FRIED GARLIC & CHILLI ZUCCHINI

I’ve finally found a way to cook zucchini and make it taste relatively delicious to me. Being such a bland vegetable, I struggled with eating it during my childhood as it always seemed to end up on our dinner table at least three times a week, whether it was hidden in a stir-fry, roasted or baked. My theory is that if you put garlic and fresh herbs with anything, you can make it appetizing. Add a sprinkle of chilli for those that like it fiery and a once flavourless vegetable is no more!

INGREDIENTS

• 1 large zucchini, thinly sliced into rings 
• 1/4 teaspoon chilli flakes (depending on how hot you want it)
• 1 large garlic clove, finely chopped
• 1 heaped tablespoon fresh basil, finely chopped
• coconut oil

COOKING 

1. Combine 1 tablespoon liquid coconut oil, zucchini slices, chilli and garlic in a medium bowl and toss well to combine. Heat a medium frying pan over medium heat. When pan is warm add zucchini slices to pan so that there is no overlapping. Cook for 2-3 minutes on each side or until slices are slightly golden. Repeat until all zucchini is cooked, then serve warm. 

Serves / 4 as a side dish 

Total Preparation time / 5 minutes 

Total Cooking time / 12 minutes 

x Emily 

GARLIC & PARSLEY PRAWNS IN TOMATOES

This is one of the simplest prawn meals I have ever made. It was late on Wednesday night and I had no idea what to make for dinner. I had bought some frozen prawns with the tails off (you can certainly make this dish with prawns with tails intact) and was saving them to make sushi or a complex risotto. Instead, I figured that garlic, parsley and prawns would go well together. The tomatoes were a last minute addition in an effort to increase the meager vegetable intake in the meal. This recipe would take only a few minutes to cook, if not for the steaming of the brown rice. To save time, use white rice such as doongara or basmati, as its cooking time is less. You could also add Asian greens into the dish, such as buk choy.

INGREDIENTS

• 1 1/2 cups brown rice 
• 4 garlic cloves, finely chopped
• 200g raw prawns, peeled & defined (tails on or off- your choice)
• 1 tablespoon sesame oil
• 1 heaped tablespoon fresh parsley, finely chopped
• 400g diced tomatoes 
• a pinch of chilli flakes

COOKING 

1. Cook brown by rice by combining rice and 3 cups of water in a small to medium saucepan over high heat. Bring to the boil, then simmer for 25 minutes, or until all water is absorbed and rice is tender. Remove from heat. 

2. Heat a wok over medium heat and add the sesame oil, swirling around to coat. Add garlic and prawns and cook for 3 minutes or until prawns are cooked (that is, their skin has changed from transparent to a soft pink colouring). Add diced tomatoes, parsley and chilli flakes and cook over medium for a few minutes, until the tomatoes are cooked through. Remove from heat. 

Serve tomato & garlic prawns on a bed of brown rice. 

Serves / 2 - 4

Total Preparation time / 10 minutes

Total Cooking time / 30 minutes 

x E

POTATO, LEEK & CANNELLINI BEAN SOUP

This recipe was inspired from a Coles Winter Magazine that I picked up the other day during my grocery ventures. Whilst the temperature at night has dropped substantially in Brisbane, there is only a small window for soups before spring arrives. Now is the time to make soup, the true winter comfort food. I somehow manage to accumulate ample amounts of potato, sweet & regular, every week, hence they were thrown into the soup, along with some fresh garlic, market leeks and a can of cannellini beans that had been in my pantry for the better part of 2012. It made a delicious soup that really should feed 6 instead of 4! As far as soups go, this one is quite easy to make. Enjoy. 

INGREDIENTS

• 2 large leeks, washed & finely chopped
• 1 medium leek, washed & finely chopped
• 1/2 a large garlic bulb, cloves finely chopped
• 2 medium regular potatoes, peeled & roughly chopped
• 1 large sweet potato, peeled & roughly chopped
• 4 cups vegetable stock
• 2 cups water 
• 400g cannellini beans, drained & rinsed
• 1 teaspoon dried thyme
• coconut oil 

COOKING 

1. In a large saucepan over medium heat, heat 1 tablespoon coconut oil. Add 2 of the chopped large leeks and the garlic, stirring for 2 minutes or until fragrant. Add chopped potato, sweet potato and dried thyme and stir to coat. Pour in stock and water, bringing to the boil. When boiled, reduce to a simmer and add the beans. Simmer for 15-20 minutes or until potato is tender. 

2. Remove soup from heat. Using a blender or food processor, blend/ process soup until smooth (this should only take a few seconds). 

3. To make fried leek, heat 1 tablespoon coconut oil in a small frying pan over medium heat. Add the medium leek pieces and cook for 2 minutes, or until crisp. 

4. Pour soup into bowls and add fried leek on top if you desire. 

Serves / 4 

Total Preparation time / 15 minutes 

Total Cooking time / 35 minutes 

x E

ARTICHOKES WITH HERBS

My boyfriend bought me the most amazing French Cookbook for my birthday this year, after I dropped him all kinds of hints about how much I had fallen in love with the beautiful photos in the book (and not paid too much attention to the ingredients used). Upon receiving the cookbook, I was very disheartened to discover that I would probably never cook any of the recipes, as the amount of cream, oil and butter the talented cook uses would astound anyone. You may not know this about me, but as a general rule, I never use cream in cooking and will only use the occasional dollop of butter for baking. (If you do not believe me, feel free to check through the past 6 months of recipes). However, the cookbook has been a source of constant inspiration for me to pair certain vegetables, herbs and spices together. One such recipe I created is below. To increase the size of the dish, you can purchase 2-3 tins of artichokes and increase the ingredients as necessary. You can cook the artichokes from scratch, of course, however it is rather time consuming and more than a little fiddly!

INGREDIENTS

• 1 x 400g tin of whole artichokes, drained well
• 1 teaspoon olive oil
• 1 tablespoon dried mixed herbs
• 1 small brown onion (60g), finely chopped
• 3 garlic cloves, finely diced 
• 1 teaspoon dried rosemary 
• Optional- a drizzle of fresh lemon juice, to serve 

COOKING 

1. Place olive oil, onion, garlic, herbs and whole artichokes in a small saucepan or frying pan over medium heat. Stir gently, careful not to break the artichokes. Cook until the onion is soft, around 4 minutes. 

2. Place the onion mixture on the bottom of a serving plate and top with the artichokes. Drizzle with fresh lemon juice, if desired. 

Serves / 2- 4 as a side 

x E

PASTA WITH BROCCOLI & BALSAMIC

Since discovering gluten-free pasta, I try to cook it once a week or once a fortnight. I have more fun than I’d like to admit creating new recipes and fixings for the pasta. Tonight I felt like broccoli, the superfood, as I feel the flu coming on. I come from a half Russian family, who believe strongly that vinegar is vital to the diet and staying healthy. Hence, the balsamic vinegar was thrown in. Feta was added as I love cheese, but do take note of the small amount of feta and that it is reduced fat, making this recipe health conscious. I added 1 tablespoon of oil to the dressing, but I would suggest just adding 1 teaspoon, as the lemon and vinegar is very strong and flavoursome. Pine nuts & pepitas were added to give the dish a bit of a bite. And lemon was added as I am feeling like a zesty kick today. So there you go, all the ingredients explained!

INGREDIENTS

• 500g gluten-free pasta 
• 1 head of broccoli, cut into even sized florets
• 2 tablespoons toasted pine nuts
• 3 tablespoons toasted pepitas (sometimes more commonly called pumpkin seeds)
• 20-30g reduced fat feta cheese, crumbled and lightly sprinkled 
• a pinch of sea salt 

Dressing 

• 1 large clove of garlic, finely diced
• 3 tablespoons balsamic vinegar
• 1 tablespoon grapeseed/olive oil 
• 2 tablespoons lemon juice (it will taste much nicer if the lemon juice is squeezed from a fresh lemon)
• a small pinch of chilli flakes 
• a pinch of sea salt 

COOKING

1. Bring a large saucepan of water with sea salt to the boil. Add the pasta and cook, stirring for 7-8 minutes or until the pasta is slightly tender. Remove from the pan and drain well, rinsing with cold water so the pasta does not stick. 

2. Meanwhile, cook the broccoli by bringing a small saucepan of water to the boil. When boiled, place a colander or steamer on top with the broccoli and steam for around 6 minutes or until the broccoli is just tender (A fork should be able to slide through the broccoli without too much resistance). When cooked, remove and drain well. 

3. Place all the dressing ingredients in a small bowl and whisk together to combine. 

4. To toast the pine nuts & pepitas; place them in a small frying pan over medium heat and move the nuts constantly, until they become lightly brown. This will take around 4 minutes. (Make sure you do not walk away from the stove, as next thing you know the nuts will have burned!) Remove. 

5. Place the pasta in a large serving bowl, top with the toasted pine nuts & pepitas, add the cooked broccoli and drizzle the dressing over. Toss well and add the scant feta cheese on top. 

Serves / 4 

Total preparation time / 5 minutes 

Total cooking time / 20 minutes 

x E