Organic Camellia Tea Oil

At the Organic Expo in Sydney in July, we were fortunate enough to meet Andrew, the Phase 5 founder, the man who has brought Organic Camellia Tea Oil to Australia. The oil not only comes with a host of health benefits, it really does taste great. You'll always find a bottle in our cupboard!

Camellia Tea Oil has been used in oriental cooking for thousands of years. It is also used as a health tonic in Chinese Medicine.

Great to cook and drizzle with, here are some recipes from the Phase 5 team.


Lemon Almond Linguine
Pan fry fresh breadcrumbs, almond slivers and crushed garlic in some Camellia Tea Oil, until crisp and golden. Toss through cooked linguine or spagetti with lemon rind, black olives, parsley and a dash of lemon juice.


Roast Pumpkin and Beetroot Salad
Place chunks of butternut pumpkin and wedges of peeled beetroot and red onion in a bowl, add some Camellia Tea Oil, toss together until coated and season with flaked sea salt and cracked pepper. Roast in a hot oven until tender. Arrange on a platter drizzle over more oil and sprinkle over chopped fresh herbs.



Crumbed Camembert Wedges
Cut a medium round of Camembert cheese into wedges, toss in flour, dip in beaten egg and coat in seasoned breadcrumds or ground almonds. Heat sufficient Camellia Tea Oil in a large wok or fryer, deep fry wedges until coating is crisp and golden brown. Drain and serve with spicy plum sauce.


Rasberry Tea Oil Dressing
Whisk 3 parts Extra Virgin Camellia Tea Oil with one part Raspberry vinegar. Add salt and pepper to taste. Pour over organic mixed salads greens and organic sliced pears and coarsely chopped hazelnuts (peeled). Accompany with wedges of your favourite Organic cheese and a crusty organic baguette.


Find Phase 5 Camellia Tea Oil at;
IGA stores nationally
Macro Wholefoods
Healthy Life
Go Vita

Or for more information visit www.phase5.com.au

Christmas Cooking for Greenies

When I have the time - I love to cook, and when it comes to Christmas time, I usually put aside one full day to potter in the kitchen making Christmas gifts for family and friends.

There is something very cathartic in knowing that for one full day, all you are required to do is mix and knead and sing along to your favourite tunes.

To 'green up' your favourite recipes, all you need do is

1) Use Organic ingredients wherever possible
2) Use a worm farm or compost bin to utilise the appropriate green scraps
3) Package your gifts in recycled containers when possible

If you don't have a great deal of time, here is a great recipe you can make the night before Christmas - it's incredibly easy.


Christmas Icecream Delight

Ingredients:
1L Organic icecream
Handful of raisins
Handful of organic dried apricots (chopped)
1/3 cup of brandy (or water for a non-alcoholic version)
100g walnuts (chopped)
100g shredded coconut
Raspberries to serve



Soak a handful raisins and a handful of organic chopped dried apricots in 1/3 cup of brandy.

Get 1L of vanilla Organic ice cream or soya ice cream and let it soften slightly.

Mix in chopped up organic dark chocolate, walnuts, and the drained soaked fruit.

Stir in shredded coconut.

Line a loaf tin with baking paper - pour in the icecream mix and freeze overnight.

Turn the icecream loaf out just before serving and garnish with fresh raspberries.

Enjoy.

You can use any combination of fruit and chocolate in this desert - so start experimenting.