Eric’s Lunch

Quinoa Tabouleh

Eric has experimented with many different types of diets over the years, including a vegetarian approach, eating more meat, less meat, more complex carbohydrates, grain-free eating and more. He prefers a very fresh to his vegetables in particular, and for this reason likes to grow his own foods, the beetroot from Eric’s vegetable garden above weighed in at 2.2 kilograms, or nearly 5 pounds in weight.

Eric’s lunch can vary these days, but most days during the week it is the following:

1/4 – 1/2 cup of cooked brown rice with 1 teaspoon of wild rice added. 2 -3 cups of very lightly steamed mixed vegetables such as broccoli, carrot, cauliflower, spinach or sweet potato. Steamed vegetables in the warmer months give way to raw vegetables or salads, Eric does enjoy raw broccoli, carrot, red onion, avocado, lettuce, and what ever else there is in the vegetable crisper. Eric has a large vegetable garden and prefers to grow most of his own fruit and vegetables, he even has bee hives. In addition, either (a) 1 can (185gr) of red salmon in water, tuna in olive oil or can of sardines, or (b) 1/2 shredded chicken breast or (c) 2 hard boiled eggs. During the summer months Eric will have a large fresh salad with salmon yet stay with the brown & wild rice year round. Occasionally he will have a mixed vegetable soup. Eric does not eat generally bread or wheat products, but on occasion has been known to have a large bacon and egg sandwich on a Sunday morning with a cup of strong black tea while he reads the newspaper.

Bakker’s Baked Fish

The Big One That Didn’t Get Away

Here’s a dish I like to make regularly. It is particularly nice after a day fishing, or maybe I’ve just bought a big fresh snapper after a failed fishing trip and boasted! Fresh fish is probably the best protein source in my opinion, you just can’t beat it for nutritional value. Once you get used to this dish, you’ll want to make it regularly. My advice? get fresh fillets, don’t make the mistake of using whole fish – the scales and bones can really put people off. Be sure to use the freshest ingredients, especially the sweet potato. Lots of fresh garlic too.

Ingredients

Fresh Fish fillets, I use 700 – 800gr. (use any white fresh fish) Sweet potato (2 ) Potato (1) Leeks (1) Mozzarella cheese, about 1 heaped tablespoon, grated 6 – 8 garlic cloves 1 lemon

Method

Dribble a little extra-virgin olive oil in a roasting pan. Scrub sweet potato and potato, slice about 10 millimetres (3/8th inch) thick and lay flat or somewhat overlapping in a roasting pan. Dribble (or spray) a little olive oil on top. Add garlic cloves, peeled and crushed and cut into slices Lay fish fillets over vegetables. rub or spray olive oil on the fillets. Top with sliced leeks – it pays to steam them a little first. Sprinkle the grated mozzarella cheese on top. Cover (not with foil please) Bake at 160°C approx. for 30 minutes or until cooked.

Variations

Sprinkle fish with curry powder or favorite fresh herbs. Lay fresh dill or fennel herb under the fish. Serve with lemon juice squeezed on top. Sprinkle with a little grated Parmesan cheese 5 mins. before removing from oven. Serve with steamed jasmine rice. (I use a blend – 75% jasmine rice & 25% brown rice) I enjoy this meal regularly– it’s nutritious, quick, easy and tasty.

Healthy Tip: Select younger fish, older and larger fish retain more mercury.

Roasted Beetroot Salad

Roasted Beetroot Salad

Do you eat beetroots? Forget that tinned stuff, eat real beetroots. What a tasty beetroot dish – and good for your liver too. I love beetroots and use the tops in leafy salads as well. Beetroot is very easy to grow and contain betaine (also found in wheat germ, even higher levels). Betaine is good for your heart, it helps lower elevated homocysteine levels and in addition it helps to prevent many digestive and liver disorders. Beets taste nice and sweet when roasted. Beets are great for those with psoriasis, as they contain many different minerals and nutritional factors that aid in healing the skin.

Ingredients

2-3 medium sized beetroots, fresh, cut in 1 inch cubes. Scrub, do NOT peel. 1 red capsicum, seeded & cut into 1/2 inch strips and roasted until they blister. 1 large ripe tomato, cut into chunks the same size as the beetroot. 1 small red onion, finely sliced. (don’t cook, add this fresh) 3 cloves garlic, peeled and thinly sliced. Fetta (goat’s) cheese, A small block , cut into little cubes. Universal salad dressing (see Eric’s Salad Dressing sheet) 1 tablespoon roasted sesame seeds, use as a topping just before you serve. A couple of nice plump green or black olives to sprinkle of top. Sea salt and freshly ground pepper to suit..

Method

Rub the beetroots in olive oil and roast at 180C for about 20 minutes until they are sweet and tender. Grill or pan-fry the capsicum pieces and garlic until they blister a little. Place the beetroot, capsicum, garlic, tomato, red onion and fetta cheese in a bowl and mix carefully. Add the tablespoon of roasted sesame seeds, mix carefully. Add a few Tblsp of the salad dressing, chill and enjoy.

Notes

This recipe contains both capsicum and tomato as ingredients. If you know that you are sensitive to the solanacea family of vegetables, or have discovered that by removing this group of vegetables your psoriasis improves, do not add them to the dish. You may find your bowel motions and your urine may turn a bit reddish the day after this salad, don’t be alarmed, this is perfectly normal after consuming beetroot.
Verified by ExactMetrics