Roast Vegetable Salad

Easy and delicious. Great with steak or other barbecue meats. 

Serves 4-6

2-3 zucchini, cut into chunks

2 capsicums, cut into chunks*

2 tsp dried thyme leaves

2 Tbsp garlic oil

Large handful baby spinach leaves

3 spring onions, green parts only, finely sliced

¼ cup pecans, roughly chopped

¼ cup macadamia nuts, roughly chopped

Red wine vinegar, to dress

Preheat oven to 180C. Place zucchini and capsicum on lined baking trays and toss with thyme leaves, garlic oil, salt and pepper. Roast for 45 minutes, or until soft.

In a large bowl, combine cooked vegetables, spinach, spring onions and a little red wine vinegar. Top with macadamia nuts and pecans.

Great served with steak.

* North American translation: capsicum = peppers

Carrot, Grapefruit and Mint Salad

Light and summery, the perfect accompaniment to fish. Substitute grapefruit for orange if you prefer a sweet flavour.

Serves 4

4 carrots, grated

1 ½ grapefruit, sliced into segments*

4 spring onions, green parts only, finely sliced

1/3 cup mint leaves, torn

½ orange, juiced

½ lemon, juiced

3 Tbsp garlic oil

2 Tbsp sesame seeds, toasted

In a glass or jar, combine orange, lemon and garlic oil. Season to taste.

Combine carrots, grapefruit, spring onions, mint leaves and dressing in a bowl.  Sprinkle sesame seeds on top.

* I used pink grapefruit. If you like your salad a little sweeter and less sour, use oranges instead.

Bacon Wrapped Pesto Beef

Similar to chicken roulade, this pretty much encompasses all my favourite ingredients: beef, bacon, pesto. Yeah. 

Serves 4

750g sirloin steak

16 rashers of bacon

1 cup basil leaves

3 spring onions

3 Tbsp garlic oil

1 tsp anchovy paste

½ lemon, juiced

½ cup roasted macadamia nuts

Firstly, prepare the pesto. Place basil, spring onions, garlic oil, anchovy paste, lemon and nuts in a food processor. Blend on “pulse” until just combined Season to taste.

Now prepare the beef. Place the beef steak between two pieces of baking paper. Pound the beef out so that it is 5mm thick. Slice steak into two pieces, widthways.

Lay out cling wrap on the bench, a little larger than your piece of steak. Lay strips of bacon out (approximately 8 per steak), overlapping a little on each edge. Place the steak on top. Spread a few large tablespoons of pesto across the steak.

Carefully lift up the cling wrap from one side of the beef / bacon and roll beef into itself. Peel back the cling wrap from the bacon as you go so that it doesn’t end up in the middle of the roll. Once you have a full roll, use the cling wrap to secure the roll in place. Place the roll on a place and refrigerate for at least an hour (can be left for 1 or 2 days if you want to prepare in advance). Repeat process with other steak.

Preheat the oven to 180C. Line a baking tray with greaseproof paper. Gently remove the cling wrap and place the two rolls on the baking paper. Bake for 15 minutes, then remove from the oven and baste with its own juices. Bake for a further 15-20 minutes. Remove from the oven and let rest for 10 minutes before slicing and serving.

Green Chicken

Light and summery, perfect for a BBQ with friends or just for dinner. Prepare the marinade in advance for a quick dinner after work!

Serves 4 hungry people

4 chicken breasts, cut into strips

3 green peppers, sliced in half, seeds and membranes removed

3 small green chillies

½ cup fresh coriander

2 spring onions

2 Tbsp white vinegar

3 Tbsp garlic oil

1 lime, zested and juiced

Preheat oven to 180C. Place peppers and chillies on a line baking tray. Bake in the oven for about 25 minutes, or until the chillies have started to darken and soften. Remove from the oven and set aside to cool.

In a blender, combined all ingredients, except chicken, and blend to smooth. Season to taste.

Combine chicken breasts and marinade together in a bowl and let sit for an hour or more. Cook on the BBQ at a medium-high heat.

Serve with rice salad.

Cucumber Alfalfa Salad

Light and refreshing. Serve with chicken, fish or pork.

Serves 4 or 6 as a side

3 lebanese cucumbers, sliced into ribbons

3 spring onions, green parts only, finely sliced

Half a punnet of alfalfa

¼ cup fresh dill, roughly chopped

¼ cup walnuts, roughly chopped

1 tsp fennel seeds, toasted

1 lime, juiced

3 Tbsp olive oil

Pour lime and olive oil into a glass or jar, season, then whisk to combine. Mix all other ingredients in a salad bowl and use your hands to combine. Drizzle with dressing and serve as a side.

Warm Vegetable and Bacon Salad

Bacon makes everything better.

Serves 2 as a side dish

1 capsicum, roasted, skin removed
1/2 punnet cherry tomatoes, halved
1/2 zucchini, diced into 1cm cubes
2 spring onion, green parts only, sliced
4 slices bacon, trimmed and diced
50g feta, crumbled*
10 basil leaves, torn

Heat a frypan over medium heat. Add bacon and fry until crispy. Remove bacon from pan and transfer to a plate with paper towel. Add zucchini to pan and fry for 5 minutes or so minutes or until mostly cooked. Add spring onions and tomatoes and cook until soft. Add feta, basil and bacon and stir through.

Serve with your favourite BBQ meats and potatoes.

* Omit cheese for paleo.