Savoury porridge… What the?! Well this idea is nothing new… think congee. It’s just my take on it and if I do say so myself (and I’m the one who ate it so I’m in the best position to call it) it was really delicious. Despite my boyfriend telling me not to ‘mess with porridge’, I will be making this very often, because sometime when you mess with stuff magic happens. It’s also full of nutrients: fibre and protein from the oats, protein and healthy fats from the egg, calcium from the tahini, and the vitamins and minerals provided by the coriander Ā and chilli (and whatever other veges you top with).Ā The tahini also lends a delicious rich creaminess to the porridge. Yum.
LEMON MERINGUES
My mum is an expert baker. She was a home economics teacher in New Zealand for years and has always been in charge of the dessert section of any family occasion or dinner party. And she does the. best. meringues. ever. No argument. She often makesĀ the good old original kind, this amazing chewy coconut flavour and many others. Mum’s meringues are light and airy with a crispy outer layer and chewy centre. Just how I like them.
ORANGE AND MAPLE LAMB RIBS WITH SLOW ROASTED PUMPKIN PUREE
There is so much golden deliciousness in this recipe. The caramelised ribs with their orange and maple syrup marinade,Ā spiked with chilli and paprika and the fragrant whiffs of cinnamon. You’ll be licking your fingers. You’ll also be using these sticky morsels of goodness to wipe up the pumpkin puree beneath them. By roasting the pumpkin to golden perfection first you get that delicious caramelised pumpkin flavour in the puree. It’s crazily good. With fresh coriander and salty feta to finish, the whole plate will disappear before you notice.
ROAST CARROTS WITH TAHINI YOGHURT SAUCE
‘Tis the season for all things orange: pumpkin, sweet potato, carrots and… well… oranges! I’ve been mucking around with different incarnations of this roast carrot recipe for a few weeks now and this is by far my favourite combination. The fat soluble vitamins in carrots are easily digested due to the oil they’re roasted in and the sauce they are served with so you’re getting the most out of these little guys. try to buy organic carrots when possible so that you can eat the skins without worrying about the nasties that could be on them. I got lucky and found some locally grown, organic baby carrots at my local grocer. With a simple side like this the quality of your ingredients is so important.
PARSNIP FRIES WITH HARISSA DIPPING SAUCE
Is there anything better than fries? That crisp outside and instant dippability (it’s a word, shut up spell check). Actually anything that you can dip into a tasty sauce is pretty fabulous in my book (sweet potato crisps, popcorn cauliflower). These parsnip fries have a lot going from them, parsnips natural ability to caramelise is definitely one of them. The natural sweetness of the parsnip is so good with the spicy harissa sauce.
SPINACH, LEEK AND LEMON BUCKWHEAT ‘RISOTTO’ WITH THYME MUSHROOMS
Mushrooms add such amazing flavour to a dish. this recipe uses a mixture of fresh and dried mushrooms as the intensity of the dried mushrooms adds a real umamiĀ flavour. The buckwheat ‘risotto’ has been in the works for sometime now but it took a while to get the texture and flavour just right. Hitting the stock with pureed spinach adds extra flavour and intense green to this dish. It’s a lighter version of risotto, and full of vegetables, and a magnesium boost from the buckwheat.
GLUTEN FREE COCONUT WAFFLES
You know when you have an idea for something in your head and you are completely convinced it could work and it will be delicious, and then you make it and it’s just a… mess? Yeah, that happened the first time I tried to make these. And I was going to give up and just make something from an actual recipe. Then, with help from Frase, I continued the experiment, added an extra egg, some buckwheat flour, left them in the waffle iron a little longer and voila -Gluten Free Coconut Waffles. They taste just as delicious in real life as they did in my head. crisp and golden, light and fluffy in the middle and lots of coconut flavour.
LEMON DELICIOUS PORRIDGE
It’s getting cold in Melbourne and the crisp mornings have me craving porridge, and I’m trying to mix up my combinations as much as possible. This is a dreamy dessert like porridge. It’s reminiscent of a lemon delicious pudding or a lemon tart with the combination of creamy vanilla scented oats, tart lemon curd (without cream or butter) and toasted almond crumb. But it makes a much more nutritious breakfast than either of those options, thanks to the oats and added nuts!
SPICY BBQ SAUCE
The sweet, tangy, smoky flavourĀ of barbecue sauce is so addictive. This is my healthier version. It still contains sweetener, however I have used much less than in the usual recipes. The recipe also calls for passata instead of ketchup and a bit of an extra chilli kick because I love the stuff. This is a more of a ‘Kansas City style’ barbecue sauce, so it has a strong tomato base flavour, with a nice balance of sweet, vinegary and spicy notes to finish. The coconut sugar adds that molasses note even if you don’t use the molasses.
PULLED CHICKEN TACOS
Sticky, saucy and spicy pulled chicken with a super simple zingy slaw, fresh guacamole and manchego cheese. Delicious!!! The recipe for the BBQ sauce makes way more than you need for this recipe so I’ve made a separate post, you can find it here. It’s spicy and tangy and makes these tacos super delicious. But if you’re all like “who has time to make their own BBQ sauce you crazy lady?” then they’re actually still pretty fantastic without it. That said, with the sauce… they’re…. wow.