Pretty red pears
Oh my, when I spotted this beautiful red fruit at the shops I simply could not leave it there – such a gorgeous colour, and somehow I have never sampled one before. This little beauty is a Piqa Boo pear – yes, I agree, what …
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Feijoa kasundi (from Feijoabulous)
Ingredients Method About I had such a great weekend visiting Whanganui a couple of weeks ago. The highlight was of course seeing our dear friends who have made their home there. One of the many bonuses of staying with them was discovering the Feijoabulous recipe …
Cashew butter cookies – vegan + gluten free
Ingredients
- 1/2 cup cashew butter
- 1/3 cup brown sugar
- 1/8 t salt
- 1/3 cup ground almonds
- 1/2 t baking powder
- 1 t ground cinnamon
- 1/4 t ground allspice
- 1 T espresso or strong coffee
Method
- Heat oven to 160 degrees celsius.
- In a large bowl, mix cashew butter, sugar, salt and cinnamon together.
- Add the almonds and baking powder and mix until combined with the cashew butter mixture
- Add the coffee and stir in – the mixture will be firm.
- Grease a baking tray. Scoop up one tablespoon of mixture per cookie and place on the tray. If the mixture is too dry or crumbly to do this, add a little more coffee or water. Gently press each cookie down with a fork.
- Bake for 10-12 minutes then allow to cool for five minutes before transferring to a wire back rack to cool completely.
About this recipe
Struggling to come up with vegan and gluten free baking ideas? Then let cashew butter be your friend. My lovely Fix and Fogg jar of cashew butter was a gift and gosh I love it. It’s creamy and rich and quite the treat – I may not have splurged on it for myself, but once in my possession it has provided a great opportunity for some experimental baking.
Cashews are fascinating little nuts – did you know the bit we eat as the nut is not really a nut at all, but a seed that hangs off the actual fruity bit (more correctly, an ‘accessory fruit‘)? The accessory fruit in this case is the cashew apple with an attachment that houses the seed – our beloved cashew nut. And if that weren’t quite enough cleverness all on its own, cashew tree wood is useful for practical items such as shipping crates in its own right.
I hope you enjoy these cookies – the dough is quite firm that makes it easy to work with, and they have a lovely richness due to the cashew butter. The spices can be mixed up for some variation too – mixed spice and nutmeg go well too. I will keep on experimenting with this cashew butter too so keep watch, I hear it’s good in stir fries!
Apple jelly
Ingredients: Method: We’re really in Autumn here now and I’m enjoying the mellow days and slight cooling in the air. I enjoy Autumnal eating – warming soups and stews, sauces and pickles made from the last of the summer tomatoes, feijoas. I was lucky to …
Roasted Andiamo tomatoes
Ingredients: Method: Pre-heat oven to 200 degrees celsius. Cut the tomatoes, eggplants and garlic in half lengthways. Spray a large roasting tin with olive oil spray, or drizzle with olive oil. Place the tomatoes and eggplants in a single layer in the tin. Place the …
Warming red lentil and carrot soup
Ingredients:
- 1 T olive oil
- 1 t fresh grated ginger
- 1 garlic clove, chopped
- 1/2 t whole coriander seeds
- 1 t cumin
- 1/2 t black mustard seeds
- 1 t tumeric
- 1/2 t cinnamon
- 1/4 t cayenne
- 1/2 c dried red lentils
- 1/4 c arborio or other short grain rice
- 700 grams carrots, chopped (I don’t bother peeling them but you can if you really want to)
- 6 cups stock or water
- Salt and pepper to taste
- Fresh coriander to serve
Method:
In a large pot, heat the oil. Add the ginger, garlic and all the spices. Keep stirring to prevent anything burning.
Once the coriander and mustard seeds start to pop (2-3 minutes), add the lentils, rice and carrots. Stir to coat in the spices. Add the stock or water, bring to the boil and then simmer for 20 minutes.
Use an stick blender or transfer to a food processor to mix into soup. Salt and pepper to taste as you like. Serve with fresh coriander on top.
About this recipe…
Oooh who can feel Autumn creeping in? Not you people in the Northern Hemisphere I suppose, but here in my little corner of the world, I’m noticing a definite darkening in the mornings and a chill on the air. What better way to welcome in Autumn than some hearty, nourishing soup. I adapted this recipe from one I found on the website of My Darling Lemon Thyme, and in turn it comes from a recipe of Suzanne Husseini.
The best thing about this soup, in my humble opinion, is the quarter cup of rice – it may seem weird, but trust me, it adds a real creaminess and makes the soup more substantial and filling.
I hope this warms your tummy in these Autumn days.
White chocolate & strawberry jam blondies
Ingredients Method About this recipe… I’ve been playing around with this recipe since Christmas. I treated myself to a jar of Roses strawberry conserve to go with festive croissants and needed something to do with the leftovers that wasn’t simply jam on toast. Nothing wrong …
Happy mocktails for a happy 2023
You might have many reasons for choosing a mocktail – driving, dehydrated, just feel like something lighter – and this festive season I decided to give making some a go. I’m new to mixing cocktails and mocktails so do not have my own recipes ready …
Tomato-baked eggs
This is truly a store cupboard staple as it requires things I bet you already have to hand. Even better, it’s a delight for chilly Winter days – it’s warming and filling with a healthy dose of things that will keep you well, including vitamin C and lycopene.
Shashuka is a popular Mediterranean dish of eggs cooked in tomato and the reason I haven’t called this recipe for eggs baked in tomato “shashuka” as I don’t really feel it has enough sophistication to deserve that title! Some shashuka recipes have all kinds of loveliness including preserved lemon and fresh herbs – my recipe here is just a simple little throw-together. Nonetheless, I do find it very tasty and satisfying and I hope you do too. Stay safe and warm out there x
Ingredients (for one person):
- 1 teaspoon of olive oil
- 1 clove of garlic, chopped
- 1 teaspoon each of tumeric and ground cumin
- 1/2 teaspoon of ground cinnamon
- 1 tin of tomatoes
- 2 eggs
- 1 Tablespoon of feta
- Salt to taste if desired
Method
- Heat your oven to 200 degrees celsius. Place a small oven-proof frypan on medium heat.
- Add the oil and let it warm, then the garlic, tumeric, ground cumin and cinnamon. Stir to combine with the oil and heat for two minutes, stirring, or until you can smell the spices.
- Add the tomatoes. Stir to mix in the oil and spices then heat until bubbling.
- Once the mixture is bubbling, crack in the eggs. Spoon some of the tomato juices over the egg whites.
- Allow to simmer for 2-3 minutes then place in the oven. Bake in the oven for 5 minutes for soft egg yolks and up to 8 for harder egg yolks.
- Remove from oven and scatter with the feta. Season with salt if desired.
Irish potato bread
I come from a reasonably large family of four kids and I believe this is why I always cook too many potatoes. Potato-duty for family meals was a large scale operation and the mission was successful upon delivery of a large pot or roasting pan …