FAYI

Health starts with food...

Thermomix Prepared Pan Fried Chicken And Veggies

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Dinners at my house are often prepared during the day when the kids are at kindy or school. However, if I don’t get time and have to manage it when both are at home with me then it must be something that’s quick, easy or set and forget!

This dish was one of those ‘I need dinner now’ recipes and after receiving lovely feedback from my recipe testing team on it I thought I best share it for any one else looking for that easy but delicious meal.

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Click Here to Download This Recipe Card For Printing >>

Ingredients

185g (1 large) brown onion, peeled and halved

3 large garlic cloves, peeled

20g ginger, peeled

80g tamari

75g honey

35g coconut oil, plus extra for cooking or preferred cooking fat

950g chicken breast, thigh or tenderloins, diced

1 tsp salt or to taste

1 tsp pepper or to taste

600g vegetables such as: broccoli, pumpkin, carrot and cauliflower, roughly chopped

250g liquid stock

200g of extra vegetables with less cooking time such as: asparagus and snow peas, roughly chopped

6 springs coriander, roughly chopped

60g whole raw, salted or roasted cashews

Steps

1. Add onion (185g) to bowl and chop 3 seconds/speed 5. Set aside.

2. Without washing bowl, add garlic (3) and ginger (20g) to bowl and chop 3 seconds/speed 7. 

3. Scrape down sides and add: tamari (80g), honey (75g), coconut oil (35g) and mix 10 seconds/speed 4.

4. Scrape down sides and add chicken (950g), salt (2 tsp) and pepper (1 tsp)  and mix 10 seconds/reverse/speed 2.

5. Heat up a pan with extra coconut oil or preferred fat and add chopped onion. Cook for 5 minutes until starting to become soft. Stir occasionally.

6. Add chicken mixture to pan and cook for 5 minutes until starting to cook through. Stir occasionally. 

7. Add hard vegetables (600g) and stock (250g) and simmer for 10 minutes or until cooked through to your liking. 

8. Add any remaining vegetables (200g) for a further 2 minutes to keep a bit of crunch. 

9. Once cooked top the dish with coriander (6 springs) and cashews (60g).

Notes

  • You could add some chilli in step 2 and/or coconut cream in step 7 in this recipe. 
  • Serve with some rice, cauliflower rice or mash potato.
  • Change up the vegetables to any that you have on hand.
  • You can use soy sauce instead of tamari if prefered.
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Chocolate Dipped Butter Biscuits

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Butter Biscuits With Jam

There are so many ways to make your butter biscuits fancy but one of our favourite methods is to dip them into chocolate. That is, ANY chocolate. White, dark, milk or a mixture.

Chocolate Dipped Butter Biscuit

It is a very simple technique to making your biscuit a little more elegant for a special occasion, gift or event. However, we want to give you some tips to getting the perfect texture to ensure it looks great. Today we share some tips on how to make sure your chocolate is perfect for dipping your biscuits in.

Chocolate Dipped Butter Biscuits

Firstly, start with enough chocolate so that the biscuit depth can be dipped in. For example, use a small deep cup so the biscuit doesn’t touch the bottom and you don’t need kilos of chocolate to fill a big bowl.

Secondly, use your Thermomix or Thermal appliance to melt your chocolate. This will give you a smooth and consistent result. Add 100g chocolate pieces to your bowl and chop 5 seconds/speed 9. Add 30g copha and melt 3 minutes/50 degrees/speed 3 or until completely melted. Pour into a cup or small deep bowl and then its ready for dipping your biscuits into.

Chocolate Butter Biscuit

Get to know your chocolate. Not all chocolate is created equal. Depending on the chocolate you use it may be too thick so we like to add some copha when melting it to make it smoother, thinner and easier to dip. Ensure it is completely melted before dipping your biscuits in so you don’t get lumps.

Chocolate Butter Biscuits

Lastly, have fun! You can create so many different patterns and styles with all the different types of chocolate flavours. It’s amazing how the butter biscuit can be transformed with a little chocolate. I’d love to see your creations so be sure to share them in our FAYI Facebook private group!

5 Ways To Make Fancy Homemade Butter Biscuits

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Thermomix Butter Biscuits Biskota Voutyrou | Fayi Cookbooks

One of the easiest biscuits you can make is our butter biscuit recipe from the Mezze Cookbook. However, what I really love about it is how versatile it is. With just a few simple steps, you can make these biscuits look super fancy and like they came straight from a store. Little will anyone know how easy they were to make at home, from scratch, with love!

Cookie Pressed Butter Biscuit

Firstly, you should definitely use a cookie press for this recipe. It will make them look uniform and elaborate. This helps to make them all consistent and simply beautiful. Don’t be shy to try all the different stencils though. This adds to the fun of making the same biscuit in so many different ways.

Jam Butter Biscuit

Secondly, I would suggest using the round stencil in your cookie press that allows for you to add something to the middle. This could include some jam, nuts, dried fruit or even a candy. This simple hack really makes your biscuit pop and allows it to be just a little fancier the the simple cookie pressed biscuit.

Butter Biscuits With Jam

Thirdly, use some jam between two of your cookie pressed biscuits. This gives you a totally different effect once again. Ensure the biscuits are the same stencil and in close to size as possible so the jam doesn’t run out. You could also whip some cream to add with the dollop of jam. Just note that this will make the biscuit a little softer over time so will not store as long.

Butter Biscuit With Sprinkles

Next, how about just adding some simple sprinkles. I think this would be my kids favourite. It’s an easy way to make the kids love them with the pop of colour.

Chocolate Dipped Butter Biscuit

Lastly, one I highly recommend is dipping them in chocolate!! White, dark or milk. You can dip one biscuit or the wedged biscuit with jam. You could even use the chocolate to drizzle on top of the biscuit. Yum!

Thermomix Butter Biscuits Biskota Voutyrou | Fayi Cookbooks

There are just so many simple ways you can make and change this biscuit. Each way is so unique but equally delicious. Which way are you going to try?

Homemade Sweet, Dessert or Biscuit Gift Boxes

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Tin of biscuits

At different times of the year, I like to gift box up homemade treats. This could be for my family, friends, neighbours or children’s teachers. I make these sweet gift boxes with either desserts or biscuits. Depending on the occasion, I will fill the tin or box with different things. For example: butter biscuits, french biscuits, kourabiethes, koulouira – Greek Easter biscuits, cupcakes, brownies or another sweet or dessert. I feel it is a simple way to show your love and appreciation to the person receiving it. It’s also great for celebrating those special occasions like Easter, Christmas or Birthdays.

Tin with biscuits

I like to use tin when I fill the container with biscuits. This is because it will keep the biscuits crunchy and fresher for longer. You can often find tins in a two dollar shop or online. Even something like this tea container works well as it has the separators if you are using different types of biscuits or sweets.

tea container with sweets

Any tin container will work really well. I just suggest using tin if you want the biscuits to last a bit longer and it sort of makes the gift just a little more special. Otherwise, even a cardboard box like these or these would work. You could also use a plate wrapped up and it would be beautiful.

biscuit tin

You could make it a little fancy by putting each individual biscuit in a cupcake case. This works well for biscuits like the kourabiethes – Greek shortbread biscuit that have a sugar coating.

The tins and boxes work well for fudge and rocky road type sweets as well. They still might need to be put in the fridge though if you live in a hot environment.

Tin of biscuits

You could really fill up the box or tin with anything you like. But I feel making it yourself, from scratch, adds an extra element of love and appreciation. If you’ve never made one before I encourage you to give it a go! It’s a very simple and enjoyable thing you can do for those around you. Be sure to share with us your creation on the FAYI Facebook Group. You never know who you may inspire by sharing what you put in yours.

box filled with biscuits

French Biscuit Recipe For Your Thermomix

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French Biscuit

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This is a biscuit my Mum often made to have at home for guests. I always thought it was a bit of a special biscuit because I knew when she pulled them out there were friends coming round to visit. This recipe is fairly simple and it produces a crunchy biscuit that will have you wanting to go back for more. It is a great one to serve up with coffee or tea and my husband especially likes it as it’s the perfect biscuit for dipping.

This biscuit is best stored in a tin container as this helps it to stay crunchy and fresh for a lot longer. It makes about 60 biscuits so you may need a big tin to store them all or you could always half the batch. We had a few people from our testing team suggest making the batch of biscuits up, rolling them out and just freezing them before cooking. This way if you don’t want to cook them all up at once you could still make the big batch and store some for later.

I hope you will enjoy the recipe!

French Biscuit Stack

INGREDIENTS

400g almonds, pistachios or nut preference
190g unsalted butter
2 eggs
160g brown sugar
250g white sugar
190g pure cream
30g brandy
1 tsp vanilla extract
1 tsp cinnamon
700g self raising flour

STEPS

  1. Dry roast almonds (400g) for 8 minutes/100 degrees/speed 1.
  2. Take the lid off to allow the nuts to cool slightly. Then use turbo for 2 seconds to chop them a little. Set aside.
  3. Add butter (190g) and soften if not already soft for 1 minute/60 degrees/speed 3.
  4. Scrape down sides, add cream (190g), brown sugar (160g) and white sugar (250g) to the bowl. Mix for 10 seconds/speed 5.
  5. Add all other ingredients except flour: brandy (30g), vanilla (1 tsp), cinnamon (1 tsp) and mix 30 seconds/speed 6.
  6. Add flour (700g) and mix again 10 seconds/speed 6. Scrape down and repeat twice.
  7. Scrape mixture into a bowl to rest for 20 minutes. It will be very sticky at this stage. 
  8. Preheat oven to 180 degrees, fan forced.
  9. After the dough has rested, scoop up 1 tablespoon of dough and roll into nut mixture. Shape it into a log whist coating it in nuts. Before placing it on the tray, bend it a little to make a U shape.
  10. Cook in oven for 10-15 minutes or until lightly  browned. Let them cool on tray before moving them. 
  11. Once all biscuits are cooked, turn the oven off but put all biscuits back into the warm oven so they can harden. Keep them in there until the oven completely cools.

NOTES

  • You can substitute half the almonds for pistachios or another nut of preference.
  • Half the batch if you have a bowl that is smaller than 2.2L.
  • Store biscuits in an airtight preferably tin container as this helps keeps them crunchy and fresher for longer. 

Click Here to Download This Recipe Card For Printing >>

French Biscuits

Click Here to Download This Recipe Card For Printing >>

Food Preparation for Orthodox Easter

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This week is Orthodox Easter. Depending on the calendar year, Orthodox Easter often falls on a different date to Catholic Easter, or as we often say “Aussie Easter”.

It is a very sacred time for our culture and our Church. A lot of the food that we prepare is symbolic to the death and resurrection of Jesus Christ.

Food is a very big part of the Orthodox Tradition of Easter. It starts with Nestia – a fasting ritual that begins 40 days prior to Easter.

During Nestia we cook vegetarian and vegan meals. For example, we have fish, tarama, psomi, salads and fakes-Greek Lentil Soup.

Tsourekia Greek Easter Bread

On Holy Thursday, we make traditional Greek Easter Bread (tsourekia). We also dye the eggs red, symbolising the blood of Christ. 

On Good Friday, there is no cooking or work as it is the day that Jesus is crucified. For this reason all food preparation should happen on Holy Thursday or Easter Saturday.

We also eat fakes (Greek lentil soup) or other boiled food with vinegar on Good Friday. This is because Jesus was given vinegar to drink.

Fakes Served With Bread

Any Easter baking will be finished on the Saturday. All the koulouria, flaounes and other baking is wrapped up ready to gift to family and friends on Easter. 

Koulouria

After Saturday night mass, we will break the fast with our traditional avgolemono soup (chicken and lemon soup). For Easter lunch we enjoy souvla, mezzes and a bunch of salads. This is accompanied with the cracking of the red dyed eggs. 

Thermomix Table Of Salads

Kalo Pascha, Happy Easter to you all.

Do you have any food traditions that you celebrate at Easter time? I would love to know what you and your family do. Please leave a comment below.

How to make a homemade grazing table

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Grazing Table

I thought it would be fun to invite some friends over and make up my own grazing table with some homemade baked goods. I’ve been going to many events lately and they all seem to have beautiful grazing tables. Some were savoury based, some with desserts and fruits and others an array of nearly everything you can think of.

My plan was to cook up a few things before hand, freeze them and just defrost them the day before ready to serve up on the day. There is nothing like cooking up a storm and serving it up to family and friends. The benefit of a grazing table is that you don’t have to stay in the kitchen throughout the party. Nearly everything can be pre prepped leaving minimal to do on the day. Then, an hour or so before the party starts, all you need to do is set up the grazing table. That way you can sit and enjoy the company at the party, while nibbling on the baked goods.

Grazing and Dessert Table

What to include on a grazing table?

The first thing I did was write a list of what I would of liked on the table. I wrote a huge list of some of the things that could be pre made and stored. Then, evaluated the list based on when you can make each item and how many people can actually come.

The Grazing Table Set Up
Check out the grazing table live video I made to show you what was on my table.

Here is a list of things you could add to your grazing table. Choose according to the look and feel you are going for, the type of crowd you are serving it up to (kids, adults or both?) and for how many people. I chose a few things from each section to have a good selection and to try and cater to as many dietary requirements and tastes as I could. These are just examples and many of the items I used for my grazing table.

Savoury and Breads:

Grazing Table Spread

Dips:

Sweets:

Dessert Table

Fillers to fill gaps with:

  • Fruit
  • Sliced vegetable sticks: cucumber, carrots, celery
  • Cherry Tomatoes
  • Cold Meats: Salami, prosciutto, ham
  • Cheeses
  • Dried fruit
  • Nuts or seeds
My Grazing Table

One of the keys to a perfect grazing table is to stick to finger type foods. Choose food that can be put on a small plate instead of things needing knives, forks and a table that they need to sit down at. Also, be thoughtful not to have anything that might melt like frozen desserts.

Use this list as an inspiration and guide to making your own list. Once you decide what items you will have on your grazing table, you can plan out when you can pre make as many of the items on the list as possible. Try not have too many to make on the day so you can just focus on prepping the fruit and veggie sticks and setting up the table on the day.

Grazing Plate
Grazing plate with the leftovers the next day.

I hope these tips help you create your very own homemade grazing table! I would love for you to share your creations in the FAYI Facebook Group. Your creation may be a table or just a grazing plate but I would love to see what recipes you have used to create them.

Why You Should Buy From Your Local Markets

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Brisbane Certified Organic Butcher at the Market
Here with Amanda from Brisbane Certified Organic Butcher.

Why I Love Markets

One of the best things about any market is listening to the stall holders stories. It gives you a change to connect with new people, support local and build amazing friendships.

I go into my happy bubble when I walk around a market. A couple of weeks ago, I found a new local organic famers’s market in the Ormiston area. I’m so grateful to have found a new convenient weekday market that was local to me. I really want to see this new market succeed so I will continue to support them and watch their growth over the coming weeks. If you live in Brisbane you will know it is rare to find an organic farmers market on the south side.

On my first visit to the markets, I was lucky to connect with Amanda from Brisbane Certified Organic Butcher. She is also the founder of this new organic farmers called Organic Produce Market in Ormiston, Brisbane. She has introduced this market to South Brisbane to help locals have access to more organic produce. Amanda specifically wanted it during the week for us Mums who love to go before or after school pick up. How awesome is it that we can do it during the week?! Plus, she sells the BEST liver pate I have ever had!! Go show her some love at her newly refreshed facebook page as she may be willing to share her recipe with me so I can hopefully convert it to a Thermomix recipe for you all!! I can’t tell you how excited I am to do that!

Lunar Farm Organics Birkdale Thursday Market
Here with Luke and his little boy Rex from Lunar Farm Organics Birkdale.

Stories From Market Stallholders To Appreciate

Another great story comes from this beautiful family bringing us their fresh fruit and vegetables. This is Luke with his little boy Rex (his lovely wife Bonnie is taking the photo for us). They have the Lunar Farm Organics in Birkdale. Luke was talking to one of his regular customers and I about what would be available for us in the coming weeks. He was explaining that it all depended on the rain and how he had nearly lost an entire crop from the rain last week.

The passion, love and care he displayed for his produce is what keeps me going back and wanting to support and buy from him and his local farm. His determination to “go out on the farm and pick the tomatoes before they split” from the rain (even if he has to be in the pouring rain to do so) makes me so respectful of his passion and dedication. We defiantly think they are the sweetest little tomatoes, so thank you for producing them. 

Cast your vote for the world you want

Where You Shop Makes A Difference

What I’d love for you to remember, is what you buy, where you buy it from and the experience you have in that process is SO important. Buying spray free or organic fresh fruit and veggies is giving your body the best start. If I haven’t convinced you yet, try the difference between making something like our Greek Yemista (stuffed tomatoes and vegetables) or any of the salad recipes with FRESH vegetables from your local markets and you will notice the huge difference in quality, resulting in a massive flavour punch.

Buying straight from the farmer is not just helping you feed your family. It will help keep local farms alive and thriving. Your produce will be local, fresh, REAL, not modified and simply what is in season. Appreciate it! 

Fresh fruit and vegetables Market Stand
The spread of fresh fruit and vegetables from the Organic Lunar Farm in Birkdale.

I encourage you to grab some friends, your kids, your neighbour or your pet and make the time to go to your next local market. You will be doing yourself and your family a favour by getting some fresh amazing local produce or products in your home!! By buying at your local market you will be casting your vote for a less industrialised world, one with less big chain supermarkets profiting and our local farmers and stall holders benefitting. Getting your fresh fruit and vegetables from these markets will give you such a great start to a new week. Now, I can’t wait to show you what I do with all this local fresh produce so stay tuned. 

Until then, 

Chrystalla xx 

This is where it starts…my happy bubble.

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I think it’s time for you to get to know me a little better, learn a few things about my journey that you maybe didn’t know. So, where should I start…

On Thursday afternoon, as I walked down to my local farmers’ market to stock up for the week, all I could think was… THIS is where I should start! You see, I have a little obsession with markets. Not just farmers markets but any market. It helps me immerse into a place that I like to call my happy bubble. I love to find places, people and activities that help put me into this bubble as it really boosts my mental and physical wellbeing. 

In my little happy bubble at my local farmers market.

Market Fun Before Kids

Before having our two children, I would take my husband to every market I could find or have time for. Cleveland markets, Mummy Tree Markets, The Jan Powers Farmers Market, Mt Gravatt Street Food, Eat Street Northshore, Brisbane Etsy, you name it. It wasn’t about going there to buy a hundred things but more to experience something unique and exciting. I enjoy walking through a market to see what people were proudly creating, growing or selling. It was a blissful hour strolling through, looking, smelling and always enjoying a meal. It was a guaranteed way to put a smile on our face.

I continued this love affair with our first born and even while I was pregnant with our second little one. I mean, I literally was walking a market while experiencing labour contractions that I thought were only Braxton Hicks. That was the one of the last markets I had really enjoyed for a while. I don’t really remember going to too many markets once we had our second child. As you can probably relate, life with two small ones doesn’t allow for much leisurely strolling.

Family Photo
Our first family photo not long after walking at the market!

Life With Two Small Children

Food shopping then became more about home deliveries. Tell me I’m not the only one that had to do this!? I definitely didn’t feel the same satisfaction with just a box delivered to my door. I felt no connection to where or who the ingredients had come from or if there was any love that went into their production. At the time, it was how I got through the days and managed to cook for my family.

Luckily, that didn’t last too long and now that the kids are a little older, I am ecstatic to be back enjoying the markets and even more excitingly, have THEM enjoy the markets with me. 

Breakfast at the markets
Breakfast at the markets with my little man.

Teaching My Kids Young

I enjoy the time we spend as a family visiting markets on the weekend and choosing out fresh produce for the week. The kids eagerly nibble at what we have bought which I think allows them to learn and appreciate so much about the food they are eating. It’s definitely an experience that everyone should have. 

We use the opportunity to talk to our farmers, stall holders and produce makers. It gives us time to connect, learn of their practices and engage in their stories. I encourage you to get out there and talk to these amazing people and embrace their stories! Listen to their journeys and how they are bringing you the remarkable products they are selling to you.

What about you?

I would love to get to know more about you! Please comment and share where your happy bubble is? How do you complete your weekly shopping? Is it something you do grudgingly each week or something that takes you to your happy place?

In my next post, I will be introducing you to some of the amazing producers in my local market who have so kindly shared their stories with me.

Until then,

Chrystalla

A New Direction…

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So you’ve heard the news … and if you haven’t, then check out Sia’s goodbye video here. I can’t stop watching it, like it’s surreal or something. Still so heartbroken over the change but l respect the the decision that Sia’s had to make. I could see this weighing on her shoulders for so long now.

I know so many of you have been waiting for our upcoming Salad cookbook! However, with Sia leaving Fayi, so many things had to be put on hold, sorted out, understood and mostly, accepted… it’s been a huge transition. For now, I want to talk about what these changes really mean. 

Salad Collection Thermomix Cookbook

What does this mean for FAYI?

At the moment I’m not going anywhere. I feel there is still so much I want to do and recipes I want to convert. It does however mean that things might be a little different, but I hope you’ll stick around. I definitely don’t have Sia’s amazing blogging skills but I promise to do my best! So please bare with me as I learn a few of the tricks of the trade and by that I mean convert my iPhone notes into an actual blog post haha! 

The blog may not be just Greek food converted as for me that is not authentic to myself or what I want for my brand. I really love converting these family traditions but then I actually enjoy converting it to a wholefood state so that my family can enjoy it also with their dietary requirements. This may be a little different for some of you but I think it’s important to stay true to what I love and will show through the recipes I share and blog about. 

Staying authentic really made me think about our current branding and the words “traditional recipes converted”. This has been a huge part of our branding and I thank each and every one of you that have supported it and that part of our story. But for me that’s not all I believe “FAYI” (which if you don’t know means food in Greek) is about.

For me food is life!! It enriches every part of my soul, makes my heart sing just to talk about it and my life is really consumed by good food. So I have thought long and hard about making a change to our brand with the already big change of Sia leaving and I felt it was needed to be true to me and what I want FAYI to be about because for me .. it starts with food.

Food is such a huge part of my life and that’s why I believe it’s the soul of life. If you don’t have good food then so many areas of your life will be affected. Didn’t eat a good dinner, maybe thats why you didn’t sleep well? Kids skipped breakfast, then they couldn’t concentrate at school today? 

Chrystalla fruit and veggies

It’s my honest belief that so much of our life starts with food and moving forward I want to show you what I mean by that. I want to fill your heart with good food! Through the stories, recipes and the ideas that I would like to share, I hope I can get you to love food as much as I do! I want you to feel some of the excitement I get when thinking, serving or making a meal so let’s enrich our life with good, healthy, nourishing, soul filling food! 

I’m really looking forward to sharing what I’ve been working on with you all soon. 

Until then,

Chrystalla