Benriner Turning Slicer

Have you seen this little kitchen gadget?? It's brilliant. Great idea for salads, make zoodles (zucchini noodles). Get the kids involved in food preparation and then they'll eat their vegies.

Organic Markets this week

 I found some fresh, yummy different greens this week at Northey Street Markets. Collard greens are hard to find in Queensland but there they were at Northey Street Markets. Collard greens are vegetables that are members of the cabbage family and close relatives to kale. It's very important not to overcook collard greens. Like other cruciferous vegetables, overcooked collard greens will begin to smell sulfurous. To help collard greens cook more quickly, evenly slice the leaves into 2cm slices and the stems into 2 cm pieces. Let them sit for at least 5 minutes to bring out the health-promoting qualities and steam for 5 minutes. Serve with a dressing.

Collard Greens

Chicory was also available grown right there at Northey Street Farm itself. Best steamed or flash fried in a wok. This is a slightly bitter herb and we need much more bitter tastes in our day to day consumption of food. When we eat more bitter in our diet, we are less inclined to crave sweet flavours.

Chicory

Kids in the Kitchen

My three granddaughters are very interested in cooking and eating. I'm so glad that I've had some small influence in their ingredient choices. Earlier this year, my eldest granddaughter took her domestic science teacher to task when she recommended using margarine. Her comments to teacher were "why would you use that when it's just one molecule away from plastic!!"!! On ya young lady

These girls have all done Kids in the Kitchen cooking class at the Powerhouse at New Farm which was heaps of fun. Unfortunately it's less value for money these days. The first two girls attended when another chef was in charge and they made fresh pasta with a sauce and salad and delicious dessert.

These days, they make pizza and green salad and no dessert and the price has tripled. Oh well, that's life.

Free Ranging Chickens

These healthy chooks were free ranging in the yard where we stayed for the Enneagram retreat. They were very friendly and busy looking for their food.

Cholesterol is the least of his worries!!

Besan Crackers

I've just found this wonderful recipe on www.themindfulfoodie.com and want to share it.

    1 cup (250 ml) chickpea (besan) flour
    1 cup (250 ml) almond meal
    2 tbsp (30 ml) ground linseeds (flaxseeds)
    2 tsp roasted, ground cumin (optional)
    ½ tsp sea salt
    2 tbsp (30 ml) extra virgin olive oil or coconut oil
    100–120 ml water

Preheat oven to 180C/350F (160C/320F fan-forced)

1.   In a bowl whisk together the dry ingredients.
2.   Add the oil and gradually add the water.
3.   With clean hands form a dough. The dough should not be sticky — it should come together easily to form a ball.  If it’s sticking to the bowl, add a little more chickpea flour. If the dough is too dry, you can add a little more water.
4.  Halve the dough. Roll one half between two sheets of baking paper (so it doesn’t stick) until ~2 mm thick. 
5. Cut into squares and spread on lined baking tray
6. 6  Bake for 15–20 minutes until lightly browned. Cool on wire rack before serving.
   
   Repeat with remaining dough.

All ready to go

Mixed ready to roll out

Ready to go into the oven

Ready to eat with a yummy pate

I'll

Enneagram Retreat

I've just spent the past four days in an Enneagram Retreat at Byron Bay in N.S.W. There were 18 wonderful people who attended along with Robert and Mackayla who are the facilitators.

The setting is quiet and peaceful and very restful. The programme leads you down the path of self knowledge and self awareness and understanding of yourself and others. You are asked to looked intensely at yourself and your personality and behaviours. An entirely interesting and self probing four days.

Robert and Mackayla are very experienced facilitators, gentle, compassionate and bring together the teachings of many spiritual teachers.

If you want more understanding of yourself, family and close friends - embrace this Enneagram work.

http://enneagramsydney.com.au

The Enneagram is a powerful approach to understanding the psychology, emotions and behaviour of ourselves and others.

 

The Enneagram symbol, a nine-pointed diagram (ennea is the Greek word for 'nine'), has its origins in many different traditions. In the last four decades it has been combined with modern psychology, evolving to describe the nine fundamental personality types of human nature. The modern Enneagram is a condensation of universal wisdom, commonsense philosophy and psychology which provides extraordinary insights into human behaviour, particularly our own. The primary goal and purpose of the Enneagram is self knowledge; its ancillary benefit is that it allows us to understand the behaviour of others, and with that understanding, to be more accepting and compassionate.
The Enneagram is a reminder that we do not have to remain captive to the dictates of personality, but can relax into the awareness of true essence and the experience of Love.

The Enneagram is not a religion and it will not interfere with any religious orientation.