Little Flutters

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 Meggsie.

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!

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.

I found myself cooking for twelve strangers last Thursday. Amanda fucking Palmer was in town. A couple of months ago, she asked if any fans had

a) a living room that could fit 12

b) food that could feed 12 bellies

and well, my apartment is tiny. So I sent off an email and thought nothing of it until I got a reply. This is what I cooked for a woman that continues to inspire me.

Zucchini slice, that I had previously blogged about and hadn’t pictured. Fred from the Nervous Cabaret thought it was a bread of some sorts. I was stoked that he didn’t realise it’s main ingredient was (drum roll please) a vegetable.

Pumpkin and tatsoi pasta. A uber healthy shot of baked pumpkin (butternut squash), tatsoi sauteed with garlic, pine nuts, sliced sun-dried tomatoes, olive oil and goat cheese. Substitute a cream sauce with olive oil and the left over oil from the sun-dried tomatoes. I know you think that the prep work is crazy but I roasted the butternut a couple of days before and sauteing the tatsoi took 5 minutes tops. You can use spinach or any leafy green.

Roasted mushrooms in tomato and chickpea sauce. Easy as. Two cans of pureed tomatoes, one can of drained and rinsed chickpeas, washed mushrooms with the stalks removed. Oven at 180 C (350 f) for half an hour. Garnish with basil. Done!

And at midday, I had this:

And at the end of the day, it was gone.

Sent over by Sweeny, taste-tested by Tash. This three step process can’t go wrong.

time needed: 8 mins prep, roughly 35 mins cooking.

• four zucchinis, washed and grated (skin on)
• 1 cup self-raising flour
• 1/4 cup olive oil
• 1/2 cup grated cheese (I used jarlsberg)
• 4 eggs, beaten
• 3 slices chopped bacon (if you’re not a vegetarian)
• 3/4 chopped onion
• salt + pepper
• any herbs or veg you want to use up
• a tiny bit of butter

1. Coat your large baking dish with butter.
2. Put everything in. Mix with your hands until smooth.
3. Bake at 180 C (350 F) until crispy on top. Serve.

When I was mixing I thought: Argh! This is too healthy, where’s the butter and milk? Where’s the flavour? But believe me, it’s there. And if you like quiche lorraine, you’d love this.