Coffee and spice with all things nice

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Cooking with coffee, entertaining with coffee, studying with coffee – it works every way. 

Australian coffee drinkers are full of beans, keeping up with their American cousins, as coffee consumption shows no sign of slowing down (under). According to the NCA, a whopping 59% of coffee consumed daily is classified as “gourmet”, and it is the younger population that are driving this trend. There is a raft of healthy recipes emerging, from coconut cappuccinos to golden lattes, and one thing is for sure – coffee is on a health kick. For 2017 it was all about looks, as we stared lovingly at rainbow lattes and licked our lips while we guzzled down the glitter. The crazier they looked, the better; but what will 2018 have in store? There is a buzz around nitro, cold-drip and siphon, but will roasting coffee take on a whole new meaning when we make the switch from drinking to cooking.
What does coffee bring to the table?
Coffee complements a host of everyday ingredients as the roasted bean can unleash a surprising diversity of flavour. It contains an impressive 800 aroma compounds, making it the ideal ingredient to balance and enhance dishes. Depending on how long a bean is roasted for, and thus how intense the flavour is, it can be matched with anything from a sweet dessert to a rich beef dish.
Cooking with Coffee
Cooking with coffee Dominique Rizzo - Photo be Athena Lamb
You can enhance the flavour of stocks, stews and soups by adding in some leftover brewed coffee – its rich, deep taste will perfectly compliment any winter warmer. Instead of throwing away any unused coffee, try pouring it into an ice-cube tray and freeze for future use.
When it comes to preparing coffee, nowadays, there are various high-tech coffee makers that can prepare your favorite brew in just seconds. With that said, if you have a bit more time to spend experimenting in the kitchen, and really want to impress your friends, then an infused coffee recipe may be just what you are looking for. Heat coffee beans slowly in your preferred medium e.g. vegetable oil, butter, milk, chicken stock. Once the flavour has infused, you can use this base to make subtle but delicious recipes, such as coffee ice-cream, coffee mayonnaise or coffee butter cream.
Furthermore, coffee adds a unique depth and bitterness to meat, particularly sweeter varieties, such as  wild duck and venison, and only a small quantity is needed to make a big impact. It also makes a great marinade for meats such as grilled chicken and duck, adding an extra depth of colour and flavour.
Roasted, blitzed, infused, marinated, however you like your beans, it’s likely you will see them springing up on the menu throughout 2018, and with Australian coffee being touted as the best in the world, you will sure be in for a tasty sensation.
Written by Lucy Stevens.

Get more from your salads – Tips to take your salad bowl to the next level

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You can get more from your salads as they are a perfect lunch or dinner option and another excellent portable food that can be deliciously healthy and really quite filling. Salads are perfect as you can include many grains, legumes and some great tasty proteins teamed with fresh seasonal leafy greens and vegetables. And as I have said before the most important aspect to a good salad is the dressing. Here are some helpful tips to take your salad bowl to the next level:

 

Include grains in your salad

Grains or ingredients you can include in your salads are cous cous, burghal – (Cracked Wheat used to make tabouleh), barley, buckwheat, quinoa, millet, brown rice, cooked basmati rice, noodles such as buckwheat, rice, bean thread, you can also make your own croutons out of spraying a slice of bread with olive oil and chopping it into squares and baking it in a 180c oven for 10 – 15 minutes until golden. You can use this same method for tortillas, pita breads and lavosh, for crackers and pita chips to have with dips.

Aim for ½ a cup of grain in your salad per person if using only grains
Aim for ¼ a cup of grain in your salad per person if using grains and legumes

Legume salads

Legumes you can use in your salads can include cooked chick peas, lentils, cannellini beans, barlotti beans, three bean mix, check for the ingredients and buy the tinned ones without any added or extra salt or sugar. If you are cooking your own it is best to soak these over night first, discarding the soaking water and covering them with fresh water before simmering. It is not necessary to salt beans and they will take different cooking times so taste them after 20 minutes, you should be able to squash them in between your fingers> Drain and cool before storing in the fridge. You will need to eat these within the week although you can freeze them.

Aim for 1 cup of legumes per person in a salad if using only legumes
Aim for ½ a cup of legumes in your salad per person if using legumes and grains

Vegetable fillers for salads

Just about anything goes for a salad when adding in fresh vegetables. The important factor here is to use fresh not tinned, tinned vegetables serve another purpose. You can roast, barbecue, grill, steam or sauté most vegetables and use them for a salad. These vegetables could include, capsicum, eggplant, onion, Asian greens, corn, pumpkin, sweet potato, carrot, parsnips, green beans, broccoli and so on. Any vegetable that you eat for dinner you can include in a salad, top up your favourite combinations with some fresh vegetables like baby spinach, mixed lettuce leaves, sliced tomatoes or cherry tomatoes, diced cucumber, sprouts and you can also include a sprinkling of nuts and seeds. These could include sesame seeds, sunflower, pumpkin, almonds, roasted peanuts, walnuts, macadamia nuts.

Don’t forget about fruits, sliced or shredded apple, pear, orange, mandarin and grapefruit segments, pomegranates, fresh dates, diced melons, mangoes, peaches are all fantastic in certain salads and give a little sweetness and wonderful flavour combinations.

Try this tasty Quinoa salad with broccoli and feta

 

I know I said that the most important aspect to a salad is the dressing ! Keep an eye out for my next post that will give you four salad dressing recipes help take your salad bowl to the next level.