I've finally fixed my internet -- and found an awesome recipe for Breakfast!

So, it's been (yet again) a little while but my internet problems have now been fixed! Huzzuh!

In the meantime, I have been endeavouring to find a breakfast meal that involves as little processed carbs as possible (toast, porridge etc), but still leaves me full.

The idea of having just eggs does not appeal: eggs belong on top of something, not just floating about the plate by themselves.

After a bit of google-ing, I came across a few variations of this recipe. I am not normally a fan of pumpkin, or sweet potato, but it has been growing on me the last year or so. At least to the point where my first reaction to it isn't 'Hell No!'

The great thing with this recipe is, once you've cooked the patties, you can wrap them in clingfilm, and keep them in the fridge to take to work (if you're like me & eat your breakfast in the office). That said, the chopped up mix will last a while in the fridge, and actually frying up the pattie is pretty quick. 

Don't worry if you can't get quinoa. I only through it in to help bind everything together, but the mix can hold up without it.

Anth's Breakfast Patties

1 half of a butternut pumpkin,

1 sweet potato,
2 cloves garlic
6 baby tomatoes,

olive oil

3 tablepsoons cooked quinoa

Preheat oven to 180'C.

Cut the pumpkin into large chunks, removing the skin. Peel the sweet potato & also cut into chunks. Halve the baby tomatoes, and crush the garlic cloves the the flat side of your knife.

Drizzle the veg w/ olive oil, season w/ salt & pepper to taste, and pop into the oven. Roast until veg is soft enough to insert a knife in easily, without being mushy. Around 35 mins or so.

Remove from oven & cool.

When cool enough to handle, dice the veg, and mix together w/ 3 tablespoons of the cooked quinoa (if using).

Mix everything together with your hands. You can now put the mix in the fridge, to be used as & when you need it, or you can cook up some patties now, for eating, or for later use (at work etc).

Take 2 table spoons of the mix, and form into a pattie. It will be pretty sticky!

Heat a little olive oil in a pan over medium heat, and pop in the pattie. Don't be alarmed if the pattie falls apart a bit, I just used a spatula to push it all back together again.

Cook over medium heat for 5 mins, then flip over & cook the other side.

To serve I topped w/ half an avocado, and a couple of poached eggs. Yummy!

Meatless Monday!

Brussel Sprouts & Tofu

So, I appreciate that this combo might be many people's idea of hell. Though I've always been a sprout fan (well, post-primary school anyways)  I've long had a hatred of tofu. My flatmate cooks it all the time, and I've been sampling some along the way, and its actually not all bad. Provided whatever it is marinated in is good!

I have posted before about the fabulous Ottolenghi cookbook my gorgeous friend sent me from London. I was lucky enough to visit the actual Ottolenghi cafe in Notting Hill when I was there a few weeks ago, it is beyond fabulous. The head chef there has a column in the Guardian, one of my favourite newspapers. His stuff is wonderful, simple, but packed full of flavour. 

This dish far, far outdid my expectations -- it really was fantastic, so delicious, easy, healthy - just everything you could hope for in a meal. Bon Apetit!

PS - apologies for lack of pics, a girlfriend had stopped by & I was so busy chatting I didn't remember to take any photos until it was on the table. 

150g firm tofu
2 tbsp chilli sauce 

*I didn't have any (I don't think you're meant to use the sweet chilli stuff), so used 1 tsp of chilli in its place.
1½ tbsp soy sauce
3 tbsp sesame oil
1 tsp rice vinegar
1 tbsp maple syrup
500g brussels sprouts
180ml sunflower oil

*I used peanut oil, as I had very little sunflower oil
Salt
100g spring onion, sliced
½ small chilli, deseeded and finely chopped
120g shiitake mushrooms, halved
15g picked coriander leaves
1 tbsp toasted sesame seeds

First, marinate the tofu. In a bowl, whisk together the chilli sauce (or powder - you could probably use a few dashed of tabasco too if you fancied), soy sauce, two tablespoons of the sesame oil, vinegar and syrup. Cut the tofu block into 0.5cm thick slices and then each slice into two squarish pieces. Gently lay in the marinade and set aside.

Trim the bases off the sprouts and cut each lengthways into three thick slices. Take a large, nonstick pan, and heat up four tablespoons of whichever oil you're using. Add half the sprouts and a little salt, and cook on high heat for two minutes. Don't stir much - you want them almost to burn in a few places and cook through but remain crunchy. Transfer to a bowl and repeat with the rest of the sprouts.

Add two more tablespoons of oil to the pan, heat up and sauté the onion, chilli and mushrooms for a minute or two. Transfer to the sprout bowl.

Leave the pan on high heat and, using a pair of tongs, lift half the tofu from the marinade and gently lay in the pan (be very careful: the oil may spit, and far), space apart, in one layer. Lower the heat to medium and cook for two minutes on each side until nicely caramelised. Transfer to the sprout bowl and repeat with the rest of the tofu.

Once all the tofu is cooked, remove the pan from the heat and return all the cooked ingredients to it. Add the tofu marinade and half the coriander. Toss together and allow to cool slightly in the pan. Taste and add salt if needed. Stir in the remaining sesame oil (extra, if you like) and serve warm, not hot, garnished with sesame seeds and the rest of the coriander.

I served this on top of some streamed brown rice. Delicious!

Soup-a-Doup-a! Roast Pumpkin Soup!

I love cold weather. I appreciate that may see me in the minority! One of the reasons I love cold weather is the wonderful, warm hearty food.

This soup is insanely easy: you need a handful of ingredients, and it can be made relatively quickly. Enjoy!

600g pumpkin (I use butternut)

4 cloves of garlic, crushed

2 or 3 sprigs of rosemary

500ml -750ml good quality vegetable stock (depending on how thick you like your soup)

olive oil

Preheat the oven to 180'c. 

Cut the pumpkin into chunks. I prefer to keep the skin on when I roast pumpkin, I think the flavour is better that way, obviously it is totally up to you. Douse the pumpkin, garlic cloves & rosemary in olive oil, and then spread across a baking sheet. Roast in an oven for 25-30 mins or until golden, and soft. 

Put the stock into a saucepan & bring to a gentle boil. 

Remove garlic & rosemary & discard. The skins from the pumpkin & discard. Put the pumpkin into a blender & pulse until smooth. Add ladelfuls of the simmering stock, until you get the deisred consistency, stirring well each time to combine. Taste & season w/ S&P according to your taste. I had some cream in the fridge, so I added that to the pot too, but it isn't necessary.   Serve w/ toasted bread.

Wine Match!

This is lovely w/ a dry white wine or even, if your taste head in this direction, a dry sherry.

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!