Chicken Sausage Rolls August 9, 2009

Ingredients:
1 chicken breast
1 carrot
1 zucchini
1 tin (drained and rinsed) lentils
1 clove garlic
1 tb dried basil
1/2 tsp cumin
1/2 tsp curry powder
Bread (about 3 crust slices – the crust is better because it is less soft/moist, you don’t want the mixture too moist or your sausage rolls can ooze)

Method:
Chuck that all in a food processor and blend until it makes a sausage mince consistency. Cut a sheet of pastry in half, a spoon the mixture out to make a line down the side of one half of the pastry sheet (about as thick as a thin sausage), roll the pastry over, and cut it into sections to make sausage rolls. Bake at around 200ºC for about 15 mins or until pastry has browned.

Chicken Nuggets June 9, 2009

Ingredients:
6 chicken thigh fillets (skin removed)
1 slice wholegrain bread
1 garlic clove
1tb spices (I used lemon pepper & cumin)
Breadcrumb mixture (breadcrumbs, sesame seeds + spices)

Method:
Pop everything but the breadcrumbs into a food processor, and blend until it forms a paste-like consistency. Take spoonfuls and form into nugget-like shapes and toss in a breadcrumb mixture. Spray a baking tray with oil, and bake the nuggets at 180ºC for about 15-20 mins, turning over halfway through.
You can freeze these and reheat as needed. Makes about 25 nuggets

Herb & Corn Yorkshire Puddings May 16, 2009

Ingredients:
1 cup Self Raising Flour
1 egg 1 cup milk
pinch salt
Pinch mixed herbs (or use spring onions, basil etc.)
1/2 cup corn

 
Method:
1). Mix the ingredients together and beat well to remove any lumps.
2). Spray/grease the insides of a muffin tray.
3). Place the muffin tray in the oven for about a minute, then bring it out and pour the pudding batter into the muffin spaces (makes 12).
4). Bake at 180ºC for about 15 mins, until the tops are golden.

 
Personally I think these are best served hot with gravy and mint sauce (either as part of a roast meal, or on their own) But they can be eaten cold if you’re packing them as a lunchbox filling.

Less Fuss, 2 meal Roast May 6, 2009

Normally I like to go all out with my roasts… I bake them slowly, basting often, separate the pumpkin so I can make it burn a bit (Mmmmm burned pumpkin!)… sometimes even popping it under the grill if it’s not burned when everything else is ready…… but more simple can be good too… and this “recipe” of sorts shows how you can make a roast span over 2 days with minimal effort for the second night.

When you buy the roast meat, buy a portion bigger than you would normally need. It doesn’t have to be twice as big if you’re happy to bulk it up with vegetables and yorkshire pudding.

In a large (twice as big as your meat is) baking dish (I use the black enamelled kind with a lid), place the roast in the centre, and then in one end put (single layer if you can) whole, washed, skin on baby potatoes, and in the other end larger pieces of pumpkin (I prefer skin off, but thats up to you). Add about 3cm (3/4″) water to the dish and put the lid on. Pop that in the oven at about 180ºC for 1.5 hours. Go read or do something to pass the time.

Then bring the roasting pan out and carefully drain off all the water/juices into a saucepan (keeping it). Return the roasting pan to the oven, uncovered.

Make the yorkshire pudding mixture (1 egg, 1 cup milk, 1 pinch salt and 1 cup flour [you can use either, SR flour makes a lighter 'pud', plain makes a dense one]) Put a little olive oil in the wells of a muffin tray, and put it (empty) in the oven for about 30 seconds, bring it out and pour the ‘pud’ mixture in (about half fill them), being careful because the oil may sizzle a bit, then put it in the oven for about 15 mins until golden brown. You can bring the roast out and leave it somewhere with the lid on if you think it’s cooked enough.

Get your other vegies ready if you’re having them (we do steamed peas, corn and broccoli usually), and make the gravy. You can spoon off the oil from the top of the roasting pan juices (or leave it in)… and add some gravy powder if you like, and some extra water. Make about twice as much gravy as you normally would.

Serve your roast, serve up only half of the meat, putting the remainder in the saucepan of gravy. After the meal, when the gravy has cooled, put a lid/covering on and put the pan in the fridge.

Roast day 2 – simply take out the pan of gravy/meat and heat this on the stovetop while you get some vegies happening (I forgo the effort of roasting more and just toss some spuds, pumpkin and other veg in the steamer), and make another batch of yorkshire puds. You can get 2 nights out of the meat, and all you have to do the next day is reheat it. The gravy keeps it lovely and moist, so you don’t have dried out leftovers. If you wanted to, you could probably cook a double batch of spuds, pumpkin and puds the first night, and stick them in a baking dish and reheat it in that while your gravy/meat is heating… but it probably won’t be as nice as making new veg.

Potato Pancakes January 16, 2009

Ingredients:
2 large potatoes
3 eggs
1/2 cup wholemeal SR flour
salt, garlic and chives to taste

Method:
Peel, dice and then cook the potatoes to cook them a little (eg microwave for 2 mins). Blend everything together until smooth. Cook like you would a pancake.

Chorizo Stirfry December 12, 2008

Chorizos are a spicy sausage. I’ve also used the chilli beef skinless real meat sausages too…. salami could also work.

Ingredients:
1 Tin mixed stirfry vegies
1 small Tin sliced water chestnuts
1 small Tin bamboo shoots
(or use fresh or frozen versions)
2-3 chorizos sausages, or beef/pork/chicken strips
Rice
Soy sauce
Oyster sauce
Chinese 5 spice powder

Method:
1). Boil the rice.
2). If using the Chorizos, you can either fry the sausages whole then chop up, or chop them up into bite sized pieces when raw and fry these (I do it the latter). Don’t add oil as these are very oily. When fried tip off the extra oil and drain well on kitchen paper. If using other meat, fry this just before the rice is ready.
3). When the rice is ready, drain and rinse in hot water, heat up your wok and toss in the cooked sausage and the (drained) tins of stirfry vegies. No oil. Cook these for about 1 minute then add the rice, a splash of soy & oyster sauce, about 1/2 teaspoon 5 spice, mix together and serve.

Wild rice blend stirfry December 12, 2008

Silly name for a recipe, but I don’t know how else to describe it. I bought some organic mixed rice, with “white husked” rice (looks almost like brown rice), red rice and black wild rice. I wanted to do something with it where we’d appreciate the flavour of it without overpowering it too much, so I made this.

Ingredients:
Chicken
Capsicum (can use whatever colour you like)
Sliced Eggplant (the long thin kind which slices nicely for stirfry)
Zucchini, chopped into thin sticks
Mushrooms
Garlic
Sliced Leek
Sweet corn
(carrot and celery go well in here too)
A dash of sweet chilli sauce and a dash of soy sauce

Method:
Fry the chicken until browning, then add the capsicum, leek, mushrooms and vegetables, then the garlic just before the end, then pop in the cooked rice and add sauces.

Chicken & Bacon Pasta December 12, 2008

Ingredients:
1/2 medium Onion
1 Clove Garlic
Fresh Chives, Parsley and Basil (to taste – I’d use about 1/8 – 1/4 cup total, mostly chives)
2-3 large Mushrooms (depending on size)
4 Rashers Bacon
1 Chicken Breast or 2 Chicken thighs
Plain Flour
Milk or Evaporated milk (about 1-2 cups)
Salt and pepper to taste
Cheese (optional – I’d use 2 low fat cheese slices)

Method:
1). Put the Pasta on to boil.
2). Chop the Bacon and Chicken into bite sized pieces. Finely chop the onion and garlic.
3). Fry the Bacon and Chicken until about half cooked. Add the Onion and fry until Chicken and Onion are browned. Add the Garlic, Mushrooms and herbs. Fry these until starting to brown.
4). In another pan add milk to about 2 tablespoons of flour, and blend to remove lumps. Bring this to the boil, stirring frequently to make a white sauce.
5). When thickened, add cheese and fried ingredients. Add salt and pepper to taste.
6). Either serve this poured over pasta, or mix the pasta through then serve.

Variation
Instead of milk and cheese, you can use a tin of evaporated milk (The “Light & Creamy”) one. Which gives a creamy taste

Curried Noodles December 12, 2008

(a variation on mac & cheese)

 
Ingredients:
Pasta
flour
milk
curry powder
Cheese (a cheese slice or 1/2 cup grated cheese)
peas and corn

 
Method:
1). Boil pasta with the peas and corn (to cook them). When ready drain.
2). In a saucepan mix about 2 tablespoons of plain flour, 1/2 tsp curry powder with a cup or so of milk – to make a white sauce (Stir to get the lumps out, bring to the boil and it should thicken). and the pasta/vegies. Add some cheese to this.

Easy Curried Tuna Noodles December 12, 2008

Ingredients:
Pasta
flour
“Mild malay Curry” or “Mild chicken curry” cup-a-soup
Cheese (1 slice or some grated)
peas and corn
Tin of tuna

 
Method:
1). Boil pasta with the peas and corn (to cook them). When ready drain.
2). In a saucepan mix about 2 tablespoons of plain flour with the powered soup. Pour in about a cup of water and stir well. Bring this to the boil to thicken the flour mix. Add cheese, the pasta, tuna and vegies, stir to mix and serve.

Basic Fried Rice December 12, 2008

Ingredients:
1/2 a Medium Onion
1 Clove Garlic
4 Rashers Bacon
2 Eggs (optional)
Rice (about 2 cups cooked – depending on how many you are feeding, and how hungry they are)
Peas, corn & grated carrot (optional)
Soy sauce

Method:
1). Put the rice on to boil. Alternately you could use a Rice cooker.
2). Chop the Bacon into bite sized pieces. Finely chop the onion and garlic.
3). In a wok or large frypan, fry the Bacon until about half cooked. Add the Onion and fry until Onion is soft. Add the Garlic and vegetables and fry until the carrot softens.
4). In a separate frypan, crack the eggs to make a thin omelette, then chop this and add it, with the rice to the wok.
5).  Mix together well, add soy sauce and then serve. You could use oyster sauce too if you like.

Macaroni & Cheese December 12, 2008

Ingredients:
175g macaroni
60g butter
60g plain flour
600ml milk
pinch of salt and pepper
175g cheddar cheese, grated

Method:
1). Boil the macaroni until cooked. Drain and return to the pan.
2). In a saucepan, melt the butter, then stir in the flour, and cook for 1 minute.
3). Remove from heat and stir in the milk, a little at a time.
4). Return the pan to the heat and bring to the boil, stirring continuously. Simmer for 1 minute then remove from heat and stir in the cheese. Then add the cooked pasta and mix well to combine.

Mini Quiche November 18, 2008

Make Mini quiches in muffin tins.

 
Mix eggs, grated carrot and zucchini, corn, some chicken or bacon, grated cheese, seasonings and a splash of milk. Cut pastry sheets into small squares and line each hole in a muffin tin with a square leave the ends poking out), pour in some quiche mix and cook at around 180C for 15 mins or until egg has set.

 
Alternative crust – Flatten wholegrain bread with a rolling pin, press into the muffin tins and spray lightly with oil.

Easy Peasy Ravioli November 18, 2008

Perfect for those “ack! it’s dinnertime and I have nothing ready” days.

Method:
Simply keep a pack of frozen ravioli/tortellini (those filled pastas) in the freezer and a carton of “velish” vegetable soup (basically just pureed vegies) in the pantry.

Put the ravioli (still frozen) in a saucepan of simmering water and cook for around 10 mins (until pasta is soft). Drain then return to the pot and add the vegetable soup. You can add a handful of grated cheese or half soup and half tomato based pasta sauce if you wish.

 

Another sauce option, which does take a little more effort, but is still pretty easy, is to finely chop 2 mushrooms and fry them with some onion and garlic, pour a tin of evaporated milk into the frypan, add salt and pepper and allow this to gently simmer and reduce down while the ravioli is cooking.  When the pasta is ready, drain it and ad dit to the frypan, with a handful of grated cheese if you like, and stir this around to coat the pasta.

Mini Hotdogs November 18, 2008

Ingredients:
Small “bake at home” long dinner rolls (find at “Coles”)
Mini Cocktail franks

 
Method:
Cook the cocktail franks in boiling water as usual, cook the rolls if they are not already cooked. You can steam them on a cake rack over the simmering franks if you like squishier hotdog buns. When cooked, assemble.

 
If you’re not keen on the questionable composition of the bought franks, you could make your own (grilled) from the sausage roll mix, or use sausages cut in half.

Spinach & Ricotta Triangles November 18, 2008

Ingredients:
Puff pastry
Beaten egg (optional)
¼ cup Spinach
1 tub ricotta cheese
¼ cup Cheddar/Tasty cheese
Peas & corn (optional)

Method:
Mix all but the egg together (if using fresh spinach – cook or wilt it in boiling water first).

Cut pastry sheets into 9 squares. Place a heaped teaspoon of mixture onto the pastry and fold the corners over to make a triangle. Let the kids help by using a fork to press around the 2 open edges to seal them. Prick airholes and “paint” with beaten egg if you wish. Bake at around 200°C for around 15 mins or until golden brown.

Fun Egg Toast November 18, 2008

Lightly butter one side of a slice of bread and lay in a hot frying pan until golden brown. Remove and use a large shaped cookie cutter (Dog, Dinosaur etc.) to cut a section out of the centre of the bread. Butter the other side and lay the bread back into the hot pan, cracking an egg into the hole in the centre of the bread. Cook on until the egg has cooked to your liking.

Pita Bread Pizza November 16, 2008

A quick and simple pizza. Strangely I really like these. A friend introduced me to the idea… now normally I’m the sort of person who likes my pizza base thick, and my toppings plentiful, but I actually like this much lighter version as a bit of a change … and it’s a quick snack thing I often make when I can’t think of anything else, because I keep bags of pita breads in my freezer (buy up big when they go on sale!). If you buy the little pita breads they can make great individual pizzas for kids, or buy the larger ones to make a more normal size pizza.

 
Ingredients:
Pita bread
Tomato paste (or pasta sauce)
Cheese
Ham
Optional: Mushrooms, Kabana/Salami, Olives, Garlic, Chopped fresh Sage & Basil

 
Method:
Tomato paste goes on first, then a very light scattering of the remaining ingredients. The pita bread makes a very thin pizza base, so you don’t want to put too much topping on. If your pita bread is quite moist, bake on a wire rack, or tray with holes for a crispy base…

Bean Burrito November 16, 2008

Ingredients:
Burrito tortillas
Grated Cheese
Tin of refried beans
Jar of tomato salsa
(I like sweetcorn in it too, call me mad…)

 
Method:
In a saucepan mix the refried beans, about a cup of cheese and the salsa until bubbling (and the corn if you like it too). Microwave a tortilla with a for about 20 seconds. Slop some of the bean mix onto it and wrap it up.

Bean and egg thing November 16, 2008

No idea what to call this. Sounds pretty horrible…. but it is actually quite yummy. It doesn’t taste like eggs.. more like a cheesy baked bean with a slight hint of curry. Just trust me on this, it isn’t as gross as it sounds. I have no idea what possessed me to make this the first time I did, but I am glad I did, it’s really yummy.

 
Ingredients:
1 egg
1 tin baked beans
some corn (and peas if you like)
pinch curry powder
1 low fat cheese slice

 
Method:
Put all ingredients into a saucepan (except the bread). Stir well until the mixture thickens and cheese is melted.

 
Serve on toast

Chilli Cheese Fries November 16, 2008

This recipe (of sorts) comes from a friend, and this is what she calls it.

Its more of an idea than a recipe….

1). Take a plate/tray/dish of cooked chips (bought or oven fries) or wedges, or even steamed or roasted quartered baby potatoes works….

2). Top with a tin of cooked “Stag Chilli” (I’m told to only use the lean beef one)

3). Top with grated cheese…..

Either eat as is or put into the oven (microwave) and heat until the cheese melts. I like a dolop of sour cream on top You’ll need a fork as the resulting dish is a kind of beany-cheesy-chippy mess, but its gooooooooood!

Burritos November 16, 2008

Ingredients:
Tortillas
Sliced/Diced fresh tomato
Grated carrot
Lettuce
Meat of choice *
Sour cream (optional)
Grated cheese

 
Method:
Lay a tortilla on a plate, top with cheese and microwave for 20-25 seconds. Add the meat, then lettuce, carrot and tomato. Add a little sour cream if you like it.

* Use something like:
Pieces of Roasted/BBQ chicken
Beef strips (like stirfry strips)
Chicken Pieces (Fried with seasonings or plain)