Cooking Session 29
Healthy Homemade Granola + Instagram Reel Recipes + Weekly Meal Plan
We are already into February? Can you believe that? My son said, "Mum, it is only about 10 months to Christmas!". That is crazy indeed. But we've got a lot of cooking and exploring to do before that.
As always, today's newsletter is packed with recipes that are bursting with vegetables, fruit and flavour. In the "Plan Your Week" section, I have grouped quick, nutritious recipes for you to cook that are hitting at least 5-6 colours in the rainbow. For all new subscribers, this is our motto at Cook Republic - pack veg and fruit at every meal and eat dishes with lots of different colours throughout the week!
As always, Thank you for your continued support and all your wonderful emails/messages telling me how adventurous you are getting with more veg-centric meals and planning your weekly cooks using my recipes. Please keep cooking and don't forget to ..
Fresh Recipes »
Remember that crispy golden granola recipe I promised you - one that you could break into chunks, no eggs involved whatsoever? It's here and I am so excited to share this with you. Because, THIS is going to become your favourite breakfast. I promise! (My boys can't go a week without it!) An old family recipe that works every single time, this absolutely delicious, buttery, orangey, crispy granola NEEDS to be made!
In & Out Of The Kitchen
If you are looking for a quick and easy way to add some crunch and freshness to your meals, you have to check out my latest videos. The "Not Jennifer Aniston Salad" is so easy, I often carry a handful of ingredients in my arms into the garden and just chop, add and mix things for 5 minutes over a cup of coffee to get a bowl of delicious salad ready to go for dinner! (Recipe Here)
See how easy it is to make my Smashed Cucumber Salad! I love bashing and chopping the cucumbers while the gorgeous chilli oil simmers on low heat. A delicious cold salad packed with zingy Asian flavours and ready in 5-10 minutes. (Recipe Here)
There have been LOTS of baking tests over the last couple of months. I have baked exactly 17 iterations of this Basque cheesecake (different temperatures, different pans, and different ingredient quantities) and we have a winner! The final recipe has been baked three times and I shall bake it once more before I put the recipe in your hot little hands this month. 5 Ingredients, blender recipe that you can dump, blend and bake for the most delicious Burnt Basque Cheesecake with a custard-like center (*chef's kiss).
And a Lemon Madeira Cake that despite sinking or rising will give you that perfect crumb. Look at it!
Plan Your Week
The reality of being well into 2023 has finally sunk in. We are well and truly into work and school by now. Enter school and work lunches. Quick recipes with high nutrition value take us through rushed, busy mornings and an afternoon packed with things to do. And easy dinners that require very little effort! But first, make my Homemade Granola and thank me for breakfast every day :)
If you have an hour or two set aside this weekend, then these recipes will make your weekly meals a lot easier.
Breakfast & Sweet Things (First mix and bake the Granola - then prep batter for Chocolate Marmalade Loaf. Prep batter for Zucchini Fritters and while the pan heats make the Blueberry Smoothie. Make the fritters, remove granola from oven and pop in the chocolate loaf.- Approx 40 minutes)
Vegan Zucchini Corn Fritters | Chocolate & Marmalade Loaf | Blueberry Smoothie
Healthier Snacks / Light Meals (Make your fishcake mix in the food processor, shape the fishcakes and heat the pan. Prep veggies for the stir fry. Cook fishcakes and while they cook, make the stir fry. Finally, make the Tofu Larb. - Approx 40 minutes)
Thai Green Curry Fishcakes | Kale Mushroom Cashew Stirfry | Tofu Larb
Salads / Bigger Meals (Cook veggie base for the Makhani sauce. While it is cooking, prep the chicken and veggies for the noodles. Blend the Makhani sauce when ready and stirfry the noodles. - Approx 30 minutes)
Vegan Makhani Curry Sauce | Chicken Udon Noodles
All cooked recipes will keep fresh in the fridge for up to 3 days, some even longer. Zucchini Corn Fritters and Fishcakes are great with a salad. Chocolate Loaf is wonderful warmed up and served with ice cream for dessert. Vegan Makhani sauce is brilliant because all you need to do is add your choice of protein and cook for a few minutes before eating.
Cook Republic Cooking Club / Feb 2023
Our February 2023 cookbook of the month is Ottolenghi's Extra Good Things.
With a HUGE focus on veg cooking, this book like all Ottolenghi books, is big on flavour! Along with exciting, delicious everyday dishes, each of the 5 chapters has 10 or so sauces, pickles, dressings, pestos, salsas, sprinkles and oils. That’s 50 recipes that you can meal prep in minutes and fill up jars for the fridge for flavour boosts at every meal.
Club members have already started cooking up a storm. Come join us!
Join the Cook Republic Cooking Club
Food In Prose
I was reading Sea & Shore by Emily Scott recently and thought this paragraph not only embodied summer beautifully but is essentially how I would like to live the rest of my days ...
"I love to cook and eat outside, keeping things simple. A firepit on the beach, monkfish on rosemary skewers, scallops roasted in their shells, line-caught mackerel, and something sweet and delicious like pineapple drowned in rum roasted over the hot coals.
Golden hour opportunities await. Discover where the silver sand meets the blue waters and the colourful fishing boats bob."
~ Emily Scott (Sea & Shore)