Banana and Coconut Bread

Just for the loyal readership of Grow Eat Run I have baked and taste tested a largish quantity of different banana bread recipes (yes, it was all for you!) And, I love this one.  A delictable combination of banana to keep it moist and the crunchiness of the walnuts and coconut makes this a perfect little treat.  A few other flavours to add to the mix are cinnamon and vanilla - yum!  Feel free to replace the maple syrup with honey if that's all you have in the cupboard, or use a little stevia (equal to 2 tsp) if you want to keep the glycemic index down.  

Roasted capsicum stuffed with chicken and cauliflower

Tasty!  I'm not actually sure what other word describes this dish.  I've stuffed these capsicums full of chicken, cauliflower, onions, garlic and paprika for that amazing spanish flavour.  

I've also just set up a Facebook Page for Grow Eat Run - and if you would like to keep updated with recipes or leave any comments here's the link, and don't forget to like it! www.facebook.com/GrowEatRun

Oven baked pork with a crunchy apple salad

Crunchy, zingy, and sweet - this salad has it all and when you put it with some oven baked pork it's a winner.

BAM! with Nuts (Banana with Avocado Mousse)

I can't take the credit for this one.  My husband did all the thinking behind this combo and it is full of chocolatey goodness!  We've refined the recipe since the first attempt and I'm happy to say that if you weren't told you were eating a desert made of avocado you would never know!  You can use lots of different fruits to add to the chocolate mousse, berries are delicious - but I think bananas could be a favourite, I wonder if I could justify this for breakfast?!  The best avocados we've found to use are the Bacon Avocados, they have a creamy and nutty flavour.  

Balsamic, Rosemary and Garlic Kangaroo with Parsnip Mash

Yes, we are a country that are happy to eat the emblems of our Coat of Arms.  And why is that?  Because it's delicious and healthy!  Kangaroo is a lean meat, full of protein and is very well matched to strong herbs and spices.  

Choc, Nut & Berry Slice

This doesn't take any expertise in the kitchen at all!  It's a basic chop, mix, bake, eat.  Packed full of goodies it's a perfect snack to take with you to work and eat instead of a chocolate bar when the 3.00pm snack attack creeps up.  

Apricot-errific teacake!

There's been a few soups lately so I thought it was time to add some recipes that were a little more on the sweet side.  This teacake is gluten free, dairy free and the only sugar comes from the natural sweetness of agave syrup, the dried apricots and the orange juice.  But as always, deserts are a sometimes food - not an always food!  Road tested on my husband, mum and dad  who all gave it several thumbs up.  So enjoy the indulgence!  

STAB Salad

Smoked Trout and Bean Salad! This salad has become a regular in our house.  It's fresh, crunchy, full of healthy ingredients and a zingy dressing.  You can replace the smoked trout with smoke salmon but make sure it's the best quality you can afford. We are lucky to have an incredible deli (The Gourmet on Main in Blackwood) that stocks delicious smoked trout.  Take this recipe as a base and you can add corn, anchovies, use tuna instead of trout, add some chilli to spice it up.  I'm just providing the base - but it's up to you to get creative!  

What do I do with 8kg of pumpkin?

Yesterday we brought some pumpkin from a stall on the side of the road, $1 a kilo is a pretty good bargain - and well, we ended up with 8kg of pumpkin.  What to do with 8kg of pumpkin?  Easy, two very different soups and some kick ass pumpkin seeds!  

Roasted Pumpkin and Vegetable Soup

It's Winter, it's cold, it's wet - what better way to spend a Sunday afternoon than make some soup!  This is EASY, full of vegetables, dairy free and oh so tasty!  

Cauliflower, Leek and Crispy Bacon Soup

Looking for a creamy soup without using any dairy at all?  Here is the answer!  Cauliflowers are incredibly nutritious and tasty and add some leek and some crispy bacon and you have a little piece of cold weather heaven!  


Spend the few extra dollars on some quality chicken stock or if you're feeling keen in the kitchen make some chicken stock yourself.  


You will need a blender or stick blender for this soup.  This makes approximately 3 litres of soup.  

Macadamia and Mango Slice

The Macadamia nut is well known for being a high energy  source and a fantastic source of protein.  Pairing this with the sweetness of mango and coconut flour you get a nutritious tropical snack that you can take to work, eat before or after a workout, or have a sneaky treat at afternoon tea.  


This does make a large amount of slice, so feel free to halve the recipe if you're trying it out for the first time.   Don't feel guilty that there's a bit of sweetness to this snack as there's so much goodness in the LSA mix and the chia seeds too! 


If you have a food processor it is highly recommended that you get it out of the cupboard to chop up the mango and macadamias, otherwise I'm sorry to say it's going to be a long haul chopping by hand - but I promise it's worth it!  

Summer Thai Chicken Cups

It is no secret I love ginger and lemongrass, I would use them in almost any dish if I could.  In summer time there's nothing like fresh flavours and the crunch of the lettuce cups and the hint of lime and mint say 'Hello Sunshine!'.  Some of my favourite ingredients come together in this dish and you can make it your own by playing with the flavours, adding a little more chilli to spice things up or using some iceberg lettuce instead of witlof - have some fun with it!  This could almost be called a paleo version of San Choy bow. It takes no time to cook, clean up is one dish and could be served as either an entre or main course for dinner. 

Smoked Trout Frittata

Full of protein, packed with vegetables this is one tasty treat that you can have for breakfast, lunch or dinner! 


For some great information on the health benefits of smoked fish there's a fantastic, easy to read article on Livestrong.  


This was also a great dish to put the veggie garden to good use, the tomatoes onion, spinach, zucchini and dill all came straight from the veggie patch in the backyard!  

Grilled Pork with Fennel & Blood Orange Slaw

I'm only a recent fennel convert, but I have learnt that fennel doesn't just have to compliment the protein component of a meal, it can star! It's crunchy, has this slight aniseed but sweet flavour and is amazingly refreshing.  Which makes it a perfect summer ingredient. This recipe combines the richness of the pork with the sharp aniseed flavour of the fennel, the tartness of the granny smith apple and the acidity of the blood orange.  

Chorizo & Sweet Potato Soup

If you can slice up vegetables and stir a pot, then you can cook this soup.  It's not fussy or complicated and apart from the 30mins bubbling over the stove preparation is done in 15 minutes.  This recipe has been adapted from one I saw online and I have switched a few ingredients for it to be a paleo friendly meal without losing any adventurous flavours and still enough to fill you up.