Zucchini Pesto

OMG! My mouth is having a party right now. I seriously just made this in 8 minutes - from fridge to plate. If you haven't bought a vegetable spiral slicer yet - you need to get online immediately and order one. It's the bees-knees of kitchen gadgets and mine only cost $17.50AUD with free postage! When I shop tomorrow, I'm buying more basil and 2 kilos of zucchini!  I can't wait to make this for my vegetarian daughter. This serves 4.

Ingredients:

• 4 zucchinis spiralled through the spiral slicer (ends removed but skin left on)
• 2 cloves of garlic
• 1 bunch of basil (stalks removed)
• 4 tablespoons olive oil for basil
• 1 tablespoon olive oil for the saucepan (or water - it's just to stop the zucchini sticking)
• 2 tablespoons pine nuts
• A good pinch of salt
• 1 tablespoon of a parmesan-like cheese, grated (I used Grana Padana)
• Small piece of basil for garnishing
• Extra cheese for garnishing if you please

Method:

1. After spiralling your zucchini, place in a saucepan in one tablespoon of olive oil (or water) and let it warm up slowly on a low heat.  You don't need to cook it - it's simply to warm through. The oil (or water) is only to stop the zucchini sticking to the bottom of the pan
2. In a food processor blend the garlic, basil, olive oil, pine nuts, salt and cheese. If it looks  crumbly, add a bit of water but not too much. I added about 1 teaspoon of water after pushing the pesto down the sides of the food processor and gave it one more pulse
3. Once the pesto is made, spoon it on top of the zucchini in the saucepan and gently fold through. If it looks like there is too much pesto, don't add it all.  I had pesto left over so put the rest of it in the fridge
4. Stir the zucchini gently to warm through. It doesn't require cooking - only warming. Once it's warm enough, serve and garnish with basil and cheese if you like.

 Here is the spiral slicer I bought.

This is it with the zucchini - it took 20 seconds to do one.

D-E-L-icious  XD

Mediterranean Chicken Bake

Sorry I haven't blogged for so long, I've been very busy with work, however now I'm in a new routine, I hope to blog more often.

I found this recipe in a gossip magazine and adapted it to suit our tastes. It was amazing - very flavoursome and filling. This serves 5 or 6 with veggies or salad on the side.

Ingredients:

• 600g chicken breast fillets, split lengthways
• 2 tablespoons olive oil
• 1 onion, chopped
• 2 cloves of garlic, crushed
• 2 cups tomato passata
• Approximately 400g of antipasto (or a mixture of jarred roasted capsicum, artichokes, olives, sun dried tomatoes and leeks)
• Basil, chopped ¼ cup, plus extra to garnish
• Eggplant, thinly sliced lengthways and char grilled
• Mozzarella, grated, 1 cup
• Fresh breadcrumbs (I used rice crumbs), ¼ cup

Method:

1. Preheat oven at 200 degrees celsius
2. Arrange chicken in a single layer in a medium sized oven-proof casserole dish, drizzle with half of the oil, season to taste and bake for 15 minutes
3. Char grill the sliced eggplant quickly, turning once
4. In a large saucepan, cook remaining oil and garlic for 3-4 minutes, until tender
5. Stir in passata, antipasto mix and basil, season to taste
6. Pour half the sauce over chicken in the casserole dish, layer with the eggplant and remaining sauce
7. Sprinkle the combined mozzarella and breadcrumbs over the top and bake for a further 10-15mins until the top is browned nicely
8. Garnish with basil and slice into the required number of pieces, serve with salad or veggies…

D-E-L-icious  XD

Mince Surprise

I had mince and a bunch of veggies in the fridge which needed to be used up so I threw this together and called it Mince Surprise. We all loved it and went back for seconds. This serves 4.

Ingredients:

• 600g lean beef mince
• 4 shallots roughly chopped
• 400g tin kidney beans
• 1 eggplant, peeled and chopped into large pieces
• 4 tomatoes, roughly chopped
• 1 zucchini ends removed and roughly chopped
• 1/4 cup green pitted olives
• 1/2 cup chopped sun dried tomatoes
• 1/2 teaspoons chopped chilli
• Salt & pepper
• 2 cups pasta
• 2 cups water
• 5 tablespoons tomato paste
• 2 mushrooms, roughly chopped
• 1 tablespoon olive oil
• 1 cup grated cheese

Method:

1. Pre-heat oven for 10mins on 180 degrees celsius
2. In a large oven-proof pot on the stovetop, add olive oil and heat on a high heat
3. Add mince and brown while stirring
4. Once the mince is brown add the tomatoes and tomato paste and stir through
5. Add everything else, except the cheese, and bring to the boil
6. Once boiling, remove from stovetop, top with grated cheese and place in the oven on 180 degrees for 40mins
7. Garnish with torn basil leaves if you have them...D-E-L-icious  XD

Spaghetti with Squashed Tomatoes

Because we are currently doing the $120 Food Challenge, this recipe is courtesy of said book. I had to adapt it slightly because I don't like anchovies, so it is a little different, but it turned out extremely nice. It's a very affordable meal when cherry tomatoes are in season (spring) and serves 4. Admittedly the portion sizes are smaller than we are used to so we ended up going back for seconds (lucky I made a little more spaghetti)!

Ingredients:

• 250g cherry tomatoes
• 2 tablespoons olive oil
• 350g dried spaghetti or other long pasta
• 1 clove garlic, thinly sliced
• 4 anchovies (we used about 12 whole pitted olives instead)
• A handful of fresh basil leaves (whole)
• Freshly ground pepper
• Shaved or grated parmesan

Method:

1. Preheat oven to 180 degrees celsius
2. Place cherry tomatoes on a baking try and drizzle with 1 tablespoon olive oil
3. Roast for 20mins or until slightly wilted
4. Cook the spaghetti as per packet instructions
5. Drain the spaghetti, reserving 1/2 cup of the water
6. Return it to the pan and keep warm
7. Heat a frying pan over medium heat, add remaining oil and cook the garlic for 1 minute only
8. Mash the anchovies (or olives) with a fork, then add the roast tomatoes and gently squash them so they split and release their seeds and juices
9. Add the anchovies (or olives) along with the tomatoes to the frying pan and warm gently for about 5mins
10. Remove from heat
11. Toss the tomato and anchovies (olive) mixture through the spaghetti, then add the basil leaves and toss again briefly
12. Divide among 4 bowls, top with freshly ground pepper and parmesan

Note: Serve with home made garlic, herb or parmesan bread.  D-E-L-icious XD

Italian One Pan Lamb

This dish is easy, relatively fast, tasty and very healthy. This serves 4.

Ingredients:

• 4 x 100g lean lamb steaks, fat trimmed
• 1 medium red onion, finely chopped
• 1 red capsicum, finely chopped
• 1 medium eggplant, finely chopped
• 2 garlic cloves, crushed
• 1/4 cup balsamic vinegar
• 400g can chopped tomatoes
• 240g dried pasta

Method:

1. Heat a large, deep, non-stick frying pan over high heat
2. Season lamb with salt and ground pepper
3. Cook lamb for 3-4 minutes each side or until well browned
4. Remove lamb from pan and set aside
5. Add onion, capsicum, eggplant, garlic and vinegar to pan
6. Cook, stirring occasionally, for 5 minutes or until vegetables start to soften and colour
7. Add tomatoes and 1 litre of boiling water
8. Bring to the boil and add the pasta
9. Simmer, uncovered for 7 minutes, stirring once during cooking
10. Return lamb and any juices to pan
11. Simmer gently for 5 minutes or until lamb is hot and pasta is tender
12. Serve into deep bowls with lamb placed on top

Note: Nice garnished with basil leaves too. D-E-L-icious XD

Beef Risotto

This is the first dish I made in my new kitchen. I’ve made it before, however it was very exciting making it again with the new large food preparation area and new appliances XD.

The ingredients are:

• 1 tblspn olive oil
• 500g heart-smark mince beef
• 1 onion chopped
• 2 cloves garlic chopped
• 1 cup uncooked rice
• 2 carrots peeled and grated
• 1 small tub tomato paste
• 400g tin diced tomatoes
• 3 cups beef stock
• 1 cup green beans sliced into 2cm pieces
• 1/2 cup parmesan cheese
• Fresh basil to taste, chopped

Method:

1. Fry the onion and garlic in the oil until onion goes clear
2. Add mince and brown it
3. Add rice and stir for only a minute
4. Add carrot, tomato paste, tinned tomatoes and 3 cups beef stock
5. Cook on a low heat, stirring often, until most of the liquid is absorbed
6. Add beans and cook for 5 minutes more
7. Test rice and add more stock if it’s still firm
8. Cook until rice is tender
9. Place into bowls and sprinkle with the cheese and chopped basil.

Home-made Tomato Sauce

Hubby went shopping at a farmer's market for me and came home with a kilo of tomatoes. Because they were very ripe, I decided to make a tomato sauce for tonight's pasta. It's easy, tasty, low-fat and very healthy.

Ingredients:

• 1 kilo of very red ripe tomatoes, roughly chopped. I did NOT peel or de-seed them!
• 2 cloves of garlic, roughly chopped
• Small bunch basil, stalks removed and roughly chopped
• 4 small green capsicums, seeds removed and roughly chopped
• Freshly ground rock-salt and black pepper to taste
• 2 tablespoons tomato paste

Method:

1. Add 1 tablespoon of good quality olive oil to a large pan and cook the capsicums with the garlic, salt & pepper until semi-soft, stirring often, then set aside in a bowl
2. Put the tomatoes in the pan, add more salt & pepper, the tomato paste, and basil and cook for about 20mins stirring often
3. Return the capsicums to the tomatoes and cook for a further 10min
4. Serve over a bowl of steaming hot pasta garnished with shaved parmesan cheese.

Note: This recipe is suitable for Vegetarians and Vegans minus the cheese. It is quite versatile as it can be used as a pizza base, pasta sauce, relish, or a ratatouille base. It can also be frozen for later, blended to a smoother consistency or left chunky. We like it chunky...D-E-L-icious  XD

Thai Tom Yum Soup

This is authentic Thai Tom Yum Soup, is low-fat, very easy, fast and delicious. It has virtually no fat and serves 2 generous helpings or 4 smaller serves for entrees.

Ingredients:

• 6 cups weak chicken stock. If your chicken stock is quite concentrated, water it down with half water
• 2 tablespoons either Tom Yum paste or Red Curry paste
• 1 clove garlic, finely chopped
• 2 stalks lemon grass, roughly chopped
• 4 kaffir lime leaves, torn into large pieces
• 2 skinless chicken breasts, sliced into thin strips
• 200g small mushrooms, halved
• 2 tablespoons fish sauce
• 2 tablespoons lime juice
• 1 large handful coriander, roughly chopped
• 1 large handful basil, roughly chopped

Method:

1. In a large saucepan, bring the chicken stock to the boil, stir in the paste and garlic and cook for 2 minutes
2. Stir in the lemon grass and kaffir lime leaves
3. Place the chicken in the saucepan and cook for 5 minutes, or until cooked through
4. Mix in the mushrooms, fish sauce and lime juice and continue cooking until well blended
5. If it's too spicy for you, add another cup or 2 of water and warm through
6. Remove from heat and serve hot with coriander and basil thrown on top. D-E-L-icious  XD

Note: Traditionally the kaffir lime leaves are left in the bowls for flavour - and not eaten :)

Basil Pasta

I found this recipe and adapted it from one of the 4 ingredients books. It is simple, fast and tasty. It's perfect after a busy day when there is not much energy or time to prepare something special. It serves 4 generous serves.

Ingredients:

• 4 cups pasta (I used penne)
• 1 cup frozen vegetables (I used peas, corn & carrots)
• 1/2 red capsicum, chopped
• 1/2 cup parmesan cheese, grated
• 1/2 cup chopped basil
• 2 tablespoons pureed basil (I used Gourmet Garden tube)
• 1 onion, peeled and chopped
• 1 tablespoon olive oil
• 2 cloves freshly chopped garlic

Method:

1. Cook the pasta as per packet directions and add the vegetables to the same pan
2. In a small frypan, fry the onion and garlic in olive oil until the onions go clear
3. Add the pureed basil and cook with the onion and garlic for 1 minute
4. Turn off the heat and cover to wait for the pasta and vegetables
5. Drain the pasta and vegetables when cooked and pour into a large warmed bowl
6. Add the onion, garlic and pureed basil and stir through
7. Add the grated parmesan cheese and stir through
8. Add the freshly chopped basil and serve into 4 bowls.

D-E-L-icious  XD