RECIPES - MINE

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I LOVE great food, made with love and served with grace. Jen.

Here are some of my most favourite recipes...Some are every day foods and some are special treats. Some are gluten-free, some are wheat-free, some are dairy-free, etc. At the moment they are not segregated...(and there aren't many listed yet as I'm a SLOW typer!)

but, eventually they will be, for your convenience.

Hope you have as much fun and fulfillment in the kitchen as I do.

(Remember: A cranky cook makes for indigestion, while a happy cook, mindfully preparing the meal, snack, treat... whatever, imbues the food with inspired energy.)

Simple really!

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VERY CHEESEY MUFFINS

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Ingredients:

• 2 cups wholemeal self raising flour
• ½ tsp vegetable stock powder
• 80g butter
• ¾ cup grated tasty cheese
• ½ cup finely grated fresh parmesan cheese
• ½ cup crumbled fetta cheese
• 1 egg, lightly beaten
• 1 cup milk
• 2 tsp dijon mustard
• ½ tsp wholegrain mustard
• small handful of chives, finely chopped.
  

Method:

1. Grease 12 hole muffin pan.
2. Sift dry ingredients into a large bowl and rub in the butter.
3. Stir in the remaining ingredients.
4. Spoon the mixture into prepared pan.
5. Bake in moderately hot oven for about 20 minutes.

Makes a dozen.

 

BANANA CAKE (Someone gave me this recipe... but I don't recall who?)

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• 3 bananas, mashed
• ½ cup walnuts, chopped
• ¼ cup light olive oil
• ¾ cup raisins or sultanas
• ¾ cup rolled oats
• 1 large cup wholemeal flour
• 1 tsp vanilla essence
• Pinch of salt

Method:

1. Preheat oven to 190.
2. Mix all the ingredients together. The consistency should be soft and moist.
3. Brush the base and sides of a loaf tin with oil and then spoon in the mixture.
4. Bake for 50 minutes or until toothpick inserted into the centre of the cake comes out clean.
5. Cool in tin for 15 minutes before turning out onto a cake rack to finish cooling.

 

SUGAR-FREE SLICE (Someone gave me this recipe... but I don't recall who?)

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• 60g butter
• ¼ cup water
• 1 cup dates
• 1 cup wholemeal flour
• ½ cup walnuts, chopped
• ½ cup rolled oats
• sprinkle of almond slithers
• ½ cup coconut
• ¼ cup pine nuts
• ¼ cup almond meal
• 2 eggs

Method:

1. Place butter, water and dates in a saucepan and simmer on stove for a few minutes (till squishy). Remove from heat, mash, then set aside.
2. Grease and line (with baking paper) a slice tin.
3. Cool dates by adding ½ cup milk. Mix into dry ingredients.
4. Add eggs and mix well.
5. Add milk as necessary to make a nice consistency.
6. Spoon into the slice tin and press to even the mixture.
7. Cook in moderate oven for about 15 minutes. Turn the tray around then bake for a further 10 minutes.
8. Cool in tin for 10 minutes before turning out onto a cake rack to finish cooling. Then remove the baking paper.

 

PAK CHOY, SPINACH AND RICOTTA CANNELLONI

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Ingredients:

• 1 box cannelloni tubes
• 1 cup grated tasty cheese (for topping)
• 1 cup fresh ricotta cheese (the savoury type)
• ¼ cup grated parmesan cheese
• 1 cup finely chopped spinach
• 2 cups finely chopped pak choy
• 2 egg yolks
• ½ tsp salt
• pinch of black pepper
• 2 cloves garlic
• ¼ cup sun dried tomatoes, finely chopped
• 1 tblspn pine nuts
• 1 tspn nutmeg
• 1 large tin of chopped tomatoes or ½ dozen fresh tomatoes, chopped
• 1 tblspn finely shredded fresh basil
• 2 tblspns olive oil
• pinch of salt and pepper

 

Method:

1. Heat oil in a pan. Add chopped tomatoes, basil, salt and pepper. Stir while bringing to boil. Remove from heat and set sauce aside.
2. Mix pak choy, spinach, ricotta, egg, garlic, parmesan, nutmeg, salt, pepper, pine nuts and sun dried tomatoes together. Stuff into cannelloni tubes. (This bit is pretty slow going).
3. Pour ½ the sauce into a baking tin/dish. As you fill each tube, place into tin, side by side (ready for cooking). When the tin is full of cannelloni, pour the remaining sauce over and spread to cover all the tubes. Sprinkle the tasty cheese over to dress the tubes.
4. Bake in a moderate oven for about half an hour.
5. Serve immediately or freeze (covered) for later use. (If freezing, allow to thaw naturally so you'll only need to heat, not re-cook, when you're ready to eat it).

 

STUFFED AND CRUMBED CHICKEN BREASTS

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• 4 free range, organic chicken breasts
• 4 large cloves of garlic (or 8 small ones)... more, or less according to your taste.
• 250g real butter
• 1 cup finely chopped parsley
• 2 cups breadcrumbs
• 1-2 cups plain flour
• 2 eggs
• ¼ cup milk

Method:

1. Prepare the fillets for stuffing and crumbing:
2. Cut each chicken breast (along the grain) into 4 fairly even-sized mini fillets.
3. Cut open a pocket in each fillet (from the thickest end), but not right through to the other end.
4. Cover and put back into fridge for now.

Prepare for stuffing:

1. Mix together softened butter, chopped parsley and crushed garlic.
2. Cover and put back into fridge for now.

 

Prepare for crumbing:

1. In three separate large bowls-
2. plain flour
3. mixed eggs and milk
4. breadcrumbs

Method:

1. Squash about a dessertspoonful of stuffing mix into each mini fillet through the opening at the thickest end.
2. Roll each stuffed fillet in the plain flour to dry coat.
3. Dip each coated fillet into the egg mix to wet coat.
4. Roll each fillet in the breadcrumbs and press firmly to cover in the crumbs evenly.

 

Now, either shallow fry in fresh olive oil till lightly browned (takes a few minutes). Turn the fillets over to do the other side.

or

bake in a moderately hot oven for about ½ an hour, turning once, till lightly browned.

Note: Chicken must be cooked right through.

Can be frozen for later use. Feeds 6-8 adults.

 

HOT OR COLD GREEN PEA AND COCONUT SOUP

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• Fresh or frozen green peas. (approx. 500g)
• 2 cups coconut milk (I use powdered milk rather than canned, as the latter tends to taste a bit tinny)
• 1 large onion, finely chopped (I use brown onions as we like them best... but brown or white, it doesn't really matter)
• 2 cloves of garlic, crushed
• 1 dstspn curry powder
• 1 heaped tspn cumin powder
• 1 tspn turmeric
• 1 tspn garam masala (optional)
• ½ tspn ginger powder (optional)
• ¼ tspn chilli powder (optional)
• 2 tblspns fresh olive oil
• Pinch of salt and pepper
• Enough water to cover the peas in a saucepan, easily

Method:

In a frying pan:

1. Heat olive oil (but not hot enough to let it smoke) and add onion and garlic. Stir / toss in pan till just soft and lightly browned.
2. Add the dried herbs and spices and continue to toss to coat the garlic and onion. Remove from heat and leave aside till peas are done.

In a saucepan:

1. Boil peas gently in enough water to cover, till just tender. Remove from heat.
2. Tip some of the water into the frying pan to release the herbs and spices which will inevitably have stuck to the pan.
3. Tip all frying pan contents into the saucepan of peas. Add coconut milk. Stir to mix thoroughly.

Blend all ingredients in a food processor or blender till fine.

This soup can be eaten directly (hot) or later (chilled or reheated) and can be frozen for even later use... hot or cold, whatever you prefer.

NB: This makes a truly refreshing cold soup for hot Summer days and a lovely warming soup for cold Winter days.

FRESH BASIL AND NUT PESTO

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• 2 cups fresh basil leaves
• ¾ cup fresh (unsalted) macadamias or cashews or ½ cup pine nuts
• ¼ cup fresh parmesan cheese
• Fresh olive oil

Method:

1. Blend basil, nuts and cheese in a food processor till finely chopped but not mushy.
2. Add enough olive oil (a little at a time) to make a user-friendly consistency for dipping.
3. Serve with crackers, vegetable sticks or dried out Lebanese bread.

BACON AND PRUNE ROLLS

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Ingredients:

• 1 packet of pitted prunes
• 1 quanitiy of fresh bacon rashers or eye fillets or streaky bacon
• toothpicks

You can work out the quantities you'll need by simply knowing how many rolls you want to end up with.

Method:

1. Bacon eye fillets or streaky ends can be cut in two. A full rasher of bacon can be cut into four.
2. Each piece cut bacon + 1 prune + 1 toothpick = 1 roll.
3. Simply cut the bacon and grill, turning once, till browned but not crunchy. Remove from griller and rest on paper towel. When cooled, wrap one piece of bacon around a prune and secure with a toothpick. Serve as nibblies, warm or cool.

ROAST VEGIE NIBBLIES WITH HERBS

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(Great as part of a savoury nibblies assortment.)

Ingredients:

• Choose any of the following in any combination.
• White potato (slow)
• Sweet potato (slow)
• Carrot (slow)
• Green beans (quick)
• Zucchini (quick)

Method:

Chop all vegies except beans (all pre-washed and preferably with skin still on) into rough cubes. Note: The slow cookers do best if cut into smaller cubes than the quick cookers.

1. Pour about ¼ cup olive oil into a mixing bowl. Add any combination of herbs and spices that you like. Some of my favourites are...
2. basil, oregano, thyme, rosemary
3. garlic, basil, oregano
4. nutmeg, cumin, coriander
5. parsley, mint, chives
6. chilli, garlic, ginger, cumin, turmeric
7. fennel, parsley
8. fenugreek, chilli, garlic, parsley
9. You only need about a dessertspoonful of herbs and spices in total. Mix in the oil.
10. Toss all the vegie cubes in the herb oil mix till they're fully coated.
11. Spread out vegies fairly evenly over a baking tray and cook in top half of oven on a moderately hot temperature till cooked and lightly browned.

Serve hot.

Can be accompanied by olive oil, sour cream, hummus, tzaziki for dipping... and toothpicks would be handy.

SPECIAL GARLIC BREAD WITH TOPPING

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Garlic bread:

• Long crusty bread rolls, cut into slices, diagonally.
• Fresh garlic, crushed
• Real butter (softened) or olive oil
• Grated tasty cheese

Topping:

• Parsley, chopped
• Tomato, diced
• Cucumber, diced
• Spanish onion, diced or chives, chopped
• Balsamic vinegar

I make the garlic bread in bulk quantities and freeze it in small parcels to heat up later for snacks... but the topping needs to be made and served fresh (same day) as it does not freeze or store well.

Method:

To make topping:
Mix together parsley, tomato, cucumber, onion (or chives) in a little balsamic vinegar. Cover and put in fridge till ready to serve.

To make garlic butter:
Mix either ½ cup of olive oil or butter, with a few cloves of raw, crushed garlic. Cool in fridge while you cut the bread into slices about ½ inch thick.

To make garlic bread:

1. Place bread slices in a single layer on a baking tray.
2. Spread ½ – 1 tspn garlic butter on each slice then top with grated cheese.
3. Bake on top shelf of moderately hot oven till cheese has melted, is lightly browned and is starting to go crunchy.
4. Remove from oven and serve hot, dressed liberally with the salad topping.

POACHED VEGETABLE BAKE

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Ingredients:

• Sweet potato, sliced
• Cauliflower, chopped into mini-florets
• broccoli, chopped into mini-florets
• cabbage, finely shredded
• zucchini or squash, sliced
• peas, whole
• green beans, sliced
• Brown or white onions, finely sliced or chopped
• Carrots, sliced
• Tasty cheese, grated
• Milk
• Nutmeg or sesame seeds

 

Method:

1. Spread out the vegies in layers in a large baking dish, leaving out the onion and cabbage.
2. About ½ – 2/3 fill the baking dish full of vegies, with milk.
3. Mix together cabbage, onion and cheese and sprinkle liberally over the vegies. Sprinkle a dash of nutmeg or sesame seeds over that.
4. Bake in top half of moderate oven for about 45 minutes (till vegies are tender and top is crisp and lightly browned).

Serve hot.

VEGIE QUICHE

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Ingredients:

• 1 dozen organic, free range eggs
• 1 tspn vegetable stock powder
• milk
• sour cream
• pine nuts
• Puff pastry sheets or wholemeal pastry sheets (I just use pre-made, frozen sheets from the supermarket and defrost them a bit ahead of time.)
• Mixed herbs
• Grated cheese

Any of the following vegies, in any combination:

• Spinach
• amaranth
• carrot
• onion
• button squash or zucchini
• broccoli
• cauliflower
• capsicum
• corn kernels

Method:

To prepare base:

1. Lightly brush the baking dish with a little olive oil and line with baking paper.
2. Spread out the pastry sheets and trim to size of dish. Set aside.

To make egg mix:
Mix together eggs, stock powder, milk, sour cream, pine nuts.

To make filling:
Chop, slice, shred or grate all the vegies and toss through egg mix

To make the topping:
Mix together cheese and herbs

To make quiche:

1. Tip the mixed filling into the pastry lined baking dish. Sprinkle with herbed cheese.
2. Bake on the middle shelf in a moderate oven for about an hour, till cooked through and lightly browned on top.
   

HOW TO COOK BROWN RICE PROPERLY

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(It happens to end up light and a bit fluffy, like steamed white rice... that's not the main reason for preparing it this way, however.)

Brown rice contains phytic acid, which, when removed, makes the rice easier for us to digest (and therefore, assimilate the nutrients from it). So, to remove the phytic acid, you simply pre-soak overnight and then strain (discarding the soak water), rinse and then, cook.

I don't enjoy cooking on an everyday basis, so I tend to do a big cook-up every week or two (on a day off from work)... cook in bulk... freeze in individual meal-sized serves... defrost, as required. .. Add fresh stuff to the meal... Easy!

Here's the drill:

1. Empty the whole packet of rice into a large bowl. Add enough water to cover. Leave to stand overnight.
2. The next morning, rinse the rice under your cold tap, in a collander.
3. Tip the rice into a large pot (or two) and almost fill the pot(s) with water.
4. Bring to the boil, then reduce heat to gentle boil and leave lik that for about 35-45 minutes.
5. Rinse small batches in a colander, under your cold tap. (That will bring the rice down to room temperature = less condensation in frozen package later).

Freeze in individual meal-sized serves. (I use freezer bags or recycled Chinese food containers... but don't defrost in them. When you defrost the food in many kinds of plastic, the process can release a fake oestrogen into the food... which does nothing – at the very least – to help our natural hormonal balancing!

 

 

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