Coconut and Honey Granola Parfait

As we are in lock down in Sydney and it is a 5 day wait for grocery deliveries I had to come up with something to feed the family this morning. Luckily I had a few items in my cupboard to make this delicious granola which will now take care of breakfast for a few days, another win. Quick and easy. Enjoy!

Ingredients

3 cups rolled oats

1/2 cup pecan nuts

1/2 cup walnuts

1 cup toasted coconut chips

1/2 cup coconut oil

1/2 cup honey

2 tsp vanilla extract

1 cup Greek yoghurt

1 cup fresh blue berries

Method

Preheat the oven to 180 C. Put the vanilla, honey and coconut oil in a microwave safe dish. Heat on high for 15 seconds bursts until it combines properly when whisked. The oil and honey should not be split. I did 5 x 15 second bursts in my microwave. While that is going mix the oats, coconut chips and nuts in a bowl. Once the honey mixture is ready pour over the dry ingredients and mix well until everything is well coated. Spoon out onto a oven tray lined with baking paper, spreading it evenly and bake in the oven for 25 – 30 minutes stirring every 10 minutes. Once nice and toasted remove from oven and allow to cool before breaking into cluster. Serve with Greek yoghurt and fresh blue berries. The granola can also be eaten with milk. Enjoy!

Baked Avocado and Feta with Crackers

This is a great quick and easy vegetarian lunch. Baked avo is delicious and what happens to feta when baked like this is almost magic. It is so so yum! Enjoy

Ingredients

1 Avocado per person

1/3 cup coarsely crumbed feta per person

peri peri oil or dried chilli flakes

extra virgin olive oil

black pepper and salt to taste

Method

Preheat the oven to 180 degrees Celsius. Half the avocados and remove the pip. Fill the cavity with the crumbed feta. Drizzle with peri peri oil or sprinkle with chilli flakes. Then drizzle with some extra virgin olive oil (yes, even if you used peri peri oil), season with salt and pepper and bake in the oven for 12 – 15 minutes. Turn the oven temp up to 200 degrees Celsius, move to the top rack and grill for 2 – 3 minutes to crisp up nicely. Serve hot with your favourite crackers. Enjoy!

Ps. I buy the peri peri oil from the South African shops. It is ridiculously good. Mix it with mayo for a nice dipping sauce for your fries or drizzle over pumpkin soup. Yum Yum – https://thesouthafricanshop.com.au/products/spillers-peri-peri-oil

Lamb Chops with Roasted Balsamic Carrots, Crispy Peas and Hummus

What a great winter lunch. Low carb, so delicious. A bit of work yes, but completely worth it. Add a nice glass of red. Yum! Enjoy

Ingredients – Balsamic Carrots

2 bunches of baby carrots

3 garlic cloves, crushed

1 tbsp fresh thyme leaves

3 tbsp balsamic vinegar

3 tbsp olive oil

1 tsp sea salt flakes

1 tsp ground black pepper

flat leave parsley to serve

grated Parmesan cheese to serve

Method – Balsamic Carrots

Peel the carrots and remove the leaves leaving a bit at the top to give the carrots a beautiful rustic look. Add the carrots and other ingredients to a bowl or bag, mix well and allow to marinate for 1 – 2 hours. Preheat the oven to 200 degrees Celsius. Add carrots and all marinating juices to a roasting tray lined with foil and roast for 30 – 40 minutes or until fork tender and the carrots start to blister slightly. Once cooked serve on a platter with the parsley and grated Parmesan.

Ingredients – Crispy Peas

1 cup frozen peas

1 tbsp olive oil

1 tsp salt flakes

Method – Crispy Peas

Add the peas and 2 cups of water into a plastic microwave safe jug and microwave on high for 3 minutes. Remove from microwave, drain and place on roasting tray lined with baking paper. Drizzle with the oil and season with salt. Place in oven with the carrots and roast for roughly 15 – 20 minutes or until crispy. Pour onto a bowl with baking paper to soak up the excess oil and moisture.

Ingredients – Lamb Chops

6 – 8 lamb chops (roughly 2 – 3 per person)

sea salt flakes to season

1/2 cup hummus

Method – Lamb Chops

Heat the grill. Season the lamb chops with salt and grill until cooked to your preference. Add hummus to a plate and top with the lamb chops, crispy peas and balsamic carrot. So so delicious. Enjoy!

Halloumi, Couscous and Avo Salad

A beautiful display of golden and green goodies. What is not to like. Pleasing to eye and most definitely pleasing to the taste buds. All this with the beautiful flavours of lemon. Love it love it. My fridge is never without lemon or halloumi for that matter. Those two ingredients can pretty much be combined with anything to create a delicious salad. Enjoy this one. Its yum

Ingredients

1/2 cup pearl couscous

1 pinch saffron

5 baby cucumbers, thinly sliced

1 jalapeno or large green chilli, thinly sliced

small red onion, thinly sliced

juice of 1 lemon

1/3 cup fresh mint leaves

1 large avocado, sliced

1 block of halloumi, cut into thirds and halved length wise

1 cup Greek yoghurt

oil for frying

salt and pepper to taste

Method

Cook the pearl couscous as per packet instructions but add the saffron to the couscous while cooking. Once cooked through allow to cool. Make sure all the water/stock has been absorbed. Season the couscous with a bit of salt.

Mix half the lemon juice with the yoghurt and set aside. Add the cucumber, chilli, mint and onion to a bowl and mix together. Season with salt and pepper. Add the remaining lemon juice to the cooled down couscous and mix well. Mix the couscous through the cucumber salad. Arrange a good dollop of the yoghurt on a plate and top with the couscous cucumber salad and sliced avo.

Heat some oil in a frying pan and fry the halloumi turning over until golden on both sides and arrange ontop of the salad and yoghurt. Serve, eat and enjoy!

Green Chilli & Garlic Pasta

Quick easy and very flavourful. Sometimes less effort gives us more. This is a seemingly simple pasta but it delivers in taste and textures. Give it a go. Yum!

Ingredients

2 cups spaghetti pasta, cooked as per packet instructions

1 large green chilli, thinly sliced

2 cloves garlic thinly sliced

2 – 3 tbsp olive oil

grated Parmesan to serve

sea salt flakes

Method

Heat 1 tbsp of oil in a pan. Fry the chilli and garlic chips until the garlic is completely browned but not burnt. The chilli will become nice and crunchy too. Once the garlic has browned add the spaghetti and another tbsp of oil. Fry until well combined. Drizzle with a bit more olive oil, season with sea salt and serve hot with grated Parmesan cheese and done. Enjoy

Pork Belly Ribs with Pineapple Rice

This is so yummy. I just call it Hawaiian Paella. Very easy to make and the flavours are delicious. Enjoy!

Ingredients – Pork Belly Ribs

8 pork belly ribs

2 tbsp brown sugar

1 tsp garlic powder

1 tsp onion powder

1 tsp ground black pepper

1 tbsp smoked paprika

1 tsp mustard powder

1 tsp sea salt

Method

Mix all the ingredients together and rub over the pork belly ribs. Set aside and prep ingredients for the pineapple rice.

Ingredients – Pineapple Rice

1 small pineapple, skin and core removed and cut into cubes

1 red pepper, chopped

1 small red onion, chopped

1 garlic clove, chopped

2 cups cooked brown rice

1 tsp dried chilli flakes

salt and pepper to taste

1/2 cup chicken stock

1/2 cup frozen peas

fresh coriander to serve

Method

Heat some oil in a pan and add the onion, garlic, chilli flakes and red pepper. Fry until the onion is translucent and then add the pineapple. Fry until the pineapple starts to caramelise. Once done add the rice, season with salt and pepper to taste and fry for 3 – 5 minutes. Add the stock and peas and press the whole mixture flat in the pan but dont mush. Allow to cook on medium heat and catch on the bottom of the pan creating a socarrat. While this is going heat the grill and cook the pork belly ribs until cooked through. Serve with the delicious pineapple rice and fresh coriander. Enjoy!