Half way through writing this week's meal plan I realised it was going to be a mix-it-up kind of week. This week's meals include 4 salads, a kale and bean stew and kohlrabi fritters. I think I'll make most of the salads early in the week, along with a big batch of soaked, pre cooked brown rice. Each night can then be a joyful mix & match of delicious spring colours and flavours. You might like to serve seafood with the grapefruit salad and perhaps throw in some grilled cuts of meat to jazz up the spread, but even without, these meals will surely satisfy. Next week I pick up another Eat Local Eat Wild delivery of lamb and hogget, and I'll be experimenting with how to use my slow cooker over the warmer months. BBQs will almost certainly feature weekly from now on. Enjoy the warmer weather and don't forget to check out Clara's Spring tips for eating seasonally at this time of year. If you haven't already, try her suggestion to incorporate a glass of lemon juice or apple cider vinegar in warm water first thing into your morning routine. This tip and more over at the Seasonal Eating page.
Roast Pumpkin and Carrot Salad with Bok Choi
Chop pumpkin, carrot and beet into large chunks, toss in oil and your choice of spices and roast for 20 minutes until tender. Cook pearl barley, quinoa or quinoa, cool then toss with pumpkin and carrots. Top with walnuts, feta, herbs and a dressing of honey and balsamic vinegar. Serve alongside steamed bok choi. Here’s a variation with Moroccan Seasoning, Pearl Barley & a Honey Mustard dressing
Radish, Avocado & Grapefruit Salad
Slice radish and avocado and peel and cut segments of grapefruit. If you don’t know how to segment a citrus fruit, this recipe has some instructions or try the video on this recipe. Toss with olive oil, apple Cider Vinegar, chopped mint and slices of spring onion. Serve with a fillet of grilled salmon or perhaps some other seafood of your choice.
Broccoli & Asparagus Spring Salad
This gorgeously simple salad was recommended by our resident naturopath Clara Bitcon last week. Lightly sautee Broccoli and Asparagus until it’s softer but still has a little crunch. Toss with slices of radish, some spring onion and nuts or seeds of your choice. The recipe suggests pine nuts, but I think I’ll try it with slivered almonds and pumpkin seeds. Toss with lemon juice and some olive oil.
Pumpkin, Beet and Barley Salad with Rainbow Chard
Roast beets and pumpkin (the beets will take a lot longer than the pumpkin so pop them in first). I like to dice pumpkin and beetroot before roasting. If you prefer you could roast them whole or in big chunks, then cool and peel/dice them. Cook a cup of barley in 4 cups of water for about 30 minutes then drain and cool. Separate rainbow chard leaves from stems, dice the stems and sautee in ghee for a few minutes. Add the chard leaves (sliced thinly) with salt and some lemon juice. Drizzle extra water over if the pan gets dry. Combine the diced roast vegies with barley, chard stems and leaves then crumble feta over and top with a dressing of lemon juice & olive oil. I’ve adapted from this recipe which uses divine looking golden beets.
Kale and white bean stew
Soak and pre-cook a cup of white beans or open a can of tinned beans! Chop onion and carrots and sautee with ghee for 5 – 10 minutes. Add a jar or tin of tomatoes or passata. Add around 1 litre of water with chopped potatoes and beans and simmer for 10-15 minutes until potato is cooked through. Strip kale from the stems and chop finely then stir through and cook for another few minutes until leaves wilt down.
Kohlrabi fritters & Dipping Sauce
Grate kohlrabi and carrot and toss in a bowl with ground cardamom, turmeric and chopped herbs. You could also dry fry some cumin seeds in a pan and mix these through. Mix in an egg, a few tablespoons of flour and a splash ofmilk. Heat Ghee in a pan and spoon balls of mixture onto the pan. Flatten with a spatula and cook for a few minutes on each side. Make dipping sauce by mixing tahibi with Yoghurt & Lemon Juice. Taken from this recipe on Taste.com
Chop pumpkin, carrot and beet into large chunks, toss in oil and your choice of spices and roast for 20 minutes until tender. Cook pearl barley, quinoa or quinoa, cool then toss with pumpkin and carrots. Top with walnuts, feta, herbs and a dressing of honey and balsamic vinegar. Serve alongside steamed bok choi. Here’s a variation with Moroccan Seasoning, Pearl Barley & a Honey Mustard dressing
Radish, Avocado & Grapefruit Salad
Slice radish and avocado and peel and cut segments of grapefruit. If you don’t know how to segment a citrus fruit, this recipe has some instructions or try the video on this recipe. Toss with olive oil, apple Cider Vinegar, chopped mint and slices of spring onion. Serve with a fillet of grilled salmon or perhaps some other seafood of your choice.
Broccoli & Asparagus Spring Salad
This gorgeously simple salad was recommended by our resident naturopath Clara Bitcon last week. Lightly sautee Broccoli and Asparagus until it’s softer but still has a little crunch. Toss with slices of radish, some spring onion and nuts or seeds of your choice. The recipe suggests pine nuts, but I think I’ll try it with slivered almonds and pumpkin seeds. Toss with lemon juice and some olive oil.
Pumpkin, Beet and Barley Salad with Rainbow Chard
Roast beets and pumpkin (the beets will take a lot longer than the pumpkin so pop them in first). I like to dice pumpkin and beetroot before roasting. If you prefer you could roast them whole or in big chunks, then cool and peel/dice them. Cook a cup of barley in 4 cups of water for about 30 minutes then drain and cool. Separate rainbow chard leaves from stems, dice the stems and sautee in ghee for a few minutes. Add the chard leaves (sliced thinly) with salt and some lemon juice. Drizzle extra water over if the pan gets dry. Combine the diced roast vegies with barley, chard stems and leaves then crumble feta over and top with a dressing of lemon juice & olive oil. I’ve adapted from this recipe which uses divine looking golden beets.
Kale and white bean stew
Soak and pre-cook a cup of white beans or open a can of tinned beans! Chop onion and carrots and sautee with ghee for 5 – 10 minutes. Add a jar or tin of tomatoes or passata. Add around 1 litre of water with chopped potatoes and beans and simmer for 10-15 minutes until potato is cooked through. Strip kale from the stems and chop finely then stir through and cook for another few minutes until leaves wilt down.
Kohlrabi fritters & Dipping Sauce
Grate kohlrabi and carrot and toss in a bowl with ground cardamom, turmeric and chopped herbs. You could also dry fry some cumin seeds in a pan and mix these through. Mix in an egg, a few tablespoons of flour and a splash ofmilk. Heat Ghee in a pan and spoon balls of mixture onto the pan. Flatten with a spatula and cook for a few minutes on each side. Make dipping sauce by mixing tahibi with Yoghurt & Lemon Juice. Taken from this recipe on Taste.com
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