Author Archives: Nicole

Mothers’ Day Lemon Butter

Posted in Special Meals by

Fresh Bread and Lemon Butter

Here’s a recipe to make for mum this Mothers’ Day – lemon butter. It’s simple and really packs a punch with its zesty tang and bright yellow colour. We baked some fresh bread to go with ours, and it’s delicious. Happy Mothers’ Day Mum!

Preparation Time

About 25 minutes.

Ingredients

  • 1 cup of sugar
  • 2 tablespoons of butter
  • 2 eggs
  • ½ a cup of lemon juice
  • ½ a teaspoon of grated lemon rind

Method

Cream butter, sugar and eggs in a bowl. Add the lemon juice and rind, and mix well. Pour the mixture into a saucepan and simmer on medium heat until thickened, stirring constantly. Pour into a serving dish and allow to cool. Enjoy with fresh bread.

What worked?

Quite tart and very more-ish.

What didn’t work?

Nothing.

Any surprises?

No.

Cost?

Under $10 with lots of ingredient left over for the next batch.

Cacao and Honey Balls

Posted in Treats by

Cocao and Honey Balls

Preparation Time

About 20 minutes

Ingredients

  • ½ a cup of cacao powder
  • 2 x cups of honey
  • ½ a cup of almond meal
  • ½ a cup of coconut meal

Method

Heat the honey in a microwave for half a minute. In a bowl, mix the cacao powder and honey together until well combined. Add the almond and coconut meal and stir until all ingredients are mixed well. Pull off small amounts and roll them into balls in your hands. You can eat them like this, but I also rolled mine in either toasted sesame seeds, sprinkles, vanilla sugar or shredded coconut. Use your imagination!

What worked?

They rolled very well and didn’t stick too much. The honey worked well instead of maple syrup.

What didn’t work?

I didn’t make enough. They vanished pretty quickly 🙂

Any surprises?

All of the extra toppings I tried were great. The honey tasted wonderful.

Cost?

Around $10 for about 25.  

Chicken and Corn Soup

Posted in Soups by

Chicken and Corn Soup

Preparation Time

About 45 minutes

Ingredients

  • 4 litres of chicken stock
  • 2 tablespoons of grated ginger
  • 1 x 420 gram can of creamed corn
  • 2 tablespoons of sesame oil
  • 1 tablespoon of soy sauce
  • 1 egg white
  • 2 shallots, thinly sliced
  • 2 chicken breasts

Method

In a saucepan, boil the chicken in 2 litres of chicken stock until cooked through. Once the chicken is cooked, remove it from the stock and set aside to cool. Add the remaining stock, corn, ginger, sesame oil and soy sauce to the saucepan. Bring to the boil then reduce heat and add whisked egg whites whilst stirring vigorously. Shred the chicken and add, along with half the shallots. Warm through and serve. Top with the remaining shallots.

What worked?

It all worked.

What didn’t work?

Nothing.

Any surprises?

I didn’t add any corn flour as most people do. It just didn’t need it. Delicious.

Cost?

Under $15 for four serves. 

Basil and Coconut Cream Fish

Posted in Main Meals by

Basiål and Coconut Cream Fish

Preparation Time

About an hour including cooking time

Ingredients

  • 2 x cans of coconut cream
  • 1½ teaspoons of caster sugar
  • 1 x tablespoon of coriander root, thinly sliced
  • 2 x tablespoons of fish sauce
  • 2 x cups of fresh basil, finely sliced
  • 2 x small red chillies, finely chopped
  • 1 x small onion, finely diced
  • 3 x white fish fillets (we used basa)

Method

Lightly fry the onion in a saucepan until tender. Then add the basil, coriander root, sugar, fish sauce and chilli. Stir fry for one minute. Add the coconut cream and fish. Bring to the boil, then reduce heat and cook until fish is cooked through. We served ours with boiled rice.

What worked?

Very light, and the sauce soaked into the rice making it very creamy.

What didn’t work?

Nothing.

Any surprises?

Works well with fish! We adapted this recipe from an original that used chicken.

Cost?

Under $10 for four serves.

Eggplant Parmigiana

Posted in Main Meals by
Eggplant parmagiana

Eggplant parmagiana

Preparation Time

About an hour including cooking time

Ingredients

  • 1 x eggplant
  • ½ a butternut pumpkin
  • 3 x tomatoes
  • 1 x onion
  • 1 x egg
  • ½ a cup of flour
  • 2 x cups of panko crumbs
  • 1 x cup of cheese
  • 2 x cloves of garlic

Method

Slice the eggplant into 1.5cm rounds. Coat them in flour, dip them in beaten egg and crumb well with panko crumbs. Slice the pumpkin into 1cm slices and fry until golden. Sauté the onion and garlic. Slice the tomato into half-centimetre rings and heat through in the microwave. Fry the eggplant until golden brown. Top with the tomatoes, onion mix, and cheese. I heated them for half a minute in the microwave to melt the cheese, but you could grill them lightly instead. Serve with salad or vegetables.

What worked?

The eggplant was delicious, without needing to be salted. It was firm and very tasty.

What didn’t work?

The panko crumbs were slightly over-cooked. I’d cook it a bit less next time.

Any surprises?

Nope!

Cost?

Under $10 for three serves.

Cauliflower Soup

Posted in Soups by

Cauliflower Soup

Preparation Time

About an hour including cooking time

Ingredients

  • 1 x Large cauliflower
  • 1 x Leek
  • 1 Tablespoon of chicken stock powder
  • 1.5 Litres of water
  • 1 x Stalk of fresh shallot
  • Small carton of sour cream
  • Fried shallots

Method

Chop the cauliflower into chunks. Slice the leek into 0.5cm rings. Place in a pot on the stove with water and chicken stock. Boil until tender. Use either a blender or stab mixer to blend the mixture to a thick soup consistency. Return to the pot and add two tablespoons of sour cream. Stir through, reheat and serve. We garnished with an extra scoop of sour cream, fried and fresh shallots.

What worked?

It worked and was delicious.

What didn’t work?

Nothing.

Any surprises?

No surprises – a really simple recipe.

Cost?

Under $15 for four serves.

Thai-Inspired Tuna Wraps

Posted in Light Meals by
Thai-inspired Tuna Wraps

Thai-inspired tuna wraps

Preparation Time

About 20 minutes

Ingredients

  • 1 x 425g Tin of tuna in brine
  • Half a bunch of coriander
  • Half a continental cucumber
  • A white or red onion
  • 3 x Mint leaves
  • 1 x Tomato
  • 1 x Teaspoon of lime juice
  • 1 x Teaspoon of fish sauce

Method

Open and drain the tuna. Dice the onion, cucumber and tomato. Finely slice the coriander and mint leaves. Put all of the ingredients in a bowl, adding the lime juice and fish sauce. Mix well and serve on your choice of flat bread. We paired it with hummus and chilli sauce, and garnished it with a coriander leaf.

What worked?

Very simple to make and serve.

What didn’t work?

Really juicy tomatoes can make the wraps drip.

Any surprises?

Also works well as a dip with crackers.

Cost?

Under $10 for two serves, assuming you have fish sauce and chilli sauce in the fridge.

Pasta-free Chicken Lasagna

Posted in Main Meals by
Pasta-free Chicken Lasagna

Pasta-free Chicken Lasagna

Preparation Time

Around 20 minutes preparation and 45 minutes cooking but, as we all know, ovens vary.

Ingredients

  • 500g Chicken mince (or any mince)
  • 3 Tablespoons of pasta sauce. We used Leggos Napoletana but you can choose whatever you like
  • 375g of ricotta cheese. We used smooth, but any will work
  • 1 Egg
  • As much spinach as you want. We used half a prepared bag
  • 1 x Punnet of mushrooms, sliced. Quantity based on nice, even layers
  • 2 x Zucchini, sliced length-ways in half-centimetre slices
  • Grated cheese. We used lactose-free, as much as you need to cover the top

Method

Preheat the oven to 180° celcius (350° fahrenheit). Brown the mince in a frying pan. Add the pasta sauce and simmer for a minute. Set aside for later.

Combine the ricotta cheese and egg in a bowl. Slice the zucchini. Use a third of the chicken mince to create a layer in an oven-proof dish. Add a layer of zucchini slices, and then half the remaining mince. Then add a thin layer of the ricotta mix. Add an even layer of spinach, followed by an even layer of mushrooms. Add the remaining meat, then more ricotta mix and a final layer of zucchini. Bake for 25 minutes.

Remove the dish from the oven and add a layer of grated cheese. Bake for a further 20 minutes, or until the lasagna is heated through and the cheese is browned.

Serve and enjoy! We paired the lasagna with home-made garlic bread.

What worked?

The chicken mince was tasty without overpowering the other ingredients.

What didn’t work?

Nothing.

Any surprises?

We accidentally bought smooth ricotta instead of firmer varieties (oops). So, the lasagna was amazingly moist, in fact juicy after baking. The taste was still excellent!

Cost?

About $15 for 6 generous serves.

Jelly Cream

Posted in Desserts by
Jelly Cream

Jelly Cream

Preparation Time

Approximately 5 minutes plus setting time. 

Ingredients

  • 1 x pack of jelly – I used port wine flavour, but any flavour should work
  • 500ml of boiling water
  • 5 tablespoons of thickened cream
  • Chocolate and cream to serve

Method

Using boiling water, dissolve the jelly crystals in a heat-proof jug. Add 5 tablespoons of cream instead of the usual cold water. Stir the mixture and pour into serving bowls. Put the bowls in the freezer until the mixture sets – I left it for a couple of hours. Add a drizzle of cream and shave some chocolate on top before serving.

What worked?

Creamy texture, great colour and delicious.

What didn’t work?

Nothing.

Any surprises?

Yes! The jelly and cream separated, making two layers.

Cost?

Under $5 for two serves, not including leftover chocolate and cream.