healthy

Chia Pudding & Cherry Berry Bliss Smoothie Bowl

/ Amy / 2 Comments

I love fresh fruit for breakfast, but sometimes depending on the time of year you just can’t get the good stuff like Cherries, Raspberries, Mangoes etc. So where the season fails me, the freezer section at the grocery store does not! I love buying frozen fruit, especially living in North Queensland where it’s always a thousand degrees hot, using frozen fruit is the best way to start the day on a cool note.

One of my favourite ways to prepare said fruit for breakfast is as a smoothie. They are quick to make and eat (which is great when you have to be at work early in the morning) and best of all they are filling. When I have more time I like to make a bit more of an effort and create smoothie bowls. This is one of my latest creations. Let me know what you think in the comments below 🙂

Prep time – 5 mins + over night for the Chia pudding, Serves 1.

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Chia Pudding & Cherry Berry Bliss Smoothie Bowl

1/4 cup chia seeds

1/4 cup milk (almond milk, coconut milk, cow’s milk, the choice is yours)

1 tsp cinnamon sugar

1 handful frozen raspberries

1 handful frozen cherries

1 handful frozen diced mango

1 cold banana

  1. To make the chia pudding you will need to start the day before as the chia seeds take time to soak up the milk. In a glass place your chia seeds, milk and cinnamon sugar, mix well and leave in the fridge over night. The next morning you should have a thick pudding of chia seeds. Add more milk and stir if too thick.
  2. In a food processor or blender ( I used my old magic bullet) place banana, raspberries, cherries and mango and top with cold water. If you wish you may also at this point add some protein powder or other supplements. Blend until smooth.
  3. In a shallow bowl pour your smoothie and top with chia pudding. I also like to place a few additional fruits on top for some more interest and the fact that its delicious!
  4. Enjoy!

~A

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Heritage Tomato & Pesto Spaghetti

/ Amy / Leave a comment

There is nothing quite like a yummy bowl of pasta to satisfy a hunger!

Today we are keeping it light, this time with fresh heritage tomatoes and zesty lemon basil pesto this pasta is great eaten warm or cold the next day as a pasta salad.

This colourful dish is great for a midweek dinner or a quick meal after a busy weekend.

Prep time – 5 mins, Cooking time – 20 mins, Serves 6

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Heritage Tomato & Pesto Spaghetti

500g spaghetti

1tsp olive oil

100g of prosciutto – sliced

350g cherry tomatoes, halved – I used heritage tomatoes for the colour

50g semi sundried tomatoes – chopped

60g baby spinach leaves

150g basil pesto – I used my Lemon Basil Pesto

Shaved parmesan and cracked pepper to serve

  1. Preheat oven to 150 degrees C. Cook the pasta in a large saucepan following the packet instructions. Cook until al dente. Drain, but reserve about 3/4 cup of the cooking liquid.
  2. Line a baking tray with aluminium foil and lay the slices of prosciutto evenly over it. Bake untill just crisp and set aside.
  3. In a frying pan add the oil, when hot add the tomatoes, string often. Cook until the tomato starts to soften, should take about 3 minutes. Add the spinach and cook until it just starts to wilt. Add the spaghetti to the pan along with the reserved liquid and pesto, tossing to combine.
  4. Break the prosciutto into shards, and add to the pasta tossing again to combine.
  5. Plate up and top with freshly shaved parmesan and pepper.
  6. Enjoy!

~A

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Pumpkin Soup

/ Amy / Leave a comment

Now that its getting cooler (and by cooler I mean its stopped reaching 35 degrees every day… it actually didn’t get about 29 the other day! Admittedly it was raining all day… but it still counts!!!), and we are on our way to winter it’s time to start thinking about warm wintery dishes (if we crank the air con we can pretend…).

I was recently given a lovely little home grown butter nut pumpkin with strict instructions that it must be made into a soup, so what better way to kick off the season than with a perfect winter warmer soup – Pumpkin soup!

Prep time – 10 mins, Cooking time – 1 hr, Serves 4

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Pumpkin Soup

1 large butter nut pumpkin -halved lengthways

2 rashers of bacon

1 red onion – quartered

2 tbs minced garlic

3 cups chicken stock

Salt and pepper

1/2 tsp nutmeg

cream – to serve

  1. Preheat oven to 210ºC.
  2. Remove seeds from your pumpkin and brush with olive oil. You may wish to set some seeds aside roast with the pumpkin for a crunchy soup topping!
  3. Season pumpkin well with salt and pepper, and add a generous coating of nutmeg.
  4. Place your pumpkin cut side up on a prepared tray and inside the cavity left by the seeds place the bacon, onion and garlic.
  5. Bake for about an hour until the pumpkin is soft and golden brown.
  6. Using a large spoon, scoop your pumpkin, onion and garlic and bacon into a food processor and fill with chicken stock. Process until smooth
  7. Top with toasted pumpkin seeds, pepper and a drizzle of cream. If you like you can also serve with  yummy crusty bread on the side!
  8. Enjoy!

~A

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Corn Fritters with Avocado & Sour Cream Dip

/ Amy / 2 Comments

If you’re like me, then you come home of an afternoon strip off your clothes, flick on the A/C and telly then its off to the kitchen to raid the fridge in a ravenous hunger fueled, undie clad frenzy only to find no food, no snacks because you’re “trying to be healthy”. Sound familiar?? I feel for you. So here I have an easy quick fix to your problems, make this on the weekend to have afternoon snacks all week long that won’t make you feel terrible!

Prep time – 10 mins, Cooking time – 10 mins, Serves 4

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Corn Fritters with Avocado & Sour Cream Dip

1 avocado, halved peeled and stone removed

2 heaped tbs extra-light sour cream

1 small red chilli – deseeded and chopped finely

Salt and pepper- to taste

420g can corn kernels – drained

2 eggs – whisked

2/3 cup plain flour

1/3 cup grated parmesan

2 tbs vegetable oil

3 tbs chopped chives

  1. In a food processor add the avocado, chilli and sour cream, process until smooth. Season with salt and pepper to taste. Set aside
  2. In a large mixing bowl add the corn, egg, parmesan and flour and whisk until well combined.
  3. In a large non stick frying pan heat the oil over a medium/high heat. Spoon a heaped table spoon worth of corn batter into the pan to make each fritter. Cook fritters until each side is golden. In between batches, transfer cooked fritters to a plate and cover to keep warm.
  4. Serve your fritters with the avocado and sour cream dip.
  5. Enjoy!

~A

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Simple Fried Rice

/ Amy / Leave a comment

I can remember when I was in primary school when we learned Indonesian we did a unit on food. The best part was the day the teacher made us nasi goreng which translates to fried rice.

It was delicious and has been a favourite to eat and make ever since that day.

Here is my simple fried rice recipe.

Prep time – 15 mins, Cooking time -20 mins, Serves 6

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Simple Fried Rice

2 cups rice

1/2 cup frozen peas

2 carrots – finely diced

1/4 cabbage – finely sliced

200g chopped mushrooms

200g finely chopped chicken

100g finely chopped bacon

2 eggs

1 tbs minced garlic

1/4 cup soy sauce

1 tbs sugar

1tbs sesame oil

1tbs peanut oil

  1.  Rinse rice under cold water until water runs clear. Boil rice and when cooked rinse with cold water and set aside to drain.
  2. In a wok or large frying pan heat peanut oil over a high heat. When hot, fry up chicken, bacon and garlic until the chicken is no longer pink.
  3. Add to the meat all vegies and stirfry until the carrot is soft and the peas are hot.
  4. Add rice, mixing through well.
  5. In a small bowl mix the sesame oil, soy sauce and sugar. Add to the rice mixture and stir through well.
  6. Create a well in the centre of the rice mixture and crack both eggs into the centre. Stir eggs and when they are starting to solidify mix through the rice mixture.
  7. Rice is ready when the egg is cooked throughout the rice.
  8. Serve with crushed peanuts or chopped shallots or with nothing at all (the sooner it gets in your belly the better!)
  9. Enjoy 🙂

~A

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Smoked Salmon Fillet with Parsley Potatoes & Cream Cheese Spread

/ Amy / Leave a comment

I love when my Husband decides to cook, and I love how he always knows he can ask me for help! Today, he came up with this meal all on his own, I couldn’t be more proud.

Smoking meat has become a regular thing in our household. Bacon, steaks, chicken, fish, you name it, we smoke it! Today however was the first time we smoked salmon fillets in our Nipper Kipper smoking box. Now I am asking myself “Why didn’t we do this sooner?!”.

This meal is easy and delicious, even if you can’t smoke it, the salmon would be just as delicious pan fried in some butter, or even baked in the oven.

Next time you are out to impress, why not try this?

Prep time – 10 mins, Cooking time 30 mins, Serves 4

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Smoked Salmon Fillet with Parsley Potatoes & Cream Cheese Spread

4 fillets salmon, skin on

8 baby chat potatoes

1tbs butter

Small bunch fresh parsley – chopped finely

1/3 small red onion – chopped finely

225g tub cream cheese

½ cup dark brown sugar

2 cups balsamic vinegar

Small bag rocket

4 tbs grated parmesan cheese

Salt and Pepper to taste

  1. Place your potatoes on to boil.
  2. If you have a smoking box, or small BBQ that will allow you to smoke meat, do so to the salmon according to your smoker’s instructions. Place salmon skin down, and smoke for about 25mins. If you do not have a smoker, feel free to pan fry or oven bake (covered).
  3. While salmon is smoking, heat the balsamic vinegar and sugar in a shallow frying pan or saucepan over a medium heat, stirring every few minutes. Keep at a simmer for 20mins, or until the glaze is reduced by half and will coat the back of a spoon.
  4. While glaze is reducing, prepare your cream cheese spread by combining the cream cheese, chopped onion and half the parsley and mix well, set aside.
  5. When potatoes are cooked, drain and add remaining parsley and butter, stir until the potatoes are coated.
  6. On your serving plates take a small amount of rocket as a side salad and sprinkle each with about a tablespoon of parmesan.
  7. When the salmon is cooked, assemble your meal with salmon skin side up, salad, cream cheese and potatoes, and drizzle everything lightly with the balsamic glaze.
  8. Enjoy!

~A

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Chicken Yakisoba

/ Amy / Leave a comment

One of my favourite Japanese dishes would have to be Yakisoba. To me it’s like a comfort food, but with veggies. Yaki, meaning grilled and soba meaning noodles, this meal of grilled noodles is easy to make in a fry-pan or wok.

It’s one of those meals you can get just about anywhere in Japan, but the best comes from street vendors or little hole in the wall restaurants.

In Australia finding the right ingredients to get the taste just right can be a bit of a challenge. If you’re lucky enough to live near an Asian grocery store you might be able to find pre-made Yakisoba sauce, if not, try this recipe it’s pretty good!

Prep time 10 mins, Cook time 20 mins, Total time 30 mins, Serves 4

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Chicken Yakisoba

3 Shitake mushrooms – sliced (can be replaced with regular mushrooms if unavailable)

1 Brown onion – sliced into thin wedges

1 Carrot – halved and sliced on an angle

1 Bunch of broccolini chopped roughly

4 Cabbage leaves – chopped

2 Small chicken breasts – diced (can be replaced with your choice of meat, beef, pork, prawns)

1-2 Tbsp peanut oil

Freshly ground black pepper (to taste)

Yakisoba noodles (if unavailable, ramen or hokkien will also work)

Yakisoba Sauce

80ml Worcestershire sauce

60ml oyster sauce

40ml ketchup

30ml soy sauce

30ml sugar

  1. Slice the mushrooms, carrot and the onion. Chop the brocollini and the cabbage into smaller pieces. Cut the meat into 1 inch pieces.
  2. Mix the sauce ingredients in a small bowl and set aside from later.
  3. In a wok, heat the oil on medium to high heat. Cook the chicken through until there is no pink visible.
  4. Add the vegetables into the wok and stir fry until soft.
  5. Add the black pepper and ¼ of the Yakisoba sauce and stir, lower the heat to medium.
  6. Cook noodles of choice as per packet instructions. When soft gently pull apart and drain, then add to the wok. Stir noodles into the mixture being careful not to burn the noodles on the bottom of the wok
  7. Add remaining sauce (if you don’t like it super saucy don’t add all of it) and mix through.

Optional extras

  • Feel free to add in any extra vegies, things like zucchini and capsicum also taste great in this dish!
  • If you feel like being really fancy feel free to top the dish with some strips of dried seaweed and pickled red ginger, but if you’re like me you’ll just tuck in right away!

Itadakimasu!

~A