Three recipes from The Clean Plate by Gwyneth Paltrow.
Serves 2
A friend of mine told me about this soup she'd had at a Peruvian restaurant called aguadito de pollo that was a vibrant green colour from all the coriander in it. As a lover of its unmistakable flavour, I had to try to make my own version of the soup. After tinkering a bit and swapping out the rice for cauliflower rice, I landed on a soup that was equal parts light and satiating. Coriander is said to have chelating properties - meaning it may help the body get rid of heavy metals - and is generally thought of as a cleansing herb in the Ayurvedic tradition. This is the kind of cleanse-friendly food I'd eat whenever.
INGREDIENTS
1 medium white onion, chopped
1 bunch of coriander, roughly chopped
½ jalapeno (optional)
juice of 3 limes
¼ cup water, plus more if needed
4 cups chicken stock
1 boneless, skinless chicken breast
1 teaspoon salt
½ head of cauliflower, riced (1 to 1½ cups)
½ cup frozen peas
Lime wedges, for serving
METHOD
Combine the onion, coriander, jalapeno (if using), lime juice, and water in a high-speed blender and blend until smooth, adding a little extra water if needed to loosen the mixture. Set aside.
In a medium soup pot, bring the stock to a simmer over medium-low heat. Add the chicken and salt and cook until the chicken is opaque and fully cooked through, about 20 minutes. Remove the chicken and let cool.
Meanwhile, add the cauliflower rice and peas to the broth and simmer for 10 to 15 minutes, until the cauliflower rice is tender but not mushy.
When the chicken is cool enough to handle, shred the meat.
To serve, increase the heat to medium, return the shredded chicken to the pot, and add the onion-cilantro puree. Stir to combine and cook for 5 minutes before serving.
Divide into bowls and garnish with lime.
Serves 2
Spring in a bowl, this crunchy-salad-meets-grain-bowl is all I want to eat for lunch when it turns warm outside.
INGREDIENTS
1 cup cooked quinoa or brown rice
3 asparagus spears, shaved
½ cup grated carrot
½ small watermelon radish, thinly sliced with a mandoline
⅔ cup shredded poached chicken
⅔ cup thinly sliced bok choy
¼ cup chopped fresh coriander leaves
miso-ginger dressing
about 1 tablespoon coconut aminos
about 1 teaspoon toasted sesame oil
METHOD
Divide the quinoa between two bowls. Top each with half the asparagus, carrot, radish, chicken, and bok choy. Garnish with the coriander and pour over the miso dressing. Drizzle with the coconut aminos and sesame oil and serve.
Serves 2
Frittatas are perfect for using up vegie scraps. When testing recipes for this book, I used a lot of beets (beets and I were having a moment), so I always had leftover beet greens around the kitchen. I tried adding them to a frittata with some shallots, and it was a hit.
INGREDIENTS
2 tablespoons olive oil
¼ cup diced shallots
1½ to 2 cups chopped beet greens
salt and freshly ground black pepper
4 large eggs, beaten
METHOD
Preheat the oven to 170C.
In an 20cm oven-safe non-stick skillet, heat the olive oil over medium-high heat. Add the shallots and cook, stirring, for a couple of minutes, until softened, then stir in the beet greens and cook until wilted. Season with a generous pinch each of salt and pepper. Add the eggs and turn off the heat. Pop the skillet in the oven for about 10 minutes, or until the eggs are set. Slice and serve.
These recipes are extracted from The Clean Plate by Gwyneth Paltrow, published by Hachette Australia RRP $45.00.