Kim is a trusted friend who loves to unearth and share her favourite recipes with me. Like me, she’s a busy mum who is passionate about home-cooking and discovering tasty ways to get more goodness into her family.

We have her to thank for discovering and sharing the heavenly Slow Cooked Lamb Shank & Barley Soup with Lemon Gremolata a couple of months ago. It’s now one of my family’s faves, and if not one of yours, then you’re nuts! (allergy free, of course). We love the recipes she unearths and think your family  will too.

Over to you Kim……

I have a confession, I am a bit anti some food for no logical reason. Quinoa is one of them. Obviously my first issue with the grain (technically a seed) is how you say it versus how it is written. Why is it pronounced “keeeeen-waaaaah” rather than “kwin-oh-ah” ? Maybe not a reason for me to exclude it from my cooking repertoire, but I do. Well, I have until last night when I decided to tackle it again.

A few months ago when I was following Brenda’s health coaching program I did, begrudingly feed the family kwin-oh-ah porridge which we all agreed was quite edible as we went back for seconds. It was actually really nice (there, I said it). However, the packet of grain stayed relegated to the back of the cupboard.

Last night I decided to go crazy and make a kwin-oh-ah frittata. I knew my kids wouldn’t like it, I knew I wouldn’t like it but I threw caution to the wind and made it anyway. I think I mainly did it so I could use up the rest of the packet and then never buy it again. Here is the problem – we all liked it. I think I may have to come around to saying keeeen-waaaah and promote it up the ranks in the pantry. Maybe not in front of the pearl barely but I think it can go neck and neck with chick peas for the moment.

Many of the ingredients in this recipe can be sourced from my one-stop-favourite, organic wholefoods online store, The Wholefood Collective. They go to great lengths to ensure everything they source is amazing quality, they stock all my favorite products and I don’t even have to leave the house! Oh and the cherry on the cake is they donate profits to improve food security for vulnerable Aussies.

Here are some of the ingredients you’ll need:

White quinoa
Olive oil
Milk

Print

Pancetta, Spinach and Leek Fritatta

Prep Time 20 minutes

Cook Time 55 minutes

Total Time 1 hour 45 minutes

Servings 6

Author Brenda Janschek

Ingredients

• 100 g white quinoa throughly rinsed
• 250 ml 1 cup water
• 1 tbs olive oil
• 100 g pancetta finely chopped
• 1 large leek thinly sliced
• 1 garlic clove crushed
• 200 g baby spinach leaves
• 8 eggs
• 185 ml 3/4 cup milk
• 25 g 1/3 cup finely grated parmesan
• 75 g goat's cheese crumbled
• 1 tbs chopped fresh chives
• Rocket leaves to serve

Instructions

• Preheat oven to 180 C. Grease and line a 20 x 30cm rectangular baking dish. Add the quinoa and water to a saucepan. Bring to the boil. Reduce heat to low. Cover and simmer for 12 minutes or until the water is absorbed. Set aside to cool slightly.
• Heat the oil in a frying pan over medium heat. Add the pancetta and leek and stir for 5 minutes or until golden. Add the garlic and stir for 1 minute or until aromatic. Set aside to cool slightly.
• Place spinach in large heatproof bowl and cover with boiling water. Set aside for 30seconds. Drain and refresh under cold running water. Drain, squeezing out any excess water. Coarsley chop the spinach.
• Whisk the eggs and milk in a large bowl. Stir in the quinoa, leek mixture and spinach and parmesan. Pour the mixture into the prepared dish. Top with the goats cheese and chives. Bake for 30-35 minutes or until the frittata is golden and set. Serve with rocket leaves.

Notes

This recipe was found over at Good Taste Magazine, the June 2013 edition.

Thank you to Kim Brill – mum of two, wife of one and fellow food lover who adopts a 70/30 rule to good health.

We literally throw in a bit of this and a bit of that. But there are some constant main ingredients which provide a combination of nutrients which are going to keep us healthy and strong.

Within minutes we can blend up a healthy breakfast or snack which couldn’t be further from the processed white bread or sugared-up cereals often consumed for breakfast. It’s clean, it’s live, it’s delicious & nutritious!

Many of the ingredients in this recipe can be sourced from my one-stop-favourite, organic wholefoods online store, The Wholefood Collective. They go to great lengths to ensure everything they source is amazing quality, they stock all my favorite products and I don’t even have to leave the house! Oh and the cherry on the cake is they donate profits to improve food security for vulnerable Aussies.

Almond Milk/ coconut water
Raw honey
Raw cashews
Cinnamon
Vanilla powder

Here’s one of my family’s favourite combinations:

Print

Super Smoothie

Prep Time 3 minutes

Cook Time 3 minutes

Total Time 6 minutes

Servings 4

Author Brenda Janschek

Ingredients

• 3 cups of milk coconut water & flesh or almond milk (your preference)
• ½ large ripe avocado has a neutral taste but thickens up the smoothie to an ice-cream like consistency
• 2 small frozen bananas broken up
• 1 – 2 scoops of frozen raspberries
• 1-2 teaspoons raw honey optional
• 1/4 - 1/2 cup natural yogurt
• Handful of raw cashews
• A nice pinch of cinnamon
• A pinch of vanilla powder optional
• Ice

Instructions

• Pop all these ingredients into the blender
• Blend & taste (the fruit, bananas and cinnamon usually provide enough sweetness for our family, but if you need a little extra, add the raw honey or some medjool dates)
• Pour and enjoy

Notes

Overipe bananas & mangoes can be frozen and used in smoothies
Freeze smoothie overnight, pop into lunchbox in the morning, should thaw by lunchtime : )

Check out these 6 health benefits you and your family will get from the wonderful nutritious ingredients:

1. Coconut – the water is low-calorie and high in electrolytes, the meat has healing properties because of it’s high lauric acid content
2. Natural yogurt – is a high-quality protein, is rich in vitamins and minerals & is a wonderful natural probiotic
3. Nut butter – great source of protein, good fats and dietary fibre
4. Cinnamon – provides flavor and natural sweetness, digestion and good for blood sugar levels
5. Avocado – It’s considered a superfood and contains good fats & has beautifying qualities
6. Raspberries – are low GI and jam-packed full of anti-oxidants

Why not whizz up this smoothie to a lick-your- lips experience! Or create your own version this week and drop me a line and let me know your favourite combinations.