Corn Fritters have long featured on my breakfast (lunch and dinner) menus!

Not only are they SO easy to whip up, but they can be customised to suit the occasion, the weather, the consumer, the time of day and so on!

I love serving them with eggs and smoked salmon (or bacon) at breakfast, a rocket, avocado and parmesan salad for lunch, and then as a starter before a BBQ dinner, with a dollop of tzatziki on top!

My recipe makes a large batch (22 fritters!) so feel free to halve it…. or on the opposing end of the scale, if you’re a hungry lass or fella, double it, to suit you :)

Make sure to share your snaps with me on Insta (click here) and Facebook (click here) if you do decide to make them! And may I suggest that you definitely do!

Kali Orexi,

Phoodie

Ingredients (Makes 22)

2 cups self raising flour

4 eggs

2/3 cup full cream milk

750g corn (I used frozen kernels but you can also use tinned)

1/2 bunch chives, finely chopped

1/2 bunch coriander, finely chopped

1 shallot, finely chopped

butter and extra virgin olive oil (to coat base of pan when frying)

2 tsp Salt and 1 tsp pepper

Method

1) Sift the self raising flour (alternatively you can use plain flour and baking powder) into your mixing bowl.

2) Whisk eggs and milk in a smaller bowl and pour gradually into the centre of the bowl that is holding the flour. Stir to combine.

3) Gently mix in corn, chives, coriander, shallots and salt and pepper.

4) Turn stove on to medium heat, use just enough butter and EVOO to generously coat the bottom of your pan.

5) Place large heaped tablespoons of mixture into your pan, (noting that about 6 fritters can cook in a large pan at a time.) Cook for approximately 2 mins on each side or until golden colour (as per photos) is achieved.

6) Cook in batches making sure to add butter and EVOO to the pan before each round.

Serve with your choice of accompaniments – bacon, smoked salmon, avocado, rocket, eggs and tzatziki all make great combinations!

I’m generally a ‘More is More’ kinda gal…

Actually, that’s not true…. I’m FOR SURE a ‘Less is More’ human when it comes to certain things….

Confused yet?!

Don’t be!

I’m a Gemini, and we often swing like a pendulum with our opinions, thoughts and ideas…

The moral of this story is that, despite this recipe only having 3 ingredients (plus a dressing), it is SOOOOOOO delicious and so satisfying on every single level. When it comes to sides, this is the side to end all sides! It goes SO well with steak, fish, chicken or even paired together with other veggies and salads.

I make it ALL the time, and now you can too!

Kali Orexi!

X Phoodie

INGREDIENTS

4 big handfuls (approx!) of Green Beans / French Beans / Common Beans, trimmed

200g Marinated Feta

1/2 – 3/4 cup Roasted Hazelnuts

4 tbsp Extra Virgin Olive Oil

Juice from 1 lemon

Salt and Pepper to taste

METHOD

1) Trim the ends off the beans, then wash them. Blanch for 1-2 mins in boiling water. MAKE SURE not to over cook them. You want them to remain bright green and retain a crunch. Transfer beans to salad dish

2) In a jar, shake together the lemon juice, EVOO and salt and pepper, to taste. Set dressing aside.

3) Scatter nuts over the top of the beans.

4) Top salad with large pieces of the marinated feta.

5) Spoon dressing over salad just prior to serving. Enjoy!

The moment I saw these delicious morsels in a video on my Facebook feed, I KNEW I had to have them.

And then I knew *you* had to have them….

What I find delicious, is what I post for you, my loyal and hungry readers…

Click here for the recipe, which comes from the AMAZING Recipe Tin.

Make them.

Enjoy them.

Snap them and then find me on social and show me your pics!

PHOODIE ON INSTAGRAM (Click here)

PHOODIE ON FACEBOOK (Click here)

Kali Orexi!

The two things I love most about this dish are 1) it’s simplicity and 2) it’s flavour.

What else is there to ask of a salad!?

Enjoy!

Kali Orexi,

Phoodie

Ingredients

240g baby rocket or spinach leaves (I much prefer rocket)

6 large figs, quartered

1/2 cup Roasted Hazelnuts

150g Goat’s Cheese

Dressing

Extra Virgin Olive Oil – to taste (I give it a couple of good splashes)

Balsamic Vinegar – to taste (a generous splash all over)

Salt and Pepper – to taste

Method

1) Rinse and spin dry the rocket / baby spinach. Place it gently into a large salad bowl.

2) Sprinkle the roasted hazelnuts on top of the salad.

3) Wash, dry and quarter the fresh figs. Layer on top of the rocket / baby spinach.

4) Scatter the goat’s cheese across the salad.

5) Dress with the extra virign olive oil and the balsamic.

6) Sprinkle with salt and pepper.

You’re either a Truffle fan or you’re not.

I am.

I REALLY am.

If you’re not, then this recipe is definitely not for you! This one is ALL ABOUT THE TRUFFLE.

After eating ‘Truffle Mac and Cheese’ at a couple of different places in Dubai (back in March), I was inspired to come home and create a PHOODIE version.

I’m not gonna lie, this recipe is on the more expensive side to make, but that said, it is not designed to be eaten as a main dish but rather as a side to a BBQ or Roast meal.

It’s so rich, that one scoop definitely hits the spot!

It can be served two ways; fresh out of the pot with a sprinkling of parmesan on top or baked in the oven with breadcrumbs and parmesan topping. Try it both ways and see what you prefer :)

If you make it, let me know and send me a snap! (@phoodiegram on Instagram; www.facebook.com/phoodieblog on Facebook)

Kali Orexi,

Phoodie

Ingredients

[Makes 2 x (25 x 25cm) square dishes / serves 10 as a side]

500g dry pasta (I used Maccheroni but you can use anything! Elbows, bow tie, penne, rigatoni etc)

3 heaped tablespoons butter

3 heaped tablespoons plain flour

800 ml full cream milk

salt and pepper to taste

200g Truffle Brie (I use La Maison de la Truffle’s Brie with Black and White truffle but you can use any type)

200g Cheddar with Truffle

1 cup breadcrumbs (I use garlic and parmesan crumbs, store bought, but you can use any type)

1 cup finely grated parmesan

Method

1) Preheat the oven to 180 degrees.

2) Cook the pasta as per packet instructions, drain, stir through a teaspoon of olive oil so it doesn’t stick together and set aside.

3) Melt the butter in a pan and then add the flour, whisking together over medium heat. This is known as a ‘roux’. Once the flour is cooked out, (i.e. after about 3 minutes) slowly add the milk, whilst continually whisking out the lumps. Don’t stop whisking, keep whisking! You will notice your white sauce starts to thicken.

4) Add the brie, whisk until it melts. This will take up to five minutes or so. Once melted, add the cheddar, again, whisking until melted through. Taste and then add salt and pepper accordingly.

5) Fold the white cheese sauce through the pasta and then transfer to one large or two smaller baking paper lined dishes.

6) Top with breadcrumbs and parmesan and then place into oven for about 45 minutes or until the top of the mac and cheese becomes dark golden.

7) Remove from oven and serve immediately.

note: In step 5 above, after you have folded the pasta through the sauce, instead of placing it into baking dishes, you can scoop it out and serve it immediately with just some fresh parmesan sprinkled on top.

My local gourmet grocer makes this salad and I realllllly love it!

After I noticed myself often buying it for lunch, I stopped and thought “Um… why aren’t I making this at home!?” and also “I think PHOODIE readers would love this salad!”

So….

Here ya go!

Kali Orexi

XX Phoodie

INGREDIENTS

(Serves 6 – 8 as a side)

4 large handfuls Rocket – yup, sometimes I measure in handfuls :)

2 cups pumpkin – cubed and roasted with salt, pepper and olive oil

250g Goat’s Cheese, crumbled

1/2 cup Sunflower seeds

1/2 cup Pumpkin seeds

1/2 cup Roasted hazelnuts

1/2 cup Currants

Olive oil to dress

METHOD

1) Turn the oven on to 180 deg cel. Line a baking tray with baking paper and place cubes of pumpkin on top. Season the pumpkin with salt, pepper and olive oil and bake for approx 20 mins / until tender with a skewer.

2) Place rocket, hazelnuts, seeds, currants, and goats cheese into a large salad bowl, toss gently.

3) Remove pumpkin from oven, allow to cool, add to salad and toss gently again.

4) Drizzle olive oil lightly over salad just prior to serving.

My beautiful cousin, Ria, is the queen of lemon potatoes in our family. The absolute KWEEN.

This recipe is based on hers.

NOTE: When taking these snaps I was in a bit of a rush and did not lay the potatoes out in a single layer. If you want them all to have that gorgeous golden colour you MUST do as Ria says and bake them in a SINGLE LAYER.

ANOTHER NOTE: This is a very ‘touchy feely’ recipe…. you’ll notice that there are not really exact measurements and that’s because you need to make them a few times to see what suits your tastes. Do you like them super lemony, do you want the oregano to shine through? How much salt is too much salt!? Get what I’m saying….? Use the photos as a guide but also have faith in yourself and cook with your instinct! This is not like baking a cake! There is no right or wrong, you basically CANNOT stuff these up unless you burn them into a BLACK CHARCOAL MESS or undercook them to be ROCK SOLID RAW and WHITE!

Kali Orexi!

INGREDIENTS (to fill a 45cm diameter round baking dish)

12 medium sized Waxy Pink-Skinned Potatoes, washed, peeled and quartered length-ways

Juice of 8 Lemons

Generous covering of Salt

Pepper

Generous covering of Oregano

Drizzle Extra Virgin Olive Oil

Water in the dish up until peaks of potatoes are sticking out (the dish should have total about 1cm liquid in it i.e. juice and water should combine to equal 1cm liquid in the pan)

METHOD

Preheat the oven to 180 deg cel.

1) Wash and peel your potatoes.

2) Cut them in half lengthways, and then in half lengthways again. Place them in a large bowl of water to prevent them discolouring.

3) Squeeze the juice of the lemons directly into your baking tray.

4) Place the potatoes in your baking dish, coat them in lemon juice and roughly spread them out.

5) Generously salt all potatoes, generously sprinkle the oregano and add a few good cracks of pepper. Mix the potatoes around with your hands so that they are well coated in the seasoning and then lay them out in one flat layer, tightly packed together but not overlapping, with peaks sticking up.

6) Drizzle the potatoes with EVOO. Top the baking tray up with tap water so the liquid height in the pan is approx 1cm.

7) Place the dish in the oven for approximately 80 mins or until potatoes are golden brown.

8) Turn the oven up to 200 deg cel and for the another (final) 15 or so minutes roast the potatoes until they are dark golden brown.

Serve immediately – ENJOY!

Although I am not a vegetarian, I absolutely adore vegetarian recipes!

I’ve made changes to a Donna Hay recipe to create this eggplant stack, and although hers is perfect as it is, I made this based on the ingredients that I would pretty much ALWAYS have in my fridge and pantry.

This works well as a mid week lunch for one, but it’s also just as good for a light lunch with friends.

And the best part? There are loads of ways to cheat to make it super quick to whip up!

Kali Orexi!

Phoodie

INGREDIENTS (Serves 4)

2 cups greek yoghurt

juice from half a lemon

salt and pepper

mint flakes or chopped fresh mint

24 baby tomatoes (6 per serve)

1 cup chickpeas (1/4 cup per serve)

12 artichoke hearts – store bought (3 per serve)

20 slices grilled eggplant – store bought or homemade (5 per serve)

200g goat’s cheese (50g per serve)

METHOD

1) Mix together the yoghurt, lemon juice, salt and pepper and mint flakes – set aside.

2) Chop the tomatoes in half and rinse and drain the chickpeas.

3) Spread a tablespoon of the yoghurt mix on each plate and then layer the eggplant, tomatoes, chickpeas, yoghurt and artichoke on each plate until all ingredients are used.

4) Top with remaining yoghurt and the goats cheese.

5) Season with salt and pepper and serve.

I love this.

For several reasons.

1) It involves Hummous. And whether you spell it Hummus, Humous, Hommos, or any other way, I bloody love the stuff.

2) Kids can make it.

3) Kids love to eat it.

4) It’s healthy AND super simple to whack together!

There kinda is no traditional list of ingredients or method but rather a description of how to put it together, so here goes….

Chop the tops off as many capsicums as you like. making sure to buy a variety of colours. Generously spoon either homemade or store bought hummous into each one. Stand them nose to tip (as per my photos.) Chop cucumber ‘wheels’ and pin them into place with toothpicks or a dollop of hummous. Chop celery, cucumber, capsicum and carrot sticks and wedge as many as you can fit into each capsicum ‘carriage’… ENJOY!

This delightful recipe comes from one of my fave cooks ever, Donna Hay.

What I love about DH is that her recipes are always simple, accessible and DELICIOUS. I’d like to think that mine are too!

On another note, Onions for President, I say.

And if you agree, then you will weep and howl into the moonlight from pure joy when you try these!

Serve as a side at a BBQ or with a roast dinner. And tuck into the leftovers (like I did!) the next day!

INGREDIENTS

• 6 brown onions, peeled and halved
• 1 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil
• Sea salt and cracked black pepper
• 1 cup (250ml) single (pouring) cream
• 1 tablespoon thyme leaves
• 1 tablespoon Dijon mustard
• 1/2 cup (50g) finely grated mozzarella
• 1/2 cup (60g) finely grated Gruyère

METHOD

• Preheat oven to 180°C.

• Place the onions, cut-side up, in a greased baking dish. Drizzle with the oil and sprinkle with salt and pepper.

• Cover with aluminum foil and bake for 1 1/2 hours.

• Uncover and bake for a further 15 minutes or until just starting to brown.

• Combine the cream, thyme, mustard and cheeses and spoon over the onions. Bake for a further 15–20 minutes or until the onions are golden.