Chilled Beetroot Soup w/ Crème Fraiche

I don't know why I'm met with such resistance around this one.

As someone who is famous for pushing all sorts of commonly unappetising but exceptionally nutrient dense foods, (organ meats, fish heads.. pigs heads!) - I feel a bit incredulous when people turn their noses up at THIS recipe.

Danielle did.

Thankfully she had to eat her words. Or, thoughts - because she didn't actually SAY anything out loud, but I could feel her slight skepticism when I decided to add this recipe into our already HUMONGOUS (and very stunning) e-book that accompanies our 'From Scratch: The Easy Way' membership.

This soup is jam-packed with garlic, leek, chicken stock and once the crème fraiche is added it is the most intense savoury HEAVEN you can imagine! The beets are just a delicate compliment in terms of flavour, but effortlessly steal the show, visually.

It's SO simple and quick to make with pre-cooked beets - which is the way we've both come to BE in the kitchen: PREPPED and ready to whip up a...

Continue Reading...

How to make the perfect Summer salad

salads seasonal eating Feb 02, 2022

This week we’re honing in on the vital elements required to create the perfect salad, to help guide you to mastery with this exceptionally underrated life skill.

The difference between a good and cracking Summer salad is nominal in terms of the time and effort required, yet when it comes to indulging – they’re worlds apart.

Mastering the art is pretty straight-forward, even for non-cooks. All it requires is some know-how around contrasting and balancing flavours, colours and textures – and grasping the critical importance of using fresh ingredients. 

In Summer, salad can be so much more than an assortment of greens (not that there’s anything wrong with a peppery green side and zingy vinaigrette)! At this time of year, salads can hold their own as hearty standalone meals.

 

It doesn’t need to be complicated

Oftentimes, simplicity trumps complexity. Pairing a perfectly ripe fruit with a soft cheese and something for crunch is enough to...

Continue Reading...

Summer days call for Summer salads

salads seasonal eating Jan 21, 2022

I hope you enjoyed a relaxing break and that any run-in with Covid you might have had, was mild and manageable.

Thankfully, mine was rather anti-climactic (isolating with young, energetic children proved the hardest part) and it was significantly less debilitating than regular man-flu, for my partner.

It’s good to be out the other side, with some additional antibodies to boot!

At this time of year, when the weather beckons us outside in favour of dwelling in the kitchen for too long, summer salads are an easy ticket outdoors.

A few sexy ingredients tossed together can make a delicious side dish or even a substantial main in mere minutes – not a small win, when you’re dreading the extra heat from your stove or oven!

Perhaps most importantly, they’re a fabulous way to celebrate the best of Summer produce. There is minimal skill required to enhance a perfectly ripe, freshly picked Summer fruit. With the abundance of great produce, anyone can be a masterful cook...

Continue Reading...

New new year’s resolutions


*This piece is taken from my column over at CCNews.
 

Something occurred to me as I sat down to write what is to be my final column for 2021.

By sheer coincidence, after an impromptu holiday decision, I’m writing this from the exact location I happened to pen the very first instalment for the year.

I’m coming to you live from Moree hot springs, folks. And it’s feeling spectacularly indulgent after the year we’ve just endured.

Funnily enough, my intention was to loosely circle back to that first topic as well. It had been a piece on the importance of feeling good, as a worthwhile health practice in its own right.

I’d wanted to remind myself (and naturally, you’re coming along for the ride) not to overlook the seemingly inconsequential stuff that has the potential to impact our wellbeing.

Afterall, we know the big ones. Sleep, diet, exercise and so forth.

If we nail those – we’re most of the way there, from a health perspective.

...

Continue Reading...

Starting over in Spring: The Japanese art of Kaizen

Uncategorized Oct 19, 2021

Just like Spring cleaning is a yearly routine for many, cleansing the body and re-establishing healthy habits at this time of year is a long-held tradition, coaxing our sluggish bodies back into balance after Winter.

However, clearly this is no ordinary Spring! We’re at the tail end of an unprecedented ordeal and now blessed with the prospect of regaining some sense of normalcy and long-awaited freedom.

The hardship endured by many in the face of extended lockdowns and the hefty toll it took on people’s health mean that there’s an even greater need for some restorative Springtime rituals this year.

I’ve spoken with one too many friends who are mentally exhausted, depressed and physically out of shape, with their health having taken a back seat in favour of mere survival. They’ve made dedicated attempts to get back on track, only to fall off the wagon. I’d hazard a guess that the most people are in the same boat.

We’re spent. And it’s...

Continue Reading...

Rewriting the story: 'I don’t have time to cook'

kitchen stories Jul 08, 2021

This is the second part in our six-week series on the counterproductive stories we tell ourselves in the kitchen – those hurdles that mess with our mojo and prevent us from enjoying the process of cooking. This week we’re hearing from Danielle Abell from Lick The Plates and examining the belief that we ‘don’t have time’.

Danielle Abell

Lockdown is an interesting time to think about time, because no matter what's going on in your household, we're looking at everything through a different lens.

Do you feel like you have enough time for anything? Probably not! Well, let me tell you: It’s not true. We’ve been spun to believe this lie that tells us we don’t have enough time.

It comes down to priorities and being present and grateful with whatever we are doing, without worrying that we won’t have time, or stressing that we didn’t get enough done.

The reality is that our lives are very full and cooking has dropped down the...

Continue Reading...

How’s your kitchen mojo?

kitchen stories Jul 01, 2021

What thoughts come to mind when you think about cooking? Does it bring up feelings of overwhelm? Pressure? Joy? Creativity? Sustenance? Duty? When you think about eating, do your thoughts turn to enjoyment and pleasure or do you often find yourself subconsciously categorising your diet into ‘good’ and ‘bad’ foods?

We’re diving headfirst into new territory, here on the blog. For the next six weeks I’ll be teaming up with Danielle Abell from Lick The Plates and exploring the often self-imposed barriers that mess with our kitchen mojo – either sabotaging our efforts to cook or simply preventing us from enjoying the process as much as we’d like.

The stories we tell ourselves

If you are the primary cook in your family, you’re likely preparing many meals each week and making countless decisions about those meals each day.

Have you ever really stopped to examine the subconscious thoughts and beliefs you have around cooking and eating?...

Continue Reading...

Traditional foods for postpartum nourishment

birth postpartum May 18, 2021

This week, in our birth series, we’re delving into the topic of postpartum nourishment with a discussion of recovery nutrition.

The idea of setting aside several weeks or more for postpartum recovery has been standard practice worldwide for many thousands of years. An Ayurvedic text dating back to 400 BCE states that “a new mother should be treated with massage, warm baths, a specific diet and herbal drinks that prevent infection and promote vitality”.

Some cultures believe that if women are neglected during the postpartum period, the adverse effects can remain into her menopausal years and beyond.

Healing in the postpartum period

From a logical perspective, it’s clear that there are significant shifts going on during this period, however far too many of us underestimate the impact of these changes on the new mother and consequently, our expectations during this time are often mismatched.

All women in the postpartum period are effectively healing many...

Continue Reading...

Orgasmic birth: the ultimate perk of homebirth

home birth orgasmic birth May 13, 2021

Following on from last week's piece on the safety of homebirth and the primary advantages of birthing at home such as lowered intervention and risk of complications, this week I’m elaborating on some of the lesser known benefits of homebirth. There’s a much greater chance of having not only a positive birth experience at home, but one that is profoundly pleasurable – even orgasmic!

Stay with me, we’ll get to that part shortly.

The significant impact of care providers

According to surveys conducted in homebirth forums of women who have experienced birthing in both a hospital and home setting, there is an overwhelming consensus that homebirth is a more enjoyable experience – not just for the birthing woman but for her partner and other family members as well, who are generally fully included in every step of the process, if they so choose.

Women routinely report that they feel more respected and empowered, as homebirth offers a more woman-centred...

Continue Reading...

The untold benefits of homebirth

birth homebirth May 04, 2021

We’re midway through a series on birth and this week I’m addressing the topic of homebirth. As someone who was lucky enough to birth two children at home, this is the information – or at least a small portion of it – that I wish I’d had access to before embarking on my homebirth journey.

You may remember Noni Hazelhurst’s 2016 Logies hall of fame induction speech where she mentioned that the greatest joys of her life to date were the homebirths of her two sons. I watched that speech having had my first taste of homebirth only a few months prior and was happy to see a moment of public recognition for such a misunderstood and sadly, taboo topic.

Understanding homebirth

Due to our cultural bias towards medicalised birth in this country, the decision to birth at home with a private midwife was not one I could take lightly at the outset. Approximately 0.3% of births take place this way in Australia and only 0.1% in New South Wales. Whilst the rates are...

Continue Reading...
1 2 3 4 5
Close

50% Complete

Two Step

Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua.