roasted carrot and beetroot salad with herb dressing

I have made this salad a few times this summer and it goes especially well with BBQ beef or lamb.

For this salad I used

Carrots - cut lengthways and roasted in the oven, you will need a lot
1beetroot - baked in the oven with foil for about an hour
goat cheese - crumbled
rocket
capers
herbs, any will do,  I used chervil, basil, and parsley as they were in my garden
herb dressing
Just put together as much as you like

The beetroot came from my garden along with the herbs

For the dressing I used

white wine vinegar
olive oil
lots of finely chopped herbs, I used oregano, basil, chervil and parsley
Maldon salt and pepper

Give it all a good shake in a jar and pour over salad just before serving.

soy maple glazed grilled salmon

 I have a sort of love hate relationship with salmon.  I know it is very good for you and probably one of the top ten healthiest foods but I just seem to struggle with it.  I have decided that I just need to buy it and give it a go, so today I did.

This is the quickest, simplest way to cook it.
I used equal parts tamari soy sauce and 100% maple syrup, a tablespoon of each was enough.

I grilled it in the oven for 3 lots of 3 minutes basting at each interval and it came out perfect.
This was a 200g piece.
I ate it just like that, the sweetness and salty of the glaze seems to cut through the richness just right.  A squeeze of lime juice wouldn't go a miss either.
I think some sticky rice would go nicely with it for next time.
Don't use baking paper like I did as it burnt, so I would recommend foil instead.

summer rice paper rolls

I made these rice paper rolls for my lunch today.
I had some crumbed chicken tenderloins leftover so I decided to use them along with some cucumber, red pepper, lettuce and herbs that were in the garden.

 The key to making these is to not soak the rice paper for too long in the water.  Only about 10 seconds.  They get too flimsy and difficult to work with otherwise.  It should be still hardish.  I then like to fold it in half.  Sometimes it snaps in half.  Thats ok.  It will soften up by the time you are ready to roll.
First I put the herbs down with the nice side facing outwards. Place in the middle of the rice paper.  I had coriander, mint and vietnamese basil.  Then a bit of lettuce, some chicken, cucumber and peppers some more herbs and lettuce.
Lastly pickup the end closest to you and roll over and keep it all firm and keeping rolling until all enclosed.  Traditionally summer rolls are served with peanut sauce.  I used sweet chile as I couldn't be bothered making peanut sauce, maybe another time.  This would be nice with prawns also.

chile, kaffir lime leave beef with fat rice noodles

This was my lunch the other day.  I had some beef left over and I got a craving for rice noodles,
so without putting a lot of thought to it, this is what I came up with.

For the marinade I used

sliced fresh ginger
kaffir lime leaves
2 chilies
2 tablespoons brown sugar
sesame oil
tamari soy sauce
fish sauce

Sorry not good with the quantities as it just came out of the bottle.  Just taste it.

Let the beef marinade for a while,  1/2 an hour is good.
Then cook the beef in batches in a wok or a fry pan on high heat very quickly and then remove from the pan.
Meanwhile cook your noodles in boiling water for about 5-6 mins, check them though.
Add the noodles and beef back to the wok and pour over the marinade (with all of the bits in it) and add a bit more of any of the sauces if you want too.
I finished it up with the herbs from the garden, coriander, mint and basil and some chopped peanuts.
Actually there was some cabbage in there too, I must have cooked that after the beef.
The kaffir lime leaves are definitely the star of the dish.

cheap easy lazy chicken dinner

 I was working yesterday so I just grabbed some vegetables and some chicken drumsticks from the butcher in greenlane on my way home.  This is
just a throw together dinner and I know it looks like it too.

For this dinner you will need - feeds 5

• 2 kg of chicken drumsticks (that equates to about 15)
• 10 carrots ( at least, peeled and split in half)
• 5 onions (red or brown will do chopped into quarters)
• a bunch of asparagus
• a bag of beans
• lots of salt and pepper

Put the carrots and onions in the bottom of a large roasting pan with lots of salt and pepper.  Put the chicken on top with more salt and pepper and a little bit of olive oil.

Put it in the oven at about 190c for twenty minute episodes.  Pull it out and give it a toss in the fat that is rendering from the chicken.  Nothing really comes together for at least and hour.  I think I did another 20 minutes as well.  Just keep going until it looks the way you want it too.  The chicken is just releasing  its juices and creating a delicious sauce.

 When the asparagus is so thin and fresh like this I just pour on boiling water to cook it and it stays in the water until I am ready to use it without over cooking it.  For the beans I steamed them for 4-5 mins and then blanched them in ice water.
To assemble, find a large platter lay down the chicken with the carrots and onions followed by the greens and then pour on the pan juices.  Then add more salt and pepper.  This dish would so not do when I was a kid because I had very strong views about not allowing my different food groups to touch.  I would be horrified if that came to the table like that.  Anyway I have grown up now.
This is a really simple and easy satisfying dish.  The time is in the cooking so put it on early.

 Dinner was followed by strawberries and icing sugar.

broad bean dip

This dip is made with frozen broad beans bought from the frozen section of the super market.  Not always that easy to come by as they are not always there year round, but they should be there as they are in season now.
They are actually a very good product, probably like frozen peas but unfortunately I  have a very unhealthy aversion too, due to childhood trauma of force feeding.

Anyway the recipe is as follows

• 250g of frozen broad beans or 1/2 a packet
• 10-15 mints leaves
• 1/2 teaspoon of lemon zest and squirt of juice
• pince of salt and pepper
• a chunk of feta cheese, probably a large tablespoon
• drizzle of good olive oil

This is what they look when the come out of the frozen packet, quite disgusting really.

Pour on some boiling water and leave for at least 5-10 minutes.  I find there is no need to boil them in a pot.  Drain off the water and them pop them out of their pods.  Look how beautifully devine they are now that they have shed their grey green skin.
Combine all the ingredients in a food processor and whiz until you get the desired consistency.
You could just smash them all together too for a more chunky look.
Serve on toasted bread or as lily does something she dips her carrots into for school lunch.

gluten free lemon and almond cake

I made this cake yesterday for Finn as he has been doing a lot of whining lately that there is never any gluten free baking for him.   I did remind him there has been no baking for anyone.
I am not much of a baker so this cake was right up my alley as all I had to do was keep adding the ingredients to the cake mixer.
This was not originally a gluten free cake but as it had very little flour in it, I just substituted it for 'Healtheries' gluten free baking mix' and it worked a treat.
This is a very indulgent and decadent cake and I am all for it.  If you are going to eat cake it may as well be a proper cake, dense and rich.

I got the recipe from here amatteroftaste.me and she definitely is right when she says its better the next day.  It does improve with 1 night in the fridge.
I just substituted the 60g of flour with 60g of GF flour and it worked out wonderfully and enjoyed by all in my family.
I couldn't photograph the whole cake as 1/2 of it got eaten soon after making.
Well worth making for gluten free and non gluten free alike.

beef salad with thai dressing

Well I thought it was about time that I got myself organised and started posting again.
This was what I had for lunch yesterday, left overs from last nights dinner. The beef and the dressing were the same but the choice of vegetables were different.
What really makes this salad good is the dressing the coriander and mint, some crunchy vegetables topped of with some peanuts and deep fried shallots and of course some chile.

For this salad I used

• lettuce leaves
• bean sprouts minus their heads
• yellow pepper
• cucumber
• a little bit of carrot, just because I like carrot
• avocado
• spring onions
• red chile
• mint
• fresh coriander
• asparagus was used on the sat night
• chopped roasted unsalted peanuts
• deep fried shallots
• And don't forget the beef,  I used finely sliced BBQ rump

The dressing is really simple and goes perfectly with the beef, herbs and crunchy toppings

• juice of 2 limes
• 1 tablespoon of brown sugar or more depending on how sweet you like it
• 2 tsps of fish sauce
• I also used some kaffir lime leaves as they were in the garden pounded in the mortar and pestle with the sugar before I added the juice and fish sauce

Combine until all the sugar has dissolved and add at the very last minute before serving

Actually this is what the salad really looked like before I ate it.

chipotle mango barbeque sauce

I came across this recipe for chipotle mango bbq sauce from here at Iowagirleats.com.
I love sauces and condiments and I wanted another recipe using fresh mango as they are readily available at the moment.

Follow the recipe, combine all the ingredients and bring to boil and simmer for 20 minutes.  I added an extra tablespoon of brown sugar as the sauce is really spicy hot.

Let it cool down before you blitz it.
We used the sauce in a yogurt dressing as the recipe suggests in a salad.  This dressing would go with so many things, seafood for one.  I loved it.

chicken mango salad

We had this salad on Friday night which was originally made with green prawns. I made it again on Saturday using the leftover greens, but used BBQ chicken thighs instead, which also works really well with the mango and the lime and sesame dressing.

For the salad I used

• salad greens of rocket and thinly sliced iceberg and endive
• bean sprouts minus their heads
• julienned sliced mango - Mexican ones are fairly affordable at the moment
• coriander
• spring onions
• avocado sliced
• toasted sesame seeds and chopped peanuts
• BBq chicken thighs thinly sliced

For the lime and sesame dressing I used

• juice of 3 limes
• 2 tablespoons of palm sugar
• 1-2 tablespoons of fish sauce
• 1 tsp of finely grated ginger
• smidge of garlic
• 1 tablespoon of sesame oil

The quantities for the salad is up to you and the measurements for the dressing are as close to a guess as I can remember as I don't measure, but taste it until it's balanced and right for you.

Dress the greens with some of the dressing and gently toss before adding the mango and avocado, so you don't make it mushy, finish off with the chicken and the nuts add some more dressing and give it a final gentle toss with your fingers.

brown rice fried rice

 Fried rice is such a simple meal to make and makes use of whatever vegetables you have left in your fridge.
William my nephew who is a cyclist, inspired me to add some spinach when I was reading his blog 'Yarns of a kiwi cyclist'. He adds it to his bacon and egg fried rice.

I decided to use brown rice as I thought it would go well with the spinach.

Left over vegetables that needed using in my fridge were

• 1 courgette diced
• 1 orange pepper diced
• spinach sliced up ( you can use a lot as it cooks down to nothing)
• beansprouts - a big handful

I also added 

• 1 chicken breast cut into pieces - any protein would be good or a combination
• 1 brown onion - finely chopped
• 3 cloves of garlic
• 1 tablespoon fresh finely chopped ginger
• sprinkling of finely chopped basil, as there was some on the bench
• tamari soy sauce
• sweet chile sauce
• 7 peppers, pepper

First off add 1 cup of brown rice in large pot of boiling water and boil until cooked.  I often will put some rice on in the morning so when I want to make the fried for lunch or dinner it is already to go when you want to prepare the fried rice.

 Next fry off the chicken in the wok or fry pan with some oil and then put aside.

Then cook the onion, courgette, garlic and ginger in the wok until softened and cooked down and a little browned, takes about 10 minutes followed by the spinach and beansprouts,  They only take a minute to wilt away.

Finally add the rice and chicken and the soy sauce to your liking.

I add a blob of sweet chile on the top with the basil and some 7 peppers, pepper.

This is always a good meal as it stores well in the fridge ready for a re heat whenever you are hungry.

teriyaki chicken with choy sum and sushi rice

This is my ultimate comfort food dish.  I could just about eat this every other day.  We have it at least once a week for dinner and I sometimes take it to work.
It is really easy and quick to prepare.

For this recipe I used

• 2 chicken thighs
• sticky or sushi rice
• teriyaki or sweet sticky soy sauce
• choy sum (cut the lengths into 3 parts - steam the stalk ends for 2 mins and then add the leaves and steam for a further minute)

Prepare the rice and teriyaki sauce so it is ready to go.

Open out the chicken thigh and butterfly so it is the same thickness and spread out.

I like to bbq the chicken as I think it tastes better.  It doesn't take very long and I like the smokiness that the rendered fat creates.

Assemble first with the rice, the choy sum, the sliced chicken and as much teriyaki sauce as you want. 

thai chicken curry

 I have been making this chicken curry for years and is a firm favourite in our house.  Unfortunately I don't follow a recipe so it is slightly different every time I make it.  I will try my best to get quantities right.

For this recipe I used

• 3 large chicken breasts, chopped and lightly salted
• 1 red onion finely chopped
• 6 cloves of garlic or about 3 tablespoons finely chopped
• 3-4 tablespoons of finely chopped fresh ginger
• 2 green chiles or more it you want really hot
• 2-3 tablespoons of finely chopped coriander root and stems
• 2 courgettes diced
• 4 small coloured capsicums or 2 large
• 1 can of coconut cream
• 2 tablespoons of jaggery, palm sugar or brown sugar
• 2-3 tablespoons of fish sauce
• zest and juice of 1 lime
• 2 kaffir lime leaves

 Finely chop the onion, coriander stems, chile, garlic and ginger and gently fry in the wok with some plain oil, ( I used coconut oil, only because I had it) for about 5 mins until nicely cooked down.  Do not colour.
Then add the diced courgettes and capsicums and some salt and cook for about 10 mins,  they  should become very soft.
Next add the coconut cream, fish sauce, kaffir lime and sugar and simmer until you get a nice consistency of sauce.  Taste for balance of flavours and add more fish sauce or sugar if you need to.
Next, add the chopped raw chicken and let it cook in the heat of the sauce on a gentle simmer.  Stir it around until just cooked.  The chicken can remain tender if you watch it.
Lastly add the lime juice and zest and some chopped coriander leaves.
Taste and tweak again and then serve on some plain boiled long grain rice.

homemade gluten free hoisin sauce

My sister had the cook book by Gwyneth Paltrow 'My Father's Daughter' over the holidays which we both really enjoyed.  Her type of food is really up my alley so I requested it out of the library, but I got a book that was called 'Notes from my Kitchen Table .
 It is exactly the same book, though it does have a different photo on the front cover.
Anyway this recipe has been adapted from her recipe only because I didn't have exactly what she had at hand.  I also halved the amount just in case I didn't like it.

Combine the following ingredients use a whisk

2 teaspoons of grapeseed oil
1 small clove of garlic mashed
1/4 teaspoon of 5 spice
3 tablespoons of miso (I used white, her recipe asks for red)
70 mls of real maple syrup
1 tablespoon of rice vinegar (her recipe asks for brown rice vinegar)

It is nice and makes a change from my usual sweet soy recipe

I used it for  the beef noodles recipe

blue cod with prawn salsa

This is what we had for dinner last night.  The blue cod came courtesy of my sister and brother in law.  It came from the Chatham Islands and for those who don't know, the Chatham Islands are 800 km east of the South Island of New Zealand..
It is the most devine fish I have tasted, dense and sweet.
It was simply panfried in butter and olive oil and light dusted in flour before hand.  I used cornflour for Finns.

For the salsa put together what ever you have in fine dice.. I used


1 orange pepper
1 yellow pepper
8 tomatoes
2 avocados
1 fiercely hot green chile
1 mango
1 tablespoon of finely chopped coriander
zest of 1 lime
250g of chopped cooked prawns


The dressing was a combination of palm sugar, lime juice and fish sauce.
The salsa goes really well with corn chips too...

This is my ultimate favourite dinner...
actually some shoe string fries and some aioli  on the side and it would be perfect,  oh don't forget the wine...

photos by Jacob

vietnamese salad

We had this salad for dinner last night, but the pictures are from the left overs that I had for my lunch today.  I just added a few more fresh vegetables and herbs.

For this recipe you will need

• 500g minced chicken
• 500g minced pork
• 400g of thin rice noodles (soaked in cold water until flexible)
• 1 cup of finely sliced cabbage
• 1 cup of finely sliced cucumber (skinned and seeds removed)
• 1 cup of bean sprouts
• 2 spring onions finely chopped
• 1 small finely sliced red onion
• 1/2-1 cup of finely chopped peanuts
• 1/2 cup chopped coriander leaves
• 1/2 cup chopped mint
• 2 tablespoons of finely chopped garlic
• 2 tablespoons of finely chopped galangal or green ginger
• 2 tablespoons of finely chopped coriander roots and stems
• 6 small finely chopped or 3 large kaffir lime leaves
• 2 tablespoons of jaggery or palm sugar
• 2-4 tablespoons of fish sauce
• 2 limes,  zest and juice
• chile flakes or 1-2 fresh chiles

Start off heating 2 tablespoons of plain oil to a wok or fry pan and gently saute on medium heat, garlic, galangal and coriander root and stems for a couple of minutes.  Do not let it get to much colour.
Next, add the chicken and pork mince all at once and cook through.  Add a little salt to taste.  Then add the sugar, chile and fish sauce.  Turn off the heat.
 Meanwhile drain the rice noodles of the cold water, then cover with boiling water from the jug, drain immediately and then rinse with cold water to stop them getting over cooked.  (you do not want them soggy).
Fold in the cucumber, cabbage, red onion, spring onions, bean sprouts,and peanuts, followed by the herbs, zest and juice of the limes. Add the noodles and combine. Taste for balance and add more of what you think it needs.


Serve and add extra herbs and sliced veges if you want on top.
This is a  really flavoursome delicious healthy meal which can be eaten at room temperature.

proscuitto and rock melon

Beautiful combination.  NZ rock melons are perfect this time of year....

broccoli bacon salad

This is my dinner for work tonight...time to get back to the healthy eating...how boring
I was inspired to make this recipe from here, but with a few changes

For this recipe you will need

• 1 small head of broccoli, chopped and steamed to how you like it
• 1/4 cup of finely chopped cooked bacon
• 1/4 cup of nut mix ( I used almonds, cashews and cranberries, a pre mix from from 'Pak n Save')
• 1 teaspoon of fresh thyme
• maldon salt and pepper
• maple syrup vinaigrette 

Assemble and toss with the dressing

sushi rice salad

I have been meaning to put a salad together like this for a long time.  It is another way to use sushi rice and whatever vegetables you have on hand.  The idea is that you chop your ingredients all the same size and group them on top of the rice.

For this recipe I used

• 1 chicken thigh panfried and finely sliced
• an  assortment of julienne vegetables - cucumber, cabbage, beansprouts (with their heads removed), avocado
• top it off with some spring onions, red chile and chopped  peanuts (you could use sesame  seeds as well)
• asian dressing of some sort - I used some dressing left over from last nights 'Pad thai' dinner, but you could use the sticky sweet soy sauce or miso dressing or anything else you would prefer

The combinations are endless, I want to try it with prawns next time.
This would be a good lunch to take to work already prepared the night before, just add the dressing and the nuts before you eat...

nacho's

It was cheap dinner night last night, so out came the mince.  It was on special some where.  Nacho's are a good meal in our house, as it is gluten free.  Funny Finn didn't turn up for dinner anyway.

For this recipe you will need

• 1 kilo beef mince
• 2 cans of tinned tomatoes
• 1 can kidney beans
• 3 chipotle chilies in adobe sauce finely chopped ( I use morena brand)
• 2 carrots finely diced
• 2 medium onions finely chopped
• 3-4 cloves of garlic
• 1 teaspoon of cumin
• 1 teaspoon of oregano
• 1/2 teaspoon of smoked paprika
• 1 teaspoon sugar
• lots of salt and pepper (use maldon salt where ever possible)
• chopped fresh tomatoes
• sour cream
• coriander ( only if you want, it was in the garden)
• Plain corn chips ( I like 'homebrand' from 'countdown' salted, as they have no crappy fake flavourings and they are really big and crisp)

Start off by gently frying the onions and carrots with some olive oil in a large fry pan, then add the garlic.  Saute for at least 10 mins so the veges get soft and cooked down.  Add some water if they start to stick.  Next,  add the mince and cook until all the pinkness is gone and now starts to fry in its own fat.  You can hear it sizzling.  Add salt and taste it to see that it is seasoned properly.  This is crucial, minced beef is blah if not seasoned correctly.  Also add the cumin, oregano, smoked paprika and chipotle chilies mix well into the beef and keep frying.

Next add the 2 tins of tomatoes and 2 tin equivalents of water and the sugar and bring to the boil, turn down the heat and simmer for about 20 minutes, stir and watch occasionally so it doesn't catch.  Then add the can of beans, make sure you drain the liquid and give them a quick rinse. 

Add some more water and let it simmer away for another 30 minutes at least until it gets down to the sauce consistency you like,  there needs to be some movement.  Check again for salt and sweetness and add accordingly.  This is a spicy hot mixture. (use less chipotle chilies if you don't want it hot.)

Finally add the black ground pepper and serve on top of your chips.  Along with sour cream and tomatoes.  Jacob needed grated cheese and avocado on his.  I think sour cream is plenty.

This is a good make ahead dinner as you can prepare the mince mixture in advance and heat up later, just add a little water to loosen it up.