Apple, rosehip, lemongrass + ginger compote with Nerada Tea

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This is a sponsored post.

It's no secret I like tea. I like it so much I fear for the colour of my teeth, imagining a British-style grin in my later years. Hell, in my next decade if I'm not careful.

The problem is I've a hard time moving away from black tea 99% of the time. Strong black tea. Two sugars. A quarter of a half of a dash of milk.

I'm very good with chamomile, peppermint and green tea when the occasion or need arises. But my tunnel vision really prevents me from A. trying new brands; and B. trying new flavours.

It has also prevented me from buying Australian-made, fairtrade and organic. Three of the things I try to do with all the products I buy. I was in that much of a tea tunnel.

Thanks very much to Nerada Tea for busting me out of my comfort zone with a box of goodies and a "just try it" attitude. I'm so damn glad I did because there is a whole world of tea out there I was missing out on - like this Green Tea and Lemon Myrtle.

Oh my god excuse me, but I'm an idiot. I love lemon in tea. I love lemon myrtle-flavoured anything. I just did not know this existed and I'm a poorer tea drinker for it. The green tea is so subtle and the lemon myrtle scent as soon as I opened the box had me wishing I'd not filled the kettle so full so I didn't have to wait so long for it to boil. The taste was just perfect - not too strong and not so subtle that I was left wondering if I was drinking hot water that had just looked at a tea bag.

And please, can we talk about this Rooibos with Vanilla? 

Oh my god, the vanilla. Roo what? who cares, the vanilla.

I have purposely left the box of tea on my bench as it has filled the kitchen with the most luscious scent. I do not use that word lightly. In fact, I don't even like the word but it's the only one that comes to mind. The vanilla is so warm and rich and I know I sound dramatic, but it is seriously divine. Just smelling it as I bring the cup to my mouth makes me happy.

Nerada has so many other flavours I was not aware of - even an iced tea range. So far I've loved them all, but these two are totally my favourites. Their black tea makes a fantastic cup, and most their herbal range is caffeine-free, which is awesome for pregnant ladies and people trying to avoid it generally.

I liked the organic Rosehip with Lemongrass and Ginger so much, I immediately pictured it with apples and honey. So I made a little compote for my yogurt, and grudgingly shared it with my kid:

I simmered four large peeled and diced apples with half a cup of boiling water in which the rosehip teabag had been steeping 4 mintues. I drizzled in a little honey. I cooked until it was a delightful, soft mushy mess. Tomorrow it's going to make an appearance on my porridge, and it would make a pretty awesome apple crumble, if I do say so myself.

Ashamed of my tea ignorance, I asked (and looked) for more information about how Nerada tea is grown and produced. I had no idea it is the largest grower and manufacturer of tea in Australia. It is also the largest supplier of Fairtrade and organic herbal infusions and tea in the country. I like this. I like it a hell of a lot. They have pesticide-free black tea, iced tea, infusions, green tea, white tea, and blends like the Rooibos and Vanilla, and Chai. Their black tea is grown in tropical north Queensland and they have been around since 1882. 

Since 1882... and I'm only discovering it now. I posted a picture on Instagram and everyone was all "oh I love Nerada!" and I felt like that dumb kid that is always the last to know all the cool things.

Their website has a ton of information about the background, tea and its health properties, the history of tea, how to brew a perfect cup, and super-cool recipes to either have with tea or using it. (note to self - make Anzac biscuits).

Do YOU drink Nerada? Why didn't you tell me? And if you don't, or haven't yet, it's sold in supermarkets and independent grocers. You need that vanilla in your life.

Brown sugar, vanilla and pear filo bites

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Lately I've become almost obsessed with using up food I would normally throw out. It's a good habit to get into and I've always done it to a degree, but now it's getting ridiculous. Being poor really helps cement that practice in one's kitchen ways, but when I grew up and had more money I got complacent. Now I try to remind myself that just because I can buy some more, doesn't mean I should. Or it doesn't mean I should not try to make use of that which isn't perfect.

I've always made quick little apple pies out of puff pastry scraps, but when I went to make a veggie filo the other day, my filo had all broken into long strips and was probably only useful for making a mess. Although working with filo makes me want to rock silently in a corner and suck my thumb, I persevered and tried to salvage what I could.

I mixed one pear, diced very small, with a dash of vanilla extract and a sprinkle of brown sugar. I took the long pieces of filo, peeled a couple of layers off, and put a teaspoon of the mix at one end. I then folded the corner over, and kept folding the bundle until it made a reasonably neat little triangle at the other end.

You can brush these with whatever you like, or leave them unbrushed, but I used egg for some and milk for others. I baked at 180C until golden brown.

I totally then ate the lot, after dipping into a bowl of cream. Don't judge me.


Anyway, as far as salvaging that which would normally be discarded, this is one of my more delicious outcomes. No complaints here!

Kid snacks: date and coconut balls

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Back when I was looking for portable, home-made snacks for Abby I went through the usual - slices, biscuits, etc and even though I could make them reasonably healthy, I couldn't make them last longer than a couple of days. I do freeze muffins and things and that helps, but I wanted something that was quick, small and very portable.

Enter date and coconut balls. I know there are recipes for other sorts with lots of ingredients, but I wasn't interested in that much faffing. One day I brought home some organic dates and organic coconut. I'm not usually that fanatic about organic stuff, but the bulk bins at my local health-food store are pretty much all organic so I go with that! Anyway, I figured I could work out the ratio at home.

Dutifully, I put the dates and the coconut in the food processor and.... nothing. hard lumps and nothing like the sticky mixture I was expecting. It appears those dates had pits and my experiment failed miserably! That is, until I cut out the pits, mixed the date and coconut mixture with apple and made a date and apple crumble, which I ate with a hell of a lot of cream, and Abby just mushed in her fingers and shoved in her mouth.

Next time I just grabbed a 500g bag of PITTED dates (duh), 1 cup of coconut, and mixed it in the food processor. I rolled the resulting mixture into little balls and rolled into coconut. What you see above is the quantity, which did Abby pretty well for about a week. They do last in an airtight container, so you might want to make more for larger families.

Although I wasn't sure how they would be received, her natural curiosity got the better of her and she didn't even wait until I had finished photographing them before she snatched one and got stuck in.

Yes I crawl around on the ground and take photos of food - it's the best light!

They were a HUGE hit. I can't even describe how excited she got every time she was offered one. And I'm like "dude, they're dates... what's to get excited over?" but she thought they were the best treats ever. We used them as insurance on the plane to Melbourne as we knew it would be a sure thing to get her to sit still and be reasonably quiet if all else failed. She was actually pretty manageable thank goodness, but every day during our trip we packed three in a box with some other snacks and they were the first to go. She would immediately cram one in her mouth and attempt to pick the other two up in one hand. Had to be holding all three at once. I was covered in date-flavoured spit most of the time. Classy.


Anyhow, they're now on constant rotation here, although I am cognisant of the natural sugars being quite concentrated and the fact that the dates can stick to her teeth so they're not an everyday thing. But damn, are they handy!

Apple Cinnamon Scrolls

I've mentioned before that I'm not a fan of fruit. Not really, anyway. I know it's good for me and all that, but I just don't have much of a sweet tooth. It is also a conundrum that I adore baking, but rarely eat the fruits (tee hee) of my labours for the above reason.

Now being 21 weeks pregnant with bumpington, I know it's important to eat lots of fruit. Plus, I live in Queensland, Australia, where it's sunny and beachy and summer-fruity and I can get just about whatever I want in good quality. I don't mind a mango or peach here and there but apples and bananas? Winter fruit? nuh-huh.

Therefore if I'm going to bake, then I try to at least get some fruit in somewhere. Even if it's covered in a sugar-butter caramel (hello Pineapple Upside-down Cake). Hence the attempt at Kidspot's Apple-Cinnamon Scrolls. Which, by the way I have just received a text from Veggie Dad as we speak (how's that for timing?) describing them as the YUMMEST SCROLLS EVER!!!!!

And I concur. Apple whole? No thanks. Apple cooked in soft bread with a sprinkle of cinnamon and brown sugar? Well I might just eat that. Especially if it goes nicely with a cup of tea (it does).

You can find the recipe here... As you can see, baby brain led me to read the recipe quite vaguely and I failed to chop my apples fine. I also sprinkled caster sugar before realising it should have been brown. So I sprinkled both. To hell with it, I'm pregnant! I think I will also try it with applesauce to get a smooth filling. Or jam. Or lemon curd. Or vegemite and cheese (oh my!) Or apricots and almonds. Or cheese and chutney. Or cheese and jalapenos or... etc etc, ad nauseam.

They freeze well, and need nothing but a little heating up before eating. Yum!

Pineapple Upside Down Cake

Now you may or may not know I'm not one for cake, nor am I one for fruit.

However.

If it contains almond meal, I become quite the connoisseur, and I am really looking for ways to add more fruit to my diet, given my severe aversion.

This cake is the answer to all my prayers. If I were the praying type.

The Pioneer Woman strikes again! I knew she'd made it so I went straight to Tasty Kitchen, where I found this recipe. And I made it. And I was in love.

Ingredients

1/2 cup butter

2/4 cups brown sugar, firmly packed

1 can sliced pineapple, drained

10 glace cherries

1 3/4 cup plain flour

1/2 cup almond meal

1 teaspoon baking powder

1/2 teaspoon salt

1 1/4 cup sugar

1 cup butter at room temperature

4 eggs

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

3/4 cup sour cream or yogurt. The recipe said yogurt, I didn't have any. Sour cream was great!

Method

1. Preheat oven to 180C/325F.

2. Line a 10-inch cake tin with baking paper, making sure it comes a fair way up the sides... or you'll have a sticky, toffee-y mess.

3. In a microwave melt 1/2 cup butter. Add brown sugar and stir constantly until sugar is dissolved and butter is well incorporated. It should be smooth and thick.

4. Pour into the cake pan and place the pineapple rings on top. Pop your cherries into the holes and in any bare spots.

5. Cream the 1 cup butter with the sugar. Beat in eggs one at a time, then add vanilla and yogurt.

6. To the butter, add combined flour, almond meal, baking powder and salt in three batches. Don't overmix.

7. Spoon the cake batter on top of the pineapple, trying to space it out evenly.

8. Bake for one hour to 1 hour and 15 minutes.

9. Let cake rest for 10 minutes, then place a plate over the top. Invert the two, and take off the cake tin and the baking paper.

10. Serve.... and again, and again.