Have You Seen My Chia Seeds?

When I first saw this video I couldn’t breathe because I was laughing so hard and today I had flash backs! I was searching through the cupboards for my chia seeds and was so frustrated that they were nowhere to be seen until I thought of the scenes in this video.

Of course the packet has just fallen to the back of the cupboard… so I continued to make a late Sunday breakfast with quinoa and chia seeds. I can hardly write the words chia seeds now without bursting into laughter!!!

1 cup of White Quinoa, uncooked

3 cups of Water

1 teaspoon of Coconut Sugar

1 teaspoon of Virgin Coconut Oil

1 teaspoon of Chia Seeds

Sprinkle of Himalayan Pink Salt

Sprinkle of Cinnamon Powder

Organic Milk

6 Whole Hazelnuts, roasted

Put the quinoa and water into a saucepan and bring to the boil. Reduce the heat and simmer for 15 minutes with the lid on. Strain any excess liquid. Transfer about 4 heaped tablespoons of cooked quinoa to a breakfast bowl and mix in the salt, sugar, coconut oil, chia seeds, cinnamon and hazelnuts. Now add enough milk to suit your taste depending on whether you want a thick porridge like consistency or runnier.

I made up this recipe as I went along so you can simply adapt it to your taste. Try dried or poached fruit, slivered almonds, honey, shredded coconut, cocoa powder or nibs or freshly sliced banana – not necessarily all together!

I have a chia plant growing in the backyard and I’m looking forward to experimenting with more recipes soon.

Considering how much of my life revolves around passion for food, most people would be surprised to learn that I have a habit of skipping breakfast even when I wake up before dawn to do yoga. So I made a promise to myself last week that I would try to get back into a good routine. I used to make fresh juice every morning or have something healthy to start the day so I’ve taken on the challenge to get back to eating breakfast.

Anyway, I’m going to put some eyeshadow on my 3rd eye so until the next post… watch this and laugh.

Tags: breakfast, chia seeds, cinnamon, coconut oil, coconut sugar, food blog, Gourmetician, hazelnuts, himalayan pink salt, Jessica Fernandez, quinoa, recipe

Fig and Hazelnut Salad with Vincotto

I’ve been shopping for fresh produce this weekend so I was due to start cooking! Considering how fresh the figs were I decided to let them shine through with minimal fuss. This simple salad was the perfect accompaniment to lamb cutlets that were tossed in EVOO, salt, lemon juice and a diced clove of garlic before being panfried until crispy and brown on both sides while still juicy in the centre.

Fresh figs

Green leafy mix (I used rocket and spinach)

Rosted hazelnuts

Extra Virgin Olive Oil (EVOO)

Vincotto

Salt

To make the salad, put the leaves in a large bowl, drizzle with EVOO and vincotto (just enough to lightly coat the leaves, you can add more if it’s not enough) and a pinch of salt. Gently toss with your finger tips to spread the dressing and place it in the middle of a plate. Cut the fig into 4 segments and place over the leaves and sprinkle with hazelnuts.  Just use your instinct to make it to your taste. More fig, less hazelnuts, it’s up to you. Drizzle the salad with a little more EVOO to serve.

The potatoes I picked up at Eveleigh Markets were like little golden nuggets.

I put them in a pot of water, brought it to the boil and simmered for about 5 minutes before draining. I sliced them in half and put them in a baking tray with rosemary I picked from the garden, salt, EVOO and whole peeled cloves of garlic. They roasted at 200ºc for about 1 hour but you may need to remove the garlic earlier so it doesn’t get too brown and taste bitter.

This was the perfect dinner to end a beautiful weekend.

Tags: extra virgin olive oil, figs, food blog, Gourmetician, hazelnuts, Jessica Fernandez, lamb, potatoes, vincotto

It’s Fig Season!

As someone passionately announced last week over a plate of fresh figs – it’s fig season! If you’ve been following my blog then you’ll remember my trip to the markets last year that lead me to a tray of figs. To me, they truly are a fruit of the gods with their sweet, luscious, juicy texture that are divine to cook with but I can just as easily eat several at a time in their natural glory. There is no other fruit like it.

I was at Eveleigh Markets yesterday and met Rocco from Leppington Valley Farm where they grow… fresh figs.

So today I decided to visit the farm and the weather was perfect. I met Rocco’s dad Victor who gave me a tour of the farm.

Victor’s brother used to own a fruit shop in Edgecliff and since retiring he likes to help out on the farm by serving customers in the old fashioned way. There was a very homely feel and everyone who stopped to make a purchase started talking to each other like old friends even though they’d never met.

I had such a nice time hearing about the farm’s history and I felt like I was back in Italy enjoying the trademark warmth and hospitality that flows effortlessly. I could have stayed and prepared lunch for everyone to eat under the big Mulberry tree (another one of my favourite fruits) that offers shady relief from the midday sun.

It has been my dream for a long time to one day cook for my own family and have Sunday lunch in a big backyard with a long wooden table spread with homemade food. I pictured it just standing on the farm today, kids screaming with laughter while family and friends are enjoying a glass of wine and discussions over a meal made with love.

I know why these feelings were stirred today – the farm is maintained with love too and I could sense it in the air and the way the family spoke about their produce and products. It’s people with this kind of passion that I love to buy produce from. It’s not just food, it has a story behind it and I feel so privileged to be able to buy directly from a farm like this. With the busy lifestyles we lead, we often rely on the convenience of supermarkets but I always have much more appreciation for my food when I see first hand the work that has gone into the end product.

Of course I came away with a tray of figs and some products that Rocco’s mum makes including chocolate coated figs, fig and nut wraps (you can purchase them from Grower 2 U) and also prickly pears (I’ll be sharing another post about these). If you love figs then I highly recommend visiting Leppington Valley Farm. 
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Tags: Eveleigh Markets, figs, food blog, Gourmetician, Jessica Fernandez, Leppington Valley Farm

Arbequina Olive Oil Chocolate Mousse with Pistachio Dust, Himalayan Pink Salt and Fresh Raspberries

It’s been a long time since I made Olive Oil Chocolate Mousse and since a friend gave me a beautiful bottle of Robert Oately Arbequina Extra Virgin Olive Oil last week I thought I would make it again. I don’t particularly like egg in desserts even if the flavour can’t be detected so I love this recipe that simply uses chocolate, cream and olive oil.

150g good quality dark chocolate (I used Callebaut 53.8%)

100g extra virgin olive oil (again make sure it’s good quality and not just a boring olive oil you use for cooking)

250g pouring cream

Fresh raspberries

Pistachio dust

Himalayan Pink Salt

Slowly melt the chocolate in a bowl over a pot of simmering water. When smooth and glossy, mix through the olive oil until well combined. Set aside to cool slightly while you whip the cream until it reaches soft peaks.

Slowly pour the chocolate and olive oil mixture into the cream and fold through. Don’t mix it too much or you will knock the air out of the cream and your mousse won’t be as light and fluffy. Put in the fridge to chill for atleast an hour or until ready to serve.

Sprinkle each serve with pistachio dust and just a little salt to bring out the chocolate and olive oil notes. A few raspberries on the side are perfect to add some tartness and cut through the richness of the mousse.

Tags: Arbequina, chocolate mousse, egg free, extra virgin olive oil, food blog, Gourmetician, Jessica Fernandez, pistachio, Raspberries, Robert Oatley

Yerba Maté

I was introduced to Yerba Maté (pronounced YERB-ah mah-TAY) many years ago by an Argentinian friend and have noticed that most people have never heard of it.

To be honest, I like the way the beverage is served more than the tea itself because I generally avoid caffeine but it can be delicious in small doses. You can add honey or sugar to sweeten the otherwise bitter flavour and another nice addition is orange or lemon peel. The essential oils leach out of the skin into the hot water and impart a beautiful taste and aroma.

Whenever I drank maté, everyone sat in a circle and after you took a sip it would be passed along to the next person. It was a time to talk, relax and laugh together especially after asado (Argentinian barbeque) including morcillas (black pudding or blood sausage), pollo (chicken), papas fritas (hand cut potato chips) and chimichurri.

I love my gourd (wooden cup) and bombilla (metal straw) – there’s just something special about drinking out of this.

The preparation is quite specific so if you would like to know more please visit this website.

If you would like to buy yerba maté, gourd and bombilla, you can find it in specialty deli’s and gourmet grocers where South American ingredients are stocked. Otherwise you can purchase it online just like everything else these days.

Tags: Argentinian, bombilla, food blog, gourd, Gourmetician, Jessica Fernandez, yerba mate

Getting Buttered Up

My dad gave me 10 litres of cream yesterday and I felt a butter session coming on. I’ve posted about making butter before but now that I’ve made it a few times I had to share it again because it’s just the best thing since sliced bread!! If you haven’t attempted making your own butter you don’t know what you’re missing. Besides the luscious flavour and getting immense satisfaction out of creating with my hands, making butter also leaves my hands feeling soft and supple. Try it for yourself – you’ll find step by step instructions here. I sprinkled the butter balls with Himalayan Pink Salt but you can leave it plain or mix salt through to suit your taste.

I do use other natural fats such as coconut oil or olive oil in place of butter but sometimes you can’t use anything else.

The buttermilk can be used in Lassi, pancakes, curries and more. I remember having buttermilk as an accompaniment to curries instead of yoghurt when I was a child.

Tags: butter, buttermilk, food blog, Gourmetician, Jessica Fernandez, recipe

Coconut Flour Pancake Recipe

I’ve successfully cooked with coconut sugar and found it to have a flavour that can’t be compared to refined white sugar or even brown or raw sugar. It has a caramelised, mineral taste that I love because I prefer savoury over sweet. I often add a pinch of salt to cakes, muesli and pancakes and reduce the sugar or substitute it for honey or coconut sugar where possible.

So I bought some coconut flour out of curiosity. The first thing I noticed when I opened the packet was the beautiful strong aroma. I put a little in my mouth and it immediately soaked up all the moisture where it touched my tongue and the roof of my mouth. I realised that what I’d read about coconut flour needing a lot more liquid than wheat flour was true. I came across several pancake recipes online and on the back of the coconut flour packet but this one was the simplest and I modified it to suit my taste.

4 eggs, room temperature

1 cup of organic full cream cow’s milk

1 heaped teaspoon of coconut sugar

1/2 cup coconut flour

1 teaspoon bi carb soda

1/2 teaspoon sea salt

Butter for frying and some to serve

Fresh blueberries

Honey

Crack the eggs into a large bowl and whisk until light and frothy. Add the coconut sugar (it’s a good idea to sift it because it tends to become clumpy) and milk and whisk together. Put the coconut flour, bi carb soda and sea salt in a bowl and mix well esuring all lumps have been broken up.

Slowly add the dry ingredients to the liquid while whisking. Once completely combined (make sure you scrape the sides of the bowl) leave the mixture to sit for a few minutes so the coconut flour can absorb some of the liquid.Heat a fry pan and add some butter.

Spoon in enough mixture to make a thick small pancake (like a pikelet). I managed to fit 3 at a time in my fry pan. Leave the mixture long enough to set so you can flip the pancake. My first one broke up because I wasn’t used to the texture but then I got a feel for how long it took to cook. They also browned quickly because coconut is very oily but I just turned the pan down as needed so they could stay on the heat long enough to cook through. 

Top the hot pancakes with butter (I made a fresh batch again last weekend), blueberries and a drizzle of honey or serve them however you prefer. They weren’t too sweet so would be perfect with some crispy bacon, coconut and chocolate butter or homemade jam.

Tags: coconut flour, gluten free, pancakes, recipe

Fruitful Eating

It’s so easy, especially during the Christmas and new year holiday period, to eat without putting much attention on the experience. I have often finished eating something and wondered why I ate so much or why I chose to eat something I didn’t really feel like in the first place. But when I make a conscious decision to slow down and engage my senses, the entire experience changes from a basic instinct to fuel and nourish my body, to an intriguing and sensual journey.

For example, I had some beautiful, ripe cherries yesterday and after eating a few, I stopped and put all my attention on the next cherry. I held the plump cherry by it’s stem and dangled it in front of my lips. I felt it’s cool, moist, smooth skin as it passed my teeth and landed on my tongue. I felt it’s weight as it rolled around in my mouth warming up to body temperature and as my teeth slowly pressed down, the crimson coloured skin burst open releasing a stream of sweet juice and flesh. Finally, I was left with the seed coated in a fine layer of fruit. It was the best cherry I’ve ever eaten!

I had a mango this morning and one of my favourite ways to savour this exotic fruit is to simply eat it out of the skin leaning over the sink as the juices run down my hands. It doesn’t taste the same cut into little cubes and served in a bowl with a fork. I bite into the juicy flesh and scrape every last bit of the cheeks off with my teeth and then make my way to the seed which always leaves fibres behind for flossing!

After watching Eat Pray Love (for the sixth time) a few days ago, the scene where Liz is indulging in a plate of spaghetti, stirred memories. I remember eating a plate of spaghetti in Rome a few years ago with my mum and it was one of the best meals of our lives. It was a simple dish and if I ate it now there would probably be many meals I could recall as being far more attractive and flavourful. The reason it was so amazing was because we were in Italy after dreaming about it for years and we were sharing the moment together.

Have you ever taken time out to slow down and really experience the smell, taste, textures, sounds, colours, temperatures and shapes of your food? Do you know what a blueberry looks like inside? Try peeling off the skin or delicately biting it in half to see what it looks like up close. Does it taste different after spending time up close and personal? Have you noticed how a cashew nut turns from hard and crunchy to creamy with eat bite? How about the difference between a tomato that has been in cold storage at a supermarket to one that was grown without pesticides and picked straight from the plant?

(These tomatoes and chillies have been freshly picked from mum’s garden)

Now try a tomato with a sprinkle of sea salt or a drizzle of extra virgin olive oil. Do you have a new appreciation for these simple seasonings that are often taken for granted? 

If you’re a chilli lover like me, have you noticed the sensations in your mouth as the burning spreads across your tongue from mild to intense depending on how hot the seeds are? Is your face heating up as well. Is it painful or pleasurable or a combination of both? Does it make you feel excited and alive? Do you have an urge to push yourself further and try something even more intense with your next meal? Can you detect any flavour from the chillies you’re eating or are they so hot that your senses are overwhelmed?

(I drew a few sketches of chillies, mango and cherries for this post)

I invite you to take just a few minutes to really be with your food and notice if your relationship with it changes. The aim is not to label anything as positive or negative, simply open up to being curious and see where it takes you.

Buon appetito, bon appétit, buen provecho!

Tags: extra virgin olive oil, food blog, food memories, Gourmetician, home grown, Jessica Fernandez, mindful eating

It Takes I + S x 3 To = Sisters

When I notice that my language in blog posts starts to take the tune of you, we and us, I try to bring it back to I and me. This is because some of the books and stories I have read or heard have had the most impact when they are told from a personal, raw and vulnerable place. It’s easy to say that “we can get jealous” or “we can be negative” but it is important for me to talk from my point of view because no one else knows what I am experiencing quite like I do.

Since beginning my blog, I have shared some stories about the journey of my life and as I continue to do this, I’m finding it more and more liberating to be completely honest and real. As I invest more time in developing and improving all areas of my life, revelations are becoming more common. Sometimes they are pleasant and other times they are painful but just as necessary.

Being the eldest in my family, I naturally took on the role of organiser. I would plan Christmas, Easter, birthdays and any other family gatherings. I would have everyone over to my place, do the cooking and clean up afterwards. While I loved it, I would often get upset and angry that I always had to take charge and that the responsibility was always left to me. Then I started to resent doing it because I knew the routine and if I didn’t get things done and waited for someone to take over it would be left until the last minute and I would get stuck trying to arrange something at short notice.

Eventually I gave up trying to be in control and was faced with feelings of guilt for not caring enough, being lazy and not being ‘the big sister’. The fact was that I had enough to deal with in my own life and simply couldn’t hold it together for everyone else any longer. Then something amazing started to happen.

Now that I had moved out of the way, I gave my sisters a chance to get involved. I had never really expressed how I felt without getting mad and accusing them of not helping and no one likes to be attacked. By taking a backseat, there was now room for someone else to grip the steering wheel and confidently host, plan or cook for family gatherings or weekly meals.

It was important for me to say thank you and appreciate their efforts and resist the urge to jump in and help when they are fully capable of running the show. Even though I am the eldest, we’re all adults now and I have to remind myself that they will ask for my help when they need it but I don’t need to supervise as though they can’t handle it alone. In a way, I just wanted to be the ‘big sister’ but I didn’t give my 2 sisters space to grow and contribute to the family unit equally while I was over functioning. It left my sisters feeling like they didn’t have a chance to be involved.

Besides the obvious benefits of balance being restored, there is also the added bonus of experiencing things from the other side for once in my life. I now get to sit back and enjoy occasions that I just turn up to without the usual preparations and planning, savour the meal without being in the kitchen and soaking up the pleasure of my family’s company.

Now this all sounds warm and fuzzy but we haven’t got to the heart of it yet. I then worked out that one reason why I let this pattern continue for so long was that I enjoyed the attention I received for doing all the work and also from complaining about everyone else not doing it! Yuk! Not so great to admit that but it’s the reality. I had unconsciously held the baton of family event organiser, caterer, host, etc, etc and protested about how I wanted to share the burden but didn’t give it up. So I was receiving praise for doing it and sympathy for not getting the assistance I claimed I wanted.

Gaining such clarity on the situation is very freeing and now I can play an equal member of the family instead of holding onto the baggage that was tipping the scales. The more I take responsibility for my actions, the more I am making positive changes in my relationships rather than feeling like a victim. Whether it is an intimate relationship or a short interaction with a stranger, the way I behave has a ripple effect on the rest of the world. Not something to take lightly.

 

 

Tags: balance, equal, family, Gourmetician, Jessica Fernandez, over functioning, personal growth, sisters

From Night Owl To Morning Person

All my life I have been a night owl. Even when I was a baby, I protested to go to sleep and this pattern continued through childhood, my teenage years and up until recently. I would find it impossible to get to sleep before midnight or 1am and then would struggle to wake up each morning, hitting the snooze button or pulling the covers over my head when I was woken up and had to face the day.

I have attempted to change my routine but something stopped me from being consistent and I would be so mad at myself for not being able to do something that seemed relatively simple. Then one day I had enough of the cycle and just decided that I needed to start my days in the way I dream my ideal life would be. It’s great to imagine what I want but without putting it into practice, I was only half way there. So I decided I would try early morning yoga. When I say early morning, I mean early morning. I would happily stay in bed until 7am or later and then panic to get ready for work or on my days off and weekends 10am sleep ins would be common if I didn’t need to be up. Now I wake at 4.30am and greet the day with a yoga class. 

Now this doesn’t happen every morning and that’s an important part about why my transition from night owl to morning person has been so successful. In the past, I have put so much pressure on being perfect that if I had one day where I slept in, I would beat myself up for failing and would give up all together and go back to my old ways. Now if I need the extra rest, I listen to my body and know that I am giving it the time it needs to repair, recover and renew. Then I can go back to waking early the next day. I have also learnt to stop telling people that I’m not a morning person because words are powerful.

Being out of bed before the sun rises means that by the end of the day I am tired and ready to sleep by 9pm without the usual struggle of tossing and turning while trying to switch off. My head now meets the pillow and I drift off into a deep and peaceful sleep. When my alarm goes off now, I want to be up because I feel ready to embrace a new day. Other practices have become part of my daily routine whether consistently or just several times a week. I might read a book, write some morning pages which are 3 pages of whatever thoughts are running through my mind (like a journal), have breakfast or make a raw juice or tea to enjoy in the car during my drive to yoga.

My body, mind and soul feel stretched, alive, relaxed and balanced by the time I arrive at work and by lunch time I feel like I have had an entire day already. On weekends, yoga on the grass under the sun, breathing in the fresh air is a perfect way to start the day, even if I plan to just stay outside reading a book, it leaves me calm and centred. My desire to get the most out of everyday and be the person I used to admire has motivated me to make lifestyle changes. Rather than be a spectator and wish I could be like the people who effortlessly rise early, exercise and have a full life, I am now a participant in that world. I now understand why morning people are so happy and it’s great to finally join the club instead of having my nose pressed up against the glass and looking in.

I am making the changes in all areas of my life to become the person I used to look at and sigh as I thought “they seem to have it all”. The only person who was stopping me from having all those things is me and I am making sure I move out of my own way to let it happen – even if it hurts in the process. If the crisp dawn air isn’t enough to make me alert, realising that my potential has always been there for me to unlock is enough to wake me up and stay awake. 

Tags: balance, breaking habits, Gourmetician, Jessica Fernandez, morning person, night owl, success, yoga