S for Shali

Gorgeous day in Melbourne - even warm enough for a cheeky cup of ice-cream! #Melbourne #flindersstation #statelibraryofvictoria #degravesst #sforshali

Choc-chili walnuts! Gluten-free, refined sugar free and super easy to make! - 2 cups of walnuts - 2 tsp olive oil (I think coconut oil would be even better!) - 2 tsp rice malt syrup (maple syrup would also work) - 1/4-1/5 tsp chili powder - 1/4 tsp paprika - pinch of cayenne pepper - 1 heaped tsp cacao powder (cocoa will work if you don't have cacao powder) 1) Combine the ingredients in a mixing bowl 2) spread onto baking tray (lined with baking paper) and bake for 20-25 mins on 180-190 degrees Celsius. 3) Remove from oven and allow to cool. Once cooled, break up the nuts (they will stick to each other due to the syrup) and store in an airtight container. These won't last long if you share them! They also make a cute DIY gift - I used a recycled coffee jar to store mine in. Enjoy! S x

Koshari recipe Ever since I tried koshari for the first time in Cairo in 2012, I have been searching for it back home. However, I haven't yet found a restaurant serving this classic Egyptian dish, so I finally had a go at making it myself. So here is my version of the popular Egyptian dish "koshari" - consisting of spicy red lentils and potato as the base (instead of brown lentils - as I didn't have any!), brown basmati rice cooked in vegetable stock, macaroni, tangy tomato sauce and fried onions and cashews as a garnish. Serves 2 FOR THE BASE: - 1/2 cup split red lentils - 3 cloves of garlic (peeled but not chopped) - 1 potato, peeled and cut into cubes - salted water to boil FOR THE LENTIL/POTATO SAUCE - about half the tomato sauce from the recipe below - 1/2 tsp garam masala - 1 tsp cumin seeds - pinch of asafoetida - 1 tsp chili paste - 1 onion, finely chopped - oil to fry onion FOR THE RICE - 1 cup brown basmati rice - 2 cups of vegetable stock FOR THE PASTA - half a cup of macaroni pasta - salted water to boil FOR THE TANGY TOMATO SAUCE - 1 can (400 grams or 14 ounces) of diced tomatoes - 2 tsp garlic paste - 1-2 tsp white vinegar - 1/4 tsp cayenne chili powder - 1/4 tsp cinnamon powder - 1/4 tsp cumin powder FOR THE GARNISH - 1 white onion, cut into thin circles - handful of cashews, coarsely chopped - oil for frying STEPS: 1) In a food processor, blend all the tangy sauce ingredients and set aside until needed. 2) Wash lentils and boil with the cubed potato. Add the 3 cloves of garlic and some salt to the water (the garlic will be discarded later). USE MINIMUM AMOUNT OF WATER as we want to avoid having to drain it and lose flavour. 3) Rinse rice and boil on medium heat in the vegetable stock. When stock has reduced, lower heat and put a lid on the saucepan. 4) Boil macaroni on medium heat in salted water, until soft. Then drain and set aside in a bowl. 5) Fry the finely chopped onion with cumin seeds and asafoetida. Add half the tangy tomato sauce. Then add the boiled lentils and potatoes (remove the garlic from the lentil mixture first), garam masala, chili paste and any additional salt and vinegar if necessary (taste first). Allow liquid to evaporate almost entirely by cooking on low heat. 6) Once everything has cooked, fry the onions and cashews. 7) Remove the onion/cashew garnish from the pan and add some more oil. Fry the remaining tangy tomato sauce in the pan to heat it and to cook the garlic in it. This should only take a few minutes - less than 5. 8) Assemble all the components of the dish on the plate: start with the lentil/potato mixture, then add rice, macaroni, tangy tomato sauce and onion/cashew garnish.

Perfection 😍 #morningtonpeninsula #florist #flowers #freshblooms #bouquet #sforshali

Snapshot of our weekend getaway in Mornington Peninsula so far! #morningtonpeninsula #freshblooms #greenjuice #croissant #sforshali #happiness #holidays #simplepleasures

My favourite breakfast lately: seeded rye and quinoa toast with smashed avocado and goats cheese, a poached egg and an abundance of ripe oven-roasted tomatoes (I use the tomato medley kind, in olive oil and balsamic vinegar, with oregano and pepper). Garnished with fresh basil. Super yum! #sforshali #foodie #foodblogger #healthyeating #cleaneating #healthyanddelicious

Not the best pic (it's difficult to get one in this miserable winter light!) but here's my Nutella muesli parfait! I made Nutella mousse today using avocado and Nutella and used the leftover mousse to layer up with #glutenfree Bircher muesli, frozen berries, pomegranate seeds, slivered almonds and @muma_health Raw Core sprinkle! Brekky/morning tea for tomorrow! #sforshali #breakfast #breakfastjar #granolaparfait #nutellamousse #nutella

Another long weekend brekky - very similar to yesterday's. Added wilted spinach today. #healthychoices #breakfast #healthyeating #mostimportantmealoftheday #vegetarian #egg #protein #spinach #iron #tomatoes #antioxidants #avocado #goodfats #foodie #foodblogger #followme #sforshali

Looking for affordable and good quality skincare? Sukin has been my go-to range for many years! #sukinskincare #skincare #sukin #sforshali #skincareblog #followme

Soooo excited to get my @love_kevin_murphy delivery!! I have been using his amazing Angel Wash and Rinse for years and can't wait to try the Plumping range. #kevinmurphy #shampoo #conditioner #hairproducts #parabenfree #loveyourhair #adorebeautyau #sforshali #beauty #beautyblog #followme

WOW! I recently bought this Silk of Morocco eyebrow extension wand and it has been the best eyebrow filler I have ever used. So natural and easy to use - the wand also helps with precise and natural application. #silkofmorocco #beauty #makeup #bigbrows #beautyblog #sforshali #beautyreview

Woohoo new @goodnessmebox delivery! I can't wait to try everything! #goodnessmebox #cleaneating #healthyliving #glutenfree #refinedsugarfree #healthy #sforshali #foodblogger #foodie #followme #foodspo #healthyinspo

My first ever #cheesecake! Lemon amd raspberry cheesecake. #sforshali #foodblogger #foodie #followme #cake #bakelyf #lemoncheesecake #foodporn #happyeaster #entertainmentfood

One of the side dishes I made for Easter lunch today - green beans, cherry tomatoes, olives, thyme and goats cheese with a touch of olive oil and balsamic vinegar. Delish! #salad #sforshali #foodblogger #foodie #followme #foodspo #healthyinspo #cleaneating #healthyliving #eattherainbow #happyeaster #entertainmentfood

I haven't made pancakes almost all summer!! Today I decided to break the pancake drought with these gluten-free, refined sugar-free buckwheat pancakes, topped with raspberries, figs, coconut chips and my homemade coconut cacao sauce! #sforshali #foodblogger #foodie #followme #foodspo #healthyinspo #foodporn #pancakes #pancakestack #refinedsugarfree #healthybreakfast #healthyanddelicious #glutenfree

Refined sugar-free chocolate nicecream topped with figs, raspberries, coconut chips and a coconut-cacao-maple syrup homemade sauce. Just what I need after a long day at work! #sforshali #foodblogger #foodie #foodporn #smoothiebowl #nicecream #dairyfree #refinedsugarfree #healthybreakfast #healthyanddelicious #cleaneating #healthyliving #vegan #yummy #followme

Sunday bake sesh with @12health 😊 #12healthmuffins #healthyanddelicious #chaimuffins #creamcheesefrosting #bakelyf #fatlyf #muffins #sforshali #foodblogger #foodie #followme