Happy Meatless Monday everyone! Hope you all had lovely weekends and were able to stay warm and dry no matter what you were up to! I wasn’t feeling the best, so in between catchups with friends I had a lot of down time, watching the footy and pottering around at home. No matter how I’m feeling I always enjoy some time in the kitchen, particularly when it involves pumpkin!
I’ve been trying to mix up my breakfasts recently as it’s been too chilly for my normal smoothies. Quinoa porridge was on the menu for a few weeks, followed by some homemade baked beans and then I decided it was time to make a new variety of granola.
Earlier in the year my dad was put on a sulfite free diet and whilst it hasn’t been too tricky for lunches and dinners, he has found breakfast to be a little less fun. He’s a muesli lover from way back and dried fruits are now a big no-no which limits his options somewhat. I decided to help brighten his mornings a little by whipping up a batch of granola that was free from any fruits but instead packed full of nuts and seeds. I gave it to him with a bottle of my cashew milk and he was a very happy camper!
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 making my bliss balls a few times I decided it was time to branch out and try some different flavour combinations. I had a bag of dried apricots that I was using in a different recipe, so decided to do an apricot and almond version and they turned out rather delish! They’re just as simple to make as the bliss balls, so if you liked those, maybe give these a try too!