Tomato Freekeh Soup

Until I made this recipe, I had never heard of of freekeh before. It's a grain that looks like wheat. The recipe said that instead of freekeh you can use bulgar wheat as well (the little wheat pieces you find in tabouli). I just found that I needed to cook it a little longer though because I'm not a fan of aldente.

- 2 tablespoons olive oil
- 1 onion, sliced
- 1 stalk celery, chopped
- 1-2 tablespoons garlic
- salt and white pepper
- 1/2 cup white wine
- 3 cups canned tomato (with the juice)
- 1 teaspoon dried thyme
- 5-6 cups vegetable stock (or more if needed)
- 3-4 cups freekeh


1. Heat the oil and cook the onion, celery, and garlic. Sprinkle with salt and pepper.

2. Add the wine and stir for 1 minute.

3. Add the tomatoes and thyme, and cook for 10-15 minutes.

4. Add the freekeh, bring to the boil, reduce the heat and cover. Stir occasionally until the freekeh is soft; about 10 minutes (I left mine longer)

NOTE: if the soup is too thick to your liking, add more stock or water.  

Easy Cashew Chicken

I always seem to have trouble finding chilli garlic sauce, so this time I just mixed a little bit of garlic in sweet chilli sauce and used that instead. It was still delicious.

- 3 tablespoons hoisin sauce
- 1/2 teaspoon chilli garlic sauce
- 3 tablespoons chicken broth
- 800g chicken, chopped
- 1 tablespoon cornstarch
- 1 1/2 tablespoons vegetable oil
- 1 small onion
- 4 cloves garlic
- 2 tablespoons rice vinegar
- 6 shallots
- 3/4 cup unsalted cashews


1. In a bowl, combine the hoisin sauce, chilli garlic sauce, and broth. Set aside.

2. In another bowl, combine the chicken, salt, and pepper and sprinkle with cornflour.

3. Cook the chicken until golden.

4. Add the onion. Add the garlic. Add the vinegar.

5. Reduce heat, add step 1 and warm through for a few minutes. Remove from heat. Stir in the cashews and shallot. 

Pastitsio

For so many years, I've been looking for an easy but delicious Greek lasagne recipe. One my friends from school had her birthday party and her mum made the yummiest pastitsio I have ever tasted. If you like it as much as me, try this recipe. I promise you won't be dissapointed.

BECHAMEL:
- 3 tablespoons unsalted butter
- (1/2 of) 3/4 cup flour
- 2 cups hot whole milk
- 3/4 teaspoon salt
- 1 1/2 eggs

MEAT LAYER:
- 2 tablespoons unsalted butter
- 1 onion
- 454g mince (I used lamb)
- pinch of cinnamon
- salt and pepper to taste
- 1/4 cup water
- 1 tablespoon tomato paste

PASTA LEVEL:
- 454g ziti pasta cooked until aldente
- 1 1/2 eggs, lightly beaten
- 3/4 teaspoon salt
- parmesan cheese


1. BECHAMEL LEVEL:
Melt the butter in a heavy saucepan. Whisk in the flour, and gradually whisk in the hot milk. Stir in the salt and let cool. When the sauce is lukewarm, whisk in the egg. Set aside.

2. MEAT LAYER:
Melt the butter in a frypan and fry the onion until golden. Add the mince and brown. Add the cinnamon, salt and pepper. Stir in the tomato paste and water. Simmer for 5 minutes and set aside.
Preheat the oven to 176 degrees celcius. Grease a large baking dish.

3. ASSEMBLY:
Scoop 1/2 the pasta into the bottom of the baking dish, Sprinkle generously with parmesan.
Spoon the meat layer on top, then scoop the rest of the pasta on top of the meat layer.
Top with bechamel sauce and bake for 45 minutes until bubbly and golden.

1 Pot Swedish Meatballs Pasta

This recipe is so easy, but the taste is delicious.

MEATBALLS
- 453g mice (I used lamb)
- 1/2 cup breadcrumbs
- 1 small onion
- 1 egg
- 1/2 tablespoon salt
- 1/2 tablespoon pepper

SAUCE/GRAVY
- 2 cups beef broth
- 2 cups milk
- 1/2 tablespoon salt
- 1/2 tablespoon pepper
- 1 tablespoon worscestshire sauce

SERVE WITH
- 4 cups rice noodles
- 1 cup parmesan cheese
- 1/2 cup parsely


1. To make the meatballs, mix all the meatball ingredients in a bowl and form into small balls. Fry until meatballs get coloured.

2. To the same pan, add the sauce/gravy ingredients and stir, bringing to the boil.

3. Prepare noodles according to the packet. Once sauce has slightly thickened and meatballs are cooked, add the noodles, and top with parmesan and parsley. 

Simple Paleo Chicken Curry

- 2 tablespoons coconut oil
- 8 chicken thighs, cut into 1 inch pieces
- 1 onion, chopped
- 3 small zucchini, chopped
- 1 teaspoon garlic
- 1 tablespoon curry powder
- 1/2 teaspoon paprika
- 2 teaspoons salt
- 2 cans coconut milk
- 1 cup grape tomatoes

1. In a stock pot, heat the oil and cook the chicken. Remove.

2. Add the onion and zucchini and saute until light brown. Add the garlic, curry powder, paprika and salt. Saute for 30 seconds.

3. Add the chicken back in along with the coconut milk. Bring to the boil.

4. Simmer, covered for 30 minutes or until the chicken is tender. Add the tomatoes in at the the last 5 minutes of cooking.

Coconut Flour Pancakes

Do you like pancakes? Unhealthy idea right? WRONG. These pancakes coming up are paleo pancakes. The 1st and last time I ever tried making pancakes from scratch were disgusting! These however, even my dad liked them. He finished them off! (by the way, my dad is fussy when it comes to different foods.)

- 2 tablespoons coconut oil
- 1 tablespoon honey
- 3 eggs
- 1/4 cup coconut milk
- 1/2 teaspoon vanilla
- 1/4 cup coconut flour
- 1/4 teaspoon cream of tartar
- 1/8 teaspoon baking soda
- 1/8 teaspoon salt

1. Cream together the oil and honey. Add the eggs, one at a time.

2. Add the milk and vanilla and mix until smooth,

3. Add the flour and mix until smooth.

4. Add the cream of tartar, baking soda and salt. DO NOT OVER MIX!

5. Pour a small amount into a pan with a little bit of butter on medium heat.

serve with maple syrup. 

Loaded Cauliflower

Do you love mashed potato but hate Cauliflower? Do you love lots of flavour? Then this is the recipe for you! This recipe has the same colour and texture as mashed potato, but being paleo, potatoes aren't meant to be eaten. So instead, it is made with cauliflower and I tell you what! It's absolutely delicious. You won't even know it's cauliflower, just potato with lots of flavour.

- 453g cauliflower florets
- 118ml sour cream (guess it's not 100% paleo)
- 1 cup grated cheddar cheese (nope definitely not paleo)
- 2 slices cooked bacon, crumbled
- 2 tablespoons chopped chives
- 3 tablespoons butter
- 1/4 teaspoon garlic powder
- salt and pepper

1. Put the cauliflower into a microwave safe bowl. Add 2 tablespoons water and cover with cling wrap. Microwave for 5-8 minutes until tender. Drain and set aside uncovered for 2 minutes.

2. Add the cauliflower to a food processor and process until fluffy. Add the butter and sour cream and process until it's the consistency of mashed potato. Add to a bowl. Add MOST of the chives, saving some for the top. Add 1/2 the cheddar. Season with salt and pepper.

3. Top with the remaining cheese, chives, and bacon. Put it back in the microwave to melt the cheese.