Beautiful and delicious floral shortbread with subtle flavours of orange and thyme. This basic shortbread recipe can easily be adjusted to add seasonal edible flowers and herbs from the garden. The perfect treat to impress your guests and enjoy with tea or coffee in the garden.
Botanical Shortbread
Prep Time: 20 minutes
Cook Time: 20 minutes
Additional Time: 1 hour
Total Time: 1 hour40 minutes
Fresh, subtle flavours infused in soft melting biscuits. These botanical shortbread biscuits can be made using seasonal edible flowers and herbs.
Ingredients
250gram butter
1 cup icing sugar
3 cups flour
2 tbsp orange juice
2 tbsp ( 1 orange) zest
1 tsp chopped fresh thyme
1 /2 cup edible flowers
Instructions
Beat sugar and butter until very pale yellow/white and creamy.
Grate the zest of one large orange and add to the mix along with 2 TBSP of juice.
Mix through the flour to make a soft dough.
Wrap or cover the bowl and refrigerate for at least 1 hour.
Preheat the oven to 140 degrees. Lightly dust a baking tray with flour.
Remove the dough and lightly knead to bring it together.
Roll out the dough on a lightly floured surface to approx 1 cm thick (easier to manage using 1/2 the dough at a time)
Sprinkle over edible flower petals and fresh thyme leaves (removed from the stalk).
Gentle roll over the flowers. Some may not stick so just lightly press into place. Cut out shapes using a cookie cutter and place on to the baking tray.
Merge the leftover edges and re-roll out and continue to cut shapes. The second roll will incorporate the flowers into the dough so you may want to add extras on top.
Bake for 15-20mins or until very slightly starting to go golden. You want to keep them pale so they don't become too dry and crumbly. Remove and allow to cool on a wire wrack.
Notes
Edible flowers I used: Pineapple Sage (red flowers), Calendula, Rose, Sweet Violet, and Nasturtium.
Use seasonal edible flowers and herbs: other options to try are Lemon and Lavender, Lemon and Rosemary, or Mint.
Homemade Mint and Rosemary Sauce is so fresh and delicious. With just a few ingredients and fresh herbs from the garden, you can whip this flavour-packed sauce to serve with any Sunday Roast.
Mint and Rosemary Sauce
Prep Time: 5 minutes
Cook Time: 2 minutes
Total Time: 12 minutes
Fresh and zingy Mint and Rosemary Sauce.
Ingredients
1 Cup chopped Mint Leaves (3-4 Sprigs)
1 TBSP Roughly Chopped Rosemary Leaves (1 Sprig)
1/4 cup White Wine Vinegar (or white vinegar)
2 TBSP Water
1 Pinch Sea Salt Flakes
2 tsp Raw Sugar
Instructions
Rinse off the Mint and Rosemary and remove the leaves from the stems. Roughly Chop.
In a saucepan add the vinegar and sugar. Heat until sugar is dissolved. Add the herbs and remaining ingredients and stir to combine.
Lightly blitz using a stick mixer or blender.
Serve hot or cold.
Notes
Store leftovers in the refrigerator in an airtight jar for 1 week.
Rainbow slaw not only looks amazing but it’s also packed full of nutrients. Just like planting diversity creates a healthy garden, eating diversely also has many health benefits. Each vegetable has different levels of vitamins, minerals, phytochemicals, dietary fibre, and antioxidants. This slaw can be adjusted to suit your seasonal produce – see the notes for other vegetables to try out. Rainbow slaw is very quick and easy to make and can be a delicious and wholesome accompaniment to any meal.
Rainbow Slaw
Vibrant and full of nutrients, this Rainbow Slaw is the ultimate Spring side salad.
Ingredients
1 cup shredded Red Cabbage
2-3 Carrots
1 cup chopped Lettuce
1 medium Red Beetroot
3-4 Radishes
5cm cube Butternut Pumpkin
2 TBS Sunflower Seeds
Dressing
3 TBS Coconut (or greek) Yoghurt
1 tsp Lemon Juice
1 Clove Garlic
2 tsp finely chopped fresh Fennel Frond or Parsley
1 TBS Water
1 Tbs Olive Oil
1/2 tsp Chilli Flakes
Salt and Pepper to season
Instructions
Rinse your veggies and clean off any grit or soil.
Finely slice the Cabbage using the thin-medium section of the mandolin. If you don't have a mandoline, you can either grate or finely slice using a knife.
Peel the Carrot, Butternut, and Beetroot (The skins dressed in olive oil and seasoned make delicious chips - see notes below).
Using the Julienne teeth on the mandoline, finely slice the Carrot, Radish, Butternut, and Beetroot into thin strips. Use a grater if you do not have a mandoline.
Roughly chop your lettuce into small pieces.
Add a little of each vegetable to a bowl so they are all mixed without having to stir through (otherwise the beetroot will turn everything red and you will lose some of your colours).
Drizzle with olive oil and a squeeze of lemon juice. Lightly toss.
To make the dressing, add yogurt to a small bowl. Then add crushed garlic, finely chopped fennel frond, lemon juice, water, chilli flakes, and salt and pepper to season. Stir well and taste. Add extra salt or lemon juice if needed.
When ready to serve, drizzle the dressing over the salad and top with sunflower seeds and edible flowers - I used nasturtium petals.
Notes
- Use vegetable skins from Carrot, Beetroot, and Butternut to make vegetable chips
Coat your skins in a light drizzle of oil.
Place your vegetable skins on a baking tray and sprinkle with a little salt.
Cook at 190 degrees celsius for about 5 minutes turning once halfway through. Keep an eye on them as they are so thin they will overcook easily.
Remove when they are golden and slightly crispy. They will also crisp up as they cool.
- Other vegetables that would be great in this slaw are: coloured Capsicums, Fennel, Nasturtium leaves, other Beetroot Varieties.
Pick your fresh greens and herbs straight from the garden and turn them into these delicious green flatbreads. This recipe is quick and easy to make and can be used for a wide range of dishes. Roll thin for flatbread wraps or tear up and use as a dipping bread for hummus and other summery dips. These would also be delicious served with curry or stew.
Garden Green Flatbread
Yield: 8-10
Prep Time: 10 minutes
Cook Time: 5 minutes
Additional Time: 15 minutes
Total Time: 30 minutes
Garden Green Flatbreads are easy to make and packed full of nutritious greens and herbs from the garden. These flatbreads are great for serving with summer dips, hummus or pile on your favourite salad for a healthy wrap.
Ingredients
3 cups Flour
1 1/2 tsp Baking Powder
1 tsp Salt
4 TBS Vegetable Oil
2 cups mixed greens and herbs*
1 sprig fresh Rosemary
3/4 cup milk
Instructions
In a large mixing bowl add flour, salt, baking powder, and mix. Then add in the oil and mix to a crumbly dough.
Remove the stalk and roughly chop up the rosemary leaves and add to the mix.
Prepare a bowl of iced water. Blanch the greens in a large shallow pan of boiling water for 30 seconds then add to the bowl of iced water to cool.
Warm the milk in a saucepan and add to a Blender. Strain the excess water off the greens and add to the blender. Blitz until smooth and combined.
Add the green mix to the flour to form a dough. Add a little extra flour if it is too wet and sticky.
Roll the dough into a ball, wrap with film, and refrigerate for 15mins.
Lightly flour the bench, roll out your flatbreads using golf ball-sized amounts of dough. The thinner the dough is the easier it will be to bend and wrap.
Heat a large pan with oil then add your flatbreads for 30 seconds on each side or until slightly golden.
Tear up the flatbreads and serve with dip, hummus or add your favourite salad to use as a wrap.
Notes
- The darker the greens are you use the more vibrant the colour will be.
- *Use greens such as Spinach, Chard leaves, Asian Green leaves, Parsley, Nasturtium, Sweet Potato, Fennel Frond
Satay Rainbow Rolls are healthy, delicious and so easy to make! Once you master the rolls you can mix and match ingredients with what is fresh and growing in your garden. Plus, feel free to swap the halloumi for your favourite protein. These Rainbow Rolls are made using Rainbow Chard but you could also use large Beetroot leaves, Cauliflower leaves, Broccoli leaves, Spinach or even Cabbage leaves. It is important to have flexible recipes that you can make using what you have available in your garden and these rainbow rolls are definitely a versatile option for your Garden to Plate meals.
Satay Rainbow Rolls
Prep Time: 35 minutes
Cook Time: 2 minutes
Total Time: 37 minutes
Ingredients
3 Large Rainbow Chard leaves
1 Carrot
1 cup finely chopped Red Cabbage
1 /4 of a Red Capsicum
4 Lettuce leaves
1/2 Avocado
6 Strips of Haloumi (swap for Tofu or Chicken)
Small lemon wedge
2 TBS Peanut Butter
1 tsp Tamari (or soy sauce)
1 tsp hot water
1 tsp brown sugar
Instructions
Mix peanut butter, tamari, water, and sugar in a small bowl until fully combined.
Rinse Haloumi well in water, dry off and place on a plate to coat in a tsp of the Satay Sauce. Keep the remaining sauce for the rolls.
Finely slice your cabbage. Peel and cut your carrots into fine sticks. Slice capsicum, avocado, lettuce, and any other fillings you want into small strips. Squeeze a little lemon onto the avocado to stop it from going brown.
Rinse your Rainbow chard and remove the stems (keep these in a small jar of water and add to any other meal over the next day). Carefully slice off the back ridge of the stem so that it is thinner (see example image below).
In a small pan lightly fry your halloumi until it is slightly golden. About 1minute on each side. Set aside to cool while you prepare the leaf wraps.
Place a large pan of water to simmer. The pan needs to be big enough to fit your leaves. A wok or a wide frypan works best. Place a dish of water with a few ice cubes beside the stovetop to transfer the leaves to after they have blanched. Add your leaves one at a time to the simmering water for 40secounds and then transfer to the iced water. This will soften the leaves and keep them a vibrant green colour.
Once they have cooled place them on a tea towel and carefully dry off the excess water.
Lay the leaves flat with the top facing down. Add your filling to the widest part near the base of the leaves. Ensure there is about an inch of the empty leaf down the sides. Spoon on some sauce above the filling.
Start rolling the leave from the base and then fold the left side in. Do a half roll again and add the right side. Carefully keep rolling and tucking the sides in as best you can. The bigger the leaf and the more room you have, the easier this will be. At the end, you may need to dab some water on the tip of the leaf to allow it to stick.
