💜 Halloumi Lentil Roasted Eggplant Salad
5 Fabulous Sunday Bakes + All Good Things!
Happy Sunday folks!
Welcome to another weekly cooking newsletter. Today’s newsletter is super special (actually the last one was!) because this is the 101st Newsletter I am sending out. 101 Newsletters!!! And I am thoroughly enjoying it. (Full Archive Here)
This past week was a good week. The weather is warming up slightly and I feel the Spring in the air. I am impatiently waiting for the first mango of the season to pop up somewhere. Weekends have been reclaimed as soccer season is over and I have FINALLY stopped working on Saturdays.
The highlight of this past week most definitely was the Matildas (Australian women’s soccer team) being absolute legends in their quarter-final match against France last night. Victorious from the longest penalty shoot-out in history that had hearts palpitating wildly. A victory that was a testament to the sheer tenacity of these amazing young women and a game-changer in more ways than one. For the country, for the sport, for women who aspire. Just amazing!
Not much banter from me today, as too much to do in the kitchen. But the newsletter is packed with lots of goodies. so, let’s begin!
Halloumi Lentil Roasted Eggplant Salad
Do you have someone at home who is fussy about eggplant texture? Especially in a salad. I do! The best eggplant salads are supposed to be low in liquid so that they don’t become soggy and mushy. They are also supposed to have eggplant pieces that don’t soak up too much oil and dressing.
The fix? Lebanese eggplants!
Small, plump Lebanese eggplants roast faster and drier than their larger counterparts (the good old Globe Eggplant!). They absorb less oil as there is less meat on them and plump up just enough with the beautiful salad dressing. Making them perfect for salads.
If you love eggplant and delicious Mediterranean flavours, this easy 25-minute salad will truly wow you! Sumac roasted eggplant, creamy pan-fried golden halloumi, plump brown lentils, crunchy onion, juicy pomegranate, lots of fresh herbs and spices and a delightful (yes! slurp worthy!) garlic-balsamic-lemon dressing to toss it all up.
A salad that can be made ahead and tastes amazing warm or cold!
And if you are making this salad, why not try these too …
Lebanese Flatbread (Manoushe)
A 30-minute dough rolled out and cooked in a hot cast-iron pan using the “water technique” to get those puffed, charred pockets!
Roasted Garlic Tomato Soup
A uniquely delicious tomato soup that you MUST try. With roasted garlic and fennel and warm and fragrant saffron. Truly decadent and easy. Roast in the oven, and blend in the blender!
Sunday Baking
This is what I am baking this weekend to prep for the week ahead. Delicious things in jars that my family can help themselves to :)
Some Sweet Granola, that is buttery and citrusy and bakes into delightfully crunchy clumps! Perfect on your breakfast yoghurt with some fresh berries.
Some Savoury Granola! If you haven’t tried savoury granola yet, you are in for a treat. My absolute favourite way of eating this is simply snacking on it or topping my hot soup. It also makes a fabulous salad topping!
These EASY 4-Ingredient Flapjacks for lunchboxes! Oats, flour, butter, sugar - a recipe from my childhood. A yummy treat!
Really good Carrot Muffins (also for lunchboxes!). Packed with 2 cups of carrots, spices and more good things. Like a good carrot cake :)
And finally, a cake! This delicious Coconut & Almond Cake is baking right now and it is one of my favourites from my workshop days. It is gluten-free and moist and that buttery crumb spiked with lemon is something else!
Have you seen Live More Veg? My ongoing, online cookbook packed with exclusive new veg recipes, meal prep sessions, veg box inspiration and lots of ideas to embrace and eat more veggies and fruits every week! To access the full archive and get new weekly recipes straight to your inbox, please consider a monthly or annual membership. The recipes are so worth it! Thanks :)
All Good Things
Currently, these are the things I am cooking, reading, watching, exploring …
Caprese Flatbreads! Yum! Also Eggplant Shiitake Wraps.
A good Corn Stock.
Tiny Mediterranean Village Plates.
Garlic Knots. Pull-Apart Pizza. Carb heaven!
Crispy Potatoes With Salted Lemons
Easy Homemade Sun Dried Tomatoes.
Blueberry Bagels With Blueberry Cream Cheese.
Can you believe this potted plant is not real? I so want to learn to make this!
Watched season 2 of Heartstopper. Sweet and just lovely with a beautiful soundtrack!
We watched Oppenheimer. It was brilliant! Riveting! Masterful in its storytelling, structure, flow, tone and filmmaking. It draws you in and bombards you with incredible amounts of information at a pace that is fast and slow all at once. The narrative is split in past, present, and future. Clever use of nuanced cues to highlight time. Cillian Murphy is extraordinary in his portrayal of the titular role and really takes you into the mind of this person who became the Father Of The Atomic Bomb.
Watched season 2 of Lincoln Lawyer. Enjoyed it thoroughly.
And currently, enjoying the antics of two veterans and their millennial partner in (solving) crime - season 3 of Only Murders In The Building. Delightfully satirical and entertaining with constant banter between Martin Short, Steve Martin and Selena Gomez. This season’s new additions - Paul Rudd and Meryl Streep are delightful!
Over To You!
I hope you enjoyed this week’s free cooking newsletter. If you find it fun, please feel free to share the love :). If you have cooked any of these recipes below from the blog and loved them, I’d appreciate it if you could spare a minute to leave a comment and rating. It really helps others discover new recipes and encourage them to cook them! Thank you so much! That’s all from me folks! Eat well, be well! xx
Burnt Basque Cheesecake | Orange Pound Cake | Crunchy Thai Cabbage Salad | Aloo Gobi Traybake | Crispy Zucchini Halloumi Fritters
I really like the taste of halloumi and your salad seems very good, but lately, I've somewhat given up on this cheese... When it gets cold, the texture becomes a bit unpleasant (very rubbery) and it becomes a bit cloying. Do you happen to have any tip for this?
I want to make every single recipe here!