Chiili Bean Rosti

Saute 1 brown onion
Grease a shallow baking dish and combine
400gms white beans
400gms kidney beans
400gms corn kernals
1tsp chilli powder
2 tsps crushed garlic
2 diced tomatoes
Add the onion and combine

Top with coarsely grated potato and grated cheese

Oven bake until golden

Sausage Cheese and Apple Strata

This is a lovely supper dish although in the states it is treated as a breakfast dish. The recipe is adapted from James Villas Crazy for Casseroles,  which is a great book well worth getting.

Fry 1 sliced onion with 500gms of chopped pork sausages and 2 rashes diced bacon

meanwhile

Cut into squares 5 slices of white bread
Cube 2 granny smith apples (peeled and cored)
Place these on the bottom of a casserole dish
Top with the cooked onion and pork
Sprinkle with a layer of grated cheese

Mix together 5 eggs and 2 cups of milk
Pour over the casserole
Top with grated cheese

Oven bake for 50 minutes or until the egg sets

The apple retains its crunch and I really liked it this way, if you want the apple to soften I would suggest cutting it very thinly.

Blue Eye with Zing

Get a couple of Blue Eye Fillets. Any firm white fleshed fish will work.

Puree of beans
Take a tin of white beans, rinse, season with salt., pepper and add some garlic
Puree until it makes a firmish puree.
Heat gently.

Tomatoes
Cut a selection of grape tomatoes in half and place in a hot pan of olive oil
Add 2 chorizo sliced
Saute until softened
Add a dash of red wine vinegar.
Put aside.

Fish
Add some olive oil and cook the fish about 3 mins on each side
At the end of the cooking add the tomato mix back to the pan
Season and add some lemon juice and garnish with fresh basil.

I served this with some fresh spring asparagus.

Spinach and Cheese Bake

A nice vegetarian main, light and flavorsome.

Lightly wilt in olive oil torn English spinach.
Mix together 2 eggs, 100mls buttermilk, 300gms light ricotta
Place spinach in a buttered baking dish
Pour mixture over the top
Crumble about 200gms of fetta over the mixture
Place cooked asparagus over the cheese
                                            Top with puff pastry and bake until golden
                                                      Serve with baked potatoes

BBQ Timing

Coming into summer some people fret about grilling on the hotplate at the BBQ, this is a quick guide to timing and turning. A hint might be that the plate/grill should be clean and well oiled before you start. Heat the plate on high for 5 minutes then turn to a lower setting for a further 5 to get a nice even heat. Ideal would be so you can hold your hand OVER the grill for 5 to 6 seconds. Unless you do want to char the meat.

Beef

Steak              Turn once at midpoint    12-14 mins well done, 8-10 mins medium, 5 mins rare
Burgers          Turn once at midpoint   10 mins
Sausages        Turn often on low temperature 15 mins the skins should not burst

Chicken

Chicken breast                     Turn a few times 12 -15 mins ensure it does not dry out
Chicken thighs                     As above
Wings and drumsticks         Cook indirectly wrapping in foil will help 35-40 mins

Seafood

Fillets              Turn once 5-8 mins depending on thickness
Shellfish etc     Turn once 5-8 mins depending on marinade

What can you add to this advice?

Red lentil Loaf

This is one of my favourite vegetarian dishes, it comes from Meals without Meat by Alison and Simon Holst.

Cook 1.5 cups of red lentils in 3 cups of water adding 1 bay leaf and 2 cloves of crushed garlic
Lentils are cooked when soft when pinched between fingers

Saute 1 diced onion until translucent

Combine the above in a mixing bowl with
2 eggs
2 cups grated cheese
Breadcrumbs
1tsp curry powder

Place into a greased loaf tin
Cook at 180c for at least an hour until set in the centre

I serve this with vegetables mashed potato and tomato or chilli sauce

Indian flavoured Vegetable Curry

A simple blend of spices can give a lovely Indian flavour to some vegetables.

Slice one onion and fry
Dice two zucchini and add to mix
Cut one eggplant into cubes
Add several florets of cauliflower
Several cubes of tofu (not all that Indian but nice)

For the spices combine
1tsp mustard seed
1tsp Fenugreek powder
1tsp coriander powder
1tsp garam masala
1tsp chilli powder
1tsp tumeric powder
1tsp grated ginger
Add these and fry until fragrant mix to coat vegetables

Add 1 tin diced tomatoes and water
Simmer until cooked serve with basmarti rice garnish with coriander

Imam Bayildi

Cut 2 eggplants in half spray with oil and oven bake
Allow to cool and scoop out flesh

Saute 2 diced brown onions
4 stalks of celery
2 chopped red peppers
1 sliced green chilli
2 diced cloves of garlic
Add 1 can diced tomatoes
pick of nutmeg
Flesh of the eggplant
1 tsp raisins
1tsp sultanas

Stuff the mixture into the eggplant wheels  and oven bake

Serve on a bed of rice

Cheesy Vegetable Bake

This is a straight forward and tasty vegetable side dish. I used fresh and inexpensive cauliflower and broccoli but it would work with any in season vegetables.

Grease a baking dish
Cook 1 cauliflower and 1 broccoli heads splitting into florets
Add to baking dish with frozen peas and corn mix

Melt 50 gms of butter on the stove
Stir in 50gms of flour
2 tps of mustard powder
3 cups of milk
Melt in a generous amount of grated cheese
Pour over the cooked vegetables
Sprinkle with more cheese and oven bake until top top turns lightly golden


For the health conscious use skim milk milk or butter milk and low fat cheese

Vegetarian grilled sandwich

Once again this one is from Cat Cora. Nice weekend supper.

Combine in a bowl fetta cheese fresh oregano and salt and pepper mix well
Spread this cheese onto 2 well buttered pieces of bread
Top with sliced boccocini
Sliced tomato
Fresh torn basil
Cook in olive oil in a non stick pan

Vegetable Stir Fry

Cube and fry 1 whole eggplant and1 block of tofu

In the wok fry
1 sliced onion
2 sliced zucchini
1 grated carrot
1 red pepper
Add eggplant and tofu
MixChilli bean sauce through and add a dash of oyster sauce
Serve on rice

Tomatillo Lamb

This is another one of Cat Cora's recipes and despite it being simple it is really lovely

Cube a shoulder or leg of lamb (these are the best value)
Brown, you can flour and brown them if you wish and remove from pot
Saute 2 chopped onions
3 sliced garlic cloves
Deglaze with white wine
Add one tin tomatillos
2 cups of beef stock
1 bay leaf
1 sprig of fresh thyme
Season well
Simmer gently for 2 hours
Serve on rice and garnish with sour cream

Spicy Chicken with Polenta

This is a tasty mid week dish, simple healthy and full of flavour.

Cut chicken thigh fillets into bite sized pieces
Slice into pieces 1 chorizo sausage
Pan fry

When cooked


Slice a mixture of onion, celery, garlic, zucchini and mushroom saute in with the meat and when softened add a can of diced Italian tomatoes. You could also use marinated vegetables for extra kick.


Serve with pan fried polenta garnish with coriander leaf and Tomkatsu sauce

Baked Eggplant with Polenta and fresh Vegetables

This dish has a number of elements. Quick and simple though.

Firstly cut slices of eggplant place on baking paper spray with olive oil and bake

Slice a mixture of onion, celery, garlic, zucchini and mushroom saute in olive oil and when softened add a can of diced Italian tomatoes. You could also use marinated vegetables for extra kick.

Slice some prepared polenta and pan fry
Pan fry some haloumi cheese also

Combine and serve

Cat Cora's Tex-Mex Tuna Casserole

Like a lot of people I grew up with Tuna Casserole and to be honest I really like it. This is a fun variant adapted from Cat Cora's book Classics.

Cook about 250gms of Fusilli
Saute 2 diced brown onions
2 finely cut celery stalks
1 cup sweet corn kernels

Combine with 1 tin of tuna (size large)
1 tub non fat Greek yogurt
1 jar salsa
150gms low fat sour cream
Diced coriander
1 cup grated cheese

Combine in a baking dish topping with extra cheese
Bake until bubbling

Zatar Encrusted Pork Chops

A few times I have been asked to put up simple fast recipe ideas for people pushed for time.

Zatar is a spice blend ideal for adding something to meat dishes. These pork chops were inexpensive and so ideal. Any meat could be used.

Coat each side of the chops in the Zatar mix pan fry both sides

I then place them in an oven to finish cooking to prevent burning the crust.

Serve then on a bed of Cous Cous with seasonal vege.

Cous Cous is easy to make and can be done in a couple of minutes, flavour it with some pesto.

Silver Beet and Cheese Bake

Take One bunch of silver beet separate leaves from stems and cook leaves lightly in olive oil

Mix together 250gms low fat ricotta

4 eggs

40gms grated parmesan

100gms light cream

Place silver beet in the bottom of a creased baking dish pour egg mixture over the top

Top with sliced of tomato

Oven bake at 180c until golden and fully set.