Joanne Wood, aka The Balance Kitchen , has created dishes inspired by the vibrancy and colour of spring/summer.

After a life-changing medical experience, Joanne Wood, aka The Balanced Kitchen, decided to have a complete overhaul of her diet and now shares her experiences and recipes with others.

For Joanne, food is about much more than sustenance and she believes it can bring creativity, colour, health and happiness to our lives.

There are five recipes in total, which can be mixed and matched to make up a three course meal. Two of recipes are suitable for vegans and include a vegan friendly pate and a colourful, vibrant quiche or tart.

Furthermore there is also a salmon tart and an upside down cake.

Recipes below and download more here

Plates-with-creativity-colour-health-and-happinessDownload

SALMON & SPRING GREENS TART WITH A WALNUT & ALMOND PASTRY CRUST

This tart showcases some of our best
Spring ingredients and looks and tastes
good enough to be on the finest restaurant menu.

Serve with dill pesto (recipe below) and
simple steamed vegetables or salad leaves

(Gluten-free)
Serves 4

Tin size: 35cm length x 13cm width x 2.5cm height – loose bottomed (if not using loose bottomed, please add baking paper to the tin before adding the base to allow for easy removal of the tart after baking)


FOR THE BASE
INGREDIENTS:
 100g walnuts
 100g ground almonds
 150g buckwheat flour
 100g unsalted butter (or vegan spread)
 1 TBSP xylitol sugar alternative (available as Total Sweet)
 Pinch salt
 1 egg beaten (or 2 TBSP ground flax seeds)

METHOD:

  1. Place the walnuts into a food processor and pulse until finely chopped.
  2. Add the ground almonds, buckwheat flour, butter (or vegan spread), xylitol and salt. Pulse
    until the mixture resembles breadcrumbs.
  3. Next, add the beaten egg (or ground flax seeds) and a splash of ice-cold water and pulse a
    couple of times, just until the mixture comes together.
  4. The mixture will still be a little crumbly at this point but turn out the mixture onto a floured
    surface and knead gently until it comes together a bit more. Then wrap in clingfilm and leave
    to chill and rest in the fridge for about 30-60mins.
  5. Place the chilled pastry onto a clean board, dusted with flour and use a rolling pin to gently
    roll out the pastry to a length on width to fit your baking tin, with enough to leave some to
    go up the sides of the tin.
  1. Gently transfer the pastry into the baking tin and use your clean fingers to press into the
    shape of the tin. Using a fork, prick all over.
  2. Place the tin into the fridge for 30mins to set. This will prevent the pastry from shrinking
    during cooking.
  3. After chilling, place a sheet of baking paper over the pastry and then add some baking beans
    or some uncooked, dry rice to weigh the baking paper down. Bake the pastry in a pre-
    heated oven at 180 degrees C for 10 minutes.
  4. Remove from the oven ready for adding the filling ingredients.

FOR THE FILLING
INGREDIENTS:
 5 medium sized free-range Eggs beaten
 1 TBSP milk
 100g Smoked Salmon
 1 small Courgette cut into ribbons using a peeler
 4 Asparagus Tips, washed and halved lengthways
 50g Watercress, remove any thick, tough stems
 100g feta cheese, crumbled
 Salt & Pepper seasoning
METHOD:

  1. Mix the milk into the beaten eggs then pour the mixture into the prepared tart base.
  2. Next, take small amounts of the smoked salmon and pinch together, placing the salmon at
    even intervals within the egg mixture.
  3. Then, do the same with the courgette ribbons, asparagus tips and finally the watercress.
  4. Crumble the cheese over the dish and season well.
  5. Bake the tart in a preheated oven for 20-25mins. Place a piece of foil over the tart if it
    begins to brown on top towards the end of the cooking time.
  6. Remove from the oven and allow to cool slightly (or fully depending on choice).
  7. Serve with a drizzle of dill pesto and fresh greens.

DILL PESTO
INGREDIENTS:
 30g Dill
 20g Fresh Basil
 4 TBSP Olive Oil
 Juice of ½ lemon
 2 TBSP Fresh Parmesan cheese, grated

METHOD:

  1. Place all ingredients into food processor, blitz and serve.

LIver Pate

A lot of people are put off by liver, but it’s a great source of iron and this herby pate is a delicious
way to include it in your diet.

INGREDIENTS:
 125g Butter (Removed from
fridge to soften)
 250g Liver, trimmed
 1 small brown onion, skin
removed, diced small
 1 tsp wholegrain mustard
 1 tsp lemon juice
 1-2 large cloves garlic,
peeled
 Pinch Salt & Pepper
 1 tsp dried Rosemary
 1 tsp dried Thyme
 1 tsp dried Sage
 35g ghee for sealing the pate
To serve – Thinly sliced and toasted sourdough bread

METHOD:

  1. Melt a knob of the butter in a deep frying pan.
  2. Add the chopped onions to the pan and gently cook over a low heat for 5 mins, stir
    occasionally to prevent over browning.
  3. While the onions are cooking, pat the livers dry with a clean kitchen towel to remove any
    excess blood. Roughly chop or cut with kitchen scissors and add to the onions in the pan.
  4. Cook for around 5-7 minutes, turning the livers to ensure even cooking.
  5. Add the cooked liver and onions to a food processor together with the mustard, lemon juice,
    garlic, seasoning and dried herbs. Also add the remaining butter.
  6. Pulse the mixture thoroughly until creamy and smooth.
  7. Spoon the mixture into a suitable container like a small serving bowl or ramekin and smooth
    down using the back of a spoon. Leave in the fridge, covered, to cool in temperature and
    set.
  8. Once the pate has set, melt the ghee in a saucepan. Poor the melted ghee over the pate,
    place in the fridge to set for an hour or more.
  9. Serve cold on thinly sliced sourdough toasted bread.

Please note: Liver pate is not recommended for pregnant women

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