Salmon and broccoli salad with avocado pesto

January 24, 2017January 8, 2018 ~ desertcook ~ Leave a comment

I found myself singing Powderfinger’s ‘My Happiness’ while I was making this for dinner last night!! And I think, probably, if I was Julie Andrews I’d be singing ‘My favourite things’ about most of the ingredients in this dish – salmon, seeds, spinach, broccoli and avocado!!

Such a fabulous combination, loaded with fibre, great fats, calcium, iron, vitamin C, E, Magnesium …. and the list goes on!

It is a really lovely subtle flavour – and I’m very happy to be anticipating the left overs for lunch!

As much as I’d love to be making this with a large slab of fresh, wild caught salmon …. our food budget doesn’t often stretch to that, but the benefits of salmon are great and we try to eat it regularly – so tinned it is! Try to buy a wild caught and sustainable brand, and choose one that is tinned in water, rather than loaded with oils and other additions.

3 tbsp my basil and spinach nut free pesto
1 ripe avocado
1 tbsp lemon juice
1 large head broccoli, chopped and steamed
400g tin salmon, skin removed, flaked
pinch pink salt and a few grinds of black pepper.

Mix together the pesto, lemon juice and avocado until well combined and smooth. Season with salt and pepper to taste.

Remove the skin from the tinned salmon and the large bones – but leave in the tiny bones as they mash up well and provide and extra boost of calcium (really important for our little miss who is deficient).

Stir the pesto mix through the chopped broccoli, while it is still hot, then stir through the salmon.

I am very happy to eat this as a meal on its own – but the kids …. not so much! So I stir theirs through some pasta. And tonight I added a handful of left over roasted veg to mine as well.

I also enjoy this salad with raw broccoli and I add in grated raw beetroot.

Enjoy 🙂

Balsamic Beef

December 29, 2016September 9, 2017 ~ desertcook ~ Leave a comment

This is my twist on this recipe from Add A Pinch. It’s so quick and simple to prepare and has such a delicious, flavour. And since it is in the slow cooker – the ‘roast dinner mess’ is very minimal – hooray!!!!

Beef Roast, Approx 2kg (brisket works well)
1/2 cup hot beef stock (homemade, or Massel)
2 tbsp coconut aminos (or soy sauce)
1/4 cup balsamic vinegar
3 tsp minced garlic
1 tsp mince chilli
1 tbsp honey
6 cloves

Place beef in slow cooker.

Drizzle honey over the top.

Mix together the stock, vinegar, aminos, garlic and chilli and pour over the top of the beef.

Place cloves on top of the beef and return lid to the slow cooker. Set on low for 7 hours.

Remove beef from slow cooker and slice before placing in serving dish.

Strain and reserve the juices from the slow cooker. Then I use them in my gravy recipe. However, I want a much lighter gravy, so I use only 1 tbsp fat and 1 tbsp of flour to the 3 cups of liquid.

Pour the gravy over the meat and serve with your favourite sides.

Tonight we had it with roast veg and a beautiful summer salad.

Enjoy 🙂

Crispy Potato Bites

December 5, 2016December 5, 2016 ~ desertcook ~ 2 Comments

Hot potato chips and any of their close cousins are a big win with my kids – in fact, with most kids I think! Ok, ok …. with me too!

The kids occasionally have baked potato gems (Tater tots?!) with a meal, but, as with all things, I’d prefer to go with a home made, less processed version if possible. And since we’ve just had a bumper crop of potatoes what better time to give my own version a go?!

This version was hugely successful with my kids – and the biggest kid too 😉 They loved that they were eating ‘their veggies’ and I loved that they were getting the vitamins and minerals found in the potato skins. No need (or time) for peeling or grating here 😀

20161129_171908-1 — He was very proud of the results of his digging efforts!

5-6 baby potatoes
1/4 cup flour of choice (GF/Spelt etc)
1/4 cup GF breadcrumbs
1 tbsp nutritional yeast
1 tsp pink flaked salt
2 tbsp aquafaba (OR 1 whole egg, well whisked)
spray olive oil
OPTIONAL: any fresh chopped herbs or dried spices to complement your meal – rosemary, thyme or dill work beautifully.

Give your potatoes a good scrub, but don’t peel them.

Cut them into bite size pieces and place into a saucepan of boiling salted water.

Boil for a couple of minutes until they are just becoming tender.

Drain and rinse well. Blot them dry.

In a separate bowl mix together the flour, crumbs and yeast. Add the herbs or spices at this point if you’re using them.

Coat the potato in the aquafaba (or egg) and then toss in the crumb mix to coat all sides.

Place them pieces on a line baking tray, spray them with oil and sprinkle with the salt.

Place into a preheated, very hot (220C) oven for about 30 minutes, shaking the tray to toss them after 20 minutes.

This makes about 4 side servings.

Hope you enjoy them as much as this guy …..

20161205_180053-1 — ‘These are even better than shop chips Mum!’

20161205_175928-1 — The biggest kid enjoyed them too 😉

Bulk cooking/prep tip: If you have a bumper crop of potatoes like us, you can pre-prepare a heap of them, by cleaning, cutting and par boiling them, then blotting dry and freezing in an airtight bag. Then just defrost when you’re ready, add the crumb and bake away.

Chicken Enchiladas

November 2, 2016April 25, 2018 ~ desertcook ~ Leave a comment

Every time I ask my kids for dinner ideas when I’m writing the monthly menu ‘enchiladas!!’ is the first thing Harry shouts at me 🙂 I honestly can’t keep up with how many he wants to eat!

Everyone else agrees with him, so they are a regular feature on our menu.

As with most of our Mexican inspired food, these are not very authentic…But they are very yummy so I hope your family enjoys them as much as ours.

Please see below the recipe for our vegan alternative

About 1kg chicken thighs (or you can use a whole chicken)
2 tbsp Mexican seasoning
2 heaped cups Salsa
1 tbsp tomato paste
Tortillas of choice (check out our masa ones here)
Cheese, that fits your diet (we do dairy and bio cheese), grated.
OPTIONAL: 1 large carrot, 1 large zucchini and 1 tin kidney beans.

Place chicken into the slow cooker, sprinkle over seasoning and half of the salsa.

Finely grate the veg if you are using them and then blend together with the drained and rinsed kidney beans. Add to the slow cooker and stir though well.

Place lid on slow cooker and cook on high for 4.5 hours, or 8 hours on low.

Remove and discard the skin of the chicken (if using a whole chicken) then shred the meat.

To the juices, veggies and salsa in the cooker, add in the paste and whisk to combine. Remove about 1/3 of this sauce and keep aside (for topping the tortillas later).

Then return the shredded chicken to the slow cooker and fold through the remaining sauce.

Place spoons of the chicken in the tortillas, then roll.

20180425_161808 — These ones have the added veggies and are made with seeded whole grain wraps.

Fill your baking tray with the filled and rolled tortillas, then cover with the rest of the salsa and veggie mix and sprinkle with cheese.

20161102_153056 — These are plain white tortillas without the added veggies …. They were added as a Mexican bean side salad instead!

Bake in a preheated moderate oven for about 25 minutes, until cheese is melted and the tortillas are golden.

If you’re a fan of the shredded chicken and the flavour of the meal, but would prefer a lighter option without the cheese and tortillas, then it is delicious and refreshing served with my Mexican Bean Salad.

And, if like my husband, you are a fan, go ahead and add a dollop of either dairy or soy based sour cream (it’s not my thing so I always forget it – much to his disappointment!)

To make our vegan version of these enchiladas we leave out the chicken and instead add in a large can of mixed beans and another can of kidney beans. The dish then needs to be cooked for only 3 hours on high or about 5 on low. Top with your favourite vegan cheese. I’m looking forward to experimenting with jackfruit here as another alternative too and will update the recipe when I do!

Enjoy 🙂

Spinach and Basil Pesto

October 31, 2016January 2, 2020 ~ desertcook ~ 1 Comment

Pesto is such a yummy addition to so many meals, but with pine nuts and parmesan being a standard in most recipes, it’s normally not an option for us.

But this year my both my basil and my spinach are growing great guns so I was inspired to make a pesto that would use our fresh produce and be safe.

1 packed cup fresh basil leaves
1 packed cup fresh spinach leaves
1 tsp minced garlic
1/2 tsp pink salt flakes
Juice of half a lemon
1/4 cup pepitas (50g)
1/4 cup sunflower seeds (40g)
1/4 cup hemp seeds (40g)
50g extra virgin olive oil

Dry fry the seeds in a hot frying pan. Keep a close eye on them, stirring regularly, as it only takes a couple of minutes for them to go golden brown.

Add all ingredients, except the olive oil to your blender/processor/thermal cooker and process until quite fine (speed 8, 6 secs, scrape down and repeat).

Process again as you slowly drizzle the oil through the top opening of the machine (speed 4). Process until oil is well combined.

Use immediately or freeze in ice cubes for future use. Makes about 1 cup.

Some ideas for use:

Rub onto chicken pieces or salmon before baking
Add in a handful of sun-dried tomatoes at the processing stage and stir through pasta (Especially awesome if you top with some crispy bacon and home made garlic croutons!)
Fold through some cream cheese (soy based or dairy) or a ripe, mashed avocado as a great dip.
If you enjoy the Parmesan flavour that a lot of pesto has, add in a tbsp of Nutritional Yeast

Enjoy 🙂

Salmon and Zucchini Tart

September 22, 2016September 20, 2016 ~ desertcook ~ Leave a comment

A long time ago (and it may as well have been in a galaxy far far away!!), before kids and before food allergies, Libby made us a delicious salmon tart. Goodness it was wonderful but since it was full of sour cream and egg whites it has been off our menu for 8 years.

Then I made some Pumpkin Tarts for my Mum’s birthday and the filling for them gave me an idea!!!

So I set to work to try and re-create Lib’s amazing Salmon Tart and we ate the results tonight. Result – amazing!!!!!! The texture and flavour were SO similar and everyone loved it (well, ok, except my little miss … but … really, if I only cooked what she loved, we’d live on sausages!). Peter ate seconds and thirds, Harry gave it 99%, Will licked his plate clean and asked for it in his lunchbox and George demolished it (but to be fair, he does that with almost everything).

I’m so excited to have little versions of these that I made with the left overs for lunch tomorrow!

300g silken tofu (medium firm)
3 tbsp hummus
2 tsbp nutritional yeast
1/2 tsp pink salt
few grinds of black pepper
1 tsp fresh chopped dill
1 tbsp rinsed and chopped capers
400g tin of salmon, skinned and boned
small zucchini, grated and squeezed of its liquid
1/3 cup aquafaba (liquid drained from a can of chick peas)
1 sheet of shortcrust pastry*

*today I made a spelt pastry by pulsing together 200g flour, 1/2 tsp pink salt and 120g cold vegan butter into a crumb. Bring it together to a disc, cover and place in the fridge for half an hour. Roll out to dish shape/size on a floured surface and then blind bake in a moderate oven for 20 minutes.

Remove the tofu from it’s package, drain and pat dry.

Into your blender/food processor/thermal cooker place the tofu, hummus, nutritional yeast and salt. Process until smooth (Speed 4, 20 seconds).

Add in the salmon, dill, pepper and capers. Process until smooth (Speed 4, 20 seconds).

Pour into a large bowl and stir through the zucchini.

In a stand mixer place the aquafaba in a small, clean bowl and mix on highest speed for about 4-5 minutes or until you get soft peaks (not as stiff as for a meringue).

Tip the whipped aquafaba into the salmon mix and gently fold through until incorporated – go gently, you don’t want to lose all of that lightness.

Pour the salmon mix into the blind-baked pastry and return to the preheated oven for 35 minutes.

The filling will still be quite soft on removing from the oven, but will firm up more as it cools.

Slice and serve with salad or veg.

It does well being reheated and last a couple of day in an air tight container in the fridge.

Enjoy!!

Roast pumpkin tarts

September 20, 2016June 15, 2021 ~ desertcook ~ 4 Comments

My wonderful mum – who has been the inspiration for much of my baking, and certainly gave me her love of cooking – recently turned 60.

vickis-high-tea-078 — With my Mum, my Nanna and my little miss – all frocked up to celebrate.

She had a most delightful High Tea at her home to celebrate and I was asked to do the baking for those with special needs. So much fun to make little treats!

One of the ‘normal’ foods that was served was quiche. Quiche is delicious, no question, but normally full of gluten, egg and dairy – So I came up with my version and it was really well received …. even my carnivorous husband who knew what was in them!

The filling for the tart was based on this one from Minimalist Baker.

2 handfuls of diced pumpkin
garlic olive oil
1 tsp fresh, chopped rosemary
1/2 tsp pink salt
a few grinds of black pepper.

Preheat your oven to 200C, brush the pumpkin with the oil and sprinkle with rosemary, salt and pepper.

Bake for about 40 minutes or until golden and roasted.

2 sheets ready bought puff pastry (that fits your diet)
300g silken tofu (medium firm)
3 tbsp hummus
2 tsbp nutritional yeast
1/2 tsp pink salt

Remove the tofu from its package, drain and pat dry.

Into your blender/food processor/thermal cooker place the tofu, hummus, nutritional yeast and salt. Process until smooth (Speed 4, 20 seconds)

Cut the pasty and place into greased muffin tins.

Spoon the tofu mixture into the pastry cases.

Top with pumpkin, pressing it down into the mix, and add some pine nuts if your diet allows.

Place into a preheated moderate oven and bake for about 25 minutes.

Serve warm or cool. These also reheat well and will last 2-3 days in an airtight container in the fridge.

You can make a bigger version too – blind bake your pastry in a pie dish, add in your desired veggies (I added spinach to this version) and then top with the tofu mix.

Enjoy!

Lemon Thyme Mushroom risotto

June 8, 2016June 7, 2016 ~ desertcook ~ Leave a comment

It is really chilly in Perth today – delightful! But it does trigger the desire for some serious comfort food.

I have been working really hard to add some more vegan meals into our regular menu – so we’ve been eating a lot of mushrooms. I also have copious amounts of lemon and thyme from my garden – so risotto it is!

5 cups chicken or vegetable stock (for an instant variety I use ‘Massel’ stock powder)
4 tbsp garlic olive oil
1 small brown onion, finely diced
2 tsp fresh thyme leaves, finely chooped
1 1/2 cups arborio rice
2 cups chopped green beans
2 cups sliced mushrooms
1/2 tsp pink salt
1/3 tsp ground black pepper
fine zest and juice of 1 lemon
OPTIONAL – 1/2 cup toasted hazelnuts, chopped

In a large, heavy based pan, heat 1 tsbp of oil. Add in the mushrooms, salt, pepper, thyme and lemon zest.

Cook down until the mushroom are just tender. Set them aside.

Bring the stock to boil in a saucepan then turn it down to the lowest possible simmer.

In the same pan that you used for the mushrooms, heat the remaining oil and add in the onion. Cook, stirring for a couple of minutes until the onion is just soft.

Add rice and stir for about 1 minute, ensuring the rice in coated with the onion mix.

Add in the juice of the lemon and stir well, to deglaze the bottom of the pan.

Add approx 1/2 cup of stock at a time to the rice and stir consistently over a low/medium heat until the liquid is absorbed and the rice is creamy and just tender.

Meanwhile, lightly steam the green beans.

Remove risotto from as you add the final half cup of stock. Stir through the mushrooms and beans, cover and allow to sit for 5 minutes.

20160607_172647 — Still a bit wet after the last stock addition …

Top with hazelnuts if your diet allows.

Serve immediately. Feeds 5-6 adults.

If your diet allows it, you could also stir though a handful of finely grated parmesan cheese before the mushrooms…. but I think it is creamy and flavourful enough without it!

Enjoy 🙂

Roasted Pumpkin Pasta Sauce

June 4, 2016June 3, 2016 ~ desertcook ~ 2 Comments

pumpkin (approx 900g before peeling and de-seeding)
2 tbsp olive oil
3/4 tsp pink salt
1/2 tsp ground pepper
2 tsp fresh thyme, finely chopped
400g tin chic peas, drained (but keep the brine ‘aquafaba’ as an egg replacer)
1 brown onion
3 cloves garlic
1/2 cup hot chicken or vegetable stock (I used Massel)
1 tsbp nutritional yeast
1 tbsp coconut cream (optional)

Peel, de-seed and cut up pumpkin into small pieces. Try to keep them roughly the same size.

Drizzle 1 tbsp of oil plus the salt, pepper and thyme over the pumpkin and toss well to coat. Place into a large baking dish and spread out evenly.

Place into a pre-heated hot oven and roast for about 45 minutes, tossing after about 25 minutes.

In a large pan, heat the remaining oil. Finely chop the onion and garlic and add to the oil, and cooking, stirring until translucent.

(In a Thermal cooker, blitz the onion and garlic on speed 5 for about 8 seconds, then add oil and cook on steam temp, speed 1 for about 3-4 minutes with the m/c off).

Place the pumpkin, chic peas, nutritional yeast, stock and onion mix to a processor and process until smooth.

(In a Thermal cooker, add the pumpkin, stock, nutritional yeast and chic peas to the onion mix, then process on speed 5 for about 20 seconds, scrape down and repeat until smooth, combined consistency is reached).

Add coconut cream if using and mix to combine (Speed 4, 10 seconds).

Stir through your favourite al dente cooked pasta.

I love to add a large handful of baby spinach and top with a sprinkle of toasted pine nuts or toasted sunflower seeds.

Yum – Enjoy 🙂

Salt and Pepper Calamari

April 29, 2016 ~ desertcook ~ Leave a comment

A little victory at our place tonight.

Little miss looked at new food and voluntarily said ‘I’ll try it’

… and she did AND she enjoyed it!!!

In fact, she enjoyed it so much, she ate her brother’s left overs!!!! Unheard of!!! Doing a little dance of joy 🙂

Will loves calamari, so when we saw it on sale at the markets a while ago we bought it but I hadn’t got around to cooking it yet because I hadn’t got my head around a non dairy option for soaking the uncooked squid … then today I had a brainwave ….

The reason that people normally soak calamari in milk is for the lactic acid in the milk to soften the collagen fibres in the squid. So I decided to try the buttermilk that I make to use in scones and banana bread etc. Success!

‘Buttermilk’:

1 cup oat/rice/soy milk
2 tsp apple cider vinegar

Whisk together very quickly until frothy (Speed 4, 12 seconds).

Place calamari into the buttermilk, cover and place in the fridge for 4 hours – overnight.

calamari, enough for your family, cut into rings
8 tbsp aquafaba (liquid drained from a can of chick peas)
1 cup GF flour mix (I used White Wings)
1 tsp garlic salt
1 tsp ground pepper
1 cup rice bran oil, or similar, to cook.
extra salt to season after cooking

Heat the oil in a heavy based frying pan to a very hot heat.

Drain and rinse the calamari (drain well as excess moisture will make the breading soggy).

Combine the flour, garlic salt and pepper and set aside.

Whisk the aquafaba until frothy (Speed 4, 15 seconds with the butterfly attachment).

Drop the rings into the aquafaba mix, allow to mostly drain then place into the flour mix and coat well.

Drop a few rings at a time into the hot oil, do not overcrowd the pan, an allow to cook for about 1 minute, and until lightly golden.

Use a slotted spoon or a meal spider to remove the rings and place on a draining rack or paper towel to remove excess oil.

Sprinkle with extra salt and serve immediately.

…. we were supposed to eat ours with oven baked sweet potato fries, but I dislocated the middle knuckle on my right hand and wasn’t up to the cutting …. so our local fish and chip shop chips came in handy 😉

Enjoy 🙂