Spain is renown for its tapas. Tapas meaning ‘small Spanish savoury dish’, is typically served with drinks at a bar. When we visited Spain in 2019 we gorged on tapas and these spicy olives are just one of our favourites, and just one of the tapas recipes I will share with you.
I have hosted dinner parties where I have served tapas. These dinner parties were a hit. A taste of Spain was the theme and many dishes were served at the same time, allowing people to try lots of different tastes and textures. Tapas such as spicy olives, potato tortilla, meatballs, chorizo in wine, stuffed peppers, grilled eggplant, chickpeas and spinach create good variety and a balanced meal.
This recipe is simple, and easily dresses up ordinary olives making them a taste sensation!
Ingredients
1 – 2 tablespoons Olive oil
2 garlic cloves
2 teaspoon of chopped thyme
1 teaspoon of chopped rosemary
1/2 teaspoon ground cumin
1 – 2 chilli, finely chopped
1/2 teaspoon cracked black pepper
1 cup of mixed olives
Method
Heat oil in a small pan, then add the remaining ingredients and heat gently. Serve warm.
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I got this recipe from my mother-in-law years ago. I’m not sure where she got it from, but these stuffed chillies became a staple on our picnic days, or as finger food with guests on our boat. Serve them hot as a light meal with salad, or serve at room temperature as finger food. Easy to prepare ahead of time; these stuffed chillies will be a hit!
2 tablespoons tamarind paste
1 tablespoon fish sauce
1 tablespoon sweet chilli sauce
2 tablespoons water
½ teaspoon sugar
Method
Split each chilli lengthways to create a pocket, leaving ends intact. Remove and discard the seeds and pith.
Combine the first 8 ingredients in a bowl. Using a teaspoon, fill each chilli with the mince mixture until slightly bulging — smooth filling with the back of a wet spoon.
Heat some oil in a large frying pan on medium. Add chillies, mince side down, and cook for 5 minutes until lightly brown, turn over and cook chilli side down until cooked all the way through.
To make the sauce, place all ingredients into a small saucepan. Stir on high heat until boiling. Reduce to low heat and simmer for a minute or two until it thickens. Arrange chillies on a plate and pour the sauce over them. Sprinkle with chopped coriander.
Notes:
*Make mini meatballs with any leftover mince mix.
*Concentrated tamarind sauce can be used instead of tamarind paste.
*Hot chilli sauce can replace the Sambal Oelek
*Use a mix of red and green chillies for an appealing look.
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Pudding for breakfast? Yes, please! I love this delicious, super nutritious breakfast dish. What’s not to love? I love how easy it is to make; I love how tasty it is, and I love how simple it is to dress it up and add different flavours. I also love that this breakfast is packed full of superfood goodness. This is my simple recipe for Chia Seed Pudding and a few simple modifications to add variety as well as ideas to increase the fibre!
Layered chia seed pudding with chopped mango.
Before we look at the recipes, please note I have not added any sweetener. This is precisely how I like it. However, it is simple to make this ‘pudding’ sweeter. Experiment with adding honey, maple or sugar syrup.
Making it even easier! I don’t know about you, but I love things to be simple in the morning. I am a morning person, but I like to sit with the computer, write and drink tea. That is when my brain is at its best, and I get the most done. So having breakfast prepared and ready to eat is super handy. I also have a ready-mix of chopped nuts, seeds and coconut, which I keep in an airtight container. This makes topping my chia breakfast pudding quick and easy!
Chia Seed Pudding with blackberries and natural yoghurt
Basic Chia Pudding
Serves 2
Ingredients
1/4 cup Chia seeds
1 cup milk – almond milk, coconut milk or cows milk
Method
Mix the chia seeds and milk well with a fork, breaking up any lumps, then leave to sit for 10 minutes. Mix again with the fork, cover and refrigerate for several hours or overnight.
I refrigerate mine overnight. It will keep in the fridge for a few days. So I make several breakfast puddings at one time.
*Alternatively, you can mix as above and pour into individual serving dishes (after the second mix) before refrigerating.
To serve
Divide the chia seed pudding between two serving dishes and top with yoghurt, berries and nuts and seeds. Get creative!
Chia seed breakfast pudding set in individual bowls and topped with yoghurt, blueberries and a nut and seed mix
Some of our favourites!
Choc Berry
1/4 cup Chia seeds
1 cup almond milk
2 Tablespoons of cocoa
Fresh or frozen berries
Mix all ingredients well with a fork, breaking up any lumps, then leave to sit for 10 minutes. Mix again with the fork, cover and refrigerate overnight. Serve topped with berries, nuts, seeds and desiccated coconut.
Choc berry chia pudding topped with coconut, nuts and seed… the seeds and nuts are full of goodness and help make this a filling breakfast
Choc Coconut
1/4 cup chia seeds
1 cup of almond milk
1 teaspoon vanilla essence
1 Tablespoon cocoa
1 Tablespoon coconut
Mix all ingredients well with a fork, breaking up any lumps, then leave to sit for 10 minutes. Mix again with a fork, cover and refrigerate overnight. Serve topped with coconut, and chopped nuts.
Tropical Fruit Salad
1/4 cup chia seeds
1 teaspoon vanilla essence
1 cup almond milk
Mix all ingredients well with a fork, breaking up any lumps, then leave to sit for 10 minutes. Mix again with a fork, cover and refrigerate overnight. In the morning I layer chia seed pudding and chopped tropical fruit (mango) in several layers. Top with tropical fruit such as mango, dragon fruit, passionfruit, pineapple and banana.
Chia seed pudding with tropical fruit
For a bigger fibre hit, I use Psyllium.
Banana Berry
2 Tablespoon chia seeds
180ml almond milk
1/2 cup water
3/4 – 1 cup mashed ripe bananas
1 tablespoon desiccated coconut
2 tablespoons psyllium husk
1 teaspoon vanilla essence
Mix all ingredients well with a fork, breaking up any lumps, then leave to sit for 10 minutes. Mix well again with a fork, and pour into serving glasses. Cover and refrigerate overnight. Top with berries and yoghurt, a sprinkle of coconut and seeds.
Mix all ingredients well with a fork, breaking up any lumps, then leave to sit for 10 minutes. Mix again with the fork, cover and refrigerate for several hours or overnight. I then serve this in bowls topped with banana, coconut, seed and nut mix.
Chocolate Chia Seed Pudding with Banana
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We have caught many blue swimmer crabs in our time. At times in South Australia, they are abundant. Over the summer months, you see many people catching them in crab pots or raking for them waist deep in water.
The sweet meat of the blue swimmer crab is delicious and chilli crab is one of my favourite recipes to make with them! This is how I make my chilli crab and it has been a hit with many people. Be warned it is messy to eat… best not to worry about the mess and dig in though, because it will disappear fast!
Ingredients
1kg raw Blue swimmers
2 Tbs peanut oil
3 garlic cloves, chopped
2 tsp ginger, grated
2 red chillies, seeded and sliced
2 Tbs hoisin sauce
½ cup tomato sauce
¼ cup sweet chilli sauce
1 Tbs fish sauce
¼ cup of water
¼ tsp sesame oil
4 spring onions, sliced
½ cup water
Coriander sprigs to garnish
I made these decadent little morsels for a treat. Still packed full of goodness and superfoods, they make eating food in which you know all the ingredients much easier; and they are much better for you than a biscuit or piece of cake!… and I add extra fibre to my bliss balls in the form of psyllium and chia seed.
These bliss balls are delicious and they are an easy snack to grab from the fridge when you are under sail (Trippin’ Turpins).
Ingredients
1/2 cup rolled oats 1/2 cup cocoa 1/2 cup almond meal 1/2 cup brazil nuts, chopped 1/2 cup goji berries 1/4 cup chia seeds 1/4 cup psyllium husk 340g pitted prunes 4 Tbs Cointreau or juice or water
Look at all the yummy goodness in these decadent bliss balls!
Method
Soak the goji berries in the Cointreau or juice/water and set aside for about 20 minutes.
In a food processor add oats and blend well. Then add the cocoa, almond meal, psyllium and chia seeds, and give a quick blend.
To the food processor, add the prunes and the liquid strained from the goji berries – reserve the berries. Blend until mixed well.
Put the mix into a large bowl and add the chopped brazil nuts (I wanted them quite chunky so I used a knife to chop them) and the reserved goji berries.
Now mix well using a large spoon and squishing and spreading until the berries and nuts are incorporated with the processed mix!
Using slightly wet hands, roll the mix into small balls. Makes 25-30.
Store in refrigerator. Will keep in the refrigerator for two weeks.
About the Ingredients
Oats – High in fibre, helps reduce cholesterol and is high in antioxidants.
Psyllium Husk – fibre! and can help manage cholesterol levels.
Chia Seeds – massive amounts of nutrients with very few calories! Excellent source of fibre and antioxidants. High in protein and omega-3 fatty acids and helps lower the risk of heart disease.
Cocoa – rich in minerals such as iron, magnesium and calcium. Has anti-inflammatory, anti-allergenic, anti-carcinogenic and antioxidant qualities. Can also aid in lowering blood pressure.
Almond Meal – high in protein, monounsaturated fatty acids, dietary fibre, antioxidants, vitamins like riboflavin. Lowers cholesterol and help prevent heart disease. Supports healthy brain function and maintains healthy skin.
Brazil nuts – High in selenium. The ‘super’ benefits of Brazil nuts also include, anti-inflammatory, anti-cancer and will increase your bliss, hence Bliss Balls! This is due to the Selenium which has been scientifically proven to lift the mood and prevent depression.
Goji Berries – a good source of protein, calcium, dietary fibre, vitamins A & C as well as iron, and high in antioxidants.
Prunes – excellent source of fibre, vitamins and minerals.
Cointreau – well it is just yummy!
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While anchored in Darwin Harbour, with supermarkets nearby, I decided to do a romantic dinner for Dwayne. For an entree, I made crayfish salad using a crayfish we caught in the Great Barrier Reef. It is very simple but looks great!
This is what I did…
I made a salad dressing by mixing
3 Tbs of coconut cream
2 Tbs lime juice
1 Tbs soy sauce
2 tsp fish sauce
2 tsp brown sugar
I refrigerated until I was ready to use it.
I prepared a small packet of vermicelli noodles by soaking them in boiling water. I drained them well and mixed some of the salad dressing through them. I refrigerated the noodles until I was ready to make my salad stacks.
I shredded carrot, lettuce and snow peas, then chopped some coriander and sliced some tomato.
I stacked the vegetables firmly into a mould, beginning with the noodles and topping it off with the tomato and coriander.
I removed the stack mould.
I then topped the salad with crayfish and salad dressing. Voila! Simple, colourful and delicious.
Crayfish Salad with Thai Style Dressing
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Gourmet from the galley! 