Roasted Pumpkin with Walnut and Coconut Crumb

I quite like blurring the line between savoury and sweet dishes. This has been especially fun since quitting sugar 6 or so months ago. What others might consider "savoury" can indeed taste quite sweet to me - including this particular dish with roasted pumpkin, walnuts and coconut. Thus, I'm leaving the door open for you to experiment and make the call whether you'd serve this as a side dish with other salads, as a dessert with some coconut ice cream or just as an afternoon snack on its own, like I did. Whatever the use, the combination of these flavours simply works!

I used walnuts we picked just last week - they are so sweet and they don't have a hint of rancidity, like the older walnuts sometimes tend to have. Pumpkins are of course the highlight of autumn harvest, but you could use sweet potato too, if you like. Feel free to add a pinch of salt if you want to make it more savoury or a tablespoon of rice syrup, if you decide to go the opposite direction. Either way I hope you enjoy!

 Roasted Pumpkin with Walnut and Coconut Crumb

(serves 4)

1/2 butternut pumpkin, peeled and cut into chunks

50ml virgin coconut oil

120g shelled walnuts, roughly chopped

2 heaped tablespoons shredded coconut

1 teaspoon ground cinnamon

pinch of salt, optional OR

1 tablespoon rice syrup, optional

1. Preheat oven to 180C. 

2. Place chopped pumpkin in an oven dish.

3. Combine melted coconut oil, roughly chopped walnuts, shredded coconut and cinnamon in a small bowl. Spread the mixture on the pumpkin and cover the dish with a lid or some baking paper to avoid the nuts from burning.

4. Cook for 20-30 minutes or until the pumpkin pieces are tender. Serve on its own, as a savoury side dish or a sweet dessert with some coconut ice cream.

Cauliflower curry

I have no patience when it comes to sharing delicious recipes here on the blog. Some might argue I have no patience in other areas of life either, but that's another story. Whether I come up with a recipe or come across a recipe that is just too good to hold back, I make a little squeal and get cooking. Some recipes need a bit more work, while others, like this one, just work straight away. I couldn't wait to share this recipe with you. 

Curries are something I don't do very often. I guess I just never really got into them and was often shunned by their spiciness. This cauliflower variation is (obviously) a mild curry, but you can easily adjust it to your liking. I am so happy to just grab a big bowl and scoop this on its own, but you could of course serve it with some grains, if you wish. 

 

Cauliflower curry

(recipe adapted from the WellBeing Magazine)

(serves 2)

2cm piece of fresh ginger

2 cm piece of fresh turmeric

1 teaspoon ground cumin

pinch of cayenne pepper (or to taste)

4 tablespoons raw almonds

 2 tablespoons sesame seeds

zest of 1 preserved lemon (or fresh lemon)

250ml coconut cream

1 teaspoon virgin coconut oil

2 green onions, finely chopped

1 medium size cauliflower, cut into small florets

50ml coconut cream, extra

 pinch of salt

fresh lemon juice 

fresh coriander, to serve*

* I don't (yet) have fresh coriander growing in my garden so I used shiso leaves instead. They worked surprisingly well with the flavours!

1. Place all the sauce ingredients in a blender and purée into a smooth mixture. Set aside.

2. Heat the coconut oil in a large pan and add the green onions and the cauliflower florets. Cook for a couple of minutes, then stir in the spiced sauce. Turn down the heat and cook for 10-15 minutes, adding extra coconut cream (or water) if needed. 

3. Cook the cauliflower until just tender, but with a little bit of bite. Turn off the heat and season the dish with a pinch of salt and some fresh lemon juice, if you like. Serve with fresh coriander and with lentils or rice, if you wish.

Quinoa with asparagus and toasted coconut

Thank you all for the lovely words on my previous post - I knew you'd understand! I couldn't help myself but drop in to share this tasty spring recipe with you. We have had some wonderful spring weather here in Sydney too and I've been sitting on my tiny balcony, surrounded by all the herbs, reading and enjoying lunches and numerous cups of tea. This quick and easy lunch has everything I love - quinoa, asparagus and coconut flakes which have become my best friend after quitting sugar three weeks ago. It is perfect to whip up, scoop into a bowl and savour outside in the sun.

Hope you are all enjoying your weekend too!

 

 

 Quinoa with asparagus and toasted coconut

(serves 2)

1 cup quinoa, rinsed

1 1/2 cups water

pinch of sea salt

freshly ground black pepper

1/2 lemon, juiced

1 tablespoon of extra-virgin olive oil

2 bunches asparagus

handful (1/2 cup) unsweetened coconut flakes

1. Place the quinoa in a saucepan and pour in the water. Bring to boil, then let simmer for 10 minutes. Cover the pan with a lid and leave to sit for 5 minutes.

2. While the quinoa is cooking, toast the coconut flakes on a dry frying pan until golden. Set aside.

3. Chop the woody ends off the asparagus. Cut the remaining stems into 1 cm pieces, and leave the tips untouched. 

4. Add a splash of water in the frying pan and steam cook the asparagus stems until just tender. Set aside. Steam the tips in the same pan with a bit more water added in.

5. Fluff the quinoa and season it with salt and freshly ground black pepper. Add in lemon juice and olive oil, and the cooked asparagus stems. Toss to mix and scoop on a plate. 

6. Top the dish with the asparagus tips and golden coconut flakes. Enjoy immediately.

Sugar-free rhubarb macaroon slice

As I am entering week three in my sugar-free trial (read more about it here and here) , I realise that I am starting to forget that there even are foods I'm not eating any more. In the beginning of the diet, what felt like something was missing ("if no fruit, then what can I eat??"), is now something I'm not even thinking about. Some say it takes 21 days to break a habit, which in my case would mean another week, so I definitely feel like I'm on a good path here!

What has changed? Well not much after the first week to be honest, and I still feel less bloated, I feel calmer, I feel like I have more patience (although my fiancé could still argue I need to work on this) and I feel like I have more energy. I am really curious to see what the next few sugar-free weeks will bring with them!

In the meanwhile, this little treat is something that kind of grew on me. In the past (and this is obviously a while a go), I wasn't a big fan of coconut at all. I always thought it was way too sweet, which, I now realise, was probably because of all the added sugar in the coconutty foods I had tried. Once you've been off sugar for a while, and your taste buds have readjusted, you'll realise that coconut - in its natural form - is actually sweet enough on its own. 

Sugar-free rhubarb macaroon slice*

Base

100g quinoa flakes

50g coconut flakes (no sugar added)

50g rolled oats**

1 tablespoon raw pure cacao nibs (total sugars 3.6g/100g)

80g virgin coconut oil

2 large egg whites (free-range,organic)

Filling

200g rhubarb, cut into 1 cm slices

1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/4 teaspoon pure, ground vanilla

Top

3 large egg whites (free-range, organic)

50g fine desiccated coconut (no sugar added)

*If you're not on a sugar-free diet, don't expect this treat to taste very sweet. Those who are used to less sugar, will probably find it just satisfying enough, it all its natural sweetness.

**You could make this totally gluten-free by using uncontaminated oats, or simply replacing the 50 grams of oats with more quinoa flakes.

1. Preheat oven to 180C and line a 25cm x 15cm baking tray with baking paper.

2. For the filling, place the rhubarb, ground cinnamon and vanilla, along with a dash of water (a couple of tablespoons) into a small saucepan. Bring the mixture to boil, then let simmer while you make the base and the filling. Stir the mixture every now and then and just let it cook until quite thick. Set aside to cool.

3. For the base, place the quinoa flakes, coconut flakes, oats and cacao nibs into a food processor. Grind the ingredients into a fine-ish mixture, then add the coconut oil and grind until the mixture comes together. Beat in the egg whites. Spoon the dough in the baking dish and, using your hands, spread on the baking sheet into a 1-2 cm thick base.

4. For the topping, beat the egg whites in a clean bowl until thick. Carefully fold in the coconut. 

5. Spread the rhubarb filling on the base into a thin layer. Spread the coconut 'meringue' on top.

6. Bake for 25-30 minutes, then let cool completely before cutting. This is best eaten within 2 days. The top doesn't freeze very well, so I recommend eating it while fresh.