Oaty breakfast muffins

Makes 12

Ingredients

3 cups rolled oats

¼ cup rapadura or other granulated sugar

2 tsp baking powder

3 eggs

125g butter, melted

1 cup unsweetened applesauce or I used 2 blitz bananas

1 cup milk

1 tsp vanilla

Top with

Cranberries and pistachios

Blueberries and shredded coconut

Chocolate chips and almonds

Blueberry and chocolate chip

Raspberry and chocolate chip

Method

Preheat oven to 190°C/170°C fan forced

Grease muffin tin really well or lined with paper cases.

In a large mixing bowl, combine rolled oats, brown sugar and baking powder. Set aside.

In another mixing bowl, combine eggs, applesauce/banana, milk and vanilla and whisk thoroughly.

Pour wet ingredients into dry ingredients and mix.

Scoop batter into prepared muffin tin. Put your topping on.

Bake at for 30-35 minutes

Serve as an on the go breakfast, you could serve with some greek yoghurt too if you wanted, or warmed with ice cream for a dessert

These can also be frozen and taken out when needed.

Cauliflower and potato pakoras

Pakoras are spiced vegetable fritters. The great thing about pakoras is that you can use any vegetable you like. I had these with a simple raita. Natural yoghurt blended with a little garlic, mint and salt.

Makes about 30

Ingredients

2 cups chickpea flour (also known as gram or besan flour)

5 tablespoons rice flour (can be omitted but makes extra crispy)

2 tablespoons coriander powder

2 teaspoons ground cumin

3-5 chopped green chilies according to spiciness desired (can be omitted)

½ teaspoon chili powder (optional)

1/3 of a cup finely chopped coriander

2 teaspoons salt

1 1/2 – 2 cups water (until medium batter forms)

Oil or ghee to fry

½ a large cauliflower, cut into small florets, or grate as I did using a food processor

1 medium potatoes, grated

Method

Mix together the cauliflower, potato, chickpea flour, rice flour, salt, cumin, coriander, and chili powder if you are using it. Add the coriander and chilies and mix.

Add water, mixing until a smooth batter forms (similar to pancake batter).

Place the ghee or oil into a frying pan and heat on medium/high heat, you know the oil is hot enough when a drop of batter dropped in will rise to the top straight away but not immediately change colour.

When oil is hot enough dip vegetables into batter one at a time and drop carefully into the hot oil. It is best to fry smaller batches of pakoras. Turn the pakoras from time to time to ensure even browning.

The pakoras are done when they are golden brown which should take approximately 5 minutes. If your pakoras are greasy then you may be frying them on too low heat. If your pakoras are turning brown before the vegetables inside cook then lower your heat.

Tandoori chicken with a broccoli, chickpea and cauliflower salad

Ingredients

600g chicken thighs (about 5-6 thighs)

¼ cup of natural yoghurt

1 ½ tbsp tandoori spice rub (about half the recipe-below)

Method

You can half the thighs if you like. Mix together and marinate overnight if you can. Try and make leftovers as this makes a great salad!

I served this with a cauliflower, broccoli and chickpea salad (recipe below)

Tandoori spice rub

Makes 1/3 cup

Use this for beef, lamb or prawns

Ingredients

2 teaspoons ground coriander

2 teaspoons ground cumin

2 teaspoons garam masala

2 teaspoons ground ginger

2 teaspoons paprika

2 teaspoons turmeric

1 teaspoon ground cardamom

1 teaspoon salt

1 ½ teaspoons white pepper

½ teaspoon cayenne or chilli powder

Method

Mix together and store in an airtight container.

 Indian spiced cauliflower, chickpea and broccoli salad

Serves 6

Ingredients

½ large head cauliflower, cut into small florets

2 medium heads broccoli, cut into florets

400g can chickpeas, rinsed, and drained

1 tbsp olive oil

1 tsp ground cumin seeds

1 tsp ground coriander

1 tsp garam masala

1/2 tsp ground turmeric

1 small red onion, thinly sliced

1/2 cup coriander leaves

1/2 cup mint leaves

Method

Preheat oven to 200C. Line a baking tray with baking paper.

Combine the cauliflower, broccoli, chickpeas, oil and spices in a large bowl. Season with salt and pepper and toss to combine. Spread over the lined tray. Bake turning occasionally, for 20 minutes or until cauliflower is lightly golden brown and tender. Remove from heat and set aside to cool slightly.

Transfer the cauliflower mixture to a large bowl. Add onion, coriander and mint leaves and toss to combine. 

Sausage and vegetable kebabs

Serves 4-6

600g pack of sausages- you can always buy more and freeze or cook them all and use in a salad, or fry up with some rice and vegetables.

Your choice of vegetables like slices of zucchini, mushroom, pineapple, red onion, capsicum and cherry tomato, I like to put the tomato on the sharp point for the kids

Thread on kebab sticks, alternating sausage and vegetables.

Cook in a pan, bake or bbq and serve with some brown rice or quinoa. You can serve with more salad or veg on the side to bump up your veg intake.

I like it with this japanese bbq sauce- heat the sauce add a little water to get a runny consistency and drizzle over the kebabs and rice when you serve it. Can add a sprinkle of black and white sesame seeds if you want.

Japanese bbq sauce

 Ingredients

3 tbsp tomato paste

1 ½ tbsp tamari or soy sauce

1 ½ tbsp mirin

1 ½ tsp Worcestershire sauce (if you don’t have it you can leave out)

1 tsp finely grated ginger

Method

Mix together and drizzle over the rice and kebabs. Any leftover can be used as a marinade or dipping sauce for dumplings.

Spiced chicken thighs with chickpea mash and a zucchini, snow pea and capsicum salad

Serves 4

Ingredients

4 x 125g chicken thighs (about 4 big ones) cut in half

1 tsp dried oregano

1 tsp ground cumin

1 tsp ground turmeric

½ tsp chilli powder or to taste

Method

Mix together and marinate with a splash of olive oil. Leave overnight or as long as you have. Cook in a pan, bbq or bake in the oven. Serve with zucchini salad and chickpea mash.

Zucchini salad

150g snow peas, ends chopped off, plunged into boiling water for 30 seconds or until they change color and then plunged into cold water to retain their color

4 medium zucchinis, sliced thinly with a mandolin or potato peeler

½ red capsicum and ½ yellow one, sliced thinly

Juice of 1 lemon (zest first and set the zest aside for the mash)

2 tsp olive oil

Salt and pepper

Mix these together in a bowl and set aside. If you have some basil handy, this would make a nice addition.

Chickpea Mash

2 x 400g can chickpeas (or cannellini beans) rinsed and drained

1 brown onion, finely diced

2 cloves of garlic, minced

Juice of half a lemon

Zest of 1 lemon

1/3 cup of chicken stock or water

In a medium pot add a little olive oil and cook the onion and garlic for 2 minutes or until softened, then add your chickpeas, lemon juice and zest. Heat through for about 3 minutes and then blend using a stick mixer or use a potato masher. Add some salt and pepper.

Easy kimchi

This isn't completely authentic as I could not find some of the ingredients, so I just did what I wanted

This made nearly 4 x 300ml jars worth- you can double this recipe too

Ingredients

½ wombok/chinese cabbage (this was 1.1kg) you need about 4 tsp salt per 1 kg of vegetables but there is fish sauce which is salty so I reduced it.

4 cloves garlic, finely chopped

1-2 tbsp sambal oelek (This is a chilli paste found in the Asian section at the supermarket)

1 tbsp ginger, finely chopped

2 tbsp fish sauce

2-3 spring onions, 2 cm slice

3 tsp salt

You can also use radish, carrot and daikon in there too

Method

Take the core out of the cabbage and wash the leaves. Chop into 2-3 cm pieces, you don’t have to shred it just chop into chunks.

Salt the cabbage and mix and squash though the cabbage. Leave until you see lots of liquid that has come out. About 1-2 hours.

To the cabbage add your ginger, garlic, sambal, spring onion and fish sauce. Mix together and pack tightly in a 2 litre jar, you can use anything you like really.

Squash down and then add a little salt and water until the cabbage is covered. I have seen people use another cabbage leave to place over the top to keep the cabbage submerged, but I just used a ziplock bag with water in it to weigh it down. I left it for 5 days, just taste it and see what you think, you can leave it longer, up to you!  Some people leave it weeks!

I then packed it tight into 4 x 300 ml clean jars to make it easier.

KFC style chicken

11 herbs and spices fried chicken

Enough for about 1 kg of chicken

In a small food processor or spice grinder add the following and blitz until a powder forms. Then to the spice mix add 1 cup of flour, I used spelt, but you can use gf flour if you like.

2 tsp rock salt

2 tsp paprika

1 tsp black peppercorns

1 tsp dried tarragon

1 tsp dried basil

1 tsp dried oregano

1 tsp dried thyme

1 tsp dried sage

1 tsp onion flakes

1 tsp garlic powder

1 tsp celery salt

I used tenderloins for this so I didn’t need to cut it up, but you can use slices of chicken breast, make popcorn chicken breast, use chicken thighs cut into 2-3 pieces.

You need something to make the flour stick, you can use a beaten egg. I used a little yoghurt and left for a few hours but you can use it straight away.

All you have to do then is put your spice mix//flour in a bag, add your chicken and shake up. Then fry off in a pan of oil on a low to medium heat for about 4 minutes each side or spray with oil and bake at 200 c for about 20 minutes.

Serve up with mash, gravy and steamed veg or salad

Southern style roast chicken w/ whole roasted cauliflower

Nothing beats a roast chicken, yeah?!

Tonight I had a mixture of spices from the cupboard, turned out like southern style/cajun feel

Plus whole roasted cauli with parmesan, thyme and mustard

I used paprika, smoked paprika, onion and garlic powder, dried basil and thyme, a small amount of cumin, allspice and coriander, mix with a little olive oil and rub all over your chicky!

Massage it real good!

Roast at 180 c for 1 1/4 hrs for a small one and 1 3/4 hrs for a big one (2kg)

Take out and cover, let it rest for 15 minutes (while your broccoli is steaming)

Tried out a whole roasted cauliflower which I have never done before!

To make this i mixed together 2 tbsp dijon mustard, 1/4 cup of grated parmesan cheese, black pepper, 1 tsp dried thyme and a touch of olive oil to make a paste.

I cut the cauli in half, smother over the paste and bake at 180 for about an hour or until tender, this is the same amount of time it takes for your roast potatoes and sweet potato (if you are cooking this)

Served with roasted veg and steamed broccoli and gravy.

The gravy was divine! Kind of like KFC gravy but waaaaaay better!

Pour all the liquid that comes out of the chicken and put into a pot. Empty the liquid out halfway during cooking and again at the end of your chicken resting. Then add a slurry of corn flour and water, (about 1 heaped tsp of flour) Heat the juice and when boiling add in a little at a time of the cornflour mix until it is the consistency you like. Add more cornflour/water as needed.

Cheesy stuffed crumbed rissoles

 Got mince and get sick of spag bol?? 

This is a cheesy stuffed crumbed rissole 

Why not try this out?!

Oh how I love things that are crumbed and things that are stuffed! 

I asked what it should be called and the answer I received was a stuffed crumbed meat slab...i'm thinking...no, meat slab does not sound very enticing!

I took a few pics so you can see what i'm trying to describe!

I used 600g beef mince, add salt and pepper, knead for a minute until sticky.

What I did here was make 2 bigger ones (125g mince) for the adults and then divided the remaining mince to make 4 smaller ones.

Take a ball of mince and flatten out to a rectangle shape, place a couple of bits of cheese on 1 half and then fold over to enclose the cheese. Seal up the edge and form a rectangle shape.

You can pan fry this as is, or take it to another level by crumbing it, yum yum! 

To do this just roll in some cornflour, then dip in beaten egg (just 1) and whatever crumbs you normally use for crumbing. Leave in the fridge until you need them. Then just cook in some oil on a low to medium heat. Not too high or you will burn the outside and the middle will be raw!

I had this with tabouli, salad and grilled broccolini 

Mess!!!!!