Snow Peas, Cashews with Ginger and Chilli
Friday, November 01, 2024Fresh, crispy and sweet snow peas are really ideal for a quick stirfry. You can also add protein (chicken, prawn, egg or tempeh) to this simple dish. It's easy to prepare and ready within 15 minutes. Just simply shred the trimmed snow peas and toss with chilli and ginger for maximum flavour and crunch.
Snow peas, aka Chinese pea pods, are young and flat with very small peas inside (different from rounded snap peas) and typically available all year-round, but the peak season is spring through early winter. As their name implies, snow peas can survive frost and snow.
Baked Spinach and Tomato Omelette
Thursday, October 31, 2024This is a great breakfast or brunch on weekend or any time you have company. It is low-carb, high-protein, full of delicious baby spinach, cream, Parmesan cheese, and of course lots of eggs! Use a terrine if you have one, otherwise, a loaf pan will work just fine. I used a silicone loaf pan and it spread a bit in the middle since the omelette mixture was heavy. You can also make this in a 20cm round cake pan.
Coq au Vin
Wednesday, October 30, 2024Translating to rooster stewed in wine, coq au vin, a French classic was originally a peasant dish designed to make use of an old rooster that was too tough and sinewy to be simply roasted. It was a dish that was cooked low and slow. However, tough roosters have given way to tender roasting chicken in most recipes today. So it would be more accurate to call this Poulet au Vin. I wouldn't use chicken breast for this recipe as you can easily overcook them. So bone in thighs, drumsticks or whole legs are better to use for coq au vin.
Garibaldi Biscuits
Tuesday, October 29, 2024Garibaldi biscuits (unkindly called 'squashed flies' by children), named to honour Italian General Giuseppe Garibaldi, who fought for the unification of Italy in the 19th century, are made by sandwiching the dried fruit with thin shortcrust pastry. Then the dough is sliced into rectangles and baked until light golden. The chocolate glaze is completely optional. You can simply dust some Demerara sugar on top after brushing with egg white. If sultanas and currants aren’t to your taste, use your favourite dried fruit – just make sure that you cut it up to the size of a currant so it bonds suitably to the biscuit dough.
Carrot Salad with Truffle Balsamic Glaze Dressing and Smoked Almonds
Monday, October 28, 2024Chimichurri Chicken
Sunday, October 27, 2024The uncomplicated chimichurri, a classic Argentinian uncooked sauce, consists of a few spices, fresh parsley and plenty of garlic and acts both as a marinade and sauce. You can make the sauce in a food processor, but hand-chopping everything makes it look more rustic and especially fragrant. It is delicious drizzled over literally anything, from meat, cheese, to tofu and vegetables and fabulous with bread too. To make your chimichurri chicken particularly flavourful, I would recommend that you let the chicken marinate overnight in the fridge. However, if you are short on time or impatient, 30 minutes is minimum.
Biscotti Reginelle
Saturday, October 26, 2024Biscotti Reginelle, aka Biscotti Regina or Biscotti Inciminati, are classic cookies from Palermo (the capital of both the autonomous region of Sicily and the Metropolitan City of Palermo), but they are popular all over the island of Sicily. They were named after Queen Margherita di Savoia, hence the name Biscotti Reginelle, which means Queen Cookies.
These delicious Italian cookies are not too sweet and are loaded with sesame seeds. The crunchy texture makes them the perfect accompaniment to coffee, hot chocolate, or sweet wine. To make these cookies even more authentic, use 100% of lard instead of a mix of butter and lard. Once completely cooled you can store these cookies in an air tight container for at least two weeks. They freeze well too.
Seedy Pretzel Wedges
Friday, October 25, 2024Making those seedy pretzel wedges at home is easy peasy with this straightforward recipe. Made from yeast dough, brushed with a baking soda bath, then sprinkled with a mixture of seeds, this pretzels bread is as good as those from the bakery. They are crispy on the outside and soft on the inside and go well with soups, salads or as a snack! Instead of a springform ring, you can of course also use an ovenproof cake ring and adjust it to the right size. They are best when eaten warm, but will keep fresh in an airtight container at room-temperature for 1-2 days.
Butter Lettuce Salad with Cacao Nib Vinaigrette
Thursday, October 24, 2024This fairly simple yet colourful and fun salad plays on different textures and flavours of bitter cacao nibs, tender&sweet butter lettuce, tart&chewy dried cherries, creaminess of silky avocado and juicy sweet mandarin orange.
Cacao nibs, aka cocoa nibs, are fermented and crushed bits of dried cacao beans. They are naturally sugar-free and provide a rich source of fiber, protein, healthy fats and minerals.
Sri Lankan Carrot Curry
Wednesday, October 23, 2024Sri Lankan curry is usually heavily spiced and uses a blend of fresh spices and aromatics. This typically includes cumin, coriander, fenugreek seeds, mustard seeds, and curry leaves. The curry is usually prepared with coconut milk and commonly served with rice. If you can't find fresh curry leaves, use dried one or even pandan leaves. Don't like carrot? Use cauliflower, sweet potatoes, eggplants or green beans or a mixture of vegetables.
Double Hemp Cookies with White Chocolate and Macadamias
Tuesday, October 22, 2024These hemp cookies are soft, chewy and loaded with white chocolate and macadamias. Hemp seeds, aka hemp hearts, are a complete protein in the plant world, meaning that they provide all nine essential amino acids that your body needs but cannot produce. Both the seeds and the oil are rich in essential fatty acids. The hemp oil derives from the seeds of the Cannabis sativa plant (while CBD oil uses the stalks, leaves, and flowers of the hemp plant), so they do not contain cannabidiol (or just trace amounts), but still have a rich profile of nutrients and omega-3. So you will not feel the “high” while enjoying these cookies.
Roasted Spiral Pumpkin with Rosemary and Pepitas
Monday, October 21, 2024I will always find a way to bake with pumpkin. The autumnal star vegetable is just so versatile and delicious. This vegetable side with butter, pepitas, rosemary, garlic and nutmeg is as tasty as it is beautiful. You can substitute rosemary for the thyme, or use salbei, or any other fresh herb of you like.