Roasted Whole Artichokes

The first time I ate fresh artichokes (not the tangy marinated kind) was in Rome. We had artichoke hearts (boiled or steamed, slathered in olive oil) almost everyday. Restaurants in Hong Kong usually serve the hearts, either boiled, steamed, or marinated. I've only been to one place that served the artichoke whole. I loved peeling off the leaves and dipping them in mayo before scraping the "meat" off with my teeth. So when I came across this recipe, I couldn't wait to try it out! Roasting it gave it a more robust and deep flavour as opposed to just boiling or steaming. I didn't even have to dip the leaves in the garlic aioli that I bought especially for this dish! The only downside was the time. These babies took an hour in the oven. I would suggest getting them in the oven first before making the rest of your meal. 

Wash the artichoke under cold running water.

Cut off 1/3 of the top, and chop the stem off so the artichoke can sit upright. Boyfriend helped me with this because I have no upper arm strength at all.

Push apart the leaves as best as you can, and wedge in the garlic. Squeeze 1/2 lemon per artichoke and drizzle olive oil generously.

Wrap the artichokes tightly in tin foil and put them into the oven.

The artichokes will come out perfectly seasoned by the salt, lemon and garlic. Even the heart was flavourful! No mayo needed.

Recipe - adapted from Pinch My Salt

For 2

Ingredients

2 medium artichokes
Olive oil
Kosher salt
6 garlic cloves, peeled
1 lemon

Method

1. Preheat your oven to 425 F / 220 C. Slice off the top third of the artichoke with a sharp knife. Then cut off the stem at the base of the artichoke.
2. Drizzle a large piece of tin foil with a few drops of olive oil. Place one artichoke in the middle of the foil and open up the leaves. 
3. Wedge 3 garlic cloves into the artichoke. Sprinkle kosher salt and squeeze 1/2 a lemon onto the artichoke. Drizzle olive oil generously over the top.
4. Wrap the foil up around the artichoke, sealing it well. Put in the oven for an hour.
5. After removing from the oven, let artichokes sit until cool enough to handle before unwrapping.

A Healthy Breakfast

I don't want to sound like a huge cliche but yes, breakfast IS the most important meal! It really helps kick start your metabolism and you will feel less tired and less likely to over eat during the day. We never ate "proper" breakfast food at home until a few years ago. I have fond memories of frosted Pop Tarts, Cap'n Crunch and Cinnamon Toast Crunch (fave!). Three years ago, Mama Bear started going to a personal trainer who was also a certified nutritionist. He set up a meal plan for her which included fresh berries and oatmeal for breakfast. He also suggested that she snack on cherry tomatoes, avocado and nuts throughout the day. Since then, our kitchen has been stocked with only healthy food items. No chips, no peanut butter, nothing. It was tough at first, but we finally caught onto Mama Bear's healthy eating habits. Recently I've been switching between having a sandwich and oatmeal with berries for breakfast. 

Here is one of my favorite breakfast combos: smoked salmon with avocado, cherry tomatoes and Greek yogurt on toasted sour dough. These things taste so good together! And you get vitamins and antioxidants from the tomatoes, Omega-3s from the avocado and salmon, and probiotics from the yogurt. You'll never want to eat plain ham and cheese again.

Recipe

For 1

Ingredients

1 thick slice of sourdough, toasted
1 slice smoked salmon
1/2 small avocado
5 cherry tomatoes, halved
Freshly cracked black pepper
2 tablespoons low-fat or non-fat Greek yogurt

Method

1. Lay the salmon on the sourdough. No butter or mayo needed!
2. Using a teaspoon, scoop out the avocado into chunks.
3. Add the yogurt and cherry tomatoes.
4. Finish with black pepper.

Grilled Sardines with Tuscan Bread Salad Part 1

I'm all about weeknight dinners that are fast and hassle-free. Bonus points if they are healthy and nutritious! This recipe was taken from Jamie Oliver's 15 Minute Meals. The book had some amazing recipes (and beautiful photographs), but I was skeptical about how fast a home cook could make these meals. For me, the whole process (sardines plus salad) took about 30 minutes, between prepping the sardines and vegetables, blending sauces and taking photos of everything. But nonetheless, super fast meal! I will share with you the Grilled Sardines first, and the Tuscan Bread Salad in another post. When I made this meal, I dealt with the sardines first, and started on the salad when the sardines were in the oven. The two dishes were done pretty much at the same time. 

I forgot to buy chilis at the market but luckily we had some growing in a pot outside our home! However they weren't fully grown yet and were super tiny. I decided to add them in anyway.

Baby chilis :)

The sauce consisted of spring onions, parsley, salt, olive oil, lemon juice, and chilis. For those who hate parsley, you will be glad to know that this sauce came out light and citrusy. The parsley was not overpowering.

Spread the mixture on a pan just large enough for the sardines and lay the sardines skin side up. Sprinkle the pancetta around. You can omit the pancetta, but using just a tiny bit won't do too much damage! It adds a nice smoky flavour and crunch to the dish.

After a quick 8 minutes, the sardines will be nice and crispy on top, moist and flaky on the bottom. I served the sardines just like that in the pan with the beautiful green sauce.

Verdict: I will definitely make these sardines again, but with regular sized chilis. My dish was missing a bit of heat. 

Recipe - adapted from Jamie Oliver's 15 Minute Meals

For 2

Ingredients

4 spring onions (tops and white ends removed)

½ a fresh red chilli

½ bunch of fresh parsley

½ teaspoon fennel seeds

Juice of 1 lemon

1 tablespoon olive oil
Salt to taste

6 fresh sardines, heads removed, scaled and butterflied

Handful of cubed pancetta

Method

1. Set your oven grill onto high.
2. Put the spring onions, chilli, parsley, fennel, lemon juice, salt and olive oil in a processor, and blend until it forms a paste.
3. Rub the paste onto a baking tray and lay the sardines on top, skin side up.
4. Dot the pancetta throughout the sardines.
5. Grill until golden and crispy, about 8 minutes.

Smoked Salmon and Potato Salad with Greek Yogurt

People often mistake potatoes for being unhealthy and fat, but they are actually a really good source of vitamins and nutrients. Potatoes are a complex carb, which are different from the carbs you get from sugary things, so they leave you feeling full for longer. However, potatoes are bad when they are fried, piled high with sour cream and bacon, or made into a buttery mash. It's how they are cooked that give them a bad reputation. The fat and calories come from oil and heavy fattening additives. Like mayonnaise. I love potato salad. Chunks of potato lathered in mayonnaise make the perfect side to any summertime meal. But mayonnaise is high in fat and calories, so I wanted to make a light yet satisfying dish that would tick all the boxes of my craving.

The original recipe I found online used crème fraîche, but I opted for low-fat Greek yogurt to make the dish much healthier. I love using Greek yogurt because it adds richness with a lot less fat, sugar and calories. It has a creamier texture and taste compared to regular yogurt, and has more protein and less lactose. The potato salad turned out delicious. The dressing tasted like a light mayo, brightened with lemon juice. The smoked salmon added extra flavor to the dish (and Omega-3s!) and the spring onion and black pepper added sharpness that cuts through the creaminess. Overall, it was a delicious, guilt-free dish!

This dish only uses five ingredients: potatoes, smoked salmon, Greek yogurt, chives or spring onion, and a squeeze of lemon. 

I cut the potatoes into slices and then quarters, but you can cube them or cut them however you like, as long as they are similar in size to ensure an even cook. If they are medium to large potatoes with a dark brown fuzzy skin, you should peel the skin before cooking.

Cover the potatoes with cold water and a teaspoon of salt. Then bring to a boil and let simmer until just turning soft. You still want your potatoes to have a bite to it and not be a pile of mush.

Mixed the smoked salmon and chives into the yogurt. Add a squeeze of lemon and freshly ground black pepper. Then add in the slightly cooled potatoes and mix well.

Recipe - adapted from here

For two as a side

Ingredients

3 slices smoked salmon, chopped

2 medium potatoes, or 3 small ones

1 teaspoon salt

3 tablespoons low-fat or non-fat Greek yogurt

2 teaspoons of fresh chives or spring onion

Squeeze of lemon juice

Freshly ground black pepper

Method

1. In a large pot, cover potatoes with cold water and season with salt. Bring to a boil and reduce to a simmer, cooking until the potatoes can be pierced by the tip of a knife, about 10 minutes. Do not overcook or they will turn mushy. Drain and let cool slightly.
2. Meanwhile, combine the yogurt, lemon juice, chopped salmon, spring onion, black pepper in a large.
3. When potatoes have cooled slightly but are still warm, add to bowl and toss to combine and coat with dressing. Serve immediately, or chill in the fridge and serve cold.