I love a dish that combines a bunch of different veggies and this dish hits the spot. I spotted this recipe by Teresa Cutter (The Healthy Chef) in an edition of Fitness First magazine that is distributed in Australia for members. In case you missed it, I am obsessed with Teresa's recipes from both her website, and her 80/20 diet book. Teresa's recipe uses just asparagus but I added a layer of red peppers. Next time I think I will throw in some corn kernels but the possibilities are endless! You can check out Teresa's web site here.

I can't even remember the last time I had a lasagne made with pasta sheets. Besides being a carb dodger, I have never found anywhere that does a good veggie lasagne and by good I mean uses lots of veggies rather than just the standard spinach and cheese. This is such a good idea to use thinly sliced zucchini/courgettes as the 'pasta'. I think this will become a regular dish for us as it's very similar to a veggie bake.

Time it takes: 1 hour

Ingredients for 2 servings:

• 125g fine asparagus, trimmed 
• 1 red pepper/capsicum, sliced into batons
• 2 medium sized zucchini/courgettes 
• fresh basil leaves, some sliced for the napolitana sauce
• black pepper 
• 200g cottage cheese or low fat ricotta 
• 2 spring onion, sliced 
• 1/4 tsp nutmeg 
• 2 egg whites 
• 20g grated Parmesan
• 1/2 onion, diced
• 400g tin chopped tomatoes

Method: 

1. Boil a large pot of water and blanch the asparagus and peppers for 1 minute then drain well. 
2. Slice the zucchini thinly on a mandolin lengthways (this is your pasta replacement.) 
3. Scoop the cottage cheese or ricotta into a blender or food processor then add the egg whites and nutmeg. Blend until smooth and creamy.  
4. Fold in the spring onion by hand. 
5. Layer ingredients into a loaf pan in the following order so you end up with 3 layers of zucchini: zucchini – black pepper - cheese mix – asparagus – basil  - zucchini – black pepper – cheese mix – red peppers – basil – zucchini – ricotta mix – grated parmesan cheese. 
6. Bake in a moderate 180 C oven for about 45 mins - 1 hour until golden then serve with a simple napolitana sauce.
7. To make the napolitana sauce quickly sauté the onion until golden then add the chopped tomatoes, and a little sliced basil.  Simmer for 2 – 3 minutes and season with a little salt and pepper. 

NB: for a dairy free version substitute the cottage cheese with good quality silken tofu.

I really love this recipe! I don’t like pasta dishes as they are usually quite ‘heavy’, and being the carb-dodger and ‘no red meat’ fan that I am, I don’t usually even look twice at them. This works out like a lovely, satisfying vegetable bake which is perfect for a Sunday afternoon lunch when it’s cold outside. Comfort food without the calories and fat! Enjoy!

Whoa, so I am kinda late in posting this, but I did bake them last week for Australia Day. It was the first time I have ever attempted them and they turned out pretty good. Besides the first batch turning out slightly caramelized, the next 2 were fine. I took most of them into work the next day and they were a hit! The smell of the coconut and golden syrup as they are baking is incredible!

Don’t you just love the serving plate? I snapped it up for $1 when I was back in Australia over Christmas…classic!

I scoured the internet for awhile trying to find a suitable recipe and ended up going with one from the Aussie Slang website. Here it is…

Ingredients:

• 1 cup plain flour
• 1 cup rolled oats, uncooked
• 1 cup desiccated coconut
• 1 cup brown sugar
• 115 g butter
• 2 tbsp golden syrup (or honey)
• 1 tsp bicarbonate of soda
• 2 tbsp boiling water

Method:

1. Combine the flour (sifted), oats, coconut and sugar in a bowl.
2. Melt the butter and Golden Syrup (or honey) in a saucepan over a low heat.
3. Mix the bicarbonate of soda with the water and add to the butter and Golden Syrup. (It will foam up – this is normal.)
4. Pour the liquids into the dry ingredients and mix well.
5. Spoon dollops of mixture, about the size of a walnut shell, onto a greased tin leaving as much space again between dollops to allow for spreading.
6. Bake in a moderate oven, 180C / 350F, for 15 minutes.
7. Cool on a wire rack and seal in airtight containers

I have been so inspired by my 80/20 diet cookbook, especially since finding the Two Chicks carton of egg whites at Whole Foods. It really makes cooking with egg whites easier and economical as you don't need to throw out any yolks.

Teresa Cutter the Healthy Chefhas a recipe for a salmon and vegetable frittata which she makes in individual muffin cases, but I have made a few amendments so that it is vegetarian. I also made it in a brownie tin which I thought was a great idea as all my baking dishes would have been way too big.
The frittata definitely tasted healthier due to the egg whites, but that's not to say it wasn't tasty. The combination of veggies was superb and the crumbled feta which was mixed through and sprinkled on top was just what it needed.
This is a great recipe to make when you need to use up veggies you already have, and you need something super easy.

My version: serves 2 hungry people, or 4 smaller serves with a side dish of salad of veggies.

Ingredients:

• 2 eggs
• 10 egg whites (I used Two Chicks egg white which is available in the UK. Check if any stores sell something similar elsewhere)
• 1 red pepper/capsicum, chopped
• 1 yellow pepper/capsicum, chopped
• 1 small tin corn kernels, drained
• 100 g cherry tomatoes, halved
• 2 spring onions, sliced
• 100 g low fat feta, cubed

Method:

1. Preheat the oven to 180 degrees C (350 F, Gas 4).
2. Lightly grease a baking dish, brownie tin, or line a 12-hole muffin tray with cases if you want individual frittatas.
3. Beat together the eggs and egg whites and set aside.
4. Combine all the veggies, half the feta and some freshly ground black pepper.
5. Pour the veggie mixture into the pan (or muffin tray), then pour over the egg mixture. Give the tray a shake to help disperse the liquid through all the veggies.
6. Sprinkle over the rest of the feta so it's on top.
7. Bake for 20 mins, then place under a hot grill so that the top puffs up and becomes golden.
8. Enjoy!

This picture is my second version…not as brown on top and no feta, but still delish!

I am hooked on my 80/20 cookbook by Teresa Cutter – the Healthy Chef from Australia! There are so many great recipes in there that are uber healthy I can barely contain myself!

The latest one is super simple too. Over the last year I have tried to cut out dairy just because it sometimes makes me feel sick. I haven’t figured out why, or had a test, I just know that soy milk agrees with with me better. I am not super strict with it though, I just avoid creamy things and cows milk. However, I did read in the 80/20 book that yoghurt containing live cultures can be eaten if you have a lactose intolerance as the bacteria digests the milk sugar for you. What an interesting tip!

Anyway, this is an easy brekkie to try..

Ingredients:

• Any berries or fruit such as strawberries, blueberries, raspberries, or even mango (if you are lucky enough to be in Australia right now with the luscious mangoes!)
• 300 g silken tofu
• 2 tsp honey or maple syrup
• 2 tsp natural vanilla extract
• 6 almonds, chopped

Directions:

1. Process the silken tofu with the honey/maple syrup and vanilla extract in a blender or food processor until smooth and creamy.
2. Drizzle half over the mixed berries or fruit (store the rest in the fridge)
3. Top with the chopped almonds and enjoy!

Every time we go down Edgware Road, I gaze out the window at all the Middle Eastern eateries that line the street. Soon after, I find myself licking my lips. There is Lebanese, Moroccan, Israeli and many more, but one that has always jumped out has been the Maroush Deli. This is probably because I can always see pyramids of all the baklava through the window!

We finally decided to dine at one of these places and so we ended up at Maroush Gardens – complete with a fish pond! Now I don't usually like to do 'quasi restaurant reviews', but I do want to recommend this place as we had a massive plate of top quality, delicious food.

We each ordered the lunchbox which is a selection of the mezza (I would usually say mezze, but their menu ended with an ‘a’) as chosen by the chef (we had hummus, baba ganouj, dolmades, a little pastry filled with spinach, one with cheese, some pickles, tabouleh, a falafel and some fantastic garlic sauce and a salsa-type sauce), and some grilled chicken. Usually they serve a mixed grill but as I operate a "no red meat" policy, they were happy to only give me the chicken - which was delightfully moist by the way! This lunch plate will set you back £16 and sustain you for a long afternoon . They also provide some warm, brown pita bread if you want to make the most of all the dips and sauces.

If you can make it to Edgware Road, be sure to stop in and check it out. The range of cold and hot mezzas is massive and it all looked great. If you just want a quick piece of baklava from the deli, check out the Maroush Deli which is across the street.

Deets: Maroush Gardens – 1 Connaught St (corner of Edgware Road) Tel: 020 7262 0222