Summer - Māia Kitchen - Connection Through Food

Recipe Category: Summer

Easy Chocolate Espresso Mousse

With crushed candied eggs or your favourite seasonal topping! A rich, velvety chocolate mousse with a hint of espresso, perfect for making ahead when entertaining.

Easy Goat Cheese Salad with Honey Mustard Dressing

A beautifully simple green salad layered with crisp baby cos and a soft fancy lettuce mix, creamy goat’s cheese, toasted nuts, and a silky honey mustard dressing. Fresh, bright, and the perfect counterpoint to a slow-cooked Easter lamb feast.

Easy Green Curry Chicken

A fresh, vibrant green chicken curry made with homemade curry paste, tender chicken, coconut cream and plenty of greens. Fragrant with lime, lemongrass and coriander, this is a comforting, adaptable curry you can make ahead, freeze, or cook fresh in minutes.

Roasted Cherry Tomato Bruschetta with Ricotta and Buffalo Mozzarella

Slow-roasted cherry tomatoes spooned over crisp sourdough, layered with ricotta, buffalo mozzarella, basil and a restrained drizzle of balsamic. Simple, comforting, and deeply satisfying.

Sunday Sultana Scones

Soft, golden sultana scones made using a simple layered technique for light, fluffy results. A modern take on a classic, rooted in memory and made for sharing.

Lemony Lamb Koftas with Yoghurt Dressing

Juicy, tender lamb kofta finished with a generous squeeze of lemon. Simple, adaptable, and endlessly repeatable — perfect in flatbreads, on the BBQ, or straight from the pan.

Herbed Grain & Lentil Salad with Cumin Yoghurt and Pomegranate

A herbed grain and lentil salad with freekeh or bulghur wheat, fresh herbs, currants, capers and honey, cumin yoghurt. Nourishing, make-ahead, and well suited to both entertaining and lunch prep.

Homemade Harissa Paste

This easy homemade harissa paste is a bold North African blend of roasted capsicum, chillies, garlic, and warm spices. It adds instant depth and smoky heat to meat, vegetables, sauces, dressings and more — a single jar unlocks endless quick, flavour-packed meals.

Strawberries, Vanilla Cheesecake & Macadamia Shortbread

The inspiration for this dessert came months ago when a friend served me a yoghurt-based cheesecake drizzled with honey and thyme. I was blown away by its elegant restraint — proof that beautiful food doesn’t need to be complicated, just thoughtfully balanced. Fast-forward to a family dinner last week, when I created my own version with vanilla bean and roasted strawberries. It’s a little more layered, but every element works in harmony — and even my fussiest eater hoed in with gumption, which tells me this one’s a keeper.

Cos Salad with Red Wine Aioli Dressing

A quick, fresh cos salad with avocado, broccoli stem, and parmesan, tossed in a tangy red wine aioli dressing. Perfect alongside lasagne, risotto, or any rich main.