The Ultimate Wholefoods Summer Entertaining Guide!

If there’s one thing I love it’s entertaining.

If there’s one thing I don’t do enough – it’s entertaining!

The weeks seem to disappear throughout the year but after our recent move to Melbourne and to make the most of the gorgeous summer weather – I’m putting a few invitations out there.

I thought I’d share with you how simple and easy wholefoods entertaining can be. I don’t want to spend the whole time in the kitchen when we have guests but I do want the food to be fresh and homemade and impressive!

Keeping wholefoods simple week in and week out is what makes it an achievable lifestyle choice for me. If you need ‘every day’ inspiration find it in my Easy Kitchen Reset. But for now – let’s get the fancy plates napkins out and the playlist cranking and entertain our friends and family!

Here’s a collection of my favourite recipes to help you entertain with ease this summer.

Breakfast Entertaining

How about pre-making my delicious Granola and serving with yoghurt and fresh berries?

As an alternative – pre-soak my Basic Bircher and serve topped with nuts, seeds, cinnamon and fruit.

Or Crepes with a selection of fillings – like berries and cream with maple syrup for a sweet option or smoked trout, spring onion and creme fraiche for a savoury option.

If it’s eggs you’re after then pre-make the base of my Baked Eggs and then pop it, along with the eggs into the oven on the morning of your brunch and make sure to have some crusty authentic sourdough on hand for your guests to mop up the deliciousness!

 

Morning or Afternoon Tea Ideas

If it’s cookies you are after you cannot go past my famous Choc Chip Cookies.

But equally as delicious and a total crowd pleaser are my Ginger Snaps. Have a batch of these on hand in your cookie jar for whenever friends pop by.

Whipping up my simple White Bean Dip and serving that with chopped veggies or rice crackers always goes down a treat. As does this fresh and tasty Basil Pesto.

 

Starters

My Zesty Chicken Balls are a total winner and rolling the Chicken, Carrot and Feta patties into meatball shapes makes them the perfect starter.

The time I cooked a huge batch of Eggplant Chips as an appetiser when entertaining they were a huge hit. Everyone who attended went home to make them.

 

Mains

If it’s a super tasty and super easy one dish wonder you’re after – look no further than this Hummus Chicken Bake. You will not believe how simple and delicious it is!

If you’re after something for the BBQ then Nick’s Lamb Kofta’s are a total winner.

This Stir-fry is the perfect pre-prepare meal for entertaining. Make a big batch and add whichever protein suits your guests. This is a dairy-free, gluten-free and potentially vegan recipe (replace honey with maple syrup in the sauce and enjoy with tofu or just veggies), so really versatile and crazy tasty.

If there’s kids coming over then crumbing a batch of chicken drumsticks will have them licking their fingers!

 

Sides

This Broccoli Mango Salad has become almost legendary. The reason I like it is because it involves no cooking! Yep – raw broccoli for the win. Try and and see.

This Sneaky Veggie Side is the ultimate in versatile sides too – the addition of lemon rind and parmesan – YES PLEASE!

Fancy up any salad with one of my Three Favourite Dressings. The Tangy Dressing is my ultimate go-to.

 

Desserts

My Chocolate Raspberry Cake with a dollop of fresh cream is absolutely divine.

But sometimes it’s just as easy to pop out a cheese and fruit platter for your guests to nibble on as you chat the night away. Add a few Almond Bliss Balls to the platter and they’ll be thanking you for keeping things light.

And if you’re after a tipple, then a big shout out to Small Stepper Amie Kalleske whose family runs a organic and biodynamic winery in the Barossa Valley. Look for Kalleske wines and enjoy a quality product (in moderation, of course!)