Sunday dinner with my family – sharing recipes, stories & special moments
I love a good pasta salad and this one is not only delicious, it’s easy to make. The first time I made this was for a family Sunday dinner. If you follow my blog, you will know I only cook gluten free on Sundays so my biggest dilemma in making this salad was finding good…
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I came across this delicious Spring salad recipe in the October ’21 edition of a Coles magazine. It’s a nice change to the standard potato salad. You can easily switch it up by replacing the radish with soft-boiled eggs, which makes it a delicious lunch or light dinner. What you need 1kg kipler or baby…
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This Spring Green Salad with Peas and Broad Beans not only looks like Spring, it also has the aroma, flavours and crispness of a Spring morning. It’s a light, fresh, tasty salad that goes perfectly with fish, chicken or meat. The hero of this salad for me, are the homegrown broad beans that I lovingIy…
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Nothing screams summer louder than Caprese salad. The sweetness of sun ripened juicy tomatoes is enhanced by the aromatic basil and creaminess of the burrata mozzarella. This is such a simple salad and, it’s that simplicity, that makes it so delicious. This traditional Italian summer salad originates from the Isle of Capri in the Gulf…
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It’s been such a long time since my last post and the more I thought about getting back into it, the harder it seemed. But, thanks to the encouragement from loyal followers, here I am again. This would have to be one of the easiest and most delicious summer salads I have made. I discovered…
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This Cypriot Grain Salad by Hellenic Republic is really delicious and definitely healthy. As I do with most dishes, I’ve tweaked the recipe just a little by adding wild (black) rice for extra goodness, and the zest and juice of one orange for some extra zing! Oh…and this version is gluten free, making it lighter on…
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What do you do when you stagger in the door on a Friday night after a long week and can’t work out what to have for dinner because all you have in your fridge are some eggs and leftover pieces of vegetables and salad? I’d say most people would order takeaway. Personally, I prefer to…
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Hi Reader I’m sure you’ve noticed that I’m not posting as frequently as I used to, so I thought I might explain why. It’s quite simple really – not enough time 😦 Six months ago I took on new employment (unrelated to food, unfortunately) which has kept me extremely busy and left very little time to…
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This is a question I often get asked when I talk to friends about our Sunday family dinners. Well, the answer is YES! My family all come together every Sunday for dinner, unless there is a clashing event, and I cook a variety of wholesome food for us all to enjoy. I always try to…
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Who would have thought that brussels sprouts could become a family favourite? Like many people, brussels sprouts have not been a vegetable that I would seek out intentionally, that is, until I discovered the way they taste when they are baked. Baking, rather than boiling brussels sprouts (which is how I was taught to cook them),…
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I made these Polenta and Mushroom Bites as a pre-dinner snack last Sunday using some beautiful pine mushrooms I found at my green grocer. Pine mushrooms are very delicious, but hard to get and, at $24kg, I almost had to mortgage my house to buy them. I must say though, they were worth every dollar!…
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A while back, I posted my recipe for my GREEK YEMISTA (or stuffed capsicums & tomatoes) which is a delicious vegetarian dish with fresh fragrant herbs, pinenuts and tiny sweet currents. Now I have another version to share with you. This is one my mum used to make that I loved as a child. Yemista was a…
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What’s not to love about these Sweet Potato and Quinoa Cups! They are sweet and savoury, soft and crispy, all at the same time. The flavour and texture combination makes these savoury cups very delicious and the ingredients make them a really healthy snack, hot or cold 🙂 I especially love the creamy tangy flavour of …
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Since I posted my FALFEL recipe, I’ve been looking for a great tabbouleh recipe to make for our Sunday family dinner, but found most I came across used bulgar wheat. Now, if you follow my blog, you will probably know that Sunday dinner at our place is usually a gluten free meal and, if you’re…
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Chicken Caesar Salad would have to be one of my all-time favourite salads. It has everything I need and want for a delicious hearty lunch or light healthy dinner when I’m not so hungry. Although it’s a little more work, I make my own croutons and dressing from scratch because it makes all the difference…
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Summer berries make the most delicious smoothies. I love the combination of raspberries, blueberries and blackberries any time of the day, but especially after a pilates workout when my body is screaming for something refreshing and nutritious and this Berry Nutty Smoothie does it for me! I know you’ll love this smoothie because, not only…
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If you read my last post, then you’ll know this is the Summer Fruit Salad that I promised to share with you. It’s topped with Greek yoghurt, a sprinkling of toasted muesli and a drizzle of honey. It’s so simple it’s almost embarrassing, but if you’re after something refreshing, delicious and very nutritious, then this is…
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Also known as Tomatoes & Capsicums Stuffed with Rice & Herbs Yemista is one of the most traditional of Greek dishes made all over Greece, but there are many variations depending on the region. This version is one of my favourites.To me, Yemista is summer on a plate! The vibrant colours of the vegetables drizzled with a little extra virgin…
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Well hello, Thanks for visiting! If you’re a mum who’s looking for a healthy snack to add to your child’s lunchbox, then you MUST try these delicious muffins. They have just enough feta to add a little saltiness and the pinenuts add a delicious nutty flavour, making them a great way to get kids to…
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This is one of my ‘go to’ dishes when I need to cook a hearty meal but don’t want to spend hours in the kitchen. I can have this dish on the table in 15 minutes from start to finish. Although it’s not made the traditional way, my version of spaghetti and meatballs is just…
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If you are looking for a simple but very fresh and delicious salad, this is it! The star ingredient in this salad is fennel, a crunchy, slightly sweet vegetable that adds a refreshing taste to any dish. Fennel’s aromatic taste is often described as reminiscent of liquorice and anise. Fennel is an excellent source of vitamin…
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What do you cook for dinner on a warm Spring night that doesn’t require slaving over a hot stove? PENNE WITH ASPARAGUS, PANCETTA & CHERRY TOMATOES – what else! If you’re like me and you want to provide a great tasting healthy dinner for your family, but don’t want to spend hours in the kitchen…
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Hello again, Recently I shared a post with you about a wonderful dinner I had with my son Anthony. It was one of those special moments that I got to spend one-on-one time with one of my boys. “Gee, it must be great now that your 3 boys have all grown up and are independent.…
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Hi Reader, Here is another asparagus recipe as part of my Spring series that I know you and your family will enjoy. This is a ‘no brainer’ dish to make during the working week when you come home after a long day at work and need to cook something quick and easy for dinner. This…
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I came up with this dish recently quite by accident and I loved it so much that I decided to share it with you as part of my series of asparagus dishes. But, there is a story behind this dish. It was last Friday when I had gone shopping to pick up a few things,…
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You don’t need to do very much to asparagus to make it any more delicious than it already is. Simply lightly grilling it on the BBQ or baking it, then drizzle over a really really good extra virgin olive oil and aged balsamic vinegar and sprinkle a little sea salt, brings out the unique earthy…
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After what seems to have been one of the longest and coldest winters, it’s such a relief to see evidence of what looks like spring. Birds are once again singing, rose gardens are blooming and, best of all, my greengrocer has started stocking fresh spring vegetables -YES! Now don’t get me wrong, I love winter…
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Hi Reader With heart disease on the rise, I thought I’d share some good heart health information with you today. Did you know the Australian Heart Foundation recommends that people should eat fish and seafood 2-3 times per week to maintain good heart health? How often do you eat fish and do you have a…
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Not only are mussels delicious, they are inexpensive and sustainable and, most importantly, they are very good for you. The vitamins and minerals contained in mussels help to boost your immune system, your brain function and overall wellbeing. Farming methods for mussels have very little impact on surrounding ecosystems – which is great news for…
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For years, I would discard the stalks from leafy greens such as silverbeet, spinach, chicory, broccoli and even parsley, until I saw my mum use the stalks of spinach to make a simple but very delicious salad. My mum would cut off the spinach leaves and use them to make ‘spanakopita’ (a Greek spinach and…
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Growing up, coleslaw was never a favourite of mine. I found the traditional way of making coleslaw using only cabbage and carrots was boring so, over the years, I’ve experimented by adding other ingredients including sweetcorn, capsicum, spring onion and apple, which lifts the flavour to a whole new level. No matter which way you…
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Storing and using fresh food correctly is important for your health and your wallet. Most fresh foods have a short shelf life and by not storing correctly you risk it being spoilt by bacteria and having to throw it out. Minced meat is one of those foods I’ve always worried about buying pre-minced and storing,…
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With Winter behind us, I”m thinking about the great vegetables that will soon be in season and all the dishes I will be able cook for Sunday dinner. A summer vegetable that is always a family favourite are green beans, which is great because green beans are a rich source of vitamins A, C, and…
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Home made tomato sauce is great to make and have in the fridge or freezer ready to use for a multitude of dishes. It’s particularly good with spaghetti – a dish that Pedro loves to eat (with his hands)! Just boil spaghetti according the instructions on the pack. Once cooked, strain and add to warm…
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You haven’t had a great Greek salad until you’ve eaten a Greek salad in Greece. And you haven’t had an amazing Greek salad until you eaten one made from tomatoes, cucumbers and peppers grown in the garden of a house in a village in Greece. Once you eaten a tomato in Greece (or Italy for…
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Picture this…You’re sitting on the balcony of a funky seaside cafe on a perfect summer’s day on the Greek island of Lefkada. The sky is the bluest of blues, the water below is an array of spectacular shades of blue and the seashore is a milky white. Instead of sand, beautiful white pebbles of varying…
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Brussel sprouts have become a new favourite for my family which is great, because it’s one of those vegetables that have many health benefits (like cabbage), but are hated by most people – including me. That is until recently, when I saw them at my green grocer.
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A healthy lunch does not have to be difficult to make or expensive, but it must taste great, so here’s what it could look like! A crisp green salad made with fresh lettuce, baby rainbow silverbeet leaves, rocket and mint (picked from my vegie garden) dressed simply with a little sea salt, extra virgin olive…
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Most people go out to a café to have poached eggs for Sunday breakfast because they think it’s the hardest thing to cook but, actually, it’s not as long as you know one very important secret – the eggs MUST be very fresh and preferably organic or free range. You can tell if your eggs are fresh…
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Hate it or love it, the fact is that cabbage is a vegetable everyone should eat to stay healthy! Cabbage is one of the few vegetables that I hated as a kid, but have learned to love as an adult. I’m not sure why I didn’t like it, but it may have something to do…
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Silverbeet (or chard) like many leafy green vegetables, is rich in an array of minerals and vitamins essential for good health for all ages. Silverbeet comes in a green and rainbow variety and has a slightly bitter flavour. It’s very a versatile vegetable and popular in Mediterranean cooking. It can be used in salads, pies, soups, risotto or casseroles.…
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You haven’t had a great Greek salad until you’ve eaten a Greek salad in Greece. And you haven’t had an amazing Greek salad until you eaten one made from tomatoes grown in the garden of a house in a village in Greece. Once you eaten a tomato in Greece (or Italy for that matter) you…
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Meatballs and Muffins 