date with a plate.

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

Corned beef breakfast hash

January 27, 2016 by date with a plate.

In Part Two of my collaboration with Harvey Beef (don’t worry, you can catch up on Part One if you missed it) I used one of the more challenging cuts of meats from the marinated range, Oak Barrel Corned Silverside. The silverside comes from the outside of the rear leg and sits between the knuckle and the topside. As it is a muscle heavily used for walking, silverside requires the slow moist cooking of corning to produce a tender and […]

Categories: Beef, Breakfast, leftovers, mid-week • Tags: asparagus, beef, butter, corned beef, eggs, leftovers, potato, rocket, silverside, Worcestershire sauce

Baked eggs with chickpeas, tomato and basil

January 18, 2016 by date with a plate.

The great thing about eggs is they don’t need to be confined to breakfast. Dinner, snack time or lunch, eggs are one versatile and affordable ingredient and it’s probably why I utilise them in my cooking so often. Although I made this meal for breakfast, it can just as easily be eaten for lunch or dinner. It’s quick, easy, cheap and most importantly; tasty and filling. It’s also very adaptable, for example, feel free to add some grilled chorizo/bacon or […]

Categories: Breakfast, Dinner, Lunch, One Pot Wonder, Vegetarian • Tags: basil, Breakfast, chickpea, chili, dinner, eggs, garlic, onion, oregano, tomato

Tropical coleslaw

January 4, 2016 by date with a plate.

New year, same me, zero resolutions and I’m perfectly fine with that. While there’s no resolutions (because I’m not really into setting myself up to fail, or as the infamous meme goes “no one likes a skinny sober bitch anyway”), but I love to set myself goals, I do it all the time. Goals feel different to resolutions, perhaps it because I do them throughout the year, an ongoing effort to focus on myself, better who I am and give […]

Categories: BBQ, Pork, Salad, Side • Tags: apple, bbq, cabbage, coleslaw, Granny smith apple, green apple, jalapenos, mayonnaise, onion, pineapple, pork, pulled pork, vinegar

My Harvey Beef (not so classic) roast beef sanga

December 9, 2015 by date with a plate.

For the past month our house has been the epicentre of all things beef. Beef for dinner, beef for lunch, even beef for breakfast. But don’t get me wrong, this is a good thing, a very good thing. I have been busy cooking and reviewing Harvey Beef’s new marinated beef range. When I was asked by the team at Harvey Beef if I was up for the challenge, my enthusiastic “yes” was delivered without hesitation, not even the slightest of […]

Categories: Beef, Bread, Roast • Tags: anchovy, basil, beef, cornichons, easy, garlic, gherkins, Italian flat leaf parsley, mustard, olive oil, red wine vinegar, salsa, salsa verde, seeded mustard

Spiced roast cauliflower, quinoa and chickpea salad

November 19, 2015 by date with a plate.

I find it weird (in an awesome kind of way) that we create these profiles on social media platforms, such as Instagram (@date.with.a.plate), and start building this community of like-minded people from all over the world around us. I have been fortunate enough to have made “Insty-friends” with some of the most creative and talented individuals. But social media can be a blessing and a curse…let me explain. Some people think social media disconnects us from the world around us, […]

Categories: Lunch, mid-week, Salad • Tags: cauliflower, chickpea, chili flakes, Greek yoghurt, Italian flat leaf parsley, maple syrup, Mint, Quinoa, tahini

Pasta with pipis

November 9, 2015 by date with a plate.

Despite living in a really great neighbourhood, I often find myself driving questionably long distances to source great produce, especially seafood. It feels like I live in a bit of a produce black-hole. There just wasn’t anything in my local area that really floated my boat with respect to good quality seafood. So when a new local small business opened its doors, I was grateful to have access to both fresh and frozen seafood. I have never thought of seafood […]

Categories: Dinner, Italian, Lunch, Pasta, seafood • Tags: chili, garlic, Italian, Italian flat leaf parsley, lemon, onion, Pasta, pipis, seafood, tomato, white wine