Coffs Coast locals Pandora and Nalia met 16 years ago working in real estate. As they became friends, they shared their hopes and dreams for the future. Nalia vividly recalls Pandora talking about the recipe book she would one day write. 

“It feels emotional for me knowing she had that vision so long ago,” explains Nalia. “Now her beautiful book Nourished by Nature is in my store at Go Vita and we get to work alongside each other!”  

“I’m so proud of Nalia because she wanted to have babies and next thing she had four!” laughs Pandora.  “She studied naturopathy and look her now.”

The pair are passionate about fresh, nutrient-dense food that tastes good. As a mother of four school-aged children, Nalia is a school lunchbox pro. Pandora is a qualified chef who just loves to share healthy plant-based alternatives with busy parents.

Preparation is Key 

Nalia sets time aside on the weekend to get ready for the week ahead. She prepares enough to last five days so lunchboxes can easily be packed each morning. She says there are plenty of good-quality packet mixes available if cooking from scratch just isn’t possible.

Try Funch Protein Ball Mix in Vanilla and Coconut or Organ Felafel Mix.   

Get the Kids Involved 

“Bring them to the kitchen bench and give them a job,” says Pandora. “Things like making colourful fruit kebabs or rolling the bliss balls in coconut.”  

Another tip is to plant a small veggie garden with snow peas, cherry tomatoes and carrots. When children watch food grow and know where it comes from, they are more likely to be excited about eating it. 

Add Protein 

“Protein fills kids up and makes them less likely to reach for sugary snacks,” say Pandora. “Find it in yoghurt, hummus, nuts and seeds.” 

“I put protein powder in my kids’ bliss balls, smoothies, acai bowls, even porridge,” adds Nalia. “I make a tahini slice which also contains oats so that’s another tasty protein hit.”  

Find Healthier Alternatives

Pandora makes a Mars Bar alternative by stuffing dates with nut butter and popping them in the freezer. 

“Dates are naturally sweet but they also have fibre which aids in the slower release of that energy,” she explains. 

Introduce New Foods Slowly 

“It can be difficult when your kids are used to certain foods but when you know better, you can do better,” Nalia says. “Make small, gradual changes like swapping their chips to healthy crackers.” 

Try Spiral Foods Tamari Rice Crackers, Ceres Organics Brown Rice Crackers or Honest Sea Organic Roasted Seaweed.  

Don’t Forget Immune Boosters

“Probiotics are especially good for kids heading back to school to keep their immune systems up and firing,” explains Nalia. “Children can have this dry on a tea spoon or mix it with yoghurt, porridge, water or any liquid really.” 

Gastrointestinal health is required for the development of healthy skin, hair, bones and teeth. It also aids muscle tone and growth, mental competence and correct functioning of the immune, nervous and lymphatic systems.   

Nalia recommends Children’s Probiotic Plus Powder by Nutri Vital 

Pandora’s Tabouli for Kids 

½ cup chopped parsley

½ cup chopped mint

1 spring onion

1 finely diced cucumber

1 finely diced tomato

1 cauliflower floret grated

Salt to taste

Juice from ½ lemon and mix

Pandora’s Peppermint Bliss Bombs

2 1/2 cups activated almonds

7 tbsp cacao powder

1 cup Medjool dates, pitted

1 tbsp coconut oil, melted

1 tbsp coconut butter, melted

3 tbsp honey

2 tbsp orange or apple juice

1/2 tsp peppermint essence

3 tbsp cacao nibs

1 cup desiccated coconut for ball coating

Place almonds in the food processor and Grint them into almond meal. Remove the mix and put aside in a separate bowl. Place the remaining ingredients (excluding cacao nibs) into food processor and blend into a chocolate paste . Add the ground almonds and cacao nibs and blend to combine. Roll into even sized 30g balls and then coat with desiccated coconut. These guys freeze well or can be kept in the fridge for up to two weeks.

Nalia’s Tahini Chocolate Slice

Base

1 cup rolled oats

6 medjool dates, seeds removed*

1 tablespoon cacao or cocoa

1/2 teaspoon concentrated natural vanilla extract

Pinch of salt

Place the ingredients into your blender or food processor and blend at high speed until the mixture forms a ball. This takes a while, but it will happen.

*You may need to double the dates, give it plenty of time but if it isn’t coming together add extra dates. The dates are also much softer if you store them at room temperature.

Press the mixture into a loaf tin.

Topping

1/2 cup rolled oats

4 tablespoons hulled tahini

3 tablespoons honey

2 tablespoons cacao or cocoa

1/2 teaspoon concentrated natural vanilla extract

pinch of salt

Pulse the oats until they are ground, you do not have to be to pedantic about this, a bit of texture is fine. Add the remaining ingredients and quickly pulse to combine. Spread the mixture over your base and return to the fridge to set. Enjoy!

Where to Shop

Go Vita Coffs Central

Organics MattR Port Central

Fresco Coffs Central

IGA Port Central

Buy ‘Nourished by Nature’ by Pandora Colledge at Kaleidoscope Coffs Central and Go Vita Coffs Central

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Shop for ingredients for plant based spelt flour pizzas at Fresco Marketplace online or at Coffs Central. In Port Macquarie, go to Richies Supa IGA Port Central.

I’ll be honest, I don’t find a lot of joy in cooking for myself. But add friends and it’s a completely different experience! Likewise, a pizza party for one isn’t much of a vibe. The answer? Fun housemates! Plant Based Spelt Flour Pizzas may sound too healthy to be tasty but that couldn’t be further from the truth. Read on and see how a random Sunday afternoon went from blah to BEST then cook the pizzas yourself! 

Ingredients

For the bases:

325g spelt flour – we used Chef’s Choice Stoneground Organic Wholegrain from Fresco Marketplace
Half a 7g sachet of fast acting yeast
1 teaspoon salt – we used Maldon Sea Salt from Fresco Marketplace
2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
160ml warm water

Toppings – All from Fresco Marketplace

Full disclosure, we’re not big on following recipes to the letter. We go with the flow and sometimes add a splash of this or leave out a dollop of that. Cooking shouldn’t feel too rigid but obviously it helps to have a bit of guidance. With that in mind…

Method

Step 1. Mix the yeast, warm water and olive oil in a small bowl. Set it aside for a few minutes, stirring occasionally.

Step 2. Combine flour and salt in a mixing bowl. Add all of the liquid and start mixing with one hand. Keep the other hand clean and holding onto the bowl, trust us! Things will likely get verrrrry sticky so feel free to add some extra olive oil to the surface of the bowl.

Step 3. Turn out the dough mixture onto your surface and give it a good knead. Maybe your dough is too dry. If so, add some warm water. Maybe it’s still super sticky. If so, dust it with some more flour.

Step 4. When you can say you have a smooth ball of dough on your hands, divide into four smaller balls and place back in your bowl. We covered the bowl with a tea towel and put it outside in some warm, dappled sunlight.

Step 5. Preheat your oven…and make it HOT! We turned that bad boy up as high as it could go which was about 250 degrees C. It’s a good idea to get it going about an hour before you want to cook. If you have a pizza stone put that in now.

Step 6. Prep/chop all of your toppings and veggies. We put them in small bowls or spaced them out on chopping boards.

Step 7. Once your dough has risen (we left it about 90 minutes) put each ball onto a floured surface and give it a little more of a knead. Grab your rolling pin and shape your dough into a thin base. No rolling pin? No worries! We had a wine bottle on hand and it did the trick.

Optional Step 8.

Impress your friends by spinning your bases high into the air! Take it to the next level: Pair up with bae and try to switch bases mid air!

The real Step 8: Lay your base onto some baking paper and add your toppings. Everyone has their preferences when it comes to pizza. So add whatever you like in quantities of your choosing.

Step 9: Bake until the edges of your bases are nice and golden. Enjoy!

Want more recipes? Check out our Mexican Pulled Pork Tacos

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This recipe has many great features, its preparation is quick, most of the ingredients can be substituted or adjusted, and there is a huge margin for error, if it’s not ready simply put it back on the heat. The general principle is that the pork is slow cooked in a liquid. The recipe below yielded fantastic results but if you wish to swap the orange juice for beer, or any other liquid, that would give the meat a different flavour.

Once you’ve made this you’ll want to make it again as it’s very easy, freezes well and is great bang for your buck.

Cook: up to 4 hours in the oven or at least 8 hours in a slow cooker

Have fresh groceries from Fresco delivered to your door! Order here.

Ingredients

• 1 tbsp vegetable oil

• 1 onion

• 3 garlic cloves

• 2kg pork shoulder skin off (if it has the skin you can remove it and make cracking separately)

• Spice rub of paprika, dried oregano, salt, pepper, cumin, allspice, cayenne pepper, and cloves – or whatever your favourites are

• Juice of 3 oranges

• 1 lime

• 1 400gm tin of diced tomatoes

• sugar or honey

Method

If the pork has skin then you will need to remove it using a sharp knife, you can salt the skin and set it aside to be made into crackling.

Step 1
If using oven, preheat to 140-150 ⁰C

Step 2
Heat the oil in a large ovensafe pan (with lid) on medium heat on the stove (or in slow cooker). Dice onions and garlic and saute in oil until soft, stirring frequently

Step 3
Wash and dry the pork then rub the spice mix all over the outside and place on top of the onions and garlic. (Ideally use whole spices freshly ground in a pestle and mortar or coffee grinder, otherwise whole spices will do)

Step 4
Add orange juice, tomato paste and honey or sugar to taste

At this point feel free to experiment. You could add extra tomatoes, capsicum, or an alternative liquid like chicken or vegetable stock. It’s hard to go wrong with this recipe just make sure the dish is balanced and not too salty or sweet.

Step 5
After 3.5-4 hours (in oven) or 8 hours (in slow cooker) check that the pork can be pulled apart easily with a fork. If not, continue cooking.

Step 6
Reduce the cooking sauce till it thickens in consistency, at this stage you also have the option of sieving the cooking liquid to remove any solids – the onion will be soft and tasty but if you don’t want the texture then you can take it out.

Step 7
Heat some butter or oil in a separate pan and fry the pulled pork to brown it slightly, before adding the reduced sauce to finish your dish

Serve with tortilla wraps, rice and beans, salsa, guacamole or any other Mexican accompaniments.

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The post Recipe: Mexican Pulled Pork appeared first on Coastbeat.

Moss? No! M.O.S.S. as in mustard, oil, sugar and soy. This is my grandmother’s recipe and it’s another easy one with a delicious result. You want to use thighs because they are juicier than chicken breast and won’t dry out, and ideally marinate overnight but if not a minimum of half an hour at room temperature is fine. You can tweak the recipe by adding fresh garlic and ginger to the marinade but the recipe’s simplicity is its beauty. It is sweet, salty, and tangy hitting all those spots on your taste buds. 

For a healthy meal, pair the thighs with a simple salad of cos lettuce, tomatoes, avocado, and shallots. Add a homemade salad dressing of olive oil and balsamic vinegar and you’re in for a delicious lunch or dinner. This salad is my mother’s and she actually uses Paul Newman’s Own Balsamic Vinaigrette rather than a homemade one, so that’s another option. 

Any number of variations could be made to both the chicken and the side salad; the key to knowing you are going to enjoy it is to taste the marinade and salad dressing and tweak ingredients to your taste. If you’d like something more substantial, add some boiled baby potatoes with butter or you could easily make a sandwich or wrap too.

Quick and easy to make, and for most people, these will be ingredients you already have in your pantry. For best results, I recommend using a barbecue to cook the chicken (or you can pan fry).  

INGREDIENTS

For the Chicken:

• 1kg chicken thighs (preferably skin on)
• 3 tbsp French or Dijon mustard
• 3 tbsp olive or vegetable oil
• 2 tbsp soy sauce
• 1 tbsp of brown sugar or honey

For the salad:

• Two baby cos lettuces, washed and leaves separated
• Handful of cherry tomatoes, halved
• One ripe avocado
• One bunch of shallots (spring onions), washed and sliced into rings (white part only)
• Olive oil
• Balsamic vinegar

METHOD

Step 1

Mix all the marinade ingredients together in a bowl, add the chicken thighs and cover to marinate overnight in the fridge (or at least half an hour).

Step 2

To make your salad combine all the ingredients in a bowl then, in a separate bowl or jar, mix your dressing of olive oil and balsamic vinegar and season with pepper and salt to taste. Don’t dress the salad yet.

Step 3

Heat your barbecue or frying pan (if using a pan add oil) on medium-high heat and then fry those thighs for about 5 mins or so each side. On a barbecue, you’re looking for a bit of rich darkening on the edges.

When the chicken is cooked dress the salad and toss it then serve immediately.

Check out more recipes here.

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Feeling the cold and in need of a little comfort food? Spiced pumpkin soup, pot pies and mega burgers have just been added to the menu at Port Central Pantry. Head to the foodcourt on Level 1, Port Central and satisfy your cravings today!

Now you can experience the taste of Port Central Pantry at home. Owner Sean Tiddy has shared his special soup recipe below.

Spiced Pumpkin Soup

Ingredients

1 whole butternut pumpkin
4 carrots
1 medium sized sweet potato
1 large brown onion
2 table spoons crushed garlic
1 litre vegetable stock
1 litre water
Pinch of dried ginger, cinnamon, cloves and nutmeg
Coriander leaves
1 red chilli
40g brown sugar
200mls cream
Cream freche

Method

1. Preheat oven 160
2. Remove skin and slice pumpkin into 2cm slices
3. Lay out on baking tray and sprinkle with all dry herbs and sugar. Bake for 10 to 15 or until cooked through
4. While pumpkin is roasting, dice onion and sauté with garlic for five minutes on medium heat. Add roughly diced sweet potatoes and carrots. Cook for a further five minutes
5. Add diced chilli and few sprigs of coriander then vege stock. Add water and pumpkin. Simmer for roughly 40 mins
6. Purée soup with stick blender – add cream and season to taste
7. Garnish with dollop of creme fraiche and coriander

If you’re in Coffs Harbour, you MUST check out the new menu at Depot Cafe!

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What’s for lunch in the heart of Coffs? How about a poke bowl or five-spiced pork belly? Perhaps a classic beef burger or very local fish tacos accompanied by a delicious cocktail…or two? The brand-new team at Depot Café Coffs Central is ready to offer you an elevated dining experience. 

A Fresh New Taste

Chef Nils Stromland has built Depot Café’s new menu around quality local produce, with a taste of Tasmania on the side. Hearthfire sourdough, Ricardoes tomatoes, Hillroasters coffee, Two Tails wine and Bucket Brewery beer are just a handful of current suppliers. 

If you’re in the mood for a classy cocktail, you’ve come to the right place. Try the Flow Martini (Hendricks gin, elderflower, mint and cucumber, topped with Prosecco) or a classic Espresso Martini.

Nils and manager Brad Hobbins are looking forward to an array of new offerings and events, so watch this space and get ready to go with the flow. In the meantime, check out some mouth-watering meals from the fresh new menu. 

Host your event at Coffs Central

Coffs Central’s space on Level 1 at Food at the Terrace is available for hire for your special event. The area can be transformed into varying themes and sizes, so you can accommodate any size function from 20 to 250.
Styling and multimedia facilities are available as well as catering from Coffs Central foodies, Depot Cafe, Ootoya and Sotto Zero.

For enquiries and bookings for your event, email Lucy [email protected]

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May 20 is World Bee Day. As well as providing delicious honey, they aid food security, biodiversity and healthy ecosystems. From helping to pollinate most of the crops we eat to supporting other essential ecosystem services, bees are hard working little creatures. We all have a role to play in protecting the crucial work they do. Buying your honey from local suppliers helps too. Coastbeat visited Port Central’s Real Food Markets and caught up with Narelle Fox who represents The Beekeeper. She walked us through the honey varieties on offer. 

Who is the Beekeeper?

‘The Beekeeper’ is a fourth-generation father and son beekeeping business based at Collombatti near Kempsey. Their 1500 hives are transported to wherever the best trees are flowering. In the last 18 months a combination of drought, fire and flood has meant Daryl Brenton has had to take his hives much further afield in search of appropriately flowering trees. When the weather conditions are favourable, they generally stick to the Mid North Coast or the fringes of the northern tablelands.    

Narelle Fox takes us through some of The Beekeeper’s varieties….

Yellowbox

“Yellowbox is your everyday honey – mild and mellow. It’s very good for tea and coffee because it will sweeten rather than flavour.” 

Ironbark

“Then we go to Ironbark. It has a little bit more depth of flavour than Yellowbox and people find it a little bit sweeter.” 

Stringybark

“The Stingybark is our darkest honey. The darker the honey, the deeper and stronger the flavour. It has a caramel and licorice flavour.” 

Turpentine

“We’ve just got the Turpertine honey back. It’s been six years since we’ve had that one. It’s a very different honey as it has a herbaceous, lemon myrtle flavour. My recommendation would be to use it when cooking.”

Visit the Real Food Market in the Port Central forecourt every Tuesday from midday.

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When: Saturday, December 12, 11am-1.30pm

Where: The Wellness Collective, 39B Cameron St, Wauchope

Find out more here

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Many still can’t be held but the return of Street Eats @ The Jetty on Saturday is a sign that things are gradually returning to normal. The long wait has seriously tested the patience of Sherry Price, one of the partners in Another Tasty Event, the business that organises many food-themed gatherings on the Coffs Coast.

“We’re beyond excited to be putting on a Street Eats event again, really looking forward to it,” she says.

About 16 vendors will be serving their treats to diners at the Jetty Foreshores, all of them relishing the chance to get back to what they love to do. The ongoing restrictions mean there will be no bar service this time around but the food, live music and the setting give families a few great reasons to get out and enjoy themselves.

“It’s been a hard period for the vendors, and everyone has had to reinvent themselves on what they can do,” Sherry says.

“Unfortunately we are missing a few vendors because of the borders being closed but we’ve picked up a couple of new ones and a lot of the old favourites are going to be there so we’re really excited and hope the weather gods are kind to us.”

Even though it is an outdoor event, there is still the necessity for everyone to follow Covid-safe rules to make the day as safe as it is fun.

“We will have hand sanitisers throughout the event area and we’ve spread out our vendors even though the Jetty Foreshore is a very big space,” Sherry says.

“Obviously if people are in a family group, they can be together, but everyone will need to be mindful of space between people.

“Bring a hat, bring your sunscreen, bring a chair, bring a rug, bring your family, bring your friends, and if you bring a dog, please keep it on a lead.”

When: Saturday, October 31, 4pm-9pm

Where: Jetty Foreshores, Coffs Harbour

Find out more on Facebook.

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