I mentioned the other day that at 44 we have been venturing into this clean-eating caper.
I am not sold on it as yet. First there was the under-whelming soup with freekeh and then there was the so-so quinoa salad both of which didn't really encourage me to embrace clean eating. I am still reading and researching into it but am coming to the conclusion that perhaps middle ground is what we are more suited to as true clean-eating seems hardcore and dare I say - boring!
We are pretty healthy eaters over here as a rule. Most of the naughty goodies baked in this house get shipped off to Andrew's colleagues after we have a (small) taste test, but absolutely no treats at all would just make me sad!
We do eat a lot of grilled or BBQ'd meats teamed up with fabulous salads on account of the weather in Singapore. It doesn't really lend itself to hearty meals.
On Friday we enjoyed a simple night at home on the couch. It felt like "the old us" after the beautiful chaos we have enjoyed since William arrived. He went off to bed at 7pm and we indulged in a fabulous piece of BBQ'd New Zealand rib-eye, medium rare with a grilled zucchini salad, adapted from Yotam Ottolenghi's "Plenty" and a glass of THIS wine.
We feasted whilst watching the AFL, rugby, Ashes and Le Tour simultaneously on various electronic devices. How spoilt are we for sport right now.
C'arn the Aussies!
Simple Grilled Zucchini Salad
2 lge zucchinis, sliced thick on the diagonal
45g cup shelled hazelnuts
45g cup shelled pistachios
Sea salt
Olive oil
Large handful of baby spinach leaves
1 tbsp balsamic vinegar
85g of good quality Parmesan
Pre-heat the oven to 180°C. Scatter the nuts on a baking tray lined with baking paper and roast for 12-15 minutes or until golden. Set aside to cool. I find roasting the nuts in the oven as opposed to the faster method of a stove top fry pan gives them a sweeter more subtle flavour.
Place the sliced zucchini, a generous pinch of sea salt and a good slug of olive oil into a bowl and toss to combine. Heat a ridged griddle pan on a high heat until extremely hot, should take around five minutes. Once hot, place the zucchini slices on the pan, 2 minutes each side. You want to get distinct char marks on each slice without cooking it through and making it sloppy. Set aside to cool.
To assemble the salad toss the zucchini slices, nuts and baby spinach leaves in a bowl to combine. Heap the mixture onto a platter, sprinkle over the balsamic vinegar and shave the Parmesan over the top.
Delicious, fresh, light and simple.
