Greek olive and mint loaf (“Eliopita”)

I took my mama’s traditional recipe and “wholefoodised” it to make it gluten-free and maximise nutrient-density. The whole house reminds me of my mum when we bake this this. My kids LOVE it! I hope you do too!

Ingredients:

• 1.5 cups (250g) of activated savoury buckwheat

• 100g Reggiano Parmigiano (parmesan) cheese

• 1 cup whole milk

• 1 cup (250g) Greek style full fat yogurt 

• ½ cup extra virgin cold pressed olive oil

• 4 eggs

• 80g (3/4 cup) pitted black olives, roughly chopped, plus extra for decorating

• 1 bunch (approx. 50g) mint, roughly chopped, stems removed

Directions:

Process activated buckwheat in a nut grinder or Thermomix (speed 9, 20 seconds) until it resembles a soft fine flour and add it to a large mixing bowl. 

Beat the eggs with stick blender, or process in a food processor or Thermomix (speed 6, 20 seconds) until fluffy and add to the large mixing bowl.

Grate the cheese by processing it in a food processor or Thermomix (speed 9, 15 seconds) and add to the large mixing bowl.

Add the rest of the ingredients to the large mixing bowl and stir until they are well combined to form a batter. 

Pour batter into a 20cm2 square cake tin or rectangular loaf tin lined with baking paper and decorate with a scattering of olives on top. 

Bake at 180 degrees for 1 hour or until a skewer comes out clean. This is the same cooking time if making a double batch in a larger cake tin (I use a 30cm x 30cm cake tin).

Place under heated grill element to brown the top of the slice (if required). 

Allow to cool before cutting into large square segments of about 10 cm2 (for square cake tin) or 1 inch slices (for loaf tin). Serve at room temperature.

Slices can be stored in an airtight container for 3 days before requiring refrigeration. They can be frozen up to 3 months. 

If you love this recipe you might also like to try my flaounes recipe which is another wholefoods spin on a traditional Cypriot family recipe. 

Vasilopita Recipe (Greek New Years Eve cake)

This classic Greek cake is traditionally served on New Years day. It contains a hidden gold coin in it and tradition has it that whoever finds the coin has a year of good luck ahead!

I put my wholefoods spin on this recipe by making it gluten free and refined sugar free. I hope you enjoy it…and good luck in finding the coin! 

Prep time for 1 cake: 15 minutes 

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Cake ingredients:

• 6 eggs

• 250g activated almonds

• ½ cup (160g) raw honey

• 125g extra virgin cold pressed olive oil

• Zest of one lemon

• Zest and flesh of one orange

• 10 drops of Young Living orange essential oil
  

Orange syrup:

• Juice of one orange

• 1 tablespoon maple syrup
  

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 120 degrees fan forced. 

2. Line a cake tin with removeable base with baking paper (a long strip of baking paper around the sides of the tin and a circular piece on the base. I draw a circle around the tin on a sheet of baking paper (preferably unbleached) and cut it out. Use a little olive oil on the sides and base of the tin to stick the paper down).

3. Grind up the activated almonds in a nut/spice/coffee grinder or Theromix (speed 6 for 15 seconds) and put aside the almond meal into a bowl until ready to use.

4. Process eggs in food processor/Thermomix until colour changes to white (this will take approximately 3 minutes). If using a Thermomix use the butterfly setting for 3-5 minutes on speed 6 (although I’ve done it without the butterfly setting and it turns out just as fine). 

5. Add into the bowl of your food processor the rest of the cake ingredients and process until well combined.

6. Pour the cake mixture into a cake tin and throw into the mixture a gold coin wrapped in baking paper (baking paper is more natural/healthier than the aluminium foil that is typically used). 

7. Bake at 120 degrees Celsius for 1 hour or until such time as a skewer inserted into the centre of the cake comes out clean. 

8. To make the orange syrup process the 2 syrup ingredients together until well combined (I do this just before the cake is cooked).

9. Immediately after cake is cooked and while still in the tin, prick top of cake with a fork or skewer multiple times and pour over the cake the orange syrup to allow syrup to absorb into cake. Take the cake out of the tin when cooled. Remove the ring then carefully transfer the cake to a serving platter with a large metal spatula.  

10. Decorate with a sprinkling of desiccated coconut.

11. Cut cake into a cross then cut each of the quarters into half to serve 8.
    

NOTES:

Only 1 batch will fit into food processor at a time. If making 2 cakes, don’t put 2 batches into food processor. Process each batch separately and pour into 2 separate tins. Put the first cake on a plate until the second cake is made in case there is any seepage from the cake tin onto your bench. Add an extra 15 minutes of cooking time.  If wanting to make a double cake in one tin (for double height), process each batch separately in food processor and pour into 1 cake tin (this will take more time – approx. 15 minutes- to cook). 

This cake keeps for 1-2 days outside the fridge depending on the weather (and 3-4 days in the fridge).

Asian omelette with wild salmon

True wild salmon from cold waters, swimming upstream, are a tremendous source of anti-aging, anti-inflammatory, brain-loving omega 3s. Wild salmon is also a high quality source of protein, tryptophan, vitamin D, B12, B6 (when eaten raw/rare) and powerful anti-oxidants such as selenium. 

Wild salmon is best eaten raw (as in ceviché) or as rare as possible as the delicate omega 3s are particularly heat sensitive and easily damaged by any temperature above low heat. So the key with this recipe is to keep the temperature as low as possible (long slow cooking for this one!). 

The only true wild salmon fillets available in Australia are those from The Canadian Way. The laboratory results should that this salmon has an unmatched omega 3 to 6 ratio of around 10:1 making it powerfully anti-inflammatory. In contrast, farmed salmon has higher amounts of omega 6 to 3, making it inflammatory. This is unsurprising as farmed salmon are fed a very unnatural diet (including antibiotics, soy pellets and colour dyes to give it that pink colour). They also live in very cramped crowded conditions (often dubbed the battery hens of the ocean) which breed illness and disease. I’ve blogged about farmed versus wild fish here. 

I often make this recipe the day after I have made Vietnamese Pho as it is a great way to use up those Pho leftover ingredients (which is actually my inspiration for this recipe)!  It is dairy-free and my kids absolutely love it for either breakfast, lunch or dinner.

Ingredients:

• 3 fillets of wild salmon fillets

• 6 eggs, beaten

• 1 tablespoon coconut oil

• 40g spring onions, thinly sliced

• 40g red onion, thinly sliced

• 40g red capsicum, thinly sliced

• 2 tablespoons tamari

• 2 teaspoons activated sesame seeds

• handful of Thai basil

• handful of coriander

• handful of Vietnamese mint

• fresh chilli, thinly sliced (to garnish if desired)

Directions:

1. Turn on the grill element in the oven. 

2. Melt coconut oil in a large frying pan on low heat on the stove top. Add spring onions, red onion and red capsicum and sauté for a few minutes until soft. 

3. Add in the salmon fillets skin side down and cook for approxiamtely 2 minutes until the skin is cooked. Add tamari and sesame seeds to coat the top of the fillets. Turn the salmon fillets over and cook for approx 3 mintues. Break the fish up into smaller pieces of about 1 inch in length with a stainless steel spatula. The fish should still be pink in the centre. 

4. Add in the herbs and the beaten eggs. Cook for at least 5-8 minutes to cook the underside of the omelette. Transfer the frying pan to the oven under the heated grill element to cook the top side of the omelette until it is golden brown. If the egg mixture hasn’t set and is still runny, return the pan to the stove top and gently cook on low heat until the egg mixture is set. 

5. Garnish with fresh chillies, and serve with avocado and sliced cucumber if desired.