one of the best breakfasts EVER!
frozen banana
frozen blueberries
avocado
100% organic cocoa
almond milk
shredded coconut
chia
in a blender until it looks like this>>>
Tuesday 26 March 2013
beans
i had a proud moment last night and i even said it out loud, much to my husbands surprise. for about 8 months leading up to last nights dinner i had been putting off making this particular dish for fear of failing miserably.
(really, how hard can it be to make baked beans right?)
but it wasn't just about the beans. it was kinda about the whole bean legacy that i had to live up to. i come from a family of great cooks who have been perfecting this staple macedonian dish for years. and here i am with my wheat intolerance and all, which im sure falls into the not acceptable due to failure to comprehend category in most macedonian homes (eg. my grandmother still believes i get sick because i dont eat normal bread) in desperate need to make baked beans! i reference wheat here because the staple side to beans, and any macedonian meal for that matter is of course bread.
so, its monday morning and im thinking about dinner and as we are consciously trying to consume less meat in our home i realise that what better way to start the week than with beans! i finally suck it up and commit to it for dinner. by commit i mean - pour the beans in a bowl and cover with water so they can soak all day until time to cook.
* let it be known that at various times throughout the day i tried to come up with alternatives for dinner and convince myself that i should cook the beans tomorrow.
but 5pm comes and i realise that i should probably start getting sorted to cook so i reluctantly wonder into the kitchen and get started.
instructions as outlined by my mother on various occasions- none of which i was paying full attention
step one. boil beans rapidly for 5- 10 minutes. easy.
step two. drain beans and add them back to pot this time with a whole brown onion, a few cloves of garlic, some olive oil, a couple of fresh bay leafs and the most important ingredient red dried chills (from deli/grocer). cover with water and some. let it simmer gently until......
step three. when you think its time, take out the whole ingredients- garlic, onion and chilli and cut/smash (ideally in mortar and pestle) until mushy and combined put into a little pan with some olive oil and fry away until it starts to smell really yummy or until you run out of patience...
place this in a baking tray and begin to add your simmered beans and broth (add enough so the beans can simmer and all of the liquid).
step four. so by now your baking tray of beans in ready for the oven. the last thing to do is make the zapraska - pronounced za/prash/ka. this gets added to almost every dish in a macedonian kitchen and consists of flour ( i just use an all-purpose plain gluten free flour or buckwheat flour, much to my grandmothers despair) and olive oil. you fry it off in a small pan until the flour dissolves and cooks away and begins to turn a caramel brown colour. for this particular dish i add some hot/sweet paprika to the pan and as soon as that is mixed through and bubbling its ready to be poured onto the beans. stir this through and it will instantly thicken the liquid ideally you would top this with fresh parsley before putting it in the oven to bake.. but i had none :(
ok. so its not the most glamorous meal, but the taste was truly amazing!! oh and i ate wayyyyy to many beans in one sitting.
(really, how hard can it be to make baked beans right?)
but it wasn't just about the beans. it was kinda about the whole bean legacy that i had to live up to. i come from a family of great cooks who have been perfecting this staple macedonian dish for years. and here i am with my wheat intolerance and all, which im sure falls into the not acceptable due to failure to comprehend category in most macedonian homes (eg. my grandmother still believes i get sick because i dont eat normal bread) in desperate need to make baked beans! i reference wheat here because the staple side to beans, and any macedonian meal for that matter is of course bread.
so, its monday morning and im thinking about dinner and as we are consciously trying to consume less meat in our home i realise that what better way to start the week than with beans! i finally suck it up and commit to it for dinner. by commit i mean - pour the beans in a bowl and cover with water so they can soak all day until time to cook.
* let it be known that at various times throughout the day i tried to come up with alternatives for dinner and convince myself that i should cook the beans tomorrow.
but 5pm comes and i realise that i should probably start getting sorted to cook so i reluctantly wonder into the kitchen and get started.
instructions as outlined by my mother on various occasions- none of which i was paying full attention
step one. boil beans rapidly for 5- 10 minutes. easy.
step two. drain beans and add them back to pot this time with a whole brown onion, a few cloves of garlic, some olive oil, a couple of fresh bay leafs and the most important ingredient red dried chills (from deli/grocer). cover with water and some. let it simmer gently until......
step three. when you think its time, take out the whole ingredients- garlic, onion and chilli and cut/smash (ideally in mortar and pestle) until mushy and combined put into a little pan with some olive oil and fry away until it starts to smell really yummy or until you run out of patience...
place this in a baking tray and begin to add your simmered beans and broth (add enough so the beans can simmer and all of the liquid).
step four. so by now your baking tray of beans in ready for the oven. the last thing to do is make the zapraska - pronounced za/prash/ka. this gets added to almost every dish in a macedonian kitchen and consists of flour ( i just use an all-purpose plain gluten free flour or buckwheat flour, much to my grandmothers despair) and olive oil. you fry it off in a small pan until the flour dissolves and cooks away and begins to turn a caramel brown colour. for this particular dish i add some hot/sweet paprika to the pan and as soon as that is mixed through and bubbling its ready to be poured onto the beans. stir this through and it will instantly thicken the liquid ideally you would top this with fresh parsley before putting it in the oven to bake.. but i had none :(
 |
| macedonian baked beans (grav) with cabbage salad and asparagus |
ok. so its not the most glamorous meal, but the taste was truly amazing!! oh and i ate wayyyyy to many beans in one sitting.
Friday 15 March 2013
friday night
basil pesto pasta (g-free). with asparagus, feta and chilli.
..... on the floor in front of the tv. perfect.
basil pesto - basil, pine nuts, oregano, parsley, extra virgin olive oil, lemon juice, salt, pepper.
pasta - organ brand gluten free multi-grain quinoa pasta. best supermarket gluten free pasta.
Monday 11 March 2013
our first dinner
finally home after a busy trip back to my home town of wollongong. i spent time with friends and family- long overdue. attended a beautiful wedding. visited galleries. ate yummy food at great restaurants...thanks alphabet st!! partied at my beautiful nieces 2nd birthday. and went for long walks along the beach which were a real treat.
it was such a fun filled trip yet i just couldn't wait to be home by the end of it. i couldn't wait to be back to my quiet, serene and simple space. my space that houses me and my little family (husband and pet bird) my work (a blessing to be able work from home), my pantry (gluten free), my thoughts (home as a daily thinking ground) and my experiences (all things good and bad that happen; life).
how do i sum up my gladness to be home? this easy and tasty homecoming dinner of pork cutlets with roasted potato and sweet potato and baby spinach and grilled asparagus salad.
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| north beach wollongong |
 |
| birthday bunny amaya |
how do i sum up my gladness to be home? this easy and tasty homecoming dinner of pork cutlets with roasted potato and sweet potato and baby spinach and grilled asparagus salad.
pork marinade
garlic
fresh rosemary and oregano
olive oil
salt
pepper
hot paprika
rice wine vinigar/lemon juice
dijon mustard
balsamic vinigar
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