Mushroom Cauliflower "Risotto"

Did you know that Australia has just released an updated food pyramid?  I don't want to get into any sort of debate around exactly how the food pyramid should look (because I know plenty of people that would disagree completely with this model) but I do want to say that it is a major improvement on its predecessor. What I am most excited about is that it's now recommended that one eat more vegetables than bread (and there are so many more beautiful greens on there!) I think we can all agree that our diets should be packed with veges.

Before I moved out west I was flatting in a lovely brick villa in Mt Eden that  had a fantastic vegetable store one minutes walk away. It really did mean that we were never lacking our five plus a day, and that we became increasingly creative with vegetables.  This dish is an example that, minus the cheese it doesn't have much else other than vegetables.  It is extremely light so if you are particularly hungry may need a few additions. Take the recipe as a bit of inspiration.  Play with it.  I think it would be a great accompaniment to oven-baked chicken.

Banana bread for breakfast

Winter is fast approaching us, the days are getting shorter and the mornings darker.  I find at this time of the year it is all the more hard to get going in the morning and fitting in breakfast before leaving for work becomes even more tricky than I normally find it.  I have studied nutrition for over five years and I know that eating breakfast is important.  I have even taught school children that eating breakfast is important as well as their teachers. As a classic case of knowledge not transferring into action,  I remain an average-to-poor-scoring breakfast eater.  I blame this on seldom designate enough time in the morning for creating something I actually want to eat.  Some would put it all down to poor planning and those people would be entirely correct.

I have recently stumbled upon a sure-fire solution.  This scrummy banana bread is nutritious, fantastically filling and the preparation of it (in its simplest form), only requires a few easy strokes with a good quality bread knife.  If you want to put a bit more effort in, its quite lovely toasted and served with yoghurt, maple syrup and a few berries.