Fresh Walnuts from Tasmania were the inspiration behind this post. I jumped out of my skin when I spied a bag full at Farmer Bills market stall at the Caloundra Country Markets last weekend. "I'll take a bag full thanks", I advised the stall holder. Home I came and prised one, two, three (lost count after that) open before chopping and sprinkling them on my oats I had soaked before heading to the market. One of my favourite ways to enjoy walnuts is on a piece of roasted sweet potato spread lightly with honey and sprinkled with walnuts. I often eat this for morning or afternoon tea and the word on the street is that eating a handful of walnuts (approx six halves) before eating a meal not only gives you a dose of good fat but also assists with slowing down the emptying of the stomach meaning you feel full for longer and supposedly want to eat less. Lets hope, but if that doesn't work feel satisfied to know that your skin will benefit instead....


In the coming days I will have a walnut based raw treat that comes together in minutes and makes a great snack for the kids, lunchbox addition or healthy treat for morning tea at the office. But for now take a peek at the Vegetarian Rolls below for some more walnut inspiration.



Walnut Vegetarian Rolls
Serves 4

1 medium carrot, roughly chopped
50 gms walnuts

60 gms cooked sweet potato
Corn from one cobb
1/2 cup tasty cheese
1/4 cup cooked quinoa (could use uncooked oats instead)
1 T wholegrain mustard
2 eggs
1/2 cup loosely packed fresh coriander
Salt and Pepper to season

2 sheets puff pastry (Borgs Organic)
1 egg lightly beaten to wash

Preheat over to 185 degrees celcius
Line a tray with baking paper and then take the pastry out of the freezer to thaw
Place the carrots and walnuts into the bowl of a food processor and pulse until finely chopped
Add the remaining ingredients and mix until you reach a consistency you like (I like to leave a few chunks in mine rather than pureeing until smooth)
Divide the mixture into two portions

Take a sheet of pasty and spoon one portion of the mix onto the pastry approximately 5 cm from the edge
Shape the mixture into a sausage shape using your hands or a spoon.
Peel the pastry away from the plastic backing and fold the bottom edge over the mixture rolling it to seal like a sausage roll. (you can keep rolling until all the pastry is used or roll and seal then cut the remaining pastry off)
Repeat with the remaining mixture

Brush the rolls with egg wash and then using a sharp knife make little slits in the top of the pastry straight across or crossways approximately 5 cm apart
Place rolls on prepared trays ensuring they are apart and bake for 20 – 25 minutes until pastry is puffy and golden and the mixture is cooked through.

Eggs - I sometimes wander what we would do in our household should we ever become allergic to them or unable to eat them. They have been the saving grace of many a meal put before us and our use of them is many.

Farmers markets have been around for a while now and I am ever so happy that there is one that has started not far from where we live and what makes me even happier is that the quality of some of the food on offer has been fantastic. Last night it was belting down with rain and all I could think about was "I hope i wake up and it is sunny in the morning". Why? Well the farmers markets were on this morning and I get this happy, excited anxious feeling that comes over me when it is time to go and if it were to be raining then I may not get especially when I have to drag a 2 year old and a 4.5 year old along. I would be devastated! Call me crazy but being able to buy from local farmers is important to me and I love every aspect associated with that.

So when I woke this morning, it was raining but I still loaded the kids in the car (in pjs mind you) and trudged through the mud with the pram, umbrellas and everything else known to man to seek out my supplies before the next shower came. I think one of my favourite stall holders would have to be rawganix farm eggs They are the most beautiful eggs I have come across in a while and are the result of poultry being pasture fed and in pens that are designed to be moved. Take a look at their website. They have some interesting business plans in the pipeline that I will be looking forward to reading more about as they evolve.

The farmers markets were buzzing this morning. Some of the purchases made this morning included local cheese by Gympie Farm Cheese, fresh beetroot and rocket so there really is no need to explain the logic behind my choice of lunch today.

Serves 4

Salad

2-3 beetroots roasted
4 small handfuls of rocket
4 small handfuls of spinach
1/4 cup pecans
100gms goats cheese (your choice), crumbled

Dressing

2 tbspn olive oil
1 tbspn balsamic vingegar
1/2 tbspn brown sugar
1 tbspn lemon juice
salt and pepper

Preheat oven to 180 degrees celcius.
Trim the beetroot and wrap each one in foil before roasting for approximately 40 - 45mins or until tender.
Allow the beets to cool.
Assemble rocket and spinach leaves between four plates.
Slice the cooled beetroot into wedges before placing on top of the salad leaves along with pecans and goats cheese.
Drizzle with salad dressing to your liking.