Lunch

Salsa

~ desertcook ~ 11 Comments

My husband and 3 boys are serious Mexican food fans (even miss Fussy quite enjoys it) – Tacos, Nachos, Enchiladas, Steak Burritos, Mexican meatballs, Taco steak with Mexican Bean Salad, Salsa Chicken …. we could eat Mexican just about every other night and they’d be happy!

What I’m not so happy about is the quantity of additives and preservatives in  the jars of salsa type sauces to use in these dishes. So I’ve had a go at making my own based on the back of a jar we’d had … and it was a winner! This makes quite a big batch so we will be using this from now on instead of the store-bought variety.

  • 800g tin crushed tomatoes
  • 3 tbsp tomato paste
  • 1 medium capsicum (colour of your choice)
  • 1/2 brown onion
  • 2 tsp minced garlic
  • 2 tbsp lime juice
  • 2 tbsp olive oil
  • 1 tsp minced chilli
  • 1 tsp ground coriander
  • 1 tsp ground cumin
  • 1/2 tsp pink salt flakes
  • 1 tsp coconut sugar/maple syrup

Simply place all ingredients into your food processor and pulse until you reach the consistency you enjoy.

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Fewer times for a chunky salsa to dip your chips in, and more times for a smoother salsa to go inside your burritos, enchiladas, Salsa Chicken etc.

Makes quite a large batch – the equivalent of 3 large store bought jars.

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Enjoy!!

Mexican Seasoning

~ desertcook ~ 12 Comments

I have adapted this seasoning from this one at the Thermomix recipe community.

We use it for Tacos, Nachos, Meatballs, on our Mexican Steak and in our Salsa Chicken.

  • 2 tbsp dried oregano
  • 1 tbsp paprika
  • 1 tbsp ground cumin
  • 1 tbsp onion flakes
  • 1 tsp pepper corns
  • 1 tsp garlic salt
  • 1/2 tsp chilli powder (increase to 1 tsp for a ‘medium’, rather than a ‘mild’ seasoning)

Place all ingredients in a high powered processor (I use my Nutribullet for ease of clean up!) and grind until fine and well combined. (Speed 9 for for 30 seconds in a Thermal Cooker). Or you could also use a mortar and pestle.

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I usually make a double or triple batch and store in a jar in the freezer.

Use 2 tbsp per 500g of mince.

Enjoy 🙂

Blueberry Almond Loaf

~ desertcook ~ 1 Comment

The recipe for this lovely, sweet, dense bread came about after we picked over 5kg of Mulberries …. and then my Harry declared that he didn’t like them, that blueberries were his favourite and please could I make him blueberry bread instead?

That gorgeous face is pretty hard to refuse sometimes!

  • 45g light tasting oil (or use a melted butter that suits)
  • 40g sugar OR 1/4 cup honey/maple syrup
  • 1 cup milk of choice
  • 6tbsp aquafaba OR 2 whole eggs
  • 1 tsp vanilla bean paste
  • 1/2 tsp ground cinnamon
  • 2 tsp GF baking powder
  • 1 1/2 cup spelt flour (half wholemeal) OR 1 1/3 cup GF flour mix
  • 1/2 cup almond meal OR  seed meal
  • 1 cup blueberries (fresh or frozen).

In a large bowl (or your processor) mix together all of the dry ingredients (Speed 4, 8 seconds), then set aside.

Now place all of the wet ingredients in your processor/blender/nutribullet/thermal cooker and process until well combined (Speed 6, 6 seconds).

Mix the the dry and wet ingredients until combined – don’t over beat them.

Then add the berries – if you are doing this in a food processor, tip mixture into a bowl and fold through blueberries. In a Thermal Cooker, use speed 4 for 8 seconds. Or for ease, sprinkle them on top of the batter once in the pan.

Pour into a small greased loaf pan and bake in a preheated 170C oven for about 1hr, or until cooked through.

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Or pour into lined muffin tins and bake for about 25 minutes or until cooked through (makes about 18).

Allow to cool before slicing.

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This recipe freezes and defrosts well, and is particularly lovely when slightly warmed (and even toasted!).

Enjoy 🙂

Warm Balsamic Chicken Salad

~ desertcook ~ Leave a comment

When we lived in Roxby Downs (a tiny mining community in the middle of South Australia), options for going out to dinner were fairly limited, and things I could eat on the menu were limited even further still by our diet.

There was one place we went to fairly regularly as a family, Chives, and their menu had two items I could choose from; steak and veggies or a warm chicken salad. Although very basic, that salad was really tasty and I always looked forward to it!

Since we’ve been back in Perth it is something I have made regularly on our warm weather menu. It feels a bit wrong for adding a ‘recipe’ for something so very simple but I love that it shows that you can have fresh, healthy, tasty, filling and simple meals that are allergy friendly.

  • 2 cups baby spinach
  • 1 carrot
  • 1/2 cucumber
  • a dozen cherry tomatoes
  • a couple of preserved baby beets
  • cooked chicken
  • 1 avocado (quite ripe and soft)
  • 1 tsp olive oil
  • 2 tbsp balsamic vinegar
  • pinch salt

Divide the spinach between 2 bowls.

Very finely julienne the carrot and cucumber (I did this with a sharp toothed peeler) then place on top of spinach.

Halve the tomatoes and dice the beets then add to bowls.

Warm the chicken (use the amount you desire – we did about 120g per bowl) and add to the salad.

Top with sliced avocado.

Mix together the oil, vinegar and salt then pour half over the top of each salad.

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Enjoy straight away.

Empanadas (with vegan option)

~ desertcook ~ 2 Comments

It’s so very lovely when we sit down to dinner as a family and all 6 people at the table smile at the plate placed in front of them … and that’s what happens each time with this meal in our house!

I’m certain that they aren’t a traditional version of an empanada, but these are filling and tasty, easy for little fingers to hold, they hide a lot of veggies (in fact, it is super easy to make them a vegan dinner) and are even transportable for picnics and lunchboxes.

I adapt the recipe that I use to make bread to make the dough.

To make the dough:

  • 500g flour**
  • 25g olive oil
  • 320ml luke warm water
  • 1 tsp sugar
  • 1.5 tsp yeast
  • 2 tbsp nutritional yeast (optional)
  • 1 tsp pink salt

** I like to use a mix of half wholemeal spelt and half white spelt OR half Khorasan flour.

Place water, yeast and sugar in your processor and allow to stand for 5 minutes.

Add the oil, flour and salt then process to bring together to a dough (Speed 6 for about 10 seconds).

Tip the dough out and knead gently until smooth *or of course you can use the kneading function on your machine* Using your hands, smooth the surface with some olive oil and place in a clean bowl, covered with a tea towel in a warm place for about 45 minutes to an hour to double in size.

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To make the filling I adapt my standard Bolognese recipe.

  • 500g beef mince
  • 1 finely chopped brown onion
  • 2 tbspn garlic olive oil
  • 1-2 tsp minced chillies
  • 2 large carrots
  • 1 large zucchini
  • 1 tin kidney beans, drained and rinsed
  • 1 tin lentils, drained and rinsed
  • 12 button mushrooms
  • fist sized piece of sweet potato or pumpkin
  • 2 large handfuls spinach
  • 1 large tin crushed tomatoes
  • 2 tbsp tomato paste
  • 1/4 cup red wine
  • fresh basil

Heat the oil in a large frying pan, then add the onion and stir until soft.

Add the mince and break it into small pieces as it browns, add the tomatoes, paste, red 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, spinach, 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 pan and stir well. Bring to a very gentle simmer for about half an hour, stirring regularly.

Remove the dough from the bowl and break into gold ball size pieces. Roll out to about a 3-4mm thickness (baking paper or some extra dusting flour is helpful here).

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Place a spoonfull of the filling on one side of the dough, then fold over and crip edges closed with a fork.

Place on a lined baking tray and into a preheated 200C oven for about 12-15 minutes or until golden.

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Serve on their own or with extra veggies.

To make a vegan filling I use my mushroom and lentil Bolognese recipe.

The dough makes enough for 12-14 pieces. This is enough for our family for dinner and occasionally a lunch leftover – though that is changing as the boys grow!! However, the filling makes twice this amount, so I freeze half of the mix for a quicker meal next time.

P.S sometimes when we need ‘footy food’ we make these into hot pockets and we add in a little grated cheese to each one before folding and cooking.

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Enjoy 🙂

Soft white bread (Sandwich loaf, bread rolls, fruit toast and sticky finger buns)

~ desertcook ~ 3 Comments

We don’t have very much white bread in our house. But occasionally, a soft white bread sandwich (with cheese and gherkin as my preference!) is amazing.

The base for all the recipes is below.

  • 500g white spelt
  • 1 heaped tsp yeast
  • 1 heaped tsp coconut sugar
  • 15g olive oil
  • 275g luke warm water
  • 1 tsp salt
  • olive oil to cover
  • 1 heaped tsp pea protein powder OR 1 tsp apple cider vinegar (optional but acts as a bread improver)

To make the Sandwich Loaf or rolls seeded add: 20g flax seeds and 20g chia seeds

For Fruit Toast: remove 100g of  white spelt and replace with 100g wholemeal spelt and add 2 tsp mixed spice, 1 tbsp extra coconut sugar and 3/4 cup dried fruit of choice.

For the Sticky Finger Buns: add 1 tsp of mixed spice, 1 tbsp extra coconut sugar, optional 1/2 cup of sultanas and icing (1 tbsp melted Nuttelex whisked together with 4 tbsp pure icing sugar, few drops food colouring and topped with GF sprinkles).

Place the water, yeast and sugar in the food processor and pulse briefly to combine or speed 2 for 6 seconds). Allow to stand for 5 minutes (a good time to check that your yeast is still active. Look for it foaming).

Add seeds (milled first if you’d prefer less obvious ‘bits’) and spices if applicable and pulse again to combine.

Add flour, pea protein, salt and oil (in that order) and process to bring together (speed 6 for 15 seconds).

Tip onto a lightly floured mat and knead until dough is soft and elastic.

Add in fruit and knead at this point if using.

Cover with oil, using hands and place in  a clean oiled bowl, cover and place in a warm place to double in size (about – 45 mins-1 hour).

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Knock back the dough and place into oiled loaf tin or break into bun size (about 10-12 rolls or finger buns of equal weight – rolled tightly for buns) and place on a lined baking tray. It is a very light and fluffy dough so be careful not to over work it.

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Need to work on making them more finger like!

Leave to double in size again (approximately another hour).

Place into a preheated 250C oven for 10 minutes, then drop temperature to 190C and cook for a further 25 minutes, or until golden on top and bottom sounds hollow when tapped. Leave to cool before slicing.

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Sandwich loaf and rolls (plus some Yoghurt Dough Cheeseymite scrolls!)

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Harry the 'Carbivore'!!
Harry the ‘Carbivore’!!

For the sticky finger buns and bread rolls, place into a preheated 190C oven and cook for about 15-18 minutes or until bottoms sounds hollow when tapped. Ice while warm.

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Enjoy!!

Will-kshake

~ desertcook ~ Leave a comment

My biggest boy, William, is about to turn 7 and has recently become quite interested in ‘creations’ in the kitchen.

A couple of weeks ago, he made this smoothie which has now become known as a Will-kshake in our house and he was very keen for me to share it with you!

We made it in our Nutribullet, but you could also do it in a high powered blender.

It is very thick and filling and he tells me that it’s like having soft serve ice-cream for breakfast 🙂

So thick that the straw stands alone!
So thick that the straw stands alone!
  • 1 cup milk of choice, nice and cold
  • 1/3 cup frozen blueberries
  • 1/3 cup frozen mango
  • 1/4 cup rolled oats
  • 1/2 a ripe banana (fresh or frozen – frozen makes it even thicker)

Add all ingredients to cup and blend until smooth.

Enjoy 🙂

Thai Red Curry (Poached Chicken)

~ desertcook ~ 5 Comments

This is such a quick and tasty curry!

  • 270ml coconut milk (I like the Aayam brand)
  • 1 heaped tbsp red curry paste
  • 2 medium sweet potatoes
  • 1/2 large head of cauliflower
  • 2 large handfuls green beans
  • 2 cups hot chicken stock (I used Massel)
  • 4 chicken thighs, fat removed

Place coconut milk, stock and curry paste in a large saucepan and stir well to combine.

Dice the potato and add to the curry mix. Bring to a gentle simmer.

Dice the chicken, about the same size as the potato, then add to the potato mix.

Allow to simmer for 10 minutes then  roughly chop and add the cauliflower.

Simmer for a further 5 minutes before adding the chopped green beans.

20150714_173552Serve with rice and your preference of sauce quantity.

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This made enough for about 8 adults.

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Enjoy 🙂

For a delicious vegan option for this curry simply omit the chicken and bulk up the other veggies. I have done this recently and no-one in my family even realised!

Singapore Noodles

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Well, they’re not really Singapore Noodles because we can’t make them with egg noodles (so sad!!) but they are based on the dish that I grew up with.

The thing I love most about this dish, (well, apart from the fact that my family all loves it!), is that it can all be prepared in advance and then takes, literally, 10 minutes at dinner time. Yay!

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These are the rice noodles that we have found work well
These are the rice noodles that we have found work well
  • 400g pork fillet
  • 2 medium carrots, finely julienned
  • 1/2 cabbage, finely shredded
  • wok ready rice noodles (go with egg noodles if your diet allows!)

Sauce

  • 1/4 cup honey
  • 3tbsp coconut aminos
  •  2 tsps minced ginger
  • 1 tbsp lemon juice
  • 1 cup chicken stock
  • 3 tsp pure corn flour

Marinade

  • 1tbsp garlic olive oil
  • 2 tsp pure corn flour
  • 1/2 tsp coconut sugar
  • 1 tbsp coconut aminos
  • 1 tbsp water

Mix together all marinade ingredients until smooth.

Finely slice pork and place into marinade. Mix to cover all meat and then leave, covered in fridge for at least 2 hours.

Mix together all sauce ingredients in saucepan and set aside.

Fry pork in a small amount of oil in wok or pan. Remove from heat and set aside.

Place cabbage and carrot in work and cover to wilt.

Put the sauce saucepan on a medium heat and bring to a gentle simmer. Allow to simmer gently for a few minutes to thicken and reduce slightly.

While the sauce is simmering, place the noodles in a large bowl and cover with boiling water. Stir until warmed through, then drain and add to veggie mix.

Pour the sauce into the noodle mix.

Serve the noodles then top with pork (and some sesame seeds if your diet allows).

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Serve about 6 adults.

Enjoy 🙂

Chicken and Sweet Corn Soup

~ desertcook ~ 2 Comments

This soup in its original form was a regular feature on my Mum’s winter menu as I was growing up.

I seem to remember taking great effort to convince my younger brother that the rice vermicelli in it was dried eels brains … and for ages he believed me! Rotten sister!

It is such a comforting winter food that it is still a favourite of mine.

  • 4 large chicken thighs, very finely diced*
  • 4 tins corn kernels, drained and rinsed
  • 200g rice vermicelli
  • 12 cups hot chicken stock
  • 1 large brown onion, finely diced
  • 2 tbsp olive oil
  • 1 tsp minced garlic
  • 2 tsp freshly chopped thyme
  • pepper
  • 2 tbsp Port or coconut aminos
  • 1 large head of broccoli, chopped

In a very large saucepan heat the oil. Add the onion and garlic and fry gently until the onions are golden.

Add in the chicken* and season with pepper, thyme and port. Cook stirring until lightly browned

Add in the stock, stir well. Bring to a gentle simmer for 10 minutes.

While the soup is simmering, take 2 of the tins of corn and place them in the food processor. Process until it fairly smooth. (You can just used 2 tins of creamed corn for ease if your diet allows, but the ‘extras’ in tins of creamed corn do not agree with Ellie).

Add in the now creamed corn and the whole kernels of corn and stir well. Add in the broccoli here.

Break up the rice vermicelli and add to the soup.

Heat until noodles are soft and serve.

 

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This makes a very large quantity – love my giant 12L saucepan!! Go with a half batch if your saucepan isn’t quite so big!

Hello lunch for the next month!!
Hello lunch for the next month!!

Soup freezes well and keeps in the fridge for about 4 or 5 days.

*If you have some left over roast chicken it works really well here in place if the chicken thigh, just chop it and add it in at the same time as the corn and broccoli.

Enjoy!