I could rave about time saving at Christmas. I really learned that this Christmas, so much more relaxed and awesome. Frozen berries, yep, frozen… but if you stew them a bit well what is the point in buying four punnets for four times the price the day before in a rush?

Serves:4
Prep: 7 min
Cook time: 10 min

Berry Sauce Ingredients:
300g of frozen mixed berries
¼ cup of sugar
1/5 cup of water

Crepe Ingredients:
1 cup flour
3 large eggs
1/2 teaspoon salt
1-1/2 cup milk

Filling:
½ cup of ricotta

Berry sauce
1. Light the stove and put the sugar and water into you saucepan and heat until dissolved. Then add the berries until they are defrosted. Take your time with this, on a low heat- and by doing so you will have plenty of the juices dissolving into the sugar water. Yum!

Crepes
1. Place a cup of flour in a bowl and create a well in the centre. Add the eggs, salt and milk to the well. Wisk until smooth and all lumps are gone.
2. In a pan, melt a small dob of butter. When dissolved, ladle one crape at a time into the pan. Turn when the base of the crape begins to brown and lifts off the pan. It won’t need as long on the other side. Continue until all of the crapes are made.

Assembly
1. Place one crape flat on a plate and line down the centre with ricotta. Fold over both sides and top with berries. Done. Munch.

These are the cocktails of left over party slops. My friend Mike (or @mjog as we sometimes like to call him) passed on his party slops to me when he decided to pack it all up and live loose… so I set about finding cocktail solutions to all the orange flavoured liquore I inherited. This send off treat is one of the loveliest summer cocktails I’ve had and one of the most fun nights.

Makes: About a liter (or 16ish drinks)
Prep: 5 min plus an hour chill

Ingredients:
3 cups of blood orange juice ( you can squeeze this fresh if you like, but it will take about 10 oranges)
1/3 cup of Grand Marnier (or Cointreau or Triple sec)
4 teaspoons of sugar (adjust to taste or choice of orange based liquore)
1 750ml bottle of Prosecco chilled

Prosecco is an Italian sparkeling white. It’s not like other sparkling whites (like brut) but more sweet and subtle – if you can, I think a cheap alternative would be the blonde lambrusco although this might also be hard to find. The point is find something light and a bit on the sweet side.

You don’t need to prepare this ahead of time, but it is really easy if you do the first step and the rest as you serve. Just make sure your ingredients are chilled and that you have plenty of ice.

1. In a pitcher add the Grand Marnier, sugar and blood orange juice and give a good stir until the sugar is dissolved.
2. Crack open the Prosecco and stir while adding to the pitcher, add ice and serve.

If your like me and want to love sake but find it a tad too full on, this cocktail is a great way of using a few drops of sake leftovers. Its also a light cocktail, not to heavy on the alcohol content and full of anti-oxidents so a really good one to incorporate into a cocktail party, because it is just too easy for these things to get out of control

Makes: 2 and a bit liters
Prep:5 min, cool for one hour

Ingredients:
1 liter of soda / mineral water
1 liter of pomegranate juice
8 shots of sake
2 green tea bags
1 lemon

1. Boil up the soda or mineral water and allow to cool for 5-10 minutes depending on the weather.
2. Throw green tea bags into the warm soda and make tea to your liking
3. Place in a pitcher and allow to cool for 15-20 minutes
4. Add the pomegranate juice and sake to the picture and refrigerate until ready
5. Serve with ice and wedges of lemon which you should instruct your guests to just add a little squeeze
6. Enjoy with sushi or not…

Because I’ve had this delightful salad a few times, I remember the core ingredients (tuna, potato, eggs, lettuce, beans, and olives) and I improvise with the rest. I never remember how to do a traditional dressing, so today I went part inpro and part reference. For the dressing I took it straight from Damien Pignolet’s book “French”.

Serves: 2
Prep: 15 min
Cook time: 10 min

Ingredients:
6 cos lettuce leaves washed and cut into 2 inch wide pieces
6 baby potatoes pealed and halved
2 eggs boiled and cut into quarters
A handful of beans (I’ve used butter beans, but you can use green beans)
¼ capsicum thinly sliced lengthwise
12 kalamata olives
½ Spanish onion sliced thinly (rings halved)
6 semi sun dried tomato’s cut length wise into three
6 anchovy fillets cut in half

Dressing:
3 lugs of olive oil
1 lug of red wine vinegar
1 garlic clove
Salt and pepper to taste

1. Put two eggs on the boil – cook so they are firm, but still a dark yellow in the centre. Don’t overcook.
2. Meanwhile make your dressing so that the flavours can develop while you are cooking. Squash a garlic clove with the flat of your knife and use the inner flesh to rub the inside of a bowl and discard the debris. Add olive oil, red wine vinegar and salt and pepper - then whisk together. Taste. Ensure it has a sharp but not over powering vinegar flavour.
3. Once your eggs are out you can use the boiling water to get the potatos started.
4. Meanwhile, chop the other ingredients you need and begin to combine. Get the olives in, the anchovies, sundried tomatoes, cos lettuce, capsicum, and Spanish onion.
5. Get your tuna out and oil it, rub salt and pepper on it then leave for a few minutes until your ready.
6. Chop the ends off your green beans and when there is only a few minutes left to go for the potatoes throw them in a steamer and pop it on top of the potatoes.
7. Peal the egg and cut into quarters, set aside. You should place these on the plate at the end as they will break up if tossed into the salad.
8. In a really hot pan sear the tuna for about three minutes each side ensuring there is a crust on the outside, but that it remains quite rare inside but heated through. Take off the heat, then pull together the last few steps while allowing to rest.
9. Meanwhile, you should have taken the beans and the potatoes off the stove and given them a few minutes to cool (only slightly so that they are not steaming). Now is time to mix the potato and beans with your salad and the dressing.
10. Slice the tuna longwise.
11. Compile the final touches of the salad by placing the fresh salad ingredients onto a plate, lay the quartered egg pieces around the side and then layer the sliced tuna into the center.
12. Done. Eat.

I’m going for a sweet flavour by focusing on pumpkin and fresh peas. This one takes slightly longer because of the roast pumpkin, but that leaves you with plenty of time to prepare accompanying dishes.

Serves: 4 as a side
Prep: 15 min
Cook time: 40 min

Ingredients:
1 cup cous cous
Half a Japanese pumpkin
Half a cup of peas
¼ red capsicum diced
¼ yellow capsicum diced
1 shallot finely diced
1 small red chili, seeds removed and sliced
1 teaspoon of veggie stock
1 handful of lemon thyme
1 lug of olive oil
Salt and Pepper to taste

1. Start out by roasting the pumpkin, you want nice pieces, a little smaller than bite sized. You will need to cook this in a moderate oven for about half an hour or so, turning once or twice during this time.
2. Prepare the red and yellow capsicum, the chili and the shallot and place it in a medium to large bowl. Add the lemon thyme leaves, cous cous, veggie stock, salt and pepper.
3. When the pumpkin only has about 10 minutes to go get 1¼ cups of water on the boil. Add the peas and cook for three minutes, then toss over the cous cous salad mixture. Cover allowing to steam for five minutes until the cous cous is soft then fluff and combine with a fork.

No recipe title shows your not sure what you’ve done than naming it after an entire region of the world. Eh.

Serves: 4 as a side
Prep: 10 min
Cook time: 0 min

Ingredients:
1 tin of lentils (organic ones are worth it)
¼ cup of kalamata olives with pips removed and halved
¼ red capsicum diced
¼ yellow capsicum diced
6 sundried tomatoes sliced
1 shallot finely diced
1 small red chili, seeds removed and sliced
Small handful of flat leaf parsley
½ lemon juiced
Lug of good quality extra virgin olive oil
Salt and pepper to serve

1. Prep ingredients
2. Combine and allow to rest for at least 15 minutes so the flavours can combine

As a main, brown rice with sautéed onion steamed bok coy and tuna is lovely with sesame oil and soy sauce. Good dish for a week night.

So, thinking of this dish - I decided to make this vego version of a dish I enjoy as a salad to share. I pulled back on my usual flavours so that it could work as a dish to serve with a cous cous salad and lentil salad.

Serves: 4 as a side
Prep: 15 min
Cook time: 20 min

Ingredients:
1 cup of brown rice
1 Spanish onion
1 broccoli head
¼ cup of almond slithers
A lug of sesame oil
Salt and pepper to taste

1. Get the rice on first up, that is going to take the longest as brown rice takes longer to cook than your white variety. For a cup of brown rice your going to need about a one and a half cups of water. (Check the pack for the particular variety you have.) Bring to the boil then turn down to a simmer and cover leaving to cook for 25 or so minutes. Let rest for 5 – 10 minutes to avoid ending up with mushy rice.
2. In the mean time sauté your Spanish onion and steam the broccoli.
3. In medium bowl combine the onion and broccoli with some almonds slithers. To intensify the flavor of the almonds you may want to toss them around a dry pan for a few minutes or shove in the oven.
4. When the rice is ready and has rested combine with vegetable mix and throw in a lug of sesame oil and your salt and pepper to taste.
5. Stir and serve. This dish tastes good warm or at room temperature.

Serves: 4 for entre
Prep: 15 min
Cook time: 45 min

Ingredients:
Lug of olive oil
1 Large onion chopped
2 garlic cloves
1 tspns of groud coriander
2 tspns of ground cumin
Pinch of chili powder
½ kilo of sweet potato peeled and diced
½ kilo of carrots sliced
6 cups of veggie stock
A can of chicpeas drained
½ lemon juice
Bread to serve

1. Sweat onions and garlic on a medium heat. Add coriander, cumin and chili stirring through for about a minute until the aromas emerge.
2. Add vegetables and stir for several minutes stiring regularly.
3. Add veggie stock and bring to the boil reduce and cook for about 20 minutes or until the vegetables are soft.
4. Allow to cool and blend.
5. Return to the saucepan to cool and season with salt and pepper. Add lemon juice and serve.

I’ve written this recipe up with a smidge less cumin than I made it – but I just must say it is creamy, sweet and luscious.

Warning: Sieve needed.

Serves: 3 for entre
Prep: 10 min
Cook time: 30 min

Ingredients:
4 roasted ears of corn
1 tablespoon of olive oil
3 medium/smallish zucchini
2 small red chilli
3 cups of vegetable stock
1 tsp of garam masala
Sprinkle of cumin
½ cup of milk
Salt and pepper

1. Rub down the corn with salt pepper, some olive oil and chilli
2. Roast the corn ears until golden brown along with the zucchini
3. Slice the kernels off the cob
4. Place roast corn and zucchini in a saucepan with the veggie stock and bring to the boil. Simmer for 30 minutes
5. Pass contents of the pot through the sieve to separate out the corn skins and discard
6. Return to the pot adding the garam masala, cumin and milk. Warm and serve with crumpets!

Quick and easy. Sorry about the picture. I’d already eaten most of my dinner when I realized it was so good that I should do an entry!

Serves: 1 or more
Prep: 10 min
Cook time: 10 min

Ingredients:
1 chicken breast ( you won’t need all of this but may as well cook it)
1 large mushroom
½ Spanish onion
1 ½ handful of rocket
½ handful of oregano
1 garlic clove
1 small red chili
Lemon myrtle infused olive oil
½ lemon
Grated halloumi to serve

1. Cut the chicken into strips and marinate in the finely chopped chili and finely chopped oregano with a lug of lemon myrtle olive oil and a teeny bit of that lemon as we need most of it in the dressing. Leave for half an hour
2. In a seperate hot pan begin to cook the chicken pieces until nice and brown
3. In the mean time, begin to cook the mushrooms. Slice them and throw into the pan with plenty of olive oil. Once half way through cooking add the onion and garlic continue to cook until just golden on each side on a medium heat.
4. In a bowl combine rocket the remaining juice of the lemon
5. Combine the cooked mushroom and chicken with the rocket. This will wilt it a little. Stir to combine and garnish with halloumi and pepper.