Lasagne

Lasagne

 

 (pictured before cooking)

 

 

This is a pretty classic lasagne recipe, and it's the recipe I have used for years and it's always a very big hit for whoever i cook it for! My husband requests it for his birthday every year! This is NOT a quick weeknight meal- but as it's christmas I have been doing a lot of my more 'special' dishes to bring to parties. It's not quick- it is however quite easy. I find a lot of people are afraid of lasagne, this recipe will help to de-mystify it (you don't even use fresh lasagne sheets!). The picture above is before cooking, cause I made it up today and will cook it tommorrow before the party so it's cooked fresh (although it's still very good reheated for leftovers the next day!). Also, a note about the healthy-ness- it's not. And I have tried cooking this one with skim milk, nuttelex instead of butter etc and it just doesn't work as well so this is one where you just have to go with it! (it is christmas after all- and this one takes too long not to be a 'sometimes' food anyway!).

 

Time Taken: Preparation, cooking of the sauces and assembly of the pasta takes about 1 hour. Cooking time in the oven is 30- 40 mins.

 

2 year old friendly?: Yes definately! He LOVES lasagne (like garfield!)

 

INGREDIENTS

Meat sauce

3 tbs olive oil

1 large onion, thinly diced

500g minced beef or pork- OR a mixture of pork and veal (NOTE- it's traditional to use pork and veal, but I usually use beef cause I like the flavour. For this one in particular I used JUST pork as some of the people I am cooking for don't eat beef).

2 cloves garlic, crushed

2 410g cans of tomato puree

1/2 cup tomato paste

1/2 cup water

A handful each of fresh basil and parsely, chopped finely (can use oregano instead of parsely)

Salt and pepper for seasoning

White (bechamel) sauce

2 cups milk (full cream)

2 tbs butter

2 tbs plain flour

For the lasagne construction

1 cup grated parmesen cheese (note- I cheat and use the packet one!)

1 packet of large instant lasange sheets (dry)

1-2 packets of mozerlla cheese, shredded (I buy 2 packets and usually need to use a little bit of the second one- but you could make 1 packet stretch if you want to)

 

METHOD

Meat sauce

Head the oil and saute the onions and garlic in a medium-large pot.

Add meat and cook until brown, stirring to break up meat, on medium heat. Add tomato puree, tomato paste, water, fresh herbs and salt and pepper.

Bring to boil on high. Cover and simmer for about 30 mins, stirring occasionally.

White sauce

While the meat sauce is cooking, melt butter on low heat in a medium saucepan. Remove form heat.

Add flour and stir well till creamy. Put back on heat, turning up to medium, and add milk a bit at a time, stirring until it boils and thickens. Sauce is done when it coats the spoon (note, it will thicken more once it cools).

To construct lasagne

Add some meat sauce to a large baking dish to coat the bottom in a thin layer. Cover with a layer of the pasta sheets (you can break them to get the right coverage). Add another layer of sauce over the pasta sheet and then spoon on some bechamel sauce and sprinke over an even covering of mozerella cheese and parmesen cheese.

Repeat layers (pasta sheets, meat sauce, white sauce and cheese) twice, but on top layer leave off the bechamel sauce and use slightly more cheese for a nice golden cheesy finish (you end up with 3 layers of pasta sheets).

Cook lasagne in a 180 degree oven for 30- 40 mins.

Can be frozen before or after cooking (as long as the meat was not frozen before cooking).

 

Pasta with Prawns in a Tomato and Basil Sauce

Pasta with Prawns in a Tomato and Basil Sauce

 

This one is so simple and easy I didn't need a recipe! It's one of my favourite things to order in restaurants in the summer, and when trying to decide what to cook one night I thought I'd give it a go. Tip: you can buy fresh prawns, but I discovered frozen raw prawns recently and they're so good and convienient that I just always keep a packet in the freezer. They defrost really quickly if you put them in a plastic bag and put them in warm (not hot) water, so they're a great thing to have around. And they taste no different to the fresh ones.

Time taken: No more than 20 minutes. Super quick!

2 year old friendly?: The pasta bit yes, he didn't like the prawns. But that's okay, you can just leave them off the plate if your young ones aren't into them. More prawns for you!

Makes 4 BIG servings or 6 smaller ones.

INGREDIENTS
About 350-400g of raw peeled prawns
1 packet of spaghetti
2 cans of good quality tinned crushed tomatoes.
1/2 medium onion, finely diced
2 cloves garlic, crushed
Olive oil
A handful of basil leaves, torn into shreds.
Some freshly grated parmesan cheese, to serve

METHOD
Put a large saucepan of water on to boil and once boling, salt the water and add the spaghetti. Cook till al-dente.
Meanwhile, heat some olive oil in a medium saucepan. Add the garlic and onion and cook until soft.
Add the tins of tomatoes, some salt and pepper and just over half of the basil. Bring to a boil and then reduce to a simmer, simmering for about 5-10 minutes, until sauce reduces and thickens slightly.
While the sauce is simmering, heat a very small amount of oil in a medium fry pan. Add the prawns and cook until JUST opaque (transfer them to a bowl if sauce still cooking).
Add the prawns to the finished sauce and then immediately add the sauce to the cooked and drained pasta. Add remaining basil and stir though well.
Served sprinkled with grated parmesan.

 

Mac and Cheese with Peas

Mac and Cheese with Peas

 

This is another recipe from my friend Tina, a very big supporter of my blog! Thanks Tina! I slightly altered Tina's recipe when I made it to make it lower fat, and i also added the peas. Because I lowered the fat content it made it a little on the bland side, so I have offered below both versions, the lower fat version (which is still nice- but perhaps ensure to season it lots and perhaps add some trim bacon for more flavour), and the totally yummy original version (when you just need flavour and to hell with it!).

Time taken?: About 30 mins all up. Pretty quick!

2 year old friendly?: I would imagine so- although mine refused to try it! I know that Tina's little 1 year old loves it- so it's at least 1 year old friendly!

INGREDIENTS
250g elbow macaroni
60g butter (low fat version-  60g Nuttelex)
1/3 cup plan flour
3 cups milk (low fat version- 2.5 cups skim milk. You add less if it's skim as skim is more watery and the sauce doesn't thicken otherwise)
2 cups coarsely grated pizza cheese (low fat version- lite tasty cheese or lite mozzarella)
1/2 cup frozen peas, thawed (optional)
(Reminder- add some salt and pepper and maybe trim bacon if doing low fat version)

METHOD
1. Pre heat the grill setting on your oven on high.
2. Cook pasta in salted boiling water until al dente and drain. As pasta is cooking, melt butter in saucepan, add flour, cook and stir for about 2 mins or until mixture thickens and bubbles. Gradually stir in milk, cook and stir until sauce boils and thickens.
3. Stir pasta, half of the cheese and the peas (if adding) into the sauce. Pour mixture into shallow (2litre, 8 cup) baking dish. sprinkle remaining cheese on top and place under hot grill until cheese melts and is browned lightly.

 

Beef Rissoles

Beef Rissoles

 

Tonight I had a 'mystery box challenge' (for all my readers who are not masterchef fans, that means I had to create a meal with a specific set of ingredients- namely- what I had in the house!). I had some mince de-frosted- so I did a quick search for beef rissoles and this Curtis Stone recipe came up. They're quick, easy, pretty healthy and pretty tasty (although a little on the dry side- which I personally don't mind and actually prefer to greasy and fatty- but some people might not. It could be cause I used a really lean mince though- so maybe if you try it with a fattier mince it will be more moist).

Curtis serves his with a grilled potato and spinach salad- but seeing as I had none of those ingedients in the house I served mine with a simple garden salad to make a balanced mid-week meal with minimal fuss!

Time Taken?: 20 minutes

2 year old friendly?: Actually surprisingly my little one didn't take to them- but he's never been a mince/ meat ball fan. It doesn't mean he might not eat it another time though! There is no reason for toddlers not to like this- especially with a bit of tomato sauce if they're into that!

INGREDIENTS
500g beef mince
1/2 small brown onion, finely chopped
1 clove garlic, minced
1 tbsp fresh thyme (I didn't have fresh so I used dry thyme, which turned out fine)
1/2 tsp paprika
1 tsp worcestershire sauce
1 large egg

METHOD
Combine all ingredients in a large bowl
Mix together well with fingers
Roll into 8 equal sized balls and then squash into 1cm thick rissoles
Heat a BBQ or grill pan to medium-high heat
Brush the rissoles with a bit of olive oil and cook them for 6-8 minutes each side or until cooked through.
Remove from heat and rest for 3 mins before serving

Low-fat Bannana Bread

Low-fat Banana Bread

 

Okay so this one does not fit the dinner criteria, but it does fit the 'quick and easy' criteria, and being low fat it's a healthier version of banana bread than the ones you can buy at the shops- so I am putting it on here! I am not much of a baker, so if I can do it, you can do it. And it really is quick- so quick that I usually decide to make this on the fly- usually when I find I have 2 over-ripe bananas left in the fruit bowl. It uses ingredients most people already have in the house too so no pre-planning required! My type of baking!

Time taken?: About 10 minutes to put together and 20-25 minutes in the oven

2 year old friendly?: Absolutely! My little one LOVES this! He has it for breaky for a few mornings after I make it.

INGREDIENTS
1 1/4 cups self raising flour
1 tsp ground cinnamon
1 tbsp reduced fat butter or margarine (I use nuttelex)
1/2 cup sugar (castor or regular)
1 egg, lightly beaten
1/4 cup skim milk
2 over-ripe bananas, mashed

METHOD
Pre-heat oven to 200 degrees c.
Coat a small loaf tin with cooking spray
Combine flour and cinnamon in a bowl. Rub in butter with fingertips until fine and crumbly
Stir in sugar, egg, banana and milk
Transfer to loaf tin and bake for 20 mins or until golden and cooked through.

 

Aunty Maria's Rescue Recipe: 'Dressed' Chicken

Aunty Maria's Rescue Recipe: 'Dressed' Chicken

 

This one is a RESCUE RECIPE because it rescued us from take-away. The story goes like this- my son is sick at the moment, and when I went to pick him up from my Mum's on my way home from work he had a high fever and I wanted to wait for the medication to kick in before taking him home. Well the medication took a good 1.5 hours to work it's magic- meaning by the time i left Mums it was VERY late, on a work night, and too late for the chicken I had planned to make for dinner that night to marinate. Just when I was about to give up and order chinese, my aunty, who was at Mum's at the time, gave me this very quick easy chicken recipe. I called it "dressed" chicken because instead of marinating it, you kind of dress it like a salad after it's cooked to give it flavour. What she didn't give me was mesurements- so you'll have to guess like I did I am afraid! Can't really do wrong with it though.

Time Taken?: 20 mins- including chicken chopping time. Might take less if you cook the chicken on a BBQ or more if you cook it in a small pan thus having to cook it in batches.

2 year old friendly?: Don't know- as above child was sick and decided he just wanted rice crackers for dinner.

INGREDIENTS
500g chicken breast (I cut them into thin fingers so that they'd cook quickly)
Olive oil
Balsamic Vinegar
1 clove garlic, crushed
1 tablespoon parsely
Salt and pepper

METHOD
Heat a griddle pan or BBQ or grill on high heat
Cook the chicken breast until cooked through and preferably a little browned on the outside (without being overcooked)
Meanwhile, coat the bottom of medium dish that has a lid in olive oil. Add a good glug of balsamic vinegar, the garlic and the parsely and combine using a fork.
Add the cooked chicken to the dish, turning to coat well in the dressing, and put the lid on.
Leave to stand for 5 minutes.
Serve chicken with the remaining dressing spooned over the top.

I served mine with rice and salad- but you could serve it with potato, pasta, steamed vegies, anything really!

 

Chicken Cotoletta (or chicken Schnitzel- italian style!)

Chicken Cotoletta (or chicken Schnitzel- italian style!)

 

This is a staple in my family and extended family. We have cotoletta at pretty much all family functions. It's a real simple recipe that's great hot or cold, easy to cook in large volumes and it's a real crowd pleaser! It's also easy to cook for the family cause you can cook a batch and easily have leftovers for lunch or dinner the next day!
They are shallow fried, so the health factor is a lot lower here than on many of my recipes, but it is better than deep fried.

Time Taken?: About 40 mins- but cutting up the chicken is what takes the time so if you pre-cut you can save time.

2 year old friendly?: Yep- and a great alternative to chicken nuggets or fish fingers.

INGREDIENTS
500g chicken breast fillets, cut into thin (1/2 centimetre thick) slices
2 eggs, lightly beaten
1 cup breadcrumbs
1/3 cup parmesan cheese, finely grated (powdered) (confession- I use the dry packet parmesan- never had an issue!!)
A handful of finely chopped parsely
Olive oil to shallow fry (you need to have probably about a 1/2 cup handy- but you may not use all of it)
Salt and pepper

METHOD
In a large bowl, combine the breadcrumbs, parmesan and parsely and add some salt and pepper to season.
Put the beaten eggs into a shallow dish.
Coat each slice of chicken in egg, and then in the breadcrumb mixture.
Completely cover the bottom of a large fry pan in olive oil and heat oil on medium heat.
When oil is hot enough that a test piece of breadcrumb slightly sizzles, cook the chicken slices, in batches, until golden brown, adding more oil to the pan when needed.
Immediately after cooking, place the cutlets on kitchen towel to drain excess oil.
Serve hot, or cold. Good with served with salads, or on sandwhiches and wraps.

Garlic Prawns

Garlic Prawns

 

 

 

So this recipe is not only delish and super quick, it has special significance for me as this is the dish hubby cooked me on the night he proposed (umm, yes garlic and all- but it was yummy so we didn't mind!). We haven't had it in a while, years in fact, so I thought I'd give it another whirl and I must say I think it's re-entering the repertoire from now on!

 

I was a little worried about the healthiness as it uses both butter and cream- two things I love but don't tend to use in my home cooking in the interest of cutting down the calories, but it really doesn't use all that much of either and nothing else in it is particularly naughty- so I think it's okay!

 

Time taken?: 30 mins, and that's only because you need to cook rice. The dish itself is so super quick!

 

2 year old friendly?: Couldn't tell you, he wouldn't even try it! I don't see why not though. The alchohol from the brandy is burned off.

 

Serves about 3, or 2 adults and 2 children

 

INGREDIENTS

20g butter

1/2 small onion, finely chopped

3 cloves garlic, crushed

500g green prawns, peeled

2 tablespoons brandy

1/4 cup cream

2 tablespoons finely chopped parsely

salt and pepper to season

Steamed or bolied white rice, to serve

 

METHOD

Heat butter in medium non-stick frypan. Add onion and garlic. Cook, stirring, for 1 minute or until slightly softened.

Add prawns and saute until just turning colour.

Add brandy and using gas flame or a long match, ignite the alchohol. Once alchohol has burnt off, add cream and rbing to boil.

Stir in parsely and season to taste.

Serve with rice.



Bolognese Sauce- MY way

Bolognese Sauce- MY way

 

 

 

So I always get asked for my bolognese recipe. Not because people have tried it, but because I have an italian background people assume I make good bolognese. Well- actually they would be right! But not cause it's a recipe handed down through generations, but because this is made the way I like it, tweaked over years and years of practice and taking bits and pieces from different recipies to get it just right! And everyone that tries it loves it! This is not really a work night recipe, it needs time to cook, but it is really simple. It's one of the few things I cook that I have committed to memory.

 

Time Taken?: At least 45 mins, but longer if you have time (to cook the sauce down)

 

2 year old friendly?: Yes! So much so that as soon as he saw his plate with pasta in it he pointed at it eagerly and couldn't get to it quick enough!

 

Serves 4- 6 (makes a LOT of sauce, so it depends on how saucy you like it! The sauce freezes very well also as long as the mince has not previously been frozen)

 

INGREDIENTS

500g beef mince (good quality)

1-2 tbsp olive oil

1 brown onion, finely diced

2 cloves garlic, crushed

2 fresh ripe tomatoes, diced

2 cans tomato puree

2 tbsp tomato paste

1/2 cup red wine (one that you would happily drink)

A good pinch of dried oregano

A handful of fresh basil, torn

1 teaspoon of sugar

Salt and freshly ground pepper- to season

1 500g packet of pasta (any kind you like) to serve

Some freshly grated parmesen, to serve

 

METHOD

Heat oil in a medium saucepan

Cook onion and garlic, stirring, on medium-high until transparent and fragrant

Add mince and cook, stirring, until just browned

Add fresh tomato and stir through to heat for 1 minute

Add puree, paste, wine and herbs and mix well. Add sugar and season generously with salt and freshly ground pepper.

Bring to boil for 5-10 minutes, stirring regularly. Reduce heat to low and simmer for AT LEAST 20 minutes, stirring occassionally.

Cook pasta according to packet instructions.

Serve sauce mixed into the pasta and top generously with freshly grated parmesen.

  



 

*Spicy* Chicken Buritos with Homemade Seasoning

*Spicy* Chicken Buritos with Homemade Seasoning

 

Okay so this one was actually a little too spicy for my hubby and I. We both only just managed it with LOTS of cheese/sour cream and drinks to hand! But if you like spicy food- go for it- and if you don't still try it but perhaps with only half of the seasoning and reserve the other half for next time (that's what I am going to do next time I do this dish).

I wanted to try this as I wanted to make my own seasoning rather than using the packet stuff that uses lots of preservatives etc. At least you know what is in this one!

Time Taken?: Only about 15 minutes. It's almost as quick as the packet ones.

2 year old friendly?: We didn't give him any cause it was too spicy, but if you only use half the seasoning it might be 2 year old friendly (he had the tortilla, cheese and some salad though!)

Serves 4-6

INGREDIENTS
500g chicken breast, diced
1 tbsp. olive oil
2 tomatoes, diced
2 cups of shredded lettuce
1.5 cups shredded light tasty cheese
Some salsa and light sour cream to serve

Seasoning ingredients
11/2 tbsp. chilli powder
1/2 tsp. garlic powder
1/2 tsp. onion powder
1/2 tsp. dried oregano
1 tsp. paprika
3 tsp. ground cumin
2 tsp. sea salt
2 tsp. black pepper

METHOD
Mix together ingredients for seasoning in a bowl.
Put chicken into a plastic bag. Add seasoning (or half if you want it less spicy) and mix chicken and seasoning in the bag to coat.
Heat oil in a large saucepan on medium heat.
Add chicken and cook, stirring, until chicken is cooked through
Serve chicken with salad, tortillas and sauces to taste.

 

Beef Stir-fry with Oyster Sauce

Beef Stir-fry with Oyster Sauce

 

 

This one is super quick. As long as it takes for the rice to cook really- cause you can cut up the ingredients and get them all ready while it's cooking (and cause it's quick to cook you need to make sure everything is chopped and measured.

 

Time taken?: About 30 mins

 

2 year old friendly?: He wouldn't try it, so no way of knowing. STILL at the dinner refusal stage!

 

Serves 4

 

INGREDIENTS

1 teaspoon rice bran oil (i just used canola oil)

1 onion, halved and sliced

2 cloves garlic, crushed

1 teaspoon grated ginger

400g lean beef strips

1 bunch baby bok choy. leaves seperated and washed

1/4 cup beef stock

1/4 cup oyster sauce

2 cups steamed rice, to serve

 

METHOD

Heat the oil in a wok or a large frying pan over a high heat.

Cook the onion for 3 minutes, or until tender

Add the garlic and ginger and stir-fry for 1 minute until fragrant

Add the beef strips and cook for 3 minutes, or until brown.

Add the bok choy, stock and oyster sauce to the wok and simmer for 3 minutes or until the bok choy has wilted slightly.

Serve with steamed rice.





Healthy Fish and Chips with Homemade Tartare Sauce

Healthy Fish and Chips with Homemade Tartare Sauce

 

Another one from the Biggest Loser Cookbook. This recipe reccomends flathead as the type of fish but I think next time I'll try a meatier fish like swordfish or Barramundi as it would hold up better to the frypan. Still, this one was a hit with hubby and I even got Mr 2.5 year old to eat this (although naturally he had much more of the chips and not the fish).

Time Taken?: The chips take about 40 mins including peeling and chopping, but everything else, including the cleaning up, can be done while the chips are in the oven so it ends up being a very time-efficient recipe.

2 year old friendly?: Yes. See above.

Serves 4

INGREDIENTS
4 medium-large desiree potatoes, peeled and cut into thick strips
Olive oil spray
Finely grated zest and juice of 1 lemon
1 tablespoons chopped parsely leaves
4 flathead (or another white fish) fillets

Tartare sauce ingredients
1/3 cup low fat mayonaise
1 gherkin, chopped finely (or I used about 1.5 teaspoon of jarred gherkin relish
1 teaspoon capers, chopped finely

METHOD
Preheat oven to 200 degrees c. Line an oven tray with baking paper
Place the potato chips in a microwave safe plastic bag and microwave on high for 5 minutes
Place the chips on the pre-prepared oven tray and spray with oil. Season with salt and bake for 30 minutes, or until crisp and golden.
Meanwhile, in a small bowl, combine the ingredients for the Tartare sauce well.
In a shallow dish combine the lemon juice and zest and chopped parsely.
Season the fish with salt and pepper. heat a non-stick frypan over high heat. Spray with oil and cook the fish for 2 minutes on each side or until opaque.
Remove the fish from the pan and transfer to the dish with the lemon mixture. Turn the fish in the mixture so that it's evenly coated.
Serve the fish and chips with a dollop of the tartare sauce and lemon wedges.

Beef Stroganoff with Fettucine

Beef Stroganoff with Fettucine

 

This is a low-fat version of Beef Stroganoff straight out of the Biggest Loser Cookbook. I have attempted many different strog recipes and this is the tastiest one I have found so far. It is a little less creamy than the full fat version but still has a nice flavour.

Time Taken?: This one is pretty quick actually! About 30 mins tops, including chopping etc.

2 year old friendly?: I am gonna say yes, cause he had 1 spoonfull and thats the most dinner we've been able to get him to eat all week! I reckon there is not much not to like here for little ones... long pasta is always fun.

Served 4

INGREDIENTS
1 teaspoon olive oil
400g topside steak, cut into strips
1 onion, halved and sliced
2 cloves garlic, crushed
1 teaspoon smoked paprika
250g button mushrooms, sliced
1 cup beef stock
2 tablespoons tomato paste
1/2 cup light sour cream
1 pkt fettucine
1/4 cup chopped parsely leaves

METHOD
Put a large pot of water on to boil for the fettucine.
Heat the oil in a large non-stick frying pan over high heat. Brown the steak strips and set aside.
Reduce the heat to medium, add the onion and cook for 5 minutes until tender.
Add the garlic and the paprika and stir for 1 minute, until fragrant.
Return the beef to the pan with the mushrooms, stock and tomato paste. Bring to the boil, then reduce the heat to low and simmer for 10 minutes.
Meanwhile, cook the fettucine according to packet instructions, or until al-dente.
Remove the beef from the heat and stir in the sour cream to combine. Add the parsely before serving atop the fettucine.

 

Lamb Chops with Leek and Potato Porridge

Lamb Chops with Leek and Potato Porridge

 

I must confess, before tonight I have never cooked lamb chops- and have barely ever eaten them (very Un-Australian I know!), but I have to say now that I am a BIG fan. This is a 'Fast Eddy' recipe, except the marinade for the chops came from a tip work collegue (thanks Carmel!) and the chops are definately the hero of this dish. The porridge is good- but not something I'd rush to cook again due to the time it takes to prepare the leek and potato (I actually had to PEEL the potatoes- not usually something I like to do on a week night!). It was good to have something a little different to my usual sides though, so I'd encourage you to try it for that reason.

 

Time taken?: The book says 5 mins prep and 25 minutes cooking. I'd say it's 20 mins prep and 25 mins cooking!

 

2 year old friendly?: Who knows these days! STILL in the dinner refusal stage. Tonight we managed to get him to eat 2 fish fingers (and they're his favourite!)

 

Serves 4

 

INGREDIENTS

2 leeks, diced finely

2 tbsp unsalted butter (I used lite nutelex- but it probably tastes a lot better with butter)

2 garlic cloves, crushed

4 medium potatoes, peeled and grated

1 cup chicken stock

salt and pepper

1/2 bunch parsely leaves, chopped finely

8 thick cut lamb loin chops (2 per person)

 

Marinade for chops

Soy sauce (about 1/3 cup-ish)

1 clove of garlic, chopped finely

Freshly cracked pepper

 

METHOD

Place chops in a shallow dish on a single layer and sprinkle over garlic and pepper, and then pour over soy sauce (enough to coat each chop) and turn the chops over to coat them on both sides.

Put them in the fridge to marinate for at least 1/2 hour

Set a large saucepan over a medium heat and saute the leek in butter for 5 minutes until well-softened.

Add the garlic and cook briefly. Add the potatoes and stir well, then pour in the chicken stock and bring to a boil.

Cook over low heat, covered, for 10 minutes.

Season with salt and pepper, then stir in the parsely

Meanwhile, grill the steak on a hot bbq or griddle pan for 4 minutes on each side until medium.

Serve with a the leek and potato porridge on the side.

 

Healthy Chicken Parmigana

Healthy Chicken Parmigana

 

 

Yes you heard me right, Chicken Parmigana can be healthy! And this is a weight watchers recipe so i know it's true (you can tell it's weight watchers from the precise measurements below- I usually don't measure!). What's more is it's actually quite tasty- I have cooked it many times before and hubby loves it. It is a little fiddly though so i recommend it be a weekend meal. Sunday night is a great night for it as you can have yummy leftovers for lunch the next day.

 

Time Taken?: 50 mins- 1 hour

 

2 year old friendly?: Usually- but we're going through a dinner refusal stage at the moment.... *sigh*

Serves 4

 

INGREDIENTS

2 tsp olive oil

3 garlic cloves, crushed

2 x 400g cans of chopped tomatoes

1 tsp sugar (regular or castor)

2 tbs fresh basil leaves, shredded

500g chicken breast fillets, cut into 4 portioned pieces and beat out to even thickness (you could use 2 per portion if they end up smaller)

1 small eggplant, cut into 1.5cm thick slices

90g bocconcini cheese, thinly sliced

Canola or olive oil spray

 

METHOD

Pre-heat oven to 180 degrees c.

Heat oil in medium saucepan over medium-high heat.

Cook garlic, stirring, for 1 minute or until fragrant. Add tomatoes and sugar and season with salt and pepper.

Bring to the boil, then reduce heat to medium and simmer for 15 minutes or until sauce thickens. Remove from heat and stir in basil.

Meanwhile, heat a chargrill or barbeque over high heat. Lightly spray both sides of the chicken and eggplant with spray oil and cook each seperately until chicken is cooked through and eggplant is tender. Transfer to a plate.

Lightly spray a 2L capacity overnproof dish with oil spray.

Pour half the sauce over the base. Place chicken, in a single layer, over sauce and top each with a slice of eggplant. Pour remaining sauce over chicken.

Top with bocconcini and season with freshly ground pepper.

Bake for 15 minutes or until cheese is melted and bubbling.

 

I serve this with a salad of baby spinach and roquet leaves with cherry tomatoes. 

 

 



'Fridge Raider' Frittata

'Fridge Raider' Frittata

 

This is so called because I literally raided my fridge and used whatever leftover vegies and other bits and pieces I had in there from the weekend's meals. The original recipe (another weight watchers one) used leek, broadbeans, bacon, zucchini, shallots and parsely. I have written below what I used- but you use whatever you like- that's the beauty of it! Just make sure you have enough 'filling' to make the frittata substantial enough. This is also great to pack for lunches the next day. Serve it with a nice fresh salad and you have a tasty and light meal!

NOTE- for this recipe you do need saucepan or pan you can tranfer from the stovetop to the oven. I have a great pan (pictured above) that I use that I got from a home-maker shop for about $20- so you don't have to spend $300 for one of those frypans with the handle that can go in the oven. Just be careful handling the above when hot- turn stove off first and then use oven mits.

Time taken?: About 35 mins, including chopping and resting time.

2 year old friendly?: Yes it definately is, and it's a great way to hide vegies and give them a nice healthy dose of protein!

Serves 4

INGREDIENTS
6 eggs
1/2 cup skim milk
1/3 cup grated light cheese
1 tbs olive oil
3 slices of proscuitto, chopped
About 4 or 5 green shallots, sliced thinly
Some sliced mushrooms (I had 3 largish cup mushrooms left- so that's what i used!)
1/2 a large zucchini, chopped
A handful of coarsely chopped flat parsely

METHOD
Preheat oven to 180 degrees C or 160 fan forced
Whisk eggs, milk and cheese in a large jub or bowl and set aside
Heat oil in a 22cm ovenproof and stoveproof pan on medium heat.
Cook proscuitto, mushrooms and zucchini, stirring for 5 minutes or until vegies are soft.
Add shallots and parsely, stir to combine and then spread mixture out evenly out in pan.
Pour in egg mixture, making sure it's evenly spread. Reduce heat to low and cook for 5 minutes or until frittats starts to set.
Transfer to oven. Bake for 10-15 minutes or until just set and light golden.
Allow to sit for 5 minutes before cutting and serving.

Chicken with Mustard Marinade and Rissoni

Chicken with Mustard Marinade and Rissoni

The whole family enjoyed this one- and it was the very first time I did it and turned out great! Try it! The marinade is a weight watchers recipe- so low in fat. I decided on chicken but apparently you can use this marinade on fish too- but only marinate it for 15 mins. I also decided to use rissoni to serve it with as a change from rice or potatoes. Rissoni, for those who have never had it before, is small pasta that looks like large flat grains of rice. You get it from the pasta section at the supermarket. I cut the chicken small so it cooks fast- so even though the chicken took 30 mins to marinade it was still a pretty quick weeknight dish cause it takes very little time to cook.

Time taken?: About 40 minutes including marinating time.

2 year old friendly?: Yes! I am happy to say that he liked this one!

Serves 3-4

INGREDIENTS
500g chicken breast, cut into 2-3 cm cubes
1 heaped tbs wholegrain or dijon mustard
1 tbs olive oil
2 garlic cloves, crushed
2 tps grated lemon rind
1/3 cup lemon juice
About 1/2 500g packet of rissoni

METHOD
Whisk the mustard, oil, garlic, lemon rind and lemon juice in a medium bowl. Add chicken to the marinade and mix to combine. Marinate in the fridge for 30 mins (or more).
Meanwhile, put a medium saucepan of water on to boil. Once the water is boiling heavily, add a generous amount of salt and cook the rissoni until al dente. Drain and stir through a little splash of olive oil and season with pepper and a little salt.
Heat a large frypan on medium-high heat. Cook marinated chicken until cooked through and slightly browned.
Serve chicken on top of the rissoni and with a simple garden salad.

Quick Steak Rub

Quick Steak Rub

Steak is a staple in our house but sometimes I get tired of the usual steal seasoning. This is a very quick Jamie Oliver inspired steak rub (I saw him do something similar but not exactly this on TV once). I am just posting this for the idea, but you can throw in anything you like- any type of herb, you could add capers or olives... etc etc. You'll need a mortar and pessle, if you don't have one get one- they ultra handy!

Serve this with your favourite side dishes. I just did some salad and potatoes tonight.

Time taken?: The rub takes all of 5 minutes to make, then there is the steak cooking time. So quick!

2 year old friendly: Again, he's not up to steak yet. I will try it on him soon when he has the rest of his teeth!

INGREDIENTS
2 250g fillets of steak
1 lemon
a handful od parsely, torn
2 cloves of garlic, whole with skin on
Dry thyme
Olive oil
Freshly ground pepper

METHOD
Peel the zest off half the lemon with a vegetable peeler (skin only, no pith) and put into mortar and pessle.
Add the juice of the whole lemon, the parsely, the garlic, about 1 teaspoon of thyme, 1 tablespoon of olive oil and a pinch of freshly ground pepper.
Grind and mix it all up.
Lay the steak on a cooking tray and bash each piece with the palm of your hand to flatten out and tenderise.
Take the rub out of the mortar and pessle and rub over the steak with your hands (the skin will come off the garlic when it's cooking).
Leave steak to marinate in the rub while you heat up a griddle pan on high heat. Once the griddle is nice and hot, cook steak to liking.

Jamie's Fish Tray Bake

Jamie's Fish Tray Bake

This is a Jamie Oliver recipe- from his book '30 Minute Meals'. It's typical Jamie, simple, rustic and packed full of flavour! It's not a very budget meal though, so one for a treat! Just a tip is make sure you use as big a tray as you can fit in your oven, and don't cover your fish skin with anything (like i did above) or it won't go crispy.

Time Taken: 20 minutes TOPS (Jamie's 30 minute meal included 3 side dishes and a dessert- but this dish alone was PLENTY- we were both full- so I did it on it's own).

2 year old friendly: He still turns his nose up at plain fish- so he got fish fingers!

Hubby and I had this on our own but we were stuffed! It would easily serve 4 with a side, like some rice, cous cous or even crusty bread!

INGREDIENTS
4 x 150g salmon fillets (I used 2 but they were massive!) scaled and pin-boned
8 large unpeeled tiger prawns (i used bannana prawns cause the shop didn't have tiger)
1 bunch asparagus
1 lemon
1 fresh red chilli (i left this out cause I don't do chilli)
a small bunch of fresh basil
1 x 30g tin of anchovies (I used a jar that was slightly bigger but only half the oil. You can leave these out if you want to)
4 cloves garlic
3-4 tomatoes (I used 8 cherry tomatoes cause regular tomatoes are very expensive right now!)
4 slices pancetta

METHOD
Turn your oven grill up to full heat.
Lay the salmon fillets and prawns in a large roasting tray.
Snap off the woody ends of the asparagus, then add the spears to the tray with a good pinch of salt and pepper.
Quarter the lemon and add it to the tray.
Finely chop the chilli (if using) and add it to the tray with the basil leaves.
Drizzle over the oil from the anchovies and tear in 4 of the fillets.
Crush in 4 unpeeled cloves of garlic and drizzle over some olive oil.
Roughly chop the tomatoes (or halve if using cherries) and add.
Arrange everything nicely in the tray so the lemons are facing up and the salmon is skin side up.
Drape the 4 slices of pancetta wherever you like.
Place the tray under the grill on the middle shelf for about 10- 12 minutes or until salmon cooked through.

Pea, Lettuce and Mint Soup

Pea, Lettuce and Mint Soup

This is one I like to make on a weekend and freeze portions to bring to work for lunch. I thought I'd do this one yesterday for one last batch before winter ends! It's a weight watchers recipe, so very healthy and low-fat but also very tasty and very filling so it really does feel like a meal once you've had a serving.

Time taken?: 35 minutes

2 year old friendly?: Never tried, he doesn't like eating green things- so I don't like my chances. However, when he gets older I plan on selling it to him as 'green slime soup' or something fun like that so he'll eat it!

INGREDIENTS
1 tablespoon olive oil
1 large brown onion, chopped finely
2 garlic cloves, crushed
1 small iceberg lettuce, shredded
1 litre (4 cups) chicken stock
400g potatoes, peeled and chopped
2 1/2 cups of frozen or fresh peas
1/2 cup fresh mint leaves, finely chopped
1/2 cup skim milk

METHOD
Heat oil in a large saucepan over medium heat.
Cook onion, stirring for 5 minutes or until softened.
Add garlic and lettuce. Cook, stirring for 2 minutes or until lettuce has just wilted.
Add stock and potato and bring to the boil. Reduce heat to medium/low and cook, uncovered, for 10-15 minutes or until potato is tender.
Add peas and mint. Cook for 2 minutes or until peas are tender. Remove from heat.
Using a food processor or stick blender, process soup until smooth.
Return soup to low heat. Add milk and stir until heated through.
Season with salt and freshly ground black pepper.
Serve with some toast or crusty bread. Add a dollop of light sour cream when serving if you'd like to make it extra special!

Tina's Chicken and Mushroom Pie

Tina's Chicken and Mushroom Pie

My friend Tina, who is a follower of my blog, gave me this one, which is why is it so named! Thanks Tines!

She uses chicken mince in hers, but i used breast fillet to see how it would go. It turned out great! Hubby had seconds! This recipe is the original recipe halved to make a pie that easily has 4 serves. I somewhat unsuccessfully attempted an eggwash on the top of mine but as it's cooked under the grill it's probably not a good idea as it comes out looking burnt! (Still it tasted delicious!)

Tina says also that you can do these as mini puffs, just make the same filling but incase it in smaller squares of puff pastry and cook until it puffs up and browns. Best to use mince if doing this.

Time Taken:? About 45 mins, includng prep. But it was the first time I made it so it might be shorter if I was familiar with it.

2 year old friendly?: He didn't want to eat it tonight, but he is still unwell and was turning away everything! If he was well he would have eaten it I think.

INGREDIENTS
500g chicken breast fillet, cut into small dice (or chicken mince)
500g button mushrooms
1/2 a leek
1/2 cup milk (I used skim milk)
1 tablespoon cornflour
dash of brandy
salt/pepper/etc
1 sheet of frozen puff pastry, de-frosted

METHOD
Chop/slice mushrooms and fry, (Tina uses butter, tonight I used nuttelex) and put to the side.
Chop leek and fry, place to the side.
Cook chicken, add seasoning. Once the chicken is cooked, put mushrooms and leek back into the pan with the mince and stir to combine.
Add the milk and cornflour (sometimes a little more than one tablespoon is required) and combine until the mixture comes together.
Add a dash or a couple of brandy... just gives it a little kick.
Place in pie dish and just cover with puff pastry. Because the filling will still be warm from the stovetop, you can just cook or use the ovengrill until the pastry is brown or cooked.

Beef Fajita's with home-made Guacamole

Beef Fajita's with home-made Guacamole

This is one of those recipes I haven't done in years (since before mr 2 year old was born!) but I was so happy to revive it and put back into my repertoire- cause it was really yummy! I got the recipe for the fajita filling originally from Bob Greene's "The Best Life Diet" which is a book i bought after I saw it on Oprah years back (so I know it's healthy!). Bob gives a guacamole recipe also, but I made up my own instead and made it a bit simpler and a bit cleaner than his.

I serve my fajitas and guacamole with salsa (just from the jar is fine) and low-fat cheese, all wrapped up in low-fat corn tortillas.

Time Taken?: You need at least 3 hours at least to marinate the beef, but once that's done it takes about 20 minutes- 15 minutes for prep (mainly chopping) and 5 minutes to cook. I do it on weekends cause of the marinating time (and it says to keep turning it over occasionally while marinating otherwise I'd say you could marinate it over-night).

2 year old friendly?: Not sure. Our little mister was unwell tonight and had an early dinner and went to bed early, so he missed out! I think he would have liked it. The meat is nice and soft due to the marinating.

Serves 6 (filling makes enough for 2 fajitas each). I cooked this for only 2 of us, but the filling would be good the next day as a filing for a wrap for lunch.

INGREDIENTS
Marinade
3 tablespoons canola oil
3 tablespoons freshly squeezed lime juice (or lemon if you don't have lime)
2 tablespoons Worchestershire sauce
1 teaspoon pepper
1 small garlic clove, minced

Filling
500g of pre-sliced beef strips (the one you buy for stroganoff or stir-frys), cut in half.
2 tablespoons canola oil
1 red capsicum, cut into julienne strips
1 green capsicum, cut into julienne strips
1 medium onion, thinly sliced
12 low-fat corn tortillas (or roughly 2 per person)

Guacamole
2 ripe avocados
2 tablespoons freshley squeezed lime or lemon juice
1-2 teaspoons of smoked paprika
Coarse Salt and freshly ground pepper

METHOD
In a medium glass bowl, combine all of the marinade ingreidents and mix well
Add the beef, turning to coat well in marinade.
Cover and refridgerate for at least 3 hours, turning the beef occasionally.

Meanwhile, peel, seed and roughly mash the avocados in a medium bowl with a fork. Add the juice and 1 teaspoon paprika and mix well. Taste and add more paprika if needed and season with salt and pepper to taste. Transfer for serving bowl and spinkle with a little more paprika for presentation.

After beef has finished marinating, drain off the excess marinade and discard. In a large saucepan, heat the oil on high heat for 1 minute and then add beef, capsicum and onion. Stir-fry for 5 minutes or until beef is no longer pink and the vegetables are JUST tender. Drain off excess liquid and transfer to serving bowl.

Heat the tortillas as per packet directions and serve with the filling, guacamole, tomato salsa and low fat cheese.

I would reccomend washing it down with a nice cold beer (although probably not what Bob Green had in mind!).

Warm Poached Chicken and Pasta Salad

Warm Poached Chicken and Pasta Salad

This is another new recipe for me tried for the first time tonight and yes, okay, I know it's a lunch recipe- but here is the story... I had planned to do a particular chicken dish on Saturday but I had a busy day and was sooo tired so the cooking went out the window. So I moved that dish to tonight's menu instead, but then I happened to stumble across this recipe which was in the same cookbook as the other chicken dish and had almost identical ingredients but less cooking and preparation time. So I went for the lunch dish at dinner (it's monday night- so the less cooking time the better!). Good thing about it is, it will be GREAT cold tommorrow for lunch- and now I have a fancy pasta salad recipe to do for bbq's etc.

This is actually a weight watchers recipe, well it was, but as usual I didn't really follow the recipe 100% and made it my own. So here's what I did...

Time Taken?: 25 minutes

2 year old friendly?: Yep- he ate this one! Chicken and all!

Serves 4 (plus one 2 year old)

INGREDIENTS

400g chicken breast, fat trimmed and cut into palm sized pieces.

2 cups chicken stock (or water is fine if you don't have stock)

2.5 cups of Penne Pasta (the original recipe used wholemeal sprial pasta- but I didn't have any)

1 punet of cherry or grape tomatoes

1 cup of torn basil leaves

1 garlic clove, crushed

3 tablespoons lemon juice

2.5 tablespoons olive oil (or grapeseed oil as the original recipe had)

Goats cheese to crumble over the top (as much or as little as you like. Feta or ricotta would also work- depending on what you prefer. This wasn't in the original recipe but I added it after tasting the original feeling as if it needed a little more flavour and moisture)

METHOD

Put a large pot of water on to boil for the pasta.

Place chicken in a small saucepan and cover with the stock (or cold water)

Bring to the boil, and then reduce heat to medium-low and simmer for 6 minutes.

Remove pan from heat. Cover and set aside for 10 minutes or until chicken is cooked through. Drain and allow to cool before shredding with a fork.

Meanwhile, salt the boiling pasta water and cook pasta until al dente. Drain.

Whisk the garlic, oil and lemon juice in a large bowl.

Add the pasta, chicken, basil and tomatoes and toss to coat in dressing. Season with salt and pepper and crumble over some goats cheese. Toss again to combine.

Serve warm or cold.

Lamb on Rosemary Skewers

Lamb on Rosemary Skewers

This recipe was originally a weight watcher's recipe that I have adapted. It had pumpkin and was served with a cous cous. My hubby and I both don't like pumpkin,  so I did mine with more capsicum (the original had capsicum also) and have added some onion for some sweetness. Also, instead of cous cous (which hubby doesn't like), I reverted to my 'go to' grain, brown rice, which I squeezed some lemon over to serve. You could use the pumpkin and cous cous if you like.

I particularly like this one because we have rosemary in our backyard that always over grows so it's a good way to use up a good lot of rosemary at once (whereas usually you don't need much). It's also so very simple (you'll notice the 'method' section below is very short!) although it is a little fiddly to construct and takes time (I recommend it as a weekend dish).

Time Taken?: About 40min- 1 hour including all chopping and constructing the kebabs

2 year old friendly?: His little teeth are not quite up to cutting through the meat so sadly no, but I reckon this would be great for older kids as they could help make it.

INGREDIENTS
500g diced lamb (I get mine from the bucther pre-chopped, but you could buy a fillet and chop it yourself)
1 green capsicum
1 red capsicum
1 spanish onion
8 rosemary sprigs, stripped of all leaves (leaving on the tip for presentation) and cut at the bottom on the diagonal

METHOD
Cut the capsicums and onion into similar sized pieces, that are similar in size to the lamb
Thread the capsicum, lamb and onion pieces onto the skewers in a uniform order (I like to do red capsicum, lamb, onion, green capsicum, lamb, onion, red capsicum, lamb, onion, green capsicum, lamb. I end up with  4 lamb pieces on each skewer.)
Heat a grill plate or a barbeque to high heat and cook, turning, for 10 minutes, or until nice and charred and cooked through.

Lemon and Soy Chicken Breast

Lemon and Soy Chicken Breast

This is one of my old go-to recipes and one my mum used to cook a lot too. It's very simple but a good way to add flavour to some chicken breast while keeping it healthy and without having to marinate it all night or use fattening sauces. My mum always used thigh fillets which makes them more tender, but I like using chicken breast cause it makes it a very healhty meal (and I have always been a breast girl!). I have served it with my lemon crushed potatoes (see my 'sensational sides' blog) and a rocket, cherry tomato and spanish onion salad dressed only with balsamic vinegar (no oil tonight).

Time taken?: About 40 minutes all up including marinating time.

2 year old friendly?: Yes! (and I say this excitedly because my son never ever used to like chicken breast

This recipe makes about 5 or 6 serves (depending on how much chicken you eat- if you're anything like my hubby it's more like 4 serves!).

INGREDIENTS
1 kilo chicken breast, cut into smaller managable pieces and halved lengthways to make them thinner
1/2 cup soy sauce
The juice of half a lemon
A handful of continental parsely, roughly chopped
Extra lemon, to serve
Freshly cracked pepper

METHOD
Place the cut up chicken in a large bowl
Pour over the chicken the soy sauce and lemon juice, and add the parsely and some freshly cracked pepper to taste
Mix to coat the chicken and combine all of the ingrediants.
Refrigerate for 10-15 mins to allow the flavours to penetrate
Heat a griddle pan or large fry pan to a medium-high heat (alternatively, cook them under a grill).
Cook the chicken in batches until cooked through.

Angel Hair Pasta with Sun-dried Tomato and Goats cheese

Angel Hair Pasta with Sun-dried tomato and Goats cheese

I saw this recipe years ago on the show "Everyday Italian" and used to cook it a fair bit, but I haven't cooked it in years until tonight! It's a very VERY flavoursome dish, although tonight I think I did 2 things wrong- one was slightly overcooking the pasta (Angel Hair takes no time at all) and two was not adding enough of the pasta water at the end. Both resulted in a slightly dry dish, so my tip is to avoid those two things and it'll be absolutely perfect!

It's definately a treat dish, cause while it's not the worst thing you could have it does have a few calorific features, probably a little higher in calories than everything else I cook. Having said that though, the good thing is that it's quite filling so whilst this recipe says it serves 4, it actually probably serves about 6.

Time taken?: 20 minutes (but this one is go go go the whole time as everything is very quick)

2 year old friendly?: Yes- but be warned it's VERY MESY! Be prepared to find angel hair pasta everywhere! ;-)

INGREDIENTS
1 250g- 300g jar of sun-dried tomatoes packed in oil, chopped (oil reserved)
1 small onion, chopped
4 garlic cloves. minced (i left these out of mine tonight as the sun-dried tomatoes i got were marinated in garlic)
1/4 cup of tomato paste
2/3 cup dry white wine
1 packet of angel hair pasta
100g soft fresh goats cheese
2 tablespoons chopped fresh continental parsely

METHOD
Put a large saucepan of salted water on to boil for the pasta
Heat 2 tablespoons of the oil from the sun-dried tomatoes in a large frypan over medium heat.
Add the onion saute until tender (about 3 mins).
Stir in the garlic and saute for about 1 minute until fragrant.
Add the tomato paste and cook for 2 mins, stirring constantly.
Add the wine and sun-dried tomatoes and simmer until liquid reduces by half (about 2 minutes)
Cook the pasta in the salted water, and when al-dente, drain, reserving about 1/2 a cup of cooking liquid.
Add the pasta to the tomato mixture and toss to coat, adding some of the reserved cooking liquid to moisten.
Season the pasta with salt and pepper to taste.
Sprinkl with the goats cheese and parsely and toss. Mound the pasta into bowls and serve.

Foil-Baked Salmon with Lemon, Parsely and Tomato

Foil-Baked Salmon with Lemon, Parsely and Tomato

This is probably one of my favourite dishes. It's so healthy and so easy, but packs some great flavour! I love cooking it on a friday night cause it feels like a nice end-of-week treat (even though it's healthy) and is great with a nice glass of wine (and I have fridays off so I can go to the fish shop!).  I serve it with brown rice and asparagus. I prepare the asparagus by tossing in a little olive oil and then throw them in a hot pan, turning until the skin just starts to blister, and then I add some salt and freshly cracked pepper- delicious!

Time taken?: This took as long as the rice takes to cook, so about 30 mins (cause it's brown rice), but the salmon takes about 2 minutes to prepare before putting in the oven and the asparagus takes only about 5 mins in the pan, so very little effort required!

2 year old friendly?: He does eat it sometimes, but I have actually stopped buying extra for him as it's too expensive for him to only eat half the time. I usually make him some fish fingers and give him some of my salmon if he wants some.

The below recipe makes 2 serves

WHAT YOU NEED
2 salmon fillets, scaled and pin-boned (I prefer skin on, but you can also get skin off)
1 lemon
About 1/2 punnet of grape tomatoes, halved
About 2 tablespoons chopped parsely
2 bunches of fresh asparagus to serve with (prepared as above)

METHOD
Pre-heat oven to 200 degrees celcius.
Take 2 pieces of foil big enough to wrap one salmon fillet each in, and spray the middle of them with oil spray
Place the salmon fillets skin side down on the foil
Sprinkle the salmon with the parsely and then place the halved cherry tomatoes on top of each fillet, cut side down.
Season each fillet with freshly cracked pepper and the squeeze the juice of half a lemon on each fillet.
Enclose each fillet in the foil like this...

Place the fillets on an oven tray and bake in the oven for 15 minutes or until nicely cooked through.
Serve on a bed of brown rice with asparagus. Squeeze more lemon over the fillet just before serving if preffered.

Sensational Sides

Sensational Sides

Lemon and Mustard Crushed Potatoes, 4 Bean Salad

Tonight I just did some very simple grilled steak, and so in order to make it more interesting I made these 2 flavoursome sides. The great thing about both of them are that they're not only simple, but they're great "end of the week" sides, for when it's been almost a week since you've done the grocery shop and you're out of fresh lettuce leaves or vegies to go with your proteins. They're also vegan- I used no butter or milk or anything.

Time taken?: 20 minutes (mostly the time it takes for the potatoes to cook- so you can prepare your other things while they're in therea)

2 year old friendly?: The potatoes are, but I haven't yet been able to get him to eat the beans.

LEMON AND MUSTARD CRUSHED POTATOES
(this is a Jamie Oliver recipe- he's so great with flavours! I did a simpler version of these in my first blog)

700g baby potatoes, washed
1/2 a lemon
1 heaped teaspoon of wholegrain mustard
Olive oil
A handful of chopped, fresh flat leaf parsely (this is in Jamie's recipe but I didn't have any so didn't use it)

Chop in half any of the big potatoes and stab the smaller ones and put them in a microwave safe bowl
Add salt and pepper and the half lemon (not squeezed, just put the half lemon in the bowl)
Cover with a double layer of clingfilm
Put in the microwave on high for 17 minutes or until cooked
Once they're cooked, carefully peel off the clingwrap and discard the lemon half. Add the mustard and a cook glug of olive oil (and the parsely if you have it). Crush with a fork or the back of a spoon and mix to combine all the ingrediants. Season with more salt and pepper if needed.

4 BEAN SALAD

1 can of 4 bean mix (it's important to get a good one. I use Edgel. I have tried the Aldi brand before and they're terrible!)
2 fresh tomatoes, diced
About 1/4 of a small spanish onion, sliced very thinly
Olive oil
Balsamic vinegar

Drain and rinse the beans to get rid of the briney taste
Put into a salad bowl with tomatoes and onions
Season with a good pinch of salt and freshly ground pepper
Dress with olive oil and balsamic vingear to taste

Quick Chicken Cacciatore

Quick Chicken Cacciatore

So I have a confession to make. Tonight I was going to use a jarred chicken cacciatore simmer sauce. I buy the Chicken Tonight brand and usually just add some mushrooms to that and it tastes fine- great actually. I really do like the taste.

But I after i had put some rice on, cut up the chicken and sliced the mushrooms, I went to the cupboard and NO chicken tonight jar! We left a bag behind at the grocery store and it must have had the jar in it. Now by this stage it's late. It's a night when hubby is out, and after picking up Mr 2 Year Old from daycare i had to search the house for a costume for him to wear tommorrow cause I forgot it was letter dress-up day.  And then I realised my salt and pepper grinders were both out of salt and pepper so I had to re-fill them. And then I had to empty the diswasher, and of course Mr 2 year old was delaying the process by trying to "help" and then wanting to be picked up and wanting a snack etc etc. And so on and so on.

Now I do have a recipe for chicken cacciatore, but it takes ages and has a lot of ingredients. So I thought "you know what- I can do this", and I looked in my pantry and just made it up. And to my surprise, it was easy, quick, and tastes exactly like the jarred version! And that's a good thing, cause as I said earlier I like the jarred version. So maybe I actually don't need to buy the jarred version anymore!

I served it with white rice and green beans.

Time taken?: I reckon without all the fiff faff it's about 30 minutes including chopping.

2 year old friendly?: Actually yes, very much so. I think apart from pasta this is one of his favourite dishes. Of course he wouldn't eat the beans, but at least there are mushrooms in the sauce.

WHAT YOU NEED
500g chicken breast or thigh fillet, cut into cubes
1 700ml jar of passata
1 cup mushrooms, sliced
Some dried thyme and basil (one of the few situations where dried herbs work better than fresh)
3 tablespoons olive oil

METHOD
Heat oil in a large saucepan
Cook the chicken until browned
Add the mushrooms and stir for a minute until mushrooms start to soften a little
Add the passata and a very generous spinkling of the herbs. Season with salt and pepper.
Simmer, covered, for about 10 minutes, stirring occasionally
Remove lid from saucepan and cook for a further 5 minutes to reduce sauce slightly.
Serve over some white rice.

This makes about 4 serves, plus a toddler serve (so that means leftovers for lunch!)

Pasta with a basic Tomato and Basil sauce

Pasta with a Basic Tomato and Basil Sauce

(with hidden vegies... shhhhh!!)

This is such a quick pasta sauce you'll never buy pre-made sauce again! I have hidden zucchini in mine tonight cause that's what I had in the fridge , but you can pretty much add ANY vegie to this if you dice it up fine enough. Or don't add any and just have the sauce on it's own.

There is also another indregient in this that needs mentioning, and that's anchovies. Of course if you're allergic or vegetarian you can leave them out (just make sure you add salt instead), but if not, whether you like them or not, PUT THEM IN!!! They completely disintegrate and you can't taste them as anchovies, but they add such a depth of flavour that you really need in a simple sauce like this. They really will make a lot of difference. So do it okay!!!

Also it's important to use a good brand of canned tomatoes. I use 'Androma'. If you get a bad brand it will be too watery.

Time taken?: 20 minutes.

2 year old friendly?: Yep. My boy loves his pasta!

INGREDIENTS
1 500g packet of Penne Pasta
3 tablespoons olive oil
1 can of canned chopped tomatos
1 can of canned whole peeled tomatoes
1 medium brown onion, diced finely
2 cloves garlic, crushed
1/2 zucchini, diced finely (or any vegie/s)
3 or 4 anchovie fillets
A handful of fresh basil, torn into pieces.
Freshly grated parmesan, to serve


METHOD
Put a large pot of water on to boil for the pasta
Put olive oil, garlic and onion in a medium saucepan and cook, stirring until onion starts to go transparent.
Add zucchini and anchovies and cook, stirring, until anchovies are disolved.
Add the 2 cans of tomatoes, breaking up the whole ones with a wooden spoon or potato masher once cooking in the saucepan.
Add pepper and half of the basil leaves. Bring to boil and then turn heat down to simmer.
Meanwhile, your pasta water should be boiling. Add a generous handful of salt and then the pasta, stirring initially to seperate.
When pasta is cooked, drain pasta, return it to the saucepan and add sauce (it should have reduced slightly while the pasta was cooking- this is all it needs). Stir the sauce through the pasta to combine well and then add the remaining basil leaves.
Serve topped with lots of freshly grated parmesan.