Zucchini and feta fritters

I made this up today, inspired by my recent success with amazingly simple and delicious zucchini and haloumi fritters. These are low in sugar and carbs and are of course low GI as well.

The texture of these is lovely, light and slightly crisp; somewhere between a pikelet, an omelette and a fritter. I recommend serving simply with a squeeze of lemon, or some crispy bacon and tomato chutney for something more substantial.

• 2 zucchini, grated, squeezed and drained (the more moisture you can remove, the better – ideally leave to drain for a few hours in a colander)
• 100g Danish-style feta, crumbled
• 2 eggs
• pepper
• chopped fresh parsley, dill or mint
• 2 tablespoons plain flour to help bind (you can substitute with corn flour or almond meal if preferred)

Mix everything together, then fry in small spoonfuls until golden and browed on the edges – they’ll still be quite light and fluffy inside. Voila!

Green and red hot sauce

These are my basic green and red hot sauce recipes which I adapt every time to accommodate for seasonal availability.

I’ve been growing my own chillies since Christmas and I’ve already harvested about two kilos, the equivalent of four batches of hot sauce. I urge you to try growing your own; it’s ecological, economical and incredibly satisfying!

Some tips: Make sure you taste and adjust amounts of ingredients as necessary, as every batch will be different. You may sometimes need to add a little sugar, or more or less vinegar or garlic. And always, always, always use gloves! I’ve learnt the hard way that while your tongue may become desensitised to chilli, your eyes never do…

Crisp salt and chilli tofu

I find this dish so comforting. Perfect for a Valentines night dinner with yourself! <3

It’s usually made with spring onions too, which are a delicious addition. If using chuck them in towards the end along with the chilli and garlic.

Japanese spinach with sesame

Ok, this is not authentic, but it’s a very quick and easy approximation to the delicious horenso no goma ae I always have to order at Japanese restaurants. The classic recipe calls for boiled sake and hand-ground sesame seeds, but hello, it’s Tuesday.

Homemade paneer (and spinach) pakora

 

I have three words for you:

Deep. Fried. Cheese.

That is all.

Homemade paneer cheese

Recently four lovely ladies and I went to an Indian cooking class. It was hosted by Chef Ajay, the dude who makes all the delicious Yash chutneys, pickles and spice pastes at Marrickville Markets. To ensure our new culinary knowledge was put to good use, we organised an Indian Christmas in July dinner party for 20 of our closest friends!

Mushroom & chèvre ravioli with walnut & butter

Sometimes, just occasionally, I like to indulge myself. Today I brought home a very indulgent bounty from my local markets on Addison Road in Marrickville: a bag of beautiful mixed brown mushrooms, Pepe Saya butter and some delicious chèvre. Oh, the possibilities!

Homemade gluten and wheat-free Scottish oatcakes recipe

To me, there is no better savoury biscuit than the humble oatcake. With pate, jam or even a simple scrape of butter, the oatcake provides a crunchy, crumbly, earthy goodness to whatever your topping. They’re also perfect on a cheese platter as a more wholesome, gluten-free/wheat-free alternative to crackers. (My little babies worked out to be only one gram of net carbs per oatcake! Yeah.)

Eggplant and goats cheese involtini

These delicious little parcels make a perfect canape, or they can be baked with a peperonata sauce for a hearty vegetarian main. The recipe has also been featured in Oxfam’s new cookbook Stop Hunger Start Cooking. If you make it, post a picture on Twitter, tag it with #stophungerstartcooking, and you could win some delicious Oxfam prizes!

Fennel baked with lemon and parmigiano reggiano

I like to cook according to the seasons. Not only is it environmentally and economically sound, it provides a lovely sense of connectedness to nature. And cold weather vegetables such as pumpkin, zucchini and fennel tend to suit roasting, baking and stewing. Nice work, Mother Nature.