Potato Curry

Potato Curry
From taste.com.au

4 tablespoons vegetable oil
1 large onion, chopped
2 cloves garlic, crushed
1 tablespoon fresh ginger, grated
2 teaspoons ground coriander
2 teaspoons ground cumin
1 teaspoon ground turmeric
1 teaspoon garam masala
6 large potatoes, chopped
3 large carrots, chopped
1 can coconut milk
1 can diced tomatoes
1/3 cup sultanas
Salt to taste

Heat the oil in a large saucepan or deep frying pan. Gently fry the onion and garlic with the spices until the onion is soft.

Add the potatoes and stir about until they are covered in the spices, then add the carrots, coconut milk and tomatoes. Let the curry simmer for about 20 minutes or so, until the potato is done, then add the sultanas and season with salt.

If you have the patience, remove the curry from the heat and let it sit for 10 minutes or so, to let the sauce thicken. Or, if you are very hungry, settle for a slightly watery sauce and serve immediately over rice.

Orange Chocolate Lamingtons

Orange Chocolate Lamingtons

Edmond Fielder's Classic Sponge:
(from the back of the Edmond's cornflour box)
3 large eggs, separated
1/2 cup caster sugar
1 teaspoon orange zest
1 teaspoon orange juice
1/2 cup cornflour
2 teaspoons plain flour
1 teaspoon baking powder

Preheat oven to 190 degrees celsius. Prepare a rectangle cake tin - mine is about 20 cm by 30 cm and wasn't quite big enough, it needed to have higher sides.

Beat egg whites until stiff - peaks should fold over when beater is lifted.

Add caster sugar slowly and beat until mixture is stiff and sugar is dissolved. Beat in the orange zest and orange juice.

Add the egg yolks and beat until well blended. Then sift the flours and baking powder three times and finally sift into the mixture, folding it in gently.

Bake for about 20 minutes, then let cool for 5 minutes before turning out onto a rack to finish cooling.

Chocolate Icing:
2 tablespoons butter
2 tablespoons cocoa powder
1 teaspoon vanilla essence
6 tablespoons boiling water
350 grams icing sugar

Combine the butter, cocoa powder, vanilla and boiling water in a shallow bowl and stir until the butter has melted.

Sift in the flour and stir well to combine.

Assembling the lamingtons:

Cut the sponge into squares - about 12 large squares is what you want. Fill a shallow bowl with desiccated coconut and place this alongside the bowl of vanilla icing.

Dip each square of sponge in the chocolate icing, then roll in the coconut. When it is fully coated, place on a wire rack and leave the lamingtons to set for a few hours. When you are ready to serve them, slice each in half and place a dollop of whipped cream on each (for orange whipped cream add some orange zest and icing sugar to it).

Quinoa Salad

Quinoa Salad
Based on Summer Quinoa Salad

1 cup quinoa
1 cube chicken stock
Various spices - I used cinnamon, allspice, ginger, paprika and turmeric
1/2 cup sultanas, dates or dried apricots
2 tablespoons olive oil
1 brown onion, sliced into thin rings
1 tablespoon brown sugar
1 courgette, sliced thinly crosswise
Salt and pepper
Juice of 1 lemon
1 red bell pepper, diced
Balsamic vinegar

Place the quinoa in a medium sized saucepan with 2 cups of water, the chicken stock and the spices. Bring it to the boil and let it simmer until the water has been absorbed. When almost all of the water is gone, remove the pot from the heat, place the lid on and let the last of the water absorb slowly.

While the quinoa is cooking heat the oil in a large frying pan and sautee the onion with the sugar until the onion is very soft. Add the courgette, the lemon juice and season well with salt and black pepper. Continue to cook until the courgette is done to your liking.

When the quinoa and vegetables are done, combine them in a large bowl with the diced red pepper and a splash of balsamic vinegar (and more olive oil if you like). Serve either hot or cold.

Cherry and Almond Quinoa Salad

Cherry and Almond Quinoa Salad

1 can/jar black cherries, drained (save the liquid)
1/2 cup flaked almonds, toasted
200 grams baby spinach
150 grams feta cheese, cubed
1/2 cup quinoa, cooked
2 tablespoons olive oil

There are two things that take just a little bit of time to prepare for this salad. They are both very easy things to prepare so all together you should be no more than half an hour in making this salad.

The first thing to do is to toast the almonds. That will take about a half hour. You simply spread the ovens out onto an oven tray and bake them at 180 degrees celsius. After 15 minutes check on them and give them a bit of a stir. Bake them for a further 15 minutes and then take them out of the oven. They should smell really good and be a little darker in colour. Keep an eye on them because you don't want them to burn!

While the almonds are toasting, cook the quinoa according to the packet directions (simmer 1/2 cup of quinoa in 1 cup of water until the seeds have sprouted little tails). Drain the quinoa and set it aside.

Finally, put the salad together! Place everything into a large bowl and toss it all together. Have a taste and if you think the salad needs a bit more juice or flavour add a couple of tablespoons of the liquid that was reserved from the cherries. Then serve it and enjoy!

Grilled Teriyaki Salmon

Teriyaki Salmon
Based on this recipe for Teriyaki Salmon with Spicy Noodles

2 salmon steaks or fillets
2 tablespoons soy sauce
1 tablespoon mirin
1/2 teaspoon crushed ginger
1 tablespoon brown sugar

Mix together the soy sauce, mirin, ginger and sugar. Turn on the oven grill/broiler to about 200 degrees celsius. Place the salmon on grilling rack and brush with the soy sauce glaze.

Then place the fish beneath the grill and keep an eye on it. After about 5 minutes, brush with more glaze.

After another 5 minutes, turn the fish over and brush with more of the glaze. Let it cook, glazing once more, until it is done (depends on the thickness of course, I read that it should cook for 10 minutes per inch thickness, but I found it took 20 minutes to look right).

Serve the salmon with spicy noodles or rice and perhaps a side of vegetables!

Pina Colada Cupcakes

Pina Colada Cupcake

75 grams butter
75 grams thick coconut milk/cream
1/2 cup caster sugar (maybe less because pineapple is sweet?
2 eggs
1 cup flour
2 teaspoons baking powder
1/3 cup crushed/pureed pineapple (not strained, plenty of juice)
2-4 tablespoons rum

This recipe is for 12 cupcakes so begin by lining a cupcake tin with paper liners and preheating the oven to 180 degrees celsius.

In a large bowl beat together the butter and the coconut cream. Add the sugar and continue beating until creamy. Then add the eggs, just one at a time, and beat well.

Sift in half of the flour and mix. Then add the pineapple and rum (or more coconut cream or pineapple juice if you don't want to use rum).sift in the last of the flour and the baking powder and mix really well.

Spoon the mixture into the lined tin and bake for about 25 minutes, until a skewer inserted into the centre comes out clean. Remove them from the oven, let them cool for 5 minutes and then remove them from the tin to let them finish cooling.

Pineapple Coconut Frosting

200 grams shortening or butter
50 grams coconut cream
50 grams pineapple puree
2-3 cups icing sugar
1 tablespoon rum (optional)

When the cupcakes are completely cool it is time to make the frosting. It's basically a buttercream frosting so begin by beating the butter until it is creamy. Add the coconut cream and rum (again, it's optional) and beat some more. Then begin to sift in the icing sugar about a half cup at a time and beat until you have the right consistency for piping.

Creamy Chicken and Courgette Alfredo

Creamy Chicken & Courgette Fettuccine

400 grams boneless chicken breast, sliced into small pieces
1 packet fettuccine or spaghetti
2 cloves garlic
2 courgettes, sliced thinly
1 cup evaporated milk
60 grams butter
2/3 cup grated parmesan
2-3 tablespoons olive oil
Salt and cracked pepper

First, bring a large pot of water to the boil and cook your fettuccine (or spaghetti) according to the packet directions.

While the pasta boils, heat a couple of tablespoons of olive oil in a large frying pan. Cook the chicken, seasoning it with salt and cracked black pepper while it cooks. When the chicken is only about half cooked (no longer pink, but not browned yet) add the courgette and continue to cook everything until the chicken is browned and the courgette soft. Then remove both from the pan and set aside.

Now add the evaporated milk, butter and parmesan to the pan and cook until the butter and cheese has melted. Then turn the heat down to about medium and stir it every now and then while you wait for it to thicken a little. If it seems to be simmering to much turn the heat down because you don't want the milk to burn.

When the pasta is done, drain it and then quickly add it to the sauce before it can dry out. Add the chicken and courgette and toss it all together, seasoning further with salt and black pepper as needed.

Chicken and Asparagus Roulades

Asparagus Chicken Roulades

4 chicken breasts
2 bunches asparagus
Cream Cheese
2 cloves garlic, crushed
Honey
Parmesan
Wholegrain mustard
Salt and Pepper

Heat the oven to 180 degrees.

Pound each chicken breast flat by placing it between two layers of clingfilm and bashing it with a rolling pin. It doesn't have to be too flat, just flat enough that it can roll around some asparagus.

Take each piece of chicken and spread with cream cheese and crushed garlic. If your asparagus is small then use it as is, but if it is very chunky you might want to slice it up a little, like I have done with mine. Then lay a few pieces of asparagus on each chicken breast. Drizzle about a teaspoon of honey over each and then grate some parmesan over top.

Roll each piece of chicken up and use toothpicks or skewers to hold them in place. Sprinkle over some salt and pepper to season them.

Heat a couple of tablespoons of oil a heavy-bottomed frying pan. Brown the chicken on all sides, then place them in a casserole dish. In a small bowl whisk together about 4 tablespoons of honey and 2 tablespoons of wholegrain mustard and pour this over the chicken, leaving a little aside to add to the chicken as you serve it.

Bake for about 30 minutes, until the chicken is cooked through. I served mine with mashed sweet potato and carrot, plus the rest of the asparagus, sliced up and sauteed slowly with onion, so that the onion was sort of caramelised. It was so good that I ate way too much and could barely move for the rest of the evening. I will definitely be making these again!

Avocado Chocolate Thickshakes

Chocolate Avocado Thickshake
adapted from Chocolate Avocado Pudding

1 ripe avocado
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1/4 cup cocoa powder
1/4 cup powdered sugar (the original recipe called for maple syrup but I had none)
1 ripe banana (this is my own addition, as I thought it needed more flavour. Maple syrup probably would have provided that flavour though)
1 1/2 cups milk

So like all other smoothies this is pretty simple.

Place all of the ingredients in a blender or in a large jug if you are using a hand blender. If you want an icy smoothie use frozen banana and avocado instead of fresh.

Blend until smooth.

Divide into two glasses and drink.

Pasta Alfredo with Grilled Vegetables

Fettuccine Alfredo
from the Simply Recipes website

4 tablespoons/60 grams butter
2/3 cup grated parmesan
500 grams fettuccine (all I had was spaghetti but it still counts)
Cracked black pepper & salt

Cook the pasta according to the packet directions. When it is done, drain it and quickly add the butter and the cheese. Mix it all around really good until the butter and cheese have melted together to coat all of the pasta.

Season the pasta with salt and pepper, divide it into 4 servings (or otherwise depending on how much pasta you cook) and sprinkle some more parmesan over the top.

Garlic Butter Vegetables

1 courgette
1 head brocolli
1 bunch asparagus
1 tablespoon olive oil
1 tablespoon butter
2 cloves crushed garlic

First of all, prepare the vegetables by slicing the courgette thinly lengthwise, cutting the brocolli into small florets and cutting the hard end off of the asparagus. If your asparagus is quite large you might want to slice it up a bit as well.

In a large frying pan heat the olive oil and butter. Add the garlic and let it cook for just a couple of minutes. Then add the vegetables and cook them, stirring, until everything is done to your liking. Season with salt and pepper if you like.

Roast Vegetable Salad

Roast Kumara and Squash Salad

1 large sweet potato
1/2 a butternut squash
200 grams button mushrooms (optional)
2 teaspoons mixed dry herbs
1 tablespoon balsamic vinegar
2 tablespoons olive oil
200 grams baby spinach leaves
100 grams unsalted cashew nuts

Chop the butternut and sweet potato into small chunks and spread out in a large roasting dish. Add the mushrooms if you like that kind of thing, sprinkle over the mixed herbs and drizzle over the balsamic vinegar and olive oil. Give it all a big stir and then make sure that everything is in just a single layer on the tray.

Roast the vegetables at 200 degrees celsius for about 30 minutes or so, until everything is soft and well cooked. Remove the vegetables and let them cool.

Assembling the salad is very simple. Place the spinach leaves in a large bowl, add the vegetables and cashew nuts and combine it together as best you can. If you feel that it needs a bit more dressing just drizzle over a little more olive oil and balsamic vinegar, but be careful not to overdo it.

Pumpkin Pie Cookies

Pumpkin Pie Cookies

60 grams butter
1 cup white sugar
3/4 cup dark brown sugar
120 grams pumpkin puree or canned pumpkin pie filling
1 egg
1 teaspoon cinnamon
1 teaspoon allspice
1/2 teaspoon ginger
1 teaspoon baking soda
2 cups flour (for wholegrain cookies use wholemeal flour)
1 cup oats
1 cup crushed pecans
1/2 cup chocolate chips

Melt the butter in the microwave or on the stove, then pour it into a large bowl and mix in the sugars and pumpkin puree. Make sure that the butter mixture is not still hot, then beat in the egg, spices and baking soda.

Add the flour, oats, pecans and chocolate chips. Mix well and refrigerate 10 minutes. While the dough is in the fridge heat the oven to 180 degrees and line a baking tray with baking paper.

Scoop large balls of dough with a teaspoon or dessert spoon and place on the tray with enough room to spread a bit. I managed to make 40 cookies out of this but you could make less, larger cookies. Bake each batch for about 15 minutes, then let them cool a little before you remove them from the tray.