November 2016

28 Nov // A week in the life on an E.BIKE!

My email inbox swings wildly like a pendulum from the sublime to the ridiculous, but a couple of months back I was asked to do something I was genuinely excited about. Not trialling chocolate, or receiving vodka, or chasing me for a deadline, or an accounting bill, which are all exciting in their own way, I received an email from Mercury asking if I would like to trial an e.bike. Not just one e.bike, but two. Would I like to have an e.bike mini gang for a week, and blog about it? Hell yes, I said.

I am not a cyclist by any means. There was a time in my former life as a young professional that I got quite amongst spin classes at the gym, and when I lived in Wellington I had a vintage silver Mamachari bike called Sylvia, which had a cute basket and would get me to work along the waterfront in about 7 minutes flat. Late last year on an overseas trip, I loved cycling around both London and Taipei on public transport bikes you could pick up and drop off from locations all over the cities, but that’s about the extent of it. When I was in Victoria’s High Country at the start of the year I cycled along the Bright Rail Trail on what was described to me as the ‘Mercedes Benz of e.bikes’. The guy hiring it to me explained that you cycle as normal, but it feels like someone is giving you a gentle push, like a help along.  

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// Posted by Delaney at 5:01 PM

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24 Nov // Liquid diet: the fruit toast edition

I'm currently doing that thing where I have a couple of writing pieces to desperately finish but I'm procrastinating with a blog post, just to get a sense of achievement and to remind myself that I can write and that everything is going to be ok. Yesterday, amongst dealing to said deadlines alongside sending a bazillion emails regarding a reasonably all-encompassing project I'm currently tits-deep in, I had to go to the dentist and spend basically all my savings on my teeth. I left with an empty wallet and a numb mouth, and soft foods and smoothies was all I wanted. Less is more when it comes to smoothies I reckon: I so often think those fancy ones you see on menus have one too many difficult-to-pronounce ingredients, and often don't actually taste that good.

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Recipe inside!

strawberry fruit toast peanut butter banana smoothie

Sorry about the long name, I was going to call it 'fruit toast smoothie' but then it's fruit toast peanut butter, and also the strawberries are important, and so is the banana. So here we are. 

Ingredients

1 frozen banana, or one banana and a small handful of ice

A decent handful of fresh strawberries (I bought a punnet and put all but two in the smoothie)

A decent pour of good quality natural or greek yoghurt (maybe half a cup if it's thick?) 

A sprinkle of LSA (linseed, sunflower seeds and ground almonds mix)

A wee splash of good quality vanilla extract 

About half a cup of almond milk (or whatever milk you want) - add more depending on how thick you like your smoothies 

1 decent spoonful (do what your heart tells you) of Fix and Fogg's Fruit Toast Peanut Butter (note: you could just use peanut butter)

Method

Blend all ingredients in a blender until very well blended. Taste and adjust as necessary, and then drink and enjoy! 

// Posted by Delaney at 5:12 PM // Labels: smoothie, liquid diet, peanut butter, fix and fogg

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16 Nov // bad habits and fresh eggs

I have a terrible habit of a little too often letting my feelings and cravings dictate my meals. Yesterday, for example, there had been a shithouse earthquake down South, and then a storm, and as I was ploughing through mountains of work I was thinking about my friends and family and, well, everyone in the affected areas and it was grey and raining outside and all I wanted for dinner was carbs. And maybe cheese. A creamy pasta, I thought, or maybe mac'n'cheese. Then I thought French toast could be good, or pancakes, or maybe just tinned spaghetti on toast, the ultimate in lazy comfort eating. I'd been to the Dentist in the morning which was not fun or cheap, so was really craving comfort. Very close to walking in the rain to the dairy to buy a tin of spaghetti, I thought, urgh maybe I'll just check the fridge. And there was: baby leeks with about half a day left of life in them, a bunch of cavolo nero (in surprisingly good shape for how long it'd been in there), a bottle of half'n'half cream/milk leftover from scone making shenanigans last week, and some fancy goat's cheese Farro Fresh had sent me. I had fresh eggs in the cupboard and some kumara sourdough, and thus, getting dinner into my lap in 15 minutes flat, a fridge frittata (fridgtata if you will) was born. 

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Recipe inside!

Baby leek and goat's cheese frittata

Serves One

Ingredients

3 fresh free-range eggs

A splash of milk or cream 

Salt and pepper

Greens of your choice - I used: 

2-3 baby leeks, sliced, or half a large leek, sliced

Small bunch cavolo nero, cut into chunks 

Goat's cheese, a few dollops (i was sent a pottle of Drunken Nanny soft goat's cheese which was amazing)

1 tbsp butter 

Method

Heat the butter in a medium sized frying pan, on a medium high heat. Add the leeks and the cavolo nero (or whatever greens you're using) and sauté until just soft. /

Meanwhile, whisk the eggs with the milk or cream and a pinch of salt and add to the pan of veggies. Move the pan around to evenly distribute the egg mixture. Take a rubber spatula and shimmy it around the edge of the frittata to ensure it gets a good edge. Crack over some pepper as it cooks through. Cook for a couple of minutes, moving the pan around if necessary to move any uncooked bits of egg from the top - this shouldn't be too much of a problem though if your fritatta isn't too high. 

Once it's done, add the dollops of goat's cheese, then try, using your rubber spatula, to elegantly shimmy the frittata from the pan to your plate. Mine ended up a broken mess. A delicious broken mess, but still. 

Serve with toast or a green salad.   

 

// Posted by Delaney at 3:28 PM // Labels: frittata, eggs, 15 minute dinners, vegetarian

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16 Nov // Ice creamy martini

A few things about dessert and caffeine and booze:

Firstly: Affogato is one of my favourite desserts. So simple, so delicious. A scoop of ice cream, a shot of hot espresso, and ideally, a shot of liqueur. What could possibly go wrong? And how do you improve on perfection?

Secondly: The popularity of the espresso martini shows no sign of slowing down. Again with that caffeine hit, and the booze, they really have the potential to turn a night around.

Third and finally: I used to care deeply about dessert at dinner parties, and when I was doing dinner parties for a job I’d put a lot of effort into pudding. I realised pretty quickly that more often than not, once people are full and a few drinks deep, dessert becomes an afterthought.

ENTER: The dessert cocktail. Pass them around on trays, whether people are still sitting and yarning or standing and spading, and let guests drink and keep being merry. Turn the party around, give them a sugar hit, get everyone on the dance floor, and sit back and watch the magic happen.

And so it is that I bring you the Affogato Martini. It’s basically an espresso martini but with coffee and gelato, which is basically an affogato but with kahlua and vodka or gin. A supercharged affogato, if you will. An ice-creamy martini. I could go on? I’ll stop.

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Recipe inside!

Affogato Martini with Sheep Milk Gelato

Makes two

If you have a cocktail shaker, use that, but if not, just stir over ice then strain.

Ingredients

60ml vodka or gin

60ml kahlua (or another coffee liqueur)

2 x 60ml espresso shots, or 120mls strong black coffee (can be hot or cold, depending on your preference)

2 scoops Spring Sheep Milk Co. Gelato (Vanilla Bean or Dark Chocolate)

Freeze dried fruit, to garnish (I used freeze dried cherries)

Method

Fill a cocktail shaker with ice and add the vodka or gin, kahlua, and coffee. Shake well.

Strain into two glasses (you could use a martini glass, but I like to use mismatched glasses of all shapes). Add a scoop of gelato and crumble over some freeze dried fruit (I used cherries, some whole and some crumbled). Serve immediately with a small spoon.

This recipe was a collaboration with Spring Sheep Milk Co.

 

// Posted by Delaney at 1:19 PM

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02 Nov // Did somebody say asparagus?

Spring has well and truly sprung in NZ and it's that glorious time of year where things can be all sunshine and lollipops one minute, and sideways icy rain the next. It's also peony season (praise be!) and nearly the silly season, and yet again, the time for new season asparagus. In a former life I was a huge fan of roasting it to within an inch of it's life in the oven, with olive oil, salt and pepper, and sometimes chilli flakes, but this year especially I’ve lightened things up a bit. It’s great just blanched, and it’s great on the barbecue, and I’ve even been successfully just chopping it and chucking it into a bowl of water and then in the microwave for a couple of minutes. I’ve also been munching it raw: my seasonal addiction knows no bounds.

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Recipe inside!

Asparagus and pea salad

I have basically just been eating variations of asparagus salads all spring, and this is yet another. Remember to omit or change anything you don't like, it's a forgiving recipe! 

Dressing: 

1/2 red onion or 1 shallot, finely diced

1 tsp dijon mustard

Juice of half a lemon 

1 clove garlic, crushed 

1 tbsp white wine vinegar (could sub for rice wine or red wine vinegar)

2 tbsp olive oil 

Pinch sea salt

Whisk all ingredients together in a small bowl with a fork, until emulsified. Taste and adjust as necessary. 

Salad: 

1-2 cups frozen peas

1 bunch asparagus, cut into 3-4cm lengths

1/2 avocado, cut into cubes

2 tbsp sauerkraut (I have a recipe here if you want to try making your own, and you should!)

1/2 cup mixed seeds and nuts of your choice: I used sunflower seeds, pumpkin seeds, and chopped almonds, lightly dry toasted in a frying pan

Few leaves each fresh basil and mint, finely chopped

OPTIONAL EXTRAS: haloumi; smoked salmon; feta; poached or panfried chicken. ALSO: this would make a great topping for toast, along with a eggs. 

Method: 

Boil a pot of water. Once boiling, drop the peas in and allow to cook for 1 minute. Add the chopped asparagus and cook for another minute. Remove from the heat and drain immediately, then rinse under cold water. Place in a large bowl. 

Add the avocado, sauerkraut, herbs, and nuts and seeds. Pour over the dressing and gently mix to combine. Serve with whatever you like - I used smoked salmon and haloumi for this one and it was great! 

 

 

 

 

 

 

// Posted by Delaney at 3:58 PM // Labels: asparagus, spring, easy dinners

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