Jasmyne Tea

Grilled Peach & Haloumi Salad

Admittedly, a lot of the recipes we post on this blog are calorific and unhealthy. Recipes that spring to mind include the Peanut Butter and Chocolate Layer Cake, Banoffee Pie, or the infamous Blumenburger, which we paired up with truffle-oil and parmesan chips a la Charlie & Co. Recipes like these give people we know the impression that we eat like that all the time; so when they see us at work eating salads or sandwiches they constantly ask if we're dieting. This really gives me the irrits, because Stephen and I actually eat pretty healthily; we fully acknowledge that most of these recipes are for making on special occasions, and we actually rarely make the same thing twice.

Normally we feel that the healthy things we eat are too boring or unappealing for this blog, but when we made this Grilled Peach and Haloumi Salad that we found on Scandi Foodie, we knew that this recipe was sure to be a hit. I love Scandi Foodie's site - the recipes are healthy and wholesome, and the photography is clean and crisp. This salad was perfect for us, as we had haloumi that we had no idea what to do with, and peaches that were slightly unripe. The recipe turned these two ingredients into gold: the peaches were rendered juicy and delicious with grilling, and the flavour and crispy texture of the haloumi cheese went smashingly. The original recipe called for lemon thyme, which we didn't have on hand, so we drizzled a macadamia oil infused with lemon myrtle and it worked a treat.

Grilled Peach and Haloumi Salad
Adapted from Scandi Foodie

INGREDIENTS

2 peaches, stones removed and cut into slices

1 tbsp olive oil

200g haloumi cheese, cut into slices

handful of rocket

2 tbsp lemon myrtle infused macadamia oil

2 tbsp balsamic vinegar

3 tbsp pine nuts, toasted

1. Brush the peach slices with olive oil and place on a grill pan on a high heat. Cook on each side for 2 minutes, then take peaches off the pan. Replace with haloumi, and cook on each side until golden brown and soft in the middle.

2. Place the rocket on plates, then arrange the haloumi and peaches on top. Scatter the pine nuts over the salad, then drizzle with macadamia oil and balsamic. Serves 2.

Raw Food at Au Lac, Fountain Valley, California, USA

When Stephen and I were in the States, the phrase "Oh god, we're going to die!!!" passed my lips more than once. Now, there was no bomb threat or massive fire, and we weren't victims of a mugging - it was just that Stephen was driving on the opposite side of the road.

Don't get me wrong, Stephen's an excellent and skillful driver in Australia, but I was incredibly nervous when he drove us to Au Lac in Fountain Valley, about half an hour from where we were staying in Irvine. He had to navigate his way down the 405 highway, a highway that was at times about 10 lanes wide, with practically invisible lines marked and no "lane ends" signs. It was a nightmare. Add the fact that Stephen's brain kept trying to compensate for the reversed driver's seat position by making him veer dangerously to the right, and I was a mess by the time we pulled in to the parking lot at Au Lac.

Opening hours: The number 33 is a master number in the practise of Numerology, representing universal and unconditional love.

The ride from hell was swept from my mind, however, by the soothing and calming atmosphere of the restaurant. The staff were welcoming and seemed genuinely happy to see us (and even happier to have overseas guests), and the soothing, meditative music was interspersed by laughing tracks that just made us smile.

We looked at drinks to order, but we had some questions (there were a lot of elixers, and we wanted to know how they were supposed to benefit us). The waitress told us what she could, but then when we went more in depth (Stephen knows a fair bit about the human body due to his studies), she brought out Chef Ito to explain. Now, this was quite the experience, because Chef Ito is in the midst of a 6 year vow of silence; he was incredibly expressive though, and using his facial expressions and hand gestures, was able to communicate with us effectively.


Noni Kombucha - US$5.00
 
We ordered the Kombucha tea, which we were told is good for digestion. It's a bubbly tea drink that's fermented with yeast and bacteria, and flavoured with Noni (also known as "cheese fruit" or "vomit fruit", lol), a hawaiian fruit known for its bitter flavour and strong odour.

Brazil NutMilk - US$7.00

The Brazil NutMilk was thick and filling, and the subtle nutty flavour was a treat.

There are two seperate kitchens here, one for their cooked, vegetarian menu, and one for their raw or "living" food. The food in the second kitchen is vegan, and nothing in the kitchen had been heated above 40 degrees Celsius, in the belief that food cooked above this temperature can be harmful to the body.

Chimichurri - US$5.00

This bread is made with sprouted flax, and is dehydrated, resulting in a loaf of dense, moist, chewy, and completely raw bread. It's served with a garlic and herb oil, and is filling and delicious.

Fried Chicks - US$14.00

Of course, if you've ever had chicken before, you know straight away that this isn't chicken, but I think it's an excellent substitute. The cauliflower was dehydrated until it was super crunchy, and drizzled with oil, ginger and spring onion. The "rice" wasn't actually rice; I'm pretty sure our server said it was jicama or Mexican turnip.


Jino's Pizza - US$12.00

The pizza base was made much like the chimichurri bread, spread with sundried tomato, and covered in raw tomato, basil and "melted mozzarella"- not quite sure what the substitution was, but it was creamy and tasted much like cream cheese.

Donut Holes - US$7.00

I couldn't believe this was raw. The donut holes were made with spirulina, a type of salt water algae known for its health benefits. They came out warm, and were firm on the outside and deliciously gooey on the inside. The taste wasn't familiar, but it was earthy and slightly sweet, a great way to finish our meal.

Au Lac was one of my favourite experiences of my time in California. The food was something special (and good for me!), the people were amazingly friendly and lovely, and the atmosphere left me feeling energised and awesome, and definitely helped me unwind after our frazzled journey there. The chef even came out to say goodbye to us! If you're ever in the area, I really suggest a visit - unless you're a hardcore carnivore, you won't regret it.

Au Lac Restaurant

16563 Brookhurst St

Fountain Valley, CA

92708

USA

http://www.aulac.com

Green Gourmet, Newtown

Mock meat is something that used to squick me out a bit. I had never tasted it or even seen it before, but in my opinion, meat was meat and there was no WAY any susbstitute would be as good.

Well, I've become a little more open-minded since then, and when Stephen and I were invited to lunch with one of our vegetarian friends, we thought we'd try a vegetarian restaurant. While looking one up, I had a gander at the website of Green Gourmet in Newtown, and was instantly intrigued.

On top of not selling meat or animal-based products, Green Gourmet also doesn't serve dishes with onion or garlic, stating that "In "Vegetarian Recipies", five spicy scented vegetables are not used. They are onions, garlic, leek, spring-onions and chives. These pungent vegetables contain five different kinds of enzymes and when eaten, will not only induce offensive reactions physically and mindfully but also spiritually, as they have harmful dissipating effect upon the primeval breath of the five organs. Namely: - the lungs, the heart, the spleen, the kidneys and the liver."


Young Coconut & Fresh Mint Drink - $4.50

With this in mind, I thought I'd start with a cleansing, refreshing coconut drink. The drink was very mild, with not much coconut flavour at all, and the mint was also not as strong as I expected, but there was a hint; It was tasty and easy to drink.

Crispy Beijing Duck Wrap - $15.20

We were very excited to try these wraps, because we love duck with hoi sin, and we wanted to see what a vegan version would be like. We were pretty much astounded: the beijing style pancake, pickled cucumber and carrot, and hoi sin sauce were all pretty much the same accoutrements as the meaty version, but the "duck" was something else. Made of soy protein, it didn't really look or smell like duck, but when the whole thing was assembled and I took a bite, it was almost like the real thing. The crunch of the "skin" was there, the flavours of the sweet hoi sin and tart pickled vegetables contributed to the taste, and the pancake was light and paper thin (of course, if you've ever had a duck wrap, I don't think soy protein could measure up).

Spring Roll - $3.60

The spring rolls were a good size, and the pastry was more substantial than I'm used to. I found out later it was made of wheat. It was filled with crunchy carrot and bamboo shoot, cabbage, mushroom and celery, and served with a house-made sweet and sour sauce.

Steamed BBQ Not Pork Bun - $3.60

Stephen absolutely loves BBQ pork buns, so we decided to give this a go. The bun was made with wheat flour and filled with wheat protein that was marinated in hoi sin sauce and water chestnuts. The taste was quite accurate, and the buns even looked the same:

Sweet and Sour Taro Fritters - $15.80

Our friend Cassie chose this dish. The taro fritters, a substitute for pork, were fried til crisp on the outside and soft and fluffy on the inside, and were served with pineapple, tomato, capsicum and carrot. The whole lot was coated in their housemade sweet and sour sauce.

Better Than Salt and Pepper Calimari - $16.80

Made from kelp and yam extract, the "calimari" was AMAZING. While the strips didn't curl up like real squid does, they had the same slight bite that calimari does, and the outer coating was beautifully crisp and seasoned with salt and pepper.

Eating at Green Gourmet was a hell of an experience, and it's a place I would definitely take a vegan or vegetarian friend. They take vegan cuisine seriously, and it shows in the care and presentation of their dishes. Go and sample their a la carte menu, try the yum cha on weekends, or go in for a quick lunch where you pay by weight of your dish.

Green Gourmet

115 - 117 King St
Newtown, NSW
2042

Phone: 02 9519 5330

http://www.greengourmet.com.au

Old Faithful - Pumpkin Soup

There is nothing quite so overdone as pumpkin soup. No matter what new spices you add, new ways of cooking it or even different varieties of pumpkin, it's still pumpkin soup and it will always be pumpkin soup.

But you know what? Sometimes a bowl full of the familiar is just what I need when I'm feeling poorly or just want something quick and cheap for dinner. Here is my humble offering; it's creamy, smooth and peppery, and I offer it in case you don't have your own version:

Pumpkin Soup

INGREDIENTS

Approximately a kilo of pumpkin, peeled and cut into 4 cm cubes
500 mL chicken stock
1 cup thickened cream
1 teaspoon ground nutmeg
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
salt and pepper to taste

    1. Boil the pumpkin in water for 5 - 10 minutes or until soft. Remove from the heat, drain and set to cool until able to touch.

    2. In a large saucepan, bring the stock to a simmer over medium heat. Puree the pumpkin and add to the stock, stirring occasionally. Slowly bring the mixture to boil (over about 5 minutes). Allow to boil for a couple of minutes.

    3. Stir in the cream, then take off the heat and and the nutmeg and cinnamon. Add salt and pepper to taste before serving (I added a LOT of pepper for a bit of a zing that contrasts with the creaminess). Serves 4.

If you want this soup to be extra smooth, give it another blitz with a stick blender, and if you want to serve it in the pumpkin shell, just hollow it out, leaving at least 1 inch of flesh and being careful not to puncture it!

I <3 Surry Hills - Yullis Bar & Maloneys Grocer

The Surry Hills Festival 2011

One thing I love about street festivals is that they can showcase the very best of a suburb all in one location. Roxy and I took advantage of that yesterday when we visited Surry Hills for the Surry Hills Festival 2011.

The Festival is held annually as a fundraiser for the Surry Hills Neighborhood Centre, and this year was held at two parks, Shannon Reserve on Crown St and Ward Park on Devonshire St. Just a short walk away from Central Station, we decided this was a good time to explore a suburb we have always wanted to see. We gave a gold coin donation for entry to the venues, then set about having a look at what the Festival had to offer.

There were a fair amount of food stalls, selling French crepes, German sausages, Himalayan cuisine and more. People would pay for their food, find a particularly comfortable patch of grass, and sit down to watch the various musical acts being performed on the stages. The whole thing had the air of one giant picnic, and the atmosphere was very relaxed and friendly.

There were also many other stalls, mostly selling hand-made or designer clothing, jewellery and accessories.

The New Zealand Snack Food stall caught my eye, and we rushed over to see if they had anything that I was familiar with. My mum used to tell me stories about how she'd steal change from her mother's purse so that she could buy lollies and chocolate as a child, and so I bought a few items to surprise her with:

Cadbury Pinky - $2.10
Moro - $2.10
Whittakers K Bar - 50c

When I mentioned that my mum was Maori, he asked me if she ever talked about Kina (sea urchin). He then gave me a flier with their address in Banksia, informing me that they stock Kina, Paua (abalone), beef from New Zealand, and that they lay Hangis as well (traditional method of cooking).

Outside the library on Crown St, we encountered the Hot Potato! Band playing the Mission Impossible theme song on brass and percussion. It was lively and fun, and they interrupted their songs occasionally to play 'Twinkle Twinkle Little Star' to a small child, or a round of 'Happy Birthday' to a little girl who they let play the snare drum. The band definitely gave the festival a more lively feel!

Yullis Bar

We stopped for lunch at a vegetarian restaurant on Crown St called Yullis, a first for me. Normally vegetarian restaurants are of the Indian persuasion or are very upmarket, but the menu seemed to be Modern Australian, in that it had elements of Asian, European, Mediterranean and Middle Eastern cuisines, and also seemed very unpretentious.

Cacti in Eskis on the roof!

Narrow courtyard - look at that sky!

We walked through the dark interior of the restaurant to a courtyard at the back. The tables were made out of recycled materials, and fake grass covered the floor and part of the walls. We were given our menus (including a rather extensive beer and wine list), and then unfortunately we were abandoned as the multitude of other people were served. Roxy started waving as if she were a flight attendant showing us the exits, and finally we had our orders taken. Our waiter did apologise most charmingly, and so it was very easy to forgive, especially once the food came out.

Water out of long neck bottles :)

Salt and Pepper Tofu - $15.50

The salt and pepper tofu was brought out first, accompanied by a green papaya salad. The tofu was firm yet gorgeously fluffy on the inside, but was deep fried, so the outside was wonderful and crisp. The seasoning was very light though - just a tad more pepper and it would have been perfect for me. The green papaya salad seemed like it came straight out of Thailand - a chilled, refreshing mix of shredded green papaya and carrot, cherry tomatoes, green beans, garlic, crushed peanut and a lime dressing, it really contrasted well with the warm, fried tofu.

Pear and Orange Salad - $13.50

The salad was a delicious combination of fruits such as orange, pear, tomato and avocado, and vegetables like lettuce, onion and cucumber, all dressed in a sweet cranberry sauce.

Panfried Pumpkin Polenta - $16.50

This was my favourite dish - a thick wedge of pumpkin polenta, panfried and served with a green mango salsa. The polenta was thick, warm and comforting, whilst the salsa was cool and fresh. The salsa was meant to have green mango in it, but I could have sworn there were apple pieces instead. Along with onion, lime, lemongrass and chili, it worked really well with the polenta.

 

 Maloneys Grocer

It really seems like stores and restaurants in Surry Hills don't like using apostrophes in their names, i.e. bills, Yullis and Maloneys Grocer. We stopped by when I saw an intriguing display of fresh-cut fruit for sale that we simply just don't get in Liverpool, so we decided to check it out.

Roxy immediately went to the muesli section of the store and asked for these two items, which include chocolate, for Easter (email me if you'd like to donate some muesli for the poor woman ;) ).

The bread display was quite impressive, with loaves and buns from Sonoma bakery and Dovedale Bread. I also got very excited over the artisan vinegars they had for sale, including one from the Tetsuya's brand!

There was a huge range of cheeses, from goats cheese to brie, some marinated and some paired with fruit. Also a large range of ice cream, including Ben and Jerry's and Maggie Beer brands.

There was also a gourmet deli section, serving everything from sandwiches to rustic-looking pies and sausage rolls, and even cannelloni!

Finally, the fresh fruit and vegetables are bought three times a week from Sydney Markets. Look at how neatly the vegetables are laid out! Magic. I wish we had grocery stores like this is Liverpool.

The haul...

I ended up buying two bagels ($1.70 each), which were delicious and WAY better than what I could have bought at Woolies'. Also, I found strawberry and raspberry jam, panko breadcrumbs, Mulberry Tree muesli, and orange blossom water, all things that I have problems finding in my area.

Surry Hills is a pretty wonderful place, and it's nice to go somewhere with a completely different atmosphere for a bit of a change. The people are much more relaxed, they're friendlier and they walk slower than they do here - also, I would say most of them are young and hip. I know I'll be a frequent visitor in the future.

Surry Hills Neighborhood Centre

http://www.shnc.org/festival/

Yullis Bar

417 Crown St
Surry Hills, NSW
2010

Phone: (02) 9319 6609

http://yullis.com.au/

Maloneys Grocery

Shop 4, 490 Crown St
Surry Hills, NSW
2010

Phone: (02) 9331 3811

http://www.maloneysgrocer.com.au/

Carrot and Coriander Soup

This delicious soup came about as an attempt to emulate the carrot and coriander soup I had once at Grub and Tucker in Newtown, and I was lucky enough to get it right on my first try (at least, according to my taste buds). The quantity of carrots gives the soup some body and substance; the vegetable stock lends an extra dimension to the flavour of the carrots, making it much richer, and the coriander gives the entire dish a kick of freshness.

It also has the extra advantage of being really easy to make, and very cheap as well - With a bit of sourdough bread it could feed 4 people, and the ingredients cost me about $8.00 (not including stock, which I already had).

Carrot and Corriander Soup

INGREDIENTS

6 large carrots (or 8-10 small carrots)

1 large brown onion, finely diced

small handful coriander

2 cups vegetable stock

2 cups water

salt and pepper, to taste

 

    1. Peel and halve the carrots, and chop into small semi-rounds. Heat some oil in a stockpot over high heat and add the diced onion. When translucent, add the carrot and cook for approximately 10 minutes until it starts to soften.

    2. Add the stock and water, cover and simmer over a low heat until carrot is soft, about 25 - 30 minutes. Using a stick blender, puree the mixture until smooth. Season with salt and pepper to taste, then add coriander and blend again.

Serve hot with a dollop of thickened cream, or, in this summer heat, chilled with sourdough. And, as always, enjoy it!