My 52nd Birthday + Celebration Lunch Recipes

For those of you who’ve somehow missed my spam on Instagram, I’m currently in the beautiful city of Malibu. Before you ask, yes, Miley was right when she said the sky is more blue in Malibu.

Malibu or 'The Bu' as it is affectionately known, is one of my favourite cities in the world which is why I decided to celebrate my 52nd birthday here! (The big 5.2)

When I think of my favourite past birthdays they’ve always included the tastiest food, my dearest family members, friends and sunny skies. This year was certainly no exception! I was lucky enough to spend my #52 with some of my closest friends who I actually met through blogging and friends. It still blows my mind how blogging has allowed me to connect with so many like-minded people from around the world. I’m so lucky that I’ve connected with such beautiful souls who are all on similar journeys and life paths to me.

My birthday made me realise how lucky I am to be where I am today. While not everything in life always makes sense and things definitely haven't been perfect this year, I’ve really gained a deeper understanding of who I am and who my true friends and family are. I’ve learned just how important it is to have special people in life who build you up and support you, who are there to laugh with you until your belly hurts and be there unconditionally. There’s always good and bad in life and that’s something we can’t choose - what we can choose is who we share those moments with. That's why I wanted to share my birthday with people I truly care about.

Even though I wasn’t in my home country, I wanted my birthday to be full of home-made food; Supercharged style! I love cooking for others so my birthday is a perfect excuse to get behind the kitchen and go a little overboard with food. What can I say? Some love to sing, some love to act, I love to cook… and eat!

The produce in the USA is so fresh and tasty and I wanted to celebrate just that! I decided the best way to celebrate would be to make a birthday lunch. I wanted my menu to be simple and easy.

I created a turmeric cauliflower, roasted zucchini, supercharged salad, pan-fried asparagus and a basil, tomato and goats cheese salad. And just in case anyone was STILL hungry, I also made a Lemon and Caper-Roasted Salmon.

I’m so excited to share with you all the recipes we feasted on so that you can re-create it for your own celebrations.

Let’s start with my baked zucchini.

Baked Zucchini

I love zucchini. It’s super low in calories, high in fibre and absorbs tastes so well. I like to think of it like a blank canvas. I added some coconut aminos to the mix and it tasted delicious! All you need to do is slice the zucchini up length-ways, top it with a drizzle of coconut aminos and olive oil and bake it in the oven on about 190 degrees Celsius for 20-30 minutes. How easy is that?!   

Supercharged Salad

While the zucchini was baking, I made a start on my salad. No celebration of mine is complete without a supercharged salad! I like to throw all the goodies I can find and make sure there’s enough of the good stuff for everyone. If your salad has at least two colours in it, you’re off to a good start. I included roasted pumpkin, argula, green bean, celery, walnuts and toasted seeds with a deliciously creamy tahini dressing and microgreens.

Turmeric Cauliflower

Cauliflower is a powerful vegetable that’s full of vitamin C, vitamin K and loads of antioxidants. Plus, it's undeniably mouth-watering when it’s baked just right - you know when you get that perfect balance between crunchy and chewy… I need to stop typing before I start drooling.

Ingredients:

• 1 whole cauliflower broken into florets
• Half a lemon squeezed
• 1 tbsp nutritional yeast
• 1 tsp Golden Gut Blend or turmeric
• 2 garlic cloves chopped
• 2 TBS olive oil

Method:

• Pre-heat the oven to 190 degrees Celsius
• Mix the spices together to create a marinade
• Coat the cauliflower in the marinade
• Bake the cauliflower for about 35 minutes or until browned

Lemon and Caper Roasted Salmon 

Last but certainly not least, my Lemon and Caper Roasted Salmon. I love salmon. And when I say love, I mean LOVE. It’s high in Omega 3 fatty acids which makes it great for brain function, decreasing your risk of disease and aging. While I’m not one to be scared of aging, it’s important to nourish your cells and help them repair, especially as you get older! This salmon is one the whole family will go crazy for.

Serves 4-6

• One whole side salmon (about 1.5 kg) (I asked my fishmonger to take the skin off and then I crisp it up in the fry pan separately with a spray of oil).
• 2 TBS olive oil
• 2 lemons sliced
• 2 TBS lemon juice
• 2 TBS capers
• pinch sea salt

Method:

• Heat oven to 200 degrees Celsius
• Place sliced lemons in a baking tray and place whole salmon on top
• with a knife, score salmon in a criss cross direction
• Sprinkle olive oil, lemon and capers on top (use some of the caper juice too for flavour) ensuring it seeps into the salmon
• Roast, uncovered, for about 20 mins until the salmon is cooked through – check by poking a knife into the fillet and making sure the fish flakes easily.
• Serve directly from the tin, or use a couple of fish slices to carefully lift the salmon onto a big plate. Slice into portions and serve with lemon wedges on the side.

Enjoy your 'Supercharged Celebrations' wherever you are.

Lee xo