While browsing a ‘free vegetables’ list. That is, list of vegetable who are fibrous or low enough in calories and sugar to be included in a serious ‘leaning out’ diet I spotted rhubarb. Ever since then I’ve been eyeing off the rhubarb at the farmers markets and at my organics shop. It’s thick stalks and strange colour taunted me ‘You’ll never make anything out of me’. Finally, on Friday I picked some up from Wilson’s Organics. The guy who always serves me and I both commented on how we’d never cooked it before. He’s quite used to me buying mystery ingredients each week and I report back whether they’re a success or not. Upon leaving the shop I broke a small bit off a stalk and had a taste. ‘PWFATTSST!’ Don’t do that. How anyone would ever think of eating this stuff after a raw taste is beyond me. However, I persevered and with a bit of scanning of my cookbooks concocted a plan.

Nutrition Data has this to say about Rhubarb:

It is also a good source of Magnesium, and a very good source of Dietary Fiber, Vitamin C, Vitamin K, Calcium, Potassium and Manganese.

However, further research suggests that

… while it’s true that 1 cup of diced rhubarb contains about 10% of the daily value for calcium, it is hardly bioavailable at all, owing to the presence of these pesky natural compounds called oxalates, which bind to the calcium in the vegetable and prevent us from being able to absorb it.  So in fact, rhubarb is NOT actually a good non-dairy source of calcium…

Coconut Custard with Rhubarb compote

Rhubarb Compote

• 6 stems of rhubarb, cut into 2cm pieces
• the zest and juice of 1 lime
• 1 tablespoon, freshly squeeze orange juice (or water)
• 1 teaspoon Splenda®

Coconut Custard

• 2 eggs, beaten
• 165ml of light (coconut) milk*
• ½ teaspoon vanilla essense
• 1 tablespoon Splenda®

Place all the ingredients for the compote in a small fryingpan/skillet over a medium heat and cook, stiring occasionally, for 8 minutes.

To make the custard, heat the milk until almost boiling. Either 2 minutes in the microwave or on the stove, stiring until bubble form at the edges.

In a large metal or glass bowl combine the eggs and Splenda®, while whisking add in the hot milk. Place the bowl over a saucepan with about 5cm of simmering water in the bottom of it. Make sure the bowl does not touch the water. Continue to stir until the mixture thickens. If lumps form, it’ll still taste good but it might not be dinner party material. Once the mixture is at the desired thickness it can be allowed to cool and reheated again gently in the same manner. The slightly scrambled version in the photo was very delicious, so if it’s just your Sunday breakfast don’t worry, you haven’t ruined it.

Divide the rhubarb amongst 2 ramekins and place the custard on top. Use a small spoon to give the mixture a ‘half-turn’ to make a pretty swirl.

*Plain low-fat milk works fine also.  I always buy TCC light coconut milk (like at the bottom but in a green can)

Nutrition per serve (makes 2 serves)
Calories: 180
Fat: 10.8g
Carbs: 13.8g
Fibre: 3.7g
Sugar: 3.4g (mostly from the OJ- replace with water to reduce)
Protien: 8.4g (you could boost this by adding in a scoop of vanilla whey to the custard mix)

Steph, gave me the idea for this one. While she was preparing for her last comp she was mixing cauliflower in with her oats and eggs. I suggested she made the mix into pancakes and the idea took off.

• 2 cups of cauliflower, cut up stems are fine to include (don’t use FROZEN)
• 2 tablespoons coconut milk (optional)
• 2 scoops/60g pea protein*
• a pinch of salt
• 1/4 teaspoon baking powder
• 1 egg**
• 3 egg whites**

Place the cauliflower in a saucepan with the coconut milk or equivilant water. Cover the saucepan and place over a medium heat to steam for 15-20 minutes or until very soft.

Place the cauliflower in a food processor and puree until smooth. Add in the egg and egg white and whizz a little longer. Add in the pea protien, salt and baking powder and puree until smooth.

Lightly grease a non-stick frying-pan/skillet and cook the mixture in 1/3 cup batches, flipping once the mixture has set.

*Pea protien can be replaced with plain soy protien or your favourite (gluten free) flour such as wholemeal, amarenth or besan.
**Or 2 whole eggs

I wouldn’t be suprised if these tasty Kale Chips and Cauliflower Popcorn don’t elicit the exact same respnse. I polished both off in under 5 minutes!

Parmesan Kale Chips and Pizza flavoured Cauli-Pop

• 1 bunch kale (either curly or flat), cut into chip sized pieces
• 1/2 head of cauliflower cut into popcorn size peices
• 10g finely grated fresh parmesan cheese
• 1.5 teaspoons dried oregan0
• 1 teaspoon smokey paprika
• 1/2 teaspoon garlic powder
• a big pinch salt
• a splash of olive oil
• extra Parmesan, grated (optional)

Preheat your oven to 160ºC/320ºF

Combine the cheese, herbs, spices and salt in a small bowl.

Place the cauliflower in one bowl along with half the cheesy spice mix and toss to coat.

Combine the Kale, olive oil and cheesy spice mix and massage the leaves.

Place each mixture on a seperate baking sheet making sure nothing is overlapping.

Bake the kale chips for about 15 minutes or until crisp.

Bake the caulflower for about 30 minutes.

For crunchier pop-corn cook the cauliflower at your oven’s lowest temperature for 8 hr’s with the door slightly ajar.

I had leftover ‘cauliflower mash’ and woke thinking something warming was in order, but that I didn’t need the carbs of quinoa or oats. The creaminess of the cauliflower and coconut paired perfectly with the slight crunch from the apple, while the egg whites made this a substantial feed.

1/2 cauliflower
1/4 cup light coconut milk
1 ts natural peanut butter
2 tb cashews
1 apple, grated
1 1/2c egg whites
cinamon

1. Cook the cauliflower until soft (3-4mins in microwave).
2. Place in a blender with the coconut milk, nuts and nut butter and blend.
3. Stop at this point and you’ve got creamy rich mash.
4. Place the mixture in a small non-stick frying pan and stir in the egg whites and apple.
5. Continue to stir as if it where scrambled eggs until the egg whites are just cooked.
6. Sprinkle on the cinnamon and drizzle with maple syrup.

Devil’s Food Shake

• 1 cup chocolate tea
• 1 teaspoon cocoa powder
• 1 scoop chocolate protien powder (ladybird rice for me)
• 1/2 scoop vanilla protein powder (makes it creamy)
• 1 teaspoon maca powder
• 1 1/2 cup chopped beetroot leaves
• 2 small plums
• a dash of cayenne pepper
• 1/4 teaspoon chilli powder

Make the tea and whisk in the cocoa. Allow to cool slightly so the protein powder doesn’t clump and blend with remaining ingredients.

Base
1 (30g) scoop pea protein powder
1 egg
2 egg whites
1 ts baking powder

Thoroughly combine all the base ingredients in a mixing bowl. It should be the consistency of thick pancake batter.
Generously spray a 9″ non-stick frying pan and heat it to a medium heat. Spread the batter evenly across the pan and wait until bubbles form. Flip and cook for about 1 minute more. Remove from heat and allow to cool on a wire rack if not using straight away.

Preheat oven to 180ºC/350ºF

Toppings
2 tablespoons pasata
1 clove garlic
1 teaspoon dried oregano
1/4 cup low fat mozzerella
1 1/2 slices of proscuitto (parma ham), sliced into thin strips
about 8 marinated artichoke quarters
1/2 sliced onion
1/2 cup small broccoli florets
a handful of rocket
1 ts olive oil
a few shavings of aged Parmesan cheese

Place the base on a oven proof tray and spread the pasata evenly on top. Top with garlic, oregano and mozzarella. Layer on the proscuito, artichoke hearts, brocoli and onion.

Bake for 10 minutes. Remove from oven and add the rocket. Drizzle on the olive oil and sprinkle on the shavings of Parmesan.

I ate half because I wanted the other half for lunch tomorrow. The whole recipe is probably 1 1/2 small serves.

Salmon and greens

In honour of meeting the lovely Sereyna I’ve finally made a salmon dish as she requested.

Technically I made a Salmon dish last Fishy Thursday but ate it before I remembered to photograph it.

This recipe relies on simple fresh flavours, so no scrimping and using the ‘masterfoods’.

5 almonds
2 teaspoon coriander seeds
1 teaspoon lemon juice
a pinch coarse sea salt
1/2 teaspoon sesame seeds
200g Salmon steak
1 cup snow peas
1 bag (200g) baby spinach

Preheat an oven to 200ºC

In a pestal and mortar crush the coriander seeds and almonds with the salt. Mix in the sesame seeds and lemon juice and rub the mix on on side of the salmon.

Place on baking paper on a baking tray and cook for 6 minutes. Pre-heat your overhead grill (broiler). Place the salmon under the grill for another 6 minutes.

Meanwhile lightly spray a wok with oil. Saute the snow peas for 2 minutes. Add in the spinach and 2 teapsoons of water and saute until the spinach begins to wilt.

Serve the salmon on the greens.

Serves 2