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AVOCADO, COTTAGE CHEESE AND CHERRY TOMATO TOAST


    Waking up to a healthy breakfast is all you need to start your day to boost that energy for the whole day. Wholemeal brown bread layered with cottage cheese and topped with sliced avocado, grilled cherry tomatoes and arugula. This is one of my favorite breakfasts which I eat like 2 to 3 times a week.


    If you love your eggs in breakfast like I do, top it with poached eggs or sunny side up. I made this a vegetarian version, and for those who are vegan, skip the cottage cheese and layer it with hummus or just some mashed avocado...top it with sautéed garlic mushrooms or grilled asparagus...there’s loads of toppings you can use to make it more delicious and interesting to have a variety in your everyday breakfast toast.

    SERVES: 2

    PREP TIME: 10 minutes

    COOKING TIME: 5 minutes



    INGREDIENTS

    • 1 large hass avocado, ripe but firm

    • 8 tbsp low fat cottage cheese

    • 10-12 cherry tomatoes

    • 1 tbsp extra virgin olive oil

    • 1/2 cup baby arugula leaves, loosely packed, washed and dried

    • 4 wholemeal bread slices

    • Salt and pepper for seasoning



    METHOD

    1. In a small pan, warm extra virgin olive oil, drop cherry tomatoes, and grill for 5 minutes on a low heat until soft and slightly pulpy. Season them with salt and pepper.

    2. Lightly brush the bread slices with olive oil and toast them in a griddle pan on both sides. Spread 2 tbsp cottage cheese on top of each toast and season a little with salt and pepper.

    3. Cut the avocado in half, deseed and remove flesh from the skin with the help of a large table spoon. Be careful not to bruise the flesh. Slice it thinly with a sharp knife.

    4. Place a quarter of an avocado on each of the cottage cheese toasts, and top it with few cherry tomatoes and arugula leaves.

    5. If need be, season the avocado with a dash of salt and pepper.



    COOK'S NOTES:

    • Sprinkle a dash of lime or lemon zest on the cottage cheese will totally accentuate the flavours of the toast.

    • You can also serve with poached or sunny side egg on top.



    ROASTED CAULIFLOWER, ALMOND AND FRESH TURMERIC SOUP



      Do you love soups like I do? I actually love having soups in my dinners most days. Not only during winter months, soups are quite a regular meal in my house. My husband and I enjoy soups in our dinners with a light salad or sometimes a crusty bread to go along.


      This creamy roasted cauliflower soup is so comforting and full of nutrition. It’s quite a flavorful soup made with wholesome ingredients, all plant-based and gluten-free. Roasting the cauliflower gives that extra flavor to this hearty soup.


      To make it very creamy while keeping it vegan friendly, all you need is soaked up almonds blitzed to a purée, this adds that luscious creaminess without adding any cream to it.


      Adding fresh turmeric to the soup gave that extra nutrition and slight hint of earthy fresh note to this soul food.


      Roasted garlic is also added to balance the colic produced from cauliflower.


      I can’t wait to share my recipe which will definitely add on to your list of favorites. Happy souping day!


      SERVES: 4

      PREP TIME: 15 minutes

      COOKING TIME: 15 minutes

      BAKING TIME: 25 minutes

      PASSIVE TIME: 6 to 12 hours



      INGREDIENTS


      For Soup:

      • 1 medium sized / 700g cauliflower head, sliced 0.5 cm thick

      • 1 garlic pod, whole

      • 1 medium onion, chopped

      • 1” piece fresh turmeric root

      • 1/2 cup almonds, soaked and peeled

      • 1/2 cup water

      • 3 1/2 cups almond milk

      • 2 cups vegetable stock

      • 2 tsp lemon juice

      • 3 1/2 tbsp extra virgin olive oil

      • 1 tsp sea salt


      For Garnish:

      • 2 fat cloves of garlic, thinly sliced

      • 1 spring onion, sliced

      • 3 tsp extra virgin olive oil

      • 1 tbsp toasted almond slices

      • 1/4 tsp freshly ground black pepper

      • Few small roasted cauliflower slices, reserved


      METHOD

      1. Preheat oven at 220° C.

      2. Tip the sliced cauliflower in a rimmed large baking tray, drizzle 2 tablespoons of olive oil and toss it to coat lightly. Sprinkle 1/2 tsp salt on top. Spread cauliflower in single layer.

      3. Trim about 1/4 inch off from the head of garlic pod and expose the tops of garlic cloves. Place the pod along with cauliflower in the baking tray. Drizzle half tbsp of olive oil over exposed surface of garlic.

      4. Place the baking tray in hot oven and bake for about 25 minutes or until cauliflower is tender and roasted.

      5. Once cooled slightly, squeeze out the garlic cloves from the skin. Reserve few small cauliflower slices aside for garnishing.

      6. In a small grinder, tip almonds and water and grind them to a fine paste.

      7. In a large saucepan, warm remaining 1 tablespoon of olive oil, add onions and sauté for 2-3 minutes until translucent.

      8. Add the roasted cauliflower, garlic and grated fresh turmeric and salt, sauté for a minute. Add almond paste, almond milk and vegetable stock to the cauliflower, stir to mix.

      9. Bring to boil, cover with lid and simmer for 5 minutes. Remove and add lemon juice.

      10. Let cool slightly for 3-4 minutes, blend with hand blender or in a blender jar to make smooth and creamy textured soup. Season with some extra salt if required.


      To Make Garnishing:

      1. Warm 1 teaspoon of oil in a small pan, add sliced garlic, roast for a minute until light golden in color and remove from pan.

      2. Now ladle the soup in serving bowls, garnish with reserved cauliflower slices, roasted garlic slices, spring onion and almond slices.

      3. Drizzle 1/2 tsp olive oil and a pinch of black pepper.



      COOK'S NOTES:

      • If you can't get hold of the vegetable stock, add a heaped tablespoon or a knob of vegetable stock mixed with 2 cups of hot water instead.

      • For a non-vegan alternative, vegetable stock can be replaced with chicken stock instead. A dash of butter can also be added for an extra flavour.



      STRAWBERRY NO-BAKE CHEESECAKE



        The weather is still warm and insisting you to dig into cooler desserts. My daughter asked me to make her favorite strawberry cheesecake one more time before she leaves for her Uni, and how can a mum say no when you know your child won’t be home for months!


        I saw these luscious strawberries at Carrefour and thought I’ll make these one more time before the king of the summer fruit, the mango, takes over. It’s an eggless, no-bake beauty which won’t take much of your time at all! It’s super simple, I've made a video tutorial for you to follow along here, or read the recipe down below!

        SERVES: 4

        PREP TIME: 15 minutes

        COOKING TIME: 10 minutes

        REFRIGERATION TIME: 4-6 hours




        INGREDIENTS

        • 6 digestive biscuits

        • 1 1/2 tbsp caster sugar

        • 60g butter, melted

        • 150g cream cheese, room temperature

        • 100g crème fraîche, room temperature

        • 1/3 cup icing sugar, sifted

        • 1/2 cup heavy cream

        • 8 strawberries, cut in half

        • 150g frozen strawberries

        • 1/2 cup orange juice

        • 1/2 tsp lemon juice

        • 2/3 cup caster sugar

        • 1 1/2 Gelatin sheet

        • Few strawberries for garnishing



        METHOD

        1. To make crust, pulse digestive biscuits and 1 1/2 tbsp sugar together in blender until fine crumbs are formed.

        2. Transfer to a bowl, stir in melted butter and divide in 4 dessert cups (6 cm deep) and press gently. Place in fridge for 20 minutes.

        3. In an electric mixer bowl, beat cream cheese and crème fraîche and icing sugar until combined. In a separate bowl beat heavy cream until medium-stiff peaks are formed, fold it in the cream cheese mixture.

        4. To make jelly, soak Gelatin sheets in cold water; combine frozen strawberries, caster sugar, orange juice and lemon juice and bring it boil and cook for 5-7 minutes until strawberries collapse and sugar dissolves, stir in soaked gelatin sheets until melted and mixed together. Cool it.

        5. Take glass dessert cups out of fridge, arrange strawberries inside cups with cut side facing out and touching the glass, pour the prepared cream cheese mixture on top and cover just 1cm above strawberries.

        6. Now pour strawberry jelly on top, garnish with whipped cream swirl and some strawberries.


        For a quick video tutorial, watch it here!



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