Roasted Sweet Potato And Cashew Pesto

I've had so much fun over the past few weeks experimenting with the fantastic MOO Dahi Indian style yoghurt.

This is my last recipe for the moment, but I can see that I'll be buying more of the Dahi in the future. It really is such a versatile yoghurt that you can use in sweet and savoury recipes, cooked and raw foods. Being low in sugar and quite mild in flavour, the Dahi is not too overpowering. Perfect when you want other flavours to dominate.

I'm calling this recipe a pesto, but it really is a chunky dip. With the lovely flavours of roasted sweet potato and garlic, nutty cashews and some tartness from the lemon and yoghurt, it is a great combination of flavours. If you find the pesto too thick for your liking, add a little more MOO Dahi and another drizzle of lemon juice. Nice and thick, this pesto would be perfect served with crackers and vegie sticks for an easy starter or nibble at a BBQ.

I served my pesto with golden pan-fried haloumi and a light salad of cherry tomato, avocado and baby spinach. You could even spoon it over pan-fried chicken fillets or fleshy white fish and then pop it into the oven for 5 minutes to warm through.

Use your imagination and see what wonderful ideas you can come up with!

Roasted Sweet Potato And Cashew Pesto

1 medium sweet potato, peeled and cut into chunks
2 cloves of garlic, skins on
1/2 cup cashews
1 1/2 cups MOO Dahi yoghurt
Juice of half a lemon
Salt and pepper to taste

Preheat oven to 180 degrees.
Place sweet potato and whole garlic cloves on a baking tray and spray with oil spray.
Roast for approx 30 minutes or until the sweet potato is soft and the garlic is golden and bursting out of the skins.
Remove from the oven and set aside to cool.

While the sweet potato is roasting, place cashews on a small tray and roast for 5 minutes, or until golden. Keep an eye on them as they can burn easily.
Remove from the oven and allow to cool.

In a small food processor, combine sweet potato, cashews, MOO Dahi and lemon juice.
Whiz until just combined. Season to taste.

To serve, place in a bowl with crackers and vegie sticks and use as a dip.

If you're feeling more creative, like I was, serve golden fried haloumi slices on the pesto with a light salad over the top. Perfect on a warm night when a lighter meal is in order.

Roasted Beetroot And Couscous Salad

This week, in typical Melbourne fashion, we've gone from 34 degrees to 20 degrees in the space of a couple of days. Last week I wanted light and fresh meals with minimal cooking and minimal fuss. Frankly, who can be bothered cooking when it's hot?

The last two days, as the weather has cooled down, I've been craving heavier meals. For Meat free Monday, I couldn't go past making a hearty salad with a few of my favourite things. Beautiful fresh asparagus was a given and roasted beetroot is always a favourite. Combined with some corn couscous and a spiced yoghurt dressing, using the lovely MOO Dahi, it was certainly a winner.

I've never used corn couscous before, but picked up a packet from the local shops because they didn't have any of the regular sort available. It was a little heavier than couscous made from semolina, but had a lovely corny smell and taste. I'll certainly be using it again. You can just use regular couscous, or even the larger Israeli couscous balls. Either would still be delicious.

Roasted Beetroot And Couscous Salad

1 large beetroot

A drizzle of olive oil

1 bunch of asparagus, woody ends snapped off

1/2 cup MOO Dahi yoghurt

Juice of 1/2 a lemon

1/2 tsp ground cumin

1/2 tsp ground coriander

Salt and pepper to taste

1 1/2 cups couscous

A few handfuls of parsley and mint, coarsely chopped

Preheat the oven to 180 degrees.

Trim the beetroot and peel using a vegetable peeler. Cut into large chunks.

Toss with a drizzle of olive oil on a baking tray and roast for about 30 minutes or until tender when pierced with a skewer.

Remove from the oven and set aside.

Place asparagus spears in a heatproof container and pour over boiling water. 

Allow to sit for 3-5 minutes, depending on the thickness of the spears. Drain and set aside.

In a small bowl, combine the MOO Dahi yoghurt, lemon juice, cumin and coriander. Season to taste

Prepare the couscous according to packet instructions. 

In a large bowl, combine coucous, beetroot, asparagus and chopped herbs. Season to taste.

Tip onto a platter or serving bowl and drizzle with the yoghurt dressing.

Enjoy!

Cinnamon Apple Yoghurt Cake

I don't tend to do a lot of cake baking because no one else in the house really has a sweet tooth, but a trip to the inlaws this morning gave me an excuse to try something different.

Yoghurt goes so well in cakes, because it makes them beautifully moist, so I couldn't wait to come up with a recipe using the lovely MOO Dahi Indian Style Yoghurt.

Sweet cinnamon poached apples and yoghurt are a great combination, so why not make them into a cake?

This cake was lovely and moist and had a beautiful sweetness from the poached apples. A nice surprise to have inside the cake. You could either serve it as is, or warm it up with a dollop of Dahi or even ice cream to turn it into a simple dessert.

If I was you, I'd make up a double batch of the apples so that you have extra to enjoy warmed up with a dollop of Dahi and a sprinkling of nuts or muesli for breakfast!

Cinnamon Apple Yoghurt Cake

4 Granny Smith apples (about 500g)

1/4 tsp ground cinnamon

125g butter, softened

3/4 cup caster sugar + 1tsp

2 eggs

1 cup SR flour

1/2 cup plain flour

Up to 1/4 cup milk

1/2 cup MOO Dahi yoghurt + extra to serve

1 tsp icing sugar to dust

Peel, core and coarsely chop apples.

Place in a saucepan with 1/2 cup water, cinnamon and 1 tsp caster sugar.

Bring to a simmer over medium heat and gently poach until the apples are soft, but not falling apart.

Set aside to cool and then drain over a fine sieve.

Reserve the apples and juice for later.

Preheat the oven to 170 degrees.

Grease a 20cm round cake tin and dust with flour.

In a mixer, beat butter and sugar until soft and creamy.

Add eggs one at a time and beat well between additions.

Measure out the reserved apple poaching liquid and make up to 1/4 cup with the milk. Combine this with the MOO Dahi yoghurt in a small bowl.

Fold sifted flours and milk/yoghurt mixture into the butter mixture until combined.

Spread half the mixture into prepared cake tin, top with apples and then spread remaining cake mixture over the top.

Bake in oven for 1 hour or until brown on top and a skewer inserted in the middle comes out clean.

Cool in tin for 5 minutes before turning out onto a rack to cool completely.

Serve lightly dusted with icing sugar with an extra dollop of MOO Dahi.

Enjoy!

MOO Dahi Indian Style Yoghurt

I was lucky enough to be chosen to be a #mooreviewer for the MOO Premium Foods Dahi yoghurt. This yoghurt is made in the Indian style, so it is lovely and creamy, without added sugar. It's perfect to eat on it's own, spooned over fruit and granola, used in baking or in cooking.

MOO Premium Foods is a South Australian company that was started in 2005 to make premium yoghurts in the French style, that the owners discovered on a trip overseas. They now produce 8 flavoured yoghurts, Dahi and a rice pudding, which those from Adelaide will know and love!

My first recipe using the Dahi was in this roasted broccoli side dish.

I can't wait to get experimenting and use the Dahi in other meals. Over the next few weeks, you'll see a few more recipes using this delicious yoghurt.

Roasted Broccoli With Chilli Dahi

1 head of broccoli

Rind of 1/2 a lemon, zested into strips

1/2 a cup MOO Dahi yoghurt

1/2 a long red chilli, seeds and membranes removed, finely chopped

Salt and pepper to taste

A drizzle of olive oil

Preheat the oven to 180 dgrees.

Cut the broccoli into florets and place on a baking tray with lemon zest. 

Drizzle with oil and season with salt and pepper to taste. Toss to coat well in the oil.

Roast for 20 minutes, or until the broccoli starts to soften and turns brown at the edges.

Meanwhile, combine Dahi yoghurt and chilli in a bowl. Season to taste with salt.

Dollop the yoghurt over the roasted broccoli and return to the oven for another 5 minutes or until the broccoli is cooked through and the yoghurt has lightly browned.

Remove from the oven and serve.

Enjoy!