-
Middle Eastern Charcuterie Board
With the relentless heat and humidity we are experiencing in South Eastern Queensland, the last thing I wanted to do tonight was run the oven. Cold dinners are the only thing I can stomach at the moment. This type of meal is infinitely adaptable and turns boring sandwich meats into a classy, family style, shareable…
-
High protein tabbouleh with red quinoa
Hail the versatility of quinoa – it replaces bulgur in this ultra healthy salad. Red quinoa is gluten free as well making this dish safe for those with gluten allergies. Hemp seeds compliment the fruity olive oil and help fight hunger with their high omega-6 and omega-3 fat content. Pine nuts round it all off…
-
Cocoa Nutella Brownies
Starting with quality cocoa is key here, as it will yield a rich flavour, that melds well with the nutty Nutella. I far prefer cocoa brownies over those that use real chocolate as I never have bars of cooking chocolate hanging around the pantry. I also find that cocoa creates a more chocolatey product. These…
-
A colourful Mexican table
Taco night is always a winner in our house. Everyone gets practice making their own taco and eating with their hands. While it is a little work getting 4 different dishes to the dinner table, none of the dishes are really very tricky. Which is why I am not probably going to write up any…
-
Red Yam & Black Bean Refry
I do love red yams. They are firmer when cooked than orange yams (sweet potatoes) and not as sweet. Also called Boniato you can read up on them here. They worked really well in this black bean dish as they gave it some depth and flavour. I always over-season beans, as they can be very…
-
Turkey meatball soup with orzo
A soup inspired by “Italian wedding soup” but with the addition of tomatoes in the broth. Feel free to swap out turkey for chicken mince here. The meatballs are cooked beforehand in the oven and added to the soup minutes before serving. I personally love orzo for it’s small size and ability to be slurped…
-
Chocolate-Date Chia Pudding
This is such a luscious pudding – both low sugar and filled with antioxidants and fibre. Using good quality cocoa and soft medjool dates is the key to creating a smooth consistency. My preference is coconut milk (but you can swap for other milks). This is a low sugar dessert or breakfast that comes together…
-
Farmers’ chicken – a James Beard recipe
Here in Australia, butchers call the skin-on, bone-in leg/thigh combo cut ‘chicken Maryland’. These cuts make a beautiful, rich sauce due to their high fat content and gelatin that gets released during braising. If you cannot find this particular cut, go for skin-on thighs & legs. This recipe is rather unusual, and contains no tomatoes;…
-
Raw kale “chips” salad with golden dressing and dukkah
I called this “kale chips salad” because that’s what it tastes like. You achieve this by overdressing the leaves and sprinkling crunchy dukkah. The kale leaves become a dressing delivery device, and less the main feature here. Kale also needs some time to absorb seasonings and soften, so this salad should be left on the…
-
Cobb Salad
With the very hot, humid summer we have been experiencing here in South East Queensland, the very thought of grain or starch is off-putting. This was such a fun meal to put together, and very easy when using the oven to roast both the bacon and chicken thighs simultaneously. A very minimal preparation for a…
-
Fried cauliflower with tahini sauce
This recipe reminds me of my University years in Toronto when I was vegetarian and I would often find myself at the middle eastern shawarma shop at the corner of Bloor and Bathurst ordering a pita-stuffed with fried eggplant, cauliflower and tabbouleh sandwich drizzled with garlic sauce. Not sure if it was the hunger of…
-
Olive oil Challah
I needed a Christmas project that would be also kid-friendly while also not over-the-top sweet. I tossed around the idea of hot cross buns and cinnamon rolls, but knowing how picky the kids are I did not want to risk it. Instead I settled on Christmas morning French Toast, which we all know is a…
-
Japanese home style chicken curry
If you’ve never tried Japanese curry bricks you’re missing out. I learned about these flavour-bombs recently and lucked upon them at a specialty food store. They are packed full of flavour but not at all spicy and disintegrate very quickly into a soup or broth. Granted it’s not stew weather here but this was an…
-
Herbed Lebanese zucchini fritters (Ijje)
Many summer evenings were spent observing my aunt cooking up a batch of these greasy, crunchy little fritters. I cannot vouch that this is my aunt’s recipe however. Traditionally, you would make ijje as a way to use up the remaining squash from a batch of Koosa. Koosa are basically stuffed zucchini, however they are…
-
Beautiful Burger Buns (King Arthur Flour)
Sure burgers are tasty, easy and a quick weeknight meal. But making your own burger buns elevates them to a level of magic. While it may be easier to pick up some supermarket rolls and call it done, I am an epic believer in amplifying one’s suffering if given the opportunity. And this is your…
The Bolder Sky Lodge,
Lysefjord
Lysefjord or Lysefjordenis a fjord located in the Ryfylke area in Rogaland county in southwestern Norway. The 42-kilometer-long fjord lies in the municipalities of Strand and Sandnes, about 25 kilometers east of the city of Stavanger.
The name means light fjord and is said to be derived from the lightly coloured granite rocks along its sides.
Allspice & Olive 