Energy boosting, healthy meals

‘KEBAB’ PITA POCKETS

Ingredients:

4-5 pita pockets

1 packet spiced vegan ‘kebab’ pieces

Mixed salad Fresh parsley

Cucumber, cubed

Green pitted olives, sliced

Cherry tomatoes, halved

Avocado, cubed

Red onion, finely chopped

Vegan garlic and onion dip

Heat some oil in a pan and add the kebab pieces. Cook until slightly charred.

Heat pita pockets in the oven or toaster for 1-2 minutes.

Assemble pita pockets by slicing them open and adding desired ingredients.

Salmon with creamy garlic spinach

Ingredients:

2-3tbs olive oil

2 pieces salmon fillets

1 tsp butter

2 cloves garlic, peeled and minced

1 small shallot, finely chopped

½ cup heavy cream

¼ cup vegetable broth

¼ tsp red pepper flakes

Fresh spinach leaves

1 tbs flat-leaf parsley, chopped

Salt and pepper

Pat your salmon fillets dry with a paper towel and sprinkle with a little bit of salt and pepper.

Heat olive oil in a large skillet over medium heat, until shimmering. Be careful that it doesn’t smoke.

You want your pan to be hot so the salmon doesn’t stick to it and it gets nice and crispy.

Add salmon, skin side down first, and sear for 3 minutes, until brown and crispy. Flip and continue to cook for another 2-3 minutes or more, depending on the thickness of your salmon.

Remove the salmon from your pan, cover and set aside. If there’s a lot of excess oil in the pan, wipe it with a paper towel.

Add the butter with the garlic and shallot and cook for 1-2 minutes.

Add vegetable broth, red pepper flakes, and cream. Bring to a low simmer.

Stir constantly until the sauce thickens and reduces a little bit. Add your spinach and stir until slightly wilted, 3-4 minutes.

Season the spinach with salt and pepper to taste.

Place creamed spinach on the plate and top with crispy salmon (you can remove the skin if you like). Top with parsley.

COLD CHOPPED QUINOA SALAD WITH EGGS

Ingredients:

1 cup quinoa, dry (or 2 cups cooked)

8 large eggs

4 medium carrots

1 long English cucumber

1 large pomegranate

2 cups parsley, fresh

1 large lemon, juiced

½ cup extra virgin olive oil

Salt and pepper, to taste

Optional toppings: cubed avocado, feta cheese

Next, hard-boil the eggs. Place the eggs in a saucepan and add water (just enough to cover eggs).

Cover the saucepan with a lid and bring to a boil. Once boiling, reduce the heat to a simmer and let the eggs cook for 10 minutes. Drain the eggs and let them sit in cold water to stop the cooking process.

Chop up the veggies into small pieces and roughly chop the parsley. Remove the pomegranate arils from the fruit and set everything aside. You can remove the eggshells at this point too and quarter the hard-boiled eggs.

When the quinoa is done, add it to a mixing bowl along with the chopped vegetables, pomegranate, and parsley. Add olive oil, fresh lemon juice, salt and pepper, and mix everything well.

Serve quinoa salad and top with eggs, using 2 eggs per serving. If you like, you can add some avocado chunks or crumbled feta cheese at this point too.

Linseed and soy, chicken and egg quiche

Ingredients:

1kg cooked chicken

6 large eggs

2 cups milk

1 tsp salt

1 tsp ground mustard

6 slices of Sasko Low GI Soy And Linseed white bread

1 cup grated cheese

In a large bowl, whisk the eggs, milk, salt, and mustard together.

Stir in the bread cubes, cheese, and cooked chicken.

Pour into a greased baking dish.

Cover and refrigerate overnight.

Bake uncovered at 180°C for 40 minutes or until a knife inserted comes out clean.

ROASTED CAULIFLOWER SALAD WITH CHICKPEAS, RED PEPPER AND ROCKET

ELLIE KRIEGER

This colourful salad came to be when I tossed leftover roasted cauliflower with a random smattering of other items in my refrigerator that needed to get eaten.

The combination had such a scrumptious synergy, I have been making it ever since. I especially enjoy how the ingredients play off one another – the way the caramelised cauliflower offers a tender, earthy counterpoint to the crisp, sweet red pepper, fresh greens and hearty chickpeas. | The Washington Post

Ingredients:

5 cups cauliflower florets (about 5cm) wide

2 medium cloves garlic, unpeeled

3 tbs olive oil, divided

¼ tsp plus 1/8 tsp kosher salt, divided

2 tsp red wine vinegar

¼ tsp dried oregano

1/8 tsp freshly ground black pepper

2 cups baby rocket

1 medium red bell pepper, diced

3/4 cup cooked no-salt added chickpeas, drained and rinsed if canned

Position a rack in the middle of the oven and preheat to 190oC. On a large, rimmed baking sheet, combine the cauliflower and the garlic cloves; drizzle with 1 tablespoon of the oil, sprinkle with 1/8 tsp of the salt and toss to coat.

Roast, tossing once or twice, for about 30 minutes, or until the cauliflower is tender and golden brown in spots. Let the cauliflower and garlic cool to room temperature. If not using right away, refrigerate until needed. Squeeze the garlic out of its paper into a bowl; discard any tough stem ends. Sprinkle the garlic with the remaining ¼ tsp of salt, then mash with a fork until a fairly smooth paste is formed.

Add the remaining 2 tbs of oil to the bowl, along with the vinegar, oregano and black pepper and whisk to combine.

In a large bowl, toss together the roasted cauliflower, rocket, bell pepper and chickpeas.

Drizzle with the dressing, toss to coat and serve.