Involtini de Zucchini - tasty starter

What a mouthful of Mediterranean flavour and succulent texture. The soft succulent texture of the zucchini and eggplant just melt in your mouth. The creamy and soft texture of the pumpkin is

Raw Mince Pies for Christmas!

A little something with the Christmas spirit in mind. Although I must admit I have never been a fan of the traditional mince pies. I found the fruit too heavy and rich and with the sweet pastry crust, an odd combination together. I really like this recipe because of it's lightness and the fresh taste of the tangy lime and ginger. It's still rich and christmasy with the classic christmas spices but somehow

Wild Rice, Broad Bean and Artichoke Salad

It's that time of year when the Christmas events and parties begin to consume your every weekend. The alcohol can be harder to say no to during the festive season but good healthy food will help some

Easy Puff Pastry Tartlets – 20 minute meal series

Almost everyone loves pastry, especially puff pastry. It's not something I eat very often but as a rare treat or special occasion with friends who aren't so health conscious! This recipe is great for parties or drinks with friends as it's so quick – you can prepare it in advance or throw it together at the last minute.

Sometimes we need something quick, impressive and something that will

Green Papaya Salad

   

Traveling through Thailand a couple of years ago I tried my first green papaya salad – I loved it and ordered Som Tam everywhere I went – minus the fish sauce and shrimp paste of course. For me Thai cuisine really ticks all my boxes.

Polenta with roast or char-grilled vegetables

Peasant food goes back to my roots. Every time I cook polenta on a retreat I say to myself, I must cook this more often for myself, I love polenta! It's soft, creamy texture feels so nurturing and comforting through the cool winter nights. Married with caramelised sweet roast vegetables

Chocolate Vanilla Tarts with Chocolate Almond Crust

If you want to impress someone then these little tarts are for you. Their taste is what impresses most but people are also amazed to find out that they are completely uncooked. They're a great way to introduce

Yakon Potato Salad

I couldn't help but offer another simple raw side dish using yakon. Since it's in season here I thought I'd share with you a little more about this delicious vegetable. It is a close relative of the sunflower and jerusalem artichokes. It's not the same or even related

Yakon, fennel & celery salad

 

Yakon is up there in one of my top 10 favourite eating experiences. You know those meals that stand out, where food takes on an almost orgasmic experience.  It was the first time I had met 'permaculture raw ' Tania and she came to my house for dinner and introduced me to yakon. She brought this beautiful salad – all from her garden and made with such love. All bitter greens and yakon – I can't even remember what it was dressed in but I had one of those wow moments and instantly

Beetroot and Mint Dip

I think some people are afraid of the intense colour of dishes made with beetroot. Borscht (traditional Russian beetroot soup) never sold in the last cafe I worked in.

And I've seen full bowls of beetroot dip sit on tables surrounded by empty hummus bowls and denuded cheese platters. The beetroot dip is so often ignored, even with

Sunflower seed pate

I'm in love with the fact that food, like music can induce so many memories. Sunflower seed pate reminds me of the first few years I lived in Byron Bay. Even though it was the early 90's, it felt like the 60's -70's. With barefoot 'rainbow hippies' floating

Chai Spice infused Chocolate Dates filled with an Almond and Vanilla Pate

Fresh Californian dates are so decadent and sticky. They are a sweet treat on their own in my books. However paired with chai spice infused chocolate and gently stuffed with an almond and vanilla pate they become divine. I was telling a friend of mine

Thai Laksa - 20 minute meal series

When your starving hungry and you've come home and it's a dark and cold winter night and you need to eat right now, then this is the quickest meal to prepare. Thai Laksa, cooked all in one pot in 15 - 20mins, quicker if I'm really hungry! It's a bit of a staple at my house through the winter over the last few years. After a long day at work, all I would want to do is cook something quick and tasty, especially after cooking all day at work. I must admit I do cheat here

Chia Seed goodness - for breakfast or dessert

  It was a warm Summer's morning when I had my first encounter with Chia seeds. Like so many of my favorite foods, I love the versatility and the simplicity of using Chia seeds. I was told they were very hydrating, perfect for a hot Summers day. I was working long hours in a Juice bar/cafe and I needed

Jungle Juice from freshly harvested Ginger - from our garden

Last year was the first time that I had harvested ginger from our garden. It was planted when Caspar and I had the great fortune of 'receiving' a perma-backyard blitz. A team of students studying permaculture transformed our backyard into an edible garden. Our aim for the garden was to be able to grow food for our catering company as well as for ourselves. We put in 3-4 ginger plants along with

Spirulina Balls

Spirulina was the latest 'health food' when I came across these balls twenty years ago. They were made by the wonderful Helen and were famous in health food shop circles around Byron Shire. She inspired me to make my own version of spirulina balls.  I have not met anyone who doesn't like them. When I first met a good friend of mine, Peter, I offered him a plate of the little green balls and he said, 'I don't eat 'green things' but then after eating a couple he said  I really like those spirulina balls!' Now whenever he comes to visit,

Apricot and Goji Balls dipped in Dark Chocolate

Healthy decadence. That's how I categorise these balls. I love food that is healthy but on the verge of naughty. There's a fine line between the two and where you draw that line depends on what you consider to be healthy. I think it's food that is as close as possible to its natural state, with little processing.
Chocolate is definitely processed, however, I think that organic fair traded dark chocolate (70% Cocoa solids) can almost be

Sprouted Buckwheat Pancakes - Savoury or Sweet.

I first heard about this recipe about ten years ago and I loved the sound of it, really fresh, sprouted buckwheat (long before the raw food movement kicked in) and so simple. But for some reason I never got around
to making it.
Until the other night when

Sticky Black Rice Pudding with Papaya, Lime & Toasted Coconut

This one is for Kat and the crew from the Contact Improvisation dance retreat I catered for over Easter down at St Andrews Beach in Victoria. Of all the desserts I make when catering for a retreat, this would have to be the favourite. I love it because it's simple and cheap to make, and so versatile: you can eat it warm in the winter or cool in the summer.

To be honest, I am not sure what it is that makes this dessert so popular with everyone. It's just rice and sugar! I guess the black/purple colour is pretty stunning, especially when you add 

Gazpacho with a Beetroot & Lime Twist!

One of my favorite dishes the night I catered for a French Exhibition in the Sth of France (April 2010) was a new twist I was playing on the classic chilled Spanish soup - Gazpacho - . Caspar’s mum made me my first chilled Gazpacho soup. Hesitant at first but wanting to be polite, I sipped the thick cool soup with a slightly forced smile on my face. There were so many familiar and wonderful flavors in that first sip that I instantly

Spicy Corn Fritters - part of my quick meals series

I'm often asked for recipes for quick and nutritious meals. I have promised friends, family and participants on the retreats that I cater for that I will post some ideas for simple meals to prepare.

The other common request is from women wanting ideas to encourage their kids and husbands to eat more healthily.

I think this fritter recipe may meet both requests; healthy, quick and tasty!
I have been making these little fritters for retreats for years and people just seem to love them. I remember my mum making corn fritters

Date Choc Rosewater Fudge Balls - yum!

The multitude of health benefits of raw cacao (raw, uncooked cocoa beans) almost begs you to eat these little fudge balls and anything that contains raw cacao. It's rich in antioxidants (3 times higher in antioxidants than green tea!), highest food source of magnesium (the No.1 mineral deficiency in US) and highest food source in chromium (the No.1 trace mineral deficiency in US). Cacao is good for your brain, your skin, your heart,

The lovely millet! - a superfood!

Moroccan Millet Slice topped with Roast Pumpkin and a Tomato, Artichoke Heart & Coriander Salsa 

I don’t remember the first time I had millet or who introduced me to it. I do remember over the years, when the cupboards got bare I would always find a jar of millet push up the back into a dark corner. It was a grain I always wanted to eat but never really knew what to do with it. This was before the days of internet so I couldn’t just ‘google it’ and see what recipes appeared. Over the years I have experimented

Passion Fruit Bliss

We deliberately planted several passion fruit vines along the back boundary of our property that backs onto a lane way. Many children walk to school along the lane way and we planted it with them in mind. Some of my fondest memories as a kid were picking fruit on the way home from school. So I wanted to give the local kids the opportunity to experience the same thing. Almost all of our fruit trees are planted along the boundary of our double block property for the same reason.

The kids don’t seems to be taking advantage of the passion fruit vines at the moment as they are loaded up with large purple passion fruits. It gets me thinking about what to do with them all. There are only so many smoothies you can have in a day. So I decided to make

Hummus – Eco friendly style and three ways!

 

Cleaning out my cupboards today I vowed never to buy hummus again unless in an emergency. You know, last minute party invitation, or a late lunch on the run. We had so many plastic hummus containers I could have re-built the leaning tower of Pisa in my own kitchen! Since the hummus I buy from my local health food shop is my original recipe from when I worked there, I decided I really should be making my own. I love to play around with