discovering a simpiler life

discovering a simpiler life

Tuesday 3 February 2015

In my kitchen February 2015

Lots of lovely things have been happening in my kitchen since my first instalment of In my kitchen hosted by Celia from Fig Jam and Lime Cordial.  
I thought I'd just share a little about my eating style.
I'm not vegetarian or vegan but I really love exploring healthy alternatives to processed food and minimising how much meat I eat.  I thrill at cooking from scratch and using as much of our own produce and if I can organic products, but it's not always that easy living on a budget!
So here we go....

Our home grown purple garlic 

We found this shoulder of pork which was a bit on the fatty side so I slow cooked it in the oven for 7 hours on a rack so all the fat could render out...it was absolutely fall off the bone lip smackingly delicious!
This was my first attempt at making bap rolls and they were a hit and easy as you just put everything in the mixer using a dough hook.  Perfect carrier for the pork let me tell you.

My little lady and I had some cooking fun over the school holidays.  This dough can be found here.

My spin on pesto minus any parmesan...this one is kale, spinach, mint, basil, parsley, garlic, smidge of chilli, walnuts, extra virgin olive oil and lemon juice - all picked fresh from the garden - ah-mazing!

I made cauliflower bread that I used this recipe here as a base.  I changed the recipe a bit and chose to keep them flavour less, so no onion, garlic, nuts  or spinach.  I also added chia seeds, sesame seeds and poppy seeds.  They were pretty good, I toasted them in the toaster the next day and used them just like toast.

These eggplants became chips doused with salt and chilli & smeared with coconut oil.

I've been eating more fish and seafood and this medley of gummy shark, calamari, prawns, greens, herbs and chilli wrapped in foil with a smidge of coconut oil is rock'n' roll.

A visit to my favourite little nook in Melbourne's block arcade Gewurzhaus herb and spice market.  I got whole white peppercorns which can be hard to find and this gorgeous treat of vintage merlot salt which is just darling!  I've been using it on baked fish, chicken, slices of tomatoes & fresh basil - anything really!!

Thanks to Tania from the cooks pyjamas for the idea of making my own granola.  I also got inspiration from another friends recipe she found on this great website.  I made around 500g for a few dollars - a paleo muesli I saw at the health food shop the other day was $25 for 500g!!! WT...

And lastly in my kitchen are 2 chicken ornaments, 
 a milk jug and napkin holder, 
  to further celebrate getting my own real live little ladies which you can read about here.

So that's me for this month.  Thanks so much for stopping by.  There are so many of us on this little adventure to see everyone's kitchen, but if you leave me a comment I will be sure to come and take a peep into yours.

Ciao, Jan x

35 comments :

  1. Congratulations on the garlic...that looks awesome...I had a go at it last year and mine were about the size of a bubble gum lolly...not very big....looks like you've had great success. All the other stuff in your kitchen looks great as well and you can see just how far you have come since starting your own little simple life journey....very inspiring. Regards Kathy A, Brisbane

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. You're a love Kathy...only advice I could offer about Qld is it's a cool season crop. We put it in in April but you are probably better waiting until June? Don't give up though will you! x

      Delete
  2. in queensland its march for latest plantings of garlic i think you can plant from december onwards? try green harvest for information, i like them as they are in qld they also have garlic for sale too.
    your cooking & kitchen look so inviting gw
    thanx for sharing

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Thanks for the garlic advice Selina! I'll make sure to pass it on to Kathy x

      Delete
  3. You're right about how expensive store bought granola is and yet you can through a bunch of cupboard things together for next to nothing. I'm very curious about the cauliflower bread - I'm going to check it out.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Let me know what you think Nancy, it's not my favourite thing, but I need to keep at the recipe a bit more I think! x

      Delete
  4. Wow that pork looks amazing....I'm sure it was fabulous in those bap rolls. lots of good stuff happening around your place. Hope your new ladies are doing well in the yard and eggs on the menu soon. x

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. My little ladies are settling in well...although our other little (big really :)) our dog Magic is so jealous and was very naughty and tried to dig his way in!! Lucky for us we came home or goodness knows the mayhem!! Eggies in a few weeks, fingerscrosed Suzie!

      Delete
  5. You've got some absolutely gorgeous things in your kitchen Jan! And so many interesting things too. I'd love to give those eggplant chips a go sometime! :D

    ReplyDelete
  6. That pork made my mouth water, slow cooking in the oven is my favorite way to cook a shoulder and it has so many uses. I want to look in on your chickens, we are thinking of getting a few this spring.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. It's my fav way to cook it too Liz! I hope you get to enjoy some chickens of your own very soon xxx

      Delete
  7. Yay for the white peppercorns. It's true they are hard to find and so when I saw them in Vanuatu in a 500gm bag I didn't hesitate. I use them all the time with Thai cooking. I love your gorgeous gingerbread men and how lovely does your pesto look and even better that it's made with home grown ingredients. I do love the look of your slow-roasted pork - what a great way to cook it xx

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. we might be the white peppercorn team! :D I use them in everyday and Italian cooking.x

      Delete
  8. I gasped when I saw that pork! Hubby wondered what was wrong. He didn't get it. Cauli in the bread, love it!. Must check out the Block Arcade if I can ever bring myself to go to Melbourne, I believe there is a great tea shop there. WT, yes!!! ridiculous. Love the chookies, love everything.

    ReplyDelete
  9. That pork is amazing...I don't go to Melbourne often enough but you definitely need to go to the Block arcade and especially the Hopetoun tea rooms if not for an early breakfast, then afternoon tea. Jan x

    ReplyDelete
  10. Your pork looks wonderful! I'm going to keep my eye out for a pork shoulder! And I've just checked out the cauliflower bread, yum!

    ReplyDelete
  11. Your garlic looks brilliant and I love your pesto. I always make my own granola. It tastes much better than store bought :)

    ReplyDelete
  12. I visited the same spice shop in the block arcade when I visited Melbourne last year. Looks like you and your little one had lots of fun baking cookies. Love the pesto and am sure it was delicious :)

    ReplyDelete
  13. I visited the same spice shop in the block arcade when I visited Melbourne last year. Looks like you and your little one had lots of fun baking cookies. Love the pesto and am sure it was delicious :)

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. I just love Block arcade Moya, so many gorgeous shops :)

      Delete
  14. Well that milk jug is just divine but the thing that piques my interest was the cauliflower bread. I've seen it many times on Pinterest but have never been that interested to make it. You gave it such a rave review that I have bookmarked your recipe for future reference. Speaking of cauliflowers.. they're not exactly cheap anymore are they? cheers Fiona xx

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. I'm going to make the cauliflower bread again in the coming days, so might do a full blog post once I'm really happy with the final product!!

      Delete
  15. Before we get started, may I just say I would really love one of your pork-filled baps for lunch right now. I didn't need to see all this delicious food when I'm starving. That'll teach me to go reading food blogs at mealtimes. Seriously though, your post is mouth-watering. Thanks for the tour.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. hahaha I'd love to share one of the baps with you...I need to make them again :) Thanks for stopping by

      Delete
  16. what fab things in your kitchen jan. I love the chicken milk bottle, and the cauliflower bread sounds very interesting. how wonderful to have fresh herbs and veggies in your garden. we have the dreaded turkeys so can grow nothing! the pesto looks great as does the fish dish. yum to it all!

    ReplyDelete
  17. You have some stunning produce in your kitchen I missed growing my own garlic last year so I am getting organised early this year to get some in. I am glad I inspired you to make your own granola. Although now you know how good it can be you can never go back ;)

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. I will most certainly never, ever go back Tania!! :) x

      Delete
  18. Such beautiful things, Jan! Homegrown garlic is the best - I wish we could grow it here! And that pork looks unbelievably good! I've never tried making baps - they might be next on the list, although the boys do like their bread crusty! Love your little milk jug - I have trouble resisting anything with a chook on it! :)

    ReplyDelete
  19. Thanks for hosting another foodie full month Celia x

    ReplyDelete
  20. Jan, your pesto practically leaped off the page! (And sorry if this shows up as a "duplicate comment"... I've discovered that my computer connection is reliant on whichever appliances are switching off 'n' on at the moment in our temporary dwelling... such fun... and hoping to be in our permanent digs SOON!) I also loved your seafood medley and pork... sigh.

    ReplyDelete

Related Posts Plugin for WordPress, Blogger...