I have been cooking since I was four years old. Those were the days when I would pull out all the drawers in the kitchen so I could climb up them and watch my Mom cook for our family. Back then, I would pull out every condiment from our fridge and mix it together with every ingredient from our spice cabinet in the pantry and pretend I was the star of my own cooking show. Since then, I have always been passionate about food, but my relationship with food has been tumultuous over the years. For over eight years, I have suffered from an eating disorder and it can be difficult for me to maintain a healthy balance between leading a healthy lifestyle and loving food. I dedicated years of my life to yo-yo diets, while I battled crippling anxiety about my body image and a voracious need to reach and maintain my "ultimate goal weight", and I put myself through horrific and dangerous diets and schemes to lose as much weight as possible, as quickly as possible.
Until a few years ago, my concern for my health was never placed above my desire to be thin and I was desperate to love food again. My introduction to Paleo eating started by reading the book, It Starts With Food and I found many different testimonies by people who were able to improve (and often times, even cure) a myriad of varying health problems and achieve optimal health, simply through using food. I began bi-annual cycles of The Whole 30, which I have mentioned several times in previous posts (The Whole 30 "Spaghetti" with Tomato Meat Sauce). It did not take long before I noticed an immediate improvement in so many different areas of my life. Aside from being able to lose weight at a healthy and maintainable rate, I noticed an increase in my energy levels and positive thinking and I noticed everything about the way food tastes, changed. Even tap water became sweeter and tasted better. When you stop eating sugar and processed crap, it doesn't take long before you notice how real food should taste. The pain in my spine I've had for years due to arthritis decreased, as did the excruciating stomach pain I would endure after every meal. I found I was able to maintain a healthy body weight and feel nourished through eating real, natural, unprocessed and unrefined foods that taste delicious and nourish my body. I stopped focusing on counting calories and was able to build up the strength to throw out my scale for good!
It has been three years since my introduction to the Paleo lifestyle and I have been able to learn so much about food and how it works in so many ways to fuel the mind, body, and soul. Taking the time to work with different ingredients, some more obscure than others - like psyllium husk... wtf? Or discovering that cauliflower is a magical vegetable - has opened my eyes to a whole new world of food and what it means to eat well and be healthy. It has become my dream to be able to share it all with you!
******************************************************************************************************
Two years ago, I single-handedly cooked thirteen different recipes in a 48 hour period.
Two weeks ago, I single-handedly cooked enough food for thirteen people in an 18 hour period.
On July 7th, I was invited to audition for Master Chef Canada, season 3. I cooked a dish comprised of five different components, which had to represent my personality and culinary philosophy. I was given the opportunity to present my dish to a professional taster, who judged it based on Taste, Plating, Skill, and Creativity.
When I first got the call for the chance to audition my "signature dish", I started to panic... I don't actually have a signature dish. I have cooked thousands (literally, thousands) of different recipes over the 22 years that I have been cooking, which has given me an extremely well-rounded repertoire when it comes to being able to execute different dishes. I can bake and I can cook, I can create menu plans and meals congruent with different dietary restrictions, like Paleo and Gluten-free, or Vegan. There are many recipes that I have become an expert at, but I don't have just one dish to claim as my "signature dish". But ever since I started working with Paleo recipes, one of my favorite ways to experiment is by recreating classic dishes into Paleo versions without sacrificing flavor or the essence of what makes that dish classic or comforting to us. I decided to build my dish around that aspect, and the first thought that popped into my head was Tabouli because of its bright, bold, dynamic flavors and colors -- an honest reflection of my personality. Since Tabouli alone does not make a complete dish, I started a list of other components to add to it: Hummus, Tzatziki, Seasoned Chicken, and of course, Pita. Deciding on the building blocks to complete my dish was easy, but then I had to actually create them, and then perfect them...
Thankfully, I had a few weeks of preparation before my audition, and I hosted a dinner party for my friends so they could try some of my food and help me decide on what dish to make. The decision to present the Mediterranean Plate was virtually unanimous, which was both exciting and a huge relief for me. Top 50 in Canada will be my next stop, if I made it through my audition. I won't find out if I've made it through until mid-August, but until then, I am going to continue to work on experimenting with food to create new and exciting recipes - and YOU should, too!
The Mediterranean Plate
Tabouli - the inspiration for my dish! Bright, bold, dynamic flavors and colors from beautiful, fresh ingredients:
Ingredients:
2 bunches parsley (I used Italian & Flat leaf)
1 head cauliflower, stemmed and roughly chopped
1 bunch mint
1 cucumber
1 punnet of grape tomatoes
1 red onion
4 cloves garlic, minced
3 lemons, juiced
2 T olive oil
salt & pepper
Ingredients:
2 bunches parsley (I used Italian & Flat leaf)
1 head cauliflower, stemmed and roughly chopped
1 bunch mint
1 cucumber
1 punnet of grape tomatoes
1 red onion
4 cloves garlic, minced
3 lemons, juiced
2 T olive oil
salt & pepper
Directions:
In a large pot, par-steam chopped cauliflower until tender-crisp (about 5 minutes). Let cool completely, then mince; place into a large salad bowl, and set aside.
Cut the stems off the parsley and mint, and slice into small pieces. Slicing, rather than chopping will keep the parsley from bruising. Add to the salad bowl along with cauliflower.
Chop cucumber and red onion to a Brunoise (1/8" cubes). Add to salad bowl with parsley, mint, and cauliflower. Slice grape tomatoes into quarters, add tomato and minced garlic to the parsley mixture; toss everything well to evenly distribute the ingredients.
In a small bowl, whisk lemon juice, olive oil, salt & pepper. Pour over salad mixture and toss well, ensuring the mixture is well dressed. Cover with saran wrap and refrigerate.
*Tips* Tabouli is best served when dressed 1 hour prior to consuming.
Hummus - the first building block to complete my dish; complimentary flavors and outstanding color from reduced beet juice:
Ingredients:
1 head cauliflower, chopped
1/4 C beet puree or beet juice**
6 heaping T tahini
1/2 head garlic, minced
2 lemons, juiced & zested
1 T olive oil
salt & pepper
1 head cauliflower, chopped
1/4 C beet puree or beet juice**
6 heaping T tahini
1/2 head garlic, minced
2 lemons, juiced & zested
1 T olive oil
salt & pepper
Directions:
Juice beets in a juicer. In a small sauce pan, reduce beet juice to 1/2. Set aside and let cool completely. OR cover beets in tin foil and roast at 400 degrees for 1 hour. Let cool, remove skin, chop into quarters and puree in a food processor until absolutely smooth.
In a large pot, boil chopped cauliflower until fork tender. Blend in a food processor or blender until completely smooth - you do not want any chunks of cauliflower in this recipe. The point is to get the correct consistency of hummus!
In the food processor, add cauliflower puree; beet puree/juice; tahini; minced garlic; lemon juice and zest; olive oil; and salt & pepper. Blend until ingredients are well combined, mixture is bright pink and ingredients are well incorporated.
*Tips* Let stand 1+ hour for flavors to develop.
Tzatziki - one of my all-time favorite condiments, which adds a bright contrasting flavor to the other components of this dish:
Ingredients:
1 batch homemade mayo - see recipe below
1 long English cucumber, peeled, seeded, grated
3-4 cloves garlic
2 T lemon juice
hefty handful of fresh dill
salt & pepper.
Directions:
Mayo: 2 egg yolks (room temperature!); 2 T lemon juice; 2 T white vinegar; 1 t Dijon mustard; 1/2 t salt; 1/4 t pepper; 1 1/2 C light olive oil.
Add yolks, lemon juice, vinegar, Dijon, salt, pepper, and olive oil to a jar, blend with an immersion blender for 1-2 minutes until well combined and mayo has emulsified.
Place shredded cucumber in a medium bowl, sprinkle with salt and let stand a few minutes. Then squeeze as much moisture from shredded cucumber as possible, then pat with paper towel or cheesecloth until it's as dry as possible.
Add cucumber, garlic, lemon juice, dill, salt & pepper to mayo. Mix well and set aside in the fridge for 1+ hour to let the flavor develop.
Chicken - classic protein component, and one of the easiest, but most flavorful chicken recipes I have:
Ingredients:
1/4 C poultry seasoning (mix of dried sage, marjoram, rosemary, thyme, nutmeg, garlic powder, onion powder, black pepper, and salt)
2 T lemon juice
2 T olive oil
Chicken breast, boneless and skinless
Directions:
Preheat oven to 400 degrees.
In a small bowl, mix poultry seasoning with lemon juice and olive oil.
Spread seasoning paste all over chicken and bake 18-20 minutes, until chicken is cooked and juices run clear. Let rest 5-10 minutes, then slice into strips.
Pita - classic starch component, but of course, with a twist:
Ingredients:
1/2 C coconut flour
2 T psyllium husk
1/4 C coconut oil
1 C hot water
2 pinches salt
1/2 t cumin
1/4 t cayenne
Directions:
In a mixing bowl, add dry ingredients and mix 1 minute until well incorporated. Add coconut oil and mix 1 minute.
Heat water to just under a boil, add to stand mixer and blend until well incorporated and mixture begins to form a ball. Turn onto saran wrap, form a ball and let rest 5-10 minutes.
Slice into quarters. Form into balls and turn onto lightly floured surface. Roll out into 1/8" thick rounds and slice into halves.
Heat a cast iron skillet over medium heat. When pan is hot, add pitas and fry 3-4 minutes on each side, until cooked through.
*Tips* Psyllium husk is a form of fibre derived from the Plantago ovata plant, specifically from the husks of the plant's seed. Psyllium husk acts as a replacement for gluten in baked goods - such as breads, pizza dough, rolls, and pasta - which rely on the protein in gluten to create structure. You should be able to find it at your local health food store.
Enjoy and Buon Appetito!
