The creators of Leon have this new wonderful cookbook ~ Fast & Free. A cookbook to which they felt they should have wrote 12 years ago. Their recent inspiration, Paleo, and Jane's travels in Southern Europe, Southwest Asia and beyond. When Leon first started they were probably seen as radical... a bit alternative however times have changed and our way of eating... eating better, has changed, becoming more mainstream.
Recipes are gluten free, dairy free, and refined sugar free as well some recipes may be vegetarian, vegan, and nut free. Although they carry the main principles of paleo they have interpreted their own version of paleo... called Paleon. A bit of play on words there. Their premise, as with all their cookbooks, is to try and make it easy for everyone to eat well. Something anyone can appreciate. If you like... love food then the Leon cookbooks are for you.
All recipes have a Nutritional Key which gives you a quick reference if the recipe is applicable for you and your eating choices. They range from Low Glycemic Load, Low Saturated Fat, Paleon, Nut-free, Vegetarian, Vegan, Contains Added Natural Unrefined Sugar, and No Added Sugar.
The book discusses free from, the term which represents when a recipe is free of something or an ingredient such as diary free... free from dairy. You get the idea. They have included a 4 page fold out called Your Kitchen Cupboard, the essential ingredients to stock your kitchen with. Within this 307 page cookbook there are 7 chapters, Good Mornings, For Starters, Everyday Easy, Speedy Suppers, Meals For A Crowd, Bits On The Side, and Treat Yourself. There is something for everyone although a few recipes may send one on a culinary hunt, depends on where you live and if a shop in your area carries certain things like... chestnut flour, for example. Still, do not let that deter you.
The recipe I would like to share is from the For Starters chapter. Even though these are being toted as a starter I feel you could serve them with grilled salmon or chicken, grilled halloumi cheese or tofu or a salad. Besides they sound delicious! This recipe is low in saturated fat, nut-free, vegan, vegetarian, and no sugar added.
Spiced Spinach, Pea & Potato Cakes
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Prep time: 5 mins • Cook Time: 20 mins
2 tablespoons gram flour, plus extra for dusting
1/4 cup cooked spinach
1/2 lb potatoes, mashed
2/3 cup peas
1 green chile, chopped
1 teaspoon finely grated ginger
2 tablespoons cilantro, chopped
a pinch of ground turmeric
a pinch of ground cardamon
a pinch of garam masala
canola oil, for frying
salt and ground black pepper
1. Dry-fry the gram flour until lightly toasted. Place in a large bowl. Squeeze out any excess moisture from the spinach, season, and chop. Add to the gram flour along with the rest of the ingredients except for the oil. Season and mix together well.
2. Shape into small cakes and dust with a little gram flour. Shallow-fry in a little oil for 3 minutes on each side, or until lightly browned. Drain in a paper towel before serving.
The sunny long weekend came and went and now the midweek rain is falling. - JD