Dinner | date with a plate.

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

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

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

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

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

Deep fried chicken with cheesy polenta waffles (permission to treat yo’self)

August 10, 2015 by date with a plate.

If you’ve never been fortunate enough to eat chicken and waffles….something needs to change in your life. Lucky for you, I have developed the perfect recipe to help you do just that. Breakfast, brunch, late afternoon post-hangover feast, dinner…there is no such thing as a bad time to eat chicken and waffles, they are the perfect anytime meal. I first experienced chicken and waffles when I was traveling through America. At first I was a little confused by the combination, […]

Categories: Breakfast, Chicken, Dinner, Lunch, Special Occasion • Tags: chicken, comfort food, coriander, deep fried chicken, deep frying, garlic powder, jalapenos, maple syrup, onion powder, paprika, polenta, waffles

Celeriac soup with crispy pancetta croutons

July 15, 2015 by date with a plate.

Knobbly and a little weird, this misunderstood root vegetable is often over-looked by the everyday grocery shopper. Generally speaking, I don’t think people know how to use this vegetable, let alone what it tastes like. Celeriac tastes like a cross between celery and parsley. It can be mashed, used in soups, thinly sliced and added to a salad or even roasted. My boyfriend asked me to make this specific soup for him – he had seen it on River Cottage […]

Categories: Bread, Dinner, mid-week, Soup, Vegetarian • Tags: celeriac, garlic, leek, onion, potato, River Cottage, soup

Mince your own meat: simple beef burgers

April 16, 2015 by date with a plate.

I got to thinking the other day about store/supermarket bought mince and wondering what cut was used. Then realising that really, it could be anything. So I did a little research (aka Google search – what the hell did we do before the Internet?!) and felt a little guilty when it dawned on me how easy it is to mince your own – provided you have a meat grinder (perfect excuse to go buy one now). I have a Kenwood […]

Categories: BBQ, Beef, Dinner • Tags: beef, burger, eggs, garlic, meat grinder, onion

Italian sausage and lentil soup

April 8, 2015 by date with a plate.

Sick? Tired? My Italian sausage and lentil soup is a real crowd pleaser. It’s easy to make, cheap and freezes like a boss – so I tend to make large batches and keep some (quite literally) for a rainy day. Like so many good home cooking recipes, this was born from a mixture of being sick at home and resisting a trip to the shops. The result was pleasantly surprising and it’s been on the menu ever since. While technically […]

Categories: Dinner, mid-week, One Pot Wonder, Soup • Tags: asparagus, capsicum, carrot, garlic, Italian sausages, lentils, onion, tomato

Crab, fennel and chilli linguine

January 5, 2015 by date with a plate.

Crabbing is a common pastime is Australia during the hot Summer months, and thank goodness because on Saturday Ollie and his friends returned to the house with eight glorious blue swimmer crabs for dinner. They graciously allowed me to select the menu and I opted for a classic, no fuss pasta dish of crab, fennel and chilli. I did consider making fresh pasta for this dish (and probably should have), but when its 39°C outside you really lose the ability […]

Categories: Dinner, Pasta, seafood • Tags: chili, crab, fennel, lemon, Pasta

America knows best: My USA food diary

October 20, 2014 by date with a plate.

After a little over a month of exploring the United States with my best friend and main man, I’ve come to the realisation that Americans know their food, they know their service and they know nothing about healthy portion sizes… I was so overwhelmed at the beginning of our trip, my breakfast omelet was larger than a practical sized dinner plate and it came with an entourage of sides – for $15, including unlimited coffee. I felt like I was […]

Categories: BBQ, Beef, Breakfast, Dinner, Lunch, Special Occasion • Tags: America, Austin, New Orleans, New York, San Francisco

Gnocchi with braised beef sauce

August 20, 2014 by date with a plate.

Just a short post today, it has been a rough couple of weeks battling the ever complicated onslaught of flu, work, personal life and trip planning – my upcoming trip to the United States is possibly the only thing keeping me sane at the moment. Counting down the days until we jet off for a month long adventure keeps me working hard through everything that’s been thrown at me lately. Sick at home, bored out of my mind (yes, there’s […]

Categories: Beef, Dinner, Lunch, Pasta • Tags: beef, braised beef, carrot, celery, garlic, gnocchi, Jamie Oliver, onion, Pasta, pearl barley, poached eggs, potato, slow cooking, tomato

date with a plate.

food for everyday.

Category Archives: Dinner