M A K E . B A K E . C A K E

WHEN LIFE GIVES YOU NECTARINES

2019-01-23T14:40:00.002+11:00

When life gives you nectarines... make CAKE I say! A friend dropped over a bagful of nectarines from their tree which was abundant with fruit when they arrived home from holidays. We ate some, we had them on our porridge and granola and the rest I put into a buttery tea cake which is super moist, can be 'veganised' and doesn't dry out - it actually does the opposite becoming dense and moist if you can make it last more than a day!

This recipe is a tweaked version of Deb from Smitten Kitchen's Blueberry Boy Bait Cake which you all need to bake ASAP (after this one of course)! The tweaking was due to not having 3 eggs but I certainly had some brown spotted overripe bananas which meant I could confidently reduce the amount of sugar and the cake would still be sweet enough. And for those who do not like banana flavour - IT DOES NOT TASTE LIKE BANANA!!!! I was pleased about this as I didn't want the bananas to overpower the tart sweetness from the nectarines, because after all its a Nectarine Cake not Banana- so let's move on! If you do not have bananas and are not vegan you can most certainly stick with using 3 eggs.

NECTARINE TEA CAKE

I made this in my food processor but you can use a stand or hand mixer. I just find the processor makes the batter fluffier (and takes half the time!).

2 cups of plain flour
1 tablespoon baking powder
1 teaspoon sea salt
225 grams butter, softened (Vegan option: use a vegan butter such as Nuttelex)
1/2 brown sugar (can use coconut sugar)
1/4 caster sugar
2 bananas mashed
1 egg (Vegan option: substitute with a flax or chia egg)
1 cup milk (I used almond but can use any type!)
2 - 3 nectarines (pending on size), thinly sliced
1 teaspoon of ground cinnamon
2 tablespoons sugar (I used caster but can be subbed for raw or coconut)

Preheat oven to 180C deg (170C deg fan forced).
Grease and line a lamington tray (approx. 20cm x 30cm) with baking paper.
Place the first three dry ingredients in the food processor and shjooz until combined, scrape into a bowl and set aside.
Put the butter and sugars in the processor and blend until nice and pale and fluffy.
Add in the bananas, eggs or whatever egg replacement you are using and shjooz until completely blended.
Add about a third of the flour mix and pulse a couple of times until just combined.
Pour in half the milk and do the same (the mixture may look curdled at this point but that is fine).
Add another third of flour and pulse again, then pour in rest of milk.
Finish off with the last third of the flour and give a good quick shjooz till it is just mixed through until you have a thick and creamy looking batter which you are tempted to just eat by the spoonful.
Scrape into the prepared baking tray and smooth out so it is even on top and into the corners.
Place the nectarine slices in rows and gently push down (just a little) into the batter so they are at the same level as the batter and not sitting on top.
In the same bowl that you used for the flour mix the cinnamon and sugar.
Sprinkle the cinnamon sugar over the top of the cake and place in the oven to bake for approximately 30-35minutes (Deb bakes hers for 45-50 but mine looked done at 25 min mark so I pulled mine out at 30 mins so all depends on how hot your oven runs and if its fan forced etc.)

VEGAN MEZZE PLATE

2019-01-17T22:44:00.000+11:00

In January, when the mercury rises into the 40s you know it must be time for the Australian Open! As Federer elegantly sweats his way to the finals I am not so elegantly sweating over preparing a meal. Regardless of how high you crank the air con, the kitchen will always feel like a sauna as soon as you start cooking and unfortunately, I find that little humans get really bored of summer salads and request dishes that require the oven being turned on - and kid, that ain't gonna happen!

Initially, I was going to make pumpkin gnocchi but the thought of flour all over the bench just exhausted me so I got to chopping and created a plate of yummy delights that everyone would be happy with!

Now, one of the great things about the friendly pumpkin is that it hardly takes any time to cook and a roasted version can be easily recreated in a skillet or fry pan within 15 mins tops. The entire dish pretty much took half an hour to make from start to finish.

VEGAN MEZZE PLATE

Note: I will add a list of alternatives at the bottom of the recipe in the coming weeks in case you want to substitute with what you have on hand in the pantry. Enjoy!

Quinoa Salad-

1 cup of quinoa (I used tricolour, but any will do)

2 cups of water

1/2 medium-sized cucumber, diced

2 tomatoes, diced

1 handful of Parsley, chopped

Splash White Wine Vinegar

Salt and Pepper

Rinse quinoa under cold water

In a medium-sized saucepan pop the grains and the water and bring to the boil

Cover and turn heat down to a gentle simmer for approximately 15 mins

Quinoa is cooked when all the water has been absorbed

Turn off the heat and leave covered for 5 mins.

Place in a large bowl to cool while you get on with the chopping of vegetables

Gently fold in the rest of the ingredients and season to taste.

Pan Fried Pumpkin Miso-

1/4 pumpkin, diced (about 1inch cubes)

50 grams of Nuttelex (or other vegan butter)

1 rounded tableShiro of Shiro miso paste (white miso)

In a large frying pan or skillet melt the butter.

Take off heat and pour into a mixing bowl along with the miso paste and stir to combine (if you have a few small lumps don't stress)

Add the diced pumpkin and stir till the pumpkin is covered in the paste.

Place the frying pan back on medium to high heat and gently add the pumpkin

Cook until the pumpkin is golden, crispy and soft in the middle on all sides.

Pear and Sultanas-

1 large/2 small green pears that are just ripe (so a bit hard for some crunch factor)

1/3 cup sultanas

1 cup of boiling water

Pour boiling water over the sultanas and set aside

Thinly slice the pear

Drain the sultanas and add to the pear

Sesame and Oregano Flatbread-

1 medium-sized homemade pizza base or Lebanese bread

1 teaspoon of olive oil

1 teaspoon Sesame Seeds

1 teaspoon Dried oregano

There are a few ways to do this without having to pop the oven on!

We have a benchtop pizza oven that is perfect to use on a hot day as it holds its heat inside.

Other alternatives would be a sandwich press or a basic toaster.

Pizza oven method-

Brush the base with olive oil and sprinkle with herbs and seeds

Place in the preheated pizza oven for approximately 2-3 minutes until warm and lightly golden on the edges.

Sandwich Press method-

Brush the base with olive oil and place in the press.

Cook until warmed through

Sprinkle with herbs and seeds

Toaster method-

Slice the base into wedges that will fit into your toaster

Toast until the bread is warmed through

Brush with olive oil and sprinkle with herbs and seeds

To plate up-

Using a large platter or breadboard carefully arrange each dish on the plate leaving a small space in the middle for a bowl of yogurt, hummus, tzatziki etc.

These dishes are best served at room temperature.

SUMMER TIME STOVETOP GRANOLA

2019-01-04T22:43:00.000+11:00

When you return home from holidays to a pretty miserably stocked pantry and baren fridge it is time to do a pantry cleanout and be creative with what you are going to make for dinner that night. Last night we had veg chilli consisting of black beans, kidney beans, carrots and a bottle of passata as well as buttery corn (thanks to the frozen pack I found at the bottom of the freezer) and golden rice. Come morning, there was only a bowls worth of granola and some leftover bread from yesterday's loaf I baked.

Now on a 43C degree day, NO ONE is keen to put the oven on to make more granola (January is all about making our own staples - bread, granola, .... that's pretty much it so far!). So I decided to try a stovetop version. After looking at a couple of recipes online I took stock of what I had in terms of grains, seeds and nuts and seeing there were no nuts in the pantry I created a nut-free Honey, Cinnamon and Quinoa Granola.

The quinoa is uncooked which gives good crunch factor ...if you are not a fan of quinoa you could replace with another grain such as millet or add some sunflower seeds, slivered almonds or another nut you have in the pantry!

I also found that once the granola was done I smoothed the mixture with the back of the spatula to let it stick together as it cooled to form chunks which I then broke into crunchy clusters.

Honey, Cinnamon and Quinoa Granola

1/4 cup + 2 tablespoons of olive oil (could use coconut oil)
1/4 cup rice syrup
4 tablespoons honey
1 tablespoon ground cinnamon
3 cups rolled oats
1 cup quinoa
1 cup coconut (I used desiccated but could use shredded)
1/2 cup pumpkin seeds
1/3 cup sesame seeds
1/4 cup chia seeds
1/4 cup L.S.A
1 cup dried fruit (I used sultanas, other subs raisins, currants, cranberries, chopped dates)

Heat a large skillet or heavy-based deep fry pan over medium heat
Add the first four ingredients and stir to melt
Stir in the rest of the ingredients (except the dried fruit) and coat well with the syrupy mixture
Stirring occasionally cook over low-medium heat for 15-20 minutes (turn the heat down if you find the mixture sticking or burning on the bottom of the pan) until the grains are lightly golden and the liquid has mostly been absorbed
Add the dried fruit then smooth the mixture in the pan so it sticks together as it cools, remember it will keep cooking in the pan so take off the heat when it is just golden.
Break up the granola into bite-sized clusters and store in an airtight container
Makes about 2 litres

TARTE SOLEIL - THREE WAYS

2018-12-11T11:14:00.002+11:00

This is hands down the easiest and most impressive AND yummiest thing you can bring to a gathering when required to bring something! We have had Xmas dinners, lunches, morning teas etc coming to us from all sides and on Sunday for barefoot bowling, this was something I whipped up in less than an hour. (You can see by the rushed twisting and camera shots! But hey they were a hit!) So a Tarte Soleil is a French appetiser, consisting of flaky puff pastry and some type of simple filling such as pesto, cheese, tapenade etc. I knew there was going to be little humans there so I made a plain cheese for the little ones, a homemade green olive tapenade and a sweet version, Nutella for everyone!

There are loads of recipes online which are pretty much all the same, but with variations of fillings and how many twists in each section of pastry. The formula is pretty much just two sheets of pastry, a filling, some cutting and twisting and voila, you have a very delicious and fancy looking dish to take to your next Xmas shindig.

Tarte Soleil Three Ways

6 sheets of ready made frozen puff pastry

1/2 cup grated cheese / 1/4 cup tapenade / 3 heaped tablespoons of Nutella

1 egg, lightly beaten.

Preheat oven to 220 deg C (or 200 deg C fan forced)

LIne three baking trays with baking paper

Lay the sheets of puff pastry on a clean work surface

I keep the plastic underneath so it doesn't stick to the bench

Using a plate to guide a circle shape gently place it on top of one of the sheets and cut around it to make a circle. Try to make your circle as large as you can so you are not wasting pastry

Use this sheet of pastry as a template to lay on top to cut the other 5 sheets

Place a circle on a baking tray

For the cheese:

Sprinkle 1/3 cup of cheese on a sheet of pastry

For Tapenade:

Gently spread the tapenade out leaving 1/2-1 inch at the edge, sprinkle with remaining cheese.

For the Nutella:

Gently spread the Nutella out leaving 1/2-1 inch at the edge.

Assembly:

Place another sheet on top so it matches closely.

Using a tumbler glass or mug gently place in the centre and press lightly to make an indent.

With a pizza cutter or sharp knife begin to slice the pastry into sections but only up to the indented line the glass/mug has made- so you end up with a circle in the centre and you are slicing/creating the 'rays' of the sun.

I like to create quarters first then cut those quarters into halves then halve them again so each quarter contains four rays each. So in total, you should have 16 'rays' (Woah, go Maths!)

Using your hands begin twisting each 'ray' by gently lifting it a little and turning it over 2-3 times

Place it back down lightly pressing the ends together and onto the tray to make it stay in place (don't worry if it gets a bit slippery and messy it will be fine once baked!)

Brush with egg wash and place in the oven to bake for approx. 20 minutes until golden and puffed

Serve warm or at room temperature

Suggestions:

Dust the Nutella with icing sugar

Sprinkle fresh herbs on the savoury ones

You could also add a dip to accompany the savoury ones such as a chilli mayo or tomato jam for the plain cheese and a whipped fetta for the tapenade.

And if serving at home for a luncheon or dinner party you could dollop a giant scoop of vanilla ice cream on the Nutella one while still warm and hoe into it as a share plate - ZOMG!!!

Enjoy!

SUMMER LOVIN' - HALOUMI PEA & ZUCCHINI FRITTERS

2018-11-08T12:54:00.001+11:00

I had some leftover haloumi so I decided to use it up in some fritters for last nights dinner. I posted a couple of pics in my Instagram stories and I have been inundated with messages requesting the recipe so here it is!

I used my food processor to do all the work, but you can easily make these by hand in a mixing bowl. I have added both the food processor and mixing bowl methods below. enjoy!

HALOUMI PEA & ZUCCHINI FRITTERS

1 cup frozen peas
1 small onion,
2 free range eggs
1/4 cup mint or parsley
1/2 cup g.f self-raising flour
1 tablespoon lemon zest (about 1/2 lemon)
1 medium zucchini (grate if using mixing bowl method)
100 grams haloumi (grate if using mixing bowl method)
Olive or coconut oil, to fry
Sea salt
Lemon wedges.

Food processor method -
Fill a medium saucepan halfway with water and bring to the bol.
Add frozen peas and cook for 3 mins
While the peas are cooking peel and halve the onion.
Drain the peas and set aside.
Using the blade attachment add onion, peas and eggs to the food processor, shjooz until blended.
Add flour, herbs, zest and pulse until just blended.
Change the blade to the grater attachment and grate zucchini and haloumi.
Fold these into the mixture using a spoon.

Mixing bowl method -
Fill a medium saucepan halfway with water and bring to the bol.
Add frozen peas and cook for 3 mins
While the peas are cooking, peel and finely chop the onion as well as the herbs.
Drain the peas and set aside.
In a medium mixing bowl add the peas and using a potato masher or fork rough mash them.
Add the onion, herbs and eggs and mix together.
Fold in the rest of the ingredients.

Heat approx 3 tablespoons of oil in a skillet or frying pan.

Drop heaped spoonfuls of the fritter batter into the pan and spread out to form a pattie shape using the back of the spoon.

Cook for about 2 mins until dark golden in colour and the edges are crispy.

Carefully flip over so you do not splatter yourself with any hot oil and cook for a further minute or two until crispy and golden.

Place on paper tow or a cake rack.

Sprinkle with sea salt and drizzle with lemon.

Serve with yogurt and extra lemon wedges as a starter or a snack.

I served these for dinner along with roasted veg and a simple garden salad.

these would be great cooked on the BBQ too and made into burgers!

Recipe alternatives-

The flour can be substituted with plain, spelt, oat.

To make egg free- use a flax or chia eggs.

To make dairy-free replace the haloumi with a hard tofu.

Herbs - coriander or even baby spinach could be used.

HALLOWEEN D.I.Y - EASY CRAFT MONSTER FACE

2018-10-31T00:43:00.002+11:00

BOO!

Halloween is getting busier and busier around our neighbourhood and so we have loaded up with treats and I have left my costume to the last minute (here's hoping I can find a white wig tomorrow!) But Clémentine's costume is all organised and she is super excited about trick or treating!!!

Decorating the front yard with some simple crafty decor which can be easily stored for next year or recycled is a fun craft activity to do with your little ghouls!

GARAGE MONSTER

Approximately 10 sheets of white A4 paper

Black cardboard

Green paper

Sticky Tape

Scissors

Use an A4 piece of paper to cut a rough semi-circle for an eyeball, repeat this so you have two.

Using the offcuts, cut two thin sphere-like shapes for the middle parts of the eyes.

With the green paper cut two smaller versions, repeat with the black.

Place tape on the back of the green and position in the middle of the white eyeballs, repeat with the black, finishing with the white slits.

For the teeth, turn the paper so it is landscape (so longest is at the top and bottom).

Cut triangles to create teeth.

BATS

1 x sheet A4 paper

2 x sheets black cardboard

Scissors

Pencil

With the A4 paper, draw and cut out a bat-like shape to use as your template.

Evenly place the black cardboard on top of each other, using the template trace as many bats as you can.

Cut out the bats so you are cutting through both pieces of cardboard.

You can then make smaller bats with the scraps, I just did this freehand and didn't use a template.

EYEBALLS

white A4 paper

Black Texta

Red Texta

Pencil

Scissors

Lightly sketch two eyeballs on the sheets of paper making sure the circles touch.

Outline the eyeballs in black texta and colour in circles for the pupils.

Draw squiggly lines in red so they look bloodshot.

Cut the out making sure to keep the attached in the middle so you get a set of two eyeballs (unless you want that cyclops look!)

HAPPY HALLOWEEN!

MEAL PLAN #18

2018-02-23T09:51:00.001+11:00

MONDAY-
Miso Roasted Tofu & Veg w/ Noodles (recipe soon!)

TUESDAY-
Cauliflower Tacos

WEDNESDAY-
Pot Stickers w/ Cucumber & Apple Salad

THURSDAY-
Sweet Potato Curry w/ Rice

FRIDAY-
Ravioli w/ Homemade Napoli Sauce & Green Salad

SATURDAY-
Pea & Zucchini Fritters, Homemade Chips & Buttery Corn

SUNDAY-
Pizza

MEAL PLAN #17

2018-02-05T17:22:00.001+11:00

...

MONDAY-
Sweet Potato Curry w/ Steamed Rice

TUESDAY-
Tacos w/ Vege Chili + Trimmings

WEDNESDAY-
15 minute Lo Mein

THURSDAY-
Vegetable Pasties

FRIDAY-
Zucchini Rice Gratin
(I made a simplified version of this will post about it soon!)

SATURDAY-
Pot Stickers (recipe soon)

SUNDAY-
Pizza for Clementine's Birthday!

RECIPE ROUND UP: LUNCH BOX TREATS

2018-01-30T17:07:00.000+11:00

So Clémentine starts school this week and I am all of a sudden having all of the feels. I have been so excited for her about this next stage of her life but now it is upon us I am realising that those first special years are over.....that's it! This year we are both starting big educational adventures. Clémentine with primary school and I am going to graduate school. Its going to be a busy busy year so the need to stock the freezer with baked goods for the school lunchbox is a must.
Now I have had some experience with packing lunches as Clémentine has been at kinder for the past 2 years but it was only part time and I wasn't studying! I found that packing her lunch the night before is such a time saver, if (like me) you want to make the sandwhich fresh in the morning do so but have everything else sorted- snacks, fruit, crackers etc can all be ready in her lunchbox then butter the sanga and voila lunchbox done in 2 mins.

So a few notes on freezing baked goods -
Cut cakes and slices so that you can just grab a portion at a time and store them in air tight containers for up to 3 months.
Cookies can be frozen once they have been baked or you can 'snap freeze' the dough to be backed at a later time. See here for snap freezing. Store in air tight containers or zip lock bags for up to 3 months.

Happy Baking and good luck to all those new school parents out there- stay strong!

Spiced Apple Cake

Banana Coconut and Apple Loaf

Chocolate Banana Buckwheat Cake

(sans frosting)

Anzac Biscuits

Tahini Cacao Cookies

Granola Bars with Almonds and Sticky Prunes

Blueberry Coconut Muffins

MEAL PLAN #16

2018-01-16T13:37:00.001+11:00

MEAL PLAN #16

MONDAY-
Carrot Coconut Curry + Tofu w/ Steamed Rice

TUESDAY-
Us: Spaghetti w/ Mushrooms, Chili & Garlic Cléme: Easy Peasy Pasta

WEDNESDAY-
Corn & Spinach Fritters w/ Roasted Sweet Potato & Pumpkin

THURSDAY-
Spanakopita w/ Watermelon, Cucumber & Mint Salad

FRIDAY-
Eggs- as you like it.

SATURDAY-
Simple Vegetable Stir Fry w/ Rice Noodles

SUNDAY-
Spaghetti w/ Ricotta, Lemon & Garlic (we missed out on making this dish last week!)

MEAL PLAN #15

2018-01-09T01:02:00.001+11:00

MEAL PLAN #15

MONDAY-
Ottolenghi Night! - Roasted Pumpkin, Carrot & Onion w/ Tahini Dressing (based on this recipe) + Roasted Potatoes w/ Dates and Honey (based on this recipe) + Parsley and Wild Rice Salad (based on this recipe)

TUESDAY-
Roasted Teriyaki Mushrooms and Broccolini Soba Noodles + Crispy Tofu

WEDNESDAY-
Tacos w/ Vegetarian Chili, Corn, Spicy Cauliflower + Trimmings.

THURSDAY-
Girls night in! (a.k.a Adam works late) - Clémentine: Cheese Omelette w/ Peas, Corn Tomato & Cucumber.
Me: Plain Omelette w/ Zucchini & Kale.

FRIDAY-
Leftovers

SATURDAY-
Grilled Homemade Flatbreads with Semidried Tomato Sugo and Mozzarella w/ Homemade Oven Fries and Green Salad

SUNDAY-
Spaghetti w/ Garlic, Ricotta, Tomato, Chili & Lemon + Cucumber & Apple Salad.

CHRISTMAS KINDNESS: A Note For Your Neighbours

2017-12-22T22:46:00.001+11:00

What a year! We have had highs and we have had lows, this month especially has been such a trying one.....one of loss and one of great triumphs. Clémentine graduated from kinder this week and was gifted a beautiful book called Grace Has A Secret. We read it last night and she was so inspired that today we made little cards to give to all the houses on our street. We decided to print them out because I knew after the 5th one Cléme would most likely lose interest and we needed to hustle time wise. So she stamped them, popped them in her bike basket and was off down the street!

This was such an easy peasy craft activity to do and it teaches your child the act of kindness.

Get the glitter pens out, the stamps, let the kids go nuts if you want to make it an involved activity that will keep them occupied or you can make it as simple as what we did and print and go!

"Darting and dashing and scuttling and creeping, Grace delivered kindness while everyone was sleeping.

As the morning mist swirled magic at her feet, Grace pushed envelopes into every letterbox in the street."

Merry Christmas! Have a happy and safe one! x

MEAL PLAN #14

2017-10-16T12:46:00.002+11:00

MEAL PLAN #14

MONDAY-
Sticky Pan Fried Tofu, Homemade Chips (white & sweet potato), Cobs of Corn & A Bowl of Peas + Salad

TUESDAY-
Coconut Quinoa & Lentil Curry w/ Steamed Rice & Homemade Spinach Roti

WEDNESDAY-
Fully Loaded Vegan Nachos

THURSDAY-
G.F Penne w/ Supergreen Pesto

FRIDAY-
Breakfast for Dinner - eggs as you like it.

SATURDAY-
Thai Pumpkin & Tofu Curry w/ Noodles

SUNDAY-
Sushi Bowl (Brown Rice, Cucumber, Carrot, Avo, Tofu, Nori Strips & Chia Seeds)

CHOCOLATE BANANA BUCKWHEAT CAKE W/ VEGAN DARK CHOCOLATE FROSTING

2017-10-12T11:41:00.000+11:00

A quick post for a quick and easy cake recipe. I wasn't going to frost this cake but I only had half the quantity of bananas and forgot to sub them so I knew it would be a bit crumbly so a bit of extra love would help. Clémentine then got to work on decorating and now we have a pretty healthy cake that looks pretty too!

The frosting was a total experiment and I am really happy with it. Clementine gave it the nod of approval even though it is slightly bitter - think dark chocolate. If you find it not sweet enough you could experiment with using maple syrup or honey instead of rice malt syrup or perhaps coconut syrup. I did consider trying my luck at adding avocado to make it creamier and lighter in taste but I didn't have much cocoa to spare if it turned out dreadful!

CHOCOLATE BANANA BUCKWHEAT CAKE W/ VEGAN DARK CHOCOLATE FROSTING

recipe adapted from here

1 cup buckwheat flour

1/3 cacao/cocoa

1 teaspoon baking soda

1/2 teaspoon cinnamon

1/4 teaspoon sea salt

3-4 bananas

2 eggs

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

1/2 cup coconut sugar

6 tablespoons olive oil or coconut oil, melted

Preheat oven to 180C degrees

Grease and line with baking paper a 9" x 9" square cake tin

In a medium sized bowl add the first four dry ingredients and mix to combine

In a mixing jug or small bowl mash the bananas then add the wet ingredients and lightly beat with a spatula or wooden spoon.

Pour the wet mixture into the flour bowl and stir until just combined

Bake for approximately 25 mins, until a toothpick inserted in the middle comes out clean.

VEGAN BITTERSWEET CHOCOLATE FROSTING

You may need to adjust to taste, adding more cacao, nuttelex or syrup...one teaspoon at a time.

1/4 cup cacao/cocoa

1/4 cup nuttelex

1/4 rice malt syrup

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

1-2 teaspoons almond milk or other milk of choice

Sprinkles, optional

In a small bowl gently mix cocoa, nuttelex and syrup until it starts to come together

Add vanilla extract and beat well, gradually adding milk until you get a glossy and spreadable frosting.

Store cake at room temp in an air tight container for up to 4 days.

MEAL PLAN #13

2017-09-18T17:41:00.001+10:00

MEAL PLAN #13

MONDAY-
Mujadarra Rice w/ Spinach & Parsley + Roast Tomato Salad

TUESDAY-
Carrot Coconut Curry & Crispy Tofu w/ Brown Rice Noodles

WEDNESDAY-
Vegan Skillet Lasagne w/ Tofu 'Ricotta'

THURSDAY-
G.F Pasta w/ Supergreen Pesto

FRIDAY-
Red Lentil Dal & Crispy Golden Turmeric Potatoes w/ Steamed Rice

SATURDAY-
Out for Dinner!

SUNDAY-
Take Out

MEAL PLAN #12

2017-09-12T12:56:00.001+10:00

MEAL PLAN #12

MONDAY-
Picnic Tacos w/ Roasted Golden Spiced Cauliflower, Vegetarian Chilli, Avo & Greens + Homemade Sweet Potato Crisps

TUESDAY-
Tofu & Potato Coconut Curry w/ Steamed Rice
(recipe note: we don't have a microwave so I popped the potatoes in with the stock and cooked them for 10 mins then added coconut milk and cooked for the further 10 until they were tender.)

WEDNESDAY-
Spring Onion Pancakes & Sweet Soy Noodles w/ Vegetables

THURSDAY-
Vegan G.F Pasta Bake w/ Tofu 'Cottage Cheese' & Spinach + Napoli Sauce

FRIDAY-
Leftovers

SATURDAY-
Green Paella

SUNDAY-
Roasted Rainbow of Vegetables w/ Pear & Cucumber Salad

MEAL PLAN #11

2017-09-05T12:39:00.000+10:00

MEAL PLAN #11

MONDAY-
Red Lentil Dahl w/ Turmeric Golden Rice, Sultanas & Slivered Almonds + Raita

TUESDAY-
Vegatarian Japchae - Korean Sweet Potato Noodles with Tofu

WEDNESDAY-
G.F Gnochhi w/ Napoli Sauce

THURSDAY-
Zucchini and Chickpea burgers w/ trimmings + Sweet Potato and Carrot fries

FRIDAY-
Breakfast for dinner - Eggs as you like it + Simple Tomato & Cucumber Salad

SATURDAY-
Us: Spaghetti Aglio E Olio
Clémentine: Easy Peasy Pasta

SUNDAY-
Take Out

MORNING TEA ON A MONDAY: BLUEBERRY, OAT & COCONUT YOGURT MUFFINS

2017-09-05T10:56:00.002+10:00

Hey Hey its Morning Tea on a Monday!
Although Clementine is at Bush Kinder for the morning we have been doing a lot of baking in the afternoon, that is after she has showered and washed off the mud that goes with Bush Kinder play! It is such a great program, one I highly recommend. So after lunch and a bit of quiet time Clémentine and I flip thru recipe books, google the ingredients we have on hand, (although the requests are usually the same: a rainbow cake, cupcakes with rainbow frosting, something with sprinkles or chocolate chips in it) so we negotiate and end up with a huge baking to do list.
In kid land I have noticed the time for a cake to cool before it can be frosted is an ETERNITY.....that's when its always best to go with muffins whenever you can. Because muffins eaten warm are the best thing ever, well second best in kid land I suppose, first would be licking the bowl and spatula.

Muffins are such a versatile baked good, they can be eaten for breakfast, morning tea (of course!), lunch boxes are a given and park time treats. Never underestimate the giving powers of a muffin, they may not have bright purple frosting covered in sprinkles on them but unlike the cupcake where the frosting is usually eaten first and the stumpy cake is left exposed and rejected. The muffin is most often completely eaten.

I have found that oat flour is a great substitute for wheat based flours. Sometimes I do a mix of Oat and a G.F store bought flour to lighten things up,. The fruit in these muffins can be swapped for any other berry. I usually store half of these muffins in the freezer for lunch boxes and the rest are eaten over the next couple of days. They keep well, due to the banana and the coconut yogurt locking in the moisture so you won't be eating a dry muffin the next day that's for sure!

Blueberry Banana Coconut Yogurt Muffins

Notes: I used patty pan sized liners so the mixture made about 18 muffins, but if you use muffin liners you should get 12 muffins. I just find for small children this size is best and there is less wastage, is: a half eaten muffin given to you at the park. If making the larger size the muffins will probably done around 25-28 mins as the mixture is quite full of fruit and with the amount of bicarb these muffins tend to deflate a bit when the are cooling so they do need to be cooked thru to hold up.

2 ripe bananas

1/2 cup coconut oil (melted and set aside to cool) or olive oil

1/2 cup honey

2 eggs

1/2 cup coconut yogurt

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

1/2 teaspoon cinnamon

1 teaspoon baking powder

1 teaspoon bicarb soda

1/2 teaspoon salt

1 cup oat flour

1/2 cup G.F flour mix

1 1/4 cup blueberries, fresh or frozen

Pre heat oven to 180C degrees

Line a 12 hole muffin pan with paper liners.

In a large mixing bowl mash the peeled bananas

Add oil, honey, eggs, yogurt, vanilla and mix to combine well

Sprinkle in cinnamon, baking powder, bicarb and salt and mix through

Add in flours and stir to just combined, do not over mix its ok to have streaks of flour

Fold in blueberries

Scoop the mixture into the liners about half to two thirds full

Bake for 20-25 minutes, until a toothpick inserted in centre of muffin comes out clean and when gently pressed on top it springs back.

Cool in trays for 10 mins before placing them on cooling rack or devouring them warm!

Meal Plan #10

2017-08-22T12:54:00.000+10:00

MEAL PLAN #10

MONDAY-
Silverbeet Risotto w/ Roasted Pumpkin & Vegan Parmesan

TUESDAY-
Toor Daal Soup w/ Garlic Naan

WEDNESDAY-
Black Pepper Tofu & Green Beans w/ Steamed Rice

THURSDAY-
Pea & Corn Pasties w/ Honey Roasted Carrots

FRIDAY-
Out for dinner - Babysitter booked! (Cléme will most likely have leftover pasties)

SATURDAY-
Vegan Pumpkin Macaroni

SUNDAY-
Vegan Nachos w/ all the trimmings

MEAL PLAN #9

2017-07-30T17:21:00.001+10:00

MEAL PLAN #9

MONDAY-
Tofu Pad Thai

TUESDAY-
G.F Pasta w/ Supergreen Pesto

WEDNESDAY-
Vegan Nachos

THURSDAY-
Vegan Cauliflower 'Rice' Gratin w/ Broccoli, Kale and Mushrooms

FRIDAY-
Pumpkin, Carrot & Orange Soup

SATURDAY-
Vegetable G.F Pasties w/ Cucumber & Tomato Salad

SUNDAY-
Red Lentil Dal, Saag Tofu 'Paneer' + Rice & Coconut Raita

MEAL PLAN #8

2017-07-24T15:01:00.003+10:00

MEAL PLAN #8

MONDAY-
Stir Fried Vegetables with Sticky Coconut Rice

TUESDAY-
Root Vegetable Mulligatawny w/ Ploye (Buckwheat Flatbread)

WEDNESDAY-
Roast Veges w/ Pea Fritters & Salad

THURSDAY-
Butternut Macaroni & Tease (Gluten and Dairy Free)

FRIDAY-
Chana Masal w/ Turmeric Rice and Peas

SATURDAY-
Take Out

SUNDAY-
G.F Tacos w/ Black Bean Chilli, Cobs of Corn + Cucumber & Tomato Salsa

Picture: The recipe for this orange, date and almond cake will be posted soon!

MEAL PLAN #7

2017-07-17T16:46:00.003+10:00

MEAL PLAN #7

MONDAY-
Red Lentil & Potato Dal w/ Spinach & Brown Rice

TUESDAY-
Tacos w/ Tofu, Black Bean Chilli & Trimmings.

WEDNESDAY-
G.F Lasagne w/ Tofu & Spinach

THURSDAY-
Roast Veg w/ Pea Fritters & Vege Sausages

FRIDAY-
Both: Green Eggs (spinach in scrambled)
Me: Avo and Garlic Mushrooms on G.F Toast
Cléme: 'Mavi' Toastie (Avo, Vegemite & Cheese)

SATURDAY-
Vegan Mushroom Ramen

SUNDAY-
Spiced Tomato Gratin w/ Zucchini & Rice + Cobs of Corn

GRANOLA BARS W/ ALMONDS AND STICKY PRUNES

2017-07-12T13:56:00.000+10:00

It's the second week of the school holidays - are you all surviving? Clémentine and I started the holidays with a quick visit to Canberra to see my family and then we've been back home enjoying lazy mornings in our p.j's, baking, playing with the chooks and wandering about the neighbourhood. Aside from my D I S C O school holiday activity for kids we have been laying low and loving it!

Sometimes the thought of queuing up to get into museums, galleries and kid's shows is just so unappealing that its best to stay at home and make a cubby out of bed sheets, sweep up a pile of leaves to jump in, go to the local park or at times - turn on the t.v (Clémentine is loving Andy's Prehistoric Adventures).

At times it can be difficult with just one child, you worry about entertaining them and organising play dates, are they getting bored? Do they miss their Kinder friends? But then I realise all this time I've been worrying she's been in her room playing for a few hours creating an imaginary world of unicorns, ponies and a random lego character! And when she comes out to greet me and asks if we can bake then all is right in our little world.

GRANOLA BARS W/ ALMONDS AND STICKY PRUNES

These Almond and Prune Granola Bars were adapted from the wonderful Minimalist Baker blog which is on my high rotation list lately. The original recipe calls for dates but I had just used up the last of the dates so I opted for prunes - which made them just as sweet and delish! They also can be dipped in chocolate but we are cutting down on sugar and all things sweet plus Clémentine requested no chocolate, yes NO chocolate from a 4 year old? We are pretty lucky when it comes to pleads of junk food as its basically snake lollies, lollypops, babycinos with marshmallows and frosting-of course! These would also be super scrummy with dried figs or apricots. We ate the entire slab over the weekend......they are very Y-U-M.

1 cup oats ( the recipe calls for rolled but I only had quick oats on hand and they worked fine)

1/3 cup slivered almond

1/4 falxseed meal (I used L.S.A)

2/3 shredded coconut

1/4 teaspoon salt

1/3 cup dried fruit (dates, prunes, figs or apricots), chopped

2 tablespoons almond butter (or other nut/seed butter)

2 tabelspoons coconut oil.

1/4 cup maple syrup (or brown rice syrup)

Preheat oven to 170deg C

Grease a 8 x 8 square pan with coconut oil and line with baking paper.

Sprinkle oats and almond on a large baking tray and bake in oven for about 10 mins till lightly toasted, set aside to cool.

Reduce oven to 160deg C

In a large mixing bowl add flaxseed meal, coconut and salt.

Add chopped dried fruit and the toasted oats and nuts.

In a small saucepan add almond butter, coconut oil and maple syrup, stirring constantly heat the mixture on med heat until the oil has just melted,

Add the liquid mixture to the dry mix bowl and stir with a wooden or silicon spatula to combine.

Press the mixture evenly into the pan.

Bake for 20-25 minutes until the edges are golden brown.

Remove and let cool in the pan.

Cut into squares and enjoy!

MEAL PLAN #6

2017-07-07T16:33:00.001+10:00

MEAL PLAN #6

MONDAY-
Bangkok Coconut Curry Noodle Bowl

TUESDAY-
Red Lentil & Potato Dal w/ Spinach & Brown Rice

WEDNESDAY-
Roasted Veg w/ Quinoa Herby Salad & 'Buttery' peas (we used nutelex)

THURSDAY-
Rice w/ Sticky Tofu, Charred Broccoli & Ginger Miso Dressing

FRIDAY-
Spanish Omelette w/ Garlicky Kale & Carrots.

SATURDAY-
Us: G.F Pasta w/ Garlic, Chili & lots of Parsley
Cleme: Pasta w/ Supergreen Pesto

SUNDAY-
Us: Spicy Tempeh Sausages
Cléme: Veg Sausages
Both w/ Potato Hash, Green Beans and Tomato & Cucumber Salad

(only half a...) MEAL PLAN #5

2017-07-06T16:06:00.000+10:00

Clémentine and I have been away visiting family so I am just meal planning for the rest of this week.

I cooked up a few dishes and froze them so Adam had a few supplies while he away, although he cooked every night and stuck to the diet while we were away - go Adam! With the freezer stocked up, dinner was already sorted when we arrived home. Red Lentil Dal, Crispy Turmeric Potatoes with Peas and Spinach plus a generous dollop of Yogurt for Cléme.

Adam and I have officially finished our Elimination Program we are kinda still on it and haven't introduce anything officially - except a few glasses of wine of course! But aside from that we have been kinda loving our new diet?! I personally have noticed a lot of difference in my moods swings, especially my hormonal highs and lows, my skin seems to be glowing and I have no brain fog or lethargy in the afternoon....I will write a post soon about our experience on our program and how it has improved our health. But in the meantime here's our meal plan for the rest of this week.

* If you live in Melbourne and have little ones that love to have a boogie then come hang out on the dance floor at D I S C O tomorrow!

* The delicious fudge in pic above is from here and one of my fav cook books on high rotation at the moment is fro this fantastic blog.

MEAL PLAN #5

WEDNESDAY-

Barley Risotto with Grated Zucchini, Roasted Pumpkin & Onions

THURSDAY-

G.F pasta w/ Creamy Avocado and Kale Pesto

FRIDAY-

Sushi Bowl w/ sushi rice, nori strips, carrot, cucumber, tofu and avo.

SATURDAY-

Going out for Vegan Pizza!

SUNDAY-

Us: Roasted Cauliflower and Field Mushroom Tacos w/ Cucumber & Tomato Salsa, Corn and Avo

Cléme: Corn, Spinach and Cheese Quesadillas w/ Cucumber & Tomato Salsa

M A K E . B A K E . C A K E

WHEN LIFE GIVES YOU NECTARINES

NECTARINE TEA CAKE

VEGAN MEZZE PLATE

VEGAN MEZZE PLATE

Quinoa Salad-

Pan Fried Pumpkin Miso-

Pear and Sultanas-

Sesame and Oregano Flatbread-

To plate up-

SUMMER TIME STOVETOP GRANOLA

Honey, Cinnamon and Quinoa Granola

TARTE SOLEIL - THREE WAYS

Tarte Soleil Three Ways

SUMMER LOVIN' - HALOUMI PEA & ZUCCHINI FRITTERS

HALOUMI PEA & ZUCCHINI FRITTERS

HALLOWEEN D.I.Y - EASY CRAFT MONSTER FACE

BOO!

GARAGE MONSTER

BATS

EYEBALLS

HAPPY HALLOWEEN!

MEAL PLAN #18

MEAL PLAN #17

...

RECIPE ROUND UP: LUNCH BOX TREATS

Spiced Apple Cake

Banana Coconut and Apple Loaf

Chocolate Banana Buckwheat Cake

Anzac Biscuits

Tahini Cacao Cookies

Granola Bars with Almonds and Sticky Prunes

Blueberry Coconut Muffins

MEAL PLAN #16

MEAL PLAN #16

MEAL PLAN #15

MEAL PLAN #15

CHRISTMAS KINDNESS: A Note For Your Neighbours

"Darting and dashing and scuttling and creeping, Grace delivered kindness while everyone was sleeping. As the morning mist swirled magic at her feet, Grace pushed envelopes into every letterbox in the street."

MEAL PLAN #14

MEAL PLAN #14

CHOCOLATE BANANA BUCKWHEAT CAKE W/ VEGAN DARK CHOCOLATE FROSTING

CHOCOLATE BANANA BUCKWHEAT CAKE W/ VEGAN DARK CHOCOLATE FROSTING

MEAL PLAN #13

MEAL PLAN #13

MEAL PLAN #12

MEAL PLAN #12

MEAL PLAN #11

MEAL PLAN #11

MORNING TEA ON A MONDAY: BLUEBERRY, OAT & COCONUT YOGURT MUFFINS

Blueberry Banana Coconut Yogurt Muffins

Meal Plan #10

MEAL PLAN #10

MEAL PLAN #9

MEAL PLAN #9

MEAL PLAN #8

MEAL PLAN #8

MEAL PLAN #7

MEAL PLAN #7

GRANOLA BARS W/ ALMONDS AND STICKY PRUNES

GRANOLA BARS W/ ALMONDS AND STICKY PRUNES

MEAL PLAN #6

MEAL PLAN #6

(only half a...) MEAL PLAN #5

MEAL PLAN #5

"Darting and dashing and scuttling and creeping, Grace delivered kindness while everyone was sleeping.

As the morning mist swirled magic at her feet, Grace pushed envelopes into every letterbox in the street."