Cookbook Review: Eat Happy

Eat Happy | 30-Minute Feelgood Food by Melissa Hemsley Published by Ebury Press Food on the table in 30 minutes is a life-saver on busy weeknights and this cookbook shows how to do it without opening packets or jars of pre-prepared ‘things’.   With a zero-waste approach to food, Melissa provides plenty of ideas on how …

Cinnamon and Almond Rice Bubble Slice

Bliss balls and raw vegan slices are wholesome and nutritious, but they are also quite expensive to make.  So far my family haven’t embraced my efforts at making squeaky “clean” treats, so I have dialled back quite a bit on the “superfood” additions. The result so far is this recipe which is based on the …

Dairy Free Apple Muffins

I’ve had the recipe leaflet for Dairy Free Apple Muffins from Countdown supermarket stuck to the freezer for ages and keep thinking I should make them one day. One day finally happened ……. and now this recipe is filed in the ‘I should make these again one day’ section as they’re pretty good muffins. The …

Lemon and Berry Tiramisu

Tiramisu, Italy’s version of English Trifle, is usually flavoured with coffee and chocolate however I have taken a fruity approach to create a summery dessert to suit our Southern Hemisphere climate. I made a Lemon & Raspberry version however the Lemon & Mixed Berry version is more suitable if you have a berry patch out …

Block of Choc Brownie

This brownie is very easy and quick to whip up when unexpected visitors arrive and it can be served with coffee or as a dessert.  Use one bowl and there is very little to clean up.  The finished brownie is crunchy around the edges, chewy on top and moist in the middle.  If you like …

Beets and Beans Salad

This recipe was partly inspired by a recipe for a beetroot, carrot and bean slow cooker casserole from Sara Lewis’ Ultimate Slow Cooker cookbook. The remaining “inspiration” was more like desperation when I needed to come up with some sort of dish to take to a pot luck dinner and the fridge was fairly bare …

Potato Raclette Bake

This dish is inspired by a delicious meal of Raclette cheese with boiled potatoes and crispy bacon that we enjoyed in Switzerland and an equally delicious Tartiflette I ordered in Versaille thinking I was ordering some sort of tart but was instead a potato bake. As Raclette Grills are uncommon here in New Zealand, I …

Cookbook Review: Little Bird Goodness

Little Bird Goodness by Megan May, Penguin Random House New Zealand For many people, food intolerance is a huge interruption to everyday life.  Product availability has improved with gluten-free, wheat-free, dairy-free, refined sugar-free, or egg-free items now being available in many mainstream grocery stores.  Larger cities also have the luxury of vegetarian, vegan or raw …

Prune & Cardamom Biscuits (Cookies)

This recipe was created to use a bag of diced prunes that were purchased (in error) instead of whole prunes.  The result were biscuits so tasty that I had to make them again – this time using whole prunes that I diced and dusted in a little flour so they didn’t clump together otherwise all …

The language of apples

Currently six weeks into a nine week holiday in the U.K. and Europe, it’s been interesting trying new foods in new countries. Right now I am in The Netherlands.  I don’t know much about apples here but they must be grown as I know several recipes that originate here showcase apples – Dutch apple pie …