IN THE GI NEWS KITCHEN
Tomato and Red Lentil Soup with
Toast Fingers • Anneka Manning’s Roasted Vegetables and Quinoa Salad •
Ottolenghi’s Roasted Sweet Potatoes and Fresh Figs
TOMATO AND RED LENTIL SOUP WITH TOAST FINGERS
This
simple soup from Anneka Manning’s Low GI Family Cookbook (Hachette
Australia) is a great way to get in an extra serve or two of vegetables
along with a scoop of nutritional power pack lentils. Dress it up with a
dollop of plain yoghurt and a sprinkling of chopped parsley. If you
make the soup a day or two ahead, keep in an airtight container in the
refrigerator. Reheat in a saucepan over medium heat, stirring
frequently, until simmering and heated through. • Freeze leftovers in
serving portions in airtight containers for up to 2 months. Thaw in the
refrigerator before reheating• Serves 4
1 brown onion, chopped
1 medium carrot, peeled, chopped
1 celery stick, chopped
2 garlic cloves, crushed
¼ cup water
2 tsp ground cumin
½ tsp paprika (optional)
400g (14oz) can no-added-salt diced tomatoes
1 tbsp no-added-salt tomato paste
½ cup split red lentils
3 cups salt-reduced vegetable stock
2 tsp sugar, or to taste
freshly ground black pepper, to taste
Toast fingers
4 slices multigrain low GI bread
2 tsp olive or canola oil margarine
Combine
the onion, carrot, celery, garlic and water in a large saucepan. Cover
and cook over medium heat, stirring occasionally, for 8–10 minutes or
until the onion is soft. Stir in the cumin and paprika (if using) and
cook, uncovered, for 1–2 minutes or until the water has evaporated. •
Add the canned tomatoes, tomato paste, lentils and stock and bring to a
simmer. Reduce heat to low, cover partially, and simmer gently, stirring
occasionally, for 20 minutes or until the lentils are tender.
Meanwhile, to make the toast fingers. • Preheat oven to 200ºC (400ºF)
and line an oven tray with non-stick baking paper. Spread both sides of
the bread slices with the margarine and cut each into 3 fingers. Place
the bread on the lined oven tray. Just as the lentils are becoming
tender, bake the bread for 10 minutes or until lightly golden and crisp.
Turn off oven and leave it there to keep warm. • Transfer half the
soup mixture to a blender or food processor and blend until smooth.
Repeat with the remaining mixture. Return the soup to the pan and simmer
gently until heated through or reduced to desired consistency. Taste
before seasoning with a little sugar and pepper if you wish. Serve with
the warm toast fingers for dipping. Yum.
Per serve
Energy
1215kJ/290 calories; 14g protein; 7.5g fat (includes 1g saturated fat;
saturated : unsaturated fat ratio 0.15); 37g available carbs (10g
sugars; 27g starch); 9g fibre; 962mg sodium; 719mg potassium; sodium :
potassium ratio 1.3.
ANNEKA MANNING’S ROASTED VEGETABLES AND QUINOA SALAD
Anneka
Manning – author, food editor, home economist, mother of two and the
founder of BakeClub – specialises in teaching the “why” behind the “how”
of baking, giving home cooks the know-how, understanding and skill to
bake with confidence and success every time. This is one of her
favourite salads which she makes year-round, but especially for lunch or
dinner in winter served warm. Serves 4 • Preparation time: 25 minutes •
Roasting time: 30–40 minutes
3 medium carrots, halved lengthways and thickly sliced
2 small red capsicum, deseeded and cut into 4cm pieces
2 medium zucchini (courgettes), trimmed, halved lengthways and thickly sliced
¼ small Jap pumpkin, seeded, peeled and cut into 4cm (1½in) chunks
2 tablespoons olive oil
1 cup tri-colour quinoa
2 cups water
1½ tablespoons freshly squeezed lemon juice, or to taste
¼ cup chopped flat-leaf parsley
¼ cup chopped fresh coriander or mint
40g rocket
Preheat
the oven to 210°C/400°F (180°C/350°F fan-forced). • Toss the carrots,
capsicum, zucchini and pumpkin with 1½ tablespoons of the oil and season
with salt and freshly ground black pepper. Spread in a single layer
over a large oven tray. Roast in preheated oven for 30–40 minutes,
tossing gently after 20 minutes, or until the vegetables are tender and
starting to brown. • Meanwhile, place the quinoa in a sieve and rinse
under cold running water. Transfer to a medium saucepan and add the
water. Bring to a simmer over a high heat. Cover with a lid, reduce the
temperature to low and simmer gently for 10–12 minutes or until all the
water has been absorbed. Remove from the heat and set aside, covered for
5 minutes. • Transfer the warm quinoa to large bowl and drizzle with
the remaining 2 teaspoons of oil and the lemon juice. Season with salt
and freshly ground pepper. Taste and adjust the seasoning with a little
more lemon juice if necessary. Add the herbs and roasted vegetables and
rocket and toss gently to combine evenly. Serve warm or at room
temperature.
Per serve
Energy: 1205
kJ/290 calories; 9g protein; 12g fat (includes 2g saturated fat;
saturated to unsaturated fat ratio 0.2); 33g available carbohydrate
(includes 8g sugars and 25g starches); 6g fibre; 30mg sodium; 675mg
potassium; sodium to potassium ratio 0.04
OTTOLENGHI’S ROASTED SWEET POTATOES AND FRESH FIGS
This
combination of fresh fruit and roasted vegetables is one of the most
popular at Ottolenghi’s restaurant. It wholly depends, though, on the
figs being sweet, moist and perfectly ripe. Go for plump fruit with an
irregular shape and a slightly split bottom. Pressing against the skin
should result in some resistance but not much. Try to smell the
sweetness. The balsamic reduction is very effective here, both for the
look and for rounding up the flavours. To save you from making it you
can look out for products such as balsamic cream or glaze. The goat
cheese is optional – leave it out to make it vegan. Serves 4.
4 small sweet potatoes (1 kg in total)
5 tbs olive oil
2 tbs (40ml) balsamic vinegar (you can use a commercial rather than a premium aged grade)
20g (¾oz) caster sugar
12 spring onions, halved lengthways and cut into 4cm (1½in) segments
1 red chilli, thinly sliced
6 fresh and ripe figs (240g/½lb in total), quartered
(optional) 150g (5oz) soft goat’s cheese, crumbled
Maldon sea salt and black pepper
Preheat
the oven to 240oC/ 460oF (Fan-forced 220oC/420oF). • Wash the sweet
potatoes, halve them lengthways and then cut each again similarly into 3
long wedges. Mix with 3 tablespoons of the olive oil, 2 teaspoons of
salt and some black pepper. Spread the wedges out on a baking sheet,
skin-side down, and cook for about 25 minutes until soft but not mushy.
Remove from the oven and leave to cool down. • To make a balsamic
reduction, place the balsamic vinegar and sugar in a small saucepan.
Bring to a boil then reduce the heat and simmer for 2–4 minutes, or
until it thickens. Be sure to remove the pan from the heat when the
vinegar is still runnier than honey; it will continue to thicken as it
cools. Stir in a drop of water before serving if it does become too
thick to drizzle. • Arrange the sweet potatoes on a serving platter.
Heat the remaining oil in a medium saucepan and add the spring onions
and chilli. Fry on a medium heat for 4–5 minutes, stirring often, making
sure not to burn the chilli, and then spoon the oil, onions and chilli
over the sweet potatoes. Dot the figs among the wedges and then drizzle
over the balsamic reduction. Serve at room temperature with the cheese
crumbled over, if using.
Per serve (without goat’s cheese)
Energy
1890kJ/451 calories; 11g protein; 24g fat (includes 6g saturated fat;
saturated : unsaturated fat ratio 0.33); 47g available carbs (includes
25g sugars and 22g starch); 6.5g fibre
Jerusalem by
Yotam Ottolenghi and Sami Tamimi (Random House) – available from good
bookshops and online. Recipe reproduced with permission.
