The Wholefood Kitchen

It’s a wrap! Today’s lunch wrap making use of some untouched grilled Snapper from last nights dinner, which my kids tried but rejected. Good news for me as it inspired the assembly of a delicious grilled fish wrap in Lebanese bread with various condiments.

A run through of a simple approach to cooking tempeh, a handy plant protein element of a classic ‘macro meal,’ served with brown rice, greens and other sides. A good alternative to tofu, with a unique flavour, texture and a certain ‘meatiness’ which can be enhanced through marinating and combination of other ingredients, in this case some shiitake mushrooms, mirin, tamari, ginger, garlic and sauerkraut. With thanks to the dedicated folk at Tonzu and Ceres Organics for creating these products for our enjoyment here in Aotearoa.

A quick check in ahead of the start of series of Community Cooking Classes I’ll be running over the next four weeks in partnership with the Glen Avon Community Hub, RJ, Saskia and the amazing Kai Aroha kaupapa. Feeling the stirrings already of stepping into and creating this space of exploration around good and cooking, with a few nice surprises popping up here and there which tends to happen when you start floating in the right channel 🙏🏻❤️

Here it is, step by step, start to finish. A delightful mix of the expected and the unexpected, as can always be expected in The Wholefood Kitchen, at your place or mine.

The third and final stage of a simple Mushroom Risotto, with a few tips for finishing off the dish.

Step 2 of this slightly unconventional Mushroom Risotto, using Tequila instead of a dry white wine. Always room to experiment and try new flavours.

Who knew? So easy to whip up a quick delicious Mushroom Risotto for lunch with a few basics and a few swap-outs of usual ingredients, including in this case some Tequila as a replacement for some dry white wine during the initial cooking phase. More simple tips to follow!

Here it is! Due to popular demand, a tried and tested recipe for a Lemon Yoghurt Cake made with Almond flour. Gluten free, light, airy and delicious. Check out the link in bio to access the how-to article and full recipe on Substack. Here are a couple of tips from the article as a ‘taster.’ Tip 1: Use locally grown Lemons. If you’re going for maximum lemon-y zing, there’s no beating freshly picked lemons from your own tree, or foraged from around the neighbourhood (don’t forget to knock on your neighbours door and ask first – it could be the start of a local foraging network, or a beautiful friendship). There will be no comparison in terms of flavour and juiciness to supermarket or store bought lemons, plus it will add a real ‘homegrown’ quality to your baking, and a high degree of personal satisfaction aka you’ll feel well chuffed. Tip 3: Whisk the egg whites. This is my addition to the original recipe, in order to create extra fluffiness and airiness in the final result, especially important when using the almond flour instead of plain flour. Use high sided bowls for whisking, for obvious reasons. Tip 4: Grease and line your cake tin. Apologies if this counts as teaching your grandmother to suck eggs… but I always opt for the extra precaution of buttering AND lining my cake tins with baking paper. It saves a bit of grief when removing the cake from the tin, and elbow grease required in the washup. You might just see remnants of the marker line I drew on the baking paper using the cake tin as a guide, then cutting inside the line with scissors to get my round base.

A top notch Sunday roast for the fam, employing simple tips and techniques acquired over the years, reflecting on a dish which was a pivotal one for me on my cooking journey, offering many opportunities for learning and acquiring greater confidence, competence and enjoyment in the kitchen with a meal designed for sharing, celebration and connection.