Everyday Meals

 

I thought I'd share a few simple and quick everyday meal-ideas with you. These are the kinds of meals I cook all the time: they are virtually zero-effort, even during those hot summer days when the last thing you feel like doing is standing next to a hot stove. 

Firstly; salads. Just take a peek into my Recipe Index and you'll realise how keen I am to feed myself (and my husband) with colourful, fresh salads that are really more like meals than just sides. This Greek-inspired salad consists of simple ingredients like cherry tomatoes, cucumber, red onion, mixed salad leaves, Sicilian olives (instead of traditional Kalamata) and feta cheese. Drizzle with good extra-virgin olive oil and balsamic vinegar and grind a bit of black pepper on top. Voilà, lunch or even a light dinner is sorted.

 

Vegetables are obviously always heavily featured even in our main meals. This mushroom and eggplant stack has grilled eggplant smeared with a miso-honey-tamari mixture, layered with pan-fried button mushrooms and toasted sesame seeds. It is a perfect little meal served with a fresh salad and a slice of chunky bread, if you like.

 

Another easy summer-meal is barbecued portobello mushrooms topped with basil-walnut pesto. Simply grill or pan-fry olive oil-drizzled mushrooms (with stalks removed) and top with a pesto made with a bunch of fresh basil, half an avocado, lemon juice, olive oil, a handful of walnuts, pinch of salt and pepper.

Finally, desserts. I can't think of anything better than seasonal ingredients (like figs, in this case), served with cheese, ricotta or yoghurt and drizzled with pure Australian honey. Really, what more could you possibly need?

Barbecued Tofu and Portobello Salad

During summer, I mainly survive on salads, fruit and other cold, light meals without even craving for anything heartier. This summer we finally bought a little barbecue for our balcony and have used it a couple of times to mix things up a bit. This marinated tofu and portobello salad is one of my favourites; it's hearty enough to suffice for a proper meal, but light enough for even a hot summer's day.

Barbecued Tofu and Portobello Salad

(serves 2-4)

350g extra-firm tofu

4 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil

1 tablespoon apple cider vinegar

1 tablespoon tamari

pepper, to taste

a few large portobello mushrooms, sliced

mixed salad leaves

cucumber, sliced

cherry tomatoes, halved

avocado, diced

1/2 red onion, thinly sliced

1-2 carrots, coarsely grated

 extra-virgin olive oil or flaxseed oil, to serve

toasted sesame seeds, to serve

 1. Cut the tofu to about 1-2 cm slices and put in a shallow bowl. Mix the marinade ingredients in a separate bowl and pour over the tofu. Leave to marinade for about half an hour.

2. Prepare the rest of salad while the tofu is marinating. Barbecue (or pan-fry) the tofu first, then use the left-over marinade to brush over the mushroom slices before barbecuing. Mix tofu and mushrooms with the rest of the ingredients, drizzle with extra oil if necessary, extra pepper and scatter with toasted sesame seeds.

A Trio of Dips

Hi friends!

Thank you so much for all the feedback on the vegan challenge! I'm so excited to hear so many of you are keen to take part on the challenge and hopefully some of you have been inspired to at least consider adding a couple of vegan days on your week every now and then.

I have had a major craving for dips/spreads/purées of all sorts this week. These three colourful dips are my current favourites and they are perfect weekend food - dipped or spread on flat bread, crisp bread, wraps or enjoyed with fresh veggies.

Enjoy and I hope you have a beautiful weekend!

Zucchini Almond Dip

(Recipe adapted from Choosing Raw)

1 cup almonds, soaked overnight

2 zucchinis, chopped

2 small cloves of garlic

1/2 lemon, juiced

pinch of salt

freshly ground black pepper

1. Place all ingredients in a blender/food processor and purée until the mixture is smooth, but has some texture to it. A little bit of crunch is good.

Beetroot-Sun Dip

2 large beetroots

1/2 lemon, juiced

3-4 tablespoons sunflower seeds (soaked overnight, if you wish)

1 teaspoon mustard powder

pinch of salt

freshly ground black pepper

1. Cook the beetroot (with skin on) until tender.

2. Peel the cooked beetroot and chop into cubes.

3. Place all ingredients in a blender and purée until smooth (or crunchy, which ever consistency you prefer).

Sweet Potato Hummus

(Recipe adapted from Wholeliving)

350g cooked sweet potato, chopped

200g cooked chickpeas

2 small cloves of garlic

1/2 cup tahini (recipe to follow)

1 teaspoon ground cumin

1 lemon, juiced

(water)

2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil

pinch of salt

freshly ground black pepper 

Tahini

4 tablespoons sesame seeds, toasted until golden brown

1 tablespoon cold-pressed sesame oil

pinch of salt

2-3 tablespoons warm water

1. To make the tahini, place the sesame seeds in a food processor (or a coffee grinder) and blitz until smooth. Add sesame oil, salt and warm water (tablespoon at a time to reach a perfect consistency) and blitz until smooth. Set aside. 

2. Purée all ingredients until smooth. Add water if you want the mixture to be thinner.

A quick weekday meal: Black-eyed bean stir-fry

Hello dear friends!

Just a quick new recipe for a week night meal idea. This is a super-easy stir-fry, but such a pretty one I couldn't resist sharing the recipe with you! Black-eyed peas/beans are a great addition to the seasonal, colourful veggies I picked up from the farmers' market on the weekend. Just leave the beans soak for the day, cook them while you're prepping the vegetables and you'll have a meal ready in no time at all. Enjoy!

Black-eyed bean stir-fry

(serves 2)

1 cup black-eyed peas/beans, soaked for 8-12 hours

1 tablespoon virgin coconut oil

1 small red capsicum

2 carrots

1 zucchini

2 yellow squashes

a handful of green beans

a handful of snow peas

2 shallots/spring onions

pinch of sea salt

freshly ground black pepper

1. Drain the beans and place in a saucepan. Cover the beans with fresh water and bring to boil. Let simmer for about 30 minutes or until the beans are tender.

2. Thinly slice the vegetables. Heat the oil in a large pan and add the carrots on to the pan. Cook for a couple of minutes, then add all other vegetables. Cook for a few minutes, season with salt and pepper and turn off the heat. Don't over-cook the vegetables, they are nice with a bit of crunch!

3. Drain the cooked beans and add them into the vegetables. Serve immediately.

On conscious, mindful eating + A recipe for Power Balls!

In my New Year’s post I talked about the changes I had made during the previous year - quitting sugar and dairy and returning to vegetarianism.  All these choices were pushed by a strong will for a healthier life and a growing awareness of my surroundings.  I have always been very conscientious, so it feels like a natural, ethical decision to not eat meat and instead eat foods that I feel provide me with the best nourishment and lead me towards a better health and wellbeing.

Conscious eating is more than just making the right ethical choices. It is about getting in tune with your body, knowing what it needs and what it can’t tolerate and how it reacts to the foods you are consuming. Practising this kind of awareness takes time and patience and I cannot claim to have mastered it fully myself. Experimenting with dietary changes, like the ones I mentioned above, can give you a better understanding of what it is that your body acquires.  

Along with the right ethical and nutritional choices, conscious eating is also about appreciating the food and fully embracing all meals. Caroline Dupont, the author of ‘Enlightened Eating’, recommends practising conscious eating by avoiding all distractions at meal time, appreciating the food with all your senses (the smell, the colours, the taste and texture) and making eating a complete experience.  

In today's busy world, it is easy to see why this is so hard to put in practise. A lot of people eat most of their meals on the run – grabbing breakfast on their way to work, eating lunch at their desks and finishing the day with a meal in front of the tv or a computer. Convenience conjoined with multitasking is everything and people have lost part of their intuition when it comes to consuming food. That intuition, amongst other things, should tell you when you're hungry and what foods you should eat/avoid for optimum health. If eating is always secondary and distractions are present, it is impossible to follow that intuition.

My journey to conscious eating begins when I buy the produce. There is nothing I love more than going to my local farmers' markets every week to pick up fresh ingredients to cook with. Chatting to the growers who picked their produce for the market just the previous night gives me a real connection to the food and a much deeper appreciation for it. I cannot claim to be perfect, however, as just like many others, I sometimes do eat meals in front of my laptop, working and typing away. I have made a conscious effort, however, to be more aware and make conscious eating a habitual choice. These are the first steps towards a more mindful eating.

Tips on how to get started

1. Be aware of the origins of your food. Shop at farmers' markets, if you can. Select products that have less food miles. 
2. If you do eat meat (or other animal products), make sure you know the source and be sure the animals have been treated and killed as humanely as possible. 
3. Eat more raw foods and choose a variety of colours, flavours, textures and shapes – this will accentuate the whole eating experience.  
4. Experiment with different dietary changes. Try a week without gluten and dairy and see if you feel different. Try eating more vegetables and less fruit, try cutting out all sugar. Note down the feelings you experience during the experiment.
5. Make meal times a priority – no tv, no computer, no magazines or books. Set the table (even if you’re eating alone), light up a candle and savour the meal.

With these thoughts, I’ll switch off my laptop, pour myself a cup of tea and savour one or two of these delicious, gooey, spiced sweet potato and cacao power balls. Enjoy!

Power Balls

(makes 10)

450g cooked and mashed sweet potato

2 heaped tablespoons almond butter (made with 1/2 cup raw almonds, recipe here)

1 tablespoon chia seeds

2 teaspoons pure, raw cacao powder (unsweetened)

1 teaspoon ground cinnamon

1/4 teaspoon ground ginger

1/4 teaspoon ground cardamom

1/4 teaspoon ground licorice

virgin coconut oil, for rolling

unsweetened desiccated coconut, for rolling (optional)

1. Combine the sweet potato, almond butter and chia seeds in a bowl.

2. Mix together the cacao and the spices and stir into the mixture. You should have a gooey, sticky mixture. Rub your hands lightly with coconut oil and roll the dough into about 10 balls. 

3. Chill the balls in the fridge (20-30 minutes), then roll the balls in desiccated coconut before serving. These will keep in the fridge for 2-3 days.

New Year's Salad

As many food traditions as there are for Christmas, New Year's celebrations have always had a somewhat less significant and much less 'strict' array of dishes on offer (at least in my family). I suppose most people cook so much for Christmas that by the time it's New Year's everyone feels like something easy and quick, yet celebratory food for the occasion. In my family we often prepared some light salads, different kinds of herring and finger foods. Here in Australia I haven't yet quite figured out what dishes 'should' be on the New Year's Eve menu.

This red cabbage and lentil salad may not be traditional, but I certainly wouldn't mind including it in my (yet non-existing) New Year's repertoire. I adore the deep, rich colours and the mild flavours perfect to accompany any other dish you may want to have on the table. This makes a big batch suitable to be scooped on a big platter and shared amongst friends.

 New Year's Salad

(serves 4)

1/4 red cabbage

1 medium sized beetroot

100g beluga lentils

2 tablespoons sherry or apple cider vinegar

2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil or flaxseed oil

1 tablespoon red peppercorns, slightly crushed

5 tablespoons raw, unsalted pepitas

1 teaspoon black mustard seeds

1 teaspoon ground celery seed

pinch of sea salt

1. Cook the beluga lentils in plenty of water until just tender (about 20 minutes). Drain and place in a large mixing bowl.

2. Thinly slice the cabbage and julienne the beetroot. Add in to the bowl and toss well with the lentils.

3. Add in vinegar and oil and the red peppercorns.

4. Place the pepitas, mustard seeds and celery seed in a dry frying pan. Season with salt and toast for a few minutes on medium heat until the mustard seeds start to 'pop'. Add the mixture into the bowl with the rest of the ingredients and toss well to combine.

Quick Summer Gazpacho

Now that we've all survived Christmas (or have we?), it's time to take it easy for a few days and let our minds and bodies rest. My Christmas menu worked wonders and I felt satisfied, but not stuffed. Still, I don't mind having a few lighter days to balance things out and this quick summer gazpacho is a perfect way to enjoy summer's bounty. 

I've used sweet tomatoes as a base for this cold soup. Blended with cucumber and cooked chickpeas, the colour of the soup is a beautiful pale peach and the taste is sweet but tangy, thanks to the apple cider vinegar and lemon juice. This is a perfectly filling, yet light meal for a summer's day.

Quick Summer Gazpacho

(serves 2-4)

600g tomatoes, seeded and cut into chunks

1 big cucumber, peeled, seeded and cut into chunks

250g cooked chickpeas

2 scallions/spring onions, sliced

(fresh herbs, like parsley and basil)

1 teaspoon sweet paprika

1/2 teaspoon ground celery seeds

pinch of sea salt

freshly ground black pepper

1/2 lemon, juiced

2 tablespoons apple cider vinegar

2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil

1. Place the tomatoes, cucumber, cooked chickpeas and spring onions and herbs (if using) in a blender. Blend until smooth.

2. Season the mixture with paprika, ground celery seeds, salt and pepper. Add in the lemon juice, apple cider vinegar and olive oil. Blend for a couple of minutes. Add water/ice if you want it thinner. Serve cool.

Merry Christmas!

Hi friends!


I hope you are all well and happy and easing into the Christmas spirit. I'm sure some of you are busy baking and preparing Christmas meals or doing some last-minute gift shopping, but I hope all of you are able to take a break, even a short one, and relax a little. Although Christmas in Australia is always somewhat different to me than what I'm used to, and I still haven't quite got the hang of it, I'm looking forward to a few days off to take a breath.

Here is my vegetarian, gluten-free and sugar-free Christmas menu. There are lots of colours, fresh and pure flavours, not forgetting the treats! The two vegetable casseroles are served as mains, alongside with the two salads. I will be snacking on activated, spiced nuts and those deliciously addictive rosemary almonds. As for dessert, the sweet potato tartlets washed down with cool rhubarb glögg, are a perfect way to end the Christmas meal. 


I wish you all a happy Christmas and I hope you'll get to spend time with your loved ones. Enjoy and be merry!

Maria
x

Christmas Menu

Lanttulaatikko - Swede Casserole

Porkkanalaatikko - Carrot & Quinoa Casserole

Toasted Buckwheat and Beetroot Salad

Rosolli - Christmas Salad

Cool Rhubarb Glögg

Spiced Sweet Potato Tartlets

Rosemary Roasted Almonds

Activated, Spiced Nuts

Finnish Christmas with a Twist: Rosolli - Christmas Salad

 

My 'Finnish Christmas with a Twist'-menu would not be complete without rosolli, a humble vegetable salad that so unconditionally belongs to a Finnish Christmas table. You may have noticed the abundance of beetroot recipes in this blog lately, but please allow me to squeeze one more in, as the gorgeously ruby root vegetable is definitely the quintessential ingredient in this salad. 

I've tweaked the dish slightly, replacing normal potato with sweet potato, adding in some spring onions and leaving out the traditional gherkins plus the sour cream sauce. Nevertheless, this simple salad will most certainly be part of my Christmas table and I am more than happy to share the recipe with you.

Enjoy!

 

Rosolli

(serves 4-6)

3 medium size beetroot

3-4 carrots

1 medium size sweet potato

2 green onions

1 tablespoon sherry vinegar

1 tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil

pinch of sea salt

1. Wash all the vegetables well (do not peel the vegetables at this point as they will hold their shape better with peels on) and place the beetroot in a large casserole. Top the beets with water and bring the water to boil. Let simmer until the beets are just tender. Drain and leave to cool. 

2. Cut the carrots and sweet potato in equal size chunks and place in a casserole. Top with water and boil until tender. Drain (reserve this water as it makes a delicious broth!) and leave to cool.

3. Peel the vegetables and cut into small cubes. Thinly slice the green onion and add that in. Season the vegetables with sherry vinegar, extra-virgin olive oil and a pinch of sea salt. Serve as a side dish.

Finnish Christmas with a Twist: Lanttulaatikko - Swede Casserole

It still hasn't hit me that Christmas is only two weeks away! I haven't bought a single present yet and there is hardly any evidence of the silly season in our home. I only took out a couple of Finnish Christmas decorations because they happened to be in a box I was emptying after we moved in. There will be no tree and certainly no lights wrapped around the balcony rail. I'm not anti-Christmas, mind you, it just happens that in my mind, Summer and Christmas don't mix so well. 

In an attempt to bring in some Christmas spirit, however, I thought I'd share at least a couple of traditional Finnish Christmas recipes, with a twist, here on the blog. The first one, swede casserole, is one of my all time favourites, but of course I've tweaked the recipe a little bit. This dish would be served with a few other casseroles at every Finnish Christmas table as a side dish to ham, fish or other meats. In our household it's a meal on its own, served perhaps with a fresh salad on the side.

To make this dairy-free, I've used almond milk instead of cream and replaced the bread crumbs with almond meal in the casserole and on top. I've used traditional spices like white pepper, nutmeg and ginger, but I couldn't help adding just a touch of that delicious ground licorice in the mix as well. Turns out it goes so well with the sweet swede. 

Hope you like it!

 

Swede casserole

1 kg peeled and chopped swedes (rutabaga)

4 tablespoons almond meal

6 tablespoons almond milk (my recipe here)

1 teaspoon ground ginger

1/2 teaspoon ground licorice (optional)

1/4 teaspoon ground white pepper

1/4 teaspoon (or to taste) freshly grated nutmeg

pinch of sea salt

1 large egg (organic, free-range)

 3 tablespoons almond meal, extra, for topping

1. Place the swedes in a large casserole and top with water. Bring the water to boil and let it simmer until the swedes are completely cooked tender. Drain (but save the water to make vegetable stock!) and set aside to cool.

2. Preheat the oven to 180C.

3. Mash the swedes and add in all other ingredients. Scoop the mixture into a lightly oiled oven dish and top with the extra almond meal. 

4. Bake for 30 minutes or until the casserole feels firm to touch and is browned on the edges. Serve as a vegetarian dish on its own or as a side dish.

Sugar-free Christmas Baking: Spiced sweet potato tarts

The recent happenings (moving house, work, etc.) have made me realise why some people might find it so hard to stay on track with their healthy eating and exercise. As soon as life gets busy - you're travelling, working long hours or there is something new happening in your life, you start taking short-cuts and sacrifice your healthy routines. Often people find it easier to stick to their healthy habits when they have time to really focus on making conscious choices of what and how to eat, exercise and get enough sleep. As soon as other things get on the way, they lapse and might find it hard to get back on track.
I think the only thing that can keep you always on track is that those healthy habits are so established in your life that they are part of your lifestyle and thus you make the right choices subconsciously.  I'm often told how healthy I am or how 'good' I am because I exercise daily, but for me it's just my lifestyle, the way I've chosen to live. I don't have to think about it, healthy eating and exercise are part of my everyday life. When I started the sugar-free challenge it took me about two weeks to break the habit of having sugar in my diet. I actually had to concentrate on not grabbing a fruit to eat as a snack or adding honey in my tea. After the first two weeks, however, I had established the new eating habits and didn't have to make a conscious effort to exclude sugar from my diet.

Another way to stick to your diet is to stay organised and plan ahead as much as possible. When we were moving house, I knew I wouldn't have time to cook, so I prepared us meals beforehand, and had sugar-free snacks and plenty of water at hand. I do this even when we are travelling or when I know I have a long working day ahead. I always pack lunch and snacks and lots of water with me, so I don't have to sacrifice anything even during the busiest of times.

This Christmas, I am planning to stay sugar- and dairy-free. I don't see why I should change anything now that I've established this diet as part of my lifestyle. There are plenty of options available, so I don't feel like I am missing out on anything. These spiced sweet potato tarts are definitely going to be part of my holiday repertoire. I've used my favourite grain-free crust and topped it with spiced sweet potato purée. The warm spices and the coconut oil combined with the sweet potato make these tarts perfect for your Christmas dessert table.

Spiced sweet potato tarts

(makes 10-12)

Crust

200g almond meal

1/4 teaspoon baking powder

pinch of sea salt

1 large egg (organic, free-range)

2 tablespoons good olive oil

Filling

400g cooked sweet potato (about 1 medium sized)

2 tablespoons coconut milk or almond milk (my recipe here)

1 tablespoon virgin coconut oil

2 teaspoons ground cinnamon

1 teaspoon ground licorice

1/2 teaspoon ground clove

1/2 teaspoon ground cardamom

1/2 teaspoon ground ginger

1/2 teaspoon ground bitter orange peel powder, optional

pinch of sea salt

almond slices, toasted, to serve

1. To make the crust, combine all the ingredients in a bowl and lightly knead into a smooth dough. Divide the dough into 10-12 equal portions. Press each portion into the bottom and the sides of small cupcake molds. Leave to chill in the fridge for 10-20 minutes.

2. Preheat the oven to 180C.

3. Place all the ingredients for the filling in a food processor and purée into a smooth paste. Set aside.

4. Bake the crusts in the preheated oven for 10 minutes. Remove from the oven and fill each cup with a portion of the sweet potato filling.

5. Lower the temperature to 150C and continue to bake the tarts for a further 10 minutes. Cool on a wire rack before sprinkling with toasted almond slices.

Beetroot and liquorice soup with quinoa flat bread

Hi friends!

After a busy weekend of moving, cleaning and unpacking, we are finally settling down in our new home. We are not quite done yet, of course, but the basics are all sorted out and at least we can get on with our daily lives. I am loving all the space, the abundant natural light and the huge north facing balcony in our new home. We are located near a peaceful lagoon and a 5 minute walk from an ocean beach which is exactly what we wanted. In the morning, whilst having breakfast on the balcony, I could smell the salty sea and hear the loud waves crashing against the beach. Just magical. 

 

I prepared this beetroot and liquorice soup for lunch today. It was unseasonally cold and rainy for a summer's day, so a soup was just perfect. The quinoa flat bread is an adaptation from a traditional Finnish potato flat bread. I've cooked it on stove top, but you could of course bake it in the oven as well. I love the combination of beets and liquorice. We Nordic people are mad about liquorice, and it certainly complements the sweet beetroot so well. I couldn't be happier!

Beetroot and liquorice soup with quinoa flat bread

(serves 2)

1 tablespoon virgin coconut oil

550g beetroot, peeled and chopped into cubes

large knob of fresh ginger, peeled and grated

3 green onions, chopped

2 teaspoons ground liquorice*

pinch of salt

2 teaspoons pink peppercorns, slightly crushed

1 litre water

125ml almond milk**

* Ground liquorice is available at spice shops. In Sydney you can get it from Herbie's Spices.

** My recipe for almond milk is here.

1. Heat the coconut oil in a large saucepan. Add the beetroot and ginger and cook for a few minutes. 

2. Add the green onions, liquorice, salt, peppercorns and water and let the soup simmer on low heat for 30-40 minutes or until the beetroot is tender. Set aside to cool.

3. Purée the soup in a blender. Stir in the almond milk. Serve warm or room temperature.

Quinoa flat bread

(makes 4-5)

250ml recently boiled water

60g quinoa flakes*

60g quinoa flour

pinch of salt

* Quinoa flakes are found in health food stores. Look for flakes in particular, not the 'normal' quinoa. In Sydney, Honest to Goodness stocks excellent quinoa flakes.

1. Place the quinoa flakes in a bowl and top them with boiling water. Leave to soak for a few minutes. 

2. Add in the flour and salt and mix to combine.

3. Dust your fingers in some extra flour and form small round breads (10cm across, 1cm thick). Cook the breads in a dry skillet on medium heat for a few minutes on each side. The bread should feel firm to touch and there should be a few brown spots on the cooked surface. Alternatively you can bake the breads in 200C oven for 10-15 minutes. Serve warm with the beetroot and liquorice soup.

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.