Nicola Halloran from the well known blog “The Wonky Spatula” has just published a wonderful new cookery book under the same name. She has always been passionate about teaching people how to feed themselves healthy, wholesome and nutritious food and so she set about providing simple step by step recipes to help followers make healthy choices without making them feel like you are on a diet.
Her debut cookbook The Wonky Spatula: Cook Healthy, Live Happy, is out now and it's wonderful.
Written in a wonderfully accessible way, The Wonky Spatula: Cook Healthy, Live Happy is packed full of 100+ easy-to-follow recipes that pack a serious punch in the flavour department, to inspire readers to break off the shackles, get into the kitchen and start cooking. With many of the recipes taking under 30 minutes, this book is perfect for those who struggle to find the time to cook healthy and nutritious meals.
Whether you’re a seasoned cook or have never boiled an egg, The Wonky Spatula will take you on a journey to find the perfect balance, leaving you feeling energised, healthy and ready to take on anything that life throws at you. It’s a wonderful cookery book and it should be on your wish list for Christmas.
To give you a taste of Nicola’s new book, we are sharing two dinner recipes from the book here.
Sweet Potato Gnocchi with Lemon, Pine Nuts and Sage butter
This is one of those recipes that will make you do a happy dance around the kitchen once you try it – the ultimate comfort food. It serves 6–8 people.
Ingredients:
800g sweet potato, peeled and cut into wedges
1 tbsp olive oil
2 cups of ground almonds (200g)
1 cup arrowroot powder (60g)
1 cup coconut flour (60g)
½ tsp garlic granules
1 tsp baking soda
1 egg
150g grassfed butter
Large handful of fresh sage leaves
4 cloves of garlic
Juice of ½ lemon
Zest of 1 lemon
Large handful toasted pine nuts
Pinch of coarse sea salt and cracked black pepper
Method:
Lay the sweet potato on a baking tray, drizzle with olive oil and sprinkle with some coarse sea salt and cracked black pepper.
Bake the sweet potato in the oven at 200°C / 400°F for 15 minutes until tender.
Remove from the oven and mash before allowing to cool slightly.
Once the mash has cooled down add to a large bowl and combine with the ground almonds, arrowroot powder, coconut flour, garlic granules and baking soda.
Next beat the egg and combine thoroughly until all the ingredients form a nice ball.
Place in the fridge to chill for a couple of hours, or even overnight if you can spare the time!
To make the gnocchi, dust a chopping board with some extra coconut flour, slice the dough into equal sections. Roll each of those sections out on the coconut flour into a 1-inch rope, before cutting each rope into 1-inch pieces and set aside.
Once all the dough has been cut, use a gnocchi paddle or fork to create indentations in the gnocchi.
Next, bring a pot of water to a boil with a pinch of salt, before adding in the gnocchi stages.
Let it cook for a couple minutes, once the gnocchi floats to the surface of the water, let it boil for 30 more seconds and then remove it from the water using a slotted spoon. (Continue this process until you have cooked all the gnocchi).
Chicken Katsu
This is such a crowd pleaser and total comfort food – I love to serve mine with some cauliflower rice and roasted green beans on the side but it’s totally up to you and what you’re in the mood for. This dish serves 2.
Ingredients:
For the curry sauce:
4 shallots, diced
½ chilli, finely chopped
2 carrots, peeled and chopped
3 cloves garlic, minced
2 tbsp curry powder
500ml chicken stock
2 tbsp honey
2 tbsp coconut aminos
1 tsp cumin
1 tsp turmeric
1 bay leaf
1 tsp garam masala
2 chicken breast fillets, butterflied
Sprinkle coconut flour
1 egg, beaten
100g ground almonds
Olive oil
Coarse sea salt and cracked black pepper
Spring onions, finely chopped to serve
Sprinkle of sesame seeds
Method:
Begin by making the curry sauce, heat a saucepan with some oil, add the shallots, chilli and garlic and cook until softened. Add the carrots and cook over a low heat for 6–8 minutes until they start to soften.
Stir in the curry powder and spices before cooking for a further minute. Gradually stir in the chicken stock until combined.
Next, add all of the remaining ingredients for the sauce and bring the mixture to the boil.
Reduce the heat and simmer for 15–20 minutes until sauce thickens.
Finally blend into a sauce, adding some additional chicken stock to loosen it out if needed.
To make the chicken, season both sides of chicken breasts with salt and pepper.
Coat the chicken breasts in the coconut flour, then dip into the egg, before covering in the ground almonds.
Heat some oil in large frying pan over medium-high heat. Place the chicken into the pan and cook until golden brown, about 3 or 4 minutes each side.
