Home again after an amazing road trip around Australia

We are home again after 4 months away on our road trip holidaying around Australia.  Perth was the initial destination and then after 6 weeks based in the Perth Hills we drove back to Queensland.We left in March from Cairns, driving along the Savannah Way to the Northern Territory where we explored Kakadu, Darwin, Litchfield National Park, Katherine Gorge and many other delightful areas camping along the way.  Our road trip continued into Western Australia to Kununurra and Broome and down to Perth. What a magnificent coastline over there. Then after leaving Perth we drove home through South Australia and NSW and back up to Queensland. I can't help thinking as I reminisce and start blogging again about my food experiences during the trip.

Lots of very well cooked and very fresh Barramundi with vegetables or salad was often my choice when we ate out at restaurants in Queensland and the Northern Territory as the weather was still very warm and I love fresh fish. I really tried not to include chips with those meals. Such a trap when you are travelling. I made an exception in Darwin though where it is compulsory to eat crumbed barra and chips on the beach whilst watching the glorious sunsets. I also remember a particularly good Barrumundi dinner in unassuming Burketown, at the Morning Glory Restaurant, owned by a couple of delightful Chinese people, amd after all Burketown is the Barramundi capital of Australia. Well that is what they hang their hat on anyway . Burketown was also where we  bought some very tasty rosemary and camel sausages at the Roadkill Butcher. Catchy marketing is very important in the outback.

When we bedded down in Normanton we drove to coastal Karumba. I was rather excited about eating  the famous Karumba prawns.  So we ordered prawns at the Sunset Tavern and whilst they were very big unfortunately they were rather tasteless. I suspect they had been frozen but never mind it is something you just have to do in Karumba beside the ocean.

Neil enjoying some Karumba prawns with the compulsory beer. It was still hot in
 the N.T.

A shady spot at the Sunset Tavern in Karumba

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The Sunset Tavern 

 In the more remote parts of Queensland and the Northern Territory, I couldn't go past a good steak, despite seeing all of the lengthy road trains transporting cattle to market. Then of course there were the delicious and memorable fresh oysters I ate at the Ceduna Hotel in S.A. on the return journey. Ceduna is very famously the oyster capital of Australia.

Delicious oysters in Ceduna, South Australia

When we were camping, it was easy to thaw out one of my prefrozen meals from our car frig and that worked really well. When I needed some pampering and a break from camping, and we stayed in a motel or a cabin, we just thawed out a precooked meal in the microwave when we didn't eat out.

When we arrived in the Perth Hills, I was put straight to work in the kitchen as our first grandchild was only a couple of weeks away from being born, and many family favourite desserts were requested and very welcome in the Perth winter. Myrtille developed very sweet cravings during her pregnancy so cakes and desserts were definitely a priority for her. When little Hugo arrived two weeks later than expected, and then came home a few days later, the slow cooker became my best friend so that I could still have lots of baby cuddles and amongst the mayhem that a newborn baby creates, still produce a nutritious, hearty and delicious meal at the end of the day.

LIttle Hugo only a day old with his very proud  Grandma

A walk in the country around the Perth Hills with proud father Matthew and  little Hugo. Trying out the new pram.

During the whole 6 weeks we were in Perth I continued to make my sourdough bread, which everyone enjoyed, and was a taste of home for me. I am so pleased that I took my sourdough starter Mother in  the freezer of the car frig all around the country with me. I have proved that the starter can be frozen, and then thawed out and used and then frozen again and still work perfectly.

Our son Matthew loves to cook, and still managed amongst the excitement to cook an excellent Lamb Biryani in the Webber, recipe to follow later.

During our whole experience in Perth and particularly after the baby arrived I was so thankful for the recipes on my blog. I cooked a few new creations of course when time permitted, but overall I resorted to what I knew and had already cooked at home. I accessed my blog many times.

I am slowly slipping back into a routine after being away for so long. I've just taken  a large loaf of Viking Sourdough bread out of the oven. New herb and vegetable seedlings are waiting in their punnets to be planted and I am enjoying my garden once again.

What a fabulous journey, the real highlight being the arrival of little Hugo, but it's great to be home and to be warm.

Beetroot Dip

Bake 3 large beetroot. Allow them to cool and peel them and cube them.
Add cubed beetroot to an oven tray with the following:
1 whole head of garlic, with skin on
2 teaspoons sea salt
2 tablespoons balsamic vinegar
2 tablespoons olive oil
Wrap tray up in foil and cook in the oven at 200 deg. C for 25 minutes. Open tray and stir.
Turn oven down to 160 deg. C for another 25 minutes.
Squeeze garlic out of skins and stir into other ingredients.
When mixture is cool,  add 100g yoghurt, chives or parsley to taste and blend.

Moroccan Chicken Pilaf

Pilaf is even easier than risotto to make when travelling. This is another low calorie meal which will be quick and easy to cook when we are on our road trip. 

Asian Pork mince with rice noodles or in lettuce cups

Asian Pork Mince

This has become one of our favourite meals, and we eat it almost weekly. It is healthy, low calorie and easy to prepare during the hot summer. Taste it before serving to ensure the combination of sauces suits your taste.

Serves 4
200 calories per serve

Ingredients:

cooking oil spray

4 green shallots, sliced diagonally
20g knob of fresh ginger, sliced finely
4 cloves of garlic, crushed
400-500g pork mince
120g green beans, sliced thinly with a bean stringer
4 teaspoons fish sauce
1 1/2 tablespoon kecap manis (or more to taste)
2 fresh long red chillis, sliced thinly
4 tablespoons water
small handful Thai or sweet basil leaves
12 baby cos leaves or packet of rice noodles
Lime quarters to serve

Let's cook:

Lightly spray a medium non-stick frying pan with olive oil and heat over a medium heat.Add the shallots, ginger and garlic. Cook covered, for 1 minute.

Increase heat to high. Add pork mince; cook stirring to break up lumps for 5 minutes or until browned. Stir in beans, sauces, chilli and the water. Cook for a further 2 minutes or until beans are tender and the sauce is slightly sticky. Stir in half the basil.

Serve mince in lettuce cups or in a bowl over rice noodles. Either way, top with the remaining basil and serve with lime pieces.

Enjoy!

Best wishes

Pauline

Quick and Easy Cheesy Green Soup

Quick and Easy Cheesy Green Soup

Broccoli and zucchini are the stars of this show. As we prepare for our round Australia road trip, initially heading for Darwin and then Perth, I am trying to reduce the calories in our diet in a very healthy but enjoyable fashion before we leave, knowing that there will be many  amazing food experiences along the way, and a fair bit of just sitting.

This soup is brilliant, we never tire of it, and it is so easy to make. It can also consist of whatever left over veges you have in your refrigerator, presuming they are green. Broccoli and zucchini are the star ingredients, and are now also recognised as being key vegetables for people suffering from high blood sugar and Type 2 diabetes or pre-diabetes. Thankfully we are not in that category. The soup is also quite creamy when pureed, thanks to the texture and structure of the versatile zucchini.

Without getting into too much detail about it, Broccoli is a rich source of Chromium, a mineral which helps to improve insulin action in pre-diabetes and control blood glucose, an important factor for everyone these days I think. This soup makes it so easy to include broccoli in your diet in a very appetising way, and control weight as well.

Ingredients

1 onion, roughly chopped

2 cloves garlic, chopped

3 tablespoons coconut oil, ghee or butter

6 cups roughly chopped green vegetables , zucchini, broccoli, celery or whatever you have. (However, it works best with zucchini and broccoli.)

1 litre vegetable or chicken stock (homemade is best)

1 cup rocket or watercress (optional)

1 cup roughly chopped herbs, such as coriander, basil or flat-leaf parsley leaves

Pinch of salt

Juice of ½ to 1 lemon (Test the taste after adding juice from ½ a lemon and add more if required.)

½ cup crumbled sharp cheddar

Method:

Sauté the onion and garlic in the coconut oil in a large saucepan for a superior flavour. (if you are really in a hurry omit this step and just add to the rest of the vegetables, it will still taste great) Add the green vegetables to the onion and garlic and stir for a minute, then pour in the stock and bring to the boil.

Reduce the heat and simmer for 10-15 minutes.  Stir in the rocket, herbs and salt. (I have used basil and coriander and they are great in this soup.)

Turn off the heat and puree until smooth using a stick blender, or pulse in a normal upright blend when it has cooled slightly.

Whisk in the lemon juice and stir through the cheese, or omit the cheese and top with a dollop of yoghurt or basil pesto.

Serve hot and enjoy.

Thanks to Sarah Wilson for this recipe.

Go green with Broccoli Bites, a very healthy sugar free snack for Adults and Children

Go straight to the recipe here:

Broccoli Bites

Broccoli Bites served with  tomato chutney

I am going green with Broccoli. What I love about these mini broccoli scones or mini fritters, however they fall onto the baking tray, is that they are only the size of a couple of mouthfuls. These little babies are small enough to enjoy a mouthful or two and if I want more, I just eat a few of them. Mind you they look larger in my photograph than they actually are. I don't look at them the same way as I do at savoury or sweet muffins in the coffee shops and think that I can't eat all of that. Purchased muffins are getting bigger and bigger, needing to be shared or just encouraging waste.  These ones also hold their shape without needing to be cooked in mini muffin pans. I really think they are meant to be Broccoli Balls, however I was in a hurry when I made these and took the photo, so they became mini fritters or mini pancakes. They still taste great. You can place your own stamp on them.

Flourless Chocolate Patty Cakes for Valentine's Day

Indulge yourself with these gluten free and very low sugar Chocolate Patty Cakes (Cupcakes)

Jump straight to the recipe:

I found this recipe on the Healthy Chef website and just had to make these as a treat for Valentine's Day ♡♡. They are deliciously moist with lots of rich chocolate flavour, low on sugar, and took inside 20 minutes to prepare. This is such a clever recipe, which can accommodate most allergies, and can be modified to suit the dietary requirements of most guests.

We have been very busy lately, planning a road trip from Cairns along the Savannah Way and into Western Australia and down to Perth. There will be some camping involved, and we will  also be staying in cabins and hotels when the muscles need some pampering. I have been planning some camping meals of course and Mr. HRK who has discovered online shopping for camping equipment, bought us a Dream Pot. We cooked our Corned meat and vegetables in our new Dream Pot a couple of nights ago which was exciting. It's like having an extra powerless slow cooker on hand to use in the kitchen. So now I am trying out new recipes and planning some meals for the trip. There will be more of that later on the blog. 

We are also going to be first time grandparents, hence the trip to Western Australia for the birth, so I am also extending my skills and sewing some little things for the new addition to the family. 

It is all very exciting, and lots of projects are in progress. These chocolate delights were a nice deviation from the other projects.

Flourless Chocolate Patty Cakes (Cupcakes)

Ingredients

1 ½ cups almond meal/ground almonds, or hazelnut meal

¼ cup good quality cocoa powder

1 teaspoon baking powder (gluten free if needed)

2 eggs

2 teaspoons of vanilla paste or extract

¼ cup  macadamia nut oil or olive oil (I used macadamia)

¼ cup full cream milk or almond or soy (your choice)

2 tablespoons organic maple syrup or honey

Let’s Cook:

Preheat your oven to 160 deg. C.

Combine the almond/hazelnut meal, cocoa powder and baking powder.

Add the eggs, oil, vanilla, milk  and honey, then mix well with a good spoon to form a smooth batter.

Spoon into 12 small individual patty tins or cases.

Bake for 25 minutes until risen and cooked through. They will start to crack slightly on the surface when cooked which looks nice.

Serve with Greek yoghurt or raspberry puree, or cover with chocolate icing, depending on the occasion, or serve just on their own.

If you are feeling very intolerant to gluten, lactose, or nuts etc this recipe works very well. Other substitutes can be used. e.g. For nut free cupcakes substitute almond meal for ¼ cup coconut flour, then increase number of eggs to 4, and add an extra tablespoon of honey or maple syrup.

Jump straight to the recipe: