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The Healthy Balanced Chef
Receiving information in this technological age can be hard to dechiper what is right and what is wrong in diets, eating, weight loss and healthy happy lifestyles. This can be a hard goal to reach! I would like to share my knowledge and recipes to help you reach your goal without having to turn your world upside down. It's called BALANCING.
"I've always believed in balance with every aspect of life, including food, soul and lifestyle.
Top 3 Balanced Meals
I would like to share my life experiences in balance and helping people on a professional food level. Throughout my career so far as a Chef, I have always ignored the indulgant gustation philosophy that most professional Chefs take on in their career. Placing excess fats and sugars to make us feel better and content after a meal. It does not have to be like that. In the last 5 years, the dining out and the home cooking ecperience has changed from indulgance of being 'well fed' to just having an exciting meal, refreshing and revitalising to the soul and body.
To kick off your new balanced regime
1 Sweet potato and pumpkin soup
Makes 8-10 serves
2-3 sweet potatoes
1/2 grey pumpkin
5 litres of vegetable stock or chicken if desired
1 bulb of garlic, crushed and chopped
1 tbs cumin
1 tbs swet paprika
1 tbs tumeric
4 tsp cracked black pepper
1 handful of chopped parsley
sprinkle of celery salt, if desired
Low fat cream to serve
METHOD
Boil sweet potato and pumpkin together until well cooked and drain.
Blend and puree all ingredients together until smooth
Reheat to serve in a saucepan
Add cream to serve on top.
Makes 2 serves
2 handfuls of cooked linguine pasta
2 tomatoes quartered
2 tbs finely chopped parsley
1 zuchinni sliced
1/2 sliced red capsicum
4 fresh button mushrooms
1/2 sliced spanish red onion
10-12 kalamata olives or other olives you desire
4 tbs of fresh napolitana sauce
2 tsp crushed garlic
2 splashes of dry red wine
Extra virgin olive oil for cooking
Pepper to season, add salt if you do not desire olives.
METHOD
Boil 1/2 packet of linguine pasta, drain.
Place in pan to sautee, 1 tbs olive oil, onion, mushrooms, garlic, red capsicum and zuchinni.
Add tomato, napolitana sauce, red wine, parsley, pasta, olives and pepper and toss until all heated through.
If you would like to add chicken, dice 1 chicken breast, pan fry and add to the dish.
Or prawns, pan fry some fresh green prawns, and add to the pasta.
Garnish with basil.
2 Award winning Mediterranean linguine
3 Lemon and prawn white wine risotto
Serves 5
300g aborio rice
1 large brown onion finely diced
750ml vegetable stock or fish stock
1 cup of white wine
1 tsp pepper
1 litre of hot water
1/2 handful of finely chopped shallots
1/2 handful chopped coriander
1/2 handful chopped parsley
2 lemons, zest and juice
15 fresh green prawns
METHOD
In a large pan, add onion and oil to sautee, do not overcook.
Add rice, then place 2 cups of stock until just covered, stir gently to keep rice from sticking to pan.
Keep adding stock when it becomes reduced.
Add pepper and more stock when reduced.
Add wine, lemon zest and juice then add hot water when it reduces a little more, until nearly cooked. This dish takes up to 20 minutes to cook and needs direct supervision.
Add parsley, shallots and pan fried prawns to dish just before serving.
Garnish with with a sprig of coriander.
Top 3 Healthy Snacks
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These collections of recipes have personally been chosen from my secret recipe book which I started creating in 2002. When I started my cooking career. Healthy and inspirartional, so simple. I am sharing these recipes with you to help you and your family eat better, feel better and make it positive to cook simple but great food.
Makes 16
4 sheets of reduced fat or gluten free puff pastry
4 leaves of silverbeet finely chopped
Melted butter or margarine
1.2kg par boiled small diced pumpkin
Pepper and a bit of sprinkle of cumin
METHOD
Par boil diced pumpkin until semi soft, do not overcook, drain and cool.
Place shredded silverbeet on top of pastry
1/2 tsp margarine or butter on top of each pastry
Add 3 cubes of pumpkin to each pastry
Sprinkle with a crack of pepper and cumin if desired
Seal and glaze with remaining butter
Cook for approx 20 mins in a pre heated over at 190-200c depending on your oven or until golden brown.
1 Pumpkin and Silverbeet Pasties
2 Ang's bruschetta
Makes 6 bite size serves
1 crusty bread roll
2-3 large ripe tomates finely diced
1 finely diced spanish red onion
1/2 handful of chopped fresh basil
1/2 tsp cracked pepper
1 tsp extra virgin olive oil
2 cloves of crushed and chopped garlic
1/4 block of low fat crumbled fetta
METHOD
Slice crusty bread roll on an angle
Add all ingredients together in a bowl and mix extra gently with a tablespoon to avoid bruising.
Lightly grill bread slices in a pan
Place ingredients on sliced bread roll
Finish with crumbled low fat fetta.
3 Smoked salmon canapes
Makes 18 small canapes
220g low fat cream cheese
1/2 bunch chives finely chopped
3 large tortillas
400g smoked salmon
METHOD
Mix softened cream cheese with chives in a bowl until smooth
Spread each tortilla with a third of the cream cheese to completely cover.
Cover the cream cheese mix with smoked salmon slices
Roll up each tortilla into compact roll, and chill seam side down until serving time
Cut into 2-3cm slices
Place toothpick and garnish with remaining chives.