Now all the Masterchef hype has calmed down there’s still plenty of buzz about cooking. But what are you cooking? If you’ve continued to raise the culinary bar in your kitchen, well done. Just be mindful that you can’t always cook like a Masterchef cooks and stay healthy. Healthy, day-to-day home cooking requires a number of twists and turns and smart swaps to lower things like the kilojoules, fat and salt. Not to mention the added challenges if you have a family member or guest with special dietary needs. The good news is, with the right nutrition know how, you can still serve up healthy meals that “shake the room”. This week we introduce dietitian and avid cook, Jo Shinewell, who certainly knows her way around the kitchen and special diet requirements. She can’t wait to share secrets and recipes from our Kitchen Klinic.
About our expert
Jo Shinewell – Accredited Practising Dietitian
As a food lover, nutritionist and eating coach, Jo is passionately devoted to wholistic nourishment. Her life revolves around food and she believes firmly in education through action – whether that be conducting cooking classes for elite athletes in her role as sports dietitian with the Melbourne Football Club or running market fresh, healthy shopping tours. She’s a little camera shy but we hope to coax her into some video demos for you.
Twist on tradition
In this first recipe post I wanted to kick off with my latest fave, Roasted Caraway and Beetroot Salad. Beetroot and feta is such a hot combo on menus around town, but I was recently faced with the challenge of making this for a dairy-free guest. I didn’t want her to miss out, so I came up with this great swap for the cheese. If you take raw, unsalted cashews and boil them for long enough, it turns into a creamy, nut paste that closely resembles melted cheese. And the best news? You’ll save saturated fat along the way, which is great for anyone watching their cholesterol levels and for general good health.
Roasted Caraway and Beetroot Salad
Serves 8
A twist on traditional beetroot and feta salad suitable for dairy free or vegan
Ingredients
3 large beetroots
100g rocket
1 bunch mint, chopped
1 medium red onion, thinly sliced
1 tbs caraway seeds
½ cup (100g) cashews
1 litre water
2 tbs tahini
1 lemon juiced
Sea salt
Method
Boil the beetroot with the skin in water until tender. Allow to cool and with gloves on peel off the skin. Grate the beetroot on a large grater.
Place the cashews in a saucepan with the 1 litre of water and allow to boil until soft. Reduce the liquid by half and then blend. Add tahini, lemon juice and salt to taste (pinch).
Heat caraway seeds in a dry fry pan and allow to roast for a couple of minutes. When they make popping noises remove from heat.
Mix the cashew blend and seeds through the beetroot.
Toss with chopped mint and rocket. Season with salt and pepper.
Printer friendly version – Roasted Caraway and Beetroot Salad
Nutrition Information
Per serve Per 100g
Energy 653kJ 421kJ
Protein 5.5g 3.5g
Carbohydrate 12g 7.7g
Total fat 8.5g 5.3g
Saturated fat 1.5g 0.8g
Editor’s comment:
Yumo Jo. Sounds fantastic. I can’t wait to try. I absolutely adore beetroot or beets. It certainly fits the bill for the dietitian’s mantra to fill your plate with plenty of vibrantly coloured vegetables. How about you lovely readers, do you love beetroot? Juiced? In chocolate cake?
I’m a firm believer that the garden paths of chefs and dietitians should cross and mingle more. We all need to hug a chef for that amazing restaurant meal or to die for dessert recipe. But we also need to appreciate culinary dietitians who are skilled at adapting and creating healthier recipes and have an indepth understanding of food ingredients, nutrients and special dietary needs.
So we’d love to know if you’d like more recipes from our Kitchen Klinic as well as articles and how to’s ? If you are into recipes, do you want healthy makeovers? Or recipes for special dietary needs like gluten free? Love to hear your comments below.
