Sun dried tomato and mushroom pasta in a garlic and basil sauce

I found this recipe here but copied it into metric because it was too hard to follow in American measurements. 

Serves 4

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2 tablespoons olive oil
200g mushrooms, sliced
3 garlic cloves, minced
100g sun-dried tomatoes, diced
2 chicken stock cubes (use vegetable for vegetarian version)
2 cups boiling water
1/2 cup half and half (may need to add another 1/2 cup)
1/2 cup heavy cream
1/2 cup shredded Parmesan cheese
1 tablespoon dried basil (or up to 2 tablespoons chopped fresh basil)
fettuccine for 4

NOTE:
WHAT IS HALF AND HALF? Half and half is the US milk product that combines half milk half cream to form a lighter cream (unlike heavy cream). To make 1 cup of half and half, combine 1/2 cup milk and 1/2 cup regular cream (heavy, or whipping cream).


Do This -

1. Heat olive oil on medium-high heat, add sliced mushrooms and garlic and cook for about 3 minutes. Add diced sun-dried tomatoes. Reduce heat.
2. Dissolve 2 chicken stock cubes in 2 cups of boiling water. Add the broth to the pan and cook on medium heat until the mushrooms and sun-dried tomatoes absorb some of the broth and the broth reduces somewhat. Add half and half, heavy cream and bring to boil just for a short moment. Add Parmesan cheese and cook the sauce, stirring, for a couple of minutes, on low-medium heat until the cheese melts. Add the basil.
3. If your sauce is too thick at this point - add another 1/2 cup half and half. If your sauce looks thin to you - do not continue simmering the sauce to thicken it as you will be adding pasta shortly (in the next step) - and pasta will absorb some of the sauce liquid. Even if the sauce looks thin now, it will not be so thin once you add pasta.
4. Cook fettuccine according to the package instruction. Drain and rinse in cold water (this will stop the cooking). Add the fettuccine into the sauce and continue cooking the sauce with the pasta in it, on medium heat, for a couple of minutes (or more - to achieve the desired thickness) stirring constantly to coat well.

Note: Do not add salt to the creamy sauce because it should already be salty enough from the chicken cubes. Check at the end when the sauce is done to see if some salt is needed.

Hokkien Noodles with Prawns

Image and (tweaked) recipe from Taste.com.au

Serves 4

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450g thin hokkien noodles
1 1/2 tsp vegetable oil
300g green prawn cutlets
1 garlic clove, crushed
400g fresh stir-fry vegetables
2 tbs kecap manis
2 tbs fresh lemon or lime juice
1/2 cup fresh basil leaves

Do This -

1. Place the noodles in a large heatproof bowl and cover with boiling water. Set aside for 2 minutes or until tender. Drain.
2. Heat a large wok over high heat. Add 2 teaspoons of the oil and heat until smoking. Stir-fry the prawns and garlic for 2 minutes or until they change colour. Transfer to a plate.
3. Heat the remaining oil in the wok. Add the vegetables and stir-fry for 4-5 minutes or until tender crisp.
4. Add the noodles, kecap manis and lemon juice to the wok. Return the prawn mixture to the wok and add the basil. Toss until combined and heated through.

Curly Fettuccini & Meatballs

Serves 4

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500g mince

1 onion, diced

2 cloves of garlic, crushed

1 egg

1 cup of breadcrumbs

3/4 cup grated parmesan cheese

5-6 basil leaves, roughly chopped

1/2 bunch Italian parsley, chopped
2 bay leaves

2 tablespoons tomato paste

2 tins diced tomatoes
1 teaspoon brown sugar

olive oil, for cooking

curly fettuccini (or regular fettuccini or spaghetti)

grated parmesan to sprinkle

Do This -

1. In a large bowl add 1/2 of the chopped parsley, 1 garlic clove, mince, breadcrumbs, egg, parmesan cheese and a generous pinch of black pepper & salt. Mix with hands until well combined.
2. Heat some olive oil in a large pot to a medium heat and add onion & and remaining garlic clove. Fry till translucent and fragrant.
3. Roll the meatballs then brown them in the pot with the onions & garlic.
4. Add the tomato paste, canned tomatoes, the remaining chopped parsley, basil & bay leaves, sugar, salt & pepper.
5. Turn to low and simmer for 20 minutes. Or longer for more flavour. If the sauce seems a little dry add 1/2 cup of water.
6. Serve with curly fettucinni and sprinkle with parmesan and basil.

Coleslaw

I'd never made coleslaw before. But today I thought I'd give it a go.

I don't know why I waited so long, it's easy!

And sooooo much better than any store bought coleslaw.

It was the perfect accompaniment to our easy Friday night frozen fish & chips!

I haven't added measurements for this recipe because you can add as much or as little as you like to suit your taste.

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• sugar loaf cabbage, finely shredded
• purple cabbage, finely shredded
• shallots, finely shredded
• carrot, grated
• fresh basil, finely shredded
• mayonnaise
• lime juice
• salt & pepper

Do This -

1. Mix all ingredients in a bowl and serve.
2. Too easy!

Mini Asparagus Frittatas

Makes 12

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• 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.

Rice Cakes

Tonight I had some left over cooked rice.
I'd usually make fried rice with it, but I did that 2 nights ago, so I went looking for something else.
I found a recipe on Taste.com.au for rice cakes that used smoked chicken. But I didn't have any chicken so I substituted bacon and added some sour cream to make sure they wouldn't be too dry.

They were really tasty! A bit like mini quiches, but without flour, which is always good for me!

Makes 12

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1 - 1 1/2 cups cooked basmati rice
4 bacon short cut rashers, diced
2 tablespoons semi-dried tomatoes, roughly chopped
1/3 cup cherry tomatoes, halved
1 cup grated cheese
1/3 cup grated parmesan
1 tablespoon sour cream
3 green onions, thinly sliced
1/4 cup basil leaves, finely shredded
3 eggs, lightly beaten
salt and pepper

Do This -

1. Preheat oven to 200°C. Grease a 12 hold muffin pan.
2. Fry the bacon until cooked, then leave to cool.
3. Place rice, bacon, dried tomatoes, cherry tomatoes, cheese, parmesan, onions, basil, eggs, salf and pepper into a large bowl. Mix well to combine.
4. Spoon mixture into prepared pan. Bake for 15 to 20 minutes or until cakes are firm to the touch and light golden. Stand in pan for 5 minutes. Run a flat-edged knife around edges of cakes. Turn onto a wire rack.
5. Serve with salad. Tonight's salad was coral lettuce, cherry tomatoes, red onion, capsicum, lebanese cucumber, fetta and avacado dressed with balsamic vinegar and olive oil.

These would also be great lunch box idea.

Roasted Cherry Tomatoes with Pesto Spaghetti

I like this for a quick & easy summer meal.


From Taste.com.au

 

Serves 2

Get This -

• enough spaghetti for 2
• 1 punnet cherry tomatoes
• 2 tablespoons basil pesto
• 1/4 cup grated parmesan cheese

Do This -

1. Preheat oven to 200degC.
2. Place cherry tomatoes on an oven tray, sprinkle lightly with olive oil and salt. Roast for 15 mins.
3. Cook spaghetti according to the instructions on the pack.
4. Drain the spaghetti and tip back into the saucepan. Mix in the pesto, parmesan and tomatoes. 
5. Serve in 2 bowls and top with shaved parmesan.
6. Finish with some fresh chopped basil if you wish.