All things Good Vibes 🥳
Special Edition: sneak preview seasonal favourites from my brand-new book!
Kia ora friends,
This week’s newsletter is a special one, and hence slightly different to the usual veg or flavour-themed format; don’t worry, we’ll be back to normal business for the next issue. But as a food writer, releasing your first fully fledged cookbook into the world is something you only get to enjoy once in your life, so I’m in full-on celebration mode!!
Good Vibes is now available in bookstores in NZ/AUS, which means you’re only a trip to your local bookstore away from it sitting on your kitchen bench, proudly smeared with buttery finger marks from all of the deliciousness you’ll be cooking from its pages!
In previous newsletters I’ve shared a brief summary of what the book’s all about, but given there’s been quite a few new subscribers since then, here’s a quick reminder of why you need Good Vibes in your life:
it’s packed full of positivity, colour, and feel-good recipes, with veg-forward ingredients and exciting flavours that will have you feeling all the good vibes
there’s something for everyone, with almost 120 recipes including seasonal vegetarian, vegan, meat-based + GF options for any eaters
it encourages developing a positive relationship with ourselves, friends and whānau through the process of cooking and eating; exploring the connection between food, flavour and feeling, and how different flavours can impact our mood.
Friday night I celebrated the launch of Good Vibes with friends and whānau in Ōtepoti, Dunedin. It was an awesome night of good food and good vibes, truly humbling how many people turned out on a rainy evening to support the book! Thanks to those of you reading this who came along. I’ve got four more big events coming up this week in Wellington, Havelock North, Napier & Auckland as part of my Good Vibes NZ Book Tour - for those of you in these centres I’d love to see you there!
The Auckland event is ticketed and there’s still tickets for sale - please spread the word to your friends, neighbours, strangers on the street… the team at Little Bird Kitchen are putting on some unreal food from the book, drinks will be flowing, and local ceramicists will also be talking about and exhibiting their work. It’s going to be a really special evening, and hoping to sell a few more tickets :)
Here are the links to this week’s events for more info:
Wellington ~ Unity Books Author Talk
Havelock North ~ Peak House Panel Discussion: Eating Well + Feeling Good
Napier ~ Wardini Books Cookbook Club Author Talk
Auckland ~ Good Vibes Launch Event @ Little Bird Kitchen
Because I’m on cloud nine at the moment, and to say the biggest thank you to all my newsletter subscribers (who I think are possibly the coolest people in the world… yes that includes you!), this week I’m sharing two epic seasonal recipes and something sweet, fresh from the pages of Good Vibes. Guard these with your life!!!! Lol just kidding, please cook and share with everyone! If you do try some of the recipes from the book, I’d love to see your creations - share and tag @albyhailes or send me a pic in the DMs if you’re on Instagram.
Thanks again to all of you for supporting this mahi, I hope your week ahead is full of all the good vibes in more ways than one. Scroll down for cooking inspiration!
Much love,
Alby xx
Exclusive recipes from Good Vibes (yay) ~ all photos taken by Aaron McLean
Leek & broccoli chowder with crunchy chickpeas & green goblin oil
This chowder is a riff on the traditional Welsh leek and potato soup. The crunchy chickpeas and green oil are worth repeating beyond this chowder – the chickpeas as a snack and the green oil as a drizzled flavour lift or for dipping bread.
serves 4-5 as a main
Ingredients:
Green goblin oil
10 green cardamom pods
½ tsp black peppercorns
85ml olive oil 2 jalapeño chillies, finely chopped
2 cloves garlic, finely chopped
Crunchy chickpeas
400g can chickpeas, rinsed, drained and dried on paper towel
1 tbsp canola oil
1 tsp ground sumac
½ tsp ground chilli
½ tsp sea salt
Leek & broccoli chowder
1 large leek, white and pale green part only
2 tbsp olive oil
500ml vegetable stock
2 tbsp flour (gluten-free or plain)
1kg agria potatoes, peeled and cut into 2–3cm chunks
1 head broccoli, cut into medium florets
6 cloves garlic, chopped
250ml milk (almond, oat or cow's)
1 tbsp chopped fresh dill, or 1 tsp dried
freshly squeezed juice of ½ lemon
1 ½ tsp sea salt
1 tsp cracked black pepper
Method:
Preheat the oven to 200°C fan-forced (or 220°C conventional). Line a rimmed oven tray with baking paper.
First make the green goblin oil. Use a mortar and pestle to pound the cardamom pods to extract the seeds. Discard the pods. Grind the seeds and peppercorns until roughly crushed. Place the oil in a small saucepan over medium heat and warm for 5 minutes. Remove from the heat and stir in the crushed seeds and peppercorns, chillies and garlic. Cover with a lid and set aside to allow the flavours to infuse into the oil.
For the crunchy chickpeas, place the chickpeas in a single layer on the oven tray and bake for 20 minutes. Transfer the chickpeas to a bowl. Toss with the oil, sumac, chilli and salt. Return to the tray and bake for a further 15–20 minutes or until crunchy, taking care not to burn – there can be a fine line between crunchy and burnt. Transfer to a bowl and season with a little extra sea salt to taste. Set aside.
For the leek & broccoli chowder, cut the leek in half lengthways, then into 1cm-thick slices. Heat the oil in a large heavy-based saucepan over medium heat. Add the leek and sauté for 7 minutes, until starting to soften. Meanwhile, combine the stock and 500ml water in a separate saucepan and bring to the boil over high heat. Reduce the heat to low and keep warm. Sprinkle the flour over the softened leeks and stir through until combined. Add the warm stock, potatoes, broccoli and garlic. Increase the heat to high and bring to the boil, then reduce the heat to medium and simmer for 20–25 minutes, stirring occasionally, until the potatoes are cooked through (a knife should go through each potato with ease). Stir in the milk and dill and simmer for a further 3 minutes. Remove from the heat.
To finish, using a stick blender (or similar), blitz the chowder until relatively smooth (I like to leave the occasional small chunk of potato for texture). Add the lemon juice, salt and pepper and adjust seasoning to taste. Serve hot, topped with the green goblin oil and crunchy chickpeas.
Sumac yoghurt chicken with orange tabbouleh & green olive hummus
This combines elements that are excellent together but versatile on their own. Oranges bring a jewel-like quality to the tabbouleh and lends it some sweetness.
serves 4 a main
Ingredients:
Sumac yoghurt chicken
280g unsweetened natural yoghurt
4 tbsp olive oil
1 tbsp finely chopped fresh oregano
1 tbsp ground sumac
½ tsp ground cinnamon
½ tsp ground allspice
½ tsp ground chilli
½ tsp cracked black pepper
1 tsp sea salt
2 cloves garlic, finely chopped
finely grated zest and freshly squeezed juice of 1 lemon
1kg boneless chicken thigh fillets, fat trimmed
Orange tabbouleh
100g fine or medium bulgur wheat
1 extra-large bunch (100g) flat-leaf parsley, leaves picked, plus extra to serve
20g mint leaves
1 spring onion, finely chopped
1 shallot, finely chopped
finely grated zest and freshly squeezed juice of 1 lemon
85ml olive oil
½ tsp sea salt
½ tsp cracked black pepper
2 large oranges
Green olive hummus
400g can chickpeas, rinsed and drained
freshly squeezed juice of ½ lemon
12 green pitted olives
2 cloves garlic, finely chopped
4 tbsp olive oil
2 tbsp tahini
1 tbsp finely chopped flat-leaf parsley
1 tsp honey
½ tsp sea salt
½ tsp cracked black pepper
Additional ingredients
2 tbsp pine nuts
1 large handful flat-leaf parsley leaves, roughly chopped
Method:
Marinate the sumac yoghurt chicken in advance. Place all the ingredients, except the chicken, in a large bowl and mix to combine. Add the chicken and toss through the marinade to coat. Refrigerate for at least 3 hours (or overnight). Remove the chicken from the fridge 30 minutes before cooking.
Preheat the oven to 170°C fan-forced (or 190°C conventional). Line a large roasting dish with baking paper. Transfer the chicken and marinade to the roasting dish and bake for 35 minutes, until the chicken is cooked through.
While the chicken is cooking, make the orange tabbouleh. If using fine bulgur, place in a fine sieve and rinse under cold water several times until the water runs reasonably clear. Drain, transfer to a bowl and fluff up with a fork. If using medium bulgur, place in a bowl, cover with boiling water and soak for 10–15 minutes until tender but still firm to the bite. Drain and fluff up with a fork. Finely chop the parsley and mint leaves and add to the bulgur wheat, along with the spring onion, shallot, lemon zest and juice, olive oil, salt and pepper. Finely grate the zest of one orange and add to the tabbouleh. Cut the skin and white pith off the oranges, then cut out the segments, discarding the inner pith and membranes. Toss the segments through the tabbouleh and set aside.
For the green olive hummus, place all the ingredients and 4 tbsp cold water in a food processor or blender and blitz until smooth.
To finish the chicken, turn the oven to the grill function and grill the chicken for 5–10 minutes, until starting to brown a little on top. Set aside for 5 minutes then transfer the chicken to a chopping board and cut into slices.
To serve, toast the pine nuts in a small frying pan over medium heat, until golden brown. Serve the chicken warm with the orange tabbouleh, green olive hummus, toasted pine nuts and some extra chopped parsley.
Tahini, white chocolate & boysenberry brownie
This brownie is the ultimate in fudgy deliciousness. You can substitute the boysenberries with frozen raspberries or blackberries, or use your favourite nut butter in place of tahini.
makes 1 large rectangular tin
Ingredients:
400g butter, cut into small cubes
250g dark chocolate, roughly chopped
6 eggs
1 tbsp vanilla extract
400g caster sugar
130g soft brown sugar
335g plain flour
100g cocoa powder
1 tsp baking powder
½ tsp sea salt
200g white chocolate, roughly chopped
4 tbsp tahini
150g frozen boysenberries, halved
Method:
Preheat the oven to 160°C fan-forced (or 180°C conventional). Grease a large rectangular baking tin (about 33cm x 23cm) and line with baking paper.
To make the brownies, place the butter and dark chocolate in a heatproof bowl over a saucepan one-third full with simmering water. Gently whisk the butter and chocolate together until melted and smooth. Remove from the heat. In a large bowl with an electric hand mixer, beat the eggs, vanilla and sugars for 3 minutes, until it becomes pale and creamy. Pour in the melted butter and chocolate mixture and stir until smooth. In a separate bowl, sift together the flour, cocoa powder, baking powder and salt. Fold the dry ingredients into the wet until well combined and no specks of flour remain. Stir in the chopped white chocolate and pour into the prepared baking tin, spreading out with a spatula to evenly fill the tin.
Dollop the tahini on top of the batter and using a teaspoon, drag the tahini out to create a swirling effect. Dot the boysenberry halves between the swirls of tahini and lightly press into the batter (they should still be seen above the surface). Bake for 25–30 minutes, or until the brownie is cooked on top but the centre still wobbles a little when the tin is moved. Leave to cool to room temperature then refrigerate for at least 3 hours, until completely set, before cutting. Store in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 5 days.
Best of the season this fortnight (NZ):
Brassicas (cauliflower, broccoli, Brussels sprouts)
Kiwifruit
Parsnips, Carrots
Lemons, late season limes
Grapefruit
New season winter oranges
Leeks
Celery
Silverbeet
Kitchen music of the moment:
To celebrate the launch of Good Vibes, I’ve created a food-themed kitchen playlist to get you grooving on the lino floor and in the mood to cook. It includes upbeat bangers, chill beats and more sombre tunes to fit every feeling. Available now on Spotify - be sure to play it loud when cooking from the book!
Interesting reads:
Great article written by fungi fanatic Liv Sisson, about the processes behind NZ supermarket advertising
A challenging time for NZ dairy farmers
Ongoing food industry impacts from the war in Ukraine
Growing interest in the gut-brain connection - including in the mental health research space.
