recipe

Nourish Bowl: Poke or is it Bim Bap Bop or …….

| Liz Thomas


Poke Bowl or maybe I should call it a Prana Bowl, it gives you so much energy without being heavy. 
This is not strictly like the Poke I had in Hawaii, they make it much more simply without the Togarashi, maybe just some sesame. It was my staple there as I was recovering from an illness, I was after a healthy, inexpensive meal that wasn’t American take-away. This is a traditional dish and was a taste revelation. I credit it with aiding a swift recovery. 

Such a healthy dish. With the addition of kimchi and egg it reminds me of Bim Bap Bop, a Korean dish that means stir it up! Dave also loves this dish as illustrated below. We love sashimi so we like to eat a little salmon neat before we hit the flavour sensation of the marinated fish. If you don’t like fish it’s good just with the veg or some other simply marinated protein like tofu or chicken (cooked obviously). Stir it up, my belly always tells me it’s happy after this one, I feel nourished and satisfied. Enjoy 🙂 


Recipe 

Marinate 750g raw fresh fish (tell your fishmonger you’re going to eat it it raw, mine goes out the back to get the freshest) Salmon/tuna in the following for 2hrs to two days in the following 

Optional 1 tablespoon Togarashi: sesame , chilli, seaweed, salt, dried orange peel chopped, grind up with a little salt (to dry peel, use a vegetable peeler to take off the orange zest and hang for a few days depending on the weather) 

1 tablespoon Soy sauce 

1 teaspoon Sesame oil 

1 teaspoon Grated chilli, ginger and garlic or  to taste

1-2 tablespoons Spring onion finely sliced
Serve on a bowl of rice (red rice is even healthier) with salad veggies chopped and sprinkle with toasted sesame seeds and spring onion greens.
Just use whatever you have, obviously I had plenty this day. I fried some mushrooms from the Asian store, the cheapest place to buy them, with sesame oil, butter, fresh ginger, garlic, white pepper and salt. Rehydrated wakame seaweed in hot water soya sauce and a few drops of sesame oil. Kimchi. Fried egg. Diakon, carrot, avocado and bean sprouts. 
Serve with extra Togarashi, pickled ginger, soya sauce and wasabi on the side. 
Namaste 

Liz

lizthomasyoga.com 

Red Meat and Bitter greens

| Liz Thomas

Lean beef is a wonderful source of protein but so is kangaroo, lamb or goat. All of which would work perfectly with this salad. The yoga approach to meat consumption (we are not all vegetarians) is to eat small amounts of meat compared to our vegetable content on our plates. I eat red meat for iron and it makes me feel good. Of course its your yoga and you must do what is right for your body and philosophy.
Try growing your own bitter greens in the garden or in a pot on the balcony. The fresher you can get your greens the more nutrients they have, and the crunchier the salad.

IMG_0833.JPGIngredients
Marinade
1/2 brown onion
3 bay leaves
1-3 cloves garlic smashed
1 glass of red wine
6 peppercorns
2 tablespoons olive oil

1 eye fillet, kangaroo fillet/rump, lamb/goat backstrap marinated for at least 4hrs or overnight is preferable.
Enough Bitter greens or Mixed leaf salad to cover your platter abundantly: try using lots of colours and shapes for nutrient and visual variety eg. chickory, raddichio, sorrel, rocket (agrulia)
10 large basil leaves finely sliced
Balsamic vinegar, the best you can afford
Olive Oil

Method

1. Barbecue or pan fry meat till medium rare to rare. and crusty on the outside.
2. While its cooking dress leaves lightly with a little salt, vinegar and oil.
3. Rest meat for 10mins covered.
4. Slice meat finely and arrange over the leaves.
5. Pour juices over meat, a little drizzle more of balsamic and olive oil, salt, pepper and sprinkle with basil.

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Roasted Capsicum(Red Pepper), Potato and Artichoke Salad

| Liz Thomas

This a whole meal right here healthy eaters. Eggs have an excellent nutrient profile, a complete food. I recommend you include eggs in your diet and source them as close to home as possible. With backyard growers and local free range farmers, healthy eggs have never been more accessible and the taste!

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Ingredients

700g steamed potatoes, peeled or skins left on for nutrient density
1-2 Sliced Roasted Red capsicum: Cut into 4, blacken the skins under the griller, place in a paper bag till cool enough to handle and peel off the skin
1 400g can artichoke hearts, or 6 marinated hearts from the delicatessen. Cut in half or quarters depending on size.
6 soft boiled eggs: bring eggs to the boil in a small pot, simmer for 2-3 minutes, refresh under cold water, cool, peel, halve
1 lemon zest and juice
olive oil
finely chopped parsley
S & P

Method

1. Cook potatoes till soft, stir though zest and parsley with a drizzle of oil. Season with salt and pepper.
2. Arrange all ingredients on a platter, squeeze juice over, particularly the cut surface of artichokes to prevent browning.
3. Scatter a little parsley
3. Lovely served still slightly warm.

 

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Quinoa Tabouli made gluten free and turned superfood

| Liz Thomas

In Australia, we may have got our taste for tabouli from the late night kebab shop after a night on the tiles, but its favour endures way past our extended adolescence.
The trick is to do all the chopping and then fridge it till your ready to eat and dress at the last minute.
This is a beautiful salad to eat with falafel (chickpea fritters) or grilled fish and meats, maybe with a little tahini sauce. Its so good for you with all the parsley and mint but the quinoa pumps up the nutrients with its complete amino acid profile.
Play around with the ingredient ratios, they are approximate and made to my taste. Enjoy getting it right for you.

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Ingredients

2 cups finely chopped parsley
1 cup finely chopped mint
1 cup spring onions finely sliced
1 cup tomatoes, seeds removed and finely diced
1 cup cooked quinoa, you cook it like rice with the absorption method. Boil two cups of water,add thrice rinsed quinoa, simmer on low for 10mins ,rinse again under cold water.Drain.Makes more than you need for this recipe, use leftovers in soup, patties or as a as rice substitute.
S&P
1 teaspoon of ground cumin
Drizzle of Olive oil and juice of half a lemon juice
Method

Combine and serve!

Make a tahini sauce for spooning over meat/falafel by mixing 1 tablespoon of lemon juice with one teaspoon of tahini in a small bowl with the back of a spoon, add salt and grated garlic if you wish. Thin with a few drops of water to your liking. mmmmmm
And before you ask can Yogis eat meat? Yes they can! Vegetarianism is a personal choice.
Namaste Liz

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Yummiest Raw Muesli x 2 Cherry Choc & Mango Pistachio

| Liz Thomas

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70% Oats: whole rolled oats is cheap and yummy, not mention a superfood, in fact this recipe is all super-foods!
10% Raw Nuts: Pistachio, macadamias, almonds, cashews
1% Chia seeds
9% Dried Coconut, flaked or shredded
10 %Dried Fruit: Sultanas, chopped mango, currants, cherries
2-3 tablespoons Cinnamon or Raw Cacao/Coco powder

The fun of making muesli is that there are no rules however I have found that these combos work really well. All my airbnb guest love em too. I have had requests for the recipe so here are two.

Combine the above ingredients in roughly the described quantities in a very large jar and shake.

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For a Cherry Ripe flavour profile dominate with dried Cherries and Cacao.
For a Tropical Treat use plenty of mango and pistachio.
ITS THAT EASY!

You can just eat it with milk, but, there is an art to eating raw muesli that minimises the feeling that you may need to chew all morning. Just pour boiling water over your muesli and let stand for about 10mins, it will soak up the water and soften the ingredients, helping with digestion and chewability.
I stir through some plain, unsweetened yoghurt. I find that its sweet enough for me with all the dried fruit, but you may wish to add fresh fruit or a drizzle of honey.

 

 

 

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Namaste and Bright Blessings Liz

 

Mushroom, Potato and Leek soup……… starring Chervil

| Liz Thomas

Simple yet special with Chervil

I love my Farmers Market in Moruya (voted no#1 in Australia!) and this week there was a lovely new stall holder with homebaked goodies and home grown herbage. I just think its fabulous that our farmers market allows the home gardener to bring in their excess produce to share with the community.

Chervil, is not commonly available in regular retail outlets and I haven’t grown it. It has a beautiful, delicate anise flavour with fern-like foliage that is very pretty. Apparently it had traditional medicinal properties for memory and wellbeing. The origins of its name come from Greek and means to enjoy! This recipe certainly fits the bill.

I like to try something new from the market, this week its Chervil is my challenge ingredient. I am no “Iron Chef” however when our beautiful spring weather turned a little blustery I was keen to put on the fire, probably for the last time for the year and get a soup happening.

EAT MORE VEG! is my mantra of the moment so here we have a simple lovely warmer for a cool day in Spring or Autumn/Fall if you are in the northern hemisphere 🙂

The result is a bit special so go ahead and grow your own or find a friend with some, of course it would be great with parsley too.

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Mushroom Potato and Leek Soup

INGREDIENTS
500g peeled potato
6 roughly chopped mushrooms
3 medium leek whites, finely sliced
1 small garlic clove roughly chopped
1 litre stock, I think mine was chicken, who knows in my freezer! powdered is fine.
butter or olive oil
nutmeg
chervil roughly chopped

METHOD

1. Sweat leeks in frying medium on low, add mushies and garlic and cook for a further 5mins.
2. Add potato and stock, simmer for 15mins.
3. Grate half a whole nutmeg or half a tsp of ground nutmeg, season with S & P.
4. Wizz in the blender and serve for a healthy version or add cream for an indulgent one.
5. Serve with abundant chervil and perhaps some homemade bread.
6. ENJOY!

Namaste Liz