I always feel kind of old fashioned thrifty when I use up leftover things as I did a while back with this dish, especially when they make up delicious, fried potato cakey things .. and despite the crispy appearance of these spicy little patties served with a garlicky, creamy sauce, they’re super healthy. My sweet potato mash is also[read more…]
I’ve wanted to make these for ages! I love chickpeas and I also love snacky things like chips and nuts to have with cocktails and thought these would be a healthier option. These little morsels were nutty, spicy and crispy not too long out of the oven and I really enjoyed them. So give them a go! [read more…]
It seemed like a chocolate day so I made some chocolate cupcakes for absolutely no reason at all. Is there anything better than biting into a soft, squidgy cupcake and getting icing all over your face? I don’t think so! The batter in this recipe is very thick but it somehow results in a soft crumbed, tender,[read more…]
I see a lot of recipes for sweet potato vegie burgers around so thought I’d give them a go. I roasted/sautéed the sweet potato and onion first as it gives a lovely caramelised flavour however apart from that, these are so easy to put together, they’re well worth it. I loved the sweet and spicy taste[read more…]
I realise a lot, if not most people, wouldn’t have nut roll tins in their cupboards. I also realise that this traditional Australian recipe is really old fashioned, in fact my grandmother used to make these when I was a kid. Despite that, I love this cake precisely because of it’s lack of foodie coolness, and[read more…]
I love using maple syrup for savoury things and it goes particularly well with spicy, chilli based dishes. Instead of using traditional kidney beans for this spicy, Mexican dish, I thought I’d use black beans and some maple chilli roast sweet potato to add another flavour. I love the crispy sweet, caramelised potato with creamy avocado[read more…]
I purchased Bill Granger’s Easy a while back and was really keen to use it. It’s packed with delicious yet simple recipes, so full of colours and interesting flavours. So in it I spied a fancy looking steak sandwich recently, which I thought would be great barbecued on the long weekend. We love a steak sandwich[read more…]
To celebrate this year’s St Paddy’s Day, I thought I’d make a hearty beef stew with Guinness. It doesn’t get more Irish than that hey?! I’ve never made one with a soda bread crust before (although I’ve made soda bread and am mad for it) and thought it looked really interesting. It was super easy[read more…]
I realise poor little cauliflower isn’t the most popular vegetable in the bunch (compared to say, the sexy avocado and frilly, trendy kale it must feel quite lonely), but we should all be eating more of it according to doctors and experts in these things. And less of the fun stuff. Also cauliflower allegedly has negative calories! Can this[read more…]
Rustic, spicy and pear studded describes this winter inspired loaf perfectly although it’s far from perfect looking. I’m not the neatest cook ever! Despite this, I love the soft, fragrant crumb and crunchy crust combined with fresh pieces of pear and toasted pecans. It’s delicious with butter and is best on the day it’s baked however is also lovely toasted[read more…]
I love the creamy texture and coconut flavour of this soup combined with sweet pumpkin and carrots and only a handful of other ingredients. It’s gorgeous sprinkled with chopped pistachios and a toasted cheese sandwich on the side .. a perfect Saturday lunch on a cold day. A swirl of Greek yoghurt wouldn’t go astray either[read more…]
I based this on your basic chickpea hummus but added baked sweet potato and a teeny bit of chilli. It seems I’ve always eaten hummus and tzatziki, I sometimes make these dips from scratch and sometimes buy them ready made, either way they’ve made up a large part of my lunches over the past 15 years or so. Seeing as[read more…]
I don’t know about anyone else, but I can’t get on with my day until I have my morning cuppa and going to bed without a cup of tea just doesn’t seem right. Tea is calming, comforting, it brings people together, has many health benefits, there are so many different flavours, and for these reasons, I’m[read more…]
A spontaneous dish I made initially to use up the rest of the broccoli in the crisper and have made quite a few times since. This rustic dish was lovely with simple ingredients; the freshness of broccoli, a subtle hit of chilli, some crunchy nuts and salty Parmesan, all piled up in a bowl invitingly. I served ours with avocado because[read more…]
It’s not so much a Bastille Day we had on the weekend, as a Bastille week because this is the second French dish I’ve posted. And why not after all? French food is amazing; classy and unashamedly seductive. And speaking of classy and seductive; I remember travelling by train to Paris years ago and sitting across a perfectly understated, stylish, sweet French girl[read more…]
It’s very cold and rainy in my part of the world lately. We live in a warm place normally and winter is generally a gorgeous break from the humidity but this year we’re all suffering in that sooky way people who are used to hot weather do. I’ve been living on soups, toast, hot chocolate and lots[read more…]
I don’t eat enough of this healthy vegie. The other day I roasted some cauliflower florets with lemon, chilli and pine nuts and it was delicious; slightly sweet and spicy with a nutty crunch, and not at all like the cauliflower mornay some of us might remember from being kids.
I make massive pots of this amazing soup every autumn/winter without fail; in fact I decided to buy a huge pot to accommodate it because the first time I made it, I didn’t have a saucepan big enough and had to make it in two. Over the years, I’ve made it my own by adding different[read more…]
I don’t often use cake or bread mixes as I enjoy baking from scratch, however it’s nice and convenient to use them occasionally and they have come a long way in the past decade or so. I also appreciate that people don’t always have the time or inclination to bake from scratch; I’m definitely no domestic goddess, I[read more…]
I really enjoyed this cosy, spicy-sweet curry with classic spices, creamy sweet potato, nutty chick peas and fresh kale. Confession: I cheated and used a bit of curry powder. I realise it’s a bit 1980s, how-your-nanna-used-to-make-curry, using curry powder, but I find it adds a rounded, warm sweetness and works really well with the other spices, a couple of which are in[read more…]
Some days I feel like chocolate I just have a few squares of a plain, dark block with my coffee then there are days when I want comforting, creamy, sweet chocolate – it was the latter which inspired today’s post. I spotted a recipe a while back for Nutella hot chocolate and thought I’d give it a go[read more…]
This method of roasting chicken changed my life. Tender, fall-of-the-bone, fragrant and full of the good things in cooking; lemon, garlic and herbs. No more basting, cleaning the oven or worrying about a dry roast – you simply place a quickly prepared chicken into the oven, forget about it for 1 1/2 hours or so, then take the[read more…]
I couldn’t resist buying these from my organic grocer; they looked so cool. I thought I’d show them off in all their funky 70s purple glory and just roast them in a bit of rosemary, sea salt, garlic and olive oil. I left the garlic in their skins as garlic is lovely this way, sweet and creamy when you remove[read more…]
Here’s a fresh, delicate, little salad we had the other day and both loved. The peppery rocket, sweet, crisp pears and grapes, crunchy walnuts and creamy, salty Parmesan went so well together with the subtly sweet and tangy dressing.
No you aren’t dreaming or hallucinating. This really is a thing – a wonderfully inspired recipe I discovered recently by lovely Sydney blogger Katrina Meynink, (also freelance food writer and recipe developer and lots of other things). You could say I did a double-take. Cookie dough chocolate brownies – no way! As a long time brownie lover, I’m[read more…]
I found this wonderful recipe for healthy candy bars recently (check out the rest of the site, it has tasty recipes for healthy minded people). I have a big bag of quinoa puffs which, while I love to eat them for breakfast, I wanted to do something a bit more fun with, so I thought I’d make these chocolatey[read more…]
The other night I had a craving for some chicken and pasta so I roasted some Cajun spiced chicken breasts in the oven and served up a creamy, velvety rigatoni on the side. There’s no getting around it, this is the perfect way to cook chicken breast; it might be a bit easier to slice up the chicken and toss it around[read more…]
I’ve never appreciated the appeal of bread pudding – I always thought it would taste bland and I just couldn’t understand how bread belonged in a pudding. While shopping for Christmas I came across some brioche loaves which looked gorgeous and fluffy and sweet, thinking I would have some toasted with tea or something. But then for[read more…]
I made a pretty cake yesterday to celebrate my other half’s birthday. Happy birthday to my darling Ant. We’re on holidays at the moment and it’s wonderful. This cake was dreamy .. I really loved the chocolate flavour combined with a surprising fluffy cloud of vanilla frosting; kind of unexpected, like brown eyes with blonde[read more…]
I was thinking recently, there just isn’t enough spice around when it comes to baking. It’s not that easy to find ready made spice biscuits or cake in Australia and it’s not a favourite flavour for most people I know. Personally, I love the warmth of spice baked goods and they seem so comforting and[read more…]
