Coconut Celery Zucchini and Pea Soup

We are well and truly in winter mode. Rugs are out and hot mugs of drinks. Every week, I like to schedule in a soup for dinner.

I made this for lunch though. My friend is expecting her first child and was heavily pregnant. I thought it would be love to have a girly chat with her before the baby arrives. She and I love to exchange ideas and recipes and we had lovely conversations about using simple and down to earth ingredients rather than processed items. We laughed about how her husband still prefers sweet desserts as that is how desserts should be in his mind, and how my husband has grown to have less of a sweet tooth over time.

I wanted to make something nourishing for her. A little like our friendship. Nourishing.

There is a green smoothie and then there is a green soup. This has celery, zucchini and peas. How much more green can it get? Oh hold on, it does have red onion in it so it's not totally green. Instead of heaviness of cream, I used coconut milk for that added richness.

I picked up these vegetables from our local farmers market. The freshness shone.

Yes, of course I made extra for dinner and lunch the next day. It's a perfect plan. Lunch with a  girlfriend and dinner already done. More time for Asher for the rest of the day.

Coconut Celery Zucchini and Pea Soup (serves 6)
1 full bunch of celery chopped
3 zucchini chopped
200 grams of organic frozen peas
2 tsp coconut oil
2 red onions sliced
2 tablespoons of garlic
1 tsp of cumin seeds
1 tsp of ground ginger or fresh ginger minced
2 ltres of chicken or vegetable stock
1/2 tin of coconut milk

Saute onions and garlic in 2 tsp of coconut oil. Add all spices and cook till fragrant. Add all veges and cook till they are slightly soften. Add stock and simmer for 15 minutes. Blend with a hand blender. Strain if you like. Otherwise, reheat the blended soup with coconut milk. Serve with Coconut Bread or a grain free bread.

Sweet Potato Coconut Tuna Patties

So there comes a point where I would like to share with you my post pregnancy weight lost. I wrote about my struggles here and here. So right now, I have managed to shed 20 kgs post birth (I dropped 10 kgs after Asher was born) and is now slightly below my pre-pregnancy weight. It wasn't easy and that took me 6 months to achieve it.

 (yes me and my big tum tum and massive weight gain at 37 weeks pregnant)

I was glad though, that my focus wasn't about losing weight initially. It was about getting fitter and fuelling my body right. I started writing a food diary and eating well- like really well. I'm talking clean food 90% of the time and treats 10%. As you have read here, I love my food so it is impossible of to survive on a diet of lettuce leaves and chicken breasts. I eat beef, lamb, seafood, all kinds of vegetables and listened to my body. For snacks, I had eggs, nuts, chia pudding, cheese, home made granola bars and muesli, yogurt and bliss balls (and all the bakes I make!).

Exercise? I went slow. I went for daily walks, then pilates and mums and bubs swimming classes. I returned back to met con, konga and boxing- and here I am. In the process, I won a challenge set by my gym and is now fitter than ever before. I'm not stick thin and is actually the happiest I have been with the way I look. I don't judge myself as much as more importantly, I feel strong.  At the moment, I go to the gym 4x a week- twice met con and twice boxing. I walk with my husband and baby all other days and try to incorporate pilates stretches on other days. When I feel like it, I might throw in a home body workout here and there- but that's not often.

The other day, a good friend told me that she wants to practise clean eating too.  So she came over for lunch after her workout and we tucked into some healthy tuna and sweet potato patties. Oh, the kids loved it too! I feel proud when friends and family believed in what I am doing. Perhaps to the rest of the world, it may seem strange or obsess or I am not eaten "real food". Trust me, I am. When does eating non processed packaged stuff (including breakfast cereals) become real? We have become mesmerised by the media my friends. It's time to get down to the basics I reckon. And enjoy food the way it is supposed to be enjoyed.

Sweet Potato Coconut Tuna Patties (around 16 patties)
1 sweet potato steamed or roasted in oven. Mashed it.
2 cans of tuna
1 chilli chopped
handful of curry leaves chopped
1 tsp of turmeric
1 tablespoon of coconut flour
1 egg

Shredded coconut to coat
Coconut oil to fry

Combine all ingredients in a bowl and mix well with a spoon or your hands. Shape into patties and fry them in a pan using coconut oil. Serve with a side salad.

Bacon Wrapped Enoki Mushrooms

The best times at work are with my fabulous colleagues. I worked with the most fantastic people- always with a good joke on hand, caring gestures, good food and good conversation. That's a lot of good here. 

So we had a team building and organised a bbq. You should have seen the spread. From lamb sausages, to steaks, marinated chicken drumlets, salads... it was truly like a big family gathering together enjoying some sunshine and quality time.

I decided to wrap a piece of bacon with water chestnuts around enoki mushrooms. That did create some conversation as it is not a normal bbq offering. I love the smokey flavour of bacon, matched with a slight sweetness from water chest nut and a bite from enoki.

ps- I'm on holidays but will be back soon!!! I have most posts coming up. Sorry if I reply a little later than usual but I will get to it!

Bacon Wrapped Enoki Mushrooms
10 pieces of middle bacon
1 packet of enoki mushrooms
can water chestnut
toothpicks!

Slice middle bacon into half lengthwise. Wrap bacon and enoki mushrooms and secure with toothpicks. Grill or bbq for 10 minutes or so. Eat hot!

Galette De Trois

We are very blessed with friends from everywhere. More so, when a special couple was introduced to us when they first shifted from New Zealand to Perth without knowing anybody. This couple is French and are one of the most funny and gorgeous people I know. So we met up, and we all clicked and a friendship was established.

It was her who cooked us a wonderful french dinner one evening, complete with entrees and dessert. Nothing but good hospitality from this couple. We learned so much about their culture, how proud they are of their heritage but so accepting of differences. Then the night turned and she presented us with this lovely ending of a dessert- Galette De Trois.

He told us a folklore story from French. A coin or trinket is usually hidden in it, and the person who found it is the "king" he/she gets to wear a crown through the night. Oh, and he even taught us how to pronounced it right. ;P

It was light and crispy with a delicious creamy filling in the middle. It's very very addictive.

They have since moved to Adel. But we are still in contact! And so I attempted to make this at home. To thank them for teaching us and being our friends!!

ps-sorry for my little attempt to draw a flower on the pastry! obviously i need more practise!!

Galette De Trois

2 puff pastry
1/2 cup of almond meal
113 grams of butter
1/3 cup of castor sugar
1 vanilla bean split and scrapped
2 eggs

1 egg

Pre heat oven at 180C. Beat butter and sugar till creamy. Add eggs, and beat well. Fold in vanilla and almond meal.

Using a 9 inch pan as a stencil, cut a round from both puff pastries. Spoon almond and butter paste into the middle of the pastry. Even it out as much as you can. Brush sides with the extra egg. Put the pastry onto of it and press to seal. Brush with egg and poke a few holes at the side- or like me, trying to draw a flower with a knife! Bake for 25 minutes till golden brown.