Beef and Cabbage Stir Fry

Easy, yummy, healthy, and one pot. It's a winner!

Ingredients (serves 4)

• 2 tablespoons peanut oil
• 1 onion, finely chopped
• 3 sticks celery, finely diced
• 750g lean beef mince or pork mince
• 45g packet chicken noodle soup
• 1/2 cup long-grain rice, raw
• 2 tablespoons curry powder
• 2 cups chicken stock
• 1 cup water
• 1 mini cabbage, core removed and finely shredded (see variation)
• Chinese fried noodles (optional)

Method

1. Heat oil in a large frying pan or wok over medium-high heat. Add onion and celery and cook for 2 to 3 minutes. Add mince and cook, breaking up with a wooden spoon, for 4 to 5 minutes.
2. Add soup, rice, curry powder, chicken stock and water. Season with salt and pepper. Stir until well-combined. Bring to the boil. Reduce heat to medium-low and simmer, covered, for 25 minutes.
3. Remove lid and place shredded cabbage over top of mince mixture. Cook, covered, for 3 to 4 minutes. Remove from heat. Stir through cabbage and serve immediately, topped with Chinese fried noodles.

Notes & tips

• Variation: Replace the mini cabbage with one quarter of a large common green cabbage if preferred.

Topside Roast

Good old google! It found me this website with a great recipe. I had a piece of topside from the meat delivery people and wanted an easy and yummy way to cook it. This was delicious.

Ingredients

1 kg piece Quality Mark topside in the piece

1 onion, peeled and sliced

250 grams mushrooms, quartered

3-4 bacon rashers, diced

2-3 whole cloves garlic, peeled

1/3 bay leaves (optional)

1 cup red wine or beef stock

2 tblsp cornflour

1/4 cup extra stock or water

Method

1. Season the beef well with salt, pepper and oil. Brown on all sides in a hot frying pan. 2. Scatter the onion, mushrooms, bacon, garlic and bay leaves, if using, in the base of a casserole or lasagne dish and sit the beef on top. Pour in the wine or stock. 3. Cover and place in a 160°C oven for 30-35 minutes per 500 grams. Remove the beef and allow to stand for 10 minutes. This is for medium rare. For well done beef allow 40-45 minutes per 500 grams. 4. Transfer the mushrooms, onion, wine etc to a saucepan. Mix the cornflour to a paste with a little extra stock or water and stir into the onion and mushroom. Stir and cook until thickened. Season with salt and pepper.

Red Cabbage

My veggie delivery people gave me some red cabbage.

I made some coleslaw, with mayonnaise, red onion, and carrot and some braised cabbage. This comes from the ABC website, and it was delicious!

Quick red cabbage and apple

Serves 4 people

Degree of difficulty: Low

You need:

45g butter
4 cups sliced red cabbage
I red apple, finely chopped
1 or 2 star anise
2 tbsp caster sugar
1 tbsp white wine vinegar
1 tbsp Balsamic vinegar
Salt to serve

Method:

Melt 45g butter in a saucepan, add half a finely chopped red apple, 4 cups sliced red cabbage (about 1/4 of a cabbage) and 1 or 2 whole star anise (or ground star anise).

Cook for 2-3 minutes while stirring until cabbage softens.

Add 2 tablespoons of caster sugar, 1 tablespoon each of white wine vinegar and balsamic vinegar.

Stir, cover and cook very gently for ten minutes until the cabbage is still a little crisp.

Remove star anise.

Seasons to taste with salt and serve.

Brownies

Had some extra boys to feed this evening, so I chose the spaghetti bolognese, and then made brownies from the Taste website.

Preparation Time

10 - 15 minutes

Cooking Time

35 minutes

Makes

20 small or 10 large

Ingredients

• Melted butter or margarine, for greasing
• 125g butter, chopped
• 200g (1 cup, firmly packed) soft brown sugar
• 125g dark chocolate, chopped
• 3 eggs
• 50g (1/3 cup) plain flour
• 35g (1/3 cup) cocoa powder
• 1/4 tsp baking powder
• 150g (1 1/4 cup) walnuts

Method

1. Preheat oven to 180°C. Grease an 18 x 28cm cake tin with the melted butter or margarine and line the base of the pan with non-stick baking paper.
2. Place butter, brown sugar and chocolate in a large saucepan and stir over medium heat until well combined (see microwave tip).
3. Remove from heat and beat in the eggs using a wooden spoon.
4. Sift together the flour, cocoa and baking powder into the chocolate mixture and stir until well combined. Stir in the walnuts.
5. Pour into the prepared tin and bake in the preheated oven for 35-40 minutes or until firm and until a few crumbs cling to a skewer when it's inserted into the centre.

Notes & tips

• These reliable brownies are equally delicious served as a dessert, straight from the oven in larger portions with scoops of vanilla ice-cream.
• For those who are not big fans of nuts this brownie recipe is just as good without the walnuts.
• Microwave tip: Combine butter, sugar and chocolate in a large microwave-safe glass or ceramic bowl. Heat, uncovered, for 2-4 minutes on Medium High/650 J watts/70%, stirring every minute until well combined.

I didn't have any walnuts, so I used white choc chips. My oven had been hotter from cooking garlic bread to go with the pasta, but I did let it cool down a bit. I then cooked it for 29 minutes and it was just right, maybe starting to get a bit overdone at the edges.

Everyone had seconds!

Chicken Caesar Salad

The best chicken caesar salad

Serving size: Serves 4
Cooking time: Less than 60 minutes
Special options: Low Carb
Course: Lunch
Favourite flavours: Chicken, Salad

INGREDIENTS

2 large chicken breasts
2 tablespoons olive oil
salt and pepper
2 thick slices crusty day old bread, cut into 2cm cubes
4 rashers bacon
2 eggs, boiled in their shell for 1 minute only (coddled)
sea salt and freshly ground black pepper
juice of ½ lemon
2 teaspoons Worcestershire sauce
1/3 cup garlic oil
½ cup finely grated parmesan cheese

2 small cos or romaine lettuces, or 1 large one
8 good-quality anchovy fillets, (Ortiz are our preferred brand)

METHOD

Place a small saucepan of water on to boil. Once the water is hot, add the eggs and time them for one minute from when the water comes to the boil. Remove from heat and crack into a large bowl, scraping in any of the set white.

Pre-heat oven to 180°C (160&degC fan-forced).
Combine chicken, oil and salt and pepper in a medium bowl and turn to coat the meat.

Pan-fry the chicken in a non-stick frying pan until golden brown on both sides. Add bread cubes to the bowl the chicken marinaded in and turn to coat in remaining marinade. Tip croutons into the frying pan with the chicken and lay the bacon rashers over the top. Transfer frying pan to the pre-heated oven and cook 10 minutes or until chicken is cooked through, bread is golden and bacon is cooked; cover with foil and leave to rest in a warm place.

To the eggs, whisk in the salt and pepper, lemon juice, and Worcestershire sauce. Gradually add the garlic oil in a thin stream, whisking continuously until the sauce thickens slightly and has the consistency of thickened cream. Stir in the parmesan.

Separate the lettuce leaves and wash to remove any dirt or bugs; spin in a salad spinner. Slice leaves thickly and arrange on a large serving platter with anchovies, bacon, sliced chicken and croutons. Drizzle with the dressing and serve immediately. Grate more parmesan over the top if desired.

Best Roast Pumpkin

Today is the birthday of one of my sons. I cooked something I know he would like, roast lamb with roast potato, sweet potato, pumpkin, and carrot, also corn and asparagus. This is my favourite roast pumpkin recipe, from the ABC website. I cook it in a baking dish, rather than on an oven tray.

Baked Pumpkin that Pumpkin Haters will Love

Degree of difficulty: Low

You need:
Pumpkin - cut into bake size pieces - skin on
Canola Oil - or oil of choice
Garlic
Black Pepper
Salt
Curry Powder
Butter

Method:
Heat oven to very hot and spray tray with oil.

Place pumpkin on tray and sprinkle with chopped up garlic, black pepper and
salt and curry powder.

Place a nob of butter on each piece of pumpkin.

Bake in oven and it's delicious!

Honey Joys!

A friend asked me to make Honey Joys for her son's birthday party, and I thought this recipe looked worth a try. I was a bit worried when they came out of the oven, as they looked really gooey. But, in front of a hoard of hungry boys they did not last long. I did not use fancy patty papers, just ordinary white ones, and they were a bit tricky to get off. I'm pretty sure some of the patty cases got eaten! The recipe comes from the Australian Woman's Weekly Website.

Choc Honey Joys- HUMPHREY B. BEAR

Serving size: Serves 10 or more
Cuisine type: Traditional
Cooking time: Less than 30 minutes
Special options: Kid friendly
Course: Dessert, Snacks

INGREDIENTS

100g butter
¼ cup caster sugar
2 tablespoons honey
2 (50g) choc coated honeycomb bars, roughly chopped
4 cups cornflakes

METHOD

Preheat oven to 180°C. Line patty tins with brightly
coloured patty papers.

Place butter, sugar and honey in a saucepan. Stir until butter
melts and sugar dissolves.

Combine cornflakes and choc honeycomb bar in a large bowl. Stir
through butter mixture.

Spoon into prepared patty tins and bake for 10- 15 minutes. Allow
to cool before eating.

Microwave Risotto

I have been feeling a bit lazy and disinterested in cooking, but couldn't be bothered getting takeaway either. That was my husbands suggestion, often his idea of cooking. I had been thinking of risotto and this recipe which I have not made for ages. I used about half a red capsicum, frozen corn kernels and a fair bit of the silverbeet. Still have some left!

MICROWAVE RISOTTO

Janelle Bloom’s Microwave Cookbook

1 onion, peeled & diced

2 tablespoons olive oil

4 rashers bacon, chopped

1 cup arobrio rice

2 cups chicken stock

1 ½ cups assorted vegetables, chopped (carrot, zucchini, corn, red & green capsicum, mushrooms)

¼ cup toasted pine nuts

freshly grated parmesan cheese

Place onion & oil in a 2 litre casserole dish. Cook, uncovered, for 2-3 minutes on 850 watts/high/100%. Add bacon and cook for a further 2-3 minutes.

Stir in rice & mix well until rice is coated with oil. Add stock and vegetables. Cover and cook for 12-15 minutes on 850 watts/high/100%. Do not stir at this stage.

Allow to stand, covered, for 3-5 minutes.

Stir through pine nuts and serve topped with fresh parmesan cheese.

Serves 4

TIPS

At the end of the cooking time all the liquid should have been absorbed by the rice. All vegetables should be cut to the same size and do not cut them too small.