Vegetarian

Start lowering your carbon footprint on ‘Meatless Mondays’ with these dishes.

It is so important to not only help the planet but to also maintain (or reduce) our waistlines by having at least one meat-free meal a week. I have many more than that and I love sharing them here for your inspiration.

How to pack a healthy lunchbox + pumpkin & date muffins

Posted on June 24, 2011

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… (more…)

Zaatar Batons with Sami’s Kitchen spices

Posted on June 15, 2011

Sami’s Kitchen spice range is one of the most exciting things to hit my desk recently.

As most of you will know, my father is of Lebanese origin, so I am very fond of Lebanese cuisine and many Lebanese dishes anchor strong childhood memories within my psyche.

In my family, food is love. My dear late Tatah (grandmother, in Arabic) was a champion cook and all-round eating ambassador. As soon as you entered her house she would usher you directly to the table to eat. Then, while you sat eating, she would not-so-subtly pace around the table heaping additional food onto plates so that after an hour-long meal your plate was still full! (more…)

Peanut butter & jelly smoothie

Posted on June 3, 2011

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? (more…)

$2 pasta dish to support ‘Live Below The Line’

Posted on May 18, 2011

When I was approached to come up with a recipe for $2, I immediately panicked. What kind of ingredients can you get for that price?

After a long hard think, and some experimentation, I’m happy to report that it is entirely possible and can result in this delicious pasta dish.

And it’s all for a good cause.

The Live Below The Line campaign encourages people to attempt to live on $2 a day in order to get a better idea about how it feels to live below the poverty line. I hope you’ll join me in supporting this cause by eating a little more frugally this week and perhaps check out their website for more info or to make a donation. (more…)

Potato and ricotta croquettes

Posted on May 12, 2011

Ever since I discovered how easy it is to make homemade breadcrumbs I have gone a little breadcrumb-crazy.

These are a case in point.

Crunchy little parcels with a creamy, cheesy centre that are oh-so-moreish. Make sure you have people coming over, otherwise you’ll eat the whole batch, like I did.

Feel free to substitute in your favourite herbs if parsley and basil don’t float your boat. Ditto the ricotta – some goats curd or feta are also really nice stuffed in the middle. If you’re feeling carnivorous then a slice of jamon (Iberico, please) could also hide in there. (more…)