Seasonal Salad

 

This salad is SO simple and yummy, you don't even need a salad dressing.
Made up of the variety of seasonal produce I randomly receive in my weekly organic veggie box its as good and fresh as a salad can get!

Try making a seasonal salad at home as taste for yourself how good salad can be .... when every ingredient is in its peak season each piece packs all the flavour it possibly can!
Give this salad a go, or another combo...you are likely to find that in-season ingredients complement each other well!

Season Salad.... comprising of
roast fennel and purple carrots
lemon and thyme roasted muchies
navel orange segments
radish
sunflower sprouts
rocket
dill & fennel tips

i am not listing quantities as this is a salad...add as much or little of each as you like. You really can't go wrong with a salad!

Method

Pre-heat oven to 180 degrees
Scrub carrots & wash fennel.Cut carrots into sticks and the fennel into wedges. put the fennel into a bowl and coat very lightly with olive oil s & p. place on baking tray. Put the carrots into the bowl, coat lightly with olive oil, s & p. place onto tray. chop some fresh dill and sprinkle over carrots and fennel...put tray into oven to roast.

Chop mushies into quarters (if they are large) and put into bowl, coast lightly with olive oil, add some garlic (chopped is fine but i like to shave mine into paper thin slices), some thyme, lemon rind, chilli flakes & s & p. mix and put onto a tray and roast in oven.

very thinly slice the radish (you can use a peeler or mandolin if you like),
Segment the orange.
chop some dill and some leaf tips.

Once the veg is roasted nicely let it cool down a bit (as as not to wilt the rocket.

Scatter the washed rocket into a salad bowl or platter, top with the roast veg, top with the radish and the sunflower sprouts, top with the orange segments.

Squeeze a wedge or 2 or orange over the salad too if you like...  However this is optional as the roast veg and the orange segments are enough on their own, creating a nice balance of fresh and crunchy with rich and sweet.

Enjoy! :)

Ba

Kumara Orange Beetroot and Labne Galette

I have to give myself a pat on the back for this recipe. I ate almost the whole thing to myself over a day and a half... it was just too yum to resist.

I am also patting myself on the back as i am always anxious when it comes to making pastry or dough. i have mentioned before and ill say it again. i have about a 50% chance of success when it comes to pastry and bread. I over- knead, or well... i don't know...but its always anyone's guess whether it will come out right.... and i have to say....this came out JUST RIGHT! 

When i cook I'm a bit Jamie Oliver style,  a pinch of this or a glug of that and handful of that. However when it comes to baking... especially pastry, breads and doughs, i have learnt that being disciplined and REALLY following the recipe step by step is the key. 

I found this galette recipe online and have used the recipe for the pastry, i have adapted it slightly, using buttermilk instead of sour cream...which worked just fine. The filling is my own combination, i do believe that a lovely goats feta or goat cream cheese would work wonderfully in this recipe instead of labne if you prefer.

This is a great dish for dinner, could also be made into single size servings for a stylish entree. I also think it is delish eaten cold and plan on bringing it to many a picnic in the future.

Serve with a dill pesto if you like.

I hope you enjoy!

Ingredients

Pastry
* 1 1/4c plain flour
* 1/4 tsp salt
* 8 tbs cold butter (cut into pieces and then chilled again)
* 1/4c buttermilk (or sour cream)
* 2 tsp lemon juice
* 1/4c ice water

Filling
* 3 beetroot scrubbed, sliced 5mm thick
* 3 kumara peeled and chopped into large chunks
* juice of 1/2 orange
* 2 tsp cinnamon
* 2 tsp dukkah
* s & p
* 1/2c labne
* handful dill

Glaze
*1 egg yolk
*1 tsp water

Method

Pre-heat the oven to 180degrees
Whisk flour and salt in a large bowl
Sprinkle the butter over dough and using a spatula or a butter knife cut the butter through the flour until it resembles course breadcrumbs
In a small bowl whisk the buttermilk, lemon juice and ice water, add to the flour
Mix with a spoon until large lumps form. Pat the lumps into a ball, don't knead it too much. You don't want to overwork it.
Pat into a disk, wrap with cling wrap & refrigerate for an hour.

While the dough is resting in the fridge;
Wrap the kumara in foil and put into the oven to cook
Place the beetroot onto a baking tray, coated lightly with olive oil and sprinkled with s & p, bake in oven turning once, until cooked.
Once the kumara is cooked through and soft put into a small bowl, add orange juice, dukkah, cinnamon & season with s&p,  mash to a thick mash. Its OK if its a bit lumpy.

Take the dough from the fridge and roll out on a floured workbench to roughly a 30cm disk.
Place onto a baking tray covered with a sheet of baking paper.
Spread the labne on the base thickly, leaving a 3cm boarder.
Top with the kumara mash.
Arrange the beetroot on top of the mash overlapping slightly.
Fold the boarder of dough in to enclose the filling
Whisk the egg and water in a small bowl and brush over the pastry
Bake for 30 - 40minutes or until the pastry is browned and nice and flaky crisp.
Let cool for 5-10minutes before serving.
Serve scattered with dill

Great served with some dill pesto

Spiced Roast Parsnip & Pumpkin Soup w Parsnip Crisps & Caramelised Roast Pear

 


This week the weather here in Sydney has really snapped. The wind is chilly, the sun doesn't seem to have the heat it did just a few weeks ago..and as if to confirm that winter is well on its way my veggie box this week was full of Parsnip.

So to warm myself up and make the best of a change i don't at all like, i decided to make a comforting warming soup. I had originally planned on making an apple and parsnip soup with a red cabbage chutney...but cabbage isn't anywhere near my favourite vegetable...in fact it's right down the other end of the spectrum. Alas I cut the cabbage, I put the olive oil in the pot... and at the last moment i aborted. Cabbage isn't my dream ingredient, and i had to listen to my tummy... I am glad i did.
Caramelized roast pear really outshone what red cabbage might have been!

This soup recipe is quick and easy. Roasting the veg keeps them nice and sweet and keeps the nutrients unlike boiling in which the folate, vitamins and some antioxidants can be lost into the water. I keep the skin on the veg as much of the flavour and nutrients are in the skin. I also roast the veg wrapped in foil with no or only a very slight amount of oil rubbed onto them.

serves 4
Ingredients

5 Parsnip washed and topped
1/3 a Pumpkin cut into wedges
1 spanish onion cut in half
4/5 cloves garlic in skin
1 generous pinch saffron threads
2 tsp cinnamon
1/2 nutmeg shaved/grated
2 tsp cumin
1tbs extra virgin olive oil
2 pears, peeled
2 tbs rapadura  (or coconut sugar or brown sugar)
1L stock (i used vegetable stock)
s & p

Method

Pre-heat oven to 200degrees
Wash and Cut Parsnip in half cross ways.
Take the top half of 1 of the parsnip and cut VERY thinly using a mandolin or vegetable peeler. 1.5 to 2mm thickness is good.
Coat the shavings with extra virgin olive oil and place on a baking tray lined with baking paper.
Sprinkle with salt and pepper and set aside.
    
Wrap veg in foil. I put 2 thick top pieces of parsnip together in foil and bunched the small skinny ends together wrapped up.
Wrap the Garlic together in foil.
Wrap each half of the onion separately in foil.
Wrap the pumpkin wedges singularly in foil.
Place a pear in foil and sprinkle evenly all over with the rapadura (or sugar), wrap in the foil. repeat with other pear.
Place all in the oven on a backing tray (or directly on the oven rack if you wrapped them well enough)
Check after 20mins and regularly afterwards, removing any veg which is soft and cooked through.

Once the vegetables are all cooked, place the tray of parsnip shavings into the oven.
Check regularly and turn if necessary.
Remove from oven once golden.

Once the veg is all cooked carefully open the foil parcels and cut the skin off the pumpkin (i love to eat the skins while i am cooking, delish and good for you!)
Place a pot on the stove on medium heat
Add olive oil
Add the garlic squeezing the soft roast garlic out of the skins into the pot
Add the onion, the pumpkin wedges and the parsnips
Stir breaking up the vegetables as you do
Add half the saffron & most but not all of the cumin, cinnamon, & nutmeg.
Keep stirring and breaking down the chunks for a few minutes.
Remove from stove and add 2 cups of stock.

Carefully take a stick blender and puree the soup adding more stock and blending until a smooth consistency is reached. (The amount of stock depends on your own preference. I used only 600ml as i wanted a nice thick hearty soup. the remaining stock can come in handy when re-heating the soup the next day as the soup will thicken on sitting.)
Taste the soup and add the remaining cumin, cinnamon, and or nutmeg to suit your taste. Season with salt and pepper.
Place back on the stove and simmer for a further 5 minutes.

Ladle into bowls, take the pears and slice place a few slices into each bowl a sprinkling of parsnip crisps and a sprinkle of saffron threads (optional)

enjoy the warmth!

x Ba

Vegetarian Larb

I remember trying Larb back in the day when I wasn't vegetarian and I remember the lovely zingy flavour combination of freshly squeezed lime, lemon grass, chilli and coriander mmmm. Traditionally a Laotian dish that is largely recognised as Thai - I guess there aren't many Laotian restaurants around! I have been dreaming up this vegetarian version of Larb for a while now but only just got around to it the other day. It's my first attempt and I am sure I can improve on the texture the next time - nevertheless it was enjoyed by all - meat eaters included!

I got my first share of cauliflower in my veggie box this week, and feeling anything but like cauliflower and cheese sauce I decided to turn this wintery vegetable into a fresh summer delight- the result? I want more now!!!

I haven't attempted a raw version however this was how I originally envisaged it - so you raw babies know how to do it! Lose the wok and just mix it all together! :)


Ingredients

The Wok

• Sesame oil / peanut oil a few tablespoons of each
• 1 tablespoon freshly grated ginger
• 1 red birds eye chilli finely chopped (adapt this to your spicy tolerance - for less spice remove the seeds, for more simply add the whole thing and maybe more!)
• 2 handfuls of mushrooms (I used button I think but any will do - I think a variety would also be great)
• Tofu crumbled optional (not necessary but I had about 50 grams in the fridge that needed using, it does add a bit of texture)
• 1/2 head of cauliflower

Method

1. Place the cauliflower in a food processor and process until it looks grainy like rice (you can also use a grater) and set aside.

1. Heat a large frying pan or wok over medium to high heat. Ad a few tablespoons of peanut oil and sesame oil and quickly fry the chilli and ginger. 
2. Add the crumbled tofu, mushrooms saute for a few minutes. Add the cauliflower and saute for a further 5 minutes or until golden and lightly cooked. remove from the wok and place into a large bowl and let cool a little for about 15 minutes
   

The Dressing

• 1/4 cup freshly squeezed lime juice
• 1 tablespoon sweet chilli sauce ( you could also substitute this with coconut sugar or agave nectar and add some extra chilli to the mix)
• 2 tablespoons soy sauce or tamari
• 1/2 red onion finely sliced

Method

1. Prepare all ingredients and mix together

The Fresh Stuff

• Bunch of coriander chopped including about 1-2 inches of the stalks
• Handful of mint chopped 
• Head of baby cos lettuce, leaves separated and washed
  
• Bean sprouts
• Two handfuls of raw cashew nuts chopped or smashed (I like to place them in a tea towel and either smash them against a brick wall or place them on the bench and give them a whack with a wooden spoon)

Assemble

1. Poor the dressing over the wok fried veggies and stir through the chopped coriander and mint. Taste for flavour and adjust to taste by adding more lime or chilli or soy sauce depending on personal preference
2. Spoon a few tablespoons into each baby cos leaf and arrange on a platter (they can be tricky to balance!)
3. Top with bean sprouts and cashews and garnish with some more coriander

Mama India Spiced Chickpeas

This is a lovely fragrant dish and the flavours remind me of something you'd find in one of India's back street Dhabas. It is a dryer style curry but not dry. The oil added at the end moistens it a little and the yoghurt brings all the flavours together. You could mix this up by trying different vegetables, however this combination makes the dish vibrant and colourful. It is yummiest when using home cooked chickpeas rather than tinned, but if you are lacking the time to prepare them you could cheat and use tinned. I think this is great served as a main dish, but you could also serve it in combination with another curry for a dinner party or perhaps make a fresh Raita to go with!?

2 tablespoons coconut oil
1 tablespoons coriander seeds
1 tablespoons cumin seeds
4 teaspoons ground cumin
2 teaspoons ground tumeric
1 large red onion, thinly sliced
1 red capsicum
1 small head of broccoli cut into florets
2 cups cooked chickpeas (if using tinned don't forget to strain them!)
punnet of cherry tomatoes chopped
squeeze of fresh lime
drizzle of extra virgin olive oil
Salt and pepper to taste
Natural yoghurt to serve

Heat a large fry pan on high heat, add the coconut oil and when hot add in the coriander and cumin seeds. Watch them closely and be careful not to burn them, they should start to pop and release there flavours. Just before they start to burn (!) add in the red onion, turn the heat down to medium and saute until soft and golden. Add in the ground spices and stir for a few minutes until fragrant. Add in the red capsicum, broccoli and chickpeas and a pinch of salt, stir to combine and cook on medium heat for about 5 minutes until the veggies are lightly cooked. remove from heat. You can either transfer this dish to another bowel for serving or keep in the pan. Add cherry tomatoes, a good squeeze of fresh lime and a drizzle of extra virgin olive oil, mix through and serve with a dollop of natural yoghurt.

Enjoy! xx

Nuttylicious Mousse with Banana & Raw Cacao

Mmmmm I had this for breakfast this morning! I know you might be wondering - mousse for breakfast!? But this 'mousse' which also makes for a great dessert or snack is a great way to start the day as it is packed full of nutrients, minerals, antioxidants, protein, essential fatty acids and energy :)

I have a real sweet tooth and love it that I can start my day with dessert without feeling like crap for the rest of the day :) The discovery that raw cacao powder is full of nutrition was one of the happiest food discoveries I have made :)

This is a dairy free, gluten free, sugar free, healthy, wholesome mousse that tastes delicious. If you want to make it 100% raw substitute the peanut butter for black tahini, macadamia nut butter or abc spread (nut spread made from almonds, brazil nuts and cashews).

The maca powder isn't 100% necessary but just adds some extra nutrition. You can also use regular cacao powder but try and get your hands on raw cacao as it contains twice as many nutrients and minerals than its heat processed counterpart :) I strongly recommend that when using peanut butter to make sure it is organic as conventionally farmed peanuts are heavily sprayed with all sorts of pesticides and are usually processed with added vegetable oils.

I hope you enjoy this recipe as much as I do!

Nuttylicious Mousse

Serves 2-3

2 very ripe bananas that have been frozen, chopped
1/2 ripe avocado
1 heaped tablespoon organic peanut butter (or substitute with black tahini or other nut spread)
8 dates soaked for about 30 minutes (to speed up this process you can soak them in boiling water for a few minutes)
3 tablespoons raw cacao powder
1 teaspoon maca powder
1 teaspoon vanilla essence
Pinch of cinnamon
Pinch sea salt
Cacao nibs to serve

Place all ingredients in a food processor or mini whiz and blend until smooth. Spoon into bowls and sprinkle with cacao nibs to serve. For raw cacao or other ingredients either visit your local health food store or check out Loving Earth online.


:) Biss X

Potato & Sage Rosti w Caramelized Roasted Cherry Tomatoes & Goats Cheese served with Chilli Lemon Roast Broccoli & Zucchini

This isn't exactly low fat... But it looks and tastes good! The Rosti is nice and crunchy and the tomatoes are sweet sticky and soft. the cheese is salty but not too knock-your-socks-off strong and the greens are nice and cleansing and fresh with a bit of bite to even it all out. also its quick to make.

Ingredients

* 2 large potatoes
* 1/2 onion
* 20g butter melted
* s & p
* 1 punnet cherry tomatoes
* 3tbsn red wine or balsamic vinegar
* 1 tbsn panela or brown sugar
* oil to shallow fry
* 1tbsn chopped sage
* 2 tbsp creamed goats cheese
* 1 zucchini cut into sticks
* 1/2 bunch broccolini
* 1tspn chilli flakes
* 1 & 1/2 tsp lemon zest

Method

Grate or julienne the potato & onion, place in a sieve or colander to drain

Preheat oven to 150degrees

Place cherry tomatoes in a small baking dish and coat with a little olive oil, splash over the vinegar & sprinkle w the panela. Put in the oven

Squeeze as much liquid out of potato & onion as possible, add butter & sage & season

Toss tomatoes & return to oven
Increase temp to 180degrees

Coat broccoli and zuke w a little oil, sprinkle w chili and zest & season
Put in oven

Remove tomatoes from oven once they are soft and a little wrinkled

Remove broccoli and zuke from oven once browned and broccoli is slightly crunchy

Heat a pan with the oil (1/2cm depth)
Add a tbsp of the potato mix to the oil once it is hot enough (a piece of bread should turn golden in 15-20 seconds)

Flatten the Rosti down with a spatula. Flip once golden.
Cook the remaining mix.
Drain the Rosti on paper towel once cooked.

To serve

Layer rosti and tomatoes on a plate in a tower, serve greens on side. Top with a couple of quennelles of goats cheese on top & garnish generously with herbs


x BA

Panzanella ~ Tomato Salad

Tomatoes are a fruit of summer! This lovely flavour combination is perfect for a light lunch or dinner throughout the hot summer months... I haven't included exact quantities for this recipe, but don't be afraid to try it! Get your hands in there! Mix it up with your fingers and taste it as you go to reach your perfect balance of flavours!

8 large tomatoes, remove the core and roughly chop - try a combo of varieties, roma, field, vine ripened as well as some cherry tomatoes
1/2 red onion thinly sliced
2 good handfuls of basil roughly chopped or torn
Stale sourdough bread (or fresh!)  chopped into cubes and toasted in the oven until golden - you can also cut the bread into slices, toast them in the toaster and then tear them up (I used olive sourdough).

Combine all the above ingredients in a salad bowl, and the toasted bread, drizzle with extra virgin olive oil and balsamic vinegar and add salt and pepper to taste. Serve immediately.

I served this with extra slices of toasted olive sourdough and Ela's Dill Dip.

To make Ela's Dill Dip, mix a small container of creme fraiche with 2 heaped tablespoons of Greek style yoghurt, 1 bunch of finely chopped dill, and season liberally with salt and pepper.

For a very yummy and fresh pasta dish, omit the toasted bread, and add handfuls of fresh rocket. Cooks some spaghetti, drain and stir it through the tomato and rocket salad. Serve with freshly grated parmesan cheese.

For another entree / lunch / dinner alternative, omit the toasted bread from the salad, toast some sourdough, spread the toast with labne and pile with tomato salad. For extra flavour you could also brush the toast with olive oil and rub it with garlic to make a delicious bruschetta!

Baked Pumpkin & Zucchini Frekkeh with Stilton

This is truly a Rustic meal

Inspired by the new Chasseur casserole pot i got for my Birthday from my family. I was dying to use it and luckily for me the weather on Sunday evening was cold and very wet.....perfect for a baked rustic meal.

This is the first time i have tried Freekeh and it is delicious. this meal would work equally well with Quinoa or Barley or Rice.

ingredients

* 6-8 roast pumpkin wedges (with skin on)
* 1/2 a whole roast onion (simply cut the top off the onion, cut an x in the top, rub a bit of butter (or oil) on and some herbs or garlic if you like and bake until nice and soft
* 2 tsp chopped garlic
* 2 tbsp pesto
* handful chopped parsley, marjoram and thyme
* 2 tbs Avjar
* rind of half a lemon
* 1 lemon cut into wedges
* 1 cup Freekeh
* water
* s & p
* 1/3 cup of blue vein cheese, Stilton or other salty soft cheese.

Preheat oven to 200 degrees and roast veg.
Cook freekah according to packet directions

Put the casserole on the stove on low-medium heat and saute the garlic with a little oil

Add the freekah to the pot and stir to combine, add the Avjar and some of the roast onion (cut into wedges) and stir to warm through and dry out the freekah a little (if yours is a little soggy like mine was), stir through the lemon rind and some of the herbs

Arrange the pumpkin and zucchini and more onion wedges on top of the freekah and crumble the cheese on top.

Bake in the oven until cheese has melted and all is warmed through (approx 15-20mins)
the freekah should develop a delicious slightly crunchy crust on the bottom

Dollop the pesto on before serving and scatter with herbs.
Serve with lemon wedges to squeeze on top (optional)

Lemon baked brocolli

This is a delicious way to eat broccoli, it is amazing the difference in taste in comparison to the watery flavour and texture of steaming or boiling it.

The zing of the lemon and chili really make it special.

Its my new fave snack!

Ingredients
* 1 head of broccoli
* drizzle of olive oil
* pinch salt & pepper
* pinch chili flakes (optional)
* zest of 1/2 lemon
* juice of half a lemon
* 2 cloves garlic crushed
* parsley

Method

Pre-heat the oven to 180 degrees
cut the broccoli into florets and coats lightly with olive oil, garlic & chili flakes (optional)
Sprinkle with salt & pepper
place on a baking tray and grate the lemon zest over the top
bake for 15 minutes or until slightly browned and crispy on the edges, (not too long as you want it to stay nice and green with a bit of crunch)
serve with a wedge of lemon, scattered with parsely. Or squeeze the juice over the top before serving.

yummo!

x BA

Asian pumpkin soup

 

I love pumpkin soup, this is my favourite variation. I used laksa paste this time but red curry paste or green curry paste also work well.

Ingredients
* 1/4 chopped pumpkin (2cm cubes)
* 1/2 Spanish onion diced
* 2 tsp ground coriander
* 2 tsp ground cumin
* 3 tbsp curry paste
* 1 or 2 tsp palm sugar
* fresh chilies to taste
* 1 tsp garlic
* water
* 1/2 can Coconut milk
* 1 tbs oil
* 1/2 bunch coriander -roots finely chopped and leaves picked and roughly chopped
* 1 apple

Sauté the onion and garlic with oil, add spices and curry paste and coriander roots (and chilli if using) and stir 

add pumpkin and stir.

Add water to cover and set to a high simmer until pumpkin is soft. Add extra water if required as the pumpkin is cooking

Once soft blitz the soup with a Bamix until smooth

Add 1tspn palm sugar and half the coconut milk. taste and add more sugar, coconut milk and or water to suit your personal preference

Lastly, grate one apple into the soup. Stir and serve garnished with lots of coriander, sprinkled with dukka if you like or with a splash of coconut cream or milk... Or with coriander pesto.

Ba xx

Pumpkin Fetta & Spinach Fritters

Makes approx 10 fritters

Ingredients

1 ½ cups wholemeal flour - I used biodynamic wholemeal spelt flour

1 tsp baking powder

4 eggs

1 cup chilled soda water

½ tsp salt

2 cups of grated pumpkin (500grams)

2 cups loosely packed baby spinach or english spinach (leaves picked)

Handful of dill chopped

Handful of parsley chopped

pinch freshly grated nutmeg

Tablespoon of fresh lemon

1/2 red onion finely chopped

100 grams crumbled goats fetta

Handful of grated parmesan

Extra virgin coconut oil for frying

Method

Mix flour, baking powder and eggs. Add chilled soda water and salt and beat to smooth batter. Cover and stand while you prepare other ingredients.

In a large bowl mix grated pumpkin, spinach, dill, parsley, grated nutmeg, fresh lemon juice, red onion, goats fetta and parmesan. Add in wet batter and mix well.

Heat a large heavy based frying pan to medium heat. I would recommend cooking one at first to test the batter and make sure the pan is the right temperature. Heat a tablespoon of extra virgin coconut oil and add a large spoon of batter mix to pan, flatten with back of spoon and let cook for 5-10 minutes until the base starts to become firm or until golden. Flip and cook other side. Depending on how big your pan is you can cook a few at a time being careful that they are all separated (this will make it easier when flipping). Between each batch of fritters coat the bottom of the pan with about 1 tablespoon of coconut oil. You can keep these warm in the oven on a baking tray at 50 degrees celsius until they are all cooked.

I served this with a very easy and quick Tzatziki and Martin & Ju's Summertime Salad.

Tzatziki

This is a really quick tzatziki I made very last minute to go with my Pumpkin, Fetta & Spinach Fritters.

1 lebanese cucumber
1 clove garlic finely chopped or grated
1/2 cup of Greek style or natural yoghurt
1 tablespoon of grated lemon rind
2 tablepoons of freshly squeezed lemon juice
pinch salt
freshly ground black pepper

Cut the Lebanese cucumber in half length ways. Scrape out the seeds using a teaspoon. Grate cucumber and squeeze out excess water using your hands (you can also do this more thoroughly by place the grated cucumber in a muslin cloth or tea towel and squeezing it). Mix with grated garlic, lemon rind and juice, salt and black pepper. Mix well and serve. Is a great accompaniment to many meal or served as nibblies with toasted lebanese bread

Biss  :)

Banana Bread

I haven't baked anything for ages and I have had some lovely stone ground biodynamic spelt flour that I have been wanting to turn into something delicious. I adapted this recipe from a few others I had found and I was a little bit concerned about whether it would work (this is always a concern when using superior quality aka expensive ingredients! )... baking can be so temperamental! However this was a success and I think this will now be cooked time and time again. Perhaps next time I would even put a little less sugar, and throw in some seeds or nuts... You could toast it and spread it with some extra virgin coconut oil or nut butter too :) Enjoy!

This recipe also used Coconut Sugar which is an unrefined sugar from the coconut palm blossoms with a naturally low Glycemic index. It has a lovely caramel toffee flavour and melts in your mouth  Regular brown sugar has been leached of it's minerals and is highly refined. Brown sugar is simply white or raw sugar which has had caramel or molasses added. Once you have tried this you won't go back to regular brown sugar!  You could also use Rapadura sugar (Panela) which is an unrefined sugar made from evaporated cane sugar juice. Extra virgin coconut oil is also a great oil for baking as it can be heated up to very high temperatures and doesn't oxidised through the cooking process. It is also a very yummy replacement for butter on toast! Make sure the baking powder you are using is aluminium free - I like the one from Honest to Goodness.
 
Biss xx

Ingredients

3 medium very ripe banana

1/2 cup cooked pureed apple or pear

2 organic free range eggs

 2 tsp vanilla extract

1/3 cup extra virgin coconut oil (melted but not hot)

2 tablespoons raw agave or maple syrup

1 cup of coconut palm sugar (or Rapadura sugar)

2 cups wholemeal, spelt flour sifted

1 teaspoon bicarb soda

2 teaspoons baking powder

2 teaspoons ground cinnamon

pinch sea salt

Method

Preheat oven to 180 degrees Celsius. Line a loaf tin with baking paper.

Use a mini food processor and blend the bananas, apple puree, eggs, vanilla, coconut oil, maple syrup and coconut sugar and blend until smooth (alternatively just mash the bananas and beat the eggs and mix all ingredients well)

In a separate large bowl, combine spelt flour, bicarb soda, baking powder, cinnamon and salt and mix until combined. Combine wet and dry ingredients and fold gently until mixed.Pour the batter into your prepared loaf tin and bake in the oven for 45-55 minutes* or until dark golden and cooked through.  Cool a little in a tin before turning out to serve warm.

*NB: As all ovens are a little different so I would recommend you to set your timer to 35 minutes and check it every 10 minutes so as not to under or over cook it.

Biss xx
p.s I made this again the other day and I forgot the coconut oil! It wasn't as 'melt in the mouth' however it was still lovely and disappeared the same day!

Mediteranean Quinoa Stuffed Capsicums

Ingredients
4 red capsicums
2 cloves garlic finely diced
a few tablespoons of olive oil
1 brown onion finely diced
1/2 large eggplant, finely chopped
1 teaspoon oregano
1 cup of quinoa  (I used tri-colour quinoa but regular will do fine)
1/2 vegetable stock cube
1 400g tin of diced tomatoes
1/2 cup water
2 tablespoons of capers, chopped
1 400g tin of cannelini beans, drained. Mash half the beans with a fork and leave the rest whole
Handful of freshly chopped basil
Handful of fresh ricotta
Handful of grated parmesan

Method 

1) Prepare the capsicums ...
Preheat oven to 180 degrees Celsius.
Cut your six red capsicums in half and discard the seeds - if you like you can leave the green stalk on the end - it does look nice for presentation and it will also keep the capsicums together :)
Brush the insides and edges with a little olive oil and sprinkle with finely diced garlic.
Place on a baking tray and back in the upper shelf of the oven for 30 minutes.


2) Prepare the stuffing...
Heat a medium sized pot on the stove, add a few tablespoons of olive oil and saute the onion with some salt and pepper for a few minutes until soft and transparent. Add the chopped eggplant and oregano and saute for a further five minutes or until the eggplant begins to soften. Add the quinoa, vegetable stock cube, water, diced tomatoes and capers. Turn down to a simmer, put the lid on and cook for approximately 20 minutes, or until the quinoa is cooked, stirring occasionally to prevent sticking. When the quinoa is cooked add the cannelini beans and stir through some chopped basil.


3) Stuff the capsicums
Fill the capsicums with stuffing, top with fresh ricotta and sprinkle with parmesan. Bake in a 180 degree Celsius oven for 20 minutes.

I served this with a simple salad of mixed baby spinach and rocket, sunflower sprouts, finely sliced red onion and baked sweet potato with a dressing of dijon mustard, olive oil, red wine vinegar and natural yoghurt. It was really yum!

Biss xx

Pumpkin Dahl with Fresh Green Salsa

This is a very rich strong flavoured dahl and would be great even without the pumpkin. I think the next time I make it I will omit the vegetable stock and just use water. I'm not a big fan of adding vegetable stock to dahl. I often think it isn't necessary with all the other spices and it makes it much richer and saltier. This dahl is very warming, however I always have to serve food with something fresh!!

I didn't serve this with rice, however it would be great with plain basmati rice or coconut rice. 

Pumpkin Dahl
1kg jap pumpkin washed and cut into four wedges
Olive oil to spray pumpkin
2 tablespoons of coconut oil
Salt and pepper
2 medium brown onions finely diced
4 garlic cloves finely diced
3 tablespoons of grated ginger
1 teaspoon fenugreek
1 teaspoon tumeric
2 teaspoons garam masala
2 teaspoons black mustard seeds
3 bay leaves
20 curry leaves
200g red lentils
800g whole peeled tinned tomatoes
400 mls vegetable stock
200mls coconut cream

Preheat oven to 200 degrees celsius. Place pumpkin on oven, drizzle or spray with a little olive oil and season with salt and pepper. Cook for 25 minutes or until golden and cooked. Remove from oven and keep warm. Heat a few tablespoons of oil, saute onion, garlic and ginger with spices, bay leaves and curry leaves for about 15 minutes until fragrant and golden. add lentils tomatoes and stock and simmer until lentils are somft (approx 20 minutes). Stir through coconut cream, check seasoning and serve by pouring the dahl into a bowl over the pumpkin wedges. Top with Salsa and a dollop of yoghurt.

Green Salsa
1 lebanese cucumber finely diced
1 green capsicum finely diced
handful of coriander chopped
handful of mint chopped
juice from one lime
drizzle of olive oil
salt and pepper
4 shallots finely diced
A few tablespoons of sesame seeds

Add all ingredients together and mix in a bowel. Serve with Pumpkin Dahl and a dollop of yoghurt.

 

Biss xx

Martin & Ju's Summer Salad

This salad is a creation of my friends Martin & Ju. It is very simple and what I love about it is that it doesn't need a dressing. The soft sweet mango flesh, crumbly, salty fetta, sweet and juicy grated beetroot, crunchy pine nuts and peppery rocket all compliment each other very well... Now with mangoes in season give this one a go! Kensington Pride Mangoes are my fave with a rich, classic, summertime, sweet, pungent and delicious flavour...

Assemble....
Place approximately 120 grams of mixed baby spinach and rocket in a salad bowl. Crumble over 100 grams of sheeps or goats fetta, one medium sized grated beetroot, the chopped flesh of one large mango and a good handful of toasted pine nuts... Toss and serve - VOILA!

Berry Green Smoothie

2 cups organic beetroot greens, stalks removed
1 large frozen banana
1 cup frozen blueberries
2 oranges peeled
1/2 cup ice
2 cups water

Place all ingredients in a blender and blend, adding water gradually until smooth and desired consistency is reached. Serve.

Springtime Green Smoothie

Whilst staying on a friends property in the hinterland of the mid-north coast, NSW this spring, I went green smoothie crazy using all sorts of organic homegrown greens harvested from their fabulous veggie garden. The silverbeet was an amazingly lucid, bright, wasabi green after being blended and quite different to the deep, dark green silverbeet I am accustomed to.

2 cups of organic silverbeet, stalks removed
Flesh from 1 very ripe mango
1 large frozen banana
2 oranges peeled
1/2 cup ice
2 cups water

Place all in a blender and blend adding the water gradually until smooth and the desired consistency is reached. Serve.
 

Avocado, Apple & Sunflower Sprout Salad

Salad (Serves 2 )
1 ripe avocado
1 pink lady apple
Sunflower sprouts
Couple of tbspoons of fresh coriander

Cut an avocado in half and remove the seed. Carefully spoon out avocado flesh in one piece Slice into strips. Slice 1/2 a pink lady apple into match sticks. Roughly chop two tablespoons of coriander (or if very fresh just pluck off the leaves).

Dressing

1 tsp of finely grated ginger
1 tsp of miso paste
1/2 tsp of agave nectar (or other sweetener, honey, maple syrup, sugar)
1 tspoons tamari
1 tbspoons black vinegar
2 tbspoons extra virgin olive oil
2 tbspoons water

Mix all ingredients together.

Assembly
 Arrange a handful of sunflower sprouts on two plates. Top with half of the chopped avocado, half of the chopped apple and sprinkle each with a table spoon of coriander. Drizzle with dressing and serve.