Spring/Summer | Irma Green

All posts filed under “Spring/Summer”

7th April 2016

Cauliflower rice mushroom & asparagus risotto with macadamia cheese

April is always a bit of an ‘on/off’ month, it feels like nature is going through rehearsals in preparation of the great summer performance. Despite the cold, I love this time of the year with longer light filled days , blossoming trees and little tender… Read more

Cauliflower rice mushroom & asparagus risotto with macadamia cheese

Ingredients- Serves: 3-4

1 large head cauliflower, chopped into smaller pieces
400 ml of chicken or vegetable broth
2 -3 tbsp of dried porcini mushrooms
400 g of cremini mushrooms- sliced
200 g of green asparagus
2 cloves of garlic, finely chopped
1-2 medium sized shallot finely chopped
1 tbsp coconut oil, ghee or butter for those who can tolerate it
1 tbsp ghee, butter or cold presser olive oil
1 bunch of fresh flat leaf parsley- finely chopped
3-4 twigs of thyme ( optional)
1-2 tbsp fresh lemon juice
150g of rocket
Himalayan or sea salt and freshly ground pepper

Macadamia cheese
1 cup of macadamia nuts
1-2 tbsp of nutritional yeast

Method:

Start preparing the stock in a pot with boiling water, add the Porcini mushrooms, stir well and simmer for 10-15 minutes.

For the macadamia cheese you will need an electric or manual coffee & spice grinder. Simply transfer nuts and nutritional yeast into the grinder and grind until you get a grated Parmesan like texture. For a more cheesy flavour add more nutritional yeast. Transfer the mix into a glass jar, close the lid tightly and store in the fridge.

Wash rocket and leave to dry in a sift. Next, finely chop garlic and shallots, then wash and finely chop parsley and set aside in separate bowls.

The vegetables are best all prepared in advance, so they are ready to be used for each step. The easiest way to do this is to have a bowl ready for each vegetable and herb to keep them separate and ready to go. For the cauliflower, remove the big green outer leaves, then cut the whole head (including the middle stalk) into smaller similar size pieces, wash, drain and set aside. Next, wash and cut asparagus into 1 inch pieces (cutting off any dry ends first), then wash the mushrooms and depending on size just slice and for bigger mushrooms cut into quarters before slicing and set aside.

Now melt ghee or coconut oil at medium heat in a medium sized frying pan, add shallots and garlic and sauté until soft and lightly browned, then add the mushrooms. Keep stirring until mushrooms start producing a lovely and fragrant juice. Now add 1-2 cups of parsley and the freshly washed twigs and leaves of thyme, sauté for a couple of minutes, then add a squeeze of lemon juice and salt and pepper for taste, turn up the heat one more time ,cook for 1 minute before taking it off the hob, cover and set aside.

Next, blitz 1/2 the cauliflower pieces in a food processor until you get a rice like consistency, transfer into a big bowl before blitzing the remaining cauliflower pieces. Raw cauliflower rice is ideal for freezing, so if you feel you have too much, simply transfer into a jar and put in the freezer for your next risotto.

Re-heat the stock, you can either leave the dried and now soaked mushrooms whole or take them out to cut them into smaller pieces and return them to the stock. Once the stock has come to a boil, add the cauliflower and asparagus and simmer at a lower heat for 5 minutes, the texture should remain slightly crunchy.

Drain off any excess stock, but leave enough to give some moisture to the dish. Keep the excess stock in a jar, it can be added to the risotto if needs be or kept for the next day. Then transfer the mushroom mix to the hot cauliflower and asparagus, add a tbsp of ghee, butter or olive oil, mix carefully and simmer for another 1 minute , so everything is nice and hot. Season with salt and pepper to taste and add more parsley if desired.

To serve start with a bed of rocket on each plate, scoop the cauliflower mushrooms and asparagus risotto on top and garish with parsley, thyme and macadamia or Parmesan cheese. I love a side of purple sprouting broccoli with melted ghee and a pinch of Himalayan or sea salt to go with this dish.

Bon Appetite !!

10th September 2015

Courgetti salad with organic salmon & avocado

I hope had a lovely summer and got to sample many of the amazing foods mother nature had on offer for us! Now with autumn approaching we can expect more richness and deep colours not only our plates. If you take a walk through London’s… Read more

Courgetti salad with organic salmon and avocado – serves 2-3

200-300g of organic salmon
2-3 medium sized organic courgettes
2 spring onions
1/2 bag of fresh garden peas ( 1/2 cup per person)
2 ripe avocados
1-2 bags of Rocket, watercress or green salad of your choice
100-150g of brown rice vermicelli noodles ( 50g per person) – optional
A small bunch of coriander

For the marinade:
a small knob of fresh grated ginger
1/2 tbsp of brown rice miso paste
3-4 tbsp of tamari sauce
1 tbsp black sesame seeds

Dressing:
1 tbsp of tahini
1 tbsp of tamari sauce
1 tbsp of rice vinegar
2-3 tbsp of sesame oil
1/2 tsp of rice miso paste
1/2 clove of garlic & small piece (1cm) of ginger – grated or crushed with garlic press

Method:

Start with marinating the salmon, for a more intense flavour this is best done a couple of hours before cooking. It still works making it straight away, so don’t worry if you don’t have hours for marinating. Simply mix the marinade ingredients well and pour over the salmon, turn the salmon a few times, so every part has been covered with the marinade. It is best to use a casserole dish you can bake the salmon in later on. Cover and keep in the fridge until you are ready to bake it in the oven.

Pre-heat the oven at 180C, cover the casserole dish with tin foil before baking to keep the salmon moist, but make sure the foil does not touch the fish. Depending on the size and thickness bake for 15-20minutes or as instructed on the packaging.

Next prepare the dressing, simply put all ingredients in a jam jar, close lid tightly and shake until everything is mixed well.

Whilst the salmon is baking in the oven prepare the rest of the ingredients, slicing the spring onions and avocado, sprinkle some lemon juice on the sliced avocado, so it doesn’t turn brown.

You will need a spiralizer for the courgetti, but if you don’t have one, you can simply use a vegetable peeler and create courgette sheets.

Wash well before spiralizing the courgette including skin, which is the antioxidants rich part. If you would like to have the courgetti raw, then sprinkle with a pinch of sea salt and the juice of half a lemon and mix well, this may help to digest them easier. Otherwise steam together with the garden peas or warm up in a lightly oiled pan together with the spring onions, just before serving.

If you are adding the vermicelli, prepare them just before serving, they don’t take long, just follow the instruction on the packaging, which can vary.

Once the salmon is ready start preparing the plates, first create a salad bed, then top with courgetti, vermicelli, spring onions, garden peas, avocado and coriander, finally add the dressing- serve warm or cold.

Bon Appetit !

1st May 2015

Buckwheat scones with cashew vanilla cream & strawberry chia jam

As of today the British Strawberry is officially stepping back into the limelight and shall be touring the country until the end of July. Let’s just hope the clouds stay high as apparently that is a sign for good weather to come. Strawberries love the… Read more

Buckwheat scones with cashew vanilla cream & strawberry chia jam

Buckwheat scones– makes 12
100g of buckwheat flour
75g of oat flour ( simply grind oats in an electric coffee grinder)
50g of ground almonds
1 tsp of baking powder
A pinch of salt
2 tbsp maple syrup or 2 tbsp barley syrup
40g of coconut oil
130-150ml organic rice, almond or cashew milk
1 egg beaten for brushing

Strawberry chia jam
400g of fresh British strawberries
2-3 tbsp of maple syrup-
2-3 tbsp of chia seeds
small bunch of mint leaves ( optional)

Cashew vanilla cream
200g cashew nuts ( also works with peeled almonds)
1/2 vanilla pod
2-4 tbsp of rice or cashew milk

Alternative to cashew vanilla cream:
200g of organic plain Greek yogurt
1/2 vanilla pod (content only)
1 tbsp of maple syrup

Method:

For the strawberry jam, simply wash the strawberries and cut off the little green caps, then place them in a food processor together with the maple syrup and the chia seeds. Now blend until you get a lovely jam like texture, check for sweetness and add some more maple syrup if needed. If you want to add the mint, then add it into the blending process, it really gives the jam a lovely and special flavour. Now fill the jam into small jars, close the lid tightly and leave to set in the fridge. 30 minimum, but best for a few hours or over night.

The cashew cream is really simply done, just place the cashew nuts and vanilla pod in a food strong food processor and blend until smooth, I like to add some nut milk to make the cream that little bit creamier. The blending process will take some time, so please be patient, the cream will get there. Unfortunately the cream can only be made in a food processor or some juicers have a nut butter setting, which would work perfectly well too. Also fill the cream into a jar with a lid and refrigerate, it will keep for up to 3-4 days.

If you do not have cashew nuts handy or no food processor then you can use plain organic Greek yogurt. Just add vanilla ( cut pod lengthwise and scrape out the black paste which will give the yogurt the lovely dark vanilla dots) and a dash of maple syrup, mix well and leave to have the vanilla flavour set in for a 30-60 minutes, better even over night . the slight sourness of the yogurt works very well with the strawberry jam.

The scones are also super easy and quickly done, you don’t even need a mixer. First mix the maple syrup with the milk and set aside. Next, sift the flours, salt and the baking powder into a bowl and add the coconut oil and rub quickly into the flour, creating a fine breadcrumb like consistency.

Now start adding a little milk and work it into the flour mix, keep adding a little at a time working into a smooth dough. Buckwheat flour is a very dense flour so you don’t want to over kneed the dough otherwise the scones turn out quite heavy. Cover the dough with a kitchen towel and leave the dough to rest for 10-15 minutes. If you like scones with raisins you would need to add them to the dry mix first and then add the milk. Whilst the dough is having a rest, you can prepare a baking tray, lining it with baking paper.

Once the dough is rested, pre-heat the oven at at 220C; role out the dough on a lightly floured work surface until it is approximately 2cm thick. Now cut the dough with a pastry cutter and lay out on the prepared baking tray. Finally beat the egg and brush the scones to give the a lovely shiny glaze and bake for 12-15 minutes.

Leave to cool down a little before serving them still warm with the cream and jam. I love an Earl Grey with my scones, such a good combo.

20th January 2015

Turmeric & honey porridge with papaya & pomegranate

This year is already flying, I cannot believe we are in mid January! I have been surrounded by books and scientific papers over the past two weeks, so I have been keeping a low profile. Yesterday I finally submitted my work. One of the things… Read more

Turmeric porridge with pomegranate and papaya – serves 1-2

1 cup of rolled organic oats
1-2 cups of water or rice milk (alternative milks: coconut, almond, soy, dairy, hemp or just water)
1/2 tsp of turmeric, 1/4 tsp of cinnamon & a pinch of ginger (optional)
1 tsp of honey or maple syrup
1 tsp of chia seeds
1 hand full of pomegranate
1 hand full of papaya including seeds ( seeds are optional)
1 tbsp of shelled hemp seeds ( pumpkin seeds, sunflower seeds or chopped almonds, pecan or macadamia)

Porridge is really easily made with water or a variety of milks that are available in the shops now. I love rice milk it gives the porridge a nice creamy taste and texture and with some added fruits and nuts or seeds you are set for the morning. When not using turmeric, I love adding cinnamon, which gives a delicious warming flavor and keeps the blood sugar levels stable, so even less food cravings in combination with oats.

Method:

Place the oats, chia seeds and milk in a pot, add turmeric and honey and cook under medium heat until the the porridge has a nice creamy texture, adding more oats if its too liquid or more milk if its getting too thick. Keep stirring with a wooden spoon to make sure the porridge doesn’t stick to the pan. Chia seeds soak up a lot of liquid, so keep that in mind if you are using them, you might need to add some extra rice milk to get a nice creamy texture. Serve topped with pomegranate and papaya and sprinkle with hempseeds or your favourite nuts & seeds. Enjoy !!

25th November 2014

Kale and the crispy version of it

Although Kale is available throughout the year, it is best and most nutritious during the winter months and in early spring. Here are some facts and ideas of what to do with the first leaves of the season. A member of the cabbage family, kale… Read more

One of my favorites are kale crisps, they are easily made at home and so much cheaper and better than from the shop. All you need is: 1 bag of kale , 1-2 tbsp of olive oil and 1/2 tsp Himalayan salt.

Pre-heat the oven at around 80-110 degrees; wash and dry off the leaves, tear them into smaller pieces if needed, sprinkle and massage the olive oil into the dry leaves, add Himalayan salt and mix well. Put some baking paper on a baking tray, spread out the leaves and bake until crisp. It usually takes around 15-25 minutes, but please keep an eye as the kale leaves easily burn. The safest way is to open the oven door now and again, to check on them and let the accumulating steam escape. Enjoy ! If you have a dehydrator, even better & healthier, but it takes a lot longer to make them.

For different flavors add chilli flakes, cayenne pepper or nutritional yeast ( this adds a cheesy flavor). Another delicious variation is to massage the kale with a miso -tamari paste. For one bag of kale (170g) take 1 tbsp of sesame oil, with half a tbsp of miso paste ( I love the Clear Spring barley or brown rice miso paste) , 1 tsp of sesame seed, 1 tsp of Tamari ( or soy) sauce, 1 tsp of Tahini, half a tsp of very finely chopped ginger ( or crushed with a garlic press – saves a lot of time) and mix well. Massage the paste into the leaves, make sure it is distributed well, so that every leaf gets a good coating- spread the kale on baking paper and bake as described above.