Good enough to eat

Egg white quiche

2011-11-19T20:20:00.000-08:00

Egg white quiche - serves 4

1 sheet of ready rolled reduced-fat puff pastry
spray oil to grease the quiche pan
3 cups of egg whites* (approx. 27 egg whites)
4 medium button mushrooms sliced
4 cherry tomatoes sliced
100g spinach wilted
6 spears of asparagus trimmed to 4cm
cheese to sprinkle on top
salt and pepper to season

*you can buy egg whites in the frozen section of your local supermarket.

Preheat your oven to 180C.
Grease your quiche pan.
Lay out your sheet of ready rolled puff pastry. Once softened (slightly defrosted) press lightly into the corners of the pan.
Whisk together your egg whites in a bowl and season with salt and pepper.
Pour the egg white mixture into the pastry casing.
Place a layer of sliced mushrooms over the egg whites followed by a layer of tomatoes. Season the mushroom and tomato layers.
Add the wilted spinach evenly across the top of the mushroom and tomato layer and gently press down into the egg mixture.
Lay the asparagus spears on top of the spinach.
Finally sprinkle cheese on the top.
Bake for 30 - 45 minutes (until the egg is cooked and set in the centre of the quiche)
Once cooked leave to cool before slicing.
Serve with salad of your choice.

Nutritional information per serving of quiche
Carbohydrates: 19.5g
Protein: 14.6g
Fat: 5.2g

Bacon and Vege slice

2011-10-07T18:26:00.000-07:00

Bacon and Vege slice (serves 6)

205 calories per serve

2 tsp olive oil
150g sliced ham, finely chopped
1 brown onion, finely chopped
100g button mushrooms - sliced thinly

1 red capsicum - finely diced

6 eggs
1/3 cup (80ml) low fat milk
Salt & freshly ground pepper
3 zucchini, coarsely grated, excess moisture squeezed
2 large carrots, coarsely grated
1/3 cup (50g) plain flour (or rice flour for gluten free alternative)
Salad, to serve

Preheat oven to 200°C. Line an 18cm-square cake pan with non-stick baking paper or spray with cooking spray.

Heat oil in a non-stick frying pan over a medium heat. Add ham and onion, and cook for 1-2 minutes then add mushrooms and capsicum and cook a further 3-5 minutes until soft. Drain off any excess moisture on paper towel and set aside to cool.

Once the ham and onion mixture has cooled, whisk the eggs and milk together and season with salt and pepper.

Stir the zucchini, carrot and ham mixture into the egg and milk and combine. Finally stir in the flour.

Spoon the mixture into the pan and smooth the surface.

Bake for 30-35 minutes or until set and golden brown. Set aside in the pan for 15 minutes before cutting into slices. Leaving to cool slightly allows the slice to stay firm (cutting into a hot slice will probably fall apart).

Serve with salad.

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This is one of the easiest recipes and I love it. You can add different seasoning to it (cayenne pepper for a bit of spice, curry for a bit of tang) just to give it a bit of lift.

Removing the excess moisture is important for the slice to hold it's shape - a soggy slice may not stick together - just sayin'

With only 205 calories per serve you can enjoy this slice at any time of the day with your favourite side salad.

Red Velvet Cupcakes

2011-06-20T02:21:00.000-07:00

Red Velvet Cupcakes (makes 24)

125g butter
1 1/4c (250g) caster sugar
2 eggs
1c (250ml) buttermilk
1T (20ml) red food colouring
1t vanilla essence
1/2t bi-carb soda
2c (250g) self-raising flour
1T white vinegar
1/3c (40g) cocoa

Preheat oven to 180 degrees.
Grease or line 24 muffin/cupcake tins
Cream the butter and caster sugar until light and fluffy.
Add the eggs, buttermilk, red food colouring and vanilla.
Once combined stir in the bi-carb and vinegar.
In a separate bowl, sift the flour, cocoa and a pinch of salt together.
Make a well in the centre of the dry ingredients and gradually add the wet mixture to combine.
Spoon the batter into the prepared muffin tins.
Bake until tops of muffins spring back (15-20 minutes)
Cool in tins and ice (when cold) with cream cheese icing.

Cream Cheese Icing

60g cream cheese (room temperature)
30g butter (room temperature)
1/2t vanilla essence
3/4c icing sugar

combine cream cheese, butter and vanilla and mix until smooth and creamy.
gradually add the icing sugar, ensuring no lumps remain.
smooth mixture over top of cooled cupcakes.

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The cupcake recipe seems pretty straight forward - let's face it, it's a basic cupcake recipe with red food colouring right?

Well, if you want the gorgeous bright red that you see in the photo's or online I would suggest you try and find the red food colouring PASTE not the liquid colouring that I used. It doesn't work. In fact, it's downright disappointing (you get a rich chocolate colour not the bright red you'd expect).

I think i'd prefer this recipe minus the cocoa altogether, but I love pink so the idea of a gorgeous pink cupcake really appeals to me :)

Another idea that I had, just throwing a few around, was to make pink cupcakes and push a slice of mars bar into the centre so whilst they look relatively basic there is a little surprise awaiting in the middle... just an idea.

I didn't take any photo's of my cupcakes because I truly was disappointed, but if you have more success - please feel free to let me know!

Hungarian chicken casserole

2011-06-08T15:29:00.000-07:00

Hungarian chicken casserole

1T butter (or substitute)
1T olive oil
1kg skinless chicken thigh pieces
3 brown onions - thinly sliced
2 cloves garlic, thinly sliced
2T sweet or hot paprika
2T flour
3cups chicken stock
salt and pepper
sour cream (optional but highly recommended)
Mashed potato and steamed green beans to serve.

Preheat over to 180 degrees.
Heat large fry pan over medium heat and add butter and olive oil.
Cook chicken until golden all over.
Place chicken into your casserole dish and set aside.
To the frying pan add the onions and garlic. Cook until onions have softened then sprinkle over paprika and flour. Stir through and cook a further 2 minutes.
Add stock and continue stirring until the sauce comes to the boil.
Season to taste.
Pour sauce over the chicken, cover dish and cook for 1 1/2 hours.
Uncover dish and cook for a further 30 minutes.
Once cooked, serve with mashed potatoes, green beans and a spoonful of sour cream.

The sour cream makes this dish wonderful and creamy.

Chicken and Mushroom Casserole with dijon and cream sauce

2011-06-08T15:06:00.000-07:00

Chicken and mushroom casserole with dijon and cream sauce

This is a recipe I adapted from a basic recipe I found on taste.com.au - I wanted something that didn't take too much fuss so I turned it into a 'one-pot meal'. The original recipe was for chicken and mushroom sauce, this is my casserole version, I hope you enjoy!

1T nuttelex or butter
1T olive oil
2 chicken breasts - diced into 2cm cubes
1 medium brown onion - finely sliced
200g middle bacon - fat trimmed and sliced
250g button mushrooms quartered
1/4c plain flour (can substitute for gluten free if required)
1T dijon mustard
1 1/2c salt reduced chicken stock
3/4c light thickened cream
200g green beans cut into 2cm lengths
500g (enough to fill 1/2 your casserole dish) of your choice of root vegetables: potatoes, sweet potato, carrots, swede, pumpkin - diced into 2cm cubes

Preheat oven to 180 degrees.
Dice your root vegetables and place into casserole dish.
Heat nuttelex/butter and oil in a large frying pan on medium heat. Add chicken and cook until the pieces are golden brown.
Place into casserole dish on top of the vegetables.
To the frying pan add onion and bacon and cook until onion has softened.
Add mushrooms and cook until they have softened slightly (try not to over cook you still want them firm when you add them to the casserole).
Stir in the flour and mustard and cook for 2 minutes then gradually add chicken stock and continue stirring (you will notice the flour and stock start to combine and thicken).
Once the sauce is combined well i.e. no flour lumps, gradually add the cream.
Stir through*.
Transfer bacon/mushroom mixture into casserole dish and mix through.
Add lid to the casserole dish and cook for 1 hour.
After an hour, stir through and cook for a further 30 minutes without the lid on (this will help reduce the sauce).
Serve hot.

This dish is great the next day as well!

Note: If you take the root vegetables out of the recipe this can also be used as a pie fillling :)

*If you don't think you have enough sauce to cover the vegetables and chicken in your dish you can add more stock and cream.

Vegetarian lasagne

2011-05-06T23:37:00.000-07:00

This meal can be made with or without the addition of the meat sauce. I've chosen to leave it out, but on occasion i'll add it in, which makes for a vege-filled delicious meal.

Vegetarian lasagne - serves 4

1T olive oil
1 onion, chopped finely
3 cloves of garlic, crushed
1 large zucchini, thinly sliced
1 medium eggplant (aubergine) sliced into 1cm strips
2x 400g can diced tomatoes
1x 400g can red kidney beans
1/2 teaspoon Italian herbs
1c low fat ricotta cheese
1/4c low fat natural yoghurt
1 egg
6 large sheets of instant wholemeal pasta
4T parmesan cheese

Preheat oven to 220C.
Lightly grease a rectangle baking dish (approx. 30x30cm)
In a saucepan, heat oil and cook onion and garlic over low heat until soft.
Add zucchini and eggplant and cook, stirring occasionally for 5 minutes.
Pour over tomatoes, kidney beans and italian herbs. Bring to the boil then simmer for 10 minutes.
Remove from heat and season with salt and pepper.
In a bowl mix together the ricotta, yoghurt and egg until smooth and creamy.
Lay two sheets of pasta in the baking dish, spoon over half the tomato sauce, then another layer of pasta followed by the remainder of the tomato sauce. Top with pasta then smooth over ricotta mixture and sprinkle with parmesan cheese.
Bake for 30 minutes until lightly browned, then turn oven down to 180C and cook a further 10 minutes.

Stand for 5 minutes then serve.

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I prefer to do thinner layers of sauce versus pasta, but that's just a personal thing, so I tend to do a layer of tomato sauce, sometimes adding a bit of the ricotta then another layer of pasta then repeating.

Mozerella is also a nice cheese to use, it's not as high in fat as tasty so is a good alternative.

And as with every recipe you can absolutely improvise - add mushrooms, spinach, pumpkin etc and either add to the tomato sauce or pre-roast and layer with the other ingredients.

Spinach and ricotta filo triangles

2011-05-06T23:15:00.000-07:00

If you're strapped for time, you can make the mixture the day before and just fill the pastry and bake the triangles on the day you need them. These have always been a hit at dinner parties.

Spinach and ricotta filo triangles - makes 24

2 bunches spinach, stems removed, washed
1 granny smith apple, grated
500g ricotta cheese
1/2c pine nuts, toasted and chopped
1 egg, lightly beaten
Rind of 1 lemon, finely grated
8 sheets of filo pastry
2T olive oil

Preheat over to 180C.
Lightly grease 2 baking trays.
Cook spinach in a small saucepan of boiling salted water for 30 seconds or until just wilted. Drain and refresh under cold water (this keeps the colour nice and bright). Drain well.
Squeeze all moisture from the spinach and apple and place into a mixing bowl. Add the ricotta, pine nuts, egg and lemon rind then season with salt and pepper. Mix well to combine.
Place 1 sheet of filo onto a working surface. Cut into 3 long strips (make sure you keep all remaining sheets of pastry covered with a damp towel so they don't dry out).
Brush pastry lightly with oil or if you have spray oil, spray the sheet lightly. Place a tablespoon of spinach mixture in one corner of the filo and fold diagonally, creating a triangle. Continue folding diagonally retaining triangle shape.
Brush triangle with olive oil and place onto baking tray. Continue with the remaining pastry and filling.
Once all triangles are prepared, bake for 20-30 minutes or until golden and crisp.
Serve hot.

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I've seen some similar recipes that ask for some nutmeg to be added, i've tried this and still unsure if I'm a fan, but if this is something you think you'd enjoy I'd definitely recommend giving it a go, just add 1/2 teaspoon of nutmeg.

The apple gives this mixture a subtle flavour, you can leave it out, but I quite like the flavour it brings with the spinach.

Removing the moisture from the spinach and apple is important as you do not want soggy triangles, so take the time to make sure this is done well.

Stuffed capsicum with rice, mince and pine nuts

2011-05-06T23:04:00.000-07:00

Stuffed capsicum with rice, mince and pine nuts - makes 8-12

8-12 red capsicums (depending how many you are cooking for)
500g lean beef mince
1cup cooked rice
1x 400g can of diced tomatoes
1T tomato paste
1/4c red wine (or 2T balsamic vinegar)
1 large onion, chopped finely
Handful of fresh dill, chopped
1/2 bunch of flat leaf parsley, chopped finely
3 garlic cloves, crushed
1/2c pine nuts
2 potatoes, cut into wedges
Low fat feta or parmesan to serve
1/2c - 1c extra virgin olive oil
Salt and pepper to season

Preheat oven to 200C.
In a heavy based pan, heat a little olive oil and cook onions until soft. Add pine nuts, cook for 1 minute then add mince and cook until brown.
Add 1/2 can tomatoes and tomato paste. Stir through.
Add rice, seasoning, dill and parsley. Combine and cook for 5 minutes then add red wine. Remove from heat.
Meanwhile, wash capsicums and cut tops off to form lids.
Fill each capsicum with the rice mixture then sprinkle with a little parmesan or feta. Cover with the capsicum lids.
Place each capsicum upright into a baking tray and use potato wedges in between them for support.
Sprinkle capsicums and potatoes with salt and a little bit of oregano to the potatoes for flavour.
Combine remaining 1/2 can tomatoes with the oil and pour over the top of the capsicums in the ray. There is no need to add water as the capsicums and tomatoes will provide moisture while the capsicums are cooking.
Place capsicums into the oven and cook for 30-40 minutes. Then lower the over temperature to 170C cover the capsicums with foil and cook a further 30 minutes until the rice is cooked.

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When choosing capsicums look for small and round shapes which are easier to stand and fill.

This can be served as part of a main meal or as an entree (depending on the size of your capsicums). You could possibly also pre-make the mixture and cook once your guests arrive to save time.
Seasoning is imperative to this meal as are the fresh herbs.
You could add moroccan seasoning, chilli for spice if you desire (or even fresh chilllies) or maybe even a little bit of coriander and cumin.

Trial and error - my favourite way to cook!

Chilli beef casserole - slow cooker ideas

2011-05-06T22:37:00.000-07:00

It's coming into the colder months and I don't know about you but it's the time of year that I start to crave the warmer home-style meals. And it's no secret that I'm a huge fan of chilli or anything with some spice.
This is a recipe that I stumbled across in one of my favourite foodie magazines "Food Ideas" July 2010 issue although (as usual) I changed the recipe slightly to suit.

Slow cooked Chilli beef casserole - serves 4

2T olive oil
750g gravy beef, trimmed of excess fat and cut into 2cm cubes
1 large brown onion, finely chopped
2-3 garlic cloves, crushed
1 medium red capsicum, thinly sliced
2T plain flour
1T Mexican chilli powder
1/2 teaspoon ground coriander
1 fresh jalapeño, sliced
1c beef stock
400g can chopped tomatoes
2x 400g can red kidney beans, drained and rinsed
1/2 block of Philadelphia cream cheese
1c rice
Fresh coriander leaves to serve

Heat 1T olive oil in a heavy based pan over medium-high heat. Cook beef in batches until brown. Ensure the pan is heated enough that the beef is not stewing in its own juices (if this happens, retain the juice and use along with the stock). Transfer cooked beef to a bowl.
Heat remaining oil and add onion, garlic and capsicum. Cook until onion has softened.
Return the cooked beef to the pan and add flour, chilli, jalapeño and coriander. Cook, stirring for 1 minute until all ingredients are combined.
Stir in beef stock and bring to the boil.
Once the pan is at boiling stage, transfer the beef to a slow cooker and cook for 1 hour on low.
After an hour add the kidney beans and rice. Cook for a further 30 minutes or until rice is cooked through.
Stir through Philadelphia cheese and serve immediately with fresh coriander.

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Mexican chilli powder contains paprika, chilli, cumin, oregano, pepper and garlic - so if you don't have it in your pantry you could improvise, it would however require a lot of tasting to ensure you get the amounts correct.

The Philly cheese adds a nice creaminess to this dish, if you're healthy conscious omit the cheese and use brown rice to the meal. Also look for salt-reduced alternatives for the tomatoes and kidney beans.

This dish could also be packed with vegetables - celery, carrots, beans etc.

Mini sweetcorn quiches

2011-05-04T18:20:00.000-07:00

This recipe is something I will make whenever I'm not feeling overly motivated, it's quick and easy and tastes great! I change the mixture up every now and then, add something here, omit something there - that's part of finding out what flavours work well together. Sometimes it works well other times you just learn from the experience.

Mini sweetcorn quiche (makes 24)
3 sheets frozen ready-rolled short crust pastry
1 tin corn kernels
6 eggs
3 spring (green) onions thinly sliced
salt and pepper
1/2 block Philadelphia cheese cut into 24 squares
6 cherry tomatoes sliced (to top each individual quiche)
Preheat oven to 180C.

Grease 2x 12 hole patty tins.
Cut 24x rounds of pastry and press into the pre-greased patty tins.
(If you don't have patty tins you can use muffin tins, they're a little bit deeper and pressing the pastry into the mould is a bit more difficult but it is possible).
Mix together the sweetcorn, eggs and spring onion and season.
Place a cube of Philadelphia cheese into each of the pastry cases the pour over sweetcorn mixture.
Top with a slice of cherry tomato.
Bake for 15 minutes or until pastry is cooked and topping is golden.
These can be served hot or cold.

You can use creamed corn as well which will give you a more subtle corn flavour.
You could omit the sweetcorn altogether and grate some zucchini into the egg mixture (seasoning is imperative).

And if you want to be super healthy, leave out the pastry and just make fritters (leave out the Philly cheese and tomatoes when you're cooking).
Just spoon tablespoonfuls of the mixture into a preheated fry pan and cook each side for a few minutes until golden brown.
Once they're cooked you can spread Philly cheese on top with some sliced tomatoes.

Lemon pepper fish with nicoise salad

2011-04-19T19:21:00.000-07:00

Nicoise is french for nice and generally refers to the ingredients used i.e. olives, olive oil, tomatoes, garlic, green beans, potatoes and anchovies. you will find most if not all salads classing themselves as niciose will contain at least some of these ingredients.

Lemon pepper fish wtih nicoise salad (Serves 4)

8 chat (baby) potatoes, quartered
200g green beans, trimmed
olive oil
4 (200g each) firm white fish fillets
1Tbs (roughly) lemon pepper seasoning
200g red grape tomatoes, halved
1 cup fresh flat-leaf parsley leaves
1/2c pitted kalamata olives
1/4c balsamic dressing
juice of 1/2 lemon

lemon wedges, to serve

Cook potatoes in a saucepan of boiling, salted water until tender.

Add beans to pan for last 2 minutes of cooking. Drain then rinse under cold water and set aside.

Coat both sides of your fish with a little bit of olive oil then sprinkle with lemon pepper seasoning.

Add a little bit of extra olive oil to a frying pan and place over medium heat. Add fish and cook for 2 to 3 minutes each side or until cooked through (i.e. the fish is completely white - no clear/jelly bits).

While the fish is cooking, mix together the tomatoes, parsley, olives, cooled potatoes and beans along with the lemon juice and dressing - and of course seasoning.

Toss to combine.

Divide the salad and fish amongst your serving plates and serve each with a wedge of lemon.

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I used barramundi (they're huge fillets BTW only need 1 between 2 people) and added cayenne pepper to the lemon pepper seasoning - i'll add heat to any meal! I found the thicker parts of the fillet took quite a bit longer so it's best to keep the temperature fairly low-medium so you don't over-cook the thinner parts. An alternative to frying (and healthier of course) would be to bake the fish in the oven.

And can I just say!! Lemon Pepper seasoning is a must for every kitchen! I can imagine it going well with seafood, chicken, beef - pretty much anything really!

Pumpkin, spinach and chickpea (madras) curry - vegetarian

2011-04-17T23:27:00.000-07:00

I had fallen off the cooking bandwagon (just a little) last week but am right back on it tonight making a yummy curry for this mild if not a little bit chilly evening here in Sydney.

Pumpkin, spinach and chickpea (madras) curry - vegetarian (and around 300 calories per serve!)

2 tsp vegetable oil
1 brown onion, halved, thinly sliced
500g pumpkin, deseeded, peeled and cut into 3cm pieces
100ml Madras curry (chilli & cumin) cooking sauce
3/4c light coconut milk
1/4c water
1x 400g can chickpeas, rinsed, drained
1 bunch English spinach, washed, dried, ends trimmed
2 Tbs fresh coriander leaves

Heat oil in a medium saucepan over medium-high heat.

Add the onion and cook, stirring until onion softens.

Add the pumpkin, Madras curry sauce, coconut milk and water, and bring to the boil.

Reduce heat to low and cook, covered, stirring occasionally until pumpkin is tender.

Add chickpeas and spinach and cook covered until spinach wilts.

Remove from heat.

Sprinkle with coriander and serve immediately.

Quick and easy pizza

2011-04-12T18:57:00.000-07:00

Last nights dinner didn't go exactly as planned, here I was thinking a nice pasta salad would be nice with a bit of bocincini, some basil, a little bit of chorizo, olives and whatever else I can find in the fridge - only to find the express supermarket I rely on so much for my evening meals doesn't have half of what i need (www.disappointed.com\ME)!!!

Alas, all was not lost - what better to replace pasta than PIZZA! It's quick, it's easy and, as I found out, is unbelievably delicious.
This is just my interpretation of the amounts of ingredients you need, I didn't measure a single thing - I find these are often the BEST recipes :)

Pizza bases (as many as you want/need depending on how many you're catering for)
Tomato paste to spread on the pizza bases
Red onion (approx. 1/2 per pizza) - finely diced
Button Mushrooms 250g - sliced (optional)
Bocincini - either baby or normal (if normal, slice each piece in half)
Salami - as much as you like - sliced (optional)
Tasty Cheese - 1-2c finely grated
Tomatoes - 2-3 finely sliced
Olives - a handful of your favourite kind
Basil - ideally fresh basil leaves but if you can't get that (like me last night) dried basil is fine.

Preheat over 180C.
Line a tray with baking paper and place your base onto the tray.
Spread your tomato paste on the pizza.
Layer your mushrooms and sprinkle on the red onions.
Add the bocincini then sprinkle with about 1/2c cheese (how cheesy do you want your pizza?).
Layer salami, then tomatoes and season with salt and pepper and add basil.
Sprinkle more cheese then finally scatter the olives.
Bake for 20-30 minutes until cheese is melted and base is crispy.
Serve IMMEDIATELY!

This pizza will look rather high before you cook it but let me assure you once all the ingredients infuse together it's just like a shop bought one - only better!

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One day i'll try my hand at making my own pizza bases, but for now shop bought ones are AOK in my books! Especially when you're aiming for a quick meal - and it beats buying a pre-made supermarket pizza every time!

Lemon and coconut self-saucing pudding

2011-04-11T17:56:00.000-07:00

Something a little different from your standard choccy pudding.

Lemon and Coconut self-saucing pudding
Melted butter, for greasing
1 1/4c self-raising flour
1/2c caster sugar
1/2c desiccated coconut
Rind of 2 lemons, finely grated
1/2 cup milk
1 egg
3Tbs butter, melted, cooled
Icing sugar, to serve

Sauce
3/4c caster sugar
1 Tbs cornflour
3/4c milk
3/4c fresh lemon juice

Preheat oven to 170°C.

Grease a 1-litre (4 cup) ovenproof dish with the melted butter. Place the dish on a baking tray lined with baking paper.

Sift the flour into a medium mixing bowl then stir in the sugar, coconut and lemon rind.

In a separate bowl whisk together the milk, egg and butter until combined.

Add the wet mixture to the dry ingredients and use a wooden spoon to combined and beat until you have a smooth batter.

Pour the lemon batter into the greased dish (you can use the back of a warm spoon to smooth the surface).

To make the sauce, combine the sugar and cornflour in a bowl and then sprinkle the mixture evenly over the lemon batter in the dish.

Combine the milk and lemon juice in a small saucepan (it will curdle but don't worry). Bring to a simmer over medium heat.

Remove from heat, stir and then pour evenly over the back of a spoon onto the sugar and cornflour mixture.

Bake the pudding 50 minutes or until a skewer inserted into the centre of the pudding comes out clean.

Remove from the oven and stand for 5 minutes. Sprinkle with icing sugar and serve with cream or ice-cream.

Chilli for a chilly day

2011-04-10T23:27:00.000-07:00

I love this dish regardless of the weather, but particularly in Winter when it's a bit cooler outside. And I like it HOT! Feel free to add as little or as much of the spices as you desire (remembering to taste in between each addition so you don't blow your brains out).

The mince itself is versatile enough to go in taco's, burritos and basically any mexican dish really (that requires a meat base).

Sometimes I serve this on lettuce as a bit of a salad or with rice. Tonight i'm going to have it with corn chips.

Chilli con carne

2 teaspoons olive oil
125g rindless bacon, roughly chopped
750g lean beef mince
2 medium brown onions, finely chopped
2 medium red capsicums, chopped
3 garlic cloves, crushed
1 long (fresh) red chilli, chopped
2 tablespoons chilli powder

2tsp cumin powder

2tsp coriander powder
800g can chopped tomatoes
400g can red kidney beans, drained, rinsed

Toppings of your choice: grated cheese, guacamole, sour cream (or all if you fancy!)

Corn chips/taco shells

Heat oil in a large saucepan over medium heat.

Add bacon and cook until crisp.

Add mince - cook, stirring with a wooden spoon to break up mince until browned.

Add onions, capsicum, garlic and chopped fresh red chilli.

Cook for 5 to 6 minutes or until vegetables are soft. Add chilli powder. Cook, stirring until fragrant.

Add tomatoes and 1 cup cold water. Bring to the boil then reduce heat to mediumlow.

Simmer, partially covered, for 30 minutes or until sauce has reduced slightly.

Add beans and increase heat to medium. Cook until beans are heated through and sauce has thickened. Serve with corn chips, in taco shells with your favourite toppings.

Not just another Meat Pie

2011-04-06T01:19:00.000-07:00

My day started like any other, gym, shower and ready for work. Grab my lunch from the fridge on my way out the door. Sounds pretty safe right? Wrong.

Lunchtime rolls around, I warm up my lunch (which is in a plastic container - the non see-through kind) and prepare to eat, what I thought was, red curry. Wrong AGAIN!

I had accidentally picked up the wrong lunch box. To my horror I had my house mates stir fried chicken with red cabbage and noodles. I was mortified and embarrassed. This had never happened before.

Shamefully I contact my house mate to let her know my error and my promise to cook the house a meal as an apology for stealing her (quite delicious) lunch.

At around 3.00pm - 4.00pm each day I sit planning what I'm going to eat for dinner (shhh don't tell my boss). On this day I decided on beef bourgignon with parmesan and chive dumplings - it sounded amazing, my mouth was watering.

So I'm wandering around the grocery store collecting the items I need - eschallots, mushrooms, carrots, beef... beef?... surely the supermarket will have the right beef... but i'm looking, and looking and re-looking and can not find any stewing beef! There goes that idea for dinner.

Onto plan B - the good old, no need for a recipe - humble meat pie!

Humble beef mince pie

550g minced beef
oil (although not always needed - just depends on the fattiness of the meat, or should I say... quality)
2 cloves of garlic (crushed)
2x onions chopped (alternatively you can use a leek)
200g mushrooms (optional)
1/2c mixed vegetables (fresh or frozen - I chose frozen as it is easier)
1 jar plain tomato pasta sauce
1tsp Italian herbs
1x oxo cube
1/2c - 1c beef or vegetable stock
salt and pepper (for seasoning)
cayenne pepper (if you like a little zing)
cornflour to thicken the sauce
2x sheets frozen puff pastry
1 egg slightly beaten (for glazing the pastry)
Tomato sauce to serve

Preheat oven 180C.

In a large frying pan Brown the mince.

In a separate pan sautee the onions and mushrooms until onions are clear and mushrooms are soft (but not shriveled).

To the mince add the garlic and oxo cube and stir in. Then add the onions and mushrooms.

Sprinkle the herbs, add the pasta sauce, mixed veges and the stock. Taste and season.

If the sauce is too runny add some cornflour (i'd say 1 tsp at a time) stir in thoroughly and make sure flour is cooked off properly (otherwise you get a floury tasting mince mixture).

Once you're happy with the consistency of the mince set aside to cool slightly.

You can now prepare your pie dish.

Lay 1 sheet of puff pastry on the base of your pie dish pressing into the corners and trimming the edges.

Spoon your mince mixture into the pie dish until 3/4 full, then top with the remaining pastry.

Remember to poke a couple of holes in the lid of the pie to allow for steam to escape.

Brush with beaten egg and bake for 30 minutes or until the pastry has puffed and is golden brown.

Serve with tomato sauce.

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The housemates loved it, I hope you do too!

Monday night menu - Easy red tofu curry

2011-04-04T00:09:00.000-07:00

Red Tofu Curry (serves 4)

approx. 500 calories

270g (1 1/3 cups) jasmine rice
1 tbs olive oil
3 tbs red curry paste
1 x 320g pkt nigari tofu, drained, cut into 1cm piece
600g (1 1/2 pkts) Woolworths Fresh Asian Stir-fry Vegetables
1 x 400ml can light coconut milk
250ml (1 cup) vegetable stock
1 tbs fresh lime juice
1 tbs fish sauce
1 tbs brown sugar (or alternatively palm sugar)
1/2 cup fresh coriander leaves (optional)

Cook the rice according to the packet instruction, drain and set aside.

While rice is cooking heat the oil in a wok or large frying pan over medium heat.

Add the curry paste and tofu, and stir-fry for 1 minute or until paste is fragrant.

Add the frozen Asian vegetables, coconut milk and stock, and bring to a simmer cooking partially covered until the vegetables are tender.

Stir in lime juice, fish sauce and sugar.

Divide among serving bowls. Top with coriander, if desired. Serve with the rice.

Easy sausage rolls

2011-03-30T22:42:00.000-07:00

Seriously these are the easiest sausage rolls I have ever made, you think the shop bought ones are good.... wait til you try these! Not only are they going to be freshly made (with love) they will have only the ingredients you put in them, no added bits that you're unaware of... ENJOY!

500g sausage mince (generally found in the meat section in your local supermarket)
1/2c sweet fruit chutney
Salt & freshly ground black pepper
2-3 sheets frozen puff pastry
1 egg, lightly whisked
1 tbs sesame or poppy seeds

Preheat oven to 220°C.

Line a baking tray with non-stick baking paper or foil (if using foil, make sure you either spray with cooking spray or grease with butter/oil to stop the pastry from sticking).

Combine the sausage mince and fruit chutney in a bowl with salt and pepper.

Place one-third of the mince mixture down the longest edge of the pastry and roll to enclose and form a log. Use a little of the whisked egg to help secure the pastry.

Brush the top of the pastry with the rest of the egg and sprinkle the seeds.

Cut the roll into bite sized slices (either straight or diagonally if you're being fancy) and place rolls on the lined tray.

Repeat with remaining mince mixture and pastry.

Bake in preheated oven for 20-25 minutes or until the pastry is puffed and golden and the sausage mince is cooked though. Serve with sauce of choice.

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I like to add grated tasty cheese to the top of my sausage rolls for something a little different or sometimes (if I'm feeling extra naughty) I put a layer of cheese on top of the sausage meat before I roll the pastry around it so you get this lovely cheesy hit when you bite into the sausage roll.

Just an idea :)

Hmmm... Spicy pork meatballs

2011-03-30T20:42:00.000-07:00

I've used this recipe a few times now, sometimes as a main serviced on couscous or rice or as an entree/starter with a little dipping sauce.

Moroccan-spiced pork meatballs

500g pork mince
2 teaspoons Moroccan seasoning
1/3 cup fruit chutney
1 tablespoon finely chopped fresh chives
1 small red capsicum, finely chopped (or grated )
1 tablespoon olive oil

Preheat oven to 180°C/160°C fan-forced.

Line a large baking tray with baking paper.

Combine mince, seasoning, chutney, chives and capsicum in a bowl. Season with salt and pepper.

Roll mixture into balls and place on a plate (the size of the balls can be either teaspoon or tablespoon sizing depending how you want to use them, but it's important they are all the same or similar sizes for cooking purposes).

Heat oil in a frying pan over medium-high heat and cook balls, in batches, turning for until browned.

Transfer to prepared baking tray and bake for 10 minutes or until cooked through (to find out, remove one and cut in half to check whether the meatball is cooked through).

Serve with additional fruit chutney or tzatiki (you could probably even use them in a pita roll or Turkish wrap with lettuce, tomato etc or just serve them with salad...)

Personally I like everything to have a bit of punch so I tend to add some cayenne pepper or chilly flakes, but I totally understand it's a personal thing.

I would suggest making them, seeing what you do and don't like then altering the recipe to suit... :)

Trial and error is how some of the best recipes are formed.

Early Autumn Fruit and Veges

2011-03-28T22:41:00.000-07:00

Fruit

apples (aba), cox's orange (pippins, gala, jonagold, jonathan, mutso), banana, berries (raspberry, strawberry), breadfruit, feijoa, figs, grapes (cardinal, currant, muscat, purple, cornichon, sultana, waltham cross), guava, kiwifruit, lemon, limes, mango, mangosteen, melons (honeydew, rockmelon), nashi, nectarine, nuts (almond, chestnut, hazelnut, pistachio, walnut), orange (valencia), papaya, passionfruit, peach, pears (beurre bosc, howell, josephine, packham, red sensation, williams), persimmon, plums, pomegranate, rhubarb, tamarillo.

Vegetables

asian greens (bok choy, choy sum, gai laan, wonga bok), avocados (fuerte, shepard), beans (borlotti, butter, green, snake), capsicum, celery, chilli, cucumber, daikon, eggplant, leek, lettuce, okra, olive, onions (brown, red, spring), peas, potato, pumpkin, shallot, silverbeet, spinach, squash, sweetcorn, sweet potato, tomato, zucchini.

Entertainers delight - Chicken, Mushroom and Bacon vol au vents

2011-03-28T22:12:00.000-07:00

Makes approx. 20 small or 6-8 large

Chicken/Mushroom/Bacon filling:
20g butter
1 large onion chopped
200g diced chicken breast
100g chopped bacon
100g chopped mushrooms

White sauce (bechamel):
70g butter
1/2c plain flour
2c milk

Preheat over to 180C and line a baking tray with baking paper. Place vol au vent cases onto the tray.

Heat 20g butter in a large frying pan on medium heat.

Add onion and cook for 2 minutes or until softened and clear.

Increase heat to medium-high and add chicken, bacon and mushrooms.

Cook, stirring occasionally until chicken is cooked through and liquid has evaporated.

Meanwhile heat butter in a saucepan on medium until butter is melted and foaming. Add flour and cook, stirring with a wooden spoon, for 1 minute or until mixture bubbles.

Slowly add milk, 1/4 cup at a time, whisking constantly to prevent lumps forming.

Cook, stirring, for a further 5 minutes or until sauce boils and thickens. heat.

Add white sauce to the chicken/mushroom/bacon mixture and combine.

Taste and add any salt pepper as required.

Divide the mixture between the vol au vent cases and bake in oven for 15 minutes.

Serve hot!

A little asian infusion - Honey and Sweet soy Prawns with Sesame seeds on Bok choy

2011-03-28T17:04:00.000-07:00

Honey and Sweet soy Prawns with Sesame seeds on Bok choy
1 Tbs fish sauce
1 Tbs honey
2 Tbs kecap manis (Indonesian sweet soy)
1 tsp finely grated fresh ginger
1 lime, rind finely grated, juiced
20 medium green prawns, peeled, deveined, leaving tails intact
1 large bunch bok choy, halved lengthways, washed
2 tsp sesame seeds
1 Tbs peanut oil

Combine the fish sauce, honey, kecap manis, ginger, lime rind and juice in a bowl.

Add the prawns and coat. Set aside for 20 minutes.

Meanwhile, separate the bok choy leaves from the stem section. Cut the stem section in half lengthways.

Heat a wok or large deep frying pan over a medium-high heat. Add the sesame seeds and cook for 1-2 minutes until golden. Remove and set aside.

Heat 2 tsp peanut oil and heat over a high heat. Add the bok choy stems. Stir-fry for 4 minutes then add the leaves and stir-fry until tender. Transfer to a platter and cover with foil.

Heat the remaining oil in the wok over a high heat. Add the prawns and cook, for 2 minutes each side or until golden and the sauce reduces slightly.
Spoon sauce over the bok choy. Dip the prawns in sesame seeds and layer on top. (Alternatively place the prawns and sprinkle the whole dish with sesame seeds).

Dried figs wrapped in prosciutto

2011-03-27T17:29:00.000-07:00

If you love to entertain - here is a great idea for canapés:

Dried figs wrapped in prosciutto (makes 20)

1 cup water

3 oranges, juiced
375g packet Dried Figs
10 baby bocconcini, halved
20 slices prosciutto
olive oil cooking spray
Bring water and juice to the boil in a saucepan over medium-high heat.

Reduce heat to medium. Simmer for 5 minutes.
Add figs. Simmer for 10 minutes then remove from heat and allow to cool.
Drain figs. Pat-dry with paper towels.

Place 1 piece of bocconcini onto each fig. Wrap 1 slice of prosciutto around each fig, securing with a toothpick. Spray with oil.
Preheat a barbecue plate or frying pan on medium.
Cook figs for 3 to 4 minutes each side, or until light golden.

Transfer to a plate and serve.

Weekend Menu

2011-03-25T14:24:00.000-07:00

I know it's sometimes hard to plan meals for the weekend - trust me, i'm single and am not really a fan of cooking for one. But this weekend I've decided to actually plan what i'm going to eat. This might help with the bad snacking and fast food runs.

Tonight I have decided to make Moroccan Apricot Chicken:

Moroccan Apricot Chicken (serves 4) approx. 500 cals per serve

1 tablespoon olive oil

4 (150g each) chicken breast fillets, fat trimmed
1 medium brown onion, halved, thinly sliced
2 garlic cloves, crushed
1 tablespoon Moroccan seasoning mix
1 tablespoon tomato paste
2 tablespoons honey
400g can whole peeled tomatoes
1 cup chicken stock
1 cup dried apricots
400g can chickpeas, drained, rinsed
Fresh coriander leaves and couscous, to serve

Heat oil in a large frying pan over medium-high heat. Cook chicken for 2 minutes each side or until browned. Transfer to a plate.
Add onion to pan. Cook, stirring, for 5 minutes or until softened.
Add garlic and seasoning. Cook for 1 minute or until fragrant.

Add tomato paste and honey. Cook, stirring, for 1 minute.

Add tomatoes, stock, apricots and chickpeas. Bring to the boil.
Return chicken to pan. Reduce heat to low. Simmer, uncovered, turning chicken occasionally, for 20 minutes or until chicken is cooked through and sauce has reduced and thickened slightly.
Meanwhile cook couscous according to packet instructions.

Serve chicken mixture with couscous and coriander.

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Sounds pretty good to me... now off to the supermarket for supplies.

Fat Food FRIDAY!

2011-03-25T14:04:00.000-07:00

I'm pretty strict with my diet during the week (at least, I try to be) but I love Friday's being a day where I can eat whatever I want and not feel guilty. So I've labelled my 'day off' FAT FOOD FRIDAY (sometimes Fat FREE Friday but you get what I mean).

I don't generally cook on Friday evenings, Friday's to me are for takeaways or eating out. Sometimes not eating at all... depending how much fun I'm having ;)

Last night I went to a new (to me) restaurant on Goulburn Street in Chinatown called BBQ King - I know it's not a NEW restaurant and it has been around for years but it was new to me. All I have to say is WHERE HAVE YOU BEEN ALL MY LIFE. It's a small, dirty looking place but as with most restaurants in this end of town, you can't judge a book (or restaurant) by it's cover (appearance).

We were escourted upstairs (on street level the restaurant looks tiny but there are 3 upstairs rooms!) and were the first diners of the evening. BBQ King lacks much atmosphere (aside from the street noise) until the tables are occupied, I mean, there isn't any music, and aside from chattering of patrons there isn't much or any other background noise.

The staff are very friendly and the food is so delicious! We ordered chicken and sweetcorn soup for a starter with a side of dim sim (which were massive - and wonderful) - I'm not sure why we thought we could manage all of this AND a main meal but we ordered the sizzling Mongolian beef. This dish is amazing! They serve it on a hot plate so the beef and veges really do sizzle!

We were so stuffed we couldn't manage to eat too much but fortunately you can get a take away container of the food you don't eat - love it!

I know there are so many restaurants to try in Chinatown but this is one place I know I'll be going back to again and again...

Restaurant appearance 5/10

Staff hospitality 9/10

Food variety 9/10

Taste 10/10

Try it!

A vegetarian idea for dinner ... less than 200 cals! Spicy Rice Filled Eggplant

2011-03-22T21:18:00.000-07:00

Spicy Rice Filled Eggplant (Aubergine) - serves 4 (or two hungry hippos)
150g (3/4 cup) basmati rice
2 large eggplants
1 tbs olive oil
1 large brown onion, halved, finely chopped
1 red capsicum, halved, deseeded, finely chopped
2 garlic cloves, crushed
2 tsp ground coriander
1 tsp finely grated fresh ginger
1/5 tsp finely chopped fresh red chilli
1/4 tsp ground turmeric
1/5 cup coarsely chopped fresh continental parsley
2 tsp finely grated lemon rind
2 tbs fresh lemon juice
130g (1/2 cup) reduced-fat yoghurt
2 tbs coarsely chopped fresh mint
Preheat oven to 200°C.
Cook the rice according to the packet instructions. Rinse under cold running water and drain.

Meanwhile score the eggplant flesh horizontally and vertically 5mm apart, being careful not to cut the skin. Heat the oil in a large frying pan over a low heat. Cook eggplant, cut side down, for 10 minutes or until tender. Set aside to cool slightly.

Heat oil in a frying pan over medium heat. Add the onion and capsicum and cook, stirring, for 5 minutes or until soft. Add the garlic, coriander, ginger, chilli and turmeric and cook, stirring, for 30 seconds or until aromatic. Scoop the flesh out of the eggplant halves, keeping the skin intact. Add the eggplant and cook, stirring, until combined. Remove from heat.
Add the rice, parsley, lemon rind and lemon juice to eggplant mixture, and stir to combine. Place eggplant shells in a large baking dish. Spoon rice mixture evenly among eggplant shells. Bake in oven for 30 minutes or until eggplant shells are soft and filling is golden.
Place the yoghurt and mint in a small serving bowl and stir to combine. Serve with spicy rice-filled eggplant.

Anyone for Thai tonight?

2011-03-21T22:35:00.000-07:00

Thai Style Salmon with Bok Choy (serves 4)

500g Tasmanian Atlantic Salmon fillets, skin removed sliced into chunks
375ml light coconut milk
1 teaspoon Thai red curry paste
1 teaspoon brown sugar or palm sugar
2 stalks baby bok choy, rinsed and roughly torn
1 tablespoon fresh coriander leaves
1 cup cooked rice (white or brown)
Lime wedges

Gently heat curry paste until fragrant. Add coconut milk and sugar in a large saucepan.

Stir in salmon chunks and cover for 3-4mins until salmon is opaque.

Add bok choy and cover until wilted.

Stir through coriander and serve with rice and lime wedges.

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I made this for dinner last night. It was very simple but OH SO tasty! I may have over-cooked the salmon slightly but it still tasted fantastic!

The fresh coriander and lime juice take this dish to another level!

This is something I will definitely make again... and again... and again

ps. I figure this meal to be approx. 400 calories per serve

Dinner with less than 350 calories? YES PLEASE

2011-03-21T21:46:00.000-07:00

Mexican chicken salad (serves 4) approx. 342cals

2 single chicken breast fillets
2 tsp ground cumin
1 1/2 tbs extra virgin olive oil
2 large oranges
1 tbs fresh lime juice
1 small garlic clove, finely chopped
1/2 small red onion, thinly sliced
2 ripe avocados, halved, stone removed, peeled, coarsely chopped
2/3 cup fresh coriander leaves

Sprinkle both sides of the chicken with cumin. Heat 2 teaspoons of oil in a large frying pan over medium-high heat.
Add the chicken and cook for 5 minutes each side or until cooked through.
Thinly slice diagonally across the grain.

Meanwhile, remove the rind and white pith of the orange, cut along either side of the white membrane to remove the segments.

Mix the lime juice, garlic and remaining oil in a large bowl.

Add the chopped chicken, orange segments, lime juice mixture, onion, avocado and 1/2 cup of coriander.
Taste and season with salt and pepper.

Divide among serving plates and top with the remaining coriander.

Bon appetit!
Can be served with tortillas or mountain bread (which add around 80-120 extra calories to this meal).

A recipe a day is all it takes to be great!

2011-03-21T15:28:00.000-07:00

I've been baking for as long as I can remember. From late night chocolate fudge or self-saucing chocolate pudding or the Saturday morning's up early helping bake bread, to the bored Sunday afternoons where I'd choose a new recipe and give it a go.

But I never thought of myself as much of a cook.

We grew up in a typical meat + 3 veg house. There was never really much variety in our meals. Basically our meals were tasty, but very simple.

It wasn't until the television channels started being consumed with food shows - celebrity chefs, reality TV cook off competitions etc - that I really started to pay attention. They made it all seem so easy.

So I gave it a go - and I'm still going!

I choose a new recipe and give it a go! If the meal is good, I'll make it again, maybe change a few things if I think they could improve the flavour and I share it with my friends.

I learnt you have to taste, really TASTE your food, at each stage of the cooking process... and seasoning should be added during the cooking not after (if you need seasoning AFTER you haven't seasoned it enough during).

So I'm going to share my recipes with you. I'll choose a recipe of the day and the following day I'll let you know how it went.

A recipe a day is all it takes to be great!