Nasi Goreng

 {image credit-AGT Magazine via Zinio}

A real snatch and grab recipe that can be made at a minute's notice straight from the pantry. Also a great way to use up leftover rice.

Ingredients:

• For Serving
• 1 brown onion, thinly sliced
• 4 eggs
• For the Fried Rice
• 1 tablespoon peanut oil
• 1 brown onion, finely chopped
• 1 red chilies, finely chopped
• 2 cloves garlic, crushed
• 1 teaspoon shrimp paste
• 500 g rice, steamed, cooled
• 2 tablespoons kecap manis
• 1 tablespoon light soy sauce
• 1 tablespoon sweet chilli sauce
• 4 spring onion, sliced
• 1 cucumber, sliced
• ¼ bunches coriander, roughly chopped
• prawn crackers

Directions:

1. Fry onion until brown & crispy. Use the same frying pan to fry eggs to desired "doneness". Set aside for serving.

2. Heat peanut oil in a wok over a medium-high heat. Stir fry brown onion, chilli, garlic and shrimp paste for 5 minutes.

3. Add rice, kecap manis, soy sauce, sweet chilli sauce and spring onions. Stir-fry for 3-5 minutes.

4. Serve with 1 fried egg per person, fried onion, sliced cucumber, coriander and prawn crackers.

(Serves 4)

Working Mum's Time Saver Tip: Cooking rice from scratch can take up to 25 minutes and I don't always have leftover rice. Microwavable rice sachets are quick and easy solution.  They can be kept in the pantry and only take about 2 minutes to cook in the microwave. There are a variety of brands available at most supermarkets.

{images via Woolworths} 

Grandma Smith's Slow Cooked Sweet Beef Curry

Recipe By: Grandma Smith
Serving Size: 6

Ingredients:
500 g chuck steak, cubed
2 tablespoons plain (all-purpose) flour
salt and pepper
1 tablespoon curry powder
2 tablespoons butter
1 brown onion, diced
1 carrot, sliced
1 green apple, diced
1 tablespoon sultanas
2 teaspoons sugar
1 tablespoon lemon juice
500 milliliters beef stock

Directions:
1. Place the flour, curry powder and salt and pepper in a large zip lock bag and shake to combine. Pop the beef pieces in the bag and shake until the beef is coated in the seasoned flour. Set aside

2. Melt butter in a saucepan over a medium heat add the beef (reserving any excess flour) and fry until lightly browned.

3. Add carrot, apple and onion. Cook for about five minutes or until softened. Add sultanas, sugar, lemon juice and stock. Cook for a few minutes until pan is deglazed (all the brown bits come up off the bottom). Add any left over flour to the liquid, stir to combine.

4. Tip all of the mixture into the slow cooker and cook on low for 4-6 hours, or until the meat is meltingly tender. Serve with steamed rice.

Meal Plan Monday

MONDAY

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Cumin Salt CrustedPork with Braised Buk Choy & Baby Carrots

TUESDAY

Tandoori Butter Chicken with Wilted Baby Spinach

WEDNESDAY

Steak Bearnaise with Home Made Chips & Simple Salad

THURSDAY

Chicken Fettuccine Carbonara

FRIDAY

Cook's Night Off!

SATURDAY

No Packet Tuna Mornay and Creamy Mash

SUNDAY

Chicken Parmegana & Salad

LUNCHBOX

Home Made Muesli Bar Slice

Muesli Bar Slice

My grandmother used to make this for us by the bucket load.Very moreish and a great budget friendly snack. I much prefer this to store-bought muesli bars as I know exactly what is in it.

Ingredients: 100grams unsalted butter 3/4 cup brown sugar 1/2 cup honey 1/2 cup peanut butter* 2 cups rolled oats 1 cup shredded coconut 10 Weetbix, crushed 1/2 cup fruit medley (mixture of dried fruits found in the dried fruit section of your supermarket)

Directions: Melt the butter, sugar, honey and peanut butter in a small saucepan over a medium heat. Add this to the remaining ingredients and combine.Press firmly into a lined retangular tin and cut when firm. *If someone in your family has a nut allergy, or your school is nut free, you can substitute the peanut butter for tahini. This is a paste made from sesame seeds and has a similar consistency to peanut butter. Tahini can be found in the health food aisle of most supermarkets.

Tuna Mornay

Recipe By: Pippa
Serving Size: 4

Summary:
A family favourite (if your family eats tuna!) and straight from the pantry.

Ingredients:
425 gram Tuna, tinned
60 g unsalted butter
4 tablespoons plain (all-purpose) flour
cayenne pepper & black pepper to taste
1/2 teaspoon mustard powder
1 stock cube or 1 teaspoon of stock powder
4 spring onions, chopped finely
1 cup corn kernels, (frozen or tinned are fine and easier)
2 cups milk
breadcrumbs
grated cheese

Directions:
1. Preheat the oven to 200℃.

Melt the butter in a medium saucepan over a low heat. Take the pan off the heat while you stir in the flour, peppers and mustard powder. Put the pan back on the heat and cook the flour and butter mixture for 1 minute, taking care not to burn it.

2. Take the pan off the heat again while you gradually add the milk. Add the stock powder (or crumble in the cube). Stir over low heat while the mixture (a béchamel) thickens. Once it has take it off the heat and stir in the tuna, spring onions and corn.

3. Pour the mixture into a casserole dish and cover the top with breadcrumbs and grated cheese. Pop into the oven (uncovered) for 20-30 minutes until the onions are soft and the topping is crunchy. Serve with creamy mashed potato and steamed greens.

Notes:
Other vegetables can be added to this. The sauce also makes a great base for other mornays, the chicken and asparagus variation is yummy!

Bearnaise Sauce

Recipe By: Donna Hay Modern Classics
Yield: 3/4 Cup

Ingredients:
100 milliliters white wine
2 tablespoons white wine vinegar
1 1/2 tablespoons fresh tarragon sprigs
3 egg yolks
125 grams butter, melted

Directions:
1. Place the wine, vinegar and tarragon in a small saucepan over a high heat. Cook for 5 minutes or until reduced to 2 tablespoons. Remove the tarragon sprigs.

2. Add the egg yolks and whisk over a low heat for 40-50 seconds or until thick and foamy. Do not overcook or the eggs will scramble.

3. Remove from the heat and gradually whisk in the butter, whisking well until thick and creamy.

Notes:
My favourite wait to serve this to serve this over steak topped with sliced avocado. Yum!

Tandoori Butter Chicken

Serving Size: 4

Summary:
I first tried this when Meg made it for our cooking club. It was so delicious I had to get the recipe. The original recipe comes from taste.com.au, I have added the baby spinach to introduce some greens for a more balanced meal.

Ingredients:
1 tablespoon Welly Boot Extra Virgin Olive Oil
500 g chicken thigh, cubed
3 tablespoons Tandoori paste
1 tablespoon tomato paste
375m l can lite evaporated milk
1 teaspoon brown sugar
1 teaspoon cornflour
15 g butter
150g Baby Spinach, washed and drained
Steamed rice to serve

Directions:
1. Heat oil in a frying pan (with a lid), add chicken and cook for 5-8 minutes or until nicely browned. Add Tandoori paste and tomato paste and stir until chicken is coated.

2. Combine the evaporated milk, sugar and cornflour and pour over chicken, mixing well. Bring to the boil and simmer for 5 minutes, stirring occasionally until the sauce has thickened. Add butter and stir until melted.

3. Turn off the heat. Tip in the baby spinach and pop the lid on the pan. Allow to stand for 5 minutes. The residual heat from the pan should be enough to slightly wilt the spinach.

4. Stir through the spinach, garnish with flaked almonds. Serve with steamed basmati rice.

Notes:
The best tandoori paste I have found (and the one that Meg turned me on to) is "Maharaja's Choice" brand available from Coles. Sharwoods is also pretty nice :)

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This is a pretty family friendly recipe. But you can adjust the heat by adding more or less Tandoori paste. eg 1 tablespoon = mild, 2 tablespoons = medium, 3tablespoons = hot (for little kiddies anyway). Our kids like to mix in some plain yoghurt to turn the heat down if needed.

{WORKING MUM TIMESAVER TIPS}:

• Ask your butcher to dice the chicken thigh for you when you purchase it.
• Some supermarkets (such as Woolworths) have pre-cooked rice in their ready meals section.
• Try the pouches of microwaveable rice (such as Uncle Ben's or Sunrice). They cook in 90 seconds! 

Grandma Smith's Hai Tai Minh

A good old fashioned one-pot family meal. Super quick and super healthy.

This does loosely resemble a meal that my grandmother used to make but this is, dare I say, a little more modern and colourful. The smell of an open tin of curry powder always transports me back to my grandmother's kitchen

Recipe By: Pippa
Prep: 10 minutes
Cooking Time: 30 minutes
Serving Size: 6

Ingredients:
1/4 cabbage, shredded
250 g beans, sliced
2 carrots, diced
2 sticks celery, chopped
4 spring onion, sliced
500 g chicken or mince
1 clove garlic, crushed
2 tablespoons rice, uncooked
1 packet chicken noodle soup (try to get salt reduced)
1 teaspoon curry powder
2 cups water
Salt & pepper, to taste
Welly Boot Extra Virgin Olive Oil

Directions:
1. Heat a little olive oil in a pan over a medium high heat. Brown the mince for 5-10. Season with a little salt and pepper.

2. Add the garlic, spring onion and uncooked rice and stir through until just fragrant (30 seconds to a minute). Add the rest of the vegetables then pour over the combined water, soup mix and curry powder.

3. Reduce heat, and simmer uncovered for 20-30 minutes or until the rice is tender.

{WORKING MUM TIMESAVER TIP}:

Substitute all the veges for a 400g packet of prepared stir fry veges from the fruit and veg section of the supermarket. They cost about $5 but you will save precious minutes of prep time. You could also use frozen vegetables

Tuscan Style Salad

Recipe By: Jamie Oliver
Serving Size: 4
Yield: 4 -6 (as a side dish)

Summary:
Delicious summer salad that is almost a whole meal on it's own. Just add some barbecued/grilled meat, chicken or fish and you're done.

The original recipe (from Jamie Oliver's 30 Minute Meals) is actually made with jarred red peppers, but on one occasion I had run out and so substituted with some olives. You could actually use a combination of both olives and peppers for a super flavour kick.


Ingredients:
1/2 ciabatta loaf, (or other loaf)
1 teaspoon fennel seeds
a few sprigs oregano or rosemary
1 tablespoon small capers
2 anchovy fillet
a small bunch of fresh basil
10 Welly Boot table Olives, pitted
1 clove garlic
4 vines of cherry tomatoes, red and yellow preferably
3 large tomatoes
red wine vinegar
parmesan cheese, to cheese
Seasonings
Welly Boot Extra Virgin Olive Oil
Sea Salt
Freshly cracked black pepper

Directions:
1. Tear the ciabatta into 2cm pieces. Put into a roasting tray, drizzle with olive oil and toss with the fennel seeds, a few sprigs oregano or rosemary and a pinch of salt. Mix so bread is coated then put under a high grill for 10 minutes or until golden.

2. Roughly chop together the capers and anchovies with most of the basil leaves and the olives.

3. Crush over the garlic clove. Add all of the tomatoes, roughly chopped. Put into a large bowl with a splash of red wine vinegar, a good drizzle of olive oil and salt and pepper to taste.

4. Add the ciabatta then toss and squeeze the whole mixture together with your hands.

5. Top with the rest of the basil leaves and finely grated parmesan to serve.

{TIP} A great way to use up leftover bread bread. I have used ciabatta, baguettes, french sticks any nice loaf of bread really. It can be a couple of days old too!

Mashed Potato Master Class

Personally I think the humble mashed potato is one of the most underrated side dishes going around. When done properly, they add such a lot of flavour (and dare I say pleasure) to many dishes. Mash is also a perfect carrier for gravies and sauces. Mmmmm, mouth is watering judt think about it :)

The sad fact of the matter is that many of us do a pretty poor job of it. Hand on heart I have been one of the worst offenders serving up watery, tasteless, lumpy mush. But I have seen the error of my ways and I am on a mission to rid the dinner tables of the world of boring, icky mash.

Let me share with you some tips I have gathered to make irresistible mash.

1. Pick the Right Spud

It really does matter which variety of potato you use. Basically you are looking for a spud that has These days I like to use Cream Delight from Woolworths.

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If in doubt, check the signs/packaging, this usually gives you a clue.

2. No Cutting

Cutting the potatoes before boiling them allows the flavour to escape into the cooking water (which gets poured down the sink). Also the potatoes will absorb a lot of water rendering them fairly flavourless. So, they do take a little longer to cook but the extra flavour is worth it. If you are in a hurry try the baby size (if you can get them) as they are smaller and will cook faster.

3. Just Cooked

Boil your potatoes until they are just cooked i.e. When a knife is inserted into the potato, they should slide off without breaking apart.

4. Ricing, Not Mashing

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I like to use a ricer. This fantastic little piece of kitchen gadgetry forces the cooked potato through little holes at the bottom giving you a smooth evenly textured consistency (in other words NO LUMPS). You can pick one up from a kitchen store for around $30. I would use mine at least once a week. My favourite thing about using the ricer is NO PEELING! That's right, just put the whole cooked spud in, push it through and the skin is left behind, just like magic!

5. Butter Is Not Evil

(Or fat = flavour). OK so it's not the healthiest mantra going around, but butter definitely makes it better. The more the better and as Peter Russell Clarke told us in the 80's "It's only Natural". Hey, if it's good enough for the French, it's good enough for me. And if you are not eating mash every night, then there's no harm right??? Enough justification? For a health conscious alternative see my variations below.

6. Cold Butter, Warm Milk

Enough said? Butter straight from the fridge creates a little steam to make things all light and fluffy. A little warm milk helps everything stick together. Adjust the quantities to suit your own tastes. Some people like a stiff consistency while others like a smoother "not quite a soup" thickness. Just a

7. Now Beat it!

Take your wooden spoon and BEAT IT. Take out all the days frustrations and beat the living daylights out of those spuds. Light, creamy, fluffy mash will ensue. I promise :)

Alternatively, place the potatoes in the bowl of an electric mixer with  the paddle attachment fitted. Beat in the butter and milk on a low speed until combined. Increase to high speed for a few minutes until creamy.

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Perfect Mashed Potato

Ingredients:

• 1kg cream delight potatoes, unpeeled
• 100g unsalted butter, chopped
• 200 ml milk, hot
• salt
• freshly cracked black pepper

Directions:

1. Place the whole potatoes in a large saucepan, cover with cold water. Cover and bring to the boil over high heat. Remove the lid, reduce heat to medium-high. Boil, uncovered, for 30 minutes or until the potatoes are tender when tested with a skewer.

2. Drain the water from the pan using a colander. Use a potato ricer to mash the potatoes back into the pan. Add the butter and milk and mix with a wooden spoon until smooth. Season with salt and pepper. Serve piping hot.

(Serves 4 as a side)

Cooks tip: To heat milk, pour into a microwave-safe jug or cup. Heat, uncovered, for 1-2 minutes on HIGH power or until hot. Variations: Parmesan Mash - Add 50g finely grated parmesan cheese with the butter and milk Olive Oil Mash - Replace the butter with 1/3 cup Welly Boot Extra Virgin Olive Oil. Mustard & Sour Cream Mash - add 1/3 cup sour cream and 1 tbs Dijon mustard with the butter and milk Feta & Oregano Mash - Stir 100g crumbled feta, grated rind 1 lemon and 3 tsp dried oregano into the mash after the butter and milk have been mixed in. Download Printable Version

Recipe Share - Banana Cake

Banana Cake with Cream Cheese Frosting
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Recipe By: Pippa
Serving Size: 10
Yield: 10 slices

Summary:

This seems to be our family's stand by for using up over-ripe bananas. In fact I suspect that some bananas get left to go bad just so that I have to make this :) The original recipe for the cake comes from Donna Hay Modern Classics 2. The cream cheese frosting is my own addition, and a rework on an old classic. The inclusion of vanilla makes this extra special and irresistible.

Ingredients:

For the Cake
125 g unsalted butter, softened
1 cup caster sugar
1/4 cup brown sugar
3 eggs
2 cups plain (all-purpose) flour
2 teaspoons baking powder
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
3/4 cup sour cream
1 cup roughly mashed banana
For the Frosting
60 g Cream cheese, softened
30 g unsalted butter, softened
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 cup icing sugar
1-2 teaspoon lemon juice
lemon zest

Directions:

1. For the Cake
Preheat the oven to 180°C (350°F). Place the butter, caster sugar and brown sugar in the bowl of an electric mixer and beat until light and creamy.

2. Gradually add the eggs and beat well.

3. Sift the flour and baking powder over the mixture. Add the cinnamon, sour cream and banana and stir to combine.

4. Spoon the mixture into a greased 26cm (10 in) fluted ring tin. Bake for 40 minutes or until cooked when tested with a skewer. Cool on a wire rack.


5. For the Frosting
In a small bowl of an electric mixer, beat the butter and cream cheese until smooth and well combined. Add the vanilla. Gradually add the icing sugar, beating well between additions. Add enough lemon juice to bring the mixture to a smooth, but firm consistency. Spread generously over the cooled cake, sprinkle with lemon zest and just try to resist!