The Water Lily

The past few weeks (well months really) have been hot and unrelenting. My garden is weary and I am weary from the effort of trying to keep my brain intact and clear!! I’ve given up trying to keep flowers in the house, everything wilts and dies under the heat (even with some air – conditioning). But on Sunday last, after the busy days of cooking for the Seasonal Seminar, work and life in general, I was shopping and felt a flower was needed to lift the spirits. A pink flower. And there was the water lily – a robust and wonderful thing, looking up at me with a smiling face, and colour flowing into my body and soul. 

One of the treats we cooked for afternoon tea at the seasonal seminar, was a zucchini loaf – this is zucchini time, they are cheap and plentiful at the moment. This is a simple, quick and easy to make loaf that lasts well. 

A couple of notes – the recipe calls for white spelt flour (1 cup = 130gm) and 1 cup wholemeal spelt flour (165gm). Make sure the wholemeal weighs more like 145gm, so that means the cup is very lightly packed. Weight has a huge (huge) bearing on how your end result will turn out, and I find that 145gm is a good measurement for 1 cup wholemeal spelt flour. Now, if you want to do this with wheat flour, yes – you can, but just keep to the same weight measurements. Forgo the cup entirely and just weigh. Don’t stress if you don’t have dulse flakes – they are a great way to slip in a little more mineral goodness, but the loaf will taste fine without them. I like butter in this recipe, but if you would like to use coconut oil, just know that it will be a little more crumbly when cool, and the crumb won’t be as gorgeous. You could always just use a macadamia, almond or even extra virgin olive oil too. 

Oh, your oven. You will see the recipe calls for 180c – a moderate oven. If you have a fan forced oven, this will be anywhere from 150c (my oven) to 165c.

I’ve simply taken a photo this time of the recipe from my book Wholefood for Children, Nourishing Young Children with Whole and Organic Foods, it seemed the easier thing to do! Add all the ingredients to a big bowl, mix it with your hands, and add the wet !! The amount of milk should be fine with that measurement of flour, but it should not be too firm a mix – you can see the picture below. If so, add a little more milk, even yoghurt is fine.

That’s all there is too it – it freezes well, and best of all, eats well. Enjoy. 

Next week I am off to Melbourne (and it’s cooler weather) for the Melbourne Wine and Food Festival – the wonderful Cath Claringbold and I will be doing a Seasonal Salvation Masterclass, and I’m going to be at the Edible Garden also. Amazing, a whole organic garden right in the city !!! Days of meeting amazing people and talking about food!! But especially sustainable, good, real food. I’ll update you, so stay tuned….