oh like!

There are times in life when I wish there was a mammoth 'like' button hovering in space. 

The following collection of things had me breathing 'oh like!' and reaching desperately for that imaginary button. Oyster mag have a fab page called 'oh like' for exactly this purpose- sharing things that cause the 'oh like' moment. 

bao bao by issey miyake bilbao-prism tote

anna davern rocks earrings

acne sapata twist marled crewneck pullover

Vegan chocolate-blueberry cake

lazy oaf cat ring

ksubi denim tee

art abstract color mix iphone case

vpl bisectional bra

nasty gal lucite envelope clutch

karen walker cat ring

dr martens clarissa sandal

POP magazine available Feb 20

bassike textured drop shoulder jacket and pleat dinner pant

kim medium mountain ring

what's cookin' good lookin'?

the last few days I have been enjoying some time in the kitchen, whipping up a few yummy concoctions. i love cooking, and experimenting and receive a ridiculously large amount of pleasure from using ingredients i can find both in the fridge and the pantry. and not in a 'tired old left overs' kind of way, more of a 'ready-steady-cook' mystery bag challenge!

I am an avid follower of a couple of food blogs; these three are my current go-tos for fast, fresh, healthy and super yummy food.

eat

a color to watch

green kitchen stories

so, in celebration of my cooking enthusiasm, I thought I might share a couple of my latest foodie endeavours.

quinoa porridge with apple & blueberries

serves 1

1/2 cup milk (of your choice)

1/2 cup water

1/4 cup quinoa

1/2 apple, grated

1/2 tsp cinnamon

1/2 tsp vanilla

a handful of blueberries

Rinse quinoa under cold water, and put into a pot with the water. 

Bring to the boil, then reduce heat and cover. Cook for 10 minutes, or until the quinoa is soft.

Add milk, apple, cinnamon and vanilla and cook for a further 5 minutes.

Spoon into a serving bowl and top with blueberries or any other fruit you like. A drizzle of honey would also be lovely for those with a sweeter tooth!

Enjoy!

banana & date loaf (from eat)

120g flour

60g oats
60g almonds (or almond meal)
80g pitted dates, chopped
1 tbsp chia Seeds
1 tsp Bi-Carb Soda
2 ripe bananas
20ml of oil (macadamia. flaxseed or olive)
100ml milk (soy, almond, rice, oat or coconut milk)

1. Preheat oven to 180 degrees C
2. Prepare ingredients, if you have premade flours, add them to a mixing bowl, if you do not, place first 4 ingredients into a high powered blender and mill untill smooth.
3. Add all remaining ingredients and mix well.  If the batter is too dry, add a bit more milk or oil. if it’s too wet, add a little more flour.
4. Lightly greese a tin with oil and free pour batter.
5. Bake for approx 1 hour, untill a skewer comes out clean.  Transfer to a wire rack to cool.  Top with chopped Almonds.

Slice and serve, or top with coconut butter & agave.. great for breakfast or afternoon tea!

green smoothie

1 frozen banana

1 cup spinach

1 cup milk (soy/dairy/rice/almond)

a squeeze of honey

Put all ingredients in a blender and blitz until smooth and frothy!

good lookin' cookin' chookin'

do you ever feel like waltzing around the kitchen like a voluptuous, gaudy goddess, whipping cream with a hand whisk, stirring endless amounts of pots and chopping vegetables in the finest of fine julienne batons?

no...well that's disappointing, because I DO!

and when i get this irrepressible desire, nigella is my go-to-girl for all things kitsch-en!

mostly i am satisfied by a quick jump on iview to watch her latest show, but when simply watching gelly do all the work/have all the fun isn't enough to suppress my cooking-cravings, i do meander into the kitchen and make something delish...usually this ah-mazing pud.

such a crowd pleaser at my house, and so effortlessly easy! i can even manage a dairy-gluten free version without too much sorcery!

NIGELLA'S CHOCOLATE PEAR PUDDING

(from Nigella Express)

Serves: 6-8

This is a cross between Pears Belle Helene and Eve's Pudding, but the only important thing to remember is that this is easy, quick, very comforting and seems to please absolutely everyone. It's not hard to ensure you always have what you need in the house to make this. And, for hot days when baked sponge and sauce seems inappropriate, then bear in mind that canned (or bottled) pears and chocolate sauce - with or without vanilla ice cream - make a lovely pudding on their own.

As with any baking, you really do want to have all ingredients at room temperature before you start.

INGREDIENTS

2 x 415g cans pear halves in juice

125g plain flour

(OR GF flour if you're that way inclined)

25g cocoa powder

125g caster sugar

150g soft butter, plus extra for greasing

(half a cup of olive oil for those vegan bébés out there!)

1 teaspoon baking powder

1/4 teaspoon bicarbonate of soda

2 eggs

2 teaspoons vanilla extract

METHOD

1. Preheat the oven to 180°C and grease a 22cm square ovenproof dish with butter.

2. Drain the pears and arrange them on the base of the dish. (i always put a little of the juice into the dish too, to add to the gooey-ness!)

3. Put all the remaining ingredients in a food processor and blitz until you have a batter with a soft dropping consistency.

4. Spread the brown batter over the pears, and bake in the oven for 30 minutes. (i only ever bake this béb for 20 mins so that it has a soft, oozy centre)

5. Let stand out of the oven for 5 or 10 minutes and then cut into slabs.

beautiful baking

This video popped into my inbox this afternoon like a whimsical melody.

There is something beautiful about the baking process. The way flour feels in your hands or the sound of eggs cracking on the edge of a bowl. Baking is a gathering of interesting materials, a mixed medium art piece of sorts, that ends in a cake instead of a canvas.

After watching this video i would have to agree with the tiger-in-a-jar good folk.

Baking for me usually involves the clattering mess of pots and pans, clouds of gluten free flour and organic vegan substitutes for everything. Amongst the chaos though I do find a feeling of serenity. There is something calming about making something with your own hands.

The gorgeous music and visuals inspired me to create sweet lovelies using vegies, so i migrated to the kitchen and whipped up a batch of chick-late brownies- a recipe inspired by have cake will travel. I made a few tweaks........

My Chicky-Béb Brownies

1 can of organic chick peas

1 cup almond meal

1 cup self raising gluten free flour mix

1/2 tea-spoon baking powder

1/3 cup raw sugar

1/3 cup light brown sugar

80g dark chocolate

1 table-spoon of cocoa

1 egg

3 table-spoons of olive oil

2 teaspoons of vanilla

Grab the food processor from the pantry and throw the chick peas in. Blend those bébés until they form a smooth paste.

Meanwhile melt the chocolate and olive oil in the microwave. Stir in the sugar and the vanilla.

Toss the almond meal, flour, cocoa and baking powder into the food processor and pulse.

Then add in your chocolate mix and egg.

Have a good taste before smearing the rather stiff mixture into a lined brownie pan.

Chuck it into the oven and let it bake for 25 minutes.

Yummy yum yum

Enjoy with a cup of green tea and a funny friend.