Fresh Sausage, Spinach and Tomato Bowl

*Serves 3

This is a great recipe because it is quick and easy to make. When you are looking for fresh ground pork, sausages are a great cheat. More often than not, they already have a great combination of herbs and spices mixed in. Visit your local butcher and explore the different free range options.

Ingredients:

• 1 cup brown rice
• coconut oil
• 300g salsiccia sausage
• 2 teaspoons dried oregano
• 2 teaspoons dried chili flakes
• 1 teaspoon dried coriander
• ½ red onion, finely chopped
• 150g rosa tomatoes halved
• 2 generous handfuls baby spinach
• olive oil to dress 

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Instructions:

Cook the brown rice as per packet instructions. Once it is ready and fluffy, set aside.

In a medium frying pan over a medium heat add the oregano, chili flakes, and coriander with a teaspoon of coconut oil. Fry for a minute to release all of the flavours. Add the onions and saute until soft. 

Slice the sausage open, discarding the skin, and add the meat to a frying pan over a medium heat. The sausage can sometimes have more or less fat, so adding oil to the frying pan is not always necessary. However, if you see that the sausage and pan is a bit dry, you can add a teaspoon of coconut oil. Fry until golden bowl, about five to ten minutes. 

Meanwhile, in a large salad bowl add the tomatoes and spinach. Add the rice and toss. Once the mince is ready its time to build your bowl starting with the salad and ending with the mince and a dash of olive oil. 

Food Tip:

My goal is for all meat eaters to become mindful of their choices. Do you know where your meat comes from? Visit your local butcher and discuss healthy free range meat. Most meat in supermarkets is no longer free range and is mass produced. Be a conscious consumer and make healthier choices by knowing where your food really comes from.

-Melissa 

shakshuka

there are few things as wonderful as sharing your love of food with the people you love. For me; one of them is sharing the actual food off my plate. If you are similarly inclined; you are going to love this dish - not only is it the ultimate sharing food but its also a banger for a hangover! this dish will make you miss reckless varsity all nighters with friends; waking up for breakfast together while attempting to recall the night before. The sublime practicality of the one pot wonder - Less dishes = happiness!

It is one of those dishes where you just have to roll your sleeves up and tuck right in...dunk your bread and get messy. it can be had as any meal of the day really and is a wonderful all rounder. 

Sidebar; a suberb accompaniment to this dish (after a prodigious bender the night before) would be a bitchin' Bloody Mary. A personal tip: add a splash of orange juice to your tomato cocktail/ vodka basic to give it a little bit of extra oomph and vitamin C to replenish those lost reserves...

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ingredients:

• 1 medium sized onion, chopped
• 1 red pepper, diced
• 4 large tomatoes, chopped
• 2 cloves garlic, crushed
• 2 tsp cumin, ground
• 4 eggs
• Small handful roughly chopped parsley
• salt and pepper

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intructions:

saute onions gently in a little olive oil until translucent. add peppers, tomatoes, garlic and cumin stir until well combined and cook on medium low heat for 15 minutes stirring frequently.

once all cooked and soft, season well to taste, make holes in the mixture for the eggs and crack the eggs into them. cover with a lid and cook until your preferred egg doneness.

dose with a good glug of olive oil, sprinkle parsley and serve with crusty bread.

-Melissa 

rustic tomato soup

Every body loves a fresh and delicious Caprese salad. Everyone except me. It’s no secret that I am not a fan of the common tomato. I've tried but my taste buds simply do not agree. I recall being a young girl and my father even offering me money to eat a slice. Needless to say he kept his money and his tomatoes. Now that I am older I often wonder what it would be like to snack of cherry tomatoes. They seem like the perfect treat and they are so healthy. Unfortunately they along with many other tomatoes simply do not go down well. Then I discovered this soup. It’s simple, cheap and cheerful but bursting with flavour. It’s bold and sweet all at the same time! Its a winter warmer that I really recommend. On this day I decided to share the recipe with a good friend of mine who happens to be a health coach. I was rather proud when Nikita from Zesty Mannequin gave it the seal of approval on not only being simply delicious but also a winner in the eating healthy department. I have put a slight twist on the soup serving it with a pesto mozzarella toasties. These flavours sing of a warm Caprese salad and the twist allow me to enjoy the flavours I lose out on with the cold fresh version. 

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serves: 4

ingredients:

• 12 large tomatoes
• 2 red onions 
• 1 garlic bulb
• 4 twigs of rosemary 
• 2 tsp brown sugar 
• olive oil 
• mozzarella
• pesto 
• slices of your bread of choice-mine is brown seeded loaf

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instructions:

Preheat your oven to 170°c

Give your tomatoes a good wash and place them into your roasting tray. Remove the rosemary from the twigs and put it in with the tomatoes. 

Peel and slice your onions in half. Place them in the roasting tray with the rest of the ingredients. Pour your olive oil over all the ingredients and mix it together with your hands, making sure everything is covered in oil before roasting. 

Sprinkle your sugar over all the ingredients, cover the tray with foil and pop the roasting tray into the oven for 40 minutes or until the onions and tomatoes and soft.

In the mean time we can get cracking on the pesto and mozzarella toasties. 

Place your bread on a roasting tray and drizzle olive oil over your slices. we are going to toast the bread in the oven.

When the tomatoes are ready take them out of the oven and pop your bread in. your bread will only need 1-2 minutes each side until its golden brown and just toasted. 

While they are toasting take all your ingredients and put them in a blender. Yes its that simple! Make sure you don't leave any juices behind! 

Blend it all up until it becomes a delicious thick tomato soup. Add the soup to a pot and put it on a low heat. i usually add two to three cups of water at the stage and salt and pepper to taste. 

Don’t forget to keep checking up on your toasties. Once they are golden brown, slice your mozzarella and place it onto the toast. Put your oven onto grill and put them under the grill for 4 minutes or until the cheese has melted to your satisfaction. Once out of the oven smear the pesto onto the cheese and slice into soldiers. 

While you are busy with this your soup should be blipping away over the heat. 

Serve your soup with your toasties-nice and hot and ready to delight!

-Melissa