Shop Local Campaigns – Thought Provoking?

This year we have been hearing about “Shop Local” campaigns. So far we have discovered that these campaigns are in place throughout suburbs of Sydney, Melbourne, country towns throughout NSW and parts of the United States. Essentially this campaign suggests that whenever possible a consumer purchases goods or products from a local or locally-owned business.

There are many reasons that this campaign is gaining momentum.

• Environmental; rather than driving to the large shopping centre to make purchases, you call into your local shopping strip as part of your daily travel arrangement, or you walk, as part of your daily exercise routine. This reduces our individual contribution to greenhouse gas emissions.
• Social; shopping locally gives you a chance to interact with your immediate community.
• Economic; Local businesses often have specials in place that are competitive with the prices offered by big business. Research from the US showed that “Every $100 spent at locally owned businesses contributes an additional $58 to the local economy.  By comparison, $100 spent at a representative national chain store in Portland yields just $33 in local economic impact.’ [1]
• Service; Local business owners have made a choice to own a business in your community, they are keen to develop a relationship with you, not just to sell you something.
• Choice; Product lines are gradually disappearing from supermarkets, hardware chains & variety stores, to be replaced by home-brands. Customer choice of product is being gradually eroded. Support of local businesses is a vote for choice. It ensures that the food production and manufacturing in Australia is not dictated by and dominated by faceless, nameless executives in offices in major cities in Australia, or other parts of the world.

So, in the future, when you need to go shopping, THINK LOCAL. Think about the choice you are making. Are you choosing to support your local economy, your local food producers, your local tradesmen, and your local community? Or are you choosing to line the pockets of big business and internationally owned companies? Your shopping choices are determining the future of our world and our children’s world.

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[1] http://www.portlandbuylocal.org/news-events/study-buying-locally-pays-big-dividends/

Apple Muffins

Autumn is the time when new season apples appear in store. They are very affordable, and deliciously crisp.

This recipe makes 12 regular or 6 regular and 8 mini muffins

Ingredients

300g organic plain flour
1 tbs baking powder
2 tsp Herbies Cassia (baker’s cinnamon)
150g firmly packed brown sugar
2 medium Granny Smith or Red Delicious apples, cored, peeled and finely chopped
125g sultanas
125g butter melted and cooled
2 free-range eggs, lightly whisked
185mls (3/4 cup) milk

Method

1. Preheat oven to 180°C. Grease the muffin pans with olive oil spray or a little melted butter, or use paper cases.

2. Sift the plain flour, baking powder and cassia together into a large bowl. Stir in the brown sugar, apples and sultanas until well combined.

3. Whisk together the butter, eggs and milk until well combined.

4. Add the liquid mixture to the flour mixture and stir with a large spoon until just combined. DO NOT over mix. If the mixture is over-mixed, the cooked muffins will come out tough.

5. Spoon the mixture evenly into the muffin pans.

6. Bake the muffins in preheated oven for 20 minutes or until golden and cooked through. To test if they are cooked, insert a skewer into the centre of one - if it comes out clean, it is ready, if not, bake for a little longer before testing again. 

7. When cooked, remove from oven and stand for 2-3 minutes before turning onto a wire rack. Serve warm or at room temperature. Store in an airtight container for up to 1 day. Or freeze wrapped individually for a sweet treat.

Cheesecake Ice-Cream

This recipe was a hit with family and friends at a recent dinner. It is a 2 stage process, but not that difficult, and definitely worth it! It is extremely rich, and therefore, a "sometimes" food to be eaten in small amounts and shared with friends.

Vanilla Bean Condensed Milk
Ice-Cream
Ingredients
•400g can condensed milk
•500ml Udder Farm Cream
•1tsp vanilla bean paste






Method
1.In a stand mixer whip cream until soft peaks form, add vanilla bean paste and then at low speed add condensed milk, mix until just combined.
2.Transfer to jug and chill in fridge for 2-3 hrs.
3.Churn in ice-cream maker, as per machine instructions.
4.Place in airtight container. Freeze.


Cheesecake Ice-Cream
Ingredients
•350g cream cheese, softened
•1/3 cup caster sugar
•1/4 tsp vanilla bean paste
•1/2 cup Udder Farm Cream
•125g Toblerone, chopped
•1 litre Vanilla Bean Ice-Cream, softened
Method
1.Remove Vanilla Bean Ice-Cream from freezer
2.Using a stand mixer, beat cream cheese, sugar and vanilla until smooth. Gradually add cream, beating constantly until combined.
3.Fold cream cheese mixture and Toblerone through softened ice-cream. Transfer to an airtight container. Freeze for 4 to 5 hours or until firm. Serve.

Roast Tomato, Fetta and Avocado Salad

Small local tomatoes are currently available at The Fresh Ingredient, they are perfect for this recipe.


Ingredients serves 2-3
500g small tomatoes
3 Australian Organic Garlic Cloves, peeled and thinly sliced lengthways
2tbs Australian Extra Virgin Olive Oil
50g Udder Farm feta cheese, crumbled
1 avocado, peeled and roughly chopped
1/4 cup tightly packed small basil leaves.
Method
1.  Preheat oven to 200°C. Line a baking tray with If You Care brand parchment baking paper (available from The Fresh Ingredient). Combine tomatoes, garlic and 1 tablespoon oil in a bowl. Toss gently to coat. Spread over tray. Season with salt and pepper. Roast tomatoes for 25-30 minutes or until tender. Set aside for 20 minutes to cool.  
2. Divide tomatoes and arrange in the base of each bowl, top with avocado, feta and basil. Drizzle each with 1 teaspoon oil and season with black pepper. Allow to sit for 10 minutes to allow the flavour to develop. Serve with pan-fried chicken or a small piece of steak. 

Carrot and Orange Salad

Carrots are on special at The Fresh Ingredient and Summer showed her face today (if only briefly). I was inspired to pull out this recipe. It is my version of a dish served by a close friend at every summer BBQ.


Ingredients (serves 4 as a side dish)
4 small carrots
Juice of 1/2 orange
2-3tbs Extra Virgin Olive Oil - use Australian.
1tbs Red Wine Vinegar
Sprig of fresh mint, leaves picked
Sea salt and freshly ground black pepper
Method
1. Peel and remove the tops of the carrots. 
2. Shred or grate the carrots as finely as possible into a serving bowl.
3. Mix together orange juice, olive oil, red wine vinegar, mint leaves and a pinch of salt and pepper.
4. Pour the dressing over the carrots and toss to coat.
Serve

Seasonal Eating - Asparagus

Australian asparagus comes into the market throughout Spring and Summer. 

This easy, healthy recipe is perfect served either warm or chilled, as a side dish with grilled fish or chicken.

Roast Asparagus

Ingredients (Serves 4)

3 bunches asparagus

1 lemon – juiced and zested

3 cloves of garlic – peeled and sliced

3 tbs olive oil

100g shaved parmesan cheese

Method
1. Pre-heat oven to 180°C.
2. Trim woody ends from the asparagus then place spears in a single layer in a baking dish. Add the garlic slices and lemon zest, coat with the olive oil. Cover the dish (use foil if you don’t have a lid) and bake for 25-30 minutes or until the asparagus is tender.
3. Dress the roast asparagus with 1tbs lemon juice and the shaved parmesan.

Enjoy!

BBQ Season - Potato Side Dish

We've been extremely busy at The Fresh Ingredient, so I must apologise for lack of blog posts. We have moved our little shop to a much bigger premises. This has meant more hours, more stock, more staff, a few more headaches and a lots less time to cook and blog. But, the teething problems seem to have eased, so here is one of my quick, standby recipes.

Spiced Potatoes

Ingredients (Serves 6-8)

1kg chat potatoes
2 -3 tbs Extra Virgin Olive Oil
30g butter melted
1 tbs Herbie’s 32° Spice Mix. (This spice mix contains chilli, so if you want to up the heat, add ore spice mix, or if you want to bring the intensity down a notch decrease the amount of spice mix used.)

Method

1.       Pre-heat oven or covered BBQ to 180°.

2.       Wash & dry the potatoes, then cut into quarters.

3.       Put potatoes, butter, olive oil and spice mix into a baking dish and mix together with your hands until the potatoes are well coated.

4.       Bake for approximately 30 minutes, or until the potatoes look and feel crisp.

Enjoy with your favourite BBQ meats or vegetables.