Curry puffs
So I made these cute, tasty little curry puffs yesterday. The filling is spicy/sweet and surrounded by crispy puff pastry; dipped into tomato sauce, they made for a brilliant afternoon snack with a beer.
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Chilli hummus
I eat buckets of hummus and always have some in the fridge. Nothing wrong with buying a tub but making it is so simple. Make it soon! This one is spicy and rustic and if you have it with heaps of carrot and celery sticks, you get most of your daily vegies in one hit then[read more…]
Sweet chilli labneh (or labna)
As mentioned in an earlier post, I made some labneh! It’s very easy and sort of exciting seeing how it firms up. I added a heap of chilli flakes and some honey which made it subtly sweet with a nice bite and it’s creamy texture is perfect on crackers as a snack with some wine or with bread for a quick[read more…]
New Orleans red cabbage coleslaw
I love a good coleslaw and I’m always always looking for ways to use red cabbage (if I have to sauté cabbage in butter one more time ..). So I found Nigella’s New Orleans coleslaw recipe in one of my many cookbooks recently and remembered how delicious it looked when I spotted it ages ago. [read more…]
Chilli cheese baked rice
I made this impromptu rice dish one night to go with chilli con carne and now it’s a keeper! A bit crunchy around the sides and creamy and cheesy underneath, it has just a hint of chilli and goes with so many things.
Oven baked crispy spicy onion rings with lime chilli yoghurt dip
Sometimes I prefer fried onion rings to chips, sacrilege I know! I’ve never made them though because the take-away ones are pretty good. With our milk delivery the other day though, we received the quarterly magazine which had a recipe for onion rings in it so I spontaneously thought I’d give it a go and they were surprisingly easy,[read more…]
Italian baked stuffed capsicum
I’ve been making these gorgeous roasted, stuffed capsicum for years. Fresh, warm coloured capsicum filled with tomatoes, olive oil, basil, olives and cheese (lotsa cheese!), you bake these until the filling is bubbling and cooked through … I overcooked ours a bit as you can see. These are actually even better the next day after[read more…]
Spicy maple pecan roast sweet potatoes
I’m not quite ready to give up sweet potato even though it’s already hot here and turning the oven on is a bit of an effort. This is a side dish but to be honest, I had a bowl of these for lunch on their own; sweet, caramelised, spicy and with a gorgeous, fragrant crunch[read more…]
Savoury & spicy pumpkin loaf (vegan)
I often make sweet baked loaves, in fact, they’re a staple in our freezer for morning teas and things. But the other day I thought about making a savoury loaf, a type of quick bread, something spicy and warm to have on cold mornings with butter or with a bowl of steamy hot soup. So because[read more…]
Broccoli with chilli, garlic, lemon & toasted walnuts
I mean I like broccoli; green, crunchy, good for you but it’s not exactly the most exciting food on the planet to prepare or eat, so finding a way to dress up ye olde steamed broccoli is always good. The classic flavours of chilli, garlic and lemon go brilliantly with this rustic vegie and I’m[read more…]
Mash; cheese & garlic and spicy sweet potato
I adore mashed potato and of course, mashed sweet potato is delicious; fluffy, sweet and warm. When I was teeny tiny, some days, it’s all I’d eat. I prefer to leave the skins on my white potatoes (it’s healthier and you can’t tell the difference – use organic if you prefer) and after years of using any[read more…]
Spicy roasted chickpeas
I’ve wanted to make these for ages! I love chickpeas and I also love snacky things like chips and nuts to have with cocktails and thought these would be a healthier option. These little morsels were nutty, spicy and crispy not too long out of the oven and I really enjoyed them. So give them a go! [read more…]
Lemon streusel muffins with home made lemon butter
I felt like something super lemony the other day, you know? So these little cakes are fluffy, soft and citrusy with a buttery streusel topping; they’re perfect with a cup of coffee. I just love lemon desserts with coffee, it seems a perfect match. Of course, I couldn’t leave well enough alone so I made lemon butter to go with[read more…]
Spicy turkey and vegetable sausage rolls with chutney and cheese
I love these tasty little pastries – if you make them for a group of people, as I have, watch them disappear. There’s just something about sweet and spicy minced meat, melted cheese and flaky pastry which appeals to party people and adding some mango chutney was a perfect combination. The great thing is that you can[read more…]
Sweet potato hummus with tzatziki and spicy pita chips
I based this on your basic chickpea hummus but added baked sweet potato and a teeny bit of chilli. It seems I’ve always eaten hummus and tzatziki, I sometimes make these dips from scratch and sometimes buy them ready made, either way they’ve made up a large part of my lunches over the past 15 years or so. Seeing as[read more…]
Roast cauliflower with lemon, chilli and pine nuts
I don’t eat enough of this healthy vegie. The other day I roasted some cauliflower florets with lemon, chilli and pine nuts and it was delicious; slightly sweet and spicy with a nutty crunch, and not at all like the cauliflower mornay some of us might remember from being kids.
Herb and garlic bread
Honestly, once you make this you’ll wonder why you don’t do it more often, it’s so easy. It’s also the fresh herbs and garlic. No matter how great a quick supermarket fix can be, there’s no replacement for fresh herbs. I really love the combination of spring onions, basil and continental parsley but you could use any you[read more…]
Roasted purple carrots with rosemary and garlic
I couldn’t resist buying these from my organic grocer; they looked so cool. I thought I’d show them off in all their funky 70s purple glory and just roast them in a bit of rosemary, sea salt, garlic and olive oil. I left the garlic in their skins as garlic is lovely this way, sweet and creamy when you remove[read more…]
Cheese and chilli cornbread
Cornbread is a lovely, rustic addition to soups or casseroles. I make mine with fresh corn when I can, which means I usually make it in summer. So although cornbread might go with more cooler weather dishes traditionally, I find it’s a delicious accompaniment with a chicken salad or summer tomato soup or even as a snack[read more…]
Tomato relish, the return of doorstop sandwiches and school days
My bread carbohydrate addiction started early in life. After school, I’d run home from the bus stop, throw my bag in my room, my dog Goldie panting at my heels, run into the kitchen and cut massive doorstops of mum’s homemade wholemeal bread and add peanut butter or Nimbin cheese (the best cheddar cheese), think wistfully[read more…]
Creamy (mayonnaise free) potato salad
I do love a classic potato salad. I’ve always enjoyed zesty, creamy ones so didn’t add anything to sweeten it up – if you prefer a sweeter salad, just replace some of the sour cream with mayonnaise. I make this recipe every summer and it’s a great combination of creamy and fresh with extra virgin olive[read more…]
Pink champagne cocktails
Champagne cocktails are so 60s and glamorous and I love them so I made some girly drinks for Christmas which were pretty and tasted lovely. A bit too much actually, they’re really quite intoxicating so you’ve been warned. Champagne is kind of naughty like that – all bubbly and innocent then bam! I thought I’d go sparkly pink[read more…]
Zucchini, potato and tomato gratin
I made a rustic (read: messy, I tried to place the vegetables in neat little rows but gave up) gratin tonight for dinner. Classic summer produce with olive oil, seasoning, some herbs and a good cheese – when baked, this has a lovely, herby oil on the base of the pan which you have to[read more…]
Easy peasy blueberry sauce
I really like this sauce in summer as it goes with absolutely everything – Greek yoghurt, pancakes, waffles, porridge, ice cream. I use slightly less maple syrup than the original and add a tiny bit of cornflour. It has a lovely taste of blueberries without being too overpoweringly sweet. Here’s barely a recipe: 300g blueberries,[read more…]
