Shaved Cucumber Salad - Chilli, Mint and Ginger Dressing

A tidy little summer salad that you can slap together in no time at all.

Total Time: 10 Minutes

Get two medium cucumber and chop of each end. Use a vegetable peeler to remove the outer skin.

Use the same peeler to begin to shave the outer part of the cucumber. Stop when you get to the water inner part with the seed capsules.

Mix 1tsp Chilli, Ginger, Salt, Lime Juice, 1tbsp Chopped Mint, 3Tbsp White Vinegar, 1tbsp Japanese Mayonnaise.

Combine shaved cucumber to dressing and lightly shake off excess dressing.

Cracked pepper over the top and you're golden.

Lemon-Cello Spiced Chicken

Sometime your week can be a lemon. After spending three weeks away for work without a kitchen I was really itching to get back and cook myself something that didn't come from a box or require me wearing pants. Sometimes it'd hard to fit it all in with work and study, but winding down the week into what looks like a pretty quality weekend deserved a fitting finish to a lemon of a week. 

And if it includes alcohol then that's just a bonus.

2 Chicken Thigh Fillets

4tbsp All spice

1tbsp Rosemary

1/2 Can Coconut Cream

4 Tbsp Lemon-Cello

1 Tbsp Lime Juice

1 Tbsp Ground Cumin Seeds

2 Tbsp Brown Sugar

Place the Chicken Fillets on some baking paper and cover both sides with Rosemary and All-Spice, fold baking paper over the top and beat with a rolling pin until approx 1.5cm thick. Cook in a hot pan with a small amount of oil for about 5 minutes a side.

Mix all remaining ingredients besides Lemon-Cello in a small saucepan and bring to a simmer. Once off the heat add Lemon-Cello.

Lightly browned cashews to serve and you're good to go.

Jalapeno Poppers

Jalapeno Poppers take me back to the time I spent going to high school in the US.  Done right they stay still have the crunch and heat of the jalapeno but have the gooey cheesyness of the filling. Here's a recipe that goes just as well with a beer and a rugby game or as an in my case the accompaniment to a movie night.

Ingredients:

Adjust all quantities to suit but the following serves three.

- Twenty Fresh (not jarred) Jalapenos
- 200ml Light Sour Cream
- 120g Shredded Cheddar/Tasty Cheese
- 100g Diced Bacon
- 2 Eggs
- Flour
- Breadcrumbs

Cut the Jalapenos in halves lengthways and remove seeds (they are the hottest part) leave aside to prepare filling.

Mix the sourcream, cheese and bacon in a bowl, stuff the Jalapeno halves with the mix.

Once all the Jalapenos are stuffed lightly flour them and dip into the two whisked eggs and then breadcrumbs. This gives them their crunchy coating.

Heat shallow oil over a medium heat in a large pan.

Working with ten at a time, place the coated Jalapenos in the oil and turn over after 2-3 minutes, leave for another two minutes or until golden.

Cabbages and Condoms - Bangkok

Such a funny little restaurant! Besides the mannequins dressed entirely in condoms the food was actually pretty decent! This was my entree from last night: Miang Kum.

Crispy Whitebait with Lemon and Dill Dressing

I had been trying to track down some whitebait for about a month and came across it at the Vic Markets in Melbourne.  This recipe is super simple and really delicious for lunch outside when its warm.

Lightly flour and salt 400g of whitebait and drop into 800ml of hot olive oil in a sauce pan. Alternatively if you have a deep fryer use that.

While your little beauties are bubbling away, mix a small tub of sour cream with the juice of one lemon and 3 Tbsp of chopped dill, mix to combine.

When the whitebait are ready put them on a big plate to share.

I find this recipe pairs really well with a glass of iced soda water.

Il Fornaio - St Kilda

Stopped for some breakfast after a bike ride at Fornaio in St Kilda.

 

'My Spanish Sweetheart' corn fritters with a hash on the side.

Jam Doughnuts - Victoria Markets

These little gems from American Doughnut Kitchen have been around for a long time and I remember visiting their van at Vic Markets when I was a boy.

 Totally worth the 50m Line.

Mama Sita - Collins St, Melbourne

Tamal con salsa guajillo

 (Pulled pork tamale, braised red peppers & guajillo salsa) 

http://www.mamasita.com.au/

Vietnam Teaser

Just a quick snapshot of my trip to Vietnam.  More detailed posts to follow.

Winters Breakfast: Caramelised Onions on Sourdough

Whether it be a chilly winters breakfast, or a midnight snack with a friend, Caramelised Onions on some warm toast can never go wrong.  Make a larger batch and keep it in the fridge for those in between meal snacks.

5 Brown Onions
1 Tbsp Balsamic
3 Tbsp Honey
4 Tbsp Butter

Melt the butter in a pan, chop the onions and add.  When softened add the honey and balsamic to start the caramelisation process and brown to your preference.

Low Fat Spanakopita (Spinach Pie)

Guilt free and great to make for lunches, just reheat in a microwave for a minute and you're good to go!

Ingredients:

300g Pack Spinach

1 Tbsp Olive Oil

4 Shallots (Chopped)

2 Cloves of Garlic (Crushed)

75g Low Fat Feta

1002 Low Fat Ricotta

4 Eggs

1 Pack Filo Pastry

Oil Spray

Method:

Pre-heat oven to 170°C fan-forced.  Use spray oil to grease a pie dish.  In a saucepan begin to wilt the spinach in some boiling water, once wilted make sure you thoroughly dry with paper towel.

Heat oil in a frying pan and add shallots and garlic, once browned take off heat and add to a bowl with wilted spinach.  Add ricotta, eggs and feta and stir until combined. Season with salt and pepper if desired.

Line the pie dish with three layers of filo, spraying oil between each sheet, pour in mixture and spread evenly.  Add another three layers of filo, spraying in between and fold bottom layers of filo over to create a crust.

Cover loosely with foil and bake for 30 minutes, remove foil and bake for a further 10.

Let cool and enjoy!

Orange Fruit & Nut Cous-Cous Salad

Quick, easy and quite tasty.

Tailor the recipe to how much cous-cous you have, I used left over cous-cous from another recipe from the night before.

3 Cups of cooked cous-cous
2 Oranges, peeled and cut in eight
Small handful of cashews
Small handful of sultanas
One cup of dates, seed removed and roughly chopped
1/2 Cup of orange juice.

Chuck it all in a bowl and mix!

A quick and easy meal for a weekday, or a useful way to use up left over cous-cous.

Quinoa and Kale Pilaf & Mini Quinoa Burgers

 Two super delicious recipes that you only need to buy one set of ingredients for!

I find it frustrating that I always seem to have a huge amount of left over ingredients when making something from a recipe.  These two little gems can be made together and are super easy and super tasty.

Quinoa and Kale Pilaf

Recipe Via

 

When you are making the Pilaf just throw the whole packet of Quinoa in and adjust the water accordingly so you can make..

Mini Quinoa Burgers

Using the leftover Quinoa from the Pilaf, combine in a bowl 

4 Eggs, 1 Tbsp Salt, 1/3 cup Grated Parmesan, 2 Tbsp Minced Garlic. 1 Tbsp Olive Oil, 1 and 1/3 Cups Plain Flour

Mix really well and put a frying pan on the stove with a shallow layer of oil.  Get prepared to get your hands dirty because this mixture is sticky! Ball the mixture into small patties and once the pan has heated up pop them and watch they get golden!

Served here with Spinach, Sour Cream and Dijon-Mayo

An Italian Easter Afternoon

 Just a quick post about my Easter festivities. I headed down to Tasmania to see my beautiful family and one thing I was most excited to do was to make our traditional Italian Easter cake.

 Combine 6 Eggs, 6 Tbs Butter, 1 Cup Sugar and 1 Tsp Vanilla and mix well, Add 3 cups of flour until a firm consistency.

Shape into a fish and put a washed raw egg in the mouth.  Use scissors to make 'scales' and two coffee beans for eyes.

 Put an egg wash over and sprinkle wish sugar.

Such a simple 'Pane Dolce' but something deep in tradition with my family and something I look forward to every year.  This year Mumma Casten made herb pizza for lunch that we had with some fresh figs from our tree.

 

Buona Pasqua!

Comfort Food - Bacon and Potato with Coddled Eggs

 Sometimes I really feel like some comfort food, just like pancakes on a sunday, bacon and eggs just seem like a warm hug from mum after a rough day at work.

Coddled eggs were something that I was keen to try and thought it would be nice to have some bacon and potato to go with it.  This type of food is not something I crave often, and is definitely not something that I would make a habit of cooking but sometimes you need to let healthy eating slide for an evening and let your inner glutton take over.

I chopped up three large potato's and boiled them for about ten minutes.

While the potatoes are boiling away, drop and egg and a teaspoon of butter into a muffin tin and spread some dill or fennel on top

 

Fry some bacon in a non-stickpan and once the potatoes are just softening add them to the mix after straining and patting dry.

Cook to your level of fried perfection!

Sunday Night Pancakes

Felt like something summery and comforting after working on a Sunday and couldn't think or anything better than pancakes for dinner!

Recipe

Garfish

I recently started a new job in St. Leonards and was surprised to find out that neighboring area of Crows Nest held quite a few gastronomically noteworthy addresses.

Garfish came highly recommended and served as one the first of many work dinners.

Here is what was on offer.

 

 

 Entree: The standout of the night with selection of natural, crisp fried and oyster shots.

Main: Garfish with a Couscous and Spanish Onion Salad

Sides: Steamed Greens with Citrus Hazelnut Dressing, and Sweet Potato

Desert: Under the influence of a recent MKR episode, a Vanilla Creme Brulee with Rhubarb Tuile

Rating: 7.5/10

Bite Size Banoffee Pie in Five Minutes

Banofee Pie is absolutely my desert of choice without a doubt, but I just am not skilled enough to try and replicate the mastery that they have over at Fratelli Fresh.

These little fellas are super quick and super tasty and will totally satisfy that craving.

Grab some Arnott's Butternut Snaps and put them in the microwave for a minute.

While the biscuits are warming up chop up a banana into one centimeter slices, and stir a can of caramel topping until its smooth.

When the biscuits are finished, gently mould them into a cup shape and put in the freezer for a minute to set.

When theyre done fill with caramel topping and place a couple of banana pieces on top.

Top with whipped cream and its done! 

Quick and easy Banoffee Pie

Lasagna Muffins!

These little babies have to be one the most fun, easiest and healthiest mini meals I have ever made.
They take about fifteen to twenty minutes prep time and even shorter if you use ready made pasta sauce.

via

Heres the deal.

Sauce:
In a small saucepan heat 1 can of diced tomato's (Annalisa is always a winner) half a diced onion, some garlic and some salt and pepper to your taste.  Once simmering turn of heat and let sit.

Ricotta:
Mix one and a half cups of low fat ricotta and a handful of roughly chopped wilted spinach until its all combined.

Spray a six cup muffin tray with some canola spray and place a wonton wrapper sheet in the base pressing into the corners to make sure its flat.

Using half the ricotta mixture divide between the six cups and press flat. Add some sauce at this stage to coat the ricotta, and sprinkle a tablespoon of Mozarella cheese over the top. Repeat with another layer of wonton wrapper, ricotta, sauce and cheese and place a final wrapper to seal the mini lasagna and spread a thin layer of sauce over the top.

Thats it!

Baked Eggplant Rolls Tomato Basil Sauce

This was great recipe that my lovely sister Mel suggested.

via

Ingredients
	2 small fresh eggplant, trimmed, sliced lengthwise into 4
	1 tsp olive oil
	3 clove(s) fresh garlic, sliced
	800 g whole tomato canned in tomato juice, chopped
	2 Tbsp fresh basil, torn
	1 small zucchini, finely diced
	150 g reduced-fat ricotta cheese
	1/2 cup(s) fresh flat-leaf parsley, chopped
	2 Tbsp fresh basil, chopped
	3 Tbsp grated parmesan cheese, chopped
	1 small egg(s), lightly beaten
	1/2 small onion, finely chopped
	1 x 3 second spray(s) oil spray Preheat oven to 230C. Spray a baking tray with oil and set aside. Lay eggplant in a single layer on prepared baking tray and spray with oil. Bake for 20 minutes, turning once or until golden brown. Remove from oven and set aside.  To make filling, spray a large non-stick frying pan with oil and place over medium-high heat. Add onion and zucchini and cook for 5 minutes, or until onion starts to soften. Add 1 clove garlic and cook for a further minute. Transfer to a small bowl and set aside to cool.  Meanwhile combine ricotta, parsley, basil and 2 tablespoons parmesan in a seperate bowl. Stir to combine. Add cooled onion mixture to ricotta mixture, then add egg and season well with salt and pepper.

• To make sauce, place the oil in a medium saucepan over medium-high heat. Add remaining garlic and saute for 2 minutes, or until light brown. Add crushed tomatoes and stir to combine then reduce heat to low. Add basil and season well with salt and pepper. Cover and simmer for 10 minutes then remove from heat and set aside.
• 
  

• To make eggplant rolls, reduce oven temperature to 210C. Spoon 3 tablespoons of tomato sauce into the base of a 20cm square ceramic baking dish. On a clean chopping board place a slice of eggplant. Spoon 2 tablespoons of ricotta filling at narrow end and roll up. Place in prepared baking dish, seam side down. Repeat with remaining eggplant slices. 
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• 
  

Arrange rolls in a single layer in dish. Spoon over remaining 1/2 cup tomato sauce and sprinkle with remaining parmesan cheese. Bake for 20 minutes or until the sauce is bubbling and cheese has melted.

YUM!