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Author: Kathleen Gandy

Featured Recipes: Pregnancy power salad and Lemon polenta sand cake

There used to be the school of thought that when you were pregnant you could up your food intake because you were 'eating for two'. Women put so much pressure on themselves and each other when it comes to body image that it was nice to have a period where you could relax a little. That seems to have changed now for important reasons (such as the health of mother and baby) but also because there is now a pressure to maintain your figure, even when you are pregnant.

I remember when I was pregnant and visited my parents in an affluent north shore Sydney suburb, I felt like a giantess surrounded by stick figures with little bumps out front. And I wasn't just imagining it, because in the space of one weekend I got comments (because that's the lovely thing about being pregnant - that people feel they need to say something) such as, 'Oh! You must be due any day now!' (I was 6 months pregnant) or 'Goodness! You're a big girl!'

And it wasn't as if I was enormous, though I had been regularly consuming my vitamin c(ake). I know this because I was greeted at the door by an aunt saying, completely umprompted,'You're not that big!' Which had the opposite of the desired effect in that I felt huge and paranoid. I have to say this was all quite depressing, and even a man telling me that I had a very attractive bottom didn't help because:

1. he was a complete stranger,
2. he was neither George Clooney nor my husband, and
3. I think he was a pervert.

So I just tried to walk away as quickly as possible, though that's hard when you are aware of someone eyeballing your jiggling bottom.

Of course eating healthily is important when you are pregnant and not just because of vanity. It's also important for the wellbeing of the mum and bub. With everything you eat going directly into the system of your baby it is enough to make you pause and reconsider your diet. I did try to eat healthily (okay, except for the cake) and even consulted What to Eat When You Are Expecting or, as it should be called, What Not To Eat (just about everything). Don't even get me started on the cover with that bovine, smocked imbecile (apologies, it provokes strong feelings in me).

It was not long after I started reading about all the things I couldn't eat that I began to feel depressed. And then when it stated that a pregnant woman should eat one piece of cake OR one scoop of ice cream or one biscuit a MONTH, I threw it across the room with a yelp of outrage. It was needless to say quite upsetting and I had to go and eat a bowl of ice cream (with banana) to calm down.

There's no need for pregnancy to be such a negative experience. It can be hard enough coping with bodily changes, sleeplessness and those wacky hormones without dwelling on all the things you can't eat. Kathleen Gandy understands this, as the former editor of Australian Gourmet Traveller but more importantly as a mother of two.

In her book, Eating For Two, she very briefly touches on those forbidden foods, but then she fills your heart (and stomach) with joy telling you about all the fabulous things that you can eat.

I think Kathleen had the same experience as me, not that she was giant, but that she felt that all the advice on food for pregnant women was joyless and complicated or, as she describes it, a kind of 'dietary penance'. She did lots of research and created her own recipes that were fresh, seasonal, quick and tasty and not boringly, earnestly dull. She worked out a list of pregnancy superfoods and went from there.

The result is a positive and upbeat cookbook that will help you feel healthy and not like you are missing out. It's divided into sections on breakfast, lunch and light meals, and meals using chicken, red meat, seafood and vegies, and of course sweet treats and desserts. These chapters are great. Nicely set out with a clear list of instructions and ingredients and a personal comment on each recipe.

The recipes are easy to follow and the results are delicious. My husband cooked Beef in Brown Bean Sauce with Shanghai Noodles (I was pretending that I was elevating my legs or suffering from morning sickness). After a small amount of grizzling he produced a delicious meal, in fact so delicious that he made it again the next night.

I also really like the other chapters that offer ten quick ideas like things to do with a packet of pasta and a can of tuna or the fantastic ten quick fixes for morning sickness. It was in the ten quick breakfasts list that I spotted the Little Almond and Blueberry Pikelets that we all gobbled up happily. We've only tried a handful of recipes so far but are so pleased with the results and so tempted by the others that we will keep going even though I am not pregnant (I don't think).

Eating For Two is a fantastic cookbook, with its gorgeous photography and thoughtful recipes but I think it would be a shame to use it just when you are pregnant. Kathleen admits that she still cooks these recipes now and her children enjoy them too. Ginger does rather hog the spotlight but then it is said to be great for morning sickness and its presence is also due to the inspiration from Kathleen's Cantonese mother. Fantastic if you love ginger like me, not so great if you've overdosed on it from previous pregnancies. I also thought there seemed to be lots of recipes with eggs which is really only my problem as I went off them when I was pregnant.

I like that the recipes seem to allow room for flexibility if you object strenuously to an ingredient or an odour. There are also suggestions for people who just can't live without certain foods like blue cheese in the blue cheese, pear and walnut tart. Mothers-to-be have enough to worry about without agonising about every morsel that they put into their mouths or eating something bland but nutritionally sound. With these recipes you know that you will be eating well, in all senses of the word.

About The Book

Title: Eating For Two
Author: Kathleen Gandy
ISBN: 9780670073092
Publisher: Penguin Books Australia
RRP: $35.00
Pages: 170

Recipe: Pregnancy power salad

Recipe taken from Eating For Two by Kathleen Gandy, rrp $35.00

This delicious, satisfying salad ticks all the pregnancy boxes: it is quick to make, contains protein in the form of tuna and eggs, carbohydrates (and protein) with the canned beans, and a serve of the all-important five vegetables. It is also a terrific lunchbox staple - the dressing can be made the night before and the eggs can cook while you have your morning shower.

Ingredients

4 eggs
100g baby cos leaves, washed, dried and torn
50g wild rocket, washed and dried
50g baby spinach, washed and dried
1 x 400g can cannellini beans, rinsed and drained (optional)
1 roma tomato, cut into wedges
1 small cucumber, halved lengthways and sliced
8 Sicilian green olives
1 x 185g can tuna in oil, drained
2 tsp salted capers, rinsed
sea salt and freshly ground black pepper

Dijon dressing
¼ teaspoon Dijon mustard
½ small clove garlic, finely chopped
pinch of sea salt
2 teaspoons lemon juice or aged red-wine vinegar
2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil (or 2 tablespoons lemon-infused extra virgin olive oil)

Method

1. Place the eggs in a small saucepan, cover with water and slowly bring to the boil over low heat. Simmer for 9 minutes, then remove and place in a bowl of cold water. When cool enough to handle, peel and cut into quarters.
2. Meanwhile, for the dressing, combine the mustard, garlic and sea salt in a small bowl. Slowly add the lemon juice and olive oil, stirring constantly until emulsified.
3. Place the lettuce, rocket, spinach, cannellini beans, tomato, cucumber and olives in a large bowl, then drizzle with dressing and gently toss to combine.
4. Top with flakes of tuna and the quartered hard-boiled eggs, and scatter with the capers.
5. Season to taste and serve immediately.

Serves 2

Recipe: Lemon polenta sand cake

Recipe taken from Eating For Two by Kathleen Gandy, rrp $35.00

With its lemony tang and ever-so-slightly sandy crumb, this lovely cake is an English teatime favourite. Traditional recipes for sand cake include equal amounts of fl our and cornflour to create its texture, but I have used polenta and ground almonds instead to make a more nutrient-filled version, perfect for a mid-afternoon pick-me-up.

Ingredients

190g unsalted butter, at room temperature, chopped
¾ cup caster sugar
2 teaspoons finely grated lemon rind
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
3 eggs, at room temperature
1 cup fine polenta
1 cup ground almonds
1 cup organic self-raising flour
180ml buttermilk
pure icing sugar, for dusting

Method

1. Preheat the oven to 170°C. Grease a 24cm springform cake tin and line it with baking paper.
2. Using hand-held electric beaters, cream the butter, sugar, lemon rind and vanilla for 8–10 minutes or until pale and creamy. Add the eggs one at a time, beating well after each addition.
3. Combine the polenta, ground almonds and flour in another bowl. Add half to the butter mixture, along with half the buttermilk, and mix until well combined. Add the remaining polenta mixture and buttermilk and mix again.
4. Pour the batter into the cake tin and smooth the surface. Bake for 40–45 minutes or until a cake tester inserted in the centre withdraws clean. Remove from the oven and cool in the tin for 10 minutes, then turn the cake out onto a wire rack and leave to cool completely.
5. Dust with icing sugar and serve.

Serves 8-10