Piggies! it's official. I have a serious girl crush on the delightful Eva Rawposa and Venita Hale from Uncooking 101. Those HBR piggies who tried Eva's "better-than-tequila" margarita have felt the love! Those of you who haven't had a chance to see what all the fuss is about, check out her amazing RAWkstar recipes on her raw recipe blog and indulge. There is something for everyone, from really simple "blend and pour" recipes (which we piggies LOVE) to more detailed salads and other delicious healthy meal ideas. But her raw recipes all have one thing in common: they are made with healthy live whole foods and enzymes, and are bursting with flavour and nutrition. I have tried a TON of the raw recipes off this site and it really IS... Keep Reading
The weather has been absolutely gorgeous in Melbourne this week. I have been seizing the opportunity to sit out in the sunshine with a plate of raw foods and a glass of lemon water. I thought I would take advantage before the weather turns and I am rugging up with a bowl of soup! You know my partiality for raw shredded salads. Needless to say, my food processor has been getting a work out this week; and I have opened more cabbages and bunches of kale than usual! I just can’t go past a bowl of shredded vegetables splashed with a generous drizzle of olive oil, multiple squeezes of lemon juice, and pinch or two of Celtic sea salt. But when the cream dreamer in me longs for something a bit richer, I can’t go past this quick and easy vegan... Keep Reading
Today I continue my crusade against commercially produced salad dressings and marinades. I don’t know anyone who doesn’t like a good ginger soy marinade, and this vegan marinade is dead easy. I did think twice before posting this quick and easy recipe, as I thought it was too basic even for THIS recipe blog! But then I remembered my many conversations at work, with people who have never made their own home made salad dressings and need a helping hand. I thought there might be more of you out there, and so here I am posting this basic vegan marinade for your enjoyment. I have deliberately kept this ginger soy marinade really basic, as I think it stands alone. But feel free to be bold and jazz it up. This quick, easy vegan marinade can be... Keep Reading
I thought I would continue my condiment craze and offer up this glorious green mayonnaise as an interesting colourful alternative to more traditional white mayonnaise options. I don’t know about you, but I like to add a bit of colour to the table; and in my humble opinion, nothing looks better than green mayonnaise! If you are looking for a quick easy colourful dairy free mayonnaise this one is a winner. This glorious green mayonnaise is a wonderful spread on vegetable kebabs, fantastic with tacos, and great with steamed vegetables, salads and sandwiches. Not only does it taste fantastic, but it is a great way to blend in some much needed greens and give this mayonnaise a nutritional kick. For me, spinach is always a good idea! The only... Keep Reading
I don’t know about you, but I can never go past a fresh raw Asian salad on a hot Summer’s day. It always reminds me of many a steaming hot day seeking refuge at a shady table outside at a hawker stall in Singapore, Malaysia, or Thailand during my teenage years. I know those of you freezing your rear ends off in the Northern hemisphere can’t even contemplate the hot sun on your body right now. But for those of us basking down under, we will celebrate all things raw and Summery today. As I continue my crusade against all pre-made dressings, it occurred to me that no homemade salad dressing repertoire would be complete without a quick, easy homemade Asian dressing. So here it is. This is a simple Asian salad dressing recipe that you can... Keep Reading
Mel and I had another cook up this week, and we were very pleased with this cilantro coriander mayonnaise. I have recently admitted that I was not a fan of traditional egg-inspired mayonnaise. But I had forgotten about this coriander concoction I used to smear on tacos during my college days. My first great love was half Mexican, and so we ate tacos a lot! Well, he loved to eat anything. But we certainly revisited the taco trough again and again and again. Coriander, as we refer to it in Australia, would be second only to flat leaf parsley, on my list of happy herbs that make my snout sing! Honestly, I would put cilantro in everything if it would work. Having said that, it works with a lot! So you can imagine, there is always at least once... Keep Reading
My husband loves to BBQ. But he prefers his meat, chicken and fish marinated before he throws it to the wolves! I must say that the wolves, or the pigs, (an affectionate term of endearment to describe all of my self-respecting foodies on this recipe blog) would agree. But just like my fondness for home made salad dressings, the best marinades, in my opinion, are of the fresh, homemade variety. Especially when they can be blended up in 5 minutes flat. Rob’s mum used to marinate her chicken in Italian dressing by placing everything in a large zip-lock bag. I had always placed things in glass baking dishes and used a spoon to move re-coat every hour in order to make sure every morsel is evenly coated. But I have to admit, the environmental... Keep Reading
OK, so my homemade salad dressing crusade continues. This time with a homemade balsamic vinaigrette dressing. I have to admit, that I am not normally a fan of balsamic salad dressing. The flavour is usually just too strong for me. So I don’t tend to indulge in balsamic dressing very much. So I asked my friend Mel to come over and help me taste test some balsamic salad dressing recipes, as I didn’t trust my instincts, having not really indulged in a lot of balsamic dressings. Everyone else I know seems to be quite taken with the idea! So I thought I owed it to myself to give it another go. My mild version of this classic favourite can always be ramped up a notch, for those of you who are long time devotees. I think the lime juice is the... Keep Reading
Today I continue my crusade against commercially produced salad dressings, and championing the virtues of the home made salad dressings, by showing you how quick, easy, and delicious they are. Today, my war is against the French! Well not exactly. More accurately, my private little war is with the French inspired pre-made dressings, that I am SURE, would make any self-respecting French chef cringe! By the time you drive up to the store and purchase your favourite bottle of French dressing, I will have blended my home made French dressing recipe, chopped a raw salad, eaten it, and have moved onto a yummy vegan dessert. OK, well maybe I am overstating my claim just a tad, seeing as most everybody has an endless array of bottled dressings... Keep Reading
I almost wasn’t going to continue posting home made dressing recipes, as I thought it was too basic and obvious – even for THIS recipe blog; where basic is the name of the game! But I was at work the other day, and got to talking about salad dressings. It turned out that nobody there had ever made their own home made salad dressing! Not even the oil and vinegar variety. I drove home determined to change the world -- one pre-made dressing user at a time. Don’t get me wrong, there are some fantastic commercial salad dressings with a recipe for success. But if we are championing the “fresh is best” movement, then why not make your own? Home-made salad dressings are so quick and easy, and a lot better for our health. I don’t know anyone who... Keep Reading
