The humble Brussel Sprout, once again it is a love or hate relationship!

These guys are super easy to make and a delicious addition to your dinner or lunch.

Take the Brussels, as many as you need, I use about 1kg of Brussels.

remove the loose leaves and then trim and remove any  funky leaves, then cut in half, you can quarter if you prefer your Brussels that way.

I tossed these guys in a bowl with some olive oil salt and pepper to taste.

Then heat a pan to sauté the Brussels in and get some colour, first finely grate or cut some fresh garlic, you can also use a garlic powder if you wish, toss the fresh garlic in the bowl with the Brussels if you love it strong add loads! so good for you!

Once the pan is heated throw in the Brussels and sauté to create colour and start cooking through, I also add in 1/4 cup hot water to somewhat steam these babies out in there own seasoning.

Once you have a nice golden colour on your brussels remove from the pan into a oven tray that is lined with tin foil or baby paper, sprinkle over some grated cheese and parmesan, place into a hot oven for a few mins till cheese is melted and golden.

Place into your serving dish and sprinkle over some pomegranate seeds if your obsessed with them like me! Or maybe you want to add some bacon or croutons.

The possibilities are really endless with the toppings!

Hopefully this means the Brussels are welcomed in your meal times!

Happy Cooking.

Cupcake. xx

The eggplant is a vegetable that crew either love or wont go near!

These pizzas created some interest and got a few of the skeptics to try it at least.

If your only making these for a few people just slice the portion that you’ll need.

I used 2 medium aubergines sliced about 1cm thick.

Lay the sliced eggplant out on a lined tray and sprinkle wiht a little salt and leave for 30 mins or so, then rinse and wipe off.

have your oven pre heated to 195’c

sprinkle your favourite grated cheese, mozzarella, cheddar etc or you can use sliced cheese on top of the aubergine slices, then sprinkle over some dried oregano or basil.

Cut cherry tomatoes in to quarters and sprinkle on top of the cheese, also some sliced jalapeño if you have it or chilly.

You can sprinkle again with a little paprika, then place in the oven and bake 10 mins or so until the cheese is melted and golden colour.

Take out of the oven and sprinkle with fresh basil. Or whatever herb your heart desires and you have on hand!

 

hope that kinda makes sense if not please reach out and let me know!

Enjoy!

Cupcake xx

 

 

 

 

 

If you haven’t figured it out already I’m a massive fan of the humble sweet potato!

We eat a lot of it around here too!

I have 4 vegetarian crew currently and a few curious cats who seem to be eating more and more veggies if they look like something they might like!

I’ve taken the sweet potato above and sliced it up and roasted in the oven with olive oil salt and pepper an called it toast…topped with sautéed mushrooms and onions with wilted spinach and topped with guc and my fav pomegranate seeds!

 

With these veggie sausage rolls the recipe is in a previous post, but just quickly I baked the sweet potato skin on till soft then mashed up with black beans, spinach onions etc rolled up in pastry and baked till golden! delicious!

 

This sweet potato bake with pesto was an idea that a very dear friend shared with me as we both share a mutual love to the sweet potato and if nothing else chat often about how we are enjoying them!

This is super simple in the way I just peeled the sweet potato, sliced them and laid them in a greased baking dish drizzled with olive oil and salt a pepper and baked in the oven for 45-60 mins till crunchy on top and soft inside then I dolloped some basil pesto over the top and there you have it!

 

 

This twice baked sweet potato even made an appearance at the boss’s table.

I baked the sweet potatoes whole then once soft sliced in half scooped out some of the filling and mixed with sautéed onions spinach drained chick peas, chopped parsley and some salt and pepper then placed it back in the sweet potato shell and topped with some cheese and placed a hot oven for 10 mins or until golden.

The green sauce is a avocado cream sauce, basically one avo minus the shell and see, 1/4 cup half and half, 1/4 cup olive oil, salt and pepper, juice of one lemon blended up well in a Nutri bullet or whatever kinda of whizz blender you have!!

 

So hopefully out of all that you can find a delicious way to enjoy that mighty sweet potato! The options really are endless.

Please share your ideas or how your enjoying your sweet potatoes.

 

Happy Cooking

Cupcake. xx

Better late than never! A quick note on 2019!

Reunited on my return to the USA with some of my best friends. xx

Well as with the end of the year comes reflection this year its the end of a decade so it brings even more weight with it this time around.

I ‘m not even sure where to start, theres been so much growth and change that its hard to even put it down on paper, or type the words shall I say.

2019 has been one of a kind with some big lessons and I guess you could say an awakening.

I started the year in the far north of NZ finally teaching a little yoga and exploring a part of NZ that I had not been to since I was 10 years old, next came INDIA…and yes there is reason for the shouty capitals.

You either love it or you hate it but mother INDIA for me has changed my life, not only the yoga (#ashtanga and lotus for life!) I don’t even know if I can explain what is was, but if you’ve been and loved it, you’ll know what I mean!

Lotus 2019 Sampoorna Agonda. RIP to the beautiful Bernie who left us just before Christmas.

 

The people the place, the food!!! and yes I was vegetarian the whole time I was there and didn’t miss meat at all!

The magic of places like India is you feel like you have known people forever its a connection like no other.

After India I returned to NZ briefly to pack up my life once again and head back to the SOF to La Ciotat to join a SY as rotational head chef, this was my shortest contract to date the day I started was also the day it was terminated! Thanks for that Moroccan Navy!

So I then moved back to Palma to stay with some amazing friends and start the job search again.

Next up came the chance to return to the east coast of the USA where I had started yachting 12 years ago, once I got the visa it was all go! Going back to places I had last been all those years ago but in a very different place felt like life has come full circle for sure.

Exploring Nova Scotia and Newfoundland was truly breath taking as you can see by the whale below thanks to the captain for getting some amazing shots, it really was a once in a lifetime chance to see things off the beaten path.

2019 has seen some big lessons learnt also, some sad moments of family and friends passing, that feeling of being so far from home when those close to you are unwell and you wish you could just show up and be with them.

What I have taken out of this year and the journey so far, make the time to visit the friends and family, send the message and reach out as you just never know what people are going through. Be kind always.

More than ever we are craving connection, the eye contact when we chat, the listening to what each other have to say, and to pay attention to what is being said! Be Present.

I didn’t buy many gifts this year, those that I did were more food items that can be shared while spending time with loved ones, and those food items came from small stand alone businesses.

I also donated 2 hampers to the food bank in nz as more than ever the struggle for some families to get food on the table is just too much at this time of the year.

So as I get ready to finish out this year with the Guests onboard sailing around some Caribbean islands, I want to wish you all the best for 2020.

Be the change you want to see, in whatever way that may be for you, listen with open ears, make eye contact, notice the small things cos one day you’ll look back and they are the big things.

with love

Cupcake. x