STRAWBERRY, BANANA & ALMOND SMOOTHIE BOWL
THIS DISH LOOKS SO PRETTY WITH ALL OF ITS ADORNMENTS. FEEL FREE TO SUBSTITUTE DIFFERENT FRUITS, NUT BUTTERS AND TOPPINGS THAT YOU HAVE TO HAND. TO GET AHEAD, FREEZE SMALL BAGS WITH THE BANANA, STRAWBERRIES AND OATS READY TO WHIZZ UP WITH THE MILK, YOGURT AND NUT BUTTER BEFORE ADDING YOUR TOPPINGS. THIS SMOOTHIE BOWL FOR ONE IS REALLY EASY TO SCALE UP IF FEEDING A CROWD.
200 g/1 cup strawberries, frozen
1 banana, peeled and frozen
60 g/generous ½ cup jumbo rolled oats
125 ml/½ cup almond milk
120 g/½ cup Greek yogurt (or coconut yogurt for a vegan version)
30 g/2 tablespoons almond butter (or any nut butter)
10 g/2 teaspoons clear honey (or maple syrup for a vegan version)
TO SERVE
blueberries, sliced banana, toasted muesli, goji berries and/or chia seeds
SERVES 1
Place all the smoothie ingredients into a blender and blitz until smooth and creamy.
Pour into a shallow breakfast bowl and decorate as shown with blueberries, sliced banana, toasted muesli, goji berries and/or chia seeds. Serve at once.
FISHERMAN'S WHARF BENEDICT ON SOURDOUGH
THIS TAKE ON THE CLASSIC EGGS BENEDICT IS AN ODE TO SAN FRANCISCO'S FAMED FISHERMAN'S WHARF, WHERE ONE CAN GRAB A CRAB SANDWICH AND EAT IT AMONGST A BACKDROP OF SEAGULLS AND SEA AIR. THIS RECIPE ALSO USES CHÈVRE CHEESE AND AVOCADO - TWO OTHER THINGS CALIFORNIA DOES SO WELL!
4 slices of sourdough bread
450 g/3 cups shredded/picked over good-quality crab meat, at room temperature
8 eggs
120 g/4 oz. chèvre goat's cheese, sliced into quarters
2 ripe avocados, halved, stoned/pitted and sliced
LEMON HOLLANDAISE
6 egg yolks
finely grated zest of 1 small lemon
2 tablespoons Dijon mustard
340 g/1½ cups unsalted butter, melted
½ teaspoon salt
? teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
? teaspoon paprika
a double boiler (optional)
SERVES 4
Start by making the lemon hollandaise. In a small saucepan or pot set over a low heat, bring 5 cm/2 inches of water to a bare simmer. Place a metal bowl over the pot to form a bain-marie (or use a double boiler, if you have one).
Add the yolks, lemon zest and mustard to the bowl of the bain-marie and whisk constantly until the mixture is thickened and ribbons form when you pull this whisk away from the bowl (this should take about 4-5 minutes). The yolks should double or triple in volume.
Slowly whisk in the melted butter, stirring constantly. Once the butter is fully incorporated, add the salt, pepper and paprika and continue whisking for about 3 minutes, until thick. If the mixture is too thick, add a little hot water as needed. Adjust the seasoning to taste. Remove from the heat and set aside.
Preheat the oven to 230°C (450°F) Gas 8.
Cut the sourdough bread in half and arrange on a baking sheet in a single layer. Bake until toasted, about 5 minutes. Put two sourdough halves on each plate and top with crab, dividing evenly.
To poach the eggs, bring 2.5 cm/1 inch water to the boil in a medium pan. Lower the heat so that small bubbles form on the bottom of the pan and break to the surface only occasionally.
Crack the eggs into the water one at a time, holding the shells close to the water's surface and letting the eggs slide out gently. Poach the eggs, in two batches to keep them from crowding, 6 minutes for soft-cooked. Lift the eggs out with a slotted spoon and pat dry with a paper towel.
Top each of the crab-topped sourdough halves with goat's cheese, sliced avocado and a poached egg. Spoon over 2-3 tablespoons of the lemon hollandaise (gently reheated if necessary) and sprinkle with paprika and black pepper to serve.
BEETROOT PANCAKES WITH GOAT'S CHEESE, ONION RELISH & WALNUTS
THE BEETROOT/BEET ADDS ATTRACTIVE COLOUR TO THESE SAVOURY PANCAKES, AS WELL AS A HINT OF EARTHY FLAVOUR. A LITTLE RYE FLOUR IS USED IN THE BATTER HERE TOO FOR ITS DEEP, STRONG TASTE, BUT IT CAN BE EASILY REPLACED WITH PLAIN/ALL-PURPOSE FLOUR.
2 eggs
220 ml/scant 1 cup whole milk
75 g/½ cup plus 1 tablespoon plain/all-purpose flour
25 g/3 tablespoons rye flour
a pinch of salt
55 g/2 oz. cooked beetroot/beet, finely chopped
1 tablespoon olive oil, plus extra for frying
rocket/arugula, fresh basil leaves and Parmesan shavings, to serve
FILLING
300 g/10½ oz. frozen spinach, thawed
300 g/10½ oz. soft goat's cheese
2 tablespoons freshly chopped basil
50 g/? cup chopped walnuts
6 tablespoons grated Parmesan cheese
ONION RELISH
2 tablespoons olive oil
3 onions, thinly sliced
2 tablespoons balsamic vinegar
2 tablespoons soft brown sugar
sea salt and freshly ground black pepper
MAKES 16 PANCAKES
Start by making the onion relish. Heat the olive oil in a saucepan over a low-medium heat. Add the onions and a little salt and pepper and cook for 20 minutes, stirring occasionally, until they are really soft and golden. Add the vinegar and sugar and cook for a further 5-10 minutes until jammy in consistency. Leave to cool.
To make the pancakes, place the eggs, half the milk, the flours, salt and chopped beetroot/beet in a food processor and blend until the beetroot/beet is puréed and the mixture is smooth. Add the remaining milk and the oil and blend again. Transfer to a jug/pitcher and leave to rest for 20 minutes.
Meanwhile, make the filling. Squeeze out all the excess water from the thawed spinach and chop finely. Place in a bowl and beat in the goat's cheese, basil, walnuts and grated Parmesan. Season to taste with salt and pepper.
Lightly stir the pancake mixture once. Heat a frying pan/skillet over a medium heat, brush with oil and swirl in about 60 ml/¼ cup of the pancake mixture, making sure it covers the base. Cook over a medium-low heat for about 1½ minutes until the base is golden. Flip the pancake over and cook for a further 1 minute until dotted brown. Remove the pancake from the pan as soon as it is ready and keep warm while you cook the remaining batter in the same way.
When you are ready to serve, spoon the goat's cheese mixture down the centre of each pancake. Top with a few rocket/arugula leaves, fresh basil leaves and a spoonful of the onion relish. Roll up and enjoy. Serve the pancakes with extra relish and shavings of Parmesan cheese.
Serve with Green Piña Colada Smoothie, recipe on page 24
SUPERFOOD BOWL WITH SMOKED SALMON, QUINOA & AVOCADO
YOU CAN MAKE THIS BOWL VEGETARIAN BY USING GRILLED HALLOUMI INSTEAD OF THE SMOKED SALMON, AND VEGAN IF YOU OMIT IT ALTOGETHER. IT IS ALSO GLUTEN-FREE. REMEMBER TO ALLOW TIME TO SOAK THE CASHEW NUTS FOR THE DRESSING.
300 g/10½ oz. curly kale
2 teaspoons tamari
2 teaspoons apple cider vinegar
4 tablespoons plus 2 teaspoons olive oil
200 g/1 cup quinoa
1 head of broccoli (approx. 350 g/12 oz.), cut into long bite-sized florets
seeds from ½ pomegranate
1 long red chilli/chile, deseeded and thinly sliced
15 g/½ oz. dill, roughly chopped
grated zest of ½ lemon
2 tablespoons freshly squeezed lemon juice
2 ripe avocados
200 g/1 cup sliced smoked salmon
15 g/2 tablespoons pumpkin seeds/pepitas, toasted
sea salt and freshly ground black pepper
CASHEW TURMERIC YOGURT DRESSING
140 g/1 generous cup raw unsalted cashew nuts
1 tablespoon maple syrup
300 g/1½ cups Greek yogurt
1 teaspoon apple cider vinegar
½ teaspoon sea salt
1 teaspoon ground turmeric
1 teaspoon olive oil
SERVES 4
To make the cashew dressing, put the cashew nuts in a small bowl and cover with water. Allow the nuts to soak in room-temperature water for a couple of hours, or overnight. Drain the cashews and blitz in a blender with the other ingredients. The dressing will keep in the fridge in a sealed container for up to 1 week and is delicious with any salad or vegetables.
To make the salad, pull the kale from its central stalks and tear the leaves into small pieces. Put the kale in a bowl and add the tamari, apple cider vinegar and 2 teaspoons of olive oil. Scrunch it in your hands for a minute to coat the leaves and soften them a little.
Rinse the quinoa and place in a saucepan with double the volume of salted water and bring to the boil. Reduce the heat and simmer gently for 12 minutes until cooked. Drain into a colander and cool.
Bring a separate saucepan of salted water to the boil. Add the broccoli florets and simmer for a couple of minutes, then drain and run under cold water so the broccoli stays crunchy and does not continue to cook.
In a large bowl, combine the cooked quinoa, kale, broccoli, pomegranate seeds, chilli/chile and dill.
Make a lemon dressing by putting the lemon zest, lemon juice, 4 tablespoons olive oil and salt and pepper in a small screw-top jar. Shake, then pour over the quinoa salad mix and toss together.
Cut the avocados in half, stone/pit, then remove the flesh and slice. Distribute the quinoa salad between four bowls. Arrange the avocado and smoked salmon slices over the top of the salad in each bowl, then drizzle with the Cashew Turmeric Yogurt Dressing. Finally, sprinkle with the toasted pumpkin seeds/pepitas and serve.
Serve with Flavoured Waters, recipes on page...
