Monday, April 23

Delicious Dal Tadka!

Literally had nothing to eat for breakfast this morning.. I've been away for the weekend and haven't had a chance to buy any food. Thankfully I was not to starve as my lovely flatmate Soph bought me a packet of Yellow Split Peas last week. Might not sound so exciting to you. but trust me this girl knows how to make my day! So with an empty stomach but full of anticipation I set out to make some delicious Traditional Indian Dal Tadka for Breakfast. Next week I plan on trying Pho, a traditional Vietnamese breakfast. I must admit I wasn't overly eager to have something so un-breakfasty for breakfast, but once the smells of coriander and ginger wafted through the kitchen I was dying to eat it! There's not much to this recipe. I added some sliced Courgette as that was the only other food I had left over, and it tasted fine but went a little to soft. Perhaps it would work better to stir some veges through near the end rather than at the beginning? I don't know that this recipe is for everyone - my partner is not a fan - but I love it and I think it would make a great accompaniment to any Indian meal!

In a large pot stirfry 2 Cloves Garlic and 2 tsp Grated Ginger in a little Olive Oil. Saute 1 Chopped Onion and cook until brown. Pour in 1 Cup Yellow Split Peas and 2 Cups Vegetable Stock. Add an extra 1/2 Cup Water. Simmer for 40minutes or until Water has gone and Peas are soft. Stir in cooked Vegetables of your choice if you prefer and 1 Tablespoon of Freshly Chopped Coriander. Enjoy!

Perfect Prawn Masala

This recipe can be made with any meat, I love prawns but chicken, fish or beef would also work well! I made this before a friend and I went on a road trip so that we wouldn't be tempted to buy terrible foods from fast food places. We actually ended up scoffin' it down after a night out and far too much beer... but hey, its better than McDonald's! Point of story - always have something in your fridge for when you get drunk and hungry!

Btw - this recipe has dairy, a small amount of yoghurt. This can be replaced with soy yoghurt or perhaps coconut milk?

1. Turn oven on to Bake at 180c.

2. Marinate 400gms of Prawns in
    2 Tablespoons Greek Yoghurt
    1 tsp Paprika
    1 tsp Lemon Juice
    1 tsp Cumin
    1 tsp Coriander
    1/2 tsp Turmeric
    Set aside for 15 minutes.



3. In a deep pan heat Olive Oil and add 5 Cardamom Pods. Crush to let the seeds out.
    Add 2 Cloves Crushed Garlic and 2 teaspoons Grated Ginger followed by 1 Chopped Onion and your
    favourite vegetables, thinly sliced.
    Slowly stir in 1 Tablespoon Garam Masala and pour in 1 Cup  
    Crushed Tomatoes and 1/2 Cup Water.

5. Stir Prawns and Marinade into the sauce with a Tablespoon
    of Fenugreek Leaves and 1 Tablespoon of fresh Coriander. Simmer
    for 10minutes.

Its a long recipe but it comes together really well and can be kept for up to 3 days or frozen. Curries always taste better the next day so make sure you save some for lunch!



Friday, April 20

If you like Pina Colada...

So you're having late night cravings? Missing dessert? Seriously considering running down to the nearest dairy and buying a ridiculous amount of chocolate?  

While this may not be the healthiest meal of your day, it tastes amazing and will satisfy all you sweet tooth's out there! And I am all about quick and simple recipes so here you go... 

Chop 1 pineapple into small quarters. Use fresh pineapple as canned pineapple has too much added sugar and doesn't taste quite the same. Place in a blender and add 1 can of Coconut Cream. Blend for a good 30 seconds. Transfer to an ice cream container and freeze overnight. 
In the morning get up and scoop the frozen mix back into the blender and blend for another 30 seconds. 
Freeze again and by dinner time you will have an incredibly delicious Pineapple & Coconut Sorbet that taste just like a Frozen Pina Colada! (I might be adding Bacardi next time!) 
You should have a whole ice cream container full so it will last you a while. Watch out for the brain freeze and eat sparingly - it's super sweet!


Tuesday, April 17

My favourite winter soup...

So I've been a bit naughty lately. I haven't been as organised as usual (I blame holidays) and have been buying lunches from cafes and sushi bars. While its all been fairly decent stuff, it certainly isn't the kind of goodness I know I should be eating. So tonight I made a big delicious pot full of soul warming, taste-bud tingling, nutrient filled winter vegetable soup. By far my most favourite and tastiest soup recipe. In case I haven't said so already.
So what are we waiting for - get in the kitchen and start cooking!

Heat a dash of Olive Oil in a large pot.
Add 1 Leek
2 Sticks Celery
1 Grated Carrot
1 Onion
Saute until soft.

Pour in 3 Cups Chicken or Vege Stock
a sprinkle of Turmeric
1 handful Chopped Parsley
Dash of Soy Sauce
Rind of 1 lemon and a small squeeze of lemon juice

Finally throw in a can of Chickpeas and simmer for half an hour.
Add another cup of stock if necessary (I prefer mine a little thinner).

I generally freeze 1 cup portions and take them out each morning for work, uni or an easy dinner!
Hope you all love it as much as I do!xx

Monday, April 16

Pizza Cravings in L.A...

So my three gorgeous flatmates and I decided to do shared dinners during the week, which is a fabulous idea as we not only save a huge chunk of cash, but also get to try lots of new and different foods and cooking styles that we might not use ourselves! We all enjoy good food and sharing our cooking so it's quite exciting to look forward to everyone's delicious feasts each week! However.... every single one of 'the flatties' has a food allergy/preference/dislike so it has presented a whole new challenge for us all!

Man of the house eat's almost everything and is an amazing cook, but does not eat fish. He works as a fishing guide (Ironic?). He knows a lot about food and cooks everything to perfection providing fabulous tips and feedback on all our meals. I love listening to his knowledge and advice almost as much as I enjoy eating his meals!

Soph is vegetarian, gluten-free and dairy free, however, she does eat fish and seafood. She uses a lot of vegetables, beans and legumes when she is cooking. Fantastic for fresh, healthy and tasty dinners! Our pizza night was prepared by Soph, which just goes to show that you can still have amazing and tasty food without any of the 'bad stuff'!

B is gluten-free and dairy free, and loves 'meat and veg' dinners. She prefers not to eat seafood or food that is too spicy (unlike the rest of us who love spices and hot food!). B's meals are homely, comforting goodness. Casseroles, bangers and mash and tasty soups give us all our weekly dose of a traditional home-cooked meal.

I eat absolutely anything however, I prefer to eat 'clean'. So no flour, processed foods, refined sugar and limited dairy. This works in pretty well considering the others allergies. I enjoy meat occasionally, love love love seafood and believe that the more spice the better! I relish the opportunity to cook for all my flatmates each week and usually have my shopping list written days in advance. I wish I had the luxury of cooking fabulous dinner parties every night but, for my budget, once a week is perfect!

Tonight Soph made us the most delicious pizzas, and for all of you having pizza and grease cravings out there I thought I better share the recipe! Its probably as healthy a pizza as your gonna get so grab some friends, hire some movies and chuck on your trackies. It is officially pizza time. xx

To feed 4...

3 Gluten Free Corn Tortilla









Spread on some hummous or pesto (homemade is best!)
Add any fresh ingredients you like -
mushroom
capsicum
pineapple
sundried tomato
kalamata olives
cherry tomatoes
caramelised onion
courgette
roasted pumpkin
spinach
artichoke
capers
roasted eggplant

Sprinkle on some flavour -
pine nuts
toasted sesame seeds
slivered almonds
herbs - basil, oregano, rosemary..
chilli

Drizzle on some oil and bake on 180c until crispy round the edges!
Slice it up and enjoy the guilt-free goodness!! xx

Thursday, April 12

Ole Chole!

This week is poor student week so all of my recipes are made from simple ingredients and are mostly vegetarian. This is another quick and easy recipe for you, and absolutely yummy and authentic tasting Indian. You may have noticed I used two different languages for this recipe.. I served my Indian Chole up with some baked Corn Tortilla. Culture combination cos I cant afford Pappadoms, and had leftover Tortilla from Tuesdays Falafel Wrap. Genius. So the key to this recipe is really the mixture of spices. There is a hundred different variations for Chole out there but here is mine... 
2 Cloves Garlic
1/2 t Ginger
1 Chilli - Fry in large pot with 1 T Oil
Add
1 chopped Onion
1 t Coriander  
1 t Cumin
1/2 t Turmeric
2 t Garam Masala
Fry until Onion is cooked through - don't freak if the spices are sticking to the pot, its just the flavour brewing!
Add 1 Can Chopped Tomatoes and 1 Can Chickpeas
Simmer for 15minutes
Stir through a dash of Coconut Cream and serve (with Baked Tortilla Chips if you wanna be all international!)

Enjoy!xx

Wednesday, April 11

Popcorn!

Have recently discovered my love of making popcorn the real home made way. I think my brother was a little bit shocked to find out that popcorn didn't always come in a microwave paper bag. The fun of being able to add your own flavours and watching it pop before your eyes definitely outweighs the uncertainty of when its ready and whether or not its burning on the bottom. My favourite 'Tex-mex' popcorn is made by adding a teaspoon crushed garlic and 1/2 teaspoon chilli to a decent amount of olive oil and a scoop butter. Once these have melted and started sizzling I add the popcorn kernels, a dash of paprika and a bigger dash of cumin. Then a little bit of patience.... 
The trick is to constantly keep the pot moving as the popcorn pops.  
Once the pops are about 3-4 seconds apart its time to take off the lid and quickly pour the popcorn into a bowl. I add a little more of the spices here, but adjust to your own tastes!

Sounds easy enough but this recipe definitely took me longer to perfect than any others! Best of luck and enjoy. xx 

Bangin' Broccoli Soup

I've made this soup twice already this week, i's so full of flavour and broccoli is super cheap at the moment! This is easily a $5 or less meal that feeds 2-4 people. So if your'e a poor student like myself then read on!
The first time I made it I used Kumara (sweet potato) and the second time I used mushrooms. I prefered the mushrooms but feel free t be imaginative and use your own variations! Try cauliflower, leek, chickpeas, potato...

In a large pot fry 1 Onion and 2 cloves Garlic till soft. Add 5 large chopped Portabello Mushrooms and cook until soft. Slowly cover with 500mLs Vegetable Stock. Throw in one large chopped Broccoli and 1 tablespoon Basil. Simmer until broccoli is soft. Transfer to blender and pulse until creamy and smooth. Serve with Grainy Gluten Free Toast and a sprinkling of Celery Salt.

If using Kumara or other vegetables that prefer boiling then add at the same time as stock.



Incredibly easy! If you're cooking for one then freeze smaller portions and save for lunches. xx

Tuesday, April 10

Empty Cupboard Granola

So I'm staying at my Mums house for a few days and woke up this morning too find an empty cupboard. I have been eating terribly bad for the last few days ( I blame Easter) and I was craving some nutritional goodness. Unfortunately it was not gonna be easy working with this fridge...


Thankfully with a bit of inspiration from Lexie's Kitchen and The Spunky Coconut I managed to conjure up this delicious Nutty and Fruity Granola Recipe! Its cooking at the moment and smells delicious, should be fresh out of the oven by the time I finish this post!
After scouraging through the pantry I found a bunch of ingredients mixed them together and baked them in the oven for about 15minutes on 180c. Here is what I used but feel free to be imaginative!
1 Cup Rolled Oats
2 Tablespoons Natural Honey
2 Tablespoons of Real Nut Butter
1/2 Cup Coconut
1 Teaspoon Cinnamon
1/2 Teaspoon Nutmeg
1 Apple (sliced and boiled in a pot with 2cm water for 10mins, then added whole lot to dry mix )

Lay mixture out onto a baking tray with baking paper underneath.
Stir after about 10 minutes and cook for a further 5- 10 mins until toasty looking but not burnt!

Serve with fresh coconut and a dash of almond milk! Yummest!



Monday, April 9

Asian Quinoa Stirfry

Sunday nights.. usually this is my night off cooking and I indulge in takeaway Indian or Thai. However this week I was a good girl and cooked up this yummy stir fry. I'm not gonna say it was a as good as my usual Paneer Masala, but it was bloody good. All I did was put 1/2 cup Quinoa with 1 cup Water to boil in a pot, put my favourite vegetables in a pan - I used Green Beans, Courgette, Carrot, Capsicum, Brocolli, Red Onion, Mushroom and Bok Choy, and added this delicious Asian Sauce...
Mix together
4 Cloves Garlic
1 Tablespoon Tamari or Soy Sauce
1 Teaspoon Grated Ginger
1 Teaspoon Ground Chilli
1/2 Cup Cashews
1/4 Cup Sunflower Seeds

Mix together the Quinoa, Veges and Sauce and sprinkle some fresh Mung Beans on top - Delicious!

Chocolate Heaven.. gluten free, dairy free and no added sugar.. Bliss!

So we had a friends birthday lunch at my house the other day and I was determined to put on a tasty, healthy gluten free lunch. Of course every birthday party has to have a cake so I nipped this one off one of my favourite blogs.. Lexie's Kitchen. This was my first attempt at gluten free baking so I was dubious, but the pictures on her blog just look so damn amazing that I had to give it a go! The ingredients are unusual, but incredibly easy to put together. The worst thing about birthday cakes is that its near impossible to have a sneaky taste before everyone else gets to try it.. but thankfully this cake turned out to be one of the best gluten free cakes I have ever tried! It is extremely rich and dense so only small serves are necessary, which is good because the cake comes out quite petite and doesn't rise much. If you want it a bit bigger I would recommend doubling the recipe. I used a tube pan for my cake and filled the hole up with mixed berries. It would have been great with strawberries but they were out of season. The surface wasn't very smooth so I sprinkled some pure cocoa on top. You could also use gluten free icing sugar. Creamy icing might be a bit too much but that's just my opinion, otherwise fresh cream would work a treat if you are able to eat dairy! Well here it is kids, let me know how it works for you or if you have any exciting variations! 

2 Tablespoons Coconut Oil
1/2 Cup Whittakers Dark Chocolate (I used 72% Dark Ghana - yum!)
Combine together and heat until chocolate is soft..
Place in blender. Add..
1/2 Cup Cooked Black Beans (Straight from a can or soaked over night)
1/2 Cup Almond Flour (Groulnd Almonds)
1/2 Cup Water
3 Tablespoons of REAL Honey or Agave
3 Tablespoons Pure Cocoa 
Blend all ingredients in a high powered blender until combined. 
Add 1 Teaspoon Baking Powder. Blend until mixed through .
Poor into a greased and lined pan. 
Bake at 180c for 35minutes
.