Two Raw Sisters’ Margo Flanagan, 26, and Rosa Power, 28, who recently shared their knowledge of sustainable, healthy eating on TVNZ series My Dream Green Home, talk to Sam Clark about their latest cookbook, More Salad.
How was your experience on My Dream Green Home?
RP: It was a really cool experience to be able to work with different households and to give them achievable, sustainable tips that they can implement straight away. It’s a myth that you need lots of money. It can be as simple as eating what’s in season and knowing what to do with your vegetables. More Salad is all about celebrating what’s in season, with lots of sustainable tips around food waste and getting the most out of the vegetables you’re buying, which saves time and money in the long run.
MF: And what My Dream Green Home really emphasised for us was everyone can do it – from flatmates to a successful yo-pro couple.
What advice would you give people who’d like to incorporate these habits into their lives?
MF: The hardest part is starting. People just need to give it a go to realise how easy it is, or how cost-effective it is, or how great it can make you feel. We have a big emphasis on being “intelligently lazy”. If we look at the cost-of-living crisis, a lot of people think healthy eating is expensive and time-consuming. We really try to tip that on its head and make it relatable and fun, so people want to keep it up.
RP: I think the first step is switching your mindset. As Kiwis, we tend to think of the meat first, and there’s still a big diet culture. We’re not about that at all. Rather than writing a big, long shopping list, let’s go to the produce store first and buy what’s in season. Every page in the book is like a workshop. You can make one recipe into seven different ones by swapping out ingredients with what you have in the pantry.
What’s your favourite piece of equipment?
RP: One thing we pride ourselves on is we’re not telling people to buy expensive appliances in order to make our recipes. We use minimal equipment, but we definitely have our favourites. So, a big chopping board, a big mixing bowl and a good knife.
MF: And if we want to just go a little bit more towards the “nice to haves”, a good blender. I use my blender every day.
What do you cook when you don’t feel like cooking?
MF: Kimchi pancakes from the Two Raw Sisters app. They’re a go-to. I always have the ingredients in my pantry. If I don’t have kimchi, I’ll just swap it with another vege, whether that be leeks or whatever’s in season, and top it with our avo chilli oil. It takes 15 minutes and it’s so good.
RP: We’ve got a really yum teriyaki sauce and it’s literally three ingredients: garlic, sesame oil, soy sauce and if you really want to, you can add in ginger, chilli and all those little extras. Making that up, cooking up some noodles, or some sort of grain like brown rice, using what veges you’ve got in the garden or in the fridge at the time, then chucking some protein such as beef, salmon or prawns on top. Quick and easy, in under 20 minutes.
Summer Vegetable One Tray Bake
Feeds 6 / Takes 35 minutes
• 1 eggplant, cut into bite-sized chunks
• 1 fennel bulb, cut into bite-sized chunks
• 2 zucchini, thinly sliced on a diagonal
• 1 red capsicum, cut into bite-sized chunks
• 1 red onion, cut into thin wedges
• 3 tbsp cooking oil
• 1 tsp sea salt
• 200g cherry tomatoes
• 1 cup rocket leaves
• ¼ preserved lemon, flesh and rind finely chopped
• 100g feta, crumbled
• ¼ cup pine nuts, toasted
• 2 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
Preheat the oven to 200°C.
Place the eggplant, fennel, zucchini, capsicum and red onion on a large baking tray and toss with the cooking oil and salt. Bake for 20-25 minutes.
Add the cherry tomatoes to the baking tray, turn the oven to the grill function and cook for a further 5-8 minutes. Remove the vegetables from the oven and allow to cool slightly.
This is good served on the tray. Top the vegetables with the rocket, preserved lemon, feta and pine nuts, and olive oil on top. Gently toss everything together.
Leftovers will keep in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 3 days.
Swap
• Change out the vegetables depending on what’s in season. You can replace the feta with smashed olives, capers or sun-dried tomatoes.
Tip
• Pine nuts are tasty but expensive. Delicious, cost-effective alternatives include almonds, pumpkin seeds and sunflower seeds.
Corn Cobs + Crispy Spring Onion Chilli Oil
Feeds 4 / Takes 15 minutes
• 4 corn cobs, husks removed and each cob cut in half
• water
Crispy Spring Onion Chili Oil
• 2 tbsp cooking oil
• 2 tbsp chilli oil, homemade or store-bought
• 4 spring onions, thinly sliced
• 2 garlic cloves, crushed and thinly sliced
• ½ tsp sea salt
• zest and juice of 1 lime
Bring a pot of water to the boil and add the corn halves. Boil for 3-5 minutes. Drain and set aside while you make the crispy spring onion chilli oil.
To a small frypan add the cooking oil, chilli oil, spring onions, garlic and salt. Fry over a medium heat until the spring onions and garlic start to get crispy. Keep a close eye on the garlic to ensure it doesn’t burn. Once the garlic starts turning light brown, remove the frypan from the heat and add the lime zest and juice. Stir together.
To serve, arrange the corn cobs in a bowl or on a flat, round plate and spoon the crispy chilli spring onion oil over.
Swap
• When corn isn’t in season, swap for roasted zucchini halves or eggplant halves.
Tip
• The crispy spring onion chilli oil is so good and pairs well with anything. Double or triple the recipe and store in the fridge for up to 2 weeks.
Tomato, Cucumber, Feta + Smashed Olives
Feeds 4 / Takes 15 minutes
Pickled red onion
• ½ red onion, very thinly sliced
• 1 tbsp apple cider vinegar
• ¼ tsp sea salt
Preserved Lemon Oil
• ¼ preserved lemon, flesh and rind finely chopped
• 3 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
• 1 garlic clove, crushed and finely chopped
• 200g tomatoes, cut into bite-sized chunks
• 1 cucumber, cut into bite-sized chunks
• ½ cup olives, smashed with the back of a knife and pitted
• 100g feta, crumbled
• 1 cup chopped fresh herbs
For the pickled red onion, add the sliced red onion, apple cider vinegar and salt to a bowl. Toss to combine and allow the onion to pickle for at least 10 minutes.
To make the preserved lemon oil, mix the preserved lemon, olive oil and garlic together in a cup or small bowl.
To serve, place the tomato, cucumber, olives, feta, herbs and pickled onion in a bowl and pour the preserved lemon oil over. Gently toss to combine.
This is best eaten straight away.
Swap
• Feta for halloumi. If you don’t like olives, use sun-dried tomatoes or capers.
Tip
• If you don’t have preserved lemons, use the zest and juice of 1 lemon. Double the pickled red onions and store in a jar in the fridge for up to 1 month. They make a delicious addition to any salad, sandwich, wrap or toast.
An edited extract from More Salad by Two Raw Sisters (Allen & Unwin NZ, RRP$49.99).
