Recipe - Butter Chicken

This one was typed up by my sister in law as I ran out of time to get all our favourite recipes onto the blog.  We quite like this low fat version of Butter Chicken.  It doesn't really taste like an authentic one but it's delicious all the same.

INGREDIENTS
800g chicken
1 medium sized onion
1 tsp garlic
1/2 tsp ginger
1 tsp cinnamon
1 tsp turmeric
1 tsp dried coriander
2 tsp paprika
1/8 tsp chilli powder
2 tsp chicken stock powder
4 tablespoons tomato paste
1 tablespoon cornflour
1 375ml evaporated milk

DIRECTIONS
Cut chicken into bite sized pieces. Coat a large pan with cooking spray, saute chicken,
onion, garlic and ginger until chicken almost cooked. Add all the spices and stock powder.
Add tomato paste. Blend cornflour and milk, add to pan, stir until boiled.
Serve with rice.

Recipe - Big Red (UK) Shepherds Pie

Have you heard that title before?  I posted a recipe when we were at home that I'd seen in a tv advertisement.  It used a tin of Heinz Big Red tomato soup.  Well.... they don't have it here!  In fact they simply don't have plain condensed tomato soup, it's all cream of tomato and you use it just as it is in the tin.  When Mick was keen to start on dinner last night I couldn't think of what we could do with what we had left.  There was just a few bits and pieces of veg left but we did have a couple of beef steaks in the freezer.  I decided we'd have a go at re-working the shepherds pie recipe using a tin of soup.

This made enough for us to have 2 dinners for 2 of us, and some leftover on toast for a lunch. It was really good!

Ingredients
Tin of tomato soup
A couple of tablespoons of tomato paste (to try and compensate for the orange soup!)
A teaspoon of stock powder, or as they have here in England "Knorr's granules" (we only have chicken but beef would probably work even better)
2 sticks celery, diced
1 onion, diced
1 large carrot, diced
1 teaspoon garlic from a jar
About 400g beef mince (Mick chopped the steaks up and whizzed them in our little food processor)
Mashed potato
Grated cheese

(You could also add frozen peas, beans, corn etc)

Method
Cook the onion, celery and carrot in a frypan until softened
Add the mince and stir until browned
Add the tin of tomato soup, tomato paste, the stock powder and maybe 1/4 - 1/2 cup of water (swish around the soup tin first!)
Bring to the boil and simmer, stirring occasionally, until it reduces down to the consistency of a pie filling
Spoon the mixture into a suitable dish
Top with mashed potato
Sprinkle with grated cheese
Bake in a moderate oven for about 15-20 minutes

Recipe - Grilled corn salsa

What a yummy dinner we had tonight... we bought a chicken at Morrisons today, it was cooked with rosemary and garlic.  We had some for lunch and for tonight we thought we should use up all the bits and pieces in the vegie crisper of the fridge. I bought a couple of corn cobs and a few black olives as I had something in mind.  This is what we came up with.

2 corn cobs
1/2 avocado
Capsicum (we had about 1/4 each of a red, an orange and a green one), cut into dice
Handful of black olives, halved
4 spring onions, sliced
Handful cherry tomatoes, quartered
About half a cup of picked coriander leaves
1 lime
Dash of Tabasco
Glug of olive oil
Salt and pepper

We "grilled" the corn cobs dry in a frying pan.  Meanwhile, chop everything else.  Squeeze the juice of half a lime over the avocado to prevent it browning.  Once the corn cobs are cooked through, cut the kernels off.  Mix the juice of the other half a lime with the olive oil and a dash of Tabasco.  Toss everything together in a serving bowl.  Delicious!

Cheese on toast

I don't recall what we were watching the other day but they were making cheese on toast with Worcestershire sauce.  Now that sounds like a rather odd combination to me but we shouldn't knock what we haven't tried.  I began wondering when the sauce goes on - is it mixed with the cheese and then grilled or is it sprinkled on a cooked cheese on toast?  In the process of trying to find out (and it seems judgment is divided on the issue) I stumbled across a couple of other cheese on toast "recipes".  Might be worth a try!

Eggy Cheese on toast

1 egg
1 cup grated cheese (cheddar or a mixture)

1/2 onion chopped finely
1 small tomato deseeded and chopped
1 rasher bacon chopped
Splash of Worcestershire sauce
Salt and pepper

Toast some really thick slices of a good quality crusty bread under the grill.

Rub with a garlic clove on one side then put the topping on top and grill until all bubbly and melted.

Savoury Cheese on Toast
1/2 small onion, chopped finely
1 tomato, skinned & chopped finely
1 tsp cornflour mixed with a little milk to a paste
2 cups grated cheddar cheese

Knob of butter
Pinch cayenne pepper
Salt
Slices of good bread

Saute the onion in a little butter until soft.

Add the tomato, salt & pepper and saute until it has cooked down slightly.
Add the cheese and stir until it has melted being careful not to burn the bottom of the pan. 

Add the cornflour to thicken.
Grill the bread on both sides then spread on the cheese mixture.

Place under a hot grill until bubbly and brown.

Creamy Cheese on Toast
150gm creme fraiche or sour cream
2 egg yolks
200g cheddar cheese
1 tsp mustard powder or prepared mustard
Salt and pepper
Worcestershire sauce
Thick slices of nice bread

Grill the bread on both sides.
Mix together the creme fraiche, egg yolks, cheddar cheese, mustard, salt & pepper.
Spread the cheese mixture on top and place under a grill until browned and bubbly.
Make slits across the top of the hot cheese mixture and drizzle some Worcestershire sauce into the gaps.
Serve immediately.

Olive Cheese on Toast
100gm or so of Mersey Valley Vintage Cheese
Sliced Kalamata Olives (or some stuffed green olives)
Slices of nice bread

Mix the cheese and olives with a little water to make it ''pastey''.
Grill the bread on both sides.

Spread cheese mixture on top and place under a hot grill until melted and browned.

Recipe - Spinach & Ham Egg Cups

I stumbled across this little recipe before we left and had quickly typed it up as a draft.  Here it is now - I'm not likely to find it by searching my blog if I don't post it!


Ingredients
Baby spinach leaves
75g low fat ricotta
1 spring onion, sliced
12 slices shaved ham
6 eggs at room temperature
1/4 cup shredded parmesan

Method
1. Preheat oven to 180 degrees.
2. Grease a 6 hole muffin tray
3. Place spinach in a dish, cover with boiling water, drain, refresh under cold water, squeeze out excess liquid.
4. Chop spinach and combine with ricotta and sliced spring onion.
5. Line each muffin hole with 2 slices of shaved ham, overlapping slightly.
6. Divide spinach mixture among holes.
7. Carefully crack an egg over spinach mixture.
8. Sprinkle with parmesan.
9. Bake 10 minutes or until yolks cooked to your liking.
10. Stand 5 minutes before serving.

Recipe - Baked Apricot Rice Custard

I rarely make desserts or cakes, but when I stay at my brother and sister in law's place I'm sometimes treated to one from the Symply Too Good To Be True Books.  I like this one so thought I'd blog it so I can remember it when we're away.  I might even make it one day!

INGREDIENTS

¼ cup Basmati rice

3 tsp sugar

400g can apricots

2 eggs

2 egg whites

4 tbsp sugar

¾ tsp vanilla

2 ½ cups milk

Nutmeg

METHOD

Boil rice with sugar then rinse and drain well.

Spread rice over base of casserole dish.

Drain apricots and place on top of rice.

Add eggs, egg white, sugar, essence and milk into a bowl and beat well.

Pour over apricots.

Sprinkle with nutmeg.

Place dish into a tray 1/3 filled with water.

Bake 1hr or firm to touch in centre.

Recipe - Big Red sheperds pie

I saw this recipe advertised on tv - for Heinz Tomato Soup.  I paused the tv program and wrote it down.  I haven't tried it yet but it sounded quick and easy so I'll give it a go one day.  The instructions are rather abbreviated because I just scrawled it on a piece of paper.

Here it is :

Onion, Carrot, Celery : dice and cook them until soft

Add minced beef or lamb, stir until cooked

Sprinkle a good tablespoon of flour over

Add a can of rich tomato soup (Heinz of course)

Add a good cup beef stock

Simmer 15-20 minutes

Cook some potatoes, mash with cream and salt

Spread mince into base of dish, top with potato, sprinkle with grated cheese.

Bake 15-20 minutes at 180 degrees

Recipe - Asian Lamb Potato Curry

We tried a new recipe tonight - one we hadn't tried before.  It worked out pretty well and we'll make it again. We added vegetables to the recipe - peas and broccoli.  (Symply Too Good To Be True, Book 5)

Ingredients

500g peeled potatoes, cut into large dice
600g raw lamb leg steaks, cut into large dice

cooking spray

1 tsp crushed garlic
1 onion, diced
1 tbsp massaman curry paste
1 tsp turmeric

½ tsp cumin
½ tsp cinnamon

1 tbsp chicken stock powder
1 3/4 cups water
1 tsp fish sauce
2 tsp soy sauce
2 tbsp cornflour
1/4 cup water

Method

Coat a large saucepan (with lid) or a wok with cooking spray. 
Saute lamb and garlic until meat has browned.  
Add onion, curry paste, turmeric, cumin, cinnamon and stock powder.
Combine well and cook 1 minute.
Add potatoes and stir well.
Add water, fish sauce, soy sauce.
Bring to boil, put lid on, and reduce to a medium boil for 15 minutes.
Depending on what type of vegetables you wish to use - add them to the pot during the 15 minute cooking time so that they'll be cooked to your liking.
Remove lid and cook a further 5 minutes or until potato cooked through.
Combine cornflour with 1/4 cup water and add to pot. 
Stir well until sauce has thickened.

Recipe - Chicken Laksa

I am trying to use up things we have in our pantry before we go.  I only need to get chicken and bean shoots for this one from Symply Too Good to be True, Book 3.

I often adapt recipes to suit us - I don't fuss too much about the exact quantity of meat and just use whatever comes in the pre-packed packages from the supermarket.

Ingredients

Skinless chicken breast fillet, diced

½ tsp crushed garlic in jar

1 tsp crushed ginger in jar

½ cup carrot, strips

½ cup capsicum, strips

1 cup bean sprouts

½ cup shallots, sliced

1 tbsp fresh coriander, chopped

1 tsp lemongrass in jar

3 tsp massaman curry paste

1 tsp turmeric

2 tsp chicken stock powder

250ml liquid chicken stock

1 cup water

1 tsp coconut essence

1 ½ cups Singapore noodles

375ml can evaporated milk

Method

In a large frying pan or wok, coated with cooking spray, sauté chicken, garlic and ginger for 4 mins.

Toss in carrots and capsicum and cook another 2 mins.

Add all other ingredients except milk and cornflour into pan and mix well.

Combine cornflour and evaporated milk and add to pan.

Simmer 5 minutes, then serve.

Recipe - Eggplant Parmigiana

My mum lent me a book to read called "The Italian Wedding".  I had only read the first few pages the other night but it started with a recipe for eggplant with Parmesan.  The recipe only had a few ingredients but it sounded good so we gave it a try on Saturday night.

The cooking facilities in the caravan are very basic and we're tight with space.  I sliced the eggplant, salted it, and left it on the rack that we use for cooling bread (the colander appears to be packed away).

I had the tomato bubbling away on the stove in the caravan and a plastic container with the washed and dried eggplant stacked neatly inside sitting on the table.  The next step was to dip the eggplant in flour and then egg.  I don't know what happened but I had my back turned and there was the sound of something falling onto the floor followed by some swearing.  Mick, and this is nothing out of the ordinary in our house, had knocked the container of eggplant and it was now all over the floor.  It was back to the drawing board with washing the eggplant - I wasn't going to waste it!

Mick "helped" by grating (and eating) the Parmesan while I dipped the eggplant and put in a frying pan.  The extractor fan above the stove is all but useless and before we knew it we had the caravan full of cooking fumes and smoke with the smoke detector screaming.  Despite the cool evening we flung open doors and windows.

Eventually we got the dish in the oven and it was worth the effort.  We both thought it was one we'll make again.  I'm also thinking I want a side hatch beside the cooker on our narrowboat!!

So here it is (from the top of my head as I don't have the book with me in Melbourne) :
INGREDIENTS
2 large eggplant, sliced into 1cm rounds
Bottle of Passata
1 onion, diced
2 eggs, whisked
1/2 cup plain flour
Grated Parmesan, lots
Grated Mozzarella, to sprinkle on top
Salt and pepper
Olive oil
METHOD
Slice the eggplant, sprinkle with salt on both sides and leave in colander or on a rack for an hour. 
Meanwhile, dice onion and cook in olive oil. 
When soft, add the bottle of passata and stir occasionally until it thickens and reduces - about 20 minutes.
Add salt and pepper to taste.
Wash the salt off the eggplant and pat it dry on paper towel.
Dip the slices first in flour, then in egg.
Cook eggplant, in batches, in a large frypan with olive oil until browned. 
Layer a lasagne dish with eggplant, then cooked tomato sauce, then Parmesan - about 3 or 4 layers.
Sprinkle Mozzarella on the top and bake in 160 degree oven for approximately 20 minutes.

Recipe - Salmon Rissoles

I'm going through my cookbooks and typing up our most used recipes into blog entries so we have them while we're away.  I'm certainly not packing cookbooks!  I realized I better get a move on with this project as the time is ticking quickly.  We have only 8 1/2 weeks to go. 

This one for Salmon Rissoles is from Symply Too Good to be True - Book 3.

Ingredients

500g peeled potatoes, diced

1 ½ cups carrots, sliced

415g can pink salmon, drained and mashed

2 tsp lemon juice

½ cup shallots, sliced

1 egg white

2 tbsp chopped parsley

2 tsp chicken stock powder

pepper

Method

Microwave potato and carrots in a little water until soft.  Drain and mash.

Add salmon, lemon juice, shallots, egg white, parsley, stock powder and a little pepper to taste.

Combine well.

Refrigerate a few hours so mixture will be firmer for cooking.

Shape into 12 rissoles.

Coat a non-stick frypan with cooking spray and cook patties 5 minutes each side.

Recipe - Best pumpkin soup

Ingredients (serves 6)

• 2 tbs olive oil
• 1 onion, finely chopped
• 1 leek, white part only, finely sliced
• 2 cloves garlic, crushed
• 1/2 tsp ground coriander
• 1 tsp ground cumin
• 1/2 tsp nutmeg
• 1kg peeled pumpkin, diced
• 1 large potato, peeled, diced
• 1 litre chicken stock 
• Salt and pepper
• Sour cream, creme fraiche, or cream to serve (optional)

 Method

1. Heat oil in a large saucepan over low heat, add onion and leek and cook for 2-3 minutes, until softened but not coloured. 
2. Add garlic and spices and cook, stirring, for 30 seconds. 
3. Add pumpkin, potato and stock and bring to the boil. 
4. Turn heat to low, cover and simmer for 30 minutes. 
5. Allow to cool slightly, then blend in batches.
6. Return soup to pan, season and add a little more nutmeg if desired.
7. Stir through a little sour cream, cream or creme fraiche to serve (but it delicious just as it is).

Recipe - Quick Salmon Pie

This is a quick dinner that is good as a backup.

INGREDIENTS
Mashed potato (approx 500g)

Can salmon (approx 450g)
1 small onion diced
1 teaspoon garlic from jar
1 can evaporated milk (375ml)
3 tablespoons cornflour
1/4 cup skim milk
1/4 cup finely chopped parsley
3-4 tablespoons grated parmesan cheese
1/4 cup grated tasty cheese

METHOD
Drain the can of salmon and mash it in a dish to break up any bones. 
Spray a high sided frying pan with cooking spray and cook onion and garlic until lightly browned.
Mix the cornflour into the 1/4 cup milk and add to the pan with the evaporated milk and parsley.
Stir until thickening and then add the salmon and the parmesan.
Pour the mixture into a small lasagne dish, or pie dish.
Dot mashed potato over the top and use a fork to spread it out.
Sprinkle with grated tasty cheese.
Bake in oven at 180 degrees for 15-20 minutes.

Recipe - Roast Vegetable Salad

My version of Recipe from 4 Week Energy Diet (ABC Books 2012)

Ingredients

1 beetroot

2 carrots, scrubbed
1 red capsicum
8 cloves garlic, unpeeled
1 tablespoons pine nuts
2 cups baby spinach leaves and/or rocket
1 spring onion, finely chopped
1 cup cooked chickpeas (or cannellini beans)
1⁄4 cup chopped curly parsley
1 teaspoon finely shredded mint

Dressing : 4 tbsps balsamic vinegar, 1 tbsp virgin olive oil, 1⁄2 tbsp Dijon mustard

Method

• Preheat oven to 180°C
• Line a baking tray with baking paper.
• Cut the leaves from the beetroot, leaving around 2–3cm of stem attached. Wrap the beetroot in baking paper and tie with kitchen string (to prevent the juice leaking out).
• Place the beetroot, carrots and capsicum on the baking tray and roast for 20 minutes. Turn and roast for a further 10 minutes.
• Place the garlic in the oven with the vegetables and roast for 10 minutes, or until the vegetables are tender and the garlic is soft and caramelised. In total, it should take 35–45 minutes.
• Meanwhile, to make the dressing, combine the vinegar, oil and mustard in a glass jar, screw on the lid and shake vigorously. Set aside.
• Transfer the roasted vegetables to a plate and cool slightly.
• Place the pine nuts on the baking tray and lightly toast in the oven for 2–3 minutes.
• Using a knife, peel the beetroot and carrots and remove the outer skin from the capsicum. Chop the vegetables into chunks.
• Place the spinach, spring onion, pine nuts, chickpeas or cannellini beans, parsley and mint in a large bowl and add the chopped vegetables. Pour over the dressing and toss to combine.

• Serve immediately.

Chestnut soup

I found a recipe on the internet for chestnut soup and made a small batch tonight - my own adaption.  It's really good!  The reason I only cooked a small amount was because peeling them was such a nuisance.  Even with the help of a neighbour, my fingers were sore.  I wonder if there is an easier way?  Mind you, I didn't see the bit in the recipe that said to pour 1/4 cup of water on the tray before baking the chestnuts so I just roasted them dry like I usually do.  I wonder if it makes the peeling easier.  I might have to try that.  I also didn't have anything to put the cloves/bay leaf in so I just added them to the pot and picked them out before blending the soup.


So here is my version.

Ingredients

• 1 litre chicken stock
• 1 cereal bowl of roasted, peeled chestnuts
• ½ a chopped onion
• 2 sprigs fresh parsley
• 2 whole cloves
• 1 bay leaf
• 1/4 cup light cream
• salt and pepper to taste

Directions

1. To Cook Chestnuts: With a sharp knife, slice an 'X' across each chestnut. Place chestnuts in a single layer on a  tray. Pour 1/4 cup water into the pan. Bake in a preheated 450 degrees F (230 degrees C) oven for 10 minutes. When cool enough to handle, shell and peel.
2. In a saucepan combine the chicken stock, shelled chestnuts and onion. Place the parsley, cloves and bay leaf in a spice bag and add to the saucepan. Simmer over low heat for 45 minutes.
3. Discard the spice bag and puree the chestnut mixture in a food processor or blender. Add the cream, and salt and pepper to taste. Return mixture to saucepan and gently heat through.  

Recipe - penang chicken

This is a recipe we've tried a few times before.  This week I started cooking it and then realized I had no evaporated milk.  I rummaged frantically through the pantry and found a tin of coconut milk which I used in place of the evaporated milk, coconut essence and cornflour.  Mick declared it delicious - better than it's ever been before.  Hmmm.... it goes to show it is difficult to get the same flavour when you replace ingredients with low fat alternatives.  Sorry Mick, but this was a "one-off" special treat!

From STGTBT Book 4

INGREDIENTS

500g skinless chicken breast, cut in strips

1 medium onion, sliced

1 tsp crushed garlic (in jar)

1 tsp crushed ginger (in jar)

1 cup fresh green beans, halved

2 cups zucchini, sliced

2 cups cauliflower, small florets

3 tsps Penang paste

2 tsps fish sauce

1 tbsp sugar

1 tbsp chopped basil

2 tbsp cornflour

375ml can light evaporated milk

1 tsp coconut essence

Handful peanuts

METHOD

In a large frying pan, sprayed with cooking spray, sauté garlic and ginger and chicken until chicken is nearly cooked.   Add all vegetables and cook a further 2-3 minutes. Add the Penang paste, stir well and cook for 5 minutes.  Add fish sauce, sugar and basil.  In a bowl, combine the evaporated milk, coconut essence and cornflour, then pour into the frying pan.  Stir continuously until thickening.  Serve with rice and sprinkle with peanuts.

Recipe - Tabouli

I'm a big fan of Tabouli and really like this recipe - it makes a small batch because I much prefer it fresh. 

 

INGREDIENTS

1/4 cup dried cracked wheat (bourghul)

1 cup water

1/2 tomato, de-seeded and diced small

1/2 cup fresh parsley, chopped

5-6 mint leaves, chopped fine

1 tbsp lemon juice

1/4 onion, diced

1/2 tsp crushed garlic (in jar)

Pepper to taste

METHOD

Put the cracked wheat and the water into a bowl and stir occasionally, leaving it for about an hour.  

Drain off any unabsorbed water and add the other ingredients to the bowl, mixing well.