welcome to the organic cook blog

Summer berry tart

2011-12-20T17:09:00.004+11:00

Thank you to everyone who has supported The Organic Cook this year, if you're a client, student or blog reader we really appreciate your emails and encouragement to keep us inspired in the kitchen. Wishing you and your family a safe, healthy and joyful christmas.

To go out on a yummy note special thanks to our friend Michal Nassi and her gorgeous summer berry tart. Michal is from my kitchen wisdom Michal is a talented baker and can be contacted for gluten/dairy free birthday cakes and all your special dietary needs! We love this recipe and Michal's food styling and photography. Thanks for sharing!

Big Merry christmas and hope you will be inspired to try out some new recipes over the holiday period.

The berries filling:

450 mixed berries- strawberries, blueberries, raspberries, etc,,,
50g raw sugar
3-tablespoon port/Brandi

The base and crumbs:

320g spelt flour
50g almond meal
50g pure icing sugar
65g raw sugar
240 cold butter cut to small cubes
1-teaspoon vanilla essence
1 egg

Method –

- Soak the berries for 15 min in sugar and alcohol
- Preheat the oven to 170c
- The base: place all the ingredients except of the egg in a food
processor, and process only until you get crumbs, better use
pulses.
- Take out 2 cups of the crumbs and set aside that will be our top
of tart.
- Add the egg and process to create the dough.
- Place the dough in a 24cm tart tin or 8 small ones.
- On top of the dough place the berries with their fluid, on top
place the crumbs.

- Bake for 35 min or until the crumbs get a nice golden colour.

Serve warm with vanilla ice cream, YUM!!!

Enjoy
Michal – My Kitchen wisdom

** Where I can I usually use organic produce, highly
recommended****

welcome to the organic cook blog: Spelt gingerbread men

2011-11-25T11:55:00.000+11:00

welcome to the organic cook blog: Spelt gingerbread men: This weeks recipe is from Susan our wonderful cook, and super organic mamma Thanks for sharing your recipe Susan I can't wait ...

Spelt gingerbread men

2011-11-25T11:13:00.004+11:00

This weeks recipe is from Susan our wonderful cook, and super organic mamma

Thanks for sharing your recipe Susan I can't wait to try them with my niece Mia.

Hi Belinda - I baked some really yummy spelt gingerbread men with my daughter Olivia this afternoon so thought I would pass on the recipe! I adapted the recipe from a few different recipes that I found, to make it more nutrient dense and a little lighter on the sugar, replaced brown sugar and golden syrup with molasses sugar and a little bit of honey. Changed the flour to spelt, added some fresh ginger and ditched all modern icing sugar decoration and went back to the old women in the fairytale's idea of currants and orange peel! Baking the gingerbread men turned out to be a great afternoon with the kids, Olivia loved decorating them and we ate them together reading the fairytale over and over :-)

Ingredients

125g organic butter, at room temperature
1/2 cup, firmly packed molasses sugar (I used Billington’s brand)
1/4 cup honey
1 large organic egg, separated
2 1/2 cups spelt flour
1 tbs ground ginger
½ - 1 tsp of finely grated fresh ginger
1 tsp mixed spice
1 tsp bicarbonate of soda
Extra flour, to dust
Currants, raisins and fine strips of orange rind – to decorate

Method

Preheat oven to 180°C. Line 2 trays with baking paper (or lightly grease with melted butter)

Beat the butter and sugar in a bowl until paler and creamy. Add the honey and egg yolk and beat until combined. Stir in the flour, fresh and dried ginger, mixed spice and bicarb soda. Turn onto a lightly floured surface and knead until smooth. Press dough into a disc. Cover with plastic wrap and place in the fridge for 30 minutes to rest.

Place the dough between 2 sheets of baking paper and roll out until about ½ cm thick. Use gingerbread man cutter to cut out shapes. Place on trays about 3cm apart. Decorate using currants for eyes and nose, orange rind for mouth and raisins or sultanas for buttons.

Bake in oven for 7-10 minutes or until brown (I like mine crunchy so cook for 10, but reduce time if you like the gingerbread soft). Remove from oven. Transfer to a rack to cool.

Summer berry walnut crumble

2011-10-28T15:43:00.004+11:00

Just because summer is at our doorstep doesn't mean we need to put away our favourite dessert crumble!

This is a special strawberry, raspberry and mulberry crumble I made for my boyfriend and I snuck in some rosewater and it was truly magic.

As berries are very tender the best way to handle is very gently and prepare quickly. I actually used frozen organic raspberries and fresh mulberries from a neighbours tree and strawberries cut into quarters with a sprinkling of rapadura sugar, it's a quick easy and nutritious recipe packed with antioxidants

2 cups raspberries (frozen best)
1 cup fresh strawberries (washed and cut into quarters)
1 cup mulberries (pick stalks off)
2 tablespoons rapadura sugar (to sweeten)
2 tablespoons rosewater
1/2 cup spelt flour
80g organic butter, melted
1/4 cup oats
1/4 cup walnuts roasted

Place the raspberries and strawberries into a baking dish or pyrex, sprinkle with the rosewater and sugar and gently stir around with a spoon.

In another bowl mix the oats, melted butter, flour and roasted walnuts gently drop little dobs of the crumble on top of the raspberry mixture, it will sink through but don't worry too much about it.

Put some foil on your cooking vessel and into the oven for 15020 minutes on 165 degrees

Warm spiced chicken and mango salad with yoghurt dressing

2011-10-14T14:13:00.003+11:00

This recipe is from the lovely Susan our nutritional cook. New season mangoes are appearing at the markets and in the produce aisle... so be very QUICK. This is a yummy combination and I can't wait to try it myself, the crispy greens, sweet mangoes and cumin chicken make a wonderful combination!

Warm spiced chicken and mango salad with yoghurt dressing

1-2 tsp ground cumin
Salt,pepper
2 chicken thighs
Mixed green leaves
Snow peas (we had heaps in the garden!)
1 cucumber, sliced
1 mango, slightly under ripe
Dry roasted cashew nuts, optional

Preheat oven 200 C. Rub chicken thighs with cumin, salt and pepper (could also add some chilli or cayenne pepper if not serving to kids). Cook chicken in the oven for 15-20 mins, or until cooked through. Slice while still warm.

Serve on a salad of mixed green leaves, raw or very slighly blanched snow peas, dry roasted cashews and sliced mango. Drizzle over yoghurt dressing.

Yoghurt dressing
1 cup natural yogurt, 1/4 cup mint leaves chopped, 1/4 cup coriander leaves chopped, 1 small clove garlic crushed, 1 tsp finely grated ginger, juice from half a lemon. Combine ingredients or blitz in a food processor. Season to taste. Also good with a 1/4 tsp of cayenne pepper added or 1 tsp of honey.

Blue mackerel with peanut satay and spring salad

2011-10-04T19:36:00.009+11:00

This is lunch from the weekend, I purchased the mackerel whole so had to gut and fillet it (something I learned from my dad when I was a kid). It's pretty simple, and I cheated using a spiral foods organic satay sauce (which is delicious and contains real ingredients) the salad composed of organic rocket from the markets, yellow tomatoes, cucumber and cucumber with sheep's feta.

I gently fried the mackerel is a small saute pan in coconut oil and then smothered in peanut satay sauce and added some crunch with black sesame seeds.

Apparently mackerel are flighty to catch and the fish monger told me he only gets them in when its not windy at sea.

I like them because they are oily, an excellent source of protein, magnesium and have high levels of vitamin d, omega 3 and essential fatty acids and also a fish thats cheap as chips! It's popular in Northern Europe to smoke them and eat for breakfast.

Strange and exotic health food ingredients

2011-09-30T14:22:00.011+10:00

When you embark on a 'real food' cooking and eating journey, you will find many of these healthy ingredients and condiments at your local health food shop, organic retailer and the good old healthy food aisle at Woolworths, which is full of certified organic ingredients. I know your time -poor and itching to get healthy, so I want it to be simple for you to find these ingredients for a smooth transition in to healthy cooking and eating.

Here are some brands and ingredients to help you follow my recipes on this blog;

Spiral foods

This long established health company make tamari, (fermented wheat free soy sauce) miso, vinegars (for salad dressings), tahini, coconut milk, bonsoy milk etc avail at woolworths or health retailers.

Sweet stuff

I use rapadura or panela (brazilian 100% sugar cane unrefined, full of minerals and vitamins not as sweet as brown sugars).

Maple syrup and rice syrup, date molasses (lebanese ingredient) and black strap molasses when baking.

Flours

I like to use either Demeter farm mill biodynamic grains and flours and Old bob's mill. I find these the freshest and best quality.

My favourite grains are spelt, buckwheat and rye. I also use rice and coconut flours. These flours are only available at the health food shop or organic retailer as they are speciality food products.

Dairy (butter, yoghurt)

I favour biodynamic dairy over organic as its more pure, and tastes much better. I like Barambah and Paris Creek yogurts and quark cheese. I also like paris creek butter but macro whole foods at woolworths now do organic butter which is cheaper.

Milk

Organic milk is a must for children. Barambah Unhomogenised is good, also cleopatra's if you're into raw milk. Of course I also like oat milk and rice milk when I need a break from dairy. No soy milk in my kitchen!

Nuts and dried fruits

In our cupboards we stock, organic dried figs and apricots, raw cashews and almonds.

Meat eggs and grains

We buy all our meat - grassfed and chicken - organic or free range (if we know the farm is certified) We love lamb!. We also favour sustainable seafood and certified organic or free-range eggs (look at the box carefully).

Please get to your local farmers markets to buy fresh produce, fruit and sourdough breads then get the other small goods and get cooking!

This is a rough guide and no means the law, buy what you can afford and aim to buy organic produce and dairy if it's in your budget. We like to promote home cooking for better health like our nana's did not that long ago! We use whole, natural and real ingredients from the markets and growers to inspire our recipes and dishes.

Any questions please email us info@theorganiccook.com.au

Grain free way of eating

2011-09-30T13:38:00.004+10:00

Many of my clients are keen on a Paleo diet and I pretty much follow weston price eating guidelines at home and with my clients with a slant on macrobiotics and whole foods. If your looking for grain free recipes tune in they will start to appear on the index down the side of the blog.

Cauliflower gratin with roasted walnuts, rye bechamel and pecorino

2011-09-26T20:26:00.007+10:00

Because of the cold snap I bought up a whole organic cauliflower to squeeze out one more winter dish. It was pouring rain all weekend but I made it to French's forest markets on Sunday too do a quick shop to get the week started and pick up some la tartine spelt sourdough for my boyfriend's daughters (it's there favourite!)

Oh how I love cauliflower and use it alot, I couldn't think of a better recipe to share for the last cold days. I had it for lunch with some beautiful spicy lamb and beef sausages that I also bought at the markets from a lovely Algerian french man that is now selling them at his stall. You could eat this with some snapper or ocean trout or if your vegetarian serve it with polenta and sauteed spinach

The unique ingredients in this recipe are biodynamic rye flour and oat milk to make the bechamel. The roasted walnuts give it a crunchy texture and also extra protein if you are a vegetarian. If your vegan you can use extra virgin olive oil to make the bechamel. And I did use fresh thyme, rosemary and sage from my garden cut very small to add a delicate aroma

1/2 cauliflower cut up into small florets
1/2 cup raw walnuts (roast in oven for 5 minute on 170 degrees)
1 cup pure harvest oat milk or use organic cows milk
1 tablespoon organic butter or ghee
2 tablespoons rye flour (or you can use rice or spelt flour)
1 small garlic clove, chopped very fine or use garlic crusher
fresh herbs thyme, rosemary and sage (optional)
Some handful sourdough breadcrumbs
Grated pecorino

Firstly prepare your cauliflower and set aside. In a saucepan gently melt your butter and add in the flour to make the white sauce, with a balloon whisk keep stirring and slowly pour in the milk, keep stirring until it starts to thicken and look like a nice white sauce, turn off the heat and add the herbs and garlic stir well. In a pyrex or baking dish arrange the cauliflower and then completely cover with the bechamel, sprinkle on the breadcrumbs, roasted walnuts and pecorino and then cover in foil and bake on 180 degrees for approx 20 minutes, you need the foil so the cheese doesn't burn.

Serves 4

New season spring lamb loins with parsley pesto and cauliflower mash

2011-09-13T16:20:00.008+10:00

Sometimes when I get home from cooking for my clients I crave simple and nutritious dinners that can be made in flash with minimal cooking method. On the weekends I like to make a fresh pesto with whatever herbs I have left over or growing in my garden. I particularly like to use parsley which is not common but delicious and also rich in iron and cleans the blood too!

All the little spring lambs have found there may to my butcher and these grass-fed loins are exceptional when cooked medium so that they are pink inside. The cauliflower mash is great for a low carb option and a good source of daily dietary fibre.

My new cook Susan who is a naturopathy student and a fantastic source of knowledge told me that lamb is also excellent for breastfeeding mamma's.

So have your pesto ready to go and this can be made in 20 minutes for a quick healthy weeknight dinner!

2-4 lamb loins
Organic ghee
1/2 head cauliflower (prepped into florets)
1 teaspoon sea salt and peppercorns to season
Fresh cumin seeds

In a mortar and pestle prepare your sea salt, pepper and cumin mix, set aside

In saucepan put a steamer basket and cook the cauliflower for 10 minutes, remove the steamer basket add your sea salt and pepper cumin mix and some butter mash until resembling a potato mash.

Serve on a plate with pesto and the lamb loins

Take a fry pan and heat the ghee, add the lamb loins and cook for 5-6 minutes each side. When done set aside for a further 5 minutes

Homemade butter

2011-09-06T18:36:00.003+10:00

When I was shopping at the frenchs forest markets a few weeks back I couldn't buy any butter from my regular guy at the jersey milk stall and he suggested I make my own with his double cream, so this is what I did and it was very interesting to watch the butter start churning in the food processor and I just added a level tablespoon of celtic sea salt which was recommended but far to salty for my tastes so I would add a level teaspoon next time. The flavour is unbelievable and it is a fun project that is worthwhile.

1 container of double cream (I used jersey cream which is quiet thick I can imagine barrambah organic would be good to)
1 teaspoon celtic or Himalayan pink salt

Pour the cream straight into the food processor and add the salt, start pulsing and within 30 seconds it will start to look like butter. Stop (don't over process) and lift out and then mould into a butter shape and store in the fridge

It will last for a few months

Rye sourdough french toast with fresh passionfruit

2011-08-30T18:19:00.005+10:00

Organic rye sourdough bread is the secret to this recipe, I got mine from bourke st bakery sister/brother bakery in neutral bay. Now don't kill me but it doesn't appear to have a name on the bakery and is in the back lane in neutral bay. Anyhow they make very good organic sourdough that's really sour and chewy just like it should be! This recipe was made on the fly with the rye sourdough, it compliments the egg and passion fruit I also ate with a splash of pure Canadian maple syrup. Great breakfast if your need something a little sweet and also has protein with the egg. I used oat milk instead of regular cow milk and it was yum.

2-4 pieces of fresh sourdough sliced medium
2 biodynamic eggs
1 cup oat milk
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
passion fruit or banana or whatever you have in the fruit bowl
splash maple syrup
Organic ghee or extra virgin coconut oil (I use oil4life doesn't go rancid the best I can find)

In a bowl whisk the eggs, oat milk and cinnamon until mixed well, start with one piece of bread and dip in bowl and leave for a few minutes until its soggy. Meanwhile heat a skillet/fry pan and gently melt the fat (either ghee or coconut oil) when it has melted put in your first piece of bread, now the trick is to turn heat up a little so it crisps and is golden but still moist, turnover the first piece of bread after 3 minutes and follow dipping the other pieces of bread and repeat cooking all pieces until golden.
Plate up and add sweet and healthy condiments

Serves 1 - 2 (2 pieces per person)

Divine spelt banana cake with maple frosting

2011-08-23T11:10:00.005+10:00

Many exciting movements have been taking place at The Organic Cook firstly we have a brand new website please check it out here and let us know what you think!

And we have just hired a wonderful new cook to help out with cooking for our lovely clients.
Susan is our new lady and she is studying naturopathy at Nature Care college in Sydney, and is a mother of two children. She loves to cook real food for her family, and also loves to visit the frenchs forest organic markets on sundays. We look forward to sharing some of Susan's recipes here on our blog and also spreading our cooking principles of nourishment and home cooking.

This week I would love to share a beautiful recipe that I have been tinkering away with, I created it for my sister Sally, who just had a beautiful baby girl last week.

It's simple and yummy.

3 bananas
2 eggs
2 cups white spelt flour (demeter is best)
1 cup buttermilk
1 cup rapadura sugar
125g organic butter
1 teaspoon pure vanilla
1 teaspoon of Bob's red mill aluminium free baking powder

In a food processor blend the sugar and butter until creamy, add the eggs and bananas, blend until smooth. Add the buttermilk and vanilla and mix again. In a large mixing bowl sift the flour and baking soda, pour in the wet mixture from the food processor and hand stir with a wooden spoon. The consistency should be a medium stiff batter that moves easily.

Using a spring form tin, grease with a little butter then pour in the batter.

Bake on 160 degrees for 50 minutes, check after 40 minutes

While the cake is baking, roast some raw walnuts in a skillet and set aside

Maple frosting

In a food processor beat either cream cheese or fresh quark until smooth and add 1/2 cup maple syrup

Slow cooked eggplant with lentils and smokey paprika

2011-08-15T16:17:00.005+10:00

This is the perfect vegetarian winter warmer, as winter winds down I still dream about slow cooking methods, lamb shanks and any grass fed lamb in a stew with a few spices. The recipe came together with all that was remaining in my fridge at the end of the week, as we wait for a new baby in our family everything has been on delay and soon I will be an Aunty again!

The nutritional benefits in eggplant are numerous, and even though its a deadly night shade it's great for people with no issues with inflammation, arthritis or acidity. Eggplant is used for women's health issues in chinese medicine and being 90% water hydrates and is low in calories. We love it at The Organic Cook and often just roast it with a light splash of extra virgin olive oil and celtic sea salt as a snack.

1 medium eggplant
1 cup brown lentils
2 cloves garlic, sliced finely
1 tablespoon smoked paprika
2 cups vegetarian stock (if not vego use beef broth for full flavour)
1 teaspoon celtic sea salt
1 can organic diced tomatoes
Some fresh herbs, we used thyme from our garden

In a medium saucepan heat a small amount of clarified butter or ghee and saute the garlic, gently so it doesn't burn.
Cut the eggplant into 2cm squares and add to garlic, stir around, add the tomatoes, stock and thyme stir around, add the lentils and smokey paprika and give one more good stir. Cook on a low simmer for 45-50 minutes. Enjoy with bio dynamic brown rice or a good quality sourdough, because we were hungry we had both!

Moroccan lamb with almonds and apricots

2011-07-29T16:25:00.009+10:00

This one pot dish was made at my client Anna's house, she suggested I take a photo as it looked so nice in her french pillivuyt casserole dish. I cheated and used a herbies moroccan spice mix, but sometimes make my own spices more like a traditional tagine depending on time. This is a great meal for the family it's economical and can keep in the fridge for several days.
The longer you cook the lamb the more delicious it becomes and as in all the lamb recipes on this recipe blog this is top quality grass fed lamb from my local butcher. The delicate spices and dried fruits make for sweet based meat dish great for winter and building yin energy and strength as it is still so bloody cold!

500g grass fed lamb, you can get chops and dice yourself
1 cup brown lentils
3 cups beef stock
2 carrots, peeled and chopped
2 tablespoons herbies moroccan spice mix
1 brown onion, diced
small amount of ginger grated
1 small sweet potato, skin on and diced into 1cm cubes
handful dried organic apricots (currently I use macro brand - economical!)
handful raw almonds
handful prunes

In a saucepan or casserole dish brown the lamb on all sides and set aside. In the same pot heat a little ghee and saute the brown onion adding the spices and ginger stir around and release the oils, put the lamb back in and add the stock, lentils and carrot, cook on a low heat for 1.5 hours or in the oven on 170 for 1.5 hours, then lastly at the 1.5 hour stage add in the sweet potatoes, apricots and almonds and cook for another 30 minutes. Serve with fresh coriander

Wild salmon, sweet potato and coriander patties

2011-07-22T12:35:00.006+10:00

These salmon patties were made on the fly for a sunday lunch, they are super yummy, easy and very nutritious, full of essential fatty acids for brain function and fertility and also a great source of protein and the sweet potato and chilli creates a sweet and spicy crunchy texture.

1 can john west wild alaskan sustainable salmon
1 red chilli, deseeded chopped fine
1 clove garlic, chopped fine
small knob ginger grated
1/2 bunch coriander, picked and chopped
1 medium sweet potato, peeled and boiled
3 dutch cream potatoes peeled and boiled
1/2 brown onion, diced
rice breadcrumbs (optional)

Fill a saucepan with water and place the sweet potato and dutch creams bring to the boil for 20 minutes
In a frypan heat a little organic coconut oil and saute the onion, red chilli, garlic and ginger until cooked through, In a large mixing bowl place the salmon, onion mixture and fresh chopped coriander. Once the sweet potato and dutch cream are cooked mash with a little organic ghee and add the the salmon mixture. Roll into patties and then coat in rice breadcrumbs either fry in a little coconut oil of put in the oven on 170 degrees and bake for 15 minutes until crunchy on the outside.
Enjoy with a green salad !

Braised gingered grass fed lamb shanks with fennel

2011-07-14T12:20:00.009+10:00

These lamb shanks were braised for 5 hours and they were well worth it.The meat was so tender and just fell of the bone, I can imagine they could be used in a ragu too. My boyfriend and I both love lamb shanks so I was wanting to experiment with some different flavours and this is the result. This week my clients also enjoyed this spicy, yummy shank recipe.
Slow cooked meats are great for fertility and building immunity. Weston Price suggests grass fed meat are high in omega 3's and also because the animals graze on grass they absorb the chlorophyll and minerals making it a healthier choice for cooking and nutrition. The stock can be saved and used again. I put mine into the freezer. The stand out ingredient of this is the balsamic vinegar which balances out the flavours. I did use a slow cooker in this recipe, but you don't have to a heavy cast iron pot is fine.

4- 6 grass fed lamb shanks (ask your butcher)
1 fresh fennel bulb, sliced thinly
1 cup or cooked chickpeas
1 litre beef stock (make your own or use massell)
2 sprigs rosemary
1/2 cup balsamic vinegar
sea salt and pepper to season
2 tablespoon tomato paste
1 cup red wine
4 tablespoons fresh grated ginger
1 spanish onion, sliced thinly
4 garlic cloves, crushed
3 tablespoons organic clarified butter or ghee
1 teaspoon cumin seeds

In a fry pan gently seal the shanks on each side until brown, put them into the slow cooker or cooking vessel.
Put the the ghee/clarified butter into the same fry pan and saute the onion, fennel and garlic add the cumin seeds. Slowly pour in the stock, red wine and balsamic vinegar. Stir in the tomato paste and add the fresh ginger and fresh rosemary.
Bring to the boil, then reduce to a simmer and cook for 2-3 minutes. Pour into the slow cooker and add the chickpeas. Braise these babies for 5 hours and serve with a grain and some fresh broccoli!

Coconut and raspberry babycakes

2011-07-05T19:37:00.003+10:00

This recipe was inspired by 12 year old Olivia, she is visiting from East Hampshire near Maine in the states and her mum contacted me to cook The specific carbohydrate diet while she is in Sydney because she has crohns disease.
These babycakes are not for you if your on the scd diet, but if your gluten free these are perfect for you.
It's always very interesting baking with coconut flour as it absorbs more liquid than other wholegrain flours. I used organic coconut flour from bobs red mill which is a very superior product. Coconut flour is rich in and fiber and a great alternative to buckwheat and rice flours if you feel like a change. These baby cakes are really yummy and a very unusual soft texture.

So here is the recipe

1/2 cup coconut flour
3 eggs (room temperature please)
1/4 cup organic coconut oil
1/4 cup rapadura sugar
1/2 teaspoon baking powder ( I use Bob's red mill aluminium free)
1/2 cup raspberries (frozen because there out of season) thaw out
5 tablespoons filtered water
1 teaspoon pure vanilla essence (no fake vanilla please)

Preheat the oven to 170 degrees
Take a cupcake tin and grease with some butter or coconut oil so baby cakes they don't stick
In a bowl whisk the eggs well and pure vanilla and mix again
Mix the coconut flour, baking soda and sugar in a bowl (dry ingredients)
Melt the coconut oil and add to dry ingredients, then add in egg wet mixture, lastly add the water and stir, if mixture is stiff (as it absorbs the water very quickly then add a another tablespoon) gently fold in the raspberries
Now spoon into the cupcake tin and bake for 15- 2o minutes until golden and firm.

Roasted pumpkin, coriander, chilli and ginger soup

2011-06-29T20:20:00.007+10:00

This soup is warm and spicy, great for this cold Sydney winter, you can eat it with sourdough as I have done or some brown rice and steamed broccoli. Organic japanese pumpkin is far more superior than standard pumpkin it is richer and sweeter in texture. If you would like protein, throw in some cooked cannelloni beans which thickens the soup

1kg organic japanese pumpkin, skinned and cut into chunks
ghee
1 brown onion
small know ginger grated
1/4 bunch coriander
1 small red chilli, chopped seeds removed
2 cloves garlic, diced
1 litre free range chicken stock
1 can organic coconut milk

On a baking tray put the pumpkin and rub some extra virgin olive oil and sea salt and pepper into the flesh, bake for 25 minutes on 170 degrees. In a fry pan add a little ghee and gently saute the onion, ginger and garlic.
In a large pot heat the stock and add the pumpkin, coconut milk and aromatics. Take a stick blender and puree if the soup is too thick just add little water until you get the desired consistency.

Apple crumble with dates, walnuts oats coconut and spices

2011-06-19T11:36:00.004+10:00

This morning I got up early and headed to the frenchs forest farmers markets, in my shopping bag I picked up 2 kg bags of organic mandarins and gala apples I also had a steaming hot chai and a delicious samosa, but my most interesting purchase by far was raw key lime coconut pie from the goodness company it was the perfect blend of sweet sour, creamy and a crunchy base, I highly recommend tracking these girls down and trying some of there raw delights!

This is a twist on a tradition apple crumble with yummy spices and buckwheat kernels and a rye and oat crunchy topping

Apple base

6 gala apples, cored, peeled and cut into small chunks
2 cinnamon sticks
2 tablespoons rapadura sugar
3 tablespoons organic butter
1 cup dried date, chopped

Topping

1 cup whole organic oats
2 tablespoons buckwheat kernels
2 tablespoon shredded coconut
2 tablespoons rapadura sugar
2 tablespoons organic rye flour
1 cup raw walnuts, chopped
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1 teaspoon ground cardamon
1 teaspoon ground ginger

In a wide saute pan, melt the butter gently and add the rapadura sugar. Stir around, pour in the apples and dates and give another good stir, put the lid on and cook on medium heat so there is some steam to cook the apples for ten minutes.
In a bowl mix together all the topping ingredients, when the apples mixture is cooked pour into a baking dish reserving the butter mixture. Pour the butter mixture from the apples into the bowl of your dry topping ingredients, if necessary add a little more melted butter and put on top of the apple base. Cook for 20 minutes and serve with sheep's yoghurt or some yummy bio dynamic organic barrambah yogurt.

Spicy red lentil dhal with pumpkin

2011-06-09T15:57:00.008+10:00

This recipe was inspired by my friend Christine from body business. Her partner Rennel is originally from Mumbai and learnt cooking from his mum and hospitality college, he is inspired by using spices in cooking for medicinal purposes like me and Christine says they have a pot of dhal going on the stove top every week.

This is my adaptation of Rennel's recipe and this week I made it for my clients and they all loved it. I hope you give it a go its very easy and delicious, I eat it with brown rice and steamed cauliflower. Red lentils are a great source of protein and are rich in two amino acids that are essential for a vegetarian diet. Because lentils are cheap they are also a great source of iron.

2 cups red lentils
1 cup organic pumpkin, skinned and diced into small cubes
1/2 brown onion, diced small
2 tablespoons ghee
1 small red chilli
1 teaspoon garam masala (spice)
1 teaspoon cumin. ground
1 cup organic coconut milk
1 teaspoon grated fresh turmeric
1 teaspoon grated fresh ginger
3 cups filtered water

In a medium saucepan gently heat the ghee and fry the onion, chilli, turmeric and ginger
Add the spices and stir around, put in the red lentils and pour in the water so the lentils are covered, add in the pumpkin and cook for 25 minutes on a low temperature. If the water starts to absorb the lentils add a little more and lastly add the coconut milk and stir around tasting and adding a little sea salt if needed.

Chicken, fresh turmeric, shitake mushrooms, tamari, lime and ginger chilli garlic hotpot with kale

2011-06-01T13:27:00.010+10:00

This is a killer chicken hotpot, it will boost immunity, fight off any bugs and keep you strong and healthy. I even drank some left over broth, I just can't get enough of this yummy and extremely nutritious dish. My butcher at Richards meats cut the fresh bird into 8's (saves my knife) the skin on the bird adds a deep robust flavour. I browned the chicken in a saute pan and then finished the dish off in a slow cooker, alternatively you can use a stock pot. If you can cook this dish once a week over the cooler months.

1 fresh organic or hormone free chicken,
cut into 8
1 small knob fresh turmeric, sliced finely
4 garlic cloves, sliced finely
1 small red chilli, remove seeds and dice small
1 small knob ginger, sliced finely (don't worry too much about peeling the skin unless its not organic ginger)
1 litre free range chicken stock (I use pacific brand avail at always organics)
1/2 cup tamari (wheat free soy sauce)
2 carrots, peeled and cut into 6
1/2 bunch kale, roughly chopped
2 fresh limes, juiced
1 packet fresh shitake mushrooms, sliced finely

Heat a saute pan and brown the skin off the chicken, once done put into the slow cooker or stockpot.
In the same pan add the ginger, garlic, turmeric and chilli saute for 3-4 minutes adding a little water if it starts to burn.
In a small saucepan heat the chicken stock. Add all remaining ingredients except for the kale and carrot to the slow cooker and cook for 2 hours, at the 2 hour point add the kale and carrot and cook for a further 20 minutes. (You do this so the vegetables are fresh and crisp)
Taste and season accordingly, make a big pot of organic brown rice or basmati and enjoy

Turmeric

2011-05-30T16:30:00.012+10:00

We are now officially in full swing of winter, yikes. I live in a very old house which is beautiful, although freezing cold.
To conserve energy I'm wearing a mimco rastafarian style hat around the house. You can store so much heat in the head which spirals down to the body. Now I know why my boyfriend wears a beanie all through winter! I'm also making raw hot chocolate with date molasses by the bucket load.
But today it's all about turmeric, a few close people to me are down with the flu, not just any ordinary flu but a serious influenza that goes on for at least a fortnight. So I'm in my kitchen at lunch today chopping up fresh organic turmeric, garlic and ginger to make a super nutritional slow cooked asian hotpot, recipe will be up later in the week, hopefully by then the sun will be out so I can shoot in my kitchen which is all dark and gloomy from the rain.
Here is the low down on the magical turmeric:
Can be used as a delicious tonic (warm drink) taken with fresh lime and raw honey, can be grated raw into salads, used on steamed vegetables with organic flaxseed oil and lemon. Great in stir-fries, and my friend Dr Chris recommends a ratio of good fat and either black pepper or cayenne pepper to achieve it's full medicinal properties.
It's used as a power antioxidant and also to fight tumors of any kind. I use it in cooking in the cooler months to boost immunity and for optimal health. Buy some today!

Brussels sprouts with percorino

2011-05-26T12:28:00.007+10:00

Brussels sprouts are in high season so this makes me happy in the kitchen! I'm spreading the word of there nutritionally dense profile to my clients and anyone in my travels.

They grow on a single stalk and I have some photo's on my blog under travels from the San Fransisco farmers market, a very strange looking vegetable when its growing. They are a wild cabbage and part of brassica family known for its antioxidants and anti cancer properties.

I get my beautiful organic brussels sprouts from Alison and Gary at Always Organics

They are best prepared very simple and not overcooked, my childhood memories of my mum's version of boiled brussels sprouts almost scarred me for life but I decided a few years ago to give then another go!

1 kg organic brussels sprouts, clean and wash removing any damaged leaves
small amount extra virgin oil
small amount of ghee or clarified butter
1 clove garlic
percorino cheese, grated fresh
Celtic sea salt and pepper to season

With a small knife cut the brussels in half, in a saute pan gently heat the olive oil and ghee put in the garlic making sure you don't burn but keep temperature low, then add the brussels sprouts saute for 5 minutes until tender they will be golden.
Grate fresh percorino and season with celtic sea salt and pepper.

Brussels Sprouts

2011-05-22T16:00:00.005+10:00

These beautiful organic brussel sprouts are from Alison and Gary at Always Organics in Brookvale.

I have been shopping here since they first opened there doors, they are very passionate foodies and have extensive experience in the organic food industry. I have bought the best quality produce for my clients here for sometime and Alison can always tell me about where all the produce is from and give me expert information on any new products or existing products in store.

Most people have a love/hate relationship with the brussel sprout (including my boyfriend) Later in the week I will debunk this and embrace the brussel sprout with open arms and share a recipe, so stayed tune for this nutritionally dense vegetable to become part of your life.

Date, walnut and raw cacao protein balls

2011-05-20T14:20:00.012+10:00

These little balls of magic I created for my very special client Scott I have been cooking for Scott and his gorgeous partner Raelene for a month.

One of the main nutritional ingredients in this recipe is for brain health and the its walnuts. If you look closely at the walnut you will notice it actually looks like a brain, they are rich in essential fatty acids, vitamin e and also a good source of manganese and copper.

Raw cacao is also rich in minerals and there are studies linking it to increased memory and healthy brain function

These balls are so yummy and this recipe is very simple. Great as a snack to help you power on in the day.

1 cup fresh dates (take seeds out)
1/4 cup raw cacao ( I use loving earth)
1/2 cup organic shredded coconut to roll mixture in
1 cup raw walnuts
Organic coconut oil (optional)

Throw all these ingredients in to a food processor and whizz until mixture is like a dough then roll into small balls, roll in the shredded in coconut and keep in the fridge.

Quinoa, oat, spelt crunchy walnut and chocolate cookies

2011-05-07T14:24:00.004+10:00

I whipped up these cookies this morning as a snack for my boyfriends daughters to eat at roller derby tonight, and what the heck Kent, Anita and I will eat some too so luckily I made a big batch as you can see from the photo!

They are so easy and so yummy!

1 cup organic rolled oats

1 cup quinoa flakes

1 cup spelt flour (I use demeter as it's freshest and hand milled)

1 cup rapadura or panela sugar (pure sugar cane from brazil full of minerals and low-gi)

1 teaspoon baking powder ( I use bob's aluminium free)

250g organic butter

1 teaspoon pure vanilla

2 eggs (organic or biodynamic of course)

1 block organic dark chocolate (I use green and blacks which is also fair trade) chop into small pieces

200g raw walnuts

Preheat over to 170 degrees

Line some baking trays with baking paper

Put the walnuts on a tray and roast for 15 minutes ( you will be able to smell the amazing aroma) chop them small

In a medium bowl combine the oats, quinoa flakes, spelt flour, baking powder, and dark chocolate add the walnuts

In another bowl put the butter and cream until light and fluffy with hand beaters or use a commercial mixer, add the sugar and beat for a another 2 minutes, lastly add the eggs and beat until mixed add the vanilla and then mix in all the dry ingredients and stir by hand or with a wooden spoon

The mixture will be dense, break off small amounts the size of a small golf ball and then flatten onto the baking tray with your fingers

Bake for 15 minutes, they will be a chewy consistency try not to eat too many in one go!

Burrawong baked chicken, roasted pumpkin, garlic spinach and cultured olive cheese

2011-05-07T13:53:00.004+10:00

Yummo this is such a easy, delicious and nourishing meal, I got my butcher to bone the whole bird, I then seasoned it with sea salt, pepper some fresh rosemary from the garden and baked in moderate oven for 25 minutes, the roasted pumpkin started to caramelise ( the starch converted to sugar) I have been using the Babushka cultured cheese it quite a few recipes for clients it really is a beautiful and highly nutritional product click on the link for more info on cultured foods and probiotics, and the garlic spinach and slow cooked caramelised onions finished it off. The perfect weekend recipe. These burrawong chickens are all organic, pasture feed roaming free happy birds and you can taste it in every bite!

Healthy tuna and spinach bake with spelt rigatoni and sourdough breadcrumbs

2011-04-27T09:12:00.003+10:00

Returning home from a short easter break and missing cooking in my little kitchen I dug around my fridge and cupboard to find not much really! Hungry and craving some pasta I headed to the store and bought just a few ingredients to make a yummy nurturing pasta bake that I know all the kids will like and adults too.

When I have time on the weekends I often batch cook a red and green sauce and then pop into the freezer so I have on hand when I'm in need of a quick nutritious meal on the go. In this case I had a beautiful tomato, basil and chilli red sauce which I used for this dish. If you are time poor buy a good quality organic pasta sauce (without sugar) and add fresh herbs, garlic and chilli to spice it up.

In this recipe I also used a sustainable tuna from my organic shop, I used to use sirena italian tuna but did some research and realised the italian tunas are the most unsustainable on the market here s the below list from Green Peace rating tuna brands and sustainability

1. Greenseas
2. Coles
3. Aldi
4. Woolworths
5. Safcol
6. Paramount
7. John West
8. Sole Mare
9. IGA, Franklins and SPAR
10. Sirena

This recipe is rich in omega 3, complex carbohydrates, iron, vitamin c and also lots of fibre and calcium if your gluten free just swap the pasta for a gluten free brand

1 packet organic spelt or wholemeal rigatoni
3 cups home made tomato sauce (or store bought organic pasta sauce)
1 can sustainable tuna
1/2 bunch english spinach, blanched lightly then put through the food processor to chop finely
3 tablespoons organic sourdough breadcrumbs avail at Always Organics
1 cup grated organic cheddar or I often use Nimbin cheese (more economical)
Fresh pepper and sea salt to season

In a large pot bring water to the boil and add the spinach, blanch for 2 minutes ( to keep the nutrients) then drain and whiz through the food processor, in the same pot (let's save washing up!) boil more water and put in the pasta cooking to the instructions on pack, in a small saucepan heat the pasta sauce and add the tuna and spinach, also add fresh herbs and season with celtic sea salt and pepper.

When the pasta is cooked drain in a strainer and pour into a pyrex glass container large enough to hold the pasta, mix through the tomato sauce and tuna an then lastly top with cheddar and sour dough breadcrumbs, again season with fresh pepper an sea salt.

Bake in the oven on 170 degrees for 15 minutes uncovered and serve immediately

Apologies for the average photo I was shooting in the late afternoon on my iphone (not ideal!)

Roasted purple sweet potatoes

2011-04-08T17:50:00.003+10:00

Gary from Alway Organics excitedly showed me these beautiful purple sweet potato last week, and I became addicted to styling and photographing them just because they command attention. I love how you can see the white lines running throw the flesh.

These ones were quiet small around 10cm and I simply cut them in half and rubbed extra virgin olive oil and celtic sea salt and pepper all over, popping in the oven for fifteen minutes. They are so sweet and starchy I ate them for dessert.

The nutritional content is high and they have been named the next big Superfood, big call, anyhow the nutrient roll up is something like this ; rich in beta carotene, vitamin A and b vitamins, a complex carbohydrate (low gi) and it's great for stabilising blood sugar levels. I can imagine making this into a puree with cinnamon would be super delicious too!

Burrawong chicken schnitzel with cauliflower/broccoli cumin mash

2011-04-01T15:26:00.004+11:00

This is one of my favourite meals, I love schnitzel and make it really healthy with sourdough or gluten free breadcrumbs, biodynamic eggs and I fry in a little homemade organic ghee or coconut oil.

The cauliflower mash has is a great low carb option and cauliflower is top in the food chain for an anti-cancer prevention diet, it's it's also high in fibre.

This is an easy quick meal and highly nutritious and delicious. Ask your butcher to cut the breasts in half and you can then mallet at home gently so the flesh doesn't break.

2 chicken breasts flattened and schnitzel (how many people is the number of schnitzels you need)
2 eggs
1/2 cup spelt flour
breadcrumbs (I use Demeter or gluten free)
1/2 cauliflower
1 small broccoli
1 tablespoon cumin seeds
sea salt and pepper to taste
ghee or coconut oil to fry schnitzels
organic butter to flavour mash or rice milk if you are dairy free

Take the chicken, coat in the flour and then dip in egg then follow with the breadcrumbs, heat ghee in a skillet or fry pan and gently fry the schnitzel's turning over and golden on each side.

Cut the cauliflower and broccoli into small florets and boil in a saucepan of salt water for 15 minutes, drain off the water and mash with cumin, sea salt and pepper and either butter or rice milk taste and adjust to liking.

Biodynamic brown rice, broccoli, steamed tempeh and tamari

2011-03-28T20:09:00.003+11:00

The simplest meals are often the most nourishing and nutritious and I really enjoyed creating this dish for a quick lunch.
When I was vegan I ate tempeh by the truckloads now I eat animal products I don't feature it much in my culinary tool box. I have found the most delicious way to prepare it is steaming.

You can steam it for 15 minutes in a steamer basket, it becomes very moist and has a strong flavour. Tempeh originates in Indonesia and is a fermented soy product, it is more preferable than tofu because it is fermented it digests better and is rich in b12 and protein for plant based eaters.

First I cooked the rice, then steamed the tempeh, adding the broccoli right at the end so it is bright and crunch, I made a little sauce with tamari, grated ginger and a little of spiral cold pressed sesame seed oil, pouring it over at the end.

Dr Yuen Lee

2011-03-25T15:13:00.007+11:00

I'm very excited to just discover one of my favourite integrative doctor's in Sydney has a food blog. Dr Yuen Lee is a very talented doctor who specialises in women's health, she works at The Pymble Grove Medical Centre and uses food as medicine in her practice, she often sends me referrals and is a passionate foodie and dedicated practitioner so here is her blog for some more food wisdom

Bream with sourdough breadcrumbs, lemon, parsley and pine nuts

2011-03-21T12:48:00.004+11:00

My clients Christina and Rob surprised me with this fresh caught bream in their fridge I kept it simple with what I had in my produce box. This dish reminds me of my childhood, my late father had boat's and I would go fishing with him when I was around 8 we would go far out to sea and I remember seeing breaching whales and in his family my uncle is a commercial fisherman so I have a close connection with the ocean and it's edible creatures....

If you don't have any fresh caught fish of course that is ok you can go to your fish monger and buy some.

1 bunch parsley
2 tablespoons pine nuts
3 tablespoons sourdough breadcrumbs (I use demeter) or make fresh ones in the food processor
1 lemon, grated
Sea salt and pepper

Throw all these ingredients into a mortar and pestle and then stuff the fish, bake for 30 minutes

Salad for Ariana

2011-03-15T17:20:00.006+11:00

My Catalan friend Ariana came by for lunch and luckily I had some tempeh in the fridge because she is a vegetarian, I put together this simple and delicious salad in 10 minutes( seriously) and she loved it.......

1/3 block tempeh (fermented soybean originates in Indonesia)
1 tablespoon coconut oil ( i finally found one that doesn't go rancid and I'm going nuts over it! Oil4life
1/4 avocado
Salad Greens (whatever you have)
1 tablespoon balsamic vinegar
1 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil
Sea salt and pepper to season
Baby tomatoes
mung beans or sprouts

Cut the tempeh into think strips, in a skillet or fry pan (not teflon of course) heat the coconut oil and put in the tempeh turning over when crispy. Take out and put on a paper towel, assemble the other ingredients in a salad bowl and layer with the temepeh and avocado, dress with the vinegar and oil.

Baked root vegetables with rosemary and sea salt

2011-03-10T20:00:00.004+11:00

When one chilly day bestowed upon us here in Sydney going into Autumn my body craved some baked vegetables with chunks of sea salt and coriander, rosemary from my garden and baby tomatoes for a touch of sweetness.
Easy and delicious with some baked fish and fresh pesto or garlic mushroom and brown rice which is what I did.

1 medium size sweet potato
1 tablespoon celtic sea salt
freshly ground black pepper
coriander seeds cracked in a mortar and pestle with the salt and pepper
3 sprigs rosemary
a spanish onion
250g pumpkin
baby tomatoes
parsnip

Cut all the above vegetables into good size chunks throw in large bowl and season with the spice mix good quality olive oil and the baby tomatoes. Bake in a medium oven for 25 minutes

Harissa chickpea burgers with alaskan salmon, coriander and mint

2011-03-03T19:15:00.005+11:00

These burgers came about after a conversation with my friend Michal as I was explaining my dilemma in creating a menu for a bunch of childcare centres here in Sydney. She asked me what about fish balls ? Michal is Israeli Jewish and has the special culinary skills to to turn anything into a tasty ball of some kind. So here is my creation on a budget potentially for a child but definitely for an adult. I threw together a salad of mixed greens, mung beans and cherry tomatoes from my garden and just simply dressed with red wine vinegar and bio dynamic olive oil.

1 tin of chickpeas (for quickness)
1 tablespoon harissa (recipe on this blog)
1 tablespoon Celtic sea salt (the special ingredient they are quiet salty)
1 tin paramount Alaskan red salmon
2 eggs
1/2 cup sourdough organic breadcrumbs
handfuls of fresh coriander and mint

Throw all these ingredients except the eggs into a food processor
Pulse so that the ingredients are mixed well but not mush (very important)
Transfer the mixture from the bowl into a larger bowl and add the 2 beaten eggs
The mixture should be wet but not sloppy
now mould into patties and fry in a little organic ghee or coconut oil or if you prefer bake in the oven for 20 minutes on 170 degrees.

Spanish chicken casserole

2011-02-21T08:13:00.005+11:00

On the weekend I cooked a chicken casserole for a student who was having family and friends over for dinner, she asked me to cook a dish I had created in one of my cooking classes a year ago and as I put the ingredients together I realised what a beautiful and jam packed nutritional recipe it is. In the photograph are some ingredients fro the recipe, dutch cream potatoes and Sicilian green olives......the rest is as follows.

1 whole chicken (cut into 8) get your butcher to do this for you
3 cups chicken stock
1 bunch thyme
fresh pepper and sea salt to season
2 tablespoons organic clarified butter
1 brown onion (diced)
5 cloves garlic (cut into halves)
200g good quality green olives
2 tablespoons pine nuts - roasted
1 cup white wine
1 kg dutch cream potatoes

In a large stockpot saute the onions and garlic in the clarified butter, in a large fry pan seal the chicken and get the skin crispy.
Put the chicken into the stockpot with the fat from the fry pan and add all the remaining ingredients (it's so simple)
Cook for 25 minutes on medium heat and then serve with brown rice

Spinach, goats feta and lemon sumac borek

2011-02-08T16:09:00.006+11:00

I first came across the delicious borek when I was working for a very talented Israeli Moroccan caterer in Byron Bay, now in Sydney my dear Israeli friend Michal makes them and at Roshana I was re-united with them after my experience with Ronit in Byron Bay!

These ones I made in the photograph were for my friend Alison's birthday party I tried not to sneak any on my way to the party.

I was curious about the borek so went onto wikipedia and this is what it say's: 'Börek is very popular in the cuisines of the former Ottoman Empire, including North African cuisine. The Northern Slavic cuisines, historically developed by people living in close contact with the Turkic peoples of Asia and Europe, also feature derivatives of the börek. In Israel, börek is part of Mizrahi, Sephardic, and Palestinian traditions'

They are the perfect party canape and are really fun to put together!

Ingredients

1 bunch washed and chopped spinach
1 packet goat's feta
1 tablespoon sumac (avail at middle eastern supermarkets)
2 lemons juiced
Sea salt to season
1 packet good quality short crust pastry (check ingredients make sure no trans fats)
black sesame seeds

Method

Quickly cook the spinach and then cut even small, in a bowl add the feta, sumac and lemon and stir, taste and season.
Cut the pastry into 4 pieces and put some filling in the middle then fold up into a triangle shape and put on a baking tray
Sprinkle with black sesame seeds and back in an oven on 170 degrees for 20 minutes or golden and crispy.

Roasted pumpkin, cannelleni beans with buttery garlic brown rice and broccoli

2011-01-31T16:54:00.007+11:00

This is one of those meals that is created on the fly, you scrounge around your cupboard and fridge for whatever is left inside and you create something exciting and also totally delicious.

First I roasted the pumpkin to start the process.....

300g japanese pumpkin, skin off and cut into squares
1 can cannelleni beans
1 clove garlic, diced
2 tablespoons organic butter or ghee
left over brown rice or some kind of grain
small bunch broccoli or some greens to serve on the side

Roast the pumpkin for 25 minutes and make sure you season with good quality celtic sea salt and pepper.
Once the pumpkin is cooled a little mash it with the organic butter or ghee and add the cannelloni beans and garlic
Serve with vegetables and grain or eat as a spread with some top quality sourdough.

Don't underestimate the flavour of this, the beans and roasted pumpkin work really well together.

Cooking In Maesot

2011-01-20T16:27:00.009+11:00

This is Mo Mo she is a karen refugee who now lives in New Zealand, sometime ago when I was staying in Maesot in Nth Thailand on the border of Burma the ladies at the Borderline Cafe and Art Gallery found out I was a 'cooking artist' !. They put on a delicious traditional burmese lunch for me it was so special and Mo Mo is a great cook and a beautiful lady dedicated to burmese home-cooking with love for her friends, family and community. Special thanks to Bec for sending me there.

Red salmon curry with broccoli, spinach dashi broth and brown rice

2011-01-20T09:46:00.008+11:00

This recipe is very easy and contains dense nutrition it is cooked like a Chinese hotpot and I created it for my friend's son Sid who is on the autism spectrum, my friend she wanted to get a new fish recipe which was also dairy and gluten free that would give sid lots of essential fatty acids and good fats so there is organic ghee in here too. This recipe will help with providing stable energy and also help with his learning and cognitive function. We added the broccoli and spinach for extra folic acid and to bump up his vegetable intake. The dashi broth is what really brings out the flavour and denseness in this dish. Sid loves salmon so I was happy to make this dish for him he really loved it and it easy for his mum and grandmother to prepare.

1 large salmon fillet (skin off) 450-500g cut into 2cm cubes
1/2 head broccoli florets cut small
4 large spinach leaves
2 cups dashi stock ( I get mine from always organics in brookvale) and it is a spiral macrobiotic food product
1/2 brown onion (omit if pregnant)
2 tablespoons organic red curry paste
1 tablespoon ghee

Method

Saute the onion in the ghee until clear, add the curry paste and stir around until fragrant, add the broccoli and spinach and then the stock, cook for 5-7 minutes so the greens are still crisp, lastly add the salmon and cook quickly for 2 minutes so the salmon is very soft.

Also serve with a grain, we had brown rice and it was perfect.

Serves 4

Sunday breakfast

2011-01-16T12:15:00.006+11:00

After returning home from the frenchs forest farmer markets I was very hungry so I crawled into the garden and pulled out yellow and red baby tomatoes, basil and rocket and added to the scrambled eggs. I picked up some yummy spelt sourdough rolls with sunflower seeds and topped with sliced avocado's and biodynamic olive oil. Too easy.

My kitchen

2011-01-11T16:13:00.005+11:00

My kitchen has a small prep area but we have made it cosy, there is lots of natural light for taking photographs and a big window which looks out to a glorious green backyard and veggie garden. At times it can be challenging to work in, and friends are surprised when they drop by my kitchen, but the smells and warmth make it worthwhile and hey I'm a personal chef so can work in any old kitchen.

5 thing's to help make you a fantastic home cook.

1. good cook's knife
2. medium saucepan
3. grater
4. salad spinner
5. 3 wooden spoons

Banana, date, walnut and carrot small cakes with blackstrap molasses

2011-01-11T09:58:00.012+11:00

These small cakes are packed with dense nutrition, fibre, iron from the molasses and flavour. There easy and sweet enough with the dates, banana and molasses, the icing is quark with maple syrup and is truly delicious. I took some to my new gorgeous friend's Lisa and Adele from the Rancan Sisters they have a brand new boutique fitness studio in Mosman with a killer view up at Bradley's Head to inspire any workout.

3 bananas, mashed
2 carrots, grated
150g butter, melted
2 tablespoons black strap molasses (I use Spiral)
1/2 cup dates fresh or dried
2 eggs
1 teaspoon cardamon powder
1 teaspoon cinnamon
1/2 cup walnuts, chopped finely
2 cups organic wholemeal self raising flour or use plain spelt flour with 1 teaspoon aluminium free baking powder
1/2 cup greek yoghurt ( I use barrambah organic dairy)

Icing

1 tub quark (I use paris creek)
3 tablespoons Canadian pure maple syrup

Method

In a mixing bowl put the flour and spices, stir around, in another bowl mash the bananas and add the carrot and whisked eggs.
Put the dates chopped small in with the butter and melt, slowly add the flour and butter mixture and yoghurt hand stirring and mixing well, lastly add the molasses and walnuts and again stir well until you have a thick batter. Spoon into a cupcake tin and bake on 170 for 35 minutes.

When the cakes have cooled take the quark and beat with electric beaters adding the maple syrup until it's whipped.
Take a spatula and ice the small cakes.

White Christmas (healthy whole-food version for health fanatics)

2011-01-05T19:19:00.010+11:00

I know this is a really late blog entry and I should have written up this recipe 2 week's ago but I got busy cooking other thing's!

My boyfriend and family ate all my millet puffs and goji berry white Christmas and they couldn't believe it was a healthy version of this copha evil sweet. So here's my version.

This is the only time of the ever I ever use white chocolate in anything, I'm not a fan and it's devoid of any nutritional value but gotta keep the people happy in my cooking life! And when using a high quality white chocolate it makes this recipe super yummy.

2 blocks lindt almond white chocolate or green and blacks white chocolate
3 tablespoons extra virgin coconut oil
1 cup millet puffs from abundant earth
1/2 cup goji berries
1/2 cup dried apple sweetened cranberries
1/2 cup dried blueberries
1/2 cup raw pistachios
1/2 cup dried shredded coconut

Method

Melt the white chocolate and coconut oil in a bain maries, it will take a while as there is a low cocoa (fat) ratio so it will be thick add in some fat such as the coconut oil to help it along. In a mixing bowl mix the remaining ingredients then when the chocolate is thin and melted pour over. Line a 20cm square tin with baking paper and press the mixture in, refridgerate for 1 hour then cut into squares and serve.

Pickled sweet cherries

2011-01-05T19:00:00.005+11:00

If you have left over cherries on the decline in the fridge looking all sad and lonely and are wondering what do to with them (as I was) a great idea I came across in Stephanie Alexander's cookbook was to pickle them, I adapted the recipe for my own liking and now my kitchen reeks of white wine vinegar.

Cherries contain anthocyanins which can reduce inflammation, you may have seen cherry juice in the healthy food store and it is often used for gout and arthritis. They also lower blood levels of cholesterol and triglycerides and they are very delicious fresh or pickled.

500g fresh sweet cherries red or yellow (yellow are not as sweet)
300g organic mountain raw sugar
500g white wine vinegar
1 star anise
3 cardamon pods
1 cinnamon stick

Method

Fill a pretty jar with the cherries (stems removed)
In a sauce pan gently heat the white wine vinegar, sugar and spices, cook for ten minutes.
Cool mixture and pour over cherries, wait one week to eat.
Will keep one year, they might just get many wrinkles.

Raspberry dark chocolate brownies

2011-01-03T14:56:00.007+11:00

This recipe belongs to my dear friend Michal Nassi from my kitchen wisdom in Bondi, Sydney.
Michal is one clever baker, and specialises in gluten free baking, she also mentors me through any baking crisis and will help blame it on my gas oven.

It's a quick and easy recipe and waiting for the brownies to cool for half an hour after taking from the oven helps them firm up a little, great sweet for a party I recently took a batch of brownies to my friend's daughters first party and they went down a treat.

This is super sweet and a little bite goes a long way.

Health benefits from this you ask? Dark chocolate in small amounts is a powerful antioxidant it also gives you a power up if your studying or need a boost without compromising adrenals with coffee, raspberries are sweet sour and jam packed with vitamin c, and can be eaten with almost anything and good when paired with a soft cheese like marinated goats feta.

Enjoy.

150g dark chocolate
150g butter
250g panela or rapadura sugar
3 eggs
1 teaspoon vanilla
85g flour ( spelt, rye, buckwheat or barley)
100g raspberries

Method

In a baine marie melt the chocolate and butter, taking a small bowl beat the eggs and sugar until pale and creamy, add the vanilla, hand stir in the flour mixture, lastly add the chocolate mixture and raspberries, stir gently until mixed.
Take a 28cm lamingtim style tin and line with paper overlapping the edges, pour in the mixture and bake in a moderate oven 165 (gas) 175 (electricity) for 40 minutes.

Cool then eat

Panela sugar from columbia

2010-12-29T08:00:00.004+11:00

I'm taking a break from rapadura sugar and have been using panela in baking and also in my tea in the morning, I like it because it's a hybrid of molasses and brown sugar it's made by cooking the juice from sugar cane into a thick sticky good which is then moulded into blocks. There is so many dangers around consuming white and refined sugars, in my kitchen panela is getting a good workout. You can buy it from your organic grocer or whole foods store, it's around $4 a packet and I can imagine this will taste great with porridge in winter with fresh berries. On a food as medicine tip it's super high in minerals and is a low gi food for those with blood sugar issues.

Ten tips to get you through the in-between week

2010-12-27T21:42:00.007+11:00

1. Eat less, yes, even the Christmas left-overs

2. Connect with friends and family

3. Drink lots of water, and if your drinking more alcohol than usual have 2 glasses water per alcoholic drink

4. Review the year, appreciate your accomplishments and focus on these for next year

5. Start the day with some spirilina in organic apple juice, mix furiously with a teaspoon or have with yogurt and fruit

6. Be grateful for what you have and keep relaxed and calm so you end the year well

7. Clear out the fridge and cupboard of expired processed and packaged foods (yikes I'm hoping you don't have any of these in the first place !) let's call them dry good's.

8. Start cooking a little more each day and be free with you improvisation of recipes, a chef whom I admire once told me you can always fix a cooking mistake just don't be afraid to try new thing's.

9. Cook with love and reckless abandonment

10. Be kind to strangers and smile at one new person as you have time this is the in-between week.

Chef goes surfing

2010-12-27T21:26:00.003+11:00

Yeah so it is the in-between week which means working from home and playing with friends in the sea, although the weather has been so crap so I have been in a movie marathon catching up on new films and some old ones. Christmas lunch was at my aunt's and I'm not allowed to lift a finger so I have had my head in cookbooks the last 2 day's getting ready for new menu's and a cooking extravaganza. My boyfriend gave me Jamie's America cookbook for chrissie and what a treat, since my recent USA trip's and doing the food styling gig for Mad Mex, I can't get enough of this amazingly fresh and delicious cuisine so get ready for some Mexican wholefoods.
Hope your relaxing enjoying the in-between week somewhere warm or maybe in the surf like me.

Christmas sweet pumpkin pie with no crust (gluten free)

2010-12-23T13:45:00.006+11:00

I love a good pumpkin pie even though it's more american than australian I revel in it's creaminess and spiciness, I used some spices that I smuggled back from a herbal apothecary in east village new york, the mixed pumpkin pie spice has cinnamon, nutmeg, ginger, cloves and cardamom. Today cooking this in my kitchen I explored a pie with no crust, I'm not so skilled with pastry and have wheat intolerances so I opted for no crust and this is the delightful result.
It's so easy and the longest part of this recipe is roasting the pumpkin, so I painted my nails while I was waiting for the pumpkin to roast. I can imagine this doesn't need anything to go along with it just simply slice and eat.

500g butternut pumpkin, skinned and cut into small chunks
1 tablespoon sweet spices (see mix above)
1 cup coconut milk
1 tablespoon arrowroot
3 eggs
1/2 rapadura sugar
1 tablespoon shredded coconut I use loving earth brand

Method

Lightly coat the pumpkin with extra virgin olive oil and put on a baking tray to cook for 30 minutes
In a food processor add the pumpkin, spices, sugar, coconut milk, eggs and arrowroot and pulse until blended very well.
Grease a pie dish and pour in the mixture, sprinkling some coconut on top
Bake on 160 degrees for 40 minutes

Masterchef live and otway free range pork

2010-12-14T17:00:00.008+11:00

All last weekend I helped out with otway free range pork and cooking different products for people to try.
Here I am with damien and demo chef chris both visiting from melbourne. I missed the whole ' master chef' hype but got around to some talks by chefs and met some really cool foodies, the heart and soul of food land the makers of products and the unknowns. Nuff said. If your interested in finding out about free range piggies living in ecohuts go to otway pork It's the only pork product in australia to be certified by the RSPCA.....

Mahi mahi fish with lime, turmeric, ginger, coriander, chilli, hawaii style

2010-12-13T15:58:00.008+11:00

I'm winding down from my Hawaiian trip as I slink back into the Sydney pace (but I'll keep my Hawaii laid back vibe!)

This is a dish I created for my new man, a dish that is sweet, salty, a touch of heat and sour from the limes, to accompany this dish was a papaya tomato and cucumber coriander salsa with lot's of fresh lime juice and also a basmati pilaf.

I picked up the fish from my local fish monger in Balgowlah and was so happy to find Mahi Mahi, it is a thick white fish but actually light when digested, it is super yummy and this recipe was designed around it.

Enjoy!

3 mahi mahi fillets (around 800grams try and get similar sized fillets)
2 limes, juiced
3 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
1 small red chilli
3 small slithers ginger
1 teaspoon turmeric paste ( I use pure foods a new organic spice company, it's a wet paste and turmeric is a cancer fighter and antioxidant)
1/4 bunch fresh coriander
6 baby tomatoes (these are from my garden)

Method

Lay the fish down in a baking dish and mix all the above ingredients into a marinade pouring over the top, decorate with tomatoes and coriander and bake for 30 minutes on 170 degrees cover with foil.

Sea Asparagus

2010-12-07T07:25:00.010+11:00

I picked up some Sea Asparagus at the Honolulu farmers markets from a beautiful couple that harvest this interesting product in Kahuku, the texture is crunchy twig like, the taste salty and clean nothing quite like I have tasted. It's also know as Sea beans, Samphire and Glasswort.

Described on there information fact sheet as a exotic gourmet vegetable with ocean taste and refreshing crunchy texture,(similar to the way I described it) the food as medicine benefits are remarkable it protects the liver, increases healthy mood, enhances stamina and reduces cancer.

Also rich in vitamin A, iron, sodium and calcium.

All I can say is yum yum, I ate it with a cold soba noodle salad from the ramen diner up the road and it was delicious.

Honolulu farmers markets

2010-12-06T15:18:00.013+11:00

I have been visiting Hawaii for the last week, I'm in love with this place, the people, it's spirit, the cool asian fusion food and the fresh organic produce from the farmers markets up at Diamond Head every saturday. I went crazy taking photo's and trying some culinary delights. The highlight been a pesto, roma tomato pizza, the line was long but it was worth it every bite was an explosion of farm fresh ingredients and homemade wholemeal pizza dough.

Ocean trout with smashed new potatoes, salty chickpeas, garlic, kale and green beans

2010-11-19T11:23:00.007+11:00

Once again everything remaining in the fridge find's it way into a recipe for a late lunch, I love the different flavours and minimal fuss it took to prepare this meal, high in essential fatty acids the ocean trout comes from Hooked in greenwich a family run fish shop that also is a cafe and makes great salads, I have this habit of shopping for my client there and arriving just as they are carving up the trout or seconds after. It's a very oily fish (much oily than salmon) and also has much more flavour.
The kale came straight from my garden and the sun-dried tomatoes from Sonia's lebanese shop in Northbridge, bless you Sonia for your culinary advice and also recipes and delightful warmth.

1 piece ocean trout
sea salt and pepper to season
clarified butter or ghee to cook in
handful green beans trimmed
6 new potatoes, cut in half and boiled until al dente
handful sun dried tomatoes
kale
1 clove garlic
cumin powder
1 cup chickpeas

Bring a pot of water to the boil and add the potatoes, cook for 8 minutes
Rub the salt and pepper into the skin of the trout
In a saute pan heat the butter or ghee gently and put the fish in skin down
When the potatoes are a minute off done throw in the beans for a quick blanch
Once the skin is crispy on the fish turn over (around 3 minutes) and cook until medium rare
Set the fish aside and add the garlic and cumin the the pan and gently fry, add the potatoes and press down with the back of a spoon or potato mash until flat and so they can soak up the flavour, add the kale, beans and sun-dried tomatoes and stir well.

Serve on a bed of salty chickpeas and put the fish on the top of the chickpeas

Summer salad

2010-11-12T15:24:00.004+11:00

I have arrived back at home with a flourishing and delicious garden after the rain, so today's lunch is a combo of thing's from the fridge and thing's from the garden and of course the top ingredient the Capra ash goat's cheese all the way from bairnsdale!

Rocket
grape tomatoes, cut in half
1 cucumber peeled and sliced thinly
cannelloni beans
half a lemon
caper berries
Capra ash goats cheese
extra virgin olive oil
half a avocado
sea salt
pepper

Combine all ingredients on a plate and have with some rye sourdough

Capra organic goat's cheese

2010-11-12T15:17:00.002+11:00

Emma, Matt and baby Selwyn from whom I met at the conference, I transported some of there beautiful handcrafted cheeses in an esky in my suitcase and they made it back to Sydney and yes they are beautiful. They have been winning awards all over Victoria and soon they will be available in Sydney, completely certified organic, Emma has a background as a naturopath and in total they have 65 goat's that they milk twice everyday of the year!

Organic famers association conference bairnsdale, victoria

2010-11-12T15:03:00.007+11:00

I really am blessed with my life, I have just returned from a guest speaker spot at the organic farmers assoc conference on the weekend, I spoke to 125 organic famers, educators and food producers, it was so inspiring and enriching to tell my story and also meet so many wonderful people working from the heart on the land and changing the face of australian agriculture.

The stories were uplifting and encouraging, the highlight speakers for me were Nigel Kieran who won farmer of the year in 2008, and also Shane Blundy a beef and lamb farmer from Cherry Tree Organics, there stories of resilience, diversity and respect for nature blew me away, learnt alot about the challenges of organic crop farming and grazing.

Another highlight was meet Kane a young man from a third generation or organic famers just oustide Bairnsdale, his story of resilience was growing up with deaf parents and his father running a very successful organic crop farm. My late father was very passionate about holistic land management n his own work and also social nutrition so everything he had taught me about respecting nature and working with her and not using harsh pesticides or chemicals really resonated with me on this trip.

Thanks to Stephen Cross and the people of Bairnsdale for there openness and hospitality.

Crispy salmon with speckled kale, tomatoes, garlic and aioli with asparagus

2010-10-12T19:34:00.009+11:00

Dinner with my flatmate and good friend Johnny, had to run outside to shoot and just caught the end of day light and dinner wasn't so cold! The photo has some orange toes in it, a bit quirky I liked the contrast. (that's what food photographer joshua dasey has taught me and helped me with understanding the art of food styling :)

We have just started watching the organic food special on Insight, what a bummer they don't have any cutting edge interesting farmers/ producers on board and it's disappointing and boring. Let's talk about sustainable and local produce, I wonder what Alice Waters would have to say ?

This is basically everything I had left in the fridge and I'm lucky because the dish just came together and was very yummy!

300g Australian salmon
1 bunch kale ( i got this unusual bunch from the farmers markets it is light green flecked with white, very stunning)
2 cloves garlic, finely diced
1 tablespoon clarified butter
1 packet baby tomatoes
1 bunch asparagus
Aioli to serve

Heat butter in fry pan or saute garlic, add tomatoes cook for 2 minutes add kale and cook for further 2 minutes,

Set aside

Season skin of salmon with sea salt and pepper, cook quick and on a high temperature to crisp up skin, turn over cook for another 5, best to serve med - rare.

Blanch asparagus and serve on a plate with salmon and vegetables

Bon apetite

Clarified butter

2010-10-09T13:54:00.007+11:00

2 sticks butter (organic I used a NZ brand organic valley, not bad produces a quality ghee/clarified butter)

Put butter in saucepan, turn the heat up to bring to a slight bubble, then turn down for 20 minutes, you can thrown in garlic, leek, chili, cinnamon if you want something different which is how the Ethiopians make there ghee.

Clarified butter and ghee is really the same thing just different names for different cultures.

It is super healthy and keep food at a stable temperature when cooking, it adds a delicate flavour to a dish.

Simple Ingredients part two the meal.

2010-10-09T13:45:00.006+11:00

The finished simple ingredients.

Ten minutes is all it took for this yummy lunch

Simple Ingredients

2010-10-09T13:10:00.007+11:00

Saturday lunch before work.

Bunch asparagus (currently in season and great deals around, I got 3 bunches for $10)

Angus beef scotch fillet (grass fed, so delicious - look at that fat marbling)

Mushrooms

Worcestershire sauce

Cream

Clarified butter

Sea salt and pepper

Ok so this is how I like to cook, 3-4 simple ingredients, let the food speak for itself.

Take fry pan and put in a tablespoon clarified butter.

Saute mushrooms for 3 minutes

Add scotch fillet 2 minutes each side (should be blood)

Pour in 3-4 tablespoons Worcestershire sauce and some cream

Season with salt and pepper

Blanch asparagus 30 seconds.

Serve on a white plate, make it look beautiful.

Who would believe I was a vegetarian for ten years! this is what happens when you have butchers in your family, you go back to your roots.

Please use only excellent quality meat, make friends with your local butcher, try unusual cuts. Don't buy your meat from Woolworths or Coles, buy it fresh if preferable just killed and carved.

Check out Grassroots Butcher if your on the Eastside of Sydney (Vaucluse)

Mexican nachos with red kidney beans, sweet tomatoes, creme fraiche and goat's cheddar

2010-09-25T15:07:00.008+10:00

My chiropractor inspired this recipe, she told me vegetarian nachos are her favourite food, well damn I think they are ONE of my favourite foods and when I'm in the states I eat so much real mexican (not tex mex) it makes me feel nourished and is real soul food yum yum. Lot's of protein and crunchy goodness!

I had some left over basmati pilaf that I served with it too and made guacamole

1 can organic kidney beans
1 teaspoon cumin, ground
1 clove garlic. diced
sweet baby tomatoes
organic plain corn chips (gmo free)
creme fraiche to serve I used tatua farms a new band I found at harris farm
goat's cheddar this is from alpine farms and really so good
1 avocado
jalapeno peppers
and chololula hot sauce (arbol and piquin peppers) beautiful glass bottle with a wooden lid and rock a billy style picture of mexican mamma on the front label!

Method

Gently fry garlic, add cumin , sweet baby tomatoes and red kidney beans for 3 minutes, mash (into semi-refried bean situation)
On a tray lay corn chips and add red kidney bean mixture, grate the goat's cheddar and stick under the grill for 3 minutes

Serve with creme fraiche (European cultured cream) and guacamole with a little hot cholula sauce

Serves 2

Lamb meatballs with cumin, parsley pesto and tomato eggplant, capsicum spicy sauce

2010-09-10T09:45:00.007+10:00

Ah more meatballs, this time lamb, last night I gave a seminar to a group of girls that train with my friend Sarah from Pure Fitness Manly the title was smart eating for busy people, all the knowledge that I have on food and health at the end of the day needs to be translated into recipes, this is smart eating, cooking 80-90% of your food, consciously shopping, knowing where your ingredients are coming from. Health = food choices, Diet = how you prepare those foods and translate them into recipes.

1kg lamb mince (ask you butcher to do fresh)
1 tablespoon cumin seeds, ground in mortar and pestle (or ground cumin)
sea salt and pepper to season
1 tablespoon parsley pesto (recipe on blog with chicken meatballs)

tomato sauce

1 jar passata
2 cups chicken broth (stock)
1/2 yellow capsicum, cut into fine strips
4 baby eggplants (or 1 medium size eggplant) sliced finely
1/2 rd onion, diced finely
1 red chilli, diced finely
1 tablespoon ghee
1 carrot, diced into cubes
200g pumpkin, cut into cubes

Method

Preheat oven to 10 degrees
Take the lamb mince, cumin seeds, pesto and season in a bowl, mix with your hands very well, then roll into small balls, bake on in over for 20 minutes (should be a little pink on the inside)
On another baking tray place the eggplants and rub extra virgin olive oil into them and season again with sea salt and pepper

In a saucepan gently saute the red onion and chili in ghee, add the capsicum, and then the stock and tomato passata, pump kin and also carrot cook on lo heat for 20 minutes.

When the eggplant is cooked, cut up into small squares and then add to tomato sauce, stir around and serve with meatballs and some basmati or brown rice, these meatballs keep int he freezer really well I always make large batches of the sauce too so I have them ready to go for busy days.

Roasted pumpkin salad with spinach, walnuts, cucumber, coriander

2010-09-10T09:30:00.003+10:00

This salad is really easy and super yummy, my family came over for lunch on Father's Day it was a sunny and windy day, but we love the sun and took the opportunity to sit outside in our wonderful garden. This salad was a combination of a few thing's I had left over in the fridge and I used the white bean sumac puree as the salad dressing, whizzing it in the blender with a little water to move the texture from a puree to a dressing.

Baby spinach, washed
200g Japanese pumpkin, diced small
handful fresh walnuts
1 cucumber, skin off and diced into small cubes
Sheep's feta
cherry tomatoes, cut in half

dressing

*****see below recipe lamb, quinoa, and white bean sumac dressing

Method

Roast the pumpkin for around 20 minutes with a little olive oil and sea salt and pepper the tomatoes also in the oven and roast for the same time.
Lay all the ingredients onto a beautiful plate and lastly roast the walnuts for ten minutes and sprinkle on top pouring white bean sumac dressing all over and some sheep's feta

Rosh Hashanah

2010-09-10T09:06:00.005+10:00

Last Wednesday night was Rosh hashanah - Jewish New Year my very good friends Michal and Shai invited me to celebrate with a bunch of beautiful people some Israeli's some non - Israeli's, it was so wonderful.

Michal is an amazing cook and the dishes were delicious, some Israeli, an Arabic dessert with rosewater, we were very blessed.

Lamb, spinach , quinoa and white bean sumac puree

2010-09-03T16:23:00.007+10:00

What a week, my car hit the dust and has been in the mechanic's all week, I caught a cab to get ingredients for a catering gig and kept smiling, (!) I have been on foot, borrowing friend's cars if absolutely necessary and using the opportunity to be indoors and focus on planning workshops and recipe development. Also of course I have been cooking, cooking and dreaming and thinking about food. Sometimes been without the freedom of a car brings you back to the important stuff in life.
This recipe is dedicated to my late father, as it is father's day this Sunday and he is in my mind and heart everyday but especially this week. So at this sad time for me, I pour that (e)motion into my craft; cooking. My father was a coeliac and very passionate about food, good health and nature he inspires me in my work today.
This dish is very delicious and the sumac and white bean puree brings a smooth and salty taste to the dish. Enjoy and hopefully you may make this meal for a father or loved one.

1 lamb back strap (if cooking for 4, do 2)
1 cup cooked quinoa
1/2 bunch spinach, finely chopped
sea salt and pepper to season
extra virgin olive oil

white bean puree
1 can cannelloni beans
1 clove garlic
1 lemon, juiced
1 tablespoon sumac (middle eastern berry)
1 teaspoon sea salt
1 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil

Method

Take all the puree ingredients and put into a food processor, buzz until smooth, taste, add salt and check it's balanced, slightly salty, and sour.

Season the lamb back strap with sea salt and pepper and rub oil on either side of the meat, turn the skillet or fry pan up high, then when hot add the lamb, cook for 3 minutes each side then rest for a further 10 minutes
In the same skillet/frypan throw in the finely chopped spinach and cook quickly for a few minutes, slice the lamb thinly it should be pink inside, on a plate lay the spinach first, then the quinoa and sliced lamb, add the puree around the plat so it looks good.

Serves 2

Raspberry, banana and coconut muffins - gluten and dairy free

2010-09-01T16:42:00.004+10:00

I'm exploring gluten free baking and this recipe works really well, I adapted it from an easy gluten free baking book from the states, these muffins are moist and sweet enough. All the flours work really well and the buckwheat brings out a nutty flavour.
Make a batch and give them away to your friends.

1 cup raspberries
1 banana
1 cup brown rice flour
1/4 buckwheat flour
1/4 besan (chickpea flour)
1/4 arrowroot starch
2 eggs
1 cup agave syrup
1 teaspoon baking powder
1/4 cup coconut oil

Method

Preheat the oven to 170 degrees
Grease a cupcake or muffin tray with a little butter
In a mixing bowl, combine all flours and the baking powder
Melt the coconut oil
In another bowl, mash the banana, add raspberries and eggs and agave syrup and coconut oil, add the wet and dry ingredients together.
Bake for 20 minutes

Chicken meatballs with parsley pesto and roasted red capsicum tomato jus

2010-09-01T16:14:00.011+10:00

Thanks to Michal my dear Israeli friend for always inspiring a meatball makeover.
Yep so easy and such a great way to get protein in a simple form, you can reheat them in a saucepan with sauce, you can steam them to rejuvenate and always have them on hand for last minute to add with some vegetables and perhaps a grain if you desire. The secret ingredient to these meatballs is the preserved lemon and parsley pesto giving them a zingy flavour.

500g organic or certified free range mince chicken ( I use la ionica) ask your butcher to mince fresh
100g green beans, diced finely
1 tablespoon parsley pesto (recipe below)
sea salt and pepper to taste
small amount dried chilli flakes
1/4 preserved lemon, diced finely (pulp and skin)

parsley pesto
1 bunch parsley
handful of raw almonds
2 garlic cloves
1/4 cup extra quality olive oil
dash sea salt

red capsicum sauce
1 red capsicum
2 cans diced tomatoes
1 tablespoon cumin seeds
1/2 fennel dced finely
1 cup vegetable or chicken stock

Method

Take the mince chicken, parsley pesto, green beans, preserved lemon, and mix together, form into small balls and bake in the oven for 20 minutes
Roast the capsicum for 20 minutes and peel the skin off, saute the fennel, cumin seeds and add the tomatoes and stock, cook for 10 minutes, in a blender place the tomato sauce and red capsicum and blend until mixed
serve the meatballs with red sauce and green vegetables.

Storage hint - you can freeze meatballs and sauce in container and simply reheat and make fresh vegetables to go with it

Brown rice porridge with passionfruit, olive oil and agave

2010-08-20T10:26:00.005+10:00

I recently found that I need to be on a gluten free diet, so breakfasts have changed and this creation is not only nourishing it is really delicious and will keep you going through to lunch time.

You can be creative as you like and put dates and figs in this porridge, just soak them in water the evening before to soften them.

1 cup cooked brown rice (cook up 3 cups in advance and store in a glass pyrex container so you have it ready to go)
2 tablespoons raw walnuts, chopped
1 tablespoon agave
1/2 cup bonsoy milk (or whatever milk suits you)
1 passionfruit seeds
1 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil

Put all the above ingredients into a small saucepan and stir through until warm and serve

Sydney Cooking School

2010-08-17T18:05:00.002+10:00

Last night I went along to the opening of the new Sydney Cooking School it is a beautiful kitchen with fisher and paykel appliances and the owners Camilla and Brett are two very experienced and passionate chef's. The canapes were delicious especially the paella which was cooked by one of Brett's chef's from Spain.
Exciting news for foodies in Sydney!

Madras coconut curry with tempeh, spinach and cauliflower

2010-07-13T13:48:00.005+10:00

A delicious curry with a smooth coconut broth taste that lingers on the palate, make a big batch and you can keep in a large glass pyrex container and keep in the fridge for at least 4 day's. I have this with brown rice and eat for lunch and dinner until it's all gone!

For those not familiar with tempeh, it is a fermented soybean and has a nutty quality, When I worked at Fressen vegan restaurant in toronto we used to have an incubator and make out own, to this day I have never found one as delicious as that one. You can buy it in the dairy section of the grocer and it is used often in balinese cuisine. Try slicing it thinly and frying it in organic coconut oil for a cold day, and then eat it with brown rice and a good chutney and brocoli.

1/4 cauliflower, cut into florets (so they look pretty)
200g Japanese pumpkin, skin on, cut into large cubes
1/2 packet tempeh, cut into small squares
1/2 brown onion
1 Spinach leaf, sliced finely
1 tablespoon organic homemade ghee or coconut oil
1 small part of ginger grated
1 garlic clove, grated
2 tablespoons madras curry powder from Indian supermarket
2 cups vegetable stock
1 can spiral coconut milk

Method

In a steamer basket place the pumpkin and tempeh and steam for approx 7-8 minutes, add the cauliflower for a further 5 minutes. Once cooked strain and set aside. In a fry pan gently saute the onion, garlic and ginger until translucent and add the curry powder, stir the curry powder into the aromatics for a a minute and then add the vegetables and tempeh followed by stock and coconut milk. Cook for a further 5 minutes

Cumin, roasted sweet potato and black bean soup with a hint of chilli

2010-07-11T15:15:00.006+10:00

This soup is packed with protein and the ghee and chilli adds some delightful flavour, enjoy on a chilly day to warm the heart and peripheral circulation!

3 small sweet potato, peeled and cubed
2 cans goya black beans
1 garlic clove, diced
1 small brown onion, diced
1 litre vegetable stock
2 tablespoons homemade ghee
1 teaspoon cumin, ground
1 teaspoon chilli, ground

Preheat the oven to 170 degrees
Line baking tray with paper
Roast sweet potatoes for 25 minutes until soft and golden
In fry pan gently saute the onion and garlic in ghee and add the cumin and chilli cook until translucent
Once the roasted sweet potato has cooled place in a blender with the black beans, sweet potato, stock, garlic, onion and blend until combined

Food Miles

2010-06-28T18:31:00.004+10:00

Food MIles

As we all get caught up in organic and biodynamic food/produce and farming practice it is equally as important to think about Food Miles and where has this organic strawberry come from, because if it's travelled from Victoria I'm really not interested.

A couple from Canada have written a book called the '100 mile diet' which has kinda started a movement in other cities and countries and is a great concept.

This was an article recently in the SMH and discusses Food Miles and Carbon foot print please read

Lion Burger

2010-06-25T17:49:00.003+10:00

I have been caught up in the soccer and needing to pull myself away from the tv screen and get back into the kitchen to whip up some delights, I came across this disturbing article on lion burgers

Simple breakfast

2010-06-15T17:26:00.005+10:00

A simple quick, healthy and nutritious start to the day inspired by breakfast at pilu kiosk which is next door to the restaurant in freshwater with killer views of the beach

2 slices sonoma spelt sourdough bread
1/2 organic avocado
sea salt and pepper to taste
extra virgin olive oil (top shelf best quality you can get)
1/4 lemon

Slice your avocado in half and then slice pieces thinly
Toast bread
Lay avocado on bread and drizzle with olive oil, lemon and season

Roasted chestnut soup

2010-06-10T16:36:00.006+10:00

Thanks michal for this recipe I have changed it slightly but not much because it works beautifully and I can't get enough of chestnuts right now they are so full of flavour and unique in texture and taste, they are considered to be from the nut family. This recipe takes awhile as preparing the chestnuts is quiet a task but well worth it

1kg chestnuts
2 cups vegetable stock
1 cup whole organic milk or almond milk
pepper and sea salt to taste
2 tablespoons ghee
1/2 brown onion, finely chopped
1 clove garlic, finely chopped
1 sprig rosemary

Preheat the oven to 170 degrees
Take the chestnuts and place an x on one side so that the steam can escape whilst roasting, put them on a baking tray and bake for 20-25minutes. When there ready you will know because the shell will easily come off, you need to take the shell off while they are still hot, so keep them wrapped up in a tea towel to keep the heat in.
put the ghee in saucepan and gently heat, add the onion and garlic stir around add the chestnuts (without shells), milk and stock plus the rosemary, cook for a furthur 20 minutes on low heat.
Puree in a blender until smooth and serve.

Jerusalem artichoke soup with rosemary

2010-06-06T14:03:00.013+10:00

Fresh from the organic markets Jerusalem artichokes, they are a funny looking vegetable knobbly and awkward.
The rosemary really makes this recipe. Enjoy with a La tartine baguette and a splash of extra virgin olive oil

1 kg Jerusalem artichokes
2 cups vegetable stock
1 cup whole organic milk
1/2 brown onion, diced
1 garlic clove, crushed
1 full sprig rosemary
1 tablespoons organic ghee or extra virgin olive oil
1 celery stick, sliced finely

Peel the artichokes as well as you can, and splash with extra virgin olive oil and fresh pepper, place on a baking tray and bake for 20 minutes on 170 degrees.
In a saucepan gently heat the ghee or oil and add the garlic, onion, rosemary and celery gently saute for 2-3 minutes.
Once the artichokes are golden and soft add to the saucepan alongside with the milk and stock cook for a further 20 minutes on a low to medium heat ( you do not want the soup boiling or bubbling)
Once cool, puree in and serve.

Cranberrries, oat, roasted walnut and spelt anzac cookies

2010-06-01T20:42:00.012+10:00

These cookies just might be my best one's yet, they have an unusual crunch and the cranberry and walnuts are a perfect match.

1 cup organic dried cranberries (try and find apple juice sweetened one's)
1 cup biodynamic oats
2 cups wholemeal spelt flour
1/2 stick organic butter
2 tablespoons raw honey
1 cup rapadura sugar
1 cup walnuts
1/2 teaspoon aluminium free baking powder

Preheat the oven and on roast walnuts on a baking tray for 5 minutes or until crispy and light in colour on skins.
Chop walnuts roughly and set aside.
In a mixing bowl combine flour, baking powder, oats, cranberries and sugar
In a saucepan gently melt the butter and honey and then add to dry four oat mixture and stir with a wooden spoon until well combined.
Take a spoon and drop mixture onto baking tray then flatten.
Bake for 12 minutes and cool.

Raspberry, white chocolate spelt and buckwheat muffins

2010-05-29T20:16:00.005+10:00

Today I adapted these muffins from a recipe in Good to the grain cookbook I baked them for my little friend Atticus who turned 3. He requested pink or strawberry cupcakes these worked a treat for all the children and adults.

1 cup spelt flour
1/2 cup buckwheat flour
1 block fair trade white chocolate
2 cups raspberries (frozen)
3/4 stick organic butter
1/2 cup panela sugar
1/2 cup buttermilk
2 eggs

Preheat the oven to 170 degrees
Lightly grease the mini muffin tins with butter
Make sure the butter is room temperature and cut into small cubes to put in a bowl with the panela sugar.
Beat with electric beaters or use mix master to blend until pale and creamy. Add the eggs and butter milk and mix until combined. In another bowl sift the flour and add raspberries and cut the white chocolate into small pieces to add too.
Now take the butter mixture and add to the flour mixture and hand stir with wooden spoon until blended
Drop a spoon full of the mixture into each hole in the muffin tin.
Bake for 20 minutes

Taste buddy

2010-05-28T08:07:00.003+10:00

Recipe journal written by friends and famiy and put together by cool foodie Chelsea Stevens Tastebuddy

Laionica chickens

2010-05-27T18:00:00.005+10:00

Let's get this straight yesterday I heard on Twitter that Laionica chemical free birds are dipped and bleached, today I checked with my very thorough and ethical butcher and he told me he has visited the production plant and that is rubbish!
La Ionica birds are half the price of an organic one if your a bit tight and there are truly a beautiful little tasty bird
Laionica
Chemical free, free roaming, hormone free (although it is illegal to give chickens hormones in australia) ooh la la the bird.

Spinach zucchini potato and fish brown rice red curry hotpot

2010-05-25T19:42:00.005+10:00

When it's cold I love to get a one pot dish happening, it's quick and very nutritious and keeps me warm and nourished.
This hot pot is using a bunch of left over ingredients you can substitute the fish for tofu or chickpea's if your vegetarian.
1/2 brown onion, diced small
1 tablespoon red curry paste ( I like west country spice company available at always organics
small amount organic ghee or extra virgin olive oil
1/4 red capsicum, cut into julienne or sliced
1 zucchini , sliced diagonally
4 small potatoes, sliced thinly
5 spinach leaves, cut very fine
2 pieces blue eyed cod
1 cup brown rice
1 litre vegetable stock (I use marigold organic swiss vegetable bouillon when no time for homemade)

In a saucepan gently saute the onion in ghee or oil and add red curry paste stir around add potatoes and rice and stock cook for 20 minutes with lid on the saucepan and once rice is soft add he remaining ingredients and cook for a further 10 minutes.
Serve steaming in a a bowl

Prima Italiano Festival East Sydney Sunday May 23

2010-05-21T14:07:00.003+10:00

This sunday in east sydney, get down and sample food and music, art, short films and pizza making classes go to link for more info
Prima Italiano Festival

Raw almond and coconut butter with a dash of himalayan sea salt

2010-05-21T13:58:00.003+10:00

Nut butters are so delicious and an extra dollop of protein as a snack or added to dishes.
My friend Bec makes a killer salad dressing with brown rice vinegar, raw almond butter and a little raw honey and dijon mustard.

All you need is a food processor to make this recipe and it takes ten minutes max.

2 cups raw almonds
1 teaspoon himalayan sea salt
1/2 coconut oil (add more if mixture to dry)
1 teaspoon cinnamon and cardamon (if you like a little spice in your life)

Place all the above ingredients into a food processor and pulse for ten minutes, the almonds will break gradually over this time and the oil will disperse.
Enjoy on a little brown rice cracker as I have done or in a salad dressing.

Wild fig and buttermilk muffins

2010-05-20T16:16:00.002+10:00

This original muffin recipe is taken from Nourishing Traditions, but I have adapted it to my own tastes and preferences.
It really is very healthy, delicious and so damn simple!

Cook's tip * you need to start this the night before by soaking the flours in buttermilk or water and lemon over night in a bowl covered with tea towel*

2 cups barley flour (demeter farm mill)
1 cup spelt flour (demeter farm mill)
1/4 cup maple syrup
1 tablespoon raw honey
2 cups wild figs (available from middle eastern grocers and sometimes organic retailers)
1 tablespoon cardamom powder
1 tablespoon cinnamon
1 tablespoon pure vanilla extract (not artificial colouring please)
1 teaspoon sea salt
2 cups butter milk (or water if dairy sensitive with 1 tablespoon lemon juice)
60 grams melted organic butter
2 eggs

Soak flours overnight in butter milk or water and lemon juice
In a saucepan gently on low simmer melt the butter and add maple syrup and honey stir well.
To the soaked flours add the spices, salt and vanilla and also whisked eggs, lastly add butter mixture and figs and gently fold.
The mixture will be more like a dough, spoon into a muffin pan and bake for 20 minutes or until firm to touch, cool and enjoy with a spread of butter and a cup of tea!

First harvested lettuce from my garden

2010-05-20T16:09:00.002+10:00

I have been patiently tending to my little garden for 8 weeks chasing away snails with organic coffee granules, beer and finally eggshells, none seemed to work so I just let the snails cohabit with my garden although they chewed all my kale!
Finally it's harvesting some beautiful lettuce, basil and soon broccoli.

Red kidney beans, pumpkin, kale and polenta crust

2010-05-20T15:47:00.007+10:00

This recipe is inspired by the cold weather and I have also been reading this fantastic cookbook called 'The enchanted broccoli forest' it has been around since 1982 all the recipes are handwritten and Mollie Katzen is the author who helped set up the famous Moosewood Restaurant in Ithaca upstate NY the restaurant has been running for 33 years and is a very well know vegetarian establishment. Anyway the recipes are yummy and the little drawings are also cool.
But this is my own original recipe inspired by thee Moosewood!

3 can's red kidney beans (organic of course)
1/2 brown onion, diced small
2 tablespoons organic ghee or extra virgin olive oil
2 tablespoons tamari
1 tablespoon organic sweet curry power or ayurvedic blended curry powder (bioveda brand)
250g Japanese pumpkin, peeled and chopped into small squares
5 kale leaves, chopped very small
1 cup polenta (cornmeal)
2 cups water
sea salt and pepper to season and olive oil

Preheat the oven to 170 degrees
Heat the saucepan with ghee or oil very gently and add the onion and brown, add the curry spice and stir, add the kidney beans an tamari and pumpkin, cook for ten minutes and if the mixture is drying up just add some water so that the pumpkin can steam. Lastly add the kale and stir around. Put into a deep baking dish (square of round)
Put the polenta and water plus a little drizzle of olive oil and seasonings into a saucepan bring to the boil and stir very vigorously until polenta thickens, Pour the polenta on top of the bean mixture and flatten like a lid.
Bake for 20 minutes
Cool down so that the polenta is firm and crunchy before eating.

Rebecca Katz

2010-05-18T17:23:00.003+10:00

One on my mentors Rebecca Katz is a phenomenal and very special chef, Rebecca makes healthy food fun and delicious and like me has gone through losing a parent to cancer and uses it as a catalyst to inspire her cooking. Intelligently fusing food, health and nutrition as a platform for designing recipes for fighting cancer check out her website www.rebeccakatz.com

Vegan blogger 'resistance is fertile'

2010-05-18T16:56:00.003+10:00

I have been following luscious lagusta since my vegan day's almost 8 year's ago, this cool new york girl has ALOT to say, but her passion and politics are inspiring. http://blog.lagusta.com

Food inc.

2010-05-18T16:48:00.005+10:00

The highly anticipated film Food Inc hits the cinemas on May 20th.
For more intelligent writing's on food and politics check out Michael Pollen and Eric Schlosser
Let's be more mindful about food and eating please ask more question's when buying and sourcing food. Be a responsible and savvy eco-cook!
Website
Food Inc

Last weeks big waves in sydney photo courtesy of steve from light play photography

2010-05-17T17:58:00.011+10:00

www.lightplay.com.au

Biodynamic oats anyone ?

2010-05-17T17:51:00.004+10:00

Porridge

Soak your oats overnight in filtered water and a teaspoon of lemon juice.

Add grated pear and apple, chia seeds, flaxoil and mayple syrup with a dash of sheep's yogurt

Rainbow chard

2010-05-17T17:45:00.005+10:00

Fresh from the markets I turned this rainbow chard into a black bean Jamaican potato curry it is so beautiful with the different coloured stems that it was a sad experience to cut it hence this photo to demonstrate its gorgeous stems

Rosewater and lime cardamon almond vegan cookies

2010-05-17T17:09:00.010+10:00

Now as the cooler weather has reached us all I wanna do is Bake!
These small and sweet cookies are made with barley and spelt flour and more like a healthy whole food version of petit four because I'm so fanatical about middle eastern and persian food these hit the spot with the fragrant rosewater

1 cup spelt flour
3/4 cup barley flour
1 tablespoon rosewater
1 tablespoon cardamon powder
3/4 cup panela sugar (similar to rapadura low gi and rich in minerals)
1/2 cup almonds (grind up in a coffee grinder or food processor)
2 tablespoons fresh lime juice
2 tablespoons millet milk or no dairy milk
1 tablespoon aluminium free baking powder (available at health food shop or organic retailer)
1/4 organic sunflower oil (or use coconut oil)

Preheat oven t 17o degrees
Mix the flours, baking powder in a bowl together and set aside
Put the milk, lime juice, oil, sugar, oil and rosewater in a bowl and whisk, add this mixture to the flour mixture and use your
hands to mix into a dough, make little balls and roll in the almonds and put on a lined baking tray and bake for 15-2o
minutes.

Demeter flours

2010-05-04T21:26:00.007+10:00

When you bake it's important to use top quality fresh flour, you see the longer flours, seeds and nuts sit on the shelf in the store (or floor!) the precious oils and minerals go rancid.

I always use demeter products when baking as I don't have flour mill to grind my own.

There products are far superior and available at most organic retailers and health food shops

It all my recipes on my blog I use these products, check them out..
www.demeterfarmmill.com.au

Chicken and black bean tortilla with smokey chipotle and guacamole

2010-05-04T21:03:00.009+10:00

I really love great mexican food and when you find the good stuff in the states it is healthy and so delicious, when I visit new york I always eat at chipotle it is a fast food place but they use organic chicken and pasture fed beef and have a huge selection of vegetarian dishes as well, all the sauces and guacamole are made fresh on the premises.

Here is my take on a a chicken black bean dish I would eat at Chipotle.

My secret ingredient in this recipe is sweet potato it balances out the spice perfectly!

It is real simple and I found my smokey chipotle peppers at harris farm (of all places) you can also order them online from a fab latin/mexican wholesaler in sydney fireworks foods

2 can's black beans (amy's or goya)
packet of diago's gluten free tortilla"s (available at supermarkets)
1/4 small sweet potato, diced very small
1 chicken breast poached and shredded (IF VEG SKIP THIS)
1 tablespoon ground cumin
1 red chilli, diced small
1 garlic clove diced small
1 smoke chipotle pepper
1/4 red onion, diced
2 avocado
1 lemon juiced

Mash the avocado and add lemon and sit in the fridge
Take the onion and garlic and gently fry in ghee of olive oil for 5 minutes, add cumin.
Add the black beans, sweet potato and shredded chicken and cook for 10 minutes, when beans and sweet potato have softened mash up with a whisk or fork
Lastly add the chipotle pepper (medium heat) and cook for another 5 minutes until all the smokey chipotle flavour is soaking into the beans.
Heat the tortillas in a warm oven or grill and eat with beans and guacamole

Saturday lunch

2010-05-01T15:48:00.006+10:00

I love to use left overs it makes me feel thrifty and economical.
For lunch today I use left over basmati rice from dinner and also a cooked salmon fillet
This sure is a tasty and super quick recipe, if you ever have left over brown rice or basmati you can whip up a stirfry in not time.

Salmon, basmati stirfry with cherry tomatoes, mushrooms and fresh rocket with a hint of harissa

2 cups cooked basmati rice
1 salmon cooked fillet
6 cherry tomatoes
1 tablespoon harissa paste (refer to recipe finder on this blog)
handful rocket
handful mushrooms

Slice the mushrooms and put in a a skillet with the harissa paste a little olive oil or ghee and cook until golden, cut the cherry tomatoes in half and add to skillet finally add the salmon and rocket and stir for 2 minutes.

Be as creative as you can and use this recipe as a template for your own rice stirfry