Natasha Brunetti

Christmas Crescent Cookies (GF)

By , December 22, 2025

‘Nothing says Christmas like the smell of fresh-baked cookies and the love of family’ These cookies are delicious and can easily be made gluten free, without the audience knowing. You can interchange the nuts from almonds to pecans to walnuts, all taste delicious. The mix of butter and nuts makes the cookies incredibly satiating.  

Squash Salad (GF, V)

By , December 17, 2025

‘Diets trend and go, but nature’s own seasonal bounty endures – rooted in the cycles of resilience, nutrition and the science of adaptation’. Every year in December we have the Fiddleheads Cooking Studio’s last quarterly meeting. We make various dishes for potluck and share a table. It is a lovely way to represent ourselves in

Cardamom and golden raisin scones with blueberry vanilla compote (GF, V)

By , October 16, 2025

‘Cardamom, the queen of spices, is included in ceremonies to symbolize purity and love’ Wednesday class was cardamom and golden raisins scones with a blueberry vanilla compote. Anyone who knows me well, knows that I simply love anything Cardamom. In fact, Carda-mom was my nickname at culinary school as I added it to everything and

Italian Mac & Cheese with butternut squash (GF, V)

By , October 9, 2025

‘The secret ingredient is always cheese’ My culinary kids’ class has resumed at the Rye Recreation centre. The youngest kids are 5 and the oldest 9. They are enthusiastic chefs but reluctant tasters. Every week I make a dish with carbohydrates, protein and veggies and they often ask me if they can skip eating one

Sesame, almond butter, steamed greens (GF, V)

By , October 3, 2025

‘Vegetables are the soul’s food, the poet’s inspiration and the chef’s canvas’ I love this recipe as it uses steaming, which is a quick method and one that retains a lot of nutrients. Often, we subject our veggies to excessive heat through boiling or microwaving and all the photo nutrient goodness escapes. It’s also a

Tahini Coconut Cookies (GF)

By , September 25, 2025

‘Today I will live in the moment….unless it is unpleasant, in which case I will eat a cookie’ Tahini, pistachios and coconut, are three versions of healthy fat and creators of my favourite flavour profiles, in addition to cardamom, cinnamon and vanilla, you have a fragrant and satiating cookie. I adapted this from ‘home is

Sesame, Shiitake Broth with Chili Crisp Tofu (GF, V)

By , September 19, 2025

‘What the world needs now is love sweet love’ This is a lovely soup comforting soup with layers of umami. It is another delicious recipe from ‘Healthy High Protein’ by Dr Rupy Aujila. It calls for tahini and miso, which gives a wonderful depth to the flavour. Chinese cooking uses a sesame paste, so if

Itaewon Noodles – Stir-fried Bean Sprouts and sweet potato noodles (GF, V)

By , September 12, 2025

‘Be like seeds, do not see dirt thrown at you as your enemy, but as ground to grow’ This is a unique recipe I found in ‘the Korean vegan’ cookbook. It is a recipe she found on her favourite Korean sitcom, which reminded her how much she liked sprouts. I love the way Korean cuisine