Asian Kelp noodle salad with a macadamia & kaffir lime satay

Wanna serve something different, something new to your family and friends? Try this recipe using kelp noodles! I discovered these noodles about a year ago. They are light, clear and slightly salt but a little tasteless really. I like them for their crunchy texture and there lightness when you eat them. With lots of Asian veggies and this super delicious macadamia satay sauce they are a tasty little winner.

Kelp noodles are a food made from

Goji berry bliss balls

I’m doing my best to eat more goji berries after I discovered how good they are for you. Unique among fruits because they contain all essential amino acids, goji berries also have the highest concentration of protein of any fruit. They are also loaded with vitamin C, contain more carotenoids than any other food, have twenty-one trace minerals, and are high in fiber. Amazingly they contain 15 times the amount of iron found in spinach, as well as calcium, zinc, selenium and many other important trace minerals, there is no doubt that goji berries are

Pink velvet smoothie

Electric colour! Isn’t it gorgeous? When I first made this smooth and drank it, I felt this warm fuzzy glow in my heart, the colour alone just lifted my spirits!

The thing I loved the most about this smoothie was the beetroot and purple cabbage! It’s filled with such goodness and rich nutrition but without the ‘veggie’ taste. The flavor was like nothing

Sang Chow Bow - vegan style!

 We are so lucky to have two farmers in our region (Northern NSW - Australia) who grown dry-land rice. That means they grow a variety of rice that doesn’t require a lot of water in the growing process. Which in our country of little water is a good thing! It’s lovely rice too.

This dish was inspired by

Tiramisu

A little bit of coffee never killed anyone, and this is one of those dessert that is truly wicked. I know it’s a pretty classic Italian dessert but this vegan, gluten free version is just as much a match! Not an inferior substitute.

Choc-chip banana power smoothie

The older and wiser I get I realise how important nutrient rich food is. That is food that has high levels of vitamins & mineral. I’ve always love healthy fresh food but now I see that each mouthful needs to be full of nutritional goodness.

I still let slip some pure comfort foods but

Hearty lentil, fennel & tomato soup

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I sit here in my office looking out of my arch window and watch the rain stream on. I can hear the cars driving by through showery puddles and the trickling of water coming down the pipes of my house and into little ponds. It's a peaceful sound and perfect hot soup weather.

This soup is a beauty. When I think of cooked tomatoes I think of tasty comfort food. This combination of lentils, tomato & fennel is homey Italian food at its simplist and best. What I adore about soups, aside from the fact that they warm up any wintery day, is that you throw everything in a pot and once it has come to the boil, you simply reduce the heat and get on with something around the house or computer.

Everybody knows lentils are good for you: high in protein, iron & B vitamins (particularly B3). Fennel is good for digestion and tummy troubles. So we know this soup is good for you, and nourishing on a comfort level, but food isn't just about that for me; it's also about passion and it's about the story that the ingredients tell when paired together. It's a romance, a friendship, and chance meeting of minds or bodies.

The flavours of the fennel, tomato & herbs are so complimentary they wrap their arms around each other in a love filled moment of joy. You have the sweet rich fruity notes of cooked tomato then the earthy almost sandy texture of the full bodied lentils and along comes the aniseed-y fennel notes that freshen and lighten up this soup as it does this little dance on your palette. It's so perfectly balanced it’s an old love affair rich in history!

If you haven't played with this combination, then do, it's good, it will become a winter staple, something you pull out of your hat on those cold, drizzly days to cheer up friends and family. I love it with fresh olive bread & herby pesto.  

Makes = 4 medium bowls 

1 cup puy lentils (or beluga or green)

2 small fennel bulbs, chopped finely include feathery tips

2 tins chopped tomatoes

1 medium onion, finely diced

1 small clove garlic, roughly chopped

1 tbs Italian herbs

1 tps good salt

add pepper to taste

3 cups filtered water, and more as needed

Put the lentils, onion, fennel & garlic in a medium size saucepan and cover with 3 cups of water. Bring to the boil then reduce heat to a simmer.

Add the Italian herbs and pepper but not the salt (it prevents lentils from cooking).

Some lentils can be thirstier than others, so if needed, add a little more water. Be sure to keep the lentils and fennel covered in water but not too much. You want to cook them not drown them and we want this soup to be thick and hearty.

Once the lentils and fennel are soft, add the tomatoes and salt and simmer for a further 10 minutes.

Season the soup to your taste if needed.

I like to blend a little of the soup with a stick blender (barmix), not too much as I love the body of the lentils and the soft fennel pieces falling apart in my mouth.

Garnish with pepper, olive oil & herb pesto if desired.