These Greek Veggie Bowls with Greek Cauliflower Rice are a weeknight favorite! Packed with veggies, fresh herbs, hummus, and so much flavor, these easy-to-prepare gluten-free bowls are a fabulous dinner or lunch, and perfect for meal prep!
Line a baking sheet with parchment paper and spread veggies across it in one single layer. Toss with extra-virgin olive oil, sea salt, and black pepper. Bake for 45-5o minutes, or until veggies are soft and start to blister.
Heat oil in a medium saucepan over medium-high heat. Add in onion, garlic, and herbs and cook until the onion turns translucent. Add in cauliflower rice and lemon and cook for 5 minutes. Take off heat and set aside.
Assemble the bowl! Place roasted veggies and cauliflower rice in serving bowls of choice. Top with hummus, feta cheese (if using), and serve right away or store in an airtight container for later.
Recipe Notes
*To make this dish with regular rice, follow the directions on your basmati rice package, and add fresh herbs, garlic, and onion to the water while cooking your rice!
This Zucchini Noodle Pad Thai is a simple rendition of a very classic, traditional recipe, swapping rice noodles out for fresh zucchini noodles. Choose whatever protein you’d like, shrimp, chicken or tofu and definitely don’t skip on the tamarind – if you want the full experience!
Ingredients
2 to 3 medium zucchini
1 to 4 tablespoons tamarind paste
3 tablespoons fish sauce*
3 tablespoon honey or other sweetener (LEAVE OUT FOR WHOLE 30)
red pepper flakes or thinly sliced hot peppers (optional)
Instructions
Using your spiralizer, mandoline slicer, julienne peeler or other veggie noodle maker, cut your zucchini into noodles. Place into a colander or strainer and sprinkle with sea salt. Allow to sit, sweat and drain while you make your sauce and start the cooking.
Make the Pad Thai Sauce: in a small saucepan, add 1 tablespoon tamarind paste, fish sauce, honey and vinegar in a small saucepan over medium-low heat and bring to barely a simmer. Taste and add more tamarind paste, as needed, if desired. It should have a sharp, pungent flavor, but not unpleasantly sour. You can also adjust the sweetness level, as desired. Stir in red pepper flakes and set aside.
Remove the zucchini noodles from the colander or strainer and with a clean kitchen towel or paper towels, gently squeeze as much of the moisture from the noodles, as you can. Set aside.
Place the ghee or oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat; when oil shimmers, add the scallions and garlic and cook for about one minute. Add the eggs to pan; once they begin to set, scramble them until just done. Add cabbage and bean sprouts and continue to cook until cabbage begins to wilt, then add shrimp.
When shrimp begin to turn pink add the zucchini noodles to pan along with sauce. Toss everything together to coat with tamarind sauce and combine well. When noodles are warmed through, just about 1-3 minutes remove from the heat and serve, sprinkling each dish with peanuts and garnishing with cilantro and lime wedges and additional red pepper flakes.
NOTES
You can also use cut up boneless chicken breast, but you will want to use already cooked chicken or note that it will take longer than the shrimp to cook
Leave out the eggs and shrimp, opt for tofu, if you are looking for vegetarian/vegan.
Swap tamari, soy sauce or coconut aminos for the fish sauce to be vegetarian/vegan.
A Paleo AND Vegetarian Whole30 Chili recipe. (Which means your gluten free friends can also eat this.) Yes, that’s possible. It’s even vegan if you don’t don’t add the egg!
In a Dutch oven or Instant Pot, heat the oil to medium-high heat. Add the chopped onion and bell peppers to the pot, and cook, stirring, until the onions become translucent, about 4-5 minutes.
Add the rest of the ingredients (except the cilantro and eggs) and stir. Cover and let it simmer, stirring occasionally, for about 30 minutes.
Stir in the cilantro. Taste, and add more salt, if needed.
Ladle into bowls and throw a poached egg on top if you feel so inclined.
For those of you wondering what a “power bowl” is: think of it as a giant collection of goodness, all piled together in a single dish with a yummy sauce on top.
This power bowl is part roasted vegetable bowl, part creamy dressing, and part lean protein.
4hard-boiled eggs— or soft-boiled, see recipe notes
Instructions
Place a rack in the center of your oven and preheat the oven to 200 degrees C.
Place the onions and sweet potatoes on the baking sheet, turning the sweet potatoes cut sides up. Drizzle with 2 teaspoons olive oil, making sure the flesh of the sweet potatoes is well coated. Sprinkle with 1 teaspoon chili powder, 1/4 teaspoon salt, and 1/4 teaspoon pepper. Rub and toss to coat, and then arrange on the baking sheet. Bake for 10 minutes.
While the sweet potatoes cook, chop the broccoli or cauliflower into florets (you should have about 5 cups total). Remove the baking sheet from the oven and flip the sweet potatoes so that they are
cut sides down. Push the sweet potatoes and onions to one side and add the cauliflower or broccoli to the open side of the pan. Drizzle with 2 teaspoons olive oil and sprinkle with 1/4 teaspoon salt, 1/4 teaspoon pepper, and the remaining 1 teaspoon chili powder. Carefully toss to coat, and then return the baking sheet to the oven. The pan will be very crowded, and the veggies will overlap somewhat. Return to the oven and bake for an additional 20 to 25 minutes, until the sweet potatoes are soft and the other vegetables are crisp-tender.
Remove the sheet pan from the oven and place the kale on top of the vegetables. Drizzle the kale with the remaining 2 teaspoons olive oil and sprinkle with remaining 1/4 teaspoon salt and 1/4 teaspoon pepper. Lightly rub the kale to coat, and then arrange the kale in a single layer over the whole pan. Return the pan to oven and bake for 5 additional minutes, until the kale is very lightly crisp and softened. Remove the whole pan from the oven and set it aside to cool.
While vegetables finish roasting, prepare the dressing: Add the lemon juice, tahini, garlic, cumin, and salt in a small mixing bowl. Add 2 tablespoons hot water. Whisk to combine. Taste and add additional salt and up to 1/2 teaspoon additional cumin as desired.
To serve: Once the vegetables are cool enough to handle, cut the sweet potatoes into bite-size pieces. Roughly chop the kale. Divide the vegetables among serving bowls. Slice the hard-boiled eggs in half and place 2 halves on top of each bowl. Drizzle with tahini dressing and enjoy immediately.
Leftovers: Store roasted vegetables in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 4 days. Store dressing in a jar in the refrigerator and eggs in the refrigerator for up to 1 week. Reheat the vegetables gently in the microwave, and then top with the egg and dressing just before serving.
This recipe is ultra flexible. Feel free to swap out any of the roasted veggies for others you like. Brussels sprouts are another of my favorite additions.
I’ve said it before and I will say it again, Millenials and Gen Z’s are going to save the world. Though, in all fairness, they’ve been forced to take the helm of a sinking ship, these respective generations are doing an eco-friendliness like society has never seen before.
And it’s making some big waves.
The Hollywood Foreign Press made history on 5 January 2020, by serving the first plant-based menu at the Golden Globes. They announced that it formed part of their sustainability efforts, and that they were planning to go vegan for all five of their major award ceremonies.
This is proof that any brand, company or conglomeration can be earth-conscious on a macro scale.
I’ve attended my fair share of music festival that have recycling bins, utilise water-wise bathrooms and have cashless bar systems. What Billie Eilish is committing to do incorporates all of these elements and elevate them. Though she won’t be making a turn in South Africa, Eilish’s ‘Where Do We Go’ tour that kicks off in March will bring eco-awareness to 40 different cities across 17 countries.
“Our Earth is warming up and our oceans are rising. Extreme weather is wrecking millions of lives,” the 18-year-old eco-warrior shared in a video released last year. It’s going to take a great amount of effort to treat our current climate emergency, and Eilish is collaborating with non-profit organisation Reverb to create a concert model that best honours the planet.
Plastic straws have been banned and concert-goers are encouraged to bring their own reusable water bottles. Each venue will have a dedicated eco-village where fans can attend seminars and demonstrations that cover the subject of conservation and going green.
The first international performing artist to make a statement about eco-awareness on such a grand scale, Billie Eilish is certainly setting trends that fellow musicians will follow. Most of the concert venues she will be performing at have a capacity of 20 000+. By simultaneously proving that many people can be catered for in an earth-friendly way while using the opportunity to educate her audience about the urgent need to practise conservation, Eilish is using her influence in a way no one has before. Glastonbury, Burning Man, Coachella, Rocking the Daisies etc, have all made their own efforts to be eco-friendly, but individual acts haven’t been so bold.
Billie Eilish is proof that it doesn’t take a hero to save the world, just a few brave souls willing to do the work.
Even the most disciplined budgeters give themselves a little leeway during the festive season. When we’re with friends and family, it’s okay to get swept up in the excitement and spend a little more on a good bottle of wine, splurge on a special gift or spring on an upgrade for the hotel rooms. While we let the good times roll, during December, January and all its financial commitments waits patiently for us to get all the fun out of our system.
Some of us have returned to work, but the school year hasn’t started yet. If you’re looking for things to do so the little ones don’t get restless, here are a few free outdoor activities to keep you all entertained.
HIKE
The wonderful thing about enjoying the great outdoors is that it costs you nothing. Strap into your hiking shoes and get uninterrupted facetime with Mother Nature along any of the 10 main routes and trails within the city.
Lion’s Head and Table Mountain are arguably the most popular hikes, mainly because the views each summit offer are second to none. They are quite tricky to navigate if you have little ones with you. I’d suggest packing a picnic and exploring the Newlands Forest. If you’re willing to take a trip a little out of town, Kogelberg Biosphere is bursting with fragrant flora and enthusiastic fauna your kids will love frolicking in.
As always, pack enough water to keep yourselves hydrated and a few snacks to carry you through the leisurely cardio.
BEACH
Cape Town offers a brag of blue flag beaches for you and your family to enjoy. I’ll always recommend Clifton 4th because it is one of the smaller, less frequented locations that will offer you and your party some privacy. Camps Bay is equally beautiful and is always full of enough families that your kids will be able to make a few new friends if you want to catch up on some reading.
If you forget your beach umbrella at home, fret not, there are a whole manner of rentable beach gear at most of the beaches. Don’t forget your sunscreen. If you’re going to brave the Atlantic Ocean water, you’ll definitely be laying in the direct sun to warm yourself back up. Protect your skin against those harsh rays.
COMPANY GARDENS
I’ve heard tales of a mythical squirrel that wanders within the inner city public gardens. This elusive rodent doesn’t look like other rodents, if you want to solve the mystery of the squirrel, you’ll have to go and see for yourself.
Company Gardens is a great place to spend the afternoon playing frisbee or having fun with the other animals that call this slice of bliss home. You can get into some bird watching, marvel at the bouquet of flowers and trees that grow unbounded.
ART CRAWL
No one can accuse the Mother City of being boring because there’s a little bit for everyone within her walls. Surfers can drive out to Muizenburg to catch a few waves, shoppers have a number of malls and high streets to choose from, and those looking for a little culture can enjoy some of the best art galleries that all sit a few meters away from each other.
Loop Street and Bree Street are awash with charming galleries where you can appreciate art, buy a few pieces for yourself, or even commission original works from the artists themselves. You will have to purchase a ticket to see a show, if you’re partial to art of the theatrical kind. Between the Fugard Theatre, Artscape, District Theatre, Baxter Theatre, Alexander Bar and Theatre on The Bay – to name a few – you’ll have countless options to choose from.
For almost 10 months in 2019, the world watched in bated breath as the planet’s lungs burned in a raging fire. The Amazonian fires were devastating and caused irreparable harm to vegetation and animal life in the area.
It was a huge wake-up call for climate change denialists.
As the flames in Brazil were beginning to calm, Australia was hit with a series of wild bush fires, and the country has been working tirelessly to extinguish the inferno ever since. Here is some information to clue you up on the current natural disaster that has the potential to affect all our lives.
WHERE ARE THE FIRES
The Australian bush fires have hit every single state across the country, but New South Wales is receiving the brunt of the burn.
You might have seen a number of doctored images making the rounds, misinforming people about the state of Australia. Some might call it artistic expression, while others argue that its purpose lays in the shock value – if people think the entire continent is up in flames, they’ll spring to action. Either way, we can all agree that it is deeply concerning to find a few opportunists using the fires to create fake news.
WHEN DID THE FIRES BEGIN
Similar to places like Cape Town and Los Angeles, Australia has a fire season. When the climate is hot and dry, fires start easier. On particularly windy days, they can quickly grow out of control. Having said that, Australia was coming out of an intense drought when a supposed lightning storm sparked the first of the fires.
To give you some context of the natural conditions, it was reported that a fire which began in the Victoria’s East Gippsland region travelled 20 kilometres in 5 hours in December. The flames are consuming land at a horrifying rate.
WHAT IS THE CURRENT DEATH TOLL
Australia has developed an incredible fire fighting system. In 2009, Black Saturday fires claimed the lives of 173 people, making it the most lethal case on record. As of 5 January 2020, 25 people have died including a few brave firefighters who put their lives on the line to help quash this natural disaster.
Thousands of homes have been destroyed, and over 4000 civilians fled to the coast of Mallacoota to escape the heat, only to be stranded when the fires crept closer towards the shoreline. Thankfully, they have been evacuated by the National Navy.
Naturally, human lives have been prioritised, but close to half a billion animals have died in the fires. There have been heartbreaking images of kangaroos embracing each other with fear in their eyes and koala bears clutching desperately to volunteers who have rescued them. Together with the Amazonian fires, these two events have been calamitous for the animal kingdom.
HOW WILL THIS AFFECT THE LOCAL CLIMATE
“For Australia, dangerous climate change is already here,” Penn State University professor Michael Mann believes.
It has been reported that, because of global warming, the conditions Down Under will only intensify. With the rising temperature of the planet, we’re set to see hotter summers, which will certainly result in fires greater than the ones we are seeing at the moment.
30% of the koala species has been wiped out, and other endangered species in the area are at risk of being exterminated completely – this will drastically change the natural order of the ecosystem.
7.3 million hectares of land, larger than Denmark and Belgium combined, have been decimated (a little over what burned in the Amazon over months), entire towns have been levelled. Australia will never look the same again.
WHAT IS BEING DONE
Over 2 000 firefighters, hundreds of navy personnel and countless local volunteers continue to work around the clock to offer relief to those affected as well as to suffocate the flames that have engulfed Australia.
“We need to fundamentally rethink how we prepared for, finance, and respond to disasters like this,” Nicholas Aberle, Campaigns Manager for Environment Victoria, said. Though their disaster management has improved over the years, a revised contingency plan that takes climate change into consideration would be strategically sound.
Unlike other diets, the focus of Whole30 is to identify intolerances that you may not have realized were negatively affecting your health. The diet, founded by Melissa Hartwig Urban just over 10 years ago, came about when a 30-day diet experiment “transformed Urban’s health, habits, and emotional relationship with food.”
It’s something that takes dedication and commitment for the entire 30 days, but really isn’t too difficult once you’ve made the commitment. Here’s our top tips if you’re thinking of investing in your health for the next 30 days.
It’s not about weight loss
Whole30 is about figuring out what does and doesn’t work for YOUR body. It’s essentially an eliminatory diet that helps you figure out your food intolerances as well as “reset” your midset when it comes to food.
DON’T weigh yourself during the 30 days. That’s not where your intent should lie, but rather take not of improvements in sleep, energy levels, mood, digestion, skin reactions etc. Whole30 aims to manage inflammation and nurture your gut; ultimately nurturing your relationship with food.
There’s no measuring or restricting calories (Eat as much as you want!)
Yep. This is our kinda diet. All you need to do is stick to the guidelines of what you can eat. There’s no counting calories needed or measuring cups that need to be pulled out at every meal. You’ll be eating lots (TONS) of vegetables, fruits, healthy fats, herbs & spices. Whole foods that nourish and sustain.
Yes, vegans & vegetarians CAN do Whole30
If you’re vegetarian or vegan, you’ve probably read the ‘no’ list and thought, “No Legumes?? Where am I supposed to get protein??”. And now you’re wondering if this is even feasible. The answer is yes, but, you’ll need to put a bit of work into planning your meals well.
Luckily, not ALL legumes are excluded. You’re able to enjoy green beans and sugar snap peas which have good protein value as well as nuts & seeds like cashews & flax.
Ultimately, you need to listen to your body & ensure that you’re getting enough nutrients (which might mean leaving legumes and beans in the mix for the time being). Check out these handy shopping lists to help with your next visit to the grocery store.
No Slip-Ups!
This is 30 days that you really need to take and invest in yourself. It’s only effective if you fully commit to eliminating specific foods so that you can accurately test how your body responds. A new diet is always an adjustment, so being prepared will make it harder to slip up and meal-prepping can go a long way in helping you stick to it.
Be prepared to turn down plans & explain to friends and family, but remind yourself why you’ve taken on the challenge. This is for YOU.
The reintroduction phase is just as important
The end of the 30 days is really the most important part of the process. You’ll need to reintroduce foods back slowly & mindfully to really figure out what foods are trigger foods and cause reactions (whether that be bloating, rashes, asthma, breakouts, diarrhea etc).
Keep these things in mind & you’ll be equipped to make it through 30 days of whole eating without a hitch and be better off for it!
