Tag: home cook

PB and J biscuits

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I saw the divine Reece Hignell and Jess Lemon (from Australia’s Masterchef ‘Back to Win’) share an epic 3 ingredient peanut butter biscuit recipe on Instagram.

So I thought, “let’s make it PB&J – but healthy?”

The original recipe is just 1 cup of sugar, 1 cup of peanut butter and 1 egg, mixed together into balls and flattened with a fork, baked at 170*C for 12 minutes.

I changed mine up a little and used:

  • Baked at 170*C for about 15 minutes, then drizzled with Noshu low sugar white chocolate chips and served with a dollop of Natvia low sugar raspberry spread – bliss!

    • Vegan Pumpkin Soup

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    Warms the soul as well as the belly!

    Ingredients (serves 2-3)

    • 200g butternut pumpkin
    • 4 large carrots
    • 125g can coconut cream
    • 4 fresh sage leaves
    • 1 sprig fresh rosemary
    • 1 litre vegetable stock
    • Chives to serve

    Method

    1. Preheat the oven to 200*C and roast the pumpkin and carrots until soft and golden. Allow to cool slightly.
    2. Place the roasted pumpkin and carrot, sage, rosemary, stock and coconut cream in a blender or food processor and blend until smooth. Alternatively, place the mixture in a large bowl or saucepan and blend with a stick blender until smooth.
    3. Serve hot with chives on top.

    Pie Maker Savoury Muffins

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    After a recent baking spree for night shift, I can now truly appreciate why people are going nuts over these pie makers!

    You’d be surprised at what people can create in such a short space of time with one of these (a real bargain considering they’re only $29 from Kmart). For some epic recipe ideas, definitely look up the Australian Kmart pie maker recipe group on Facebook!

    As part of my experimentation, I made an old recipe of mine, a cross between a muffin and a frittata – a fruffin if you will (because mufftata sounds a bit risky).

    I made two different flavours of these by changing the spice, otherwise the base recipe is the same!

     

    Ingredients (makes 12)

    Method

    1. Turn on the pie maker.
    2. Beat the eggs, then add the milk, flour, yogurt and spice mix and stir well to combine.
    3. Place spinach leaves at the base of the pie mould, then pour 1/8th cup of filling mixture on top. Place a small piece of cheese, then add another dollop of filling mixture to cover.
    4. Cook in the pie maker until golden brown (about 3-5 minutes). These will cook more evenly the more full the mould is.
    5. Store in an airtight container in the fridge if they don’t all get eaten!

    Nacho Average Burrito

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    Here’s one for the meal prep list for vegetarian burritos on demand!

    Ingredients 

    • 1 can mixed beans
    • 1 large red capsicum, chopped
    • 200g mushrooms, chopped
    • 4 large kale leaves, deveined and chopped
    • 200g fetta cheese, crumbled
    • 250g cherry tomatoes, cut in halves
    • 1 packet wraps +/- salad leaves

    I mix the beans, capsicum, mushrooms, kale, fetta and tomatoes until well combined, then divide into air-tight containers and freeze until needed. Then just defrost the mixture, decant any water that may have been produced in the defrosting process, and wrap in your wrap (I also add lettuce or baby spinach and sometimes avocado for a bit of freshness just before serving!).

    Carrot and Parsnip Gratin

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    After I made my amazing mushroom cauliflower sauce, I remembered I had bought some parsnips from the market. Time to make gratin!

    Ingredients (serves 2 as above)

    Method

    1. Preheat the oven to 180*C. Lightly grease a baking dish with olive oil.
    2. Grate the carrot and parsnips. Mix with the sauce and pour into the dish.
    3. Sprinkle with quinoa flakes and then mozzarella. Bake until cheese is melted and golden (approx 20 minutes).

    Creamy Cauliflower Mushroom Sauce

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    Ingredients

    • 1 cup salt-reduced stock (chicken or vegetable)
    • 400g mushrooms
    • 1/2 medium head of cauliflower
    • 2 sprigs each of tarragon, parsley, thyme and 2 large sage leaves
    • 1/4 cup light cooking cream

    Method

    1. Preheat the oven to 200*C and line a baking tray with baking paper.
    2. Break up the cauliflower into small florets and baking until soft and starting to brown (30-40 minutes).
    3. Heat a large saucepan over a medium heat with a small amount of olive oil. Place the herbs, mushrooms and 1/2 cup stock in the pot and simmer, stirring occasionally, until mushrooms soft and half the liquid evaporated (approximately 30 minutes).
    4. Drain the remaining liquid from the pot. Place the liquid, cauliflower, remaining stock and cream into a blender and blend until smooth. Return to the pot with the mushrooms and stir until well combined. Serve with whatever takes your fancy (like roast chicken with kale and spinach as above!).

    Best Ever Veggie Patties

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    What do you get when you mix protein-rich chickpeas, nutty LSA and a tasty range of vegetables from the market? Some of the best veggie patties I’ve ever made!

    Ingredients (makes 12) 

    • 100g pumpkin
    • 100g sweet potato
    • 1/2 small head broccoli
    • 150g baby spinach
    • 1 x 400g can chickpeas
    • 1/2 cup LSA (linseed, sunflower seed, almond meal)
    • 1 large egg
    • herbs from the garden – sage, thyme, parsley, chives, tarragon

    Method

    1. Preheat the oven to 200*C and line a baking tray with baking paper.
    2. Chop the pumpkin and sweet potato into small pieces and roast until golden and soft (approximately 30 minutes).
    3. Place the roast pumpkin and potato, broccoli, spinach, chickpeas and herbs into a food processor and process until combined. Add the egg and LSA, and mix well.
    4. Heat a large frypan over medium heat with a small amount of olive oil. Roll 2-3 tablespoons of mixture into balls, place onto the pan and flatten with the back of a spatula. Lightly brown both sides  (don’t cook all the way through).
    5. Transfer the patties to a lined baking tray and bake until firm (approximately 30 minutes). Serve as veggie burgers, as part of a buddha bowl, or as a delicious snack straight from the fridge!

    Raspberry Chia Sauce

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    I went to cooking school in Paris. While I was there, we learned how to make “Canard avec fruites rouge” (duck with red fruits), which was essentially a pan fried duck with amazing raspberry sauce. In my usual habit of trying to recreate things, I tried to make my own raspberry sauce, but with a slightly thicker texture – and so this raspberry ‘jam’ was born. Note that it is supposed to be tart like cranberry sauce rather than sweet like strawberry jam, so don’t get a fright if you put in on your toast and something tastes a little odd!

    Ingredients 

    • 200g raspberries (fresh or frozen)
    • 1/8 cup white chia seeds
    • 1/8 cup water
    • 1 tsb balsamic vinegar (flavoured ones work well here, I used fig and guava with success)

    Method

    1. Using a fork, gently mash the raspberries. Add the water and vinegar and stir to combine.
    2. Add the chia seeds and continuously stir until starting to thicken. Put aside in the fridge for 5 minutes and stir again (if too thick at this stage, add small amounts of water until it thins out). Return to the fridge until ready to serve.

    For example – roasted turkey with spinach, slaw and a sweet potato and pumpkin smash! 

    Easy Lemon Beetroot Hummus

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    I’m of Lebanese heritage on Mum’s side, so hummus is in my blood. Some would say there is too much blood in my hummus stream even. But as much as I love the traditional recipes, I also love to experiment – and this tangy pretty-in-pink version is a great example of how to make better-than-store-bought hummus without the fuss!

    Ingredients 

    • 1 x 400g can chickpeas (drained and rinsed)
    • 1 x 200g can beetroot (drained and rinsed)
    • 3 tbsp lemon infused olive oil (or you can use normal olive oil and add lemon zest to taste)
    • 2 tbsp unhulled tahini
    • pinch of sea salt to taste

     

     

    Method 

    1. Place the chickpeas, beetroot and tahini in the food processor and blend until starting to combine.
    2. While processing, slowly add the olive oil until the mixture is smooth and creamy, and add the sea salt to taste. Refrigerate before serving to allow the mixture to firm, then serve with your favourite crackers or vegetable sticks.