Sustainable Living Archives

Christmas at Compost-A-Pak

And just like that, suddenly our youngest can reach the top of the tree.

It’s a family tradition to rotate the important positioning of the angel each year. Usually it’s a somewhat precarious task as the kids are lifted to hover over the tree whilst everyone yells instructions at once. This year with a small step ladder, the Angel was in position within seconds.

Our beautiful silver Angel purchased pre-kids on our first international holiday then sits for the season, perched at a slightly strange angle watching proceedings.

Our tree is heavy with history and memories. After discussing ideas for a sustainable, reusable tree, Pete and our youngest built this over a very hot summer weekend a few years ago. They both take great pride in their construction with annual tales of the trial-and-error process.

The tree is decorated with second hand crystals, many from an old chandelier that hung at our wedding and wall lights which didn’t make the cut when we renovated. Other ornaments have been purchased, one every year since the kids could choose. Most years in the excitement of putting up the tree we seem to break a few, so now it’s an attrition and replacement process.

We then decorate the house with annual Santa photos, telling a typical family story, starting with a crying photo that Mum had to get in, pictures of new additions, cousins, and covid times with no Santa at all. As someone who tends to embrace the moment and forgets to take pictures, this Christmas display is even more special.

Christmas will be quieter for us this year, with a smaller gathering.

We have been allocated predinner nibbles as part of our Christmas day feast, which I love. We keep it simple with small bites of lovely produce. By lining our creations up on plates, the dishes are elevated from a regular cheese platter to something more festive. There are two dishes which we always make. Poppy’s favourite home Marinated Figs and Fetta Toast. It’s a dish that is requested every year. We also often make Mini Roast Vegetable Tartlets. The best thing about both these dishes is that we pre-prep so on the day it’s only a matter of assembling everything. We then add a few other dishes. This year we are adding Cheddar Cheese and Quince Paste Biscuits we well as a Christmas Terrine and Gherkin Biscuit.

Our rosemary is in abundance, so we use newer twigs as a Christmas garland to dress up the plates.

Christmas will be a great chance for our amazing team to have a break and reflect on our achievements. 2024 has been a busy year for us as the industry has continued to evolve. It’s exciting to see FOGO being embraced across the country, with many other councils scheduled to roll out their programs in 2025. Some stage governments are also pushing for commercial organisations to do their bit to reduce the food waste being sent to Landfill, where it releases methane and contributes to global warming. Such legislation and investment will allow Australia to achieve further milestones in our Landfill diversion rates.

However, such great progress does come with challenges, and compost processing facilities continue to struggle with cheap ‘bio-hybrid’ bags that are hitting the market. If something is half plastic and half organic, it can’t be recycled and can’t be recycled and can’t be composted. It’s worse for the environment. Such products are marketed to confuse consumers and it’s a shame we don’t have stronger regulations to manage this risk. If in doubt, also check for Australian certifications on all compostable products.

Wishing you all a Merry Christmas and Happy New Year.

Mel

December 18, 2024/by Compost-A-Pak

Christmas Bites – Mini Roast Veg Tarts

Sustainable Living

I love Christmas cooking. This year we are providing predinner nibbles, so rather than a traditional cheese platter, we make up little bites of simple food and dress the plates in rosemary garlands. The presentation really elevates the dish, so it looks as good as they taste.

A family favourite is these Mini Roast Vegetable Tarts. They taste delicious and we can make everything in advance, which is a bonus on Christmas Day when you don’t want to be stuck in the kitchen. The other thing we love about this dish is the leftovers. We always make extra vegetables, as the leftovers can be mixed with goats cheese and rocket, and then dressed in balsamic. Secretly I like the resulting salad as much as the tarts! It is perfect with cold ham! Boxing Day is often my favourite eating day, with all the gourmet leftovers being enjoyed in such a lazy relaxed way.

Ingredients

Savory Tartlet Cases or Puff Pastry Sheets*
Two Garlic Cloves
Olive Oil
A hand full of Cherry Tomatoes
Good quality Olives (Pits removed)
Zucchini (one but I make extra for salads)
Red Onion (one but I make extra for salads)
Goats Cheese
Sticky Balsamic
Salt and Pepper
Herbs for garnish. I have Basil int he garden however you can use Parsley or Chives

Christmas Eve Prep

Crush a few Cloves of Garlic into approx. three good lugs of Olive Oil and warm over a medium heat until it softens. This will give you a fragrant Garlic Oil. Let sit to cool

Slice your Zucchini lengthwise into strips approx. 1/2 centimeter thick

Brush each strip with the Garlic Oil and cook over medium-high heat in single rows on a ribbed skillet until charred (Approx. 3 minutes per side). Brush the second side with Garlic Oil before turning*.

Slice strips of Red Onion into 1-2 centimeter rounds. Try to keep the round together as you cook, as it’s much easier to flip. Repeat the cooking process above brushing again with Garlic Oil.

Cool and refrigerate in a sealed glass container

*The ribbed skillet gives a lovely pattern and allows the moisture to escape as they cook for a crisper finish, however you can use a flat skillet.

Christmas Day Assembly

Simply stack the ingredients to taste – Sliced Red Onion, cuts of Zucchini, half a Cherry Tomato, an Olive (or half if you prefer a more subtle flavor)

Finish with crumbed Goats Cheese, a small splash of Sticky Balsamic, a sprinkle of Salt and Pepper, and Herbs.

Making the Cases

Optional to add to Christmas Eve Prep

*This dish is easiest and looks most professional if you prepurchase savory tartlet cases, however I prefer to make my own with Puff Pastry Sheets and our patty pan. If you have time, making your own pastry from scratch is always worth the effort, however at this time of year, it is just not an option for us.

We use a tuna tin as a guide to cut the Puff Pastry into shape. It is critical to weigh the Pastry down with pie weights, or you will end up with circular Pastry Puffs. I sometimes still have our ceramic weights being thrown off into the bottom of the oven.

Bake as per instructions on the pack and cool. Store for the next day in a sealed container.

December 18, 2024/by Compost-A-Pak

Christmas Bites – Poppy’s Favourite

Sustainable Living

I love Christmas cooking. There is something so lovely about coming together with family and friends to celebrate the year and be thankful for all our many blessings, as we indulge in a shared feast.

We travel at Christmas so dishes which can be prepared in advance are perfect for our contribution to the family feast. Such dishes also mean I can join in on the festivities rather than being in the kitchen for hours.

This year we are providing predinner nibbles, which is a course I love. Rather than a traditional cheese platter, we make up little bites of simple food and dress the plates in rosemary garlands. (As usual our rosemary is in abundance.) The presentation really elevates the dish, so it looks as good as they all taste.

Our favourite Christmas Bite is Marinated Fig and Fetta Toast. Poppy requests this every year so it has become a tradition. For me this tastes like Christmas!

Ingredients

Mini Toast (I purchase these however you can toast your own bread)
Olive Oil
Good quality Marinated Fetta*
Marinated Figs**
Chives

Pre-Christmas Prep

*For an extra injection of flavour, you can swap out the Fetta for Blue Cheese.

**If your Christmas shopping is done, and you have time, you can choose to marinate the Figs at home. I’ve included the recipe for this below.

Christmas Day Assembly

Simply smash the Fetta with a little Oil so it is softened

Spread the Fetta on each Toast

Add a slide of Marinated Figs with some of the sticky juice

Sprinkle Chives

Marinated Figs

Note this recipe requires Figs to be soaked overnight, so plan ahead.

The taste of Christmas! You will only need a few Figs for your toast, however I always make extra as they are perfect with ice-cream as a dessert, to throw in a salad, add to a cheese platter, or to eat with ham as we indulge in Boxing Day leftovers.

Ingredients

15 White Dried Figs

Approx. 1 and then 1/2 cups of Boronia Marsala (Needs to cover the Figs in your chosen jar)

One Vanilla Pod sliced in long strips to release flavour

Cinnamon Stick

1/4 Cup of Honey

1/4 Cup of Orange Juice and a few strips of peel

The night before

Cut each Fig in half and place in a jar

Mix 1 cup Boronia Marsala and the rest of the ingredients

Pour mixture into jar over Figs

Use the remaining 1/2 cup of Boronia Marsala to top up the jar until covering your Figs

Cover the jar and place in fridge

The next day

Over a low/medium heat, gently cook decanted mixture until it reduces to a syrup

As it cooks, gently turn over the Figs so they maintain their structure

Cool and return to jar in the fridge. These are ready to serve immediately or will last a few days in the fridge (unless your husband finds them 😊)

December 18, 2024/by Compost-A-Pak

Winter Daffodils

Sustainable Living

Our Daffodil bulbs have pushed their way up, announcing late winter in our garden. They are such a delicate flower, yet with consistent persistence, they push aside our white pebbles and stretch out to the sunshine.

For our family their arrival means the start of our birthday festivals with a number of birthdays clustered together. It’s always exciting when the daffodils appear, however excitement increases as the milk bottle expiry dates hit our birthday dates! A strange family tradition.

It’s the colder season when we are best at minimising our food waste. Each week, any left-over vegetables end up in a weekly soup, which is perfect for workday lunches.

My favourite is pumpkin soup however I do tend to cook it with a little spice.

I always cook my garlic and onion in a spoonful of green curry paste first, and then add a potato, pumpkin, and a few carrots, plus any other left-over veggies in the fridge. I then add water t cover and simply boil, and then blend. The hint of green curry really gives the soup such a lovely warmth.

If I’m entertaining, I’ll tweak it a little. I add vegetable stock instead of water for a richer flavour, a teaspoon of fish sauce rather than salt, and half a tin of good quality coconut milk. I use the remaining coconut milk on top as a garnish with coriander. It’s delicious, easy, economical, and the perfect dish to hide those extra winter veggies which need to be used such as potatoes, carrot, cauliflower, parsnip, and onions. It’s also ideal to freeze which makes it a great ‘fast food’ lunch to grab for work when I’m unorganised.

Whilst it’s the time of year to stay cosy at home, there is a lot happening in the recycling industry, which is keeping our little team very busy, particularly in Australia’s two largest states.

FOGO is expanding across Australia, providing households with the ability to place Food Organics with their Garden Organics so they can be diverted from Landfill, and instead composted. When our food waste is composted, not only are the nutrients returned to the soil in community spaces for future farming, but greenhouse gas emissions are also reduced.

In Victoria, the Department of Energy, Environment and Climate Action (DEECA) has drafted a new standardised four-stream household waste and recycling system. Whilst it has taken a few years to draft, there seems to have been very limited community and local council engagement, which is disappointing. We believe one of the more alarming proposals is the removal or replacement of compostable bag with paper bags. A simple review of active community FOGO Programs provides compelling evidence that Compostable Bags significantly increase participation in FOGO by making programs more convenient. We need FOGO participation in Australia to help us limit global warming.

Alternatively, shifting from a product which is made predominantly of corn, a crop which renews with each season, to instead paper, for which mature trees need to be lopped seems crazy. The environment credentials just don’t stack up in comparison, not to mention the inconvenience of soggy paper at the bottom of a caddy.

There are a number of changes proposed in this new legislation. If you are in Victoria, you can read more about the proposal here or contact the department directly to provide your feedback here.

In NSW, the news is more positive. FOGO is expanding rapidly within the city and metro areas as the development of several new commercial composting facilities are finalised. It’s an exciting time for our team with a very busy schedule of FOGO Distribution Programs scheduled for local councils across Sydney over the next twelve months. If you are in NSW and not yet able to participate in FOGO, reach out to your local council for more information about your communities’ participation.

The industry is certainly progressing, however let’s hope it moves in a direction where community engagement, participation and the environment is prioritised. Afterall, it’s the community which makes the difference as we strive for a more sustainable future.

Mel

P.S. It’s almost International Dog Day, so if you are looking for a gift for your best friend, our Compost-A-Pak Dog Bags are perfect for walks as the days start to warm.

August 22, 2024/by Compost-A-Pak

Autumn’s Lesson

Sustainable Living

The trees are about to show us how to let things go

-Anonymous

I walked past this quote at the beginning of Autumn. It’s really stuck in my mind.

What a precious thing that nature shows us such splendour in the seasonal cycle.

New growth, spectacular displays, and then there is something so beautiful as the leaves change colour and drop.

Beauty in letting things go.

It’s an important thing to pause and consider. Our modern world bombards us with notions of what we should want, what we need. When in truth, letting things go can be more powerful.

Isn’t it ironic that so man people are finding more connections by letting go of social media. Or that studies show people find happiness in decluttering to live a simpler life without all the stuff we ‘need’.

Perhaps Autumn is inspiring a movement.

So, what could you let go of?

It’s halfway through Autumn, and I have a few things on my list. Kitchen clutter (I thought it was easiest to start there), social media, alcohol during weekdays, apologising for rushing when I’m living the amazing, crazy life that we have chosen…

One thing that doesn’t change is our team’s commitment to providing sustainable, high quality products. There are so many confusing alternatives on the market now, with large multinationals diversifying their ranges. Many look sustainable, or make various claims. Many combine plastics with organic matter, making them non-compostable (whilst creating micro-plastics) and non-recyclable. Some claim to be made of coastal-bound plastic, which may mean it is simply processed in a factory miles from the coast. It’s a missed opportunity that we don’t have stronger consumer laws to assist families when they try to purchase sustainably.

However in the interim, if you are purchasing a compostable bag, make sure you look for the compostable logos, so you can be confident the product you have chosen is a genuine plant based material and can be composted without contaminating the FOGO compost bound for our community spaces. Compost-A-Pak is proudly made predominantly from third grade corn, a non-eating grade, which is otherwise a waste product, and we are very proudly Australian Certified compostable.

If you are purchasing a Kitchen Caddy, check on the origins of the plastic. Our Compost-A-Pak Caddy is made of almost 100% Post-Consumer recycled content. It’s basically items such as takeaway food containers which have been used by Melbourne families, placed into their yellow recycling bins, and then given another life. The manufacturing magic happens with the support of another Australian family business, who used to make car parts before the local car industry closed.

Thank you to all our amazing customers who consistently choose to purchase our sustainable products, tell their friends and provide feedback about our quality. Working with our amazing team on something we all believe so passionately in, is something I wouldn’t let go of.

Mel

April 29, 2024/by Compost-A-Pak

Compost-A-Pak’s Summer

Sustainable Living

We are all back from holidays, and although we look a little more tanned, and have some great stories to tell, that holiday feeling left very quickly.

As a team we came back to a crazy day, with two weeks of online orders to get out in one day. It’s actually a great introduction back to the team, with everyone pitching in, regardless of role, to ensure every order is processed, packed and dispatched, whilst sharing many holiday stories.

Our family holiday was just amazing. We had a lovely family Christmas in which I cooked far too much, including favourites like Pickled Cucumbers and Chilli Jam. We then spent days with our guests relaxing outdoors and eating leftovers. Christmas food always seems to taste better over the next few days!

We then took off camping beside a remote lake, drifting around the shoreline with family and friends. There is so much to love about these days. The storage restrictions result in fresh simple food with little prep. The missing connectivity means there is no games or social media, and instead we got to really connect with the kids, with slow chats about their friends, school, and life’s pressures.

There are many lessons I always try to bring back from holidays.

Simple, fresh meals. My Peach, Rocket and Goats Cheese Salad was a holiday favourite this year.
Less device time. Studies consistently show the happiest people are those with an active social life and a sense of community. Devices can easily get in the way of this. We work hard to get the right balance, although sometimes I do fall into the bad habit of checking social media at bedtime. To break habits, I find it best to delete apps completely from my phone for a period. We usually have no TV during weekdays, which encourages longer dinner chats, games, and earlier bedtimes. We also deliberately have no gaming devices in our house, which prevents the stress of managing time restrictions. I do get the ‘everyone has one’ comment sometimes, however it’s an important lesson to learn that the way we choose to live can be different to other families.
Time outdoors. When I’m on holidays surrounded by nature, I really do feel a lightness which I see relaxes everyone. We are blessed with such beautiful weather in Australia, and getting outdoors daily is so good for our entire family. It’s what I most love bout my daily watering of our veggie patch, an excuse to be outdoors most days. I need to deliberately plan more time outdoors with our entire family.

Running a business or building a career does require dedication and sacrifice. Christmas is particularly precious for us as it’s usually the only time we can take off. Research suggests taking several shorter holidays tricks you into feeling you have more time off. I’m taking that advice this year, and have already booked a few weekends away back in nature. Something to look forward to. Kitchen Caddy These weekends will be needed as out team continues to expand and distribution projects are set to run all year. We will be back in Melbourne shortly, and also introducing FOGO with our Compost-A-Pak Liners and Caddies to several Sydney Councils. Depending on the community, both our conventional 7 Litre Caddies and new slimline 5 Litre Compact Caddies are being used. As usual, these caddies are being made in Melbourne, usually with up to 100% Post Consumer Recycled Content. It’s so great to be contributing towards Australia’s circular economy.

If you aren’t sure about FOGO in your local community, I would encourage you to reach out to your local Council, with many programs now in place, being trialled, or being planned.

Happy Composting and Thank You to those customers who did order over our break and patiently waited so our team could enjoy some time off.

Mel

January 23, 2024/by Compost-A-Pak

Peach & Rocket Summer Salad – Lazy Holiday Cooking

Sustainable Living

Inspired by lazy holiday cooking, this fresh summer salad is a family favourite. It’s perfect to accompany a BBQ, and you can delegate the key cooked ingredient to the BBQ Chef. Perfect!

Ingredients

Approx. 60g Rocket*

2 Peaches

Marinated Goats Cheese (to taste)

Macadamias Nuts (Approx. 30 grams)

1 tbsp Balsamic Vinegar

2 tbsp Extra Virgin Olive Oil (A little extra for cooking)

½ tsp salt and pepper

Method

Slice and cook the Peaches on a BBQ or grill plate over hot heat for approx. 5 minutes per side

Mix the Balsamic, Oil and salt and Pepper to make dressing.

Lay all ingredients onto the plate, breaking up the goats cheese.

Dress and serve.

Storage

This recipe is best served fresh.

A note about ingredients

*Rocket is best fresh from the garden if possible. It’s my favourite food to grow, as it’s just so easy, thriving in pots or the garden. In fact, it has even self-sown and grows between our stepping-stones on the way to our raised garden beds!

Need more motivation to plant fresh Rocket? Many of the store-bought lettuce bags can be weeks old, so most nutrients are lost. Bagged lettuces and greens also score highly on the EWG’s annual ranking of pesticide residues, as well as often testing high for levels of bacteria. The bagged variety is often placed into a fossil fuel based plastic bag, which will last forever, however even more environmentally concerning, the leaves are triple washed resulting in a staggering use of water during production.

January 22, 2024/by compostapak

Our Family’s Spring Commitment

Sustainable Living

Our native hibiscus has started to renew, our Spring Herbs are thriving, and the bees are buzzing around the lavender… just like that spring has arrived!

Our family is in that brief lull between winter and summer sporting activities, and so for a change weekend activities are at my discretion. Hats on, we are hitting the garden.

I’ve been inspired by my neighbour who has recently given me a few of her mini cabbages. Simply steamed with a little butter, salt and pepper, it was delicious! The mini cabbages are such a convenient serving size, so it’s straight from the garden, steamed and onto our plates. Perfect convenience food! I’m hoping they will thrive in my garden as well and in a few months, we will be feasting on our own cabbages. I just hope the white moths don’t find out!

Hopefully many of you now have access to FOGO. Approximately 30% of Australian households can now place their food in their Kitchen Caddy for composting. For the larger cities, it’s coming soon, with new processing facilities being built all over Australia. This small change in so many households is making a real difference, reducing emissions and our contribution to global warming. But we need to do more.

I’m on a mission this season to try to further reduce our food waste. Although we compost, food is scarce, as are the resources used in the production, packaging, and transportation of food. Australian research has identified our top wasted food items, and I’m sorry to say our family is not unique. Bread, Bananas, Bagged Lettuce/ Salad, and meat. Milk does also appear in the research, however with my kids, it’s definitely not a problem.

So here are my go-to tips to reduce our three most wasted food items.

Australia’s most commonly wasted food
#1 Bread
I’ve reduced how many loaves of bread I buy, swapping to wraps for the kids once my first loaf runs out, given their much longer shelf life. I also have fruit loaf in the freezer for toast. The kids love it, and the toaster defrosts and toasts it, so it’s just as convenient.

My favourite recipe when I do have stale bread is Italian breadcrumbs. Perfect as a garnish on pasta, meat or roasted veggies. Amazing on a cheese platter with my favourite goat’s cheese or hummus. It’s so good you will be buying extra bread just to replenish!

Australia’s most commonly wasted food
#2 Banana

It’s common to find really ripe bananas in our pantry which the kids refuse to eat, so we have our banana bread recipe down to a fine art. I actually premix the dry items, so all the kids need to do is mash bananas, melt butter and add eggs and Milk. So easy. Once cooled, I then add it to our ‘recess drawer’ in the freezer, and the kids choose each morning what they are going to take for the day.

Australia’s most commonly wasted food
#3 Bagged Lettuce and Salad

I rarely buy lettuce. I find it often smells out of date from when you even open the bag. Instead, it’s always sown in our garden. For the times of the year when it might be more difficult to grow, my rocket always gets me through. When I started our small garden I purchased lots of different lettuce seeds, to see what worked best for our location. Now we have a few options which thrive and so as one garden bed is coming to maturity, I start to plant the next. Growing greens is so easy, even in pots all you need is sunshine and a relaxing daily watering routine and you will be eating fresh greens within weeks.

Enjoy the sunshine and natural spectacle which is spring,

Mel

September 26, 2023/by Compost-A-Pak

Banana Bread – Made with our PreMix

Sustainable Living

Bananas are one of Australia’s most commonly wasted food items. They certainly do tend to ripen quickly, however during ripening, the natural starch converts to sugar. This process sweetens and enhances the taste of bananas – ripened bananas taste better.

However, good luck explaining the science to kids who simply refuse to eat ripe bananas with brown spots.

This recipe is our go to for Banana Bread. I often premix into the required quantities, so the kids simply need to add Eggs, Banana, Milk and Butter. The Premix helps speed up the prep time and avoid the mess of flour everywhere as the kids measure…well usually 🙂

PreMix – Ingredients

Can be measured and mixed in batches.

¼ Cup Plain Flour

1 ¾ Cup Self-Raising Flour

1 tsp Cinnamon Ground

½ Cup Brown Sugar

PreMix – Method

Sift the flours into a large airtight container.

Stir in the Cinnamon and Sugar.

Seal the container until you are ready to bake.

Banana Bread – Ingredients

To be added once ready to bake.

1 PreMix (above)

2 Overripe Bananas*

½ Cup Milk

2 Eggs, lightly whisked.

50g Butter, melted and cooled.

Banana Bread – Method

Preheat your oven to 180 degrees.

Grease a loaf tin with melted butter (Approx. 10 x 20 cm). Then line with non-stick baking paper if you like to ensure it doesn’t stick.

Add the Banana Bread PreMix into a large bowl and make a well in the middle.

In a second bowl, mash the Bananas, add the Whisked Eggs and Melted Butter. Add this to the PreMix and stir.

Spoon the combined mixture into your loaf tin.

Bake for approximate 45 minutes, until a skewer inserted into the middle of the loaf comes out clean.

Let the pan cool for 5 minutes and then remove your loaf to cool on a wire rack or timber board.

Storage

This premix will last at least 6 months in your pantry in an airtight container or jar.

Once made, I store my Banana Bread well wrapped in the fridge, where it will last for about four days, or in the Freezer, where it will last approximately 3 months. Slices in the freezer are great to add to a prepacked lunch, as they will defrost through the morning.

A note about ingredients

*Bananas

If you have overripe banana, and no time to bake, simply throw them into the freezer. The skin will discolour, however after defrosting they can be used in this recipe rather the fresh Bananas.

September 20, 2023/by Compost-A-Pak

Toasted Italian Breadcrumbs

Sustainable Living

Bread is Australia’s most commonly wasted food item, however this Italian Breadcrumb recipe may change all that. In fact, it’s so amazing as an ingredient alternative or garnish you may find yourself buying bread just to keep your stock up!

Traditionally breadcrumbs are made by simply blending dried ingredients. This is a really easy option if you prefer, however, if you are a garlic lover like our family, and have an abundance of fresh herbs, I believe the extra step of lightly toasting the ingredients with fresh garlic and oil is well worth the effort.

Ingredients

½ loaf of Stale Bread*- Saved from our FOGO Caddy 🙂

6 cloves Australian Garlic**

1 Tablespoon Fresh Oregano***

1 Tablespoon Fresh Thyme***

½ Tablespoon Fresh Basil***

½ Tablespoon Onion Powder****

Salt and Pepper to taste. (Be generous)

Splash of Extra Virgin Olive Oil (Approx. 1 Tablespoon)

Method

Peel the garlic, crush each clove, and then mince using the side of your knife until it’s blended into a paste like texture. Adding some sea salt will help breakdown the garlic. This method will release the oils, maximising your flavour.

Blend the herbs and bread to your preferred consistently. I like a little texture.

Add the Olive Oil to the pan over medium heat to coat the pan.

Add all ingredients and continue to stir. It will only take between 5 – 10 minutes. Once you see the breadcrumbs start to go the colour of golden toast, you can remove from heat. It’s better to pull it off earlier than later, as it will continue to cook for as long as it remains in the hot pan.

Cool and then store in reused glass jars.

Storage

Crumbed Haloumi

I prefer to store these in reused glass jars in the fridge. They will last about two weeks. Alternatively, in an airtight container they will last a few months in the fridge.

Then enjoy, the options are endless….

Use as a Garnish to add texture to a simple pasta, baked vegetables, or even over marinated goats’ cheese on a platter.
Use as a substitute to breadcrumbs on a chicken schnitzel or crumbed Haloumi.
Use as a substitute for Croutons in a salad.

A note about ingredients

*Bread

If you have non-crust eaters like me, a great tip is to freeze all your loaf ends, and then once you have accumulated enough, simply make a batch of breadcrumbs.

**Italian Herbs

I find many of these herbs thrive in the garden. Ours are simply planted in huge pots with our citrus trees. As a result, I’m lucky to be able to grab these herbs fresh from the garden. You can certainly swap these out for dried herbs however, you will lose some of the flavour intensity.

Once you have made this base recipe, get creative and play around with the herbs. Depending on what’s available, I sometimes swap out some of the herbs for Paprika, Sage and Parsley.

***Australian Garlic

We are lucky enough to often have Garlic fresh from Poppy’s Farm Garden, however when we do purchase, I always buy Australian Garlic.

Of course, it’s fresher and supports local farming families, however there are other benefits.

Imported garlic travels long distances, and so needs to be fumigated to control pest and pathogens. It’s commonly treated with Methyl Bromide which is an odourless and colourless gas you can’t detect. It’s toxic when inhaled or indigested, and causes irritation to the eyes, skin, and respiratory system. In fact, it’s banned in Australia apart from its use as a fumigant for quarantine purposes. It’s definitely not the type of thing I like on ingredients my family are eating.

****Onion Powder

Powder is an important part of this recipe as it adds lots of flavour and given it’s dry, it stores well. However, it’s also super easy to make from fresh if you have a dehydrator. Simply cut your onions up into thin slices (rings), spread onto racks and dehydrate at approx. 60 degrees Celsius for around 10 hours, or until they ‘snap’ rather than ’bend’. Blend and store. It’s another pantry item you will always reach for!

September 15, 2023/by Compost-A-Pak

Christmas at Compost-A-Pak

Christmas Bites – Mini Roast Veg Tarts

Christmas Bites – Poppy’s Favourite

Winter Daffodils

Autumn’s Lesson

Compost-A-Pak’s Summer

Peach & Rocket Summer Salad – Lazy Holiday Cooking

Banana Bread – Made with our PreMix

27 Litre – 5 Rolls of 20 Liners

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