Something hot on the side

Hi again

So a good keto side salad can be made easily by putting some veg and some balsamic together. Throw in some cheese and its a visual and taste treat. Heres my balsamic roast veg and feta salad recipe.

Ingredients

three cups of sliced veges - I used zuchini, eggplant, mushrooms and cherry tomatos. 
some crumbled feta cheese - as much or as little as you like
parsley 
a sprinkle of toasted pinenuts

The marinade
1/4 cup olive oil
2 Tablespoons good quality balsamic vinegar
1 tsp. dried thyme
salt and pepper

Mix the marinade together in a big bowl and then add the sliced veges. It might seem like alot of veges but they reduce as they cook. Leave to sit for half an hour to an hour if you can. 

Heat the oven to 200 deg cel and line an oven tray with non stick tin foil. 

Place the veges on the tray in a single layer and season again and place in the oven for 15-20 mins turning mid way. Once cooked place on a platter and scatter the feta, parsley and pinenuts on and enjoy hot.

A little stuffed

Hi everyone.

So we are still on the keto diet. Key I find is to make it yummy for the eyes as well as the tummy. Tonight I made stuffed chicken breast wrapped in bacon. Yummy and definitely eye candy.

Ingredients

2 chicken breasts skin off
100 gms cream cheese (room temp or 10 secs in the microwave to make it slightly soft)
4 sundriend tomatos drained and chopped
a tablespoon of capers rinsed and drained and chopped
streaky bacon 
a tablespoon of butter
a tablespoon of olive oil

Place a sheet of clear wrap on your bench. Halve the chicken breasts and place one half on the wrap and cover with another sheet. Break out the rolling pin and pound the chicken until its flat and even and about 1/4 inch thick or so. Repeat with the rest of the breasts.

Mix the cream cheese, sundried tomato and capers together in a bowl. 

Now I find that if you have an old sushi mat then this is where it comes in handy. I put it in a ziplock bag for ease of cleaning. Lay it flat on the bench. Place 2 or 3 rashers of the bacon on the mat (opposite to the rolling length) then place one of the chicken breasts on the bacon facing out from you. Put a tablespoon of the cream cheese mixture on the chicken breast.  Then roll like you would sushi keeping it tight so that the bacon rolls up with the chicken. Once its in a tight roll place on a foil lined baking dish. Repeat with the other breasts. Lightly drizzle olive oil on the rolls and season. 

Place in a pre heated oven at 200 deg cel for 20 mins. Pull out at the end of that time and check that its cooked by stabbing with a fork. If the juice runs clear we are cooked.

I then melt the butter in a frying pan and lightly fry the outside bacon. Place on a plate and enjoy with a nice roast veg salad. 

Enjoy

Nothing like the sauce

Hi everyone

As part of our keto diet I made a side of hollandaise for his salmon bene (no bread). I was asked to share the recipe so here it is

Ingredients

150 gms of butter 
3 egg yolks
1 tablespoon lemon juice
a splash of white wine vinegar
pinch of salt

In a jug melt the butter (1 min in a microwave) and set aside while doing everything else.  Put the yolks in a blender. Add the remaining ingredients as listed. 

Put the lid on leaving the gap on the top so you can pour in the slightly cooled butter. Set to blend and after 30 seconds start to slowly dribble the butter into the blender as it continues to mix. The sauce should start to thicken as you pour. Dont pour too fast. You may want to check half way through as I like a thick hollandaise some like it thinner.

Tip: Get a good blender. Also I let the melted butter cool slightly before using as if its too hot and you pour too quickly it can curdle the yolks and no amount of butter will make the sauce thicken. If that happens just start the whole process again. There is no saving it.

Sexy side dish: Stuffed capsicums

A great dish for a party is the stuffed capsicum (pepper) for my non NZ friends. Bright and colourful add some salads or other sides and its a meal. 

Ingredients

3 capsicums
250 grams of minced beef
1 cup of sliced mushrooms
1 onion diced
2 cloves of garlic crushed
1 tablespoon of olive oil
half a can of diced tomatoes or 2 medium tomatoes diced
half a lemon
1 tsp of dried oregano
sliced mozzarella cheese (2 slices per capsicum half

Preheat your oven for 170°C

In a pan fry the onions in olive oil on a medium heat till golden. Season. Increase the heat to full add mince and garlic. Stir periodically until meat is brown. Drain half the fat into baking dish.

Add mushrooms, lemon juice, oregano and tomatoes and cook for 10-15 minutesuntil slightly dry. Taste and add more salt and pepper if need. Put aside to cool slightly

Using another pot bring water to boil. Add capsicum to pot. Let boil for five minutes. Remove caspicums and drain. Place capsicums open side up in baking dish with reserved fat

Fill capsicums with mince mixture. Top with mozzarella cheese. Bake for 30 minutes until the cheese is gooey, golden and yummy. 

Enjoy

Moroccan lamb shanks

Hi everyone. During winter I love a moroccan meal. Its warm and cosy and is a feast for the taste buds and eyes with its range of colours. 

My lamb shank tagine is a favourite here.  You can buy ras al hanout which is a moroccan seasoning in good stores and super markets. Or if you have them in your pantry you can combine spices to make a mix.

Ingredients

2 tablespoons of olive oil
4 lamb shanks
2 onions sliced
2 cloves of garlic crushed
2 tablespoons of ras al hanout
2 cups of beef or lamb stock
1/4 cup liquid honey
3/4 cup of raisins or diced pitted prunes
1/2 cup of almonds - slivers or skinned and toasted
salt and pepper

Rub the lamb shanks with half the ras al hanout. In a pan heat the oil to a high heat and sear the lamb. place in a tagine, casserole, slow cooker or pressure cooker. I then add the remaining ras al hanout, onions and garlic and the honey and coat the lamb. I then add the remaining ingredients bar the salt and pepper and depending on what you are cooking in:

a. tagine and casserole place in a preheated 180 degree oven and let cook for half an hour before reducing to 160 degrees and cooking for a further 2 1/2 hours. Turn once.

b. slow cooker place on low and leave to cook for 8 hours turning every now and then. 

c. pressure cooker cook for 45 mins and then check. The meat should fall off the bone.

Once cooked season with salt and pepper and serve with couscous and roast beets.

Leeks, wine, butter? Whats not to love?

A side dish with a difference that I use often when Im cooking a nice leg of lamb or a juicy steak. Its simple and doesnt take long and is delicious.

Ingredients

1 cup of red wine
1/2 cup of chicken stock
3 leeks, white part only, trimmed, cut in half and then halved lengthwise
100g butter
1 tablespoon of picked thyme leaves

A simple dish you simmer the wine and stock in a pot together  till reduced by half. Add all the ingredients bar a teaspoon of thyme and and some salt and pepper. Cover the pot with a lid and simmer until the leeks are soft and the liquid has reduced again. Should take 15 minutes.

Thats it place in a bowl, check the seasoning and scatter more thyme. Enjoy

Fried cod with potato spinach and a bacon and herb cream sauce

Hi there

I made dinner for my husband and son last night and thought Id share it. It was a fish dish on a potato cake with wilted spinach and a bacon and herb cream sauce. We liked it and it was fun to make.

Fish

4 x cod fillets
flour and
olive and butter
250 gms baby spinach

Fish cakes

500gm mashing potatos  peeled and chopped and cooked in salted water
100g butter
3 tbsp milk
1 1/2 teaspoon cumin
1 teaspoon paprika
1/2 teaspoon ground coriander
200gm shredded savoy cabbage steamed
handful each parsley and coriander chopped
3 rashers of bacon chopped and cooked. Drained
2 eggs

Bacon and thyme sauce

3 rashers of bacon
2 shallots or a small white onion
1/2 cup white wine
300ml cream
10 sprigs of fresh thyme leaves picked
a handful of parsley chopped
juice of half a lemon

Combine potato milk and butter and mash.  Add spices, herbs, cabbage, bacon, season and let the potato cool. Once cool add one of the eggs and mix together. In your hands shape into pattie sized cakes and set aside on a plate. Put in fridge until needed.

When ready to start dinner beat the other egg in a bowl and in a frying pan add oil up to a depth of 5mm and heat to medium high heat. When hot dip the cakes in the egg to coat and fry for 2-3 minutes each side until golden. I then put in a warm oven to keep warm.

For the sauce in the same pan that the bacon for the cakes was cooked add a little more olive oil and the bacon and onions and cook over a medium heat until onions are tender.  Increase the heat and add the wine. Let it cook down a bit then add 3/4 of the cream. and the thyme. reduce the heat and let the sauce cook down by half. add the parsley and the lemon juice. Season and set aside.

In a seperate pan heat the oil and butter until foaming. Dust the fish with flour and put in the pan. Cook for 2-3 mins each side until just cooked but not dry. Baste with the butter/oil and then drain on a paper towel.

Add some butter to a final pan and when hot wilt the spinach and season.

To serve put a cake in the middle of the plate. top with the spinach and the fish. spoon the sauce around the cake and season again.