Capsicum stuffed with rice June 14, 2009

I thought I’d give this a go, to see how it worked.  Not bad I thought (except the kebabs were overcooked)

Flavoured Rice
I cooked the rice in a rice cooker, as normal, but added some finely chopped  garlic, onion, mushrooms, a teaspoon of vegetable stock, and a teaspoon of lemon pepper …. it was delicious!

Then when that was cooked I spooned it into hollowed out capsicums and put those in the oven for about 15-20 mins to cook the capsicum.  I served them with chicken and vegetable kebabs, corn and broccoli    The rice works just as nicely not served in a capsicum too… you can serve it straight from the rice cooker.

Potato and Lentil Patties May 2, 2009

(large “Ball” patties)

Ingredients:

For the patties:
1 tin lentils
4 cups (approx) boiled/steamed potato
1/2 cup corn
1 tsp curry powder
1 tsp mixed herbs
1 tsp salt
6 rashers rindless/shortcut bacon (optional)

For breadcrumbs:
1 1/2 cups breadcrumbs (approx)
2 tb parmesan cheese
2 tb mixed herbs
1 tsp salt
1 tsp lemon pepper

Method:
Mash the potato with milk until very smooth and creamy. Chop and fry the bacon, then add all the patties ingredients together and mix well. Mix the breadcrumb mix together in a dish. Form the potato mixture into patties or balls (I find balls easier to work with) and coat with the crumbs. Spray a baking tray with olive oil, lay out the patties and spray the tops. Bake at 180ºC for about 20 mins.

(smaller flat patties)

Slowcooker Chickpea Curry January 16, 2009

Ingredients:
500g chicken
Potato
Sweet potato
Pumpkin
Cauliflower
Broccoli
1 tin chickpeas
1 tun coconut milk
1 green chilli
Cardamon, Cumin, Coriander and Garlic to taste (about 1/2 tsp each)

 
Method:
Cut chicken into bite sized pieces and brown this is a frypan, then place the chicken in slow cooker. In the frypan, heat the spices, then add those to the slow cooker. Cut the vegetables into bitesized pieces, then add to the show cooker with the chickpeas and coconut milk. Cook on low for several hours.

Very green pea patties January 8, 2009

I saw these on a Bento blog, but I thought they could be cool for non-bento use too… Imagine making a marbled pumpkin and pea patty!

http://justbento.com/recipe-collection-mains/poppy-seed-encrusted-green-pea-mini-burgers

Slow Cooker Lentil Curry December 13, 2008

Ingredients:
Handful of red lentils
1 onion (chopped)
1/2 butternut pumpkin (diced)
Small sweet potato (diced)
Red capsicum (diced)
Fresh tomato (chopped)
Green beans (sliced)
Spices – cumin, ground coriander, garam masala, tumeric and chilli

 
Method:
Add all ingredients to the slow cooker (Add water – but not sure how much), mix well, put the lid on and allow to cook for several hours.

 
(From http://www.joyousbirth.info)

Vegetable and chickpea curry December 13, 2008

Ingredients:
1 lge brown onion
2 garlic cloves
2 tbl sp curry powder
3 tsp cumin
800g can diced tomatoes
1/2 lemon juiced
300g chickpeas drained
1lge sweet potato
1lge carrot
4 squash
250g broccoli
250g cauliflower

 
Jasmine rice and natural yoghurt to serve

 
Method:
1. You can fry the onion and garlic in a frying pan first, or just put it in the crockpot with all but the last 2 ingredients.
2. cook on high for 4 hours, or slow for 6 hours.
3. Serve with rice and yoghurt.

 
(From http://www.joyousbirth.info)

Irish Stew December 13, 2008

Ingredients:
2 carrots, sliced
1 parsnip, sliced
1 onion, diced
450g Potatoes, thinly sliced
4 lamb chops, fat removed and diced (or equivalent amount)
500mls chicken stock (boiling)
Salt and Pepper to taste
2 Bay Leaves

 
Method:
Brown the meat, then put all the ingredients into the Slow Cooker.

 
Cook on high for 6-8 hours.

Vegetarian Curry December 13, 2008

Ingredients:
1 Onion, finely chopped
1 Clove Garlic, crushed
1/2 tsp Chilli
1/2 tsp Turmeric
1/2 tsp Coriander
1/2 tsp Cummin
1c Lentils
1 litre vegetable Stock
1 tsp Lemon Juice
Salt and Pepper to taste
2 Carrots, diced
1c pumpkin, diced
1c potato, diced

 
Method:
Lightly fry the onion and garlic, then add the spices. Add the lemon juice, lentil and stock. Bring to the boil and boil for 5 minutes. Pour this into to the slow cooker and add the vegetables. (You may need to add more water/stock) Cook on high for 3-4 hours (or low 7-10 hours).

 
Slightly altered from the recipe posted by Debbie Lee:
http://www.bellybelly.com.au/forums/showthread.php?t=17924

Lamb & Kumara Curry December 13, 2008

Ingredients:
1/3 cup plain flour
1.2kg diced lamb
2 tbsp olive oil
500g kumara (orange sweet potato), peeled, cut into 3cm cubes
1 large brown onion, cut into thin wedges
400g can chickpeas, drained, rinsed
1 cup chicken stock
1/3 cup korma curry paste
2 tbsp finely chopped coriander leaves to serve

 
Method:
1). Coat the lamb in flour, then brown in a frying pan with a little oil.. Transfer to slow cooker.
2). Add the vegetables and chickpeas.
3). Mix together the stock and curry paste, add to the slow cooker then cover with lid and cook on high for 4.5 hrs, stirring every 1.5 hrs.

 
Originally from Super Food Ideas Magazine, taken from thread:
http://members.essentialbaby.com.au/index.php?showtopic=91279&st=30

Lamb Shanks with Lentils December 13, 2008

Ingredients:
1 cup washed lentils
2 lamb shanks
2 cups beef stock
1 tin whole tomatoes
1 tablespoon brown sugar
Herbs & spices to taste

 
Method:
Place all the ingredients into the slow cooker and cook on low for about 9 hours or on high for about 4 hours.

 
Recipe from Donna Hay’s “Off The Shelf” Cookbook, adapted and posted by Annabel:
http://members.essentialbaby.com.au/index.php?showtopic=91279&st=40#

Slow Cooker Vegie dhal December 13, 2008

Ingredients:
1 onion, diced
2 medium potatoes, diced
1/2 sweet potato, diced
2 cups of red lentils
2-3 teaspoons each of minced garlic and ginger
1 tablespoon of fennel seeds
1 tablespoon or more of curry powder
About 1 litre of stock
2/3c coconut milk

 
Method:
Add everything to the slow cooker, and cook on high for 3 hours then add in some vegetables of your choice (capsicum, pumpkin, carrot, cauliflower, peas, beans etc.) serve with yoghurt and mango chutney.

 
(Recipe by Brazen: http://members.essentialbaby.com.au/index.php?showtopic=91279&st=120)

Creamy Potato Salad (with bacon & egg) December 13, 2008

Ingredients:
Baby Potatoes
Chives
cracked Pepper
Light sour cream
1 tsp wholegrain mustard
1 egg
lots of bacon
Bottled Potato salad dressing (Kraft)

Method:
1). Cook the potatoes like you would for potato salad (chopped into bite sized pieces, I like to leave the skin on)
2). Chop and fry the bacon. Boil and chop the egg
3). When potatoes are cool, add a mix of the other ingredients (just mixed to taste).  Use about half and half with the dressing and sour cream as the dressing.

Curried Beef Pie December 13, 2008

Ingredients:
Puff Pastry sheets
Beef mince
Gravy powder
Milk powder
Rice
Corn
Carrot
Potato
Dried herbs (or fresh if you have them)
2 teaspoons Curry Powder
Ground Cardamon
Ground Coriander seeds
1/2 cup grated low fat cheese

 

Method:
1). Get your frozen pastry out and let it defrost while you make the filling.
2). Put a saucepan on the heat and add the mince (no oil). Fry this until brown. Drain off the excess oil if there is any. Add 2 teaspoons of curry powder and fry for a few moments.
3). Add your corn, potato (cut into really small pieces) and carrot (I cut my carrot into slices, then cut each slice into quarters, so it cooks quicker), and about a handful of rice (depending on how much mince you used). The rice helps to give it substance, soaks up the liquid (and stretches the mix further!).
4). Put about a tablespoon of gravy powder in a coffee mug, fill with water, mix and add this to the pot. Add more water if needed to just cover the ingredients. Add about 1/2 a teaspoon each of coriander and cardamon, and about 2 teaspoons of dried herbs.. If you like, you can add some milk powder dissolved in water to make a slightly creamier pie filling. I use about 3 tablespoons milk powder in 1/2 cup water. You could use actual milk, but powdered milk gives more milk and less liquid.
5). Simmer this until the rice is getting soft. Add cheese and mix well.
6). When the mince mix is cooked, allow it to cool (you can use it while still warm, but its best not to be hot because it melts the pastry).
7). Grease your chosen pie making dish (I find the best thing to use is actually a spring form pan. You know those cake tins with the base and sides separate, with a locking thingie to release to let the bottom out…. I find it makes getting the pie out in one piece really easy!). Place the pastry into your dish.
8). Spoon the filling mix into the dish, and put your lid on.
9). You can give the top of the pie a light glazing with milk and a pastry brush (you can add egg to the milk, but it isn’t necessary). Don’t forget to cut an air slit in the pastry lid to allow the steam to escape. Put the pie in the oven to cook.
10).. It should go in a hot oven (about 200C), cook until the pastry is browning. Probably about 20 mins?

Vegetable Quiche December 13, 2008

Ingredients:
6 eggs
Spring onions, finely chopped
bacon (2 rashers), chopped
1/4 cup grated cheese
1 teaspoon cornflour
a “splash” of milk
1/4 cup of steamed broccoli
1/4 cup sweet corn
1/4 cup steamed pumpkin
1/4 cup spinach
1 sheet puff pastry
Optional – cooked diced chicken breast

 
Method:
1). Fry the bacon and spring onions. Then leave to cool.
2). Put the cornflour into a coffee mug, add the milk and stir until it is combined. Beat the eggs and milk mix together. Add whatever herbs and spices you like.
3). Add all ingredients together and stir gently, but don’t whisk it! (otherwise you’ll have too much air in the quiche and it will puff up and look bizarre
4). Line a deep flan tin with the pastry (I need to cut some of the overlap off and use it in the areas it doesn’t cover). Add the egg mix. Use a pastry brush to coat any exposed pastry with the filling mix.
5). Put this on the top shelf of the oven and bake until pastry is browned. You might need to turn the oven down towards the end to let the inside set without burning the pastry.

Chicken & Veg Parcels December 13, 2008

This is basically a “freeform pie” – rather than using a pie dish, you just slop the ingredients onto the sheet of pastry and wrap it up.

Ingredients:
3 chicken thighs (skinless)
3 small-medium sized mushrooms
1 clove garlic
1 small onion, finely chopped
Pinch of assorted spices (mixed herbs, cardamon etc.)
1c grated cheese
1/2 cup spinach (I use 2-3 cubes of [defrosted] frozen stuff)
handful of peas and corn
1/2 cup steamed pumpkin
1/4 cup steamed broccoli
1/2 cup steamed eggplant
1 sachet of cream of mushroom cup-a-soup
Sheets of puff pastry

Method:
Fry the meat, onion, garlic and mushrooms. Mix the mushroom cup-a-soup with about 1/2 a cup of water and pour over the meat. Add rest of ingredients together. Make sure your mixture is not too runny.

Scoop the mixture onto a sheet of pastry and fold the corners over to make a sort of envelope.  Make sure the pastry overlaps well so that it will seal and the filling will not leak out.  (You can make 4 small parcels by cutting the pastry into 4, or make one large one from a full sheet)

Then flip it over so the seams are down on a greased tray, and poke an airhole in the top. You can brush the pastry with beaten egg and sprinkle with sesame or poppy seeds and herbs.

Cook in a hot oven (200ºC ) until the pastry is cooked…. about 15-20 mins.

Creamy Pumpkin Soup December 13, 2008

This icontains chicken but if you are not a meat eater, you can leave out the meat.

Ingredients:
1/2 a butternut pumpkin (or you could use any type)
4 Potatoes
1/2 a Medium Onion
2 Cloves Garlic
600 ml Light (Reduced fat) Cream
4 finely chopped Chicken Breast/Thighs
1 teaspoon Curry powder
Fresh Basil and Parsley
Salt and pepper to taste

Method:
1). Take the skin off the Chicken (if it has skin on), and fry these in a large soup pot with just a touch of oil.
2). Finely chop the Onion, and chop the potatoes and pumpkin into cubes (as if you were making potato salad – bite sized pieces) and add those to the pot. Add the curry powder. Continue frying.
3). Finely chop the Garlic and herbs (use as many as you wish), and add to the pot when the meat and onion have browned (Garlic cooks quicker than Onion and you don’t want to burn it).
4). After a few moments (Don’t let the Garlic burn), add approx 4 cups of water (enough to cover the ingredients), and simmer this for around 2 hours.
5). Add the Cream, Salt and pepper and simmer for about 5 minutes.
6). Allow to cool slightly, then puree with a hand held blender or food processor.

When done enjoy a bowl with some nice crusty bread, and then pour excess the soup into containers to freeze or leave in the fridge for another day (Will last a few days – depending on how fresh your meat/cream is)

Chargrilled Steak and Vegies December 13, 2008

Ingredients:
Small amount of oil
herbs/spices
Steak
Potato
Pumpkin
Zucchini
Broccoli
Sweet Corn

 
Optional mushroom gravy:
Mushrooms
Spring Onions
Capsicum

 
Method:
1). Wash or peel the potato. Cut the potato into slices (fairly thin – about 1/2 a cm thick). Cut pumpkin into similar sized slices. Put these in a saucepan of boiling water/steamer until soft. Chop the Zucchini into slices twice as thick as the potato, and simmer those until they start to soften. Drain these vegies well and put them to the side.
2). Mix the oil and the herbs/spices together. You could add some garlic if you like.

 
Depending on how well done you like your steak, or how thick it is…. you might need to put the vegies on the grill first, or the meat. I like well cooked vegies and a medium rare steak… so this is how I do it:

 
3). Lightly brush the pumpkin with the oil mix. Put the pumpkin on the grill. Do the same for the potato. You need to do this carefully, as the soft potato and pumpkin will break up easily. Lastly, add the zucchini.
4). Add the meat to the grill. (no need to brush with oil). Put the broccoli and corn on to boil/steam.
4b). If making the mushroom sauce… chop ingredients (the “optional” ones). and fry them lightly. Add gravy powder and water, and let this simmer. Add herbs/spices to season. Put some peas, corn etc. into a steamer or pan of water to cook.
5). When you think that side is done, brush with oil and flip them over. I don’t know how long that will take… it depends on how well you like them cooked. Just remember if you lift it up and put it back down… you’ll ruin that cool stripy effect Wink
6). When both sides are done, drain the vegies, add everything to the plate (in a decorative fashion of course) and top with your optional gravy….. yum!

 
If your grill isn’t big enough for putting everything on, you might like to have the oven on at about 60C and do the vegies first, put them on a plate/tray in the oven with foil on top and keep them warm. Or you can do the meat first and put that on a plate with alfoil on and let it sit while you do the vegies.

Meatloaf December 13, 2008

Ingredients:
500g beef mince
2 stale bread slices – broken up into breadcrumbs
half a large zucchini (grated)
a carrot (grated)
Peas and corn
mushrooms
Salt and pepper
1 egg
herbs and spices
a dash of sweet chilli sauce
Couple of teaspoons tomato paste
about 1/2 a teaspoon of wholeseed mustard
1 clove garlic (finely diced)
a small onion (finely diced)
1c cheese (optional)

glaze:
tomato sauce
sugar

Method:
1). Brown the onion and garlic. Then combine all the ingredients in a bowl (minus the glaze ingredients).. mix well
2). Line a loaf tin with aluminium foil or waxed baking paper and pour the mix in… flatten the top down and pack it in hard. Cover the top with foil and bake it for 1 hour at about 180 degrees. (You might want to put a tray under the loaf tin if your tin is full.. to catch drips)
3). After an hour, take the meatloaf out and place it on a rack (cake cooler etc.) ontop of a tray. Mix together the glaze ingredients and coat the meatloaf with this. Pop it back in the oven until this goes dark brown (15 mins or so?).

I serve mine sliced with mashed potato and other vegies….

Lamb Rogan Josh December 13, 2008

This originally called for lamb shanks and using a slow cooker, but this variation is using diced lamb in a casserole dish in the oven.

 
Ingredients:
2/3 cup sour cream
1 tb plain flour
1/2 ts chilli powder
1 ts ground coriander
1/2 ts ground ginger
2 chicken stock cubes
1 ts ground cardamom pods
1 can diced tomatoes
1 cup water
ground nutmeg to taste
salt and ground black pepper to taste
2 tb cornflour
1/4 cup water
1 large onion, diced
Diced lamb
2 carrots, peeled and diced
1 cup potatoes, peeled and diced
1 cup pumpkin, peeled and diced
handful button mushrooms, sliced (optional)

 
Method:
1. Mix the sour cream and flour together until smooth.
2. In a coffee mug, mix the cornflour and water, until it forms a paste.
3. Mix the spices, stock, tomatoes and water in a saucepan and being to the boil, then slowly add the cornflour mixture and simmer for 2 mins
4. Remove from the heat and stir in the sour cream mixture.
5. Add all ingredients to a casserole dish, and bake in the oven for 2 1/2 hours at 180C

 
(From http://allrecipes.com/Recipe/Rogan-Josh-Lamb-Shanks/Detail.aspx)

Vegetarian curry December 13, 2008

Ingredients:
1 packet of marinated tofu or vegie sausages.
onion
red capsicum
sweet potato
green beans
broccoli
cauliflower
carrot
curry
sweet chilli sauce
soy sauce
peanut oil
Light coconut milk
Basmati/brown rice

 
Method:
1). Cook rice as normal (or steam/use a rice cooker)
2). Chop/slice vegetables and tofu/sausage into bit sized pieces.
3). In a hot wok, fry the vegetables and sausages in a tablespoon of peanut oil for 2 mins.
4). Add 2-3 tb curry powder and continue to fry until the ingredients are coated.
5). Add the coconut milk, 1 tb soy sauce, 2tb chilli sauce and reduce the heat to simmer until the vegetables are cooked. Serve with the rice.

Mustard Carrots December 13, 2008

I don’t like cooked carrots. But I LOVE these! This was a recipe we did in Grade 7 Cooking class. Can’t remember the quantities, so I just add whatever I feel like.

 
Ingredients:
1 tablespoon Raw sugar
1/2 – 1 teaspoon Mustard (can use powder, but wholegrain mustard is nice)
1-2 Carrots
1/4 cup (approx) Butter

 
Method:
1). Slice your carrot. Make them fairly thin, since it is going to take a while to cook them otherwise.
2). In a saucepan, heat up the butter. Add the carrots, sugar and mustard. Add the carrots, and saute (kinda like frying but not as severe… simmering in butter basically) until the carrots are just soft. (These aren’t cooked as much as you would a normal boiled carrot slice, so they have a bit of firmness).

Potato and Leek Soup December 13, 2008

This is a recipe for a soup that doesn’t use a cream base. The potato thickens this soup nicely. The Cumin gives this soup a nice flavour, but you can leave it out if you prefer.

Ingredients:
4 large Potatoes
1 large Leek
2 Cloves Garlic
2 teaspoon ground cumin Seeds
1 cup frozen/fresh/tinned Corn kernels
2 teaspoons of cracked black pepper
Salt to taste

Method:
1). Finely chop the Garlic, Thinly slice the Leek and chop the potatoes into quarters. Add these to a soup pot with a little bit of oil. Fry a little, but don’t let the garlic burn.
2). Add approx 4 cups of water (enough to cover the ingredients), the cumin, pepper, salt and Corn and simmer this for around 2 hours.
3). Allow to cool slightly, then mash this with a potato masher to remove any large lumps. You could puree with a hand held blender or food processor – but I like a little bit of substance to the soup, and I like the corn to be whole.

When done pour the soup into containers to freeze or leave in the fridge.

This makes a great soup to have on a cold day. The cumin and pepper adds some warmth. A nice soup to put in a thermos and have on a picnic in colder weather.

Pumpkin Soup December 13, 2008

Ingredients:
Pumpkin
Sweet Potato
Pepper
nutmeg
Onion
Brown Sugar
vegetable Stock

Method:
Chop up pumpkin & sweet potato. Mix up some olive oil, ground pepper & nutmeg, toss pumpkin pieces in the oil to coat thoroughly. Bake pumpkin in a moderate oven for about 40-60 minutes (until really soft).

Roughly chop an onion or 2, coat it in the olive oil (but this time add a little brown sugar to the coating mix as well as the nutmeg). Add it to the oven tray about 15 minutes into cooking the pumpkin.

Heat up some stock in a large pot till it’s simmering. Add the roasted vegetables. Use a hand blender to completely mash down the vegetables & mix until the consistency is right (I start with a little stock & add more if needed). Adjust seasoning if necessary

Red Hot Root Soup December 13, 2008

Ingredients:
pumpkin
carrots
sweet potato
onion
chilli paste
garlic (optional)
vegetable stock
1 tin cannelli or butter beans

 
Method:
Fry up onion/chilli with olive oil in a large saucepan until soft. add the chopped vegies. Add some stock to cover the vegies. Bring to boil with lid on. Simmer until vegies are soft. Add a rinsed can of cannelli/butter beans, then puree/process soup until smooth.

 
Serve with a dollop of cream on top and sprinkled dried parsley or a sprig of fresh for garnish, and some bread.

 
(From joh)

Variation
Leave out carrot and add 1/2 can of coconut milk, ginger and corriander

Garlic & Rosemary Roast Potatoes December 13, 2008

Ingredients:
2 large Potatoes
Salt and pepper
Spray oil
Fresh Garlic
Fresh Rosemary

Method:
1). Cut potatoes how you like them – Slice Potato into approx 1cm slices (as if making Scalloped Potato) or cut into quarters or wedges etc. Microwave or steam this until just starting to soften.
2). Spray oil onto a baking tray and place the potato in one layer on the tray. Spray a little oil over the top.

3). Slice garlic cloves into quarters, and place on and around the potatoes. Sprinkle with Salt (coarse Rock/Sea or cooking salt if possible) and fresh Rosemary leaves. Place in a fairly hot oven until browned.

4). When one side is browned, flip the potatoes over, adding more salt to that side and bake until both sides are browned.

The Garlic should go lovely and mild with the baking and is lovely just smooshed onto the potatoes. If you like garlic add as much garlic as you like…