Announcement!

Hi everyone!

I am happy to announce that I have moved the blog to an independent domain! Lots of new recipes are on the way, starting with this awesome Granola:

So please do visit and be sure to subscribe at:

www.mattersofthebelly.com

thank you and waiting for u there!

love,

Noha

My Family’s Epic Lamb Roast

Every family has a roast.

I am talking about these familiar massive hunks of meat that are always present at big family gatherings or special family events. It is usually an age-old recipe handed down over generations, hardly ever changing at all because of how attached family members have grown to its distinctive taste and aroma.

This is mine.

This recipe was my paternal grandmother’s. When my father married my mom, he made sure to teach her this special family heirloom, to be added to their recipe repertoire.

The thing about lamb is, so many people think they don’t like it. And I have to say, I really do understand…poorly cooked lamb can be a horrible thing, especially the lamb we grew up with in Egypt which is very, well, lamb-y. It has a strong smell to it that only disappears when the piece of meat is cooked correctly.

Because of this reason, there was an unspoken rule in our family; never tell new guests that this is lamb until after they have eaten. Not the most ethical thing in the world, I know, but it definitely worked to get rid of lamb-discrimination. My father strongly believed that lamb was merely misunderstood.

And, much to my father’s delight, every single time even the pickiest of lamb-haters was converted and ended up asking for the recipe. That’s how good this is.

It really is a very simple recipe…the secret lies in two components: the cooking method, and one humble ingredient.

The cooking method is low and slow. Leg muscles are one of the hardest-worked muscles in the body, and so slow cooking is the perfect way to break down all the tough tissue and transform it into fall-off-the-bone, melt-in-your-mouth meat that diners will fight over.

The humble ingredient, which I have never really seen being used in this way before is (don’t hold your breath) grated carrots. Sounds very uninteresting, I know…but hear me out.

When you cook the meat for such a long time at such a low temperature, these modest grated carrots start to release their natural sugars and caramelize. They all but disintegrate, while creating the most deliciously dark and caramelized crust and gravy.

I also think that people feel very intimidated by cooking such a big slab of meat and by the term “slow-roasting”, when in fact, it may be one of the easiest cooking methods of all.

This is because people tend to confuse time-consuming with difficult. There is a HUGE difference. And while this recipe may be extremely time consuming, the actual hands-on prep time is less than 15 minutes. After that, you just throw the whole thing in the oven and let it do all the hard work for you. All you will need to do is to check on it every few hours and make tiny adjustments.

So I stand by my statement that this recipe is DEAD easy, perfect for a chilly day when you know you will be home all day or have other housework to do. It is also SO impressive when you are having guests over, where they will think that you spent the whole day slaving away at stove…bonus!

The smell that fills the house while the meat is cooking is one that takes me back home, straight to my family’s house in Mohandessin. Memories of Ramadan evenings and the quiet anticipation before Iftar come flooding in, and I can’t help but be transported to a simpler time when everything was familiar and things made sense, and there was a general sense of togetherness that has all but gone extinct in today’s random world.

Traditionally, we serve this with deep-amber, cinnamon-scented friend vermicelli (she3reya in Arabic), but since I had some cauliflower couscous leftover, I opted for practicality and served it with that and some roast veggies (I can almost hear a grunt of disapproval from my late grandma’s grave…sorry grandma!)….that’s not to say that I won’t be sharing that vermicelli recipe with you in the future.

SLOW-ROASTED LEG OF LAMB

Prep time: 10 min

Standing time: overnight

Cook time: 5-6 hours

Ingredients:

• One bone-in 2kg leg of lamb
• 2 onions, finely grated
• 2 carrots, finely grated
• 4 cloves garlic, minced
• 1 tsp. mastic*, crushed into a powder (mesteka in Arabic)
• 1 tsp. powdered cardamom
• 2 tsp. mixed spice
• 1 tsp. crushed pepper flakes (optional)
• 1 ½ tsp. salt

Instructions:

• In a large roasting tin or a cast iron pot, place the lamb. Add all the other ingredients and take a couple of minutes to rub them all over the lamb leg. Cover the pot (or use foil/plastic if you are using a roasting pan) and let rest in the fridge overnight. This step is crucial.
• The next day, preheat the oven to 160 degrees C. remove the lamb from the fridge and place it into the oven. Cook for 3 hours, covered.
• After 3 hours, remove the lid or the foil, and roast for another 2-3 hours. During this part of cooking, you will need to check on the lamb every half hour or so. Using a large spoon, scoop up some of the sauce over the lamb to baste it a couple of times. If the pan is getting too dry, add some hot water, about a cup at a time. You will notice the crust of the lamb will be getting darker and darker; this is good! Don’t freak out. Just make sure there is enough liquid in the pan so that nothing burns.
• The lamb is ready when it becomes fork-tender, and you can easily shred it off the bone. I find this happens in about 6 hours total of cooking time.
• Take the lamb out of the oven, and using a spoon, skim as much fat as possible off the gravy. Serve with vermicelli, rice, or roast potatoes.

NOTES:

• Mastic is a natural resin from the Mastic tree, also known as ‘Arabic Gum’, and is used in Arabic and Greek cooking. Look for it in health stores or specialty Middle Eastern or Greek shops. If you can’t find it at all, just omit it.
• If you are using a larger leg of lamb, just increase the amounts of the rest of the ingredients accordingly. The cooking time will remain more or less the same.

I can’t believe it’s not Couscous!

I am extremely sceptical when it comes to healthy food “replacements”. To be honest, it downright infuriates me sometimes.

No, lettuce surely cannot replace bread, kale chips cannot possibly even come close to potato chips and there is no way in HELL zucchini noodles will EVER be a decent substitute for spaghetti. Ever. Put down that spiralizer. You aint fooling me with no zoodles.

So, naturally, when I heard the terms “cauliflower rice” and “cauliflower couscous”, I scoffed and snorted and dismissed them right away. Certainly, farty, stinky, smelly old cauliflower cannot replace my beloved rice. I don’t eat couscous much but that seemed highly unlikely too.

However, the concept kept popping up again and again, and two reasons made me decide to give it a shot.

1. Cauliflower is one hell of a nutritious veggie, one which I struggle to eat much of. It is very low in calories and has super cancer-fighting properties. I grew up thinking I hated it, and have been trying to find ways to love it lately, several of which were miserable failures.
2. As I have mentioned before, I have gained a few kilos so I am always looking for ways to reduce my carb intake, especially mid-week. Weekends are when I have carb fests. Sorry, not sorry.

So I kinda felt obliged to try it and so, still scoffing and grunting and with terribly low expectations, I headed to the grocery store and picked up a head of cauliflower. I was almost positive that this will end up being a gargantuan mistake and that I’m going to have some major explaining to do to Hamza (my husband/guinea pig).

I read a few recipes, decided that “couscous” seemed more appealing, and after grasping the (very simple) concept of how it works, I came up with my own trial recipe. I loaded it with other ingredients I know and love, took a deep breath, and hoped for the best.

Basically, you place the florets into a food processor, and pulse a few times until it crumbles into tiny bits that actually really do resemble couscous. Then you simply stir fry in a hot pan for a couple of minutes with all the add-ins your heart desires. Dead easy.

Well, let me tell you guys, this was just an absolute revelation. I was totally stunned. I will even go as far as saying that I actually PREFERRED it over the real thing. I know. I don’t believe me either.

It was so unbelievably fluffy and light and flavourful, and I literally had to stop every few moments as I was shovelling it down to look at Hamza and say “holy crap! We are NOT eating couscous! This is friggin’ cauliflower!!”.  I may or may not have even gotten up a couple of times to perform my happy-dance. You know you’ve hit the jackpot when your carb-loving husband forgets that he is eating cauliflower. You know you’ve struck GOLD when he requests it again the following week.

This, ladies and gents, is an absolute game changer.

I like to serve this with simple grilled or roast chicken, and sometimes I cook some chicken breasts and slice them up then mix them into the “couscous” for a one-bowl super quick, super healthy and fuss-free dinner. This is a tremendously forgiving recipe; each time I changed up any of the ingredients, I still ended up with a mouth-wateringly delicious result.

I am so excited about this recipe, and utterly thrilled that it enables me to make cauliflower a much more regular part of my diet.

I don’t expect you to believe me, so I challenge you to try it and prove me wrong.

CAULIFLOWER COUSCOUS

Prep time: 10 min

Cook time: 10 min

Servings: 4

Ingredients:

• 1 head cauliflower
• ½ cup toasted almonds, roughly chopped
• 1 400g can of cooked chickpeas, drained and rinsed (or you can cook your own)
• ½ cup raisins (or cranberries or currants)
• ½ bunch of parsley or green onions (or both!), chopped
• 4 tbsp. olive oil
• 2/3 tsp. cinnamon
• ½ tsp. paprika
• 1/3 tsp. cumin
• 1/3 tsp. coriander
• Salt & pepper to taste

Instructions:

• Wash and dry the cauliflower very well. Cut into florets, discard stem and leaves. Place into a food processor, pulse several times until it crumbles and resembles couscous (refer to pics). Do not over-process or it will turn into puree. Set aside.
• In a large non-stick pan over medium-high heat, pour in 1 tbsp. of olive oil and add the drained chickpeas. Add 1/3 tsp. of the cinnamon and toast for 3-4 minutes. Remove and set aside.
• Heat the remaining 3 tbsp. of olive oil and add the cauliflower. Add the remaining spices, season with salt & pepper and cook, stirring frequently for 4-5 minutes. Stir through the raisins, chickpeas, almonds, parsley/green onions and serve immediately.

NOTES:  This is an extremely versatile and customizable recipe, so don’t feel restrained by my choice of add-ins. Feel free to change any of the spices, nuts, or herbs and even add in some cooked chicken/beef/shrimp and just follow the same basic principles.

Also, this keeps very well in fridge and reheats beautifully the next day.

 

Glider Cafe

We are fortunate enough to have several cafés on the street where we live and in the surrounding area. Let me tell you about my favourite.

Glider café is a tiny spot with big impact. When we first moved to our place last year, it caught my eye instantly.  Every time i passed by it to and from home, i was struck by that hypnotizing aroma of good coffee and the relaxed hum of a handful of people enjoying it.

Let me tell you, Sydney (and Australia in general) is not a place where coffee is taken lightly. It is more like a cult or an obsession, over which people can have heated debates, and where baristas are considered the rock stars. I can honestly say that I had never had coffee of this calibre before moving here, which probably explains why I thought I wasn’t a “coffee person”. Boy, was I wrong! Turns out, I just wasn’t a “crappy coffee person”.
I do not claim to be a pro, but for my husband & me, Glider’s coffee tops the list of anything we have tried in Sydney. How lucky are we to be living in the same street, huh?

The sad truth is, we found, that coffee shops here can be pretty hostile places. More times than not, their staff is a tad unfriendly and slightly pretentious (maybe they take the whole rock start thing too seriously?), which inevitably results in not-so-great service.

Well, nothing is further from that truth than Glider. In fact, what made it stand out was its amazing young owner Mark, and his lovely wife Pla (who is the inspiration behind most of the dishes and recipes). They are both such wonderfully friendly people who always make us feel welcome and take the time to have a chat. The more we visited, the more we fell in love with the place and its owners.

Also, it doesn’t hurt that they are the proud new owners of the world’s most achingly cute puppy, who is so aptly named Rolls.

Yes, this is a real dog. I mean, seriously now.

Tell me this is not the most adorable dog you have ever laid eyes on?

Upon learning that I have a food blog and am not the world’s worst food photographer, Mark was generous enough to make me an offer I can’t refuse; he invited me to sample some items off his menu in return for some food shots.

Rule #1 in life: NEVER turn down food.

Let’s start with the coffee, which is courtesy of Single Origin Roasters. I don’t have much to say about it except that it is bloody good coffee. I mean, look at it! It takes all the self-restraint I have to not set up camp there and spend my days sipping on cup after cup of this impeccably balanced work of art.

This next dish is my favourite; the Ginger Chicken Burger ($15). It is one of their most popular dishes, and for good reason!  The burger is crispy and has a lovely gingery zest to it, topped with a delicious house-made coriander root & fresh chilli mayo and lettuce, served on a beautifully soft brioche roll. Perfectly balanced, and the ideal lunch sandwich.

Then came the Duck rice-paper rolls ($15). These were a surprisingly generous size and an explosion of flavours. They were colourful and fresh, filled with free range duck, Thai basil, cilantro and a ton of crunchy sprouts, with a traditional Vietnamese coconut pancake and a homemade dipping sauce. Big fat YUM.

For dessert, I tried the Sticky Rice with fresh berries ($9.5), and the Acai smoothie ($9). The rice was sweet and perfectly offset by the tumble of tart, vibrant berries, and the smoothie was gulped down in under a minute; SO delicious! It’s the prefect healthy on-the-go option, and such a gorgeously vibrant colour!

I just love it when I find such cosy and genuine places, with such personal service and tasty food, where one might not think to look.

Special thanks to Mark for the delicious sampling, and for generally being so brilliant. You can never get rid of us now!

Glider Cafe

197 Victoria Street

Potts Point, NSW

http://www.gliderpottspoint.com.au

Burger Project

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I must admit: every single burger we have had since moving to Sydney has been hugely disappointing. Well, I am happy to report that tonight, this finally changed.

Of course, we had heard about Neil Perry’s famous Rockpool burger, but seeing as we have only been here over a year, we hadn’t gotten around to trying it…plus, Rockpool is on the pricey side, and let’s face it; we are…well…poor. No gentler way of putting it.

Needless to say, I was ecstatic when I heard that Neil Perry will be opening a new casual venture focused mainly on the burgers, which will come with exceptionally wallet-friendly price tags in October. Burger Project. My hopes of finding a decent burger fix in this city were quickly restored.

Anyone who follows Gourmet Traveller’s page on facebook will be familiar with their frequent online enter-to-win competitions. I have entered about a gazillion of them, ranging from free dinners to weekend getaways, to no avail. Still, I couldn’t resist entering their latest one, where 100 lucky winners would get exclusive access and dinner for two on the night prior to them opening to the public. I had nothing to lose.

I entered.

I forgot about it.

Two weeks later, as I was lazily emptying my email’s junk folder, I noticed the words ‘Congratulations! The Burger Project…’. Could it be?  Surely, it must be a scam. But it wasn’t. I had really won!  Thursday the 30thof October. We have a date with Neil Perry.

We arrived tonight at the stated time of 6pm. Well, actually, we were so excited and hungry we were there 20 minutes early. The place was already buzzing with anticipation and fellow hungry lucky happy winners. When the clock struck 6, everyone formed a long queue and we were handed paper menus to browse as we waited.

I asked the hostess what exactly do we get to choose, and I was surprised at the generosity of the dinner. We each got to pick any burger/hot dog, one portion of thrice-cooked hot chips, one drink (shakes are considered a drink, not dessert!), and up to two scoops of the house made ice cream. Thank God we hadn’t eaten a thing all day!

After they checked our names of the list (I have never been on a list before. I felt so important), we ordered.

We got two double cheeseburgers (hey, don’t judge), one salt & vinegar chips, one chipotle chilli chips and two house-made ice teas.

Look at THAT. I mean, come on. How can that possibly be anything but divine? I was worried that I may have built up my expectation too high, but I now know that that isn’t even possible.

The patties were juicy and tender, almost melt in your mouth. They were thin and slightly pink in the middle, and just oozing with juices. The cheese was melty and almost saucy, and the onion, tomato and lettuce were crisp and fresh, and just the right amount. The pickles gave a lovely tang, and the ‘secret sauce’ tied it all together perfectly, without being achingly sweet like regular tomato sauce. The bun, which is often overlooked or overthought, was the ideal soft squishy burger-bun of my dreams.

Moving onto the chips. They were so violently crunchy and had all these wonderfully uneven edges and crevices which held onto the seasoning perfectly. We were both surprised at how vinegary the salt & vinegar chips were! Amazing flavour. The chipotle chips had a very mild hum of heat, and was our favourite.

The ice tea was lovely and not overly sweet or watered down as you too often find when eating out.

For dessert, I got a scoop of Salted Dulche de Leche in a cone, and hubby got a scoop of Valrhona Chocolate & a scoop of Passionfruit in a cup.

All three were excellent. The chocolate was smooth and mousy and so intense. I am not a chocolate ice cream fan, but this one is a game changer. We both agreed that the Salted Dulche de Leche was the winner.

As we were eating, I spotted an all-too-familiar bun.

Turns out that the man himself was right there, making the burgers with his own two hands.

I tried stalking him for a good shot, but it was just way too busy and he was right in the middle of the action, so I eventually gave up.

As things were quieting down and people were finishing up and just hanging out, he (Neil Perry) came walking out from behind the counter. We were sitting right next to it, so we got up, shook his hands and said hello. We thanked him for the amazing food, and congratulated him for this fantastic new project. Of course, I simply couldn’t resist asking him for a photo, and he so graciously complied. He was so wonderfully warm and humble (and utterly exhausted!) and thanked us for “being my guinea pigs for the night”.

No, thank YOU, Mr. Neil Perry, for achieving burger perfection. And we would happily be your guinea pigs ANY day of the year!

And special thanks to Australian Gourmet Traveller for the amazing opportunity 🙂 I will never ever stop entering your competitions now!

The Burger Project

Shop 11.06

World Square Shopping Centre

644 George Street

Sydney NSW 2000

http://www.burgerproject.com

Nutritious Chocolate Fudge Truffles

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When I gave you my Apricot & Coconut Balls recipe, I promised that there would be several more variations of the same concept to appear in the future…

Well, I am not one to take promises lightly…especially when it comes to food.

This one here is the original. It is the first one I came up with as a result of a kitchen failure…but oh what a delicious failure it turned out to be!

I was attempting to make a sort of chocolate brownie/energy bar, but the texture was all too gooey and fudgy to hold. I am not one to ever throw away food, so I got rolling, and here we are!

The secret ingredient that allows these decadents treats to be extremely nutritious and totally sugar free is one very close to my heart; the humble date.

Dates have always been a huge part of our Egyptian culture, and we seem to have grown tired of it, and have come to take it for granted…meanwhile, the rest of the world is only just discovering the wonders of this natural powerhouse gem of a fruit!

Forget about store-bought energy snacks that are laden with sugar, processed ingredients and who-knows-what else…a couple of dates can give you an instant boost without that sharp rise in blood sugar levels, thanks to its high fibre content, as well as a wonderful dose of potassium, magnesium, protein and many other much needed goodies. That, paired with the nutritiousness of almond/peanut butter, gives you one heck of a super snack!

All this aside, dates have a gorgeously sweet and deep caramel flavour, which makes them amazing for adding richness to desserts, smoothies, or sweet treats like this.

These are so intensely chocolatey and fudgy that you will have to remind yourself again and again that you need not feel an ounce of guilt while consuming them…in fact; you should actually give yourself a good pat on the back!

Theoretically, you can get a lot more creative with the outer layer. You can roll the balls in almond meal, chia seeds or coconut…but I just love the rich dark look of cocoa powder, and how it adds yet another dimension of chocolatiness (is that a word?) to each bite.

Make these as a gift for someone if you want them to worship you forever.

NUTRITIOUS CHOCOLATE FUDGE TRUFFLES

prep time: 15min

servings: about 15 balls

Ingredients:

• 15 Medjool dates, pitted (any soft ‘tamr’ dates will work)
• 1 ½ tbsp. smooth almond/peanut butter (all natural)
• 1 ½ tbsp. cocoa powder (unsweetened), plus extra for rolling
• 1 tbsp. almond/coconut milk or milk of your choice (even water would work)
• 1 tsp. vanilla extract
• A good pinch of sea salt

Instructions:

• Place all ingredients into a food processor and mix until everything is smooth and well incorporated. It should resemble a thick paste/dough
• Prepare a tray or a large plate by placing a couple of tablespoons of cocoa powder on it and spreading it out slightly
• Moisten your hands slightly and scoop up tablespoonfulls of the mixture, roll them into tight balls and drop them onto the prepared tray. Roll them around in the cocoa powder, adding extra as needed.
• Store in an airtight container in the fridge, sprinkled with a little extra cocoa to keep them from sticking to each other. Keeps for up to a week. (If they last this long then there is something wrong with you.)

NOTE: if you use peanut butter, there will be a prominent peanut-y taste to the truffles…not that there is anything wrong with that, but I just prefer the chocolate to be the star here, which is why I favour using almond butter in this recipe.

Guest Post on Buttered Up

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I am thrilled and honoured to be featured as a guest blogger on the lovely Sarah Khanna’s blog Buttered Up, one of the first blogs ever to introduce me to and make me fall in love with the world of food blogging. I share my recipe for a stuffed eggplant dish called Imam Bayildi, as well as the usual rants and thoughts that always accompany good food.

Head on over to Buttered Up to check it out: here.

Salmon Teriyaki & Wombok Salad

A couple of years ago, I had to be put on an anti-inflammatory diet to try to get my autoimmune condition under control. It was quite a restrictive plan. One of the guidelines was that I had to consume fish several times a week.

I must admit, I am not the biggest fan of fish. I don’t detest it, but I would usually rather have something else if given the choice. However, I wanted to get the most out of that nutrition program, so I took the opportunity to try to change how I feel about fish.

I decided to start with Salmon.

We have all heard of the plethora of benefits of eating salmon, specifically wild-caught. The good news is that it also turned out to be quite delicious!

During these 3 months, I ended up eating vast amounts of this gorgeously pink-fleshed fish and I experimented with  several different ways to cook it, but my favourite remains to be this recipe right here.

What I love about this recipe is how low-maintenance it is. All you do is mix up a marinade, toss in the fish and leave it in your fridge until 25 minutes before you are ready to eat. Then you just throw the whole thing in the oven and set your timer while you put the salad together. Easy!

The first time I tried this recipe, I cooked the salmon in a hot pan on the stovetop, and I found it to be way too messy for my liking. The fish splattered aggressively all over the kitchen and the entire house was left smelling fishy for at least 4 days.

Thankfully, the oven method avoids all that, and the great thing is that you can use the same dish for marinating, cooking and serving the Salmon! Less clean-up is ALWAYS a bonus!

As for the salad, I only learned about it recently after moving to Australia. I would usually serve the salmon with spinach or rice, but as soon as I tasted this salad at a friend’s house, I was hooked! It was so incredibly crunchy and fresh, and the Asian inspired flavours go just perfectly with the teriyaki marinade of the fish.

Give it a go for a quick, easy and wonderfully healthy mid-week dinner.

SALMON TERIYAKI WITH WOMBOK SALAD

Prep time: 5 min          Cook time: 20-25 min

Servings: 4

Ingredients:

For the Salmon:

• 4 salmon fillets
• 3 tbsp soy sauce
• 5 tbsp water
• 2 cloves garlic, minced
• 2-3 slices of fresh ginger
• 1 tbsp honey/ coconut sugar
• 1 tsp toasted sesame oil
• Juice of half a large lemon or 1 tbsp rice vinegar

For the Salad:

• ½ a Chinese cabbage, shredded (also known as wombok)
• 100g slivered almonds, toasted
• 6 spring onions, sliced

Dressing:

• 2 tbsp soy sauce
• 1 tbsp honey
• 3 tbsp vinegar (I use rice vinegar)
• ¼ tsp toasted sesame oil
• 1 tbsp olive oil

Instructions:

• Add all the ingredients for the salmon marinade into a baking dish, whisk to combine well. Place the salmon fillets into the marinade, turning once or twice to coat with the sauce. I like to use skinless fillets for this recipe. Cover dish with cling film and place in the fridge for minimum 1 hour and up to overnight.
• Preheat the oven to 200 degrees C. Remove the cling film and place the salmon in the oven. Cook for 20-25 minutes, turning on the top grill for the last 10 minutes of cooking time to get a nicely browned crust.
• Meanwhile, place all the ingredients for the salad into a large bowl. Mix the dressing ingredients together (I like to use a jar. I place all dressing ingredients in and shake the jar to mix together). Dress the salad only just before serving.
• When the fish is ready, remove from oven and serve with the cooking sauce.

Pumpkin & Feta Fritters

Unlike the majority of people, I have always loved vegetables. Ever since I was a kid, most days I would prefer heating up a big bowl of leftover peas and carrots for dinner over even the most tempting of takeout options.

However, I have noticed that this common veggie-hate phenomenon seems to be a universal thing. Children being the guiltiest of all. I have no kids of my own, but I can’t count the number of times I heard a young mom say “my kids simply refuse to eat their veggies”, and it always makes me sad. And confused. It just doesn’t make any sense to me.

You see, veggies are as diverse as people are. There are so many different shapes, colours, tastes, textures and aromas, that I find it simply impossible for a person to declare they do not like veggies. Not just that, but there are equally various ways in which to prepare and cook each vegetable, that I just refuse to believe that anyone can claim to dislike each and every one of these endless options. Sorry guys, I aint buying it!

Maybe you had a bad experience with a certain vegetable. Maybe your grandma used to cook it to oblivion until it resembled mushy brains. Maybe your father used to force you to eat spinach until the sight of any green leaves made you run in horror. Or maybe (and most probably) you are just not trying hard enough. Yeah, that’s right. I went there.

Well fear not, oh veggie haters of the wrold, for veggie girl is here to save the day. I’m gonna bombard you with so many ways to eat your veggies until you cannot help but give in to the wonderful world you are missing out on.

I’m gonna slice, grate, dice, mash, shred and chop until you scream for mercy. I’m gonna roast, steam, fry, blanch, grill and sauté until I make you see the light. And I will not stop until every last one of you, child or adult, declares your newfound love and appreciation for the edible plant kingdom and all the goodness and variety it has to offer. Consider this a vow.

PUMPKIN & FETA FRITTERS

Prep time: 20 min          Cook time: 10 min

Servings: 4

Ingredients:

• 3 cups pumpkin, coarsely grated
• 1/3 tsp salt
• 2 eggs, beaten
• 2 spring onions, sliced
• 150g feta cheese, crumbled (omit for dairy free option)
• 2 tbsp flour (omit for gluten free option, or use gluten free flour such as almond or cornstarch)
• Olive oil, for shallow frying

Instructions:

• Coarsely grate the pumpkin. If you have a food processor, use it with the grater attachment, which will make this so much quicker. Sprinkle the salt on the pumpkin, mix and let stand for 5-10 min. this draws out all the excess moisture in the pumpkin so that you don’t end up with soggy fritters. After the 5-10 min, take handfuls of the pumpkin and squeeze out the excess liquid and hard as you can. You can also do this by placing all the pumpkin in a clean tea towel and twisting and squeezing it all out at once.
• Place the drained pumpkin in a bowl and combine with the eggs, spring onion, feta cheese and flour, and mix lightly with a fork.
• Heat 1-2 tbsp of oil in a non-stick pan on medium. Drop tablespoonfuls of the mixture into the pan, flattening them slightly. Cook for 4-5min on each side, or until the edges are slightly golden and crispy. Drain on paper towels. Repeat until all mixture is done. Serve immediately, with a dollop of thick yoghurt if desired.

NOTE:

The ones pictured are made without flour. I prefer the taste that way, but bear in mind that if you do not add any flour, the fritters will be more fragile and harder to flip, so you will have to make them a bit smaller and flip them carefully to prevent them from breaking apart.

..Also, you may use different vegetables like zucchini or sweet potato, feel free to experiment!

The Cook, the Blogger & the Photographer Workshop

You guys. YOU GUYS, I am STOKED! Last Saturday was one of the best days of my whole life.
Why, you ask?
Well, I may be blowing things slightly out of proportion here, but I believe I have finally broken my I-never-win-anything-ever curse!

Two days earlier, I was just sitting at home, moping around after a not-so-great day and feeling vaguely sorry for myself because of all the hair I am losing due to my medication (HUGE bummer, seriously) , and mindlessly scrolling down my instagram news feed, when a stunning food shot posted by Adam Liaw caught my eye (as all of his posts do).

For those of you who may be unfamiliar (and to you I say: shame!), Adam Liaw was the winner of Masterchef Australia 2010, and my all-time favourite contestant out of all the seasons. After he won, instead of disappearing off the grid/turning into an obnoxious celebrity chef, he became something so painfully rare; a wonderfully real and impossible-not-to-love cookbook author, TV show presenter and social media persona.

His latest TV series called ‘Destination: Down Under’ is HANDS DOWN the best travel/food show I have ever seen. He basically travels around Australia, showcasing all the different areas and the abundance of gorgeous local produce and dishes, and the fascinating farmers and growers behind it all. You should ask my husband how I behave when I’m watching it.

You know these hardcore football enthusiasts who scream loudly at their TV screens at players and wave their arms unreasonably like mad people? Well yeah. I do that. But I scream things like “why so NICE??” at the food, & “oh my God we have to live on a farm!!”, & “this is ridiculous, that is NOT New Zealand, that is friggin’ heaven for crying out loud!!”, & “holy CRAP I need some avocado trees!”…you get the picture..
He also posts on instagram and facebook regularly, and his posts are always inspiring and entertaining, and his food never ceases to impress (and awaken the appetite!)

So anyway, on that day, his post was of a gorgeously styled bowl of deliciousness, and underneath he wrote: “Like food photography?”
Me: *yes!*
Adam: “Free for brunch on Saturday in Sydney?”
Me: *free as a bird!*
Adam: “You can join me and some very talented Sydney Morning Herald photographers for a 3-hour food photography workshop. Brunch is included!”
Me: *get OUT THE FRONT DOOR.*

Before I knew what was happening, I had my credit card in my hand and was clicking ‘purchase’. Two tickets to ‘The Cook, the Blogger & the Photographer’. Done.

On Saturday morning, we arrived just on time. I was relieved to find that it was quite a cozy affair, only about 30 people in total. The workshop started out with several extremely talented bloggers and photographers giving short talks about what they do and how they do it. To be perfectly honest, I didn’t recognize most of the speakers, as I am still so new to the scene here in Sydney, but it was obvious they all had bags of experience and shared it with us so generously. There were plenty of funny anecdotes and priceless tips and tricks of the trade, as well as a showing some of their own shots (stunning stuff!).

Just before the brunch break, they announced that they are looking for four volunteers. They didn’t say what for, but pretty much everyone raised their hands, and so did I, in an effort to get over my shyness and put myself out there. By some miracle, I was one of the four chosen.

During the break, they explained that the four of us will take part in a small photography competition sponsored by Canon. They handed each of us a camera, and asked us to snap away at our hearts’ content. At the end of the day, each of us would be submitting our favourite shot of the day, and the winner will win a $250 voucher from Canon Australia to use for whatever they please.

No pressure. I can handle this. I didn’t give myself the chance to panic or feel intimidated, and got straight to business. I was so busy trying to get a great shot that the break was over before I had the chance to eat any of the yummy stuff on display provided by Kepos Street Kitchen (tragic, I know!). However, I grabbed the cup of granola (toasted to perfection with halva yoghurt, pistachios and pomegranate poached pears. Scrumptious) I was photographing and a spoon and went back to my seat to enjoy it as the final speakers were giving their talks.

This time, I recognized both of them. I credit this to my severe Masterchef Australia addiction.

First came Adam.  He talked to us about his experience with photographing food on set of his TV show and for his fabulous cookbooks. What struck me most about him was how tremendously humble and even SHY he was! It is really quite astonishing and admirable given all the fame and success he has found. Totally newfound level of respect for him.

When he was done, he asked if any of us had any questions, and I had to stop myself from asking “where is your son?”. Seriously people, he has the most adorable little boy ever and melts our hearts whenever he posts pictures of him on his instagram account.

The last speaker was another Masterchef contestant, from the final seven of the 2011 season, Billy Law. I recognized him instantly. He was amazingly bubbly and animated, and was so incredibly friendly and helpful when we went to chat with him later.

After that, we had the actual photography workshop. We practiced styling and shooting some of the food and were directed by the ever-talented photographers who were present.

Finally, it was time for the judging. I was thrilled to find out that Billy was the one who will be picking the winning shot. We printed our photos and lined them up and stood in anticipation as Billy inspected and critiqued. I looked at the three other pictures and was amazed at how beautiful they were. I was so nervous it was not even funny. He kept moving his finger from my shot to another and back, and then miraculously, stopped at mine. He picked my shot! MEEEE!

I was just blown away! I am a big self-doubter, as most of us are when it comes to our abilities, but this moment was just the biggest confidence booster and just the motivation I needed to move forward with what I love to do best. I could not be happier or more proud.

Here it is, the winning shot. Not too shabby, if I may say so myself.

I’ve gotta say though, thank God I dragged my husband along! He nudged me to raise my hand and made me comfortable enough to participate, AND he acted as my own personal paparazzi the whole day and was just so wonderfully supportive. He was also my hand model for the shot haha!

What a fantastic day.

p.s: i may look calm and in control, but this is how i really felt the whole time: