Happy Bastille Day! Let’s celebrate with a reknown French dish. Coq au vin is a French dish of chicken braised with wine, lardons, mushrooms, and optionally garlic. While the wine used is typically Burgundy, many regions of France have variants of coq au vin using the local wine, such as coq au vin jaune (Jura), coq au Riesling (Alsace), coq au pourpre or coq au violet (Beaujolais nouveau), coq au Champagne, etc.

This style of cooking is really a favourite of mine and very fitting that the French National Day is in winter here in New Zealand.

Beautiful Tony Sly pottery serving dishes and jug, stunning La Rochere glassware, timeless vintage french cutlery, vintage French linen all supplied by a lovely local store here at Waihi Beach – The French Shop

Coq au vin recipe
Serves 4 – 6

1 whole, organic chicken
200 grams of thick bacon, cut into chunks
1 tablespoon of olive oil
30 grams of butter
1/2 cup of flour
Salt and pepper for seasoning
2 carrots, cut into chunks
1 large stalk of celery, sliced
250 grams of brown mushrooms, stalks removed
5 small onions, quartered
3 garlic cloves, finely chopped
2 cups of good quality chicken stock
3 cups of red wine
A small handful of fresh thyme sprigs
3 bay leaves
A small handful of fresh parsley, chopped

Preheat oven to 160 degrees celsius. Cut the chicken through the middle lengthways and then crossways into quarters or sixths. Dredge the chicken pieces in the flour, shake off excess and season well with salt and pepper.

Heat the olive oil over medium-high heat in a heavy based frypan and cook the bacon until golden brown, remove and set aside. Add the chicken pieces and brown them well on all sides. Remove and set aside. Add the butter to the pan and when melted and bubbling add the onions, garlic, carrots and celery. Turn the pan down to medium and cook for several minutes, turning to brown and coat the veges. Remove and set aside. Add the stock and red wine to the pan, heat through and scrape and stir through any remnants in the bottom of the pan.

In a large pyrex or enamel lidded baking/roasting dish place the chicken, bacon and veges. Pour over the stock and wine mixture. Scatter over the mushrooms, thyme and bay leaves. Season well with salt and pepper. Bake for 2.5 hours. The aroma will fill your house and make everyone hungry!

Serve with mashed potato and scatter over fresh parsley.

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Yes this is a rich, decadent chocolate cake BUT it is also gluten free and refined sugar free. And the cardamom overtones make it so much better than any ordinary chocolate cake. The recipe was kindly given to me by Kate from Boy Oh Boy cafe at Waihi Beach after I tried her one – I loved it soooooo much. I have changed the recipe a little by using coconut sugar and grinding cardamom pods that were given to me as a gift from Southern India. Enjoy x

CHOCOLATE CARDAMOM CAKE RECIPE
with Avocado Mousse frosting

CAKE:
6 free range eggs
300g of fair trade dark chocolate (70%+ cocoa)
150 grams of butter
10 cardamom pods, ground or 1 teaspoon of ground cardamom
4 tablespoons of coconut sugar

FROSTING:
1 large, ripe avocado
1/2 cup of cacao powder plus 1 tablespoon
1/2 cup of 100%, organic maple syrup
1/4 teaspoon of himalayan salt, ground

Pre-heat the oven to 170 degrees celsius.
Line the base of a 19cm (7.5″)springform, non-stick cake tin with baking paper. I always use this size tin for a standard cake recipe so that I get a higher cake.
Melt the butter and chocolate together over a low heat. Separate the egg whites and yolks into two bowls. Add two tablespoons of the sugar to each bowl. Beat the egg yolks and coconut sugar until a pale caramel colour. Stir in the melted butter/chocolate mixture and the cardamom. Whip the egg whites and coconut sugar until firm and glossy. Fold the egg whites into the chocolate mixture. Pour into your prepared cake tin and bake for 30 to 40 mins. Check after 30 mins by inserting a skewer and see if it comes out clean, if not cook for another 5-10 mins. Remove from the oven and cool in the tin for 30 mins then remove to a baking rack to cool completely. The cake will sink in the middle but that will be filled with frosting so don’t worry too much about it.

Blend all the frosting ingredients well with a stick blender, you want this to my smooth and silky. Spread all over your cake! You will be able to share this cake with a few people as smaller slices are enough due to the richness.

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My youngest son loves pancakes. He’s 9yrs old so of course he loves pancakes! It’s a regular weekend request – “Mum can you make Croatian pancakes?”. He loves that aspect of our heritage. So instead of my usual recipe I decided to see how John from he needs food makes them (his Croatian recipes are amazing). His recipe was pretty much the same as mine except that I don’t use soda water and add in a tablespoon of melted butter. I followed his recipe to the letter and the result was beautiful, light pancakes with just the right amount of sweet – yum!

By the way my son eats them just with lashings of melted butter.

RECIPE
Makes 15 (larger than a saucer, smaller than a bread n butter plate size)

3 eggs
1 cup milk
1/3 cup soda water
1 cup flour
3 tbsp caster sugar
¼ tsp salt
1 tsp vanilla extract
Butterfor frying

Beat the eggs with the milk and soda water, whisk in the flour, sugar, salt and vanilla until smooth. Leave to sit for 30 minutes.

Heat a knob of butter over a medium-hit heat in a small non-stick frying pan. Tip out the excess butter into a heatproof dish and put aside. You want to have an even spread of butter over the pan. Ladle in about 1/3 of a ladle of batter, tilt the pan to spread evenly. Cook until the edges are starting to lift then flip over and cook the other side. Between each pancake I brush some of the excess butter over the pan with a pastry brush.

Serve with berries and mascarpone and chopped pistachios.

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If you’re feeling the winter blues lately you may like this little vibrant pick me up. There’s something about lime, chilli and coriander that just works. This soup is easy and so ‘next level’ in flavours, try it – you’ll love it I’m sure!

RECIPE
Serves 3-4

1 tablespoon of sesame oil
1 cm slice of fresh ginger, grated
2 garlic cloves, minced
4 cups of chicken or vege stock (preferably home made)
2 tablespoons of tamari (Japanese soy)
1 tablespoon of fish sauce
Juice and zest of two limes
20 prawns, fresh or frozen
1 red chilli, sliced
2 spring onions, sliced
125 grams of vermicelli noodles
A small handful of fresh coriander

Soak or cook the vermicelli noodles according to the packet instructions.

Heat the oil in a large pot over a medium-high heat. Add the garlic and ginger and sauté for a minute or two. Add the stock, tamari, fish sauce and lime zest & juice. Bring to the boil, turn down and simmer for five minutes. Add the prawns and simmer for another 3 – 4 minutes. Remove the prawns and set aside.

Divide the noodles into serving bowls, ladle the soup over the noodles, then add the prawns, chilli and spring onion. Scatter with coriander leaves.

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As winter knocks on our door and the last of the tomatoes and basil fade, I felt it was time for some vibrant, flavoursome seafood! This dish is a firm favourite of mine and green lipped mussels with chorizo works so well…

RECIPE
Serves 4 – 6
300g spaghetti pasta
2 tablespoons of olive oil
20 cherry tomatoes, halved
2 large Spanish chorizo sausages, sliced
3 garlic cloves, peeled and finely chopped
1 onion, finely chopped
1 cup of chicken stock
Juice one lemon
Sea salt and freshly ground black pepper
16-20 fresh mussels
2 large tablespoons of crème fraiche or sour cream
A good handful of fresh Italian parsley, chopped
A good handful of fresh basil, chopped
Sea salt and cracked black pepper

Preheat the oven to 200 degrees celsius.

Place the tomatoes on a baking paper lined tray, drizzle over 1 tablespoon of olive oil, season with salt and pepper and roast in the oven for 30 minutes, they should be a deeper red colour and the skin should be starting to blacken. Set aside.

Cook the pasta in a large saucepan according to the instructions on the packet. Drain.

Heat one tablespoon of olive oil in a large frypan and fry the chorizo until golden brown, remove from pan and set aside. Add the onion and garlic to the pan and cook over a low heat until soft – about 10 minutes.

Add the chicken stock and the lemon juice to the pan and bring to the boil.

Scrub the mussels well and de-beard the mussels. Add the mussels to the pan and place the lid on Leave for about 3 minutes and check to see if the shells have opened, if not they may need another minute. Remove the mussels and set aside discarding any unopened ones. Add the, parsley, basil, chorizo, tomatoes and crème fraiche and stir through. Season with salt and pepper. On a large platter place the cooked spaghetti and mussels in their shells, add the mixture of all the other ingredients, garnish with more parsley and basil. Serve with lemon cheeks.

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Making Granola is like making sunshine, the smell of it wafting through the house as it toasts and the taste of freshly made granola is divine to say the least. I add dried, fresh or preserved fruit at serving time, with milk and a dollop of greek yoghurt – sunshine in a bowl.

I use coconut sugar to get a lovely caramel flavour and a good NZ honey, this time I used a rewarewa flavour. The pure vanilla is a must, it really makes a difference.

GRANOLA RECIPE:

2 cups of wholegrain rolled oats
1 ½ cup of mixed nuts, chopped (I’ve used almonds, walnuts and hazelnuts in this batch)
½ cup of sunflower seeds½ cup of pumpkin seeds
¾ cup of coconut chips
½ cup of flax seed
2 tablespoons of butter
1 tablespoon of coconut sugar
1 tablespoon of raw honey
1 vanilla pod, scraped
¼ teaspoon of salt
½ teaspoon of cinnamon

GRANOLA METHOD:

Preheat your oven to 140 degrees celsius.

In a small saucepan gently melt the butter, honey and coconut sugar. Stir in the vanilla. In a large bowl mix together all the dry ingredients then stir through the melted butter mixture to evenly coat. Add the salt and cinnamon and mix well.

Line a large baking tray with baking paper and spread your granola mix out evenly across it.

Toast for 15 minutes – use a timer as it can very easily burn and check after ten minutes. Remove from the oven, cool and store in a large jar.

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I have a real thing for Thai flavours – makrut lime (kaffir lime), lemongrass, coconut….. yum! I recently found this tasty recipe on The Kitchn and decided to adapt it a little and use organic chicken thigh fillets rather than a whole chicken although I’m keen to try it with the whole chicken one day.

RECIPE
Serves 2 – 3

500g organic chicken thigh fillets, boneless and skinless
1 tablespoon of olive oil
1 tablespoon of butter
1 can of organic, unsweetened coconut milk (I use the Ceres brand)
1 stalk of lemongrass, finely chopped
1 small makrut lime leaf, finely chopped
3 garlic cloves, finely chopped
1 medium lemon, sliced into 8 wedges
A good handful of coriander – the full stems from the stalk through to the leaves, chopped (reserve some for garnish)
1 cup of baby spinach leaves
Sea salt
Cracked pepper, ground

Season your chicken fillets well with salt and cracked pepper on both sides. Heat the oil and butter in a heavy based frypan til sizzling. Add your thigh fillets and brown on each side. Turn the heat down to medium and add the lemongrass, coriander, makrut, garlic, lemon, and coconut milk. Simmer for ten minutes. Remove from the heat, cover with a lid and set aside for ten minutes. Remove the chicken from the frypan. Re-heat the sauce to a simmer and add the spinach leaves, cook for a few minutes. Serve on basmati rice ( I used basmati brown rice) with the sauce and garnish with fresh coriander.

The lemon wedges are gorgeous in this, squeeze some of them over your meal.

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The latest book I have co-produced with dermo-nutrition expert Janine Tait is going really well! So many people are behind the 7 DAYS OF ME detox programme – it’s astounding. One never quite knows how well a book will go and as this one is very specific in nature so it was possibly more of a risk that our previous books. Thank you to everyone that has supported the 7 DAYS OF ME Janesce Vital Cleanse book so far

If you would like to know more about the book please visit the blog on the Janesce skincare website and if you would like to purchase one you can visit our online store.

I’d like to share with you one of the ‘extras’ recipes from the book, I especially love mushrooms as they are great for making a whole meal as is the case with this one. Make sure you include the Thyme, mushrooms and thyme for me are like tomato and basil – the perfect combination.

RECIPE

Serves 2

4 large portobello mushrooms, stalks removed
3 tablespoons of olive oil
2 cloves of garlic, finely chopped
6 sprigs of fresh thyme or 1 teaspoon of dried thyme
½ cup of coriander, finely chopped
1 avocado, diced
2 tomatoes, diced
Zest and juice of 1 lemon
½ red onion, finely chopped
½ cup of mung bean sprouts (optional)
½ cup of pumpkin seeds and sunflower seeds
Himalayan or sea salt and cracked black pepper
¼ cup of hummus dressing (see below)

In a large lidded frypan heat 2 tablespoons of the olive oil, add the garlic and saute over a medium heat for 1 minute. Add the mushrooms to the pan top side down. Sprinkle over the thyme sprigs, season with salt and pepper and fry gently for 5 minutes. Turn the mushrooms over and fry the bottom side for five minutes. Turn them again and place the lid on the pan, cook over a low heat for another ten minutes.

While the mushrooms are cooking mix together 1 tablespoon of olive oil, avocado, tomato, red onion, lemon zest and juice, mung beans and coriander.

Remove the cooked mushrooms from the pan, fill the caps with the avocado mixture, sprinkle with pumpkin seeds and sunflower seeds, season with salt and pepper. Add hummus dressing.

Serve the mushrooms with a protein of your choice such as poached chicken, fish, tuna or tofu.

HUMMUS DRESSING

½ cup of hummus
Juice of one lemon
1 tablespoon of Bestow Beauty Oil or Olive Oil
2 tablespoons of water (more if your
dressing is too thick)
Salt and pepper to taste

Blend all the above ingredients with a stick blender. Store in a jar in the fridge for several days.

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As a mother of three I’m no stranger to trying to feed children reasonably healthy options. I was legendary with my 1st child, nothing from a can or packet passed her lips for at least the first year but by the 2nd and then 3rd child it was more a case of grab whatever you can, get them fed and into bed before you pass out from exhaustion!

Today I ventured into the scarey territory of embracing a healthy alternative to one of my 9 year old’s favourites, the dreaded two minute noodles. I presented him with his steaming, fragrant, home made bowl tonight which he cast a very skeptical eye over and then reluctantly tasted about 1/2 a teaspoonful. I sat there watching and waiting patiently for the quick run outside to spit it out or the fatal grimace that meant there was no way in hell he would go any further. Miraculously it didn’t happen, there was a quick nod of the head and the spoon went back into the bowl for a second lot! OMG he didn’t just like them, he loved them – wonders will never cease. Phew.

I’m not guaranteeing that you will get the same result with your children but fingers crossed you do and you will also find that this meal is a taste sensation for the whole family.

In the recipe below all the ‘optional’ items are those items that you might think are a bit risky for your childs taste but as an adult you will love them. The overall dish is only mildly hot.

RECIPE
Serves 3 – 4

1 tablespoon of olive oil
3 cloves of garlic, finely chopped
500 grams of chicken breast or thigh fillet, finely sliced
1/2 teaspoon of turmeric
1/4 teaspoon of cayenne pepper (optional)
1/2 a red chilli, deseeded and finely chopped
1/2 a can of coconut milk – get the unsweetened organic one
2 cups of chicken stock
Juice of two limes
1 mukrat or kaffir lime leaf, finely chopped (optional, if you don’t have access to any just add zest of one of the limes instead)
1 tablespoon of fish sauce
1/2 a fresh pineapple cut into chunks or one of the small tins in natural juice (optional)
2 cakes of dried egg noodles, broken into pieces (get the authentic asian ones if you can rather than the ones in the 2 minute packs)
2 tablespoons of fresh coriander, chopped (optional)
3 spring onions, sliced
2 tablespoons of toasted coconut thread (optional for garnish)

In a deep frypan, heat the olive oil over a medium heat, add the garlic and saute for a minute. Turn the pan up to high, add the sliced chicken and brown quickly on both sides (about 2-3 minutes). Add the turmeric, cayenned, chilli, coconut milk, chicken stock, fish sauce, lime juice and kaffir lime leaf. Turn the pan down to medium and simmer gently for 10 minutes. Add the pineapple and noodles, stir and simmer for another five minutes or until the noodles are soft. Add some boiling water if you feel you would like more liquid. Remove from the heat, stir in half the spring onion. Serve in bowls, garnish with the rest of the spring onion, the coriander and the coconut thread.

You could also add some extra veges towards the end of the cooking time such as spinach leaves, green beans, sliced zucchini, tomato wedges.

Enjoy!

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Initially I was going to call this a taco but then after researching the difference between taco, burrito, tortilla it seems that tortilla (in Mexican cookery a thin, flat maize pancake, eaten hot or cold, typically with a savoury filling) is more correct. I think the ‘wrap’ or ‘tortilla’ is more transportable and easier to eat than the taco shell so they’re great for taking on a picnic or in the boat for a fishing trip! If you make the pineapple salsa and the avocado cream the night before the flavours will develop more and so your tortilla will be extra tasty.

PINEAPPLE SALSA
1 fresh pineapple, diced
1/2 a fresh chilli, finely chopped
1 small red onion, finely chopped
3 mint leaves, finely chopped
A small handful of coriander, finely chopped
1 tablespoon of olive oil
Juice of one lime
Salt and pepper
Combine all ingredients and refrigerate. Your salsa will stay fresh for 2 – 3 days.

AVOCADO CORIANDER CREAM
1 avocado
Juice of one lemon
A good handful of fresh coriander

Whiz with a stick blender and refrigerate. Your avo cream will stay green and fresh for 2 – 3 days due to the lemon juice content.

SNAPPER TORTILLA
Makes 6

3 fresh snapper fillets
1 tablespoon of flour
1/2 teaspoon of cumin powder
1/2 teaspoon of paprika
Pinch of cayenne pepper
Salt and pepper

Shake all together in a plastic bag to coat the fish fillets evenly. Pan fry your fish over a medium-high heat in a little olive oil and a knob of butter until golden brown on both sides. Set aside.

6 wraps or tortillas, I use the smaller ones, about bread and butter plate size
1/4 of a red cabbage, finely sliced
A good handful of snowpea sprouts (I always chop the ends of them so they are not quite so long and more manageable)
Olive oil

ASSEMBLE TORTILLA
Brush a frypan with olive oil and heat over a medium-high heat, add your tortillas one at a time and cook on both sides till golden. Along the centre of each tortilla add some sliced red cabbage and some snow pea sprouts. Chope the snapper fillets into bite sized chunks and add a few of these to each tortilla. Spoon over pineapple salsa and dollop with the avocado cream. Season with salt and pepper, wrap and serve or wrap and pack.

The great thing about this type of food is it’s very mix and match, use what you have on hand eg. instead of pineapple salsa make a cucumber – tomato salsa or add mango to the pineapple. Layer with lettuce and grated carrot rather than cabbage and sprouts.

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