Kung Pao Chickpeas and Other Tales

oh Dear...I haven't blogged for 2 months...I do check and read the comments though and thank you for those.

I seem to be so busy with visiting Dad 3 times a week, I cook for him and we go shopping(which I really dislike but it must be done!), DS1 has been in hospital for a few days and DD has hurt both shoulders and is a mess to say the least! Priscilla has also needed our support more than ever with her father in law dying in hospital last month and the fact that she is expecting her 4th baby despite being told she couldn't conceive after the treatment she's been having! Frighteningly though her tumour has grown and another has developed in her lower abdomen. Yesterday she had surgery to run a tube from one kidney to a bag on the outside as the tumour was squashing the kidney...I don't know how she keeps going but she does.

Charlie was born 10 days late and is now 7 weeks old, he is so cute and cherished as you can imagine, he weighed in 9lbs 5 oz and is thriving on his Mummy's milk...

So whenever possible I have loved being at home, 'just' pottering....tidying the garden when the sun is out, cleaning, reading, knitting, cooking and baking at my own pace. I bought a fantastic book and am making some lovely bread now in the bread-maker , this is the egg-enriched loaf(not quite as yellow as this evening photo)...

Today I got some more washing soda and made up Wendy's Magical Spray, it's safe and effective and I'm really pleased with it. Have a look at Wendy's blog as she has so many ways to save money around the house and garden. Wendy has even been on telly in this very un-flatteringly entitled documentary 

 Then there was the tourtiere or French Canadian Meat Pie I made for the first time. It's traditionally served on Christmas Eve but should be on every meat eater's menu plan. I made the pastry with butter and plain flour in the food processor and used a kilo of pork and beef minces(all free range), a chopped onion and about 3 level teaspoons of allspice in lieu of the spices in this recipe Chicken stock is much nicer to cook the meat in, it should stay quite moist but with very little liquid as you don't thicken it to make gravy. That's a maple leaf on the top and not a waving starfish.

So about these chick peas...in Canada at Chinese Restaurant buffets you can to sure to see Kung Pao or Captain's Chicken and it's very very tasty. I saw this recipe and was intrigued, partly because I never see any legume other than black beans in Chinese cooking. I found this post rather hard to follow as I don't use teriyaki so went with the following seasonings instead...

4 teaspoons of Lee Kum Kee Chili and Garlic Sauce (yummy)
2-3 tablespoons sweet and sour sauce
3 tablespoons of soy sauce
2 teaspoons of apple cider vinegar

You could mix and match any of your favourite sauces too.

I left out the carrot but used red and green capsicum instead, chopped peanuts really set the dish off and I didn't have the sesame oil which is why I'm writing all this here for when I forget! I wouldn't say it feeds 4 people either, 3 at the most. Do you like my thrift shop pyrex dish?

I think that's all for now, the washer is beeping at me to hang out the bathmats so I must away, will leave you with a photo of the beautiful Papa Meilland rose that bloomed exactly 3 months after Mum's passing, it was her favourite because of the heavy perfume; is it odd to talk to a rose bush?
Enjoy your day and hug your loved ones tight xxx

Bean a Bit Busy

but here is my new favourite recipe

I have no idea where the inspiration for this creation came from but I love it! Any seasonings could be swapped for the peri peri sauce(I bought Woolworth's Select brand and love that too)

1/3 cup wild rice boiled for about 20 minutes and then a cup of basmati rice(any rice will do) added and cooked until tender. Drain very well and leave as long as possible to dry out as with regular fried rice.

Finely chop and sauté in a large fry-pan...

an onion
half a red capsicum
a stalk of celery
two cloves of garlic
a cup of chopped spinach/silverbeet/kale

Either drain a tin of your favourite beans or use 2 cups of ready cooked beans(I used tinned 4 bean mix this time and home cooked white beans last time) and heat them through, season with either 2-3 tablespoons of peri peri sauce/soy sauce etc etc AND the juice of one beautiful home grown lemon(if possible)

add your cold, dry rice and mix well until it is hot, check seasonings and add chopped fresh herbs.

It's a very versatile recipe that has been around since Adam I expect but there is a good reason for that...it's cheap, tasty and nourishing and you can mix and swap to use whatever you have on hand.

All is well here, blogging mojo has gone AWOL again but we're all well

Big Love as Jamie Oliver says!
Sue and Co
xx

Kimchi Soup

What???

Coming to the end of a jar of kimchi I wondered what I could use the fermented liquid for knowing it is very good for the digestive system. Google advised that it can be drunk, and it's yummy btw, and one recipe I loved the look of is Kimchi Soup which uses both the liquid and a cup of the kimchi itself.

I don't have the Korean chilli flakes and it seemed it would be far too hot for us Westerners so I came up with this blend to feed 2...

1 cup kimchi(I make my own)
1 cup kimchi liquid
1 cup of water
a small sliced onion
2 sliced spring onions
chopped chili to taste, remember the kimchi is already hot
1/2 cup thinly sliced mushrooms/zucchini etc
2 crushed garlic cloves
2 T soy sauce
packet of firm tofu, sliced
you could add a little ground or ready cooked meat too

Start by frying the kimchi and sliced onion in a little oil for about 5-7 minutes.
Add kimchi liquid, water, vegetables and simmer, uncovered, for about 10 minutes.
Stir in garlic, soy sauce and tofu and cooked meat if using and taste for seasoning.
Simmer gently for another 10 minutes and serve with steamed rice on the side.

It's really very good ;)

Zucchini Pancakes or Fritters

I made these two nights ago and they were tasty and fluffy, quite nice cold too if you have leftovers.

You'll need ...

2-3 cups of grated zucchini
1/2 cup of wholemeal flour
1/4 cup of parmesan or cheddar cheese
3 finely chopped spring onions
1/2 teaspoon of baking powder
2 eggs
salt and pepper

Make a batter by mixing the whole lot together and shallow fry until brown on both sides, serve and enjoy.

This next recipe comes from The Thrifty Kitchen by Suzanne Gibbs and her daughter, Kate Gibbs. I have made a few changes.

Crispy Coconut Oat Biscuits

You'll need

250 gms softened butter
2/3 cup brown sugar
1 egg
2 T treacle or golden syrup
1 cup bran, I used oat bran
3/4 cup wholemeal flour
1 cup of white flour
1 t baking powder
1 cup of dessicated coconut
1/2 cup seeds or chopped nuts
1/2 cup sultanas

Cream the butter and work in the sugar, egg and treacle or syrup
Fold in the remaining ingredients and knead lightly
Shape into golf ball sized balls and place on greased trays, press lightly
Bake at 180C for around 20 minutes

I made 20 last time and they are lovely big biscuits which freeze well.

Speaking of food have you tried Narelle's Apricot Slice yet? It lasts well, requires no cooking and makes a beautiful gift, my apricots are waiting in the pantry! I can't believe I don't have a photo but you can enjoy looking at Narelle's pics :)

I'm laughing because a certain Funny Bunny just ran in here as fast as he could and went straight back out again! Yesterday I spent some time looking at vintage rabbit images on-line...this one was painted in 1503, it's a hare I believe and I really like it...Elizabeth is painting Twitch at the moment but having lots of trouble with the variations of colour in his coat. I can't wait 'til she's finished.

Bye bye for now,
Love from Sue
xxx

Some Whole-Food Cooking

Well the rent inspection went very well after all my worrying and we are hopefully getting the fence repaired and the gutters cleaned.

With the warmer weather approaching I find I'm again preparing many more Vegetarian meals and various salads and being very inspired by Heather's Wholefoods Course.

We had pearl barley with a beef and mushroom stew one night and then the last cup of barley went into these burgers along with...

1 to 1 1/2 cups of cooked beans

1 cup of rolled oats

the cup of barley

2 duck eggs

a heaped teaspoon each of mixed herbs and ground cumin

1/2 teaspoon each of chilli flakes and sea salt

Blitz the lot together and shape into 8 large burgers, shallow fry. They freeze well uncooked so I popped 4 in the freezer and we made 2 meals of the others. I cut the big mixture into 8 even pieces before rolling them into pattie shapes...

On Tuesday I soaked a 350gm bag of red kidney beans I'd picked up for 50cents, cooked them for about 8 minutes in my trusty pressure cooker, they really swell up and will be frozen to add to 'everything', tonight I'm going to use some in a chilli dish...this is such a thrifty way to buy your beans.

I bought a couple of raw beetroots at the weekend to grate and make this salad or slaw. Grating beets is messy business so I covered the bench top with newspaper to catch the 'spray'! I also grated an apple and added chopped spring onions and mixed seeds. The dressing was the juice of one lemon with an equal amount of olive oil, a teaspoon of honey and salt and pepper...it was even better the second day and I think the colour is just beautiful...

Joe has been craving some more oatcakes lately so I got on with them yesterday, I cut these into squares the save having to keep rolling out the offcuts, it was quicker and probably better for the oatcakes...Joe enjoyed some with a chunk of feta cheese.

I made a very tasty potato bake for dinner yesterday, I par-boiled about 1 kilo of unpeeled potatoes and then thinly sliced them. Layered them in a lasagne type dish with thinly sliced onions, finely chopped mushrooms and a layer of boiled ham in the middle. Then I poured over 300gms cream mixed with 1/2 cup of milk, S and P and some sneaky oat bran, covered it with foil and baked it at 170C for an hour. I took it out and uncovered it, sprinkled on some cheese and let it brown for another 30 minutes or so.

Time then to cook the brown rice I'd soaked overnight, I added the mushrooms and some Bragg's seasoning once the rice was drained and now it's ready to become a salad or a side dish with a few suitable additives.

Yesterday I followed Rose's link to this wonderful foody blog, Can You Stay For Dinner and I loved Andy's salad suggestions that the link will take you to.

I went to watch Jess and Livvie at tee-ball practice yesterday after school, it was great fun with some of the parents playing too! Then they went off to Aikido which they started recently and love. Gordie and Livvie have a cold :( Hope they feel better very soon.

Bye bye for now,
Love, Sue
xx

Here I Am!

I have been rather un-focussed recently, drifting through my days reading and stitching and weeding and dreaming. We've also been very busy at the forum making decisions and improvements.
Another dreamer, yes, he's fine. Did you know rabbits can sleep with their eyes open?

This week I have begun my first ever on-line course compliments of my lovely friend, Rose. The course is a whole-foods kitchen course, run by Heather Bruggeman, and will hopefully get me back on track in the kitchen. I've been an advocate of whole foods for many years, eating the whole food rather than discarding the peels and skins that contain much of the nourishment. As well as being nutritionally better it is cheaper too and we're having a tight budget month as part of Stoptober...no un-necessary spending for all of October.

I started on Monday evening by soaking 3/4 cup of brown rice in cold water overnight. This seems to halve the cooking time(thus saving fuel) and once it was cooked, drained and slightly cooler I dressed it with EVO, soy sauce and grated ginger...no recipe, just use your own judgement. Into the rice went chopped onion/celery/green capsicum/tomato/cashews and a drained can of white beans(none left in freezer)... just about anything, dried fruit/chopped orange are nice too. I heard Joe serve himself and then sigh, "Ooooo This is soooo goooood!" lol

We've just joined Aussie Farmers Direct and are expecting our Winter Vegie Box this afternoon...I will take some pics and tell you more about them tomorrow.

Off to wash some dishes and floors,
Take care,
Love from Sue
xxx

Rose's Spicy Soup Recipe

Our lovely Rose at the Down to Earth forums posted this gorgeous soup recipe last week...I only used about a litre of stock and made a very thick soup or stew ....it was so good I gobbled up two thirds of it and Joe was lucky to get a taste. This recipe is definitely a "keeper"~

You'll need to saute

a chopped onion
4 crushed garlic cloves
a heaped t of chopped ginger

Stir in
 2 t paprika
1 t ground cumin
1/2 t chilli flakes

Add
300 gms chopped pumpkin
2 chopped celery sticks
2/3 cup of red lentils
1 can of chick peas or 1 1/4 cups if you have cooked ones on hand
1 can of chopped tomatoes
salt and pepper
3 cups each of stock and water(use slightly less for a thicker soup but don't let the lentils "catch" as they swell)

Simmer for around 30 minutes or just 5 minutes if you are using a pressure cooker.
It was really nice served with a dollop of plain yoghurt.

There are major improvements going on at Elizabeth's house this week, lots of decluttering, repainting and new furniture and floor coverings too. Can't wait to see the end results!

Off to the washing line, so glad it's sunny!
Love from Sue
xx

Tuscan Style White Bean Soup

We eat tons of minestrone, thick with various vegetables, macaroni and red kidney beans and grated cheese on top. I got a lovely "Slow Cooking Around The Mediterranean" recipe book from the library this week and liked the look of this simpler white bean soup.
However after reading the instructions.....slow cook the beans for 4 hours after boiling them for 10 minutes after soaking them overnight it was put into 'the too-hard basket' and I winged it with the aid of my trusty pressure cooker.....here's my version...

Beans
I left my 1 1/4 cups of haricot,white or navy beans soaking overnight in cold water and then changed the water this morning. They took 4-5 minutes to cook once at high pressure and I let the pot cool down on it's own while I cooked the rest of the ingredients. This made enough beans for 2 meals so I froze half of them. They would take about an hour to cook in an ordinary saucepan or you could use a drained and rinsed tin of white beans instead.

Soup Base
For 4 medium serves you'll need....

a chopped onion
2 cloves of chopped garlic
1 tin of chopped tomatoes
2 T tomato paste
1 t sugar
3 bay leaves
2 cups of chicken or vegie stock
salt and pepper
chopped parsley
a few shredded spinach/silverbeet leaves~optional

Lightly fry the chopped onion until clear and then add the garlic for a few minutes
Fry off the tomato paste then stir in the rest of these ingredients, (not the beans or parsley yet though)
After about 45 minutes the soup should be ready for the beans and parsley so add these now and cook another 10 minutes, try to avoid over-cooking the beans at this stage.

We had toasted French stick and butter with ours and it was really lovely.

Check out the pressure cooking times chart on the right of my blog, I refer to it regularly.

In the words of the immortal Johnny Cash "It looks like we're gonna be blessed with a little more rain" from this song
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pyZD7eoHZT8

Stay dry and warm,
Love from Sue
xx

Vegetable Pasties

Lest We Forget. Today is ANZAC Day in Australia and New Zealand and we remember all those who gave their lives and possibly their physical and or mental health in defence of our countries.


This recipe is for me as much as you, too often I make a really nice dinner and then forget about it or what was in it so I shall strike while the iron is hot and get this recipe down.

Last week Rhonda challenged us to eat 50% less meat for a month and there have been some lovely recipes posted at the forum. I've adapted Madge's recipe for Vegetable Pasties and made my own wholemeal pastry(flour, butter and salt...what could be simpler?) I made the filling in the morning as it really must be cold when you wrap it in the pastry.

You 'll need
400 grams of potato
2 carrots
200 grams of cauliflower or broccoli

Wash the potatoes and carrots, chop coarsely and put them on to steam or boil.
Add the broccoli/cauli after about 10-15 minutes.
Drain and mash together and set aside while you do the next step.

onion
celery
tomato
mushroom
herbs
curry powder
frozen peas/corn
salt and pepper

Heat a tablespoon of oil and lightly fry a finely chopped onion, a little garlic and two thinly sliced sticks of celery. Stir in 2 chopped tomatoes, 2-3 chopped mushrooms and then (at least) 3 teaspoons of curry powder(I also added some tabasco sauce), keep stirring until the tomato is quite soft and the curry powder is cooked(5 mins?) Stir in half a cup of frozen peas or corn and a handful of chopped herbs(chives were good) and season really well.

Mix this thoroughly into the mashed potato and then leave it to cool completely.

Make pastry....I use my food processor these days and leave it to rest in a plastic bag for about 30 minutes.

400gms wholemeal plain flour
200gms butter
3/4 teaspoon of salt
cold water

Roll out the pastry next...I tore off lumps measuring about 2 inches across, rolled them into circles and then into flat discs...this way I didn't have to cut out the circles and re-roll the pastry which makes it go very hard. Place 2 tablespoons of filling onto one half of the circle and fold it over, pressing the edges together and brush with a beaten egg(or just milk for thrift).
Bake at 200C for about 30 minutes until the pastry is golden brown. I made 7 big(shop-size) pasties from this recipe and saved a fortune, they are sooo very delicious and we know exactly what is in them. What do you think of these?

You could always use frozen shortcrust pastry but then you won't be quite sure of what sort of fats and additives you're consuming, pastry-making really is a wonderful skill to have.

It's a public holiday here today for Anzac Day so we'll have a quiet day at home, do you have any plans? Have you attended a Dawn Service or March in your home town?
Take care,
Love from Sue
xx

Zucchini Flan..Mum's Recipe

.....an oldie and a goodie especially now that zucchinis are so cheap....

You'll need

2 cups of thinly sliced zucchini, (about 2/3 of a large one)
1 tin of chopped drained tomatoes or 2-3 thinly sliced fresh ones
5 beaten eggs with 3/4 cup milk
60 gms each of parmesan cheese and cheddar cheese, grated
basil or oregano to taste(I used 2 teaspoons of chopped fresh basil)
1 chopped onion
2 crushed cloves of garlic
salt and pepper

start by sautéing the onion until quite soft then add the garlic and stir-fry a little longer.
take off the heat and mix in the tomatoes, parmesan cheese, herbs and season to taste

grease a flan or pie dish and make layers of zucchini slices and the tomato mixture(2 layers of each)
pour over the eggs and milk, top with cheddar cheese and bake at 180C for about 45minutes.

Lovely hot or cold


Cooler weather is on it's way...it's been up to 40C in Perth this weekend.....toooo hot for me. Minimum 16C to Max of 30C will be fine thank you very much.
Love from Sue
xx

Clayton's Quiche, The Quiche You Have When You're Not Having A Quiche!

A long funny title that stems from an advert for a lovely non-alcoholic drink made from herbs etc and called Clayton's Tonic....the drink you have when you're not having a drink! It was really lovely.

So then, my quiche is called a Clayton's Quiche because it doesn't have a pastry case, just 1/4 of flour forms a layer on the bottom and this method saves a lot of time and calories too ;)

You'll need

6 eggs
2 cups of milk/cream/yogurt/ricotta/cottage cheese, whatever you have is good
1/4 plain wholemeal flour
about 2 cups of quichie things such as chopped ham/bacon/tuna, finely chopped spring onion/capsicum/tomato/mushrooms, peas/corn, chopped fresh herbs are lovely too
1 cup of grated cheese

Beat the eggs and milks together
Stir in the flour and your meat and veggies and half the cheese and season well
Pour into a greased flan dish( mine is about 12inches/30cms in diameter)
Sprinkle the remaining cheese over the top and bake at 180C for 30-40 minutes, until the middle is set. If you leave it too long it will become rather rubbery (and that is not lubberly!)

We had a tasty simple salad of lettuce, tomato and capsicum with marinated feta and sundried tomatoes.

It must be Summer!

It fluffed up rather like a souffle but didn't have so far to fall...yummy!

38C is the weather forecast today, I think I'll nip to the shops as soon as they open as I need some olive oil to make Joe's special soap and Mum needs a cartridge for her printer too. I've just put Twitch in his outdoor 'playpen' and the baby doves are watching him with interest...he is NOT happy to be locked up!

Enjoy your day, where-ever you are,
Love from Sue
xxx

Carol's Arancini plus Cheese n Crisps Biscuits Recipes

Two recipes today, Rose asked for Carol's recipe and method for making arancini and Tania expressed interest in the cheese and crisps/chips biscuits I made last week. The arancini have become a tradition when we Old Girls do lunch together!

internet pic as we ate Carol's too fast to photograph! Carol's have a pale pink tinge too due to the addition of tomato.

• • Recipe for Arancini
    
    Ing: chopped onions x 2, oil, aborio rice about a cup, chicken stock,2T grated parmeson cheese, butter salt and pepper
    
    slowly cook onions in olive oil until clear and soft, add rice and coat with the oil. gradually add the stock, as if you are making risotto. when rich is thick and cooked, not too soft, add cheese and a small nob of butter, mix well.
    
    In another pot cook some chopped onion and a couple of tomatoes, when soft and thick add to risotto at the end. cool the rice mixture in the fridge over night.
    
    The next day make small balls of rice and coat with breadcrumbs, fry in olive oil until brown both sides. If the mixture is too loose, add some flour to thicken it up. you can put a cube of cheese in the middle of the the rice ball but I like it just with the tomato and onion.
    It can be tricky but you will get there with a bit of patience.
    
    makes quite a lot and can be frozen.

Do make sure you use arborio or risotto rice for this dish, you can also use left-over risotto to make the arancini.

Cheese and Crisps Biscuits

This is another recipe based on one from "Best Recipes From The Weekly" where I also found our Christmas cake recipe, these also freeze well so would be good to have on hand for the Christmas season. It only made 15 biscuits so I would double the recipe next time.

60 butter
90 grated cheese
1 cup of crushed potato chips/crisps
1/2 cup plain wholemeal flour
pinch of dry mustard or 2!
white pepper

Melt the butter gently in a small saucepan and then add all the other ingredients.
Mix very thoroughly and then roll heaped teaspoon into balls and flatten them slightly on the tray.
(I ended up pressing a heaped teaspoon onto the baking papered tray and shaping it there as they kept breaking up)
Bake at 180-190C for 12-15 minutes until lightly browned.

Hope you enjoy trying these easy recipes, the arancini are especially thrifty and can be served hot( with a pasta sauce) or cold as part of a buffet or salad.

It was very hot here yesterday and the cricket finished early so I was busy elfing at my sewing machine!

Have a Marvellous Monday,
stay cool or warm if you're in the northern hemisphere,
Love from Sue
xxx

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The Book Depository and Other Tales

I can't recommend the Book Depository highly enough for good value and service too,  I made my purchase on-line, the site is easy to navigate and the book arrived after 2 weeks from the UK. The best thing about them is that they post worldwide for free and this wonderful book that I use almost every day cost $8.23!

When I 'went off' meat in early September the one recipe book from the library that made it very easy was "500 Greatest Ever Vegetarian Recipes" edited by Valerie Ferguson. It seems to be a compilation of recipes from various sources and leaves out dessert recipes in favour of many more savoury recipes, fresh fruit is enough when we have dessert.

Almost every recipe is illustrated and there are various unusual sections such as Hot and Spicy and Special Occasions as well as beautifully photographed pages of ingredients and techniques at the beginning of the book...

It would a lovely gift for any vegetarian or any-one who simply wants to eat more vegetables, they certainly  reduce grocery bills!

Yesterday morning the plumber turned up to repair some dripping taps, one so bad that it was filling a 9 litre bucket in 2 hours(and then being poured onto pot plants). The constant dripping noise was driving us mad as well as the waste of good clean water. He also fixed the leaking toilet so it's lovely here again now! Later in the morning I had a message from a new forum friend who lives quite close offering her DH as an amateur plumber to fix the taps...I thought this was such a kind and neighbourly gesture...ty Mandy and Paul xx

We had a tasty salad before heading out on the mid 30C afternoon, sans car air-conditioner :(

The specialist we went to see for Joe's shoulder and elbow was wonderful, he got all the details and then examined the patient and he feels it may be a trapped nerve in the neck. He sent Joe for extensive bloodtests and a bone density scan (Sat.) as well as recommending (each day) 10 x 1,000mgs fish oil capsules and 4 x 1,000 mgs of Vitamin D; both of these should help Joe to sleep better, feel happier as well as improving bone and joint health, Joe cannot process Vit D from the sunlight.

So that was our day, this afternoon Joe has chess club at the local school and I have to drive to Mandurah to see my haemachromotosis specialist and have a bag of blood taken off...it's in the oncology dept and the staff are so wonderful but I count my blessings when I see the other patients on their day-long drips.

Hope my fellow Aussies are keeping cool and safe, there are already bush fires burning, http://www.watoday.com.au/wa-news/bushfire-still-out-of-control-with-more-than-20-homes-lost-20111124-1nvon.html

Love from Sue
xxx

Cheese and Onion Oat Flan

Time for a recipe methinks. This is my adaptation of a recipe in the "Margaret Fulton's Book of Wholefood Cooking" which I have been using for at least 30 yrs. I use the food processor to make this pastry and you'll see why in a moment.

You'll need....

1 cup of wholemeal flour
1 cup of rolled oats
125 gms or 4ozs butter
cold water and a pinch of salt

Make the pastry first...
Process the rolled oats until they're very fine and add the flour, salt and butter
Process again until the mixture resembles breadcrumbs then pour in about 2 T of cold water
Process that and add a little more water if needed until you have a firm dough.
Place the dough on a floured surface and knead lightly, then roll it out and line your pie plate or flan with it.
Pop it into the fridge while you make the filling or for at least 15minutes.

Make the filling...

2 chopped onions
4 eggs
2/3 cup of milk
1 to 1 3/4 cups of grated cheese, depending on your taste
salt and pepper
I also added a tablespoon or so of finely diced red capsicum and a little thinly sliced silverbeet.

Gently "fry" the onions/capsicum etc in either a little butter or water until they're transparent but not browned.
Beat the eggs and milk together and then mix in the onions, cheese and season well.

Pour this mixture into your flan case and bake at 190C for about 40 minutes. The flan is lovely hot or cold and I'm sure will be much enjoyed. If you're taking it to a party or picnic use 2 full cups of cheese for a real "wow" factor!

Well the soap didn't get made yesterday as I couldn't get the caustic soda until late afternoon; how can there be such a difference in the price of it? Local IGA charges $4.97 for 500gm, Joe got it at Coles for $3.95 and the hardware shop charges about $7 for the same amount. Buying it in bulk is the way to go if you're going to be making a lot.

Hope you have a Wonderful Wednesday
Love from Sue
xxx
and some beautiful lillies that Kristie bought me last year...

Cooking Dried Beans

 find that we're eating beans at least once a day now that I've cut meat from my diet. I like a wide variety of beans and have tins of chick peas, butter beans, red kidney beans, borlotti and white navy beans in the pantry for instant beanie goodness. These cost about $1 a cup and must be drained and rinsed well before use.
However in my quest to further reduce costs I've been trying over the years to master the cooking of dried beans which I can buy for about $4 per kilo. Yesterday I weighed out 250gms of navy or haricot beans, and placed them in a large dish and poured about a litre of boiling water over them. Cover with a plate to keep out bugs and dust and let them sit for about 4 hours. During this time check to make sure they are still under water and you will see just how much they have increased in volume.

I used the (beloved) pressure cooker to save cooking time and keep the temperature in the kitchen down. These beans were drained and added to the cooker with 1 cup of soaked beans to 3 cups of clean water and cooked on high for about 4 minutes. Take them off the heat and use the quick-release function on your cooker to let out the steam so you can open the pan and stop further cooking.

Here you can see 250gms of dried beans next to about 4 cups of cooked beans. I used half last night in a Vegie Shepherd's Pie and froze 2 cups in a zip-lock bag for another meal.

 They were tender enough to eat right away and when I used them last night in a tomatoey vegie stew I gave them about 15minutes in a regular pan to absorb some of the saucy flavours.

This link will take you a wonderful pressure cooking site and show you how to cook almost anything in one. There are charts of cooking times for each variety of bean and recipes using the beans; ditto for all kinds of meats, chicken, seafood,  vegetables, fruits, grains.

You can make an easy hummus-type dip/spread by mashing or processing a cup of cooked beans, add a tablespoon of olive oil, a teaspoon of tahini, 1/2 teaspoon crushed garlic, juice of half a lemon and season to taste..Mum and I like a little paprika in ours.

Do you have a pressure cooker and do you use it regularly? What dishes do you make in yours?

Have a Terrific Tuesday every-one,
Love from Sue
xxx

Vegetable and Bean Casserole with Cheesy Scone Topping

Here's another frugal but tasty vegetarian dinner we enjoyed very much recently. I used the pressure cooker to cook the vegies...4 minutes on full power was all it took and then 30 minutes in the oven to cook the scone topping.

As usual you can use whatever vegetables you have on hand depending on the season. To make 4 big serves I used the following ...add more vegies and even a second tin of baked beans for a larger group.....

2 chopped onions
2 crushed garlic cloves
2 medium chopped potatoes
2 diced carrots
2 thinly sliced celery sticks
1/2 a large zucchini
2 bay leaves
1 x 450gm of Baked Beans in Tomato Sauce(Heinz...it has to be Heinz!)
big splash of Worcestershire sauce
vegetable stock, 1/2 a litre?
1 heaped tablespoon of cornflour mixed in a little water to thicken the stew

Gently fry the onions in 2 T of oil for several minutes and then add the other vegetables and stir fry for about 5 minutes to really sweat out those lovely flavours.
Pour in the stock, Worcester sauce and bay leaves, just enough stock to cover the vegies and cook until tender...as I said I used the pressure cooker and they were ready after 4 minutes cooking time.

Stir in the baked beans and season to taste. Keep warm while you make the scones...

2 cups wholemeal self-raising flour
1/2 cup of  butter
cold milk
1 cup of grated cheese
2T chopped chives or green onion tops
salt and pepper

Rub the butter into the flour
Stir in the 1/2 of the cheese and chives, salt and pepper
Work in just enough milk to make a soft dough
Knead very lightly and cut out your shapes out,
Place them on top of your casserole in an oven-proof dish
Sprinkle the remaining cheese over and bake at 180C for about 30 minutes.

It was much enjoyed as left-overs the following day too!

Hope you are having a good week, any plans for today? It's Mum's golf day here and Joe may be going to Camera Group if his sore neck lets him. I need to finish some sewing and knitting projects and finally put all that laundry away that I did 2 days ago!

Love from Sue
xxx

Spicy Chick Peas

This is more of a method than a recipe and can be varied greatly, depending on what you have at hand. You could use beans instead of chick peas and any variety of vegetable that is in season. It is a very quick, frugal and nourishing meal when served with brown rice from the fridge.

You'll need....

a chopped onion
2 crushed garlic cloves
6 teaspoons of Moroccan spice mix(or curry powder)
1 x 450gm can of chick peas(garbanzos)
1 x 450gm can of chopped tomatoes
1 cup of chopped zucchini....here you could use any fast cooking or pre-cooked vegetable. even frozen vegetables
handful of currants(or any other dried fruit)
pinch of dried chilli flakes(optional)

Gently fry the onion and then the garlic in about 2T oil
Stir in the spices and stir fry for at least 2 minutes to release all their flavour
Mix in the chick peas, tomatoes and vegies and stir well ( I put about 1/4 cup of water into the tomato tin to wash out the last of the tomato juice and dilute the dish a little)
Cook for about 20 minutes or until the vegies are tender, check to see if it needs salt or pepper.


You could serve it with lemon or lime juice, harissa paste or preserved lemon on a bed or rice or couscous, over cooked potatoes or pasta.

I know I remarked to Ruth(Mrs W) yesterday that generally curries made with the individual spices are better than dishes made using curry powder but when I saw the Moroccan spice mix in Perth on Saturday it looked so fresh that I bought about 3 tablespoons....I tasted it on the train on the way home and it was really good...quite salty though...so I was really looking forward to making this dish.

We're off to Fremantle Hospital yet again today for Joe to see the Oral Surgeon, or vice versa. I'll make the most of the trip to buy some nice fresh vegetables at one of the big Italian owned greengrocers shops near the hospital.

What are your plans for the day? I do hope you enjoy the day very much...time is very precious.

Love from Sue
xx

Microwave Oven Fruity Flapjacks and Mustard Potato Bake

I think I was raised on Flapjacks as a child and they were one of the first things I could cook on my own. This version is speedy to prepare and take about 4 minutes to cook...I made it in less than 10 minutes on Saturday.

You'll need....

90 grams of butter
5 T brown sugar
2 T of Golden Syrup or treacle(i'm sure honey or maple syrup would work equally well)

Put these ingredients into a microwave safe dish, I used the big Pyrex one that Marlene gave me years ago.
Microwave on high just long enough to melt the butter and mix them well.

Add...
160 gms of rolled oats
180 gms of a mixture of chopped dried fruit, nuts and seeds and stir well then...you could use apricots, apples, cherries, sultanas, currants, raisins, walnuts, almonds, cashews, pecans, hazelnuts; sunflower, pumpkin, chia, sesame, flax...use your imagination to some extra special Good Stuff to your family's diet.

Press into a greased baking dish, I used my Pyrex pie plate.
Cook on high until the middle is bubbling....mine took 4 minutes but you may need a little less or more.

Leave it to cool and cut into wedges.

Although it's quite high in sugar and butter I'm sure it's still a better alternative to the additive and bad fat filled and expensive "muesli bars" in our childrens' lunch-boxes. Oats have a proven role to play in reducing cholesterol and any seeds and nuts you've used are rich in protein, Vitamin E and zinc as well as fibre. It freezes well too.

My second recipe today is for a tender sliced potato dish well flavoured with French mustard and fresh herbs.

This is about the only time I use the food processor for slicing or grating but this dish will cook much better if the slices are even in size.

You'll need....

1kg washed potatoes, 

1 T each of butter and olive oil

2 crushed cloves of garlic

1T Dijon mustard

1T lemon juice

1 T fresh herbs, I used thyme as the new growth is particularly fragrant right now.

1/4 cup of stock

Salt and pepper

Heat the oil and butter and gently fry the garlic for 2 minutes, stir in the other ingredients and set aside.

Working quickly so that the potato slices don't go brown, slice 1/3 of them and layer them in a greased casserole dish, spoon over the mustard sauce then repeat this step twice more.

Cover with aluminium foil and bake at 180C for an hour or until the potatoes are tender. Take the foil off for the last 15 minutes so that the top can brown and crisp up.

I also baked some whole potatoes and carrots while I had the oven on and for the last 30 minutes I added Joe's pork chop wrapped in foil with balsamic vinegar and sliced onion.

I hope you'll try these thrifty recipes and enjoy them. Have a wonderful week!

Love, Sue

xx

Mixed Nut Spread or Dip

After seeing Laura's lovely Nut Pate this weekend I wanted to make some with the nuts and seeds I already had here at home.

I used
1/4 cup each of flaxseed/linseed, roasted cashews and the 5-seed mix I like to add to bread.
1/2 pecans, walnuts and sunflower seeds.
about 3/4 cup of vegetable stock

I used the blender to mash them all up but should have used the food processor as it would have been much roomier and quicker too. The taste is delicious, we'll have it on toast etc but it will make a lovely dip with a little more stock to thin it out. The smaller jar is in the freezer to keep it fresh or to give to Mum if she'd like it.

Thank you kindly Laura and Happy Birthday to Bob-a-dog today.....give him a cuddle from us!

Son-in-Law Eggs Recipe

Hard boiled eggs sizzling

sauce developing it's wonderful flavours

rice a-waiting

simple salad ready

 This is a quick and very easy dish but it's quite delicious. It's hails from Thailand and this is what you'll need~~~~basic recipe but you'll need to double it for a family or to make sure you have leftovers! It's success depends on the lovely balance of salty, hot, sour and sweet.

6 free range eggs, hard-boiled and shelled
1 tablespoon of cornflour(thanks L)

1 onion, finely chopped
1 tablespoon of brown sugar
2 teaspoons of Maggi Hot Chili Sauce OR a chopped fresh chili
3 tablespoons of hot water
2 tablespoons of fish sauce
1-2 tablespoons of tamarind juice or lemon juice
oil for frying

Use a toothpick to poke 3-4 holes in the eggs so that they don't burst while they're frying and roll them in 2 teaspoons of cornflour which makes them nice and crispy.

Heat up a tablespoon or so of oil and put the eggs in to brown all over.

In a small saucepan heat another glug of oil and cook the onions until they're quite tender.
Add all the sauces, the sugar and the water and stir well.Cook for 5 minutes and then mix in the remaining cornflour to slightly thicken the sauce.

Serve with Jasmine or Basmati Rice, eggs on top with the sauce poured over, and perhaps a side salad.

In Thailand this dish often appears as part of a buffet-type meal.