Cooroy Fusion Festival

One of my big passions, food, combines with my love of supporting locals in the 

Edible Sunshine Coast presentations. 

These 7 presentations kicked off on Saturday with the fantastic 

Cooroy Fusion Festival
What a well crafted and put together event!
I was absolutely delighted to be a presenter and so impressed with the large crowd that drew around as I started to talk and offer some taste tests and inspiration for eating local. It wasn't long before we were surrounded by a sea of enthusiastic locals trying the Custard Apple Coconut Crumble
served with gorgeous Maleny Dairies cream and custard by special guest Meg from Maleny Dairies

http://www.malenydairies.com/
And the Haloumi Bread Salad featuring the Sunshine Coast's own award winning haloumi cheese! And not to forget the Macadamia Mustard Potato Salad
It is so wonderful to get that live feedback from your food creations as people co
me up to tell you how much they enjoyed something, to see smiling faces as they happily eat something you designed!

This little girls was soo cute as she munched away on crumble and cream!
The audience also had the fascinating Bede from Maleny Avocado Oil as a special guest pop on the microphone and chat to the audience about his amazing avocado oil and how it is a nutrient booster and how his actually has the highest smoke point of oils at 225 degrees celsius. 

Making it ideal for roasting, baking, stir frying and beautiful in a salad.
And it doesn't just stop there either! Avocado oil is great as a moisturiser and great with essential oil blends!
And did I mention this avocado oil tastes gorgeous?
I used it in the pastry for the Quinoa Pot Pies, it gave the pastry a delicious nutty flavour.

And the highlight of the demonstration for one very lucky lady was the winner of that fantastic prize pack as donated by Sunshine Coast business Nutworks; a special bottle of extra virgin cold pressed Avocado oil personally from Bede!

http://www.nutworks.com.au/

http://www.facebook.com/Nutworks.com.au

When I say everybody wanted to win this prize I'm not joking!
Thank you Nutworks!!

I even found my oldest backstage enjoying my salad!

I absolutely loved being a part of the Cooroy Fusion Festival and my girls had an absolute ball as well.

If your in the Sunshine Coast area, there is still time to book into 5 of the remaining 6 Edible Sunshine Coast presentations
( 1 is fully booked out)
Follow this link to book in to these free events and get inspired to Eat Local!
http://www.library.sunshinecoast.qld.gov.au/sitePage.cfm?code=edible

Come along and find out why I joined forces with local supermarket Maleny IGA to produce recipes for their unique collectible Local Product Local Recipe - recipe cards.
Grab one in store!

Rebecca  xx

Custard Apple Coconut Crumble

Custard Apple Coconut Crumble

Using beautiful, in season, local custard apples in a fresh twist on an old favourite, the apple crumble. Served with the lovely local Maleny Dairies cream.

Ingredients
• 3 large ripe custard apples
• 2 large or 3 medium green apples
• 1 stick cinnamon
• 3 tablespoons coconut sugar
• Water
• 2 cups organic oats
• ½ cup almond meal
• 2 tablespoons chia seeds
• 1 teaspoon vanilla paste
• 2 teaspoons ground cinnamon.
• ½ cup raw organic virgin coconut oil
• ½ cup spelt flour
• 1 cup organic desiccated coconut
• 1 cup dark coconut sugar
• 1 large apple crumble baking dish (or 2 smaller ones)
• Maleny Dairies cream to serve (or coconut yoghurt for dairy allergies/vegan)

Method
• Preheat oven to 180`c
• Break open custard apples and remove flesh, making sure to remove the seeds, place in a deep saucepan.
• Wash and chop the apples into bite sized pieces, place in saucepan with custard apples.
• Cover with water and place in cinnamon stick and 3 tabelspoons coconut sugar.
• Simmer slowly on a medium low heat until apples have collapsed slightly. Remove from heat, remove cinnamon stick.
• In a bowl combine the oats, flour, sugars, coconut oil , desiccated coconut, chia seeds and cinnamon. Mix together really well.
• Pour the apple mixture into the baking dish.
• Top with the crumble mixture, press down gently to make sure it is evenly and neatly topping all the apple mixture.
• Bake in the oven for approximately 30 minutes or until the crumble on top has a nice rich, golden colour to it.
• Remove and serve while still warm with fresh Maleny Dairies cream.

Notes
• This is a beautiful dessert the whole family will love. Great for home dinners, entertaining and dinner parties.
• A great recipe for beautiful, seasonal custard apples.
        Swap the dark brown sugar for coconut sugar.
• Make it a real coconut experience by serving with some CoYo coconut yoghurt.

Toddler Tips
• Kids love apple crumble, it is one of those desserts that is popular with nearly everyone, making this a great family friendly recipe.
• Be careful the crumble is not too hot when you serve.
• For an extra treat serve with vanilla ice cream.
This is equally nice the next day so great for in the school lunch box too.

This recipe was created for the Maleny IGA  Local Product Local Recipe Cards, promoting producers from the region.    Recipe & Food Image Photography ©RebeccaMugridge 2013

TASTE TESTING! Bring your taste buds for a delicious free taste testing event at Maleny IGA

Come and say HI!

Taste some gorgeous food and get to know the gorgeous Maleny IGA and all the fabulous local products they stock. Its amazing what is produced right here on the Sunshine Coast!
They also have the biggest range of Gluten Free I have ever seen with a special in store labelling system so you can easily find lots of gluten free products right throughout the whole store! And don't get me started on their deli!! OMG it is absolutely incredible!
Hope you can make it XX

RECIPE - Healthy Chocolate Maca Balls

Chocolate Maca Balls

Delicious, easy to make and healthy. Have one or two a day to help satisfy the chocolate/sweet cravings and give yourself a boost of goodness too. These are also really good "mojo" boosters - if you know what I mean!!!

Ingredients

·         1 tablespoon Maca Powder

·         1 tablespoon Organic Natural Cocoa powder (I like Planet Organic) or cacao

·         1 cup almond meal

·         ¼ cup smooth pure peanut, macadamia or cashew butter (or sunflower paste for nut free)

·         ½ cup desiccated coconut

·         ¼ cup dark Agave  

·         10 drops sweet leaf  vanilla stevia (or vanilla paste)

·         ¼ cup stevia (or honey/maple syrup/agave/rice malt syrup)

·         8 prunes, chopped

·         8 dried apricots, chopped

·         1 banana, mashed

·         ¼ cup extra desiccated coconut

·         ¼ cup sesame seeds

Method

·         In a large bowl combine agave and vanilla stevia drops.

·         Mix in the banana and peanut butter. Combine well.

·         Add in the apricots, prunes, desiccated coconut, maca powder, cocoa, stevia and almond meal.

·         Mix together well.

·         Pour the extra desiccated coconut onto a plate and the sesame seeds onto a second plate.

·         Roll mixture into balls and then roll each ball into either the coconut or sesame seeds.

·         Place all balls in an air tight container and refrigerate for 30 minutes.

·         Enjoy.

Notes

·         Keep in an airtight container in the fridge.

·         For extra flavour, sweetness and a real chocolate hit add an extra 10 drops of chocolate liquid stevia as well as the vanilla.

·         Dried fruit can be varied according to personal preferences.

·         Add crushed nuts and swap smooth for crunchy Pressed Purity Peanut Butter for a different texture.

·         A beautiful satisfying sweet treat that you can enjoy for afternoon tea without the guilt!

Toddler Tips

• This is a wonderful little treat for kids that they truly will love and you know exactly what is in it.

This recipe is from my professional portfolio and was created by me for the Maleny IGA Local Product Local Recipe - recipe cards, on the Sunshine Coast.

Recipe & Food Image Photography ©RebeccaMugridge 2013

Healthy Food IS Beautiful

BEAUTIFUL FOOD Healthy, natural food is gorgeous.

Appreciate the wonder of nature and its bounty or edibles.

Take the time to have a clean fridge and display your vegetables with care and thought so when you open the door a beautiful collection awaits you - filling you with inspiration for a loving family meal or a great quick bite to eat.
Select your produce with interest, smell the fruit, think of exciting ways to cook the vegetables, new recipes to try.
Look for interesting types you have never tried, heirloom varieties, organics grown with passion. Appreciate all the nutrients these wonderful foods will provide you and your family.

Find local suppliers, farmers markets.
Swap produce with neighbours.

Have fruit out on show in a bowl. Edible art.

Grow vegetables in your flower gardens - they are beautiful plants.

Plant a fruit tree.

Help your local kindergarten grow cherry tomatoes for the kids.

When we start to see healthy food as the delicous world of flavours, nutrients and ingredients it is, when we take the time to discover how interesting it all is we do fall in love with healthy eating and healthy food.

Rebecca x







STAY TUNED for information on my exciting new cookbook
Healthy Mumas loving Healthy Food

PS Hope you like the pictures of some of our families home grown edibles :)