Rice Paper Rolls

This recipe is from Taste.com.au and tweaked a little.

From Taste.com.au

Makes 12

Get This -

• 1 cup shredded barbecued chicken
• 1 lebanese cucumber, cut into matchsticks
• 1 carrot, cut into matchsticks
• 1/2 cup beansprouts, trimmed
• 1/3 cup fresh vietnamese mint leaves
• 1/3 cup fresh coriander leaves
• 1 tablespoon lime juice
• 1 tablespoon fish sauce
• 1 tablespoon soy sauce
• 12 x 22cm rice paper rounds (see note)
• sweet chilli sauce, to serve

Do This -

1. Combine chicken, cucumber, carrot, beansprouts, mint, coriander, lime juice and fish sauce in a large bowl.
2. Place 1 rice paper round in a medium bowl of lukewarm water for 15 seconds or until just soft. Place on a clean tea towel or paper towel.
3. Arrange 1/4 cup of the chicken mixture along the centre of rice paper round. Fold ends in and roll up firmly to enclose filling. Repeat with remaining rice paper rounds and filling. Serve with sweet chilli sauce.

Fettuccine with Asparagus, Parmesan, and Prosciutto

Serves 4

Get This - 

1 teaspoon olive oil
100g thinly sliced prosciutto, cut into strips (or 4 finely chopped bacon rashers)
1 garlic clove, crushed
1 cup pure cream
2 tablespoons lemon juice
Salt and pepper
500g fettuccine
2 bunches of asparagus trimmed and cut into pieces
1 cup grated parmesan
¾ cup chopped fresh basil

Do This -

1. Cook fettuccine as per instructions on the pack.
2. Heat oil in large nonstick pan over medium heat until just smoking.  Cook prosciutto until lightly browned and crisp, about 5 minutes.  Transfer to paper towel-lined plate.
3. Add garlic to pan and cook until fragrant, about 30 seconds.  Stir in cream and lemon juice and simmer until slightly thickened, 3 to 5 minutes.
4. Add asparagus to the pot of pasta with 4 minutes left of cooking time.  Reserve 1 cup cooking water, drain pasta and asparagus, and return to pot.
5. Add sauce, ½ cup reserved cooking water, parmesan, and basil to pot and toss to combine, adding remaining cooking water as needed.  Season with salt and pepper.  Sprinkle portions with crispy prosciutto.  Serve.

Waldorf Salad

This is my new favourite salad for lunch.

Get This -

• 2 tablespoons reduced-fat mayonnaise
• 1 tablespoon lemon juice
• iceberg lettuce, shredded
• 1 celery stalk, trimmed, chopped
• 1 granny smith apple, cored, chopped (or any apple will do, I like Fuji apple) 
• 2 tablespoons chopped walnuts (optional)

Do This -

1. Mix mayonnaise and lemon juice in a bowl.
2. Mix all other ingredients in a serving bow.
3. Add mayonnaise dressing and toss.
4. Top with nuts

Today I've also added tinned salmon, fetta and coriander.
It's also good with cooked chicken and basil.

Lamb Massaman Curry

This recipe is from the Australian Women's Weekly.

I love how easy a lovely curry is!
And the longer it's cooked, the better.
So my favourite thing to do is put it on in the early afternoon and walk away.
Then when dinner time comes...it's done!


From the Australian Women's Weekly

Serves 4

Get This -

1kg lamb shoulder, cut into 3cm cubes
100g diced onion
1 tablespoon vegetable oil
210g jar Valcom massaman curry paste
2 x tins quality coconut cream
2 tablespoons fish sauce
2 tablespoons lime juice
1 tablespoon salt
4 tablespoons palm sugar (or 2 tablespoons brown sugar)
200g potato cubes (2cm)
fresh coriander roughly chopped

Do This - 

1. In a deep pan (5 litre with heavy base ideal) heat oil and cook onions until they change colour to a light caramel colour. Add curry paste and stir for several minutes on medium heat. Add half-cup coconut cream and stir.
2. Bring to the boil and add fish sauce. Bring back to the boil again, add lime juice, salt and sugar.
3. Pour in remaining coconut cream and bring to nearly boiling then add lamb and potato. Stir occasionally. Simmer on very low heat without lid for 90 minutes or until meat is tender.
4. Garnish with coriander. Serve with steamed rice.

Beef and Black Bean Noodle Stir-Fry

Another recipe from Taste.com.au

This is what I call cheating...opening packets and bottles. But this is pretty good cheating, don't you think?

It's not the tastiest meal I've ever had. But it's not bad for something quick and easy.

From Taste.com.au

Serves 4

Get This -

• 1 x 400g pkt hokkien noodles
• 1 tbs olive oil
• 400g beef stir-fry strips
• 1 brown onion, halved, thinly sliced
• 1 garlic clove, crushed
• 1 x 500g pkt Woolworths Fresh Family Vegetable Stir-Fry
• 80ml (1/3 cup) water
• 1 x 300g btl Asia at Home Black Bean Stir Fry Sauce
• 1/3 cup fresh coriander leaves

Do This -

1. Place the noodles in a heatproof bowl. Cover with boiling water and set aside for 3 minutes or until tender. Drain.
2. Meanwhile, heat 1 teaspoon of oil in a wok over high heat. Add half the beef and stir-fry for 1-2 minutes or until browned. Transfer to a bowl. Repeat with 1 teaspoon of oil and the remaining beef.
3. Heat the remaining oil in the wok over medium-high heat. Add the onion and garlic, and stir-fry for 1 minute or until the onion softens. Add vegetables and stir-fry for 2 minutes. Add 2 tablespoons of water. Cover and cook for 1-2 minutes or until the vegetables are tender crisp.
4. Use a fork to separate the noodles. Add the noodles and black bean sauce to the wok, and toss to coat. Add the remaining water to the sauce bottle and seal. Shake until well combined. Pour into the wok. Add the beef and toss to combine.
5. Divide the stir-fry among serving plates. Top with the coriander to serve.

Rissoles

Not my photo, I always forget to take photos, too busy eating!

Makes 16 small rissoles

Get This -

250g beef mince
1/2 carrot, grated
1/2 zucchini, grated
1/2 onion, finely chopped
1 tablespoon grated parmesan
1 egg
1 tablespoon tomato sauce
1 teaspoon mustard
2 slices grain bread, crusts removed and broken up into small pieces

Do This -

1. Mix everything together well (with your hands, of course) in a mixing bowl.
2. Cover and refrigerate for an hour.
3. Roll into small balls, sausage shapes or patties.
4. Shallow fry until browned all over and cooked through.

My friend Julie makes gravy with her rissoles and this is how she does it.

2 tbspns flour, 2 cups chicken stock, 1 tbspn tomato paste, mixed together in the pan the rissoles were cooked in. It's my new favourite thing! I love gravy!!

Mini Asparagus Frittatas

Makes 12

Get This - 

• 5 eggs
• 1/2 cup pure cream
• 1/4 cup grated tasty cheese
• 1/4 cup grated parmesan cheese
• 1 garlic clove, crushed
• 1/2 bunch asparagus, trimmed, thinly sliced
• 2 tablespoons chopped semi-dried tomatoes
• 2 green onions, thinly sliced
• handful of fresh basil leaves, roughly chopped

Do This -

1. Preheat oven to 190°C/170°C fan-forced. Grease 12 hole patty pan.
2. Whisk eggs, cream, cheese and garlic together in a jug. Season with salt and pepper.
3. Combine asparagus, tomato, basil and onion in a bowl. Spoon evenly into holes of prepared pan.
4. Pour egg mixture over asparagus mixture. Bake for 10 to 12 minutes or until golden and set.

Chicken Pasties

This was my first attempt at making pasties.
It is a little time consuming but very easy.
This amount makes a lot of pasties so I cooked half and froze half.
They froze really well, I wrapped them in baking paper so they wouldn't stick together.




Makes 12

Get This - 

• 30g unsalted butter
• 1/2 onion, chopped
• 1 tsp curry powder
• 1/2 carrot, peeled, grated
• 1 sticks celery, chopped
• 5 button mushrooms, chopped
• 1 cup shredded, barbecued chicken
• 1 cup frozen corn kernels
• 1 tbs plain flour
• 1 cup chicken stock
• 3 sheets puff pastry, defrosted
• Milk or egg yolk, to brush pastry

Note - You can change the vegetable to suit your taste, or to use whatever you have in the fridge. I used carrot, zucchini (finely diced, not grated), cabbage and corn.


Do This -

1. Preheat oven to 180°C. Melt butter in a pan over medium heat. Add onion and curry and fry until onions are soft but not brown. Add carrot and celery and cook for 1-2 minutes.
2. Add mushrooms and cook for 2 minutes. Add chicken and corn and stir until combined. Stir in flour, then gradually start adding stock, stirring, until mixture thickens. Set aside to cool.
3. Cut each pastry sheet into 4. Add about 2 spoons of the mixture to the centre of a piece of pastry. Fold over a corner diagonally to enclose the filling and form a triangle. Use a fork to seal the edges, then brush with milk or egg yolk.
4. Repeat with remaining pastry and mixture. Place on a lined baking tray and bake for 20-25 minutes or until golden.
5. Serve with a green salad or steamed vegetables

Pumpkin & Red Lentil Soup

I love pumpkin soup. But I've never made it before...until now.
It's so easy, why did I wait so long?
Another one from Taste.com.au, the best place to go for recipes!!

Serves 4

Get This - 

• olive oil
• 1 brown onion, finely chopped
• 2 garlic cloves, crushed
• 1 tsp finely grated fresh ginger
• 2 tsp ground cumin seeds
• 1 tsp ground tumeric  
• 1kg butternut pumpkin, peeled, deseeded, cut into 1cm-pieces
• 175g (3/4 cup) red lentils, rinsed
• 1L (4 cups) water
• 2 x vegetable stock cubes
• natural yoghurt & fresh coriander leaves, to serve

Do This -

1. Heat a large saucepan over medium-low heat. Add olive oil. Add the onion and cook, for 5 minutes or until soft. Add the garlic, ginger and cumin/curry powder and cook, stirring, for 1 minute or until aromatic.
2. Add the pumpkin, lentils, water and stock cubes. Bring to the boil. Reduce heat to low. Simmer, partially covered, for 15-20 minutes or until the pumpkin and lentils are soft. Set aside to cool.
3. Ladle half the lentil mixture into the jug of a blender and blend until smooth. Transfer to a clean saucepan. Repeat with the remaining lentil mixture.
4. Place the soup over medium heat and cook, stirring, for 3 minutes or until heated through. Season to taste with salt & pepper. Ladle among serving bowls. Top with the yoghurt and coriander to serve.