A fresh, health-conscious diet is the perfect way to celebrate fresh seasonal produce. Go on, entertain in style!

Serves 4

Prep Time 25 min

Cook Time 5 min

INGREDIENTS

Cauliflower couscous

• 1kg cauliflower, cut into florets
• 1 tsp sea salt flakes
• 300g frozen peas
• 300g snow peas
• 1 cup mint leaves, chopped
• 1 cup coriander leaves, chopped coarsely
• 1 cup parsley, chopped, plus extra to serve
• 1/3 cup pistachios, chopped
• 1 tsp finely grated lemon zest
• 2 tbsp lemon juice
• ¼ cup olive oil
• 4 boiled eggs

Mint yoghurt sauce

• ½ cup greek/plain yoghurt
• 2 tbsp chopped mint leaves
• 1 tbsp lemon juice

METHOD

For the yoghurt mint sauce

1. Combine all the ingredients together in a bowl and mix well. Season to taste.

For the cauliflower couscous

1. Working in batches, process cauliflower and salt until it resembles a couscous-like consistency. Transfer into a double lined clean tea towel, squeeze all the liquid out of the cauliflower.
2. Cook peas and snow peas in a pot of boiling water for 2 minutes. Drain and transfer to a bowl of iced water; drain. Slice snow peas thinly lengthways.
3. Transfer cauliflower couscous to a bowl; and fluff with a fork. Add herbs, both peas, pistachios and lemon zest, mix until well combined.
4. Whisk lemon juice and oil together in a bowl until well combined; season to taste.

5.Drizzle the dressing over the cauliflower couscous and gently mix. Top salad with halved boiled eggs. Spoon over the mint yoghurt sauce and scatter with extra parsley leaves. Season to taste.

FOOD TIP: Wringing the cauliflower gives it a fluffy texture and amplifies its nutty flavour.

ALSO READ: 4 Spring salads you need in your life

The post Cauliflower couscous salad with fresh minty yoghurt sauce appeared first on MyKitchen.

Load your plate with a helping of colourful foods and you have a meal that is balanced and healthy. Need some inspiration? Try this baked fish with veggies.

SERVES 4–6 // COOKING TIME 55 min

INGREDIENTS
For the baked fish with veggies
2 tbsp olive oil
3 tbsp chopped parsley
1 tsp honey
6 baby marrows, cut lengthwise and quartered
1½ cups cherry tomatoes
4 wheels feta, halved
4 lemons, halved
4 basa fish fillets
For the herb sauce
½ cup chopped parsley
½ cup chopped rocket
Zest and juice of 1 lemon
1 tbsp honey
1 garlic clove, finely chopped
⅓  cup olive oil

METHOD
For the baked fish with veggies
1. Preheat oven to 200°C.
2. Whisk the olive oil, parsley and honey. Season to taste.
3. Add the baby marrows and tomatoes and toss to coat.
4. Arrange the veggies along with the feta on a baking tray and drizzle over the remaining oil. Bake for 20 minutes.
5. In the meantime, put a pan over high heat. Place the lemon halves, flesh side down, in the pan. Cook for 5 minutes, then remove and set aside.
6. Season the fish and then place on top of the veggies, along with three of the lemons. Return to the oven for about 10–12 minutes, until the fish is cooked.
For the herb sauce
1. Combine all the ingredients, mix well and season to taste. Serve with the fish and veggies, as well as the last lemon on the side.

Recipe & styling: Elizabeth Mackenzie
Photography: Samantha Pinto // HMimages.co.za

Jump on the colourful eating bandwagon with our roast vegetable salad.

The post Eat in colour with this baked fish and veggies appeared first on MyKitchen.

With a mix of sweet, savoury and acidic flavours, this roast broccoli salad is a delicious and healthy addition to your diet.

SERVES 2 // COOKING TIME 20 min

INGREDIENTS
180 g broccoli
⅓ cup olive oil
¼ cup macadamias
¼ cup dried cranberries
4 balls mozzarella
¼ cup red-wine vinegar

METHOD
1. Preheat oven to 200°C.
2. Toss broccoli with 2 tbsp oil and roast for 20 minutes. Chop.
3. Mix broccoli, macadamias and cranberries. Top with mozzarella.
4. Whisk remaining oil with the vinegar. Drizzle over salad.

Recipe & styling: Chiara Turilli
Photography: Kendall-Leigh Nash // HMimages.co.za

This grilled corn, chicken and nectarine salad is another summer favourite!

The post Roast broccoli salad with mozzarella and dried cranberries appeared first on MyKitchen.

You’ll never get bored with these wholewheat pancakes! Made from a homemade grain and bean base, you can enjoy these three different ways.

SERVES 4 // COOKING TIME 40 min

INGREDIENTS
For the grain and bean base
2 cups cooked brown rice
2 cups cooked barley
2 tins butter beans, drained
2 cups cooked red sugar beans
For the wholewheat pancakes
1½ cups grain and bean base
1½ cups buttermilk
1 cup wholewheat flour
3 eggs
1 tsp salt

METHOD
For the grain and bean base
1. Mix all of the ingredients together.
For the wholewheat pancakes
1. Add the grain and bean base, buttermilk, flour, eggs and salt to a food processor. Blend until smooth.
2. Heat some oil in a pan over medium heat. Spoon in ladlefuls of batter and cook for 8 minutes on each side, until golden and cooked through. Repeat with the remaining batter.
3. Allow to cool, pack in an airtight container and freeze for up to 2 weeks.
4. Serve with either: salsa, corn, coriander and red onion; peanut butter and fresh berries; or cheese and bacon.

Recipe & styling: Amerae Vercueil
Photography: Samantha Pinto // HMimages.co.za

Breakfast is served! Get another delicious variation with these savoury banana pancakes.

The post Three ways with grain and bean wholewheat pancakes appeared first on MyKitchen.

Upon reading the title you might think I’m being harsh, but hear me out. Hashtags for eating ‘clean’  have taken social media, the internet and quite frankly, the daily food choices of fitness fanatics and healthy eaters by storm. If a food item isn’t ‘clean’ it’s considered a cheat meal, or worse, banned from the diet for life! This obsession of classifying foods into good vs bad is creating a culture of guilt and trepidation when it comes to eating, which eventually leads to eating disorders and other forms of disordered eating! Food is tasty, interesting, powerful and nourishing. Let’s appreciate it for what it is and not let the ‘clean eating’ movement take away our happiness!

By Jana du Plessis

THE LOOMING QUESTION

Seeing food items labelled in the supermarkets as ‘skinny’, ‘low-fat’ or by any other health-related term, always makes me cringe. When you turn those packages around, the ingredient list will still read like it’s Greek. Then I walk past the apples, pumpkins and baby marrows and there’s no indication of those being high in nutrients, full of fibre and all natural. So why do these so-called ‘health-foods’ need all the publicity?

STATE YOUR POSITION

I have a food philosophy that makes me strive to eat food as close to their natural state as possible with the fewest ingredients possible. Say I’m feeling like hot chocolate, I’ll make a hot cacao with honey and milk – three ingredients and just as decadent! There’s no need for funky powders, stabilisers and flavourants when you can turn to nature’s bounty of goodness. Onions, beetroot, carrots and tomatoes add wonderful, natural sweetness to home-made chutneys and sauces instead of relying on pre-packaged concoctions. And playing with different heat applications like steaming, roasting, and scorching results in an array of new textures and tastes to be explored.

WHERE ARE YOU AT?

If you are worried about ‘clean eating’ and the way the food you ingest will affect your body, ask yourself where the food comes from. Is it from a factory-produced tin and filled with things you don’t recognise? Or is it from a farm, occurs in nature and you can decide on what to add to it? If you choose that ‘skinny’ item, you cannot guarantee how the ingredients will be perceived by your body, but by choosing fresh produce you can rest assured that you will be fuelling your body with vitamins, minerals and all-around nourishment.

FOOD FOR THOUGHT

Is it really worth it to question whether orange sweet potatoes or white sweet potatoes have more kilojoules? Or is it more important to ask if that packaged good will provide you with the same nutritional benefits as the piece of fruit you’re having? It’s not about eating ‘clean’ or eating ‘dirty’. It’s about enjoying how food can nourish your body and soul, and choosing the life in plants and protein to boost your daily living to the best of its ability. Plus, knowing that nourishment trumps calories when it comes to supporting your body will free you totally from food guilt..

The post Why the clean eating movement is destroying our perspective on healthy eating appeared first on MyKitchen.

And just like that, another year has come to pass. 2016 has been… interesting. It was the year of of the smoothie bowl, the olympics, freakshakes, the death of David Bowie and the rise of Donald Trump. As always, we’re looking ahead! Here are our predictions for the big health food trends for 2017.

By Jana du Plessis

Trend #1: The soup cleanse

We’ve spoken about it before , and we’ll have to say it again as it’s clearly a trend that’s here to stay. Soup cleanses will be taking over from the currently popular juice cleanse. Proponents of this kind of detox say it’s easy on the digestive system and it provides more nutrients than high-fructose juices, but it’s still recommended to be limited to 3-5 days at a time. This cleansing diet is perfect for those of you who want to hit the restart button on your slightly derailed health habits and get back on track with conscious eating and active living.

Trend #2: Watermelon water

Remember when everyone was reaching for a glass of coconut water? Well, coconuts have been replaced by our favourite hydrating summer fruit; watermelon! Watermelon water is nothing more than cold-pressed watermelon (watermelon juice). This sweet delight is not only delicious but high in vitamin C and rich in anti-aging, immune-boosting antioxidants.

Trend #3: Sustainable eating

With the release of Leonardo Di Caprio’s 2016 documentary film, Before the Flood, the average citizen has become increasingly aware of climate change and the impact our consumer behaviour has on the environment. Denmark has proved it’s thinking ahead with an environmental plan that aims to make the country’s agricultural system completely organic and sustainable. This includes limiting imported produce to reduce the country’s carbon dioxide emissions. Next year will be all about buying locally and growing your own veggies. To read more about Denmark’s ideas, click here.

Trend #4: Full-fat dairy

We are thanking the food gods! Butter, cream and all things rich and delicious are making a comeback – and without a trace of guilt! Recent research has shown that introducing a moderate amount of dairy fat into our diets is not as bad for our bodies as we previously believed. The focus is on nourishing, minimally processed foods, and a healthy dose of good-quality cheese!

Trend #5: Kava

When it comes to unusual drinks, kombucha came first and now kava has arrived on the scene. This South Pacific drink has been a staple in their local cultures for thousands of years. Kava is favoured for the slight buzz it gives its drinker – similar to that of alcohol, but without the dreaded hangover. It elevates mood, reduces stress and anxiety, and is a natural pain reliever. It is becoming so popular in Western societies that kava bars are replacing their boozier counterparts all over the United States, and we are sure the trend will be making it’s way to South Africa soon!

The post 2017 health trends forecast: Here’s what you need to know appeared first on MyKitchen.