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Wattleseeds are Australia's beloved Golden Wattle tree's gift to the culinary world. Roasted and ground much like coffee beans, they resemble coffee in appearance and even a little in taste - although much milder in flavour - along with a subtle note of hazelnut. So with a flavour and aroma reminiscent of coffee and hazelnuts, you can imagine how well it lends itself to all sorts of baked goods: try adding a spoonful or 2 to your favourite banana bread recipe, Anzac biscuits, choc chip cookies or pancake batter! Here is the ultimate breakfast muffin recipe.  Ingredients:
2 cups wholemeal or white self raising flour 1 generous tbsp ground wattleseed 1/2 cup sugar 100g salted butter, melted 2 eggs 3/4 cup milk Few drops Bloomfield vanilla essence ½ cup 55% dark chocolate chips Method: Pre-heat oven to 180 C. Combine the flour, baking powder, wattle seed and sugar in a bowl. Add melted butter to the dry ingredients, along with the eggs. Beat with a whisk or an electric beater until smooth. Gradually add the milk and vanilla and mix until combined. Fold chocolate chips into the mixture. Pour into the wells of a greased muffin tin, filling 3/4 full. Bake for 15 minutes or until the muffins spring back when lightly touched. PIMP MY RECIPE
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I'm loving experimenting with pepperberries - its like pepper, but so much more! There's a fruity edge to it initially, and the heat comes later...not in a blow your head off, chilli kind of way, but more of a back palate kick that rounds the mouthful off perfectly. This recipe really showcases how a single ingredient, even used sparingly, can turn a tray of roast veggies into a truly special meal. And it's great for those bottom-of-the-crisper veggies you don't know what to do with. Pumpkin, potato, carrot, zucchini, capsicum… just throw in whatever you've got! For the below recipe I've specified the veggies I used on this occasion. Take our word for it, the addition of pepperberries will provide a slight fruitiness packed with a zing you'll want to come back for everyday. 😀  (serves 1 as a main, 2 as a side)
Ingredients: ½ cup pumpkin, cut in bite sized cubes 1 fresh beetroot, cut into bite sized cubes 1 celeriac, cubed as above Olive oil Juice of 1 Lemon Salt A handful of walnuts 6-8 cubes persian fetta or vegan fetta 1 tsp crushed Pepperberries A good handful of rocket or salad greens Method: Preheat the oven to 190c. Lay your veggies out on a lined baking tray and drizzle with olive oil and half the lemon juice. Sprinkle it with a little salt and half the pepperberries. Roast for 30 mins or until the veg is lightly golden and cooked through. Meanwhile put the walnuts, fetta and salad greens in a large bowl. While the veg is still a bit warm, add it to the bowl and toss it all gently to combine, adding a little more olive oil and the remaining lemon juice and pepperberries. Serve as a side to a main meal, or eat on its own as a delicious, light lunch! PIMP MY RECIPE
This pumpkin scone recipe is an old family one of mine, passed down through the generations. It won many a medal for my foremothers at the Brisbane Ekka over the span of the 20th century. For a different spin on it I have added lemon myrtle, and it brings a whole new element! I can almost hear my great grandmother gasping as she clutches her peacock blue beads...but i think it’s a good gasp :) "But wait", I hear you say, "that photo - surely that's not a scone! It's baked in one piece! Controversial!" Home bakers of the Inner West, remain alert but not alarmed; I am here to assure you that scones can indeed be baked in one piece. Not only does it ensure the most sublime texture and crumb, but it cuts out so much faffing about with cutting the scones into circles and transferring them to the baking tray. You just pile the mixture onto your tray, bake, cool and cut into wedges or squares.  Ingredients:
1 cup roasted mashed pumpkin, still hot 2/3 cup caster sugar 1 tbsp butter 1 cup milk 1 egg, beaten into the milk Pinch salt 3 cups wholemeal SR flour (Can add cinnamon to flour if you fancy) 1 tbsp Lemon Myrtle Method: Place in a mixing bowl the pumpkin, sugar and butter. Stir to blend. Add egg and milk then add flour & salt. Now, I can't stress this enough - Do not over mix! Stop mixing as soon as ingredients are blended. Now, here is the plot twist: compared to your garden variety scone, this mixture will be less like a dough and more like a batter. So instead of cutting out individual scones, place the whole mixture onto a baking tray lined with paper or an Agreeno baking mat, then bake in a 220C oven. It takes about 20 minutes. Poke a toothpick in the centre. When it comes out clean, it's ready to come out. Let it cool on the baking tray for 15 mins before cutting into squares or wedges. They're perfect with butter & golden syrup or honey. PIMP MY RECIPE Look, I have to tell you that this recipe is amazing as is. But you can definitely add some different dimensions to it. Try a teaspoon of cinnamon added to the flour. Lemon zest and dried lavender also work beautifully. I'd even be so bold as to suggest folding a sprinkling of chai tea into the mix. Make it your own. And please let us know how it goes! Spring has well and truly sprung, and it's the perfect weather for our new Watermelon & Lime kombucha to really come into its own. Of course it's delicious as is, but this simple spritzer really makes it sing.  The Virgin Version:
Ingredients: Watermelon & Mint kombucha 6-8 Fresh mint leaves 1 lime Ice cubes Method: Grab an empty glass and throw in 3 or 4 mint leaves. Swish them around the bottom of the glass with a teaspoon, muddler or chopstick to release the magic mintiness. Now add some ice cubes and a squeeze of lime, & fill glass with Watermelon & Lime kombucha. Garnish with remaining mint leaves and a twist of lime The Not So Virgin Version: After adding ice, pour in a measure of white rum, gin or vodka. Add remaining ingredients. PIMP MY RECIPE *Add crushed watermelon, or serve with a small slice of watermelon as garnish. *try a frozen version: mix ingredients, pour into a shallow container and freeze. Break up with fork and serve the icy shards in a fancy glass. Yum!
Combine ingredients in a bowl along with 1 cup water and any additional flavourings from the suggestion list. Leave for 15 minutes for the seeds to soak up the water. Give everything a good stir. (It should feel like very thick batter.) If necessary, add a splash more water before stirring again. Then spread the mixture thinly over a lined baking tray The ideal thickness is about 3-4mm. Too thin and the crackers will be too fragile, too thick and they won't be crunchy enough. Bake for one hour or until golden and crisp. If they don't feel crunchy after an hour, return to the oven for another 5-10 minutes. Remove from the oven, allow to cool, then break into shards. Store in an airtight container for up to 8 weeks. PIMP MY RECIPE Additional, optional flavourings - pick 1 or pick many: 1 tsp salt or smoked salt 1 tsp Dried rosemary 1 tbl Nutritional yeast ½ tsp Chilli flakes ½ tsp Fennel seeds 1 tsp Italian herbs ½ tsp Smoked paprika 2 tsp Vegetable stock 2 tsp Falafel mix CANNELLINI BEAN DIP
Ingredients: 2 cups cannellini beans 4 cups water, for soaking 4 cups water, for cooking 1 brown onion, peeled and halved 2 bay leaves 2 garlic cloves, minced 1 tablespoon lemon juice Zest from ½ a lemon 1 teaspoon salt Few grinds black pepper 1 tsp stock powder of choice 1 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil, plus some to drizzle over finished dip 1 tsp smoked paprika to dust on top Method: Cover beans with four cups of water and soak the beans for a full 24 hours in fridge. Drain and rinse under cold water. Place beans, another 4 cups of water, bay leaf and onion in a large sauce pan and bring to a boil covered. Lower to a simmer with lid partially covering the pan and simmer for about an hour or until soft and tender. Drain but reserve the cooking liquid. Discard the bay leaf and onion. Cool the beans and the reserved liquid completely before next step. Place the cooled beans and ¼ cup of the cooled cooking liquid in a food processor with all remaining ingredients (olive oil, garlic, lemon, stock, salt and pepper). Process until well blended. You may need to add more cooking liquid while blending to reach desired consistency - you're going for a creamy dip. Taste, then adjust seasoning if necessary. To serve, drizzle some olive oil and a sprinkle of smoked paprika over the top. Serve with seed crackers. PIMP MY RECIPE *try adding fresh herbs like parsley or thyme *change the flavour profile by using different spice blends - z'ataar, dukkah, bay seasoning and Italian herbs are a few ideas. *add some cayenne pepper, chilli or ground Tasmanian pepperberry for an extra kick. BUT WAIT, THERE'S MORE! Cannellini Dip also makes an excellent, nutrient-rich stand-in for mashed potato or rice. I swear it's true! |
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