Many traditional medicine practices suggest choosing warming foods during winter for our bodies health so during winter, I tend to steer away from fruit or smoothies for breakfast and have either soft boiled eggs or this warm chia pudding. I first got the idea from my friend, Shirley, who is a Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM) practitioner. It's like dessert for breakfast with the sweetness from the pears and handy that the main elements can be prepared ahead of time. Challenge yourself to give it a go this winter!

2 large pears

1 cinnamon stick or 1 tsp cinnamon powder

2 tbs chia seeds

1/2 cup oats

3 cups plant based milk

1 tsp vanilla

Coconut yoghurt and a sprinkle of cinnamon to serve

Mix the chia seeds, oats and 2 cups of milk together and refrigerate overnight. In the morning, peel the pears and cut into quarters and poach over a low heat with the cinnamon. Heat the overnight chia/oats in a small saucepan with the remaining cup of milk. Add the vanilla. Serve with the pears and a sprinkle of cinnamon and a spoonful of yoghurt.

I have to admit that this here is the first trend from Tik Tok that I tried. Yes, yes, I know that it is a brain washing medium for 12 year olds but wow its great for melting the brain when you’ve had a busy day and need some down time, don’t hate me. You could just say its my guilty pleasure although I think I should probably delete it before my last brain cell dies.

3 eggs

1 tortilla/wrap the same size as your pan

2 cups spinach, chopped

¼ cup grated cheese

S&P

Whisk the eggs together and season to taste. Heat a drizzle of olive oil in a pan over medium high heat. Pour in the eggs to create the omelette. When it is golden brown underneath and starting to set on top, place the tortilla/wrap over the omelette and then flip. Add the spinach and cheese and then season to taste. Use a spatula to roll up your omelette wrap with the filling inside. Let it cook for another minute or two to cook the filling. These store really well in the fridge for a week of healthy breakfasts!

Bronte and I worked together for nearly a year and I remember her bringing these in for breakfast most days. Usually with berries and yoghurt and sometimes there were some for me, too. Winning! There are many versions floating around on the internet, most with just eggs and banana but I like a little more to mine. Here is my version for you!

2 ripe banana

2 eggs

½ cup oats

2 tsp baking powder

1 tsp vanilla 

Frozen or fresh blueberries and yoghurt to serve

Blend the banana, eggs, oats and vanilla together until just blended. Stir through the baking powder. Cook in a pan over a medium high heat until brown, flip and cook the other side until brown. I usually make them more of the pikelet size than large pancakes. Serve with fresh or defrosted frozen blueberries and yoghurt.

Back in my nannying days, I also used to nanny for a Greek family who became very dear friends. It was while working with this family that I first tasted this soup and I will never forget how it blew me away with the simple flavours. It is so satisfying and full of nourishment. The thing about soup is it is so comforting to eat and can be so good for you!

1 whole chicken

½ cup uncooked white rice

1 celeriac root, grated

½ cauliflower, finely chopped

S&P to taste

3 eggs, beaten

2 lemons, juiced

Put chicken into a saucepan and cover with water. Cover and bring to the boil. Reduce to a simmer and simmer for 1 hour. When the chicken is done, the meat should pull from the bones easily. Remove the chicken and set aside. Add the rice, celeriac and cauliflower. Season broth to taste. Simmer for a further 20 minutes or until rice is cooked, remove from the heat. Whisk the eggs with the lemon juice then slowly whisk a ladle full of broth into the egg mixture at a time until the egg mixture is heated. Then pour the egg mixture into the main soup pot. It should look creamy. Pull apart the chicken meat and add to the soup.

Anyone who knows me would know that butter chicken is my absolute favourite curry, my favourite fake away and my favourite takeaway. It's just so fabulous. When I have the time, I love nothing more than to make it from scratch. Don’t let the ingredients list intimidate you, it’s worth it. While the butter certainly is essential here, it is actually the paprika that gives it its signature depth of flavour.

2 onions, chopped

4 tbs butter (50 g) + 2 tbs olive oil

4 cloves garlic, crushed

1 tsp each of coriander powder & ginger powder.

1 tbs paprika

2 tsp each of turmeric & cumin.

1 green or red capsicum, cubed

½ cauliflower, chopped

1 small can tomato paste

1 cup stock

400 ml can coconut cream

4 chicken thigh fillets, cubed

4 tbs butter, extra

Juice of one lemon

S&P to taste

Sauté the onions in the butter and a drizzle of olive oil over a low heat until clear. Add the garlic, coriander, ginger, cumin, paprika and turmeric and saute until fragrant. Add the capsicum and cauliflower and toss through the spices. Add the coconut cream, tomato paste and stock and bring to the boil then lower to a simmer. Cook for 10 minutes or until the veg cooked a bit. Add the chicken and simmer for 8 - 10 minutes until cooked through. Remove from the heat and stir through the extra butter until melted. Serve with rice and steamed greens.

When I first moved to Melbourne, I discovered the wonderful world that is South Melbourne market for the first time! When I lived in South Melbourne, I used to walk there every weekend to do my weekly shop. One of my favourite things about shopping here was discovering a whole new world of flavours, ingredients and cooking techniques. There is a little Asian grocer just across from the french bakery where I first bought fresh wonton wrappers to make my first ginger pork dumplings. The perfect comfort food for rainy evenings.

500 g pork mince

1 large piece of fresh ginger

1 large red chilli

4 spring onions

4 cloves garlic

2 tbs soy sauce

¼ green cabbage, finely chopped

1 packet wonton wrappers

First up, a kitchen hack! Use the edge of a teaspoon to peel your ginger. Then, process the ginger, chilli, spring onions, garlic and soy sauce into a rough paste. Use your hands to incorporate the ginger mixture and the cabbage into the mince. Lay out your wonton wrappers and divide your mixture between them. This should make 40 - 50 dumplings. Wet the edges and fold into dumpling shapes. Steam them or boil them in chicken broth until the mince is cooked through.

I absolutely adore the TV show Masterchef and have watched most seasons, frantically jotting down flavour combinations and recipe ideas. I find what they do for our cuisine here in Australia so inspiring. This recipe is inspired by one of their challenges: the flavour combination of miso and butter just blew my mind and I just had to try it. When I first tried to incorporate parsnip into my life, I tried making a soup with it that I just didn’t love so I learned to combine it with stronger flavours, such as the miso butter here.

100 g butter

2 tbs miso

1 clove garlic

3 parsnips

25 g butter

200 g mixed mushrooms

1 brown onion, finely sliced

2 tbs thyme leaves, picked 

Olive oil

S&P

Peel the parsnips, cut into chunks and boil until soft. Blend with the 50 g of butter and season to taste. Melt the remaining 50 g butter in a small saucepan with a small drizzle of olive oil to stop it burning. Add the crushed garlic and cook until just fragrant, add the miso and remove from the heat. Mix well until smooth. In a pan, sauté the onion in olive oil until soft, add the mushrooms and cook until soft. Serve over the puree and under the mushrooms. Drizzle the miso butter over to serve.

Back in my uni days and when I first started working full time and commuting to Melbourne, I used to meal prep like a crazy woman. Studying nutrition, working and trying to stay healthy was a constant juggling act so having a fridge full of good food to fall back on was my secret over those years. This salad was one of my favourites. It kept well, had great flavours and had the nutritional value to keep me nourished. I prefer eating it warm but the flavours do develop well overnight, store in the fridge.

1 whole fennel bulb

10 - 12 brussel sprouts

1 cup frozen peas

1 bunch parsley

Juice of 1 lemon

Olive oil

S&P

Preheat your oven to 200 degrees and grease a lined baking tray with some olive oil. Slice the fennel into 1 cm thick slices, slice the brussel sprouts in half. Roast until soft: 15 - 20 minutes. Cook a bit longer to get the edges a bit caramelised. Pour boiling water over the peas to defrost then drain. Add the peas, fennel and brussel sprouts to a bowl. Finely chop the parsley and add with the lemon juice to the salad. Season to taste, add a drizzle of olive oil and mix well. The flavours develop well, so are perfect to make a day ahead.

This is another recipe I learnt from Nicole. When I first moved out of home, I would almost always have some of this on hand when the ingredients were in season. One of my favourite ways to have it is either with a soft boiled egg or in a wrap with ham.

1 large beetroot

1 large carrot

½ bunch parsley

Juice of one lemon

Olive oil

S&P

This is a cheekily simple little salad that is just perfect to have on hand because it immediately adds an extra serve of veg to whatever you are having for lunch or dinner and also makes a great filling for a wrap or sandwich.  It is also ridiculously easy and fast to make: grate the beetroot and the carrot, chop the parsley. Mix the carrot, beetroot, parsley, lemon, a drizzle of olive and seasoning to taste together.

I sometimes have a Meat Free Monday segment on my Instagram and am always looking for fresh ideas for this. I hassled a friend for some ideas and they came up with this. Long story short, a negotiation occurred and now the recipe is in this book.

2 broccoli heads

1 tsp garlic salt

Olive oil

1 cup yoghurt

Juice of 1 lemon

1 tsp tahini

2 tbs finely chopped dill

50 g pinenuts

Preheat your oven to 200 degrees and line a baking tray. Wash your broccoli well then cut into florets. I cut my florets in half so they can be roasted cut side down. Toss through the garlic salt and a drizzle of olive oil. Lay out on the tray and roast until charred and cooked through al dente. Meanwhile, toast the pine nuts in a hot, dry pan and make the dressing by combining the yoghurt, tahini, lemon juice and dill.  Drizzle the dressing over the broccoli then sprinkle over the pinenuts.

Growing up, we would always have this with custard, because as my Grandma used to say, "Custard goes with everything!" Hasselback-ing the apples adds a modern twist on this dessert and the pecans turn the flavour up a notch, too.

4 large granny smith apples

1 tbs honey

2 tbs water

1 cup pecans

½ cup oats

½ cup granulated sugar (I used coconut sugar)

60 g butter, melted

1 tsp cinnamon

Preheat the oven to 160 degrees. Peel and core the apples then halve. Place cut side down and then create the hassleback effect by making lots of small cuts along the “ridge” side of the apple. Place into a baking dish, flat side down. Crowd the apples together to create a base of apple. Drizzle over the honey and enough water to cover the base of the dish so they steam in the oven. Blend the pecans, oats, sugar, butter and cinnamon together to form a crumble. Sprinkle the crumble over the apples until covered. Bake for 30 - 40 minutes until the apples are soft and the crumble is golden. Serve with custard, that’s a rule.

There is a particular chocolate that rhymes with baffa that the flavour for this is modelled off. I actually remember the first time I had one as a kid and ever since, I have loved that chocolate/orange flavour combination. I make this with walnuts usually to make it remarkably healthier than the original - full of good fats!

1 orange

½ cup cacao

3 cups nuts or seeds (I used walnuts, pepitas would also be great)

1 cup pitted dates

2 - 3 tbs coconut oil

Pour boiling water over the dates so they can soak while you prepare the rest of the ingredients. Zest and juice the orange, process the nuts or seeds you are using as fine as you can. Drain the dates and add the coconut oil so the residual heat melts the coconut oil. Add the dates/coconut oil mix to the blender with the nuts/seeds, orange juice and zest and the cacao. Blend until it forms a dough like consistency. Roll into balls and store in the fridge.

Not only do I have vegan friends who I cook for but also dairy intolerant friends and I myself avoid excessive dairy. I have been making this recipe for years and it even featured in my previous workplace’s recipe book! I also included it in a little booklet of recipes as a gift for a friend who is dairy free. Give it a go, you just might surprise yourself with how much you love it!

50 g coconut oil

2 tbs cornflour

2 tbs coconut sugar

1 tsp vanilla ¼ cup cacao

1 x 400 ml can coconut milk

Melt the coconut oil and cornflour together over a low heat in a small saucepan. Add the rest of the ingredients and whisk constantly until it comes to the boil. Immediately remove from the heat and keep whisking for a few more minutes. Best served warm with fruit or berries.