The minute I set eyes on this recipe I pinned it to my Things To Cook board and vowed to make it that weekend. No excuses.

I could barely believe my eyes: egg boats. Genius!

Why on earth haven’t I thought of this before?

The original recipe uses pancetta and gruyere cheese, both of which are great ingredients, however I had just roasted some fantastic local Australian garlic so decided to use that instead.

Baguettes always remind me of my dear friend Céline who is of Chinese/Vietnamese heritage. She grew up in France and now lives in the UK (oh, and speaks 6 languages!). Phew. Yes, she’s a very talented lady, but back to the story…

Every time I look at a baguette I am reminded of a trip she took me on to her home town of Toulouse in the south of France. Céline bought a gorgeously fresh baguette and loads of her favourite local goats cheese but then realised she couldn’t fit it all into her luggage to take back home to the UK with her.

So what did she do? Waste the food? No! She proceeded to load up the huge baguette with multiple logs of goats cheese and eat the whole lot. Right in front of us. In about 10 minutes.

Now, that’s a dedicated foodie (or a crazy woman), you decide!

So of course I had to top this awesome egg boat with goats cheese in a homage to Céline. Love you, girl! :)

My only tip? Make sure you don’t go too hard when removing the inner bread layer because even if there is the tiniest hole in the bottom, the pesky runny egg will find it’s way through and you’ll face a sticky, baked-on mess.

I’m speaking from experience. See picture below.

And the best bit? You can eat breakfast with one hand – very useful if you have a little one climbing all over you for a cuddle! Plus, it tastes great at room temperature so would be perfect as part of a buffet brunch.

Thanks to the guys at Spoon Fork Bacon for the inspiration for this! I seriously wish I’d thought of it first.

Have you ever done something crazy involving food?

Christie x

Egg boats with roasted garlic and goats cheese recipe

serves 2

1 half-size baguette
1 tablespoon butter
10 button mushrooms, quartered
4 large eggs
3 tablespoons double cream (heavy cream)
1 tablespoon flat leaf parsley, finely chopped
4 cloves roasted garlic, mashed
100g goats cheese

1. Preheat the oven to 180C/350F. Prepare the baguette by cutting a deep ‘V’ into it, without cutting all the way through. Use your fingers to pull out the fluffy bread and make a cavity. Place onto a baking tray lined with non-stick paper.

2. Melt the butter in a frying pan over medium heat and cook the mushrooms for 5 minutes until browned and tender. Set aside.

3. Whisk the eggs and cream together. Add the mushrooms, parsley and roasted garlic. Season with salt and pepper and whisk until well combined.

4. Pour into the baguette and crumble the goats cheese over the top. Bake for 20 to 25 minutes until puffed and golden.

5. Allow to cool for 5 minutes to let it set and then slice and serve.

I’m naming this the ‘All-star breakfast’ because almost every ingredient is a famous gourmet brand. It features:

1. McLean’s Run Free Range Eggs
2. Pepe Saya Butter
3. Bourke St Bakery Personal Sourdough
4. My marinated mushrooms – OK, they’re not famous, but this blog kinda is :)

This dish turned a rainy weekend morning into quite a scrumptious affair and even baby Poppy gobbled up a portion, impressing me with her complex palate. The mushrooms were quite vinegary and covered in dill which is not something I would normally feed her, except she saw us eating it and wanted in on the action!

Once the mushrooms have been marinated, this takes only a few minutes from pan to plate, so even the most hung-over cook will easily whip it up. Just remember to pop the mushrooms into their marinade the night before and you’ll be livin’ on easy street.

Enjoy!

Christie x

Fig & Cherry received the eggs with compliments of McLean’s Run and One Green Bean (thanks Laura!) and the butter with compliments from Pepe Saya and Liquid Ideas (thanks Georgia!).

Marinated mushroom scrambled eggs recipe

serves 2

1 tablespoon butter
200g marinated mushrooms
4 eggs
splash of milk
salt and pepper
toasted sourdough, to serve

1. Melt the butter in a medium frying pan over high heat. Add the mushrooms and fry for 2-3 mins until lightly browned.

2. Whisk the eggs and milk together and season with salt and pepper. Pour into the pan and tilt the pan to coat. Drag the cooked egg from the edges to the centre until all the mixture is almost cooked to your liking. Take off the heat as it will continue to cook from residual heat.

3. Serve immediately on toasted sourdough that has been slathered with more butter.

Next week we are heading overseas for a family holiday. We’ll be visiting Paris, Budapest and Majorca in just two weeks – we’re crazy like that.

It goes without saying that I’m very busy planning and packing for the trip and I have a confession to make – I’m scared to death of forgetting one of Poppy’s favourite toys. In particular, her Bunny. The one she needs to cuddle to get to sleep. There will be tears all round (mummy, daddy and baby) if that gets left behind.

Needless to say, I’ve been making lots of lists and I have another confession – I’m really O.C.D with lists. I love writing them and I love ticking them off.

Anyway, I’m sending hubby out with Poppy to run errands today while I pack the bags and get some last minute washing done (oh, the glamourous life of a Mum!), so I needed him to be fuelled up and ready to rumble.

My solution? A big egg and bacon sambo with melted cheese and BBQ sauce served on two slices of toasted ‘personal sourdough’ from Bourke St Bakery (Marrickville branch, of course!). The personal sourdough loaves are much smaller and therefore cut a more modest slice. Perfect for when you stuff it full of luscious fillings like I did – you don’t want your tummy getting filled up with too much bread!

Personally, this chunky concoction would make me go to sleep for the day, however men are another breed altogether, but I’m sure you don’t need me to tell you that!

What do you like to eat to fuel up for a big day?

Christie x

When I think of couscous, images of piping hot Moroccan tagines with fall-off-the-bone lamb and tangy perserved lemon, fill my mind.

I don’t think about eating couscous at breakfast time.

However, here we are. Today I present you with a really interesting and satisfying combination I came up with after being challenged to create a recipe using Blueberry Flavoured Craisins.

When I opened the pack of craisins and tasted one, all the usual recipe suspects immediately flooded my mind – muffins, scones, compote etc –  but I was determined to create something sweet that was also unique. So I gave myself the extra challenge of creating a healthy breakfast recipe using unusual ingredients. Tough brief!

With that extra criteria in mind, my imagination wandered to more exotic grains like quinoa, barley and others, before I had a ‘Eureka!’ moment and decided on couscous.

Are you enjoying this little insight into my crazy brain?

You might be a little nervous about cooking couscous for breakfast but, trust me, it’s delicious and it’s even quicker than oats! That’s two very good reasons to give it a go.

I absolutely love the way Moroccan dishes blend sweet and savoury elements so I’ve tried to keep with that theme by including sweet cinnamon with a pinch of salt and crunchy nuts. Even though the blueberry craisins complement these particular flavours perfectly you could easily substitute fresh dates, dried figs or regular cranberry craisins if you don’t have blueberry available.

Would love to hear what you think of this recipe. Leave me a note in the comments.

Happy cooking!

Christie x

Disclosure: Fig & Cherry and Ocean Spray are working together as part of a paid sponsorship. This recipe content is proudly sponsored by Ocean Spray.

Blueberry breakfast couscous recipe

serves 2 generously (can be easily doubled or tripled)

250ml (1 cup) boiling water (from the kettle)
140g (3/4 cup) plain instant couscous
125ml (1/2 cup) milk*
50g (1/2 cup) walnuts, toasted and roughly chopped
50g (1/2 cup) Ocean Spray Blueberry Craisins**
1/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon
2 tablespoons soft brown sugar
pinch of salt (optional)

1. Place a medium saucepan (that has a lid) on the stove over low heat. Add the boiling water (straight from the kettle) and then the couscous, milk, walnuts, craisins, cinnamon, sugar and salt, if using.

2. Stir constantly for 2-3 minutes until the couscous grains swell up and absorb a lot of the liquid. Take off the heat and cover with the lid. Leave for 5 minutes while the liquid finishes being absorbed.

3. Fluff with a fork and serve. You can also pour over extra milk if you like a runnier consistency.

*Use your favourite milk, both cows milk and soy milk work well.
**Regular craisins, raisins, dried apricots, figs or dates can be substituted for the blueberry craisins.

This recipe was a challenge was to come up with a breakfast dish using button mushrooms and I think this burrito fits the bill perfectly. I competed against two American and Canadian bloggers in the Mushroom Masters Tournament and unfortunately came third (ie. last!). It was a popularity vote, so I guess I just don’t have enough online friends, hehe.

It’s quite difficult to photograph a burrito in a pretty way, let me tell you! How do you think I did? I can definitely see some areas for improvement.

Recipe below, enjoy!

Christie x

Mushroom Breakfast Burritos recipe

250g cherry tomatoes
4 tablespoons olive oil
2 tablespoons unsalted butter
200g white button mushrooms, quartered
200g Swiss brown mushrooms, quartered
2 garlic cloves, finely chopped
½ bunch flat leaf parsley, finely chopped
200g tinned kidney beans, drained
¼ teaspoon ground chilli powder
4 eggs
4 wholewheat tortillas
sour cream and mashed avocado, to serve

1. Preheat the oven to 180C/350F. Slice the cherry tomatoes in half and place, cut side up, on a baking tray lined with non-stick paper. Drizzle with one tablespoon of olive oil and bake on the top shelf for 20 minutes until softened and starting to brown at the edges. Set aside.

2. Make the mushrooms: Place a large frying pan or skillet over high heat on the stove top and melt one tablespoon of butter and two tablespoons of olive oil. Add the mushrooms and cook for 5 minutes, stirring occasionally until tender. Add the garlic and parsley and cook for 2 minutes more until fragrant. Season with salt and pepper, then set aside in a bowl and keep warm.

3. Make the salsa: Place the kidney beans and chilli powder into a small saucepan over medium heat. Stir until warmed through then add the cherry tomatoes and gently stir to combine. Set aside and keep warm.

4. Make the scrambled eggs: Wipe out the frying pan or skillet and melt the remaining tablespoon of butter and olive oil over medium heat. Crack the eggs into a bowl and whisk thoroughly. Season with salt and pepper and then pour into the pan and cook for 2 minutes or until done to your liking.

5. Assemble to serve: Place tortillas on serving plates. Top with some scrambled egg, then salsa, then mushrooms. Serve with sour cream and avocado on the side.

 

Even though we’ve had some sunny Winter days, there is still a chill in the morning air, which means porridge is a very enticing breakfast option.

If you’re in the northern hemisphere then muesli will be a more likely choice, but everyone is in luck, because this compote goes equally well with both!

It can even masquerade as a dessert over ice cream, if you’re so inclined, although we’ll be eating it with porridge this week.

Believe it or not, it took me quite a few years to convince my hubby to start eating porridge. He was, understandably, turned off it after working in a cafe that made theirs in the microwave (they also scrambled eggs in the microwave!). Luckily, he finally found out that my stovetop version is much nicer and even better with a spoonful or two of this compote.

Compote is essentially fruit poached in a sugar syrup. This one uses Ocean Spray juices and a mix of dried fruit to create a sweet, yet substantial breakfast topper. The picture above shows it served with muesli and yoghurt.

If you have any leftover syrup it is lovely whizzed up in the blender with some ice cubes and milk. Enjoy!

Christie x

This recipe was developed by Fig & Cherry for Ocean Spray as sponsored content.

Cranberry dried fruit compote recipe

serves 4

60g (1/2 cup) dried apricots
150g (about 6) dried figs
60g (1/2 cup) Ocean Spray Craisins
60g (about 10) prunes
250ml (1 cup) Ocean Spray Ruby Red Grapefruit Juice
250ml (1 cup) Ocean Spray Cranberry Classic Juice

1. Place all the dried fruit in a large, wide saucepan. Pour over both the juices and bring to the boil over high heat.

2. Boil for 15-20 minutes until the fruit is plumped up and soft and the liquid is reduced by half. It should thicken slightly and become syrupy. Skim off any foamy bits, if necessary.

3. Serve with muesli, porridge or thick yoghurt.

We all know it’s healthier and cheaper to take a packed lunch with us to work each day, but a lot of us just don’t do it. So in the interest of your health and wellbeing, I had a chat to dietitian Emma Stirling about how to pack a healthy lunchbox.

Emma is an Accredited Practising Dietitian, nutrition writer and editor of The Scoop on Nutrition. She is also a Scientific Advisor to Weight Watchers and Nutrition Editor of Weight Watchers magazine.

To get you started, I have made a Weight Watchers recipe: pumpkin, cinnamon and date muffins. That’s them pictured above fresh and hot from my oven (scroll to the bottom of this page to get the recipe). Now, let’s talk lunchboxes…

Emma, what comprises a healthy lunch box?

• Nutritious carbohydrates to fuel fitness and maximise cognitive performance
• Adequate high quality protein for maximum appetite satisfaction
• Nutrient dense foods including fruits, vegetables, reduced fat dairy plus lean meats and fish that are packed with essential nutrients like calcium, iron, zinc + omega 3’s
• Enough dietary fibre for regularity
• Water to maintain hydration

What is the most common mistake people make when packing their lunch?

They forget to do it! Seriously, more and more people are skipping out on the benefits of a home packed lunch and heading to the food court. Weight Watchers research has identified the key to successful weight loss is planning, and this is easy to apply to lunch. Packin’ it makes sense for good health, weight loss and will save you cents too. But you need to think outside the traditional lunch box and be the creative foodie that you are. A “lunchbox” can be a can of tuna, an easy, microwave pouch of brown rice with last night’s slow roasted tomatoes, beetroot and pumpkin. You can say sayonara to the soggy sanger.

How can we easily pack a balanced lunch box? Is there a trick to knowing what types of foods to put in or a little acronym we can recall to make it easier?

The basic elements for a healthy, balanced lunch are:

Step 1 – Take one main sandwich maker or source of nutritious carbohydrates. Things like wholegrain bread or rolls, pita pockets, tortilla wraps, grainy crackers, large crisp breads and rice cakes, fruit and muesli bread, English muffins, cheese and vegemite scrolls, pasta, sushi hand rolls, or leftover homemade pizza.

Step 2 – Add lean meat sandwich filler or other protein source. This could include cold roast beef or koftas, canned tuna, hard boiled eggs, baked beans, chickpeas, four bean salad, shaved turkey, smoked salmon or sushi, mini meat balls, honey and soy chicken drumstick, or cold cooked tuna.

Step 3 – Add fruit and vegetables for fibre, vitamins and minerals. Avocado, mixed fresh berries, cherry tomatoes, carrot and red capsicum crudités, celery sticks with spread filling, fruit snack packs, frozen grapes, corn on the cob, tomato soup in thermos or tabbouli are all great for bulking out your lunch box.

Step 4 – Slip in a dairy serve for calcium. Or go for a skinny latte for snack time. Cheese sticks, slices or cubes, yoghurt tubs and tubes, reduced fat milk, spreadable cream cheese, tzatziki dip, calcium fortified soy drink or fruit cheese will all count towards your recommended daily intake.

Step 5 – Add one or more healthy snacks…especially if you’re heading to the gym. Air popped pop corn, dried fruit and unsalted nuts, rice crackers and salsa, oat cookies, date loaf, portion pack of pretzels, banana bread, handful of dry breakfast cereal, Grissini sticks and dip are all filling and healthy foods which are easy to eat on the go.

Step 6 – Add the water works. Thirst is often confused with hunger so don’t forget to carry water in a reusable BPA free
water bottle.

Why is it so important to get your five serves of veggies and two serves of fruit each day?

You don’t need a degree in Nutritional Science to know that fruit and vegetables are rich in natural nutrients. They help boost the vitamin, mineral, dietary fibre and protective antioxidant intakes that reduce your risk of lifestyle disease like obesity, cancer and cardiovascular disease. At the same time they are low in kilojoules and the perfect choice to fill you up without filling you out.

As a rule of thumb you should aim to clock up at least two and five a day. However, research suggests that we could benefit from more serves as fruit and vegetables contain a vast array of naturally occurring plant components called phytochemicals. Phytochemicals, which include many potent antioxidants, keep your body cells and health protected for longer.

The first step is to reach your daily fruit and vegetable serves, however the real key is to go for plenty of variety so you maximise your intake of different nutrients. It’s easy to clock up your five plus serves of vegetables when you’re taking them as liquid – 75g of vegetables in soup is equal to a serve. Seasonal winter vegetables include beetroot, broccoli, brussel sprouts, pumpkin and squash.

Do you think people should invest in a dedicated lunch box with compartments? Can you recommend any?

With so many cute and convenient lunch boxes it pays to have your own than brown bag it. Insulated containers keep food safe – pop in a freezer block in the hot months. And no one is going to sneak a slice of your fruit loaf if it’s sealed away in your personal container in the fridge. I love the Nude Food Movers and also Built carry bags – their Gourmet Getaway Lunchtote in City Grid is covetable.

Now that you are armed with all this info, I hope you will organise a packed lunch next week (and beyond!). Do you already pack your lunch – what are your favourite inclusions?

Thanks to Emma for providing us with so many helpful tips and tricks. You can follow her on Twitter for more nutrition advice. Thanks also to Emma from Weber Shandwick for teeing up the interview and providing the recipe.

Pumpkin, cinnamon and date muffins recipe

Weight Watchers Recipe / 5 ProPoints values per muffin
makes 12

1 cup (150g) self raising flour
1 cup (150g) wholemeal self raising flour
1 1/2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
1/3 cup (80g) firmly packed brown sugar
1/2 cup (125ml) skim milk*
1/4 cup (60ml) vegetable oil
1 egg*
1 1/2 cups (375g) cooked mashed pumpkin* (see note below)
1/2 cup (80g) chopped dried dates

1. Preheat the oven to 180C/375F. Line a 12-hole (1/3 cup/80ml capacity) muffin tray with paper cases.

2. Sift both flours and cinnamon in a large mixing bowl and stir in sugar. Place milk, oil and egg in a small bowl and whisk until combined. Add milk mixture to dry ingredients and stir until just combined (do not overmix). Gently fold in the pumpkin and dates.

3. Spoon mixture into paper cases. Bake for 18-20 minutes or until cooked when tested with a skewer. Stand muffins in the tin for 5 minutes before turning out onto a wire rack to cool. Serve.

Note: You will need approximately 400g of peeled pumpkin to make 1 1/2 cups (375g) of mashed pumpkin.

Weight Watcher Disclaimer: Copyright 2011 Weight Watchers International, Inc. Any use or inclusion of Weight Watchers recipes must credit Weight Watchers. Recipes cannot be altered in any way and ingredients must not be substituted or removed. The Filling and Healthy Foods symbol is to be included, as is the definition of the term. Recipes must always be reprinted in whole. The ProPoints value of the meal is to be included. Filling & Healthy Foods are marked with an asterisk. Filling and Healthy Foods will help you feel fuller for longer. As a bonus, they are also lower in sodium, sugar and fat, and/or higher in fibre, so they’re healthier for you too.

This is a play on the American favourite sandwich combination of ‘peanut butter and jelly’ – in a liquid version. It’s super quick, super yummy and sure to super-charge you for the day!

Of course the ‘jelly’ element is actually what we call ‘jam’ here in Australia. ‘Jelly’ for us is ‘Jello’ for Americans. Confused yet?

This smoothie uses Vitasoy Soy Milky Lite making it a quick and healthy breakfast that is vegetarian, vegan, gluten free. Not to mention, super easy to slurp up before you rush out the door. I had it for breakfast the other day along with a crumpet and I was full until lunch time.

Give it a try! I’d love to hear if you think it really does taste like a PB&J sandwich!

Fig & Cherry received soy milk product with compliments from Vitasoy to experiment with for this recipe. Fig & Cherry is working with Vitasoy as an ambassador and recipe developer for their products.

Christie x

Peanut butter & jelly smoothie

serves 2

1 ripe banana
2 tablespoons strawberry jam
2 tablespoons peanut butter
1 tablespoon maple syrup (optional)
300ml Vitasoy Soy Milky
handful of ice
blueberries, to garnish (optional) (I used frozen ones)

Place all the ingredients into a blender and pulse until smooth and frothy. Serve immediately in tall glasses garnished with blueberries, if you like.

Last week I posted about some Beerenberg Molasses I was gifted (thanks guys!) and put a call out as to what I should make with it.

Well I haven’t exactly taken up any of your suggestions, sorry, but I have made a yummy batch of homemade baked beans. I’ve been wanting to make these for ages and I seriously can’t believe I waited so long to make something so easy.

The recipe makes a massive amount which cannot possibly be eaten by two adults in one sitting so it’s very lucky that it freezes well and can be used for a multitude of other dishes; burritos, nachos, tacos and more. I can’t take the credit for those suggestions though, that honour goes to Mel who tweeted them to me when I announced the beans were bubbling away in the slow cooker.

Which brings me to my next point: they were made in the slow cooker. After the beans got an overnight soaking and then a quick boil, everything was thrown into the slow cooker to simmer and slowly fill the house with an intoxicating aroma.

After doing a quick search for recipes I noticed that most of them cooked the onions and garlic before adding them to the beans but I decided against that method. Instead, I whizzed the onion, garlic and some fresh ginger root up in my super cool Braun Multiquick Cordless Hand Blender that came with this mini food processor/chopping attachment (see pic above).

I have had hours of fun with this fantastic little gadget making pesto, cream cheese icing, chopping nuts in-like-2-seconds, whipping egg whites to stiff peaks in the time it takes to yawn. Brilliant. I should note I got sent it with compliments from Braun and Hausmann PR, but that’s not why I’m singing it’s praises. I’d pay its weight in gold if I had to. It is a lifesaver.

But back to the beans. I wanted to flavour them with a ham hock but then I forgot to buy one at the butcher so a few bacon rashers got tucked into the mix instead and they worked a treat! I should warn you, the beans are not sweet like Heinz, but there is a sweet note to them thanks to the molasses and cinnamon.

Hubby and I thoroughly enjoyed them with a perfectly fried runny egg and some baby spinach for Saturday morning breakfast. I hope you do too!

Happy cooking, Christie x

Homemade baked beans recipe

500g dried lima beans (or dried cannellini)
1 medium brown onion
2 cloves garlic
1 thumb sized piece ginger root
2 x 400g cans diced tomatoes
3 bacon rashers
3 tablespoons molasses (I used Beerenberg Molasses)
1 teaspoon cinnamon
1 tablespoon brown sugar (optional)
salt and pepper, to taste

1. Add the beans to a large pot and fill with cold tap water to cover 5cm above the beans. Soak overnight then drain.

2. Put the beans back into the pot and cover with fresh cold tap water. Bring to the boil and then boil rapidly for 30 minutes. Drain and put the beans into your slow cooker*.

3. Peel the onion, garlic and ginger. Roughly chop and place into a food processor or blender. Blitz until finely chopped and starting to form a paste (see picture above for a texture reference). Add the paste to the beans in the slow cooker.

4. Add the canned tomatoes to the beans and fill one of the cans with cold tap water and pour it in. Add the cinnamon, molasses bacon rashers, sugar, salt and pepper and stir to combine. Cook on LOW for 6-8 hours.

* If you don’t own a slow cooker, make this in a casserole dish that is oven safe. Follow all the steps and then bake in a low oven (160C / 320F) for 3-4 hours instead. Check it each hour to make sure the water has not evaporated too much, if it gets too dry add a little water.

Note: This makes a very large batch, but it freezes well.

I’m a little bit obsessed at the moment with the last of the Summer figs, or are they the first of the Autumn figs? I always confuse the two.

The farmers markets have big punnets of them for $5 which yield 6-7 fruit. An absolute bargain.

Regular readers will know of my unashamed love affair with ricotta and the figs pair up beautifully with it. You might remember I did strawberry and ricotta toast a few weeks back and a few years (!) back I did blood orange and ricotta with brazil nuts.

At a pinch, you can ditch the toast, and simply cut a cross in the top of the fig then stuff with a teaspoon of ricotta and drizzle with honey. It’s the perfect size to stuff into your gob for a quick snack.

Sorry to get repetitive with ricotta but I really get into phases with food. It will pass soon, promise.

Coming up I’ve got lots of gorgeous restaurant reviews, so stay tuned.

Chat soon, Christie x

Update 9/2/11: The lovely Leigh made this for lunch yesterday and posted a pic on flickr. Her version looks great, don’t you think?

I’m continuing my healthy breakfast theme with this little beauty. I’m a big fan of soft cheese and fruit as a breakfast combo.

The great thing about this simple recipe is that it is adaptable to whatever seasonal fruit you have on hand. It’s really good with ripe banana, crisp pear or white peach, to name a few.

You can even transform it into a quick dessert by ditching the toast and adding a handful of nuts. Enjoy with a teaspoon to make it last longer. You might remember a few years ago I did it with juicy blood oranges.

One last note – make sure you use really fresh ricotta from the deli. Not that nasty gritty, too-smooth stuff in a tub at the supermarket. And find a nice strong tasting honey, perhaps with floral undertones. I’m currently enjoying one aptly called ‘Heavenly Honey’ from Grafton, NSW.

Happy cooking, Christie x

Ricotta, strawberry and cinnamon toast recipe

serves 2

2-4 slices of bread (Depends how hungry you are. I used Abbott’s Village Harvest Seeds and Grains.)
4-8 tablespoons fresh ricotta
pinch of cinnamon
2-4 large strawberries, sliced (or other fruit of your choice, banana and pear are good)
2-4 teaspoons honey

1. Toast all the slices of bread and let them cool slightly on serving plates. Spread each piece with two tablespoons of ricotta.

2. Sprinkle cinnamon over each piece and top with one sliced strawberry. Drizzle each with a teaspoon of honey and serve.

A few weeks ago I got given some of the famous Ricardoes Tomato Relish and I’ve been dolloping it on everything!

Here’s a quick lunch I whipped up using a beautiful bunch of cavelo nero I picked up at Marrickville Farmers Market.

Simply follow the same instructions for my mushroom and bacon open face omelette but replace with diced pumpkin and shredded cavelo nero instead. Then top with a big spoonful each of relish and sour cream, yummo!

That’s all for today, but stay tuned because coming up soon will be a pineapple pudding, a sweet curry and a vegan panna cotta!

Chat soon, Christie x

Last weekend my lovely mother in law and her lovely sister drove down from the far North Coast to deliver my hubby’s childhood cradle.

Altogether now… awwwww.

My baby girl is going to love it (in November).

On the way, they stopped just outside Port Macquarie and grabbed me some super-ripe tomatoes and tomato relish.

Not just any tomatoes, Ricardoes Tomatoes. From Ricardoes farm where you can pick your own tomatoes and strawberries by the bucket-full.

In possession of such wonderful produce I could only do one thing – cook!

So I whipped up some bacon scrambled eggs and then layered them onto hot buttered toast with avocado, fresh tomato and Ricardoes Tomato Relish.

Easy! To make perfect scrambled eggs (my way), see my recipe for pancetta scrambled eggs.

I reckon you’d pay up to $15 for this at a cafe, but we enjoyed it in our sunny kitchen for less than half that price.

Besides, I love layering up on toast and cafes always serve everything separately with toast to one side.

I realise it’s so there’s no customer hissy fits, but if I owned a cafe I would layer my breakfast dishes and say ‘tough luck’ to anyone who didn’t like it.

What do you think? To layer or not to layer?

Chat soon, Christie x

Warning! These are not fluffy little cakes. They’re dense and filling breakfast-on-the-go.

They contain no oil or butter and are dairy-free with only a 1/3 cup of sugar in the whole batch.

I was trying to make a really healthy muffin that could be grabbed and eaten on the way to work for those time-poor mornings when you really have to wash and blow dry your hair.

The oats and wholemeal flour make them super-filling and they passed the breakfast test too. I took them into the office on Monday morning and left them in the kitchen with a note saying ‘please eat me’ – then I went back 10 minutes later and they were all gone!

If you’re not keen for these healthy delights, then check out some naughtier chocolate and banana muffins I made a while back.

For the rest of you, click the button below to keep reading and get the recipe!

Unfortunately they’re not vegan as there’s one tiny little egg in the batter. However, I reckon you can leave it out and add an extra teaspoon of baking powder. I haven’t tried it though, so don’t come back and shout at me!

But please do come back and let me know if it works ;)

Sponsor Info

A big thank you to Vitasoy for supplying me with lots of soy milk products to experiment with – this muffin recipe is one such creation!

They’ve just launched a brand new website and I’ll be creating recipes using soy milk for them, so be sure to check it out and see my name up in lights (kind of!). Hehe.

Enjoy! Christie x

Blueberry Breakfast Muffins
makes 12 small muffins

• 1 cup rolled oats
• 1 cup soy milk (I used Vitasoy)
• 1 1/2 cups plain wholemeal flour (all-purpose wholewheat flour)
• 1 tsp baking powder
• 1/4 tsp salt
• 1/2 tsp bicarbonate soda (baking soda)
• 1/2 tsp ground cinnamon
• 1/3 cup dark brown sugar, tightly packed
• 1/2 cup unsweetened applesauce
• 1 large egg, lightly beaten
• 1 cup blueberries (fresh or frozen, I used frozen)
• 1/4 cup flaked almonds
• 1/4 cup walnuts, roughly chopped

1. Preheat the (fan-forced) oven to 180C/350F and grease a 12 cup muffin tin.

2. Soak the oats in half the soy milk (1/2 a cup) in a bowl for ten minutes. Meanwhile, in a large bowl, mix together the flour, baking powder, salt, bi-carb, cinnamon and brown sugar.

3. Add the oats mixture, the other 1/2 cup of soy milk, applesauce and beaten egg. Stir until just combined – don’t over mix!

4. Fold in the blueberries and nuts and bake for 20 minutes or until a skewer inserted comes out clean (unless it hits a squidgy blueberry!).

Looking for more sweet stuff? Try these:
Chocolate and ricotta cheesecake
Free form fig and hazelnut tart
Coconut panna cotta w/ mango salad

Lazy weekend breakfast

If I’m not going out for breakfast on the weekend then I like to spend a little bit of time and make something extra special.

It doesn’t have to be a large meal or use lots of ingredients, it just has to have one luxurious touch. In this case, porridge gets jazzed up with caramelised pears.

Other times I’ll make a compote with seasonal fruit like rhubarb or splurge by using truffle salt on scrambled eggs. They’re only small things but they make a big difference.

How I make porridge

I use half low fat milk and half water when I make my porridge and I know traditional people will cringe at that. I believe the authentic way is to use all water and add milk or cream at the end.

I always soak the oats in the milk and water in the saucepan for at least 10 minutes before I put them on the heat. I like the way they soak up the liquid and I think it achieves a creamier result. Even if it’s a weekday, I’ll pop the oats in the saucepan and run and do something else first (blow drying hair takes about 10 minutes!)

I always make porridge on the stove. I deliberately don’t own a microwave – although the reason for that is a whole other post in itself!

A loose recipe

Make the porridge however you feel comfortable and then stir in a pinch of cinnamon, a spoonful of dark brown sugar and a sprinkle of raisins and chopped walnuts. Keep warm.

Peel, core and slice 2-3 really ripe pears (they should be soft) and add to a small saucepan with a splash of water over medium heat.

Cook until the water is evaporated and the pears are heated through. Add a small knob of butter and about a teaspoon (or more, to taste) of dark brown sugar. Cook, stirring frequently until all the pears are coated in the butter/sugar mixture and become sticky.

Serve the pears on top of the porridge and sprinkle with extra sugar (it’s OK, it’s the weekend!).

Have a great weekend, Christie x

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You know the best thing about this recipe? Actually, there’s two things; you don’t need an electric mixer and you only need one bowl.

So there’s no fancy cooking instruments and less washing up. Sounds like heaven to me, how about you?

My husband adores banana bread and banana cake and raw bananas. Yes, he’s a banana fan. I like sliced banana on my porridge because that’s two healthy things together, although the spoonful of brown sugar probably negates them slightly – but (for me) is a necessary evil.

I don’t have much of a sweet-tooth, but I do have a butter-tooth. Therefore, I indulge in my hubby’s craving for banana bread so I can serve it hot with lots of good quality butter; Harmonie Organic Butter being my current favourite.

This recipe needs super-duper ripe bananas. The kind of ones that have gone completely black and are attracting fruit flies with a vengeance. The kind that find their way into my fruit bowl when hubby fancies banana bread (I swear he hides unripe bananas in a draw somewhere and then they mysteriously appear, along with his cravings).

The only issue I had was that I was all out of baking powder so the bread didn’t rise very much. It actually tasted very yummy (because it was so moist) but made it more cake-like than bread-like. If you want it to rise more like bread then use plain flour and a teaspoon of baking powder – I’ve made a note in the recipe below.

Don’t forget to slather hot slices with butter and enjoy with a nice cup of tea :)

Happy cooking! Christie x

Banana bread recipe

• 125g unsalted butter
• 3 super ripe bananas
• 1/2 cup sugar
• 1 egg, lightly beaten
• 1 tsp vanilla extract or paste (only use essence if you’re desperate!)
• pinch of cinnamon
• pinch of cloves
• 1 and 1/2 cups plain flour (I used self-raising flour and no baking powder, that’s why the bread is so flat)
• 1 teaspoon baking powder
• pinch of salt
• handful of raw walnuts, roughly chopped (optional)

1. Preheat the oven to 175C (350F) and line a loaf tin with non-stick baking paper (or grease and flour lightly). I like using baking paper because you can leave some overhanging and then simply lift it out at the end (no mess!).

2. Melt the butter in a small saucepan and set aside to cool slightly. In a large mixing bowl (the only one you’ll use for this recipe!) mash the bananas with a fork. Add the melted butter, sugar, egg, vanilla, cinnamon and cloves and mix to combine.

3. Sift in the flour, baking powder and salt. Mix until just combined, the batter will be quick thick. Scoop into the baking tin and sprinkle with the chopped walnuts, if you’re using them.

4. Bake for 50mins to 1 hour or until a skewer inserted leaves a few crumbs. Remove from the tin and cool on a wire rack (or slice a piece straight away and slather with butter and devour! That’s what I did).

Looking for more cake recipes? Try these:

- Orange and almond cake w/ orange syrup (V)
- Vegan vanilla sponge cake (V, VG)
- Rhubarb and coconut cake (V)
- Chocolate and ricotta cheesecake (V)

How to make perfect scrambled eggs!

Here’s the most important thing to remember; the ‘scrambling’ gets done when you whisk the eggs in the bowl – not in the pan!

Gentle scraping and swirling of the pan is all you need to create the lightest and fluffiest scrambled eggs; very little fiddling is needed. In fact, the more you move the eggs around the pan attempting to ‘scramble’ them, the more they’ll leak liquid, and become water-logged. Gross. I explain exactly how to do it properly in the recipe below.

The delicious rosemary pancetta by Montecatini that I was given a few weeks ago (remember the new Australian Pork TV commercial?) was absolutely delicious paired with fresh organic eggs and a good chilli kick.

I made it a little healthier by using no oil, low fat milk and no additional salt (as the pancetta is quite salty), but feel free to use full fat milk or cream to make it more indulgent. Either way, it’s the perfect Saturday morning breakfast to get your weekend on track!

Happy scrambling, Christie x

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Pancetta and chilli scrambled eggs recipe

serves 2

200g sliced pancetta, torn into bite sized pieces (I used Montecatini pancetta)
4 free range organic eggs
1/4 cup milk (I used low-fat)
Freshly ground black pepper
Pinch of hot chilli flakes (dried chilli / red pepper flakes)
Hot buttered toast, to serve (I used my FAV Burgen soy and linseed)

1. Heat a non-stick pan over high heat and throw in the pancetta. The fat will melt and lubricate the pan so no oil is needed.

2. While it’s crisping up, whisk together the eggs, milk, pepper and chilli in a small bowl until well combined.

3. Turn the heat down to medium and pour the egg mixture into the pan. Allow the egg to set around the sides for around 5 seconds, then, using a flat spatula, gently drag the cooked egg to the centre and swirl the pan so the uncooked egg coats the edge again. Continue dragging and swirling until their is no more runny egg.

4. Important! Do not try to ‘scramble’ the egg, that’s already been done when you whisked them with the milk. For truly light and fluffy eggs you need to handle them very little in the pan. If you keep scrambling the mixture it will break up and start to ‘leak’ moisture and become gross and water-logged.

5. Once the egg is almost set, take it off the heat and prepare the toast. By the time you’re done, the eggs will be ready, as they continue cooking with the residual heat of the pan.

6. Serve on top of toast and sprinkle with extra chilli if you like.

(sing) I scream, you scream because I got free ice cream!

Hooray for free ice cream! The HUGE 9L tub, yes you read that right – 9 litres, was too much for this girl and her hubby to eat! Lucky I’ve got two sisters, a brother and a Mum and Dad who looooove ice cream. I’m sharing it with them.

Do you know how big 9L looks? Think about when you go to the ice cream shop and they scoop out your portion from a big rectangle tub. It’s that big.

I got this free because New Zealand Natural Ice Cream have a new flavour called Golden Manuka Honey. If you want to try some for free, head to their stores to grab a free scoop when you purchase any ice cream.

I’m a big fan of Manuka honey for it’s amazing health benefits and healing capabilities. If you spread a little on an open wound it protects bacteria getting in and can also help with digestion and inflammation when eaten regularly.

This new ice cream is flavoured with manuka honey and has a swirl of golden kiwifruit through it. It’s very sweet, so I think it needs to be eaten in small portions – perfect as a topping for pancakes!

I tried to make these pancakes a little healthier (since I was eating them with ice cream!) by using low fat milk and dairy free spread to fry them with. I used the Australian brand Nuttelex. Does anyone else use this spread? I absolutely love it! It’s my essential ingredient for vegan baking and for using as a healthy spread with vegemite on toast.

These pancakes came about because I let a poor little banana go black in the fruit bowl. I think they’re a great alternative to making banana bread with overripe bananas and are delicious for breakfast or dessert, I hope you enjoy them!

A big thanks to Fiona from Mark Communications and New Zealand Natural Ice Cream for providing the massive 9L tub of Golden Manuka honey ice cream for me to play with!

Happy (pancake) flipping! Christie x

You can also find me at: STUMBLEUPON | FACEBOOK | TWITTER | RSS FEED

Banana pancakes with golden manuka honey ice cream recipe

makes 6 large or 12 small ones

1 cup self raising flour
pinch of salt
pinch of ground cinnamon
1 very ripe banana (one you’ve let go black is perfect!)
1 egg, lightly beaten
3/4 cup milk (I used low fat milk)
butter and vegetable oil for frying

To serve
Fresh banana slices
Golden Manuka honey ice cream
Raw almonds

1. Sift together the flour, salt and cinnamon in a large mixing bowl. Mash the banana thoroughly in a separate bowl, then mix in the beaten egg and milk.

2. Add the wet ingredients to the dry ingredients and fold gently until just combined. Don’t over mix or the pancakes will turn out rubbery. The batter should be quite thick; thicker than double cream, but not as thick as cake batter.

3. Place a small knob of butter and a few drops of vegetable oil into a non-stick frying pan. Allow to melt over medium heat then add a small ladle-full of batter. Tilt the pan if you’re making big pancakes or leave the batter in small circles.

4. Wait for bubbles to appear on the surface (1 minute or so) then flip and cook the other side until browned (30 seconds). Keep warm on a plate covered with a tea towel or in the oven at a low setting. Repeat with the remaining batter.

5. Serve layered or stacked on plates with fresh banana, ice cream and almonds.

Looking for sweet breakfast recipes? Try these:

- Blood orange w/ ricotta, brazil nuts and honey (GF, V)
- Grilled apricots w/ yoghurt and walnuts (GF, V)
- Mango and basil breakfast parfait (GF, V)

Enjoying Autumn / Fall in the Northern Hemisphere!

Autumn is one of my favourite seasons as I absolutely adore mushrooms of all types; oyster, ceps, truffles, portabello, enoki, chanterelle, swiss browns and more.

I’m currently in Toulouse, where they sell at least 5 types of mushrooms in the supermarket. What a joy! I don’t know if it’s because mushrooms are in season or if it’s always like that, but I’m glad to have so much choice.

Mushrooms are incredibly versatile and can be thrown into almost any dish, from omelettes to lasagne. I love large flat ones roasted whole so the cap gets all juicy or small button ones crumbed and dipped into garlicky aoili dusted with paprika.

This time I’ve sauteed some shimeji and oyster mushrooms with firm tofu and served on rustic, lightly-toasted bread. It’s perfect as a vegan breakfast or light lunch. It’s also very good served with coconut rice.

Mushrooms aren’t the only great thing about Autumn. There’s also pumpkins, fresh pistachio nuts, pears, celeriac, fennel and parsnip. All of which can be made into thick, delicious soups.

Not to mention the pretty gold, orange and brown leaves and blue skies when there’s a nip in the air.

I do love the fact I’m going to go straight from Northern Hemisphere Autumn into a full blown Aussie Summer in December though. Bring on the mangoes, berries, lychees and pineapples!

For now, I’ve got mushrooms, Christie x

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More Autumn produce recipes:

Pear wrapped in proscuitto w/ warm balsamic dressing (GF)
Spiced pumpkin wedges (GF, V, VG)
Pumpkin, chorizo and chickpea soup (GF)

Salt and pepper breakfast tofu recipe

click here if you need a conversion calculator
serves 2

200g block of firm tofu
1 tablespoon vegetable oil
1 clove garlic, crushed
pinch dried chilli flakes
1/2 teaspoon sea salt flakes
1/2 teaspoon black pepper, freshly ground
200-300g mixed mushrooms, sliced if large
1 teaspoon sesame oil
rustic bread, to serve

1. Pat the block of tofu with paper towels until very dry. If you’ve got time, put it on a plate wrapped in paper towels, top with another plate and weight it down with a few cans from your pantry. The reason for all this madness is to make sure the tofu is really dry so it crisps up nicely.

2. Once dry, cut the tofu into 1-2cm cubes and toss with the salt and pepper until evenly coated. Set aside.

3. Heat the vegetable oil in a frying pan or wok until very hot. Add the garlic and chilli and stir-fry for 1 minute until the garlic is fragrant. Add the tofu and brown the cubes on all sides, about 3 mins. Remove with a slotted spoon to a plate.

4. Toss in the mushrooms and saute until tender, 3-4 mins, then add the tofu back to the pan and drizzle with the sesame oil. Cook until the tofu is heated through and serve with toast if you like.

Rise and shine it’s breakfast time!

I’m a big fan of simple and nutritious breakfasts. If you eat a healthy breakfast then you’re more likely to continue making healthy choices for the rest of the day. Well that’s true for me anyway.

I’m what people call ‘a morning person’ – read: super perky to the point of annoyance. Actually, that’s me most of the time, but especially at sunrise.

So preparing a breakfast dish that takes a bit of time is fine with me but I realise for most people that’s not an option. They’d rather roll over and sleep some more and settle for a takeaway coffee and a sweet pastry or bacon ‘n egg McMuffin (please don’t do it!).

This breakfast is a happy medium. You can heat the fruit under the grill (broiler) while you’re rubbing sleep from your eyes and turning the kettle on. But when you’re arranging it prettily on the plate you feel like you’ve done so much more.

If it’s hot where you are then why not slap these babies onto the BBQ? They’ll get a delicious caramel crust and you can enjoy the great outdoors before you head off to work.

Don’t hit the snooze button tomorrow - jump out of bed and start the day with gusto!

Love your grill, Christie x

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Grilled apricots with yoghurt and walnuts recipe

serves 4

This can also be made very successfully with ripe peaches, nectarines or plums. Just allow a longer cooking time for larger fruit. The walnuts can be substituted with hazelnuts or almonds.

Dessert variation: Sprinkle with a little amaretto liqueur and serve with whipped cream or ice-cream. Delicious!

(Convert measurements here)

8 ripe apricots, sliced in half and stone removed
2 teaspoons demerara or brown sugar, or more to taste
10-20 walnuts, chopped
4 big spoons Greek-style yoghurt

1. Place the apricots, cut side up, onto a baking tray and sprinkle evenly with sugar.

2. Put the tray under a hot grill (broiler) and cook until the sugar caramelises, the edges are brown and the fruit is softened and warmed through (5-7 minutes).

3. Arrange the fruit on serving plates allowing each person 4 halves. Sprinkle with walnuts, dollop with a spoonful of yoghurt and serve.

Looking for more breakfast options?

Mango and basil breakfast parfait (GF, V)
Blood orange w/ ricotta, brazil nuts and honey (GF, V)
Mushroom and bacon open face omelette (GF)