Month: August 2022

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Paella – The Fibre Fuelled Cookbook – Dr Will Bulsiewicz

The Fibre Fuelled Cookbook

Dr Will Bulsiewicz

Vermillion

Penguin Random House

ISBN: 9781785044175

RRP $45

If you have been following along with my blog you will have realised how important I think gut health is for everyone. This book is another great resource on gut health, I hope you find it helpful.

“Saffron is a bulbous perennial plant in the iris family that blooms in the autumn. Harvest takes place over two weeks and the flowers are handpicked before dawn, before they open for the day. It requires more than six thousand flowers and over twelve hours of labour to create just 30 grams of saffron, hence the nickname “red gold.” In this recipe, the musky, piney saffron is complemented by the earthy, smoky paprika and garlicky sweetness. It’s a taste of heaven.” p261

9 Plant Points

Serves 4

1 tablespoon olive oil or vegetable stock

1 medium yellow or white onion, finely chopped

1 jarred roasted red pepper, chopped

1 red sweet pepper, seeded and chopped

1 medium courgette, chopped

2 garlic cloves, crushed

2 tomatoes, seeded and chopped

1 pinch saffron threads

1 teaspoon smoked paprika

1/8 teaspoon cayenne pepper

220 g short-grain rice (Arborio, Japanese sushi rice, Bomba rice)

600 ml Biome Stock Unleashed (page 239) or vegetable stock

10 g fresh flat-leaf parsley, finely chopped

1 lemon, sliced

1. In a paella pan or a large, shallow frying pan, heat the olive oil over medium heat. Add the onion, roasted red pepper, and sweet pepper to the pan and cook for about 10 minutes, until brown and reduced.

2. Add the courgette, garlic, tomato, saffron, paprika, and cayenne and cook over medium heat, stirring occasionally, for another 10 minutes, until the vegetables are soft.

3. Add the rice and stock and stir once to combine, then shake the pan to evenly distribute the rice and vegetables. Reduce the heat to medium-low and let simmer for 22 to 25 minutes. Check for most of the liquid to be absorbed and the rice at the top to be nearly tender. If for some reason your rice is still not cooked, add 60 ml more water or stock and continue cooking (can also finish cooking in the oven; see Pro Tip).

4. Remove the pan from the heat and cover with a tight-fitting lid or foil, then place a tea towel over the lid to rest for 5 minutes (this allows the rice to finish steaming). Garnish with fresh parsley and lemon slices.

PRO TIP:

Once the rice is mixed in, resist the urge to stir it again in order to allow a crispy crust to form at the bottom, called a socarrat. Depending on the size of your pan or burners on the hob, you may need to finish this in the oven. Cover with foil, then finish in a 175°C oven, until the rice is cooked through.

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Review: Legitimate Sexpectations – Katrina Marson

Legitimate Sexpectations : The Power of Sex Ed

Katrina Marson

Scribe

ISBN: 9781922585516

RRP $ 32.99

Description:

Can we promise future generations a life free of sexual violence, in which their sexual wellbeing will be protected? Is this a promise we can keep?

As a sexual offences prosecutor, Katrina Marson works for an institution that can only respond, one case at a time, to sexual violence once the damage is already done. During a decade of looking back, she kept returning to a single question: what could have been done to prevent this?

In 2019 she stepped out of the justice system to travel abroad on a Churchill Fellowship, where she witnessed first-hand the power of comprehensive relationships and sexuality education to safeguard sexual wellbeing and act as a protective factor against sexual violence. Combining her coalface experience in the criminal law with her international research on sex education, Marson’s perspective is unique, looking in two directions at once.

Legitimate Sexpectations exposes the limits of the criminal justice system and the fault lines in our society when it comes to sex, sexuality, and relationships. Through storytelling that moves between heartbreak and hope, Marson makes the case for a cultural shift towards valuing sexual wellbeing and preventing sexual violence in the first place. In doing so, she calls on us all to play our part to ensure that young people’s sexual experiences are not just free from violence, but far from violent.

My View:

A life changing book! A book I wish was around and being talked about when I was a child. Child you ask? YES! You are never to young to be empowered about your own safety and to be given permission and the language to talk about sexual abuse at whatever age, child/teenager/adult.

A well balanced, clear and rational discussion regarding “consent”.

Be warned there are triggers in this book – and yes it triggered so many things for me that even now as a 63 year I am still trying to deal with.

This book should be in the hands of every educator, politician, parent, library, resource centre, school…that’s right YOU SHOULD READ THIS

5 stars

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The Trinity Overnight Oats – The Fibre Fuelled Cookbook – Dr Will Bulsiewicz

The Fibre Fuelled Cookbook

Dr Will Bulsiewicz

Vermillion

Penguin Random House

ISBN: 9781785044175

RRP $45

If you have been following along with my blog you will have realised how important I think gut health is for everyone. This book is another great resource on gut health, I hope you find it helpful.

“Chef Emeril Lagasse always spoke of the holy trinity of Cajun cuisine as celery, onions, and sweet peppers. Well, my holy trinity of spices is turmeric, ginger, and cinnamon. I have been loving this combo in my morning coffee for years, and now it’s part of this overnight oats recipe. You can’t go wrong with spices!

FODMAP note: As a banana ripens, the FODMAP content increases while the resistant starch content decreases. That said, we need the banana to be soft and get mashed in this recipe. A third of

a banana per serving is generally tolerated on a low FODMAP diet. A third of a date is FODMAP friendly.” p61

4+ Plant Points

Serves 1

120 ml unsweetened plain almond milk

1 teaspoon chia seeds

1/3 date, finely chopped

1/3 ripe banana, mashed

50 g jumbo oats

1/2 teaspoon ground turmeric

1/2 teaspoon ground ginger

1/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon

Pinch nutmeg

Pinch salt

Supercharge it! (optional toppings):

1 tablespoon golden raisins

1 teaspoon chopped Granny Smith apple

2 tablespoons roughly chopped walnuts

Dash ground cinnamon

1. In a jar or small bowl with a lid, add the almond milk, chia seeds, date, and banana.

Stir with a spoon to combine.

2. Add the oats, turmeric, ginger, cinnamon, nutmeg, and salt and stir to combine.

Cover with the lid and place in the fridge overnight, or until the oats have thickened

(about 6 hours).

3. In the morning, open the jar/bowl and top as desired with suggested toppings. If the oat

mixture is too thick, you can add a little more almond milk to your preference.

FF UNLEASHED:

If you are not following a low FODMAP approach, you can use 1 teaspoon maple syrup instead of the

date or 1 whole date per serving.

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Guest Review: Verity – Colleen Hoover

Verity

Colleen Hoover

Sphere

Hachette Australia

ISBN: 9781408726600

RRP $32.99

Description:

Lowen Ashleigh is a struggling writer on the brink of financial ruin when she accepts the job offer of a lifetime. Jeremy Crawford, husband of bestselling author Verity Crawford, has hired Lowen to complete the remaining books in a successful series his injured wife is unable to finish.

Lowen arrives at the Crawford home, ready to sort through years of Verity’s notes and outlines, hoping to find enough material to get her started. What Lowen doesn’t expect to uncover in the chaotic office is an unfinished autobiography Verity never intended for anyone to read. Page after page of bone-chilling admissions, including Verity’s recollection of what really happened the day her daughter died.

Lowen decides to keep the manuscript hidden from Jeremy, knowing its contents would devastate the already grieving father. But as Lowen’s feelings for Jeremy begin to intensify, she recognizes all the ways she could benefit if he were to read his wife’s words. After all, no matter how devoted Jeremy is to his injured wife, a truth this horrifying would make it impossible for him to continue to love her.

Rachel’s View:

In a stark departure from her run of popular young adult romance novels, Colleen Hoover has delivered a dark, tense thriller.

When a successful novelist who writes from the chilling perspective of the villain is involved in a terrible accident, struggling writer Lowen is brought in to finish the final contracted books. Staying in the house with the famous but now irrevocably changed Verity Crawford and her husband Jeremy, Lowen begins sifting through a room full of the author’s notes.

As she sets about outlining the new novels, she stumbles across something almost too horrible to read – but read she must. And as the pages unfold, Lowen is given a disturbing insight into what really happened surrounding the tragedies of the Crawford family.

Ill at ease from the dark words she has discovered, Lowen begins to question her own sanity as she sees things around the house that don’t add up.

With a last minute twist you’d never expect, Verity is a compelling page turner. Of course there are elements of the romance Colleen Hoover is so well known for, with a few of the common tropes thrown in for good measure. Still, it is an exciting and creepy read that’s easy to finish in a matter of hours.

But reader beware – if you’re a new mum like me, there are parts that will make your stomach turn!

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Guest Review: The Brink – Holden Sheppard

The Brink

Holden Sheppard

Text Publishing

ISBN: 9781922458643

Description:

A group of school-leavers: free at last, ready to party, expectations high.

A remote island on the Western Australian coast wasn’t exactly the plan, but they’re not going to let that hold them back.

Leonardo, geeky, asthmatic, shy and prone to anxiety, has landed with them. He’s terrified—he’s definitely not part of this cool gang. Super high-achiever Kaiya is trying to forget her frustration with her drug-addicted sister as well as dealing with pressure from the popular girls to lose her virginity. Mason, footy jock with the physique to match, is coming to terms with his secret desire for his best mate, Jared. And Jared wants a week off from his relationship with Val so he can have sex with as many girls as possible.

But the party takes a dangerous turn when Val is drugged and a man is later found dead on the beach. Blame, fear, mistrust, coverups, power plays and dark secrets tear the group apart and expose the deadly tensions beneath the surface. And each teen is forced to confront demons that will lead them either to devastating tragedy or transformative triumph.

Whoever survives the week will never be the same again.

The Brink is a raw, powerful novel that pulls no punches in its authentic exploration of masculinity, sexuality, mental health, drug and alcohol use, relationships and sex. Holden Sheppard takes the teenage experience to the next level

Rachel’s View:

Holden Sheppard’s second novel, The Brink, perfectly captures the feelings of excitement, uncertainty and expectation that come with the end of high school. Mix these swirling teenage emotions with the euphoria of leavers, a remote and menacing location, and a splattering of secrets and it would be enough for a thrilling read – throw in a body on the beach, and things get explosive.

One thing is for sure, no one in this group will be the same again – that is, if they even make it home.

Holden Sheppard is a unique voice in the WA literary scene, creating in vivid detail the recognisable locations that local readers will really connect with. In the follow up to his award-winning debut, masculinity and sexuality are again key themes but this time explored through the heady mix of alcohol, drugs, and wild nights of leavers chaos, and the deadly tensions and power plays that lurk beneath the surface in a group of friends.

A raw and powerful read that really cuts deep, the tense mystery kept me turning the pages late into the night.

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Mexican Hot Chocolate Brownies – The Fibre Fuelled Cookbook – Dr Will Bulsiewicz

The Fibre Fuelled Cookbook

Dr Will Bulsiewicz

Vermillion

Penguin Random House

ISBN: 9781785044175

RRP $45

If you have been following along with my blog you will have realised how important I think gut health is for everyone. This book is another great resource on gut health, I hope you find it helpful.

“Brownies made from black beans . . . sign me up immediately! Mexican hot chocolate is known for its spices. In this recipe, you get cinnamon and cayenne pairing with the cocoa powder for a fiesta in your mouth!“p 294-295

4 Plant Points

Makes 12 brownies

One 400 g can black beans, drained and rinsed

125 g peanut butter

55 g almond or oat flour

25 g cocoa powder

120 ml 100% maple syrup

1 tablespoon avocado oil or other neutral oil

1 tablespoon white or apple cider vinegar

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

1 teaspoon baking powder

1/2 teaspoon bicarbonate of soda

1 teaspoon ground cinnamon

1/4 teaspoon cayenne pepper

1/4 teaspoon salt

120 g chocolate chips

1. Preheat the oven to 175℃. Lightly oil an 20 × 20 cm pan (or line with baking

parchment) and set aside.

2. In the base of a food processor, place the beans and pulse 5 or 6 times until well

chopped.

3. Add the peanut butter, flour, cocoa powder, maple syrup, avocado oil, vinegar,

vanilla, baking powder, bicarbonate of soda, cinnamon, cayenne, and salt. Process until

creamy and smooth, stopping to scrape down the sides as needed.

4. Remove the lid and stir in 80 g chocolate chips. Pour into the prepared baking dish (the

batter will be thick) and spread it out evenly. Top with the remaining 40 g chocolate chips.

5. Bake for 30 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted comes out clean.

This is an extract from The Fibre Fuelled Cookbook by Dr Will Bulsiewicz. Published by Penguin Random House Australia, RRP $45. https://www.penguin.com.au/books/the-fibre-fuelled-cookbook-9781785044175

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Ricotta and Orange Olive Oil Cake: Around the Table, delicious food for everyday – Julia Busuttil Nishimura

Around the Table

Julia Busuttil Nishimura

Plum

Pan Macmillan

ISBN: 9781760984915

Description:

Slow Sundays are for herbed roast chicken and silky smooth panna cotta. Eating outside means cheddar scones and fresh, spring salads. Friends coming by for afternoon coffee calls for a simple blackberry yoghurt loaf or comforting ginger cake with cream cheese frosting.

Beloved home cook Julia Busuttil Nishimura always knows the right dish for the occasion, weather or time of day. She also understands the power food has to bring people together, whether that’s to prepare a meal or enjoy the delicious results.

With recipes ranging from quick, flavourful meals for busy weeknights to simple indulgences for summer feasts, Around the Table perfectly matches dishes to time and place. It includes recipes laden with personal meaning – Mediterranean classics from Italy and Malta, and Japanese dishes Julia has learned from her husband, Nori – that will soon become favourites around your table, too. 

“It is no secret that I love ricotta and extra-virgin olive oil. These two ingredients have featured heavily in my cooking since I was young. Here they marry in this very simple cake where the ricotta provides
fluffiness and the olive oil adds richness and a very moist crumb. This is one of those back-pocket recipes that can be whipped up at a moment’s notice, with no special equipment necessary.” p79

Ricotta and Orange Olive Oil Cake

SERVES 8
250 g caster sugar
zest of 2 oranges
3 eggs
100 ml freshly squeezed orange juice
150 ml extra-virgin olive oil
250 g (1 cup) fresh full-fat ricotta
250 g (1 ⅔ cups) self-raising flour
pure icing sugar, for dusting (optional)


Method

Preheat the oven to 180°C. Grease and line a 23 cm round cake tin. Place the sugar and orange zest in a large bowl. Rub the orange zest into the sugar until it is damp and fragrant. Whisk in the eggs until combined. Add the orange juice and pour in the olive oil. Add the ricotta and whisk it all together, then gently mix in the flour until just combined.


Pour into the prepared tin and bake for 45 minutes or until a skewer inserted into the middle of the cake comes out clean. Allow the cake to cool in the tin for 10 minutes, then remove from the tin and continue to cool on a wire rack. Once cool, dust with icing sugar if desired, then serve.


The cake will keep in an airtight container for 3–4 days.

Around the Table by Julia Busuttil Nishimura, published by Plum, RRP $44.99,

photography by Armelle Habib

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Review- Marlo – Jay Carmichael

Marlo

Jay Carmichael

Scribe

ISBN: 9781925713695

RRP$24.99

Description:

A novel of two men, love, and aching loneliness.

It’s the 1950s in conservative Australia, and Christopher, a young gay man, moves to ‘the City’ to escape the repressive atmosphere of his tiny hometown. Once there, however, he finds that it is just as censorial and punitive, in its own way.

Then Christopher meets Morgan, an Aboriginal man, and the two fall in love — a love that breathes truth back into Christopher’s stifled life. But the society around them remains rigid and unchanging, and what begins as a refuge for both men inevitably buckles under the intensity of navigating a world that wants them to refuse what they are.

In reviving a time that is still so recent yet so vastly different from now, Jay Carmichael has drawn on archival material, snippets of newspaper articles, and photos to create the claustrophobic environment in which these two men lived and tried to love. Told with Carmichael’s ear for sparse, poetic beauty, Marlo takes us into the heartbreaking landscape of a relationship defined as much by what is said and shared as by what has to remain unsaid, and unlived.

My View:

I have mixed feelings about this book. I guess my biggest issue was inconsistency. Some of the writing is absolutely beautiful. But somewhere along the way it got a little lost, disjointed ( I got lost) the narrative was evocative, reads like a creative memoir – a “diary” of a time in the recent past that is largely missing from our (Australian) history books and for that point alone is worth reading.

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Arelhekenhe Angkentye Women’s Talk

Arelhekenhe Angkentye – Women’s Talk, Second Edition

Poems of Lyapirtneme from Arrernte Women in Central Australia

Running Water Community Press

Distributed by NewSouth Books

ISBN:978-0-6480629-5-0

‘Lyapirtneme is an Arrernte word that means growing back, returning. It’s like if a bushfire went through the land, and all the trees burnt down, and the roots underground are still alive. When the rain comes you see little shoots growing out of the bottom of the tree, growing back again.’ – Therese Perrurle Ryder, Arrernte Elder. 

 “Lyapirtneme is an Arrernte word that means growing back, returning. It’s like if a bushfire went through the land, and all the trees burnt down, and the roots underground are still alive. When the rain comes you see little shoots growing out of the bottom of the tree, growing back again.” – Therese Perrurle Ryder, Arrernte Elder

Poems are written in both Arrernte and English. Includes an extensive Arrernte glossary

Features poems written by over twenty Arrernte women around the Arrernte concept of Lyapirtneme

In February and May 2019, a group of over twenty Aboriginal women from Central Australia wrote the poems in this book. The women are Central or Eastern Arrernte, or have strong connections to the Arrernte community. Some would describe themselves as writers but most would not. Most of the women are visual artists, and engaged in the daily work of maintaining the cultural life of Arrernte people and passing it on to the next generations.

These poems were developed in the yearly workshops organised as part of the NT Writers Festival. There is never an expectation that the poetry produced by these workshops will be published, however the resulting collection was so strong that production costs for a book were crowd funded in a matter of weeks.

There is healing in this poetry. 

These are our words. 

From our country. 

Our lands. Our spirits.

For all the troubles we face every day, we are a passionate people.

When we hear these poems, we know, we are lovers of life.

Aside from the very appealing cover this book of words and poems has some very evocative and emotional works that I am lucky enough to be able to share with you, thanks to Running Water Community Press, the authors and the publicists, DMCPR Media.

Sunflower

I’m planting a sunflower

in my garden

watering and watching

it grow

into a beautiful flower

Just like I am watching

my grandkids

grow up

like beautiful

pretty

butterflies

Carmelina Perrurle Marshal

Something I Felt

When I woke up in the morning

I walked outside.

Everything was wet –

drops on the trees

and the smell of the air was fresh.

It wa sncie and cool.

It was something I felt

in my heart – a relief.

A sadness had lifted.

My friend,

I thought about you.

Tisha Perrurle Carter