Necessity is the mother of invention and this pesto is the result of a last ditch rescue mission in my crisper. There are a few of those happening lately. A Spaghetti Squash - more on that later - purchased from the same stand as those tomatillos, steamed up. A couple of frozen mackerel filets, pan fried. And the pesto, blended together in the blink of an eye. Fridge surprise lunch at its best. Rocket, Parsley & Pepita Pesto Rather than letting yet another couple bunches … [Read more...]
Smokey Chilli-Lime Hummus
My kitchen blender dramas have been well documented, but if you missed the various rants, in short at the end of last year both my immersion hand blender and mini-food processor went on to the big kitchen in the sky. As a result, for a little while I was without any way to make drinks, soups, spreads and cheesecake. First world problem? Yes, of course. But I do live in a first world country, and we do like our weekend smoothies. In any case, KitchenAid was kind enough to send me a hand … [Read more...]
Basil & Walnut Pesto
She unconsciously hummed along with the music playing in the background, humm de dum de da. It was from Milan she explained, as a smile triggered by an ancient memory flitted across her face. The heavy wooden chopping board belonged to her mother, the cleaver had been borrowed from my mother and the basil was picked just moments before from her own garden. Ro was chopping up herbs for pesto, again, it was the third time in two weeks. My grandmother still makes her pesto the old way. … [Read more...]
100+ alternatives to PB&J
Whether you grew up eating peanut butter & grape jelly every day at school or have never tried the combination, the concept of pairing fruit and nuts is a classic one. But what if you don't eat peanuts - or can't send them to school with your child? What if you're off refined sugar - or live somewhere that doesn't have grape jelly? What if you simply want a change? You're in luck, as there are endless ways to combine seed or nut butters with fruit or fruit spreads - and while … [Read more...]
Chocolate Macadamia Spread (aka Aussie Not-tella)
Did you know that a few years back February 5th was declared World Nutella Day? Cheer and celebrate all you like, but I'll pass. While I won't subject you [again] to my very strong opinions on the ingredient list of Nutella you are more than welcome to catch up on last year's rant over here. But wait, don't go! It isn't all gloom and doom, as my stand against World Nutella Day simply takes the form of yet another Nut-tella-type Chocolate Spread, providing an alternative to cups of sugar and … [Read more...]
Plum & Ginger Sauce, How to Dry Thyme, and a bit about food waste…
Here's the deal... I'm going to take 30% [or maybe even 50%] of all the food produced and throw it straight in the bin - probably before it even gets to a store. Of the food that makes it to the grocery store I'll get rid of 20% [maybe even 40%] before you can see it. Then once you're home with your purchases and sitting down to enjoy that meal you just made, I'm going to take 20% of what is on your plate - as that's going in the bin too. Ok? What? That's not acceptable? Why not? It's … [Read more...]
Rhubarb & Apple Spread. Or it is curd… or perhaps jam. No probably not jam, not really curd either…
One bunch of rhubarb well past its prime languished in my crisper. A few unsightly end of season apples picked up from the organic food store sat forlornly on the bench top. Cooking them down was the only option I could see. I haven't had much luck baking with rhubarb in the past. As a compote it works just fine but baked into anything it just never has any taste to me. Once I used it with with coconut and pear and produced a cake loaf that was so awful even toasting couldn't save … [Read more...]
