Fusion Cuisine! Indian Kangaroo (or tofu) Saag

I love a good Indian meal but with the Gawler diet the butter chicken just isn't the same....mostly because both butter and chicken are off the menu. So a girl starts to search. My favorite dish is Saag Paneer. An easy one to adapt to a Gawler friendly lifestyle by swapping the paneer (cheese) for a firm tofu as they are almost identical in texture and colour.

However! If you are craving a piece of meat so bad that you would eat your own face rather than stomach another cube of tofu give yourself a break and just be smart about it. Kangaroo is brilliant! It is incredibly low in saturated fat and chemical free and organic in most cases. This is a great way to have it too as you don't have to have too much to get your fix. Make sure you cook the curry long enough to allow the meat to become tender, as kangaroo is so lean it can take longer than beef or lamb.

If you are happy with your tofu for the 14 billionth time, you are of stronger will than I my friend, and I applaud you.


Adapted from: http://www.punjabi-recipes.com/375.aspx

Ingredients:
1/2 Kilo Kangaroo (or Firm Tofu!) - cubed
1 Medium Sized Onion - chopped finely
2 Green Chillies - finely chopped
2 Garlic cloves - crushed
1 1/2 Tbls. Mustard Seeds
3 Tbls. Ghee or Oil - Saag usually needs more oil but if you are rockin' Gawler you can saute in water.
1 packet frozen spinach or 1/2 kilo fresh English spinach - washed and chopped
1 tbls. Fresh Ginger, grated
1 tsp. Turmeric powder (or fresh is best! grated)
1 Tbls. Coriander Powder
5 Cardamom pods, crushed
Salt and Pepper to taste (Gawler- just use 1 tsp. salt and add yeast flakes on top)
3 Tbls. Greek Yogurt (Gawler - Use soy yogurt or if comfortable use a small amount of goats yogurt as it has less saturated fat).
1 Tbls. Garam Masala

Method:

1. Heat Ghee (or water) on medium heat in a med-large heavy bottomed pot. Add the mustard seeds and fry until the seeds begin to pop. Add the Garlic and fry for a minute.

2. Add the kangaroo cubes and brown for 5 minutes. If using tofu just continue to step 3 this will come in at the last step as it just needs to heat through.

3. Add the ginger, chillies and salt to help tenderize the kangaroo (if using). Stir.
Continue to cook the kangaroo for few more minutes until evenly browned.

4. Add the onions and saute until translucent. Add turmeric (great cancer fighter!) and garam masala and stir for 1 minute.

5. Add the spinach, cardamom, coriander and stir.

6. Take the pot off the heat and add the yoghurt, stir and return to the heat. Cook on low heat with the lid on for 1-2 hours. Keep cooking until the meat is tender. Kangaroo is extremely lean so it may take longer than a regular lamb or beef curry. I cooked this for 2 hours. If using tofu add it 15 minutes prior to serving to heat through thoroughly.

Serve with Rice, Roti or Naan.
Add a squeeze of lime juice or yogurt on top if you wish.

De-lish!

Slime Green Smoothy!

Green Smoothies are a recent discovery of mine. They mostly came about due to the fact that the Gawler foundation suggests you drink 2 Green Juices daily (in a juicer combine any green veg inc. celery, cabbage, rainbow chard etc. If you are brave you can add some Barley Grass, Wheat Grass, Spirulina or any combo of all three powders.

This stuff is the bane of my existence! It tastes like hell mixed in water or juice but disguising it in a green smoothy is really the only way to stomach it! It's so amazingly good for...well everything. Inc. alkalizing the blood, boosting omega 3, 6 and 9 and is incredibly rich in chlorophyll and carotene's. These smoothies give me all I need on a day that I can't quite stomach the thought of yet another green juice!


Serves 2

Ingredients:
1/2 ripe banana, roughly chopped
1 cheek mango, peeled and roughly cubed
2 tsp. organic raw honey (preferably)
1/2 cup baby spinach leaves
1 cup rice milk (or non dairy milk of choice...although soy milk is the devil)
1/2 tsp. vanilla extract
1/2 - 1 Tbls. Barley Grass powder
1/2 cup crushed ice if you like it thick and refreshing, or just add a few blocks at the end.

Method:

Combine all ingredients in a blender and press START! Add extra ice at the end if desired. If too thick add water or more rice milk.

Chickpea, Sweet Potato and Green Bean Salad

Cheeky Chickpea, Sweet Potato and Green Bean Salad

This salad is cheeky because it is not entirely Gawler friendly. I prepared a dressing using the oil from marinated feta as to have the flavour of the feta without as much of the cheese and forbidden fats that interfere with our healing process ... I know, I'm a bad ass!

Of course if you are healthy you are essentially required to smother your salad in the most expensive marinated feta you can get your hands on and make yummy noises, reminiscent of the best orgasm you have ever had whist enjoying every bite...Just not in front of a Gawler patient!


Ingredients: The amounts below are all guesses as I just whipped this salad up and enjoyed it so much I thought it needed to be shared! Just put in as much of whatever you desire. You know what you like!

Serves 4-6ish (depends if side dish or main)

1-2 large sweet potato - peeled, cubed and steamed until soft
1 can chickpeas - either soaked overnight if using dried or from a tin, drained and rinsed.
1/2 - 2/3 red capsicum - sliced
200g Green beans, topped and tailed, halved and steamed
3-5 scallions, green onion - finely sliced
2 Tbls dill, finely sliced (more if you are like me and can't get enough of the stuff!)

Combine all ingredients in a large mixing bowl to combine. Stir gently as to not break up the sweet potato.

Dressing:

60ml (1/4 cup) fresh lemon juice
2 Tbls oil from marinated feta (if you are stronger willed than me use flax oil for Gawler friendly option).
1 tsp Dijon mustard
1 small garlic clove, crushed
Salt (or yeast flakes) & freshly ground black pepper to taste.

Pour all dressing ingredients, but salt and pepper, into a small jar and shake to combine. Taste and adjust salt and pepper as needed.

Enjoy lovelies!

Vegan Strawberry Ice Cream

Easy as! Vegan Strawberry Ice Cream

OMG I found a recipe for vegan ice cream!? Best. Day. EVER!!!

Makes: 1 litre

Requires an ice cream maker.

Ingredients:

300g frozen strawberries
2 cups non dairy milk (I use almond milk).
1/2 cup honey
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
pinch of salt

Method:

Place all ingredients together in a blender or processor. Blend until smooth. It should taste like a delicious smoothy at this stage!

Freeze the mixture in an ice cream maker according to the manufacturer's directions. Usually churns for approximately 20 mins. At this stage it may still be a little too soft (although it should look like ice cream) so transfer to a container and store in freezer until ready to eat!

YUM YUM YUM!

Vegan Chocolate Avocado Mousse...they'll never know!

Serves: 4-6 (6 is pretty modest but it is very rich so it's hard to eat a lot!)

Ingredients:
1 avocados
1/2 banana
5ml vanilla extract
70g cocoa powder (adjust as necessary for your taste).
60ml maple syrup

Method:
Place all ingredients into a food processor, blend until smooth. Spoon into glasses.
Eat and dissolve into a chocolate covered bliss!

Creamy without cream Pumpkin Soup?! YES PLEASE!

Creamy and DeliciousPumpkin and Red Lentil Soup!!!

Serves 4

It's December and "summer" here in Melbourne but the weather is so freakin' unpredictable I am still eating soup!! Lucky I have the recipe for the best pumpkin soup ever in the world...or I would actually cry.

NOTE: From now on I will try to include options for those of us following Ian Gawler's "healing" diet. This diet was originally designed to assist cancer patients on the path to good health but will benefit anyone suffering a chronic illness. Personally, I am using it to prepare my body for spinal surgery (to remove this pesky arse tumor) and prevent it from ever coming back!

Ingredients:
1 Tbls olive oil (Gawler option: just saute in water)
1 long red chilli
1 onion, finely chopped
850g butternut pumpkin, chopped
1.5 litres vegetable stock (Gawler: use water or salt reduced stock)
125g (1/2 cup) red lentils
1 Tbls tahini (Gawler: omit)
extra red chilli and cold pressed olive oil to garnish.

Method:
Heat oil in a large saucepan over medium heat, add the chilli and onion and cook for 2-3 minutes, or until translucent. Reduce the heat to low, add the pumpkin and cook, covered for 8 minutes, stirring occasionally.

Increase the heat to high, add the stock and bring to the boil. Reduce the heat to low and simmer, covered, for 10 minutes. Add the red lentils and cook, covered, for 7 minutes, or until tender.

Process the soup in batches in a blender or with a hand blender, add tahini and blend until smooth. Transfer to serving bowls and garnish with chilli and a drizzle of olive oil.

Silverbeet is more than Spinach's dorky cousin!

Almost vegan...Silverbeet and Potato Pie

It's difficult changing up your diet in such a dramatic way but friends and family have been amazing (although dubious at times) at accepting my new found vegan experimentation. Recently I was handed a gigantic pile of silverbeet. A vegetable I have never really had too much to do with. It always seemed to me like spinach's dorky cousin but I took the challenge of cooking something palatable head on! I wasn't aiming for a giant success, just something that could make it down the gullet, but I was VERY pleasantly surprised with this recipe.


Ingredients:
200 g young silverbeet or rainbow chard
Sea Salt
150 g Potatoes
Extra Virgin Olive Oil
1 finely chopped Onion
2 tablespoons finely chopped Parsley
1 cup roughly chopped Walnuts (OR for a non vegan version you might like to add your favorite cheese; ricotta, feta and mozzarella are all great options!)
1 tsp nutmeg
Freshly ground Pepper
1 large Egg (for a completely vegan meal use equivalent egg replacer)
Approx. 6 sheets filo pastry, thawed

Method:

1. Wash silverbeet. Separate silverbeet stems from the leaves, then roll up the leaves and slice finely. Trim stems, chop finely then cover with 1 Tbls salt and set aside in a colander. Set aside.

2. Meanwhile, boil potatoes in lightly salted water for 15-20 minutes until tender, then drain, and dice into 1cm cubes.

3. Preheat oven to 180°C and lightly oil a medium casserole or tart dish.

4. Combine silverbeet with potato, onion, parsley, walnuts and nutmeg, then add salt and pepper to taste. Note: add cheese now if using. Whisk egg with 1 tablespoon oil and add to silverbeet mixture.

5. Line baking dish with 5 sheets of filo pastry, let overhang from the dish a lot and brush every second layer with olive oil. Spoon in the filling. Fold the overhanging edges of filo pastry back over the top of the dish to cover. If it doesn't quite cover it all you may use an extra sheet or two on top, brushing with oil as you go. Brush the top with olive oil and sprinkle lightly with salt.

6. Bake for 30-40 minutes or until golden brown. Allow to rest for 10 minutes before cutting.

This recipe is delicious on its own or serve with a fresh tomato salad.