After two hours of pressing "snooze" on my IPhone, I finally realized I needed to get up, get going and find a nursery at which to buy an organic lemon tree. I wanted to find this for Lucy Stegley (aka SmoothieGirl), who kindly invited me to lunch at her family farm in Mt Martha, Victoria. After geting lost numerous times along the way and having to ask multiple strangers for directions, I finally made it!! Albeit with potted carnations instead of the desired lemon tree, and with one last wrong turn where I got lost once more on her driveway - the farm is so big!!! Ohh well, it could only go up from here! I was really looking forward to meeting Lucy. I didn`t know that much about her, but the moment I got out of the car, I felt I had been at her place before - the smell of the farm, the beautiful white clouds, the barn, the rustic fences and the smiling girl who came to meet me in a cute white apron with cherries on it! So, I'd finally met Lucy and proceeded to have a wonderful day with her.
It went by so fast! I met her vibrant friends, sipped on watermelon juice and had fantastic stimulating conversations. I took myself outside with my camera and I had the pleasure of meeting Lucy`s mother Ann, who zipped in on her pistachio green Vespa piled high with last minute shopping. We introduced ourselves and it wasn`t long before I was chatting with a beautiful, articulate woman with whom every moment seemed filled with joy and compassion. I think I deserved a day like this, a day in which I was surrounded by friends and their family, around a table full of simple, delicious farm food made with love and honesty. I took pictures to capture all the exquisitely prepared dishes.
I am finally catching up with the wintry warm desserts to satisfy my North American and European readers starting with Lemon Curd with Golden Sesame Seed Crust. This is a wickedly rich dessert with a variety of nuts,
seeds, nut butter and honey. It
has a tangy nutty flavor with a creamy melt-in-the-mouth texture. Though it does not take a lot of
time to make it, it does take a little time to set. But trust me, though, it is certainly worth the wait.
When you make this dish, don`t let your past experiences influence you and forget altogether the idea of traditional Creamy "Tortilla Soup" with Cornbread. Be open to a new tasty "raw" version!
In fact you know what? When Rebecca from Purely Delicious Magazine asked me to make this dish, I asked myself, why I had never made nor ate Creamy "Tortilla Soup" with Cornbread in my life. So the first thing I did was to go to a Mexican restaurant to try the authentic recipe, in order to get the idea of what people might expect from the raw version. I found a restaurant in Sydney called Newton’s Cocina which is in Newtown, a very trendy part of Sydney with rustic cafes, great bookstores and kind of weary people who look like they have just stepped out of a 60s movie scene.
The truth of course is that I felt like *&%$#@! after the Creamy "Tortilla Soup" with Cornbread, which by the way was not sold together, you had to order the corn bread separately. Don't get me wrong! The food was well presented, and pricy… tasty for sure, but really, it made me feel pretty unhealthy (like eating an ice cream cone after a 10 day juice fast...yes, I`ve done that!)! In fact, I feel like the raw version of it also made me feel a little heavy… because it became a challenge to make the dish taste as rich as the non-raw version without adding too many rich ingredients. You know, sometimes you want a tasty, heavy and comforting dish especially for when fall and winter settle in. I look at it as a treat and not an everyday meal. Feels good to be naughty sometimes.
So here it is my raw version of Creamy "Tortilla Soup" with Cornbread! Warning: eat in moderation on a cold , cold evening when you feel your heart needs a little warming (yes, comfort food)!
These tarts are really
simple to make, 'really simple' to eat, so simple that you are allowed to taste
every single ingredient, leaving you as
light as a feather.
This Fettuccine recipe is not only simple to make,
but it is decadently deliciously rich. With these color
of the ingredients it makes a perfect fall dish to enjoy it on an afternoon
with great company on the terrace or even inside on a Christmas eve with the loved ones. I love this recipe because it is deceivingly simple to prepare... and if you need help or flare in creating simple but yet elegant recipes in the comfort of your owne home then have a peak at:
IMAGINE WHAT IT WOULD BE LIKE TO PREPARE ARTISTIC RAW GOURMET CUISINE, IN THE COMFORT OF YOUR OWN HOME. IMAGINE BEING ABLE TO IMPRESS YOUR FRIENDS AND FAMILY WITH YOUR BEAUTIFUL KITCHEN SETUPAND SUCCULENTLY CREATED DISHES. THIS IS ALL POSSIBLE IN JUST A FEW SIMPLE STEPS.
I KNOW THIS IS POSSIBLEBECAUSE I’VE SET UP CAFE AND RESTAURANT KITCHENS AS WELL AS FRIEND'S KITCHENS IN JUST A SHORT PERIOD OF TIME. I KNOW WHAT IT TAKES AND WANT TO SHARE IT WITH YOU!!! I HAVE DECIDED TO REVEAL THIS VERY SIMPLE SETUP METHOD THAT I’VE USED TO HELP PEOPLE BECOME INSPIRED AND ORGANIZED CHEF's, RIGHT AT HOME. ONCE YOU HAVE LEARNED MY TECHNIQUES, THERE WILL NOT BE A NEED TO GO OUT TO RESTAURANTS ANYMORE!
Creamy Mushroom & Spinach Pot Pie... but I bet nothing like your everyday pot pie? A great Fall dish on a fallish sunny afternoon with some great company of friends... Old school for sure, and
love it. Even though it is titled ‘creamy’ it is still light, yet meaty
textured with lovely aromas and flavors. You can have this dish as an entree by having only one pot to yourself, or making it into a main dish by having two... I also left the spinach at the bottom of the dish, so that it has another kick to it, after working your way through the: mushrooms, walnuts, tomatoes, thyme... you will then experience the other side of the pot pie... eating should some times be an adventure!
With their elegant contoured shape, pears are an attractive dessert. Make a “poaching” liquid from beetroot juice, which lends the flesh of the fruit its deep ruby color, and add orange rind, vanilla bean, cinnamon stick, a whole clove, and a star anise for more aroma. After “poaching”, leave the pears in the liquid overnight (or for a few days), and the fruit will keep getting darker and fuller flavored.
Summer
salad prepared with salad leaves and strawberries with a grapefruit dressing
and sprinkled with salba seeds. Very delicious and refreshing on a hot summer
afternoon. I know that most of my readers are within the northern atmosphere, but I do live in Sydney Australia and thought to catch up with the summer recipes now before I get creative with the winter edition. This recipe was also issued in the Purely Delicious Magazine - Summer Edition.But I guess it always a good time to have an easy sexy looking salad recipe in hand.
Marinated black olives are
perfect healthy raw treat for any givin moment. I love having these marinated olives with a bowl of fresh wild baby rocket leaves or any mixed baby leaves and a glass of water.
