VEGETARIAN OR NOT BREAKFAST BEANS

To me, a weekend breakfast should be original, hearty and sweet but savoury at the same time. Usually I take myself out to eat for breakfast on the weekend, as by Sunday morning I am too exhausted to use the creative part of my brain to cook or even prepare food. However, when I am feeling inspired on a Sunday morning I make breakfast.  The beans and maple syrup idea came from glancing at a few recipes in various cookbooks of mine. These recipes consisted of ½ cup of maple syrup as well as ample amounts of brown sugar. A little too much sweetness in the morning. I found that just 1 tablespoon of maple syrup was enough to flavour the beans. If you want to keep this breakfast vegetarian, omit the bacon and step 2. Instead, you could add a poached or soft boiled egg or a piece of wholemeal/mulitgrain/rye bread to bulk up the protein. 

INGREDIENTS

• 1 teaspoon rice bran oil / coconut oil 
• 2 cloves garlic, finely chopped 
• 1 x 400g tin cannellini beans, rinsed and drained
• 1 tablespoon maple syrup
• 2 small tomatoes (250g), cut into even cubes 
• 120g bacon, chopped into even sized pieces 
• Optional- fresh chives, 1/2 avocado, fresh lemon juice

COOKING 

1. Heat oil in a large, deep frying pan over medium heat and swirl to coat pan. Add garlic and stir for 2 minutes or until fragrant. Add beans and maple syrup and stir well to combine. Add tomatoes and 250ml (1 cup) water, bringing to the boil. When boiled, reduce to a simmer and cook for around 10-12 minutes, or until water is absorbed, stirring occasionally. 

2. Whilst the beans and tomatoes are simmering, cook the bacon. Warm up a small frying pan over medium heat and add the bacon. Stir for a few minutes or until bacon is cooked to your liking. (No need to add oil as the bacon should have enough!). 

3. When the beans have finished cooking, add the cooked bacon and a dash of ground black pepper. 

Serve beans alone or accompanied with 1/4 an avocado per serving and or fresh chives. I like to drizzle fresh lemon juice over the top as well. 

Serves / 2

Total Preparation time / 10 minutes 

Total Cooking time / maximum 25 minutes 

x Emily

BEEF MEATBALLS

I have never been a huge fan of meat, particularly red meat. 

However, when doctors, friends and family all hassle you relentlessly to eat more of something, you do end up listening to them. My challenge is to make red meat cooking fun and taste unlike a dead poor cow. I was reading a food magazine last weekend when I came across an article in a food magazine titled ’10 Top Meatballs’. Looking through this wide selection of pork, veal, chicken, lamb and beef meatballs, I formed my own recipe. I've kept it very simple, however you could certainly add more herbs and spices, if you have these on hand. 

INGREDIENTS

• 500g lean beef mince
• 2 garlic cloves, crushed
• 1 cup breadcrumbs (amounts to 2 slices of gluten-free bread or 1 multigrain/wholemeal roll, processed in a blender)
• 1 heaped tablespoon tomato paste
• 1 free range egg, lightly beaten
• 2 tablespoons dried oregano 
• pinch of ground black pepper
• Optional- 30g feta cheese, chopped or crumbled into small cubes
• 1 tablespoon rice bran oil

COOKING 

1. Combine the beef, garlic, breadcrumbs, tomato paste, egg, oregano, pinch of ground black pepper and feta, if using, in a large bowl. To shape the meatballs, take around 2 tablespoons of mixture and shape into a circular ball. This is best done with your hands. Repeat to make around 24 (6 per serve) meatballs, placing them on a large plate. 

2. Heat a large frying pan over medium heat and add the oil . Place as many meatballs as you can without crowding them into the pan and cook, for around 5-7 minutes on each side or until golden-brown and no red flesh remains. Remove from pan and place on paper towels to cool and remove excess oil. Repeat this process until all meatballs are cooked.

Serve with a filling salad. 

Serves / 4 

Makes / approx 24 meatballs

Total Preparation time / 15 minutes

Total Cooking time / 10-15 minutes 

x Emily 

WILD RICE

I have always wanted to try wild rice but never got around to buying it until last week. I have recently been spending a lot of my free time at my local organic store, as food is a real passion of mine (if you haven’t already worked that out!). I saw some wild rice for $45 a kilo, not cheap but not too expensive to put me off it. I purchased a decent amount of it, enough to fill exactly one cup and skipped on home with my puppy in tow to cook. When I got home I faced a dilemma; what to eat wild rice with? The cooking is easy enough, I assume that it is similar to cooking white/ brown rice, however since I had no idea what wild rice tasted like I decided to go for the less is more approach and just added doongara rice & fresh chives. The vegetable stock gave the wild rice a creamy flavour, which juxtaposed nicely with the nutty taste of the wild rice. Definitely something to try if you have not experienced wild rice before. A friend of mine recently combined wild rice with cranberries, balsamic vinegar and aioli…maybe not too good on the waistline but it does sound amazing.

INGREDIENTS

• 1 cup wild rice, rinsed and drained 
• 1 cup doongara rice
• 2 cups Massel vegetable stock
• 3 tablespoons fresh chives, finely chopped

COOKING 

1. Cook wild rice first by placing 1 cup rice and 2 cups stock in a medium saucepan. Bring to the boil and then reduce the heat, simmering for around 30-35 minutes or until the stock is absorbed and the rice is tender to taste. Remove from heat. 

2. Cook the doongara rice by placing 1 cup rice and 2 cups water in a medium saucepan. Bring to the boil and the reduce the heat, simmering for around 10-12 minutes or until water is absorbed. Remove from heat. 

3. Place both types of rice in a large serving bowl and sprinkle with freshly cut chives. Serve as a side. 

Serves / 6- 8 as a side 

Total Preparation time / 5 minutes 

Total Cooking time / 50 minutes 

x E

PRAWN CURRY STIR-FRY

I’ve recently discovered a new-found love for prawns and have received so much joy and satisfaction in cooking them. It seems that when you change your diet considerably by omitting certain things, your palate craves food that you have previously disliked. Seafood was on the top of my no-go list last year but this year I found myself more adventurous and wanting to try new things. This prawn curry was a bit of a thrown together dinner and I was not sure how it would taste throughout the cooking process. Making your own homemade curry paste really makes a substantial difference in taste, however if you are pressed for time buying a prepackaged paste is fine (just remember to read the label carefully in case any gluten or other ingredients you may be intolerance to have been thrown in there).

INGREDIENTS

• 200g prawns, cooked & deveined 
• 1 1/2 cups doongara rice
• 400ml light coconut milk
• 200g green beans, washed & trimmed
• 1 small red capsicum, seeds removed & chopped 
• 1 large carrot, peeled & cut into long sticks
• 2 tablespoons homemade curry paste (see Chickpea & Chicken Curry, Potato Curry for ingredients) or prepackaged curry paste 
• 3 garlic cloves, finely chopped
•  1 teaspoon sesame oil

COOKING 

1. Cook rice by adding 3 cups water to 1 1/2 cups rice in a medium saucepan and bring to the boil. When boiled, simmer for around 10-12 minutes or until rice is tender and all water is absorbed. Remove from heat and sit. 

2. Meanwhile, heat sesame oil in a wok and swirl to coat. Add garlic and stir for 2 minutes or until fragrant. Then add curry paste and stir constantly so paste does not stick to work. When fragrant (this should only take 1 minute at most) pour in coconut milk and stir, bringing to the boil. Reduce the heat to medium-low and add green beans, capsicum and carrot. Cook for 3-4 minutes or until beans are almost tender. Add prawns and cook for another 3 or so minutes or until the prawns are heated through. 

3. Remove curry from heat. Place rice in a large serving bowl and pour curry over the top of the rice. Serve warm with fresh coriander on top if you wish. 

Serves / 4 

Total Preparation time / 10 minutes (15 if making curry paste from scratch). 

Total Cooking time / 25 minutes 

x E 

FRESH HERB PASTA

I have vivid memories of my mother cooking pasta and parsley for me when I was young. For some reason it was my favourite dish. She would marvel at this, as it was so simple in terms of ingredients and the cooking process. I think I have just always loved fresh herbs in cooking. There is nothing better than the unique and distinctive flavours they provide to dishes. Without the herbs in this dish the pasta would be bland and tasteless. You add a few choice herbs to the mix and voila; you have yourself a garden-fresh, vibrant meal.

INGREDIENTS

• 500g gluten-free pasta 
• 1 cup comprising of fresh parsley, fresh chives & fresh basil, finely chopped
• 1 teaspoon grape seed / olive oil 
• 2 cloves garlic, finely chopped
• sea salt 

COOKING 

1. Bring a large saucepan of water to the boil, adding a pinch or two of salt. When water is boiled add pasta and cook, stirring occasionally, for 10 minutes or until pasta is just cooked through (or al dente). Remove from heat and drain well, draining with cold water. Reserve 1/2 of a cup of the boiled pasta water. 

2. Heat oil in a large frying pan over medium heat. Add garlic and cook for 2 minutes, stirring, or until garlic becomes slightly soft. Add pasta, reserved water and chopped herbs and cook over low heat, stirring until the herbs have coated the pasta and the reserved water has absorbed. Remove from heat and serve with a pinch of sea salt, if you desire. 

Serves / 4 

Total Preparation time / 10 minutes 

Total Cooking time / 20 minutes 

x E

JAPANESE POTATO & HAM SALAD

Potato salad always makes me think of picnics, which makes me think of summer, which makes me think of parks, which makes me think of free-spirited children running without a care in the world. I made potato salad today as I was feeling a little nostalgic for Brisbane summer, as the weekend was cold (for our city), rainy and dreary. This salad is adapted from Australian Women’s Weekly cookbook ‘Japanese’ cuisine, however I think the use of mayonnaise is a little too Western for authentic Asian cooking (as is fried chicken sushi!). We Westerners can really bastardise other cultures cuisines, can’t we? Saying that, this fresh herb salad really does taste delectable! 

INGREDIENTS

• 700g pink potatoes, peeled and cut into small even chunks
• 80g gluten-free ham (such as Milano), cut into thin strips
• 1/2 a continental cucumber, chopped into small pieces 
• 1/4 cup finely chopped fresh parsley
• 1/4 cup finely chopped fresh chives 
• 1/3 cup 97% fat-free mayonnaise
• 2 tablespoons sesame seeds 
• 2 tablespoons rice wine vinegar
• sea salt & pepper
• 2 tablespoon sesame seeds

COOKING 

1. Bring a medium saucepan of water to the boil. Add chunks of potatoes and cook in boiling water for around 12 minutes or until the potato is tender (that is, a fork can be easily stuck through a piece of potato). When cooked, drain in cold water twice, draining well. 

2. Meanwhile, make the mayonnaise dressing by combining the mayonnaise, parsley, chives, sesame seeds, salt & pepper and vinegar in a small bowl and stirring to combine. 

3. Place cooked potato in a large serving bowl, along with ham and cucumber. Add dressing to the potato and toss well to combine. Stand for at least 15 minutes before serving. Serve cold. 

Perfect for a picnic! 

Serves / 4 as a salad or side

Total Preparation time / 15 minutes 

Total Cooking time / 15 minutes 

x E 

CHILLI HERB BEEF PATTIES

I love nothing more than a fridge filled with fresh herbs. As I have been extremely lazy and have not started my own herb garden as of yet (a new years resolution for 2012 mind you) I buy herbs far too frequently. More often than not, I will only use a little of the herbs and the rest will become too soggy to salvage. This week however I am dedicated to using all of my herbs up! I have basil, I have parsley, I have chives and I have coriander and I am determined to use them all. Hence came the inspiration for these herb patties. If you are not a fan of chilli, decrease the amount to ½ or ¼ a teaspoon.

INGREDIENTS

• 500g lean minced beef
• 1 teaspoon dried chilli flakes
• 1 tablespoon fish sauce 
• 1 1/2 tablespoons tamari oyster sauce (GF)
• 2 tablespoons fresh basil, finely chopped
• 2 tablespoons fresh coriander, finely chopped
• 1/2 a small red capsicum, finely chopped
• 1 teaspoon sesame oil 
• To serve- 1 teaspoon sesame seeds & tamari soy sauce 

COOKING 

1. Combine beef, chilli, fish sauce, oyster sauce, capsicum and herbs in a large bowl. Using your hands, shape even patties (around 3-4 tablespoons of mixture) into patties. This should make around 9-10 patties. Place on a large plate, cover with plastic wrap and place in the fridge for at least 15 minutes. 

2. When 15 minutes is up, heat a large frying pan over medium heat and add oil, swirling to coat the pan. Place patties in pan and cook for 3 minutes on each side. Check if the patties are cooked by cutting a patty in half and seeing if any red flesh remains; if it does, continue cooking. When patties are cooked place on a few sheets of paper towel to remove excess oil. 

3. Serve warm with tamari soy sauce & sesame seeds, if you desire. 

Serves / 3-4 

Total Preparation time / 30 minutes (including 15 minutes to chill)

Total Cooking time / under 10 minutes 

x E