Roasted Chickpea Salad Bowl

Chickpeas are such a versatile little legume and very underrated! It is rich in soluble fibre (7.8g per 100g) for a healthy gut and digestive system and to help lower cholesterol. It is also a wonderful source of low glycaemic slow-release carbohydrates and contains 7.5g protein per 100g to keep you full until your next meal and avoid those afternoon sugar cravings. Chickpeas are also extremely cheap (especially if you buy dried and cook them yourself) and they have a long shelf life - perfect to have on hand to throw into salads for lunch! Just like this favourite lunchtime salad:

Ingredients:

Salad: 2 cups dark green lettuce 1 carrot, 1 celery and ¼ fresh beetroot peeled into "ribbons" with a vegetable peeler ½ pear thinly sliced ½ cup halved cherry tomatoes

Chickpeas: ¾ cup chickpeas 1 teaspoon cumin 1 teaspoon sumac ½ teaspoon paprika ¼ teaspoon chilli powder salt to taste

Dressing: 2 tablespoons plain Greek yoghurt 1 teaspoon tahini paste juice from ½ lemon sprinkle of black sesame seeds

Method: Arrange salad ingredients in a bowl. To make the chickpeas combine with spices and coat evenly. Arrange on an oven tray and bake for 20 minutes at 160 degrees Celsius or until crispy * Combine all the ingredients for the dressing in a small jar and shake vigorously until well-combined and smooth. Top salad with chickpeas, spoon over dressing and sprinkle with black sesame seeds.

* a little hint: if you want your chickpeas to be extra crunchy and delicious, peel the skin off each chickpea before roasting (labour intensive but worth it!)

Rainbow Salad with Poached Chicken & Miso Dressing

It has well and truly warmed up in Perth and we're all in need of a good salad recipe to carry us from an easy pre-pared lunch to a balmy summers picnic dinner. This one looks as delicious as it tastes, and the miso dressing gives it an Asian infused flavour that will have you going back for seconds (without the guilt!). Give this one a go for your next evening dinner on the patio.

Ingredients:

Salad -

2 large chicken breasts (poached and shredded)* 3 big handfuls of green leaves (I used baby beet leaves) ½ bunch roughly chopped fresh coriander ½ bunch roughly chopped fresh mint 1 handful microherbs (optional) ½ head broccoli cut into florets and lightly steamed 3 cups shredded cabbage 1 small yellow capsicum cut into strips 1 small red capsicum cut into strips 1 grated carrot 1 cob of sweet corn (kernels cut off the cob) Juice from one lemon

* How to poach chicken: place the chicken breast in a saucepan, cover with water and bring to the boil. Simmer for 5 minutes, then remove from heat and leave to sit for another 10 minutes. Drain, cool, and finely slice or pull meat apart.

Dressing –

1/3 cup rice vinegar 2 tablespoons sesame oil 1 tablespoon miso paste (can be bought from health food stores) 3 cm piece fresh ginger, finely grated 1 clove garlic, fine grated

Method:

Combine all salad ingredients except the chicken. Coat the salad with the lemon juice. Combine all ingredients for the dressing in a small jar and shake vigorously until well combined. Coat the chicken with the miso dressing. Top the salad with chicken and serve with cooked quinoa and buckwheat mix.

Mediterranean Multigrain Salad

Today is Salad Inspiration day - and this one will fill up your tank with lots of flavour, fibre, and fat-fighting goodies!

Ingredients:

1/4 cup 4Grain Protein Rice (I also added wild rice and buckwheat to the mix) 10 cherry tomatoes 1/4 onion 2 handfuls of green leaves 1 tsp tahini Juice from half a lemon 2 - 3 tbsp almond milk 1/2 tsp garlic powder 1/2 tsp chilli powder 1/2 tsp cumin 1 tbsp goats cheese fetta (optional)

Add the chopped onion and cherry tomatoes to the protein rice, and lay the mixture on a bed of green leaves. Place tahini, lemon juice, almond milk and spices in a small glass jar and shake vigorously until well combined and a dressing consistency is achieved. Pour the dressing over the salad and top with goats cheese fetta. Enjoy!

What is your favourite go-to salad?

I love a freshly grilled fish salad with some sort of fruit added to it - like mango or peach! In case you haven't realised - I'm a bit obsessed with fruit :)

Link of the day:

Fresh Fig & Goats Cheese Salad

Moroccan Chicken Salad

There are few things as satisfying as enjoying the taste, smell, and look of your food whilst knowing that it is good for you. It is even better when it is easy and quick to make!

This chicken is so tasty, you'll never want to make it any other way! But there is a bit of cheating involved which cuts prep and cooking time in half and gets the food on the table in less than 15 minutes! Whatch out Jamie!

Ingredients:

2 - 3 small free range chicken breast tenderloins 1 tablespoon Moroccan paste (this is a pre-made paste that you can buy if you're short on time that has whole ingredients, but if you have some time to spare you can make it from scratch using this recipe) 2 cups fresh dark green leaves 1/4 avocado 1 cup cherry tomatoes 1 tablespoon olive oil 1 tablespoon balsamic vinegar

Method: Evenly space the tenderloins between 2 leaves of baking paper or cling wrap. Take a kitchen hammer or the flat end of a wooden spoon and give it a few good whacks to flatten the meat. This greatly reduces the cooking time!

Uncover the meat, make a few small cuts/slits in each tenderloin, and spread the paste evenly onto each side. Cover it with the paper and massage the paste from the outside into the meat on both sides. Heat pan.

Meanwhile, wash the leaves and dice the avocado. Combine the cherry tomatoes, a 1/2 tablespoon of olive oil and 1/2 tablespoon balsamic vinegar. Pour onto an oven tray and bake in very hot oven for 5-10 minutes. When the tomatoes start to blister take them out of the oven, squash them slightly with a potato masher to release their juices. Add the remaining balsamic vinegar. Combine the tomato mixture, salad leaves and avocado in a bowl. Mix well.

Add the remaining olive oil in a pan and grill the chicken on each side for 2-3 minutes or until cooked through. Stack the chicken tenderloins onto the salad mixture and enjoy!

If you're looking for more sustenance, the addition of some 4Grain Protein Rice would be perfect!

What is your favourite way to cook chicken?

Saturday Sandwich

Weekend lunches are the best...

...we had lunch on our sunny balcony enjoying some relaxing Saturday tunes, an icy cold drink and the perfect open sandwich (even better than a steak sandwich - trust me)!

My local fruit and veg markets sell a delicious organic 9-seed sour dough bread from their bakery. This is my treat for weekend! This sandwich was so yummy that there was almost no exchanging of words as we gobbled up every last crumb.

Ingredients: (makes 4 servings)

- 4 slices of good quality bread - 1 large Spanish onion - balsamic vinegar - 1 handful fresh basil - 1/2 a teaspoon agave syrup - 1 handful cherry tomatoes - 3 cloves garlic - olive oil - 1/2 a cup of low fat Greek yoghurt - 1 tablespoon tahini - 1 lemon - 1/2 avocado - handful chives

Method:

Chop the onion into strips. Heat the pan on medium and add a splash of olive oil. Add onion and cook for 5-10 minutes until translucent. Add 2 to 3 good splashes of balsamic vinegar and continue to cook until the vinegar evaporates into a reduction. Tear the basil into small pieces and add to onion. Cook for another 1-2 minutes. Add agave syrup. Combine cherry tomatoes, a good splash of olive oil, balsamic vinegar and 2 roughly chopped garlic cloves in a bowl. Once well coated, pour the tomatoes onto an oven tray and cook under a hot oven grill for 5-10 minutes or until their skins are blistered. Take them out of the oven and squash them gently with a potato masher to release their juices. Stir and combine well with surrounding juices.

Combine the yoghurt, tahini, 1/2 lemon's juice and 1 glove of crushed garlic. Assemble the sandwich - spread tahini yoghurt onto a slice of bread, top with sliced avocado, roasted cherry tomatoes, caramelized onions and chopped fresh chives.

I paired it with a baby spinach, chive and green apple salad dressed with some lemon juice. It would go great with some baked sweet potato fries if you're trying to impress or have some friends over for the weekend.

What is your favourite Saturday sandwich?

Lean, Clean & Green

Do you feel "the bulge" (aka food baby) on Sunday nights after too many celebratory meals and drinks over the weekend? If you said YES you're not alone! Many people, including myself, have a relaxed approach towards food over the weekend. The brunch, late lunch, and a night out on the town can wreak havoc on your progress if you are trying to slim down. Take heart! Sunday nights are here to help you bounce back and get you ready for an incredible week of eating lean, clean & green! By that I mean:

- Lean meat/fish/chicken/legumes - No processed foods - Lots and lots of green veggies!

This is what I had for by bounce-back Sunday meal:

Grilled Scallops marinated in chilli, garlic, lemon juice & coriander

Fresh summer salad with baby spinach, avocado, yellow capsicum, fresh figs and a light sprinkling of goats cheese fetta

Fresh broccolini and asparagus steamed and mixed with tahini yoghurt, pine nuts and fresh basil (from my garden)

A perfect way to kickstart your new week feeling fabulous and motivated!

Let's make this week count!

Question: What is your favourite way to bounce back?