Spinach and Corn Pasta

A quick and easy pasta dish.

Cook the spinach or silver beet
Add one can creamed corn
1 tsp crushed garlic
1tbs miso
Salt and pepper
Milk and corn starch

Warm and stir until thickened

Quinoa Vege Loaves

In a small saucepan boil 1/2 cup of rinsed white quinoa 10-12 min then allow to cool

Saute in olive oil
1 diced onion
2 diced carrots
1 minced garlic clove
Mince 100gms of mushrooms in a food processor
Combine with vegetarian meat I used sanitarium mince

Transfer to a mixing bowl and add 2 eggs and ketchup

Shape the mixture into individual loaves top with ketchup

Place in a preheated oven 200c for 30 - 40 minutes until a light crust forms

Serve with mash and gravy

Asian Tuna with Coconut Rice and Greens

This recipe is adapted from Jamie Oliver's 15 Minutes. Well worth looking at for quick healthy and tasty food.

Start by cooking some coconut rice, for this he suggests Basmarti.

Take two Tuna steaks and season with green tea, sesame seeds, salt and pepper.

Sear in olive oil

Remove and set aside

Meanwhile chop

1 pak choy
1 bunch asparagus
Broccoli florets
1 chilli
1clove garlic
Then cook through in the frypan
Season with sesame oil and soy sauce

Serve with rice and cashews garnish with coriander

Marinated Steak on Rice

500gms of beef strips

Marinate for 4 hours in
Mirren, 10 chopped thai chillies, 2 sliced lemongrass stalks, white section only, 1 tbs fish sauce, 2tbs light soy, 2tsp brown sugar, 2 tbs lime juice

Cook quickly on high heat

Serve on jasmine rice

Garnish with coriander and cashews

Miso Eggplant with Tofu

Modified this from SMH food section.

Cook 2 eggplants in an oven at 220c

In a jug blend 100ml of water, 2 tbs miso paste, sesame oil and vegetable oil 1 tbs of each
Add half a block of silken tofu - blend into a sauce

Allow  the eggplant to cool and remove the skin, cut into thin strips.

Place the miso in a baking dish and cover with the tofu sauce

Cut the remaining tofu into cubes and sprinkle over the eggplant

Cut 5cm of fresh ginger and 5 garlic cloves likewise, brown gently sprinkle over mixture

Serve on rice with spring onion finely sliced.

Curried Sausages

Cook the sausages and set aside.

In oil sauté
2 sliced brown onions
1 ribboned carrot
2 diced garlic cloves
1 thinly sliced capsicum

When softened add 2tbs curry powder
2 cups of chicken stock
2 tbs fruit chutney

Add the sausages back and simmer for 20 minutes serve over rice or pasta garnish with spring onion

And for the vegetarians use a vegetarian sausage.

Baked Kibbeh

Luna new year so everyone wants to have Lebanese food, that makes perfect sense.

120g (2/3 cup) Burghal 400g lamb mince
1 brown onion, coarsely grated
2 tbs chopped fresh mint
1/2 tsp ground allspice
2 tsp toasted pine nuts
1/4 tsp sumac
Olive oil, to grease
Natural yoghurt, to serve
Lebanese bread, to serve


Place cracked wheat in a heatproof bowl. Cover with boiling water. Set aside for 15 minutes. Drain through a fine sieve, pressing to remove excess moisture.


Place 350g mince and half the onion in a large bowl. Add the cracked wheat, and half the allspice, and season with salt and pepper. Use wet hands to mix until well combined.


Cook remaining mince in a non-stick frying pan over medium-high heat, stirring with a wooden spoon to break up any lumps, for 2 minutes or until mince changes colour. Add the remaining onion and cook for 2 minutes or until the mince is cooked and the onion is soft. Stir in the pine nuts, sumac and the remaining allspice. Season with salt and pepper. Set aside to cool completely.


Preheat oven to 200°C. Brush a baking tray with oil to grease. Divide the cracked wheat mixture into 16 even portions. Roll 1 portion into a ball. Holding the ball in the palm of your hand, press your index finger into the centre of the ball to make a cup shape. Place 1 teaspoon of the pine nut mixture in the cavity. Bring the edges together to seal, then roll into a slightly elongated egg shape. Repeat, in 15 more batches, with the remaining wheat mixture and pine nut mixture.


Place the kibbeh on the prepared tray. Bake in oven, turning halfway through cooking and brushing occasionally with juices, for 30 minutes or until cooked.


Serve the kibbeh balls with , yoghurt, bread and lemon wedges, wrap and bake.

Miso Rice with Mushroom and Vegetable Saute and Fried Tofu

I use a rice cooker for this dish and add two tbsp of miso paste per cup of rice.

Cut the tofu into bite size pieces coat with Shichimi tōgarashi shallow fry set aside

Slice 1 red onion
Slice 2 spring onions
Cut thinly 2 celery ribs
Take 2 carrots and cut into matchsticks
Cut thinly into strips 1 red capsicum
Sauté until soft

Add 1 tsp of minced garlic and on of minced ginger
Add 1 tsp of miso paste
A dash of rice wine

Serve the rice shaped. Dress with spring onion. Add the tofu.

For meat eaters I used deboned flathead tails.

Left Over Chicken Casserole

1 chicken
1 sprig coriander
1 jalapeño, cut in half
1/2 tablespoon salt
1 teaspoon black peppercorns

Or
1 cooked chicken , shredded
1/4 cup chicken stock

For the casserole:
1 tablespoon vegetable oil
1 medium onion, diced
1 red bell pepper, diced
5 jalapeños, seeded and stemmed, diced
4 cloves garlic, minced
1 can tomatoes
1/2 cup chopped coriander, plus more for garnishing
1 teaspoon chili powder
1 teaspoon ground cumin
1 teaspoon dried thyme
Salt
6 tortillas
2 cups shredded mozzarella
2 cups shredded cheddar
Salsa, sour cream and guacamole, for serving

Place the chicken in a large pot and cover with 1-inch of water. Add to the pot the coriander, jalapeño, salt and peppercorns. Bring the pot to a boil and then turn the heat down to low. Simmer uncovered for 45 minutes. Remove the chicken with tongs from the water and when cool enough to handle, remove the skin and shred the chicken. Toss the chicken with 1/4 cup of the cooking stock (reserving the rest of the stock for another use, you can freeze it in an ice cube tray, instant homemade chicken stock whenever you need it), then taste and add salt if needed.

Alternatively, if you want to skip making the chicken you can shred an already cooked  chicken and toss with 1/4 cup of chicken stock.

Preheat the oven to 180c and lightly grease a 9x13 baking dish.

In a large, deep skillet or Dutch oven, heat the oil on medium-low heat. Add the onions, pepper and jalapeños and while occasionally stirring cook until soft, about 10 minutes. Add the garlic and cook for 30 more seconds. Add to the skillet the shredded chicken with broth, tomatoes, chili powder, cumin and thyme, and stir until well combined. Turn off the heat, taste and adjust seasonings. Add salt to taste.

To assemble the casserole, line half of the tortillas along the bottom of the baking dish. Evenly spread on top half of the chicken mixture, half of the mozzarella and half of the cheddar cheese. Repeat the layering with the tortillas and chicken, then topping with the rest of the cheese.

Bake uncovered for 20-30 minutes or until brown and bubbling. Garnish with chopped coriander and serve warm with salsa, sour cream, and guacamole.