classic pantry tabouli

These incredible vegan cauliflower falafels made with wholesome spelt flour and almond meal are a party-stopper. Always make extra as these disappear very fast and everyone asks for the recipe . Served with a made-in-minute beetroot dip and salad greens, these falafels make the perfect canape platter china logistics.

Falafels are the next big thing, I tell you. With recipe enthusiasts getting more creative with plant-based, time-tested classics; I predict that this is the year of the falafel – whatever is left of it. At least for me. After binging on this incredible green falafel recipe for many weeks, I started experimenting with different beans, nuts and veggies to create amazing flavour combinations for the mighty falafel . The inspiration for this can-it-be-more-delicious cauliflower falafel came from a recent Donna Hay magazine. After deciding that the recipe stated would be quite bland in terms of taste and would not hold its shape while frying, I put my falafel thinking cap on and got falafel-ing.

I have used organic wholemeal spelt flour (my flour of choice at the moment). It adds a degree of wholesome rustic to the falafel ship from china. You could substitute with regular plain flour or buckwheat flour (I have tried this as well!) for a gluten free end result. I have a small 1.2 litre capacity Scanpan saucepan half filled with oil ready for my frying needs . If oil is kept for too long and repeatedly used for frying, it develops harmful trans fats. If used a maximum of 2-3 times, you wont have that problem. The deep frying is mainly to create that lovely crust and it is my belief that a deep fried treat once in a blue moon never harmed anyone. Having said that, only one in four of my falafel escapades are deep fried. I usually bake them in the oven the rest of the time. Baking them is healthier and produces almost similar results – almost.

The beetroot dip is a version of a gorgeous roasted garlic and beetroot dip from my book, this being the even more express version. It literally comes to “dips” in 5 seconds. And it is the most perfect accompaniment to the falafel. I serve this with greens or my raw broccoli tabouli or this classic pantry tabouli. Don’t forget to rate the recipe below when you leave a comment and tag me with #cookrepublic if you share on social media. Cheers!

flavour pack Shakshuka

According to my good mate Google, inspiration is defined as the process of being mentally stimulated to do or feel something, especially to do something creative. I  however define inspiration as ‘That looks incredible and I want to stuff my face with it right now’. This post right here, you know the one you’re reading, is a result of such inspiration jeffrey campbell shoes. Since becoming one of ‘those’ people who posts nothing but food photos on Instagram (FYI I made it through a whole week without posting a picture of steak… go me) inspiration levels have been at an all time high. You see the world is full of people who love food as much as I do. You’ve got Laura over at Laura’s Mess, Jemima at Feed Your Soul Perth, then there is Kristy from Kristy Leigh and how could I forget Ai-Ling from Blue Apocalypse and of course Bhavna from Just a girl From Aamchi Mumbai and if you haven’t already you need to go have a giggle at the awesomeness from Food is The Best Shit Ever and there are so many, but in order to let you get on with what ever you are supposed to be doing right now I’ll leave it there organic search engine optimization. If you are having an extended lunch break on account of me talking too much I suggest you skip the the last paragraph, and take note of the recipe then go home and cook it.

Actually that’s a lie, there is one more person who I need to mention. April from What Can I Bake? Now don’t be fooled by the name of the blog, it is far from just cakes and cookies and other baked goodness, this chick can cook! I mean seriously she just took out the Noosa International Food and Wine Festival’s best home cook competition, truth be told she is probably a better cook than me… but I’m willing to take that DR-Max Limited. She took out the competition with her flavour pack Shakshuka.

Now my plan was to replicate April’s Shakshuka recipe that was published in the August edition of Taste Magazine. But plans don’t always work out. Did I ever mention I was a Boy Scout once? yeah probably not… but I was. Be prepared, I’m sure you’ve all heard it before, I like to think they drilled that into me pretty good, but I guess I was wrong. You see, I went shopping knowing exactly what I needed to get, it was all stored in my head (lists are for plebs). So as I’m shopping, I’m thinking to myself, yep I’ve got those spices in my pantry, tin tomatoes check, onion check, Chorizo yep I’ve got me one of these bad boys hanging out in the fridge ready to roll. So I end up getting home from the shops with minimal groceries. Naturally I crack open a nice cold can of beer (because cooking with beer is the next black) and get to work on prepping the dish, as I open the fridge memories come flooding back of a boozy Sunday afternoon involving fried chorizo with a splash of lime and more cold beer… it was at that precise moment my world came crashing down around me… there was no Chorizo… insert sad face here.

Now this sorts out the little kids from the big kids, the sugar free donuts from the sugar packed donuts the blah blah blah. Basically there was two options… go back to the shops (yeah no) or improvise… I cracked open another cold one and got the thinking cap going. When it comes to cooking there are no rules… none, not even one. So I ended up using some Jack Daniel sausages that I picked up from the local butcher, I used what Moroccan flavours I had in the pantry and more or less stuck to the original recipe obvious with fresh sausage in place of flavour town Chorizo. Fortunately for me these Jack Daniel sausages are the bomb and seem to work well! Below you will find my slightly modified version of April’s original recipe which can be found right here.
Basically what I’m trying to say is recipes are kinda like Yoda, do or do not, there is no try as long as you end up with an edible meal then all is well and Yoda will be happy. (If you have to click the link to find out who Yoda is, we are no longer friends.)

some spicy salsa fresca

I know, I know, again with the eggs? But I can't help it. I will eat eggs for breakfast lunch AND dinner just about any chance I have lately. And why not? They give you protein, are easy to make, and just taste so ding dang good. Especially when you pair them up with some spicy salsa fresca! Holy cow they are good, and perfect for a quick Weekday Supper hong kong homes for rent.

I have been on a salsa kick lately too. I can't tell you how many batches of this salsa fresca I have made in the last couple of weeks. I made it because I love salsa with my eggs, so I had been eating it for a few days before I decided to share some with Kevin. Why so stingy 24 volt dc motors? Well because I knew he would love it and I was feeling a bit hoardish. Kinda like a 5 year old "Mine....mine....mine!" And sure enough, as soon as he tasted it he started shoveling it in with both hands. He even threw some in a tupperware container to take to work with him. I guess I should be flattered right? Ya, get over it Bobbi kangertech box mod!

Then my son and his fiance came over to visit with our new granddaughter (insert appropriate gramdmotherish oohing, aahhhing, and plain squealing). OK, we must pause for just a minute to allow me to gush or I might just explode! Allow me to show off the most gorgeous baby girl on the planet (nothing personal if you have a baby, I am just kinda partial to this one).

OK, I will gather myself together. Ummm where were we? Oh yes, salsa. So the kiddos came over and I had them try the salsa. Again the same reaction. It was a good thing that I had put some in an old salsa jar in the fridge or I think it would have all been devoured right there before my eyes!

But the salsa is just part of the equation here folks. When you combine the fresh salsa, with a bit of melted cheese, and the creamy eggs? OhhEmmmGeeee heaven in a little ramekin! I currently am eating this every single day. Which I am sure doesn't surprise you since you know I get a bit food obsessed. But I am not blowing smoke here. You must give this a try. It is quick, easy, and oooohhhhh sooooooo good. The perfect light weekday supper!

super easy dish

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Poha upma was introduced to me in Mumbai when I went to my sister-in -law’s house in 1998. It was one super easy dish I learnt from my s-i-l as a beginner in kitchen. If you do the tadka right and garnish right , there is no failing. 

Here is the dish which is great to whip up quickly in a busy morning.  I have used brown rice flakes as a healthier alternative.

Ingredients :

Brown rice flakes / sigappu arisi aval / brown poha  – 4 cups after soaking

Onion – Big size – 1 number

Cooked potato – 2 numbers

Tadka ingredients as seen in picture

Soak the poha after washing it thoroughly for 10- 15 minutes. Drain the excess water .

Cook potato in a cooker with salt needed  and dice it. Heat oil in a pan, throw in mustard, urad dall, gram dall, chili, ginger  and curry leaves. Add onions and when they turn translucent , add potato dices , salt and poha , give a gentle stir and turn off the heat. Cover it for 5 minutes .  Add some asafoetida and garnish with finely chopped coriander /cilantro .

I have added onion to my taste, if you like to add more, please do and increase chillies proportionally. We can also add crushed roasted peanuts for crunchy texture , more veggies for a wholesome meal . Those who like tangy sweet twist , can top it with sugar sprinkle and lime juice squirts. The choices , as you see,  are many , define the dish as you want , it is the fun that is all it  matters .

crunchy romaine

These Turkey Burgers are Debbie’s creation.  They are amazing!  Full of flavor, lean protein and hella good for you.  We never eat these burgers with a bun, although you could if you wanted to.  We just like to eat them as is, with Debbie’s Cilantro Lime sauce.

If you are not a fan of cilantro, you probably wont like these and I feel sorry for you. There happens to be a whole bunch of cilantro in both the burgers and the sauce.  You could try taking it out of the burgers and replacing the cilantro in the sauce with basil and chives (like the sauce for our Zucchini and Carrot Fritters with Chive and Basil Sour Cream), but I haven’t tried it so I can only imagine that it would be good like that too.

We love the super fresh taste of the cilantro, and mixed with a bite from the garlic and tang from the zesty lime, these burgers are on point.

The sauce is really simple.  Just a few ingredients mixed together, but the flavors of the burgers are mirrored in this bright and creamy sauce.

I could honestly just eat it with a spoon!

Debbie had some turkey wontons kicking around from making Wor Wonton Soup.  I covered a couple wontons in this sauce and I nearly died and went to heaven lol.  So freeking good!  I got Mark trying it too and Debbie gave us shit for eating the wontons lol.  We couldn’t help it.  After we tried one, we had to try another…

One thing about this sauce though, it doesn’t last too long.  I have had it in the fridge for a week, but the cilantro starts to get pretty wilty by then.  Its best used within a couple days.

I like to make a bunch of these and freeze some of them.  Then I can pull them out whenever I have a craving, whip up some sauce and put them in my belly.  Two of these burgers and a salad is my idea of a perfect meal!   Kevin and Jessica both don’t like cilantro so I get them all to myself

I also like to take them to work with me for lunch. In fact I had one for lunch every day this week ;)  Everyone asks me what I’m having because they smell so damn good!

If you wanted to eat these with a bun like a “normal” burger, I would eat mine with some sliced red onion and crunchy romaine.  And a I would spread both sides of the bun with this tasty sauce.

Let us know how you eat them!