Mini Shepherd's Pies

https://www.facebook.com/goodhousekeepinguk/videos/10157793833767437/

Mince Lettuce Cups

Serves 3-4

Get This -

500g beef mince
1 teaspoon curry powder (or less to taste)
1 teaspoon white pepper
1 teaspoon garam masala
1 tablespoon fish sauce
1 tablespoon soy sauce
1 teaspoon fresh ginger, grated
1/4 cup fresh coriander, chopped (including stalks)
1 tablespoon vegetable or peanut oil
1 tablespoon lime juice
1/2 red onion, diced
1 carrot, diced
1/2 red capsicum, diced
cos or iceberg lettuce leaves, washed
snow peas or bean sprouts for garnish


Do This -

1. Mix mince, spices, herbs, sauces and ginger in a bowl with hands and set aside for 15 minutes.
2. Fry onion, carrot and capsicum in oil until softened.
3. Add mince and stir until cooked through.
4. Add lime juice & finley sliced snow peas or bean sprouts.
5. Serve in lettuce cups

Dongella's Shepherd's Pie

(From Taste.com.au)

Get This - 

500g beef mince
1 tablespoon olive oil
1 onion chopped
clove of garlic
2 teaspoons mixed herbs
1.5 cups of beef stock
1 cup frozen peas
1 grated carrot
1 grated zucchini
1 tablespoon Worcestershire sauce
1/2 cup grated cheese
1 tablespoon butter
3 potatoes


Do This -

• Heat Oil in a large frypan, Saute onion and garlic, add mince and cook until brown.
• Add tomato paste, beef stock, mixed herbs, sauce, peas, carrot and zucchini, mix thoroughly and simmer until liquid is absorbed.
• Meanwhile boil potatoes until soft. Mash with butter.
• Place mince mixture in a casserole dish, top with mashed potatoes.
• Sprinkle with cheese and bake in a hot oven for 20 minutes or until cheese has melted and is lightly brown.
• Enjoy!

Easy Chilli Con Carne

Serves 4


Get This -

500g minced beef
can crushed tomatoes
can red kidney beans
1 onion sliced
small jar salsa - hot


Do This -

1. Fry onions until soft and golden.
2. Add mince and stir until browned.
3. Stir through tomatoes, drained kidney beans and salsa.
4. Simmer 20 minutes or until cooked through.

Serve with rice, tortillas or corn chips and top it off with sour cream and avocado.

4 Ingredients - Cottage Pie

Lasange

Lasagne is something I love to eat, but never make because it seems too fussy.

Well, tonight I gave it a go.

I combined three recipes from online searches and came up with this...

I reckon it's pretty good!

Serves 4

Get This -

• 1 tablespoon olive oil
• 1 brown onion, finely chopped
• 2 garlic cloves, crushed
• 500g lean beef mince
• 400g can crushed tomatoes
• 2 tablespoons tomato paste
• 2 teaspoons dried oregano
• 2 teaspoons dried thyme
• 1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
• 250g packet dried lasagne pasta sheets
• small carton of cream
• 1 cup grated cheddar cheese
• 1/4 cup grated parmesan cheese

Do This -

1. Preheat oven to 180°C/160°C fan-forced.
2. Heat oil in a heavy-based saucepan over medium heat. Add onion and garlic. Cook, stirring, for 3 minutes or until onion is tender. Add mince. Cook, stirring with a wooden spoon to break up mince, until browned. Add tomatoes, tomato paste, dried herbs and cinnamon.  Season with salt and pepper. Bring to the boil. Reduce heat to low. Simmer, uncovered, for 40 minutes or until sauce has thickened. Remove from heat.
3. Soak the lasagne sheets in a single layer in boiling water for 5 mins. (Although the packet says no pre-cook, soaking improves the texture.) Drain well. 
4. Drizzle a little olive oil over base of a 7cm-deep, 25cm (base) square baking dish. Arrange pieces of lasagne over base of dish. Pour enough cream to just cover lasagne sheets. Spoon one-third of the mince mixture over pasta. Spread with one-quarter of the cheeses. Repeat layers twice. Top with lasagne sheets, cream and cheeses. Cover loosely with foil.
5. Bake for 45 minutes. Remove foil. Bake for 15 minutes or until pasta is tender and cheese golden. Stand for 10 minutes before serving.

Option 1 - Replace cream with cream cheese.
Option 2 - Replace cream with ricotta cheese. 
Option 3 - Use a mix of all three

Chilli Con Carne

Serves 2 - 3


Get This -

250g mince
1/2 medium onion
1 can diced tomatoes
1 can red Mexican Chilli beans
salt, pepper & chilli flakes to season
avocado or guacamole, sour cream and coriander or spring onions to serve


Do This -

1. Saute onion until soft.
2. Add mince and stir until browned.
3. Add tomatoes and can of beans.
4. Season to taste with salt, pepper & chilli flakes.
5. Mix well and simmer for 10 - 15 mins.
6. Serve with rice, pasta, tacos or jacket potatoes.
7. Add avocado or guacamole and  a dollop of sour cream on top.
8. Finish off with some fresh coriander or sliced spring onions.

This one is almost too easy, that's why I love it! :)

Curly Fettuccini & Meatballs

Serves 4

Get This -

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.

Crispy-topped Cottage Pie

from Taste.com.au

Serves 4

Get This -

• olive oil
• 1 brown onion, finely chopped
• 2 garlic cloves, crushed
• 2 tablespoons tomato paste
• 750g beef mince
• 1 cup beef stock
• 400g can diced tomatoes
• 2 tablespoons plain flour 
• 2 carrots, peeled, diced
• 1 cup frozen peas
• 500g Desiree potatoes, thinly sliced
• 100g tasty cheese, finely grated

Do This -

1. Heat 2 tablespoons of oil in a saucepan over medium heat. Cook onion and garlic, stirring, for 8 minutes or until soft. Add tomato paste. Cook for 3 minutes.
2. Increase heat to high. Add mince. Cook, stirring, for 8 minutes or until browned. Add stock, water and tomatoes. Bring to the boil. Stir in flour and carrots. Reduce heat to medium-low. Simmer, partially covered, for 10 minutes. Add peas.
3. Preheat oven to 200°C. Grease a 10-cup capacity ovenproof dish. Spoon in mince.
4. Combine potatoes, 1 1/2 tablespoons oil, and salt and pepper. Arrange one-third potatoes over mince. Sprinkle with half the cheese. Repeat layers, finishing with potatoes. Drizzle with a little oil. Season with salt and pepper. Cover with foil. Bake for 30 minutes. Increase heat to 230°C. Remove foil. Bake for a further 20 minutes or until golden. Serve.

Note - to hide the vegetables from Miss 4, I grated the carrot and swapped frozen peas for grated zucchini.

This recipe is from Taste.com.au

Spaghetti Bolognese

I know the really simple way to make this is to brown some mince, add a jar of prepared sauce and add to pasta, but it's so easy to make your own. It tastes heaps better and you know exactly what you're eating, too.

With illnesses, ailments and disorders on the rise I have to wonder if it has something to do with the mountains of processed foods we eat with all the additives, preservatives & chemicals. I don't like to use any bottled sauce bases anymore.

Serves 4

Get This -

500g beef mince
1 brown onion, chopped
2 cloves garlic, crushed
2 cans diced tomatoes
4 tablespoons tomato paste
1 tablespoon olive oil
2 beef stock cubes
a shake of dried oregano
a shake of dried thyme
a shake of dried tarragon
a pinch of cinnamon
a pinch of nutmeg
1/4 red lentils
1/2 to 1 cup vegetables, eg carrot, zucchini, cauliflower, capsicum
1/2 cup water (I swish out a can of tomatoes & use that)
salt & pepper
fresh parmesan, shaved/finely grated
fresh basil
spaghetti or other pasta

Do This -

• Heat oil in large pot.  Saute onions & garlic until translucent.
• Add vegetables, stock cubes & herbs.
• Add mince and stir until browned.
• Add tomato paste and cook for about 1 minute.
• Add all other ingredients and simmer.
• Sauce will be ready in about 20 minutes, but I love it after a few hours of gentle simmering...much tastier! 
• Just before you're ready to serve, cook pasta according to the instructions on the packet.
• Drain pasta, serve in bowls with the bolognese sauce on top and finish with fresh shaved parmesan and chopped basil.

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!!

Cheesy Beef Rissoles

Makes about 12

Get This -

250g beef mince
1 small carrot, grated
1/2 cup parmesan, grated
1 egg
1 tablespoon tomato/barbecue/sweet chilli sauce
1 tablespoon mustard
1 slice of bread, crusts removed and broken into tiny pieces
25g fetta, crumbled
salt & pepper


Do This -

• Place everything in a mixing bowl and get your hands stuck in mixing until well combined.
• Roll into small rissoles and shallow fry or barbecue until browned all over and cooked through.

Too easy! ;)

Burritos

Another favourite weekly dinner...



Get This -

A burrito kit

Do This - 

Follow instructions on the pack


LOL, yeah I know...hardly a recipe.  But I am using this blog as a collection of our family's favourites so I had to include it!

Tip - If you want to do something extra, add a can of cannellini beans (drained & rinsed) with the chicken, or red kidney beans with mince.

Beef Sausage Rolls

I've never attempted to make sausage rolls before and was surprised at how easy they were.  If they are easy enough for me, they are easy enough for anyone.  Give them a go...

Cooking Time

20 - 30 mins

Makes

16



Get This -

300g beef mince
1 small brown onion finely chopped
1 carrot, peeled and grated
1 egg, lightly beaten
1/2 teaspoon dried herbs
1/2 teaspoon ground black pepper
1/2 teaspoon salt
2 sheets frozen puff pastry, partially thawed
1 tablespoon milk

Do This -

Preheat oven to 220C.
Line baking tray with baking paper.
Combine mince, onion,  carrot, egg, herbs, salt and pepper in a bowl and mix well.
Cut pastry sheets in half.
Shape a quarter of the mince along a long edge of each piece of pastry.
Roll pastry to enclose mince mixture.
With seam side down, cut each roll into four.
Place onto baking tray, brush with milk, and bake for 20 - 30 minutes until puffed and golden brown.
Let stand for 5 minutes before serving, with tomato sauce of course!