Category Archives: Dinner

Our favourite Whole Food dinner recipes

Thai Pumpkin and Mushroom Curry

Dinner, , , , , , , , , ,
Thai curry with mushrooms and pumpkin
This recipe has become one of our go to staple dinners. We keep a pot of homemade Thai curry paste in the fridge (it lasts a couple of weeks) and whip this up as a quick after work meal together with rice or cauliflower rice.
Ingredients
Directions
  1. Heat the oil in a frying pan and add the curry paste. Fry until the paste becomes fragrant.
  2. Add the coconut milk and stir.
  3. Add fish sauce, water and vegetables and bring to the boil.
  4. Cook for 10 minutes or until the veggies are done.
  5. Add the kaffir lime leaves, stir and serve with rice or cauliflower rice.

Music to go with it…
Listen on Spotify: William Fitzsimmons – Gold in the Shadow

 

Indian Palak Chicken Curry

Dinner, , , , , ,
Indian Palak Chicken
Having lived in India, our son’s absolute favorite dish is Palak Paneer – a spinach curry with Indian Paneer cheese. He demands it at least once a week! It is a great vegetarian curry and you can find Paneer in some specialty Indian stores, but it is not always easy to find. This is a variation on the same recipe, using a leg of chicken, but pieces of chicken breasts are also OK. If you are vegan you could substitute the chicken or Paneer for large chunks of white button mushrooms.
Ingredients
  • 4 chicken legs or breasts
  • 1kg spinach
  • 3 cm fresh ginger, sliced
  • 1 tsp fenugreek seeds
  • 1 tsp mustard seeds
  • 3 bay leaves
  • 1 onion, chopped
  • 1 large garlic clove, crushed
  • 1 tbsp coriander powder
  • 1 tbsp cumin powder
  • 1/2 tsp turmeric
  • 1/2 tsp chili powder
  • 1/2 tsp paprika powder (to add sweetness)
  • salt
  • pepper
  • 2 tomatoes, blended
  • 1 tsp Garam Masala
  • 4 tbsp coconut yoghurt (optional)
  • Coconut oil
Directions
  1. Wash the spinach and get rid of the thickest stalks.
  2. Cook the spinach with the ginger and some salt until wilted.
  3. Let it cool off a little, then transfer to a blender and blend until smooth.
  4. Heat two tablespoons of coconut or olive oil in a large frying pan. Add the fenugreek seeds and bay leaves.Fry until the spices become fragrant.
  5. Add the onion and fry until soft.
  6. Add the garlic, ground spices, salt and pepper and fry for a minute more. Stir well so the spices won’t burn.
  7. Add the blended tomatoes and cook softly until most of the liquid has evaporated.
  8. Add the spinach mixture to the tomatoes and cook on a low heat for a few minutes.
  9. When using the coconut yoghurt, stir it it in a tablespoon at the time. When the yoghurt has been absorbed by the sauce, add another spoon.
  10. Add the chicken, bring to the boil, cover and cook for 20 minutes.
  11. Add a little water during the cooking process if the sauce starts to dry out
  12. Take the lid off and cook for another 5 minutes or until the chicken is done.
  13. Sprinkle with the Garam Masala and serve with a little extra coconut yoghurt, steamed rice or cauliflower rice.

Music to go with it…
Listen on Spotify: Blur – Lonesome street

SaveSave

Paleo Shepherd’s Pie

Dinner, , , , , , , ,

Paleo Shepherd's pie

This recipe calls out for a Winter’s dining room, complete with a log fire burning and candles on the table. Unfortunately we live in Singapore, so we enjoyed this rosemary and thyme laden dish in the heat of the summer instead. With the cold snap in New Zealand at the moment, I am sure it could warm many a stomach.

Ingredients

  • 1 onion, chopped
  • 2 carrots, finely chopped
  • 3 garlic cloves, finely chopped
  • coconut oil to fry
  • 500g beef mince
  • 4 Tbsp soya sauce, tamari or coconut aminos
  • 2 tsp balsamic vinegar
  • 1 tsp thyme leaves, dried
  • leaves of one stick of fresh rosemary, chopped (or 1 tsp rosemary, dried)
  • 50ml water
  • 1 sweet potato (yellow looks best, but any colour will do), sliced finely
  • Sea salt and freshly ground black pepper

Directions

  1. Pre-heat the oven to 180 degrees Celsius (350 degrees Fahrenheit)
  2. Heat the pan to a moderate heat and add the coconut oil. Fry off the onion, garlic and carrot until the onion is soft and fragrant – about 3 minutes
  3. Add the beef mince and fry until it has browned
  4. Add the soya sauce / coconut aminos, balsamic vinegar, thyme and rosemary to the pan and stir well. Cook for 2 minutes stirring occasionally
  5. Sprinkle over a pinch of sea salt and some freshly ground black pepper. Stir to combine.
  6. Add the water and turn the heat down to a low heat. Leave it to slowly cook for around 15 minutes. Keep an eye on it and add a little more water if needed to stop it from drying out.
  7. Remove the meat from the heat and pour into a pie dish. I used one 25cm x 15cm.
  8. Slice the sweet potato finely and layer over the top of the pie in overlapping rows. Sprinkle over sea salt and more rosemary (fresh or dried)
  9. Place the pie dish into the hot oven and cook at 180 degrees Celsius (350 degrees Fahrenheit) for 15-20 minutes until the sweet potato has cooked through and become crispy. They should be like potato chips on top of the pie.
  10. Serves 2-3

Music to go with it…
Listen on Spotify:Tourist LeMC – En Route

Duck Breast with Pomegranate Sauce

Dinner, , , , , , , ,

Duck Breast with pomegranate sauce

Duck is a flavorsome meat, and this powerfully flavoured sauce makes a rich combination, that is quite impressive to serve. The ingredients can be a little expensive to buy, but it does make a wonderful dish for a special occasion. Serve with a salad and sweet potato chips.

Ingredients

  • 2 large duck breasts, skin on
  • coconut oil
  • sea salt
  • freshly ground pepper
  • Pomegranate seeds to garnish
  • Fresh coriander to garnish

Sauce ingredients

  • 2 spring onions, chopped
  • 2 garlic cloves, chopped
  • 1 cm fresh ginger, peeled and chopped
  • 100 ml organic pomegranate juice (check the label carefully to avoid added sugar and additives. The one we found was in a glass jar, and imported from America.)
  • 1/2 tsp ground cinnamon
  • 1/2 tsp ground allspice
  • pinch of freshly grated nutmeg
  • 1 tsp manuka honey
  • 50 ml fresh orange juice
  • pinch of ground cloves
  • 5 thyme sprigs

Directions

  1. Preheat the oven to 180 degrees Celcius (350 degrees Fahrenheit)
  2. Make a few cuts in the fat / skin of the duck breast. Brush with a little coconut oil and season with sea salt and freshly ground black pepper. 
  3. Fry in an oven proof pan for 5 minutes skin side down on a moderate heat. Turn the duck over and cook for a further 2 minutes. 
  4. Put all of the sauce ingredients into a blender and blend until smooth.
  5. Pour the sauce over the duck, and put the pan with duck and sauce into the oven to cook for around 5 minutes (depending on the size of the duck breast it might take a little more or less time). 
  6. Garnish with fresh coriander and pomegranate seeds to serve. 

Music to go with it…
Listen on Spotify: Burning Spear – Marcus Garvey / Garvey’s Ghost

 

 

Fried Spinach with Garlic and Pine Nuts

Dinner, , , , , , , , ,

Fried spinach with garlic and pine nuts

An easy to prepare side dish, that goes well with Lebanese Lamb burgers and sweet potato fries with aioli to create a meal. Pine nuts are available in most supermarkets these days, try the nuts aisle or a middle eastern goods section.

Ingredients

Directions

  1. First toast the pine nuts in 1 tsp of coconut oil with a good pinch of sea salt.
  2. When the pine nuts are ready, set them aside and wash the spinach.
  3. Transfer the spinach to a large pan and cook with the lid on for 10 minutes until done.
  4. Drain the spinach but do not squeeze it.
  5. Heat 3 tbsp of coconut oil in a large frying pan and fry the garlic until they turn brown.
  6. Discard the garlic
  7. Add the cooked spinach. Fry for about two minutes, transfer to a bowl and sprinkle with the toasted pine nuts.

Music to go with it…
Listen on Spotify: Woods – With light and love

Salmon Coconut Curry

Dinner, , , , , , ,

Salmon Coconut Curry

We lived in India for two years and love Indian food. This curry is inspired by the food of Southern India, and is full of flavour, but not spicy. It uses chili only to create flavour rather than heat, and you remove the chilies after the dish is cooked. It is mild enough for children to eat, but extra chilli could be added if you prefer to add some spice.

Ingredients

Spice paste

  • 1/2 onion, sliced
  • 3 cm ginger, peeled and roughly chopped
  • 3 garlic cloves, peeled
  • 1 tsp ground coriander
  • 1/2 tsp ground cumin
  • 100 ml coconut milk

Curry 

  • 1 tsp mustard seeds
  • 6 green cardamon pods
  • 4 cloves
  • 1 cinnamon stick
  • 1/2 large onion, sliced
  • 3 whole green chilies, pricked all over, whole
  • 120 ml coconut milk
  • 150 ml water
  • 250 gr salmon fillets, cut into pieces (can also use salmon trimmings)
  • 15-20 curry leaves
  • salt and pepper
  • 1 tsp garam masala
  • 1/2 tsp amchar (mango powder)
  • 2 tsp lemon juice
  • fresh coriander to garnish

Directions

  1. Place all of the spice mix ingredients into a blender. Blend well to form a spice paste.
  2. Heat 1 Tbsp of coconut oil in a moderate heat pan, add the mustard seeds, cardamon pods, cloves and cinnamon stick and fry until fragrant.
  3. Add the onion, and fry gently until soft.
  4. Add the spice mix, salt and chillies to the pan and stir well. Cover and cook for 10-12 minutes, stirring occasionally.
  5. Add the coconut milk, water, salmon fillets, curry leaves, pepper, garam masala, and mango powder. Stir to combine and then let it simmer for around 5 minutes until the fish is cooked through.
  6. Stir in the lemon juice and garnish with some fresh coriander.
  7. Serve with rice or cauliflower rice.

Music to go with it…
Listen on Spotify: Anoushka Shankar – Traces of You

Spinach coconut curry with meatballs

Dinner, , , , , , ,

Spinach meatball curry

This is a substantial and warming meal that is great paired with cauliflower rice or rice. You can adapt it to your own level of preferred spiciness by adapting how much chili powder you include. This is a slightly spicy version.

Ingredients:

For the meatballs

  • 500 gr lamb mince
  • 1/2 tsp ginger-garlic paste
  • 1 onion, grated
  • 1 tbsp fresh coriander, chopped
  • 1 tsp ground coriander
  • 1 tsp ground cumin
  • 1/2 tsp ground turmeric
  • 1/2 tsp Kashmiri chili powder
  • 1/2 tsp sea salt
  • Freshly ground black pepper
  • 1 tbsp ghee or coconut oil

For the curry

  • 220ml coconut milk
  • 100 ml water
  • 5 green cardamon pods
  • 15 fresh curry leaves
  • 1 onion, chopped
  • 1 tsp ground coriander
  • 1 tsp ground cumin
  • 1/2 tsp ground turmeric
  • 1/2 tsp Kashmiri chili powder
  • 2 tsp ginger-garlic paste
  • 500 gr baby spinach (or similar green vegetables)
  • Sea salt and freshly ground black pepper

Directions:

  1. First make the meatballs. Combine all ingredients in a large bowl and mix well.
  2. Now, make around 15 golf ball sized meatballs. Wet your hands before making a ball so they won’t stick to your hands.
  3. Put them on a plate and let them firm up in the fridge for about 30 minutes.
  4. Heat the ghee or oil in a large frying pan and brown the meatballs on all sides. When ready, put them on a plate and set aside.
  5. When all the meatballs are done, fry the curry leaves and cardamom pods for a few seconds until fragrant.
  6. Add the onion and fry until soft.
  7. Add the spices and the ginger-garlic paste and fry for a minute more.
  8. Then add the coconut milk and water and bring to the boil.
  9. When boiling, add the spinach, cover and cook until wilted.
  10. Take the lid of, add the meatballs, season with salt and pepper and cook until the sauce thickens a little and the meatballs are heated through.
  11. Serve with rice or cauliflower rice

Music to go with it…
Listen on Spotify: Hindi Zhara – Homeland

 

 

Shakarkandi Gobi – Indian sweet potato and cauliflower

Dinner, , , , , , , , , ,

Aloo Shakarkandi

During our time living in India we became really big fans of Indian food. One of the greatest parts of traveling there was tasting all the different types of food around the country. In India this is normally made with potatoes, but we have substituted them for sweet potatoes in this dish for the extra nutrition.

Ingredients

  • 400g cauliflower, cut into portions / florets
  • 300g sweet potato, peeled and cu into 3cm chips
  • coconut oil
  • pinch of asafoetida
  • 1/2 tsp cumin seeds
  • 3cm fresh ginger, peeled and grated
  • 1/2 large green chilli, finely chopped
  • 1/4 tsp tumeric
  • 1/4 tsp chilli powder
  • pinch of salt
  • 1/2 tsp garam masala
  • 1/4 tsp amchur (mango powder)
  • handful of fresh coriander, roughly chopped
  • 120ml water

Directions

  1. Heat 1 Tbsp of coconut oil in a large frying pan over a high heat. Add the asafoetida, cumin seeds, ginger, chilli and turmeric. Mix and fry for a few seconds.
  2. Add cauliflower, sweet potato, water, and salt, cover and cook on a medium high heat until the water is evaporated. This will take about 10 minutes. Stir once in a while to avoid it catching on the bottom of the pan.
  3. Check that the sweet potatoes are cooked through. If they are not you may need to cook them for a little while longer, and add a little more water to create the steam to cook them in.
  4. Add the garam masala, coriander and mango powder. Mix and serve.
  5. Can be served as a side dish with Chicken Cardamon Curry with Papaya or another curry dish.

Music to go with it…
Listen on Spotify: The War on Drugs – Lost in the Dream

 

 

Cardamon Chicken Curry with Papaya

Dinner, , , ,

Cardamon and papaya chicken curry

Cardamon is a deliciously fragrant spice. When combined with the sweetness and pungency of papaya it creates a chicken curry that is fragrant and full of flavour.

Ingredients

Marinade

  • 4 chicken breasts (500g) cut into 2cm chunks
  • 2 garlic cloves, finely chopped
  • 3cm fresh ginger, finely grated
  • Rind of 1 lemon
  • Juice of 1/2 a lemon
  • 4 Tbsp coconut milk
  • 1 tsp ground coriander
  • 1 tsp ground cumin
  • 1/4 tsp kashmiri chili powder
  • 1/4 tsp ground turmeric
  • Salt and pepper

Sauce

Directions

  1. Combine all of the marinade ingredients in a bowl and put in the fridge for about an hour.
  2. Heat the ghee or coconut oil in a frying pan. 
  3. Add the curry leaves and cardamon pods and fry until fragrant
  4. Add onion and fry until soft. 
  5. Add the chicken with the marinade, and brown all over.
  6. Add coconut milk and water, and cook for 10 minutes
  7. Add papaya and chillies and cook for another 5 minutes
  8. Serve with rice or cauliflower rice

About papaya:
The papaya (also known as papaw, or pawpaw) is native to the tropics of the Americas, perhaps from southern Mexico and neighbouring Central America. However, it is now grown in most tropical countries and can be found used in many cuisines. The ripe fruit of the papaya is usually eaten raw, without skin or seeds, but can also be used in curries. The unripe green fruit can be eaten cooked, usually in curries, salads, and stews. Green papaya is used in Southeast Asian cooking, both raw and cooked. The fruit is rich in papain, and can be used for tenderizing meat and other proteins. The black seeds of the papaya are edible and have a sharp, spicy taste. They are sometimes ground and used as a substitute for black pepper.

Music to go with it…
Listen on Spotify: Warpaint – Warpaint

 

 

Roast Chicken with Lemon and Garlic

Dinner, , , , , ,

roast chicken with lemon and garlic

Roast chicken is a classic Sunday favorite. This variation has a delicious summery taste to it as a result of the lemon juice in which it is basted. As a variation, try sprinkling with a little pimenton along with the salt and pepper.

Ingredients

  • 1 whole roast chicken (approximately 1.5kg)
  • 1 Tbsp coconut oil
  • 2 tsp ghee
  • 2 garlic cloves
  • fresh oregano and thyme
  • sea salt and freshly ground black pepper
  • 1 lemon halved
  • juice of 1 lemon

Directions

  1. Heat the oven to 180 degrees celcius
  2. Place the chicken in an oven proof baking tray.
  3. Rub the cavity of the chicken gently with one half of the lemon.
  4. Slice the other half of the lemon and place it into the cavity of the chicken.
  5. Add the garlic cloves, thyme and oregano into the cavity as a stuffing
  6. Insert your hand under the skin of the chicken and rub with 1 tsp of the ghee
  7. Rub the top of the skin of the chicken with the other 1 tsp of the ghee.
  8. Squeeze the juice of half a lemon over the top of the chicken.
  9. Sprinkle with sea salt and freshly ground black pepper.
  10. Put into the oven to cook for 20 minutes
  11. Remove from the oven and squeeze the juice of the other half of the lemon over the chicken. Return to the oven.
  12. Bake for 40 minutes more or until the juice of the chicken runs clear when you separate the leg of the chicken from the body of the chicken.
  13. Serve with sweet potato fries, and broccoli with fried garlic, or grilled courgettes with pomegranate and pesto.

Music to go with it…
Listen on Spotify: Oscar and the Wolf – Entity