Relish

This red capsicum relish went down a treat with some toasted sourdough bread last night for a quick dinner. This is another recipe from Color Me Vegan. The ingredients include roasted red capsicums, kalamata olives, garlic, shallot, balsamic vinegar, olive oil and fresh parsley and basil from our garden. I might try adding some fresh chilli next time!

Beetroot burgers

I am loving these beetroot burgers, they are yummy cold or hot with a nice blob of tomato sauce. Even meat lovers seem to enjoy them as a change and they are jam packed with nutritious ingredients.

How about a close-up!

The recipe is adapted from the beet burger recipe in the Color Me Vegan cookbook by Colleen Patrick-Goudreau. I have changed it a bit and added eggs which makes it non-vegan. Here is my version:

2 cups grated raw beetroot, squeezed of excess moisture

1+1/2 cups cooked quinoa

3/4 cup sunflower seeds

1/4 cup pumpkin seeds

1/2 cup sesame seeds

1/2 cup dried onion flakes

3 cloves garlic, crushed

1 red chilli, finely chopped

1/2 cup fresh wholemeal breadcrumbs 

2 Tblsp extra virgin olive oil

3 Tblsp wholemeal flour

2 eggs

1 handful of parsley, chopped

2 Tblsp soy sauce

Preheat oven to 180 degrees celcius. Heat a pan and dry toast the 3 kinds of seeds over a high heat, stirring regularly until golden. Add to a large bowl with all other ingredients and mix well. Shape into 12 burgers and bake for 30 mins, flipping halfway through. 

Timing is everything

I came across this book by Julie Rennie recently and it inspired me to make some changes to the way my days are structured to see if I could gain some energy and lose some weight.

Following the principles of the book I decided to wake up with the sun at 6am, get into work early and finish in the early afternoon, head straight to the gym from work and then have the evening free to wind down before heading to bed around 9.30pm. It seems to be working really well, I have more energy and it's easier to fall asleep. The book also has some good healthy recipes, one of which I made today.

It kind of looks like a petri dish science experiment but actually it is a 

flourless orange and raspberry cake!

I enjoyed a slice. Ok, 3 slices, but it's healthy!! There is no added fat, just almonds, orange, eggs and sugar. I had some raspberries in the freezer so I sprinkled them on top to add some extra colour.

Sarge supervised, it must have been exhausting work :)

Big & beautiful breakfasts

Back to Genesis in the Hills again today, this time we wanted to try the breakfasts! I had the full vegetarian breakfast and mum had the full vegan breakfast.

These yoghurt cheese balls rolled in a herb and spice mixture were delicious!

There was also a yummy ricotta pancake and caramelised fig half to end the meal on a sweet note :)

The vegan version had tofu scramble, hummus and a tempeh sausage. 

So delicious! The servings were very generous and we left feeling pleasantly full and satisfied. 

Blueberry, apple & walnut bread

Another tuesday off, another loaf of bread! This is a variation of my earlier fruit spelt bread. I think this is my new favourite fruit bread :)

I swapped 1 cup of chopped dried apple and 1/2 a cup of dried bluberries for the mixed dried fruit. If you don't like walnuts I would suggest slivered almonds as a substitute. I also glazed this one with some watered down agave syrup.

Here is Sarge, always hopeful of a dropped crust!

Peko Peko

A yummy takeaway picnic dinner from Peko Peko, a cool little Japanese place in Doubleview. We had nasi goreng, brown rice tuna sushi and teriyaki chicken sushi as well as some pumpkin, miso and salmon soup.

We sat on the grass overlooking the ocean and enjoyed the stunning views as the sun went down. A perfect way to end the weekend :)

Genesis in the Hills

My favourite café of all time is a lovely little vegetarian place called Genesis in the Hills. It is a bit of a hidden gem, nestled inbetween the trees in Roleystone. They have the best cakes, all made in house with natural, healthy ingredients. I went for morning tea with my parents today and we shared some of the delicacies…

 Succulent fig and honey tart with ricotta crème

                Seriously moist chocolate cake with a wicked melty chocolate topping

                 The fluffiest ricotta pancakes with fresh fruit and ricotta crème

                       Freshly squeezed carrot, ginger, apple and pear juice

The surroundings here are almost as beautiful as the food. Look what I spied high up in a tree!

We are already planning our next visit J

Simple salmon & salad

Salmon steaks are becoming a regular weekday meal at my house. I like to fry the pre-boned salmon portion in olive oil and top it with either tzatziki or just some chopped herbs mixed with natural Greek yoghurt and lemon juice. The salad is baby spinach leaves with sweet potatoes roasted in balsamic syrup and olive oil, topped with toasted pinenuts. Feta or goats cheese goes beautifully in this salad too but sadly I didn't have either!

Baking bread

I love baking bread! It's not as hard as I had imagined and it is very satisfying to take that first bite, knowing that there are no preservatives or other nasties, just wholesome ingredients and lots of love. First up I made a fruit, nut and seed wholemeal spelt loaf.

I chose to go with a rustic freeform style loaf, mainly because I have no bread loaf tins :)

Then I made another wholemeal spelt loaf, this time a savoury version with fresh basil, sundried tomatoes, onions, walnuts and seeds.

Once cooled, I sliced them both up into nice thick pieces and popped them into the freezer in bags of 2, giving me easy breakfasts and lunches for the next week.

I adapted the basic recipe from the Feb issue of Super Food Ideas magazine. Here is my version:

7g sachet dry yeast

1 tblsp caster sugar

1+1/2 cups warm water

2 cups wholemeal spelt flour

1 cup plain white flour

1 tsp sea salt

1 tblsp coconut oil

1 cup of mixed nuts and seeds (sunflower, pumpkin, linseed, rolled oats, walnuts etc.)

Fruit loaf: 1 cup of chopped assorted dried fruits, 1 tblsp cinnamon, 1 tsp allspice and 1 tsp vanilla. 

Savoury loaf: 1/2 cup dried onion flakes, handful of fresh basil shredded, 1/4 cup chopped sundried tomatoes.

Mix yeast and sugar with the warm water and sit in a warm place for 10 mins or until quite frothy. Meanwhile, sift your flours into a large bowl and mix with the salt, seeds, oil and any fruit or other flavourings. 

Make a well in the centre and add the yeast when it's ready, mixing to a sticky dough. 

Knead the dough on a floured bench for about 5 mins, adding more flour as necessary to stop it from sticking. Put the dough back in the bowl, cover and put somewhere warm for an hour so it can double in size.

Punch down the dough and knead it again for around 5 mins. Shape it into a log and place gently on a lined and oiled baking tray. Cover with clingwrap and put it somewhere warm again for 40 mins while preheating your oven to 200 degrees C (400 F) or 180 if you have a fan-forced oven.

Brush the loaf with milk (any variety) and sprinkle with oats and seeds if desired. Bake for 30 to 35 mins. You will know it's done by tapping the bottom of the loaf and hearing a hollow sound. 

Cool on a wire rack.