ASIAN NEIGHBOURS

I have discovered that I have a tad of an obsession with Australian Women's Weekly cookbooks. If you are a regular viewer of this blog I am sure that you have noticed this by now. For some reason these publications call out to me from the library / bookstore shelf. I am powerless against their hold. I think the reason for my commitment to these books is that the recipes are simplistic, reader-friendly and combine ingredients that work wonderfully together. Also I love the font the publication uses. So clean-cut and inviting. Flick through an AWW cookbook next time you are in a bookstore, you'll see what I mean.

Ever since my trip to Bali in August/September this year, I have started exploring asian dishes in the kitchen on a frequent basis. This continent really seems to be onto something. Their food stands unparalleled in taste and simplicity. The ingredients are fresh, interesting and light in calories. A perfect example is the Thai Chicken Noodle Broth below.

THAI CHICKEN NOODLE BROTH 

Ingredients 

• 1 litre (4 cups) chicken stock
• 2 cups (500ml) water
• 3cm piece fresh ginger (15g), grated
• 1/4 teaspoon chilli flakes
• 400g chicken breast fillets, sliced thinly
• 400- 440g udon noodles
• 1 tablespoon fish sauce 
• 1 tablespoon lime juice
• 2 baby buk choy (300g), white stalks removed and sliced into 5cm long pieces 

Cooking

1. Combine stock, water, ginger and chilli in a large saucepan. Cover and bring to the boil. Reduce heat and simmer for 5 minutes. 

2. Add chicken, noodles, sauce and juice and simmer for about 5 minutes or until chicken is cooked through and noodles are tender. Break apart noodles with a fork. 

3. Divide buk choy among serving bowls and ladle chicken broth into bowls. 

Preparation time- 15 minutes / Cooking time- 15 minutes / Serves 4

Nutritional count per serving- 7.1g fat / 289 calories (1208kj) / 27.5g carbohydrate / 27.6g protein / 1.7g fibre 

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EFFORTLESS DHAL

Travelling to India has been on my bucket list for quite some time. Why, you many ask? The dominant reason is THE FOOD. Indian food holds a special place in my heart. I love the rich scents and unique fragrances that accompany every dish. The aromas of indian spices, such as cumin, garam masala, caraway seeds and cardamom, are incomparable. For some reason, vegetables in Indian dishes always taste ten times more amazing than they do in other meals. So, as you can see, my love runs deep. Brisbane climate, however, is not ideal for Indian cuisine. You can barely eat Indian food in winter without sweating. In addition, the fat content in the majority of Indian dishes leaves little to be desired. 

Having cooked a delicious omelette stir-fry from Women's Weekly 'Super Diet' just a day prior, I decided to peruse this cookbook for other inspiration, which I found in the form of: 

CHICKEN & RED LENTIL DHAL 

Ingredients 

• 1 tablespoons olive oil
• 1 medium brown onion (150g), finely chopped
• 2 cloves garlic, crushed
• 1/8- 1/4 teaspoon of chilli flakes 
• depending on the amount of spice you want / are used to. 
• 2 teaspoons ground cumin
• 2 teaspoons ground coriander
• 2 teaspoons ground turmeric
• 1 cup dried red lentils (200g), rinsed 
• available at Woolworths & Coles, usually near the soup.
• 500g chicken breast, cut into strips
• 3 cups (750ml) water
• 250- 500g broccoli florets
• regular readers of this blog will know about my obsession with broccoli. 250g will do just fine, but I suggest that you add more. 

• Optional- 1 lemon (140g), cut into wedges, 1/3 cup (95g) yogurt, 1 cup loosely packed freshly coriander leaves. 
• I did not use any of these ingredients as the dhal was tasty enough on its own and not too hot but I will include them just in case. 

Cooking 

1. Heat oil in large saucepan; cook onion and garlic, stirring, until onion is light brown. Add chilli flakes and spices and stir until fragrant. Add lentils, chicken and the water and bring to the boil. Reduce heat and simmer, uncovered, for around 15 minutes. Add broccoli and simmer, covered, for 5 minutes, or until broccoli is tender. 

2. Optional- sprinkle with coriander and serve with yogurt and lemon wedges. 

Preparation & cooking time- 35 minutes / Serves 4

Nutritional count per serving - 8.4g total fat / 1555k (372 calories) / 45.2g protein / 11g fibre / 23.6g carbohydrate 

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PIA JANE BIJKERK

I adore the writer, photographer, interior designer and wanderer Pia Jane Bijkerk. She sees beauty and inspiration in ordinary objects and landscapes and makes them extraordinary. I find so much depth in her photographs, as if behind each image there is a story involving adventure, new experiences and pain.

x E 

CROWD PLEASER

BUDGET SPAGHETTI & MEATBALLS 

When I think of spaghetti and meatballs the first thought that pops into my mind is unhealthy. But it doesn't have to be this way. The second thought that springs to mind is tricky. The recipe below banished these preconceptions of mine. I spotted this recipe in the Chunky Cookbook 'Budget' yesterday. My partner was looking over my shoulder and began to plead that I cook it for friday dinner, as we were being very boring and staying in. I grudgingly agreed to make it. In hindsight I am incredibly glad that he spotted it, as the meatballs were divine! In addition, spaghetti & meatballs is one of those dishes that tastes even better after being in the fridge for the night.

Ingredients 


For the Meatballs

• 500g lean minced beef
• 40g fresh breadcrumbs
• the best way to do this is to take 1 slice of fresh bread (I used wholemeal), roughly cut it and place it in a blender. Blend for 10-20 seconds. 
• 1 brown onion, finely chopped
• 2 garlic cloves, crushed 
• 2 teaspoons worcestershire sauce 
• 1 teaspoon fresh or dried oregano
• (fresh oregano is nicer. You will have to finely chop the leaves). 
• 30g plain flour 
• 2 teaspoons olive oil

For the Sauce 

• 800g tinned chopped tomatoes
• 1 tablespoon olive oil
• 1 brown onion, finely chopped
• 2 garlic cloves, crushed 
• 2 tablespoons tomato paste 
• 125ml (1/2 a cup) beef stock

500g spaghetti

Optional- grated parmesan cheese, to serve 

Cooking- Meatballs

1. Preheat oven to 180 degrees celsius. Combine the beef, breadcrumbs, onion, garlic, worcestershire sauce and oregano in a bowl. Mix well. Roll the mixture into even balls, dust with the flour and shake off the excess. Heat oil in a frying pan over high heat. Cook the meatballs until they are brown in colour, around 5-7 minutes. Then place meatballs on an oven tray and bake for 10-15 minutes, or until browned through. Set meatballs aside. 

Cooking- Sauce 

1.  Puree tomatoes in a food processor or blender until they are liquid. Heat oil in a frying pan over medium heat. Add onion and cook until soft. Add garlic and cook for 1 minute. Add pureed tomatoes, tomato paste and stock and stir to combine. Bring to the boil and then add the meatballs. Reduce the heat and simmer for 15 minutes. 

2. Meanwhile, cook the pasta in a large saucepan of boiling salted water until al dente. Drain well in a colander and place in a serving bowl. 

3. Top the pasta with the meatballs and the sauce. Serve with parmesan cheese if desired. I found that the meatballs were so delicious that cheese was not needed! 

x E 

VERY BERRY VERY LOW FAT MUFFINS

I enjoy baking more than I enjoy cooking. For some reason, baking is extremely therapeutic and calms down my neurotic behaviour. Sadly I hardly ever let myself bake.....because I know that three-quarters of whatever I bake will end up being eaten by me. Its one of the few downsides of living with people who aren't sweet tooth's. And lets face it, it is very difficult to find a cake, muffin or crumble recipe that 1. is low in fat and 2. actually tastes edible.

As I have the whole day off on fridays, I look forward to this day every week like I looked forward to Christmas when I was five years of age. On fridays I allow myself to bake. The only requirement is that the recipe must come from one of my countless low fat/healthy cookbooks. Today I decided to bake 'Very Berry Muffins'.

Ingredients 

• 250g plain flour
• 1/4 cup caster sugar
• 1 tablespoon baking powder
• 1 egg, beaten
• 200ml skim or trim milk
• 50ml vegetable oil
• 200g mixed berries, roughly chopped
• I used Nanna's mixed berries (available at Coles & Woolworths)- only $9 for a 1 kg bag. Thaw 200g first and then chop. 

Cooking 

1. Mix together all the ingredients, except the berries, to make a smooth dough. Fold in the berries. (Folding is exactly as it sounds. Use a rubber spatula to gently fold the berries into the dough. Make sure that you do not stir, as this will turn the muffins a purple colour. The link below describes this technique much better than I am able to. You only need to watch the first 40 seconds of the clip.  

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vP4vbktd-PM

2. Spray cooking spray in a 12 section muffin tin and spoon the mixture into the cases. Bake in a preheated oven at 180 degrees Celsius for 25 minutes or until a skewer comes out clean when inserted. Transfer to a wire rack to cool.

Makes / 12 muffins 

Preparation time / 15 minutes 

Cooking time / 25 minutes 

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A TWIST ON CHICKEN & POTATOES

Chicken and potatoes can seem like a pretty boring dinner, am I right? It just sounds incredibly bland and unexciting to me. That was until I 'borrowed' a cookbook (Women's Weekly Low Fat Fast) from my mother this week and discovered a guilt free recipe for Barbecue Chicken Wings. All I had for a side dish was 9 small potatoes that were desperately close to becoming mouldy. Glancing through Jamie Oliver's cookbook Ministry of Food I found a recipe with mint and potatoes which gave me inspiration to create my own, albeit simple, boiled potato dish. Combined together these chicken wings and potatoes were a delicious and somewhat original meal. Low fat of course.

STICKY BARBECUE WINGS 


Ingredients 

• 12 chicken wings (around 1 kg)
• 1/4 cup (60ml) barbecue sauce 
• 1/4 cup (60ml) plum sauce 
• 1 tablespoon worcestershire sauce 

Cooking 

1. Preheat oven to hot (200 degrees Celsius for a fan force oven). 

2. Combine sauces in a large bowl. Add chicken and toss to coat chicken all over. Place chicken in a single layer on a large baking tray. Roast, uncovered, for about 15-20 minutes or until chicken is cooked through. 

POTATOES WITH CHIVES 

Ingredients 

• 600g-800g chat potatoes
• 1/2 teaspoon reduced-fat butter / margarine 
• 2 tablespoons fresh chives, finely chopped
• sea salt and ground pepper 

Cooking 

1. Peel potatoes. Half fill a large saucepan with water. Add potatoes and bring to the boil. Boil for around 10-15 minutes. TIP- stick a knife into the potatoes to check that they are tender. The knife will go easily through if they are ready. 

2. Drain potatoes in a colander and place in a large bowl with butter. Season with salt and pepper. Add chives and toss to coat. 

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LIFE IS BEAUTIFUL

NUTELLA CAKE

Our lovely friend Jorja stumbled upon this amazing Nutella Cake recipe curtesy of Nigella Lawson and made it for her boyfriends birthday! Needless to say it's a nutella cake so it was a major hit! I cannot wait to try this recipe!

I've included Nigella's header as her use of words like "joyously" and "monkish" to describe food are just too fabulous!...

Not only is this one of the easiest cakes to make, it happens - joyously - to be one of the most delicious. My household is totally addicted!
Please don't feel obliged to rush out and buy a bottle of Frangelico, the most divinely declasse hazelnut liqueur, its monkish derivation signalled by the rope that is hung from the holy-brother-shaped bottle. I use hazelnuts bought ready-ground, but ones you grind yourself in the processor will provide more nutty moistness.

Recipe posted by Nigella

Ingredients

          FOR THE CAKE:

• 6 large eggs, separated
• Pinch of salt
• 125g soft unsalted butter
• 400g Nutella (1 large jar)
• 1 tablespoon Frangelico, rum or water
• 100g ground hazelnuts
• 100g dark chocolate, melted
• 23cm Springform tin, greased and lined
• FOR THE ICING:
• 100g hazelnuts (peeled weight)
• 125ml double cream
• 1 tablespoon Frangelico, rum or water
• 125g dark chocolate

Method

Serves: 8

1. Preheat the oven to 180ºC/gas mark 4. In a large bowl, whisk the egg whites and salt until stiff but not dry. In a separate bowl, beat the butter and Nutella together, and then add the Frangelico (or whatever you're using), egg yolks and ground hazelnuts.
2. Fold in the cooled, melted chocolate, then lighten the mixture with a large dollop of egg white, which you can beat in as roughly as you want, before gently folding the rest of them in a third at a time.
3. Pour into the prepared tin and cook for 40 minutes or until the cake's beginning to come away at the sides, then let cool on a rack.
4. Toast the hazelnuts in a dry frying pan until the aroma wafts upwards and the nuts are golden-brown in parts: keep shaking the pan so that they don't burn on one side and stay too pallid on others. Transfer to a plate and let cool. This is imperative: if they go on the ganache while hot, it'll turn oily. (Believe me, I speak from experience.)
5. In a heavy-bottomed saucepan, add the cream, liqueur or water and chopped chocolate, and heat gently. Once the chocolate's melted, take the pan off the heat and whisk until it reaches the right consistency to ice the top of the cake. Unmould the cooled cake carefully, leaving it on the base as it will be too difficult to get such a damp cake off in one piece.

Ice the top with the chocolate icing, and dot thickly with the whole, toasted hazelnuts. If you have used Frangelico, put shot glasses on the table and serve it with the cake.

YUMMMMMMMMMMMMM xx

LOW GI FRIED RICE WITH OMELETTE

I had an extremely glutinous weekend, food wise. I won't go into details about the pizza and McDonalds I ate on Saturday night/ Sunday morning, except to say that I woke up feeling disgusting and in desperate need of vegetables.

 I purchased a Women's Weekly Cookbook titled 'Super Diet' in Noosa early this year. To be completely honest, I glanced through this cookbook many moons ago and thought that it was a little too limiting for me. I am all for 'diet' and 'healthy' cookbooks, but 'super diet' as a title seemed a bit excessive. So I hadn't taken a second glance at the book after purchasing it and having a fleeting browse. Well, this Sunday I knew that I needed 'super diet' food to kick my body back into gear. So I flipped through this cookbook and gave it a second chance. And through this activity I learnt to never judge a book by its cover, or in this case, its title. It baffles me that I learn so many important life lessons through the art of cooking. 

This dish is the BEST fried rice I have ever tasted. And I recently went to Bali on what I can only describe as a 'food' holiday. Give it a try! The vegetables can easily be substituted for whatever you have on hand. 

Ingredients 

• 2 cups doongara 'clever' rice 
• I highly recommend this rice- it has very low GI and is Australian grown.  
• 4 cups water 
• 1 tablespoon peanut oil
• 3 eggs, lightly beaten 
• 2 cloves garlic, crushed 
• 3cm piece fresh ginger (15g), grated 
• 1/4 teaspoon chilli flakes 
• 1 medium red capsicum (200-250g), cut into 1cm pieces
• 200-300g green beans, trimmed and cut into 1cm pieces 
• 1 bunch broccolini, trimmed and stalks cut 
• 1/3 cup light soy sauce 
• 3 tablespoons rice vinegar
• 4 green onions, sliced thinly 

NB- other ideas for vegetables include mushrooms, baby corn and bean sprouts. 

- I used a very generous portion of rice (2 cups) in this recipe. If you would prefer a more even balance between vegetables and rice, use between 1 - 1 1/3 cups of rice and 2 1/2- 3 cups of water, respectively. 

Cooking 

1. Place rice in a medium saucepan, cover with 4 cups of water and bring to the boil. Reduce heat and simmer, covered, for around 10-15 minutes or until water is absorbed and rice is tender. 

2. Heat half of the peanut oil in the wok. Pour in half the egg and tilt the wok to coat with egg. Cook until omelette is set. Remove omelette and repeat with remaining egg. Slice omelette thinly. 

3. Heat remaining oil in wok and stir-fry garlic, ginger and chilli flakes until fragrant. Add vegetables and stir-fry until tender. 

4. Add rice, soy sauce, rice vinegar and stir-fry until hot. Stir in half the green onions. 

5. Serve rice topped with remaining onion and omelette strips. 

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A BASIC STIR-FRY SAUCE

Every so often my body will crave a stir-fry. When I first moved out of home, stir-fries were my staple. I considered myself to be somewhat of new-age cook when I bought a ready made sauce and a bag of stir fry vegetables. How far I have come. Whilst this products are good if you are strapped for time, the ready made sauces have unbelievable amounts of sugar and fat in them. In addition, the vegetables packs are overpriced. The simple fact is that you can create a much more delicious stir-fry sauce at home with just a few ingredients. The recipe below was adapted from '200 Thai Favourites', a hamlyn cookbook. If you just follow the sauce mixture, you can throw in any vegetables that you have lying around at home, such as broccoli, beans or capscium. I happened to only have 2 carrots and 4 shallots in my possession the other day. The stir-fry was delicious regardless.


STIR-FRIED CHICKEN & PEANUTS


Ingredients 

• 5 tablespoons vegetable/chicken stock or water 
• I used vegetable stock.
• 1 1/2 tablespoons fish sauce 
• 2 tablespoons oyster sauce 
• 1 teaspoon cornflour 
• 2 tablespoons crushed peanuts, toasted in a frying pan
• you can also use cashew nuts. 
• 2 tablespoons sesame oil
• 2-3 garlic cloves, finely chopped
• 500g chicken breast, chopped
• 2 carrots, sliced 
• 1 brown onion, thinly sliced 
• 3-4 shallots, finely sliced

Cooking 

1. Dry-fry (no oil required) the crushed peanuts in a non stick frying pan for a few minutes or until they become golden in colour.  

2. Mix the stock or water, fish sauce, oyster sauce and cornflour in a small bowl until smooth. 

3. Heat the oil in a wok and stir-fry the garlic until lightly browned. Add the chicken and stir-fry for 5 minutes or until coloured. Add the carrot and onion and stir-fry for another 3-4 minutes. 

4. Pour the sauce mixture into the wok and stir-fry together for a minute. Add the toasted peanuts and spring onions. Toss well. 

Serve with doongara rice if desired. 

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VEGETARIAN PAELLA

What passes for authentic Spanish paella in Australia is usually a mixture of prawns, chicken, chorizo, shell fish and sometimes beef. Whilst I thoroughly enjoy eating this dish in its 'traditional' form, it is EXTREMELY fatty. I apologise for bursting anyone's bubble. Chorizo alone is filled to the rim with calories, let alone all the fat of the other meats and the lugs of oil that they use to make this dish.

During the European summer in 2007 I spent 2 weeks in Spain travelling around Barcelona, Madrid and Valencia. It was on this trip that I tasted my first paella. And my second. And my third. It was indescribable. My memory of these dishes is crystal clear. The paella was piled with vegetables, yellow or red stained rice and at the most 2 different types of meat. The Spanish have nailed down simplicity when it comes to food.

I do not claim that the vegetarian paella I frequently cook is anywhere near as appetising as what I experienced in Spain. However, I can guarantee you that it is low in fat, filled with vegetables and is simple to make. You can substitute the vegetables for whatever you have lying around in your fridge. Green beans and mushrooms work well in this dish.


Ingredients 

• 1 tablespoon olive oil
• 1 small red onion (100g), chopped finely
• 1 medium red capsicum (200-300g), chopped finely 
• 1 medium green or yellow capsicum (200-300g), chopped finely 
• I used green.
• 1 teaspoon smoked paprika 
• pinch saffron threads
• or 1/2 a teaspoon of turmeric - works just as well to stain the rice yellow and does not cost an arm and a leg. 
• 2 cups doongara rice 
• 4 medium tomatoes (600-800g), chopped finely 
• 1 litre (4 cups) vegetable stock
• 1 cup (120g) frozen peas, thawed
• 2 tablespoons coarsely chopped fresh flat-leaf parsley- optional 
• 1 lemon, cut into wedges- optional 

Cooking

1. Heat oil in large frying pan. Cook onion and capsicum, stirring, until onion softens. Add paprika and stir. Add rice and saffron/turmeric and stir to coat the rice in the vegetable mixture. 

2. Add tomatoes and all of the stock. Bring to the boil. Simmer for around 10 minutes or until rice is almost absorbed. 

4. Add peas by stirring into the pan. Simmer for around 5 minutes or until peas are cooked and rice is absorbed. 

5. Sprinkle paella with parsley and serve with lemon wedges, if desired. 

x E