What's this? Where am I? Oh that's right, I once had a blog that used to post photos of food.... and yeah mostly just food on.

Well it has been an incredibly long time between posts but I am back with... *pause for drum roll*... SUPER EASY KALE CHIPS!

Yes kale chips, the darling snack of vegans, health nuts and hipsters everywhere which give you the perfect crunchy sound effect to slightly annoy everyone else in the movie/lecture/library/other generic quiet location, while at the same time being packed full of flavour, iron and fibre!

Did I mention they are super low in fat? No? Surprise! Yay for health benefits!

Now there are literally (not literally) a bazillion different recipes out there for kale chips, so I thought I would stick with the quickest and super easiest (title reference check) version you can whip up with very little forethought. You can literally walk in the door after a day at work and be munching on these babies in less than 20 minutes!

Annnnddddddd here's how:

Ingredients:

 

A bunch of fresh kale
3 tbsp olive oil (or coconut or whatever type you like!)
Large pinch each of sea salt and ground black pepper
1/4 tsp cayenne pepper (or more if you like fire in your mouth)
1/2 tsp each of ground turmeric and paprika
2 tsp ground cumin

**You can really use whatever spices you like and/or have on hand, I just happen to like this combo!
 
  
Wash your kale leaves and dry well. Strip the leaves from the stalks and spread out over a couple of baking trays lined with baking paper, making sure they are in a single layer and not overlapping to much.

Pour the oil evenly over the leaves and use your hands to rub it in, making sure the leaves are well covered. In a small bowl combine the remaining ingredients and then rub this spice mix into the leaves. 

Bake at 150 degrees Celsius for about 15 minutes or until the leaves are crispy and smell aromatic but haven't started to brown. 

Remove, allow to cool to a temperature accommodating to the human tongue and enjoy!

  

 

 

Confession time.

I love nuts almost as much as a terrible pun.

Delicious, earthy flavours. Great pre-workout snack. Technically a fruit. What's not to love?!

If, like me, you have a perchant for these nutritious nibbles, there is a fair chance you will also be head over heels for its entree offspring: Dukkah

Not familiar with it? Essentially dukkah is a mix of ground nuts and spices which can be served with bread, balsamic vinegar and olive oil as part of a dipping platter. Dunking the bread in the oils first and then the dukkah means the nut mix sticks to the bread and provides you additional flavours and crunch with every mouthful. Yum!

Or you can buck convention like my Nanna and use the mix as a crusting for roast meats or simply sprinkled over roasted vegetables. Each to their own!

 

Everybody seems to have their own version of dukkah, with the type of nuts and spices used varying across rationality and depending on availability. This recipe happens to be one that I have used over the last couple of years and I could still eat it by the bucket load!

Give it a shot and you won't regret it!


Unless your allergic to nuts...
Then there may be a mild dissatisfaction accompanied by anaphylactic shock...   

Basic Spicy Dukkah

3 cups hazelnuts
2 cups sesame seeds
5 tbsp coriander seeds
5 tbsp cumin seeds
4 tsp ground black pepper
3 tsp sea salt flakes



Preheat oven to 180 degrees (C) and spread the hazelnuts evenly over a baking tray. Bake in the hot oven for 5-6 minutes or until lightly roasted  (you should be able to smell them when they're ready!)

Remove the nuts from the oven and allow to cool slightly before placing in a tea towel and rubbing the nuts to remove their skins. Set the nuts aside and throw away the skins.

Place the sesame, cumin and coriander seeds in a fry pan along with the black pepper and cook over a low heat for 2-3 minutes or until lightly toasted and aromatic.

Combine the nuts, seed mix and salt in a food processor and blitz until it reaches the desired texture. I like to keep a couple of chunkier nut pieces in mine but you don't want them so big they won't stick to your dipping bread!

You could kick it old school and use a mortar and pestle for this step but in all honesty I am generally too lazy for such shenanigans...

And that's all there is to it!

Bottle your mixture up and give it to friends and family to earn their undying admiration or whip it out the next time your having some nibbles and wine... or sneak into the cupboard and eat a few spoons of it by itself....

No judgement!




And just for the heck of it, since we are talking about nuts, have a squirrel to brighten up your day!

xxoo

It's a DIY Christmas!

 

There really is something special about fresh fruit in summertime.

Whether its bright red cherries a top a pavlova or the sweet flesh of a mango making faces and hands sticky - everything just looks, smells and tastes more alive!

As I've mentioned previously, I love to give my family homemade food gifts at Christmas time, and in Australia this means fresh summer fruits are in abundance! Heaven!

When scouring the Internet looking for inspiration I happened to come across this recipe from In Sonnet's Kitchen and as a lover of zesty citruses I simply couldn't pass it by.  

I made a couple of adjustments from the original recipes and now, making their Christmas debut, little jars of this delicious Citrus Sea Salt will be taking pride of place in my families' gift hampers, ready to season whatever meats or vegetables they desire in the new year.

 

 Citrus Sea Salt

3 cups Sea Salt 
2 lemons, zested
3 oranges, zested


Preheat oven to 110 degrees C

Combine all of the ingredients in a bowl and mix to combine. Spread the mixture evenly over a baking tray and bake for 2 hours to dry it out, stirring halfway through.

Allow the salt to cool completely and then pour into individual jars.   

Voila! The perfect gift done and dusted!