Red Lentil Soup with Rice

Red Lentil Soup with Rice
¾ cups red lentils (rinsed and drained)
salt to taste
½ teaspoon pepper
1 teaspoon paprika
8 cups water
6 tablespoons butter
1 ½ cups onion, chopped
4 teaspoons garlic
½ cup fresh cilantro, finely chopped
¼ cup rice, rinsed and drained

Place lentils, salt, pepper, paprika and water in pot. Cook over medium heat for 30 minutes. Melt butter in pan, fry onions and garlic until brown. Add cilantro and sauté 3 minutes. Stir in lentils, and rice. Bring to a boil and reduce heat. Simmer until rice is tender.

* I always add a little hot pepper sauce to mine for a little extra kick! Yum!

Menu Plan Monday - Khrista - Edition 25

I'll post the Red Lentil Soup with Rice recipe tomorrow, after I have a picture! :)
The Pesto Farfalle recipe can be found *HERE*

Spicy Potatoes

I can't believe I have never posted this recipe before. It is a favorite around here.

900g / 2lb potatoes

1/4 tsp ground turmeric
1/4 tsp chilli powder
1/4 tsp salt

2 tbls oil
1/4 tsp black mustard seeds
1 green chilli, finely chopped
1 garlic clove, crushed
1 tbls sesame seeds

So ... I never measure the potatoes for this. I just get out a big baking dish, line it with baking paper, fill it with chopped potatoes, cover with oil and bake in hot oven .... 200C. I stir them a couple of times so that they all get done and not just the top ones. It takes a while ... maybe 30 minutes ? Maybe longer ? Just keep tasting testing them ...

In the meantime. Get yourself a little bowl and mix up the turmeric, chilli powder and salt. Set aside.

Also in the meantime ... chop up the garlic and chilli. I don't always have a chilli. So, sometimes I don't use one. The time I took the photo, I had a red chilli ... used that. Makes no difference. I like the garlic chopped fine, rather than crushed but you can do what you like. I also use a fair bit more than one garlic clove like the original recipe called for !!

Ok ... get your smallest frying pan and heat the oil. Add the mustard seeds. I use more than 1/4 tsp and I use a combination of black and yellow seeds. Fry the mustard seeds a couple minutes ~ til they splutter. Add the chilli and garlic. Fry for a couple of minutes. I like the garlic to begin to turn brown. Then add the sesame seeds. Fry for a couple of minutes ~ til they begin to turn brown. Remove from heat.

When the potatoes are done, pour into serving bowl. Sprinkle the spice mixture on the potatoes and toss to coat. Then add the chilli/garlic mixture.

Voila !

Serve straight away. They are best piping hot !!

PS ... I pull out the servings of potatoes for the kids before I put the spices on. They prefer them that way ... just a bit too spicy for their little taste buds !

Menu Plan Monday - Bonnie - Edition 24

It's Monday ! Here's what's on the menu this week at our place ...

Some of it has already been eaten, since our menu starts on Friday !!

Friday :

Mustard Chicken
and
Feta Potatoes










Saturday :

Went to Jono's Soccer Awards night and so had take away pizza.

Sunday :

The Great Aussie Burger for lunch

and .....

This amazing Jamie Oliver Salad for dinner. AND for lunch today ... and tomorrow ... and the next day !!

Monday :

Tonight !
We are having Crock Pot Lamb and Orzo
Can you smell it ?
It's been in the crock pot for about 4 hours !
I'm ready to get a fork and tuck into it !!







Tuesday:

Falafel Salad
and Pita Crisps

Will get a photo of the crisps this time !












Wednesday :

Tortilla
and
I'm going to try Khrista's Asparagus Hash !













Thursday :

I am going to try making Grace's Rice
and
Spring Rolls









I did some baking too !!
This is Carrot and Pineapple Cake.
I'll post the recipe soon.

Next Monday, Laura is hosting a special edition menu plan ... FAMILY FAVORITES EDITION ! I can't wait !! There should be some good ideas ! I will be participating too .... see you then !!

Chicken Pot Pie ...

This is a great meal to cook if you are taking dinner to someone. It stays hot FOREVER and is super yummy. Great comfort food ... which people are usually needing when you are taking them dinner !!

Whatcha need :

500g or 1 lb chicken breast
garlic
3 and 1/2 cups water
4 chicken stock cubes ( boullion )
5 medium sized potatoes
2 cups milk
1/3 cup flour
salt and pepper
2 cups shredded cheese of your choice ( I used a mix of mozzarella and "tasty"... I'm not sure what tasty cheese is called outside of Australia ... it's a white cheddar )
Pastry. You could use shortcrust but I use puff !!

If I have them on hand, I will also add carrots and sometimes broccoli and often times mushrooms.

Whatcha do :

Preheat oven.

Cut chicken into bite sized pieces and brown with garlic, til cooked through.

In the meantime, peal the potatoes and chop into small cubes ... do the other veggies too if you are using. Place potatoes in a large pot with water and stock cubes. Bring to a boil, cooking til potatoes are tender. I usually chuck the carrots in for the last 5/10 minutes just to soften a bit. Broccoli and mushrooms don't need it ...

Mix milk and flour. Add slowly to boiling water. Let thicken. ( don't let it burn .... keep stirring ! ) Add chicken, other veggies, salt and pepper and cheese. Stir until cheese is melted and contents are well combined.

Line casserole dish with pastry. I use a 13X9 or sometimes a big round deep casserole dish.

Dump mixture in pot into casserole dish. Cover with pastry. I usually make a nice think crust border around the top ... and maybe a few pretty things with the extra pastry bits on top ... With a sharp knife, cut slits into crust to allow steam to exit.

Bake 350F or 180C for 30 minutes of til crust is nicely browned.

This will be quite runny when you first cut into it. We find it is best to pull it out of the oven, and cut it open, well before you want to serve it. Even like 1/2 an hour before !!

Sandra's Coconut Patries

One of my favorite bloggers, Sandra, posted this recipe and I just have to repost it so the rest of you can enjoy it as well. It's super easy and delicious ... if you like coconut, that is. You can pop over to her site to see step by step (with photos) instructions !!

Coconut Pastries

1 package Puff Pastry
3 eggs
1 cup of milk
1 cup of sugar
1 cup of coconut
sprinkle of vanilla essence
Powdered sugar for garnish

Unroll the sheets of puff pastry and cut each one into 9 squares.

Place on a cookie sheet bake in a 400F / 200C oven until done. (They will puff up and be lovely and golden) Remove from oven and cool down completely.

In the meantime, in a pan, add the eggs, milk, sugar, coconut and a drop or two of vanilla essence. Cook over medium heat until it thickens, remove from heat and allow to cool down.

Open each pastry square and add a tablespoon of the filling or a little more.

Sprinkle with powdered sugar. And voila ... done !

These were super yummy warm. BUT, the were also good the next day. Not flaky and crispy (?) like the first day ... more soft and squishy but still yummmmmmmmmy !!

Ratatouille in the Crock Pot

I was not overly impressed with this meal. Too bland. I will probably try it again but make a few changes because I think the basic recipe is ok ... just lacking a bit of oomph ! I think, if I make it again, I'll also serve it with chicken, like CHICK IN THE KITCHEN did. Maybe that is why she loved this recipe more than me ... Anyway ... I'm going to post the recipe because you may love it too ...

Ratatouille in the Crock Pot

2 small onions, thinly sliced
2 medium eggplants, skin on, diced
2 large green bell peppers, seeded, diced
1 zucchini, diced
1 small red pepper, seeded, diced
6 plum-sized tomatoes, quartered
3 garlic cloves, minced
1/4 tsp. red pepper flakes
1 tsp. salt
1 6-oz. can tomato paste

large handful fresh parsley, chopped
large handful fresh basil, chopped
salt and pepper to taste

Layer ingredients through the 1 tsp. salt in your crock pot, in the order listed. Then dot the tomato paste on top, and cover. Cook on HIGH for 3-4 hours.

Remove lid and stir to combine. Add fresh parsley and basil, and adjust seasoning with salt and pepper. Serve hot, room temperature, or straight from the fridge.

Pumpkin Risotto

I hope none of you want this recipe because I'll have to go to the library to try and find the book that had the recipe. I made it but will not make it again. But, I like the photos so am going to post them anyway ...

Fa la la la la la la fel Salad ... You have to sing the name !

I got this recipe HERE ... I'm copying and pasting the recipe ...

Falafel Salad

For the Tsatsiki Dressing:
1 container Greek yogurt
1/4 cup minced cucumber
1 tablespoon minced fresh mint
juice of 1 lemon
pinch salt

For the Falafel :
1 tablespoon + 2 teaspoons canola oil
1 small onion, diced
1 garlic clove, minced
1/2 teaspoon cumin
1/8 teaspoon cayenne
1 15-ounce can garbanzo beans, drained ( these are also called chickpeas )
2/3 cup dry bread crumbs
salt and pepper
1/4 cup flour
1 egg white, lightly beaten

For the Salad:
3 cups baby greens, such as baby arugula (called rocket in Australia)
1/2 red onion, sliced thinly
1/4 cup chopped tomatoes
1/4 cup chopped seedless cucumbers

I didn't worry about my cucumber being seedless ... I just used some nice continental cucumber. I also added some kalamata olives to our salads just because I love 'em !

****

To prepare the dressing, combine all ingredients in the bottom of a large salad bowl, stirring with a fork until well combined.

Next, prepare the falafel. In a medium skillet, heat 2 teaspoons of canola oil. Add the onion and garlic and cook over moderate heat just until softened, about 3 minutes. Add the cumin and cayenne and cook until fragrant, about 1 minute. Scrape the onion mixture into the bowl of a food processor. Add 1 cup of the beans and pulse until the mixture is finely chopped but not smooth. Scrape the mixture into a medium bowl. Mix in the remaining whole garbanzo beans and 1/4 cup of bread crumbs. Season with salt and pepper. Form the mixture into 6 1/4-cup patties, about 1/2 inch thick.

Put the flour, beaten egg white and remaining bread crumbs into 3 shallow bowls. Dust each bean cake with the flour, tapping off the excess. Dip the cakes in the egg and then in the bread crumbs, pressing so that the bread crumbs adhere.

In a very large skillet, heat 1 tablespoon of canola oil until shimmering. Add the cakes and cook over moderate heat, until golden brown, about 3 minutes per side. Drain on paper towels.

Meanwhile, toss the baby greens, tomatoes, cucumbers and onions in the tsatsiki dressing. (I didn't do this, we just had it on top ...) Divide the dressed vegetables between two plates. Top each plate with 3 falafel patties.

And her recipe for Pita Chips to serve with the salad. They were delicious ... I didn't get any photos of mine ... next time !!

Grilled Pita Chips

2 pitas
1 teaspoon cumin
1/4 teaspoon smoked paprika
1/4 teaspoon fine-grain sea salt

Prepare the grill. Meanwhile, combine the cumin, paprika and sea salt in a small bowl. Next, brush both sides of the pitas with the olive oil. Sprinkle the cumin mixture over both sides of the pitas. Grill the pitas for 2 to 3 minutes per side. Cut into wedges and serve warm, preferably with your favorite hummus.

(We did these under the broiler)

Tomato Tart

The other day while shopping for our weekly produce I could not resist these beautiful organic heirloom tomatoes. I didn't even flinch when the cashier rang up these beauties and $14 was displayed! I knew they would be worth every penny!
And I was right...I dug up a recipe I have had in my "recipes to try" folder for years! I tore it out of a Martha Stewart Living magazine years ago, but you can find it HERE.
The recipe above has a link to a Pâte Brisée recipe I generally use for sweet tarts.
The recipe I tore out of the magazine has a different variation for a savory tart:

2 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon salt
1 tablespoon chopped fresh herbs (I used thyme)
2 sticks (8 ounces) cold unsalted butter, cut into small pieces (I only had salted on hand)
1/2 cup ice water
Process following the recipe for a sweet tart.

I used smoked gouda cheese instead of fontina. YUM!
I even had enough dough leftover for a quiche tonight!

Menu Plan Monday - Khrista - Edition 24

It is still technically Monday here in Alaska! I will come back in the morning to add some links to recipes! Just wanted to get this in before it is no longer MONDAY! ha!
*Edited 09/09/08 to add links:
Tomato Tart or HERE
Potato and Leek Soup

Menu Plan Monday - Bonnie - Edition 23

Can it really be true ? Am I going to get this posted on time this week !?! Hooray for me.

I finished up last week with Friday nights meal so we'll start this week with Saturday ... through to Thursday because that's only as far as I've planned.

Saturday

Artichoke Pasta

Sunday
Since we had a late lunch and had to be back at church before we were ready to eat again, we packed the kids some dinner and just picked through the fridge for ourselves when we got home.

Monday
Tuscan Garlic Chicken
This was delicious ! I'm still full !
Not surprising though as we've only been finished with dinner for 20 minutes !
I'll post the recipe for this one this week !

Tuesday
Tortilla Espanola con chorizo


and

Italian Roast Peppers



Wednesday
Crock Pot Meatballs


and

Foccacia Bread



Thursday
Mustard Chicken with Vegetables
and
Roast Potatoes with Feta



ALSO this week, I did some baking !! Can you believe it ?
I tried Sandra's Coconut Pastries and they were so easy and soooooo delicious !!


I also made Cinnamon Donut Muffins for Father's Day Breakfast.


They were so freaking good, I made them again tonight.
We've had them for dessert and there's plenty left to go in lunches for a day or two.
These are the best muffins I've EVER made.
You're gonna love them.
I post the recipe soon ~ maybe even tomorrow!

Oh yeah, I made spinach and feta pastries too !!
I don't have any more time to download the photo but I'll be posting that recipe this week too.
They were a snap and delicious !!
So much better than the store bought variety !!

Ok ... better run.
Hop over to orgjunkie.com for more Menu Plan Monday !!

A Cool Beans Blog Review ...

CLICK HERE to read a great review on my high school Alumni website !

The author, Michelle, and I went to the same High School in Spain. Just not at the same time. We have only met recently through facebook and the various Alumni sites she has run over the years ! Although, it seems we were on the swim team at the same time when I was in elementary school. We don't remember each other but the years match up. Neat, eh ?

Anyway ... I love the review she wrote and wanted to share it with you all ...

I'll be posting my menu plan for this week later in the day and have a few recipes to share later in the week, so be sure to check back !!

Asparagus Hash

This is not my recipe...I tore it out of the February 2008 issue of Oxygen Magazine.
I made it for the first time this evening and we loved it. Very yummy and a great "one-dish-meal." I took the skillet right to the table on a hot pad.

1 tbs. olive oil
2 red potatoes
1/2 bundle asparagus
1/2 med. yellow onion
1 small red bell pepper
1 tsp. garlic powder
1/2 tsp. rosemary
1/2 tsp. basil
1/2 tsp. salt

1. Add olive oil to a frying pan, on medium heat.
2. While the oil heats up, wash and shop the potatoes into 1/2 inch cubes. Scoop them into the pan and place the lid on. Remember to flip them regularly.
3. While the potatoes are cooking, chop the asparagus, onion and red bell pepper into small 1/2 inch pieces.
4. Check to make sure that the potatoes are partially cooked before adding the other ingredients. This should take about 10 to 15 minutes from the time you put them in the pan.
5. Once you have added all the veggies to the pan, sprinkle on the garlic, rosemary, basil, and salt.
6. Let the hash browns cook for 5 to 10 minutes or until the potatoes are cooked through.

*I added real minced garlic instead of powdered. I also used my mortal and pestle to combine the dried rosemary and Himalayan sea salt.
Very yummy dish!

Menu Plan Monday ~ Bonnie ~ Starting Again

Ok ... I totally forgot to post this on Monday. Now it's Wednesday but HERE IT IS !!

Monday we had Falafel Salad and Pita Crisps. I will post the recipes soon ... YUM YUM YUM, you are going to want to try them !! I didn't get photos of the Pita Crisps but here's the salad.

Tuesday we had Potato and Leek Soup. Again, a recipe you will want to try when winter finally gets to your side of the world. I did post the recipe for this one. You can find it HERE.

Tonight we are having Crock Pot Ratatouille. I have never had Ratatouille but the recipe looked good to me and I am always on the look out for good Crock Pot recipes. I'm glad to have this one cooking away. I've got a sore throat, a sick boy, a doctors appointment in the morning, and well ... I'm just glad to not have to cook tonight !!

Here's what it looked like when I got it all ready ... I'll let you know how it turns out ...

Thursday we are having another new recipe. That's THREE NEW ONES THIS WEEK !! We will be having Crisp Tortilla Stacks with Roasted Corn and Black Beans, with Silkin Cilantro Sauce. This looks really yummy. Hopefully I will be feeling better tomorrow night to cook it.

And finally, on Friday. Instead of Pizza we will be having Jimmy Jambalaya. Remember when I posted that one ? Have any of you tried it ? What did you think ?

Menu Plan Monday - Khrista - Edition 23

I did in fact make my menu on Monday...I just forgot to post it...
It may have been that in the midst of planning my menu I was also catching up on laundry, unpacking, and straightening the house because we had just returned from vacation.
But I am back on the wagon!
Where's your menu Bonnie? :o)
Here's our plan for the week:

Potato and Leek Soup ~ So Yum

My little Jono is sick so I veered from the menu ... oh shoot ! I forgot to post my menu !! ... tonight. Since he's got tonsillitis and I can feel it coming on as well, I decided a big bowl of soup was in order.

I've actually been wanting to post this for a while but finally got motivated tonight since I got a photo of the actual soup. Up til tonight, I only had the photo below of the leeks, onions and garlic cooking.

Here's how you make it.

The ingredients that I use are as follows but you'll probably want to vary it according to your tastes and the size of leeks you can buy.

2 big leeks
6-8 potatoes ( they were medium sized )
1 big onion
garlic ... how ever much you fancy
3 cups water and 3 cups chicken stock (broth)
Or you can do what I do ... 6 cups of water and some chicken stock ( bouillon ) cubes

Boil potatoes in the liquid.

Sautee garlic, onion and leeks.

Drain potatoes but reserve liquid.

Process potatoes and onion/leek/garlic mixture in food processor. I find I need to add some of the liquid to process them. When all processed, add back to liquid. Stir well and increase heat. Keep stirring so soup doesn't burn. Heat just to boiling.

Salt and Pepper. And it's ready to serve.

A Quickie Fruit Platter

I made this for a morning tea we went to this morning.
I forgot we needed to bring a plate,
so an hour before we were meant to be there,
I hit the shops.
This was the result.
Rock melon, strawberries, kiwi fruit, blueberries and bread.
Sour dough.

Torn up and topped with nutella.

Grace's Rice and Bonnie's Spring Rolls

My friend Grace made us some dinner last night.
This yummy Korean fried rice ...
I am going to have to learn how to make it because it was soooo good !
It's got Kimchee in it !
I LOVE KIMCHEE !!!
Grace is going to teach me how to make it !
I can't wait !!

Since I didn't have to cook the main dish last night, I decided to make spring rolls.
I used to make them a lot but haven't made them in years.

AND ... when Grace was here dropping off the rice,
I realized I hadn't bought any sweet and sour sauce.
We love our spring rolls with S & S sauce !
Anyway, Grace told me how to make it and
since I had all the ingredients in the house, I gave it a whirl.
IT WAS GOOD !!

Ok ... so here's the how to ...

You can really put whatever you like in your spring rolls. Mine are always different. Last night I used chinese cabbage, bean sprouts, shredded carrot, garlic, spring onion, and I think that is it. Cook up the ingredients in a fry pan. Just to soften and get the flavors going. Then rolls in the spring roll wrappers. I make a whole bunch at one time and freeze them for later. We usually fry them in our tamago pan.

For the sweet and sour sauce. Fry up some onion, add chunks of pineapple and some of the sauce. Add ketchup and a bit of rice vinegar. Grace said two parts ketchup to one part vinegar. It really is to taste. I just kept adding this and that 'til it tasted like I wanted it to. As you can see in the photo, mine was quite chunky. Lots of pineapple. It was really yummy !

Lasagna a la Bonnie's Mom !

Preheat oven to 180 C (375F)
~
Mix 2 cups cottage cheese with 1 egg. Add parmesan cheese til the mixture is no longer goopy. (maybe 1 cup or a bit more ... varies everytime I make it !)
~
Brown 500g (1 lb) mince ( ground beef ) with 2 cloves (I use about 6 cloves ! ) finely chopped garlic and 1 finely chopped onion. Take off heat. Mix with a jar of Ragu ( or any tomato based pasta sauce), a big can of chopped tomatoes, basil, oregano and parsley to taste. Set aside.
~
Also need ... Shredded mozarella cheese & Instant Lasagna Noodles.
~
Start with a bit of sauce on the bottom of your baking dish. Not heaps ... just so noddles don't stick.
~
Then do layers ... three is good, four is better !!
Noodles
Sauce
Cottage cheese mixture (just do blops ... don't try to spread flat or you'll run out !)
Mozzarella.
Last layer should be Noodles, Sauce, Mozzarella.
~
Bake 35 minutes covered ( or til noodles are tender), remove cover and bake additional 10 minutes.