PHD Juice Cleanse

OK, so I eat quite a bit. And often that food is about as far away from clean eating as you can get. With that in mind, and the thought of bikini season being horrifyingly close, I decided it was time to do a pre-Christmas cleanse.

This is where I ran into PHD (Pure Health Delivered) a juice cleansing program that promises to blow out the cobwebs and have your body loving you again. Yea yea, I know this is a food blog, and juice doesn't exactly constitute as food, but bear with me- this one is worth a read.

I was sent the three day cleanse, and had 18 juices delivered. Each day you have three 'Pure Green' juices, one 'Yellow Hit', one 'Zesty Lemonade', and one 'Cashew Dream'. The juices are all surprisingly delicious, especially the green juice which is packed full of cucumber, celery, kale, parsley, lemon, green apple, cos lettuce and spinach. Sounds awful but it really does taste great. And while it's a daunting amount of liquid at first you get used to it pretty quickly. By the last day I was actually craving the juices!

Naturally, what I was most fearful of was the inevitable hunger- but it hardly even reared it's head. While I missed the actual act of eating, the juice really fills you up, and actually makes you feel pretty damn good. I had more energy than usual, could stay up later at night, and felt an incredible lightness the whole time.

I did lose weight on the cleanse, but it's a week later and I am pretty sure it's back on. But that's not what the cleanse is about, and it's not the right reason to do one. It's about detoxifying your system, feeling good, and a perfect way to turn over a new leaf of healthy eating and living.

It is tough not eating for three days (especially at this time of year!), but I thoroughly recommend the PHD cleanse- it really works. It's perfect for a post Christmas or New Years detox, and will have you feeling awesome going into 2014!

Prawn Rolls

After our delicious meal at Golden Dawn, Alice and I couldn't get those prawn rolls out of our heads. So, when it was time to throw a dish together for our Christmas lunch, I knew exactly what I was going to (try to) make.

The girls had cheese and crackers at the ready, Pimm's on the go, and a big fat ham in the oven. I showed up late, and in a fluster, but luckily I had a trick up my sleeve; I prepped the filling for the prawn rolls in advance and the rest took only a few minutes to put together.

Prawn Rolls (makes 12)

• 500 grams cooked prawn or shrimp
• 1 fresh chilli, finely sliced (red or green)
• 1/4 cup red onion, diced
• 1 lemon, juiced
• 2/3 cup Japanese mayonnaise 
• 1 teaspoon hot sauce (Sriracha is ideal)
• 3 tablespoons coconut milk
• 1/2 cup celery, diced
• A handful of coriander, roughly chopped
• 12 par-baked dinner rolls

Mix everything (except the dinner rolls, silly) in a bowl, and chill in the fridge until needed.

Bake the dinner rolls according to the instructions (usually about 5 minutes), slice open, spoon in filling, garnish with more sliced chilli or coriander leaves, and serve while the rolls are still warm.

So easy! It might seem like a bit of an odd recipe, but think of it as a lobster roll/prawn cocktail/ceviche hybrid. I promise it's tasty, and will go down a treat when you next have to whip up a party dish.

Golden Dawn

Golden Dawn is a place I have been to on many a night, where I have been mesmerised by artful hipster types and the blaring music. At night time it's easy to spot on the corner of Richmond and Ponsonby Roads, where outside you'll find a steady line of hopeful hipsters, waiting their turn to enter the hidden bar.

Despite only ever sampling the liquid menu at Golden Dawn, I had been told that the food there was incredibly good. So, doing the good samaritan thing we do by testing out food for you hungry readers, Alice and I strolled to Golden Dawn on Sunday afternoon to see if the food lived up to it's reputation.

We walked past heaving Chapel Bar, Mexico, and the ever busy Blue Breeze Inn to arrive at the corner of Richmond Road outside Golden Dawn, where on so many nights we had stood. But all that appeared in front of us was a derelict brick facade and a bit of graffiti. The only thing giving it away being a dark, tucked away entrance and and a tiny sign. It was quite a novelty having more trouble finding something when you're sober!

Once we had made our way through the dark interior we emerged into the gorgeous sun drenched courtyard. It might have been the calming music playing, or maybe the few quiet groups of patrons, but whatever it was, Alice and I felt like we were at some kind of fantastic eating and drinking relaxation retreat.

We started with cocktails, of course, with Alice choosing the 'Fleeting Glimpse' (gin, elderflower, lime, raspberries and cucumber) while I went for a simple Mint Julep. The beers on tap at Golden Dawn are a selection from Hallertau (remember my trip to the Hallertau Brewery?).

Not particularly hungry, but feeling we couldn't bypass the opportunity to ruin any chance of a summer diet, we ordered a couple of plates to share. First was the Casaro Burratta mozzarella, Heirloom tomatoes, chilli and fresh herbs with crusty sourdough. This doesn't sound particularly exciting- nothing more than a caprese salad on paper, but it was outstanding. The mozzarella was the best I have ever had, and I have never known tomatoes to be so good. A very, very good start.

Next up were the prawn buns with preserved lemon, Japanese mayo and chilli. The bread was hot and fluffy, and the taste of the filling was somewhere between the freshness of ceviche, and the creaminess of a prawn cocktail. This dish blew my socks off.

I think it's fairly safe to say we were impressed with the food. I had never thought of Golden Dawn as a daytime destination, let alone a food destination, but it is one of Ponsonby's rare spots that catches the sun, and is the perfect place for a relaxing afternoon drink and a delicious bite to eat. I can't wait to go back to try the rest of the menu!

Keep an eye on their website here as they often have gigs and events on- like this Sunday coming where they're having a Gypsy Fair from 1pm and Jazz from 5pm. Phwoar!