Cauliflower, caraway and thyme soup

Over looked and over cooked. Cauliflower can be one of those winter vegetables that people don't really favour. I know only more recently that I have discover the beauty of cauliflower. Many of us have been scarred for life with boiled until soggy and mushy cauliflower from the 70's or boiled cauliflower with plastic cheese sauce. I gag and shudder at the thought. 

It was a soup similar to this one that changed my early experiences

Coconut Macaroons - inspired by Christiania, Copenhagen

My husband and our two good friends Tina and Gunnar ate out in a vegetarian cafe in Christiania in Copenhagen. Christiania, according the the little guide book we had,  is the second most visited tourist destination in Copenhagen. It is a free thinking, self governing entity of it's own creation.  There are only three main rules in this

Lentil patties with tomato and onion jam

I was the envy of many girls in high school. At the beginning of the week, I would make a batch of lentil patties and keep them in the fridge for my lunch during the week. Each day I would make a fresh salad of finely sliced celery, a few iceberg lettuce leaves (my favourite, sorry Jamie Oliver!), some tomato slices, and grated carrot. Then at the beginning of lunch time I would run to canteen to beat the queues and buy a

Vegan Parmesan cheeze

I was in England in 1998, working in a vegetarian restaurant called Food for friends. It was a very popular vegetarian restaurant with a history of serving mostly 80's style vegetarian food. It was there, in Brighton, England that I first tasted vegan parmesan. I found it in the health food shop Infinity foods. It was even in the classic parmesan cheese packaging

Mushroom and spinach tagliatelle

Having not long returned from 3 months in the Sth of France this post was cooked, photographed, eaten and inspired by our trip to France. 

What is it about France that makes me eat wheat? Every time I go there it becomes a large part of my diet. At home in Mullumbimby, Australia, I eat Gluten free Rice and Quinoa pasta maybe once a month or our local pizza Milk 'n Honey (the best ever pizza – its bloody good!) probably monthly or when I'm too tired to cook after a long days work cooking or after catering on a retreat for a week. Lets not even mention the

Simple roast vegetable quinoa salad with char grilled zucchini

Quinoa seems to be almost everywhere, everyone's cooking it but still not found in many cafes and restaurants which I find a bit strange. With so many people incorporating it into their daily diet, quinoa's popularity has grown pretty fast in a short time.

Quinoa pronounced 'kinwa'  has been cultivated in the Andean mountain regions of Peru, Chile and Bolivia for over 5,000 years, and it has been a staple food in the diets of the native Indians. The Incas considered it a sacred food and referred to it as

Chocolate sago pudding with coconut custard

Sago: it's definitely worth revisiting, as it has come back into vogue with a contemporary twist. You wont regret it, I promise, even if you some of you have some nasty memories from school diners in the 1950's! 

Chocolate sago is pure indulgence. This version of sago pudding is perfect for the winter palate, it's  wonderfully rich and chocolatey, and has that great comfort food quality that we desire in the cooler months. It will make any chocolate lover gush with