Monthly Archives: January 2017

Summer Soup!

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It’s been a bit cooler lately so we got back in the kitchen and used up some left over cauliflower, and made a fab summery soup that’s dairy-free and includes a veggie/vegan alternative. It’s also great for a lunch, main, or starter … what more could you want!

What you need

1 small knob butter or 2 teaspoons coconut oil, ½ regular onion chopped, 1 teaspoon crushed garlic, ½ cauliflower chopped into chunks, 2 small potatoes chopped, chicken (or veggie) stock, and ground black pepper to taste.

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Cauliflower soup with bacon and parmesan. Image by LFW

What you do

Place the butter, garlic and onion in a medium to large saucepan and sauté until the onion is soft. Add the cauliflower and potato, enough stock to cover, and a few grinds of black pepper. Bring to the boil and simmer until cooked and mash with a potato masher. Allow to cool then pour into a blender and blend until smooth. If it’s too thick at this point just add more stock, a tablespoon at a time, until you reach the right consistency. We served it with local organic bacon cooked until crispy and cut into small pieces, a sprinkle of shaved Parmesan, and a few bits of rocket. It’s also great with fresh crusty bread, or warm bread rolls. You can also freeze any leftovers.

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Cauliflower soup with sautéed mushrooms. 

You can make it veggie/vegan by substituting sautéed mushrooms for the bacon and using shaved vegan cheese. You can also get great GF buns by Pure Bred from Coles or Woolworths. And yes, I’m still waiting for Baker’s Delight to make a GF option.

Alice Sutton—a first Edition in Korea!

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By the LFW team.

K-pop. Gangnam style. Streetwear. Unique fashion that has influenced the world. It’s all happening in Korea and it won’t be long before one of Canberra’s award-winning fashion designers is immersed in the exciting and pervasive fashion scene happening in Seoul.

Alice Sutton, of local, independent label Edition, has won a place in the new Emerging Designer Exchange Program, which sees three Aussie fashion designers and three Korean fashion designers get together to share knowledge, skills and ideas and boost their brands. Alice flies to Seoul in March.

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Alice Sutton in her studio

The program, being run by Queensland University of Technology and Seoul National University, is designed to connect designers with fashion industry professionals, designers, artists and manufacturers in both countries.

Alice is over the moon at the opportunity. She’s the only Canberra designer on board and can’t wait to dive in to the extensive program, which will see the designers attend Seoul Fashion Week, Christian Dior’s flagship store in Seoul (all five stories), workshops in Brisbane and Sydney Fashion Week in May. “It’s about sharing knowledge, skills and ideas,” says Alice. “It’s fabulous to connect with other designers, including from other cultures, and see how it influences my future design work.”

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Edition revealed their latest collection ‘Reveal’ at FASHFEST 2016. Photo by Studio Vitae

Melanie Finger, a fashion lecturer at QUT, is working with the Australia–Korea Foundation on the two-year program. “The judges were impressed by Alice’s sustainable focus, her motivation, her design process, unique Australian style and more,” says Melanie. “The competition was tough with the quality of applications from across the country high.”

Melanie says the program is designed to help participants ‘fast track their brands immeasurably, on both a national and international scale’ and so Alice will connect with Korean and Australian fashion industry professionals, designers, artists and manufacturers. ”It’s such a unique opportunity to think about taking Edition to Korea,” says Alice, “and an amazing chance to build international business connections and export knowledge.”

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Photographer Lauren Campbell. Hair and Makeup Hayley Boyle. Model Hannah Arnold

It’s been a busy few months for Alice, who launched her latest collection, Reveal, at FASHFEST 2016. Shortly after the event, Melanie contacted FASHFEST organisers and asked them to promote the exchange program to designers. FASHFEST did, and Alice was one they contacted. Her application was a standout, says Melanie. Narrowed down to one of the top seven applicants from across Australia, Alice was next interviewed and then waited for the big decision. The rest is history.

Alice’s aesthetic is unique and carefully considered and her garments are highly wearable and transcend fast-fashion trends. We can’t wait to see how she incorporates her Korean inspiration into her next collection. The possibilities are endless for such a talented designer who does Canberra proud at every turn.

Edition designs are available at Assemblage Project in Braddon.

Seven Days of New Year—Day Seven!

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We really hope you’ve enjoyed our Seven Days of New Year as much as we’ve enjoyed compiling it and taste-testing the recipes, and today we’re finishing with one of our favourite mains, and serving it up with some tasty stir-fry Asian greens, and our crisp and crunchy Asian Slaw from Day Five.

If you liked Seven Days of New Year, check out our other recipes in LFW Eating Healthy, and LFW Food and Wine tabs. And don’t forget to Like us on Facebook and follow us on Instagram and Twitter. Enjoy!

Ginger Baked Salmon

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Ginger Baked Salmon 

What you need: 1 large fresh salmon fillet per person (skin on), ¼ cup sweet sake* (Japanese rice wine—optional), 2 tablespoons rice vinegar, 2 tablespoons light soy sauce, 2 teaspoons sesame oil, 1 tablespoon minced ginger, 2 tablespoons finely chopped green shallots (spring onions), and salt and ground pepper to taste.

What you do: Pre-heat the oven to 200 degrees Celsius. Line a baking tray with double foil so it overhangs the tray and will wrap the dish and place the salmon fillet(s) on the foil. In a bowl, mix together the sake, vinegar, soy sauce, ginger, sesame oil, and spring onion. Whisk until well combined, and pour over the fish. Wrap the overhanging foil lightly over the fish and place in the oven for 10 – 15 minutes depending on how well you like your salmon cooked. Remove the salmon from the tray, sprinkle with lightly ground salt and pepper to taste, and plate and serve immediately.

*If you are unable to find, or don’t want to use, sake, you can substitute a good quality sweet sherry.

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Stir-fry Asian greens with mushrooms

Tasty Asian greens include broccolini, snow peas, green beans, and choy sum, and a few sliced button mushrooms. Heat oil in frypan or wok until smoking then add 1 crushed garlic clove, 1 teaspoon minced ginger, and 1 finely chopped red chilli (optional). Toss well for 1 minute, then add the greens and mushrooms. Stir-fry for 3 to 4 minutes until just tender, then toss in ¼ cup oyster (or light fish) sauce and stir well. Sprinkle with a few peanuts or cashew nuts and serve immediately.

Seven Days of New Year—Day Six!

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Day 6! And if we’ve worked this out right, it’s also Saturday, so we’re splurging with Hot Dogs! Yes … Hot Dogs!  Way to go!

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Hot Dog with avocado, salad, and  crunchy bacon pieces

But hang on there … hot dogs? Well our hot dogs are healthy hot dogs. We’re using real meat GF sausages (not your horrible pink Frank things), GF or whole-grain hot dog buns, and some great toppings. And, we’re serving them with one (or two) of our great salads that we published earlier. So try one of our guilt-free hot dogs. Yummy! And the kids will love them too!

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Hot Dog with crispy, crunchy home-made coleslaw

Start out with good quality sausages and buns and add either, or a combination of, slaw, lettuce, tomatoes, cucumber, Asian pickle, avocado, salsa, Spanish (red) onion, and anything else that takes your fancy. Just remember to go carefully with cheese and dairy as they will boost your fat intake.

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Put the HOT in hot dog with spicy Asian pickles!

Seven Days of New Year—Day Five!

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The topic for today is salads! And we’ve got a couple of great healthy salad recipes that you can use for a light lunch or as a side salad with your main meal. And don’t forget our lovely Salade Verte recipe from yesterday.

First up is our super simple Beetroot Salad

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Beetroot and walnut salad

What you need: 1 large can whole baby beets or beetroot wedges, 1 large pack Mesclun* salad mix (or mix your own with a variety of salad leaves, baby spinach, and rocket), chopped walnuts, one medium piece low-fat Feta cheese, and white wine vinegar, Balsamic vinegar, and olive oil for dressing.

What you do: Drain and cut the whole beets into quarters, or large wedges in half. Rinse the salad leaves, shake well, and place in a bowl. Add beets, walnuts, and small pieces of Feta and toss. Pour 2 tablespoons of olive oil, and 1 tablespoon each of white wine vinegar and balsamic vinegar in a sealed jar and shake well (or whisk together in a large bowl). Pour over salad and toss gently. Serve immediately.

*Substitute a soft blue cheese if you prefer, although higher in fat it does add a bit of a kick (and colour) to the salad. Mesclun originated in Provence and is a mix of all small, young salad leaves, in, more or less, equal proportions.

And next … our crunchy and kick-ass Asian Slaw

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Kick-ass Asian Slaw!

What you need: 1/4 of green and red cabbage (that’s in total—not one quarter of each), 1 green apple, 1 carrot, 1 finely chopped red chilli, ¼ chopped mint, ¼ cup coriander, 1/3 cup roughly chopped peanuts or cashew nuts, and 1 tablespoon sesame seeds—nuts and seeds are optional.

Dressing: 2 teaspoons sesame oil, 2 tablespoons light soy or fish sauce, ¼ cup fresh lemon or lime juice, and 1 tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil.

What you do: Finely shred the cabbage, coarsely grate the carrot and place both in a large bowl. Thinly slice the apple and then cut each slice into thin matchsticks and add to the bowl. Then add the chilli, mint, coriander, nuts, and sesame seeds and toss lightly. Mix all the dressing ingredients together in a sealed jar and shake well. Pour over the slaw in the bowl and toss well. Serve immediately.

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Thai Crab cakes with corn salsa at 222 Silom

This salad is fantastic served with our Thai Fish Cakes (see recipe in Cooking Thai 101—Thai Fish Cakes).

Seven Days of New Year—Day Four!

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Day four and we’re over half-way there! Today we’re offering up a light lunch or dinner with a great recipe for an old favourite with a new twist—French stuffed eggs. So add a bit of je ne sais quoi to your healthy eating and go à la française. Ooh la la!

French Stuffed Eggs (serves 3 – 4)

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French stuffed eggs

What you need: 6 large eggs, 1 tablespoon good quality light mayonnaise, salt and pepper to taste, and fine chopped parsley to garnish. ½ cup finely chopped reduced-fat ham,1 tablespoon finely chopped green end of shallots (spring onion), 1 tablespoon finely chopped parsley, 1 teaspoon Dijon mustard, salt and freshly ground black pepper, 2 slices of bread (regular or GF), extra virgin cooking oil spray.

What you do: Place eggs in a single layer in a large saucepan. Cover with cold water and bring to the boil. When bubbling vigorously, cover, turn off the heat, and leave on the hotplate for 15 minutes. Run under cold water and cool. Shell eggs, cut in half, and scoop out the yolk into a bowl. Add the ham, shallots, parsley, mustard, and salt and pepper to taste, mix well and spoon back into egg whites. Place the bread in a food processor and pulse to coarse crumbs. Top each egg with the breadcrumbs and coat lightly with the cooking oil spray. Heat the grill and place the eggs on the baking paper. Grill for 1 minute until the breadcrumbs are brown and sprinkle with freshly ground black pepper. Serve immediately.

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Salade Verte (green salad)

Serve with a Salade Verte—the classic French mixed green leaf salad, to which we add cucumber, and thinly sliced fresh crisp pear and crunchy walnuts. All tossed in a light French dressing. Bon appetit!

Seven Days of New Year—Day Three!

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Pizza marinara is one the first pizzas made in Naples—the origin of the pizza as we know it … more or less—and consists solely of tomato, garlic, oregano, and olive oil. That’s right. No cheese. And, it’s vegetarian/vegan!

One of the main reasons that pizza is not considered a ‘healthy’ meal is that most people (and cafés) tend to smother it in cheese—there is even such a thing as ‘double cheese pizza’ where there is cheese on the bottom and the top! A true Italian pizza may not even include cheese and when it does, it’s never (ever) the bulk shredded cheddar. So let’s pretend we’re sitting at a little café in the piazza and go Italian!

With our various dietary requirements we always make our own pizza using GF bases.

 

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Pizza with tomato paste, onion, mushrooms, garlic, and olive oil, and shredded rocket.

Italian style Veggie Pizza

What you need: Salt-free tomato paste (for the base) and veggies. Yep, that’s it! Popular veggies include mushrooms, artichokes, sun-dried tomatoes, capsicum, Spanish (red) onion, and olives. If you like heat you can also include some finely chopped chilli or jalapeño.

What you do: Pre-heat fan-forced oven to 200 degrees Celsius. Spread the tomato paste over the base and add sliced veggies. Decorate with baby spinach leaves and rocket and bake for 10 – 12 minutes.

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Pizza with fresh tomato, mushrooms, onion and baby spinach, on home made GF base

Obviously, for the meat eater in your circle, you can also add chopped ham, chicken, salami, pepperoni, or any other chopped or shredded meat, or shellfish. And, if you really, really have to have cheese, place a few pieces of thinly sliced mozzarella (bocconcini) on the top before you place the spinach leaves and rocket.

Seven Days of New Year—Day Two!

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Today we’re bringing you a super easy stir-fry recipe. This is a lovely light meal that you can serve with quinoa, steamed rice or rice noodles. And, although you’re making the sauce from scratch—don’t be deterred. It’s really quite a simple recipe and is really yummy.

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Ginger garlic prawns with green beans

Ginger and garlic prawns with green beans (serves 4)

What you need

24 peeled Tiger prawns with tails (we just don’t like peeling them)

6 cloves garlic

8 button mushrooms (halved)

2 teaspoons finely grated fresh ginger

2 tablespoons light soy sauce

1 cup chicken stock (preferably home-made)

1 tablespoon corn flour

200 grams green beans* (topped and tailed)

Extra-virgin olive oil

What you do

Heat oil in frypan or wok and quickly fry the prawns until pink and just cooked and set aside. Steam or microwave the green beans until just tender (about 5 – 7 minutes) and add to the prawns. Stir fry the garlic and ginger in the oil (add more if necessary) for one minute—do not allow to burn. Mix the corn flour with the cold chicken stock and add the soy sauce, then pour into the pan with the garlic and ginger and stir until bubbling. Add the prawns and beans and cook until warmed through. Serve with quinoa, rice or noodles.

*You can substitute, or mix the green beans, with broccolini, bok choy, choy sum, or any other green Asian veggie.

Seven Days of New Year—Day One!

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OK—so now we’re all done with the festive celebrations and it’s time to get back to some good healthy eating—no dieting just simple healthy food. Over the next seven days we’re bringing you seven great recipes to start your new regime and get over the festive food binge, and, as well as the salads, fish, and greens, we’ve included healthy burgers, pizza, and hot dogs!  So you can still eat naughty, but nice.

We’re kicking off with a great recipe for yummy chicken and avocado burger. So let’s go!  And don’t forget you can also check us out on FB, Instagram, and Twitter.

Day 1: Healthy chicken and avocado burger—makes four burgers

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Chicken fillet burger

What you need: Four GF or whole-grain burger buns, one whole chicken fillet cut into four, one ripe avocado, lettuce, low-fat aioli or peri mayonnaise, and half small lemon.

What you do: Heat oven to 220 degrees celcius. Cover an oven tray with foil and bake the fillets for 10 minutes, then turn and bake a further 10 minutes. If they need a few more minutes, turn the oven off and check after five minutes. Split the buns and spread with either the aioli or mayo and add lettuce and chicken fillet. Sprinkle the sliced avocado with a little lemon juice and pop the rest of the bun on the top. Serve with a small green side salad and use low-fat dressing, or make your own with a little oil and lemon juice.

And it’s super easy to substitute the chicken for either a salmon or white fish fillet.

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Salmon burger

Fish fillet substitute: Follow the instructions for chicken and place skin side down on the foiled line tray and bake for 15 minutes. If they need a few more minutes cover the fillets with foil to stop them drying out, turn the oven off, and leave a further five minutes if necessary.