A blog by a girl from Sydney who loves to go out and eat, over buy too many cookbooks and magazines, and create her own recipes.

Saturday, June 21, 2014

Smoked Salmon Dip

This dip is so versatile and easy to make. It's great with some vegetables or crackers, or if you want to add some to pasta it also makes a great sauce.

Here are the ingredients:


- 120g smoked salmon
- 500g ricotta
- 4 tablespoons olive oil
- handful flat leaf parsley
- cracked black pepper

Method:

Simply slice all you smoked salmon, and then add this with all your other ingredients to a food processor. blend until smooth with only small chunks of smoked salmon. 

Gluten Free

I love doughnuts - pink doughnuts are my favourite. Also the plain kind from crispy cream. Because however I am trying to change my diet for the better I wondered if there could be a healthier version.

I decided to see what I could find when I typed in gluten free doughnut, and I found what I think will be an interesting recipe to try. The ingredients are all simple and I have them all. The only problem being I did not have a doughnut mold. So I ebayed doughnut molds and I will have to order them.

I also found a terrific gluten free bread recipe book. So when I get full time work I will be purchasing that when I get my first pay check.

Anyway here is the recipe for the basic gluten free doughnut recipe I found.

Monday, May 5, 2014

Cabbage, Kale and Caramelised Onion Rice Salad


I found a recipe for caramelised onion in delicious magazine recently and it was so good.
 However I didn't get to use it all for the original recipe so I wondered how I could use it.

I decided to use it in a brown rice salad of my own. I am trying to lose weight and find the right diet/lifestyle change because I am too much of a foodie to cope with a restrictive diet and plain bland foods. Also I don't believe in calorie control as life is too short to do math every time I eat. I am going to try and practice portion control. Therefore I am trying the whole gluten free/ food combining rules, as when I went meat free and gluten free I lost some weight, however I went back to eating meat, which is ok if you just have a little but fell of the gluten free diet.


Anyway here are the ingredients;

Ingredients:

- Caremelised onion ( it's kind of like a sweet chutney, I am sure you can find your own recipe on the internet, or google it on the delicious magazine website, or buy it if you really can't be bothered).
- 2 cups cooked brown rice
- 1/8th shredded red cabbage
- 8 leaves of kale finely chopped
- 1/4 of a large cucumber finely diced
- 2 small chili's finely chopped and diced
- 2 tablespoons of olive oil
- 2 teaspoons balsamic vinegar
- black pepper to taste
- Large handful of coriander, chopped



Method:
Basically all you have to do is mix everything together, you can add more chili's if you want it hotter. It's a great simple salad that you can add other ingredients to or adjust. You can add more of the greens or cabbage if you wish.

XX J

Sunday, April 6, 2014

Cashew Pesto


This is a delicious substitute for normal pesto, it's also cheaper too as pistachio nuts are really expensive.

You'll need:

- 200g roasted cashew nuts
- Large bunch of basil, 
- 3/4 cup robust olive oil 
- Salt to taste 

Method: 

In a food processor blend together until all ingredients until nuts have been chopped and all basil blended and it resembles normal pesto. Remember not to blend to much, you're not making sauce!

Sunday, March 30, 2014

Gluten Free Bruschetta with Cashew Pesto, Rocket, Spinach and Fresh Basil!


This is what I am planning on making as one of my favourite afternoon teas.


The gluten free bread is sooo low in calories it's unbelievable, and when you whack it under the grill and toast it each side for a couple of minutes it perfectly toasted and ready for your toppings. i

I used the following on mine:

- Fresh Basil
- Rocket
- Baby Spinach
- Diced Tomato
- Diced Cucumber
- Balsamic Vinegar
- Cashew nut Pesto
- Gluten free bread ( i used sliced loaf, but you could use a roll cut in half)
I will post my recipe for a cashew nut pesto later on, but basically it's a mixture of cashew nuts, olive oil and basil with salt and pepper.

 

Saturday, March 29, 2014

Health Kick !

I am trying to do a health kick to prep my body and wardrobe for my trip to the UK next year.

I have bought myself a cold press slow juicer from kogan, it was super cheap ( so all I could afford really).

I have also been looking for more work to help ease the strain of only working two days a week AND saving up for the UK!

Cold Press Slow Juicer

http://www.kogan.com/au/buy/cold-press-slow-juicer/?utm_campaign=website&utm_source=sendgrid.com&utm_medium=email

I am also trying to dramatically reduce me gluten intake ( I love me some sweet, sweet bread) and I have been feeling like lately I need to lay back on the meat eating. Don't get me wrong, I don't eat meat every day, probably about 2 or 3 times a week. But lately my body has just been giving me this feeling of, take a break from this Jane.

Anyway I will be trying to post more gluten free and vegetarian recipes.

I wonder how long I can go with no meat ( wait I lie, I'll eat seafood)

xx Jane


Monday, March 17, 2014

Really Jane, It's been THAT long????

Wow, I htink to myself. It's been forever. I keep promising to make this a scheduled regular thing, but I just keep letting the weeks which turn into months pass.

I watched the Julie/Julia project movie last night. I hadn't seen it before and I know that I am like 5 years late but I have recently been busy with many thigns happening in my life. I know no one really reads this, especially family or friends so I suppose it is safe to spill my guts.

Well dear existant/non existant reads, here is the latest goss in 5 months!!!!

I temporarily overcame my fear of flying after my first overseas holiday to Vanuatu. You want to know the trick for flying without fear? It involves red wine. Complimentary unlimited drinks!

My Best Friends of ten years are no longer friends. Together we were the three amigos, the three blind mice, charlies angels, See no evil, hear no evil, do no evil monkies! Not anymore. Not a lot upsets me when it comes to relationships, but this definitely does!

I am still writing for bespoke ( yay) I must up my game for recipes though I think. I have one involving a soup for the next winter edition and I have another sweet idea in mind too!

My fear of flying came back as the Malaysian flight was /Hijacked/crashed. So for a week now I have been having mini panic attack because...............

NEXT YEAR I GO TO THE UK!

I am hoping to live in England ( probably Manchester to save funds) and travel throughout all of Europe and the UK while working as well

I am also currently completing my Certificate IV in Business Administration, and after hoping for like 6 months to complete a Diploma I have come to the conclusion I will not be able to pay $7000 off in a year while saving up for the UK and working only 2 days a week. Besides I am planning on going into Human Resources for University when I come back from the UK and will make that my main career so why rack up a debt on something that I am not even going to be doing for more than a few years.

Oh yes, I should also mention I am job hunting for another part time job.

Well I hope that justifies the quietness of my writing, but seriously I should commit to writing, like ever Thursday night or something ( TV is never good on a thursday night now anyway) and blog recipes more often.