Revisiting Old Favourites

   

It feels like forever since my food blogging days; always coming up with new recipes, testing, taking photos, creating. Nowadays my cooking is pretty limited and my mother-in-law is incredibly helpful creating beautiful Japanese meals for my husband and our daughter. So I mostly cook for myself (vegetarian meals) and on weekends often bake something as well. Here are a few of my favourite recipes, revisited. You can view the whole recipe index here.

I can't go past a good salad and these are some of my all time favourites

Rich Mineral Salad - amazing with buckwheat, papaya, spinach and fresh herbs. This salad is packed with flavour!

Skin Beauty Salad - full of good oils essential for your skin. I love how simple, yet nutritious this salad is.

Greenlicious Kale Salad - who doesn't love kale? Enough said, this salad is definitely in my top 5 of all time. The simple tahini dressing is to die for.

A few "heartier" meals

Earth Bowl - full or protein to keep you full for longer and I love the addition of pomegranate. Perfect for summer or winter!

Cauliflower curry - I'm normally not a curry-girl, but this is not too oily and it's super fresh.

Red lentil and sweet potato soup - a staple dish I make most weeks, especially in the cooler months.

Another lentil dish! Roasted cauliflower with lentils - perfect hearty meal for winter, I love this one.

The sugar-free coconut granola with almond milk makes a delicious breakfast.

And for a quick snack, these coconut balls are so so addictive. These are also so good to bring along for long trips, as they're packed with energy.

One of my recent favourites has been this banana bread. Works every time without a fail!

Spring is in full swing here in Sydney and we've had some beautiful, warm days. I cannot help, but crave for lighter meals like fresh salads and green smoothies. There are lots of fresh seasonal fruit available as well, making every meal a colourful feast!

The New Nordic Diet & IKEA

I am so excited to be teaming up with IKEA to promote the Nordic diet in Australia. Ever since I started this blog back in 2009, I have been doing my bit to help spread the word about the Scandinavian way of eating. Time and time again, I have mentioned the health benefits of a traditional Nordic diet, which includes plenty of seafood, game meat, wild berries and mushrooms and other fresh, seasonal ingredients. There is so much goodness packed into the cornerstones of the Nordic diet that it is about time we start taking real action towards making it familiar to the larger public. 

We all know how ingenious IKEA is in its approach to furniture, and I've always been impressed by their selection of Nordic food as well. I love finding familiar ingredients and I always stock up on a few key products for our home: different types of herring to have with knackebrod, lingonberry jam to have with pretty much everything and those handy bread mixes for long weekend breakfasts. 

In this three part series "The New Nordic Diet & IKEA", I'll share recipes using some of those ingredients found at IKEA. I'm starting off with a traditional salmon soup. This is a great dish for the cooler autumn nights we're heading towards. It's simple food and quick to prepare. If you're keen to make it that extra bit healthier, just leave out the cream and make a clear soup instead. Add seasonal vegetables like carrots and swede, and use fresh herbs for flavour. Knackebrod with cheese is a perfect companion for the soup. I can't even imagine having it without some on the side.

Creamy Salmon Soup

(serves 4)

1 litre of water or fish stock

10-15 whole peppercorns

1/2 teaspoon (or to taste) salt

1 onion, finely chopped

6-7 potatoes, peeled and cut to chunks

500g salmon fillet, cut into bite sized pieces

300ml cream

a whole bunch of dill, finely chopped

knackebrod, to serve

cheese, to serve

1. Add water or stock, peppercorns, salt and onion to a large casserole. Bring to boil and simmer for 5 minutes. 

2. Add potatoes and simmer for 10-15 minutes or until the potatoes are half-cooked.

3. Add salmon and simmer on low heat for a further 10-15 minutes or until the fish has cooked through. Finally add cream and let the soup come to a boil. Turn off the heat, add chopped dill and serve with knackebrod and cheese.

Featured in Oxfam Vegetarian Cookbook

I'm honoured to be part of the new Oxfam Australia Vegetarian Cookbook, where three of my recipes are featured. In the book, which will be available for purchase from Oxfam Australia shops on 30 August, you will find my recipes for Finnish Summer Soup, Preserved Pumpkins and Rhubarb-Vanilla Pudding with Macadamia Nut Brittle.

Featured on the Good Food Channel

Hi all

Just a quick note to say that you can now find some of my recipes featured on the Good Food Channel's website. Check out the full range of recipes here. 

Wish you all a lovely weekend!