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Food Styling and Photography Workshops with Billy Law @ The Terrace Hotel

Posted by  | Categories: Accommodation, Events, Featured, Modern Australian, Perth, Restaurants

As I approach my blog’s second birthday in September this year, I have been reflecting back on what I have achieved in these past two years. Starting from humble and amateurish beginnings I have strived to improve both my writing and photography style and understand this will forever be a learning curve for me. This constant growth and development gives a great sense of achievement and satisfaction. Blogging is and always will be my hobby and finding enough time alongside my day job as a small animal vet can sometimes be a bit of a challenge!

"The rule of thirds" "pears" "Perth Restaurant Reviews" "food photos" "Perth food blog" "food blog" "Chompchomp" "Gluten free" "Fructose malabsorption" "Perth bars" "Perth restaurants" "Perth food reviews" "Perth Luxury Accommodation" "The Terrace Hotel" "Terrace Hotel" "billy Law" "Billy Law photography workshops" "Billy law food photography workshops" "A Table for two" "Master chef" "Perth City" "food photography"

The “rule of thirds”

"Turkish Bread" "Hummus" "Perth Restaurant Reviews" "food photos" "Perth food blog" "food blog" "Chompchomp" "Gluten free" "Fructose malabsorption" "Perth bars" "Perth restaurants" "Perth food reviews" "Perth Luxury Accommodation" "The Terrace Hotel" "Terrace Hotel" "billy Law" "Billy Law photography workshops" "Billy law food photography workshops" "A Table for two" "Master chef" "Perth City" "food photography"

Turkish Bread & Hummus

One of the aspects of my blog that I want to improve is my food photography skills. I look at my hideously boring food styling and poor quality restaurant photos and dream wistfully that I had natural talent. Billy Law from A Table For Two is one of those people blessed with such a gift. His photos are always clean and crisp, enticing you to dive deeper and deeper into his blog. He was a finalist on Master Chef and has scored that all elusive book deal that so many bloggers dream of.

"Gourmet Tastes Platter" "Duck wontons" "San Daniele prosciutto" "chicken liver parfait" "pork rillettes" "squids cones" " "Perth Restaurant Reviews" "food photos" "Perth food blog" "food blog" "Chompchomp" "Gluten free" "Fructose malabsorption" "Perth bars" "Perth restaurants" "Perth food reviews" "Perth Luxury Accommodation" "The Terrace Hotel" "Terrace Hotel" "billy Law" "Billy Law photography workshops" "Billy law food photography workshops" "A Table for two" "Master chef" "Perth City" "food photography"

Gourmet Tastes Platter: Duck wontons, San Daniele prosciutto, chicken liver parfait, pork rillettes, squids cones

"Gourmet Tastes Platter" "Duck wontons" "San Daniele prosciutto" "chicken liver parfait" "pork rillettes" "squids cones" " "Perth Restaurant Reviews" "food photos" "Perth food blog" "food blog" "Chompchomp" "Gluten free" "Fructose malabsorption" "Perth bars" "Perth restaurants" "Perth food reviews" "Perth Luxury Accommodation" "The Terrace Hotel" "Terrace Hotel" "billy Law" "Billy Law photography workshops" "Billy law food photography workshops" "A Table for two" "Master chef" "Perth City" "food photography"

Ugh – square plates are so hard to shoot!

His food photography workshops are well known by foodies over east and generally sell out well in advance. So when he announced that he was planning to bring the workshop over West I took no hesitation in signing up. Held at The Terrace Hotel we were treated to a two day insight into his trade secrets paired with good food, wine and lots of laughter.

"Pan fried salmon" "Asian greens" "cucumber & coriander salad" "Perth Restaurant Reviews" "food photos" "Perth food blog" "food blog" "Chompchomp" "Gluten free" "Fructose malabsorption" "Perth bars" "Perth restaurants" "Perth food reviews" "Perth Luxury Accommodation" "The Terrace Hotel" "Terrace Hotel" "billy Law" "Billy Law photography workshops" "Billy law food photography workshops" "A Table for two" "Master chef" "Perth City" "food photography"

Pan fried salmon, Asian greens, cucumber & coriander salad (GF)

"Linley Valley pork belly" "chorizo" "broccoli salad" "Spanish black pudding" "Butternut pumpkin" "Perth Restaurant Reviews" "food photos" "Perth food blog" "food blog" "Chompchomp" "Gluten free" "Fructose malabsorption" "Perth bars" "Perth restaurants" "Perth food reviews" "Perth Luxury Accommodation" "The Terrace Hotel" "Terrace Hotel" "billy Law" "Billy Law photography workshops" "Billy law food photography workshops" "A Table for two" "Master chef" "Perth City" "food photography"

Slow cooked crispy Linley Valley pork belly, chorizo & broccoli salad, Spanish black pudding & Butternut pumpkin

"Amelia Park Lamb rack" "sweet potato fondant" "spinach puree" "confit shoulder" "white wine" "rosemary jus" "lamb" "Perth Restaurant Reviews" "food photos" "Perth food blog" "food blog" "Chompchomp" "Gluten free" "Fructose malabsorption" "Perth bars" "Perth restaurants" "Perth food reviews" "Perth Luxury Accommodation" "The Terrace Hotel" "Terrace Hotel" "billy Law" "Billy Law photography workshops" "Billy law food photography workshops" "A Table for two" "Master chef" "Perth City" "food photography"

Amelia Park Lamb rack, sweet potato fondant, spinach puree, confit shoulder, white wine & rosemary jus (GF)

The first day was aimed at a beginner’s level teaching us how to get the most of our cameras regardless of whether it was a point-and-shoot compact or a niftier DSLR. We went through the basics of composition, white balance and he provided some helpful post processing tips. Billy went around the table and individually looked at each of our cameras to help us familiar ourselves with the manual settings. I was able to put his suggestions straight to work as food was continuously being brought to us. We certainly didn’t go home hungry!

"dessert" "Creme caramel" "mango sorbet" "Perth Restaurant Reviews" "food photos" "Perth food blog" "food blog" "Chompchomp" "Gluten free" "Fructose malabsorption" "Perth bars" "Perth restaurants" "Perth food reviews" "Perth Luxury Accommodation" "The Terrace Hotel" "Terrace Hotel" "billy Law" "Billy Law photography workshops" "Billy law food photography workshops" "A Table for two" "Master chef" "Perth City" "food photography"

Creme caramel with mango sorbet (GF)

"Bitter chocolate" "orange tart" "creme fraiche" "honeycomb" "dessert" "Perth Restaurant Reviews" "food photos" "Perth food blog" "food blog" "Chompchomp" "Gluten free" "Fructose malabsorption" "Perth bars" "Perth restaurants" "Perth food reviews" "Perth Luxury Accommodation" "The Terrace Hotel" "Terrace Hotel" "billy Law" "Billy Law photography workshops" "Billy law food photography workshops" "A Table for two" "Master chef" "Perth City" "food photography"

Bitter chocolate & orange tart, creme fraiche & honeycomb

"dessert" "Sticky date pudding" "toffee ice cream" "vanilla ice cream" "toffee sauce" "Perth Restaurant Reviews" "food photos" "Perth food blog" "food blog" "Chompchomp" "Gluten free" "Fructose malabsorption" "Perth bars" "Perth restaurants" "Perth food reviews" "Perth Luxury Accommodation" "The Terrace Hotel" "Terrace Hotel" "billy Law" "Billy Law photography workshops" "Billy law food photography workshops" "A Table for two" "Master chef" "Perth City" "food photography"

Sticky date pudding, toffee ice cream, vanilla ice cream, toffee sauce

The second day was aimed at a more intermediate level and Billy showed us how to utilise props and lighting to get the best out of our shots at home. The attendees at this day included a wide range of people from passionate foodies and bloggers to professional photographers. The atmosphere was very informal and friendly and many of us exchanged business cards and twitter handles at the end of each day.

"Perth Restaurant Reviews" "food photos" "Perth food blog" "food blog" "Chompchomp" "Gluten free" "Fructose malabsorption" "Perth bars" "Perth restaurants" "Perth food reviews" "Perth Luxury Accommodation" "The Terrace Hotel" "Terrace Hotel" "billy Law" "Billy Law photography workshops" "Billy law food photography workshops" "A Table for two" "Master chef" "Perth City" "food photography"

The Terrace Hotel staff knew they were serving a roomful of bloggers so I have refrained from reviewing these meals as it would be impossible for me to give an accurate unbiased review. Throughout the day we were treated to very personalised and friendly service and I walked away impressed with the level of attention. I am keen to return for a meal incognito to discover whether this is true for all patrons.

A big thank you to Billy for making the trip over to Perth!

The Terrace Hotel
237 St Georges Terrace Perth WA 6000 | (08) 9214 4444 | http://www.terracehotelperth.com.au/

The Terrace Hotel on Urbanspoon

Lunch with the In-Laws at Taylor’s Art and Coffee House, Swan Valley

Posted by  | Categories: Breakfast/Brunch, Featured, Perth, Restaurants, Swan Valley

I am fortunate enough to work on the doorstep of the Swan Valley.  This means that it is relatively easy to have some office meetings out and about and over the years we have developed a few favourites. Taylor’s Art and Coffee House has been one of those locations mainly due to their excellent coffee and interesting range of gluten free cakes. Their coffee is sourced from a small local company called Dark Star who roast their own imported beans on site in Northbridge. It is a full flavoured coffee that is perfect for an espresso or short mac, just how I like it.

Choosing a venue to celebrate my mother-in-law’s birthday was left up to me and with some winter sunshine on the forecast I suggested a trip to the valley. The Boy’s family appreciate eating big hearty meals in a casual relaxed dining atmosphere so I knew Taylor’s Art and Coffee House would fit the bill perfectly. No pretension or tiny plates of food.

"Perth Restaurant Reviews" "food photos" "Perth food blog" "food blog" "Chompchomp" "Gluten free" "Fructose malabsorption" "Perth bars" "Perth restaurants" "Perth food reviews" "hipster" "breakfast" "casual dining" "swan valley" "coffee roaster" "Taylor's" "Taylor’s Art & Coffee House" "Dark Star Coffee" "vegan restaurant perth" "Middle swan"

Daily specials

Having never been here before on a weekend I was surprised to see the place was packed inside and out. Although the winter sun was shining brightly there was little warmth coming from its golden rays so we made ourselves comfortable inside under the heaters.

"Cream of corn soup" "sour cream" "soup" "gluten free bread" "Perth Restaurant Reviews" "food photos" "Perth food blog" "food blog" "Chompchomp" "Gluten free" "Fructose malabsorption" "Perth bars" "Perth restaurants" "Perth food reviews" "hipster" "breakfast" "casual dining" "swan valley" "coffee roaster" "Taylor's" "Taylor’s Art & Coffee House" "Dark Star Coffee" "vegan restaurant perth" "Middle swan"

Cream of corn soup

There were a few winter coughs and snuffles around the table so we all treated ourselves to a bowl of hot soup of the day to warm our bellies and sooth our throats.  Unfortunately a few of the bowls that were brought to our table were lukewarm and had to be sent back to the kitchen to be reheated. The smooth and creamy corn soup provided excellent value at just $9 for a small bowl however I did think the one thin slice of accompanying gluten free bread was a bit on the stingy side. On previous occasions I have received a couple of slices with my soup, I’m not sure if they were on bread rations that day and were running out?

"eggplant" "fire roasted capsicum" "basil" "spinach" "feta" "sweet potato" "pine nuts" "fresh greens" "Frittata" "Perth Restaurant Reviews" "food photos" "Perth food blog" "food blog" "Chompchomp" "Gluten free" "Fructose malabsorption" "Perth bars" "Perth restaurants" "Perth food reviews" "hipster" "breakfast" "casual dining" "swan valley" "coffee roaster" "Taylor's" "Taylor’s Art & Coffee House" "Dark Star Coffee" "vegan restaurant perth" "Middle swan"

Frittata

For my main I ordered the vegetarian frittata made with eggplant, fire roasted capsicum, basil, spinach and feta. It came with a massive side serve of salad containing sweet potato, pine nuts and fresh greens. The serving size was enormous and I starting wishing I didn’t order the soup as well. I guess I didn’t really need that extra piece of toast with my soup after all! The frittata could have done with a touch more seasoning and was very slightly burnt on the bottom. The huge salad was very filling even for my over-sized stomach and it was a struggle to finish it. Once again I felt this was value for money.

"vegan burger" "vegetable burger" "vegan" "vegetarian" "falafel" "cashew cheese" "beetroot relish" "fire roasted capsicum" "Vegie burger" "Perth Restaurant Reviews" "food photos" "Perth food blog" "food blog" "Chompchomp" "Gluten free" "Fructose malabsorption" "Perth bars" "Perth restaurants" "Perth food reviews" "hipster" "breakfast" "casual dining" "swan valley" "coffee roaster" "Taylor's" "Taylor’s Art & Coffee House" "Dark Star Coffee" "vegan restaurant perth" "Middle swan"

Veggie burger

The Boy ordered the vegan burger. It contained a falafel patty with cashew cheese, beetroot relish and fire roasted capsicum. He was very disappointed with his choice and barely ate any of it. He said the bread was too hard and tasted almost stale; the burger patty was very soft and crumbled apart too easily and the relish was far too spicy for his liking. What a shame because it looked really tasty.

"caramelised garlic" "chevre" "salmon" "mushroom tart" "mushroom quiche" "Savoury tart" "homemade pastry" "Perth Restaurant Reviews" "food photos" "Perth food blog" "food blog" "Chompchomp" "Gluten free" "Fructose malabsorption" "Perth bars" "Perth restaurants" "Perth food reviews" "hipster" "breakfast" "casual dining" "swan valley" "coffee roaster" "Taylor's" "Taylor’s Art & Coffee House" "Dark Star Coffee" "vegan restaurant perth" "Middle swan"

Savoury tart with home-made pastry

My mother in law ordered the mushroom tart with caramelised garlic, chevre and salmon. I didn’t really get a lot of adjectives from her describing its taste but I do know she enjoyed it and had no complaints.

"chermoula" "roasted sweet potato" "beetroot" "chickpeas" "spinach" "spiced yoghurt" "garlic walnut crumble" "Chermoula Chicken salad" "Perth Restaurant Reviews" "food photos" "Perth food blog" "food blog" "Chompchomp" "Gluten free" "Fructose malabsorption" "Perth bars" "Perth restaurants" "Perth food reviews" "hipster" "breakfast" "casual dining" "swan valley" "coffee roaster" "Taylor's" "Taylor’s Art & Coffee House" "Dark Star Coffee" "vegan restaurant perth" "Middle swan"

Chermoula Chicken salad

My sister-in-law ordered the chermoula chicken salad.  I have had this salad on a couple of occasions and once again the serving size is more than ample and will leave you contentedly full. Pieces of chermoula marinated chicken were served with a high mound of roasted sweet potato, beetroot, chickpeas, spinach, spiced yoghurt and a garlic walnut crumble. The flavours all work nicely together with a lovely balance of textures and a slight spicy kick.

"cake" "dessert" "Apple berry cake" "Perth Restaurant Reviews" "food photos" "Perth food blog" "food blog" "Chompchomp" "Gluten free" "Fructose malabsorption" "Perth bars" "Perth restaurants" "Perth food reviews" "hipster" "breakfast" "casual dining" "swan valley" "coffee roaster" "Taylor's" "Taylor’s Art & Coffee House" "Dark Star Coffee" "vegan restaurant perth" "Middle swan"

Apple berry cake

One of the main reasons I came back to Taylor’s was that I knew they had a few gluten free options for dessert.  However by the time I had eaten my soup, my huge plate of salad and my frittata I was bursting at the seams.  When we were ordering our lunch earlier I spied a pile of rich cubes of gluten free chocolate brownies in the cake cabinet and was sure that between the Boy and I we could polish one off. Unbeknownst to me my young nephew had also decided that HE wanted a brownie too. When we returned back to the counter to order our coffee and cakes, the mound of brownies had been reduced to a mere single square! I figured that must be a signal to me to stop being greedy and let him order it for himself, not without stealing a few mouthfuls though! It was moist and very chocolatey, there would have been no way I could have eaten one to myself after all the food I had already chowed down.

I still haven’t quite made up my mind about Taylor’s Art and Coffee House; whilst their coffees and cakes are worth a visit the execution in the kitchen didn’t seem to handle the busyness of weekend brunch. I haven’t had such problems during my mid-week visits and I can assure you I will still return.

Taylor’s Art and Coffee House
510 Great Northern Highway, Middle Swan 6056 | 0447 441 223 | http://www.taylorscafe.com.au/
 
Price:                     $$          
Food:                    2.5/5 (awesome coffee & cakes but lukewarm soup and inedible vegan burger)
Service:                3/5 (slow service but friendly enough, the barista is a character who shows passion & enthusiasm)
Ambience:          3/5 (quaint, relaxed country feel)
Drinks:                  4/5 (the coffee won me over)
Total:                     12.5/20 

 Taylors Art & Coffee House on Urbanspoon

Rochelle Adonis House Warming Party, Beaufort Street, Highgate

Posted by  | Categories: Degustation/Fine dining, Events, Featured, High Tea

Many of you know I’m a big Rochelle Adonis fan, even Rochelle herself! So I was delighted to be invited to her “house warming” party on a blustery winter night at her new premises on Beaufort Street, Highgate. Located in a gorgeous character home and decorated with her exquisitely fine taste there was free flowing Mumm champagne for all and a gorgeous spread of all things sweet and adorable.

"Seventh Duchess Tea" "Perth Restaurant Reviews" "food photos" "Perth food blog" "food blog" "Chompchomp" "Gluten free" "Fructose malabsorption" "Rochelle Adonis" "High Tea" "Desserts" "Fine dining" "Degustation" "Northbridge" "Brisbane street" “Beaufort street” “Highgate” “mount Lawley”

"Seventh Duchess Tea" "Perth Restaurant Reviews" "food photos" "Perth food blog" "food blog" "Chompchomp" "Gluten free" "Fructose malabsorption" "Rochelle Adonis" "High Tea" "Desserts" "Fine dining" "Degustation" "Northbridge" "Brisbane street" “Beaufort street” “Highgate” “mount Lawley”

"Seventh Duchess Tea" "Perth Restaurant Reviews" "food photos" "Perth food blog" "food blog" "Chompchomp" "Gluten free" "Fructose malabsorption" "Rochelle Adonis" "High Tea" "Desserts" "Fine dining" "Degustation" "Northbridge" "Brisbane street" “Beaufort street” “Highgate” “mount Lawley”

"Seventh Duchess Tea" "Perth Restaurant Reviews" "food photos" "Perth food blog" "food blog" "Chompchomp" "Gluten free" "Fructose malabsorption" "Rochelle Adonis" "High Tea" "Desserts" "Fine dining" "Degustation" "Northbridge" "Brisbane street" “Beaufort street” “Highgate” “mount Lawley”

"Seventh Duchess Tea" "Perth Restaurant Reviews" "food photos" "Perth food blog" "food blog" "Chompchomp" "Gluten free" "Fructose malabsorption" "Rochelle Adonis" "High Tea" "Desserts" "Fine dining" "Degustation" "Northbridge" "Brisbane street" “Beaufort street” “Highgate” “mount Lawley”

"Seventh Duchess Tea" "Perth Restaurant Reviews" "food photos" "Perth food blog" "food blog" "Chompchomp" "Gluten free" "Fructose malabsorption" "Rochelle Adonis" "High Tea" "Desserts" "Fine dining" "Degustation" "Northbridge" "Brisbane street" “Beaufort street” “Highgate” “mount Lawley”

 

"Seventh Duchess Tea" "Perth Restaurant Reviews" "food photos" "Perth food blog" "food blog" "Chompchomp" "Gluten free" "Fructose malabsorption" "Rochelle Adonis" "High Tea" "Desserts" "Fine dining" "Degustation" "Northbridge" "Brisbane street" “Beaufort street” “Highgate” “mount Lawley”

For more on Rochelle Adonis head over to my High Tea reviews:

High Tea at Rochelle Adonis October 2011

Returning to Rochelle Adonis for High Tea September 2012

Rochelle Adonis | (08) 9227 0007 | 2 St Albans Avenue, Highgate WA 6003 | rochelleadonis.com

Sweet Treat Smoothie & Holiday Medley with Raw Sweet Potato Mash

Posted by  | Categories: Blender Recipes, Featured, Paleo, Raw Food, Recipes, Vegetarian

It has been six weeks and our Raw Food Meatless Monday comes to an end. It has been a fabulous learning experience for me as I had previously had no experience with preparing raw food. Whilst I realise to get more variety I need to take it further and get the right equipment like a dehydrator for example, I think I have dabbled enough in it to gain some basic understanding and appreciation.  Whilst I cannot say I would be keen to go to an all raw diet, we will still continue to eat some raw food dishes beyond the conclusion of this challenge.  Adapting some of the recipes to suit my fructose malabsorption has been interesting as banned ingredients like dried fruits are frequently used ingredients. Nevertheless I will continue to enjoy learning more about this more natural way of eating and hope I haven’t bored my dear readers with six weeks of it in a row!

Sweet Treat Smoothie
Author: 
Recipe type: Smoothie
Cuisine: Vegetarian, Vegan, Raw
Prep time: 
Cook time: 
Total time: 
Serves: 2
 
Ingredients
  • ½ cup plain or unsweetened vanilla almond milk
  • 2 cups organic baby spinach
  • 1 frozen banana
  • ½ cup frozen blueberries
  • 1 T raw cacao powder
  • 1 T mesquite powder
  • ½ tsp vanilla extract
Instructions
  1. Place all ingredients into the blender and blend on high for one minute or until smooth. Drink immediately.

"Perth Restaurant Reviews" "food photos" "Perth food blog" "food blog" "Chompchomp" "Gluten free" "Fructose malabsorption" "gluten free recipes" "paleo recipes" "baking recipes" "raw food" "raw recipes" "meatless monday" "Raw Meatless Monday Man Challenge" "vegetarian" "raw food recipes" "blender recipes" "omniblend recipes" "healthy recipes" "gluten free raw recipes" "green smoothies" "green smoothie recipes" “vegan recipes” “raw soup” "sweet green smoothie" "mesquite" "Organic Cacao" "Organic Mesquite" "super foods" "raw sweet potato mash" "raw vegetable medley"

"Perth Restaurant Reviews" "food photos" "Perth food blog" "food blog" "Chompchomp" "Gluten free" "Fructose malabsorption" "gluten free recipes" "paleo recipes" "baking recipes" "raw food" "raw recipes" "meatless monday" "Raw Meatless Monday Man Challenge" "vegetarian" "raw food recipes" "blender recipes" "omniblend recipes" "healthy recipes" "gluten free raw recipes" "green smoothies" "green smoothie recipes" “vegan recipes” “raw soup” "sweet green smoothie" "mesquite" "Organic Cacao" "Organic Mesquite" "super foods" "raw sweet potato mash" "raw vegetable medley"

 

Holiday Medley with Raw Sweet Potato Mash
Author: 
Recipe type: Dinner
Cuisine: Vegetarian, Vegan, Raw
Prep time: 
Cook time: 
Total time: 
Serves: 2
 
Ingredients
Holiday Medley
  • ¼ cup olive oil
  • 2 cloves garlic, minced
  • 2 teaspoons dried herbs
  • ½ teaspoon salt
  • black pepper to taste
  • 1 cup walnuts
  • 2 large stalks celery (diced)
  • 2 medium carrots (diced)
  • ¾ cup chopped parsley (about ½ bunch)
Sweet Potato Mash
  • 2 medium carrots
  • ¾ cup water
  • ½ cup cashew
  • 1 tablespoon coconut oil
  • ½ teaspoon cumin
  • ½ teaspoon salt
  • 1 medium sweet potato
Instructions
Holiday Medley
  1. In a large bowl, whisk together the olive oil, garlic, seasoning, salt and pepper. Place the walnuts in a food processor and process until finely ground. Scrape into the bowl with oil and spices. Add celery, carrots and parsley to the mixture.
Sweet Potato Mash
  1. In a high speed blender, combine the water, cashews, coconut oil, cumin and salt. Blend until very smooth. Add the sweet potato and carrot and blend again until very smooth, creamy & warm

"Perth Restaurant Reviews" "food photos" "Perth food blog" "food blog" "Chompchomp" "Gluten free" "Fructose malabsorption" "gluten free recipes" "paleo recipes" "baking recipes" "raw food" "raw recipes" "meatless monday" "Raw Meatless Monday Man Challenge" "vegetarian" "raw food recipes" "blender recipes" "omniblend recipes" "healthy recipes" "gluten free raw recipes" "green smoothies" "green smoothie recipes" “vegan recipes” “raw soup” "sweet green smoothie" "mesquite" "Organic Cacao" "Organic Mesquite" "super foods" "raw sweet potato mash" "raw vegetable medley"

The Boy’s review of the Sweet treat smoothie & Holiday Medley with Sweet Potato Mash:

It is a shame that the Raw Food Meatless Monday challenge is ending as I have been enjoying being surprised with a new meal and smoothie to try each week and it has been a great way to start the week.   I have been impressed by how good these raw dishes have been and can say without a doubt I am now a big fan! The Holiday Medley with Sweet Potato Mash was a pleasure to eat and tasted fantastic however I think I may have eaten more then I should have as it gave me a bit of indigestion for an hour or two afterwards.  Despite not looking overly appetising the Sweet Treat Smoothie was surprisingly delicious and was more like a desert then a drink.   Hopefully Chomp will continue experimenting with Raw food and I will get to enjoy some of her experiments again in the near future!

Here is the final list of links to the blender recipes that I have created with my OmniBlend. The concept is for each Monday to not only stick with Meatless Monday and eat only vegetarian but to take it to the next level and make it a Raw Food Meatless Monday. For the whole day we will only eat raw, vegan, gluten free, dairy free and fructose friendly.

● Tropical Green Smoothie (Week One)

● Curried Raw Butternut Pumpkin Soup (Week One)

 Pineapple Beet Smoothie (Week Two)

● Thai Chilli Coconut Zucchini Noodles (Week Two)

● Pineapple Kale Coconut Smoothie (Week Three)

● Creamy Garden Chowder (Week Three)

 Savoury Green Smoothie (Week Four)

● Fruit & Cinnamon Chia Pudding (Week Four)

 Raw Red Capsicum Soup recipe (Week Five)

● Cucumber & Zucchini Noodles with Spicy Almond Sauce (Week Five)

● Sweet Treat Smoothie (Week Six)

● Holiday Medley and Sweet Potato Mash (Week Six)

Omniblend Australia provided me with an free Omniblend V machine to use to develop these recipes. Read my review for more information. Super Foods provided me with free Organic Cacao and Organic Mesquite powder which inspired me to prepare these recipes. 

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Mushroom Mania 2013: Red Cabbage Food & Wine Mushroom Degustation

Posted by  | Categories: Degustation/Fine dining, Desserts, Featured, Perth, Restaurants

Some of you may think I’m a bit insane throwing myself head first into the Mushroom Mania celebrations every year but I can assure you I am not the only one. In addition to a number of bloggers from around the country, there are many local chefs and food producers that join in the mushroomy celebrations. Last week I introduced you to Cris from Perth City Farm who is totally mad for his mushrooms, nurturing them carefully from spores to fruit with tenderness and loving care. And it shows; his mushrooms are packed full of flavour and were so meaty I swear they nearly tasted like chicken. For the second post in my Mushroom Mania series this year, I wanted to take it beyond just eating one or two mushrooms dishes. I wanted to find a talented chef who was willing to make me a whole mushroom themed degustation.  I approached Chef Scott O’Sullivan from the award-winning Red Cabbage Food and Wine in South Perth to see if he was keen. It turns out that he and his wife are big mushroom fans and he jumped at the opportunity to join in the fun!

"menu" "Perth Restaurant Reviews" "food photos" "Perth food blog" "food blog" "Chompchomp" "Gluten free" "Fructose malabsorption" "Perth bars" "Perth restaurants" "Perth food reviews" "Red Cabbage South Perth" "red Cabbage Restaurant" "red cabbage" "scott O'sullivan" "fine dining" "mushroomm mania" "degustation perth" "gluten free degustation" "mushroom degustation" "south perth restaurants"

Our mushroom journey!

On arrival we were greeted warmly by Hazel O’Sullivan and shown to our table where our own personal mushroom menus were laid out ready for us. As my eyes gazed over each delicious looking course I knew we were in for a special treat. To start us off for the night, thickly sliced and toasted gluten free sour dough with olives and truffled honey were brought to the table. There was also some fresh brioche for the boy to eat that wasn’t gluten free.  The sour dough was soft with a lovely slightly sour after taste and it soaked up the truffled honey thirstily.

"Truffled honey" "gluten free sour dough" "brioche" "olives"  "Perth Restaurant Reviews" "food photos" "Perth food blog" "food blog" "Chompchomp" "Gluten free" "Fructose malabsorption" "Perth bars" "Perth restaurants" "Perth food reviews" "Red Cabbage South Perth" "red Cabbage Restaurant" "red cabbage" "scott O'sullivan" "fine dining" "mushroomm mania" "degustation perth" "gluten free degustation" "mushroom degustation" "south perth restaurants"

Truffled honey, GF sour dough, brioche, olives

The truffle honey was, as I’m sure any of you who have tried it before, totally exquisite and was further enhanced by the addition of some fragrant fresh thyme. I was glad I brought my glucose tablets to counter act the fructose content in the honey so I could enjoy it liberally with minimal consequences. To be honest…even if I had forgotten those glucose tablets, I would have happily endured the suffering anyway. The honey was THAT good.

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Secret surprise!

Our second course arrived under a large glass dome filled with smoke. I love theatrics when I’m out dining; it makes the whole experience so much more of a show and brings some of the magic that happens in the kitchen out to us at the table.

"shiitake" "chanterelle" "Mushrooms" "smoked mushrooms" "toast" "egg" "Perth Restaurant Reviews" "food photos" "Perth food blog" "food blog" "Chompchomp" "Gluten free" "Fructose malabsorption" "Perth bars" "Perth restaurants" "Perth food reviews" "Red Cabbage South Perth" "red Cabbage Restaurant" "red cabbage" "scott O'sullivan" "fine dining" "mushroomm mania" "degustation perth" "gluten free degustation" "mushroom degustation" "south perth restaurants"

Mushrooms, toast, egg

"shiitake" "chanterelle" "Mushrooms" "smoked mushrooms" "toast" "egg" "Perth Restaurant Reviews" "food photos" "Perth food blog" "food blog" "Chompchomp" "Gluten free" "Fructose malabsorption" "Perth bars" "Perth restaurants" "Perth food reviews" "Red Cabbage South Perth" "red Cabbage Restaurant" "red cabbage" "scott O'sullivan" "fine dining" "mushroomm mania" "degustation perth" "gluten free degustation" "mushroom degustation" "south perth restaurants"

Mushrooms, toast, egg

The richly earthy flavours of fresh smoked shiitake and chanterelle mushrooms were the ideal amuse bouche for the commencement of this mushroom journey. The gluten free croutons were crunchy without being overly hard and left a sumptuous lingering buttery flavour in my mouth.

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Two of my favourite mushies: shiitake and chanterelle. Such strong flavours!

Pig's ear mushrooms (photo courtesy of thebaldgourmet.com)

Pig’s ear mushrooms (photo courtesy of thebaldgourmet.com)

Our next course of duck lasagne and seared scallops were a creative play on textures. Pig’s ear mushrooms were dehydrated to dry them out and then deep fried so that they had the consistency of potato crisps.  Combined with the velvety soft scallops and duck this was truly a wondrous dish. Being truffle season here in Western Australia, I was so pleased to see these fabulous fungi made a recurrent feature across our evening meal with some truffle jus drizzled romantically over this dish. Sorry you don’t get a visual on this one folks!

"black truffle" "manjimup truffle" "perigold truflle" "black truffle" "Marron" "sunchoke" "salmon pastrami" "shiitake" "shimeji" "soy caramel" "Perth Restaurant Reviews" "food photos" "Perth food blog" "food blog" "Chompchomp" "Gluten free" "Fructose malabsorption" "Perth bars" "Perth restaurants" "Perth food reviews" "Red Cabbage South Perth" "red Cabbage Restaurant" "red cabbage" "scott O'sullivan" "fine dining" "mushroomm mania" "degustation perth" "gluten free degustation" "mushroom degustation" "south perth restaurants"

Marron, sunchoke, salmon pastrami, shiitake, shimeji, soy

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Marron, sunchoke, salmon pastrami, shiitake, shimeji, soy

I love it when food is synonymous with art and as our evening progressed I began to understand that Chef Scott shares a similar passion. Each dish was presented in a precise and methodical manner with every component so carefully planned and prepared. The marron and salmon pastrami matched well with the stronger flavours of the shimeji and shiitake mushrooms. There were crisp fried nuggets of sunchoke, dollops of carrot purée and mushroom ketchup along with lashings of sticky sweet soy caramel.

"Marron" "sunchoke" "salmon pastrami" "shiitake" "shimeji" "soy caramel" "black truffle" "manjimup truffle" "perigold truflle" "black truffle" "Perth Restaurant Reviews" "food photos" "Perth food blog" "food blog" "Chompchomp" "Gluten free" "Fructose malabsorption" "Perth bars" "Perth restaurants" "Perth food reviews" "Red Cabbage South Perth" "red Cabbage Restaurant" "red cabbage" "scott O'sullivan" "fine dining" "mushroomm mania" "degustation perth" "gluten free degustation" "mushroom degustation" "south perth restaurants"

Most excitingly, my truffle obsession was fuelled furthermore with generous shavings of fresh Manjimup truffle falling across my plate like millionaire’s snowflakes.

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Cep macaron, olive parsnip

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Cep macaron, olive parsnip

Like many, I am a macaron addict. These little morsels are as good a pick-me-up for me as a block of chocolate and the very thought of eating them always makes me all girlie and excitable. Over the years I have tried all sorts of macaron flavours as they are such a versatile little treat with the incredible capacity to contain a wide variety of flavours. However I have never eaten a MUSHROOM macaron before so I was so impressed with this course. A gorgeous little cep mushroom macaron sat perched on a parsnip stalk laying on bed of olive and white chocolate snow with a scoop of parsnip ice cream. Too cute!

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Venison, chanterelle, foie gras, cherry & pistachio

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The cherry “bomb” discretely hiding in there

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Close of of those flavourful chanterelles

For our final main course those distinctly flavoured little chanterelle mushrooms featured alongside succulent venison and creamy cubes of foie gras.  On a bed of celeriac puree and scattered with pistachios and fresh cherries, the sweet and sour aspects of this dish complemented the venison magically. Buried in amongst all the treasure was a cherry “bomb”. Cherry puree and cherry vinegar encased in a thin film made from a seaweed gelling agent exploded with a POW in my mouth releasing so much flavour my eyes nearly watered. Incredible!

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Pumpkin, pear, blue & cheddar

Our next course is one of my favourite parts of a degustation; the cheese course. This cheese course was like no other I have tried before.  Expecting some slivers of cheese, crackers and slices of fruit I fascinated to see that Chef Scott put just as much creative thought into this course as he had the rest of the meal. A smear of subtly sweet pumpkin puree was sprinkled with crumbled Irish Cashel Blue cheese and Lancashire cheddar. Instead of some comparatively boring slices of pear there was a scoop of soft pear sorbet.

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Apple, quince & rhubarb

As our degustation started to draw to a close I reflected back on what we had eaten so far and was surprised with the modest size of dishes. This is a degustation for the hungry; they are quite generous with portion sizes considering we had nine courses to get through yet I wasn’t feeling excessively overindulged. I was chuffed to see that two of the nine courses were desserts and I recall the desserts at Red Cabbage being very memorable. Our first dessert course was called apple, quince and rhubarb.  This relatively messy looking dish interestingly gave a different sensation with each mouthful by alternating with textures, temperatures, sweetness, creaminess and tarty sourness.

"chocolate mousse" "chocolate rocks" "dessert" "desserts" "Chocolate coffee" "wattle" "Perth Restaurant Reviews" "food photos" "Perth food blog" "food blog" "Chompchomp" "Gluten free" "Fructose malabsorption" "Perth bars" "Perth restaurants" "Perth food reviews" "Red Cabbage South Perth" "red Cabbage Restaurant" "red cabbage" "scott O'sullivan" "fine dining" "mushroomm mania" "degustation perth" "gluten free degustation" "mushroom degustation" "south perth restaurants"

Chocolate coffee and wattle

You cannot go wrong serving me a dessert that is based on chocolate. It is (one) of my true Achilles heels and I struggle to avoid binging on it if it is in the cupboard at home. For our final course in this evening of excellence we were served a soft cube of chocolate mousse surrounded by chocolate and coffee “rocks” and accompanied a velvety scoop of brown butter ice cream. This was such a wonderful way to end our evening.

The service to our table for the whole night was absolutely seamless with Hazel providing me with some excellent wine matching recommendations. Having visited Red Cabbage a number of times some year ago, I was impressed to see how this restaurant has grown and matured to have their own signature style of artistic food that I expect from other top venues in Perth such as Restaurant Amuse. Their passion for quality and service shines through and we both look forward to returning again in the near future.

This restaurant was reviewed as part of Mushroom Mania month which is happening all across Australia during July 2013. Head to the Power of Mushrooms website for loads of mouth-watering mushroom recipes plus if you write your own review on a mushroom dish you could win one of 40 $100 restaurant vouchers!
 
Disclosure: Chompchomp dined at Perth City Farm with compliments of the Australian Mushroom Growers Association.
 
Red Cabbage Food + Wine
49/15 Labouchere Road, South Perth WA 6151 | (08) 9367 5744 | http://redcabbagefoodandwine.com.au/

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Raw Vegan Red Pepper Soup & Cucumber & Zucchini Noodles with Spicy Almond Sauce

Posted by  | Categories: Blender Recipes, Paleo, Raw Food, Recipes, Vegetarian

I have a tendency to brag about Perth’s balmy weather but the reality of it is that by having great weather for most of the year many of us Perthites are poorly acclimatised for any remote resemblance of winter. We are notorious for being winter whingers when the reality of it is our winters are comparatively short and mild and we really have nothing to complain about. The Boy and I have been sticking to our Raw Food Meatless Monday for over four weeks now and both of us are feeling vibrant and our skin is glowing. Or maybe that’s still some post wedding bliss?!

However waking up in the morning when it is still dark outside and the temperature is in the single digits drinking a cold smoothie isn’t that enjoyable, no matter how tasty and nutritious it is. So prompted by this cold snap, I decided this week our Raw Food breakfast would be a raw vegan red pepper soup instead; warmed in just minutes by using my blender on high speed which then gently heats the soup with friction.

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Raw Vegan Red Pepper Soup
Author: 
Recipe type: Soup
Cuisine: Vegetarian, Vegan, Raw
Prep time: 
Cook time: 
Total time: 
Serves: 2
 
Ingredients
  • 1 cup roughly chopped red bell capsicum (approx. 1 medium pepper)
  • ½ cup of cashew cream
  • ½ teaspoon celtic sea salt
Garnish
  • ½ cup more diced red capsicum (reserve for garnish - do not blend)
  • ½ tbsp. parsley
Instructions
  1. Add ingredients (except for the garnish) into the blender on low speed until smooth, then blend on medium to high until warmed.

Adapted from www.therawtarian.com

 

Cucumber & Zucchini Noodles with Spicy Almond Sauce recipe has been moved. Click here for the recipe. 

 

 

 

The Boy’s review of the Raw Vegan Red Pepper Soup & Cucumber & Zucchini Noodles with Spicy Almond Sauce:

 With the “cold” of winter making its brief appearance in Perth these last couple of weeks Chomp decided that it was time to make a nice warm raw soup for breakfast rather than the usual cold smoothie. Her choice of a raw Red Capsicum Soup was spot on for a cold winter’s morning and was absolutely delicious without being too heavy or filling. Being only lightly warm it needs to be eaten quickly as it loses some of its appeal once it cools down to room temperature.

Our dinner that night was one of my favourite raw, vegan dishes – Raw Zucchini Noodles – which we first had at the Raw Kitchen in Fremantle last year. Chomp’s interpretation of the dish was a Cucumber & Zucchini Noodles with Spicy Almond Sauce and without a doubt it was a winner. There is something about Zucchini noodles that just really appeals to me and I actually prefer them over the real pasta. This dish was beautifully prepared with the almond sauce, pumpkin seeds and goji berries complementing the cucumber and zucchini perfectly.

Both of the dishes were fantastic this week and it is going to be a shame that it ends next week as I am quite enjoying having all these new, interesting meals cooked for me!

Over the next coming weeks I will be publishing some blender recipes that I have created with my OmniBlend. The concept is for each Monday to not only stick with Meatless Monday and eat only vegetarian but to take it to the next level and make it a Raw Food Meatless Monday. For the whole day we will only eat raw, vegan, gluten free, dairy free and fructose friendly.

● Tropical Green Smoothie (Week One)

● Curried Raw Butternut Pumpkin Soup (Week One)

 Pineapple Beet Smoothie (Week Two)

● Thai Chilli Coconut Zucchini Noodles (Week Two)

● Pineapple Kale Coconut Smoothie (Week Three)

● Creamy Garden Chowder (Week Three)

 Savoury Green Smoothie (Week Four)

● Fruit & Cinnamon Chia Pudding (Week Four)

● Raw Vegan Red Capsicum Soup recipe (Week Five)

● Cucumber & Zucchini Noodles with Spicy Almond Sauce (Week Five)

● Sweet Treat Smoothie (Week Six)

● Holiday Medley and Sweet Potato Mash (Week Six)

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Omniblend Australia provided me with an free Omniblend V machine to use to develop these recipes. Read my review for more information.

Gluten Free Raspberry and Almond Chocolate Kisses: Sweet Swap 2013

Posted by  | Categories: Baking, Desserts, Featured, Recipes, Vegetarian

I have a tendency to often bite off more than I can chew. This habit applies not only to my constant overeating but to many other aspects in my life. Working under pressure seems to bring out the best in me however this can sometimes lead to being in the position where there is so much to do that it’s almost overwhelming.  Being a persistent and determined person I always seem to get through it all, often with success which only serves to drive me to do it all again. Earlier this year the rambunctious Amanda from Chew Town told me all about her project of The Sweet Swap over an oversized second breakfast at Miss Kitty’s Saloon. It sounded like such a great idea to me. The best way to describe The Sweet Swap is it’s kind of like a food bloggers Kris Cringle but not at Christmas and the presents are all edible.

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The basic idea is this: make three batches of some sort of sweet treat that could survive a journey through Australia Post. Send a batch to each of your three nominated bloggers. Wait for your anonymous parcel to arrive from a different blogger. All proceeds go towards The Child Fund charity.

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Now I’m not a fancy chef.  My recipes have never been the main focus of my blog but more an expression of my interest in food while to meet all my intolerance criteria without sacrificing flavour. So here’s my offering. You won’t be able to stop at just one: Gluten Free Raspberry and Almond Chocolate Kisses.

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Gluten Free Raspberry and Almond Chocolate Kisses
Author: 
Recipe type: Dessert
Serves: 24
 
Ingredients
  • 460 g milk or dark chocolate chips
  • 2-3 teaspoon coconut oil
  • ½ cup almond butter
  • 1 tablespoon powdered/confectioner ‘s sugar
  • ¼ cup of raspberry jam
Instructions
  1. Line a mini muffin tin with paper liners and set aside.
  2. Melt the chocolate in a double boiler, saucepan or microwave. Once it’s melted down, add coconut oil to thin out. Add more, if needed.
  3. Add about 1 teaspoon of melted chocolate to the bottom of each paper cup. Tilt the liners so the chocolate evenly coats the bottom and slightly up the sides. Another option is to take a pastry brush or even a small knife to spread the chocolate.
  4. Place the cupcake tin in the freezer for 15-20 minutes to let set.
  5. Meanwhile, mix together almond butter and powdered sugar – this makes it less sticky and easier to handle. Place almond butter mixture in the fridge for 10 minutes.
  6. Once both timers have gone off, roll [in your hands] about ½ teaspoon of the almond butter mixture and place in the centre of each chocolate cup. Place tin back in the freezer for about 10 minutes.
  7. Remove and add ¼ teaspoon of jam on top of the peanut butter.
  8. With the remaining chocolate, cover each cup until covered. Top with sea salt – optional.
  9. Place muffin tin back into the freezer, last time I promise, for about 20 minutes.
  10. These can be left out at room temperature or in the fridge.
"Gluten Free Raspberry and Almond Chocolate Kisses" "Raspberry Almond Chocolate" "Perth Restaurant Reviews" "food photos" "Perth food blog" "food blog" "Chompchomp" "Gluten free" "Fructose malabsorption" "gluten free recipes" "chocolate recipes" "baking recipes" "meatless monday" "vegetarian" "dessert recipes" "desserts" "chocolate" "almond chocolate" "raspberry chocolate" "chocolate truffles" "jam and almond chocolate cups" "Chocolate Almond and Raspberry" "sweet swap"
 
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"Gluten Free Raspberry and Almond Chocolate Kisses" "Raspberry Almond Chocolate" "Perth Restaurant Reviews" "food photos" "Perth food blog" "food blog" "Chompchomp" "Gluten free" "Fructose malabsorption" "gluten free recipes" "chocolate recipes" "baking recipes" "meatless monday" "vegetarian" "dessert recipes" "desserts" "chocolate" "almond chocolate" "raspberry chocolate" "chocolate truffles" "jam and almond chocolate cups" "Chocolate Almond and Raspberry" "sweet swap"
Adapted with thanks from With Style and Grace

La Boqueria Market - Mercat de la Boqueria; Barcelona

Posted by  | Categories: Attractions, Barcelona, Featured, Markets, Spain

The Boqueria Markets in Barcelona date all the way back to the 1400s when a pig market existed on the same site where the markets exist today. It wasn’t until hundreds of years later in 1826 that these markets were legally recognised and shortly later an official undercover structure was built. Unlikely most things in Spain, the Boqueria markets get well under way by mid-morning and so I advise you to get there well before 12 pm. I made the mistake of fueling up at my hotel’s breakfast buffet and arrived at the markets with a full belly.  Definite fail.  Next time I am in Barcelona, I will be sure to arrive at Boqueria Markets hungry. Very hungry.

These markets are filled will all sorts of fresh local produce and if your accommodation has kitchen facilities I suggest you do your food shopping here! Or better still grab yourself some provisions and head to Park Guell for a picnic in the Spanish sunshine.

I spent several hours wandering the market aisles taking it all in; sights, smells and bustling atmosphere. Here’s a taste of the excitement.

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La Boqueria is located just off La Ramblas and is open from 8am until 8.30 pm Monday to Saturday.

http://www.boqueria.info/index.php

Savoury Green Smoothie & Fruit & Cinnamon Chia Pudding

Posted by  | Categories: Blender Recipes, Featured, Paleo, Raw Food, Recipes, Vegetarian

A number of you dear readers who have been following my Raw Food Meatless Monday Man Challenge have suggested to me that I make some raw food desserts.  I wanted a raw dessert to serve us for our Monday night dinner that could actually pass off as our main meal.  It needed to be nutritious, filling and not too sweet.  To complicate my requirements furthermore, it had to comply with my fructose malabsorption (FM) restrictions. Many raw food desserts contain dried fruit which are completely off the menu for a FM so I had to delve a bit deeper for something more interesting."Perth Restaurant Reviews" "food photos" "Perth food blog" "food blog" "Chompchomp" "Gluten free" "Fructose malabsorption" "gluten free recipes" "paleo recipes" "baking recipes" "raw food" "raw recipes" "meatless monday" "Raw Meatless Monday Man Challenge" "vegetarian" "raw food recipes" "blender recipes" "omniblend recipes" "healthy recipes" "gluten free raw recipes" "green smoothies" "green smoothie recipes" “vegan recipes” “raw dessert” “dairy free dessert recipe” “gluten free dessert recipe” “fructose malabsorption dessert recipe” “dairy free recipe” “cashew cream” “chia pudding” “black chia” “chia berry pudding” “chia dessert”

To kick start our day, I created a savoury green smoothie which is low in calories yet full of nutrients. Unlike last week’s smoothie, this one is light on the stomach and easier to drink. For dinner I have made use of some organic chia seeds I recently received from the generous guys at Cheap Superfoods. The chia seeds are raw and unprocessed meaning that all their antioxidant and essential fatty acid content remains undamaged. The berry cinnamon chia pudding is dairy free, gluten free, raw, fructose friendly AND it tastes AMAZING!

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Savoury Green Smoothie
Author: 
Recipe type: Smoothie
Cuisine: Vegetarian, Vegan, Raw
Prep time: 
Cook time: 
Total time: 
Serves: 2
 
Ingredients
  • 1 cup water
  • 4 stalks of celery with leaves, chopped
  • 1 avocado
  • 1 medium cucumber, with skin, chopped
  • 1 lemon, peeled and seeded
  • 1 handful of parsley
  • 2 cloves of garlic
  • ¼ teaspoon Himalayan salt
Instructions
  1. Place all ingredients into the blender and blend on high for one minute or until smooth. Drink immediately.

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Fruit & Cinnamon Chia Pudding
Author: 
Recipe type: Pudding
Cuisine: Vegetarian, Vegan, Raw
Prep time: 
Cook time: 
Total time: 
Serves: 2
 
Ingredients
Cashew Cream
  • 2 cups cashews, soaked overnight in the refrigerator
  • 2 cups water, filtered
Pudding
  • 1¾ cups cashew cream
  • ½ cup chia seeds
  • ¼ to ½ cup maple syrup depending on desired sweetness
  • 1 teaspoon vanilla
  • 1 teaspoon cinnamon
  • 1 cup strawberries, sliced
  • 1 cup blueberries
Instructions
  1. Drain and rinse cashews.
  2. Combine with filtered water in the OmniBlend and blend until smooth.
  3. Mix together cashew cream, chia seeds, maple syrup, vanilla and cinnamon. Set aside.
  4. Slice strawberries.
  5. When chia pudding has thickened up (about 5-10 minutes) stir in sliced strawberries and blueberries.
  6. When serving sprinkle some freshly grated nutmeg on top.

 

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The Boy’s review of the Savoury Green Smoothie & Fruit & Cinnamon Chia Pudding:

“When deciding to switch to a plant based diet I knew the one thing I would really miss would be Dairy and in particular cheeses and desserts.  While I am more than happy to eat more berries and other fresh fruits, I have a real weakness when it comes to Ice Cream and knew that this was the one thing that I would really miss.  When Chomp told me that she was making us a raw desert I must say I was highly sceptical but at the same time hopeful that she could come up with something that would be a reasonable substitute.
 
The delicious Fruit and Cinnamon Chia Pudding that she prepared was a pleasant surprise and made for both a great dessert alternative and a filling breakfast again the following morning.   A thoroughly enjoyable treat it is easy to see that this dish could be modified into many different alternatives simply by changing the fruits and level of sweetness. 
 
The Savoury Green Smoothie is a simple, basic smoothie that was easy to drink and tasted great.  Being so simple to make and nutritious this one has now been added to my morning breakfast routine and replaced the store bought smoothie I was previously having.”

 

Over the next coming weeks I will be publishing some blender recipes that I have created with my OmniBlend. The concept is for each Monday to not only stick with Meatless Monday and eat only vegetarian but to take it to the next level and make it a Raw Food Meatless Monday. For the whole day we will only eat raw, vegan, gluten free, dairy free and fructose friendly.

● Tropical Green Smoothie (Week One)

● Curried Raw Butternut Pumpkin Soup (Week One)

 Pineapple Beet Smoothie (Week Two)

● Thai Chilli Coconut Zucchini Noodles (Week Two)

● Pineapple Kale Coconut Smoothie (Week Three)

● Creamy Garden Chowder (Week Three)

 Savoury Green Smoothie (Week Four)

● Fruit & Cinnamon Chia Pudding (Week Four)

● Raw Red Capsicum Soup recipe (Week Five)

● Cucumber & Zucchini Noodles with Spicy Almond Sauce (Week Five)

● Sweet Treat Smoothie (Week Six)

● Holiday Medley and Sweet Potato Mash (Week Six)

 

Omniblend Australia provided me with an free Omniblend V machine to use to develop these recipes. Read my review for more information. Super Foods provided the organic chia seeds free of charge for me to use in this recipe.  

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Mushroom Mania 2013: Perth City Farm and the GRO Project

Posted by  | Categories: Breakfast/Brunch, Featured, Modern Australian, Perth, Restaurants, Vegetarian

This year is my second year that I have been selected as one of fourteen bloggers from around Australia to participate in Mushroom Mania.  This is a campaign run by the Australian Mushroom Growers Association in the month of July every year where they join thousands of restaurants, cafes, bistros, pubs and clubs to celebrate the wondrous mushroom.  They spread their message through both traditional and online media and run competitions where you can win $100 restaurant vouchers. For the past few years they have embraced food blogs as a way to communicate with foodies and recruit a handful of us to do what we do best, go out to restaurants, eat and shoot food then go home and write about it.  The only catch is that we have to eat dishes containing mushrooms!

Now this is an easy task for me. Mushrooms have got to be one of my favourite ingredients and I am not lying when I say I eat them daily. Last year my Mushroom Mania posts were two very different experiences. Firstly we visited the stunning Millbrook Winery in Jarrahdale where after our meal the manager took us mushroom foraging and we then dined at Divido, Mouth Hawthorn where three out of four courses contained mushrooms including some black truffles!

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This year I was keen to learn more about these highly nutritious fungi so I met up with Cris Douwes from Perth City Farm where their recently funded GRO project has commenced growing their own organic mushrooms. Perth City Farm is a not-for-profit organisation funded by government grants and is helped out by many volunteer workers. The mushrooms that they grow are served in local cafés and restaurants including their own café, and they also sell them in both fresh and dry forms at their weekend organic farmer’s market. The plan is eventually to expand this business commercially once they are happy they have their formula perfected.

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I love seeing someone who is passionate about their job, we spend so much of our lives working it seems negligent to your own happiness to not follow in pursuit of something you love.  Within minutes of meeting Cris I could tell that mushrooms really rocked his world. He was a wealth of knowledge and proudly showed us around the farm detailing how his mushrooms are grown.

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Fungi are known to be the biggest organism on the planet with the  fungi mycelia being able to spread over large distances over thousands of years. Mushrooms are the “fruit bodies” of fungi and are part of their reproductive state. In nature fungi have to compete with many other organisms.  In order to maximise growth of mushrooms in a commercial situation, they must be grown on pasteurised substrate in a very controlled environment giving them exclusive access to all nutrients.

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At Perth City Farm they lessen the impact coffee production businesses have on the environment by utilising coffee by-products to grow their gourmet mushrooms on. Left over coffee husks and grounds that would normally be discarded as rubbish are turned into nutritious soil compost. As the fungi grow on this substrate they recycle the by-products into what can then be sold as garden compost. To make the substrate for mushrooms to grow on, they have to pasteurise it to remove all other organisms. In summer this is achieved by use of their solar-powered “oven” which can reach temperatures of over 85 degrees Celsius in summer. In winter they are unable to achieve adequate temperatures with this oven and instead use a 44-gallon drum which they heat using steam that is powered by natural gas burners.

The sterile coffee by-product substrate is then inoculated with the mushroom’s spores (mycelium) in front of a laminar flow hood that was kindly donated by King Park. The laminar flow hood provides a sterile air environment to prevent any contamination.  They currently have fungal cultures that are able to grow a variety of edible mushrooms including Pearl Oysters, Gold Oysters, Shiitake, King Oysters, Grey Oysters, Pink Oysters, Blue Oysters, Ulmarius and Phoenix. The inoculated bags of mycelium mixed with substrate are then kept in a climate controlled dark room and allowed to grow into a solid white brick called a “cake”. This is the fungi in its vegetative state and it will continue to grow until it runs out of nutrients.

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In order to turn this hardened bag of fungi into the delicious fruits we call mushrooms it needs to be triggered into its reproductive state. There are four triggers needed for fruiting: fresh air exchange, light, temperature change (shock) and humidity. Cris informed us it is an art form to get the balance of these trigger factors in the “fruiting room” just right. As we cast our eyes around his fruiting room it looked like he was pretty close to cracking the code.

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Oyster mushrooms with City Farm herbs, goats cheese & gluten free toast.

Just as we finished our tour the chef came over to us with a plate piled high with what looked at first glance to be pieces of chicken.  My eyes widened as I learnt that the delightfully fleshy dish was actually made purely of oyster mushrooms that had been freshly harvested.  The mushrooms were lightly sautéed using fresh organic herbs from their garden and topped with some goat cheese and crisp rocket. Even a seasoned mushroom lover like myself was left surprised how meaty this dish seemed and I can understand why some people call it the meat for vegetarians!

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Chickpea and roasted vegetable salad

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Oyster mushrooms with City Farm herbs, goats cheese & gluten free toast.

The Boy is an avid gardener and had dashed out in his lunch break to join us on the farm tour so he ordered a salad for something quick before returning to work.  Richly coloured roast vegetables, more flavoursome herbs and chickpeas turned his vegetarian salad into a satisfyingly filling express lunch that he wolfed down before departing quickly.

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Soft boiled eggs, dukkah, buttered soldiers with grilled mushrooms

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Grilled mushrooms from the farm

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Well its not like I was going to miss out was I?

The café staff were much too kind to us and refused to let us pay for our lunch despite our retorts so we decided to sneakily return the next day as a fee paying customer. I ordered some soft-boiled eggs with dukkah and gluten free buttered soldiers accompanied by some more grilled mushrooms.  My eggs were perfectly dippable coating each strip of toast in yellow happiness. The dukkah was a flavoursome addition to this simple favourite. The farm’s fresh herbs featured again in the grilled field mushrooms dish although these were nearly as meaty as the oyster mushrooms the previous day.

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Eggs Benedict

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Eggalicious

Neither of us had woken up very well that morning and in my sleepiness I think I accidentally ordered the Boy Eggs Benedict instead of the requested vegetarian version; the Eggs Florentine. He wasn’t very impressed with the sight of meat on his plate and I felt a bit bad for my careless error.  Aside for the unwanted addition of ham, the rest of the dish was very much to his liking most notably the house made hollandaise, which he found rich and buttery with a slight tang.

Perth City Farm Café is a must visit breakfasty-brunch spot in Perth. For those who have grown their own produce at home you will appreciate the freshness of their home-grown ingredients. Your body will love you for eating organic and most importantly you will be minimising the impact your meal has on the environment.

This restaurant was reviewed as part of Mushroom Mania month which is happening all across Australia during July 2013. Head to the Power of Mushrooms website for loads of mouthwatering mushroom recipes plus if you write your own review on a mushroom dish you could win one of 40 $100 restaurant vouchers!
 
Disclosure: Chompchomp dined at Perth City Farm with compliments of the Australian Mushroom Growers Association.
Perth City Farm Café
1 City Farm Road, East Perth WA 6004 | 0418 594 408 | perthcityfarm.org.au
 
Price:                     $
Food:                    4/5 (home grown, seasonal fresh produce and gooey eggs)
Service:                4/5 (everyone obviously loves working here)
Ambience:          4/5 (feels like a country garden in the city)
Drinks:                  4/5 (Rubra coffee is a winner)
Total:                     16/20 

 City Farm Cafe on Urbanspoon

Pineapple Kale Smoothie & Creamy Garden Chowder

Posted by  | Categories: Blender Recipes, Featured, Paleo, Raw Food, Recipes, Vegetarian

They say it takes us on average around 21-28 days to form a habit.  The Boy and I are only entering into the beginning of Week Three of our Raw and Meatless Mondays and I am finding that our vegetarianism stretches to encompass most of the week. Last night we ordered some take out from our local Thai restaurant Little Ying and the Boy insisted that I only order vegetarian dishes.  He has embraced this new approach to eating with much more gusto than I anticipated. I ordered some Tom Yum Goong for us and I even saw him scoop out the prawns and plop them into my bowl.

With memories of Thailand still fresh in my mind I was inspired to create this highly addictive green smoothie for our Monday morning breakfast.

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Pineapple Kale Coconut Smoothie

 

Pineapple Kale Smoothie
Author: 
Recipe type: Smoothie
Cuisine: Vegetarian, Vegan, Raw
Prep time: 
Cook time: 
Total time: 
Serves: 2
 
Ingredients
  • 2 Cups Fresh Pineapple
  • 2-3 Frozen Ripe Bananas
  • 1 Cup LIght Coconut Milk (you may need a bit more if you want a thinner consistency)
  • 2 Tbsp Shredded Coconut
  • 1 Cup Kale
Instructions
  1. Place all ingredients into the blender and blend on high for one minute or until smooth. Drink immediately.

 

"Perth Restaurant Reviews" "food photos" "Perth food blog" "food blog" "Chompchomp" "Gluten free" "Fructose malabsorption" "gluten free recipes" "paleo recipes" "baking recipes" "raw food" "raw recipes" "meatless monday" "Raw Meatless Monday Man Challenge" "vegetarian" "raw food recipes" "blender recipes" "omniblend recipes" "healthy recipes" "gluten free raw recipes" "green smoothies" "green smoothie recipes" "banana smoothie" "pineapple smoothie" "coconut smoothie” “soup” “raw soup” “vegetable soup” “vegetable chowder” “vegan recipes”

Greenie goodness

Our soup for this evening requires a little extra time in the blender in order to slightly warm it before serving.  You can only do this with the more durable makes of blender so check beforehand so you don’t burn your machine out. The OmniBlend is designed to be able to heat soups without damaging the motor. I used my meat thermometer to heat it to about 50 degrees.

Creamy Garden Chowder
Author: 
Recipe type: Soup
Cuisine: Vegetarian, Vegan, Raw
Prep time: 
Cook time: 
Total time: 
Serves: 2
 
Ingredients
  • 1 stalk of celery (include the leaves)
  • 1 cup of carrots
  • 1 small zucchini, chopped
  • ½ red capsicum, chopped
  • 5 cups water
  • ¼ cup olive oil
  • 1 clove garlic
  • 1 tsp sea salt
Instructions
  1. Blend all ingredients in blender until warm.
  2. Drizzle with olive oil and garnish with chopped red bell peppers.

This recipe is adapted from www.rawfoodrecipes.com

"Perth Restaurant Reviews" "food photos" "Perth food blog" "food blog" "Chompchomp" "Gluten free" "Fructose malabsorption" "gluten free recipes" "paleo recipes" "baking recipes" "raw food" "raw recipes" "meatless monday" "Raw Meatless Monday Man Challenge" "vegetarian" "raw food recipes" "blender recipes" "omniblend recipes" "healthy recipes" "gluten free raw recipes" "green smoothies" "green smoothie recipes" "banana smoothie" "pineapple smoothie" "coconut smoothie” “soup” “raw soup” “vegetable soup” “vegetable chowder” “vegan recipes”

Creamy Garden Chowder

The Boy’s review of the Pineapple Kale Smoothie & Creamy Garden Chowder:

“Three weeks into this diet experiment and it is rapidly becoming second nature with all my routine meals now replaced by healthy vegetarian alternatives.  The health benefits have already started to show as I have lost a few kilograms of weight and my energy levels are continuing to increase.
 
This week’s smoothie was a rich blend of Banana, Pineapple and Kale blended with Coconut and it was difficult to tell that it wasn’t a standard dairy based smoothie.  The Banana and Coconut are an excellent combination and made for a very delicious drink. While very refreshing it was quite heavy and I was left wondering how many calories it contained.
 
The Creamy Garden Chowder was a nice enjoyable dish with a slightly unusual taste which grew on me as I ate it.  While satisfying it was not overly filling and makes a good dish for a day when you don’t want a big meal.  If you struggle eating cold soups perhaps this style of warmed soup offers a potential alternative to the standard cooked and very hot traditional soup.”

Over the next coming weeks I will be publishing some blender recipes that I have created with my OmniBlend. The concept is for each Monday to not only stick with Meatless Monday and eat only vegetarian but to take it to the next level and make it a Raw Food Meatless Monday. For the whole day we will only eat raw, vegan, gluten free, dairy free and fructose friendly.

● Tropical Green Smoothie (Week One)

● Curried Raw Butternut Pumpkin Soup (Week One)

 Pineapple Beet Smoothie (Week Two)

● Thai Chilli Coconut Zucchini Noodles (Week Two)

● Pineapple Kale Coconut Smoothie (Week Three)

● Creamy Garden Chowder (Week Three)

 Savoury Green Smoothie (Week Four)

● Fruit & Cinnamon Chia Pudding (Week Four)

● Raw Red Capsicum Soup recipe (Week Five)

● Cucumber & Zucchini Noodles with Spicy Almond Sauce (Week Five)

● Sweet Treat Smoothie (Week Six)

● Holiday Medley and Sweet Potato Mash (Week Six)

Omniblend Australia provided me with an free Omniblend V machine to use to develop these recipes. Read my review for more information.

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