Thai Style Beef Salad

Fresh, fast, fabulous. A perfect meal any time of day. Don’t be put off by the long list of ingredients in the salad, you can use whatever you have and chop and change to your taste and it will still be gorgeous.

For the best results, take your meat out of the fridge at least one hour, (preferably two) before you cook it so it is close to room temperature and rest it on a cake cooling rack rather than on a plate so it can get air from all sides.

handful of baby spinach

2 carrots, julienned

2 sticks celery, finely sliced

½ red pepper, finely sliced

½ yellow pepper, finely sliced

1 red chili, finely sliced

large handful coriander, leaves only

small handful mint leaves

½ punnet cherry tomatoes, halved

½ avocado, sliced

big handful raw chashews

2 eye fillet steaks

salt and pepper

olive oil

dressing

juice of 1 lime

2 tbspn olive oil

1 tspn light soy sauce

1 tspn balsamic vinegar

Heat a non stick fry pan to medium heat and toast the cashews until they begin to brown, turning frequently. Set cashews aside. Heat the same pan to maximum temperature. Rub the steaks with olive oil and season with salt and pepper. Sear the steaks, turning every 15 seconds until cooked to your liking (3-4 minutes total for average thickness steaks for medium doneness). Allow the steaks to rest (preferably on a cooling rack for 5 minutes) then slice.

Combine all ingredients for salad. Add cashews. Mix together dressing, pour over and toss to combine. Top with slices of steak.

Asparagus and Avocado with Roast Hazelnuts

This is the perfect salad to celebrate the arrival of spring.  Some new season asparagus, lightly blanched and paired with creamy avocado, hazelnuts and some parsley and lemon zest. The key is not to overcook the asparagus so it is tender but still has some bite to it. I added 4 minutes boiled eggs as an extra but equally delicious would be smoked salmon, smoked trout or some lovely goats cheese.

2 bunches of asparagus, trimmed

½ avocado, sliced

handful of parsley, chopped

zest of ½ a lemon

¼ cup toasted hazelnuts, chopped

dressing

generous pinch sea salt flakes

3 tbspn olive oil

1 tbspn lemon juice

Blanch the asparagus in rapidly boiling salted water for 2 minuts (1 minute if using thin stemmed asparagus) and refresh under cold water to stop the cooking process. Slice asparagus into thirds, and arrange on serving plate. Top with avocado pieces, parsley, zest and hazelnuts. Sprinkle with salt, drizzle over oil and lemon juice.

For 4 minute boiled eggs, place eggs in cold water and bring to the boil. Time 4 minutes and remove from heat. Peel, slice and serve. I think it is definitely worth spending the extra and buying free range, if not organic, eggs.

Anytime Eggs

This is a simple omelet/frittata that works a treat as breakfast, lunch or dinner. It takes about 10 minutes in total to prepare and cook and you can eat it warm or cold or even as a filling in a crusty baguette. I used zucchini and chili because that is what I had on hand, but sliced blanched broccoli is delicious as are any roast veggies. I used a larger frying pan to sauté the zucchini because I wanted it to colour rather than sweat and then I transferred it to a smaller pan before I added the eggs. If you frypan has a plastic handle, wrap the handle in silver foil before you put it under the grill. If you don’t like parmesan, you can use any cheese you prefer.

1-2 zucchinis, cut into rounds

1 red chilli, finely sliced

6 large mint leaves, shredded

1 tbspn olive oil

salt and pepper

4 eggs

dash of milk

4 tbspn grated parmesan or chili pecorino

Preheat grill to high. In a large fry pan, heat olive oil. Add chili and stir. Add zucchini and try to spread rounds out so they are not crowding or overlapping. Allow zucchini to brown for a minute or two on either side.

Beat eggs with milk and add salt and pepper to egg mix. Transfer zucchini and chili to a smaller fry pan and distribute it evenly around the pan. Pour over the egg mix and cook for about 4 minutes or until the sides start to come away. Scatter cheese over the top and place under grill for about 2 minutes or until golden and bubbling.

Kale Chips

Prior to making kale chips, I had cooked kale once, and my husband who happily eats anything I make asked me to never make it again.  It was chewy and bitter and plain awful.  And I avoided kale for a long time after, but now I am truly converted. I can eat a bunch of kale in one sitting…easily…as long as it is in kale chip form. They are a fantastic snack and the best part is that even the kids like them!

You can put any flavours you like on these chips. I experimented with salt, crushed cashews, cayenne pepper, lime zest, lime juice and cinnamon, but the possibilities are endless. The simplest version is olive oil and salt with a few drops of lemon juice if you like. This is my kids preference but I love the contrasting texture of the cashews and the heat of the cayenne pepper. 

A few tips – make sure you wash and dry your kale well. You only want the leaves, so hold the stalk at the base of the leaf and run your fingers up the stem to pull off the leaves. Don’t worry if they tear. Don’t crowd the leaves on your baking trays. They can touch but not overlap, otherwise they will wilt instead of crispen, so you may need multiple trays. I used four trays for one bunch of kale. Line your trays with baking paper and the easiest way to ensure even light coating is to use an olive oil spray.

1 bunch kale, washed and dried, leaves only

olive oil spray

1/3 cup raw cashews, crushed (you can do this in a blender or put them in a snap lock bag and bash them with a rolling pin)

sea salt flakes

cayenne pepper

lime zest and juice

Preheat oven to 165 degrees. Lay leaves flat on baking paper lined baking trays. Spray with olive oil and sprinkle over cashews, salt, cayenne pepper and zest. Gently squeeze a few drops of lime juice over the leave (you don’t want too much moisture). Bake for 10-12 minutes or until crispy. You can eat them straight out of the oven or at room temperature.