We recently received a copy of The Guilt Free Gourmet, a cookbook that’s filled with indulgent recipes without wheat, dairy or cane sugar. The recipe book is a creation of brother and sister team, Jordan and Jessica Bourke. Jordan brings his skills as a trained chef – focusing on taste and seasoning, while Jessica brings her skills as a nutritional therapist – focusing on the nutritional aspects of food and eliminating common problem ingredients. Together, they’ve created a recipe book that’s filled with recipes that are as delicious as they are nutritious.
True to their opening sentiments, it’s not a diet cookbook and its focus is not on what you can’t have. The focus is on showing you how to use alternative ingredients to achieve the decadent results of old favourites. The recipes all exclude dairy, wheat and cane sugar, but do utilize fish, meat and eggs. There’s a nice balance between simple recipes and those that are more complicated. They also include some dishes that are more exotic, like a massaman curry and a personal favourite, bibimbap.
It’s a recipe book I immediately liked as their style of cooking is similar to mine – lots of fresh ingredients with spices and herbs for that flavourful punch. You can tell the recipes were created by a trained chef, and each recipe includes something to make it indulgent – like the basil oil in the frittata recipe below. They’ve also included a note along with each recipe that explains why it’s guilt-free, and what the star nutritional ingredients are.
It’s a great recipe book not only for people who are trying to cut out dairy, wheat and cane sugar, but also for those wanting to incorporate more fresh produce into mealtimes.
I’ve bookmarked many recipes to make and have chosen to share their frittata recipe from the brunch section. I like that it’s an easy recipe and relatively budget friendly too. A good frittata recipe is one of those recipes that are useful to have on hand. It’s quick to make, can feed a crowd, or can be kept in the fridge for a slice and go breakfast during a busy week.
Sweet Potato, Kale & Plum Tomato Frittata with Basil Oil
Ingredients
- 1 orange sweet potatoe peeled
- extra virgin olive oil
- salt and pepper
- 2 red onions sliced
- handful ripe baby plum tomatoes
- 2 tbsp Balsamic Vinegar
- bunch kale leaves
- 10-12 eggs depending on the size of your pan
- small bunch fresh basil
- 1 clove garlic
You will also need
- 20-25 cm oven proof frying pan or quiche dish
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 180 C
- Cut the sweet potato in half lengthways and then into thin wedges. Toss in a roasting pan with 2 tablespoons of olive oil, a little salt and pepper and red pepper flakes. Roast in a preheated oven until just browned and starting to blister.
- About 15 minutes before the sweet potato is done, toss the red onions and tomatoes on a baking sheet with a tablespoon of olive oil, the vinegar and a sprinkling of salt and place in the oven. The skins of the tomatoes should have just popped open, and the red onions will have begun to caramelise when the sweet potato is ready to take out. Leave the oven on for the frittata.
- Remove the kale leaves from their stalks and blanch in boiling water for 2 minutes. Remove and refresh with cold water.
- Crack the eggs into a bowl, whisk and season well.
- Place the sweet potato, kale, tomatoes and onion (reserving some for the top) in an oven proof frying pan or quiche dish. Pour the beaten eggs over the top and finish with the reserved vegetables on top so that you can see their colour.
- Cook in the oven for 25 minutes or until the frittata has puffed up and the top is firm to the touch.
- In the meantime, finely chop the basil and garlic and combine with 6 tablespoons of olive oil to make a loose basil oil.
- Allow the frittata to cool a little, then drizzle the basil oil over it and serve with a light mixed leaf salad.
The Guilt Free Gourmet was given to us by Penguin Random House and is available here. Penguin Random House nor the author approved or reviewed this piece prior to publication. Opinions are our own. The recipe is reprinted with permission, images are our own.
