Nutrition basics: Soil Quality and Fertiliser

Let's talk about soil!

A plant is only as nutritious as the soil it was grown in. It makes no difference how many serves of fruits and vegetables you eat per day, if they are grown in nutrient-poor soil they won't be as good for you as you think.

Australia has some of the oldest land surface on earth and while rich in biodiversity its soil is among the most nutrient poor and unproductive in the world. This is due mainly to the country's geological stability, which is a major feature of the Australian land mass, and is characterised by, among other things, a lack of significant seismic activity. Only six per cent of the Australian landmass is arable. Large volumes of water are required from both surface and groundwater supplies. Australian soils are highly dependent upon vegetation cover to generate nutrients and for stability. Land clearing, water extraction and poor soil conservation are all causes of a decline in the quality of Australia's soils. (Source: Australian Government).

For this reason, the agriculture industry uses fertiliser on its crops.

Organic versus chemical fertilisers

Organic fertiliser is usually made from plant or animal waste or powdered minerals. Examples include manure and compost, as well as bone and cottonseed meal. They are sometimes sold as 'soil conditioners' rather than as fertiliser, because the nutrient ratios are difficult to guarantee. Organic fertilisers may be processed in a factory or at a farm. Organic fertilisers improve the structure of the soil and increase its ability to hold water and nutrients. Over time, organic fertilisers will make your soil and plants healthy and strong. Since they are the ultimate slow-release fertilisers, it’s very difficult to over fertilise and harm your plants. There’s little to no risk of toxic build-ups of chemicals and salts that can be deadly to plants. Organic fertilisers are renewable, biodegradable, sustainable, and environmentally friendly. (Source: Debate over Chemical and Organic Fertilisers).

Chemical fertiliser (also called inorganic, synthetic, artificial, or manufactured) have been refined to extract nutrients and bind them in specific ratios with other chemical fillers. These products may be made from petroleum products, rocks, or even organic sources. Some of the chemicals may be naturally occurring, but the difference is that the nutrients in chemical fertilisers are refined to their pure state and stripped of substances that control their availability and breakdown, which rarely occurs in nature. Repeated applications may result in a toxic build-up of chemicals such as arsenic, cadmium, and uranium in the soil. These toxic chemicals can eventually make their way into your fruits and vegetables and long-term use of chemical fertiliser can change the soil pH, upset beneficial microbial ecosystems, increase pests, and even contribute to the release of greenhouse gases. (Source: Debate over Chemical and Organic Fertilisers).

Fertiliser use and agricultural production: Australia 

The above chart demonstrates the rise in agricultural production over the last three decades and the increasing use of fertiliser inputs (ie. nitrogen, phosphorous and potassium shorthanded as ‘NPK’) to achieve that level of real production. This provides an indication of the enhancements in production due to fertiliser, whilst acknowledging that other factors such as better herbicides and insecticides are also making a contribution. (Source: IAMA). 

If you're interested in reading about fertliser use in Australia, and the history of, see this link.

So now we know our fresh produce is grown in fertilised soil, but whether it is grown in chemical or organic fertiliser, we may not be entirely certain of. What about other toxins like pesticides, antibiotics and hormones? According to Better Health Victoria chemicals such as pesticides, antibiotics and hormones are used in plant and animal farming to boost production and ensure adequate food supply. (Source: Better Health Victoria).

What can I do?

• Buy unsprayed or organic produce
• Grow your own and use organic repellants
• Get to know your local growers
• Identify the fruits and vegetables with the highest pesticide load
• Buy produce from farmer's markets
• Wash your fruit and vegetables before eating and dry well with paper towel - dispose of the paper towel

Next blog post...Pesticides, Antibiotics and Hormones in Farming. 

Yellow Vegetable Curry

This was thrown together the other night in a hurry. I had not planned dinner so had a look in the fridge and pantry and came up with this nice surprise. It's tasty but not too spicy and packed full of vegetables. This serves 4.

Ingredients:

• 2 tablespoons yellow curry paste
• 2 tins (800ml) coconut milk
• 1 tablespoon coconut oil
• 1 teaspoon fish sauce
• 1 teaspoon brown sugar
• 1 carrot, peeled and sliced
• ½ red capsicum, roughly chopped
• ½ green capsicum, roughly chopped
• ¼ eggplant, peeled and roughly chopped
• ½ zucchini, roughly chopped
• 1 squash, roughly chopped
• Handful of broccoli florets
• Handful of green beans, ends removed and cut into 2cm pieces
• 4 mushrooms, stalks removed and roughly chopped
• Coriander for garnishing
• Dried shallots for garnishing
• Noodles of your choice - I used 2 squares of vermicelli

Method:

1. Heat oil in a wok and add the curry paste. Stir and heat for about 2mins
2. Add the coconut milk, stir well and simmer for 2mins
3. Add the hard vegetables, i.e. carrots, broccoli and green beans, simmer for 2mins
4. Add the remaining vegetables except the mushrooms, and simmer for 5mins
5. Add the mushrooms, fish sauce and brown sugar and simmer until the noodles are ready
6. Feel free to add water if there isn't enough sauce for you. If it's too spicy, add more coconut milk, but if the spice is just right, only add water to extend the liquid
7. Cook the vermicelli noodles (or noodles of your choice) as per packet instructions
8. Drain the noodles, place in a bowl and pour the curried vegetables over the noodles
9. Garnish with chopped coriander and dried shallots.  D-E-L-icious  XD

Spicy Vegan Soup - slow cooked

Everyone thought I was crazy starting to prepare soup on a 35 degree day. I must have had an inkling in my subconscious that it would cool later in the day...sure enough it did. A huge southerly hit and the temperature dropped 15 degrees in about 20 minutes. This soup was easy to make, it's healthy as, and it's Vegan. It takes about an hour and this amount serves 6 bowls...lovely served with crusty rolls.

Ingredients:

• 3 tablespoons olive oil
• 1 onion, peeled and roughly chopped
• 2 cloves garlic, roughly chopped
• 4 stalks of celery, roughly chopped
• 3 carrots, peeled and roughly chopped
• ¼ cauliflower, cut into florets
• ½ green capsicum, roughy chopped
• 3 tablespoons pearl barley
• 400g tinned corn (or 2 full length corn cobs, kernels removed and cob discarded)
• 400g tin lentils (or 400g dried green lentils, rinsed and pre-soaked)
• 1 teaspoon turmeric
• 1 teaspoon curry powder
• ½ teaspoon cumin seeds
• ½ teaspoon coriander seeds
• ½ teaspoon fennel seeds
• 1 teaspoon rock or sea salt
• 1 teaspoon whole peppercorns
• 1 litre vegetable stock
• 500ml water

Method:

1. On a medium to high heat in a large saucepan, heat the oil, throw in the onion and garlic and stir with a wooden spoon
2. Add the celery and carrots, turmeric, curry, cumin, coriander, fennel, salt and pepper and stir well
3. Add a splash of water and scrape the bottom of the pan to mix the spices into the water
4. Stir often, for about 5 minutes so the carrots can soften slightly
5. Add the cauliflower, capsicum, pearl barley, vegetable stock and water, then stir, bring to the boil and turn down to simmer for 20 minutes
6. After 20 minutes add the corn and lentils, stir and simmer for another 40 minutes
7. Serve into bowls with crusty bread rolls...D-E-L-icious XD

Roasted Curry Vegetable Medley

Whilst driving home from work I developed a craving for roasted veggies. I didn't want plain roasted veggies though, so I thought I'd spice them up a bit. I was very happy with the result as it turned out lovely. This is made in a large oven tray, so has minimal washing up, serves 4, and is perfect served on a bed of mashed potato.

Ingredients:
Cut all these veggies into approximately 2cm chunks:

• ½ large sweet potato, peeled
• 1 zucchini
• 1 red capsicum
• 4 stalks of celery
• 3 carrots, peeled
• ¼ eggplant, peeled

Plus:

• 440g can of chic peas, rinsed and drained
• 3 tablespoons olive oil
• 1 teaspoon turmeric
• 1 teaspoon curry powder
• 1 teaspoon fennel seeds
• ½ teaspoon mustard seeds
• 1 teaspoon coriander seeds
• 2 teaspoons rock or sea salt (not ground)
• 1 teaspoon back peppercorns (not ground)

Method:

1. Pre heat the oven to 200 degrees celsius
2. Drizzle the oven tray with the olive oil and throw all veggies and chic peas into it
3. Sprinkle the spices over the top and toss gently with two wooden spoons
4. Cover the oven tray with foil and cook for 20mins
5. Remove from oven, toss the veggies again and return to the oven for another 20mins or until the veggies are soft enough for your liking
6. Serve with mashed potato...to soak up the yummy spicy juice  XD

Sweet Vegetable Curry - Slow Cooked

This curry is hot hot hot, but also sweet so you may want to adjust the amount of cayenne pepper and curry to your liking. This serves 4 generous serves with rice.

Ingredients:

• 2 tablespoons olive oil
• 1 teaspoon cayenne pepper
• 1 teaspoon cinnamon
• 1 teaspoon ground ginger
• 1 teaspoon curry powder
• 1 small onion, peeled and chopped
• 4 stalks celery, sliced
• 1 large carrot, peeled and chopped
• ½ green capsicum, chopped
• ½ zucchini, chopped
• ½ sweet potato, peeled and chopped
• 1 large red apple, peeled and chopped
• ½ can chick peas, rinsed and drained
• 2 - 2 ½ cup vegetable stock

To add later:

• ½ can light coconut milk
• Salt & pepper

Method:

1. Coat the slow cooker with olive oil
2. Place the onion in the slow cooker along with the spices and mix well so the onion is coated
3. Add the rest of the ingredients (except those marked 'to add later') and stir well
4. Cover and cook for 6 hours on low
5. While it is still hot, stir through the coconut milk, add salt & pepper and mix well to warm through
6. Serve on a bed of rice.  D-E-L-icious  XD

Slow Cooked Beef and Vegetable Soup

I love this soup and it's one of my favourites. This serves 8 and is better when there is leftovers for the next day.

Ingredients:

• 700g chuck steak, fat removed, but not sliced
• 1 large onion, peeled and chopped
• 2 carrots, peeled and chopped
• 2 sticks celery, chopped
• 1 turnip, peeled and chopped
• 2 cloves garlic, chopped
• 4 cups beef stock
• 3 cups water
• 1 cup pearl barley
• 2 dried bay leaves
• Salt & pepper

Method:

1. Place the chuck steak in the bottom of the slow cooker. Do not cut the steak as we will be shredding it later
2. Throw all the vegetables, salt, pepper, garlic and bay leaves into the slow cooker (not the barley) and add the stock and water
3. Mix well and cook on low for 4 hours
4. Add the barley and cook for another 2 hours on low
5. Before serving, remove the steak (it will be very tender so you'll need a large slotted spoon), place it onto a cutting board and shred it with a fork
6. Return the shredded beef to the slow cooker, stir and serve with hot buttered crusty rolls. D-E-L-icious  XD

Low FODMAP Fast Noodles with Vegetables

Today I was craving noodles for lunch so whipped up this low FODMAP soupy noodly dish which was amazingly yummy. No garlic or onion makes this a healthy meal suitable for IBS sufferers like me. The stock cube I used is Massel's 7 as I recently discovered is a low FODMAP stock. And I replaced my usual sauce of choice - soy - with gluten free Tamari. This serves 1 and takes a total of 15mins from preparation to the table.

Ingredients:

• ½ carrot, peeled and chopped
• 6 green beans, chopped
• 1 tablespoon of thinly sliced red capsicum
• 2 shallots (spring onions) only the green part - chopped
• ½ red chilli, seeds kept in, finely chopped
• 1cm square fresh ginger, peeled and finely chopped
• ½ tablespoon sesame oil
• 1 Massel's 7 chicken stock cube
• 1 and ½ cups hot water (more if you want extra juice)
• Handful of noodles of your choice. I used flat rice noodles

Method:

1. In a medium sized pan, heat the oil and add the chilli & ginger. Stir fry for about 1min to release the flavours
2. Add the carrot and beans, stir fry for 2mins
3. Add the stock cube mixed with water and bring to the boil
4. Once boiling, add the noodles and reduce to simmer for about 5mins
5. Add the capsicum and simmer for a further 2mins
6. Just before serving, add the chopped shallots and Tamari sauce
7. At this step, you could add some cooked chicken or leftover beef if you're craving some meat
8. Serve in a deep soup bowl
9. The noodles will continue to soften and soak up the liquid, so if you want more liquid (as in a soup) add more as required…D-E-L-icious  XD

Steamed greens with sesame seeds

Another gluten free lunch idea. This is easy and fast. Serves 1.

Ingredients:

• Vegetables of your choice. I used a hand-full of snow peas, and green string beans, 1 carrot and 1 zucchini
• Tablespoon of Sesame seeds
• Salt & pepper to taste

Method:

1. If you're using large or hard vegetables, cut them into chunks
2. Place all vegetables into a microwave dish and add about 1/2 cup water
3. Cook on high for 5mins with the lid on
4. Drain, serve on a plate and sprinkle with sesame seeds (toasted OR plain) and salt & pepper.

Also nice served with a smashed potato, grated cheese, or a slice of gluten-free toast.  D-E-L-icious  XD

Sweet Potato and Vegetable Frittata

I found a similar recipe to this one in a Weight Watchers book, but it included bacon. As I have a vegetarian in my family, I omitted the bacon and replaced it with vegetables. It serves 4 generous pieces  and is great served with a salad.

Ingredients:

• 10 eggs, lightly beaten
• 1 medium sized sweet potato (kumara) peeled and cut into 2cm pieces
• 1/2 fresh red capsicum, diced
• 1 cup of zero point vegetables. I used steamed carrot and green beans
• Italian herbs, salt & pepper to taste
• 2 teaspoons Parmesan cheese (I used the dried long-life stuff in the packet which is already grated as the amount required is worth zero points)

Method:

1. Preheat oven to 180 degrees celsius or 160 fan-forced
2. Lightly spray a 5cm deep square cake tin with spray oil and line with baking paper to prevent frittata from sticking
3. Steam the sweet potato, carrot and green beans on the stove-top for 12 minutes or until tender
4. Place the diced capsicum in the bottom of the lined tray and spread it out
5. Place the sweet potato, carrot and green beans in the pan over the capsicum. Spread out and flatten if possible
6. In a large bowl beat the eggs lightly, add salt, pepper, cheese and Italian herbs
7. Pour the mixture into the tin and flatten down any protruding parts as best you can
8. Bake for 30-35 minutes until set
9. Cut frittata into 4 squares and serve with salad or steamed vegetables…D-E-L-icious XD

Home-made Chicken Soup

This chicken soup is very easy, very tasty and lovely served with fresh bread rolls. This serves 4 generous serves, or 6 smaller ones.

Ingredients:

• 5 chicken drumsticks
• 1 large brown onion, peeled, finely chopped
• 1 large carrot, peeled, finely chopped
• 2 celery sticks, finely chopped
• 2 garlic cloves, finely chopped
• 1 teaspoon ginger, finely chopped
• 2 tbs finely chopped fresh continental parsley stems or 2 teaspoons dried parsley
• 6 sprigs fresh thyme, leaves picked or 1 tablespoon dried thyme
• 2 litres water (may need more for later if the liquid reduces too much)
• 1/2 tsp whole black peppercorns

Method:

1. Place the garlic, ginger and chicken drumsticks in a large pan with some olive oil, turn often so the chicken browns on all sides
2. Once browned, add the onion, carrot, celery, water and herbs and bring to the boil
3. Once boiling, reduce to a simmer and place the saucepan lid on
4. Leave for a minimum of 2hrs
5. After 2hrs (sometimes more if the drums are large) remove the drums from the saucepan and place on paper towel to cool slightly
6. Once cool enough to handle, remove the chicken from the drums. It should be relatively easy. Discard skin, bone and any sinew.
7. Return the cooked chicken pieces to the pan to warm through
8. Serve when ready and sprinkle with fresh parsley and hot buttered rolls.

Note: Instead of using water - I added home-made chicken stock which I had in the freezer. D-E-L-icious  XD

Rapid Ginger Stir Fry

Wow, I just made this very quick vegetable stirfry for lunch. it only took me 10mins from cutting vegies to serving it :) It serves one and is so fast you won't even have time to feel hungry. Great for vegetarians and vegans.

Ingredients:

• 1 medium carrot, peeled and thinly sliced
• 1 cup small broccoli florets
• 1/4 red onion, peeled and sliced asian style
• 1/2 small zucchini, thinly sliced
• 1 tblsp crushed ginger
• 1/4 cup water
• 1 tspn soy sauce
• 1 tspn toasted sesame seeds

Method:

1. Heat water in wok and add ginger
2. Add all vegetables
3. Stirfry for 5 minutes, tossing often
4. Add soy sauce and stir through
5. Pour into a serving bowl and sprinkle with sesame seeds

Quick Vegetable Stir Fry

If you've recently had a carnivorous overload, this vegetarian dish is wonderfully tasty, easy and very healthy. It makes 2 serves.

Ingredients:

• 2 carrots, peeled and sliced
• 1/2 cup cauliflour, chopped 
• 2 shallots, cut into 2cm pieces
• 1 large stick celery, sliced
• 1/4 zucchini chopped into 2cm pieces
• 1/4 red capsicum, chopped into chunks
• 1/4 yellow capsicum, chopped into chunks
• 1/2 cup green beans, chopped into 2cm pieces
• 1 tblspn peanut butter (crunchy or smooth)
• 1 tspn honey
• 1 tblspn soy sauce
• 1 tspn natural Greek yogurt
• 1 tblspn hot water

Method:

1. Throw all vegetables into a steamer pot and steam for 6-8 minutes, until tender
2. Remove from the heat
3. In a small saucepan on low heat place the peanut butter and honey and mix well
4. When it starts to melt, add soy sauce and stir well
5. Add yogurt and stir well
6. Add hot water and stir well
7. Keep stirring until a smooth and creamy consistency
8. Taste - add more soy sauce or peanut butter to your liking
9. Add more water if it’s too thick
10. Serve vegetables into a bowl and drizzle over the satay sauce… It’s also nice to add a few fresh natural peanuts on top. D-E-L-icious XD

Note: Vegans should omit the yoghurt.

Scouse - Traditional Liverpudlian stew

Scouse

While simmering

When I was a kid I would spend a lot of time at my Nan and Grandad's. Nan would often make this traditional dish from her birth-place, Liverpool England, called Scouse. It's basically a stew which uses left-over leg of lamb with vegetables. The flavour of the cooked lamb and marrow from the bone permeate through all the elements to create a dish which will leave you wanting more. It is very easy and extremely tasty. Best made on a weekend when you have a few hours to put aside. However preparation is only 5-10 minutes. The serving sizes vary because it will depend on the amount of meat left on the bone.

Ingredients:

• Left-over cooked leg of lamb (including the bone)
• 1 onion peeled and diced
• 3-4 potatoes, peeled and diced
• 3-4 carrots, peeled and diced
• 1 or 2 beef stock cubes
• Salt and pepper
• 2 tablespoons barley (optional)

Method:

1. Remove all meat from leg of lamb and cut into chunks
2. Place lamb, including bone, into a big pot
3. Add the vegetables, salt & pepper and stock cubes and cover with water
4. Boil/simmer (covered) until meat falls off the bone then remove bone
5. If you choose to add barley and boil/simmer until it's soft and you are ready to eat
6. Serve in bowls along with crusty bread rolls.

Lean Thai Beef Stir Fry

This recipe is one of our favourites and we have it often, because we love Thai food. I worked in a Thai kitchen and I've also undertaken Thai cooking classes. This is as traditional as it gets, as well as being healthy, easy and fast. I have reduced the oil content by two-thirds so this recipe only uses 1 tablespoon of good quality olive oil and I've watered down the sauces so the sauce soaks into the rice ;) We love it and hope you do too. This recipe serves 4 people.

Ingredients:

• 1 tablespoon good quality olive oil
• 1 teaspoon crushed garlic (or 2 fresh garlic cloves finely chopped)
• 1/4 teaspoon crushed chilli (or chopped fresh chilli to your own taste)
• 500g rump steak, all fat removed, finely sliced
• 2 handfuls of fresh green string beans, ends removed and cut into 2-3cm lengths
• 1 large carrot, peeled and cut into matchsticks
• 1 yellow capsicum, sliced into 2-3cm lengths
• 1 zucchini, sliced into 2-3cm lengths
• 1 tablespoon white sugar
• 1/2 tablespoon chicken stock powder
• 2 tablespoons fish sauce
• 1 tablespoon seasoning sauce
• 1 tablespoon oyster sauce
• 1 tablespoon soy sauce
• 1/2 cup water
• Fresh coriander
• Jasmine rice

Method:

1. In a large wok, heat the oil on a high heat, add the garlic and chilli and stir for 1 minute
2. Add the beef strips, stir fry until browned on both sides
3. Stir in all sauces, the sugar and the chicken stock powder and 1/2 cup water
4. Add the vegetables and stir fry for 4-5 minutes
5. Serve on a bed of jasmine rice and garnish with coriander

Note: It may seem there are many ingredients, however once you've bought the sauces, they keep well in the pantry for ages and are common sauces used in Thai cooking. Therefore if you like Thai food - you're going to need these sauces anyway.

D-E-L-icious  XD

Green Veg Stir Fry with Almonds

This recipe is easy, fast, healthy, vegetarian, low-fat and tasty. It serves one alone, or 2 with steamed rice. It's quite versatile - you can add whatever fresh vegetables you want.


Ingredients:

• 1/4 cup almonds
• 2 tablespoons oyster sauce
• 1 tsp brown sugar
• Spray oil
• 5 shallots, cut into 3cm lengths
• 1 head of broccoli, stem removed and cut into small florets
• 1 carrot, peeled and cut into narrow 3cm long pieces

Method:

1. Heat wok over high heat, spray a quick spray of oil, add almonds and cook 4-5 mins, tossing until light golden brown. Remove and set aside
2. Combine oyster sauce and brown sugar in a cup, mix enough warm water to thin out a little and set aside
3. Heat wok over high heat until very hot, add spray oil, add 1/4 cup water water for steaming add the carrots first. Toss regularly for about a minute
4. Add the broccoli and toss for another minute. Add more water if it's drying out
5. Finally add the sauce and shallots - and toss for another minute
6. Return the almonds to the wok and stir through
7. Either serve alone or over a bed of steamed jasmine rice.

D-E-L-icious  XD

Caponata

Caponata is a traditional Maltese dish which is vegetarian and full of colour. This recipe is easy to make, low-fat and very tasty. You'll need to set aside about an hour in total for preparation and cooking. Serves 4.

Ingredients:

• 2 large onions, peeled and chopped
• 3 capsicums, chopped (I used one yellow, one red and one green)
• 1 large eggplant, peeled, salted and cubed
• 5 large tomatoes, chopped
• 1 teaspoon curry powder
• 1 tablespoon capers
• 1 tablespoon sliced black olives
• 1 teaspoon oregano
• Pepper to taste (you shouldn't need salt as the capers and olives are salty)

Method:

1. Place the chopped eggplant in salted water and leave it for about 5mins
2. In a large saucepan, cook the chopped onions in 1 tablespoon of good quality olive oil until clear
3. Add the chopped capsicums and cook for about 4mins on medium heat
4. Add some water to prevent sticking
5. Remove the eggplant from the water and add it to the saucepan
6. Cook for about 5mins until they soften slightly
7. Add the chopped tomatoes and stir well
8. Add the curry powder, pepper, oregano, olives and capers and stir well
9. Cook for 40mins on a low heat
10. Serve with either rice or pasta sprinkled with either Parmesan or Fetta cheese.

Note: This is nice served warm or cold and can also be used as a pizza topping, or as a side dish for meat...D-E-L-icious  XD

Low-fat Vegetable Curry

This recipe is extremely healthy, tasty, fast with a bit of a kick to it. It only uses 1 tablespoon of oil and is loaded with vegetables.

Ingredients:

• 1 tablespoon good quality olive oil
• 1 onion, peeled and chopped
• 2 cloves garlic, peeled and chopped
• 1 tsp ginger, grated
• 1 tablespoon curry powder
• 2 tsps cumin powder
• 1 x 400g can diced tomatoes
• 1 cup vegetable stock
• 500g cauliflower florets
• 300g sweet potato, peeled and chopped
• 2 large potatoes, peeled and chopped
• 1/3 cup frozen peas
• 1 tablespoon natural Greek yoghurt
• 2 tablespoons coriander leaves, chopped

Method:

1. Heat oil in a medium pan, sauté onion, garlic and ginger over a medium heat for 2 minutes
2. Stir in curry powder and cumin powder and cook for 1 minute
3. Add tomatoes and stock and bring to the boil
4. Add prepared vegetables, reduce heat and simmer for 20mins or until tender
5. Stir in frozen peas and cook for a further 5 minutes
6. Spoon into serving bowls and top with a little natural Greek yoghurt and sprinkle of chopped coriander

Nice served alone or on a bed of rice.  D-E-L-icious  XD

Roast Vegetables

This is a very filling meal, considering it's only vegetables. It serves 2 so I make this amount, eat half one day and put the other half in the fridge for tomorrow. It's quite versatile as you could replace the vegetables with others like squash, pumpkin, sweet potato, parsnip, turnip or whole beetroots.

Ingredients:

• 6-8 small new potatoes left whole
• 1/2 zucchini, cut into 2 pieces
• 4 garlic cloves, peeled and ends trimmed
• 1 onion, peeled and halved
• 4 whole mushrooms - I used small ones, but you could substitute 2 large mushrooms
• 4 small carrots, peeled and cut into thirds

Method:

1. Pre-heat oven to 220 degrees celsius
2. Place all vegetables on a baking try and spray with spray oil
3. Sprinkle with salt and pepper
4. Cook for 20mins then turn, cook for a further 20-25mins
5. Keep an eye on the mushrooms and zucchini - they may need to come out of the oven first.
6. Serve half now and reserve half in a container in the fridge for tomorrow

D-E-L-icious  XD

Beef, Vegetable & Noodle Stir Fry

This recipe is fast, easy, healthy and tasty. It serves 4 and is a nice change from your average stir fry with rice.

Ingredients:

• Vermicelli noodles - enough for 4, cooked as per instructions
• 1 tablespoon sesame seeds
• Spray oil
• 3/4 cup water
• 500g beef strips (heart smart), thinly sliced
• 1/4 cabbage, finely shredded
• 1 large carrot, peeled and sliced into matchsticks
• 4 green shallots, cut into 3cm pieces
• 1 whole capsicum, thinly sliced (I used 1/3 red, 1/3 green and 1/3 yellow)
• 1/2 large zucchini, sliced into matchsticks
• 1/4 to 1/2 cup Hoi Sin sauce

Method:

1. Cook vermicelli noodles as per instructions (usually they just need soaking in boiled water for a few minutes)
2. Heat a wok over a high heat, add sesame seeds, shake and toss until brown
3. Remove and set aside
4. Spray the spray oil in the wok, reheat to hot and add the beef
5. Toss often until brown, then remove and set aside
6. Spray oil in wok again, heat again, add a little of the water and add all the vegetables, except the cabbage
7. Toss the vegetables often, adding water occasionally to prevent sticking to wok, for about 5 minutes
8. Add the cabbage, toss and add a little more water if necessary. Cook for a further 2mins
9. Return the beef and the sesame seeds to the wok, pour the sauce over the lot, and stir through until warmed and mixed well
10. Serve on a bed of noodles.

D-E-L-icious  XD

Challenge 3: Vegetable Curry

OK this is challenge recipe 3 and is a vegetable curry with mainly a tomato base. The additional yoghurt at the end is a different twist, but worth it.

Ingredients:

• 250g potatoes, peeled and diced
• 250g pumpkin, peeled and diced
• 200g cauliflower, broken into florets
• 150g yellow squash, cut into quarters
• 1 tablespoon oil
• 2 onions, peeled and chopped
• 3 tablespoons curry powder
• 400g tin chopped tomatoes
• 250ml vegetable stock
• 150g green beans cut into short lengths
• 30g sultanas

Method:

1. Bring a saucepan of water to the boil, add the potato and pumpkin and cook for 6 minutes, then remove
2. Add the cauliflower and squash, cook for 4 minutes, then remove
3. In a large saucepan, heat the oil and cook the onion over a medium heat for 8 minutes or until starting to brown
4. Add the curry powder and stir for 1 minute, or until fragrant
5. Stir in tomatoes and stock
6. Add the parboiled potato, pumpkin, cauliflower and squash and cook for 5 minutes, then add the green beans and cook for a further 2-3 minutes, or until tender
7. Add yoghurt and sultanas and stir to combine. Simmer for 3 minutes or until slightly thickened
8. Season to taste and serve.

Preparation time: 20 minutes
Cooking time: 30 minutes
Serves: 6
Score: 5 stars.
Comments: I couldn't buy squash this week so I used zucchinis instead. I didn't have enough potatoes, so included some sweet potato. And I also didn't have beans so used red capsicum. It wouldn't serve 6. In fact it served 4 with rice! I'm finding the serving sizes are never correct. I wonder if we just eat too much! lol. I will definitely make it again. It was delicious  XD