date with a plate.

Chilli con carne

February 20, 2018 by date with a plate.

Ever wonder what the perfect freezer meal is? I can help with at least one solution: Chilli con carne (or Chili for my American friends). I mean technically there’s probably a thousand different options out there, but this is one I regularly make a giant batch of and freeze for lazy mid-week dinners when I can’t be bothered cooking but don’t want to spoil my hard work at the gym by guzzling down a burger and fries…and let’s be honest, […]

Categories: Dinner, Lunch, mid-week, One Pot Wonder, Pork • Tags: avocado, beans, chilli, coriander, healthy, pork, spices

Breakfast bowls with brown rice, greens & miso dressing

January 23, 2018 by date with a plate.

While everyone is distracted by often over-engineered smoothie bowls and piles of pancakes, I would like to take a moment to introduce you to a savoury breakfast bowl – because bowls seem to be all the rage. However, serving this on a good old fashioned plate works just as well – except maybe for Instagram…but that’s another discussion for another day. I like savoury breakfasts – not all the time, but certainly the vast majority. I like runny eggs and […]

Categories: Breakfast, Lunch, Vegetarian • Tags: avocado, basil, bowls, Breakfast, brown rice, Buddha bowl, eggs, health food, lemon, miso, sesame oil, sesame seeds, spinach, tamari, vegetarian

Quick & easy Thai beef salad

December 14, 2017 by date with a plate.

I am back. Finally. Sorry – I got really distracted. It’s been a long time coming but I am slowly stepping back into blog-land. Now I need to figure out how to stay consistent…any tips? I have been thinking a lot lately about healthy meals – and that healthy doesn’t have to mean boring, bland or difficult. In fact, it’s my new mission to make it quite the opposite. And while I apprentice that there’s lots of others already doing […]

Categories: Asian, BBQ, Beef, Dinner, Lunch, mid-week, Salad • Tags: beansprouts, beef, capsicum, coriander, cucumber, dinner, easy, lime, Mint, onion, tomato

Choc banana nice-cream

May 23, 2017 by date with a plate.

You’ll be pleased to know I have managed to remain largely on the healthy eating bandwagon…I say largely because I still inhale the occasional required burger or other cheat meal on the weekend. But weekdays are pretty darn strict – and thank the greater powers because I am seeing results. And that’s what keeps you going, knowing your hard work is paying off. But what do you do when your cravings for sweets reach heights greater than your self-control? You […]

Categories: Chocolate, Dessert, Ice cream, mid-week, Snack, Vegetarian • Tags: banana, chocolate, coconut, dates, dessert, easy, pecan, walnuts

Sashimi Buddha bowls

February 27, 2017 by date with a plate.

So far this year I have stuck to my goal (that’s goal, not resolution) of eating healthier food. Yay for me! But it hasn’t always been easy. The first two weeks of my new fancy meal plan saw me subconsciously reach for sugary treats, whether it was a late night chocolate craving or even just a teaspoon of sugar to go in my cup of tea…the struggle was real. But I managed to resist thanks to some well-planned snacking options and a steel […]

Categories: Asian, Dinner, Pickling & preserving, seafood • Tags: avocado, brown rice, Buddha bowl, chili, edamame, ginger, salmon, sashimi, wakame

Roasted carrots with pearl barley, chickpeas & herbed crème fraîche

January 9, 2017 by date with a plate.

I blinked and suddenly I am living in Sydney, it’s 2017 and I haven’t posted in longer than I care to admit. I owe you all an apology, I have been completely neglectful of my little hobby blog, distracted by the excitement of this beautiful big city, but I have plans to rectify my lack of action in the year ahead. Plans that start immediately with getting back into the kitchen and cooking more consistently. Moving to Sydney really threw my world […]

Categories: Roast, Salad, Vegetarian • Tags: carrot, chickpea, chili, garlic, Italian flat leaf parsley, lemon, lemon zest, pearl barley

Cheese Boarding 101

August 12, 2016 by date with a plate.

Lordy, I have been way too blog quiet lately. Please accept my humble apology. Moving to a new city in a new state has been a life changing experience – for anyone else who has done this, I commend you. I now understand all too well the pains of life admin…. So what has moving to a new city done for me? Well, for one thing, it’s completely invigorated my perspective on life, forced me to make new friends because I […]

Categories: Charcuterie, Dessert, Kitchen tips, Snack, Special Occasion • Tags: almonds, cheese, cured, entertaining, fruit, honey, pickled vegetables, platter

Banana salted caramel smoothie bowls

May 12, 2016 by date with a plate.

I thought Smoothie Bowls were a fad, I assumed they’d disappear with as much gusto as they appeared (on Facebook, Instagram, Pinterest…the usual fad-inducing suspects). But I was wrong, people seem to really love these bowls full of thick smoothie topped with all manor and mixture of healthy offerings. So I put one to the test eager to make my own mind up about them. I used a recipe from Food Fix Up on account of being too lazy to generate […]

Categories: Breakfast, Kitchen tips, One Pot Wonder, Side, Snack, Vegetarian • Tags: almonds, banana, chia seeds, coconut, dates, easy, flaked almonds, goji berries, maple syrup, passion fruit, sunflower seeds

Dish up oysters like a pro.

March 18, 2016 by date with a plate.

A tray full of cold, salty oysters is a must at any dinner party for me, a quick and effortless way to impress guests and allow the host more quality time with their friends, rather than slaving away in the kitchen. Oysters are just one example of a quick and easy starter, but absolutely one of my favourites. I’ve put together some tips for prepping and serving as well as some of my favourite accompaniments. Whether you’re an oyster-pro or a newcomer, […]

Categories: Condiment, Kitchen tips, seafood, Side, Special Occasion • Tags: lemon, oyster, red wine vinegar, seafood, seaweed, seaweed salad, shallot, white pepper

Shredded chicken with soba noodles in miso broth

March 10, 2016 by date with a plate.

I am slightly obsessed with noodles; dry or wet, I am immediately drawn to bowls of slippery, slurp-worthy goodness and last night I had a bad craving for soba noodles specifically. Soba noodles are a Japanese variety made of wheat and buckwheat flour and can be served hot or cold. Last night’s meal was served hot, in a delicate and slightly creamy broth featuring miso paste, soy sauce and mirin as the flavour base. It was quick, but incredibly comforting […]

Categories: Asian, Chicken, Dinner, Lunch, mid-week, One Pot Wonder • Tags: chicken, coriander, ginger, mirin, miso, miso paste, noodle, radish, sesame seeds, soba noodles, soy sauce, spring onion

Bircher soaked in orange juice

February 29, 2016 by date with a plate.

Bircher has a whole range of benefits, but the one I am most interested in is time saving. Every now and then I make a massive portion of bircher muesli by soaking oats and various other wholesome goodies so that when morning rolls around I am ready for the day…it’s a really good “I am adulting like a boss” feeling. It takes very little effort and leaves me comfortably full and satisfied until early afternoon. I have made this bircher a […]

Categories: Breakfast, mid-week • Tags: apple, buckwheat, chia seeds, Greek yoghurt, green apple, oats, orange juice, orange zest, Oranges, passion fruit, Raspberry, rolled oats, sesame seeds

Beef rib tacos (with all the trimmings)

February 23, 2016 by date with a plate.

When life gives you leftover beef ribs, make beef rib tacos…or at least I think that’s how the saying goes? Right? Maybe not, but that’s just what I did. Ever since my boyfriend’s custom smoker arrived at our house we have been working our way through every possible cut of appropriate meat to smoke; beef ribs, pork ribs, brisket, pork shoulder, you name it and it’s on his ‘to-smoke’ list. Smoking meat can be a little hit and miss, mostly […]

Categories: BBQ, Beef, Dinner, leftovers, mid-week, Pickling & preserving • Tags: avocado, beef, chili, coriander, garlic, jalapenos, lime, mexican, onion, oregano, radish, taco, tacos

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