Farmers Market to Table: Vanilla Spiced Baked Rhubarb & Mandarin + A Winter Sandwich

When eating fruit, remember who planted the tree; when drinking water, remember who dug the well. 

Vietnamese proverb

The weekly visit to my local farmers market is one of my most cherished weekly routines. Produce is fresh, seasonal, organic and limited. I like that there isn't an endless amount of choice. It's easier to stay connected with seasonal rhythms this way, to live a little more connected to mother earth. 

Wandering around each stall I don't have a list to get through, or planned meals I want to make. I'm lead by the colours, smells and the abundance of what's in season. As I wander flavours and dishes start to emerge in my mind. Roasted fennel with garlic; a fresh salad of rocket; kale with olive oil, garlic and lemon and it goes on as my excitement increases. Lately my basket has been filled with an abundance of leafy greens, grounding root veges and zingy citrus.

The mandarin season is mighty fine this year and I was curious to see how I could make the most of the mandarin season. Everyone loves stewed and baked fruit in winter so I decided to make a twist on baked rhubarb with orange and use mandarins instead. The result- yum! It adds a nice sweetness to the rhubarbs and goes well with the warming spices.

Another simple but oh so satisfying combination I've been eating a lot of has been this winter sandwich combination. Something about the taste and texture of warming toast topped with the strong and salty taste of anchovies and finished off with crisp greens, makes it melt and zing in your mouth all at once.

Both recipes are great anytime of the day to satisfy winter cravings for warm and comforting food. Enjoy x 

(p.s you may have noticed a few new buttons on the side. You can now follow me on bloglovin' and facebook).

Winter Sandwich

good quality sourdough bread (I love Sol Bread's pumpkin and rice gluten free)

avocado, smashed

anchovies (from a jar)

cucumber, sliced

tomatoes, sliced (small variety, tomatoes not quite seasonal but a local farmer had managed to harvest some!)

rocket, baby spinach, parsley

olive oil

salt and pepper to taste

directions: toast bread and pile ingredients on toast, drizzle with olive oil. season with salt and pepper. yum. 

Vanilla Spiced Baked Rhubarb and Mandarin

3-4 stalks of rhubarb

1 mandarin

juice of 1 mandarin (you could substitute with oranges or lemons)

zest of 1/4 lemon

1/2 teaspoon mixed spice (or cinnamon, star anise and cardamom)

2 inch piece of split and scraped vanilla bean

1 tbsp rice malt syrup

Preheat the oven to 160C. Trim the rhubarb and cut it into short pieces. Place the rhubarb and mandarin into a baking dish in a single layer. Juice the mandarin, I used my hands and squeezed each segment over the mandarin and rhubarb. Add zest, mixed spice and vanilla. Drizzle over the rice malt syrup. Cover with enough water to almost cover the mandarin and rhubarb. Bake uncovered for 30-45 minutes until the rhubarb is soft but still keeps its shape. 

Serve with goat's milk yoghurt, or your favourite yoghurt. 

Serves 2-3

24/52 Weeks of Gratitude

52 Weeks of More gratitude. More hope. More love.

Night markets under a clear cool sky. Live music, good food and vintage finds. The Miami Marketta Arts Creative is a regular artist run market in a newish arts precinct in Miami. I do miss the lights and character of a big city. Arts and culture, cafes, the abundance and diversity of food, historic buildings, the grittiness and the buzz of people on the streets. 

There is always so much colour and life in a city. 

The Gold Coast is definitely not a big city, but for a few hours in a one laneway market surrounded by artist studios and a little cafe complete with red velvet chairs I felt the buzz of a place come alive that was as good as a big city has to offer. And the nachos! Healthy and delicious with beans topped with a salad of carrot and cabbage, cashew sauce jalapeños and sprinkled with pepitas.  To make my first trip to the markets even more memorable I picked up a second-hand game of Boggle and had the most delicious cinnamon milky fine tea experience I've had in quite some time.  Mr Harney & Sons I concur, you are master blenders of fine tea. And best of all, the Hot Cinnamon Spice comes in decaffeinated and herbal blend varieties. 

Mid way through the evening I turned back to look at the scene behind me in the laneway and saw the shining crescent moon in the sky. At that moment I smiled and felt giddy with gratitude.

1/ Writing on the wall. 2/ Vinyl.  3/ Harney & Sons Hot Cinnamon Spice.

Joining in for 52 weeks of gratitude here.

17/52 Weeks of Gratitude

52 Weeks of More gratitude. More hope. More love. 

It was a super 'oh how i love to eat' week, which of course I adored.  There was much home food preparation and a few visits to my favourite cafe, Vintage Espresso, for their divine kale, grape, cucumber and apple juice, scrambled eggs, and a warming chai. It's such a comfy, chilled cafe with shifting furniture, ample reading material and a wholesome brekkie and lunch menu.

Earlier in the week I came home with an abundance of fresh produce from one of my favourite indoor market places in my neighbourhood. Like a traditional french market place there are various cafes, a florist, butcher, bakery, deli and fresh seafood situated around the edges. Smack bam in the middle is the fresh fruit and vegetables,  the heart centre of this vibrant little market place. My senses were treated to smells of freshly baked sourdough and heavenly cheeses whilst my eyes lingered on the goodness of whole organic pumpkins, purple carrots and dark green, crisp, spinach leaves.

Set up well for a week of preparing and eating well I made the most of it. I found avoiding shopping at a big supermarket  also helped me to get into the right mind frame to prepare food from scratch (it's amazing how many food aisles in supermarkets are dedicated to non fresh, packaged goods! Just an observation. I appreciate a tin of tomatoes and toilet rolls just as much as the next person!)

Here's a few simple whole food idea's for when you don't really want to bother with a recipe or spend hours in the kitchen preparing:

• I grilled fresh butterflied sardines for breakfast for the first time ever and was amazed at how simple it was. And they don't have that strong fishy smell of tinned sardines which is a bit of a turn off first thing in the morning. Drizzle with a little oil, lemon and fresh herbs such as parsley and basil and grill on medium to high for 2 minutes on each side. Done!  Devoured with avocado and baby spinach.  
• Roasted organic pumpkin with the skin left on. Scrub skin well, cut into half, then quartered and quartered again (yes it was a very large pumpkin). Drizzle with olive oil and bake on 200C for about 50 minutes. I then ate it as many times as possible throughout the week. Heated for breakfast with chia seeds and goats yoghurt. For dinner I chopped the pumpkin into smaller pieces and peeled off skin and heated up. Grate zucchini and saute in a little water and lemon until cooked. Heat a good slab of unsalted organic butter  in a fry pan, threw in 6-10 sage leaves and cooked for 2 minutes or until sage leaves and butter are brown. Toss pumpkin, zucchini and burnt sage butter over pasta. Add a squeeze of lemon and salt. Served 3.
• I still had pumpkin left over so I made pumpkin muffins- recipe to come soon. 
• For a quick dinner meal one night I stir-fryed onion, spinach, carrot and zucchini and tossed an egg through it. Served with lemon and tamari. 

I was too busy chopping, talking and eating with family to get the camera out. My kitchen also has terrible light so food photos at night are a big pain in the butt.

I also managed to fit in a trip to a fancy pants French restaurant on Saturday night with my sis and mum. The menu really was amazing. It was a heavenly experience of pinot gris, mixed olives, grilled barramundi with white asparagus, pureed eggplant, scallops and green beans. To finish off a heavenly chocolate pudding with vanilla bean cream and honeycomb. A slight veer to the left from the usual diet recommended by my naturopath!

A healthy food approach is not only about what food we put in our bodies but the state of mind we are in when we are eating it. Sharing a meal, laughing, feeling relaxed and being mindful all play a part in good digestion and good health. Food really is one of life's pleasures and I am grateful this week to have had the means and access to fresh and wholesome food. And to have been able to enjoy it with the best of company.

Linking up with Maxabella for 52 Weeks of Gratitude.

What's been happening in your week that you feel grateful for?