Macaroni ‘Cheese’

March 23, 2013January 20, 2017 ~ desertcook ~ 3 Comments

Mmmm …. pasta and creamy sauce – so many memories from my childhood and the ultimate comfort food.

I know that most of you would be horrified – but I’m pretty sure that if I could, I’d still be happy to attack a box of the scarily orange Kraft stuff!

But sadly, not a very allergy friendly meal (or one that’s very helpful when you are caring for your body! ) … until now!!

I saw this idea on the Stay at Home Mum site and have adapted it from there.

See below the recipe for a more simple cheese sauce idea. UPDATE: this is the one I use most of the time now, simply because it is quick!

In a large saucepan, cook

2 cups of GF pasta until al dente (I used a rice and quinoa blend pasta for a bit more protein)

Then drain, rinse with cold water and place into a large bowl.

Then in the same saucepan add

1 small potato, peeled and diced
1 large carrot, diced
2 celery sticks, diced
1 brown onion, finely diced
4 cups of water.

Bring to the boil and simmer for about 15 minutes until the veggies are soft.

Drain the veggies and set aside, but retain about 1 cup of the cooking liquid.

In a food processor blitz together, until smooth;

1 heaped tbsp Nuttelex
1 heaped tbsp tahini
1 tbsp lemon juice
1 tsp salt
1/4 tsp dried mild chilli powder
1/4 tsp dried paprika
1/2 tsp minced garlic
pinch of black pepper
1 heaped tsp of nutritional yeast flakes’
4 tsp nutritional yeast flakes’

When this mix is smooth, add the vegetables and then about 1/2 a cup of the cooking liquid. Process until smooth. You want this mixture to be a thick sauce so add a little more water if necessary. I used almost 3/4 of a cup in the end.

Add this sauce to the pasta and mix well. Then transfer to a baking dish.

Cover the top of the pasta mix with,

3/4 of a punnet of cherry tomatoes cut into eighths.

In the now empty food processor add the following and process until it turns to a crumbs;

1 heaped tbsp Nuttelex
1 heaped tsp of Nutritional yeast flakes
2/3 cup cornflake crumbs

Sprinkle the crumb mix over the top and then bake in a pre-heated moderate oven for about 25 minutes, or until the sauce is bubbling hot.

I grew up with Mac cheese being served with bacon so there is no way I could serve this without it! I diced 5 rashes of shortcut bacon and fried them, then added to the pasta at the same time as the sauce.

This made enough for all 5 of us for dinner and 2 extra lunch serves.

This is one meal that I make into 2 versions – I usually add some extra veggies, like mushrooms and asparagus for the grown ups.

For a quicker, more simple cheese sauce recipe, but one that still hides veg, I now use this one from my lasagne.

It freezes and re-heats well.

Enjoy 🙂

P.S. Next time you make a roast, have a go at using this ‘sauce’ mix to top your broccoli and cauliflower to make a ‘Cauliflower cheese’.

Prawn salad rolls

March 21, 2013 ~ desertcook ~ 1 Comment

I recently made the 2 and a half hour drive from Roxby Downs to Port Augusta. One of the highlights of the trip, for this desert dweller, was being near the water … and therefore fresh seafood, again!!

So I stocked up on some beautiful king prawns, and made my ‘happy salad’ when I got home! So many of my favourite foods in one place 🙂

It is a very quick, super easy and healthy summer meal … I particularly enjoyed mine with half a glass of pear cider 🙂

6-8 king prawns, cooked, peeled and cut in to 1 cm lengths
1 avocado, cut into small chunks
1 orange, peeled and cut into small chunks
2 tbsp Thousand Island dressing (I used the Praise fat-free one as it’s made with a maize thickener)
2 finely chopped mint leaves
4 large iceberg lettuce leaves

Mix together the prawns, avocado, orange, mint and dressing, spoon mixture in to the lettuce leaves and then roll. Too easy!

The only way this gets better in my book is when it’s mango season and I can swap the orange for fresh mango!!

This one is best made and eaten straight away. If you leave it too long the lettuce goes soggy and tends to tear.

Serves 2 adults.

Chicken Wraps

March 9, 2013March 9, 2013 ~ desertcook ~ 1 Comment

So often I have tried store-bought wraps that are gluten, egg, dairy and soy free in the hope that ‘this time they’ll be acceptable’ but every time I have been disappointed as they have been tasteless and they crumble as I’ve tried to wrap them around my dinner.

We have had a really long, hot summer and I have been really hanging out for some salad wraps so I began to experiment and the other night we had a total victory!! These wraps are a bit time-consuming to make, but they were worth it; soft and flexible and yummy.

They are adapted from a recipe that you can find at: http://www.kerstenskitchen.com.au

1/2 a cup each of white rice flour, brown rice flour and Arrowroot
1 tsp guar gum
1 tsp GF baking powder
1/2 tsp salt
4 tbsp oil
1 1/4- 1 1/2 cups water
1 dessert spoon of nutritional yeast flakes

Mix together all dry ingredients in a large mixing bowl.

Add the oil. Then slowly add small amount of water at a time.

Take time to combine with a wooden spoon after each addition.

Stop adding water when the batter is smooth and glossy, with a consistency a bit like a thick pancake.

Add a heaped wooden spoon full of mixture to a cold frying pan then use a spatula to spread it out so that there is a thin layer covering the base of the pan. Don’t grease the pan – the oil in the batter is sufficient.

Turn stove on to high heat and place the pan on the element.

Cook for about 2 minutes – turn when the mixture is firm and bubbles/puffs a little. Cook for another 2 minutes on this side.

Place on a plate and cover with tea towel. Stack each wrap on top and keep covered. The steam softens the wraps and makes them nice and pliable.

Cool off the pan in between each wrap by running cold water over the back of it. This stops the mix cooking straight away and allows you to spread it more evenly.

We served ours with ginger chilli chicken and salad.

To make the chicken, I used

4 chicken thighs, skin removed and thinly sliced
2 tbsp coconut aminos (or soy sauce if you can have it)
1 tbsp rice bran oil
1/2 finely chopped red chilli
1 heaps tsp minced ginger

Mix the chicken with the aminos and allow to sit for about half an hour. Heat oil and add ginger and chilli, cook stirring for 2 minutes. Then add chicken, stirring occasionally until cooked.

Lay the fillings in the top, centre of the wrap and top with fresh crunchy salad. (It’s best if you roll over one side, then fold up the bottom then wrap the second side over the top).

I think I will make this again when we next have a curry, but I will make it smaller and a bit thicker then top with my home-made garlic butter, for a naan type bread – mmm!

Enjoy!

Chewy muesli bars (Superhero Slice)

March 5, 2013October 6, 2016 ~ desertcook ~ 2 Comments

Most kids love muesli bars – but the ones from the shops are often filled with additives, preservatives and refined sugars. So home-made is a great option. ‘Hugh’s muesli bars’ that I have previously posted about don’t hold together so well when they are out of the fridge for long periods of time, so they aren’t the best for lunchboxes. After a bit of tinkering, I think I’m on to a delicious and chewy winner 🙂 We call this one ‘Superhero slice’ because of all the great stuff in it to give you great energy!

100g dried apple
100g dried apricot
6 medjool dates, pitted
4 tbsp each of chia seeds, flax seeds, pumpkin seeds and rolled quinoa
2 tbsp psyllium
250g Sunflower seed butter (half vegan butter and half seed butter works well too)
zest 1 lemon, finely grated
Juice of half a lemon
70g oats or puffed rice

Mill the seeds, quinoa and pysllium together until you reach a consistency that resembles almond meal …. don’t go too far or you’ll get a paste! Set aside.

In a food processor blitz together the apple and apricots (speed 8 for about 15 seconds in a thermal cooker), then add the dates one at a time through the chute at the top (speed 4 while you are adding then up to 7 for 15 seconds).

Add the milled seed mix to the fruit and process until well combined (speed 4 for 20 seconds).

Add the sunflower seed butter, zest and juice and process again until well combined (speed 4 for about 30 seconds).

Add the oats or puffed rice and process until evenly distributed (Speed 4 15 seconds).

Press down very firmly (I used my hands and then back of a fork) into a lined tin and place in a 160C preheated oven for about 30 minutes or until the top is golden.

Allow to cool and cut into squares or bars and keep in an air tight container. Ours lasts 2 weeks in the fridge. Makes about 24 squares.

Enjoy 🙂

Hummus

February 26, 2013January 30, 2020 ~ 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!

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

400g tin drained and rinsed chick peas
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!

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.

FB_IMG_1580304933023 — The beetroot version – hooray for pink hummus!!

Chocolate Freezer fudge

February 21, 2013August 6, 2017 ~ desertcook ~ Leave a comment

ok – this is hands down the best dessert I have made to date! If you are after a very simple but decadent, chocolatey dessert that is allergy friendly and quite healthy – then this one is for you!

1/2 Cup Sunflower seed Butter
1/2 Cup tasteless Coconut Oil (Room Temperature)
1/2 Cup Cocoa
1/2 Cup Pumpkin Puree
1/3 Cup honey/maple syrup

Place all ingredients into your processor (helps if the pumpkin is still warm) and process until the mix is smooth, stopping to scrape down the sides. In a Thermal Cooker, start on Speed 5 for 20 seconds, scrape down the sides and then process again, working up to speed 7 until mixture is very smooth).

Pour in a greased 8×8 tin, cover in glad wrap and freeze for about 4 hours.

Cuts into about 16-20 pieces and needs to be stored in the freezer.

This was a MASSIVE hit in my house and I have to confess that it didn’t last very long! They are already requesting another batch

Hope you enjoy it as much as we did 🙂

Slow Cooked Chicken (plus Stock and Gravy)

February 14, 2013August 29, 2016 ~ desertcook ~ Leave a comment

We all really enjoy chicken in our family, so I am always on the look out for new recipes that are cheap, easy and healthy.

I know that they are significantly cheaper than pieces, but I haven’t really cooked whole chickens much, partly perhaps because my Mum didn’t, but honestly, it is mostly because I didn’t want to make a mess in my oven!!! So when I heard people talking about how they cooked chickens in their slow cooker I was keen to experiment and we have now been cooking this way for years.

This is a super easy way to cook a chicken, the flavour is lovely and gentle and the meat is delightfully soft and just falls off the bone – which means my kids ate it really well. And I can make both stock and gravy from the left overs – such a win for the budget!! See below the main recipe for these recipes.

2 cloves minced garlic
1 lemon or lime
whole chicken
Optional – a few sprigs of thyme

Grate the zest off the fruit and set aside.

Wash the chicken inside and out and pat dry.

Cut the ends off the fruit and place inside the cavity, then place breast side up in the slow cooker.

Sprinkle the zest and garlic (and thyme) over the chicken, then place the lid on and cook on low for 6 hours.

You don’t need to add a rack or any liquid as the chicken will cook in its own juices. It won’t have the browned crispy skin of oven roasted chicken but it is amazingly tender.

Allow to rest for half an hour before carving (or pulling apart with a fork like I did! 😉 )

To get the crispy skin of a traditional roast chook, transfer to a baking dish and place it into a preheated 240C oven for about 12-15 minutes.

Serve with salad or veggies.

Enjoy!

If you are keen to use your chicken to the max, here’s an easy recipe for stock, using the carcass.

Remove the fruit from the cavity (or leave it in if you want to add a lemony flavour!), place the carcass in a large saucepan, add a pinch of black pepper and a couple of salt, a bundle of favourite herbs (I do rosemary and thyme from my garden), then add a roughly chopped brown onion, 2 carrots and 3 or 4 sticks of celery. Add enough water to cover the chicken (just over 2L for my saucepan), bring to the boil and then reduce the heat and simmer slowly for 1.5-2 hours. Strain the stock (just over 3 cups) and store for use in soup, risotto etc. Keeps well in the freezer for a month or two.

To make a delicious gravy for your chicken and make that dollar stretch even further….

Make a simple roux (1 tbsp of nuttelex and 1 tbsp GF flour), then gradually whisk in the juices from the bottom of the slow cooker. Yum!! The best part is that the flavours of your gravy will reflect and enhance the flavours of your chook!

Enjoy 🙂

Lazy Bolognese-y

February 5, 2013September 3, 2025 ~ 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.

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.

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

January 10, 2013February 11, 2020 ~ 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.

20200210_181823 — 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.

Serve as ususal.

Slow cooker Silverside

December 27, 2012December 27, 2012 ~ desertcook ~ 1 Comment

I have always loved silverside – in fact, when I was younger it was often my request for my birthday dinner … my mum makes a mean cauliflower cheese to go with it 🙂

I enjoy this meal because it is so easy to make, tasty, the meat is very tender so my little people wolf it down, I can cook it in bulk and the leftovers freeze well. Wins all around!

approx 2kg silverside piece
2tbsp honey
8 cloves
splash white vinegar

Remove the meat from the plastic and rinse it off. Place in the slow cooker, fat side up.

Drizzle the honey over the top, then press the cloves in to the meat.

Fill with enough water to cover and add a good splash of vinegar to the top.

Place lid on and cook on low heat for about 4 hours.

Turn off slow cooker, but allow meat to sit in the cooker for a further hour. After this, remove the meat, place on a board and cover in foil, allowing to rest for another hour before slicing. The longer you leave it to cool, the thinner you can slice the meat.

Serve with salad or veggies.