Strawberry and Rhubarb Lemonade

Last Saturday i was getting ready for the next issue of Kimi Magazine- the "Red Issue". Normally i'd be opting for the savoury recipe out of the two featured recipes, but Joanne beat me to it with a delicious tomato upside down tart with basil and feta - so good to eat after the shoot!
It was hard to think of a sweet recipe that was red and would stay red, wouldn't look like a pile of sloppy mess for the camera and wasn't some sort of pie.

I brought it down to Strawberry and Rhubarb Lemonade. The photos turned out great, but you'll have to wait until October to see the pro's photos by Georgia Wiggs.

All was smooth sailing as i was making the lemonade. The mixture was almost at a boil, steam was floating up from the saucepan and yummy strawberry smells were starting to fill the kitchen. Everything was going great until i watched the stove flicker and then go out. After several attempts at re-lighting the stove and several calls to the gas company, the gas still wasn't working and the stove would not light again... for another day or two. That makes for interesting cooking.
 Not to worry, i left the lemonade to stew in it's own pulpy goodness for a bit longer before straining.
If you can avoid having your stove go out on you, please follow the below instructions!

Strawberry and Rhubarb Lemonade
4 cups rhubarb (3-4 sticks), chopped small
4 cups (500g) fresh strawberries, halved
rind of one lemon
5 cups water
120 g raw sugar
juice of one lemon
juice of one lime
soda water (optional)

In a saucepan combine rhubarb, strawberries, lemon rind and sugar. Bring to the boil, reduce the heat, add the lemon and lime juice and simmer for about half an hour.

Strain the liquid through a sieve and discard the leftover fruit (or use it in a smoothie or muffins). Store lemonade in an airtight container in the fridge. It will keep for about a week
Serve on ice with fresh mint, lemon and strawberries to garnish.

If you like your lemonade a bit fizzy (as i do), add a splash of soda water to your lemonade.

Apple and Berry Quinoa Crumble

This morning I arrived home from Darwin. Sunny, warm, dry, blue-skied Darwin. Our convenient 2am flight landed us in chilly old Melbourne at 6.45am. After 2 weeks camping our way around Kakadu, Katherine and Litchfield, going to bed when the sun did and waking up when it rose- we were struggling to drag ourselves to the airport at such an ungodly hour.

Feeling tired and sorry for myself today in my cold hometown of Melbourne, I'm posting this crumble recipe that Luisa and I made when we were feeling just as sorry for ourselves when our original flight to Darwin got cancelled and we had to stay in Melbourne for the first 2 days of winter before we could get on another flight. We needed something warm and wintery to brighten those blues.

Crumble
1 cup cooked quinoa
1 cup oats
1 handful pumpkin seeds
1 handful sunflower seeds
1 handful shredded coconut
1 tsp ginger powder
1 tsp cinnamon
1 tsp nutmeg
1 small pinch of salt
2 tablespoons coconut oil

Fruit
1 apple sliced
1-2 cups frozen berries
1 vanilla pod
3-5 cloves 
1 tsp cinnamon
water
 
Preheat oven to 180-200 degrees. 

Stew the apple in some water with the cloves and cinnamon. When it starts to soften, scrape the vanilla pod into the mix and let the pod stew too. Add the berries. Stew until you reach the consistency you prefer. Remember to remove the cloves and vanilla pod before cooking.

To make the crumble topping, combine cooked quinoa, oats, seeds, coconut, spices and salt. Rub in the coconut oil to the rest of the mixture with fingertips.

Grease a baking dish and pour in stewed fruit mixture (don't forget the cloves and vanilla!)  Sprinkle crumble mixture on top and bake in oven for 20-30 minutes or until golden brown on top.

Serve with yoghurt, cream or coyo!

*The only sugar in the recipe comes from the stewed fruit. We found that the apple gave the crumble plenty of sweetness and we didn't feel as though we had to add any other sugars. If you're a bit more of a sweet tooth, try some chopped dates in the crumble mixture. It will sweeten it and give it a stickier texture when cooked.* 

Happy winter everyone.