Bulk/budget cooking

Super Salmon patties

~ desertcook ~ 1 Comment

Simple salmon patties were another standard in my house while we were growing up. Sadly, when we got married, Peter wasn’t such a fan – he thought they were too bland.

But they are such a great way to get some good fish oils into kids, and they are also  great because they are the perfect finger food for little hands, super transportable for picnics and lunchboxes and they’re a very inexpensive meal option!

So I have worked at adapting them, making them allergy friendly and increasing their nutritional value and now they are a resounding success with everyone in our family. Yay!

Hope you and your little people (or just the big ones!) enjoy them too 🙂

  • 1 400g tin pink salmon (drained and skin and large bones removed)
  • 1 medium sweet potato (4-5 cups when chopped)
  • 400g tin chick peas/butter beans, drained and rinsed
  • 1 tsp fresh finely chopped dill
  • 3/4 cup nutritional yeast
  • 4 tbsp hemp seeds
  • Salt and pepper to taste
  • oil for cooking
  • Optional: a 1/2 cup corn kernels and 1/2 a grated zucchini

Peel and dice the potatoes. Place into a saucepan of boiling water and cook until soft.

Drain and rinse the chic peas, the soak them in boiling water for about 10 minutes minutes, before draining again and mashing well.

If using zucchini – grate then squeeze out all the liquid between paper towels (might take a few lots of towels). Set aside.

Drain the salmon and remove any large bones before mashing

Roughly mash the potato, then mix through the mashed chick peas, followed by the salmon (plus corn and zucchini if using).

Add in the dill, salt and pepper then mix.

Add in the nutritional yeast and hemp and mix well until evenly combined.

If the mixture is still too wet, then add in more of the nutritional yeast and seeds until you get a consistency that allows you to form balls, then squash down into patties – i do mine about palm sized.

Place mixture in the fridge for an hour .

Remove from fridge (roll in some breadcrumbs or almond meal if you like more of a crispy coating), then place in a hot frying pan with some oil.

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Cook until golden and then turn. About 3 minutes on each side. (You can also spray them with a little oil and bake in a preheated moderate oven for about 20 minutes per side).

Drain on some kitchen paper; allow to cool a little and then serve, on their own, in a burger or with some extra salad or veggies.

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Makes about 24

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These don’t freeze well, but they last a few days in the fridge and are great for easy, healthy lunches.

I think they are particularly great for lunch with some slices of avocado on top and drizzled with sweet chilli sauce 🙂

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**To make these into veggie patties which as great vegan option we simply leave out the salmon. The work brilliantly on their own or in a burger.

Slow Cooked Beef Stroganoff

~ desertcook ~ 2 Comments

I am very thankful to finally have my lovely big slow cooker out of storage! We have had a few weeks of ongoing illness in our house so I have really appreciated not needing to cook too much right before dinner time.

This meal gets some mixed reviews at our place – Peter and I really enjoy it, as does George. Harry and Will quite enjoy it after initial convincing to get them to try it, but Ellie flat out refuses to try anything but the pasta. Oh well, we’ll keep trying!

  • 1kg diced casserole/gravy beef
  • 1/2 tbsp plain GF flour
  • 1 heaped tbsp my French Onion soup dry mix1-July 2013 090
  • 1/2 tsp paprika
  • 2 tbsp tomato paste
  • 1/4 cup red wine
  • 1/2 cup very hot water
  • 4 cups sliced mushrooms
  • Optional: 50g cream cheese (dairy or soy) or 100g coconut cream

In a plastic bag (double bag is best to avoid mess!) mix together the dry ingredients. In batches add in the beef and shake to coat, then transfer to the slow cooker before continuing with next batch.

In a separate container, mix together the tomato, garlic, wine and water. Pour over the beef, replace lid and cook on low for 4 hours. (Occasionally, at this point I also add in 4-5 large, chopped carrots … to make the side veg prep easier at serving time).

Add sliced mushroom, stir well. Return lid and cook for a further 2 hours. It will initially look like too many mushrooms – be patient!!

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When the mushrooms first go in
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Only an hour later …. the mushrooms, cook down so much!

Just before serving, if you want a creamier sauce, stir in coconut cream, or cream cheese then serve on a bed of mashed sweet white potatoes or GF pasta (this is cause of great debate in our house!) and with steamed veg.

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One with mashed sweet potato (surely this is the right way?!) and one with GF pasta 😉

This makes a big batch, enough for 2/3 serves so I freeze the remaining meat mix. Love cooking in bulk!

Enjoy 🙂

Salsa Chicken

~ desertcook ~ 6 Comments

This is now a long term family favourite in our house!

It was adapted from a recipe on the Slow Cooker site I belonged to, called ‘My Slow Cooker Recipes!!!’. *Check out the notes at the bottom of the recipe of you want a stove top version.

  • 6 large chicken thighs, skin removed
  • 2 tbsp Mexican Seasoning
  • Mexican salsa (2/3 of this quantity)2-July 2013 117
  • 1 x 420g tin corn kernels, drained*
  • 1 x 420g tin  kidney beans, drained
  • 1 x 420g tin black beans, drained
  • 1 bag plain corn chips
  • Grated Cheese of choice, optional
  • 1 tbsp coconut cream (use the solid part at the top of the tin), optional
  • 1 400g tin refried beans, optional**

*If you don’t wish to eat the corn, replace it with equal quantities of extra beans.

**The refried beans are great if you are using this dish in any kind of wrap as it makes the sauce thicker.

Place chicken in the bottom of the slow cooker.

Sprinkle over the seasoning, then add the salsa and all of the beans.

Replace lid on slow cooker and cook on low for 8 hours.

If you are using corn, stir it through about an hour before the end.

Just before serving, stir though the coconut cream if you want a creamier sauce.

Serve on a bed of corn chips and sprinkle with a cheese that fits your diet.

(If you are avoiding corn chips, I have really enjoyed a scoop of the meat and veg mix topped with 1/2 a sliced ripe avocado and a sprinkle of fresh coriander). Or serve on wild rice.

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This makes a large batch, enough for about 8 adult sized meals. I freeze the left over half of the chicken mix and it defrosts really well.

If you don’t want as much spice, use the mild version of taco salsa.

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*Stove top method: Place chicken in a hot oiled pan (preferably use a pan with a lid). Brown one side then sprinkle over the seasoning, brown the second for a further 2 minutes and then cover with the salsa.

Place lid on the pan and simmer very gently for 25 minutes, or until chicken is cooked through.

Remove the chicken and dice.

Place the corn and beans in the hot salsa mix, stir through and return the lid, cooking for 2 minutes before returning the diced chicken to the pan and mixing through.

Stir through the coconut cream if desired.

Enjoy 🙂

P.S you can change this one up a bit by using gravy beef in place of the chicken.

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The no corn option with added refried beans makes a great filling for Burritos, Enchiladas and Tacos!

Gran’s Irish Stew

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This is my slow cooker version (slightly healthier and allergy friendly!) of a very old family recipe. My Great Gran, who was born in 1901 passed it on to my Nanna, then down to my mum and now me … pretty sure that it is not in any way authentic – but it is delicious and so easy to make!

  • 800-1000g casserole beef (chuck steak, gravy beef etc, any of the cheaper cuts work well)
  • 2 tbps tomato paste
  • 3 tbsp coconut aminos (or soy sauce)
  • 1/4 tsp each onion and garlic flakes
  • 1 tbsp vegemite (or a miso paste)
  • 1 cup hot water
  • 1tbsp Orgran gravy powder (or 1 cup of hot homemade red meat gravy)
  • 4-5  diced potatoes (I prefer 1 very large sweet potato)
  • 3-4 diced carrots (skin on too – saves time!)
  • 2 cups frozen peas (or green beans)

Place vegetables, except peas or beans, in the bottom of the slow cooker.

Add meat to the top.

In a separate container (I used a mixing jug because it pours well) mix together the sauce, paste, water, powder and flakes and stir in the vegemite until it has dissolved.

Mix well and pour over the meat and veg. Replace lid.

Cook on low for 6 hours.

1-2 hours before the end of cooking time, stir in the peas and return lid.

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Remove lid and use 2 forks to pull apart the meat, then stir well.

Serves about 6-8 adults. Can be frozen but the potatoes tend to be a little floury after defrosting. Keeps well in the fridge for a few days for lunch leftovers though 🙂

Delicious on a cold wintery day – enjoy!

 

 

Mum’s minestrone

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We have just returned home from an 8 day family camping trip through the interior of Australia. It was just amazing …. but after 8 days of camping food I have been hanging out for some serious serves of veggies!

And since the weather is finally getting a little cooler, soups are back on the menu- Hooray!

This is my mum’s minestrone, the one that I have eaten since childhood and I still adore it … I am just sad that I can no longer sprinkle it with cheese while it’s hot!

  • 1tbsp garlic olive oil
  • 1 brown onion, finely diced
  • 4 rashers of short cut bacon, diced1-Blog 005
  • 10 cups Masssel chicken stock made with boiling water
  • 4 celery sticks, finely sliced
  • 4 carrots, finely sliced
  • 2 tins corn kernels
  • 2 tins kidney beans
  • 4 ripe tomatoes, finely diced (or 2 tins diced tomatoes)
  • spiral pasta of choice (we use a GF one)
  • 2tsp fresh ‘Italian’ herbs*, finely chopped

* I use whatever is growing in my garden; rosemary, thyme, oregano, parsley etc. You could also use a tsp of a dried Italian herb mix.

Heat oil in the base of a large saucepan (I am luck enough to own an 11L saucepan so I love making a huge batches) and fry the onion and bacon.

Add the herbs.

Add the stock and bring to the boil

Add the veggies and simmer for 15 minutes.

Add a few handfuls of pasta and cook until it is soft.

Serve hot (and sprinkle it with grated cheese if you can!).

This makes enough for about 10-12 serves and keeps in the fridge for about a week.

This one can easily be made vegan by removing the bacon

If you make huge batches of soup like I do, it’s helpful to refrigerate them individually. If you want to freeze, it is best to stop the recipe before you add the pasta as it tends to absorb too much water and get quite soggy on defrosting. Just add the pasta part when reheating.

Enjoy 🙂

Chicken Nuggets

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If we go out for dinner or lunch and my kids ask for chicken nuggets, it makes my toes curl. I really don’t like them eating the super processed ones, but they do seem to really love them. For me, fast food nuggets belong firmly in the category of ‘wouldn’t eat them if you paid me!’.

But my revulsion aside, the kids love them …. So I was determined to make some home-made ones for them that snuck in a bit of extra goodness on the side.

These ones are packed with veggies but my kids don’t notice in the slightest – Mummy win!!

  • 4 Chicken thighs, skinless and boneless
  • 1 tbsp coconut aminos (or soy sauce)
  • 2 tbsp nutritional yeast
  • 1 tsp mixed Italian herbs
  • 1 large carrot
  • 1 piece (first sized) pumpkin
  • 1 400g tin chic peas, drained and rinsed
  • 1/3 cup GF bread crumbs
  • 1/3 cup GF flour
  • 1/2 tsp pink salt flakes

Place the carrot and pumpkin in the food processor and blitz well until quite fine. (Speed 6 whilst you drop through the top chute them up to speed 8 for 10 secs)

Add in chick peas and blitz and until all combined (speed 7, 12 seconds)

Add in aminos, 1 tbsp of nutritional yeast and herbs and mix to combine (speed 4, 6 secs)

Add in chicken thighs, one at a time through the top chute on to spinning blades then process until chicken is totally minced and mix is quite smooth (speed 5 whilst adding the chicken, then up to speed 6 for 10 secs at a time, scrape down in between).

Mix together the crumbs, flour, salt and other tbsp of nutritional yeast.

Take a heaped tsp of the chicken mix, roll it in the dry mix and press down into a lined baking tray. Spray lightly with olive oil.

Place into a pre heated 200C oven for 20 mins.

Turn the nuggets and return to that oven for a further 7-8 minutes or until golden and cooked through.

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You can try these if you’d prefer

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Serve with more salad or veg if you like … we often take ours out to share at a parties or picnics … with just tomato sauce and there are no complaints 😉

Nuggets and sauce for dinner at home?! My children were thrilled!
Nuggets and sauce for dinner at home?! My children were thrilled!

I cook in bulk as often as I can, in order to have meals to freeze, so I often make a double batch. I sometimes make them bigger than the store bought ones too by using a dessert-spoonful of the mix – and tell the kids that they are ‘Monster Nuggets’. If I don’t have time to cook them all, I freeze half of the meat mix to defrost and crumb next time there is a nugget demand! The left overs also re-heated well for lunch the next day.

She snuck back to get into the left overs while the boys weren't watching!
She snuck back to get into the left overs while the boys weren’t watching!

Enjoy 🙂

 

(Ex) Shepherd’s Pie

~ desertcook ~ 4 Comments

This was a standard in our house while I was growing up.

My maiden name was ‘Shepherd’ so every time my mum made this dish, she’d tease us, and say that she’d need to take fingers or toes from us kids to go in to it and we’d run off squealing 🙂

It’s been a long time since I was a Shepherd but Mum cooked it for us while we were in Perth over Christmas and I was surprised to find that it was a mince meal that I quite enjoyed. So here is my version of my mum’s pie.

  • 2 tbsp garlic oil
  • 1 brown onion, finely diced
  • approx 500g beef mince**
  • 2 tbsp tomato paste
  • 4 tbsp coconut aminos (or soy sauce if your diet allows)
  • 1 tbsp vegemite (or a GF, soy free miso paste)
  • 1/3 cup water
  • 1 heaped tbsp Orgran’s gravy mix powder (or use homemade gravy and omit the powder and the water)
  • 3-4 grated carrots2-March 2013 381
  • 1.5 cups frozen peas
  • 1 (or 2) tin brown lentils, drained and rinsed
  • 2 medium sweet potatoes, peeled and diced
  • 6 large field mushrooms (see notes at bottom of recipe)
  • 2 cups spinach – optional
  • 1 tsp nuttelex (or coconut oil)
  • good pinch salt
  • 1 tsp chopped rosemary

**For a more traditional pie, use your left over roast lamb here (Shepherd’s did look after sheep after all!), finely chop it and just add it to the vegetable mix to simmer for a few minutes before you transfer it over to the casserole dish.

In a large frying pan heat the garlic oil, the add the onion, cooking until it begins to soften.

Then add the mince and break it up as it browns.

Add in the sauce, paste and vegemite mix well.

Add the lentils and then add in a about 1/3 cup water. Allow to simmer very gently for about 15 minutes.

While this is simmering, bring potatoes to the boil in another saucepan and boil until very soft. (If you’ve used a thermal cooker to do the veg … you can easily do the mash in it too. Drop chunks of potato onto speed 4 spinning blades through the hole in the lid. Turn up to speed 6 for about 10 seconds after adding. Turn off, scrape down, add about 1/4 cup water and cook on Steam Temp, Speed 2 for about 8 minutes, scraping down once during cooking time. Blitz on Speed 5 until roughly smooth, then add oil, rosemary and salt then mix again on speed 4 for about 8 seconds).

Add to the meat mix, the carrot and peas and bring back to a simmer for 5 minutes. (To prep the veggies in a Thermal cooker, Drop chunks of carrot onto speed 4 spinning blades through the hole in the lid. Turn up to speed 6 for about 10 seconds after adding. Set aside then add the mushrooms and blitz on speed 5 for 10 seconds. Set aside – you can even blitz the frozen peas if you’d like to hide them a little more!). Blitz the spinach and add it here too if you’re using it.

Mix the gravy powder together with a couple of tbsp on water to make a paste then add to the meat and mix well. You don’t want the meat mix to be too runny, so be careful not to add to much water here.

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Drain and mash the potatoes together. Make sure the mash is very smooth, then add the nuttelex, salt and rosemary.

Top the meat with the potatoes. Because it is quite thick, I find it easiest to place blobs of the potato around the dish and then spread from there. Use a fork to spread it so that you get raised lines that go lovely and crunchy in the oven.

Place in a pre-heated moderate oven for about 20-30 mins, turning on the top element of the oven, or placing under the grill for the remaining 5 minutes.

This was very well received at our house and it made enough for all 5 of us for dinner and a couple of yummy lunches too.

If you would like to bulk this meal up enough to make enough for 2 large family dinners, I add a second can of lentils and 4-6 large grated field mushrooms.

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Enjoy 🙂

*if you love a Shepherd’s pie but you want or need a vegan version check it ours here.

Hummus

~ desertcook ~ 6 Comments

I loooove chickpeas – they’re low GI and high in fibre and protein and they are cheap 🙂 I love their nutty flavour and the crunch they have when they are roasted. I add them to casseroles and stews and eat them several times a week in my morning tea, so there’s no way I can look past hummus as my favourite dip! My little miss happily eats half her body weight in it for morning tea!

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See below the recipe for a few variations on the original too.

  • 400g tin drained and rinsed chick peas 1-February 2013 2428
  • 1 tbsp tahini*
  • 1/4 cup extra virgin olive oil
  • 1 good pinch flaked pink salt, and
  • juice from a medium lemon (use 1/2 first and taste test before adding the rest)

*If you need to be sesame free then replace tahini with equal quantities of seed butter.

Add all ingredients, except the olive oil, to the food processor and blitz until well combined. The while the processor is running, drizzle the olive oil through the top chute until well combined and creamy (In a Thermal cooker – Speed 4 for 10 seconds, the scrape down sides and use speed 5 for 15 second intervals, scraping down sides in between until you reach desired consistency).

If it is too thick for your liking, add in a few teaspoons of water.

The citric acid in the lemon will help to preserve the mix so it will store in an air tight container in the fridge for several days – but my best tip is to make a double batch and pop one in the freezer – it defrosts perfectly!!

This makes about 8 serves (a heaped dessert spoon full).

We have it with crunchy raw veggies or wholegrain rice crackers.

Enjoy!

 

My yummy morning tea!
My yummy morning tea!

For a variation on plain hummus:

  • Add in about 100g of cooked (steamed or roasted) beetroot – even the tinned variety works, plus a tsp of fresh chopped rosemary and 1/2 tsp of mince garlic. Blend to desired consistency.
  • Add in about 100g of roasted pumpkin and a handful of pumpkin seeds. Blend to desired consistency.
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The beetroot version – hooray for pink hummus!!

Lazy Bolognese-y

~ desertcook ~ 6 Comments

Hello!

Hope that you have had a lovely Christmas and school holiday break. We had a wonderful time – 5 weeks with our families, split between a remote caravan park, a beach house and my family home in Perth.

While it was delightful being away, the kids ate more refined and packaged foods and sweets than they would normally have, so I have been finding it difficult to get them back into their regular eating routine – especially with Harry and vegetables.

So when I made spag bol the other night, instead of just grating in the veggies like I normally do, I then blitzed them in the food processor before adding them to the meat which made a really nice thick sauce … without obvious pieces of ‘pooey vegetables’ (my lovely 2 year old!). Harry was so excited to see how much ‘meat’ he had on his spaghetti that he practically inhaled the bowlful – win for Mummy!!

See below the recipe for a link to our meat free bolognese.

  • 500g beef mince
  • 1 brown onion, finely chopped
  • 2 tbsp garlic olive oil
  • 1-2 tsp minced chillies (or 1/2 tsp dried, ground chilli)
  • 1 large carrot
  • 1 large zucchini
  • 1 tin (420g) beans, drained and rinsed (kidney beans, black beans or a 3 bean mix)
  • 1 tin (420g) lentils, drained and rinsed
  • 10-12  button mushrooms
  • Fist sized piece of sweet potato or pumpkin
  • 1 large jar of tomato passata (approx 700g)
  • 3 tbsp tomato paste
  • 1/4 cup coconut aminos (or you could use red wine)
  • 1 tsp beef stock powder (we use the Massel brand)
  • spaghetti or fettuccine (we use the gluten free versions)

Heat the oil in a large frying pan, then add the onion and cook, stirring, until soft and golden

Add the mince and break it into small pieces as it browns, add the passata, paste, aminos/wine and stock. Mix well and turn down to low heat. Add in the lentils.

Meanwhile, in the food processor blitz or grate the vegetables, beans and mushrooms. Process more or less depending on how smooth you want your sauce.

Add the veggie mix to the meat mix in the saucepan and stir well. Bring to a very gentle simmer for about half an hour, stirring regularly. I leave the saucepan lid on but cracked open.

Serve on the cooked pasta or a bed of steamed green beans – add grated cheese of choice to top if you like.

This makes a large batch. The Bolognese freezes and thaws well.

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Enjoy 🙂

If you are a fan of bolognese, but you’d like a meat free option, check out our yummy mushroom and lentil bolognese.

Optional – Add in a few tablespoons of my tomato confit for an extra flavour boost.

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UPDATE : This recipe remains a firm favourite in our home (12 years after I originally posted this recipe!). But these days there are 6 mouths to feed and 2 of those mouths belong to very big teenage boys and another pre-teen who is entering his eating era! So I only ever make this in a double batch – thank goodness for a 12L saucepan!! Because the meal is filling, high protein, high fibre, an excellent way to contribute to veg consumption and allergy friendly, it is very common for this to also go to school in a lunchbox thermos – so a double batch never goes to waste!

Chicken and Lentil Curry

~ desertcook ~ 2 Comments

I have to admit that this was another meal originally concocted on the spot to avoid having to make a trip to the shops, well after my menu plan was over.

I know that it doesn’t look pretty, but man it tastes good! I think it’s my personal favourite of the moment – Peter agrees, Ellie squeals when you stop shovelling it in and even the boys both ate and enjoyed it  😀  Happy Mummy!

*When I have a really busy day and this curry is on the menu, I switch to my slow cooker version  – see below the main recipe for the details!

  • 8 chicken thighs, diced (approx 1kg)
  • 1 brown onion, finely diced
  • 2 cloves garlic, crushed
  • 1 medium red chilli, finely diced
  • 800g tin crushed tomatoes
  • Optional: 600g pumpkin, diced
  • 140g coconut cream
  • 2 x 400g tin brown lentils, drained and rinsed
  • 1 400g tin of black beans
  • 1 tsp Massel chicken style stock powder
  • 2 tbsp ground coriander
  • 2 tbsp ground cumin
  • 2 tsp ground turmeric
  • 2 tsp ground ginger
  • 2 tbsp olive oil
  • water

Heat the oil in a large frying pan. Fry the onion for a minute or two before adding the garlic and chilli. Cook, stirring for about a minute before adding the chicken.

Sprinkle the chicken with stock powder, plus other hers and spices and stir well. Allow it to brown.

If you’re using  in the pupmkin add here and stir well to combine. Cook for 5 minutes, stirring occasionally.

Add the lentils, beans and tomatoes plus about 1/4 a tin of hot water.

Reduce heat to low and allow to simmer for about 15 minutes.

Stir in the coconut cream and simmer for another 15 minutes (or longer if you’d like a thicker sauce).

Serve with brown or wild rice. Or try a bed of spinach if you need a lower carb option.

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Slow cooked version on spinach

This makes enough for 10-12 adult dinner serves and it freezes and thaws really well.

Enjoy!!

*SLOW COOKER VARIATION*

  • 8 chicken thighs (approx 1kg)
  • 1 tsp onion flakes
  • 1/2 tsp garlic flakes
  • 1/2 tsp red chilli flakes
  • 2 x 400g tin brown lentils, drained and rinsed
  • 1 400g tin of black beans
  • 1 tsp Massel chicken style stock powder
  • 2 tbsp ground coriander
  • 2 tbsp ground cumin
  • 2 tsp ground turmeric
  • 2 tsp ground ginger
  • 800g tin crushed tomatoes
  • Optional: 600g pumpkin, diced
  • 140g coconut cream

Place chicken in the bottom of the slow cooker.

Mix together all of the herbs and spices and sprinkle over the chicken.

Top with the pumpkin (if you’re using it) and all of the beans and lentil.

Add in the tinned tomatoes, plus 1/4 cup water and give it a gentle mix so that some of the liquid makes it to the bottom of the slow cooker.

Place on the lid and cook on low for 7 hours.

Remove the lid and use 2 forks to shred the chicken, then stir in the coconut cream and allow to keep cooking, lid off, for another hour.

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Serve as ususal.