It’s been a busy two weeks for LOV Food as last week we were in Albany and this week we braved the crazy cyclonic weather, and taught in Broome!

The students not only were reminded about the ‘Bad sugars means bad eyes’ message (diabetes and eye health) but they also learnt about the 5 food groups and what it means to eat a balanced diet.

We focused on healthy brekkie’s and cooked up scrambled egg and bacon – camping style – a breakfast for champions!

Serves 2

Ingredients:

• 3 free range eggs
• 1⁄4 cup milk
• 2 rashers bacon
• 4 sliced cherry
• tomatoes
• handful sliced mushrooms
• salt and pepper
• fresh basil (optional)
• 2 slices wholemeal seeded bread
• butter

Method:

1. Whisk together milk, eggs, pinch of salt and pepper.
2. In a frying pan, cook the bacon on a medium heat (no oil needed).
3. After 1 min, add to the frying pan, tomato and mushrooms.
4. When cooked, set aside on a plate and cover with tin foil or another plate.
5. Toast bread.
6. In same frying pan on a medium heat, add the egg mixture.
7. After a minute, using a spatula, slowly fold the mixture towards you so that the egg cooks on all sides.
8. Repeat this until the egg is almost cooked but is still a little moist, turn off heat (scrambled egg will continue to cook once it’s off the heat).
9. Butter toast, divide cooked bacon and veg between two plates and place scrambled egg on top of the toast.
10. Garnish with fresh basil and pinch of salt and pepper.
11. Enjoy!

Only 5 ingredients!! Celebrating Western Australian ingredients, native foods and healthy eating… Visit www.thelupinco.com.au for the full run down on the nutritional value of Lupin and why its the next superfood. Wattleseed – an awesome native ingredient with a nutty, chocolate flavour. Coconut sugar is Low-GI, making it healthier sugar option and safer for those on the diabetes spectrum.

Oven at 190’C

Ingredients:

1. 1 cup plain flour
2. 1/2 cup lupin flakes
3. 1/3 cup coconut sugar
4. 1 Tablespoon wattleseed
5. 120g soft butter, cubed

Method:

1. Add all the dry ingredients together.
2. Add butter, rub between fingers until mixture forms a dough & sticks together.
3. Press into a small sized baking tray (mixture should be about 1,5 cm in thickness).
4. Bake in the oven for about 20 min or until golden brown.
5. Cut into squares and dry on a cooling rack. Enjoy with a cup of tea!

Inspired by winter veggies and the mighty lupin flake, Ceire’s Kitchen has created this new healthy recipe. It’s fresh, hearty, packed full of protein, Low GI and packed full of nutritional goodness. The Lupin Co have got all the details about why lupin is the new superfood and the Lions Outback Vision team are excited to offer diabetes-friendly recipes for families…

Ingredients:

• 1 cup cooked lupin flakes (see packet for cooking instructions)
• 1/2 cup grated cauliflower
• 1/2 cup spelt flour (substitute with gluten-free flour if needed)
• pinch salt
• 1 egg

(Mix all ingredients together, press into a tart tin and bake for 15 min at 180’C.)

• 1 cup cooked beetroot, cut into chunks
• 1/2 cup broccoli
• 1/2 red onion, sliced and sautéed on a low heat with 2 TBS olive oil
• 1 small block of crumbled feta
• 3 eggs, whisked
• 1/2 cup greek yoghurt
• 1/4 cup milk
• pinch of salt and pepper
• Sprigs of thyme

(Mix all ingredients together, pour into the baked lupin pastry base and bake for about 30 min at 180’C.)

Garnish with fresh parsley and drizzle with olive oil.

On our road trip from Broome to Derby and we swapped our snack of chips and dip for basil pesto and cucumber! Fresh and delicious. Want healthy eyes? Eat greens! Try this recipe:

Basil pesto:
1 bunch fresh basil
1 clove garlic
1/4 cup grated parmesan
1/4 cups almonds
juice of 1/2 lemon
1/4 cup olive oil
sprinkle of salt and pepper

My husband’s favourite dessert is rhubarb pie. I picked up a bunch of rhubarb at a quaint little farmers market in Esperance and a few days later when the Vision Van was in Kalgoorlie, I pulled out our camper cooker and got creative! Inspired by the abundance of Eucalyptus trees all around, I flavoured the sauce with a couple of leaves and the smoky sweet taste was incredible…

Rhubarb sauce:

• bunch of rhubarb
• 2 TBS butter honey
• 1 TBS honey
• 2 eucalyptus leaves
• 1/4 cup water
• 2 TBS plum jam (optional, replaces the honey)

1. Chop up the rhubarb into roughly 1cm pieces and add to a frying pan with the other ingredients.
2. Simmer on a low heat for about 10 min until, rhubarb is soft and sweet.
3. Remove the leaves and pour into a serving dish. Cover with oat crumble topping.

Oat crumble topping:

• 2 cups rolled oats
• 4-6 TBS butter (depending on how buttery you like it)
• 3 TBS honey
• Any (stale) biscuits lying around
• 1 teaspoon sugar

1. In a frying pan, lightly toast the rolled oats in butter and honey.
2. Using a tea towel, crush biscuits into fine pieces and stir into the oat mixture.
3. Pour oat crumble over the rhubarb sauce.
4. Sprinkle white sugar over the oat crumble, light your blowtorch (bought for $30 from Bunnings) and fire away!!
5. Serve with a dollop of Greek yoghurt.

Ceire;s Kitchen is in Kalgoorlie! We hear from some of the patients in Kalgoorlie about their experiences on the Vision Van and learn more about how diabetes management and healthy eyes, are linked to healthy eating…

From the beautiful beaches of Esperance, to the dry dessert of Kalgoorlie. We cooked with local ingredients from a farmers market in Esperance and then celebrated in Kalgoorlie with a community dinner, experimenting with local ingredients. New video coming soon!

The team were hungry and so I cooked up this healthy Mediterranean feast!

The fritters are made from Lupin: which are an awesome source of protein and grown all over Western Australia. Follow the link for more information about Lupin Foods and different recipes!

Lupin and Zucchini fritters

INGREDIENTS:

• ½ cup dried lupin flakes
• 1 cup ricotta cheese
• 2 zucchinis, grated
• ½ granny smith apple, grated
• 2 eggs
• ½ cup self-raising flour
• 1 teaspoon salt and pepper
• 1 teaspoon paprika
• 2 cloves garlic, finely grated

METHOD:

• Grate zucchini and apple into a colander; leave the water to drain away.
• Boil the kettle and pour a cup of hot water over the dried lupin flakes. After about 2 min the flakes should absorb the water and swell.
• Squeeze out any extra moisture from the zucchini and apple.
• In a bowl, add all ingredients together and mix well. You’ll find it quite a wet consistency.
• Drizzle about 2 table spoons of oil (olive oil/canola/coconut) in a frying pan a dollop a heaped table spoon of the mixture into the hot pan. Flatten slightly with a spatula and allow to cook for about 2 min. Flip over and cook the other side.
• Serve with Roasted egg plant an sumac salad.

Roasted eggplant and sumac salad

 Preheat oven to 200’C

INGREDIENTS:

• 1 medium sized eggplant
• 1 red onion
• 1 clove garlic
• salt and pepper
• ½ cup Greek yoghurt
• ½ lemon
• mint
• chili (optional)
• olive oil and balsamic vinegar
• 2 teaspoons sumac
• toasted almonds, chopped

METHOD:

• Slice eggplant into circles and then quarters. Place in a bowl and sprinkle over and rub in salt to draw out the bitterness. Leave to stand for about 10/15min and then rinse off salt.
• Slice the red onion into long thin wedges. Place veg in a baking tray and drizzle over olive oil, balsamic vinegar and seasoning. Bake in the oven at 200’C for about 20min or until golden brown.
• Grate the garlic into the yoghurt and add the juice of the lemon, a pinch of salt and pepper and a teaspoon of balsamic vinegar.
• Place the roasted veg on a serving plate, drizzle over the yoghurt dressing.
• Sprinkle on sumac, mint, chilli and toasted nuts.

These dishes can be served in flat bread with a green side salad:

• rocket and spinach mix
• sliced avocado
• feta cheese

The team working on the Vision Van needed an energy booster and so I made this healthy snack for them

Ingredients:

1 cup pitted medjool dates/dried fig
1/2 cup walnuts
1/2 cup almonds
1/3 cup raw organic cacao powder
1/3 cup coconut milk
1/2 cup shredded coconut
1 tablespoon chia seeds
pinch of salt

Method:

Add all the ingredients together and mix in a food processor.
Divide the mixture up and roll into the size of a golf ball.
Roll the balls in shredded coconut.

Ceire’s Kitchen is in the outback of Western Australia, and this time I’m travelling with a team of eye specialists (one of them being my husband, Angus!)

We are travelling on the Lions Outback Vision Van. This Vision Van is kitted out with the latest equipment and is travelling all over regional WA, treating patients. It’s for everyone and it’s for free!!

What am I doing? Im learning more about healthy eating because one of the biggest problems relating to blindness and vision loss is caused by diabetes… diabetes is effected by what you eat! Especially sugar! So I’ve come along for the ride – exploring this beautiful country, meeting locals and cooking healthy meals for the team and learning more about diabetes and eye health.

Follow the Lions Outback Vision on Facebook for regular updates, videos and healthy food recipes!

www.outbackvision.com.au

Our first video is up! Our first stop was in Katanning where we met an awesome woman, Beverly, who’s as passionate about healthy eating as we are! She’s growing her own veggies and her story is a brilliant example of how eating healthy is linked to diabetes management and good eye health… Next stop: Albany!

The Vision Van in Katanning