This versatile, spicy, rich and healthy dish is great for weekday nights in a number of ways;
I know, I know. Big deal, lettuce, avocado and dressing. But do you know what? This is what I felt like for lunch today – a simple salad made with fresh organic ingredients and a classic home made French dressing. Plus I wanted to share so you could all see how healthy I’m being (I don’t eat sweets all day honestly).
Although it might not seem substantial, it truly was just right for me today and like a lot of low carb meals, it seemed strangely satisfying (especially for someone like me who lives for carbs). And think of those good fats! I swear by eating a diet fairly high in good fat, it gives you lovely soft skin and hair and is so beneficial for your health generally.
Trivia for the day: when I was growing up in northern NSW one of our neighbours owned an avocado farm and my dog, Goldie, used to munch on bits of avocado whenever she could and she had a very shiny coat; my mother used to say it was because of the avocado.
I love this show! The British version that is. Who would have thought to put a vampire, a ghost and a werewolf in share accommodation? (and I thought I had it bad on res when I was at uni!).
So here’s a lovely, classic banana bread with that moist, soft texture and banana flavour we all love (I know I haven’t exactly invented the wheel what with posting approximately the 30 millionth version of banana bread but everyone thinks their own is the best).
Also, why must the surface of my loaf cakes crack? Every.time.
I love sweet potatoes, all kinds really but particularly the orange – I mean who doesn’t? They’re sweet, healthy and a gorgeous colour.
Yesterday I had a huge organic sweet potato sitting on my kitchen bench and I also had pecans, maple essence, dates and other baking essentials so thought I’d knock together a sweet potato loaf. I also decided on some honey Greek yoghurt I had already but you could always use buttermilk or plain yoghurt if that’s what you have.
This loaf has a lovely flavour; cakey soft and spicy with a hint of maple, the crunch of toasted pecans, and sweet chewy dates. It freezes really well so you can have a lovely morning tea or breakfast at the drop of a hat. You could also make muffins which I think I’ll have a go at next time.
I love this dessert because it’s just so decadent. I also love that it has a routine to it; pouring in the espresso, dipping the biscuits. I love the moment you pour the hot espresso on the ice cream and it starts to melt; the first spoonful of ice cream so sweet and creamy and cold, the espresso bitter and hot with crunchy almond biscotti. Bliss!
This dessert looks very upmarket but is actually quite easy. Especially when I used the almond biscotti I made the other day. You simply find some pretty glasses, cups or bowls, add a scoop of excellent vanilla ice cream, pour some hot espresso over and add a couple of nice bikkies. If you want something really special, then use flavoured coffee, or add a shot of liqueur.
I used my grandmother’s old martini glasses for this (I love them, they’re so 1960s cool!).
What little delights these are. Crunchy and sweet, perfect for having with espresso – which has given me a genius idea so stay tuned for a lovely dessert soon.
I didn’t have enough almonds so I used some macadamia nuts to make up the difference and they were perfect so I would probably do this again.
I had an epiphany late in bed the other night. Yeah I know, I’m daft (or I was hungry), but it suddenly came to me how delicious strawberry buttermilk muffins would be. Strawberries aren’t a fruit you commonly hear about in terms of baking, at least not as much as blueberries, raspberries or cherries, and I don’t know why because their gorgeous rosy sweetness fits perfectly well into muffins or cakes. I’m just as guilty of neglecting them.
I used lemon zest in these muffins to offset the sweetness of the berries and I decided to use butter instead of oil and buttermilk instead of milk. You could also use raspberries, blueberries or even blackberries! I’m always disappointed blackberries (even frozen) are difficult to find as I love to bake with them – I enjoy their dark elegance, like tiny little bunches of grapes.
These cute little cakes are fluffy and light with sweet little bites of strawberry and a slight lemony tang. They might even be pretty enough to display for a high tea.
I was driving on the weekend, listening to the radio and heard this beautiful bewitching song “Undertow” which just drew me in. I hadn’t heard it before but it was raining and a bit gloomy and the song went perfectly with the day.
Sometimes the perfect song comes on the radio while I’m in my car and I could just drive and drive – does this happen to anyone else? Music can be so powerful – there’s nothing like music to evoke memories of an old boyfriend or girlfriend, family, old friends, travelling, school, or university.
Anyway, the debut album The Fool from LA all girl band Warpaint is being released on the 25th October, according to Stereogum. The song Undertow is dreamy and sweet and seems to be influenced by the 1960s … at least that’s how I interpreted it and I can hardly wait to hear the album.
Have a listen here:
Second image belongs to me
