Roasted Cauliflower with Spiced Almonds and Parmesan Crumb

Roasted Cauliflower with Spiced Almonds and Parmesan Crumb

Cauliflower has proved to be such a versatile vegetable: roasted whole with almonds, steamed with fresh herbs, as a base for soup, mash or puree, as a filling for golden fritters and even ground up finely to make a gluten-free pizza base. Here’s my shot at making cauliflower shine again.

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Chocolate and Beetroot Cake

Chocolate and Beetroot Cake

It was my mother who first introduced me to chocolate cake – much to my school friend’s envy, as she baked them for school lunch boxes, afternoon tea and birthday parties. She was also the first to introduce me to ‘real’ beetroot, the wholefood you harvest out of the ground and cook yourself, rather than the sweetened slices you buy in a can. Turns out chocolate and beetroot are a really good match in a cake. Be warned though you will end up with lolly-pink stained fingers making this cake!

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Pickled Radishes - Pretty in Pink!

Pickled Radishes - Pretty in Pink!

Pretty in pink indeed are pickled radishes. Grab a couple of bunches of rosy pink radishes in season and preserve their goodness, crunch and colour for another day. Pickled radishes are the perfect addition to sandwiches, salads, vegetable dishes and curries, and are a delicious match for grilled seafood. Pickling is quite a simple thing to do and the resulting display of colourful jars in your pantry makes it a most rewarding task.

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Carrot, Walnut and Date Spice Cake

Carrot, Walnut and Date Spice Cake

I created this recipe to give people an alternative to using butter and sugar in baking.
Using olive oil as the fat source, and fresh dates and the maple syrup as the sweetener, produces a lovely moist and nutritious carrot cake. The mascarpone icing is optional, unless of course it is a celebration cake and then it is a must.

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Twelve sleeps til Christmas!

Twelve sleeps til Christmas!

So this year I’ll not be doing the cooking, baking, preserving and making of gifts – instead I’m simmering stocks, stewing fruit, making chicken soup and rhubarb crumble, to help nourish and heal the very, very brave patient. Grateful for the gift of being able to have Christmas with mum, I’ve decided to outsource the making of our gifts this year. The criteria for choosing what to give is simple, they’ll still be handmade with love, from small family-owned Australian and local businesses, many founded and owned by our dear friends. With just twelve sleeps til Christmas, I thought you might like to know what twelve things are on my list to give!

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Pickled Cucumbers

Pickled Cucumbers

It was Mr G’s love of both gherkins (baby cucumbers) and pickled onions, served as an afternoon snack on crackers with vintage cheddar that introduced me to enjoying these pickled delicacies. The pickle had been the very thing I would extract and discard from my burger, but now I enjoy them and delight in pickling and bottling my own.

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Carriageworks Farmers Market Tour

Carriageworks Farmers Market Tour

At Carriageworks Farmers Market (near Redfern), every Saturday morning, a unique experience exists, where farmers, growers, producers, artisans and chefs, gather to sell produce, either grown or raised on their farms or hand-made within the NSW/ACT region, direct to the customer.One of my great joys is to take tours to the market, introduce people like you to the farmers and growers, share breakfast together and chat about how best to utilise and cook the produce you buy. Book here

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