Roast Berries & Oats w/ Yoghurt: yummiest, healthy dessert!

I was standing in Harris Farm (yes, I love it) tonight trying to think of a yummy, healthy way I could end my meal. Being winter, the 'fruit' options in this regard are somewhat slim on the ground. Don't get me wrong, I really like apples (not so wild about oranges: all those years of oranges at half time during hockey matches). I like apples, but when I feel like something appetising & sweet after dinner, a crisp apple is not what springs to mind. 

In summer I make a dessert that is kind of like a free form 'trifle' (don't let the 'trifle' in this sentence put you off - please!). Take a glass tumbler, put a layer of muesli, then some yoghurt, and then some fresh berries. Repeat if space as many times over as the tumbler will allow. I love to use 'Whisk & Pin Mountain Muesli' when I make this. 

However, most muesli isn't as healthy as it appears. I wouldn't want to speculate whether or not this is true of my fave 'Mountain Muesli', but where I can I try and simplify things even more. I felt like berries, and yoghurt, but wanted something with a bit of texture in there. Standing & staring at the rows of biscuits (which I thought I could just crumble on top), I had a brain wave.

What would happen, I wondered,  if I took some frozen raspberries, and scattered some simple, plain rolled oats over the top, and sprinkled a pinch (a biggish pinch) of brown sugar over the top, and then popped it into the oven preheated to 180'c for 20 mins or so. 

And what would happen if I then took this toasted berry/oat combo, and scattered it over my favourite grocer's lush yoghurt w/ raspberries?  

What would happen? 

Awesome! That is what happens!

Roasted Fish w/ garlic, lemon zest & baby tomatoes

This is one of my favourite, simplest fish dinners. It is inspired by (though not identical to) Donna Hay's Modern Classics (Book 1). I have used several Donna Hay recipes before, but can't remember what I wrote about her! I think her recipes are very good: they almost always work. Some of you may remember when (most of us?) were in high school, and some 'Marie Claire' cookbooks were released: they were fantastic, and really revolutionised not only how cook books were published in Australia, but how home cooks cooked. 

Donna Hay was the force behind them (the first 3 or so books that is, not the later ones). I am a big fan: if I am every trying a dish 'new / for the first time' I will either look through Donna Hay's stuff, or Stephanie Alexander. 

That said, I do find the magazine, and some of her later books a little annoying: it often feels like a book that I have bought is then basically published in the magazine, and vice-versa. But that is bye-the-bye: her stuff works, every time, and she doesn't suggest ridiculous ingredients that would see you spend $18 on a small sachet of something that will go off before you can ever use it again (I huge pet hate of mine). 

I served this w/ boiled potatoes that I mixed w/ olive oil & parsley, I was going to add green beans, but was so busy chatting to an old friend on Facebook that I forgot to put them on . . . . thus: beanless.

Simple Roast Fish

olive oil   

zest of 1 lemon

4 cloves of garlic, crushed

10 baby tomatoes (whole)

4 small potatoes

handful fresh parsley

any fish fillet of firm white flesh

(I used flathead fillets in these pics)

Preheat the oven to 180'c. Put a pot of water on to boil, and once boiling add some salt, and pop in the potatoes (I prefer not to peel mine: this is absolutely a matter of preference: do them however you prefer). 

Put the crushed garlic, tomatoes, and lemon zest into a roasting dish and put a good glug or so of olive oil into the dish. Mix well to combine it all, and pop into the oven for 20 minutes. 

After 20 mins remove the dish from the oven, and put the fish fillet/s into the pan. Add another glug of olive oil & carefully (don't burn yourself!) mix in w/ the tomato mix, ensuring the fillets are well coated in the oil & cook for another 15 - 20 mins: until fish is cooked. You can tell that it is cooked by pressing your fork against the fillet. The flesh will come away slightly, and if it is still pink-ish, it needs longer (duh).

Drain the potatoes & quarter (if using larger potatoes, maybe cut into 6ths). Slice/tear up the parsley, and together with another glug (love that word!) of olive oil, mix through the potatoes. 

Put a heap of the potatoes on a plate, and then top w/ the roast fish/tomato mix. Season w/ salt & pepper to taste. 

Bon Appetit! 

Meatless Monday Veg & Ricotta Pie

And a big shout out to Naomi! This is not really a pie, but I don't know what else to call it. Basically you sauté a heap of veg, pop it into an ovenproof dish, pop some cheese on top & pop it under the grill.
I wasn't following a recipe, and am actually not much of a 'vegetarion' cook, so I was more than a little surprised by just how yum, yum, yummy this was! And to make it even better, there are 2 containers of left overs that will make a yummy lunch to take to work the next couple of days.

I had a heap of lovely mixed roasted veg (eggplant, carrot, capsicum, zucchini etc) left over from the roast veg tartlets that I had made a few weeks back. I had just kept the extra veg in a zip-lock bag in the freezer. Before I went to work Monday morning I pulled the bag of veg from the freezer & popped it into the fridge so the veg would thaw slightly.

If I am making something, say a roast, I tend to cook more veg than I need as they always fantastic for throwing into a salad, a frittata, or into the pot randomly (i.e. this!). Veg keep very well in the freezer, just make sure no air can get in to the bag you're storing them in. I know I sound a little bit too-keen, but if you're making a heap of veg, it is basically no effort to add an extra handful or so, and you will have the reward of a yummy meal ready to be easily put together a couple of days later.

You could use raw veg , but you will need to cook this for much longer. I would do it by following the below (so the veg get a crisp outside), but instead of putting the dish under the grill, out into an oven heated to 180'c for 25 mins or so (however long you think it will take your veg to cook through). Then pop under the grill for a few mins to turn the top golden.

Random Vegetable 'Pie'

Feeds 2 normal hungry people, or 1 very hungry person

Half a spanish onion, sliced
2 cloves of garlic, crushed & finely sliced
2 cups mixed mushrooms (I used button & swiss)
8 baby tomatoes, quartered

1/2 can butter beans, drained (or you could use lentils, chick peas etc)
6 cubes feta, sliced (or keep as cubes if you prefer)
Bunch of parsley, chopped
1 cup fresh ricotta
Parmesan for the top
Any other veg you care to ad
For Example:
I used left overs from the roast veg tarts, that I had then frozen.
Any frozen veg you have peas, carrots, broccoli, corn.
If you've done a roast & have any veg left over
Etc, etc

 Put a pan on a medium heat, and add some olive oil. When warm add the sliced garlic & stir for a minute or so, then add the sliced onions. Stir well to combine, and coat in the oil. Make sure you don't turn the heat too high: you want the onions to soften, not to brown/burn. Once softened, add the mushrooms & stir to combine.

Add whatever other veg you are using: I tipped in the mixed roast veg at this point. Stir occasionally until well warmed through.  

Add the 1/2 can of butter beans (or lentils/chickpeas), parsley & sliced feta & stir through.

Once the beans are warmed through, transfer the whole mix to an ovenproof dish.

Place spoonfuls of ricotta on top of the veg, then shave some parmesan over the top.

 

 Place under grill, remove once the top has turned golden.

Enjoy!

Fridge Frittata

This is seriously one of my favourite, no-effort dinners.

I made this because I had an assortment of left-overs in my fridge that I wanted to turn into dinner. Either that or order home-delivery, but seriously, why spend the $20 / $30 when you can create a yummy meal form left overs for free! Plus, as you would have guessed from my previous post I hate waste!

I am sure there is a 'proper' Spanish method to make a frittata; a method I am yet to discover! So I use the term loosely. There is no end to the combination of ingredients that you can add. As such, I can't really write out a recipe for you: this is more of an idea that you can then adapt to be anything you want it to be.

Frittata is also fantastic cold, and makes a great lunch to take to work, or to take on a picnic.

How I made mine

The contents of my fridge was as follows:

• 
  
  1 chicken breast that I had bbq'd on Sunday evening, w/ a few shakes from a pack garlic-herb spice mix
• 
  
  a large handful of baby potatoes that had been boiled, then had a glug of olive oil & parsley thrown over them
• 
  
  a medium tupperware container's worth of pancetta/mushroom mix. I used this to top slices of french bread at my mum's 60th birthday party: it was very yummy & easy to make (will post the recipe another time)
• 
  
  half a block of haloumi
• 
  
  a clove of garlic
• 
  
  4 eggs

I made it by:

I heated a frying pan over medium heat, add a good glug of olive oil, and  once the oil is warm, a small knob of butter. Swirl it all around to really cover the base of the pan. I crush & finely slice the garlic, and add it to the pan, let it sizzle for a few moments, then tipped the mushroom/pancetta mix into the pan, and stirred it all together. After a few minutes, I added the potatoes, that I roughly chopped up, and then the bbq'd chicken breast that I had sliced into bite-size pieces. Stir well to combine.

Lower the heat to med-low, and whisk the eggs together in a bowl, then pour over the mix, do your best to cover as much of the mix as possible. You may need to use a wooden spoon to push things into place, and make sure the egg gets into all the crevices etc. You don't want it pooled in the spot where you poured it in.

Allow the eggs to cook for a minute or two: don't be tempted to increase the heat, you need the eggs to set. Slice the haloumi into 'fingers' and place on top of the frittata. Place pan under a very warm grill to cook the top of the eggs / brown the haloumi.

You can serve this w/ a green salad, steamed veg, on its own or however you want! I realised after I'd started eating it that the baby tomatoes I had could have been sliced & put through the mix. Baby peas or any frozen veg would have worked well too. Feta or goats cheese works well in a frittata, as does baby spinach, or indeed regular spinach. 

I have made frittata's out of left over roast meat & roast veg; grilled sausages, left over steamed greens, anti-pasto, chorizo . . . really anything I have in my fridge that I can use up.

Don't hesitate to drop me a mail if you have any questions, or need some ideas!

It's Italian for Fried Rice!

Hello!

So, wondering home after a long day, and still feeling rotten from awful cold that just refuses to leave me be, my mind turned to dinner. Tempted as I was to pick up a take away Indian (meal that is), I thought for a few moments about what I had at home that might make a nice meal.

* left over prawn risotto

* 1 egg
(how I came to have just 1 egg I do not know)

* some crab meat in the freezer

* a few slices of pancetta

A quick swing by the F&V shop under my building for half a bunch of spring onions, and I had all that I needed to turn my left over risotto into a fried rice!

Crab meat may sound like an exotic thing to keep in one's freezer, but it is so handy to have. We have a wonderful farmers markets on every Saturday, literally outside my front door. As I have previously posted, their is a wonderful fishmonger there, and he sells me packets of frozen crab meat for around $12-$13 a packet. I get so many meals out of it (toss it through pasta, add to risotto, throw into an omelette or frittata!).

And you know what? It was so yummy! Prawns, crab meat, pancetta, spring onions & left over risotto: awesome meal of left overs!

My Random, Left Over, Italian Fried Rice

Crack the egg into a bowl & whisk gently to mix it all together.

Slice the pancetta into strips, finely chop the spring onion. The crab meat I have is in a block, so I just slice of 'slabs' like you would a loaf of bread (bottom left of this photo). Once it has thawed slightly (a few minutes), break it up into smaller bits. This is just a meal of left overs, you could use bacon or ham instead of pancetta, a leek instead of spring onions etc etc.

Heat some vegetable oil in a wok, and swirl it around to coat the base. Once it is very warm, pour the egg mix in & swirl it around to make a thing layer that cooks very quickly & remove from the wok.

Add a little more vegetable oil to the wok, and when very warm, throw the spring onions into the wok. Cook, stirring, for a minute or two, then add the pancetta. Cook that for a couple of minutes then add the crab meat.

Add the left over risotto to the wok, and stir, stir, stir (sound familiar?)! I found that some of the rice caught on the bottom of the wok, but I didn't want to add any more oil, as the rice was already quite saturated from the stock etc.

Once the rice has been cooked through, season to taste, spoon into a bowl, and pop the egg on top.

Enjoy!

Wine Match!
Umm - whatever you have in the fridge! In my case a Margaret River Sauv Blanc.

Kangeroo Pasta

Just a brief little recipe, something I made up for a mid-week meal.

The FM loves kangaroo, as do I, and haven't been eating enough of it: it is so good for you!!

Take 2 spanish onions, cut them in half and slice thinly. Crush 2 cloves of garlic (or less if you prefer). Add some olive oil to a pan over med-high heat, and add the onions & garlic & fry gently until softened & fragrant.

I used about 5 small fillets of kangaroo, and cut them into pieces about the size of your top thumb joint. Turn up the heat, and add to the pan, and brown quickly. If you wanted to you could take some plain flour, add some salt & pepper, and lightly coat the cubes before adding them to the pan.

Once the meat is brown, turn the heat back down to medium, and add 2 cans of tomatoes, and some tomato paste. I also added a few shakes from a jar of dried chilli flakes, to give it a little kick.

Stir through, and bring to a gentle simmer. Once it has started to simmer, add a punnet of baby tomatoes.Try and push them into the juices as much as possible so they will cook through.

Let it cook for as long as possible - kangaroo is a meat that loves to stew, the longer you cook it, the tastier it will be.

A couple of mins before you take it off the heat, and some torn basil leaves.

Serve with pasta and parmesan cheese.

I cooked up some beans and served them with this, as well as some gluten free pasta.

Yum yum!

A x

PS -- it would also probably make a nice pie filling, or even shepherd’s pie type thing with mash on top.

Plan B Food

Or a lesson in how to unimpress & alienate your FlatMate.

I was, unexpectedly, not the only person in for dinner last night; the FM would be home. . . what to do?

The small Lamb Sagg I had just collected from the Indian place would not feed one person; much less a second.

Solution: a wee jaunt across the street to the butcher & grocer (but sadly twasn't a day for the candlestick maker).

Some yummy kebabs (chicken & macadamia! italian beef! greek lamb!) and some salad items later, dinner was looking a-go.

Yum!

However, in all my smuggness at getting a yummy & healthy meal so pulled together so quickly, I evidently misplaced the filter between my brain and my mouth.

FM: 'Why don't you just do something like this for the folks coming on Saturday night?'

Me: 'Oh, no. I couldn't serve this to guests!'

FM: 'But what, it's ok to serve it to me?'

A. x


PS -- Recipe (if you can even use that word for this!)

Flame grill a red & yellow capsicum (take a cake stand, put it on a burning gas element on the stove, lightly oil the caps, and put them onto the flame); raw snow peas, baby tomatoes, mixed greens. Grill the kebabs; mix it all together if desired. I used Balsamic Vinegar for the dressing.