Homemade Christmas Butter

Homemade Christmas Butter

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Two words ya’ll! Christmas. Butter. I just found out that you can make homemade butter without churning in an old fashioned wooden butter churn. I have always imaged that butter is an incredibly long and drawn out process to make it, and I was so pleased to find out it’s literally 20 minutes and one ingredient.

All you need to make butter at home is whipping cream and a hand mixer. Set up just like you are making whipped cream, but keep going until the milk solids separate out. Next, drain the liquid, give the remaining solids a rinse and you are left with delicious, creamy, unsalted butter made from scratch. It’s so easy.

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Smoky Baba Ganoush

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It’s been a while! What better way to kick of party season (and make my return to writing) than by introducing you to this smoky, creamy, dip-of-your-dreams Baba Ganoush. Grilled or charred eggplant, mixed with nutty tahini, roasty garlic and a hint of lemon.

If you’ve never tried Baba Ganoush before it is everything you want from a dip; smoky, zesty, creamy and warm. It’s also 90% eggplant with only a 1 tablespoon or so of olive oil and a tablespoon of Tahini so it is light and easy on the calories. A quick Google search will tell you that Baba Ganoush is originally from Lebanon, but can be found in many Middle Eastern cuisines. Traditionally served with pita bread, it also is *great* as a spread on a sandwich or served with peppers, carrots and cucumber as an easy snack.

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Roasted Butternut Pumpkin and Coriander Salad

ROASTED Pumpkin & Coriander Salad

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Guys, pregnancy changed me into someone who.. likes coriander. You have to understand that these are words that I thought would *never* come out of my mouth. I have always been an Anti-Coriander-er, I’ve never sat on the fence about that. However, over the last few months I’ve started to not only permit coriander but actually like it. This roasted pumpkin and coriander salad is where it all began. It’s perfect for cooler weather, hearty and delicious, and it only gets better the longer it sits around in the fridge. The combination of the bright orange, green and purple makes it beautiful and colourful, and a treat to serve at a party. We call it a butternut pumpkin but you may call it a butternut squash.

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Kale, Roasted Red Pepper and Avocado Salad

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Summer is on the way! This past week has been glorious. The weather is getting warmer, and Hong Kong finally announced no cases today! That means with summer closing in we can hopefully start to see a few less restrictions and start to look forward, beyond the past few months. When it’s warm and sunny like it has been, I always go looking for lighter, cleaner dishes. This kale, roasted red pepper and avocado salad is fresh, delicious and the perfect summertime salad.

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Fire Roasted Red Pepper Dip

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If you haven’t tried fire roasted red peppers yet, now is definitely the time to experiment. You can buy them in a jar from the store, but there’s something so satisfying about roasting the peppers yourself if you have a gas stove or a BBQ. The texture and the flavour change almost completely from a raw pepper becoming softer, sweeter and charr-ier. This fire roasted red pepper dip is best a brilliant mix of sweet charred peppers, sharp cheese and nutty almonds. Best served slightly warm with toasted bread. I’m not drooling, you’re drooling.

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Homemade Queso Fresco

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We made cheese! Surprisingly easy, delicious, creamy cheese. Living in Asia there are certain things that are really difficult to find in local grocers without paying what feels like a million dollars and good cheese is one of them. This homemade Queso Fresco recipe was so insanely easy, and all wrapped up in 25 minutes. It’s proven to be a great side for tacos (see brisket tacos here), salads, eggs… you name it.

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Crispy Baked Kale Chips

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If you’ve ever been grocery shopping with me or eaten at our house, you’ll know my disdain for kale. That’s not to say I don’t think it’s healthy or a good salad vegetable for other people, I just don’t like it. I find it tough, tasteless and difficult to prepare, all things that don’t necessarily get me excited about cooking a particular food or meal. Enter these easy crispy baked kale chips and I’m converted.

Easy, healthy baked kale chips.

The thing about baked kale chips is they are an incredibly healthy alternative to other snack foods, and they take no time or effort at all to prepare. You can flavour them however you want, and then basically snack to your heart’s content. They don’t require olive oil (an alternative cooking spray will work just fine) and they don’t require frying. Bonus.

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Rocket Pesto

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The best thing about any pesto? It takes just minutes to make it. You can easily customise the flavours to your personal tastes, and all you need is a blender. Voila! This version of Rocket Pesto (Arugula Pesto for some) swaps out your regular basil making it a nice change from the original to make a quick and easy spread for sandwiches, a great veggie dip or a topping for crackers. Add in some lemon juice, and you can easily use this as a dressing for barley and quinoa salad.

I wouldn’t recommend this pesto for pasta, when the rocket warms up it loses its pizzazz and overall the pasta becomes quite bland.

Keep some honey on hand just in case the rocket is a little too bitter for your liking. We added 1/2 a teaspoon to ours to lighten up the pesto at the end.

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