This week's meals

The meals for this week are:

Monday - Lemon Pepper Pilaf
Tuesday - Potato and Leek Soup with Parmesan and Olive Pinwheels
Wednesday - Macaroni and Cheese
Thursday - Red Thai Curry
Friday - Nachos

Ingredients required:

Fresh Produce
1 onion
Choice of broccoli/capsicum/carrots/mushrooms/cauliflower/zucchini for the pilaf
1 lemon
8 large potatoes
3 leeks
4 carrots
1/2 sweet potato
1 head broccoli

2 cups fresh breadcrumbs (preferably from wholegrain bread)

1/2 cup grated parmesan cheese
50 grams butter
2 3/4 cups milk
3/4 cup cream
3 cups grated tasty cheddar cheese +
100 grams grated tasty cheese

1 sheet puff pastry
2 cups frozen peas

Dry Goods
3 tablespoons hot curry powder
2 cups long grain rice
400 gram tin corn kernels
1 litre vegetable stock
2 tablespoons olive tapenade
500 grams elbow macaroni
1 tablespoon red curry paste
400 gram tin coconut milk
1 packet unflavoured corn chips
800 gram tin crushed tomatoes
400 gram tin red kidney beans

Cupboard Staples
Olive oil
Vegetable oil
Freshly ground pepper
Plain flour
Dried chilli flakes
Dijon mustard

Lemon Pepper Pilaf

Ah, my old friend Lemon Pepper Pilaf. When I was pregnant we ate this all the time. I'm not really sure why - I think it was becauce it was one of the few things my husband knew how to reliably cook (I threw up constantly until 26 weeks, all hours of the day, so wasn't really into food per se), and also because I didn't have the ginormous cook book collection that I have today (glancing over at my bookshelf, I'm mildly horrified at how many cookbooks I have amassed over the last few years).

So, predictably, when I got back into cooking again, LPP was the last thing I wanted to eat (in fact, when the Galumph requested it, I would just moan "No. NO! Not Lemon Pepper Pilaf! No moooooooore!" It almost became a catch cry). However, it's a been a while - time to invite that dear old reliable friend back into the kitchen once more. And when I did, I was very glad - I found that I'd missed them more than I thought.

Lemon Pepper Pilaf

1 onion, roughly cut into wedges
2 tablespoons vegetable oil
3 tablespoons hot curry powder
2 cups long grain rice
4 cups water
Vegetables of your choosing: pick from broccoli, carrots, capsicums, mushrooms, cauliflower, zucchini, etc
1 400 gram tin corn kernels, drained
juice of one plump lemon
freshly ground pepper

1 - Heat the oil over a medium heat in a large saucepan, and cook the onion for 3 minutes or so, or until tender and golden. Add the curry powder, and cook for a minute more, until the curry is fragrant.

2 - Add the rice and vegetables, and stir until covered with the onion mixture. Add the water, and bring to the boil, stirring occasionally.

3 - Once boiled, cover and simmer for 8 - 10 minutes or so, or until the rice and vegetables are tender, stirring occasionally. Add the corn, lemon juice and pepper, mix well, then serve.

Potato and leek soup with parmesan and olive pinwheels

Oops - I've already repeated a recipe. Oh well, it's so good I'm sure you'll want to have it again. Besides, I'd been to the farmer's market and came home with a 5 kilo bag of potatoes and a large bundle of leeks - what's a girl supposed to do!

Warning - although these pinwheels are a highly useful way of using up that last sheet of pastry languishing in the freezer, they come at a cost. A cost to your waistline. They are the most addictive little devils you'll ever whisk out of the oven. Don't say I didn't warn you. My husband was late home from work the night I made them, and it took all of my reserves of will power not to chow down his. Grumbles, I'm sure, was eyeing them off, too! So that's my new definition of love - saving your special one some pinwheels. It doesn't come any more self-sacrificing that that.

Potato and Leek Soup

6 large potatoes (I used Dutch creams), peeled and chopped roughly
3 leeks, washed well and the white part of the stems finely chopped
2 carrots, peeled and diced
20 grams butter (or olive oil for vegans)
1 litre vegetable stock or water
Freshly ground pepper, to taste

1 - Melt the butter in a large saucepan. Fry the leeks for 3 minutes, or until soft and golden.

2 - Add the potatoes and carrots, and toss in the leed mixture.

3 - Add the stock, and bring to the boil. Turn down to a simmer for 20 minutes, or until the potatoes and carrots are tender.

4 - Puree the soup, then season with plenty of pepper. Reheat to serve.


Parmesan and Olive Pinwheels

Makes 12

1 sheet puff pastry, thawed
2 tablespoons olive tapenade
1/2 cup grated parmesan cheese

1 - Preheat the oven to 200 C. Line a baking tray with baking paper.

2 - Spread the tapenade evenly over the puff pastry, and top with the parmesan cheese. Carefully roll up the pastry into a log, then cut into twelve pieces.

3 - Lay each piece side down on the tray, then bake for 15 minutes, or until the pinwheels are puffed and golden. Set aside for a few minutes, then munch away!

Macaroni and Cheese

This is based on a recipe in The Gourmet Cookbook, edited by Ruth Reichl (who is one of my food heroes). I'd never really been a mac and cheese kinda girl - the reason being that every one I tasted prior to this was bland and insipid. But I did like the idea of it - pasta + cheesey sauce = heaven in my book. When I made this, it completely and utterly knocked my socks off!

I've cut down a bit on the cheese in my version - they ask for 4 cups, which I thought made it a bit too cheesy (if there is such a thing), although I do use pretty darn tasty 'tasty' cheese, so maybe keep that in mind. I've also added peas, just because I think all that cheesyness needs to balanced by something from the vegetable kingdom!

Macaroni and Cheese

2 cups fresh breadcrumbs, preferable made from wholegrain bread
3 tablespoons unsalted butter
3 tablespoons plain flour
1 teaspoon dried chilli flakes
2 3/4 cups milk
3/4 cup cream
3 cups grated tasty cheddar
2 teaspoons Dijon mustard
2 cups frozen peas
500 grams elbow macaroni

1 - Preheat the oven to 200 C.

2 - Cook the pasta according to the packet instructions. With 5 minutes to go, add the peas. Cook until al dente, then drain and set aside.

3 - Meanwhile, made the cheese sauce: Melt the butter in a medium sized saucepan over a medium-low heat. Add the flour and chilli flakes, and whisk to combine. Cook for a minute or two, then slowly add the milk, stirring furiously the entire time so that no lumps form (if they do, just squish them on the side of the pan). Simmer, whisking for 3 minutes, then add the cream, cheese and mustard. Let simmer for a minute or so more, or until the mixture thickens. Take off the heat.

4 - Put the macaroni and peas in a very large baking dish, then pour the cheese sauce evenly over the top. Spread the breadcrumbs over the top, then bake for 25 - 30 minutes, or until the breadcrumbs are golden. Take out from oven, and let sit for 5 minutes before serving with a green salad.

Red Thai Vegetable Curry

This is another one of those dishes that are marvellous at vaccumming up the sad vegetables left in the crisper drawer, and turning them into something delish. I've specified you use one tablespoon of red curry paste, but check the heat as you go - some brands are much hotter than others.

Red Thai Vegetable Curry

2 large potatoes, peeled and diced
1/2 sweet potato (or one small one), peeled and diced
2 carrots, peeled and diced
1 head broccoli, cut into florets
1 tablespoon red curry paste
1 tablespoon cooking oil
400 gram tin coconut milk
1/2 cups (125ml) water
Rice, to serve

1 - Heat the oil in a large pan over a medium high heat, and add the red curry paste. Let cook for a minute or two, or until the paste smells fragrant, then add the potatoes, sweet potato and carrots. Stir the vegetables around until they are coated in the paste.

2 - Add the coconut milk and water, and bring to the boil. Turn down to a simmer, and cook for 15 - 20 minutes, or until the vegetables are just tender.

3 - Add the broccoli, and cook for 5 minutes more, or until the broccoli is tender. Serve in large bowls over the rice.

Nachos

Sometimes, at the end of a very, very, very long week, it would be so easy to dial a pizza. But you know what it's like on a Friday - every other person in the world has done the same thing, so your quick meal becomes a grumpy two hour wait at the front door, cursing their inefficiency loudly the whole time, resulting in other family members hiding in the bedroom so they too don't incur your wrath (What do you mean that never happens at your place? Geez, I must get grumpier than I suspected!).

So save yourself the trouble, and bang this together. It's even got beans in it - that makes it healthy, right?!

Nachos

1 pack unflavoured corn chips
800 gram tin crushed tomatoes
400 gram tin red kidney beans, drained and rinsed
1 teaspoon chilli flakes
100 grams tasty cheese, grated

1 - Preheat oven to 200 C.

2 - In a large non-stick pan, combine the tomatoes, beans and chilli, and bring to the boil. Turn down to a simmer, and cook for 10 minutes, or until the mixture is nice and thick.

3 - Scatter the chips into a large baking dish, then pile the bean mixture evenly on top. Top with cheese, then bake for 10 - 15 minutes, or until the cheese is golden and bubbling. Serve, with a smug smile!

This week's meals

The meals for this week are:

Monday - Kolokithopita (Greek pumpkin pie) with garlicky vegetables
Tuesday - Pumpkin lasagne
Wednesday - Indian style fritters with coconut rice and raita
Thursday - Penne with pea pesto and roasted cherry tomato salad
Friday - Pumpkin and feta pizza

Ingredients required:

Fresh Produce
1.5 kilos pumpkin plus 1/2 small pumpkin
Cherry tomatoes
Broccoli
2 handfuls butter beans
7 cloves garlic
1/2 cauliflower
1 lebanese cucumber
1 lemon
1 onion

Fresh coriander (cilantro)
Fresh mint

Filo pastry
500 grams frozen spinach
400 grams frozen peas

400 grams feta cheese
500 grams ricotta cheese
1/2 cup cream
200 grams grated parmesan cheese
300 grams grated mozzarella cheese
1 cup natural yoghurt

4 eggs

Dry Goods
1/2 cup pepitas
1 cup fresh breadcrumbs
1 packet dried lasagne sheets
3 cups jasmine rice
400 ml tin coconut milk
1/2 cup pine nuts
500 grams penne
7 gram sachet dried yeast
2 tablespoons honey
800 gram tin crushed tomatoes

Cupboard Staples
Olive oil
Sesame seeds
Nutmeg
3/4 cup plain flour plus 1 kilo plain flour
Tumeric
Chilli powder
Cumin
Dried oregano
Vegetable oil

Kolokithopita (Greek pumpkin pie) with garlicky vegetables

This is just the ticket for those days when the sun is warm, and you're convinced that spring is properly here (and go a bit nuts hiding winter jumpers and bringing out summer dresses to air), only to be laughed at by the weather gods when they bestow a chilly old night. Who has the last laugh when you're sitting in a nice warm house, tucking into this?

Kolokithopita

20 sheets filo pastry

4 tablespoons olive oil

1 kilo pumpkin, peeled and grated

1/2 cup pepitas, toasted

2 eggs, lightly beaten

200 grams feta cheese, crumbled roughly

sesame seeds

Cherry tomatoes, halved, to serve

1 - Heat two tablespoons of oil in a large, non-stick pan over a medium high heat. Cook the grated pumpkin for 8 - 10 minutes, until soft and tender. Set aside to cool.

2 - Once cooled, mix the pumpkin with the eggs, pepitas and feta. Season to taste.

3 - Oil a large baking dish with a little of the oil. Spread out the filo on a work bench, covering with a damp tea towel between bits. Carefully pick up a single piece of the filo, and place into the dish, gently molding it into place. Don't worry if bits are hanging off the side, we'll fix that up later. Brush the sheet of filo with oil, then place a new one on top of it. Brush it with oil, and repeat until you have layered 10 sheets.

4 - Spread over the pumpkin mixture, then layer the remaining filo over, as above. Tuck the overhanging bits into the dish, or trim, then score the pastry in a diamond pattern. Brush with oil, sprinkle over some sesame seeds, and bake in the oven for about 40 minutes, or until the top is golden brown and crinkly. Rest in the pan for 5 minutes, then slice up and serve.

Garlicky vegetables

1 head broccoli, cut into florets

2 handfuls butter beans, tops and tails trimmed

1 cup fresh breadcrums

1 garlic cloves, diced finely

1 tablespoon olive oil

1 - Bring a saucepan of water to the boil. Add the broccoli and beans, and cook for 3 - 5 minutes, or until vegetables are tender. Drain, and keep warm.

2 - Meanwhile, heat the oil in a large non-stick pan. Add the garlic and breadcrumbs, and cook until the garlic smells fragrant, and the breadcrumbs are golden. Toss with the vegetables in a bowl, and serve immediately.

Pumpkin Lasagne

Just in case you haven't noticed, I've been on a bit of a pumpkin kick this week. But seriously, what's not to like? It's the most versatile vegetable around, lending it's flavour gracefully from anything to soup to pasta bakes to curries, all without being dominating or bossy. The only thing saving it from perfection is the nagdamn skin that is such a pain to peel. Grrr!

Pumpkin lasagne

500 grams frozen spinach, thawed and squeezed of moisture
500 grams pumpkin, peeled and thinly sliced
1 packet dried lasagne sheets, soaked in warm water for 15 minutes prior to use
500 grams ricotta cheese
1/2 cup cream
1 teaspoon nutmeg
1/2 cup grated parmesan cheese
200 grams grated mozzarella cheese

1 - Preheat oven to 180 C.

2 - Grease a large baking dish, and place a layer of lasagne sheets down, cutting to fit if need be. Layer half the pumpkin over, top with half the spinach, then smoosh over a third of the ricotta mixture.

3 - Repeat, ending with another layer of lasagne sheets. Top with the remaining ricotta mixture, then sprinkle with mozzarella.

4 - Bake for 45 minutes, or until the top is bubbling and golden. Sit for 5 minutes before cutting and serving.

Indian style fritters with coconut rice and raita

I love spicy fritters - they are such a great way to hoover up whatever is looking a little on the sad side in the vegetable drawer. So, if you don't have peas or cauli, then use whatever is on hand. Got carrot - grate it up and chuck it in! Zucchini is good when grated, too. Oh, and if you make them as spicy as I have, trust me - the raita is a MUST.

Indian style fritters

1/2 cauliflower, cut into florets
1 cups frozen peas
3/4 cup plain flour
2 eggs, lighly beaten
1 teaspoon tumeric
1 tablespoon chilli powder
1/2 teaspoon cumin
2 tablespoons fresh coriander
vegetable oil, to fry

1 - Bring a large pot of salted water to the boil. Add the cauliflower and cook for 3 - 4 minutes. Add the peas, and cook for another 3 minutes. When cauliflower is tender, drain. Put the vegies in a bowl and roughly mash them.

2 - Add the flour, eggs, tumeric, chilli, cumin and coriander to the bowl, and mix to combine.

3 - Heat a couple of drops of oil in a non-stick pan over a medium-high heat. Place tablespoons of the mixture down, and cook for 2 minutes. Flip the fritter over and cook for 2 minutes more, or until cooked through. Keep warm in the oven until all the mixture is used, then serve with coconut rice and raita.

Coconut rice

3 cups jasmine rice, rinsed until water runs clear
400 ml tin coconut milk

Place all ingredients in a saucepan over a high heat. Bring to the boil, then turn heat down and simmer, covered, for 8 - 10 minutes, or until rice is al dente. Leave for 5 minutes, then fluff rice with a fork. Serve.

Raita

1 cup natural yoghurt
1 small Lebanese cucumber, peeled and seeded, and finely chopped
1/3 cup mint leaves, roughly chopped

Mix all ingredients together in bowl, and then serve. Season if desired.

Penne with Pea Pesto and Roasted Cherry Tomato Salad

Such a crap photo! Sorry - we had guests over for dinner, and I was too busy gasbagging and slurping wine to fuss around with the photo, bwahahah!

My mum used to say, as she handed out our dinner, "Plate's hot, but the din-din's gorgeous!" So, to paraphrase very badly, "Photo's ghastly, but the food's delish!"

Penne with Pea Pesto

300 grams frozen peas
3 garlic cloves, roughly chopped
1/2 cup pine nuts
100 grams parmesan cheese, grated
Finely grated rind of one lemon
Juice of one lemon
1/3 cup olive oil
5oo grams penne

1 - Cook pasta in a large pot of lighly salted water according to packet instructions, or until pasta is al dente. Drain.

2 - Meanwhile, cook the peas in a pot of boiling water for 3 minutes. Drain, then let cool (as you don't want to crack your food processor by processing hot stuff. Trust me, I've learnt from bitter experience).

3 - Put the peas, garlic, parmesan, pine nuts and lemon rind in the food processor. Blitz until smoothish, then add the combined olive oil and lemon juice whilst the motor is running. Blitz for 20 seconds, then turn motor off.

4 - Add the pesto mixture to the warm penne and serve immediately!

Roasted Cherry Tomato Salad

15 ripe cherry tomatoes, quartered
1 clove garlic, finely diced
1 pinch dried oregano
1 tablespoon olive oil
100 grams feta, roughly crumbled

1 - Preheat oven to 180 C. Place cherry tomatoes, olive oil, garlic and oregano in a smallish roasting pan, and toss to combine.

2 - Roast for 15 - 20 minutes, or until the tomatoes are puffy and oozing. Arrange on a platter, sprinkly with the feta, and serve.

Pumpkin and Feta Pizza

Although it does take a little bit of time to make this pizza (do the dough, make the sauce), it's the sort of meal that can be whipped up in a jiffy if you've planned ahead. The bread recipe makes enough for four bases, which freeze really well, covered in cling wrap. The sauce is my generic pasta sauce, so if you make some for a pasta dinner one night, put the rest aside in the freezer and then bring it out for this. Too easy!

Pumpkin and Feta Pizza

Bread (for four pizzas):
7 grams dried yeast (1 sachet)
2 tablespoons honey
600 ml warmish water
1 kilo flour

1 - Mix the yeast and warm water together, then stir in the honey until it is dissolved. Let rest for a couple of minutes.

2 - Put the flour in a bowl, then make a well in the centre. Add the yeast mixture slowly, mixing the dough together with a fork. Turn out onto a well floured bench top, then knead the dough for five minutes, or until elastic and smooth.

3 - Put the dough back into the bowl, and cover with cling wrap. Let sit for an hour or so in a warm, draft-free place, until the dough has doubled in size.

4 - Grab the dough, and divide into four balls. Roll out each ball of dough to fit your very lightly oiled pizza tray. It's now ready to go!


Tomato Sauce:
1 onion, finely chopped
2 cloves garlic, crushed
2 tablespoons olive oil
800 gram tin crushed tomatoes
1 pinch dried oregano

1 - Heat the oil in a saucepan over a medium heat, then add the onion. Cook until golden and tender, then add the garlic. Cook for another minute more.

2 - Add the tomatoes and oregano. Bring to the boil, then let simmer for 10 - 15 minutes, or until the sauce is lovely and thick. Set aside to cool.

Pizza Topping (for two pizzas):
Pizza dough, as above
Tomato sauce, as above
1/2 small pumpkin, peeled and chopped into 2 cm pieces
100 grams feta, roughly chopped
100 grams mozzarella, grated
Freshly ground black pepper

1 - Place the rolled out dough on a well oiled tray. Set aside.

2 - Meanwhile, in a 200 C oven, roast the pumpkin pieces, tossed with a little olive oil, for 15 - 20 minutes, or until tender.

3 - Spread some sauce onto each pizza piece. Scatter over the roasted pumpkin and feta, season with black pepper, then spread over a little of the mozzarella. Back at 220 C for 10 minutes (give or take depending upon your oven), or until cheese is golden and bubbling, and base is cooked through. Cut each pizza into six slices, and serve.

This week's meals

The meals for this week are:

Monday - Soba Noodles with Winter Vegetables
Tuesday - Pumpkin and Sesame Dip followed by Savoury Bread Puddings
Wednesday - Mushroom Quesedillas
Thursday - Moroccan Style Potato Stew
Friday - Rosemary and Chickpea Pasta with Green Salad

Ingredients required:

Fresh Produce
1 bunch broccolini
2 large carrots
1/2 head cauliflower
2 small bok choy
1/2 Jap pumpkin
1/2 bunch silverbeet (chard)
1 small sweet potato
8 cloves garlic
1 cup chopped button mushrooms
1 small red chilli
1 lemon
1 onion
2 Roma tomatoes
500 grams salad style potatoes (I used Red Desiree)
2 handfuls mixed lettuce leaves
1 avocado

coriander (cilantro)
rosemary

1 loaf wholemeal bread

100 grams hard feta
100 grams parmesan cheese
2 cups grated mozzarella cheese

250 ml (1 cup) cream
250 ml (1 cup) milk

6 eggs

Dry Goods
150 grams soba noodles
Sesame seeds
100 grams sun-dried tomato strips
1/4 cup pepitas
Flour tortillas
800 gram tin crushed tomatoes
400 gram tin chickpeas
500 grams penne

Cupboard Staples
Olive Oil
Sesame oil
Soy sauce
Sweet Chilli sauce
Freshly ground black pepper
Tumeric
Cumin
Smoked Paprika
Chilli flakes
Red wine vinegar
Dijon mustard

Soba Noodles with Winter Vegetables

Talk about a healthy start to the week! All those vegetables - you can practically go polish your halo after making this, bwahahahah!

Soba Noodles with Winter Vegetables

150 grams soba noodles
1 tablespoon sesame oil
1 bunch broccolini, trimmed
1 large carrot, peeled and but into thin batons
1/2 cauliflower, cut into floret
2 small bok choy, trimmed and washed
1 tablespoon sesame seeds
2 tablespoons soy sauce
1 teaspoon sweet chilli sauce

1 - Cook the noodles in a large pan of salted water according to instructions. Drain, then set aside.

2 - Meanwhile, heat the sesame oil over a high heat in a large non-stick wok/pan. Add the vegetables, and stir fry until just tender. Add the soy and chilli sauces, and cook for a minute more.

3 - Place a serving of noodles onto a plate, top with some vegetables, then sprinkle with sesame seeds. Serve immediately.

Pumpkin and Sesame Dip followed by Savoury Bread Puddings

Bit of a double-whammy tonight, as it was our 8 year anniversary (hooray for us!), so I thought I'd go a bit all out! We had Pumpkin and Sesame Dip to start, followed by the Savoury Bread Puddings with a green salad. For dessert we had Blood Orange Jelly and Vanilla Panna Cotta trifles. If anybody would like the recipe for that, just leave a comment, although be warmed - although it's easy enough to make, it does take a few hours.


Pumpkin and Sesame Dip
1/2 Jap pumpkin, peeled and chopped into 4 cm pieces
1/2 teaspoon olive oil
1 teaspoon sesame oil
1 tablespoon sesame seeds
Bread of choice, to serve

1 - Preheat the oven to 200 C. Place the pumpkin, tossed in the olive oil, in a roasting pan, then bake in oven for 1/2 hour, or until the pumpkin is cooked through.

2 - Wait for pumpkin to cook, then puree with the sesame oil and 1/2 the seeds. Place in a bowl and top with remaining seeds, and serve with bread.

Savoury Bread Puddings


This is a pretty nifty way of using up that sad loaf of bread that is just about starting to think about moving into mouldy territory. Potential penicillin sources aside, it's also a nice dinner party dish - who doesn't like getting their own individual dish to eat out of? Yeah, yeah, so it's not quite as impressive as a souffle, but it sure is a heck of a lot easier, and you can pretty much pile in any vegetable you like - although for harder vegetables, like carrots, I would recommend steaming them until tender first, like I've done with the sweet potato here. It's also quite handy as you can prepare it ahead of time - just refrigerate after covering with plastic wrap. Bring back to room temperature before baking in oven, though, so your cooking ware doesn't crack.

2 tablespoons olive oil, to grease
9 slices wholemeal bread, crusts removed, and each slice cut into quarters
1/2 bunch silverbeet, stems trimmed and leaves well washed and roughly chopped
1 small sweet potato, peeled and diced, and steamed until tender
100 grams sun-dried tomatoes strips, drained of oil
100 grams hard feta, chopped roughly
6 eggs
250 ml (1 cup) cream
250 ml (1 cup) milk
100 grams parmesan cheese, grated
Freshly ground pepper

1 - Preheat the oven to 180 C. Line a large baking tray with non-stick paper, and grease 6 1 cup ramekins with the olive oil.

2 - Over a low heat, saute the silverbeet leaves in a large pan with a little saucepan until the leaves have wilted. Let cool, then squeeze the liquid from the leaves.

3 - Place two triangles of bread at the bottom of each ramekin, then 4 triangles around the sides. Divide the feta, silverbeet, sun-dried tomatoes and sweet potatoes among the ramekins.

4 - Beat together the eggs, cream, milk and pepper to taste in a large jug. Add the parmesan, then pour this mixture among the ramekins. Set aside for 20 minutes so the bread can absorb the mixture.

5 - Arrange the ramekins on the baking tray, then cook for 35 minutes, or until the puddings are puffed, golden and set. Let sit for a few minutes before serving with a green salad.

Mushroom Quesedillas

If you take a peek through the archives, you'll probably figure out that I love my Mexican food. What I don't love, however, are mushrooms. I place the blame squarely on my mother for that one - when I was a child she used to serve a fricassee of chicken and mushrooms, which to my mind looked exactly like vomit on a plate. Really! I used to spend the meal pretending I had to cough, and then race out of the room to spit into a tissue. Truly, it was that bad.

So, as an adult, I've rather tended to shy away from anything containing mushrooms, which is actually a silly thing to do, as mushrooms are full of vitamins and minerals, including that elusive (for vegetarians) B12. This is a recipe I found in an old copy of Vegetarian Times. Theirs calls for 8 oz. of mushrooms. Being a metric girl, I have no idea how much an oz. is, let along 8 of them but it sure sounded like a lot, so I reduced mine to one cup of chopped mushrooms. Try as I might, I just can't handle too many at once! Besides, it means that you don't end up with too much filling, which I have learnt from past experience can make for a messy quesedilla.

Mushroom Quesedillas

1/4 cup pepitas
4 tablespoons olive oil
8 cloves garlic, peeled and roughly chopped
1 cup chopped button mushrooms
1 smalled red chilli, finely chopped
1 small handful coriander (cilantro), roughly chopped
2 flour tortillas per person
2 cups grated mozzarella cheese
1 lemon, quartered

1 - Warm a non-stick fry pan over a medium high heat, and cook the pepitas for 5 minutes, or until they have turned brown and begun to pop. Set aside.

2 - Heat two tablespoons of the olive oil over a low heat, and cook the garlic for 8 - 10 minutes, until it is tender and golden. Add the garlic and onion to the pepitas.

3 - Heat the rest of the oil in the pan, then add the mushrooms and chilli. Cook gently for 5 or so minutes, or until the mushrooms are dark and tender. Add the coriander, and pepita mix, and heat through.

4 - Heat either a flat non-stick pan or a sandwhich maker, and brush with oil. Place a tortilla on the press, spreading a good dollop of the mushroom mix onto the torilla, then top with the mozzarella. Place the other tortilla on top of the first, then grill for a minute or so, or until nice and crisp.

5 - Using a spatula, transfer the tortilla to the plate, and quarter. Serve with a quarter lemon to squeeze.

Moroccan style potato stew

This is my take on Madhur Jaffrey's Moroccan Potato Stew, featured in her book World Vegetarian. Her's is a nice gentle stew, but if you've been reading this blog for a while, you've probably realised that I just simply cannot help myself: I must add a fiery chilli kick to pretty much everything! I also added some more tomatoes than the original recipe called for, just to give the dish a bit more depth.

As a side note, if you only buy one vegetarian recipe book in your entire life, you really wouldn't go too far wrong with this one. With over 600 recipes to choose from, covering almost every cuisine you can think of (and quite a few you probably couldn't), it really is a fabulous resource when it comes to cooking authentic, interesting and tasty ethnic vegetarian meals.

Right, enough babbling. The recipe:

Moroccan style Potato Stew

2 tablespoon olive oil
1/2 onion, finely diced (save the rest for tomorrow night's meal)
2 Roma tomatoes, peeled, seeded and diced roughly (see here for an easy way to peel a tomato)
500 grams salad style potatoes (I used the waxy Red Desiree variety), washed well and diced
1/2 teaspoon tumeric
1/2 teeaspoon ground cumin
1/2 teaspoon smoked paprika
1/2 teaspoon chilli flakes
500 mls (2 cups) water

1 - Heat the olive oil over a medium low heat, and cook the onion for five minutes, or until tender and golden. Add the chilli flakes and cook for another minute (this allows the chilli to release it's heat).

2 - Add the remaining ingredients, and combine well. Bring the stew to the boil, then simmer, covered, for 20 minutes, or until the pototatoes are tender (but not falling apart).

3 - Mush up a couple of the potatoes to thicken up the sauce, and then serve.

Rosemary and Chickpea Pasta

This is a meal for Friday nights, when you head is aching, your feet are tired, and your belly has been rumbling since four in the afternoon. So settle down with a large serving of this, and a favourite magazine and enjoy the weekend!

Rosemary and Chickpea Pasta

2 tablespoons olive oil
1/2 onion, finely diced
800 gram tin crushed tomatoes
400 gram tin chickpeas
1 carrot, peeled and grated
1 tablespoon fresh rosemary, finely chopped
500 grams penne
freshly ground pepper

1 - Cook the penne in a large saucepan of salted water according to the time on the packet, or until the pasta is al dente. Drain.

2 - Meanwhile, heat the olive oil in a saucepan over a medium low heat. Saute the onion gently until golden and tender.

3 - Add the tomatoes, grated carrot and rosemary, and bring to the boil. Turn the heat down and simmer until the sauce is nice and thick.

4 - Add the chickpea and lots of freshly ground pepper, and cook for another 5 minutes. Remove half the sauce and puree it. Add the puree back into the pan with the rest of the sauce, heat through and then serve over the penne.

Green salad

2 handfuls mixed lettuce leaves
1 ripe avocado, diced
1 teaspoon olive oil
1 teaspoon red wine vinegar
1/2 teaspoon dijon mustard

Put the lettuce and avocado into a bowl. Mix the oil, vinegar and mustard together in a small cup, then pour over the salad. Toss to combine, then serve immediately.

Tagged!

I've been tagged by the lovely girls over at Simply Olive to reveal 8 facts about myself. Since this is a food blog I thought I'd better make them food related, but then began to draw a complete blank, so what you see below is what you get!

1 - I really enjoy savoury breakfasts. At the moment, coleslaw and grated cheese on toast is the favourite, even though it pretty much guarantees onion breath for the rest of the day.

2 - I once had to run a race down the main thoroughfare of the Melbourne CBD, tossing a pancake against members of the Australian Institute of Sport (AIS). Needless to say, I didn't win.

3 - I only paint my toenails in summer, when I'm always wearing open-toed shoes. I never, ever paint my fingernails - with ones as ugly as mine, why draw attention to them?

4 - I have never heard a song by Amy Winehouse. I have nothing against Miss Winehouse - in fact, I'm rather a fan of her hairstyle; more it is an indication of how far out of the loop I've become in regard to popular entertainment since having a child. However, when it comes to The Wiggles, I know more than is probably decent to know!

5 - I do not own a television, and have lived without one for the past 12 years. I don't miss it at all (except for documentaries).

6 - I'm quite a bookworm. My groaning bookcases (five of them!) can attest to this.

7 - I prefer to make clothes rather than go through the ordeal of shopping for them.

8 - I'm a big nerd who brings my own bags and containers to shops. No plastic for this little black duck!

This week's meals

The meals for this week are:
Monday - Sweet potato and split pea soup with feta bread
Tuesday - Greek pastries with roasted root vegetable and maple syrup salad
Wednesday - Shepherd's pie with minted mushy peas
Thursday - Cauliflower, broccoli and gruyere bakes with broad bean toasties
Friday - Chilli polenta chips with green salad

Ingredients required:

Fresh Produce
2 onions
10 cloves garlic
small piece of ginger
2 large sweet potatoes
5 carrots
1/2 bunch silverbeet
1/2 small pumpkin (Jap is good)
1 kilo potatoes
1 cauliflower
1 large head broccoli
1 lemon
Lettuce leaves

1 bunch parsley leaves
1 bunch mint

200 grams firm feta
250 grams ricotta cheese
1/2 cup parmesan cheese
2 cups grated cheddar cheese
150 grams gruyere
1 1/2 cups milk
100 grams butter

1 egg

1 loaf bread (for toasties and to make breadcrumbs)


Dry Goods
1.75 litres vegetable stock
1 cup yellow split peas
1 x 7 gram sachet dried yeast
3 1/2 cups plain flour
Pepita seeds
800 gram tin crushed tomatoes
400 gram tin brown lentils
4 tablespoons sun dried tomato strips
1 cup instant polenta
1/2 cup whole egg mayonnaise

4 sheets puff pastry
250 grams frozen spinach
500 grams frozen peas
200 grams frozen broad beans

Cupboard Staples
Olive oil
Coriander powder
Dried chilli flakes
Cummin powder
Honey
Sea salt
Dijon mustard
Maple syrup
Dried oregano