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.

Mushroom & Tomato Frittata

I'm still a little shocked at how easy and quick and tasty this recipe is!
It's a new favourite!!
I found it on Taste.com.au and changed a few things.
I added some bacon, changed the parsley to coriander and cooked it in the oven because I don't have a grill.

from Taste.com.au
 

Serves 4

Get This - 

• 20g butter
• 200g Swiss brown mushrooms, thickly sliced
• 2 vine-ripened tomatoes, cut into wedges
• 4 eggs
• 75g mature cheddar, coarsely grated
• 2 bacon rashers, diced
• 1/4 cup fresh coriander roughly chopped

Do This -

1. Preheat the grill to high or the oven to 180deg.
2. Melt the butter in a non-stick frypan over medium heat. Add the sliced mushrooms, bacon and tomato wedges, and cook, stirring, for 3-4 minutes until tomato and mushrooms have softened.
3. Lightly beat eggs with 1 tablespoon water in a large bowl. Stir in cheese, coriander, and the mushroom and tomato mixture. Season with salt and pepper.
4. Melt remaining butter in the frypan over medium-low heat. Add the egg mixture, stir briefly, then cook for 5-6 minutes until golden underneath and nearly set. Place pan under hot grill for 3-4 minutes or until just set and top is golden. Or pour the mixture into a flan/quiche dish and bake in the oven for 30 - 40 minutes until just set and top is golden.
5. Serve with your favourite salad.

Beef Stroganoff

I am a big fan of stroganoff.  I've posted a chicken one, now here's a beef one.  Too delicious!

Serves 4

Get This - 

• 1/2 cup plain flour
• 500g beef fillet steaks, cut into 2cm-thick strips
• 2 tablespoons olive oil
• 2 large brown onions, halved, sliced
• 4 garlic cloves, crushed
• 3 cups beef stock
• 2 tablespoons tomato paste
• 2 teaspoons paprika
• 2 teaspoons Dijon mustard
• 200g button mushrooms, halved
• 1/4 cup sour cream
• chopped spring onions to garnish

Do This -

1. Place flour in a snap-lock bag. Season with salt and pepper. Add beef strips. Seal bag and shake to coat. Remove beef. Place in a bowl.
2. Heat 1 tablespoon oil in a large, deep frying pan over medium-high heat. Cook mushrooms, onion and garlic for 4 to 5 minutes or until soft. Transfer to a plate.
3. Add remaining oil and beef to pan. Cook for 5 minutes or until browned. Return mushrooms, onion and garlic to pan. Add stock. Bring to the boil. Add tomato paste, paprika and mustard. Reduce heat to medium. Simmer, uncovered, stirring, for 10 minutes. Stir in sour cream. Cook for 1 minute or until heated through.
4. Serve with mashed potato, rice, pasta or (my favourite) rice noodles. And top with spring onions.

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

Get This -

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.

Pad Thai

This is a version of a recipe I found here.

Image found here

Serves 4

Get This -

250g rice stick noodles

500g chicken thigh fillets, sliced thinly
2 clove garlic, crushed
2 teaspoon grated ginger
1 red capsicum, sliced into thin strips and strips halved
1 large carrot, cut into matchstick
4 spring onions, sliced thinly
2 cups bean sprouts
1 or 2 red thai chilli, sliced thinly
2 tablespoons chopped palm sugar (or brown sugar)
2 tablespoon soy sauce
2 tablespoon rice wine vinegar
1 tablespoon fish sauce
1 tablespoon lime juice
3 eggs
fresh roughly chopped coriander leaves
chopped peanuts
Chilli flakes and sesame seeds (optional)

Do This -

• Prepare rice noodles according to directions listed on package.
• In a mixing bowl, whisk together sugar, soy sauce, rice wine vinegar, lime juice and fish sauce, set aside.
• Heat oil in a wok or large and deep non-stick pan over medium-high heat. 
• Once hot add chicken and saute until cooked through, about 4 - 6 minutes. Transfer to a plate, leaving oil in pan. 
• Add capsicum and carrots and saute 1 - 2 minutes then add garlic, ginger, spring onions and bean sprouts saute 1 minute longer. 
• Push veggies to edges of pan and crack eggs into center. Cook and scramble until eggs have cooked through. 
• Add in chicken, noodles and sauce and toss everything together and cook 1 - 2 minutes.

Serve warm topped with cilantro, peanuts and optional red pepper flakes and sesame seeds.

Honey Soy & Ginger Chicken Noodle Stir Fry

I love a stir-fry!!


Serves 2

Get This -

1 chicken breast, trimmed, cut into strips across the grain
3 tablespoons soy sauce
1 tablespoon honey
1 tablespoon oil
2 garlic cloves, peeled, finely chopped
4cm piece ginger, finely grated
1 small onion, cut into thin wedges
1 medium carrot, cut into thin sticks
handful of green beans, trimmed, halved diagonally
(Or whatever stir-fry vegetables you have eg capsicum, snow peas, brocolli, baby corn)
enough noodles for 2 (I prefer rice noodles, but you could use hokkien, udon, stick noodles, or even a packet of 2 minute noodles)

Do This - 

• Combine chicken, soy sauce, honey, garlic and ginger in a bowl.  Let stand for at least 5 minutes to marinate. (An hour in the fridge is better)
• Cook noodles according to the instructions on the pack.
• Drain chicken and reserve marinade.  Heat oil in a large wok or fry pan over a high heat.  Add chicken and stir fry for about 2 minutes, until just cooked.  Remove chicken from wok.
• Add vegetables one at a time and stir-fry until cooked through.
• Add chicken, drained noodles and reserved marinade, combine until heated through.
• Serve with chopped herbs or spring onions.

Chicken BLT Salad

I love salads on a Summer night.
This one is perfect!!




 Serves 4

Get This -

Olive oil
500g single chicken breast fillets
4 lean bacon rashers, excess fat trimmed, cut into thirds
2 baby cos lettuces, leaves separated, washed, dried
2 vine-ripened tomatoes, thickly sliced
1 avocado, halved, stone removed, peeled, thinly sliced
4 boiled eggs
caesar salad dressing

Do This -

• Heat oil in a large non-stick frying pan. Season both sides of the chicken with salt and pepper. Add to the pan and cook for 3 minutes each side or until well browned. Thickly slice the chicken across the grain.
• Add the bacon to the pan and cook for 4 minutes or until crisp.
• Remove the bacon and place chicken back into the pan. Stir until cooked well all through.
• Divide the lettuce, tomato, avocado, chicken and bacon among serving bowls. Drizzle dressing over the top. Finish with a boiled egg cut in half.

*I like to add some shaved parmesan as well. You could also have it with croutons.

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.

Madras Beef Curry

I do love curries.
And this one is a winner.
So easy and so yum.


Just for a change, this is actually my image.
Yes, it's my dinner that I'm eating right now! :)

Serves 2

Get This -

• 2 tablespoons vegetable oil
• 400g gravy beef, trimmed, cut into 3cm cubes
• 1/2 large brown onion, finely chopped
• 2 garlic cloves, crushed
• 2cm piece fresh ginger, peeled, grated
• 1/4 cup madras curry paste
• 3 cardamom pods, bruised
• 1/2 cup chicken stock
• 400g can diced tomatoes
• 1 large potato, peeled, cut into 3cm cubes
• salt & pepper
• 1 stalk spring onions, chopped
• Steamed basmati rice, to serve

Do This -

1. Heat half the oil in a large, heavy-based saucepan over medium-high heat. Cook beef, in batches, for 5 to 6 minutes or until browned. Transfer to a bowl.
2. Heat remaining oil in dish. Add onion, garlic and ginger. Cook, stirring, for 5 minutes or until onion has softened. Add curry paste and cardamom. Cook for 1 minute or until fragrant. Return beef to dish. Add stock, tomatoes and potato. Season with salt & pepper. Cover. Bring to the boil.
3. Turn the heat down to low and simmer for 2-3 hours or until beef is tender. Remove and discard cardamom pods. Serve with rice and top with plain yogurt or raita and spring onions.

Spaghetti with Chicken, Cherry Tomatoes and Pesto

This recipe is tweaked from one very similar on Taste.com.au
They used smoked chicken. I've never bought smoked chicken.
So I changed it to barbecued chicken.
Which I buy a lot!

from Taste.com.au

(serves 4)

Get This -

• 350g dried spaghetti pasta
• 135g (1/2 cup) bought basil pesto
• 300g barbecued chicken breast, thinly sliced
• 1 x 250g punnet cherry tomatoes, halved
• 30g (1/2 cup) finely grated parmesan

Do This -

1. Cook the pasta in a large saucepan of salted boiling water following packet directions or until al dente. Drain and return to the pan.
2. Add the pesto, chicken and tomato to the pasta and gently toss until well combined. Place the pan over low heat and cook, stirring, for 1-2 minutes or until heated through. Add the parmesan to the pasta and toss to combine.
3. Divide the pasta mixture among serving bowls and serve.