Jody Vassallo healthy eating recipe books

Winter
Brrrr. I used to be one who avoided winter and travelled the globe chasing the sun. How times changes. Now I find myself almost egging winter on, anxious to don my flanalette pjs, light my open fire, cook a big pot of soup and hibernate. I am rather partial to a slow cooked meal so pull out my slow cooker and throw on a curry, tagine or a pot of dhal and wait for the aromas to fill my house. Hardly a day goes by without me preparing a big pot of soup just in case someone pops in and I have been on a bit of a roll lately with toppers for soups. Try making a quick salsa verde for a creamy bean and cauliflower soup or mix together some shredded nori with toasted sesame seeds and bonito to sprinkle over a bowl of congee. And because it is winter and everyone tends to like to finish their evening meal with something sweet I like to take full advantage of the glut of citrus we have around at this time of year. I make mandarin sago and depending on my mood I will either finish it with a splash of coconut cream or a dollop of..... yes my favourite barambah yoghurt.

SOUTHERN HEMISPHERE
JUNE, JULY, AUGUST

FRUIT		VEGETABLES
Apples Cumquat Custard apple Grapefruit Kiwifruit Lemon Lime Mandarin Melon Nashi	Nuts Orange Passionfruit Pears Persimmon pineapple Plum Pomelo Quince Rhubarb Tangelo	Asian greens Avocadoes Beetroot Broccoli Brussels sprouts Cabbage Carrot Cauliflower Celeriac Celery Fennel Garlic Ginger Horseradish Jerusalem artichoke	Kale Kohlrabi Leek Okra Olive Onion Parsnip Peas Potato pumpkin Shallot Silverbeet Spinach Swede Sweet potato Turnip Witlof

Spring mmmmmm. Can you smell the jasmine in the air, spring is here, winter is over, time to venture outdoors. Time eat lots of greens, get the body moving and shed those extra kilos we put on over winter to help keep us warm. I can’t think of spring without thinking of asparagus, steamed, barbecued or stir fried I cannot ever seem to get enough of it. Married to parmesan, salmon or eggs or simply drizzled with Joseph olive oil and sea salt and pepper. Spring is a perfect time for cleansing, a couple of weeks without meat and dairy and I promise you will feel like a new person. Check out the yoga page for some detox recipes or even better why not buy my Detox book from fortiori.com.au.

Summer is one of my favourite times of year for fruit and veg. My fruit bowl is always full to overflowing with mangoes that perfume my whole house. Cherries spell xmas for me and even though imported ones are available mid year, I prefer to hang out for the plump Aussie grown ones that are delicious on their own ......or cooked lightly in a sugar syrup and draped over icecream .......or perched on top of some coconut sago.
On a hot summers eve there is nothing like a mango and ginger granita either on its own as a palate cleanser after a barbecue or spoonful plonked into a glass of champers.
Of course it wouldn’t be considered summer without balmy nights and barbecues. And no barbie would be complete with perfectly cooked onions or a pot of carmelised onion marmalade. Let your imagination guide you with the salads you serve, chargrill corn and capsicum to serve it with a spicy fresh tomato salsa, lightly steam a mix of fresh peas and toss them through young lettuce leaves with shavings of parmigano reggiano. Serve sliced avocado, radish and sunflower sprouts finished with a light sesame, tamari, rice wine vinegar and sugar dressing.

SOUTHERN HEMISPHERE
DECEMBER, JANUARY, FEBRUARY

FRUIT
Early – mid summer
Apricot
Banana
Berries
Cherry
Currants – black and red currant
Lychee
Mango
Mangosteen
Melons – honeydew, rockmelon and watermelon
nectarine
Orange – valenceia
Passionfruit
Peach
Plum
Pineapples
Prickly pear
Rambutan

Late summer – February
Apple
Banana
Berries
Fig
Grapes
Guava
Kiwifruit
Lemon
Lychee
Mango
Mangosteen
Melons
Nectarine
Orange
Passionfruit
Peach
Plum
Rhubarb
Star fruit
Tamarillo

VEG
Asparagus
Avocado
Beans
Capsicum
Celery
Choko
Cucumber
Eggplant
Lettuce
Onions
Peas
Radish
Squash
Sweetcorn
Tomato
Watercress
Zuchinni and zuchinni flower

Autumn
So those steamy summer days are steadily becoming a distant memory, if you are lucky enough to live in a part of the world where the leaves are turning you will be finding the scape that surrounds you turning amber. The evenings may have started to develop a slight chill and the mornings present with a little frost. Autumn a great time for stewing apples, pears and rhubarb, stocking up for the winter ahead. Poach fruit in a light sugar syrup toss in a bay leaf, some star anise and stick of cinnamon and some saffron threads. Serve the fruit on top of semolina porridge, puff pastry tarts or feature it in a golden crumble. . And it wouldn’t be autumn without quinces, the fruit that I have been enchanted with since I was a young girl. I love to buy big bags of the them and decorate my home with a bowl of the golden fur covered beauties. I had for years been an absolute advocate of poached quince, I would reduce the poaching liquid right down to a sticky syrup and serve it with thick yoghurt (preferably the Barambah organic bush honey). But now I have taken to baking quinces usually insome ghee, bruised cardamom, bay leaf, brown sugar and water. This recipe is adapted from one of Stephanie Alexanders and since making hers I haven’t poached a quince since, baking brings out a much more of the vibrant pink colour in the quince.

SOUTHERN HEMISPHERE
MARCH, APRIL, MAY

FRUIT		VEGETABLES
Apples Banana Berries Breadfruit Cumquat Custard apple Feijoa Fig Grapes Guava Kiwifruit Lemon Lime Mandarin Mangosteen	Melons Nashi Nectarine Nuts Orange Papaya Passionfruit Peach Persimmon Plum Pomegranate Rambutan Rhubarb Tamarillo	Asian greens Avocadoes Beans Beetroot Broccoli Brussel sprout Carrot cauliflower Capsicum Celery Chilli Cucumber Daikon Eggplant Fennel Garlic Ginger Lettuce	Leek Mushroom Okra Onion Olives Parsnip Peas Potato Pumpkin Shallot Silverbeet Spinach Squash Sweet corn Sweet potato Tomato Turnip Zucchini