Little Flutters

This is my go to when I’m craving Ice Cream.

You spoon some full, creamy greek yoghurt into a bowl then add 1/2 a tablespoon of brown sugar.

The sugar turns into a crunchy, caramel-esque sauce when it mixes with the liquid in the yoghurt.

If you think this isn’t healthy because you’re adding sugar, have a look at this ice cream and apple pie comparison.

I like this dessert because my father carried the recipe over from Dubai and would make it for us for a snack late at night.

My beautiful, boisterous friend Megan Johnson got really sick last year. For practically three months. She started to feel better after eating healthier options and there’s such a positive change in her life. I’m so proud of her.

Sometimes I'm not the best influence on Megan! Straw up her nose!

These are the easiest health switches I’ve found. I hope this helps her. And You.

• Join a local farmer CSA (Community Supported Agriculture). A what? You basically give a local farmer $30 or so a week for a bag full of their freshest produce. It’s great because you save time at the farmers market and get introduced to all of this seasonal stuff you would never have tried. That’s how kale and I became BFFs. By you giving all the money up front, the farmer can do great things. My farmers from Bending Bridge Farm could buy a greenhouse for the winter because of the CSA and now offer an a la carte option. I miss them.

• Add Chai seeds and LSA (Linseed, Sunflower seed and Almond seed meal) to smoothies.

• When craving sandwiches, add tofu puffs instead of meat as a filler.

• Use coconut oil when making Asian foods. Then use coconut oil as an after shower moisturiser during winter .

• Michael Pollan in the Omnivore Dilema said that there isn’t that much nutritional value between organic and “normal” vegetables but there is a big difference between grain and grass fed beef. So splash out on the organic, free-range hormone free, 100% grass fed steak.

• One of the healthiest people I know said to eat an apple and drink a glass of water half an hour before every meal so you have better portion control.

• Rose tea is really high in Vitamin C. Brew 1/2 a cup of boiling water with five rose buds until it’s cooled. Take the rose buds out then add to 500ml of iced water. Fancy flavoured water for the win! Add lavender or peppermint for variations.

• Add a tablespoon of goat cheese or yoghurt to your lentils or soups for protein.

• Cheese and crackers count as a high protein snack as well.

• Eat naturally coloured things; a variety of veg.

•  I found that if I add a tablespoon of yoghurt to my baby spinach smoothies, I can double the spinach amount. Might be worth the experiment.

Feel well soon Meggsie Moo!

So, you hate the taste of water and need to take your daily dose from zero to one litre. No problem. I had to do the same when I had a kidney infection. Don’t worry, I am a-ok. Now I feel out of whack if I don’t drink enough water.

• Start by adding some flavour to your water, such as slices of lemon, 1/2 a cup of brewed rose petals, green tea, mint, red cordial. Just get used to consuming fluids again.
• Carry around a 1.5 liter or 800mil bottle of water with you. Everywhere. Eventually it’s going to feel so heavy you’re just going to drink the water to make it lighter.
• Buy a beautiful BPA-free stainless steel water bottle that’s slightly expensive. Making an investment means you’re more likely to follow through on your goal.
• It helps to drink water from a bottle so you can keep track of how much water you’re drinking. Measurable success! Honestly, who can remember how many glasses of water they drink? On the other hand, if you down two refills of a water bottle, you are amazing.
• On a more practical level, drink the most amount of water when you know you’ll be near a bathroom in an hour or three. I stayed mildly dehydrated when staying at hostels or when I know I have a photo shoot in an hour. Having a full 300ml bladder is never pleasant nor does it get easier the more often it happens.
• Exercise. Easy. Done!

Buy your turkey from a butcher, just so you can ask them to butterfly it; that means they should remove the back bone, wishbone and rib case. My sister did this for me, and well, it wasn’t a pretty sight, and she can’t eat a turkey for a while now.

I cooked this for Christmas Dinner and it was the easiest celebratory meal I’ve cooked so far.

You will need:

• One 4kg (9 pound) turkey, deboned.
• 250g (2 sticks) softened butter
• Eight cloves crushed garlic
• 2 tbsp chopped sage
• 1/4 cup olive oil
• Paprika
• Sage leaves, picked off the stem
• 2 tbsp lemon juice

1. In a big ass BBQ, put all the burners on full and close the lid.
2. Wash the turkey inside out and pat dry with paper towels. If you’re a shearing pro and you need to butterfly the turkey yourself, using strong shears cut down each side of the turkey backbone and discard. Cut out the wishbone and ribcage as well as the large bone near each thigh joint. Turn the turkey over and press down firmly to flatten the bird. Warning: We gave up on the scissors and used a meat cleaver. Fun in theory, not in practice.
3. Cut deep slashed into the legs and thighs of the turkey. Take large skewers and pierce it through the turkey to help keep it’s shape while cooking. Place on a baking dish.
   
4. Mix half the butter with the garlic and chopped sage. Press into the slashes in the thighs and in between the skin and the breast. Rub the bird all over with olive oil. Season ridiculously well with salt, pepper and paprika. When you feel like it’s seasoned well, season it again. The paprika gives this it’s gorgeous brown/red colour so use it freely.
5. Turn off the central burners on the BBQ, this is where you’re going to place the baking dish. If you don’t do this, the bottom will burn and the top will remain uncooked. Place the turkey in this area, leaving the side burners on medium. Close the lid.
6. It should take 1.5 hours to cook, but monitor as every BBQ is different. To test if it’s cooked through, pierce a thick area with a thin knife. If it feels firm, you see white meat and the juices run clear, it’s cooked through.
7. Remove the turkey from the BBQ and cover loosely with foil. Rest for 20 mins. Don’t skip the resting part, it gives the flavours a whole other level of yumness.
8. Melt the remaining butter in a frying pan, add the sage leaves and stir until crisp. Stir in lemon juice. Viola! Your sauce.
9. Remove the skewers and cut up your turkey. It should be pretty easy since the majority of the bones are removed. Plate up, drizzle your butter, I mean sauce, over the turkey and you’re done!

Aunty Doreen in Sri Lanka used to make these kisses every time I visited. I visited her often. Kisses, or macaroons, as my mother-in-law likes to call them, are essentially flavoured meringues. If you don’t like rose, substitute with vanilla, almond, peppermint or choc chips. The opportunities are endless. I feel almost blasphemous making these without A. Doreen.

Prep time – 1/2 an hour.

Cooking time: 1 hour.

Ingredients:

• six  room temperature egg whites
• 1.5 cups caster (super fine) sugar.
• 1 tsp white vinegar
• 1.5 tsp rose-flavoured water
• pink food colouring

1. Make sure your beaters and bowl is free of oils and stains. Preheat your oven to 120c (250F) with two wire racks placed evenly in the middle. Put baking paper on two flat baking trays.
2. Whisk the egg whites until foamy. On medium, start adding the sugar, three tablespoons at a time until soft peaks form.
3. Whisk on high once all the sugar is added then start playing around with the colour until you get a level of pink you’re happy with. Keep whisking until high peaks are created when the whisk is removed from the bowl.
4. On low, fold in the vinegar and rose water.
5. Using two clean tablespoons, spoon the mixture onto the prepared baking trays, making sure there’s a 2.5cm (1 inch) gap between meringues.
6. Place the trays into the oven and close the oven door very slowly to prevent the hot air from escaping.
7. Check on them in an hour or 50 minutes if your oven runs hot. Now, you have a choice. You can either take them out; the rush of cold air causes them to contract and get crunchy and cracked in some places. Or, you can turn the oven off and leave them to cool in there for six hours. I take them out because the cracks don’t affect the flavour and I’m impatient.
8. Enjoy! Store in an air tight container.

In Sydney, I’ve been cooking dinner for six to nine people, yeah, I know, big family. And, after cooking for only two people in D.C, I have been getting royally fucked i.e. cooking for two hours minimum per day. This was not helped by the fact that what I thought was the “on” function on the oven, was actually the “defrost” button so my pizzas took an hour to cook, not 20 minutes. Note to self: Do not take younger sister’s word.

Yesterday, I was making veg stir fry and while I normally chop and drop everything into the wok, because there was so many people, I cooked everything seperately and chucked it into a big bowl to toss like a salad at the end. And it was AMAZING! Everything was perfectly cooked. The carrots had bite, the bok choy was soft but still had that crunch and zucchini was nicely browned, which you just know, is optimal for soaking up marinade.

Previous to this, it’s been a game of juggling all the veg to cook at the same time and some would get burnt while others get undercooked. And at that point, it’s not a stir fry, it’s a steam bath. This is a great work around and I’m going to cook stir frys this way even if it’s for one person.

The vegetables I used was cooked in the following batches:

• Sliced Zucchini: until browned and transferred to a bowl with absorbent paper.
• Baby bok choy leaves: just before the thickest part become transparent.
• Sliced Carrots and Capsicum: until they glisten.
• Sliced Radish: Wasn’t such a great idea, I’ll omit this next time.
• Sliced Mushrooms: until how you like them.  I like them burnt.
• Sliced Scallions: 20 second stir fry to get rid of the bite.
• Shelled Peanuts: until they slightly brown. Watch carefully. These can burn easily.

The marinade was:

• 3 tb Soy Sauce
• 2 tb Sesame oil
• 2 tb Oyster Sauce
• 3 tb Hoisin Sauce
• 2 tb Honey

Whisk with a fork until mixed through. I’d add garlic and ginger to the marinade as well, if you really want to knock socks off.

Remove the absorbent paper from the big bowl of stir fry love. Pour the marinade over the cooked ingredients, mix in the big bowl, wait a minute then serve with chopped coriander and steamed rice.

You can thank me later.

One of my friends keeps on giving me shit about not having enough meat recipes. So Simone, this is for you.

I got this recipe from the kind chef at the L.A Museum of Art’s cafe. It’s pretty basic but I think what makes this magic is simmering the wine until it’s syrupy.

• Stew beef (anything with fat running through it), cubed
• Bottle of red
• Onions, carrots, potatoes and any root veg you have lying around, roughly chopped.
• Store-bought beef stock or three cups of homemade stock

1. Get a big pot, add a little, little bit of olive oil and when the temperature is on high, brown your cubed meat. Do it in batches if there’s heaps.
2. Take out the beef and set aside. Turn the heat down to low, add the veg and stir on low until the brown bits of the beef come of the bottom of the pan.
3. Add two cups of red wine. Drink the rest, if you’re into that. Simmer until the wine is almost halfed and syrupy. Don’t boil otherwise your veg would turn into mash.
4. Add the stock and add enough water so everything is covered. If you’re using store-bought stock, don’t add salt but add pepper.
5. Bring to the boil until the sauce thickens and then simmer for two hours, at least. The longer, the better. Serve with some crusty bread.