When I first saw this recipe I was a bit skeptical about using broccoli and cauliflower in a soup, but it is really delicious. The coconut milk and mint give it a very different taste - I think you could sneak this past someone who didn't like broccoli! 2 broccoli, heads and stems roughly chopped 1 cauliflower, heads and stems roughly chopped 2 tablespoons oil 1 onion 2 stalks celery, chopped finely 4 cups of vegetable stock 1 tin coconut milk 1 handful parsley, … [Read more...]
Homemade ‘Vogels’ Bread Recipe
This recipe is kindly shared by Simon and Kathryn Deroles who developed it over several years and report that it even passed the 'fussy children' test. I also have to thank them for sending some kibbled grain up to me from Palmerston North as I have been struggling to locate kibbled wheat or kibbled grain in Auckland. Ceres Organics have it as a product and list several different stores as stockists but they (so far in my searches) seem to have other Ceres products but not kibbled wheat. Simon … [Read more...]
Hot chocolate drink recipe
After helping make chocolate from cocoa beans on my recent trip to Mexico, Guatemala and Belize, this seemed like a perfect gift for friends and family. Indulgent, decadent and comforting, perfect for winter. Warm, rich and creamy with a bit of a zing from the chilli and ginger. 200g dark chocolate, broken into pieces 2/3 cup Dutch cocoa powder* 3/4 cup icing sugar 1/4 tsp salt 2 tbsp cornflour 1/4 tsp chilli powder 1/2 tsp ground ginger 1 1/2 tsp cinnamon Add all … [Read more...]
Spiced Beetroot Relish
This is a really tasty relish that you can make when beetroot are plentiful in the shops or, as I did, cook and grate beetroot in smaller batches when you have extra in the garden and freeze them to make relish later on. The recipe uses 500g of whole beetroot; I had about 750g of peeled and grated beetroot so I made double the recipe. The double recipe only made 5 small jars of relish. 500g beetroot* *You can use fresh peeled and grated beetroot or if you prefer roast the beetroot first … [Read more...]
Green Tomato Chutney
This recipe is a great way to use the green tomatoes that are invariably still left on your plants when you want to remove them to plant the winter vegetables. Or, as was the case for me this year, wanting to tidy up the garden before I went on my latest travels. You can scale the recipe up or down depending on how many tomatoes you have. The original recipe started with 5lbs (2 1/4 kg) - I have scaled it down to 1 kg of tomatoes, which gave me 10 of the 190ml jars I regularly use. 1 kg … [Read more...]
Feijoa Cinnamon Cake Recipe
This is the best of the various feijoa cake recipes I have tried: moist and delicious with the walnut, cinnamon and brown sugar topping. Perfect for a dessert for the cooler evenings. The passionfruit and lime yoghurt gave a wonderful balance between tart and sweet. Topping 1/2 cup chopped walnuts 1/2 cup brown sugar 2 tsp cinnamon 50g butter Cake 1 1/2 cups flour 2 tsp baking powder 1 tsp baking soda 3/4 cup sugar 125g butter, chopped 2 eggs 1/2 cup … [Read more...]
Easy Peasy Feijoa Cake
Thank you to Bronnie for sharing this really simple recipe for a Feijoa cake that you can whizz together in the food processor in seconds. 1/2 cup milk 2 eggs 1 cup sugar 1 cup peeled and halved feijoa (I used Bambina Feijoas so put them in whole, minus the stalk end) 1 tsp vanilla essence 75g melted butter Mix well together in food processor and then add: 2 cups flour 2 tsp baking powder 1/2 tsp salt Blend until mixed. Bake in a greased and lined cake tin at 180C for 40 … [Read more...]
Feijoa Chutney
Feijoa season is upon us and trees all around New Zealand are dripping with fruit. If you are fortunate to have a tree or a supply of fruit then you are likely to be wondering what to do with them all. This recipe makes just a few jars of a very tasty chutney, but you can always increase the quantities if you want more. 3 cups feijoas, peeled and chopped 2 onions, peeled and chopped 1/2 cup sultanas 1 cup brown sugar 2 cups cider vinegar 1 tsp salt 1 tbsp curry … [Read more...]
Spicy Fruit Buns (aka Hot Cross Buns)
My friends Michele and Claire have a tradition of making hot cross buns on Good Friday and inviting friends around to enjoy them. I have often been the grateful recipient of the "buns are ready" txt and raced around to enjoy them with a cup of coffee, sitting in the sunshine on their patio. I was inspired this time to go home and make some myself: my first try was almost a total failure despite using a bread mix and doing the first part in the bread machine. I have been determinedly trying … [Read more...]
Chickpea Ratatouille
Traditional Ratatouille is a famous French vegetable stew made in autumn when the main ingredients (eggplant, zucchini/courgette, capsicum, tomatoes) are plentiful. Purists would make it exactly to the traditional recipe but there are many variations now that people call ratatouille, even versions baked in the oven rather than as a stew. I like to stay true to the original vegetable stew concept but add whatever vegetables I happen to have, such as green beans. Some recipes sauté the … [Read more...]