Fajitas, Thai Style…

This chicken mince dish, kind of Thai larb-ish, is adapted from a that’s life! reader recipes compilation, and I served it with tortillas and Greek yoghurt, to make it a fajita meal. Yum. The coconut milk gave the chicken a definite Thai flavour.

Soooooo quick, the whole thing was cooked and ready to serve in 20 minutes. Definitely one to rival Jamie with his very quick meals – including chopping time it was less than 30-minutes from start to finish. A weeknight winner, and especially good at this crazy time of year!

Thai Chicken Fajitas

2 tbsp olive oil

500 gms chicken mince

3 cloves garlic, crushed

1 red chilli, finely chopped

1 red onion, finely chopped

1 stalk lemongrass, finely chopped

165 mls low-fat coconut milk

¼ cup sweet chilli sauce

2 tbsp lime juice

1 tbsp fish sauce

3 tbsp fresh coriander leaves, roughly chopped

Heat olive oil in a large saucepan or wok. Add chicken, garlic, chilli, onion and lemongrass, and saute, stirring often to break up lumps, for about 5 minutes.

Add remaining ingredients, bring to a boil and simmer on low heat for 15 minutes, stirring occasionally.

Serve with tortillas and Greek yoghurt (optional – add shredded lettuce as well).

Serves 2

Happy Summer fooding!

Ravishing Runny Raita…

This yummy, slightly hot dipping sauce or raita, was originally supposed to be a “chutney”, but it turned out way too runny to be spread on anything. It is, however very very tasty, and spooned or poured over an Indian dish or a bowl of plain rice, it is very moreish and delicious.

Makes a great dip for poppadoms while you are waiting to serve your main curry.

Green Raita

12 tbsp low-fat Greek yoghurt

2 tbsp fresh lemon juice

4 tbsp fresh mint, finely chopped

4 tbsp fresh coriander, finely chopped

1 large green chilli, finely chopped

1/2 tsp salt (or to taste)

Place all ingredients in a bowl and blend thoroughly with a hand blender, until smooth. Refrigerate until ready to serve.

Happy Fooding!

Cold Curing Cauli Consommé!

Well, not consommé exactly, but “soup” doesn’t start with a C!

I really hate Winter. With a passion. A big passion. My flat is freezing, and even with the heating on I have to sit with 2 pairs of socks on, a quilt on my lap and a hot water bottle under my feet, in order to feel warm enough to work on my embroidery. Thank goodness Winters here are very short. This 3 month period is a nightmare for me every year and I just can’t wait for Spring and shorts/bare feet weather to be here again!

I’ve got a cold at the moment, my second this Winter which is very annoying. This time it isn’t as bad as back in April (that was a real shocker, I even went to the doctor’s which is just not like me!), but still I’ve been needing to nurture myself a bit. I picked up a whole cauliflower very cheap so decided to make cauliflower soup – but in the past I’ve never been able to make one with decent flavour. I’ve made many variations and it’s always a bit bland and boring, so this time I just made it up as I went along and in order to cleanse my nostrils haha, I chucked in a teaspoon of chilli paste. Well, that did the trick. Spicy and flavoursome, and really good for clearing my head!

Cauliflower & Leek Soup

1/2 head of a large cauliflower, cut into big chunks

1 carrot, peeled & cut into chunks

1 leek, sliced

2 tbsp olive oil

1 tsp thyme

1 tsp chilli paste

1/4 cup white wine

4 cups chicken stock (use a vegetarian stock if you prefer)

2 tbsp soy sauce

cracked pepper, to taste

1/3 cup milk

chopped fresh parsley, to taste

Heat olive oil in a large saucepan and saute the cauliflower, carrot & leek until leek is softened – about 5 minutes.

Add thyme and chilli paste, stir to coat and saute for 1 minute.

Add wine, chicken stock, soy sauce and pepper. Bring to boil and simmer for about 15 minutes until vegies are cooked.

Remove saucepan from heat and blend the soup using a stick blender (or put in a food processor in batches, then return to saucepan).

Place back on low heat, add milk and parsley and slowly bring JUST to a simmer then turn heat off.

Serve with fresh bread and a glass of something bubbly (for medicinal purposes, of course….).

Serves 4.

Happy Winter Fooding!

A Profusion of Prawns

This is not a good look!

Bit of a kitchen disaster here……

I do love prawns, and I have had put aside in my copious piles of “to try” recipes, a sample recipe from one of those “buy it in 52 parts” cookbook folder thingies. Actually I don’t see how those publishers make money these days, with the plethora of free recipes for anything you can think of, freely available online. But, I got this junk mail in my letterbox and put aside the Crisp Honey Prawns leaflet as it looked super easy and delicious.

On Easter Monday, I went to the supermarket for dinner inspiration, and thought hmmm I’ll make that prawn dish. The recipe called for 20 prawns, but I had no idea how much weight that would be so just bought 700gms, thinking this would be plenty and I’d have leftovers.

The weather here was stunning right through Easter – 27-31 and all blue skies – really perfect. So in the afternoon, I had a last minute invite out for a walk (& a bottle of wine) along the river, near home. Had a lovely relaxing time, but by the time I got home I just couldn’t be bothered starting to cook, so just had a sandwich.

Next day, I realised I’d better use up these prawns as they were “thawed” ones so I didn’t want to re-freeze them. I was already going out in the evening for a meal, so decided to make the Crisp Honey Prawns for lunch instead. WELL, as you can see from the photos, there were a darn sight more than 20 prawns when I opened up the paper!! I over-purchased, just a tad lol…..

Anyway here’s the recipe, but it was a flop as you can see. Easy yes, but I just NEVER have any luck with batter – onion rings, calamari, squid, prawns…..my batter never bloody stays on!! It doesn’t look anything like the leaflet photo. They didn’t taste too bad, but really too deep-fried/oily flavoured for me. Oh well, it was worth a try.

Crisp Honey Prawns

2 tsp cornflour

2 egg whites

2 tsp oyster sauce

3 tbsp olive oil

3 tbsp plain flour

salt & pepper, to taste

20 raw prawns, peeled & deveined, tails intact

1/2 cup honey

Combine cornflour, egg whites and oyster sauce in a bowl. Use a whisk to beat the mixture together until thickened.

Heat olive oil in a non-stick pan over medium heat (or use a wok). Put flour in a bowl and season with salt & pepper.

Dip prawns into flour, shaking off any excess, then dip into batter mixture to coat.

Cook in the pan for 2 minutes each side until golden. Place cooked prawns on paper towel to absorb excess oil, while preparing and cooking the remaining prawns.

Once all of the prawns have been cooked, add honey to the pan and heat gently until runny, then add the prawns and gently toss to coat.

Batter-less!

After doing a batch I thought nope this just isn’t going to work, so I just chucked the rest of the prawns in the pans un-battered, with some pepper, truffle salt and a splash of soy sauce (see pic above). I then had a mountain of prawns to get through haha, so had a pile of them in a sandwich with lettuce, crunchy bean sprouts and chilli paste. Prawns are great in a sandwich or bread roll!

I then ate prawns for a few days, in various forms…..it’s a good thing I didn’t mind that!

Lots of prawns…

Happy Fooding!

Not-Mince Comfort Food

I overdosed on red meat last week, with the Irish beef stew – so delicious, but eating it for 3 days in a row (plus what’s in the freezer) just made me need to stop eating meat for a few days. I do find I feel a lot healthier when I stick to seafood and veggies, but I like my curries, stir fries and roasts too much to completely becoming a vegetarian.

I wanted something healthy tonight but without meat – so I raided the cupboards and threw together this TVP based “mince stew” – reminiscent of an easy quick simmered stew my mum used to make when I was little. I loved it then, but my first husband had a distaste for minced anything (he was in fact Mr Food Fusspot personified), so a lot of things quickly made their way OFF the menu in my house for 15 years.

The one Mum used to make had, I think, Gravox in it to thicken the juices, and was probably a lot higher in fat content than what we can buy these days (mince was mince – none of this 3***, 5***, premium stuff!), but gee it was delish, especially served on hot, buttered toast.

This is today’s “what I had in the fridge” vegetarian version – lighter, but still tasting of meat. TVP is amazing!

You can add whatever veg you like to this – celery and baby spinach would be great. The chilli was from the garden of the lovely Carol from my work, who has been bringing them in to share with those of us that love cooking (there are a few of us and we are quick to reserve all the new cookbooks as they arrive!).

Vegetarian Mince Stew

1 tbsp olive oil

1 cup dried TVP soy mince

1 small brown onion, finely chopped

3 baby potatoes, finely chopped

1 small carrot, finely chopped

425 gm can diced tomatoes

1 small birdseye chilli, chopped

splash of soy sauce

1 tbsp fresh thyme, chopped

1/2 tsp paprika

3/4 cup frozen peas

cracked pepper, to taste

Heat olive oil in large pan and sauté onion, potatoes and carrots for 2 mins, stirring frequently.

Add all remaining ingredients, bring to a gentle simmer and cook, on low heat, stirring occasionally, for 20 minutes.

Serves 2-3

(that was really hard, wasn’t it!)

Last week was actually “meat free week” – oops I failed there – but I don’t eat meat all the time anyway so I don’t feel particularly cut up about it – however, the supporting website has some really lovely vegetarian recipes on it, so check it out, even if you are a carnivore.

Happy Fooding!

Crockpot Vegetable Chilli

Healthy and filling, this slow cooker chilli is the perfect example of the ‘chuck it all in and turn it on’ philosophy that slow cookers are all about. To me, a slow cooker should be about convenience, so the recipes where you still have to saute things on the stove first etc are just not my idea of fun. I want my crockpot to serve my needs, and this chilli suits the slow cooker ideal so well. Plus, it tastes great!

Vegetable Chilli

2 medium zucchini (OR 1 large eggplant), chopped

1 green or red capsicum, chopped

1 medium carrot, peeled & chopped

2 celery sticks, sliced (optional – include leaves as well)

2 brown onions, chopped

425 gm can chopped tomatoes

425 gm can chickpeas, drained & rinsed

2 tsp chilli paste

2 tsp cumin, ground

225 jar salsa (hot)

140 gms tomato paste

425 gm can corn kernels, drained

cracked pepper, to taste

Place all ingredients in crockpot. Cook on LOW for 8 hours. Serve with rice or tortillas.

It doesn’t get much easier than that!

Happy Fooding!

Party Nibbles 2

Also for Christmas, I whipped up these little beauties!  Haha, they look so professional, but in fact this is a complete cheat’s canape……I got this idea a few months ago at an afternoon tea put on by my lecturers when I finished my Diploma.

All this is, is 2 packets of those little vol-au-vent cases that you buy ready-made, and in them I have spooned red and green Wattle Valley crunchy dips – half are red with a spot of green on top, and half are green with a spot of red on top – all nice and Christmasy looking! I used Chilli dip for the red, and Basil for the green, but you can use whatever flavours/brands you like.

These bought vol-au-vent cases are pretty dry tasting, so you need to make sure you put as much dip inside as you possibly can. This is not easy without making a big mess and getting dip all over the bench – you need a couple of tiny teaspoons and you must hold your tongue the right way lol.

Happy Summer Fooding!

Still on the Quinoa Train…

I recently borrowed Cooking With Quinoa: The Supergrain from work. It’s a great resource for quinoa recipes, and here is a lamb dish that I’ve adapted. The only time-consuming part was grinding a tablespoon of cumin seeds – as I have quite weak wrists I find using a mortar and pestle not that easy, but I do prefer to grind the spices freshly as I need them. I sat outside in the sun with my neighbour, grinding away whilst stopping regularly for champagne liquid refreshment to keep me going!

Lamb With Quinoa

2 tbsp olive oil

2 medium brown onions, cut in half & thinly sliced

500 gms minced lamb

5 clove garlic, crushed

1 tsp cumin seeds, whole

1 tbsp cumin seeds, ground

3/4 cup quinoa (rinse it if you prefer)

1/4 cup black rice

1 tbsp light soy sauce (I like Pearl River Bridge)

1 tsp chilli paste

2 cups hot water

1 cup frozen peas

1 red chilli, sliced

10 dried prunes, roughly chopped

preserved lemon & low-fat Greek yoghurt, to serve

Heat the olive oil in a large deep pan, and saute onion until soft and golden. Add lamb mince and cook until well browned.

Stir in the garlic, cumin seeds and ground cumin, and cook for 1-2 minutes until fragrant.

Add the quinoa, rice, soy sauce, chilli paste and water. Stir, cover and simmer on low heat for 15 minutes, stirring occasionally, until the quinoa is almost cooked.

Stir in the frozen peas and prunes, and cook for a further 8 minutes. Add the sliced chilli and cook for a final 2 minutes.

Serve with pieces of preserved lemon and yoghurt, if desired.

Serves 4.

Happy Fooding!

Lemon Zucchini

I love dill – I know it’s a love-it or hate-it herb, and I’m definitely in the love-it camp. To me, it’s a strong flavour like caraway or fennel or cardamom or anise – all of which I love.

Here’s a simple side dish for when zucchini is in season…..this was inspired by The Intolerant Gourmet, Barbara Kafka’s latest book of gluten-free/lactose-free recipes, and is very lemony. I couldn’t get fresh dill – but of course use it if you can get it – it’s a hit and miss herb for me at my local shops.

Lemon Zucchini

1 tbsp olive oil

1 large zucchini, cut into 0.5 cm slices

1/2 tsp dried dill

2 wedges preserved lemon, chopped

1/4 tsp chilli paste

1/4 cup white wine

salt & pepper, to taste

Heat oil in medium pan; add zucchini, dill, lemon and chilli paste, and saute for 2 minutes.

Add wine, salt & pepper, and saute for 10 minutes, stirring often.

Serves 2-3 as a side dish.

Happy Fooding!

All Aboard the Quinoa Train

I became a fan of quinoa when living in Chile – it’s a staple thing there, just like rice or couscous. At the time, no one in Australia had heard of it, but now it is very trendy and recipes are popping up in all the foodie magazines. Quinoa is extremely nutritious, and goes equally well as a plain side dish or as a more substantial meal, such as this pilaf.

My work colleague, who writes the fabulous Excelsior literature blog, and runs the book club at our library, adores quinoa and recommended this Indian-Spiced Chicken Quinoa Pilaf recipe as one he had tried and found delicious. And I agree! I made it exactly as written and it was completely perfect in every way.

My goodness, this was sooooooooooooo tasty! There was quite a bit of chopping up and measuring things out beforehand, but the actual cooking part was easy. I thought it would be very spicy because of the green chilli and all the spices, but actually it wasn’t so much spicy as flavoursome – a great Indian blend of aromatics that works really well.

This is VERY filling and quinoa, like rice, increases hugely as it absorbs liquid, so this quantity would easily serve 6 if you had some kind of bread and salad with it.

As a variation, I’m thinking prawns instead of chicken would work really well here – added sometime towards the end maybe, as 20 minutes would be way too much cooking time.

This is definitely going in to my saved recipe files.

Happy Fooding!