I’m not going to promise a regular weekly post like the old days. But I am going to take the time to capture more moments from my personal food diary. And just as I have always done, find ways to be creative and pay it forward with community. Cooking up new projects in Culinary Nutrition is a big priority and you can sign up to join my list here.
To get a taste for my new academic role at ACU and upcoming opportunities for chefs, dietitians and nutritionists in culinary nutrition check out my recent podcast on Dietitian Connection
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Recently I was at the launch of Golden Grind a new blend of turmeric, cinnamon, ginger and black pepper to mix as a caffeine free latte with milk or a plant based “mylk”.
With a very clever #iamgold hashtag Golden Grind had invited the instagram social set along (and me!) to sample and share on social media. You can pop the #iamgold hashtag into a search on instagram to see the fun. The product is delicious and I’ve been seeing it at more and more hipster cafes and since caught up with the founders for a chat. Golden Grind is proving popular with the wellness set, plus sportspeople and athletes who believe turmeric helps with their post training recovery.
Turmeric, with the active ingredient curcurmin plus other potent phytochemicals, IS being studied for it’s anti-inflammatory properties and disease risk reduction with cancer, Alzheimer’s disease and more. One hypothesis to explain the fact that India has one of the lowest rates of Alzheimer’s in the world is attributed to curry! I was also fortunate to be invited to a dinner recently with Professor Mark Walhqvist who was visiting from Taiwan and discussed his research on turmeric. This study found that just 1mg/day could enhance your working memory.
Drinking fresh turmeric juice is a common practice with people undergoing chemotherapy. However more research is needed to support clear dietary recommendations in wellness, but particularly in anyone undergo cancer treatment, where some complementary therapies can be contraindicated.
We certainly need more research and evidence, but Golden Grind on porridge got me through winter and book writing, without a cold or flu. Well. It could have been the toasty new Mother’s Day uggs that did it. What about you lovelies? Have you tried a golden latte? What about those blue algae ones? Or matcha? Drop me a line of hi below, I’d love it.
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I love entertaining this way at home and recently had a bring-a-plate passata party as part of Ceres Fair Food Crowdsaucing Day. The aim of the day was to bring people together in Melbourne to make passata from organic, locally grown tomatoes to preserve Italian tradition and support our farmers. You see Italian imports often flood our market with undercut prices.
With red and white tablecloths, the last of the summer basil and 100kg of toms, we rolled up our sleeves and applied our gusto with friends and family from aged 2 to 75years.
Every one brought a plate of the most delicious food and we took a break mid afternoon to eat and enjoy.
I was just a little busy rushing around getting the big equipment from my Italian neighbour and the too-die-for cannoli from my friends Tony and Rosa and T.Cavallaro and Sons in Footscray, that I only had time to whip up my signature Tomato and Basil Balls…..as you know lovelies balls are another trend around town. I’ve created them for you again below:
This shared plate is super easy but always styles up beautifully with vintage forks and a deep bowl to dip into extra virgin olive and Balsamic vinegar. Just push a cherry tomato, mini bocconcini ball and fresh basil leaf onto the tines of a fork and get swept away to Tuscany with every bite.
I’m sure my ReDux friends have plenty of new inspiration….maybe even some balls! Let’s see.
Acclaimed chef and restauranteur, Alla Wolf Tasker has just finished her opening address with a very strong message about food provenance, which made me remember to share with you our latest Scoop Nutrition project, a raspberries and blackberries health overview on behalf of Horticulture Australia Innovation.
There is a growing body of evidence on the health benefits of raspberries and blackberries, particularly in the super hot arena of the human gut microbiome. While they are well established as an excellent source of dietary fibre and beneficial for weight management, new research shows an association between the antioxidant activity in raspberries and blackberries, and healthy gut microbiota. Raspberries and blackberries have particularly high levels of ellagitanins; a class of polyphenols that are relatively uncommon in other fruits and vegetables, which are under focus with gut health. Read more in the full report here.
I adore raspberries and have fond childhood memories of blackberry picking, and both vines are trying their best to produce in my city backyard giving me a sprinkling of ruby jewels each season. But most of the time I rely on our fabulous Aussie farmers and I’ve recently bought up big and have frozen a stash for winter porridge. You’ll find useful seasonality info and usage tips in the report too.
Do you love raspberries and blackberries as much as me?
I hope we are following each other on instagram? You’ll find me hanging out there A LOT lately and sharing daily food news and views @emmastirling.
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It’s a myth that BBQ is just about loads of meat. In the book you will also find firm favourites like Alabama Chicken, along with plenty of sides like the Broccoli Slaw that I absolutely LOVED. There’s a whole chapter on “Let’s Get Saucy” plus tips on choosing wood and absolutely everything you need to turn your Aussie backyard into a smokin’ joint. It’s filled with the most amazing food photography by Dean Cambray (below) plus the most joyous happy travel snaps of Lance and his family. Thank you Lance for allowing us to share the recipe with Scoop readers!
This is a wonderful variation on coleslaw. The slightly bitter, almost raw broccoli mixed with dried fruit makes a brilliant accompaniment to rich meats.
2/3 cup Dijon mustard
2 tablespoons wholegrain mustard
2/3 cup white vinegar
1/2 cup white sugar
2/3 cup vegetable oil
2 teaspoons salt
1/2 teaspoon ground white pepper
2 heads broccoli
3 teaspoons sesame seeds
3 teaspoons mustard seeds
1 large or 2 small carrots, peeled and grated
1/3 cup dried cherries or dried cranberries
1 red cabbage, shredded (optional)
To make the dressing, whisk or blend the mustards, vinegar and sugar until well combined and then add the oil slowly while continuing to blend or whisk.
Add the salt and white pepper, adjusting to taste
To make the salad, put a large pot of water on the boil and shred the broccoli with a knife or on a mandolin (or the equivalent blade on a food processor).
Drop the broccoli into the boiling water, stir once and drain immediately. Refresh the broccoli under cold running water to set the colour and stop the cooking process. Allow it to drain well and spin it in a salad spinner if necessary as wet broccoli will dilute the dressing. Place in a bowl.
Toast the sesame and mustard seeds for a minute or two in a frying pan, until they begin to pop and their aromas perfume the kitchen.
Tip the seeds over the broccoli then add the carrots, dried cherries and cabbage, toss with the dressing and serve.
BBQ style meals are perfect for the shared table. And that’s exactly what I did recently for mum’s birthday. Grab some wholegrain rolls, pile on the broccoli slaw, add one of the divine meat recipes in the book, and you have a healthy crowd pleaser.
Lance has self-published this divine book that you can preview and purchase online at www.templesofbbq.com.au – Temples of BBQ $49. It’s just won a 2016 Gourmand Book Award. So what do you think? Are you ready to try your hand? As one of the quotes in the book says “lookin aint cookin”.
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Today is also the first anniversary of Storehouse Blog Directory. Storehouse was my shift in focus away from showcasing local talent through guest posts and Sub of the Months and towards our very own collaborative community. It has been an exciting year, which has seen our membership grow to over 100 members of talented and qualified nutrition experts and bloggers.
To celebrate our anniversary, we’re very excited to announce the winners of the inaugural Storehouse Nuts for Life Excellence Awards!
The public voting has now closed and we’re pleased to announce the winners. They are….
Storehouse Nuts for Life Best Nutrition Blog Post
Winner: Joel Feren – Introducing the H20 diet… with a side of sarcasm Blog: Hearty Nutrition
Storehouse Nuts for Life Best Food-tographer
Winner: Lucy Taylor – Fig & Vanilla Cinnamon Smoothie Blog: Bloom Nutritionist
Our well-deserved winners have won:
Please help us in congratulating our worthy winners by sharing on social.
On a personal note
I continue to be amazed and inspired by the power of blogging and social media. Like the ability of making true, deep friendships online and turning these face to face. I absolutely loved seeing you again in New York Deanna (of Recipe ReDux fame) on our USA trip in September. And to all the amazing Problogger community, thank you for welcoming me as a room MC and team member at the 2015 event. But I am most blown away by the people who put their hand up when I asked “who share’s my vision of forging a strong, powerful, credible, nutrition community online?” and partnered with me in making Storehouse a reality – that’s you Lisa Yates Adv APD of Nuts for Life & Andrea, Andrew and team at Bite Communications. Without your dedication, creativity, professionalism, friendship and countless hours of donated time, we would not be where we are today. Also a shout out to young guns Nina Mills for being such a fab Storehouse intern & to Laura Ford for being the super, duper, very last Scoop Sub in 2015. Last but not least to YOU. Yes YOU. My lovely readers. It’s all because of YOU. Hip hip hooray!
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It’s been an absolutely glorious Summer Sunday spent with my girlfriend Bec, talking to producers, eating burrata and tasting so many varieties of sun kissed tomatoes in all shapes, sizes and colours. And of course bottling my own jar of passata ready for this month’s Recipe ReDux theme of “Break out of the Breakfast Boredom”. I walked around as if I was back in a hill top Tuscan town saying ciao and admiring the cannoli, salumi, gelato and arrancini. But the highlight of the day was not food at all. It was the wry smiles of the Italian Nonno’s quietly watching the crowds. The huge crowds that had come to celebrate their culinary culture. My how times have changed since they first arrived on our shores by sea as very young boys. They were carrying nothing more than a suitcase and hope, and if they had room, the seeds of tomatoes to grow a future.
There is some debate to the origins of this baked egg dish, and it’s definitely NOT Italian. But it is the perfect way to break out of the breakfast boredom and use my passata.
1/2 Garlic clove
Passata or over ripe fresh tomoatoes
Paprika, cumin, coriander, chilli flakes or hot sauce
1 egg
Optional extras: Feta, goat’s cheese, parmesan, olives, pesto, pork sausage, chorizo, chickpeas, navy beans, chargrilled corn kernels or whatever leftover baked veg you have on hand.
Cook onion and garlic until soft in a non-tick fry pan with a little olive oil. Stir in capsicum, garlic and chilli flakes, sauce or fresh chilli and cook until soft. Add spices and seasoning. Add very ripe tomatoes or passata and cook to thicken. Make a small well, crack in a whole egg, cover and cook gently to poach the egg through. Add chopped parsley or garden herbs & serve with crusty bread or thick toast soldiers for dipping.
Let’s see what the other ReDuxer’s cooked up:
Teff Porridge with Passionfruit, Toasted Macadamias and Bush Honey
Makes 4-6 serves
Take 1 cup of teff and toast it in a dry pan over a medium heat. It will take around 2minutes and you will smell a nutty aroma and hear cracking or popping sounds. Stir fairly constantly to prevent burning. I easily picked this homebrand version up at the local supermarket but I’m off to source some from the experts next.
Pour toasted grains into a saucepan with 3 cups of water, bring to the boil and simmer covered for 20minutes until the water has absorbed while stirring frequently. The teff will be cooked when it forms a creamy, porridge like consistency and all the water has been absorbed. Set aside to rest, covered for 5minutes.
Add a whole lot of pizazz and enjoy warm. Seriously I mean it. This little grain is as staple as they come in the “wholesome” flavour stakes and often described as “earthy”. Sure it’s nutty and the consistency is ok. But I just couldn’t get past the colour. In the spirit of Australia Day next week I’ve gone with our bush food native hero, macadamia nuts, honey and passionfruit to try and jazz things up. I would like to say that the passionfruit was straight from my vine, but I seem to have grown root stock this round and need to get pruning. Here’s hoping these new flowers right at my back door do their business.
I’m so pleased to take time to experiment, but to be honest I’m not sure if I’ll be swapping out my oats just yet. But I definitely want to try making that glorious flat bread plate that is injera the traditional way with a slow multiple day ferment. Check out the excellent background on teff grain and nutrition properties here. By all accounts teff is taking off and I suspect some clever ReDuxers may have the perfect solution plus other must try, newbie ingredients for 2016. Let’s take a look?
UPDATE: Check out my friend Kara’s post for the absolute goods with her Apple Pie Teff Porridge adding loads more spice and a creamy coconut milk base.
You would have to be lying under a snow-covered log in deep dark, wintry Sweden, not to realise that the Nordic diet is hot right now. Driven in popularity by Rene Redzepi of Noma fame in Copenhagen, it’s the quiet achievers that are now able to continue the charge and shine like the Northern star.
Magnus is wise beyond his years with a Viking strength of character and a cheeky sense of humour. He laughed at the idea when first asked to produce a cookbook on Nordic cuisine. “That’s like saying do a book on Europe,” he argued. With a vast geographical location making up countries from Iceland to Denmark, there is no single Nordic diet. But when he discussed his research deal breakers with the publishers (Phaidon) and they agreed, Magnus realized the cultural importance of documenting the day. And that’s exactly what he did.
Over 11,000 items were collected from general public contributors, including 200 separate recipes for pickled herring, which led to the final collection in the book. Web polls and google searches were used to identify modern day popular dishes, including taco quiche. Yes, trust those Swedes, the heroes of flat pack Ikea furniture, to take a taco meal kit and turn it on it’s head. As this was a documentary of a diet, it was not right to censure the 2nd most googled recipe currently in Sweden. Nor the controversial picture of dead Puffin birds that were featured as part of Indigenous diets. It’s just like the current Australian Ikea menu featuring Swedish meatballs and Ligonberry jam plus a vegan, Italianised, Moroccanised version.
Magnus spoke like a food historian describing how you can trace the history of the region through bread and that oh so familiar open sandwich or Smørrebrød. In the North the principle grain is barley, the winters are harsh and bread ovens are fired up annually after a big harvest. Hence the popularity of dried crispbread, often dunked in cultured milk. Gingerbread sponge cake was made for the special harvest, when the ovens had cooled down. Whereas, south of Stockholm, the weather is milder, ovens burn daily and dark rye bread is more popular. But it was when Magnus described how the Icelanders dig holes near thermal hot springs and make steamed loafs of rye bread, that I truly felt weak at the knees and had to lean on my friend Ursula from House of Orange.
The pattern of harsh winters and summer abundance defines the whole region to some extent and definitely Magnus’ restaurant Fäviken in the wilds of Sweden. “Will you open a sister restaurant, chef” a keen intern-to-be asked from the crowd. A polite but chortling Viking replied, “But why would I want to open a Swedish restaurant in London or Japan?” It would appear that this cookbook is only the start of many projects Magnus has dreamed up to sustain his adventurous spirit, but keep him well and truly grounded, home.
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Experience Nordic cuisine in Melbourne: visit Denmark House with food by Bente Grysbæk
Learn more about health benefits: see the Nordic Manifesto
Take a stunning look at Faviken and Magnus at work: check out Netflix Chef’s Table
Buy yourself a fantastic Christmas present: pick up a copy of The Nordic Cookbook RRP $59.95
Coconut water is a source of electrolytes so it can be good for hydration. But the jury on saturated fat and heart health is still sitting. For me, it’s always about choosing foods close to the natural source and as close as possible to how they are cooked and enjoyed as part of a traditional diet. I love a wide range of healthy fats in my eating plan, which includes an emphasis on monounsaturated fats for good health. A great source of which can come from peanut butter, especially those made with Hi oleic peanuts. This delicious recipe is therefore served up with traditional coconut milk paired with 100% peanut butter in an authentic style Thai curry.
This is the very last recipe in our Scoop’s Supporter series with Kraft Nuts’ Naturals range of Peanut Butter. Remember these are made with 100 per cent peanuts, and absolutely nothing else. Ingredients = Peanuts (100%). We as #peanutbutterlovers can’t thank KRAFT Nuts’ enough for their support and the opportunity to bring so many divine recipes to you!
Thai Green Peanut and Fish Curry
Serves 4
Preparation time: 15 minutes Cooking time: 15 minutes
Ingredients
1 tablespoon oil
2 red onions, cut into wedges
2 tablespoons green curry paste
1 tablespoon finely grated root ginger
4 kaffir lime leaves, spines discarded and finely shredded
1 long red chilli, finely sliced
2 cups fresh coconut milk
½ cup KRAFT Natural Peanut Butter Smooth
½ cup water
2 tablespoons fish sauce
1 tablespoon brown sugar
500g firm white fish fillets, cut into 3cm cubes
400-500g small zucchini, cut into ½ cm thick rounds
1 tablespoon lime juice
80g bean shoots
Rice or noodles, for serving
Coriander, for garnish
Method
We suspect that our lovely readers have their own thoughts too? How about it? Love to hear your ideas. #peanutbutterlover #scoopnutrition #kraftnaturals
KRAFT Natural’s 100% peanut butter is a Scoop Supporter and has collaborated on this post and a recipe series with Scoop Nutrition. Any opinion regarding general health and wellbeing are those of the author, not the Scoop Supporter. Scoop Supporters are carefully selected to eat, drink or think like us. We like to work with our Supporters on something you will love and use all proceeds exclusively for site upgrades and to help us bring you more.
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