Puff Pastry!

I do so enjoy indulging with puff pastry. I have had this main meal sitting in my recipe box for about a year now. I saw it while I was out and about and copied it down. The poor thing has been collecting dust. Until last week. I ended up spreading it across 2 nights, it was so filling and just lovely to have after a LLLOOOONNNGGG day. So I hope you enjoy these! Will need to photograph these. 

Beef and Vegetable Pastries

Ingredients

• 1 tbsp vegetable oil
• 1 brown onion diced
•  1 tsp salt
• 1 tbsp grounded cumin
• 1 tsp grounded turmeric
• 1 tsp chilli powder
• 1 garlic clove crushed
• 300g beef mince (I use heart smart)
• 400g potato, peeled, diced, washed
• 1 tbsp lemon juice
• 1/3 cup coriander leaves chopped
• 3 sheets frozen ready-rolled puff pastry, partially thawed
• 1 egg, lightly beaten

Method

1. Heat oil in a frying pan over medium heat. Add onion and salt. Cook, stirring, for 5 minutes or until onion is very soft. Increase heat to high. Add cumin seeds, turmeric, chilli powder and garlic. Cook, stirring, for 1 minute or until aromatic. Add mince. Cook, stirring, for 5 minutes or until browned.

2. Place potatoes into a shallow microwavesafe dish. Cover. Microwave on HIGH (100%) power for 5 minutes or until just tender. Drain. Roughly mash potato to mince mixture. Mix well to combine. Transfer filling to a bowl. Set aside to cool completely. Stir in lemon juice and coriander.

3. Preheat oven to 200C. Line a large baking tray with baking paper.

4. Cut each sheet of pastry into 4 squares. Spoon filling into centre of each square. Fold each square in half on the diagonal to form a triangle. Use a fork to press pastry edges together to seal. Place onto prepared tray. Brush with egg. Bake for 18 to 20 minutes or until golden. Serve with green salad.

Crunchy Spiced Chicken Nuggets

I love chicken nuggets, always have but I wanted to try and find a healthier alternative because those frozen ones, not so good for you. Enter Women's Weekly Low Fat Cooking. I adjusted their Crunchy Spiced Chicken Recipe to a nugget format. Their is the health way, and not so healthy way. I will put both sets of ingredients in.

Crunchy Spiced Chicken

Healthy                                                                           Not So Healthy                 

700g of chicken breast cut                                        700g of chicken breast cut

into nugget size pieces                                                into nugget size pieces

1/4 cup plain flour                                                      1/4 cup plain flour

1 cup wholemeal breadcrumbs                                1 cup breadcrumbs 

1/3 cup Corn Flakes crumb                                      1/3 cup Special K crumbs

1 tsp grounded coriander                                         1 tsp grounded coriander

2 tsp grounded cumin                                               2 tsp grounded cumin

2 tsp garlic salt                                                           2 tsp garlic salt

3 egg whites beaten lightly                                        2 eggs beaten lightly

Method

1. Cut chicken breast into nugget size pieces. Place chicken in large sauce pan of cold water, bring to boil; drain. Pat dry with absorbent paper.

2. Toss chicken in flour, shake away excess flour. Combine crumbs, spices and slat; mix well. Dip chicken in egg/whites then crumb mixture. Place chicken on oven tray which has been coated with cooling oil spray, cover, refrigerate for 1 hour

3. Coat chicken lightly with cooking oil spray, bake, uncovered, in moderately hot oven about 30 mins or until tender. 

Slow Cooker Satay Chicken

Finally found a 'Peanut Satay Chicken' Recipe that I can do an tastes amazing. For those who don't know, I LOVE my slow cooker. Chuck food in, mix it around and a few hours later amazing yumminess. This is the first time I have done this recipe and I love it, even Scott has asked that I make it again this week. So here is my new discovery.

Satay Chicken
Serves: 4-6
Cook Time: 3 hours


Ingredients
- 1 kg of chicken breast or thigh
- 2 cloves of garlic
- 2 heaped tbsp smooth peanut butter
- 5 tsp soy sauce
- 1 tbsp Worcestershire Sauce
- 1 tbsp tomato sauce (ketchup)- 1 tbsp sweet chilli sauce
- 3/4 cup of coconut milk
- 3 tsp cornflour (optional)
- steamed rice and seasonal vegetables to serve *

Method
1. Remove any fat from chicken and cut into strips. Peel and crush garlic. Place in slow cooker with the peanut butter, soy suce, Worcestershire sauce, tomato sauce, sweet chilli sauce and coconut milk. Stir and combine.

2. Place lid on slow cooker and cook for 3 hours on High.

3. If necessary, mix cornflour with about 2 tbsp of cold water until paste like. Stir through mixture to thicken sauce. Add salt and pepper to taste.

4. Serve with steamed rice and seasonal vegetables.

*1 hour before serving I added celery, carrot, zucchini and shallots to mixture to let the veggies cook in the sauce. They tasted great.

If you do try this tell me how it goes. I have it all packaged up ready for lunch tomorrow at work :) Happy cooking all.

P.S. Sorry there is no picture of what it looks like. It is just after smelling that for 3 hours I was STARVING

Steak for dinner here

Mmmmm had a yummy dinner before football tonight. Sad to see the Melbourne Storm lose but the Warriors from Auckland deserved it. Dinner was simple steak but added a bit to it by adding this glaze. Give it a go when you get a chance. Probably really good for a barbecue. Plus, we have the herbs growing again in our garden so any excuse to use them.

Steak with Honey, Thyme and Mustard Glaze
Prep Time: 5 mins
Cooking Time: 15 mins

Ingredients
2 tsp olive oil
4 lean New York Style Beef Steaks (i also use rump)
2 tblsps honey
1/3 cup of lemon juice
2 tsp chopped fresh thyme
1 tblsp seeded mustard
1 clove garlic, crushed

Method
Heat oil in pan, add steaks, cook until done as desired; remove from pan. Add remaining ingredients to pan, simmer uncovered until mixture thickens slightly.
2. Serve glaze over steak.

Tonight because it is so warm I served with a tossed garden salad but I think it would be great with either mashed potatoes and green beans or roast vegetables.

Spicy Chicken Marinade

I am noticing a theme in my cooking lately. I have tried a lot of new chicken combinations to play with flavour but have not done much with beef. Will have to change that. For now however, another chicken marinade that Scott convinced me to have a go making. Warning, this is spicy (for me anyway, I am sure there are hardcore spicy food eaters who will laugh at me). So if not spicy enough for you, add more chilli. If too spicy add less chilli :) I think that is everyone covered. I could not get the smell of this out of my house for a good day and a half, it was sooooo good.

Spicy Grilled Chicken

Prep Time: 10 mins (plus marinating time)
Cooking Time: 10 mins

Ingredients
4 skinless single chicken breast fillets
1/4 cup lemon juice
1/4 cup dry white wine
1 tbsp honey
2 tbsp chopped fresh coriander leaves
1 tbsp grated fresh ginger
2 sml fresh red chillies chopped
2 cloves garlic crushed
2 tsps grounded turmeric
2 tsps cumin seeds
1/2 tsp grounded cinnamon
2 strips of lemon rind
cooking oil

Method
1. Cut 3 slashes in each fillet. Blend/process juice, wine, honey, coriander, ginger, chillies, garlic, turmeric, seeds and cinnamon until smooth. Cut rinds into thin strips, combine rind, chicken and pureed mixture in a bowl. Cover and refrigerate overnight (or for a few hours).
2. Drain chicken, reserve marinade. Heat bbq or heavy griddle pan, coat wit cooking oil, add chicken, cook on both sides until tender brushing with marinade through out process.
3. Serve with a fresh salad and bake potato or rice and asian greens

Lime, Lime, Lime, Chilli!

I have absolutely fallen head over heels for this chicken marinade. I love it! It is so simple to make and it is good for diabetics and those with cholesterol. Tick, tick and yummy. I got this recipe from a good friend who picked it up from a Women's Weekly Cookbook ages ago (maybe 20 years or more). The name she gave it for me was Grilled Chicken in Lime Chilli Marinade. I serve it with a nice crisp salad.

Prep Time: 10 mins, then need to marinade (I recommend over night but a few hours is also good)
Cook time: 10 mins

Ingredients:
-4 skinless chicken breast
-cooking oil spray
-2 tbsp coriander, chopped
Marinade
- 1/3 cup lime juice
- 1 clove garlic, crushed
- 2 tsp grated fresh ginger
- 1 tbsp low salt soy sauce
- 1 sml fresh red chilli, chopped finely
- 2 spring onions chopped

Method:
1. Combine all marinade ingredients in a bowl and stir, set to one side
2. Pound chicken with a mallet to an even thickness. Combine chicken and marinade and refrigerate overnight or for several hours.
3. Drain chicken, heat bbq grill or pan, coat with cooking oil, add chicken and cook on both sides until brown and tender.
4. Sprinkle with coriander and serve with lime wedges.

I normally keep some of the marinade and pour over while cooking. Also, if serving for someone who is diabetic I would normally provide a carb of some sort with the salad. I actually want to try it on my kebabs next time instead of the Honey Soy I usually do.

Summer Salads IN WINTER!

Hello blogging world!
Well I am trying to make a habit of blogging weekly no matter what. Random update on my crafting, I am halfway through a new cross stitch and am almost finished my own fabric scrap elephant. Have been busy being back at work and can breath again which is always exciting. I hope my lungs have learned breathing is not optional!

I have started swapbotting again, which is always a tonne of fun. So far have sent out some recipe swaps and about to send out some great pink fabric, will have to post a photo before I send, it is sooooo pretty. Have used it for the face if my elephant. One of the recipes I have sent out to the world is my new favourite summer salad, which is in no way good for you. I use it when it is hot and I don't want to be near a stove top or if I have left over roast chicken, or if I am lazy or just cause. It is a good simple recipe like that :). So here it is, have a go. The ladies at work demand this from me when ever we have shared lunch, they remind me for about a week beforehand.

Roast Chicken and Pesto Cream Salad (Lisa's amended and more awesome than the original version)

Ingredients:
Salad
600g cooked Roast Chicken pieces, torn up
3 celery stalks, chopped
2 large red capsicums chopped (bell peppers?)
Punnet of cherry tomatoes, quarter
1/2 cucumber, chopped
1 Cos lettuce shredded

Dressing
2/3 cups sour cream
4 tbsp bottled pesto (cause I am lazy and grasshoppers ate my basil)

Directions
1. Use a small bowl, combine pesto and sour cream until smooth using a metal spoon
2. Take chicken and salad ingredients, toss in a large bowl and chill in fridge until needed.
3. Remove from fridge 10 mins before serving, re-toss salad and stir through pesto cream. Serve.