Get Your Food On Issue 18

Caramelized Cauliflower Hummus + Thai Style Crunchy Cabbage Salad + Big Meal Prep

Welcome to Week 18 of "Get Your Food On" - my weekly Meal Prep Newsletter! A big hello to all new subscribers. Thank you for your continued support and all your wonderful emails/messages telling me how adventurous you are getting with meal prepping. I am slowly replying to you all as I find some time here and there. A LOT of you have written to me requesting past issues of the meal prep newsletters. I have sent out a couple of past issues manually to some people but am working on a more effective method of allowing access to the content without publishing it online. Stay tuned!

In 18 weeks, we have graduated to spending just over 2 hours to cook and prep 11 WHOLE RECIPES that contribute to at least 4-6 meals for 4 people/ That is incredible! I am working on fresh new recipes every week for your cooking pleasure so you can keep things interesting in the kitchen and have a wide variety of nourishing foods to feed yourselves and your families. If you have RECIPE REQUESTS .. can be specific recipes or types of recipes - more smoothies? more dinners? more light meals? more baked goods? Please write and let me know!

And finally, if my meal prep sessions are helping you, I would LOVE to hear your experiences! Please keep the feedback coming, it really helps me plan more content for you! And don't forget to SHARE THIS NEWSLETTER with your friends. Now let's begin ..

Sneh x
 

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NEW THIS WEEK

CARAMELIZED CAULIFLOWER HUMMUS

The most delicious hummus you have ever tasted, this crowd-pleasing Caramelized Cauliflower Hummus is made with a new pan caramelization technique. The roasted garlic infused oil and the sticky, jammy, golden cauliflower elevate this to new heights!

Pan Caramelized Cauliflower – A New Technique

Is it acceptable to say that I don’t trust oven-roasted cauliflower? That even though I regularly roast cauliflower for amazing dishes like this one and this one, I can’t be sure that a new head of cauliflower will behave and stick to my trusty old timings and temperature. Perhaps, it has something to do with the composition of cauliflower, how fresh it is and how much water it holds?
 

Besides, oven-roasting cauliflower only really works when you have a decent amount of cauliflower to roast. But if you want to perfectly caramelize cauliflower till it is tender and sticky and almost like cauliflower jam (this should totally exist!), then you will love my Pan Caramelizing technique. What’s more, I trust this style of roasting cauliflower because it gives me absolute control over how much it cooks. The combination of high heat and water creates cauliflower bits that are juicy and tender.

The idea is to flash fry cauliflower florets in a pan with a bit of oil on high heat till it starts charring (not unlike sealing in a meat recipe). You then deglaze the pan with water, reduce heat, cover and cook until water is absorbed. These two steps are then repeated a couple of times till the alternating dance of pan-frying on high and ....

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CRUNCHY THAI STYLE CABBAGE SALAD
A fresh, light, textural salad full of crunch; this Thai Style Vegan Cabbage Salad has a delicious creamy dressing, toasted seeds, veggies and herbs. A beautiful light meal or a side to your main. Can be made ahead.
 

A Raw Vegan Thai Style Cabbage Salad Free From Nuts

For years, I have been making Thai-Style salads that incorporate toasted nuts as a garnish and/or nut butters as a key ingredient in the creamy dressing. They are all delicious but tend to be higher in allergens. Lately, I have been re-inventing the wheel by adding fresh updates to age-old recipes and newer ways to enjoy lesser used ingredients. For example, seeds like sunflower, pumpkin and sesame. All of which I have used in this salad instead of nuts for the crunchy element. Tahini replaces peanut butter. Although both are high in good fats, tahini pairs really well with orange and soy to create a truly umami flavour palette for this salad.

Inspired by a raw Pad Thai, this raw cabbage salad is incredibly easy to put together. The creaminess of the dressing holds all the dry ingredients together and doesn’t make the cabbage sweat or wilt. This means, it keeps well in the fridge and stays fresh for up to 2-3 days. I like to add a whole, long, red cayenne chilli to this salad for that extra bite. I even keep the seeds on. But if spice isn’t ...
 

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LIGHTER CHINESE CASHEW CHICKEN

A lighter version of the famous Chinese Cashew Chicken, this recipe has much less oil/salt but doesn’t compromise on flavour by the clever use of ingredients. Packed with veggies, this Cashew Chicken is a great weeknight meal for the whole family.
 

Making Restaurant Style Dishes Lighter With Clever Cooking

We rarely eat out mainly because I cook a lot and particularly because I love having control over what I put in my dish. It is no secret that home cooking if done right is healthier. And through experimentation and clever cooking, you might be able to create dishes that taste as good or better. Chinese Cashew Chicken used to be a favourite dish to order at the restaurant years ago when I used to eat meat (I stopped about six years ago). And I have enjoyed cooking it at home for the boys, using recipes from other blogs and trying to nail that authentic flavour.
 

Over the years, I have made this dish lighter via a few key changes

1. I use chicken breast most of the time occasionally using chicken thigh. Chicken breast can be dry but by marinating it, coating it with cornflour and keeping the cooking time very short, you can ensure that it isn’t.

2. I use a fraction of the oil usually used in stir-fries.

3.  I use fewer sauces to flavour this dish. Oyster sauce, dark soy sauce and hoisin sauce are traditionally used in Chinese Cashew Chicken but have a super high sodium and sugar content. My version uses them sparingly.

4.  Instead of flavouring with sauces, I increase the ...

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Today's Meal Prep is continuing last week's new format and will make you feel like a seasoned meal prepper (no pun intended!). We will be cooking/making 11 complete recipes in just about 2 hours 5 minutes. And this will give you at least 2 dinners, 2-3 lunches, 3-4 breakfasts and desserts. That is 2-3 whole days of no cooking and plenty of time to chill.  All the dishes go really well together especially in line with the "This And That Bowl" philosophy of filling your meal bowl with a variety of colourful, nutritious items to make a complete meal. See my extras & serving suggestions for quick ways to boost this already great list of 11 recipes. Let's start!


RECIPES PREPPED (11)

• OVEN-BAKED MUSHROOM CURRY (codename - CURRY)

• CARAMELIZED CAULIFLOWER HUMMUS (codename - HUMMUS)

• CRUNCHY THAI STYLE CABBAGE SALAD (codename - SALAD)

• LIGHTER CHINESE CASHEW CHICKEN / CASHEW FISH (codename - STIR FRY)

• CHOCOLATE ORANGE MARMALADE LOAF (codename - LOAF)

• VEGAN COCONUT CHAI COOKIES (codename - COOKIES)

• TROPICAL GREEN SMOOTHIE

• VEGAN SALTED CARAMEL BANANA SMOOTHIE

• BLUEBERRY KEFIR SMOOTHIE

• SUN SMOOTHIE

codenames - I have given the dishes easy codenames that I will use throughout the meal prep below. The Chai Cookies, Sun Smoothie & Blueberry Smoothie recipes will be posted on Saturday morning.


legend / the above meal prep yields the following for four people - 2 DINNERS + 3 LUNCHES + 2 DESSERTS + 3 BREAKFASTS

extras & serving suggestions /

1. Pan fry a cup of leek in olive oil and add eggs for a delicious scramble to have before your smoothies.

2. For a protein-packed breakfast or mid-morning snack, crumble the Vegan Coconut Chai Cookies over a bowl of plain Greek Yoghurt and add some fresh berries.

3. Serve the Cashew Chicken/Fish with some steamed brown rice or cook a small batch of ramen noodles and add to the stir-fry for a satisfying meal.

4. Smear some cauliflower hummus in a wrap, add a piece of pan-fried tofu or steamed chicken/fish and top with the Cabbage salad before rolling and enjoying a light meal.

5. Make these Spinach Flatbreads to scoop your Mushroom Curry. 

6. Warm a slice of the Chocolate Marmalade Loaf and top with a scoop of ice cream for dessert. Toast a marshmallow and smoosh between two Vegan Coconut Chai Cookies. Yum!

Things To Do This Week (Friday)
1. Print out all the recipes you plan to cook 

2. Make a shopping list of things you don't already have and buy them before the weekend.

WEEKEND MEAL PREP SESSION (2 hours 5 minutes)
>> Before you begin, get a large plastic/enamel tub to catch all your scraps and rubbish (multiples if you are saving scraps for chooks/compost). I cannot stress how much time you will save and keep the bench tidy if you are not going to the rubbish bin every few minutes.

>> For Part II of the meal prep, I make sure the kitchen sink is clean and empty. This allows me to quickly wash my Vitamix and Nutribullet which are easiest to clean right after making the smoothies. I also have 6-8 300ml capacity lidded glass jars ready.

>> Some essential oils bubbling away in a diffuser where you are prepping is a great mood booster. 



 Part I 
1. Pre-heat oven to 180°C. Melt butter, sugar, chocolate in a saucepan for the LOAF. Add marmalade and set aside to cool.  (5 minutes)
2. Make SALAD dressing and toast the seeds for the SALAD. (5 minutes)
3. Make STIR FRY sauce.  (2 minutes)
4. Make COOKIE spice mix. Make COOKIE nut mix in the processor. (5 minutes)
5. Make Chocolate Orange Marmalade Loaf batter and pop in the oven to bake. (5 minutes)
6. Start pan-caramelizing cauliflower for HUMMUS. (5 minutes)
7. Chop cabbage, carrot, spring onion, coriander for SALAD.  (5 minutes)
8. Chop capsicum, snow peas, broccoli, spring onion for STIR FRY. Prep Chicken/Fish. (12 minutes)
9. Chop leek, mushrooms and tomatoes for the CURRY (5 minutes)
10. Mince garlic and grate ginger for all the savoury recipes (10 minutes)

Check on cauliflower constantly. Check on the Chocolate loaf.
Active Time -  60 minutes

BREAK 10 minutes - Time for a break. Make yourself a cup of tea/coffee or pour a glass of wine. I like to load the dishwasher, put away ingredient containers and wipe down the counter at this point to reduce my work later. 


Part II 
11. Make Crunchy Thai Style Cabbage Salad (2 minutes)
12. Make Lighter Chinese Cashew Chicken/Fish (5 minutes) (If making with fish, add fish at the very end)
13. Mix and roll COOKIES. Prep them on a tray, ready to bake. Once the loaf is out, pop the cookies in the oven to bake. (5 minutes)
14. Gather and prep ingredients for  all the SMOOTHIES (10 minutes)
15. Make Tropical Green Smoothie (5 minutes)
16. Make Vegan Salted Caramel Banana Smoothie (5 minutes)
17. Make Blueberry Kefir Smoothie (5 minutes)
18. Make Sun Smoothie  (5 minutes)

Pack away smoothies, loaf, cookies, salad and stir fry. The actual smoothies only take a couple of minutes to make but I am allowing time for clean-up and washing of the appliances. I use my Nutribullet and my Vitamix to make the smoothies.
Active Time -   42 minutes


BREAK 5 minutes - Time for a break. Refill your cuppa or glass. Stretch, close your eyes and get some sunshine or do some deep breaths.


 Part III 
19. Make Caramelized Cauliflower Hummus (2 minutes)
20. Make Oven Baked Mushroom Curry  (5 minutes)
21. Feeling Extra? - Pick 3-4 fruits that everyone avoids having because it either needs to be cut or hard to prepare. Chop and store in a lidded glass container in the fridge so everyone can help themselves. I prepped Papaya, Kiwifruit and strawberries. Pick 3-5 hard stir-fry veggies and slice/shred/chop them to be stored in glass containers for quick stir-fries. I prepped broccoli, purple cabbage, green beans and onion. Finally wash, dry and chop leeks for the fridge. (10 minutes)

Pack away hummus, curry, prepped fruit and veggies
Active Time -   15-20 minutes


FINAL CLEANUP - Wash and wipe the last bit of the prep. Make a list of all the RECIPES you have cooked and allocate days to when you will use them up. 

Well done guys!! You are now set for the next 3 days!

 

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" There he got out the luncheon-basket and packed a simple meal, in which, remembering the stranger's origin and preferences, he took care to include a yard of long French bread, a sausage out of which the garlic sang, some cheese which lay down and cried, and a long-necked straw-covered flask wherein lay bottled sunshine shed and garnered on far Southern slopes.
~  Kenneth Grahame, The Wind In The Willow

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I have limited copies of my cookbook Tasty Express - a labour of love filled with over 100 of our family's most tried and tested and exciting 30-minute recipes inspired by street foods of the world. Mostly Vegetarian recipes that go from breakfast to quick dinners in a heartbeat. They make great gifts for you or a friend!

Buy Signed Copy (Australia)

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