Enoki Miso Soup … Cheating style!

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So … I’m clearly not of Asian descent and I certainly did not grow up eating Miso in any form!

As such, I make absolutely NO claim to this being an even vaguely authentic (or even correct?!) way to make Miso soup 😆

However, it was delicious, easy, comforting and nutritious so I’m running with it!

Actually, if I’m honest, the first time it wasn’t quite as delicious … I waaaay overdid the chilli and I couldn’t feel my lips 😬 that is fixed now!

If you haven’t used Miso before, it is a rich, fermented soy bean paste with a deep savoury or umami flavour. It is also thought to be a great gut health food, being rich in fibre and high in protein and antioxidants. You can find it in big supermarkets, Asian grocery stores and health food shops.

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To make the soup you’ll need:

  • 1 tbsp garlic infused olive oil
  • 70g white miso paste
  • 1 heaped tbsp fresh grated ginger
  • 1 tbsp coconut aminos (or soy sauce)
  • 1/4 tsp dehydrated chilli flakes (check their heat!)
  • 250g Enoki mushrooms (cut their gritty ends off before you weigh them)
  • 4 cups hot veggie stock
  • 6 cups hot water
  • A good handful of diced sugar snap peas, snow peas or green beans per serve

In a large saucepan over medium heat, heat the oil, then add in the miso paste, ginger, aminos and chilli.

Cook, stirring for a few minutes until well combined and fragrant.

Add in the mushrooms and stir them through the miso mix so they are well coated. Cook for a further 2 minutes.

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Add in the stock and water then stir well and bring to a gentle simmer.

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Place your fresh, chopped peas or beans in a bowl and top with the very hot soup.

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Serve immediately.

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Serves 4.

I freeze the leftovers of the soup for lunches, but I don’t add the peas or beans to the freezer – they keep their crunch best when you add them in fresh.

Enjoy 🙂

 

 

 

Moroccan Black Bean Chicken on Seared Eggplant

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This is such a simple meal – quick to throw into the slow cooker in the morning and then a few extra minutes to finish in the evening when you get home from work. But it is delicious and filling – I guess ‘hearty’ is a good way to describe it!!

It makes a large batch too which is great for big families and for the freezer 🙂

5 out of 6 thumbs up at my place (number 6 is waaay over tired and went to bed so I’m not sure that I’m counting his vote this time 😉 )

  • 8 chicken thighs, skinless & boneless (approx 1.2kg)
  • 2 tbsp Moroccan spice blend (I make this one)
  • 2 x 400g tin black beans, drained and rinsed
  • 800g tin diced tomatoes
  • 1/2 cup hot chicken stock (Massel for store bought)
  • 1 rounded tbsp tomato paste
  • Eggplant (aubergine) slices, Approx 200g per person
  • Olive oil
  • Pink salt flakes
  • Grated cheese of choice to top

Place chicken in the bottom of the slow cooker, sprinkle the seasoning over the top.

Add in the black beans and tomatoes.

Stir together the tomato paste and stock before pouring it over the contents of the slow cooker.

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Place lid on slow cooker and cook on low for 7-8 hours.

Lift lid and use a couple of forks to shred the chicken.

Slice eggplants long ways (I cut a medium one into 4 slices) then pat dry of any water.

Spray with a little olive oil and place into a hot frying pan. Cook each side for a couple of minutes until soft and golden.

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Sprinkle eggplant with a little salt, then transfer to a lined baking tray.

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Top the eggplant with the slow cooked chicken mix and a little grated cheese (dairy or plant based). Put under a hot grill for a few minutes until the cheese is melted and golden.

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Serve immediately.

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SO very full after dinner!

This quantity of chicken mix makes about 12 adult serves. If you’re not serving 6 like me, a half batch cooks exactly the same.

We portion out and freeze the left-overs ready for another easy family meal – just need to cook the fresh eggplant each time.

Full disclosure ….. 3 of my 4 kids cried on being told that they were having eggplant  – they had theirs on a little GF pasta instead!!!

P.S. I have been asked about the macros of this recipe – so if you need them: The serve as pictured above is 1/12 of the mix, roughly 1 ladle, with 2 x 100g slices of eggplant and 15g total of Tasty cheese. It is 282 calories, 10g fat, 30g protein and 20g carbs.

P.P.S I haven’t made a vegan version yet, but next time I intend to give it a go and I’ll update. I think I’ll use 2 cans of cannellini beans to replace the chicken and use stock paste or powder for the flavour, but not use the water.

Pear, Pomegranate & Date Overnight Oats

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Every year in January our extended family gathers at the beach for breakfast to remember my Grandad on his birthday.

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It’s always a bring and share affair; fruit, savoury muffins, bacon and eggs, pancakes … And I’m pretty well not allowed to attend without bringing some form of fruity overnight oats.

This is the one I took this year.

It’s a super simple way to make a delicious, filling, summer breakfast when you are short on time in the mornings (ok – so every morning then?!).

  • 2 cups rolled oats
  • 2 cups unsweetened almond milk (or other milk of choice)
  • 1 tsp ground cinnamon
  • 1 large very ripe green pear, grated
  • 1 pomegranate, seeded
  • 6 medjool dates, quarted
  • Small handful of dry roasted almonds (or sunflower seeds), roughly chopped
  • 1 heaped tbsp each pumpkin seeds and hemp seeds
  • Several mint leaves, torn

Place the oats, milk and cinnamon in a bowl and mix together. Cover and place in the fridge over night, or for at least 2 hours.

In the morning, fluff up the oats with a fork, then grate the pear and stir it though.

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Top with the fruit, nuts and seeds and then mint and serve.

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Add a spoon of your favourite yoghurt (dairy, soy or coconut) if you’d like too.

Serves 8

Enjoy 🙂

Fragrant Stewed Apples (and the best ever apple sauce!)

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Such simple comfort food!

We often wind up making this recipe when the apples (or pears!) we’ve bought are really floury or soft but we don’t want them to go to waste. My biggest little one is very excited whenever this recipe appears. He has Oral Allergy Syndrome and reacts quite badly to raw apple, but cooked he can handle it!!

Like most of my recipes I take the simple (lazy?!) option!

As well as taking less time, leaving  the skin on the fruit is terrific for the added fibre and nutrients. Very simple, and you don’t need to add any extra sweeteners.

  • 6 apples (whichever kind you like)
  • peel of 1 lemon
  • 1 tsp of ground cinnamon
  • 6 cloves
  • 1/4 cup water

Thermal Cooker Method: Core and slice the apples, place them in the machine, sprinkle over cinnamon and cloves. Then use a peeler to remove the yellow layer only of the lemon. Add the strips to the top of the apples.

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Add in the water and set for 15 minutes, speed 1, ST.

Stove top method: place all of the ingredients into a large sauce pan, cook, stirring frequently, with the lid on in between stirring. Will take about 15-20 minutes on the stove.

If you want a sweeter fruit desert, add in a handful of sultanas during the last few minutes of cooking.

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Place in an air tight container in the fridge and use for up to a week. Remove the peel and cloves before serving.

If you want a most delicious, fragrant, thick apple sauce instead, follow the same steps as above, then remove the lemon rind and either transfer to a blender or set a speed 4 for 15 seconds, scrape down and repeat.

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How can I use stewed apples?

  • Eat them on their own!
  • Mix it with yoghurt for breakfast or dessert
  • Use it as a topping for your soaked overnight oats
  • Add it to your cereal
  • Add in some roasted, crunchy nuts and have it for an afternoon ‘pick-me-up’
  • Serve it as a side to a soft tea cake

And the sauce?

  • Perfect if you’re doing baby food
  • Mix it through yoghurt
  • Use it as an egg or sugar replacer in cakes and baking (check out my Apple, Pumpkin and Oat muffins, or my Maple Cinnamon Weet-bix slice)
  • Use it with you next pork roast or pulled pork burgers.
  • Freeze it in ice cube trays so you can grab it out at short notice
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Delicious with yoghurt for dessert!

Enjoy 🙂

Creamy Mushroom Stroganoff

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Beef Stroganoff was my one of my husband’s favourite childhood meals. And I used to make a slow cooked version for him (it is yummy – and you can find it here), but as we’ve been reducing our meat consumption, it has fallen off the menu in the last year or so.

I decided to give a completely non-meat version a go and was very happy with the results! Peter thoroughly enjoyed it – and even took the left overs for lunch the next day … although he still wants the beef version to make an occasional appearance!

  • 2tbsp olive oil
  • 1 small brown onion
  • 2 cloves garlic, finely chopped and crushed
  • 400g button mushrooms – add in different types for a variety in texture if you like
  • 1 tbsp fresh chopped thyme and rosemary
  • 1/2 tsp paprika
  • 1/2 tsp pink salt flakes
  • 1/4 cup flour (spelt or GF)
  • 1 tbsp Nutritional yeast (optional but add for depth of flavour)
  • 2/3 cup plant based milk (I used a high protein soy milk for a really creamy sauce)
  • 1 cup veggie stock (the beef style Masssel stock gives a more authentic Stroganoff flavour, but any veggie stock is fine)
  • Vegetables or noodles to serve

Heat the olive oil in a heavy based pan on the stove.

Add in the olive oil and cook for a few minutes until it starts to become translucent, add in the garlic and allow to cook for another minutes.

Add in the chopped mushrooms, stir will to coat in oil and onion mix then allow to cook for about 5 minutes, until the mushroom soften.

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Mix together the flour, nutritional yeast, herbs, paprika and salt. Then sprinkle this dry mix over the top of the mushrooms and stir well until the mix is well combined.

Add in the hot stock and plant milk, then stir well. Bring the mix to a gentle simmer.

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Simmer for about 10 minutes, stirring occasionally, or until the liquid is thick and creamy.

If you love noodles (I don’t – sorry!), stir through your cooked and drained pasta here, to coat it with the stroganoff before serving.

I add in some green beans at this point and simmer for a minutes or 2 so that they still have a bit of crunch, and serve them on a bed of carrot noodles  – SO good!

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Serves 3-4

This one isn’t suitable for freezing but it does well as leftovers for lunch the next day!

Enjoy!

Cauliflower fritters

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I love having a few different breakfast options, especially ones that help me to get in my veggies! These gorgeous fritters are gluten free, dairy free, vegetarian, a good source of fibre and protein and just 2 of them contains over 90% of the RDI calcium intake for woman 😲 and just quietly … They’re really yummy too 🤤 Mr 11 stole 2 before I even had them all on the plate!

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  • 430g cauliflower
  • 2 packed cups spinach
  • 2 medium sticks celery
  • 3 medium eggs
  • 1/3 cup nutritional yeast
  • 1/3 cup almond meal OR any flour of choice
  • 1/4 cup hemp seeds
  • 1 tbsp fresh chopped herbs – thyme and rosemary
  • 1/2 tsp dried garlic flakes
  • 1 tsp pink salt flakes
  • a few grinds of pepper
  • olive oil to fry

Finely chop and steam the cauliflower until it is soft. Drain any water, transfer to a large bowl and mash – don’t go so far as to puree it!

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Finely chop your spinach and celery, add to the cauliflower mix and fold together until combined.

Mix together all dry ingredients, including herbs and add to the veggie mix. Fold together until combined.

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Whisk the eggs together and then add to the veggie mix. Fold though until well combined.

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This bit gets a little messy …. use a good handful of the mixture to form a patty and then place in to a lightly oiled, medium heat frying pan.

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Cook for about 3 minutes until golden brown and then turn to cook the other side for another 3 minutes.

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Makes 8-10 depending on the size of your patty. Today I made 9.

They are delicious warm, or cold and they keep for a couple for days in the fridge so you can gently reheat them in the microwave for breakfast on the go or even a filling lunch at work.

Eat them on their own, dip them in some natural yoghurt …. or my personal preference is to stack them and top them with some creamy avocado and cherry tomatoes! Yum!

I haven’t tried making these ones egg free yet – but next time I’ll have a go at binding them with tofu and then I’ll update! In the mean time if you need an egg free veggie patty –these are delicious!

Enjoy 🙂

Mushroom Meatballs

~ desertcook ~ 2 Comments

People are choosing to decrease meat consumption for many reasons; ethical, environmental, health and budgetary.

Whatever your reason, one of the ways you can decrease your consumption is by not always focusing on meat as the centre of your meal. Thinking about it as the side instead.

For me, it’s a juggle between my preference for a largely plant based diet and my husband’s preference to live as a carnivore!

These meatballs were a pretty good compromise and they were very well received.

  • a dozen  medium button mushrooms, roughly chopped
  • half a brown onion, diced
  • 1.5 tbsp garlic olive oil
  • 1 large carrot
  • 1 tsp thyme
  • 500g beef mince
  • 200g cooked chick peas (about 1/2 a tin)
  • Pinch of salt and pepper
  • 1 tbsp coconut aminos
  • olive oil to cook

Place the garlic oil in a hot frying pan, fry the onion until it begins to soften, then add in the mushrooms.

Fry the mushrooms until they begin to soften and then add the grated carrot.

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Mix well, add in salt and pepper to taste, thyme and the coconut aminos.

Fry, stirring regularly, until the carrot is soft.

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Into your food processors, place the beef mince, the mix from the frying pan and the chick peas.

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Process until well combined and fairly smooth. (Speed 4, 8 seconds, scrape down and repeat)

Place mix into the fridge for at least half an hour but up to a full day – this will help the mix tighten and hold together better when you cook it later on.

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Form teaspoons of the mix into small balls and then place into a frying pan with a couple of tablespoons of oil – don’t have the frying pan searing hot or you’ll burn them before they cook properly. Cook on each side until golden brown and cooked through.

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Next time I make them, I will bake them after spraying with olive oil instead of frying  – I’ll update when I do.

Makes about 24. Serve with your favourite sides – pasta, veggies, salads, or even in a sandwich!

These don’t freeze particularly well (the tend to fall apart a little bit) but they are delicious for lunches over the next couple of days. I had mine with salad and avocado – yum!

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Enjoy