gfcf – Brain Food

Chicken Shawarma

May 22, 2022 Jenny

This mildly spiced chicken shawarma makes an excellent addition to a mezze meal. Serve with Israeli Salad, and hummus and pita on the side.

Prep time: about 20 min
Refrigeration time before serving: 2-12 hours
Yield: serves 6

Adapted from a Nigella Lawson recipe

Ingredients:

12 skinless, boneless chicken thigh fillets
2 lemons
4 garlic cloves
3 bay leaves
2 tsp cumin
2 tsp paprika
2 tsp sea salt
1 tsp chili flakes
A good grind of black pepper
Approximately 100 ml olive oil
1 head of iceberg lettuce

Method:

Put the chicken thighs in a medium-sized mixing bowl. Grate the lemon zest into the bowl, using a box grater or microplane grater. Then cut the lemons in half, juice them using a juicer or squeezing in your hand, and add the juice to the bowl. Crush the garlic cloves using a garlic press and add to the bowl. Add the bay leaves and all of the spices. Pour in enough olive oil to cover the chicken, approximately 100 ml. Mix well, cover and refrigerate for at least 2 hours and up to 12 hours, stirring from time to time.

When you are ready to cook, take the chicken out of the refrigerator. Preheat the oven to 220 C. Transfer the chicken and marinade to a roasting tin, ensuring the chicken fillets lie flat in the tin and do not overlap.

Cook for 30 minutes, turning the chicken fillets over halfway through.

While the chicken is cooking, prepare the iceberg lettuce. Rince under the tap, then remove and discard the outermost layer of leaves. Slice the lettuce into fine shreds, and place in the serving dish to form a bed for the chicken.

When the chicken is done, serve on top of the lettuce, either whole or sliced into strips.

Breakfast

Granola

December 9, 2019 Jenny

I have finally banished cereal boxes from my kitchen! After years of experimenting, I have finally landed on a healthy breakfast that all three of my lovely children are happy to eat. Low in sugar and featuring a range of nutritious nuts and seeds, this is a filling breakfast to keep busy children and adults going all morning.

The recipe is infinitely customizable, but I am sharing how I make it to cater to my family’s tastes, with a few notes to help you customize it to your own tastes. We eat this with yogurt and fresh berries in the summer, or a homemade berry compote in the winter. A sliced banana on top is nice too.

Oh, and major bonus: your house will smell amazing as this cooks…

Granola

400 g gluten-free rolled oats

100 g flaked almonds

100 g chopped hazelnuts

100 g pistachio nut kernels

100 g mixed seeds (pumpkin, sunflower, sesame, linseed)

150 ml maple syrup

3 tablespoons olive oil

optional extras:

other nuts such as walnuts or pecans
dessicated coconut or coconut chips (add for last 10 minutes of cooking)
dried fruit such as raisins, dried cranberries etc (add for last 10 minutes of cooking)

Makes 12-15 servings

Preheat oven to 180 C.

In a large bowl, combine all ingredients except pistachios and mix well. Pour into a large roasting tin or rimmed baking sheet and spread out to form as thin a layer as possible. Bake for 30 minutes, stirring every 10 minutes. Add the pistachios and bake for 5-10 minutes more, until golden brown.

Cool and transfer to an airtight container. Serve with milk or yogurt and fruit.

Side dishes

Israeli Chopped Salad

June 7, 2017 Jenny

This is barely a recipe, more a suggestion of an easy and flavorful summer side dish that will works well with any Middle Eastern or Mediterranean main course, or even on its own with a dollop of hummus.

This chopped salad is very popular not just in Israel but all over the Middle East. It comes together in just a few minutes but will also benefit from resting in the fridge for an hour or two.

Israeli Chopped Salad

250 g ripe cherry tomatoes

1 large cucumber (approx 450 g)

1/2 red onion

juice of 1 lemon

2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil

salt and pepper to taste

optional extra toppings: chopped parsley, pomegranate seeds, feta cheese, sumac

Serves 4 as a side dish

Slice the onion, then soak in cold water for 15 minutes to reduce the bite (skip this if you like some bite to your salad). Pat dry, then chop into fine dice.

Quarter the cherry tomatoes.

Peel the cucumber and quarter lengthwise. Scoop out any excess seeds if necessary, then dice.

Place the onion, tomatoes and cucumber in a bowl and add the lemon juice, olive oil and seasoning. Toss well, and serve immediately or chill for a few hours.

photos and food styling by Yaelle

Breakfast

Banana Almond Pancakes

January 25, 2017January 25, 2017 Jenny

Did you see my healthy breakfast tips in The Telegraph earlier this month? The Telegraph featured several Brain Food breakfast recipes in their article on “How to make your child a healthy breakfast that they’ll actually like”. But looking through the recipes the Telegraph chose made me realize that one of my favorite breakfast recipes was not on the website at all! This recipe for banana almond pancakes is so quick and easy to throw together on a weekend morning, and you probably have all of the ingredients to hand. The pancakes pair beautifully with fruit and berries, a drizzle of maple syrup or a spoonful of chia seed jam.

Banana Almond Pancakes

2 very ripe medium bananas, peeled

4 large eggs

4 tablespoons (40 g) ground almonds

1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon

coconut oil for cooking (or any other cooking fat)

Makes about 8 pancakes.

In a large bowl, mash the bananas well with a fork. Whisk in the eggs, then add the ground almonds and mix well.

Melt a small spoonful of coconut oil in a pan over medium heat. Using a ladle, add about 3 tablespoons of batter to the pan. The key to these pancakes is to keep them small, around the size of a scotch pancake, as they will be difficult to flip otherwise. Using a spatula correct the shape if necessary. When the bottom side is firmly cooked, after about 2 minutes, flip over (carefully!) and cook the other side for about 1 minute. Remove from the pan, and start again for the next pancake.