Dinner

Lemon Salmon with herb oil dressing

~ desertcook ~ 2 Comments

Our big boys went to a school disco the other night so after making very simple dinners for the 2 little ones, Peter and I got to enjoy a grown up dinner. It was so quick to make and it was just delicious!

  • Salmon fillet (ours was about 220g and shared between the 2 of us)
  • 2 tbsp Olive oil
  • 1 tsp fresh, finely chopped dill
  • 1 tsp rinsed capers, chopped
  • pinch of salt
  • small pinch of ground pepper
  • lemon slices
  • steamed greens
  • cauliflower rice (cauliflower finely chopped in the food processor and steamed)

Heat a frying pan and place the salmon in the pan.

In a small saucepan, place the oil, then add the dill, capers and salt and pepper. Don’t allow to boil just keep warm over a very low heat.

Turn the salmon after a couple of minutes (depending on thickness) and fry for a further 2-3 minutes on the other side.

Lay the salmon on a bed of cauli-rice (or some crushed boiled ‘jacket’ potatoes), top with slices of lemon and drizzle the herb oil over the top. Serve with steamed greens.

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Enjoy!

P.S. For a bit of variety, and if I’m being a bit lazy, instead of the lemon slices, I just add the juice and zest of 1 lemon to the Herb butter instead.

Tonight I serve the salon on a bed of steamed and crush sweet potato, together with blanched asparagus and roasted beetroot. Yum!

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Taco Steak with Mexican Bean Salad

~ desertcook ~ 5 Comments

This is a super-easy idea that I pinched from my Mum. Sadly the kids don’t enjoy it much but Peter and I have loved it … and its left overs for multiple days afterwards!

  • 2 tbsp Mexican seasoning.
  • Steak of choice approx 100g per person (We used a thick scotch fillet)
  • 1 ripe avocado, peeled, seeded and chopped
  • 1 punnet cherry tomatoes, quartered (or 2 whole tomatoes)
  • 1/2 large cucumber, chopped
  • 1/2 tin corn kernels, drained and rinsed
  • 1/2 tine kidney beans, drained and rinsed
  • 2 medium stalk celery, chopped
  • lime juice
  • fresh coriander.

Rub the seasoning into the steak on both sides, then either bbq or pan fry to your taste.

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While the steak is cooking, mix together all the salad ingredients.

Allow the steak rest for a few minutes before carving in to strips and serving on top of the salad.

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This quantity of salad was enough for about 4 adult serves.

Such a quick and fresh summer meal. Enjoy!

Slow cooked Lamb Curry

~ desertcook ~ 3 Comments

I love lamb … but it is seriously pricey! So as I continue my search for filling and inexpensive meals for my growing family, my slow cooker and stewing bones are getting more and more of a work out!

This curry is delicious, easy to make in very large quantities and it freezes well … and best of all for the budget, the stewing bones I used cost me under $5. Awesome!

  • 1 tbsp rice bran oil
  • 1 brown onion, finely diced
  • 2 tbsp minced garlic
  • 1 tbsp minced ginger
  • 2 tsp minced chilli
  • 2 tsp ground coriander
  • 1 tsp ground cumin
  • 1/2 tsp tumeric
  • 1 tsp sugar/honey/agave
  • lamb stewing bones/offcuts, about 800g-1kg
  • butternut pumpkin, about 1kg, diced into roughly 2cm cubes
  • green beans, about 600g cut into roughly 3cm peices
  • spinach, about 3 large handfuls, roughly chopped
  • 800g tin of crushed tomatoes
  • 200g coconut cream
  • Cauliflower rice/brown rice to serve.

Place the pumpkin in the bottom of the slow cooker and turn on to low.

Heat the oil in a frying pan and saute the onion until it is slightly translucent. Add in the dry spices and cook for another 2 minutes.

Add in the garlic, ginger and chilli and cook for a further 2 minutes.

Add the tomatoes to the pan and stir until well combined with the spices. Add sugar and stir.

(For a Thermal Cooker: Chop the onion on speed 5 for about 10 seconds,scrape down sides and add oil. Cook on steam temp, speed 1 for 5 minutes. Add in dry spices and cook for a further 2 minutes. Add in Garlic, ginger and chilli and cook on steam temp, speed 1 for 2 minutes. Add tomatoes and stir on speed 4 for 10 seconds, then cook on steam temp, speed 2 for 3 minutes)

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Place the stewing bones on top of the pumpkin and pour the tomato and spice mix over the top of the lamb.

Return the lid to the slow cooker and cook on low for about 5 hours.

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Remove the bones from the slow cooker and strip the meat. Dice the meat and return it to the slow cooker along with the green beans and stir well. Discard the remainder of the bones.

Place the lid back on and cook for a further 2 hours.

About an hour before serving, stir in the spinach and coconut cream (don’t shake the can, but use the thickest part at the top of the tin for a creamier sauce). Turn the cooker up to high but leave the lid off the slow cooker to allow some of the liquid to evaporate, stirring occasionally.

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Serve with cauliflower rice. To make this I simply place the cauliflower in the food processor and process until fine, then steam and use in place of rice.

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This quantity of curry serves about 10-12. I make it in my 6L slow cooker.

Freezes and defrosts well.

Enjoy 🙂

Beef, barley and lentil stew

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I love winter time – the cold, grey days give me energy … I know, I’m strange!

One of the things I love is making delicious comfort food that warms and fills you up. I love that I can cook huge quantities of soups, curries, stews and casseroles that are packed with veggies and freeze them for easy meals. This is one of those meals.

It is quick and easy to make (about 10 minutes to start and another 5 later), is really cheap – about $8 for the entire 6L pot and the left overs freeze and defrost really well.

  • 800g beef soup bones20140608_084430
  • 3-4 carrots, diced (skin on is fine)
  • 3-4 large sticks of celery, diced
  • 3 potatoes, diced (skin on too) OR 1 medium sweet potato
  • 2 cups dried lentils
  • 1 cup pearl barley
  • 400g tin crushed tomatoes
  • 1/4 cup red wine
  • 2 sprigs fresh thyme
  • approx 2L water
  • Salt to taste

Mix all of the ingredients together in the slow cooker and fill with water to cover. Place lid on and cook on low for 8 hours.

Remove beef bones and strip the meat. Remove sprigs of thyme. Dice the meat up and return to the pot, stirring well. Add salt to taste.

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That’s it!

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Enjoy 🙂

Aussie Meat Pies

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With the AFL Grand Final this weekend, it feels almost compulsory to add a recipe for meat pies. Doesn’t every Aussie watch the footy eating a pie?!

The problem for me is that with my mince aversion, there is just no way I could possibly eat a shop bought meat pie that is full of miscellaneous animal parts and gristly bits – ick!

So here is my recipe for slightly healthier Aussie meat pies. We have a friend that insists that tomato sauce is all the salad you need to go with pies, and with the veggies snuck into this one, I have no problem with that 😀

  • 600-800g casserole beef, diced fairly small (about 1cm cubes)
  • 2 small carrots (mine was massive so I just used 1)
  • 1 small sweet potato
  • 1 cup peas
  • 1 tbsp each of bbq sauce, tomato sauce and cocnut aminos1-Blog 034
  • 3/4 tbsp Vegemite
  • 1.5 cups very hot water
  • 1 tsp minced garlic
  • 1 tbsp Orgran gravy powder.
  • Short crust pastry of choice.
  • Milk of choice

Place the meat into the slow cooker and place on low to heat up while you prepare the veg and sauce.

Finely grate the carrots, peel and grate the sweet potato and mix with the peas. Set aside.

In a large mixing jug, mix together the sauces, garlic, gravy mix and Vegemite. Then add the hot water and mix well until it is all dissolved and well combined.3-Blog 040

Pour the sauce over the meat and then add the veggies. Mix until well combined. It won’t look very saucy at this stage, but it will get more so as the veggies cook down.

Return the lid to the slow cooker and set to high for 4 hours. About 3/4 of an hour before cooking time is up, remove the lid and allow the meat to keep cooking whilst some of the liquid evaporates. If you forget this step, you can always add another bit of gravy powder to thicken the juices a bit.

Line either a pie dish or muffin trays with pastry, then fill with meat mix and place a lid of pastry on the top.

Use a fork to press down the edges and join the top to the base, brush with milk of choice and cut small vent holes.

For those who are Gluten Free,  I used this pastry. I used a puff pastry because I knew from past experience that it didn’t puff hugely and I didn’t want them to be too stodgy.1-20130806_133713

You could also use a puff pastry top if you wanted a lighter finish for your pies.

Cook in a preheated oven at about 200C for 35-40 mins or until the pastry is golden brown and crunchy.

The meal can be frozen once the pastry is on, but before you cook in the oven. Defrost well before cooking and cook as normal for the final step.

This made a quite a large amount, enough for dinner for 6 adults.

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Enjoy your pies and cheering for your team (or in my case – a substitute Western Australian Team because my beloved team didn’t make the finals … this year!!)

A very happy first time pie eater!
A very happy first time pie eater!

Garlic Honey Chicken

~ desertcook ~ 1 Comment

This is such a lovely fresh and crunchy dinner – quick and easy to make and well received by all in out house – win all ’round!

  • 400g chicken thighs, sliced
  • 2 small carrots, finely sliced1-June 2013 471
  • handful snow/sugar snap peas, finely sliced
  • 2 cloves minced garlic
  • 5 tbsp coconut aminos
  • 1 tbsp honey
  • 1 tsp olive oil
  • rice to serve.

Heat the oil in a large frying pan, add the garlic and fry gently for a minute, add the aminos and honey and stir to combine.

Add in the chicken strips and cook, stirring occasionally until almost cooked through.

Then add the veggies and stir through, cooking for about 2 minutes – not too long, you want the veggies to still be fresh and crunchy.

Serve on a bed of rice, or quinoa … and don’t forget to add the pan juices!

Serves 2 adults and 4 little people

Enjoy 🙂

Satay Beef

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Another slow cooker favourite 🙂

This one uses the ‘satay’ sauce from here .

I make a double batch of the sauce, then pour it over 700-800g of diced casserole beef and cook in my slow cooker on low for 5-6 hours.

Delicious served on a bed of rice and with some steamed veggies.

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Enjoy 🙂

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 🙂

Beef and red wine casserole

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This is a recipe that came about because I had 3 sick munchkins, was feeling awful myself and couldn’t bear the thought of going out in the cold and pouring rain to do the grocery shopping! So dinner had to come from the pantry/freezer dregs!

It is delicious, but really simple and it took me about 7 minutes to make the whole thing – bonus!!

  • 800g diced casserole beef1-August 2013 005
  • 1 tin crushed tomatoes
  • 1/2 tin red wine
  • 2 tsp Massel beef style stock powder
  • 2 tsp minced garlic
  • 3 medium carrots, roughly chopped
  • 2 cups sliced mushrooms

Place the beef in the bottom of the slow cooker.

Mix together the tomatoes, wine, stock powder and garlic and pour over the beef.

Mix in the carrots.

Place the lid on the slow cooker and cook for 5 hours on low.

Mix in the mushrooms and stir well then return the lid and cook for another 2 hours on low.

Serve on a bed of mashed potato (it’s particularly nice with sweet potato) and steamed greens.

Perfect comfort food for a cold wintery night!

Serves about 6 adults and freezes well.

Enjoy