Recent Eats (Jan)

Here is a quick summary of lots of yummy things I have been cooking or eating over this last month---

Poached Eggs on Sourdough with Proscuitto, Rocket & Feta @ Cafe Matto in Burgundy St, Heidelberg. Yummo! The breakfasts there are always really enjoyable!

Taco's from the Mexicali Rose stand at the Suzuki Night Market. I have known the Mexicali company for years since working for them in my late teens/very early 20's. I really respect the way that they try to bring proper Mexican and Spanish food to the table, the authentic stuff, not like Taco Bill's slop on a plate. Their restaurant in Swan St is excellent, and this little stall really stocked the goods too. I especially loved pork taco with fresh pork cut straight off the spit. Amazing! It was really great eating these taco's with a cup of sangria on a warm summer's night listening to some cool tunes.

Lychee Cocktail @ Chin Chin, Flinders Lane.
We all know how I feel about Chin Chin- and their cocktails are just as amazing as their food.

 Crispy Duck @ Chin Chin--- punchy, fresh, flavoursome salad topped by crispy Duck. Yum.

 Salmon Fillet with spices in banana leaf, Chin Chin. We all know how much I love salmon, and Chin Chin's version of it is no exception to that love... Wow!

Kangaroo Fillet with Cauliflower Mash (low calorie) and Rocket and Parmesen salad. Since I have been calorie counting, mashed cauliflower has been a godsend. It tastes so similar to potato mash if not tastier, with barely any carbohydrates. I mash it with a little butter or sour cream, with chives, garlic and a sprinkle of parmesen cheese. I use the Macro Meats Kangaroo brand with herb and garlic marinade- another super healthy option. And the salad is really easy too- rocket, a handful of parmesan cheese and a drizzle of sweet balsamic reduction.

One ingredient Ice-cream- I did have a photo attached to here but it looked a little gross and just didn't do the dish justice. It was the kind of photo that would end up on Cooksuck.com (if you haven't seen this yet, check it out. Basically someone bagging out novice cooks and the gross looking things they upload onto Facebook and Twitter, this picture would be the exactly the kind of thing the author looks for but anyways...) The one ingredient in yet another low calorie treat I have found is--- BANANA. So how does Banana become a soft serve like ice-cream? Its actually really easy. Freeze a couple of over-ripe banana's in quarters. Leave them to thaw just a little (about ten mins or so) then chuck them in a good food processer for a few minutes. They pulse into a fine ice cream like consistency that tastes delicious and completely indulgent. The perfect thing to tide over a sweet tooth whilst on a diet. 

I hope all of these low calorie additions aren't boring everyone- they seem to be working as I have dropped 2kgs so far this year and several cm's over the last month or so. I also have some new and exciting projects to add to this blog over the next few months---

Febfast- me living without alcohol for a month? This will be a very interesting experiment and I may need to write about it to get it out of my system. If you would like to donate to my team, see the link below. It raises money for alcohol awareness in our community.
http://www.febfastfundraising.com.au/the_notsothirsties

Alphabet Dining- a couple of girlfriends and I are embarking on a new kind of eating out adventure! Choosing a different restaurant each catch up choosing cuisines starting with letters of the alphabet eg. Asian, Belgian, Cambodian, Danish, European and so on. Should be a great way to experience different cuisines we might not normally try whilst having lovely catch-ups at the same time. I will be sure to post the restaurants on here and let you all know how we go on our challenge.