Easy Peasy Organic Recipes to Change Your World

Why I Use Cocoa Butter for My Beauty Products ... and a Little Announcement

2012-02-22T14:28:00.000+10:00

Cocoa butter is the antioxidant-rich oil extracted from cocoa (or cacao) seeds. As in, chocolate. It's actually one of the principal ingredients in many white chocolate bars!

The raw, organic variety is best to buy, because the beans are sustainably grown and the oil is gently pressed out and not heated to high temperatures - meaning that the antioxidants and fats aren't destroyed. It's what I make most of my moisture products out of, at home and for sale.

And what antioxidants and fats does cocoa butter contain?

It's a natural source of vitamin E (alpha-tocopherol), which is known to soften the skin and lower the production of free-radicals;
procyandins that may reduce inflammation;
stearic acid that improves skin repair and flexibility;
and it's among the best natural means of creating an occlusive layer on the skin (meaning it prevents moisture loss and keeps skin better hydrated).

Plus, cocoa butter smells faintly of chocolate - making it ideal for skin-care products.
It's literally so good you could eat it.

(On that note, here are some foodie recipes that use cocoa butter)
Homemade Tagalongs - by Love & Olive Oil
Vanilla Cupcakes - by Cupcake Project
DIY Chocolate Bars - by Bitter Sweet
Choc Cookies - by Cui Zoo

*The fats in cocoa butter are 'good' ones, that don't affect your cholesterol

If you're keen to give it a try, just buy the best, food-grade cocoa butter you can afford - like that sold by my fave Loving Earth. Cocoa butter melts around body temperature, so keep it out of the sun and in a cool place in your house. It's really stable, so store it in a sealed container and and it'll keep for 2-5 years!

(if it lasts that long)

I love cocoa butter.

And ...

If you're in Brisbane, please come along to my market stall this Friday night (4-9pm) - at King George Square in the CBD - say hello, and support my little business! I'll be selling my cocoa-butter-based moisture bars and lip balms, as well as organic purifying masks, gentle sugar scrubs, and lavender-scented bath soaks. As well as some of the bulk raw cocoa butter I use to make my products. All TOTALLY ORGANIC and SUSTAINABLY PACKAGED!

PS. Everything's going to be on sale ... because I'm getting married! Not only do I feel like celebrating, but I feel like making some cash to pay for this wedding ... Yikes.
More on wedding stuff soon ...

Amanda xx

6 Reasons to Love Passata

2012-02-19T15:37:00.002+10:00

These last couple of weeks have been pretty exciting ... and I've been a busy girl! (I'll tell you all about my exciting news soon, I promise!) Today though I'm going to share a best-of post with you ... to tell you precisely why I love passata.

(I even love the word passata. Don't you? It sounds like a secret ... )

***

This month, one of my favourite organic supermarkets has a sale on organic passata - that pure, smooth, unadulterated tomato puree that's a staple around my house.

(so if you're in Brisbane - stock up!)

Here's why I love passata:

1. Nearly-instant tomato soup

2. Easy (but fancy-looking) gazpacho

3. Eggplant and olive stew

4. Pasta sauce, of course. Ask your mum for her recipe, or just add salt and Italian seasoning to passata and thicken it up over medium heat!

5. The jars make great storage, particularly for homemade veggie broth or bulk grains

6. Passata lasts nearly-forever in the cupboard ... waiting for you to remember and need and use it.

Plus, we love organic ... especially organic on sale!

Have a great weekend,
Amanda xx

Brain Training in the Oncology Unit

2012-02-15T10:04:00.003+10:00

Why is it that it's easier to be anxious than peaceful?

To dread mortality, rather than accept it?

Why does that little voice in the back of my head mutter things I don't want to hear, rather than things I do?

Lately, I've been working on visualisation - seeing the things I want to happen, happen. Imagining health and power and happiness welling up inside me ... filling me with life and making me invincible. Not immortal, mind you, just invincible.

This isn't hokey stuff (I'm not much for hokey stuff). It's brain fitness. Circuit training for my psyche. And today, sitting here in oncology (again), I need it. This is just a check-up, a hormone implant, and some treatment to prevent osteoporosis in my young-but-menopausal bones. But still, I'm here. And this place always seems to put me on edge.

I am strong.

I am happy.

I am invincible.

I can do anything. (Even live. A long, fulfilling life after cancer.)

Damn it.
I am strong.

But human.
(It's a work in progress.)

Amanda xx

SuperPower Smoothie

2012-02-10T08:38:00.000+10:00

This smoothie is chock full of green stuff, and antioxidants ...

but it doesn't taste green.

If you know what I mean.

I made it on a day where I was feeling utterly, positively bleh.
Not blah, but bleh. Energy levels so low that coffee #1 didn't even help. Coffee #2 didn't help. I didn't want to play Lego. I didn't want to write papers. I couldn't nap. I just sat.

Bleh.

I needed green.
NOTE: Green that tasted somewhat tropical.

How about you? What do you do to pull out of a slump?
Amanda xx

***********

SuperPower Smoothie

serves 2

The time
5 min

The ingredients
2 frozen bananas, chopped
1 heaped tsp spriulina powder
1 handful chopped greens (I used kale + lettuce)
1 heaped tsp match green tea powder
1 cup coconut milk
1 cup orange juice

The process
Put everything in a blender and whizzzzzzzzzzzzz.

The cost
Less than $3 for a mostly-organic smoothie. (The spirulina and matcha weren't organic)

PS. it worked!

Breathe it In

2012-02-07T20:01:00.000+10:00

"Today is a beautiful, sunny, bird-singing day." - Nelle, age 4

Slow-cooked Eggplant and Olive Stew

2012-02-05T15:48:00.001+10:00

This is my second favourite way to cook eggplant.

As an aside, I'll tell you about my #1 favourite eggplant dish. That was a tagine at a little Morroccan restaurant in Lisbon, that you had to skirt past laneway diners and up steep staircases and around dim corners to get to. I have to confess, Robbie and I visited 3 of the 4 nights we romanced that splendid city.

Every night, I ate eggplant tagine.

Some of you out there will be chastising me - how could I limit myself to one dish at one restaurant in such a magnificently exotic place as Lisbon?

The rest of you get it. I could've eaten that dish every single day till I developed an allergy to it. It was my food soul-mate equivalent. To this day, I haven't found a recipe that does my memory justice.

But it's a memory. Does it need justice?

Anyway, #2 isn't a tagine recipe, though it's loosely mediterranean and founded on eggplant. It's simple yet tastes amazing with pasta, rice, couscous or on its own.

Oh, and red wine. Always good with red wine.

So. Have you met your food soul-mate? Please dish ...
and enjoy.
Amanda xx

***********

Slow-cooked Eggplant and Olive Stew

serves 6-8

The time
15 min prep + 45 min cooking

The ingredients
1 cup chopped onion
1 Tbs butter
8 cups chopped eggplant
1 cup pitted kalamata olives
1 Tbs minced garlic
1 Tbs red wine vinegar, plus 1 Tbs extra to taste
700 mL jar of passata (tomato puree)
300 mL water
1 tsp dried mint
1 tsp dried Italian seasoning
1 tsp sea salt (smoked, if possible), plus extra to taste

crumbled organic feta cheese, to serve (optional)
fresh organic oregano, to serve (optional)

*As always, try to use organic ingredients when you can - particularly for animal products like cheese and herby greens.

The process
1. In a large pot, saute the onion in the butter over med-high heat until soft, about 5 minutes. Add the eggplant and stir it through; cover and reduce the heat. Cook together for ~15 minutes.

2. Add the olives, garlic, vinegar, passata, water and seasonings. Stir through and bring back to a simmer. Cook over low heat for 45-60 minutes. Prepare whatever you're going to have this with.

3. Adjust the seasoning and tartness with salt and vinegar; serve with rice or pasta and with crumbled feta cheese and fresh oregano (if you have it) on top.

The cost
My batch of organic stew cost me about $1.50-$2 per serving, depending on local market prices, and not including the rice.

Four Ways

2012-02-02T08:07:00.001+10:00

We all make choices, every day of our lives. We choose coffee or no coffee; latte or cappuccino or unlimited house brew. Every time we check email at work, it's because we've chosen to. At lunch we choose ham on rye or avocado on sourdough or egg salad. After work, we choose a long commute or books with the kids or soaps on tv or a brisk 5km run. And yes, I said choose a long commute.

There are always options. Alternatives. Choices.

Ok. Here's what I think. I think that our lives - bodies - selves can be ANYTHING that we make of them, if we put our hearts into it. Each instant, we come to a four-way intersection that forces us to choose one direction or another.

What we have to learn is HOW TO MAKE THE CHOICE that takes us in the direction we want to go, and HOW NOT TO LOOK BACK.

Because guilt sucks. Regret sucks. Self-loathing sucks. There is absolutely no fun in eating a chocolate bar if you're just going to punish yourself for it later. (Trust me, I know from experience.)

Even better? MAKE THE CHOICE THAT MAKES YOU NOT LOOK BACK. Do you get what I mean? I mean that you have to think before you step out into that intersection ... have a look (however briefly) down each road ... think of CONSEQUENCES. It's tough at first, but let me tell you - it doesn't take long to get good at it.

And you know what happens? You stop punishing yourself so much. Your decisions become more fluid. And your life starts moving in the direction you want it to. Because YOU HAVE TAKEN CONTROL.

It's simple. Not easy - but simple. Choose to take control. Starting now.
Amanda xx

Be My Sustainable Valentine

2012-01-29T14:13:00.001+10:00

Valentines. It's hard to share the love and still buy sustainably ... right? I disagree. We just have to reduce disposability, think about where products come from, and buy fair-trade when we can.
Easy Peasy.

Let's run through a few creative options that are good for the heart and the environment.

1. Chocolate
Chocolate is the go-to for Valentine's Day, but you don't have to buy the cheap stuff with a label-full of unintelligible ingredients. Buy a small bar (or two) of the best chocolate you can afford - something with only a couple of ingredients, fair-trade, and preferably organic. Why fair-trade? Because the cocoa bean trade is a bit dicey, and we ♥ supporting families with fair wages.

Some of my favourites? Green and Black's and Loving Earth.

Alternatively, make something chocolate ... little cakes, wrapped up in pretty, re-usable boxes; cookies in heart-shaped tins; even homemade chocolate spread in a ribbon-tied jar.

Remember, it doesn't have to be perfect ... just made with love.

2. Art
Here's an idea for you. Instead of a Hallmark card - why not buy a small piece of art? Something that speaks to you, or reminds you of a place you and your loved one have been (or dream of going), or just reminds you of that person. There are lots of small photographs or prints that would say much more than your standard greeting card. Check out etsy.com for ideas!

You can even find some of them - complete with poetry - (and 20% off at the moment) in my shop.
Just saying.

3. Personal photographs
Last Valentine's Day I got Nelle to hold a sign asking her daddy to be her Valentine - while I took a series of photos. I printed out 5 of them and framed the series ... and it's one of Robbie's favourite gifts ever. So easy.

And even better? This year I'm improving the frame. So he gets it again.

4. Audio books
I do still like the feel of a good, solid, paper book. But I also like having a variety of audio books on my computer and iPhone for those times when I don't feel like reading. And with audio, you can snuggle up close to your hubbie and share a totally tree-free book together. Now that's romantic.

What ideas do you have for a sustainable Valentine's Day? Please share, we'd love to hear them!
Amanda xx

Macadamia and Ginger (Melting) Shortbreads

2012-01-26T12:55:00.002+10:00

The cricket's on in the living room, the barbie's fired up outside. Hot sun, cool drinks. It's summer in Queensland and it's sweltering. Today? Meltingly so.

We hang outside when we can stand it, sweating even though we're sitting down in the shade. We watch lizards skitter through the garden. We can practically feel the recent rain evaporating from surfaces around us.

Time to pull some shortbread out of the freezer.

Ok. I'm a huge advocate of freezing cookies ... both as a self-preservation mechanism, and because I love the chewy resistance that freezing imparts to them.
But until this week I'd never tried frozen shortbread.
Man oh man.

I made a batch of macadamia and ginger shortbreads before Christmas, and stored some away for the New Year. The recipe was modified from a supermarket (Coles, I think) cooking magazine my mother-in-law casually dropped in my lap one day ... with an offhand comment about this interesting shortbread recipe.

I immediately loved it. In part, because I love butter. But macadamias and ginger are two of my favourite things (other than butter), they synergise, and they're grown locally. (Oh yes, I live in *paradise* ... when it's not raining torentially ...)

Of course, I had to modify the recipe. Here's my version.

***********

Macadamia and Ginger (Melting) Shortbreads

makes 1 10x12" pan-ful

The time
20 min prep + 40 min baking

The ingredients
100g macadamia paste
250g softened lightly-salted butter
1/2 cup raw sugar, blitzed in a grinder or blender to make it finer
2 1/4 cups plain unbleached flour, sifted
1/2 cup brown rice flour, sifted
1 Tbs grated fresh ginger
1 heaping Tbs chopped ginger in syrup

*Try to use organic when you can, and the quality of the butter is *really* important for these. Better quality butter = yummier shortbreads.

The process
1. Preheat the oven to 150C (300F). Line a 10x12" baking tray with baking paper. Really you can use any kind of tray that has edges and that's about 25cm or 10" on each side.

2. Cream together the macadamia paste, butter and sugar until it's well-mixed and lightened in colour. Add the flours - being sure that you've sifted them (or at least shaken them a bit) for lightness - and gently mix them into the butter/sugar with a wooden spoon. Gently. Use your hands to add the gingers (both fresh and syrupy) into the dough, kneading very very gently.

NOTE: Lightness is everything in shortbreads. Gentleness = lightness.

3. Press the dough evenly into the baking pan and use a knife to score slices in it. I prefer small squares, but really you can cut the dough however you like. You cut it now because when it's cooked it'll be super-crumbly, and you want to at least have a head-start on slicing. Use a fork to prick holes all across the top surface of the dough (so it doesn't puff up).

4. Bake for 35-40 min, until the top is firm (but not rock-hard) and lightly golden. Take it out of the oven, let it cool for 10 min and cut into slices. Eat some now, and the rest? stick 'em in the freezer.

NOTE: Serve straight out of the freezer, cold and chewy and buttery.

The walking stick is purely optional.

The cost
A batch of organic shortbreads costs ~$9-$10 here in Australia.

I wrote this post as part of a virtual potluck with the crew and contributors of the lovely site Gojee! If you're keen to see some other lovely food ... check out www.gojee.com and enter gojeepotluck into "I crave". You can also follow #gojeepotluck on Twitter.

Have a great rest of the week!
Amanda xx

It's Almost Australia Day!

2012-01-20T08:16:00.001+10:00

My perfect Australia Day? Involves a smashing breakfast, a drive in the countryside, and a BBQ on the deck. Preferably with a cold beer in my hand.

Oh, I love this place.

Coconut waffles with bananas and mango jam for breakfast
(you don't have to share. the blue-tongues understand)

Need a snack? Chocolate avocado smoothies out of a thermos.

Then home, to fire up the Barbie ...

Choose grillables like broccoli, corn, sustainable seafood, or pizza made from naans or flatbreads

Drink fresh lemonade
(spiked or not)

Mix it up with some fresh slaw or a crispy salad.
By the pool, if you have one. (Because it's summer, after all)

Do not forget the lemon potatoes ...
Or the ginger cookies.

And what's Australia Day without pavlova? Or, as I favour, meringues slathered with fresh, whipped cream and passionfruit pulp.

I ♥ Australia.
Amanda xx

How to Make a Stop-Motion Video in Picasa

2012-01-14T07:56:00.001+10:00

Ever since Cheryl of 5 Second Rule introduced us to the stop-motion video The Joy of Books, Nelle and I have been a little bit obsessed. It's the first thing my girl wants to do when she gets home from kindy ... and I have to admit when I watch it, I feel more than a bit elated. It makes me want to write and dance and read.

But Nelle keeps asking me - how do the books move?
I started to explain ... how the people take lots and lots of photos and then put them together ... but then it hit me. Why not make a video ourselves? Now, it's nothing incredible ... but we did it together, and it wasn't nearly as difficult to do as I thought it would be. You might want to try it out with your kids, this weekend!

***********

How to Make a Stop-Motion Video

(the low-effort way)

1. If you haven't already, download the free photo program Picasa onto your computer.

2. Take a series of photos, incrementally moving one thing at a time in each photo. Here are some of the photos I took ...

For the best quality, use natural light and a tripod. Our video was just for fun, so I stood really, really still between photos, and Nelle moved the fruit. You don't want to have to spend too much time editing all your photos, so be sure you have consistent, high-quality light and that you don't swerve around too much.

3. Upload your photos to Picasa. When a new photo folder is created in Picasa, a button appears to the right of the folder image that looks like video tape with a "+". If you put your cursor over it, it says "create movie presentation". Bingo! This should open Movie Maker.

here

4. In Picasa Movie Maker, begin by selecting your transition style. I recommend playing around with different styles - 'time lapse' is really fast; some of the others can be quite slow. You can adjust the length of time each slide is shown, too. Our video is the 'cut' transition with the minimum length of time for each slide (1 sec).

5. Add text slides to the beginning or end, if you want. To do so, click on the button that looks like an envelope with a "+" sign on it.

the play button, add a text slide, and delete a slide are all on the left here.

6. You can play your video at any time - commitment-free - by clicking on the green arrow shown in the above picture. To the right of that, you can see how long your video is. Ours is 33 seconds. Make note of that, because now we want to choose music and one of the best ways is to look for clips of that duration.

7. Select "Load" for music and find the clip you want in iTunes (or whatever). We chose to 'truncate audio' because we didn't want our photos to loop around.

8. When you're happy, click on 'Create Movie' and upload it to YouTube (if you like). You're good to go!

Now. I'm sure you could do this same kind of thing in a much less half-assed way. If you have any ideas, shout them out! Otherwise, have a look at another of my fave stop-motion videos for inspiration.

Have a great weekend,
Amanda xx

Super-Simple Roasted Nectarine Bruschetta

2012-01-12T08:08:00.001+10:00

I made these little bruschetta to kick off a pre-Christmas dinner party; and then time slipped by and by and by, as it does. Particularly at this time of year. And I wasn't happy with the photos. So the recipe sat, unposted. But here I am in Phoenix, thinking back to these delectable little toasts and wishing it was stonefruit season here. So here goes.

Christmas is peach and plum and nectarine season in Australia, so if you're in the northern half of the world (as I am, currently) you may have to wait till next summer to try this. Till then, consider it a dash of sunshine from the land Down Under.

Nectarines (or peaches) juxtaposed with sweet onions and rosemary is unusual combination of flavours that works amazingly well. In fact, if you haven't tried grilling or roasting fruit, I'd put that on my list of to-do's for 2012 (along with granita, yogurt, and choc-avocado smoothies).

Yes, I used this recipe for a dinner party, but we often have dinners comprised of crusty bread (or crackers) and dips. This would suit casual dippy dinners perfectly.

***********

Roasted Nectarine Bruschetta

makes 6-8

The time

10 min prep + 30 min cooking

The ingredients

3 nectarines or peaches, cut into cheeks
2 minced onions
3 Tbs extra virgin olive oil
1 tsp minced fresh rosemary
1/2 of a nice baguette, preferably sourdough ('cos it tastes better)

+sea salt, to taste

*As always, try to use organic ingredients when you can. And plant yourself some rosemary - it's so easy to grow and you never need too much at a time. Best to run outside and clip it off!

The process
1. Heat your oil and onions in a frying pan over medium heat, stirring constantly for the first couple of minutes. You want to start them cooking down, but you want to avoid having them brown at this early stage. After 2-3 minutes, turn the heat down to low and let the onions cook on their own (stirring occasionally) till they're soft and sweet, ~20 minutes or more. Add 1 tsp of water at a time, if they start to dry out.

NOTE: The longer you cook your onions, the sweeter they'll be - it's up to you. An hour = very sweet; 20 minutes = still lovely, if you're in a hurry. You'll notice the onions in my photos aren't fully caramelised - I figured keeping a little bit would contrast nicely with the fruit, and I ran out of time on the day.

2. While your onions are cooking away, grill or broil your nectarine cheeks till the skin starts to char (but the flesh should be soft). Grill marks look pretty, but you'll be chopping the nectarines up so don't worry too much. Turn them as necessary. When they're ready, pull them out of the heat and set aside to cool. When cool, chop them and mix with the onion.

3. Slice your baguette into 1" (2.5cm) thick slices and toast both sides. You can use a toaster oven, oven or frying pan for this. Try to time it so they're done just before you serve.

4. Top each slice with a hefty spoonful of nectarine/onion mix, sprinkle with rosemary and sea salt, to taste.

Serve! Ideally with wine, of course. A bubbly, perhaps?

The cost
My bruschetta cost me ~$5, using organic ingredients.

Enjoy!
Amanda xx

The Year of Sunshine and Lemons

2012-01-04T09:49:00.001+10:00

2011 was a year of sunshine and lemons.

We started and ended the year in a holiday house with a lemon tree out back, making lemonade and eating crepes and hanging out with family and friends.

A year that started with lemons and ended with lemons and sunshine.

Not everything in 2011 was great, but mostly.
When life gives you lemons ... and all that.

Joshua Tree National Park, January 2011

San Francisco, January 2011

Our little family adventured around the world ... Nelle spreading joy like sunshine wherever we went, and we met more people than we ever would have without her in our company. I mean, am I likely to start a conversation with people at the cafe ... in line at the bookstore ... on the sidewalk with the cute dog?

She is.


the Monterrey coast, January 2011

We celebrated 3 years cancer-free, and amidst the scans and checkups and paranoia and pills and shots, I realised I didn't even think about cancer every waking minute anymore.

Or even every day.

water skink, our house in Brisbane

It was good to be home.

rivers on road trips from Brisbane to Sydney, April 2011

And away.

the Sunshine Coast, where Grammy lives

And it was good to sit back and remember how precious this time is. Even if I live another 50 years, this time is breathtakingly precious. This time where she skips and sings and we hold hands all the time and where her daddy and I are still her bestest ever friends.

Because I'm starting to take time for granted again.

And I don't want to.

Singapore, June 2011

western Scotland, June 2011

And we explored; we spent time in places where we struggled with language; where foods and drinks and attitudes differed from home. We sought out places with strong coffee and fresh veggies and cobblestones.

But. Do cafes and castles and farmer's markets count as exploring? Was it gritty enough?

cottage in the Pyrenees, July 2011

We learned things about people and places and our selves. And I guess that's exploring.

Phoenix, September 2011

Nelle started kindy, and I started to imagine school and friends and heartaches and graduations and weddings and grandchildren ...

but foremost, I wondered ... how do we raise a daughter to feel good about herself? To be true to herself? Is it enough to be who we are?

I hope so. I hope I can be good enough. I'll do my best.

The Grand Canyon (of course), October 2011

This year I started a new business; tried to find a place in the real world for all these ideas in my head.

I felt small.

But powerful.

Palm Desert, December 2011

This year. We gained and lost and almost lost. We dreamed and took chances and cooked and gardened and sometimes we just cuddled on the couch with our dog and our little girl and watched movies.

It was a happy year, a year of new babies for some friends and weddings for others. We produced a bucket of potatoes of our very own. We read more books than the year before and we spent many an evening in bed watching Alias dvds.

We basked in this year, this time together.

Palm Desert, December/January 2011/12

This year of sunshine and lemons.
Happy 2012,
Amanda xx

Peppermint Tea Granita

2011-12-31T09:36:00.001+10:00

I'd never gotten a granita to work properly before ...
till I realised you have to load it with sugar.

And as long as you're ok with that, I've got the recipe for you.

I'm no chemist (biology is more my thing, actually) ... but something happens when you add sugar to water-y stuff and then freeze it. It makes the resulting icy crystals more ... pliable. You can actually freeze the mixture in a pan, and use a fork to scrape them out.

(I'd never believed recipes that told me that. But then again, I'd never used even close to the amount of sugar they suggested. Because I do that.)

Anyway, Donna Hay inspired me to try making a tea-based granita. Hers was green tea, which would be lovely ... and in fact, I tossed up trying ginger tea as well. But I ended up with peppermint tea, sprinkled with shaved dark chocolate, and just had to share with you.

Because this would be perfect for your next holiday party ... New Years? It's light and cold and cuts through the heavy-sweet stuff (even though it's sweet, too).

Enjoy!

***********

Peppermint Tea Granita

serves 4-6

The time
5 min prep + 2 hrs cooling + 5 min serving

The ingredients
3 peppermint* tea bags (*feel free to substitute your fave)
3 cups boiling water
1/2 cup raw sugar**
dash of lemon (optional)

+ your favourite chocolate bar, preferably dark chocolate

*try to use organic when you can! When my mint plant went crazy earlier this year, I dried mint leaves out of my garden to keep for tea ... and used them here!

**I did use less than Donna suggested ... but still more than I ever have before. It came out lovely.

The process
1. Steep the tea bags in the water for 5 minutes, then remove them and add the sugar. Heat the mixture back up if you need to, to get the sugar to dissolve. Then cool the tea to room temperature.

2. Pour the cooled liquid into a shallow metal container* and place in the freezer. Remove after 30 minutes, 1 hr, and 1 1/2 hrs and use a fork to scrape into crystals. After 2 hrs it should be ready to eat.

*of course you can use a different container, but shallow and metal will freeze the granita the fastest.

3. To serve, spoon the granita crystals into a fancy glass and shave or grate some of your fave chocolate over the top. Purely optional. You can just eat the chocolate if you like.

The cost
Granita is *awesome* because it looks super special - particularly when served in a cocktail or other suitably-fancy glass - but costs so little. I mean, how much is a tea-bag? (and in my case, I used mint I grew) These organic granitas cost me around $0.10 each. Seriously.

Not counting the chocolate.

But since when do we count chocolate?

Happy New Years!
Amanda xx

Cookie Swap 2011 - The Delinquent

2011-12-20T19:04:00.013+10:00

Well. Here I am - the delinquent. This year's cookie swap (that I ~~pestered~~ inspired everyone into doing, but forgot to register us, so we ended up doing it on our own) is done. The swapped cookies from Yasmeen, Sherilyn, and Steph are all happily devoured, and my shortbreads were the last to be swapped, with (according to Steph) only 20% breakage.

Yasmeen's cookies were the first to arrive ... She sent beautiful pistachio and cranberry biscotti (drizzled with white chocolate), along with a lovely recipe card. Gone too quickly to photograph.

Sherilyn posted her cardamom-scented cookies in little tins, with crafty notes - a great idea for gifting! I was preparing for my first big Christmas market - hence, gone too quickly to photograph.

And then, I got Steph's lovely stained-glass sugar cookies. I devoured them as I packed photographs and moisture bars and kiddie garden packs away in boxes for Christmas market #2. Gone too quickly to photograph.

So here I am. I haven't posted about the cookie swap yet. Or shown photos.
Delinquent.
Plus I sent out my cookies late.
Delinquent.

But you cookie-swappers know I love you, right? That I enjoyed baking you cookies, and that every last crumb of the cookies you sent me was eaten with delight?

Of course you know it. You all have lives, too. I forget that sometimes, when the guilt sets in ...

Life is life is life, right? And we do the best we can do.
With love.
Amanda xx

Brown Sugar Cookies with Chia Seeds and Orange Zest

2011-12-19T14:27:00.004+10:00

This is how bad she wants Santa to come ... she'll hold a plateful of cookies while Mummy takes a photo or three ...

Poor kid. Except that she's eaten about half a dozen of them already (not counting the dough ... ) and now she's watching kiddie tv programs at 2 in the afternoon while I sit out here on the computer. Hmmm ... I know. But I have earned good-mummy credits.

We made cut-out cookies together today.

This is one of those pre-Christmas things I remember doing with my own mom when I was little. I don't frost mine, because I like them just this sweet, but we had fun rolling out the dough and sprinkling in seeds and zest and punching out stars and flowers and love-hearts and circles and crabs and even a snail or two.

So this is my own family recipe for sugar cookie-cutter cookies - and you can make them with or without the chia seeds and orange zest ... or just one or the other. I actually recommend dividing the batch into thirds or so and trying different flavours.

This recipe makes a large batch, because of course you'll want to share them - a jar of homemade cookies makes a lovely gift, and they're great for holiday parties. But if you don't feel inclined to share, you can just stick the extras into the freezer.

Just save some for Santa.

***********

Brown Sugar Cookies with Chia Seeds

and Orange Zest

makes ~4 dozen

The time

10 min prep + 1 hr fridge + 20 min rolling/cutting + 8 min baking

The ingredients

200g brown sugar

200g butter, softened

1 large, organic egg

1 tsp vanilla extract

350g wholemeal flour

1 tsp baking powder

1 tsp fine sea salt

1-3 Tbs chia seeds (optional)

1-3 tsp orange zest (optional)

extra flour for sprinkling

*Try to use organic ingredients when you can!

The process

1. Cream together the brown sugar and softened butter in a large bowl, till it's all mixed.

2. Add in the egg and vanilla and stir.

3. Add the dry ingredients (including the seeds and/or zest) and mix just till combined. Try not to over mix - and you may need to use your hands at the end. When it's combined, form the dough into a large ball and replace in the mixing bowl. Put a lid on the bowl and set it in the fridge for an hour.

4. Preheat the oven to 180C (350F), and line a couple of cookie sheets with baking paper.

5. Divide the chilled dough into a few smaller portions and roll out on a lightly floured benchtop to ~0.5cm (1/5") thickness. Sprinkle extra flour on your dough if it's on the sticky side. You want it to be of a texture you can actually cut!

NOTE: Don't get hung up on how thick or thin the dough is ... thicker dough will just remain softer when it cooks, and thinner dough gets crisper. In my house, I prefer the former and Robbie the latter, so I often make thin and thick cookies anyway.

6. Cut into shapes, place them onto the baking tray ~2 cm (1") apart - they won't spread much - and bake ~8 minutes until they're starting to brown around the edges. When you pull them out, they'll still be softish in the middle and will be prone to falling apart, so I just slide the baking paper off the tray (with the cookies still on it) and onto the cooling rack. I find it safter not to touch the cookies till they've cooled a bit.

7. And once they have, all bets are off.

8. You can store these in a tightly sealed container for a week or two, or freeze them for a couple of months.

And no, I'm not that cruel. She got her extra reward. Oh, I am a good mum. (What's that, sweetie? Bob the Builder's on? Sounds great!)

Happy Holidays, friends!

Amanda xx

Have You Heard of Kickstarter?

2011-12-13T11:11:00.001+10:00

Well, if you haven't ... today's your day! Kickstarter is an *awesome* idea, about awesome ideas.

People with innovative new business plans post them on the site, and all of us out there in the world can become 'backers' - giving anywhere between a few $$ and mega-$$, depending on our interest and what we want in return. Typically you get the product itself, plus any number of added extras.

I love this site - because it's full of energy and novelty and incredible gift ideas.

Perfect for Christmas shopping! And what does Kickstarter have to do with Easy Peasy Organic? I love new ideas, and inspiration, and feeling a part of making change in the world. I know you do, too!

For example ... I may have backed the new card game Creatures as a Christmas present for someone ...

I backed this beautiful magazine about vegan food ...

<p>&amp;amp;amp;lt;p&amp;amp;amp;gt;&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;lt;br&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;gt;&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;lt;br&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;gt;&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;lt;br&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;gt;&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;lt;br&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;gt;And &amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;lt;br&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;gt;&amp;amp;amp;lt;/p&amp;amp;amp;gt;</p>
And I'm eagerly awaiting the zombie apocalypse so I can start running again ...

And here are some other faves ...

For cyclists? Revolights
For iPhone photographers? the Olloclip
For travellers? the Versalette

You can find projects based on art, film, technology, games ... and more. Seriously, check it out. This website is seriously inspiring!

Amanda xx

Revised Beetroot (Beet) Smoothie with Cocoa

2011-12-03T10:38:00.002+10:00

I originally wrote this recipe using beet juice. Recently though, I haven't been juicing so much ... I think it's the mortal fear of having to wash the various implements involved. But I do love the idea of integrating more beetroot (aka beet, for you North Americans) into my diet and my family's.

Which is a challenge, because Robbie detests it. Almost as much as blue cheese.

But beetroot has this amazing synergy when it's mixed with chocolate, or cocoa powder ... making something utterly, indescribably good. Hence, this smoothie was born.

This is the new, revised, juicing-free version.

Nowadays, I roast leftover/surplus/hanging-around beetroots in olive oil in the oven until they're caramelised, let them cool, and blend them with yogurt. This makes an amazing dip, but can also be chucked into smoothies, cakes, pancakes, muffins, and so on. *Very* handy. Make up more than you'll need for this recipe!

***********

Beetroot Smoothie with Cocoa
serves 2-3

The time
<10 minutes if you have cooked beetroot on hand

The ingredients
The beetroot yogurt
1 medium roasted, peeled beetroot
1/2 cup thick plain yogurt (or Greek yogurt)

*if you want to make more, just add another 1/2 cup of yogurt for each additional beetroot

The rest
3 bananas (can be a mix of ripe and frozen)
1 heaped Tbs raw cocoa powder
1 1/2 cups milk

a little raw honey, if you like it sweeter

*Try to use organic ingredients when you can

1. If you're making extra beetroot yogurt, do that first in the blender. Take out the extra and pop it in the fridge, leaving just enough for this smoothie recipe.

2. Otherwise, just add all the ingredients to the blender and blend.

NOTE: Don't forget to make any extra smoothie into popsicles!

And Robbie? His quote still stands unamended:

"It's not beetroot unless you can taste it."

The cost
Our smoothies were 100% organic. I usually get my beetroots at the farmer's markets - use up the greens in some kind of garlicky dish and then play my tricks with Robbie. But this latest batch, I grew! I pick up bananas on special and freeze them. (TIP: if you live in Brisbane, check the freezer at Wray Organic!!) I estimate these smoothies come out around $1 each. Happy!

Have *you* ever tried beetroot + chocolate? If you've got a fave recipe, we'd love to hear it ...
Amanda xx

Christmas Market - Dec 10 - Buy Handmade!

2011-11-26T19:36:00.002+10:00

So, here's a little more about what's been keeping me so busy these last few weeks ... besides the normal stuff, that is ...

It's pretty exciting - I'm selling my very own products at the BrisStyle Christmas markets! (yay!)


the red arrow shows you where St Augustine's is ... you can see Brett's wharf at the bottom in blue

Before I show you my stuff, let me tell you why these markets are so awesome.
They're organised by and feature local artists and designers. Products you'll see include jewelry, prints, ceramics, clothing, accessories, stationery, toys, soaps, beauty products, ornaments, cards ... you name it, there are Brisbanites making it. And a lot of the stuff has a vintage or natural or eco-friendly theme to it, too (♥♥♥).

I'm so proud to be a part of this group! - and sharing a market stall with my great friend Renee (who I'll talk more about in a minute ... ). Anyway, here's my stuff. You can buy any of these things on my etsy site, too.

Limited edition photographic prints (5x5" or 10x10")

Take me to Scotland 2012 photographic calendars (desk or wall)

ABC Foodie Kids cards and magnets (separate and in packs)

Tomato Love for Little Gardeners (a pack for learning, cooking, and growing)

Everyday Body Bars - based on raw organic cocoa butter with mint or orange

Everyday Lip Balms - an all-natural, handbag/manbag essential

Purifying Face Mask - naturally simple but makes skin feel great

***********

And, here are some of the beautiful things that my friend (and table-mate) Renee Treml will be selling!

***********

And, some of my favourite goodies from other BrisStylers!

Looking forward to seeing you all there! Please come say hello :)
Amanda xx

Where to Start

2011-11-20T12:20:00.000+10:00

I know you're out there. You browse the photos, the recipe names, and the little stories ... but you don't make any of the recipes. You want to (you really do!), but you find you don't have the time or the energy, and organic stuff is just too expensive.

Right?

You *can* do this. If you want to change the way you - and your family - eat, it's not that hard ... but it does help to know where to start.

Here are some of my favourite recipes that are easy on time, energy and budgets!

Breakfast
1. Make your own toasted muesli. You can cook up a batch on the weekend, and have it all week long. Homemade toasted muesli/granola is fresher, you can add whatever you like best, and it's probably got a lot less fat than the store-bought stuff.

2. One of my favourite things to do in the morning is make myself a cup of coffee and enlist Nelle to help make muffins. This is a great way to not only have a yummy breakfast but also have some parent/child activity time first-thing.

My fave recipe is sweet potato muffins ('cos you don't even have to grate the sweet potatoes!), but a close second is my Whatever You've Got muffins - which you can make with any number of ingredients.

If you haven't tried getting the kids to help out in the kitchen, then making muffins is a good place to start. You can even get all the ingredients sorted the night before if you like, so in the morning the kids can assemble ... you put the muffins in the oven while everyone gets dressed and ready ... and then voila!

Lunch
1. School lunches can be tricky, because you want to find that balance between stuff that's going to give the kids good energy and stuff that they'll actually eat. My tip is small amounts of lots of different things, which is why I use a craft box for Nelle's lunch.

But whatever you do, I recommend trying to include a variety of colours, flavours, textures - and in general trying to make lunches look as pretty as possible. Because like Paula commented recently, 'we eat with our eyes first'.

Dinner
This can be the trickiest meal of the day, because who isn't tired after a day of whatever constitutes work for you personally. To be honest, the days I have Nelle for the whole day can sometimes be the most exhausting - and by dinnertime I'm so uninspired I feel like ordering pizza.

So here are some time-and-energy saving ideas for great dinners:

1. This is a great sesame pasta dish that takes 10 minutes and is a great veggie-sneaking device. Heh heh.

2. One of my favourite pasta dishes is so elegant and so yummy, you'd never guess how easy it is. I make pasta with pepitas (which takes about 10 minutes) every week or two.

3. Who didn't grow up with tomato soup (and toasted cheese sandwiches)? It's comfort food for cool weather or days home from school. My version takes only about as long as it would to warm up a can of the stuff we grew up with ... but uses tomato puree instead.

4. These are a staple for my little one, and the homemade version of baked beans (with rice/potato/or toast) can be made in 10-20 minutes with a fraction of the salt etc in the canned version.

5. Pizza was meant for cheating. Even if you buy premade crusts, top them yourself, and bake, you'll have a much better pizza than takeaway ones. If you have some naan breads on-hand (and you *should*), you can have a delish garlic naan pizza in less than 15 minutes.

Snacks, desserts, and breakfast goodies
(That won't make the kids go nuts)

Because I've got a sweet tooth, oh yes indeed. And so does my daughter. But I don't want her sugared up to the eyeballs, so these are some of the goodies we make most often in our house. My stipulation is that food (even dessert) should have *some* nutritive value ... and all of these recipes do.

1. This is why you should *always* have frozen bananas in your freezer. Buy up when they're on special, or turning brown, and you'll be happy you did. Especially when you make your first batch of frozen-banana ice cream

2. Or this awesome combo: Choc-Avo smoothie

3. Most families of young kids will have applesauce in the fridge ... a really simple dessert (that seems far more extravagant than it is) is this deconstructed apple crumble.

4. Cookies are great because they're quick to mix up and quick to bake and they satisfy all those sweet cravings. My favourite cookies include more healthy stuff, yes, but the kids won't notice. (My dad didn't)

5. How can you pass up some fresh fruit in season?

6. And last but not least, if you keep puff pastry in your freezer, you are only about 20-30 minutes away from a beautiful super-quick pastry using the fruit (or veggie) of your choice.

Hopefully this will inspire you out there to *get started*! Let us know if you give any of these a go this week, or if you have any great go-to recipes to share. We all love hearing from you!
Amanda xx

Thanksgiving Ginger Cocktail

2011-11-15T15:33:00.001+10:00

Set the table, folks - it's Thanksgiving time! Yes, yes, I live in Australia now ... where we don't have the Best Holiday Ever ... but that doesn't mean I can't be thankful, right? And make some comfort food, and hang out with family and friends, right?

I do make a big Thanksgiving dinner - even here in subtropical Queensland - but because this is subtropical Queensland, I do it in our autumn (April). In November it's just too damn hot.

(for reference's sake, this is what it looks like around here in November.)

Please don't hate me. That was purely for illustrative purposes. To show you that I couldn't possibly roast a turkey or anything right now.

(I'm too busy playing at the beach, heh heh)

On to cocktails. I actually (surprisingly) made this one non-alcoholic ... but feel free to use champagne instead of tonic water. Ginger is perfect for a Queensland-style Thanksgiving because a) it grows like crazy around here, b) it goes well with pumpkin pie and c) it soothes overstretched tummies.

And what - you ask - shall we overstretch our tummies with? Here are some fab ideas:
Cocktails, Appetizers, Soups and Salads:
Sweet Life Bake: Pumpkin Margarita
Easy Peasy Organic: Thanksgiving Ginger Cocktail
Dishin and Dishes: Butternut Squash Bruschetta With Sage Pesto
Mooshu Jenne: Green Salad
Two Peas and Their Pod: Maple-Roasted Butternut Squash Apple Salad
Jones is Hungry: Roasted Vegetable Salad
Purple Cook: Pasta and Bean Stew With Tomatoes and Broccoli Rabe
From My Corner of Saratoga: Curried Pumpkin Soup
Mains:
CIA Dropout: Turkey and Stuffles Roulades With Squash Mash
FN Dish: Alton Brown's Good Eats Roast Turkey
My Angel's Allergies: Cranberry-Glazed Cornish Hens
Sides:
Cafe Terra Blog: Cranberry Pumpkin Stuffing
Virtually Homemade: Twice-Baked Cheddar and Chive Potatoes
Easy Eats Magazine: Sausage and Dried Cranberry-Walnut Stuffing
The Sensitive Epicure: Oyster Dressing and Gravy
Daily*Dishin: Make-Ahead Mashed Potatoes Supreme
What's Gaby Cooking: Rustic Herb Skillet Stuffing
Family Fresh Cooking: Coconut Brown-Butter Mashed Sweet Potatoes
Silvana's Kitchen: Gluten-Free, Dairy-Free Mushroom-Rye Stuffing
The Cultural Dish: Cranberry Sauce
Desserts:
I Am Baker: Pumpkin Cake
Heather Christo: Pumpkin Vanilla Ice Cream Pie
And Love It Too: Pumpkin Custard (Gluten-Free, Dairy-Free)
Haute Apple Pie Girls: Double Pumpkin Mini Pies With Candied Pecans
Ladles and Jelly Spoons: Not Your Same Old Pumpkin Pie
Daydreamer Desserts: Cuban Diplomatic Pudding
Thursday Night Dinner: Red Wine Chocolate Cake
Napa Farmhouse 1885: Caramel Apple Pie

Cheers!

************

Thanksgiving Ginger Cocktail

The time
15 min prep + 1 hr cooling

The ingredients
A handful* of fresh ginger, peeled and sliced or diced
1/2 cup rapadura sugar
zest of one lemon
4 cups water
sparkling water, champagne or vodka, to taste

*I used a knob that fit comfortably into my upturned hand

**use organic ingredients if you can

The process
1. Boil all the ingredients until the water reduces to ~3 cups. But don't worry if you let it go too long, it'll just be more concentrated, and that's not a bad thing.

NOTE: Stir now and then, to make sure the sugar in there doesn't stick or burn or anything.

2. Strain out the ginger pieces - but keep them because you can use them in baking - and pour the liquid into a jar to store in the fridge. Try to use your ginger syrup within a week or two.

3. To serve, mix the chilled ginger syrup with your dilution of choice (we're loving sparkling water at the moment) in a ratio of 1:5 syrup to water. Feel free to adjust this ratio depending on your taste - and it'll also depend on the strength of the ginger. So add more or less as you like.

(PS. my ginger syrup was inspired by this recipe)

The cost
This'll depend a lot on whether you use sparkling water (cheap) or alcohol (less cheap) - and I have to admit I didn't weigh my ginger before I used it. Hmmm. Next time.

So even if you don't celebrate the Best Holiday Ever, give yourself a toast for being *awesome* and thank the people you love for sharing your life with you.
Happy Thanksgiving,
Amanda xx

Where Oh Where Have I Been??

2011-11-15T13:30:00.001+10:00

Sadly, I haven't just jetted back from France/Poland/Singapore/anywhere exciting really.

Where have I been?
I've been digging around in the dirt ... a lot.

a corner of my townhouse garden

I've made bread that looked like this -

oops

and grown beetroots that looked like this.

and I thought they were ruby chard!

I joined my talented friend Juanita for a wedding shoot.

she's awesome

I've played this with Nelle (over and over and over)

and right now Sorry is how I feel for buying it ...

And cleaned up the mess here ...

Here ...

and Here ...

but didn't clean the bathrooms. ah well.

I taught Nelle about the magic of fresh peas.

voila!

I've also been designing and making art and beauty products for my first-ever designer markets - December 10th at St Augustine's in Hamilton (day) and December 16th in Brisbane CBD (evening).
(more about this soon!!)

More soon, friends ...
Amanda xx

Creamy Pepita and Parmesan Pasta

2011-11-09T13:29:00.000+10:00

I sit here in Spring Hill, waiting for a good friend and eating a yogurt I bought instead of a coffee (feeling virtuous), thinking about all the things I have to do at home (feeling delinquent). Half-unpacked suitcases, overflowing recycling bins, and a garage that would give small children nightmares. (It gives me nightmares!) I've got writing to do, and preparations for my first-ever market stall. Ideas crowd my brain, begging for time and money to become - like Pinocchio - real.

But you know what?

This is real.
Spending time with a friend who needs a friend. Going out for a coffee with my daughter. All these little things that don't get put on my to-do list, but which make me - and the people I care about - happy.

And tonight, when I get home, I think I'll open a bottle of red and make this simple but utterly devine pasta dish. And serve up dinner on my salvaged coffee table and remember that life is more than lists. And that it's friends, not papers, that come to share dinner with me.

***********

Creamy Pepita and Parmesan Pasta

serves 4

The time
10 minutes

The ingredients
500 g pasta, cooked to directions
2 organic egg yolks
4 Tbs butter
4 handfuls grated parmesan (+ another for sprinkling)
2 tsp mixed herbs
3 handfuls crushed toasted pepitas* (do it yourself, in a skillet over medium heat till they start to pop)
1 tsp salt, or to taste

*or pumpkin seeds
**Try to use organic ingredients when you can.

The process
1. Simply swirl the egg yolks in the bottom of a large dish, add the cooked, drained pasta - still hot from the stove - and the rest of the ingredients. Mix well.

NOTE: The egg yolks lend this dish a smooth creaminess that shouldn't be missed - and in case the idea of raw eggs freaks you out, they cook slightly as you stir in the hot pasta.

The cost
This should cost you around $2 per serving, if made with all organic ingredients. Outside Australia it'll likely be cheaper.

Amanda xx

Simple Veggie and Hummus Platters

2011-11-03T16:25:00.002+10:00

Fresh, crisp veggies and cool, creamy hummus. A combo to rival bacon and eggs. Peanut butter and jelly. Fish and chips.
(well, in my world anyway)

And the key to it all?

Colour. Lots of colour. Because who doesn't want to eat something that looks like a rainbow? Open a bag of Skittles and prove me wrong.
(on second thought, don't open a bag of Skittles ... just imagine)

All I'm saying is that if you want to get your kids to eat this stuff, make it pretty. If you're trying to eat more veggies yourself, make them pretty. Texture and colour and variety are appealing to our eyes ... and we all know there's a link between seeing something yummy and feeling hungry ...

Make it impossible to refuse.

So, I'm not going to give you a recipe for hummus today ... but just suggest that at the markets this weekend or at the shops this week you look for a platter's worth of rainbow veggies. Try out the different coloured carrots, the different coloured tomatoes, the radicchio, the red/yellow/green peppers. Buy or make some hummus. And see how you go.

and here are some hummus recipes for you, just in case ... and yes, you can always substitute canned chickpeas for soaked-and-cooked ones
Basic hummus from Smitten Kitchen
Grown-up hummus from 101 Cookbooks
Sweet potato hummus from My New Roots

I think half of the pleasure from food - particularly fresh food - comes from the presentation. It really does make a difference. Don't you think?
Amanda xx

10 Layer Sweet Potato and Zucchini Lasagne

2011-10-29T15:45:00.001+10:00

This is a simple, filling, meat-and-pasta-free version of my favourite of favourite Italian dishes. Lasagne. And why on earth would anyone ever choose not to use pasta? Lotsa reasons. Maybe even 'cos you forgot to buy lasagne sheets, flour and polenta.

It's possible.

Heh heh. Even my resident noodle-lovers didn't catch me on this one ...

***********

Sweet Potato and Zucchini Lasagne

serves 4-6

The time
15-20 min prep + 45 min - 1 hr baking

Ingredients
The sauce
1 can (400mL) organic diced tomatoes
1 tub (140mL) organic tomato paste
2 tsp dried basil
1 tsp salt
1/2 cup water

The layers
1 extra-large orange sweet potato or a couple of smaller ones, thinly sliced
450g quark, ricotta, or strained cottage cheese
2 small zucchinis, thinly sliced
4-6 handfuls of mixed shredded cheeses (including parmesan, cheddar, mozzarella, whatever you have on hand)

*Try to use organic ingredients when you can!

The process
1. Preheat the oven to 180C (360F). Pull out a laptop-sized rectangular baking dish. Mix together all the ingredients for the sauce in a bowl, and set to the side. Get ready to build.

Layer 1: Spread 200mL (~3/4 cup) of sauce across the bottom of the dish.

Layer 2 & 3: Place slices of sweet potato over the sauce, one at a time, so there's no sauce visible below. Repeat so you have two layers of sweet potatoes.

Layer 4: Drizzle over 100mL (~1/3 cup) sauce. Don't worry about uniformity.

Layer 5: Spread the quark or ricotta or strained cottage cheese over.

Layer 6: Add 1 layer of zucchini slices

Layer 7: Then 100mL sauce

Layer 8: Finally, 1 more layer of sweet potato slices

Layer 9: The rest of the sauce

Layer 10: And cheese.

2. Bake in the oven for 30 minutes, reduce the heat to 140C (300F) and continue baking for another 15-30 minutes. How long you bake for will depend a lot on the thickness of your slices and the size of your dish, so keep checking. The lasagne is done when the cheese is crispy and browned, and there are bubbles of sauce up the sides, and the veggies are well-cooked inside. (Use a knife to check)

3. When it's done, leave out of the oven for a few minutes before slicing and serving with a green salad and a glass of wine.

The cost
I got my veggies at the market (zucchini's everywhere at the moment) and my quark marked-down at the natural foods store, so this organic lasagne cost me only $10 to make! It just goes to show you can make amazing food for hardly anything at all. In fact, you could sub out the zucchini for another veggie in-season if you like, to maximise freshness and minimise cost.

And hey, out there, I'd love to hear from you. Here in the comments, or over on Twitter or Facebook - so please don't be shy about saying hello!

Have a lovely weekend,
Amanda xx

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6 Reasons to Love Passata

Brain Training in the Oncology Unit

SuperPower Smoothie

Breathe it In

Slow-cooked Eggplant and Olive Stew

Four Ways

Be My Sustainable Valentine

Macadamia and Ginger (Melting) Shortbreads

It's Almost Australia Day!

How to Make a Stop-Motion Video in Picasa

Super-Simple Roasted Nectarine Bruschetta

The Year of Sunshine and Lemons

Peppermint Tea Granita

Cookie Swap 2011 - The Delinquent

Brown Sugar Cookies with Chia Seeds and Orange Zest

Have You Heard of Kickstarter?

Revised Beetroot (Beet) Smoothie with Cocoa

Christmas Market - Dec 10 - Buy Handmade!

Where to Start

Thanksgiving Ginger Cocktail

Where Oh Where Have I Been??

Creamy Pepita and Parmesan Pasta

Simple Veggie and Hummus Platters

10 Layer Sweet Potato and Zucchini Lasagne

Easy Peasy Organic Recipes to Change Your World