‘‘As a chef, a fanatical foodie and someone who has spent their entire life pursuing great cooking and eating, I couldn’t imagine adjusting how and what I eat if I wasn’t enjoying it.’’
Bridget’s Healthy Kitchen: 100 More Gut Healthy Recipes continues the journey from her first book with a range of recipes that have no gluten or artificial sugars and are low in fat.
It is an approach that has seen her lose 30kg in less than six months.
‘‘My food has to be restaurant quality, but simple enough that if I gave my children the recipe, they could recreate it.’’
Now living in Australia, Davis says this collection of recipes is based on the ‘‘mono eating’’ principle, which means you eat one vegetable and one protein for lunch and dinner.
The book is broken into chapters covering eggs, vegetables, meat and healthy treats - even a banoffee pie - as well as a section of ‘‘foundation recipes’’ such as pickles, mash, spice blends and dressings.
Fragrant and rich, this chicken curry is made from scratch and totally worth the little effort it requires to turn a few ingredients into a marvellous lunch or dinner. I use chicken in my dish, but feel free to mix and match the protein such as turkey, lamb or tofu and I especially like to use a good meatball in this sauce as well.
Serves 2-3
No added fat
Sugar, gluten and dairy free
INGREDIENTS
300g diced chicken breast, skin removed
Himalayan salt and freshly ground black pepper
Masala paste
1 small onion, peeled and roughly chopped
5 cloves garlic, peeled
2 Tbsp finely grated ginger
1-2 long red chillies, roughly chopped and optional
60g almond meal
1 lemon, juiced
2 tsp chilli powder, optional to taste
2 tsp turmeric
2 tsp cumin powder
1 tsp cinnamon powder
¾ tsp ground cloves
1 tsp himalayan salt
2 Tbsp chopped coriander stalks
Masala sauce
150g roasted tomato sauce
100ml kombu water
Optional
150ml light coconut milk
To serve
handful chopped coriander leaves
2 portions of cauliflower rice
METHOD
To make the masala paste, place the onions, garlic, ginger, almond meal, lemon juice, chilli, turmeric, cloves, salt and coriander stalks in a food processor or blender and blend until smooth.
In a large non-stick frying pan, heat half of the masala paste on medium heat, stirring for a couple of minutes until the paste is very fragrant.
Add the chicken breast and stir to mix. Allow the chicken to cook for a minute, then add the roasted tomato sauce and kombu water and bring the liquid to a gentle simmer and let the chicken cook in the sauce for 5 minutes, allowing the sauce to bubble and deepen in flavour.
If using coconut milk, add it now and simmer for a further 10 minutes. Taste the sauce for flavour and season with a little salt and pepper, if required.
Serve sprinkled with the freshly chopped coriander leaves and serve atop warm cauliflower rice.
I was challenged to make a healthy version of ginger crunch and not only managed to make a ginger crunch slice, but I also stumbled across these delectable and moorish ginger crunch amazeballs.
I love the taste of the fresh ginger and the crunch from the buckwheat so much, I just had to create bliss ball bites that can be stored in the fridge and enjoyed as a sugar and guilt-free sweet treat.
Makes 20-30 balls
Raw | vegan
Sugar, gluten and dairy free
INGEDIENTS
90g gluten-free oats or quinoa flakes
60g desiccated coconut
200g pitted dates
2 Tbsp finely chopped ginger
1 tsp Himalayan salt
1 Tbsp pure vanilla extract
1 Tbsp avocado oil
150g buckwheat groats
METHOD
Place the oats or quinoa flakes into a food processor along with the coconut, dates, ginger, salt, vanilla and avocado oil. Blend for a minute or until the mixture when squeezed between your fingers, holds together.
Add the buckwheat groats and pulse to combine.
Remove the mixture from the processor and using very clean hands roll into 20-30 even sized balls. Store the balls in a jar or covered container in the fridge for up to 2 weeks.
Hints and tips: What is buckwheat? Don’t let the name confuse you as buckwheat is not derived from wheat, so it's gluten free. It is in fact seeds that are cultivated from a plant and is rich in fibre and minerals. It can help regulate blood sugar and may assist with keeping your heart healthy.
I stuffed mine with turkey and avocado, but you choose whatever filling you like! Chicken and cranberries, ham and egg, or roast beef and mustard.
Makes 4
No added fats or oils | vegetarian
Sugar, gluten and dairy free
INGREDIENTS
500g raw cauliflower, cut into florets
½ tsp Himalayan salt
½ tsp finely ground black pepper
½ tsp nutmeg
1 whole large egg + 1 egg white
3 Tbsp nutritional yeast (optional)
METHOD
Process the raw cauliflower in your food processor until it resembles fine rice. Place the cauliflower into a microwaveable bowl and microwave on high for 4 minutes.
Remove the bowl from the microwave and allow the cauliflower to cool for 15-20 minutes. In the meantime, heat the oven to 180degC and line a baking sheet with some non-stick baking paper.
When the cauliflower is cool enough to handle, place into a clean tea towel and, drawing the edges up, tightly squeeze the towel to extract as much liquid as possible. This step is important, so squeeze as much as you can!
Place the dry cauliflower into a bowl and add the salt, pepper, nutmeg and eggs. Mix well to combine and if using the nutritional yeast add 2 tablespoons and stir through.
Using a large metal cookie cutter (I used an 8cm one), place 2 tablespoons of the mixture into the cutter and press down with a spoon. Repeat until you have used up all the mixture. You should have 4 muffins.
If using the nutritional yeast, sprinkle the tops with the yeast and place the muffins in the oven for 18-20 minutes until a little golden on top and firm.
Remove from the oven and allow to cool for a couple of minutes before using as you see fit!
Hints and tips: You will need to squeeze as much liquid as possible from the cauliflower to achieve nice firm muffins so when the cooled cauliflower goes into the tea towel, squeeze, squeeze, squeeze!
