With more and more people discovering they are gluten intolerant, suffering from a food allergy or adopting a more plant-based lifestyle, we asked Candice Adams, Academic Operations Manager at Capsicum Culinary Studio, how the school has taken this into account with its various courses.
Does Capsicum include teachings on recipes and cooking methods for those with allergies such as gluten intolerance, lactose intolerance, nut allergies etc?
Absolutely! It is necessary for all students to cover the basics of understanding special diets and dietary requirements and these concepts are built into our programme syllabus.
How does Capsicum cater for vegan and vegetarian students who may be asked to prepare a meat-based dish?
In order to be a chef all students need to work with animal products. We don’t require that students consume the products, but they will work with animal-based products throughout their studies on campus and will more than likely have to work with these products in industry and in their career as a chef.
Does Capsicum include plant-based cooking in its syllabus?
We do include a focus on vegetarian and vegan cooking as a part of our programmes. It is essential for all students to be sensitised to vegetarian and vegan cooking and to be able to adapt to the growing demand for pant-based options in the industry.
In addition to her role at Capsicum Culinary Studio, Adams is also a nutritional coach and has a bank of gluten free and special diet recipes that she uses in my consultancy. Generously, she shared some delicious sounding breakfast, lunch and dinner recipes with us.
Overnight Oats
Prep Time: 5 minutes. Rest Time: 8 hours (overnight). Serves 2
Ingredients
1 large banana, sliced (or any other fruit of your choice)
2 tablespoons of unsweetened almond butter
2 teaspoons chia seeds
1 cup gluten-free rolled oats
1¼ cup of unsweetened almond milk
1 teaspoon raw honey
¼ teaspoon vanilla extract
A few fresh or frozen berries to top
Instructions
You’ll need 2 x wide-mouth jars or similar containers with a secure fitting lid. In a bowl or jug mix the milk, honey and the vanilla extract. Set aside. In your jars or containers, layer the ingredients: 3-4 slices of banana, 2 dollops of almond butter, ¼ teaspoon chia seeds, ¼ cup oats, then repeat two or three times until there is a 3-4 cm gap between the ingredients and top of the jar. Pour the milk mixture over the oats leaving about 2 cm gap at the top to allow your oats to expand as they soak. Stick a knife or fork through to the bottom of the container a few times to make sure the milk soaks all the way down. Cover tightly and refrigerate overnight.
Tip: You can get creative with this recipe and use berries instead of bananas, flax instead of chia, or any unsweetened nut milk or nut butter.
Quinoa Berry Breakfast Bowls
Prep Time: 5 minutes. Cook Time: 15 minutes. Serves 1
Ingredients
½ cup cooked quinoa or cooked gluten-free rolled oats
Sprinkle of cinnamon
¼ cup unsweetened almond milk, or milk of your choice
50g fresh berries
1 teaspoon dried goji berries, optional
1 teaspoon chia seeds, flaxseeds, or hemp seeds (or a combination of all 3)
1 teaspoon chopped raw almonds or hazel nuts
1 teaspoon raw honey, optional
Instructions
Place the quinoa in a bowl, sprinkle with cinnamon and pour over with the milk. Add the berries and nuts, sprinkle the seeds over, and top with honey, if desired.
Tip: Cook a batch of quinoa at the beginning of the week and keep it in the fridge for easy breakfast bowl prep.
Nutrition Tip: Quinoa is a complete protein, containing all the essential amino acids. It’s also a great source of fibre, B-vitamins, calcium, potassium, magnesium and selenium.
Chicken Fried Cauli-Rice
Prep Time 20 minutes. Cook Time 15 minutes. Serves 4
Ingredients
4 cups cauliflower rice
1 cup diced carrots
½ cup diced celery
½ medium onion, chopped
1 tablespoon plus 2 teaspoons coconut oil
400g chicken breast, cut into chunks or strips
3 teaspoons sesame oil, divided
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 tablespoon freshly grated or minced ginger
2 eggs, beaten
2 tablespoons low sodium soy sauce
2 spring onions, thinly sliced
Chopped fresh coriander and a few pinches of sesame seeds
Instructions
Toss chicken in garlic, ginger and two teaspoons of the sesame oil. Preheat a large skillet to medium/high heat. Add 1 tablespoon of the coconut oil. Add chicken and sauté for 5-7 minutes. Remove from the pan and set on plate while you prepare the cauli-rice. Add the remaining two teaspoons coconut oil to the pan. Add the carrots, celery and onion and sauté for 2-3 minutes. Add the cauliflower rice and sauté for an additional minute or two. Make a well in the middle, pushing the rice out to the sides of the pan. Add the eggs into the centre and scramble them. Once cooked through, stir the eggs together with the rice and veggies.
Add the chicken, remaining teaspoon of sesame oil, soy sauce, and half of the spring onion. Stir to combine. Portion onto plates and top with remaining spring onion, coriander and sesame seeds.
Mediterranean Veggie Buddha Bowl
Prep time: 15 minutes. Total time: 15 minutes, Serves 2
Ingredients
For the Lemon Honey Salad Dressing
2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
1 tablespoon freshly squeezed lemon
2 teaspoons raw honey
pinch of sea salt
For the Bowl
1 handful of rocket (or your favourite greens)
¼ cup of hummus
1 cup cooked quinoa
4 kale leaves, chopped (& massaged if needed) or your favourite leafy greens
A few tablespoons of micro-greens
1 cup cherry tomatoes, halved
1 avocado, sliced
1 large carrot, finely sliced
1 tablespoon raw pumpkin seeds
1 tablespoon raw sunflower seeds
Instructions
For the dressing: Place all ingredients into a small bowl and whisk until well combined. Adjust seasoning to your preference.
For the Bowls: Place the kale (or your favourite greens) at the bottom of your serving bowl, add a few dollops of hummus to the quinoa and add to the bowl. Layer the cherry tomatoes, carrot and avocado over the leafy green and quinoa bed. Top with pumpkin seeds, sunflower seeds and microgreens. Add a generous drizzle of dressing and enjoy!
Tip: Save extra hummus and dressing in an airtight container in the fridge for a crudité snack with carrots, celery and cucumber or for other salad and bowl meals later in the week.
Prep your quinoa for the week and save it in the fridge in an airtight container or make use of already prepped quinoa for this recipe.
