Salads

I have the great fortune of living in a very mild climate where we have many sunny days even in winter. So lucky for us we can eat salad every day. And with food fashions favouring healthy eating, I can make a meal of a salad.
I have some very basic recipes and then just work with the seasonal vegetables. It all starts with a base of lettuce.

It can be as basic as some tomatoes, cucumber, onions, olives and feta.

I am a huge fan of avocado so any chance I get I will add this to my salads. This salad pictured has some vegetables and croutons and another favourite is corn on the cob or fresh peas, for this salad however I only used baby corn, which is cut up and added.

Enjoy

Frozen bananas......

I must say I am a fan of bananas, especially cooked bananas. I suppose I am lucky to be able to get a constant supply. What does however happen is that they sometimes over ripen. So here are a few really great ideas to do with frozen bananas...Link









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Waffles .......

Found a nice recipe for waffles that can be frozen. Perfect for winter months.

Recipe extracted from here



Whole Wheat Waffles (makes 10 waffles)

1 1/2 Cups Whole Wheat Flour
2 Tsp Baking Powder
1/2 Tsp Salt
1 Cup Milk
1/2 Cup Plain Greek Yogurt
1 Large Egg
1/3 Cup Vegetable or Canola Oil
2 Tbsp Honey
1 Tsp Vanilla Extract

Accompaniments: maple syrup, honey, or raspberry sauce

1. Preheat waffle iron.
2. Sift the first 3 ingredients into a bowl.
3. In a separate bowl, whisk the remaining wet ingredients.
4. Slowly add the dry ingredients to the wet ingredients and whisk until combined. Do not over mix.
5. Pour 1/2 cup of batter into a greased waffle iron and cook about 3-4 minutes or according to manufacturer’s directions.
6. Serve with desired accompaniments.

*To freeze: Allow to cool, place in a Ziploc bag, label and freeze. When ready to eat, place in toaster oven until heated through or in the oven at 180 degrees and heat for 10 minutes or until heated through.

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A week's menu

So I am back to menu planning and here is this weeks plan.
Monday - Mediterranean style chicken bake
Tuesday - Ossu Bucco
Wednesday - chicken schnitzel with salad & chips
Thursday - Beef & noodle soup
Friday - Chicken spinach bake
Saturday - steak pie
Sunday - Roast sirloin with veggies with apple crumble dessert.

I will report back on these new recipes and will post the good ones


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Breakfast ideas

So as it cools in the south of the world, although I must say would not think we are in autumn with the current temperatures, time for warmer breakfasts. I am a huge fan of oatmeal and mostly eat it with dried cranberries, almonds and honey. Here are a few variations

Begin with the steps below, then finish with one of the variations that follow.

Oatmeal 101
In a small pot over medium heat, combine 1/2 cup old-fashioned rolled oats, 1/2 cup water, 1/2 cup milk (cow's, soy, or almond), and a pinch of salt. Stir occasionally, until oats are thick, about 5 minutes. If indicated, stir in additional ingredients until warmed through, then pour into a bowl and add suggested toppings:

Blackberry Pie Oatmeal
Near the end of cooking, stir in 1/3 cup blackberries.
Top with: 1 tablespoon chopped walnuts, a few more blackberries, and 1 crushed graham cracker

Pumpkin–Cottage Cheese Oatmeal
Near the end of cooking, stir in 1/4 cup canned pumpkin and 1/4 cup cottage cheese.
Top with: toasted sliced almonds and a dash of cinnamon and nutmeg

Chocolate–Coconut Oatmeal
Near the end of cooking, stir in 1 teaspoon cocoa powder and 1 tablespoon shredded coconut.
Top with: a few chocolate chips, 1 tablespoon slivered almonds, and a sprinkle of coconut

PB&J Crunch Oatmeal
Follow basic recipe.
Top with: 1 tablespoon crunchy peanut butter, 1 tablespoon jam, and a sprinkle of granola

Bacon and Cheese Oatmeal
Follow basic recipe.
Top with: 1 slice bacon, cooked and crumbled, 2 tablespoons crumbled goat cheese, 2 teaspoons maple syrup or balsamic vinegar, and 1 tablespoon chopped fresh basil or rosemary (optional)

Bread Pudding Oatmeal
Cut a slice of fruity bread, such as cinnamon raisin, into cubes. When oatmeal just starts to bubble and thicken, add bread cubes. Stir in 1 tablespoon raisins.
Top with: a pinch each of brown sugar and cinnamon and 1 tablespoon cream

Fluffy Banana Oatmeal
Add a thinly sliced very ripe banana to oats at the start of cooking. As oatmeal bubbles, whip the oats vigorously with a fork until banana slices melt away.
Top with: 2 tablespoons chopped salted peanuts and a drizzle of honey

Cooking tip: The basic version is easily doubled and can be made in advance. To reheat, add a few tablespoons of milk to the oatmeal and microwave 1 minute. Stir, and heat for another minute.

 

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Creamy chicken with bacon

A versatile supper dish is a roast chicken, all left overs can be used for many easy quick supper dishes.
I recently made a really nice pasta sauce with leftover chicken.
Here is how to do it, the ingredient portions vary depending on how much of each ingredient you have.
Fry up an onion in a little butter or oil and add some nice chopped bacon. Add a few chopped mushrooms and cook till soft. Add the chicken and fry a little to heat through.
Pour in some cream and mix well lower the heat and simmer but do not allow to cook off.
Season with salt and pepper and some Italian dried herbs. To mellow the taste ad a dash of sherry.
Toss into cooked pasta with a grating of parmesan cheese.
Serve immediately if the sauce is too dry add some milk and stir till it is a smooth sauce.


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Pork loin chops with apple on the Weber BBQ

This week I am going to try something different on the BBQ.
6 Pork loin chops
2/3 cups white wine
2Tbs oil
2 Tbs honey
1 1/2 tsp ground cumin
2 cloves garlic

Apple chutney
3 green apples
1/2 cup apple juice
1/2 cup fruit chutney
15g butter

1. Trim chops
2. Combine oil, wine, honey, cumin and garlic in small jug, mix well.
3. Place chops in non metal dish and pour marinade over.
4. Leave chops to marinade for a few hours or overnight
5. Grill on an oiled grill turning regularly

To make chutney
1. Chop apples into cubes
2. Place in small pan with apple juice, bring to the boil and cook till apples soft
3. Reduce heat and simmer for 7 min
4. Add chutney and butter and stir

Server over cooked chops.






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