All Good Things Issue 29
Vegan Ramen Broth + 7 One Pot Weeknight Dinners + Passionfruit Margarita
Afternoon lovely friends!
There is sunshine in my kitchen in the form of big beautiful sunflowers and some knobbly lemons. Eight days ago a big box arrived at my doorstep. It had Mr. Roses printed on it. It was our 21st anniversary weekend and I knew instantly that the box was from Nick. I felt happy and spoiled to receive an unexpected surprise. And also a little puzzled by the choice as I have never been a wooed-by-long-stemmed roses kind of a girl (I adore roses, I have eight different varieties of fragrant David Austin roses growing in my garden but long-stemmed roses?
And then I opened the box and the splash of cheery yellow reflected the light on my face. A dozen sunflowers! My favourite flower! A happy decoy indeed. Well played Nick!
I am delighted and excited to announce my lovely friend Belinda Jeffrey's newest cookbook A Year Of Sundays as the cookbook of the month in April 2022 in the Cook Republic Cooking Club. Belinda herself will be visiting the club and hanging out with us. There will also be a giveaway in April. So make sure you have joined the club!
And finally, I wanted to share a picture of my sun-drenched albeit overgrown garden that I took minutes before I sent this newsletter out. I wanted to share how lovely the weather is finally in Sydney after the storms and floods. And I am going to go straight out and enjoy some of that sunshine before it disappears. I might also say hello to Maggie, our resident magpie you can see drowning in the grass in the left quadrant of the photo. Maggie grew up on our property and walks around everywhere.
I wanted to end my little note by thanking you all for being part of my little newsletter world and for all the heartfelt, lovely messages you send me after every newsletter. I read through every single one and I have started collecting your beautiful messages and comments for posterity hoping to share some of those beautiful messages with the community. Thank you!
 New Recipes This Week »
VEGAN RAMEN BROTH
A delicious, warming, nutrient-rich Vegan Ramen Broth made with mushrooms, miso paste, tahini and lots of ginger and garlic. A divine, fragrant recipe to whip up in a hurry when you are craving homemade ramen noodle soup. Â
7 DELICIOUS DINNERS TO BAKE OR COOK IN ONE POT!
Get ahead of your weekly dinner dilemmas by prepping or cooking some of these easy, warming, delicious dinners. One Pot, Fuss-Free Cooking at its finest! Something for everyone.
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1. OVEN BAKED MUSHROOM CURRY
The most delicious mushroom curry you will ever make! Promise! Easy, one-pan cooking creates a rich caramelized mushroom curry with bold flavours. The secret lies in an unusual ingredient you would never think of putting in a curry!
*****
2. CHICKPEA COCONUT KORMA CURRY WITH PUMPKIN
A beautiful fragrant veggie chickpea curry with korma spices made creamy with rich coconut milk and perfectly roasted pumpkin pieces. Served with Tuscan kale and slivered almonds on a bed of fluffy rice, this curry is sure to become a weeknight favourite.
*****
3. RUSTIC LAMB & COCONUT CURRY
A deeply fragrant and flavourful lamb curry made with 10 cloves of garlic, heaps of spices simmered in a tomato-chilli-onion and coconut base. One pot, fuss-free and so easy to make for dinner on the hob or in a slow cooker!
*****
4. OVEN-BAKED THAI GREEN CHICKEN CURRY
There is nothing more satisfying than a curry that pretty much bakes itself in the oven. This Oven Baked Thai Green Chicken Curry recipe is not only super delicious but a lifesaver. Plus it smells and tastes exactly like the curries at the restaurant with the addition of all those perfectly roasted golden, caramelized bits. It is made with easy to find ingredients and my secret Green Curry paste can be made ahead and stored in the fridge.
*****
5. CHILLI GARLIC PRAWN RISOTTO IN NAPOLI SAUCE
A lighter, dairy free, prawn risotto packed with big juicy Italian flavours from homemade Napoli sauce. The classic chilli garlic prawns re-invented into the most delicious dinner party risotto recipe!
*****
6. VEGAN MA PO TOFU
This easy and super delicious Vegan Mushroom Ma Po Tofu is the best way to have Shiitake Mushroom in my opinion. The quick mix-and-cook Chinese sauce plumps up the already juicy mushrooms and the result is an addictive, spicy stir-fry that the whole family will love!
*****
7. TOMATO EGG DROP SOUP
A vegetarian Egg Drop Soup for all you lovers of silky egg ribbons in a bowl. This Tomato Egg Drop Soup is an Indo-Chinese take on the famous Chinese Tomato Egg Drop Soup. A 10-minute recipe, bursting with umami flavour and hearty enough to be a complete meal.
*****
My Cooking List From The Interwebs This Week
Yaki Onigiri (Japanese Grilled Rice Balls) - Very comprehensive and detailed post with loads of info on how to make these perfectly.
Sticky Mango Paneer Kebabs
Sticky Sesame Soy Cauliflower
Chinese Eggplant With Garlic Sauce
Herb Barley Salad With Butter Basted Mushrooms
No-Knead Rosemary Bread
Miso Roasted Vegetable Salad Mountain
Eggplant Caponata With Raisins
Chinese Spicy Potato Salad
Food For Thought » Heel Raises For Stronger Knees, Ankles & Calves & Walking on Tippy Toes
Remember when you were a child and you used to creep or walk around on your tippy-toes for no reason? And then you stopped doing it because it was silly as you got older and harder to do as well. Toe walking is amazing for your foot and leg health as well as for your balance is done in short durations regularly. When I remember to, I often walk from one room to another on my tippy toes. But if you haven't walked on your tippy-toes for a long time, start with heel raises. Standing with support and gently raising your heels and standing on your toes makes your calves and ankles stronger. This also builds strength in the knees over a prolonged period of time .. something we all need to exercise and strengthen as we get older.
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How?
Stand with your feet about 10 centimeters apart, with your hands lightly resting on a counter or chair in front of you.
Slowly raise your heels off the floor while keeping your knees straight. Hold for about 6 seconds, then slowly lower your heels to the floor.
I have finally started watching The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel and it has drawn me in instantly. Now onto its 4th season, it is an upbeat, charming, vivacious and witty show about a housewife in 1958 who becomes a stand-up comic.
We watched Encanto over the weekend. It was lovely to see a story built around a Colombian family but in terms of the movie, I felt it lacked a little bit of the Pixar magic that we are all used to. It fell short when it came to a solid storyline and the build-up of emotions. If you want to watch a Pixar movie with all the feels this weekend, try Coco, Up, Wall E or Ratatouille.
Also started watching After Life, a bittersweet show about grief. After Ricky Gervais' wife dies from cancer, his sweet demeanor transforms to an impulsive, devil-may-care attitude.
I had no idea Interpretative Dance was a thing, let alone a game show! If I was to ever participate, I would want THIS guy on my team. He was brilliant and utterly hilarious!
Beautiful little nature sculptures by Yarra Valley artist.
If you love to cook, try out new cuisines, collect exotic cookware etc, Constante Imports in Australia is absolutely amazing with their insane range of fabulous kitchen things (especially Italian wares!)
That's all folks! See you next week with more good things xx
PASSIONFRUIT MARGARITA
the pulp of 3 medium-large passion fruit
30 ml (1 oz) lime juice
45 ml (1.5 oz) Tequila
15 ml (0.5Â oz) Aperol
1 tablespoon maple syrup/sugar syrup
salt for rim
ice and lime wedges to serve
Fill a cocktail shaker with 1/2 cup ice cubes. Pour over passion fruit pulp, lime juice, Tequila, Aperol and maple syrup.
Cover and shake for at least 30 seconds until the cocktail is well combined and chilled.
Place crushed sea salt flakes in a medium shallow dish. Wet the rim of a 345ml capacity glass tumbler with lime juice (I run a squeezed lime wedge over the rim). Place the tumbler, mouth down in the salt dish and roll the rim in salt.
Fill the tumbler with a few ice cubes.
Strain and pour the cocktail equally over the ice cubes in the tumblers. Add some passionfruit seeds.Â
Garnish with lime wedges and serve immediately.