Friends on Friday - Are you a pumpkin TART?

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My beautiful friend Anne, (one half) of Ennis Perry Creative is so creative she created these delicious pumpkin tarts herself! I’ve always loved Anne’s style and the way she makes things look beautiful. When I first meet her, many moons ago it was her small handmade fashion label 'Luce handmade', which caught my eye, but now she’s concentrating on bigger things.

Through shared partnership, the studio of Ennis Perry Creative has built a reputation for creating unique and beautiful work, designs that give real emotion to brands - watch this space. They have recently completed the beautiful eBook 'A Nourishing Kitchen', which contains 42 fantastic wholefood recipes from Amy Crawford at The Holistic Ingredient.

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But enough bragging of how she makes things beautiful, she also makes food taste delicious – these Pumpkin tarts are a must try. They’re delicious as a snack, lunch or dinner and pumpkins are in season now so snap one up at your next Farmers Market and make them this weekend.

Ingredients

1 Cup Plain Flour

1/2 Cup Besan Flour

1/2 Cup of blended nuts & seeds -Sunflower seeds, pumpkin seeds & walnuts

1/2 Cup Water

1/3 Cup Olive Oil or Coconut Oil

1/2 Pumpkin

4 Free Range Eggs

1/2 Cup Parmesan

1 Tablespoon of Coconut Cream

Celtic Sea Salt and Ground Black Pepper

Tomato Sliced

Base Ingredients

1 Cup Plain Flour

1/2 Cup Besan Flour

1/2 Cup of blended nuts & seeds

1/2 Cup Water

1/3 Cup Olive Oil or Coconut Oil

Instructions for base

Mix dry ingredients together add water and oil

Grease tins with butter

Press into tart dish or tin, as thin as you can without any holes

Blind bake for 10mins at 180°

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Filling Ingredients

1/2 Pumpkin cut into small pieces

4 Eggs

1/2 Cup Parmesan

1 Tablespoon of Coconut Cream

Celtic Salt and Ground Black Pepper

Tomato Sliced

Instructions for filling

Cut pumpkin into small pieces and remove all seeds

Boil or steam pumpkin until soft

Once pumpkin is soft blend until a puree

Add all ingredients together in a bowl and mix

Divide amongst dishes and top with a tomato slice

Sprinkle with a little extra parmesan

Bake for 10-15mins at 180° or until firm

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Serve warm with a Salad on the side – absolutely perfect

Let us know if you try them out, instagram it and tag us too. You can follow Ennis Perry Creative here and while you're at it follow Love Your Health here.

Friends on Friday - Lady Fingers it is!

Okra is known in many English-speaking countries as lady's fingers it’s an edible green seed pod, I first came across it when I was living in Japan. I’m not sure if it’s traditionally used in their diet but it’s said to originate in S.E. Asia and Africa. Okra is popular due to its high fiber, vitamin C, and folate content. It’s also known for being high in antioxidants and a good source of calcium and potassium. Sounds like a super food to me!

My friend Gaye from Gaye Abandon has shared with me this amazing Okra curry recipe, a perfect winter meal. It’s got all the ‘good stuff’ in it Cumin, Coriander, Turmeric, Mustard seeds, Chilli – all the warming anti-inflammatory herbs and spices, things that aid your digestion, warm you up and keep your circulation moving! A fantastic flavored curry and vegetarian too.

I really like what Gaye Abandon Handmade Homewares and Accessories are all about, her works are all created from 100% wool, upcycled, felted textiles, which makes it all sustainable and has a real environmental twist. She creates practical and pleasurable homewares and accessories that mix the multifarious colours and textures of pieces of felted wool in fresh one-off combinations. What’s not to love!

Here goes:

Gaye says; ‘it’s adapted from a recipe in the Sri Lankan Flavours cookbook by Channa Dassanayaka, I love to adapt recipes to my tastes”

And I say ‘why not, that’s the BEST form of cooking’

Okra Curry

Ingredients                 Serves 4

500g okra, trimmed and cut into 4cm pieces

2 teaspoons dried red chilli flakes

1 green chilli (sliced in half lengthways- seeds removed)

1/2 teaspoon ground chilli powder

1 teaspoon ground cumin

1 teaspoon ground coriander

1 teaspoon ground turmeric

1/2 teaspoon salt

3 tablespoons olive oil

10 curry leaves (or 2 bay leaves)

1 teaspoon brown mustard seeds

1 onion, thinly sliced

1/2 cup chopped or canned tomatoes

salt to taste

1/2 cup coconut milk

1 teaspoon lemon or lime juice

Wash okra and place in a bowl. Toss with turmeric and salt and set aside.

Heat oil in a large pan over medium heat. Add curry leaves, mustard seeds, onion and dried chilli. Sauté for about 3 minutes.

Add okra to the pan, then add green chilli, chilli powder, cumin, coriander, turmeric and tomato. Cook for 10 minutes tossing regularly so the dry ingredients don't burn. Add salt to taste.

Add coconut milk, bring to the boil, reduce heat and simmer until okra is cooked-- about 10 minutes (the okra should still have a light crunch).

Remove from heat and stir through the lemon or lime juice.

Let me know when you try it and if it blew your top off. I would love to know what you thought of the okra flavours.

Also, if you happen to be around West Footscary you must go and check out Gaye and Melanie’s Exhibition at Homefront; Interior designs from Reclaimed textiles – check flier for details or click here. Or just go – it’s a must for all textile lovers 8^th-28^th August.

Friends on Friday - Frankie and Ray

I met this fun and vivacious women once at the design and craft markets that I sold my handmade skincare at, she was FUN, quick witted and interesting! I really looked forward to meeting Jo on these occasions and she made great stuff, I have a few of her hand knitted scarves and I love her cushions too. 

Her label is Frankie and Ray, you can check out her stuff here. She’s just come back from an awesome trip around the US which I was following with envy via instagram take a peak. 

Jo has shared not only a delicious recipe but it’s totally nutritious, full of omega 6’s essential fatty acids (EFA), garlic which is great for your immune system, thyme from the garden makes it full of anti-oxidants and phytonutrients. 

She says; ‘This recipe is a way of eating lovely fresh fish, while still feeling like you're eating a warming and comforting meal. Something that is such an enjoyable thing during the long and cold Winters of the coast!’ 

Did I mention she lives on the beautiful south west coast of Victoria, where she spends her days designing and making her small range of women's clothing and accessories, and occasionally some home wares for her label Frankie & Ray. 

SLOW COOKED LEEKS WITH ATLANTIC SALMON AND PEAS

SERVES 4

80ml extra virgin olive oil

Plus extra, for frying

3 cloves garlic, sliced

3 leeks, trimmed, washed, and finely sliced

2 springs thyme, leaves picked

2 springs tarragon, leaves picked

3 kipfler potatoes, peeled and sliced about 0.5cm thick

150ml of water or chicken stock

¾ cup frozen peas

Sea salt and cracked black pepper

60g butter

½ lemon

 4 Atlantic salmon fillets, skin on

 Flat leaf parsley sprigs, to garnish

Place olive oil in a medium, deep sided frying pan over high heat and cook garlic and leeks, stirring constantly for about 5 minutes.

Add herbs and potatoes, stir and cook for a few minutes.

Add water (or stock), reduce heat to low, and simmer for 5 minutes.

Add peas and cook for a further 5 minutes. You may need to add a little more water at this stage.

Season generously with salt and pepper, then cook for a few minutes, or until the potatoes just begin to break up and thicken.

Stir through the butter and a good squeeze of lemon juice.

Remove from the heat and set aside.

Cut each fish fillet into 3 pieces and season skin side with salt and pepper.

Heat a little olive oil in a large frying pan, and over high heat, sear the fish skin side down for 3 minutes, until crisp and golden. Turn and cook the fish for a further minute or two on the other side. Remove from heat.

To serve, divide the leek and potatoes among plates, top with fish fillets and garnish with parsley.

 Bon appetite

In fact meet Jo tomorrow and check out the new of Frankie and Ray 
Saturday August 10th 3pm - 9pm 

Winter Magic Market

Brunswick North West Primary School

Culloden Street, Brunswick

(twilight/evening market)

3pm - 9pm 

Friends on Friday - PANCAKES it is!

In the next few weeks I’ll be posting some of my ‘friends’ recipes, people who are in my life – who have helped me, supported me or used my services and vice versa. I have such a wonderful community that I thought it was essential to share them with you too.

The first of my ‘Friends on Friday’ is Dr Helen Alevaki of chiropractic4wellness in Rathdowne Street, Melbourne, she’s often told me of her Saturday morning ritual and she’s willing to share it with you too! Helen has been a chiropractor for 20 years and treats me regulary, I love that one of Helen’s goals is to never retire and provide chiropractic care to generations of her client’s – her motto in life is “It’s not the years in your life, but the life in your years…LIVE!!!”

‘Here is my recipe….my girls love pancakes…well, who doesn’t!  We make these on a weekend or during the holidays when I have more time for fluffing around the kitchen’. Helen

Grain-free Apple Cinnamon Pancakes

These grain-free apple cinnamon pancakes are simple to prepare, high in protein and offer a flavour and texture.

Prep: 15 mins

Cook: 20 mins

Ready In: 35 mins

Yield: 8 - 12 Silver Dollar Pancakes (4 Servings)

Ingredients:

4 large eggs

2 tablespoons applesauce

1 tablespoon honey/coconut syrup/maple syrup

1/2 cups coconut flour

1/2 teaspoon baking soda

 butter or coconut oil (for frying pancakes)

 cinnamon (for sprinkling the pancakes)

Method:

1. Toss eggs, applesauce and honey into a food processor and pulse until slightly mixed. Add coconut flour, salt and baking soda slowly to the liquid ingredients and process until they form a firm batter that is still liquid enough to pour off a spoon.

2. Melt ghee or coconut oil in a large frying pan over medium to medium-low heat. Pour a heaping tablespoon of the pancake batter into the hot fat, sprinkle with cinnamon. Gently fry the pancake for a few minutes, until browned on the bottom; flip the pancake and fry for a further one to two minutes.

Continue working in batches, adding ghee or coconut oil as necessary, until your batter exhausted. Serve with honey, fruit or yogurt.

This recipe is reprinted with permission of Dr. Jill Tieman and you can find more recipes like it in her online cooking classes: Go Grain-free.

Enjoy and happy Friday. Are you a pancake kid?