Roasted rainbow vegies

I have recently become a Your Inspiration at Home consultant. We sell lots of different herb and spice mixes, dip mixes, olive oils and vinegars to name a few things. If you would like to have a look at the online YIAH catalogue feel free to do so.

In this recipe I have used our Herb and Garlic mix and Caramelised Balsamic Vinegar.  Using different coloured vegies means you get plenty of different vitamins and minerals.  To make it I just chopped up the vegies, placed them in the roasting pan then sprinkled the products over the top. I saw the idea on Pinterest and thought it would be a perfect way of using up some vegies that were in the fridge and having a healthy meal. I popped them into the oven at 180 degrees Celsius for 35-40 mins (depending on your oven).

 

Malteser Bunny cupcakes

 

 

 

My friend saw these Malteser Bunny Chocolate Cupcakes on Facebook and shared it.  I wanted to make them for some friends that love these little Malteser bunnies that are only available at Easter (or should I say the three months leading up to Easter).  I should say I was inspired by them because I didn’t follow the recipe.  I have a delicious plain cupcake recipe that I love so I made that then made a basic buttercream icing with cocoa for the tops. I then put the bunnies on the cupcakes when I was ready to serve them.  They were a real treat.

Feta and sundried tomato dip

I found this easy dip recipe on the internet the other day.  I  needed a quick and easy dip for a morning tea we were having at work and wanted to try something different. I came across this recipe so I thought I’d try it. I’m a sucker for feta and sundried tomatoes. Put them together and I’m in heaven.

It is such a simple recipe that all you do is mix olive oil, greek yoghurt and the crumbled feta cheese with a spoon.  It took a few probably five minutes to get it to a smooth, even consistency. The final step is to add the chopped tomatoes and put in the fridge overnight so the flavours can blend together.  Many people at work commented on how nice it was. I think it the base would be nice to add whatever you wanted to it such as smoked salmon, olives. You could pretty much put your stamp on it.

Full of greens frittata

This is a really yummy vegetarian frittata that really is full of greens. It’s also gluten-free. There is a lot of zucchini and baby spinach in it as well as chives (although I left them out because I forgot to buy them). The recipe is another one I wanted to cook from the July 2014 edition of Taste Magazine. It’s quick and easy to prepare and takes around 30 mins to cook.

Recipe:

250g baby spinach
2 tsp olive oil
1 clove garlic, crushed
250g zucchini, grated
1 tsp finely grated lemon rind
4 eggs
4 egg whites
100g ricotta cheese (from the deli)
2 tbs finely grated parmesan
1/4 cup fresh chives
100g bought roasted red capsicum, finely chopped (although I used semi-dried tomatoes)

Method:

Preheat your oven to 180 deg Celsius. Grease a 20cm cake pan and line with baking paper. Place spinach in a heatproof bowl. Cover with boiling water. Stand for 30 seconds. Refresh. Drain, squeezing excess liquid. Coarsely chop.

Heat the oil in a frying pan over medium-high heat. Add the garlic. Cook, stirring for 30 seconds. Stir in the zucchini and lemon rind for 2 mins or until zucchini is bright green. Cool.

Whisk eggs, egg whites, ricotta and parmesan in a bowl. Stir in zucchini mixture, spinach and two-thirds of the chives. Pour into pan. Bake for 25-30 mins or until set.

Combine capsicum and remaining chives in a bowl. Serve with the frittata (although I cooked the semi-dried tomatoes on the frittata).

Spaghetti with pesto, semi-dried tomatoes and ricotta

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Yesterday I received the latest Taste magazine in the mail. Today I looked at it and came up with two ‘must cook’ recipes as well as some I might like to cook in future.

The first one (and what I decided to eat tonight) was Spaghetti with pesto, semi-dried tomatoes and ricotta. I don’t often eat vegetarian but this recipe contains some of my favourite ingredients. It calls for you to make your own pesto but I don’t have any basil (wrong time of year) or pine nuts but I always keep a jar in the fridge in winter.

Recipe: (without making the pesto)

375g dried spaghetti
150g (1 cup) frozen peas
200g semi-dried tomatoes, thinly sliced
150g fresh ricotta

Method:

Cook the pasta until al dente (add the peas in the last 4 mins of cooking the pasta). Drain and return pasta and peas to the saucepan.

Add the tomato, pesto (I used 4 tablespoons but you can put as much or little as you want) and half the ricotta to the pasta. Season with salt. Gently toss to combine. Sprinkle the remaining ricotta on top before serving

Roasted capsicum soup

I love roasted capsicum so as soon as I saw this recipe I knew I had to cook it. I assumed I would have to roast the capsicums but instead I had to buy a jar of chargrilled capsicums. This would add a smokey flavour to the soup.

It’s so easy to make. It’s just browning the onion in garlic, add chopped capsicum, potatoes and tomatoes. Cook for 5 minutes. Add chicken stock and simmer until the potatoes have softened. After that it’s just a matter of blending the soup until it’s smooth.

http://www.taste.com.au/recipes/22939/roasted+capsicum+soup

Making macarons

This was my first attempt at making macarons. I’ve never tried them because I thought they were hard. One day I was watching some cooking videos on Youtube and came across one that demonstrated how to cook them. I decided to watch it to find out exactly what is involved. I was very surprised to find there weren’t many ingredients. It’s really just a matter of making a meringue and adding almond meal. I filled mine with delicious lemon curd. I was aiming for a blue and yellow colour scheme.

If you would like to try making them yourself, here’s the recipe I used. http://allrecipes.com.au/recipe/23396/french-macarons—four-ways.aspx?o_is=SR

Mixed berry cake

I made this cake for a fundraising morning tea. It’s a very simple but tasty recipe. It was based on a recipe I’d seen a while ago. Simply make a regular cake batter and swirl some mashed mixed berries (I put them in a ziplock bag and mashed them with my hand) through the batter. Bake for 1 hour in a moderate oven. I baked it in a square pan.

Roasted Capsicum and Feta Quiche

A few weekends ago I had a friend coming over for scrapbooking and lunch. I decided to cook a quiche but wanted to make something a little different. I couldn’t find a recipe that included the ingredients I wanted to use so I decided to make my own version.

Ingredients:

Roasted capsicum (either roast 2 large red and/or green capsicums or buy them from the supermarket)
200g feta cheese, crumbled
150g bacon, chopped into pieces roughly 2cm squared
6 eggs, lightly beaten
milk (for mixing with eggs)
salt and pepper (to taste)
6 spring onions, chopped
Pastry flan (or you can make your own pastry)
cheddar cheese (shredded)

Method:

Lightly fry the bacon, allow to cool.
If you are roasting your capsicum, allow to cool before placing in the pastry flan.
Place all other ingredients in your flan. Pour the egg mix over and add salt and pepper to suit your taste.
Spread the cheddar cheese over the top.

Bake for 30-40 mins at 180 degrees celsius (350 degrees fahrenheit)

Yoghurt, berry and oat breakfast trifle

I came across this recipe the other day when I was looking for filling, healthy breakfasts on http://www.weightloss.com.au. It’s very simple to make and very filling. I made it for my breakfast today and I’m sure it’s going to be quite a while before I need to eat anything else.

Ingredients:
50g rolled oats
50g sultanas (or other dried fruits)
200g tub of strawberry yoghurt (or any other flavour)
100g strawberries (or any other fresh fruit)

To make it I poured the yoghurt in the bowl, mixed in the oats and sultanas then layed the strawberries on top. I made it at home and took it to work to allow the oats to soften.

Strawberries and Cream Sponge Cake

I made this sponge cake for an afternoon tea at work last week. Originally it was going to be a double-layer sponge but once we realised there were going to be a lot of people coming I decided to do single layers so everyone could get a piece.

The sponge is very simple to make and turned out really light and fluffy. The ingredients are:

6 eggs
3/4 cup caster sugar
2/3 cup self-raising flour (sifted)
1/3 cup plain flour (sifted)
300ml thickened cream
1 or 2 punnets of strawberries (hulled and cut in half)

Method:

Lightly grease and line 2 sponge pans
Place eggs in a large bowl and beat for 2 minutes.
Gradually add the sugar and beat for a further 5 minutes until pale.
Use a metal spoon to fold in the sifted flours and 2 tablespoons of hot water.
Divide the mixture between the two pans and bake on the middle shelf of the oven for 20-25 mins. Set aside to cool.

Whip cream with a few drops of vanilla essence and 1 tablespoon of caster sugar until it is thick.

Spread the cream and lay the strawberries cut side down on one sponge. Put the other sponge on top then spread cream and lay strawberries on top.

Zucchini fritters

This is the first time I’ve made these. In the past I thought I mightn’t like them but they are delicious. I know what I’ve been missing.

I got the recipe from one of my favourite websites: http://www.weightloss.com.au/healthy-recipes/lunch-recipes/zucchini-fritters-recipe.html. They have a lot of healthy recipes.

Fettucine with Prawns and Vegetables

I came across a recipe on a website last yesterday while looking for something different. I’ve been in a bit of a rut lately when it comes to recipes. I haven’t liked any of my old recipes. The recipe inspired me to make this.

Ingredients:

120g fettucine
150g prawns
I carrot, thinly sliced
1/2 onion, grated
50g beans, sliced
1/2 red capsicum, thinly sliced
2 tbs ketcap manis (Indonesian soy sauce)
1 tbs soy sauce
2 cloves garlic

Method:

While the fettucine is cooking, lightly fry the vegies then put aside on a plate. Meanwhile cook the prawns for 1-2 mins on each side. Once cooked, add the vegies back in and cook until they are warmed up. Add the sauces. Warm through. When the fettucine is cooked, drain then put it back in the saucepan. Add the vegies and stir through to combine.

Serves 4.

Impossible Savoury Pie

This is one of those recipes where you can use vegies in your fridge that are getting near their end. I made it for lunch and chopped zucchini, carrot, onion and threw in some feta cheese and sundried tomatoes.

It’s quick and easy to make too.

After chopping the vegies, put them in a bowl. Add 1/2 cup of cheddar cheese, 5 lightly beaten eggs, 1 teaspoon of mixed herbs and salt and pepper to taste. Mix everything together and pour into a greased pie dish. Bake in a moderate oven for 45 mins or until lightly browned. Serve with salad.

Choc Mousse Cake

I made this Choc Mousse Cake last night for a friend’s birthday today. As it turned out it probably wasn’t the best night for making a chocolate mousse. It was a really warm day in Melbourne yesterday and my kitchen was still around 30 degrees at 8pm. The mousse wouldn’t thicken. I had to wrap the cake and put it in the fridge to set. Having faith that it had all worked out, I brought it to work without unwrapping to check it. When I opened it up it looked good. It looked perfect when I sliced it to share with my friend and colleagues.

The recipe is really just a mix of other recipes. I made a basic chocolate cake, the mousse and then just layered the cake and spread the mousse in between the two layers and on top.

Cows cheese and bacon pasta sauce

It’s not often I make up my own recipes but as they say, necessity is the mother of invention. This was supposed to be Ricotta and Bacon pasta sauce but I forgot to buy some ricotta cheese on the way home from work. I wasn’t going to put any cheese in it but remembered I had some House Cow cheese from my favourite dairy, the Yarra Valley Dairy. I also didn’t bother to measure because I like to cook free-form when I can. If I’m trying a new recipe I will follow it to the letter but afterwards I don’t bother.

The ingredients are:
short cut bacon (chopped into approx 1cm pieces)
1/2 can tomatoes
2 spring onions (roughly chopped)
pasta (spaghetii or fettucine are what I normally use)
House Cow, ricotta or any other cheese with a strong taste that melts easily

While the pasta is cooking I lighlty fry the bacon and spring onions then add the tomatoes. Once the tomatoes are warmed through the pasta is ready. I drain the pasta then pour the bacon mixture into the pasta and add the cheese, stirring to ensure it melts. You don’t want to melt it entirely so I normally leave it in there long enough to warm it through.

Voila! It’s that easy. It’s a dish that can easily be made for one or many.

Apple & cinnamon slice

This is a very simple recipe to make. I made it for a morning tea at work earlier this week.

The recipe calls for a packet cake mix called Golden Buttercake. That makes the base. Simply mix that with coconut and melted butter. Bake the mixture for 15 mins or until it starts to turn a nice golden colour.

After letting it cool for a few minutes I layered pie apple pieces and sour cream then sprinkled cinnamon and sugar on top.

The final step is to bake for 20 minutes. After letting it cool I cut it up. Voila!

http://www.taste.com.au/recipes/14033/apple+cinnamon+slice

Chow Mein

Ask any Aussie over the age of 30 how to make chow mein and they will probably recall the recipe their Mum made. It probably had mince steak, cabbage, chicken noodle soup and a few vegies. A friend and I were talking about chow mein the other day and that’s when we realised that our parent’s had used the same recipe. It was funny.

She told me about the recipe she made for her family the other day. It had a lot of vegies so it’s perfect for hiding them from kids.

This one is very easy to make. Step 1 is browning the mince steak, finely-chopped onion and garlic in a frying pan.

Step 2 – add chopped carrot, celery and capsicum (substituted for mushrooms). Cook for 5 minutes or until the vegies start to soften.

Add the curry powder, oyster sauce, soy sauce, chicken stock and noodles. Cook for a few minutes until the sauces thicken.

Add peas and beans. Once they are cooked, serve.

the full recipe can be found here: http://www.taste.com.au/recipes/27999/chow+mein

Custard and apple teacake

As soon as I saw this recipe I knew I wanted to make it. It’s quick and easy to make but it takes 80-90 mins to cook, depending on your oven. The comments from everyone who tried it were great. They said it was very moist but it held together really well.

The cake batter was beautiful. It would have been very easy to sit and eat it all. Yum Yum!

Ingredients:
150g butter, softened
3/4 cup caster sugar
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
2 eggs, at room temperature
2 1/2 cups self-raising flour, sifted
1 1/2 cups milk
400g can pie apple
300ml thick vanilla custard
1/3 cup desiccated coconut

Method:
Step 1
Preheat oven to 160°C. Grease an 8cm deep, 22cm (base) square cake pan. Line with baking paper, allowing a 2cm overhang at 2 opposite ends.

Step 2
Using electric mixer, cream butter, sugar and vanilla until pale and creamy. Add eggs, 1 at a time, beating well after each addition. Transfer mixture to a larger bowl. Using a large metal spoon, fold flour and milk alternately into butter mixture until just combined.

Step 3
Spread half the batter into prepared pan. Arrange half the apple over top. Dollop half the custard over apple. Sprinkle with coconut. Gently spoon over remaining batter to cover filling. Top with remaining apple and custard. Swirl custard into batter using a skewer. Bake for 1 hour 20 minutes to 1 hour 30 minutes or until a skewer inserted into centre comes out clean. Cool completely in pan. Lift from pan and serve.

recipe from http://www.taste.com.au

Indian curried chicken rice

I saw this recipe on the Taste website a week or so ago and thought it sounded delicious. It’s very easy to make and took just 50 minuntes for the stock to be absorbed by the rice, leaving it nice and fluffy. The rice is also the perfect leftover side accompaniment.

1kg chicken thigh cutlets, skin removed
2 tablespoons mild Indian curry paste (I used Korma)
1 tablespoon vegetable oil
1 brown onion, chopped
1 1/4 cups white long-grain rice
1/3 cup sultanas
1 granny smith apple, cut into 2cm pieces
1 medium tomato, cut into 1cm pieces
2 1/2 cups chicken stock
Fresh coriander leaves and plain
Natural yoghurt, to serve

Step 1
Preheat oven to 220°C/200°C fan-forced. Place chicken and curry paste in a large glass or ceramic bowl. Stir to coat chicken.

Step 2
Heat oil in a large frying pan over medium-high heat. Cook chicken, in batches, turning, for 4 minutes or until golden. Transfer to a plate.

Step 3
Add onion to pan. Cook, stirring, for 2 to 3 minutes or until softened. Add rice. Stir for 1 to 2 minutes or until rice is coated. Stir in sultanas, apple and tomato. Transfer mixture to a 10 cupcapacity, 25cm (base) round ovenproof dish. Arrange chicken over rice, pressing down gently. Pour over stock. Cover tightly with foil. Bake for 45 to 50 minutes or until rice is tender and chicken cooked through.

Step 4
Top with coriander. Serve with yoghurt.

Recipe from http://www.taste.com.au

Before and after the dish went into the oven.