Slow cooked potato & leek soup

This is the first time I've made potato & leek soup and I was surprised how easy it was in the slow cooker. This serves 6 and is lovely served with crusty bread rolls,  Pane di Casa or sour dough.

Ingredients:

• 6 very large potatoes, peeled, washed and cubed
• 2 leeks, washed, halved and chopped - white and green parts are used
• 6 cups vegetable stock
• 1 tablespoon mixed herbs
• Salt & pepper to taste

Method:

1. Place all ingredients in the slow cooker, stir and turn on the slow cooker
2. Cook for either 4hours on high or 6hours on low
3. Just before serving, spoon portions into your blender or food processor with some of the liquid and blend, placing each blended portion into a saucepan on low to keep warm
4. Once the entire soup has been blended, serve into bowls, top with salt & pepper and dip the bread in…D-E-L-icious  XD

Potato, Spinach & Tomato Salad - low FODMAP

Here's another low FODMAP recipe for those who suffer from IBS like myself. This was absolutely beautiful. I served it at a party on the weekend, then finished it off the next day. I must admit - I'm not a huge spinach fan (or Silverbeet as some people call it) but this will now be a regular salad for us - as will buying spinach!

Ingredients:

• 1kg new chat potatoes, halved and unpeeled
• 250g tomatoes, cut into wedges
• 15 black olives, pitted, halved lengthways 
• 100g spinach, washed and stalks removed, torn into large pieces
• 1 tablespoon capers, rinsed
• Juice of half a lemon
• 2 tablespoons olive oil
• Freshly ground pepper

Method:

1. Boil the chat potatoes until you can stick a knife in them and they are just soft
2. Place the spinach ontop of the potatoes for only one minute just to wilt
3. Remove potatoes and spinach from the stove, drain the water, and let cool
4. While the potatoes and spinach are cooling, add the lemon juice, olive oil and pepper to a large serving bowl and whisk
5. Add the tomatoes, olives and capers to the serving bowl
6. Once the potatoes and spinach have cooled, gently add them to the serving bowl, being careful not the break the potatoes
7. Stir gently so the dressing coats the potatoes
8. Serve warm or cool...D-E-L-icious  XD

Potato Salad with Sage and Pecan

I recently discovered the beautiful mix of sage and pecans together. I made a pasta sauce using cream, sage and pecans and it was a bit uneventful so I won't blog it. But that meant I was left with half a packet of pecans and fresh sage to use up so had a think about what to make with it.

It was NRL Grand Final day and we were expecting guests. It was hot so thought I'd throw together a potato salad using up the sage and pecans....well it was so delicious, it's now on our regular salad menu :)

I wasn't following a recipe so these quantities are only rough. You will need to adapt the quantities when you make it - depending on how many people you are catering for.

Ingredients:

• 6-8 red pontiac potatoes, quartered and skins left on
• 1/2 red capsicum, finely chopped
• 1/2 green capsicum, finely chopped
• 1/2 yellow capsicum, finely chopped
• 1 tablespoon chopped sage leaves
• 2 tablespoons chopped pecan nuts
• About three quarters of a cup of plain, low-fat mayonnaise
• Salt and pepper to taste

Method:

1. Boil the potatoes, but ensure they are not soggy. They should still be firm-ish and the skins should NOT have begun to peel
2. Drain the potatoes and let them cool
3. In a large bowl, place the chopped capsicums, sage, pecans, and salt & pepper
4. Once the potatoes have cooled, throw them into the bowl with the vegetables and pecans
5. Pour over the mayonnaise and toss gently
6. Served as a side dish and watch your guests devour it...D-E-L-icious  XD

Savoury Mince with Smashed Potato and Broccolini

This savoury mince dish is healthy, light, gluten-free, easy and tasty. It was also a winner with the kids.

Ingredients:

• 1/2 tablespoon good quality olive oil
• 500g lean mince beef
• 1 red capsicum, chopped into chunks
• 1 fresh garlic clove, roughly chopped
• 1 onion, peeled and chopped into large chunks
• A large handful of green string beans cut into thirds
• 2 carrots, peeled and chopped into chunks
• 1 teaspoon dried rosemary
• 1 teaspoon curry powder (optional)
• Salt and pepper to taste

Method:

1. Heat the oil in a large frying pan and add onion and garlic, stir occasionally while cooking until the onion goes clear
2. Add the mince and brown properly
3. Once the mince is browned, add the rest of the ingredients, stir well and put the lid on. Turn down to a low simmer and leave it for about 10mins.
4. Once the carrots are soft enough, it's ready to serve
5. Serve with smashed potato and broccolini

Note: For the smashed potato - I placed a medium sized potato (with skin on) into a microwave safe dish. I poked both sides of the potato with a sharp knife and cooked it for 2mins each side. I placed it on the plate and pressed on it with my hand until it split...easy!   D-E-L-icious  XD

About gluten:

Gluten is a rubbery protein found in grains including wheat, rye, oats and barley. Patients with Coeliac disease are sensitive to gluten which damages the lining of the small bowel. Coeliac Disease can be managed by sticking to a strict gluten-free diet and a person with Coeliac Disease can still enjoy a varied diet if they fully understand the gluten-free diet. Foods to avoid include bread, batter, baked goods, pasta, meat products containing gluten, and beer. It is important to consult with a dietitian with experience in coeliac disease.Should you wish to know more about gluten-free diets and what it means to have Coeliac Disease, this website is quite useful. Also read more from the Coeliac Society of Australia.

Lamb Casserole with Tomato & Rosemary

I threw this together last night with 2 lamb chump chops and staples from the pantry. When you can get lamb on special - this is a very cheap, tasty and easy meal to make. It requires about an hour - two would be better so the lamb falls off the bone, but it was a definite winner with the family. It serves 4 with pasta.

Ingredients:

• 2 lamb chump chops (the larger the better)
• 1 onion, peeled and chopped
• 1 teaspoon crushed garlic
• 2 medium sized potatoes, peeled and diced
• 5 sticks celery, chopped
• 2 carrots, peeled and sliced
• 2 tins chopped tomatoes
• 1 and half teaspoons rosemary (dried or fresh)
• Salt & pepper
• 1 cup water
• 1 tablespoon oil

Method:

1. Heat a large pan with oil and brown the lamb chump chops for about 2mins each side, then remove and place on paper towel
2. To the juices in the pan, add the onions and garlic, stir and cook for 2mins
3. Add the celery, potato and carrot, stir and cook for 2mins
4. Add diced tomato, salt, pepper, rosemary, water and stir well
5. Return the lamb chops to the pan and bring to the boil
6. Once boiling, reduce to a low heat and simmer for at least an hour
7. Serve with pasta, rice or cous cous - there is lots of yummy gravy. D-E-L-icious  XD

Topped Potato Skins

These potato skins are to die for. They are very versatile because you can use various toppings. I used low fat tasty cheese and diced ham. I'll admit - this is not a fast cooking recipe - it takes time, but it certainly is easy. This serves four as a side dish, but you could make as many as you want.

Ingredients:

• 3 or 4 large potatoes, cut in half lengthways, then half again (like wedges)
• 1/2 cup low-fat tasty cheese
• 1/2 cup diced ham
• Salt and pepper
• Dried herbs (your choice of flavour)
• Spray oil

Method:

1. Carefully remove the raw potato from the skin leaving about 0.5cm of potato (see above image)
2. After removing as much potato as possible from the skins, lay the skins on a baking tray
3. Spray with spray oil, sprinkle with salt, pepper and herbs
4. Cook in 180 degree celsius oven for 45mins
5. When they come out of the oven they look like the photo below:

The final thing to do is place diced ham on the skins, then top with the cheese. Cook for another 10mins on 180 degrees OR place under a warm-hot grill and watch them. Remove once the cheese has melted...D-E-L-icious  XD

Note: Either make mashed potato or potato salad with the potato you removed from the skins.

Home-made chips and sauce

When I crave hot chips I reach for the pantry, salt & pepper. Home-made chips are so easy and much healthier than fried and frozen chips. In most cases the frozen chips you buy at the supermarket have already been fried before freezing so the fat content is high. Because I can't eat any fried food - I much prefer these home-made chips made from....real potatoes.

Ingredients:
CHIPS:

• Potatoes - as many as you want and any kind. I buy whatever is on special
• Spray oil
• Salt & pepper

SAUCE:

• Either fresh tomatoes finely chopped, some tinned tomatoes or salsa
• Garlic to taste, finely chopped
• Chilli to taste, finely chopped
• Basil to taste, finely chopped

Method:

1. No need to peel the potatoes - just cut in half then slice into chips
2. Lay on an oven tray with baking paper
3. Spray with spray oil
4. Sprinkle with salt & pepper
5. Cook on 200 degrees celsius for 30-40mins turning half way
6. For the sauce combine the tomatoes, garlic, chilli and basil
7. Serve with sauce...D-E-L-icious  XD

Chips prior to cooking...see it's easy!

Challenge 1: Broccoli, Potato and Coriander Soup

Ingredients:

• 500g broccoli florets and stalks, chopped
• Cooking spray oil
• 2 onions, peeled and chopped
• 2 garlic cloves, peeled and chopped
• 2 teaspoons ground cumin
• 1 teaspoon ground coriander
• 750g potatoes, peeled and chopped
• 2 small chicken stock cubes
• 1 litre of water
• 375ml skim milk
• 3 tablespoons finely chopped coriander.

Method:

1. Lightly spray the base of a large saucepan with oil, then place over medium heat and add onion and garlic
2. Add 1 tablespoon of water to prevent sticking, cover and cook, stirring occasionally over a low heat for 5 minutes, or until the onion has softened and is lightly golden
3. Add ground cumin and ground coriander and cook for 2 minutes
4. Add the potato and broccoli to the pan, stir well and add the stock cubes with 1 litre of water
5. Slowly bring to the boil, reduce heat, cover and simmer over a low heat for 20 minutes, or until vegetables are tender
6. Allow to cool slightly then blend the soup in batches in a food processor/blender until smooth
7. Return to the saucepan and stir in the milk
8. Slowly reheat, without boiling
9. Stir in the chopped coriander and season before serving.

Now this recipe is as per the book, HOWEVER I had to make some adjustments. I was out of cumin, so added smoky paprika and turmeric instead. We found the soup quite bland and needed to add lots of salt and pepper and extra coriander.

Preparation Time: 15 minutes

Cooking time: 30 minutes

Serves: 6

Score: 2.5 stars out of 5.

Comment: Probably won't make it again!