When I’m trying to decide what to make for my work lunches there are a few criteria that the food has to meet. It needs to be easily transportable, not go bad/strange after a couple of days and be healthy and filling. I realised I hadn’t done anything Japanese inspired for lunch for a while, so decided to have a play with soba noodles as they are hearty and delicious and make for a great hot or cold dish. This turned out really tasty – even if the purple carrots stained the noodles!
I love carrot cake – it has consistently been one of my favourite cakes for years now, possibly influenced by the fact I love carrots in anything! I particularly like it when the cake is heavy on the carrot and walnut, and the addition of some sultanas never goes astray. Topped with a lemony cream cheese icing and I’m a very happy camper. So when my housemates requested a carrot cake I was more than happy to oblige and happily set about making one that met all my criteria!
Mandarins have always been one of my favourite fruits – they make such a perfect snack and for that reason were always around when I was growing up. A fresh, sweet mandarin feels like something that should be around in summer rather than winter, but I’m definitely not complaining! Fruit and vegetables that are in season in winter usually call for hearty, warming meals but there’s something about citrus fruits that still feel appropriate in light, fresh meals like this salad. Luckily due to the fact I picked up a big bag of mandarins while we were down on the Bass Coast I could use them in a salad and still have plenty left to snack on!
After being away last weekend I found myself with a pile of bananas that had somehow been overlooked so jumped into action and whipped up some banana choc-chip muffins to nibble on. Simple, easy and full of flavour – perfect for a mid-morning snack with a cup of tea!
After making my date bliss balls and my apricot and almond bliss balls a few times I decided it was time to experiment and make them with something slightly different – fig! I added some goji berries, walnuts and almonds for crunch and the result was pretty delicious! They aren’t as sweet as the apricot ones, nor as chocolately as the date ones, but I really liked them so hopefully you will too!