Kohlrabi and Fennel Slaw

Kohlrabi is an unusual looking vegetable that is common in European gardens. It tastes a little like a turnip. It is planted in the spring for summer harvest, then again in July for a fall harvest. Kohlrabi is an excellent source of potassium and vitamin C. Here is one of many ways that you can prepare it.

Time: around 30 minutes

Ingredients
Slaw:
. 2 cups grated kohlrabi
. 2/3 cups thinly sliced fennel
. 2 slices bacon
. 1/2 cup basil leaves
. 1/3 cup chopped walnuts
Dressing:
. 1 egg yolk
. 1 tbsp lemon juice
. 1 tsp ground mustard
. 3 Tbsp olive oil
. Pepper

Use a food processor or hand held blender to combine the egg yolk, lemon juice, and mustard. Add olive oil and pepper; mix well. Meanwhile, grill the bacon until it is fairly crisp. Break it into pieces. Remove the stems and grate the kohlrabi. Combine the kohlrabi and fennel in a bowl, then add the dressing and mix well until the vegetables are well coated. Add more pepper if desired, then toss the basil thru the salad. Top with the bacon bits and walnuts.

This makes a great side dish, or you can serve it topped with baked fish. I like to serve it with walnut baked cod.

Zone blocks Recipe as above makes 2 servings at: 1 block carb, 2 cups kohlrabi = 1.5 carb blocks 1 block protein, 1 1/2 cups fennel = 1 carb block 12 blocks fat


Chunky Pumpkin Soup

This one makes a great seasonal post train¬ing meal. It can be prepared several ways. If you pre-cook the pumpkin, you can prepare this pretty quickly. Look for a small pump¬kin such as an Amber Cup pumpkin; avoid the large ones used for Jack-O-Lanterns!

Time: 15 min with pre-cooked pumpkin

Ingredients
. One slice of bacon
. 2 cups of pumpkin, cut into small chunks
. 1 medium yellow onion, sliced
. 1/2 cup of chicken broth
. 1 lb. of cooked and cubed pork
. 1/2 tsp cumin
. Pepper to taste

There are two ways you can prepare the pumpkin. Start by cutting the pumpkin in half, then remove the seeds. To pre-cook, place the halves face down in a baking dish, and add around 1/4 C of water. Bake for 30-35 min at 375 degrees, then remove and al¬low the pumpkin to cool. When it is cool enough, remove the rind and cut into small squares. The alternate method is to first cut the pumpkin into squares and remove the rind before cooking.

Cut the bacon into small pieces, and sauté in a wok or large skillet. Add the pumpkin, onions, and broth. Cover and cook on medi¬um heat for around 20 minutes if using un¬cooked pumpkin, or 6-7 minutes if you’ve already cooked your pumpkin. Stir occa¬sionally, adding the pork and spices. Olive oil can also be added if you need to up your fat blocks.

Zone block info: 1 1/3 C pumpkin = 1 carb block, 2/3 C onion = 1 carb block, 1 oz pork = 1 protein block, Makes 4 servings at approx: 4 blocks protein, 2 blocks carb, 2 blocks fat


Squash Bisque

Time: 30 min

Ingredients
. 1 Tbsp olive oil
. 1/2 cup chopped onion
. 1/4 cup chopped celery
. 1 tbsp grated gingerroot
. 2 cups chicken broth
. 2 cups cooked butternut squash
. 1/4 tsp nutmeg
. 1/8 tsp cayenne pepper

Split the squash in half lengthwise. Place face down in an oven dish, add 1/4 cup of water, and bake at 375 for 30 minutes. Al¬low it to cool, then dig out the pulp. You can mash it for a smooth consistency, if de¬sired.
Heat the oil in a medium sauce pan. Sauté vegetables and ginger at medium heat for 2 minutes, then add the chicken broth and bring to a boil. Stir in the squash. Simmer for 20 minutes until soup has thickened and the veggies are tender. Add the cayenne pepper and nutmeg. Enjoy!

Many variations of this are possible; be sure to experiment with different spices. I’ve also added some coconut milk to this be¬fore, which makes for a thicker soup.

Zone blocks: 1/3 C squash = 1 carb block, 2/3 C onions = 1 carb block, 1 Tbsp olive oil = 9 fat blocks


THE Carnitas
By Mel O’Connor

Ingredients
. One large 3–4 lb boneless pork shoulder picnic roast (this cut of pork works the best because of the fat content to flavor and soften the meat. You can find this relatively cheap cut of meat at Costco for about $1.50 a pound). Leave the fat layers on the pork: this softens and self-seasons the meat.)
. 2 cans of your choice of El Pato
. 2 cans of mild diced green chiles
. Ground Cumin – a few heaping table¬spoons
. Taco seasoning – a few heaping table¬spoons
. Onion Powder – a tablespoon or so
. Fresh ground black pepper – 2-3 tea¬spoons
. Tin foil
. Large, deep turkey roasting pan (works best)

Heat oven to 375 degrees. Prepare the meat topping by mixing together cans of El Pato, diced chiles, ground cumin, taco seasoning, onion powder, and black pepper. Mixture should be soupy. Rinse and pat dry the roast. Put two sheets of tinfoil in the pan, with the extra length hanging over the sides. Place roast fat side on top in center of the pan and spread the topping over the top of the meat. Use the whole mixture. Then wrap the ex¬tra tinfoil tent-style over the meat to allow for moist air to circulate. Roast the pork in the oven for about 6 hours, or until meat is cooked through and falls easily apart at the slightest push or pull. Allow roast to cool slightly. Remove from tinfoil; careful, it is still hot inside! Gently separate leftover fat from the top of meat. Inevitably you will lose some of the chile mixture. Then in another ovenproof casserole dish, break the meat in medium sized chunks. Mix the chile mixture into the meat as you place it into the dish. Turn your oven to broil, and once all retrievable meat is in the dish, place dish under broiler and turn frequently so the meat doesn’t burn, but gets a nice crisp and caramelized top. Enjoy by itself or in a corn tortilla with fresh squeezed lime juice. This recipe makes a lot, with plenty for left¬overs.


Durbin’s ULTRA SECRET Guacamole
By Mel O’Connor

This makes a lot of guac… but a lot is still never enough….

Ingredients
. 5 peeled and pitted Avocados
. 5 cloves of finely chopped garlic (or as much as you like)
. • of a fresh jalapeno pepper, chopped fine¬ly
. Juice from 3 fresh limes
. Handful of fresh chopped cilantro
. One large container of Casa Lupe Salsa, drained of the liquid
Mash the avocados with the garlic. Squeeze lime juice into the mixture. Add chopped jalapeno. Mix well. Add cilantro. Mix well. Add salsa. Mix well. This gauc goes great with THE Carnitas.


Fruit and Nut Soufflé
By Nikki Young

Ingredients
. 1/2 cup ground almond (almond meal)
. 1 cup chopped pineapple
. 1 cup chopped apple
. 4 egg whites

Pre heat oven to 180 degrees Celsius (fan forced). Blend up chopped pineapple until it is thick and has an airy, creamy texture. Mix into ground almonds. Complete the same process with the apple, blending it up until puréed and stir into almonds. In a separate bowl, whip up 4 egg whites until soft peaks form. Stir gently into almond mixture. Place 4 oven proof dishes in a baking tray with water up to half way on the dishes. Separate mixture between the 4 dishes and place in a pre-heated oven for 20-30min. Makes 4 servings.

Zone Blocks: 4 block fat, 0.5 block protein, 1 block carb





Picadillo
By Nikki Young

Ingredients
. 10 oz chicken breast, cubed
. 1 tsp olive oil
. 1 cup diced onion
. 2 chopped garlic cloves
. 3 large tomatoes, peeled, seeded & chopped, OR 400g can of diced tomatoes
. 1¼ cups diced red capsicum
. 15 stuffed olives
. 2/3 cup corn kernels
. 9 seeded organic prunes
. ¼ tsp ground cloves
. 2 tsp vinegar

Fry onion and garlic in a pan with olive oil until browned. Add chicken until cooked. Add tomatoes and simmer for 5 minutes. Add the capsicum, olives, corn, cloves and vinegar and simmer for 10-15 minutes. Add prunes and cook for another 10 minutes. Makes 3 servings.

Zone Blocks: 3 oz chicken – 3 block protein, 1 block fat, Oil – 1 block fat, 5 olives – 1 block fat, Vegetables/3 prunes – 3 blocks carb





Fish and Beetroot Chips
By Nikki Young

Ingredients
. 1 ½ cups chopped beetroot
. 4oz swordfish
. ½ teaspoon olive oil
. Lime juice
. Cracked pepper

To make the beetroot chips, grate and slice the beetroot into French fry shapes. Place in 220 degrees Celsius oven (fan forced) for 20-30 minutes or until cooked. When the chips have finished, place swordfish on a tray and poor some lime juice and cracked pepper over the top. Place in the oven for 10-15 minutes or until cooked (this doesn’t take very long). Serve with some lettuce/salad.

Note – For more fat in the diet you can add olive oil to the beet chips before placing in the oven; this will prevent them drying out. You can also add oil to the salad.

Zone Blocks: Beet chips – 2 blocks carb, Swordfish – 3 blocks protein, 1 block fat, Olive Oil – 2 blocks fat, Lettuce – 1 blocks carb




Eggplant with Scrambled Eggs
By Nikki Young

Ingredients
. 1 ½ cups diced eggplant
. 2 egg whites
. 1/3 teaspoon olive oil
. Ground Cinnamon
. Cracked Pepper

Place diced eggplant on a hot non-stick fry¬ing pan and toss until browned. Place egg¬plant to the side and mix in olive oil and some ground cinnamon to taste. Scramble the two egg whites in the frying pan and add pepper.

Zone Blocks: Eggplant – 1 block carb, Eggwhites – 1 block protein, Oil – 1 block fat