We’ve been living in Australia for eight years in December. Eight years!!! It feels like a life time ago that we packed up our then family of six, with our meagre belongings stuffed into four suitcases, to embark on a new and exciting life. We’d never travelled overseas before our move but we had itchy feet and were not overly daunted by such a drastic shift. Yes we were sad at leaving behind loved ones, but excitement filled us at the adventures that lay ahead. The first two years were spent living in sunny Queensland but we still felt a little unsettled so after a bit of discussion we decided to hightail it over the country to Western Australia where we’ve been living somewhat blissfully, ever since.
Despite having lived here for so long I still haven’t gotten used to the heat. Winter is only fleeting compared to my country of birth but summer…holy, you ain’t ever experienced summer until you have suffered through a Western Australian one, it’s a total scorcher! and every summer that follows seems to be getting hotter than the last. I am already bracing myself for this year and we’re still in spring. A day when the temperature is over the mid twenties sees me cringing…I am a total heat wuss which is ironic given where we live…so you can imagine how bad I am at summers height.
Speaking of heat, please tell me I am not the only one who struggles to eat when it’s so hot outdoors and in? (we have no air-con so there’s little relief) About the best I can do is slurp on a smoothie or eat ice cream like it’s going out of fashion. The great thing about a smoothie is that they are a meal in themselves, unlike a heaving bowl of ice cream, and no rules apply as to what you can add. Some of our better concoctions have been those that we’ve haphazardly thrown together.
I’m on a bit of a ginger bender at the moment and throwing it in to everything I make. It’s zing rounds out the sweetness of the mango and banana quite nicely here.
Mango, banana & ginger smoothie – serves 3-4
Ingredients:
I ripe mango - preferably frozen
2 banana’s - preferably frozen
1 1/2 cups coconut milk
1 Tbsp flax meal
1 Tbsp coconut oil
1 – 2 tsp grated ginger
topping:
chopped glace ginger – optional
toasted/raw desiccated coconut – optional
Method:
Place all the smoothie ingredients into a blender and blend till smooth. You may have to scrap down the sides of the blender bowl a few times. Serve topped with glace ginger and toasted coconut
Notes:
- 1 tsp of ginger gives a subtle taste, for a bit more zing add another tsp or more
- I prefer to use frozen fruit in my smoothies for a thick cold mix, feel free to use unfrozen fruit in which case you may want to add a few ice cubes to thicken and chill
- I used home made coconut milk but any coconut/nut or dairy milk would work fine
- I don't tend to sweeten many of my smoothies unless the fruit is particularly tart, feel free to add it to your liking
I’ve been feeling a little unsettled lately, actually I’ve been feeling this way for a while now. That pull to be closer to family is really tugging on my heart at present and the fact that we’ll be travelling home for two weeks tonight has me so excited that I can barely contain myself let alone concentrate on anything. It will be a time of firsts for our youngest three…first time back in seven years*, first time meeting cousins who have been born in the eight years we have been away, first time seeing the changes that have occurred in the place of their birth, first time being back since the passing of loved ones. So much has changed in the time we have been away, goodness knows I am not the same person I was when I left, but despite all of that we will finally be on home soil, albeit briefly, surrounded by family, and that fact alone makes me giddy just thinking about it.
In preparation for our trip, which will be 13 hours from woe to go, I’ve been busy making portable snacks to keep us sustained. I know I am not alone in thinking that airline food is pretty dismal and the options for me are even more limited now that I know I have food intolerances. Gluten free muffins, chia pudding (oh my goodness guys, the roasted strawberry miso chia pudding that I came up with is to die for!!) and these date and almond balls were just the ticket. Simple to throw together, easy to transport and nutritiously filling!
Date & almond balls – 24-28 balls
Ingredients:
1 1/2 cups whole almonds
1 cup medjool dates – pitted
3 Tbsp cocoa
2 Tbsp water
1 Tbsp coconut oil – melted
1 tsp vanilla extract
pinch of salt
Method:
Place the almonds in the bowl of a food processor and blitz till roughly chopped. Add the remaining ingredients and blitz again until well combined and the consistency you want. Using moist hand, roll tablespoon amounts of mixture into balls and place on a plate. Refrigerate until firm.
Notes:
- chocolate ganache or salted caramel sauce can be added for a more decadent ball, just omit the water and oil
- a nip of baileys or kahlua is perfect for the festive season
- maca or mesquite powder is a lovely earthy addition
- any type of nut can be used as can an assortment of nuts
- can be kept in the fridge for up to a week (if they last that long) and in the freezer for 4 weeks
* lets not delve into how guilty that makes me feel
Winter has arrived with a scattering of rain but judging by the warmth of the last week you’d be forgiven for thinking otherwise. The seasons are rather strange here in Western Australia. The warmer months, which are excessively hot, seem to drag on f.o.r.e.v.e.r and a day while the cooler months that are over in the blink of an eye have ‘chill factor zero’ days that are somewhat few and far between. Talk about being ripped off! Give me hail and a bit of snow…..please? I want to hibernate for a week at least.
Despite what the mercury shows, porridge is on pretty high rotation in these parts. It’s only been in the last six months or so that I have started venturing away from traditional oat porridge in favour of other nutritious grains and while I enjoyed a bowl of porridge before I am well and truly head over heels for it now!
This banoffee buckwheat porridge, because who doesn’t love a dessert inspired breakfast, was inspired by Kelly’s creamy spiced version that we had a few weeks ago and fills the gap quite nicely with it’s nutty, creamy texture and subtly sweet fruity taste. Buckwheat does require a little forethought with soaking the groats overnight but the end result is so satisfying that it is well worth the effort.
Banoffee buckwheat porridge – serves 3-4
Ingredients: (porridge)
1 cup buckwheat groats – soaked in water with a Tbsp of apple cider vinegar overnight
1 cup coconut milk/cream
1/4 cup water
2 tsp coconut oil
1 tsp vanilla
2-4 fresh dates – depending on sweet preference, chopped finely
1 tsp cinnamon
pinch salt
2 bananas – one mashed, one sliced
small handful of chopped walnuts/nuts of choice
Ingredients: (caramel sauce)
1/4 cup coconut milk/cream
2 Tbsp rice syrup/honey
1 Tbsp coconut oil
Method:
Rinse off the buckwheat groats and place them into a pot with the remaining porridge ingredients (except the banana and nuts) and simmer gently over a medium heat for approximately 20 minutes, stirring occasionally. Once all the liquid has been absorbed, stir through the mashed banana and heat another minute or two.
While the porridge is cooking place the caramel sauce ingredients into a small pot and over a low heat simmer gently for 3-4 minutes, stirring often.
Place porridge into bowls, drizzle with caramel sauce then top with sliced banana and chopped nuts.
Notes:
- be adventurous and use this recipe as a starting point for other flavour combinations
- store any remaining caramel sauce in a small jar in the fridge for a few days, heating through before using
There are some foods that compliment each other beautifully, like a match made in heaven. Carrot and parsnip is one such duo for me. I adore the subtle sweetness of the two combined whether they be simply mashed, roasted till caramelised or added to a hearty stew.
Latkes are another way I enjoy this pair and are a perfect way to use up any type of vegetable that may be lurking at the bottom of the fridge. I find the addition of fresh ginger and turmeric adds a zing and earthiness that enhances the flavour of carrot and parsnip even more so but they are just as tasty made without depending on your preference.
Gingered carrot and parsnip latkes – serves 2-3
Ingredients:
3 cups grated carrot and parsnip
handful chopped parsley
2 eggs
1 tsp grated ginger
1 tsp grated turmeric
salt and pepper
coconut oil/ghee for cooking
Method:
Place grated carrot and parsnip into a bowl with the ginger, turmeric, eggs and seasoning and mix to combine. Heat a tsp of coconut oil/ghee in a frypan over low/medium heat. Place 1/4 cup amounts of mixture in the pan and cook approximately 4-5 mins till golden before flipping and cooking the other side. Keep latkes warm in a low heated oven while cooking the remaining mixture as above.
Notes:
-Serve latkes topped with a poached egg
-or alongside a simple salad
-or with a dollop of sour cream/greek yoghurt and a good chutney
Never in my wildest dreams could I have ever imagined having chocolate sandwiches as a child. The fanciest we ever got was sprinkle sandwiches better known as fairy bread. On the days that I opened my lunch to find sprinkle sandwiches, I thought all my Christmas’s had come at once. In my book they bet marmite sandwiches hands down! Our older school-aged children prefer salad wraps or filled rolls over a basic sandwich but thankfully our littlest is still easily pleased in the lunch department and after going through the various spread stages of marmite, jam and peanut butter he now favours chocolate spread.
I started making nutella a year or so ago using an assortment of nuts as the base but now that our little one is at a kindy with a nut free policy I’ve had to substitute the base yet again to make it allergy friendly. Enter nut-free chocolate spread. I’ve used both sunflower butter and tahini to make a nut-free version and both go down a treat.
This chocolate tahini spread is a cinch to make and is just as delicious as it’s namesake, if not more so, and those tears and tantrums that ensued over not being able to take chocolate sandwiches to ‘school’ are now a thing of the past. I’m scoring big brownie points here people!
Nut free chocolate spread
Ingredients:
1 cup tahini (I use unhulled)
4 Tbsp coconut oil
4 Tbsp hot water
4 Tbsp cocoa
4 Tbsp maple syrup (or sweetener of your choice)
pinch of salt
splash of vanilla
Method:
Simply mix all ingredients together until well combined and smooth. Store in the fridge.
Notes:
-This recipe is easily adapted to suit your tastes. It can be sweeter, more or less chocolatey, thicker or runnier depending on how much syrup, cocoa, water and coconut oil you use. Play around and find your perfect balance.
-Recipe can be easily halved.
-This spread is perfect for icing a cake with or for using as a dip with fruit.
The seasons are slowly but surely changing and with the drop in mercury I find myself reaching for woollen jumpers, long pants, socks and slippers. Winter blankets that have been collecting dust bunnies during the warmer months are being pulled out, washed and aired ready to adorn our beds. Hot water bottles have been rescued from the back of the linen cupboard and flannelette sheets are making an appearance. Stews, casseroles and soups are making their way onto our menu and the kettle is rarely off the boil in anticipation of the next cuppa. As desperate as summer was to hang on by a bare thread, autumn is making her presence known while winter is whispering that she’ll soon be on the heels of autumn.
I’ve been lingering in bed in the mornings lately, enveloped in the warm cocoon of my blankets. Not yet completely dreading the idea of rising as I do in the midst of winter when the chill factor is numbing but enough that I prolong the inevitable and the patience of by belly grumbling children.
Now that the weather is decidedly cooler first thing, we’ve been starting our day with a bowl of warm porridge. Where once I would soak the oats overnight trying to emulate the porridge of my youth, I now favour a speedier somewhat healthier version. In my humble opinion, if you are yet to try flaked quinoa porridge get in that kitchen pronto! This porridge has a different texture to traditional porridge, it is smoother, silkier and creamier. It is also much lighter than oats but just as filling and we find it doesn’t require the addition of milk though you could add a splash of milk of your liking. I encourage you to play with the topping, you are only limited by your imagination.
Flaked quinoa, chia and flax meal porridge with caramelised pear and walnuts – serves 2 but can easily be halved or doubled.
Ingredients:
1 cup flaked quinoa
2 Tbsp chia seeds
2 Tbsp flax/linseed meal
1 cup coconut milk/cream
1 cup water
1 pear
1/4 cup walnuts
10 g butter or 2 tsp coconut oil
honey to serve
Method:
Place the quinoa, chia, flax meal, coconut milk/cream and water into a small pot and place over a low to medium heat. Stir occasionally for 4-5 minutes until thick and creamy. While the quinoa is doing it’s thing heat the butter in a small pan and quarter, core and chop the pear into small bite size pieces. Cook the pear over a low heat for 2-3 minutes tossing the pan a few times then add the walnuts and cook a further minute or so. You want the pears to be caramelised and sweet but still intact and the walnuts to be lightly toasted.
Half the quinoa porridge between two bowls, drizzle with honey or maple syrup and top equally with the pear and walnuts. You are good to go.
Topping suggestions
- Caramelised or stewed apple with cinnamon
- Caramelised or mashed banana with lightly toasted slivered almonds
- Chopped date and toasted walnut
- Berry compote with greek yoghurt
