the dish next level. Let’s be honest, I would dip anything into that sauce – or just eat it on it’s own!!

A multi-layered veg delight, a combination of raw and cooked, sliced and arranged.

peanut sauce

3 tbsp organic crunchy peanut butter
1 tbsp organic tamari
1/2 tbsp sesame oil
1 tsp raw honey
1 kaffir lime leaf *blitzed
3 drops doTERRA lime oil
1 drop doTERRA ginger oil

boiling water *as required

crispy tofu

1 pack organic firm tofu
3 tbsp organic corn flour
shichimi togarashi *(Japanese red pepper seasoning mix – found in asian stores)
sea salt
cracked black pepper
organic coconut oil

Assorted chopped veggies – including crispy lettuce, carrot, boiled potato, cucumber, tomato, peppers, cabbage, beans, spring onions, sprouts + boiled eggs.

method

Mix all of the sauce ingredients together in a bowl. Gently add a little boiled water at a time until you get a nice thick sauce consistency. Set aside.

Drain the tofu on paper towel + pat dry carefully.

Add the corn flour, shichimi togarashi, sea salt + cracked black pepper into a small bowl (to taste). Set aside.

Add a tbsp or so, of coconut oil to a frypan over a med-high heat.

Gently coat each piece + sides of the tofu cubes in the cornflour mixture, and add to the hot frypan. Continue to flip tofu until all sides are golden brown + crispy. *add more coconut oil if necessary

Serve immediately with chopped veggies + peanut sauce.

x

olive-oil-salad-dressing-cooking-olive

Cooking with Essential Oils

It’s soo handy having essential oils on hand to cook with, not only do they provide meals with a potent + powerful flavour, but they also allow the consumers to enjoy the internal health benefits that the essential oil may hold, as well as providing a safe, natural way to flavour your food. Offering convenience when fresh ingredients are not available.

Frequently used for their internal benefits, essential oils provide a simple way to promote wellness in the body. Depending on the oil, you can use essential oils to promote healthy digestion, cleanse the body, support healthy function of the body’s systems, provide the body with antioxidants, and other internal benefits.

PLEASE NOTE: Not all essential oils are safe for consumption. Always refer to reliable sources, that provide information about the safe internal use of essential oils. doTERRA identify their essential oils that are considered safe to add to your food + beverages in the below eBook, Cooking with Essential Oils – (along with those not to), PLUS; safety, usage, best practices, recipes + plenty of other helpful information. Not all essential oils are created equal. It is imperative to use high quality, thoroughly tested oils, that are food grade.

Cooking with Essential Oils eBOOK

There’s always a place for herbs and spices – we need the variety of nutrients they offer! But sometimes, it’s just easier to add a drop or two of essential oil, instead of spending time chopping, slicing + prepping. On other occasions, an essential oil can take the place of a recipe’s artificial flavouring ingredient.

To shop doTERRA essential oils visit MY ONLINE SHOP (instructions are on the right) or alternatively, email naturalhealthconsciousliving@hotmail.com for my assistance! 

With love,

Kristy x

*Always check with your health care professional if you have any pre-existing issues prior to using essential oils. or if you are pregnant.

All material on this site is provided for information only, and may not be construed as personal medical advice to diagnose or treat. No action should be taken based solely on the contents of this information; instead, readers should consult appropriate health professionals on any matter relating to their health and well-being.

The author claims no responsibility or liability, for any loss or damage incurred by use of information provided by this site. 

Roasted beets, white beans & broccolini with walnut butter

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I am a HUGE lover of beets. Many people are inclined to throw away the beet leaves. Waste not! The leaves are actually the most nutrient-rich part of the plant (think iron, magnesium, vitamin c, folate and so on) and provide some amazing health benefits.

Most importantly, beets are in season. Beetroot with stems and leaves still attached are best. The foliage should be green and fresh – looking.

I like to serve this dish with crispy trout. The flavours mingle beautifully.

ingredients

4 beets & their leaves
2 garlic cloves (unpeeled)
organic balsamic vinegar
organic olive oil
1/2 orange juice
bunch broccolini
200g white beans
sea salt
cracked black pepper
1/2 cup walnuts

method

Preheat the oven to 200 degrees.

Top and tail the beets. Place the beet leaves aside. Arrange the beets in an oven tray with the garlic cloves and a drizzle of olive oil. Cover and bake until cooked (usually around 1 – 1.5 hours). You still want the beets firm, but cooked through.

Blitz the walnuts with a small amount of olive oil in a blender and pulse until smooth. Keep adding a little olive oil at a time, until a sauce like consistency. Set aside.

Remove the beets from the oven and keep covered for around 30 minutes. This enables the skins to come off easily.

Remove the skins. Cut into wedges. Place the beets in a bowl, add the cooking juices and a little drizzle of balsamic vinegar. Season with sea salt and black pepper. Set aside.

Wash and chop the beet leaves into thin strips (0.5cm). Heat a frypan over a medium heat with a small amount of olive oil. Add the shredded beet leaves and gently cook for 5 minutes. Squeeze in the orange juice and mix through. Remove from the heat and set aside.

Wash and remove the ends of the broccolini. Cut in half. Heat a frypan over a medium heat with a small amount of olive oil. Add the broccolini and a pinch of sea salt and sauté for 3-5 minutes. Don’t over cook. You want the broccolini with a little crunch, for texture. Remove from the heat and set aside.

Assemble the dish – first with the cooked beet leaves, arrange the beet wedges, the broccolini, scatter the white beans all over, and lastly, drizzle with the walnut butter.