Tag: lunch

Pomelo & Prawn Salad

One of our favorite things about winter in the region is always pomelo, but all good things must come to an end. Like us, are you a pomelo lover too or do you have a different favorite winter fruit? 

Therefore, before we say our final goodbyes for the season, we are paying tribute to pomelo by sharing a pomelo and prawn salad recipe.

With the end of the winter season, we can begin to look forward to regional stone fruits including cherries, nectarines, peaches, and apricots. However, this year we’ll have to be a little more patient than usual as the cold weathers and rains have been put us a little behind schedule. As always, you can be sure we’ll be at the fruit market tasting and trying until we find the perfect stone fruit to serve you.

For now, enjoy the last of the delicious pomelo with this pomelo & prawn salad! And just in case pomelo is not your favorite fruit… check out this recipe for a pomegranate and quinoa salad instead.

Pomelo & Prawn Salad

(makes a salad for two people)

30 minutes

Ingredients

For the salad
  • 1 medium carrot
  • 1 medium cucumber
  • Pomelo from the Fruitful Day Box
  • 8 prawns
  • 1 handful of hazelnuts
  • ¼ tsp smoked paprika powder
  • ¼ tsp salt
  • 1 large thumb of ginger
  • 1 handful of coriander leaves
  • 1 handful of basil leaves
  • 1 small chili
  • 3 cloves of garlic
  • Edible flowers (for garnish)
  • 8 prawns (cleaned and de-veined)
  • 1 tbsp coconut oil
For the dressing
  • 1 tbsp honey
  • 2 tbsp apple cider vinegar
  • 2 tbsp tamari
  • 1 tbsp sesame oil
  • 3 tbsp olive oil

 

METHOD

  1. Preheat oven to 180 degrees C.
  2. Roast hazelnuts with salt and paprika for 5 – 7 minutes or until browned. Set aside.
  3. Put a skillet on medium heat, add coconut oil, then sauté the prawns on both sides for 5-8 minutes. Set aside.
  4. Combine all dressing ingredients.
  5. Pick the leaves off the bunch of coriander and set aside. Finely dice the stems.
  6. Finely dice the ginger (it should come to 2 tbsp), garlic and chili.
  7. Saute the coriander stems, ginger, garlic and chili on medium heat until slightly browned.
  8. Add the sautéed vegetables to the dressing mixture. Set aside.
  9. Peel carrot and then continue to peel the entire carrot to form carrot ribbons. Set aside.
  10. Make cucumber ribbons in the same way as the carrot ribbons. Set aside.
  11. Combine carrot ribbons, cucumber ribbons, coriander leaves, basil leaves, pomelo, prawns and hazelnuts in a bowl.
  12. Pour dressing over the salad and then garnish with edible flowers.

Gavurdagi Pomegranate Salad

Our recipe journey continues today with a salad you can easily take to work with you or enjoy in the evening with grilled meats! This salad is called Gavurdagi, which is a traditional Turkish salad similar to Tabbouleh, however, the pomegranate and walnuts add amazing new flavor to it.

We’re big fans of adding fruit to salads here at Fruitful Day (no surprise there!).  In case you missed it, we previously featured a mango chicken salad here and a pomegranate and quinoa salad here.

We hope you all have a fantastically fruitful week ahead. We have a few more recipes to share in our series of 7 so stay tuned and get ready to #rebootwithfruit!

Gavurdagi Pomegranate Salad  

Gavurdagi Pomegranate Salad

(serves 4) 

15 minutes 

INGREDIENTS 

  • 2/3 tomatoes
  • 2/3 cucumbers
  • Small bunch of parsley
  • 4 spring onions
  • 100g walnuts
  • 100g fresh pomegranate seeds from the Fruitful Day Box
  • 4 tbsp olive oil
  • 3 tbsp pomegranate molasses
  • Juice of half a lemon
  • Salt & pepper to taste

METHOD 

  1. Preheat oven to 160°C
  2. Place whole walnuts in the oven and roast for 8 minutes.
  3. In one large bowl add: washed and cubed tomatoes and cucumbers, thinly sliced spring onions, finely chopped parsley and pomegranate.
  4. Mix olive oil, pomegranate molasses, lemon, salt, pepper and sumac together.
  5. Once walnuts are cooled, chop into small pieces.
  6. Toss all salad ingredients together and lastly add dressing.

Sweet Potato Slices with Lime Avocado and Goats Cheese

We can’t believe it’s May already! Ramadan is just around the corner and we’re still busy putting our final touches on our gifting range. Check out our Ramadan gift shop here and give the gift of health this holiday season!

When you’re busy, it’s always important to fuel yourself with the right food to keep you going. For that reason, we’ve decided to focus on an avocado based recipe this month. Avocados make a filling addition to any meal or snack providing both nutritious heart-healthy fats and about half your day’s fiber, folate, potassium, and Vitamin A*.

Move over avocado toast, we have an even healthier alternative for you! Sweet potato slices with lime avocado and goats cheese. We chose to add lime not only because it enhances the flavor, but also because the acidity stops the avocado browning from oxidation keeping it looking fresh for longer.

We hope you enjoy this afternoon snack and we’ll be sharing some Ramadan inspired recipes with you soon! Wishing you all a happy and productive May.

Sweet Potato Slices with lime avocado and goats cheese

Sweet Potato Slices with lime avocado and goats cheese

(makes 16 – 20 potato slices)

40 minutes

 INGREDIENTS

  • 1 large sweet potato (try to choose one that will cut into shapely sizes)
  • 1 tbsp ghee
  • 2 avocados from the Fruitful Day Box
  • 2 tbsp goats cheese
  • 1 lime from the Fruitful Day Box
  • Salt & pepper
  • Edible flowers, micro greens, spring onions and dried chilli flakes to garnish.

METHOD

Sweet Potato Slices with lime avocado and goats cheese

  1. Preheat the oven to 160 degrees C.
  2. Peel and slice the sweet potatoes into 1 cm slices.
  3. Coat with ghee, sprinkle with salt and pepper and roast for 20 minutes on a baking tray. Turn them after 10 minutes for even browning.
  4. While the potatoes are roasting, peel the avocado and put them a bowl with the lime juice, salt and pepper and smash into chunks.
  5. Once the potatoes are cooked, remove from the oven.
  6. Layer a spoon of avocado, crumbled cheese and then your garnishes of choice on each one.

 

*Source: Dr Axe, https://draxe.com/avocado-benefits/

Immunity March: Fish Tacos with Pineapple Slaw

What a week last week! We finally launched delivery to Abu Dhabi and were honored to be a supporting partner for the 5th annual WOMEN ACHIEVE Symposium hosted by the AmCham Abu Dhabi.  You can read more about the event here. One of the distinguished speakers, Honorable Barbara A. Leaf, US Ambassador to the United Arab Emirates, was such a pleasure to listen to. She spoke about how her key to living a happy life was being confident, curious, and authentic. As a women-led business, we’re not always the best at being confident, but she  simply said “fake it until you feel it”, “fake it until you believe it”, and “fake it until you make it”. We left the event inspired about what we can achieve in Abu Dhabi and just a little bit more confident that we will make it!

Now you’re probably wondering what does all of this have to do with a fish taco recipe… well we had someone tell us last week they loved the look of our recipes, but weren’t sure they could actually make them! We always select our recipes based on seasonal fruits, nuts, and dried fruits available in our boxes and add ingredients that help you to take care of yourself and your health. This month it’s about boosting your immunity, which is why we’ve selected a pineapple recipe, a single serving of which contains 130% of your daily Vitamin C.

This week we encourage you to pick just one recipe from our blog and “fake it until you make it”, we promise your health will thank you!

Fish Tacos with Pineapple Slaw (serves 2)

40 – 50 minutes (not including marination time)

Immunity March: Fish Tacos with Pineapple Slaw

INGREDIENTS

  • 6 soft shell corn tacos

For the slaw

  • One handful thinly sliced red cabbage
  • One diced tomato
  • Pineapple from the Fruitful Day Box
  • One sliced red onion
  • Juice 1 lime
  • One handful chopped coriander
  • Salt & pepper

For the fish

  • Two fillets of white fish (sea bass, sea bream, tilapia)
  • 1 tsp chilli powder
  • 1 tsp cumin powder
  • 1 tsp garlic powder
  • 1 tsp onion powder
  • 1 tsp paprika
  • 3 tbsp lime juice
  • 3 tbsp olive oil

For the avocado pure 

  • One Avocado
  • Juice of 3 limes
  • 1 tsp cumin
  • Pinch of salt 

For the garnish

  • One thinly sliced radish
  • One handful coriander leaves
  • Sour cream

METHOD

Immunity March: Fish Tacos with Pineapple Slaw

For the slaw

  1. Combine thinly sliced cabbage, diced cucumber, lime juice, coriander, salt and pepper in a bowl.
  2. Grill pineapple and red onion on a griddle until scorched and softened. (Option to omit this step but it adds flavour and also makes the onion less strong).
  3. Once cooled, add pineapple and onion to the rest of the slaw mixture.

For the fish  

  1. Combine all spices, oil and lime juice and then rub over the fish fillets. Marinate for 30 – 60 minutes.
  2. Heat a pan on medium heat, add 1 tbsp ghee and cook the fish. It should take 3 – 5 minutes per side to be nicely browned.
  3. Remove from the pan and break into pieces for each taco.

For the avocado puree

  1. Blend avocado with lime juice, cumin and salt until smooth.

To assemble

  1. Layer the fish and slaw onto a taco shell.
  2. Garnish with the radish, coriander leaves and sour cream.
  3. Add avocado puree.

Energy February: Mango Chicken Salad

FAT.  Yikes that’s not a word anyone likes to hear, but before you jump to any conclusions hear us out! There is such thing as healthy fats, In fact, healthy fats in the form of foods such as avocados, olive oil and feta will help keep you fuller for longer and therefore actually keep you from indulging in unhealthy fats later in the day like chips or chocolate bars.  

Although ‘fat’ has been demonized in the past, many people are now realizing how important it is to facilitate many body functions. In fact, roughly half of our cell membrane structure is composed of saturated fat. Saturated fat can be found in good quality animal products such as cheese and ghee or butter, as well as avocados, which contain a huge amounts of fat-soluble vitamins like K2, A and D, among others. Although these foods have been vilified for being calorific, the nutrient density of them allows us to stay fuller for longer.

A lunch salad like our chicken mango and avocado salad with zesty mango dressing will sustain you through the afternoon without that mid-afternoon energy dip we often have to fight off. As with any kind of eating, it’s about listening to your body and being mindful about your choices. If you are still feeling hungry later in the afternoon, our antioxidant date balls, which can be made ahead of time for the week are always a good choice.

Remember eating well is a form of self respect.

Chicken Mango & Avocado Salad with Zesty Mango dressing. (serves 2)

INGREDIENTS

Chicken Mango & Avocado Salad with Zesty Mango dressing

For the salad

  • 2 organic chicken breasts
  • 1 sweet potato
  • 1 block of feta cheese
  • 1 handful of cherry tomatoes
  • 1 avocado
  • 1 cucumber
  • 2 handfuls rocket or baby spinach
  • Mango from the Fruitful Day Box
  • 4 tbsp olive oil
  • 2 garlic cloves
  • 4 tsp salt
  • 1 tbsp ghee or coconut oil

For the dressing

  • ¼ cup olive oil
  • 2 tbsp lime juice
  • 1 tsp minced ginger
  • ½ cup mango from the Fruitful Day box
  • 2 garlic cloves
  • ½ cup coriander

 METHOD

Chicken Mango & Avocado Salad with Zesty Mango dressing

 For the salad

  1. Crush the garlic, add olive oil and 2 tsp salt and marinate the chicken breasts for at least 10 minutes. Preheat over to 170 degrees C.
  2. Peel and slice the sweet potato into wedges.
  3. Place a griddle on medium/low heat and brush with ghee or coconut oil.
  4. Place chicken breasts on the griddle and allow to cook slowly for 30-40 minutes, turning half way through.

* alternatively you can cook them on high heat for less time, however, I prefer to do it this way and prepare the rest of the salad while the chicken is cooking.

  1. Put the sweet potato wedges on a roasting tray in the oven with the ghee and 2 tsp salt and allow to roast for 20 – 30 minutes or until browned.
  2. Slice cherry tomato, cucumber and avocado and set aside. Squeeze some lime on the avocado to stop it browning.
  3. Cube feta cheese and wash rocket/spinach leaves and set aside.

For the dressing

  1. Blend all ingredients in a blender or food processor.

 To assemble

  1. The grilled chicken and sweet potato should be ready at the same time. When the chicken is ready, remove from the oven and slice into strips.
  2. Assemble chicken with all other ingredients on a plate and drizzle over the dressing.

Detox January: Pomegranate and Quinoa Salad

We’re wrapping up detox January with a pomegranate and quinoa salad with the yummiest of citrus dressings. Grab your Fruitful Day pomegranate and this won’t take you long to prepare at all! We hope you’ve enjoyed this month of recipes and we’re looking forward to shifting focus next month on ENERGY!  We’ll give you some food ideas that will fuel you with energy and help you to keep those New Years Resolutions going past January!

INGREDIENTS

For the salad

  • ¾ cup of quinoa
  • 4 spring onions
  • 1 carrot
  • 2 radishes
  • Handful of almonds
  • ½ cup pomegranate
  • 1 small cucumber
  • Handful of cherry tomatoes

For the dressing

  • 1 shallot
  • ¾ cup olive oil
  • ¼ cup apple cider vinegar
  • 2 tbsp lemon juice
  • 2 tbsp orange juice
  • Salt and pepper to taste

METHOD

For the salad

  1. Place quinoa along with 1 ½ cups water in a saucepan and bring to boil.
  2. Cook for 14 – 15 mins and set aside.
  3. Slice carrots thickly and then place in a roasting tray with the spring onions, coconut oil and salt.
  4. Roast at 200 degrees C for 20 – 30 mins or until soft and browned – you may need to cover if they become too brown.
  5. Thinly slice radish and roughly chop cucumber and almonds.
  6. Put quinoa into a bowl and add the roasted carrot, roasted spring onion, radish, cucumber, tomato, pomegranate and almond.
  7. Add dressing as needed.

 

Detox January: Apple and Celeriac Soup

Brrrrr it’s cold outside and we’re craving warm soup! This apple and celeriac soup is a great way to sneak both fruits and vegetables in your diet.  As part of our #fruityfridays in January, we will continue to bring you recipes throughout the month that are healthy, tasty, and help you to detox and kick-start your healthy habits for the year.  If you missed it, please check out our chia pudding and granola cup recipes.

INGREDIENTS

  • 3 small red onions
  • 2 cloves garlic
  • 1 celery stalk
  • 2 tbsp apple cider vinegar
  • 1 celeriac
  • 4 apples from the Fruitful Day box
  • 4 sprigs of thyme
  • 1 tsp cinnamon
  • 800ml stock

Optional toppings

  • Apple (thinly slices and sautéed to brown)
  • Baby spinach (sautéed to wilt)
  • Flax seeds
  • Almonds (toasted)
  • Radish (thinly sliced)
  • Alfalfa sprouts

METHOD

  1. Roughly chop onion, garlic and celery.
  2. Place these in a large saucepan on medium heat and sauté. Add salt, cinnamon and thyme leaves.
  3. While the onion, garlic and celery are sweating peel and chop both the apple and celeriac into cubes.
  4. Turn up the heat a little and once the veg are sizzling nicely add the apple cider vinegar.
  5. Add the apple and celeriac and allow to saute for some time before adding the stock.
  6. Bring the stock to boil and then lower heat to simmer for around 30 minutes or until the celeriac is cooked through.
  7. Pour the soup into a blender and blend until smooth.