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

Cauliflower Rice

Cauliflower Rice is making the rounds on social networking sites like Pinterest. I first heard about it a few months back but wasn't game enough to try it as I'm not a huge cauliflower fan. However I was persuaded so I gave in and made it tonight. Personally I loved it, but Mr 13 doesn't like onion so wasn't a fan. Maybe next time I'll omit the onion :)

It isn't exactly like traditional rice and it won't suit all rice-accompanied dishes, but it is certainly a low-fat, low-carb alternative side dish. The texture is not as fluffy as white rice - it's more grainy like an undercooked brown rice, but there is none of that yucky starchy liquid which rice sometimes leaves behind. Cauliflower rice won't suit dishes with sauces where you want the rice to soak up curry or satay sauces - but it will add volume to your meal without the calories. It's perfect for bulking up dishes without adding carbs. 

Ingredients:

• 1 clove of garlic, minced
• 1 tbsp coconut oil
• 1/2 head cauliflower
• 1/2 cup onion, finely chopped
• 1 tsp salt and pepper
• Sprinkle of oregano (you could use any dried herbs of your choice)

Method:

1. Using a cheese grater, grate the cauliflower to a coarse texture (approximately the size of rice grains). Alternatively cut the cauliflower into small to medium sized pieces and use a food processor to blend in small batches. DON'T pulverise it though!
2. Heat the coconut oil in a medium sized saucepan over a medium heat
3. Add the onion and garlic and saute for 3–4 minutes, or until the onion is relatively translucent
4. Add 1 cup of cauliflower rice per person to the pan and stir - this is a generous serve so you may want to try half a cup per person as a teaser if you haven't made it before :)
5. Add the salt, pepper, oregano and stir through
6. Continue to saute for 4–5 minutes 

If you have leftover uncooked cauliflower rice, place it in pres-seal bags and freeze for later. When you're ready to use the frozen cauliflower rice, take the bag out of the freezer a few hours beforehand so it thaws.

This is what the cauliflower rice looks like

blended and uncooked

D-E-L-icious  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 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

Lentil & Cauliflower Stew

Miss 17 and I watched a movie called Fork Over Knives. It's a movie about the benefits of eating a plant based diet and eliminating meat. It was very interesting and occasionally shocking. She has now decided she would like to become vegetarian. As she is still growing, her dad and I have agreed that we, as a family, will eat more vegetarian meals in support, but we won't eliminate meat totally. We will, however cut down our meat consumption. At present we eat meat 6 nights a week, so agree that we can cut down to two or three times a week.

Therefore Miss 17 went hunting for some more vegetarian dishes to try. And because I've recently bought a new slow cooker, I insisted that she find some slow cooker vego recipes too. This is the first one we came across.

Ingredients:

• 375 gram packet of dried green lentils, rinsed and drained
• 1 large onion, peeled and chopped
• 2 garlic cloves, chopped
• 400g cauliflower, chopped into small florets
• 2 leeks, white and green parts, halved, washed carefully and chopped
• 2 carrots, peeled and chopped
• 3 celery stalks, chopped
• 2 bay leaves
• 1 tablespoon chopped fresh thyme or 1 teaspoon dried thyme
• 2 teaspoons salt
• 1 teaspoon cumin
• ½ teaspoon cayenne
• ¼ teaspoon black pepper
• 8 cups low sodium vegetable stock
• 2 x 400g tins diced tomatoes with juice
• 2 cups chopped kale

Optional toppings:
Greek yoghurt, crumbled fetta, graten parmesan, low-fat sour cream.

Method:

1. Place all ingredients into the slow cooker, except the vegetable stock and tomatoes
2. In a large jug mix together the stock and tomatoes and pour gently into the slow cooker
3. Toss gently and cook on high for 4hrs or low for 8hrs
4. Serve topped with any of the optional toppings D-E-L-icious XD

Pasta with braised kale

Kale? Yes kale! Apparently kale is the new superfood It is similar to cabbage or spinach, but better tasting. Well thank goodness for that - I'm not particularly keen on spinach - unless it is in a pastry with ricotta ;)

This serves two and is perfect for lunch or as a side dish.

Ingredients:

• Pasta cooked as per packet instructions - use gluten free pasta if celiac
• 2 heads of kale, stalks removed and set aside
• 1 large onion, peeled and chopped
• ¼ cup good quality olive oil
• 1 tablespoon paprika
• ¼ cup water

Method:

1. Using a vegetable peeler, remove the fibrous stringy outer layer from the stems of the kale and discard
2. Chop the stems along with the kale leaves and place in a medium sized saucepan
3. Add the chopped onion, oil, paprika and water
4. Braise with the lid on over a low heat, stirring occasionally, for 30-40mins
5. Serve over cooked pasta. It's also nice served over chicken or pork too. D-E-L-icious  XD

Tofu with Hokkein Noodles

Everybody loves noodles, right? We do in our family, but usually I make noodle dishes with rice vermicelli. Tonight I thought I'd shake things up a bit and use Hokkein noodles instead. This meal is vegetarian and serves four.

Ingredients:

• 450 grams thick Hokkein noodles
• 400 gram tin of corn spears
• 1 red capsicum, thinly sliced
• 1 large handful of snow peas
• 2 packets of marinated tofu or tofu of your choice cooked to your liking :)
• 1 tablespoon rice wine vinegar
• ¼ cup light soy sauce
• 1 tablespoon grated fresh ginger
• 1 tablespoon curry powder
• ¼ cup vegetable stock
• 1 tablespoon sesame oil

Method:

1. Cook the Hokkein noodles as per packet instructions
2. Heat wok on medium-high heat and brown the tofu in batches and put aside to keep warm
3. Heat sesame oil in wok and toss all vegetables often until softened to your liking
4. In a jug combine the rice wine vinegar, soy sauce, ginger, curry and stock and stir well
5. Drain the noodles and add to the vegetables in the wok
6. Pour the sauce over the noodles and vegetables in the wok
7. Toss gently to warm through and then serve. D-E-L-icious

This recipe is so versatile. You could substitute the above vegetables with either carrots, green beans, zucchini, mushrooms, bok choy, broccoli or baby spinach.

Granola Bars

Miss 16 made these Granola bars last week. They are amazing. I think it's the peanut butter which makes them special. They are easy and only have 5 ingredients.

Ingredients:

• 1 cup packed dates, pitted 
• 1/4 cup honey (or maple syrup)
• 1/4 cup creamy salted natural peanut butter or almond butter
• 1 cup roasted unsalted almonds, loosely chopped
• 1 1/2 cups rolled oats

Method:

1. Process dates in a food processor until small bits remain. Or alternatively cut them really fine. It should form a “dough” like consistency
2. Optional step: Toast your oats in a 185 celsius degree oven for 15ish minutes or until slightly golden brown. Otherwise, leave them raw
3. Place oats, almonds and dates in a bowl – set aside
4. Warm honey and peanut butter in the microwave for 45-60 seconds - watch it doesn't get too runny - and stir it half way
5. Stir and pour over oat mixture and then mix, breaking up the dates to disperse throughout
6. Once thoroughly mixed, transfer into a square cake pan lined with baking paper so they lift out easily
7. Press down until uniformly flattened and let set in fridge or freezer for 15-20 minutes to harden.
8. Remove bars from pan and chop into 10 even bars. Store in an airtight container for up to a few days. D-E-L-icious  XD

Broccoli and Pine Nut Pasta

This has only 6 ingredients, is very healthy, fast and easy...perfect for the busy family. This serves 4 generous bowls as a main or 6-8 serves if using as a side dish.

Ingredients:

• 300g pasta of your choice
• 400g broccoli (florets and stalks, finely cut)
• 100g pine nuts (toasted)
• 3 tablespoons olive oil
• 2 cloves garlic, minced
• 1/4 cup parmesan cheese
• Salt & pepper to taste

Method:

1. Boil pasta of your choice as per instructions
2. Boil the broccoli in salted water for 4-6 minutes, drain, but leave 1/4 cup water aside
3. Place the cooked pasta and broccoli into a large bowl, add the reserved water, toasted pine nuts, garlic, olive oil, parmesan cheese and salt & pepper and mix well
4. Serve while hot.
5. Nice served with crusty bread. D-E-L-icious  XD

Halloumi with lentil salad

My apologies for not blogging in so long...have been busy with my business and my job. So the other day, out of the blue, hubby brings home some halloumi cheese and a recipe and hints he would like to try it...meaning he would like me to cook it :)

Anyway I looked at the recipe which was so simple and thought: why not? This is salty, sweet and tasty. It's light and healthy, simple, fast and vegetarian.

Ingredients:

• 2 x 400g tins lentils, drained and rinsed
• 1 small red onion, peeled, quartered and thinly sliced
• 1 cucumber, quartered and sliced
• 2 tomatoes, chopped
• 1/2 cup mint leaves, shredded
• 1 1/2 tablespoons lemon juice
• 1 tablespoon olive oil
• 250g halloumi cheese, sliced
• 1 tablespoon olive oil for frying

Method:

1. Combine lentils, onion, cucumber, tomatoes, mint, lemon juice and 2 tablespoons olive oil in a large bowl and toss to combine
2. In a hot non-stick frying pan (I used a griddle) cook halloumi in 1 tablespoon olive oil for 1 minute each side or until golden
3. Drain halloumi on paper towel then place atop the salad...D-E-L-icious  XD

Cottage cheese, tomato & rocket on sour-dough

I remember eating cottage cheese out of the tub as a kid. Nowadays it's available in low-fat so that's what I buy. It's hard not to eat the whole thing in one sitting so I have to be careful ;)

I don't like, nor can I afford, gluten-free bread so I find the next best thing is sour dough bread. Sour dough is NOT safe for all Coeliacs, BUT it is safer for many people and I know from experience that it is definitely better for my tummy. This article has information about research conducted on sour dough bread. It's quite an interesting read and it makes sense as to why I can eat it without any tummy problems. This serves one for lunch.

Ingredients:

• 2 pieces sour dough or gluten free bread
• 2 tablespoons low-fat cottage cheese
• 1/2 tomato, sliced
• Rocket
• Salt & pepper

Method:
Layer the cottage cheese, tomato and rocket on the bread and sprinkle with salt & pepper. Yes, it's that easy! And it's bloody D-E-L-icious  XD

Note: Research has shown that the lacto-bacilli present in sour dough cultures effectively neutralize the toxic components of the wheat gluten molecule responsible for the allergic reaction in celiac-sprue sufferers. So I would say give it a try - it is a whole lot cheaper than buying gluten-free bread.

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

Curried Rice Salad

It's always a good idea to have some different salad recipes coming in to Summer, rather than the simple green salad. This recipe is easy, light and tasty. It's low-fat and excellent served as a side dish or by itself for lunch.

Ingredients:

• 2 cups cooked white rice, cooled (if you have wild rice, add 1 tablespoon for extra nutty flavour)
• 1 apple, chopped
• 1 red capsicum, diced
• 1/3 cup raisins
• 1/4 cup walnuts, chopped

Dressing:

• 1/4 cup olive oil
• 1/3 cup white vinegar
• 2 teaspoons curry powder
• 3/4 tablespoon caster sugar
• 1 garlic clove, crushed

Method:

1. Add all ingredients (except those needed for the dressing) into a large bowl and toss well
2. Add the dressing ingredients to a glass jar and shake well so everything mixes together
3. Pour over the rice mixture and gently toss.

D-E-L-icious  XD

Tomato and Vegetable Soup

This is a simple, fast and healthy soup which you can make ahead of time and keep in the fridge in a sealed container for up to 3 days. It serves 4 and is lovely with a wholegrain bread roll).

Ingredients:

• 1 medium brown onion, coarsely chopped
• 1 celery stick, trimmed and sliced
• 1 medium carrot, cut into 1cm pieces
• 1 medium zucchini, cut into 1cm pieces
• 1 medium red capsicum, cut into 1cm pieces
• 1 medium green capsicum, cut into 1cm pieces
• 1 garlic clove finely chopped
• 400g tinned tomatoes
• 2 tablespoons tomato paste
• 1 litre vegetable stock
• 400g can chickpeas, drained and rinsed
• 4 large wholegrain bread rolls
• Salt and pepper to taste

Method:

1. Combine onion, celery, carrot, zuccini, garlic and capsicum in a large saucepan over high heat
2. Add tomatoes, salt & pepper to taste, tomato paste and stock and bring to the boil
3. Reduce heat to low and simmer, covered for 10 minutes
4. Add chickpeas and stir
5. Simmer for a further 5 minutes
6. Serve soup with rolls.

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

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

Pumpkin, Ginger and Garlic Soup

I found this recipe in one of the ‘4 Ingredients’ cookbooks, but adapted it to suit Weight Watchers. It is creamy, healthy and filling.

Ingredients:

• 1 whole butternut pumpkin, peeled and diced
• 1 litre chicken stock (I used chicken powder and 1lt of water)
• 2 cloves fresh garlic, crushed
• 1 teaspoon fresh ginger, grated

Method:

1. Place all ingredients in a large saucepan with water and stock and cover
2. Bring to the boil, then reduce to a simmer for 15 minutes or until soft and tender
3. Blend until smooth and serve into bowls

This soup serves 3 generous serves or 4 modest serves.

TIP: To jazz the soup up - add a tablespoon of Greek style yogurt, a tablespoon of grated parmesan cheese and cracked pepper on top. This only adds 1 ProPoint per serve…

D-E-L-icious XD

Lentil & Cheese Bake

This is my oldest recipe. I acquired this recipe when I was about 18yrs old. Every time I make it I get praise for it because it is extremely luscious…and very very healthy. It serves 4 and is an excellent dish for Vegetarians. We always have it with a salad, but it can also be served with warm vegies. It is really really nice cold too. So if you have leftovers (we never do lol) then just pop it in the fridge for lunch tomorrow.

Ingredients:

• 3/4 cup green lentils
• 1 and 1/2 cups grated tasty cheese
• 1 and 1/2 tsp vegemite
• Salt and pepper
• 1 stick celery chopped fine
• 1 cup red kidney beans, rinsed and drained
• 2 onions, chopped fine
• 2 eggs
• 2 tomatoes, thinly sliced

Method:

1. Cook the lentils in boiling water for about 20mins. Drain and place in a large bowl
2. Place onions in a saucepan on the stove. Add 1/4 cup water, some salt and pepper and stir often. Cook for about 10mins until they are clear. I do this instead of frying - it eliminates the need for oil!
3. Place the onions and beaten eggs in the bowl with the lentils and mix through
4. Add and mix through the vegemite, celery, beans and 1 cup of the grated cheese (set the other 1/2 cup aside
5. Pour the mixture into a loaf tin which has been sprayed with spray oil. Flatten the mixture out
6. Lay the sliced tomatoes over the top, then the remaining grated cheese
7. Bake in a 200 degrees oven for 35 minutes or until the cheese on top is melted and brown

D-E-L-icious  XD