Lilli Pilli Cottage

24/10/2023

Ahhh - feel the serenity ….
(No mobile service lol 😝
I posted this when we went to Childers for a real coffee)

08/10/2023

Breaking bread with friends at The Marish on a Sunday - good food, good times.

06/10/2023

This caught my eye at the hardware store today - happy Friday thought ###

06/06/2023

The fly through is at full capacity this afternoon!

26/05/2023

Grumpy old cockatoo tells his mate to take a hike!

26/05/2023

It’s all go at the”fly through” lol - the parrots are not happy Jan when the sulphur-cresteds turn up!

02/02/2023

Another recipe! Using lentils as well as chickpeas this time.

Lentils are a versatile and affordable animal protein substitute, with an appealing texture not unlike mince.

If you prefer to use meat, then substitute any mince for the lentils. Pork mince has a richness that pairs well with the lemon tang and would be my choice for a non-vegan version.

This recipe is an old favourite - I taught myself how to make vegan dishes when my youngest daughter decided to become vegan at 15.

#2023/04 - Braised Wombok

Ingredients:

1 can each of chickpeas and lentils - you can adjust that ratio to suit your taste, or double the quantity to make a larger batch

Bunch of spring onions, chopped

About 6 large wombok leaves, shredded. You can use any white cabbage or even cauliflower - experiment with the flavours and textures to see what you like best.

1 cup of vegetable stock (or other broth of your choice)

Juice of 1 lemon approximately 50ml

Black Pepper, Lemon Thyme and Caraway seeds to flavour

Method:

1. Heat your frypan to a low to medium heat and add a dash of olive oil

2. Add the drained and rinsed chickpeas and lentils, spring onions and stir

3. Add the herbs and spices stir 1 minute then add the stock

4. Cover and cook on low heat for about 5 minutes to soften the lentils and blanch the cabbage

5. Cook for another 1-2 minutes uncovered to reduce the sauce

6. Voila! A wonderful side dish that is very satisfying and delicious served on toast with an egg for breakfast (if there are any leftovers!)

02/02/2023

Pickling is a great way to extend the shelf life of your vegetables and to use them up before they end up in the compost bin.

My favourite is pickled cucumbers but you can also use carrots, cauliflower, broccoli or capsicums.

#2023/03 - Pickled Cucumbers

Ingredients:
Cucumbers of any variety - I found continental ones on special this week, so they are in the recipe.

White vinegar - the ratio is entirely dependent on the final flavour profile you prefer. Start with 3 cups of water to 1 of vinegar and adjust accordingly.

You can use apple cider vinegar - it will be a darker hue and slightly different flavour.

Brown sugar and salt - equal parts usually 1 tablespoon of each but again try it out and make it sweeter or more savoury to suit you palate. If you like, you can also substitute honey or any other sweetener for the sugar.

Aromatics - black peppercorns, fennel seeds, coriander seeds, caraway seeds, bay leaves - whatever takes your fancy.

Method:

1. Sterilise your jars and lids with boiling water and let air dry.

2. Add the water, vinegar, salt, sugar and aromatics to your saucepan and bring to the boil.

3. I prefer my cucumbers to be slightly cooked, so I add them to the saucepan just before the pickling liquid begins to boil and turn off the heat after the bright green of the skin dulls a little and the white becomes slightly translucent - usually under 2 minute’s cooking time.

4. This next step is best done on the draining board of your kitchen sink. Transfer the cucumbers to the jars with clean tongs, distribute the aromatics, then fill the jars to overflow with the pickling liquid. This will give you a tight seal when you apply the lid.

5. Allow to cool until you can touch the sides of the jar comfortably and screw on the lids.

6. Store in the refrigerator for up to 1 month - not that mine ever last that long!

Serve with crackers, dip or on a ham sandwich - yummy!

02/02/2023

Happy Thursday!

Chickpeas are such a versatile and affordable ingredient, so I thought I would try making hummus.

I don’t have a food processor so I used my trusty stick mixer and a mixing bowl. You could also be totally old school and do it in a mortar and pestle.

#2023/02 - Easy Peasy Hummus

Ingredients:

1 can chickpeas - drained and rinsed.

Reserve the liquid - it’s called “aquafaba” and is used to thin out the dip. (Apparently you can also whip it with caster sugar to make a vegan pavlova - I am yet to try this).
You can also use plain water if you prefer, or extra olive oil.

(If you want to go to the trouble of removing the chickpea skins, go ahead but it doesn’t matter if you don’t).

30ml extra virgin olive oil

60 ml tahini

60ml fresh lemon juice

1 clove of garlic, crushed

1/2 teaspoon of salt

1/2 teaspoon of powdered cumin

Method:
1. Whip tahini for 1 minute then add garlic, salt, cumin, olive oil and lemon juice and whip again for 1 minute

2. Add half the chickpeas and process, then add the rest. The dip will be quite thick at this stage.

3. Add the chickpea liquid (“aquafaba”) or water or olive oil 1 tablespoon at a time until the desired consistency is achieved.

4. Sprinkle with paprika and drizzle with olive oil to serve. I added a small dish of balsamic vinegar and olive oil on the side as I love the tangy flavours of vinegars.

Serve with crusty bread, flatbread, vegetable sticks or crackers - just anything that you can spread the delicious dip on and enjoy!

TIP - this recipe can be easily adapted to increase the quantities if you want to make a bigger batch.

12/01/2023

Happy New Year to you all!

Lilli Pilli Cottage is about living better with less waste, and using what we have mindfully.

These ideals are not difficult to achieve but it does take effort to change the mostly unconscious habits developed over your lifetime so far.

And we have all been encouraged to consume, which stimulates our economy but also has unintended consequences of creating waste.

In that spirit, in 2023 our focus is on reducing waste by thinking creatively and being bold, so we will share with you our recipes for turning leftovers into healthy meals.

What better way to use up some of those vegetables that are still good but definitely past being great than to make a nutritious breakfast out of them?

This dish is quick, easy and cheap, and it can be served Vegan or Vegetarian - simply omit the egg for the Vegan option.

#2023/01 - Mushroom and Red Cabbage Hash, with optional Egg

1. Add some olive oil to your pan and gently heat - medium low.

2. Chop mushrooms (approx 6-8 medium sized button) and add to olive oil and stir.

3. Chop 1/4 cabbage of your choice - (in this case the red cabbage looked saddest, so in it went!) but you could use choy, savoy, Chinese - they have different flavour profiles so experiment to see which one you like best.

4. Stir gently on medium low heat, then add Caraway seeds and black pepper to taste.

5. Deglaze the pan with plant- or vegetable-based stock, approximately 1 cup.

If you prefer the flavour of chicken or beef stock, go ahead! There is no judgment here. We know that people often feel that cooking Vegan or Vegetarian is difficult but it’s easier than you think. It’s about your approach. And it can be so delicious that you forget there’s no animal protein involved.

6. Simmer and stir for about five minutes to reduce the stock, which will thicken the sauce.

At this stage you could add feta cheese or Greek yogurt or butter if you want a rich flavour.

7. Serve on sourdough toast dressed with olive oil, add your optional fried or poached egg and sprinkle over shredded garlic chives, nasturtium leaves and chilli flakes. Season with salt and pepper and if you like it spicy add some fresh chilli as well.

8. Enjoy!

31/08/2022

A pinch and a punch …

Hello Spring..... New Month, New Season.!

14/06/2022

Nothing better than a picnic platter for dinner - yummy!

14/06/2022

Gorgeous full moon rising over Mount Perry - exactly why we love this place, so much natural beauty.

29/05/2022

So - we just got home from our work trip and checked the rain gauge - well over 200mm in the last 2 weeks!! Needless to say - all our tanks are full.

27/05/2022

A beautiful Camellia - and in my favourite shade of pink! My affinity for all things pink is inspired by the original stained glass timber windows of Lilli Pilli Cottage - pink bubble glass in a diamond shape in the centre with white bubble glass surrounding them. Unique indeed - I haven’t seen anything like it before and one of the many reasons why we had to buy the property.

14/05/2022

After the rain - the Apostle birds have finally discovered the seed dish we had put out - it’s been there for weeks so they are possibly not the cleverest birds but still! It was amazing to see them all jostling around, much like kids in the playground. PS I turned off the sound as our neighbour John was over at the time and you can hear him talking in the background.

20/04/2022

How wonderful to give Mum the day off without a long drive - so blessed to have such a great local pub.

08/04/2022

Nothing more delicious than wild cherry tomatoes. The most prolific bush is growing in rocky fill behind the old stables and also inside the old chook shed. They have even sprouted under the mango and cassia trees! My favourite recipe is to cook them up with onions, garlic, salt, pepper, balsamic vinegar and brown sugar - serve it on toast or crack some eggs and poach them in the rich tomato gravy - totally yummy garnished with fresh basil.