The first in a series of classes to be filmed are starting this week at the Raw Materials Food & Film Studio in Footscray this Monday.

I literally had rave reviews when I did this class last month in Calgary so I would love to see you come along.

Ten recipes and a ten course tasting along with great company, information and fun!

Where: 148 Cowper St. Footscray, 3011

When: 6:30 for 7pm start

Click here to download brochure now

Its that time again where we head full steam ahead toward New Years Eve as if what we don’t achieve, who we don’t catch up with or finalize before the stroke of midnight December 31st, means failure. It is also the time that we tend to start to eat more accelerating into full on gluttony until we spiral down the leftovers trail as of Boxing Day. Then there are the pressures of shopping for gifts, sending out cards, cooking masses of food and spending time with people because we feel obliged to rather than really want to be with.

I hear you, the pressure is amazing and the truth is, it does not have to be this way. This season can be just as sane as you wish it to be depending on the choices you make. So I’ve compiled some suggestions that you may find useful, recipes you may find helpful, if not delicious and thoughts for you to ponder.

So take a look at the attachment and as a dear friend once used to tell me when she invited you to eat her meals, ‘leave what you don’t like’, (of course she was a brilliant cook and I always loved everything!). The only thing you must do this time of year, because it can only help, is to be grateful for what you do have, what you can do and that you are alive. Everything else, can only improve.

tips-for-surviving-the-silly-season2008

Try it and let me know what you think.

Quality Ingredients

3 Tbsp organic or bio dynamic First cold pressed extra virgin olive oil (Mt Zero)
1 tsp Natural unrefined sea salt (salt of the earth or macrobiotic sea salt)
1 clove minced of fresh organic garlic
1 small firm freshly grated organic zucchini on the large grater hole
6 spears of fresh organic asparagus, snapped washed and sliced
½ fresh organic leek, washed and sliced
¼ organic red capsicum, sliced
100 gm organic chicken thigh fillet sliced
½ tsp ground cumin, from cumin seeds in mortar and pestle
½ tsp ground fennel, from fennel seeds in mortar and pestle
pinch of chili powder or ¼ fresh birds eye chili finely chopped
Good quality pasta (Martelli or similar), cooked al dente

Method – it’s not just what you do but how you do it

Sauté Zucchini in liberal amount of olive oil, until tender.
Coat chicken pieces in ground cumin, fennel seed and chili powder.
Add leek, garlic, capsicum, asparagus and sauté until tender.
Remove or push to the side and cook the chicken until just done.
Toss in cooked Pasta and season with sea salt.

If you wish to make this recipe even more energizing then use quinoa instead of pasta.

1 cup quinoa

2 cups water

Combine in a saucepan, bring to boil and turn to low. Cook for 20 minutes and use as you would rice.

If you are in a hurry and do not wish to use grind the spices you can use the Mt. Zero Egyptian Dukkah which is one of the best I have tried.

The recipe is not one your would eat all the time but compared to the rich desserts of the festive season it will have little impact on your body and the environment, particularly if you source organically and locally. Enjoy!

If you missed the segment on air you can check it out online at www.makingtheswitch.com.au
Also if you would like to see this program on the commercial free to air or cable networks let your providers know what kind of programming you would like to see.

Spiced Filo Cigars

1 cup locally sourced walnuts, shelled and chopped
1 cup locally sourced sultana’s, chopped
Fresh grated nutmeg to taste, about ¼ tsp
Zest from half a small lemon
Zest and juice from half a small blood orange or Valencia orange
¼ tsp fresh grated ginger

Combine mix and adjust taste as you prefer.

Filo pastry, unfolded and cut 5 sheets into four rectangles

Melt 125gm organic butter

Brush each sheet with butter.

Place 3 tsp of mix toward one end of the rectangle and fold both sides about 1.5 cm into the centre and the end to cover the mix and then roll the pastry up into a little cigar shape.

Brush with a little more butter and place on baking tray, repeat until mixture is finished. You can freeze extra cigars at this stage and remove to thaw, bake and glaze when you next want to use them.

Bake for 7 minutes in a 180 C oven and remove and glaze.

Glaze

125 gm butter
3T organic cold pressed honey
Seeds of one vanilla bean
Combine all ingredients into a saucepan and bring to a boil, stir thoroughly and brush on warm cigars.

- 1 frozen banana that has been ut into 1 inch chunks, preferably before freezing.
- 1/2  cup of frozen raspberries
- ½ cup frozen blueberries
- Juice of 1 navel orange

Blend frozen fruit in a food processor until it starts to come together.
Add juice and process just until it becomes smooth like sorbet
Serve immediately with fruit that is in season.

If we can get them I would love to serve very ripe pineapple with fresh lime with this dessert.

This is a great way to use up the spotty bananas that are full of fragrance and a bit too gooey to eat. They are delicious for a leisurely breakfast on the weekend or with a scoop of vanilla ice cream for dessert.

- 1 large ripe banana or 2 small ripe bananas
- 1 egg
- 1 Tablespoon brown sugar
- Organic wholemeal self-raising flour
- 1/2 tsp vanilla

Maple syrup and fresh fruit to serve on top.

Mash banana with the egg, add brown sugar and vanilla to form a mixture.
Add a little flour at a time about a dessert spoonful at a time until you get a batter the consistency of yoghurt or pancake batter!

Drop spoonfuls to desired size into a moderately hot, lightly buttered non-stick fry pan. Cook until you see bubbles forming on the top of pancakes and then turn over until the bottom is golden brown.

Serve with fresh fruit and maple syrup.

- 175 gm or 6 oz pitted chopped dates
- 2 ripe, peeled, mashed bananas
- 1 tsp baking soda
- 1 cup boiling water
- 60gm or 2 oz of butter
- 150gm or 5 oz rapadura (dehydrated cane juice)

- 2 med eggs
- 175gm or 6 oz self raising wholemeal flour (for North America use plain flour plus 1 tsp of baking powder mixed through)

Sauce
- 150gm 5 oz rapadura (dehydrated cane juice)
- 1 cup of organic thick cream
- 1 tsp pure vanilla
- 1 Tbsp butter
- Seeds of a vanilla bean for absolute lucious decadence

Oven 170C or 350 F

Place dates in a bowl with bicarb/baking soda and cover with boiling water. Add mashed bananas.
Cream butter and sugar.
Add eggs one at a time.
Fold flour through flour.
Fold date mixture through.
Pour into a lined cake tin about 20cm or 8 inches and bake for about 35 minutes or until skewer comes out clean.

While cake is baking make the sauce by boiling all ingredients for 3 minutes and pour over cake when it is removed from the oven.

Serve with organic vanilla ice cream or whipped cream.

“It ain’t easy being green.” Kermit the Frog

- 100 gm Green beans
- 100 gm Snow peas
- 150 gm Broccoli florets
- 1  ripe avocado, Diced, optional
- 100 gm mixed lettuce leaves or spinach
- Sprinkling of soy sauce, sesame oil
- 1 tsp of freshly grated ginger.
- 1 clove freshly grated garlic.

Assembly:
Toss all ingredients with the soy sauce, sesame oil, freshly grated garlic and ginger.
Toasted Chickie mix

- 500 gm Sunflower seeds, Toasted until golden
- 500 gm Sesame seeds, Toasted until golden
- 2 tbsp Natural soy sauce
- 1 tbsp Sesame oil

Assembly:
Toast seeds on separate trays (sunflower seeds take longer).
After the seeds are toasted, evenly coat each tray of seeds with half each of the soy sauce & sesame oil (use disposable gloves).
Combine the two seeds. Cool. Place in an airtight container.

Baked beetroot
2 medium sized beetroot washed and wrapped in foil and baked at 180 C until tender, peel after cooking and slice into cross section rounds. Set aside in a warm spot. Depending on the beetroot cooking times can vary from 40 minutes to 1.5 hours, when a sharp knife or a skewer easily insert, the beetroot is done. Slice into 3mm cross section slices.

Beetroot Salad
- 1 medium beetroot peeled and grated
- 1 medium carrot, grated
- ½ bunch of chives, chopped into 3cm pieces
- 1/3 cup picked dill
- Lemon juice to taste

Combine all ingredients and season with lemon juice and sea salt if desired.

Lentil Caviar
- 1 medium red onion, peeled and diced
- 2 Tablespoons first cold pressed extra virgin olive oil
- 1 clove garlic
- ¼ cup Mount Zero French green lentils
- 400 ml chicken stock
- Sea salt and fresh ground pepper to taste

Sauté onion in olive oil until tender and golden, add garlic and sauté a further 4 minutes.
Add lentils and chicken stock and simmer until lentils are tender, season to taste.
If the liquid has evaporated and the lentils still need more cooking just add ¼ cup of water at a time until the lentils are tender.

Babaganoush

- 1 large firm, fresh, blemish free, shiny eggplant
- 2 garlic cloves, minced
- Juice of 1 lemon
- ½ cup unhulled, tahini
- ½ tsp ground cumin
- ½ tsp ground coriander seed
- Sea salt and fresh cracked pepper

Smoke eggplant over an open flame or on the barbeque.
Once eggplant is fully charred and the inside of the flesh is soft and tender, carefully peel charred skinned, removing every trace of skin. Allow flesh to drain in a colander. Set aside.
Process tahini in a food processor with garlic, 2 tbsp of hot water, lemon juice and about 1 tsp of salt.
Once combined thoroughly add flesh from eggplant and pulse until combined. Season to taste.

Pomegranate Molasses to garnish
Meredith marinated goats cheese feta or Persian feta

To assemble

Place babaganoush on plate and spread in a circle
Layer slices of baked beetroot on babaganoush
layer lentil caviar on beetroot
place salad on caviar
crumble feta on the salad and garnish with pomegranate molasses

- 1 large firm, fresh, blemish free, shiny eggplant
- 1 large onion, peeled and sliced
- 3 Tbsp. First cold pressed extra virgin olive oil
- 2 garlic cloves, minced
- 200gms lentils, green
- 2 stalks rosemary or 4 stalks of thyme
- 1.5 litre vegetable stock
- Sea salt and fresh cracked pepper

Smoke eggplant over an open flame or on the barbque.
Once eggplant is fully charred and the inside of the flesh is soft and tender, carefully peel charred skinned, removing every trace of skin. Allow flesh to drain in a colander. Set aside.

Saute onion in olive oil until tender and slightly caramelised.
Add garlic and sauté a further two minutes.
Add lentils, herbs and stock and simmer until lentils are tender.
Remove thyme or rosemary stalks.
Season to taste and add smoked eggplant that has been roughly chopped.