Lentil & Carrot Penne

I made up this recipe the other night, because I had a hankering for lentils.

I wasn't sure what I was going to serve them with, ultimately I went for penne.

I later discovered, the sauce makes for a much more tasty, stand-alone soup.

Recipe for 2 serves of pasta + 1 soup OR 2 serves of soup

Ingredients:

1/2 cup dry red lentils

2Tbs olive oil

1/4 green capsicum, chopped finely

1/2 onion, chopped finely

2 small carrots, grated

1 garlic clove, minced

1/2 cup water

8 basil leaves, chopped roughly

1 cup stewed tomatoes (I use organic tinned)

3Tbs tomato paste

Salt & pepper to taste

Method:

1.Saute onion & capsicum with oil, in medium saucepan, on medium heat. Cook until golden.

2.Add carrots & garlic, and cook until fragrant, but not browned.

3.Add lentils, and stir well to coat. Add remaining ingredients, seasoning to taste.

4.Put lid on saucepan, reducing heat slightly, and allow to cook until lentils are tender- about 20 minutes.

5.Give small whizz with blender-stick-thinga-ma-jigga, retaining some of the chunk.

6.Serve as soup or over pasta- I say soup is best!

Sweet Potato & Mushroom Curry Puffs

This is another recipe from my friend Amanda. I remember she made it with her sister, when I was 16. At that stage, my veggo repetoire basically only covered stir-fries, so I was well impressed.

We ate these, curled up on the couch watching "Northern Exposure". Almost falling into swoon induced comas, from watching Chris.

Rain usually makes me feel mellow: curl up in a corner time, slow down, smell the furniture. Today... it just makes me feel wet. What is it about owning things? Why do we feel the need to own what we love, and why do we become such jerks when we do? We've all been there, you know: we want something; we own it; and by owning it we change it. When you finally win that girl of your dreams, the first thing you do is try to change her. That little thing she does with her hair, the way she wears her clothes, the way she chews her gum. Until eventually, what you like, what you don't like and what you change all merges into one. Like a watercolor in the rain.

-Chris Stevens

This is also great as a simple curry over rice.

Recipe serves 2

Ingredients:

1Tbs oil

1/2 onion, chopped finely

1/2 sweet potato, diced

3 large button mushrooms, sliced

Curry to taste (I use about 2 tsps)

1/4 cup lite coconut cream

1 sheet frozen puff pastry (thawed)

Method:

1.Saute onion in oil, in a large frypan on medium heat. Cook until golden.

2.Add sweet potato & mushrooms, stirring to coat.

3.Add curry, stirring well, before mixing through coconut cream.

4.Cover pan, and leave to cook, until potato is tender (about 10 to 15 minutes). You may need to add some more coconut cream, if mixture is a bit dry, or sticking to pan.

5.Cut pastry in 1/2, and spoon mixture on each piece. Cover 1/2 the pieces, leaving the edges uncovered. Fold over uncovered pastry halves, to cover mixture, and press down edges with a fork to seal.

6.Cut a few slits in the top of the pastry. And bake in a preheated 180C(350F) oven, until pastry is golden- about 15 minutes.

Ribollita

Although the weather still isn't that cold, I'm in autumn mode.

The ocean is still a luscious 23C(74F), so really I should be surfing.. except, I feel like curling up under the doona and watching DVDs instead.

We got: "Art school confidential", "The departed", "Little miss sunshine", and another one I can't remember the name of.

I feel like eating lentils and rice at the moment.. warm, hearty & satisfying food.

So I made my own version of Tessa Kyro's- ribollita (from "Twelve"), and served it over basmati rice.

Perfect.

Recipe for about 4

Ingredients:

2Tbs olive oil

1/2 large red onion, finely chopped

1 garlic clove, crushed and minced

1 carrot, finely grated

1/4 small green cabbage, coarsely chopped

1 can (10 1/2 oz) cannellini beans, drained

1Tbs tomato paste

1/2 stewed diced tomatoes (I use tinned organic)

1tsp chilli paste (fuoco d'amore)

water to cover

Salt & pepper to taste

2 slices stale bread

Method:

1.In a medium-large saucepan, saute onion in olive oil, on medium heat, until golden.

2.Add garlic and carrots, and cook until fragrant, but not browned.

3.Add remaining ingredients, except for bread. Fill the pot with water, to cover ingredients.

4.Lid pot, and turn down heat slightly, leave to cook for about 20 minutes.

5.Depending on the size of your cabbage pieces, they should be almost tender by now.

Remove lid, and return heat to medium. Cook until cabbage is tender.

6.You may have to add a little water, if it has mostly been absorbed already.

7.Add bread, and allow to absorb water and become soggy. Whiz briefly with a hand-held mixer, being sure to get the bread. It's nice if you can leave some beans and cabbage whole though.

8.Serve plain or over rice.

Sweet Potato Fries

I love sweet potato. It's so versatile. I love it cooked every which way.
I've made oven baked sweet potato fries before, and while yummy, they didn't quite do it for me.
I decided to try again, this time, frying the chips for a couple of minutes, with oil & sea salt.
Delicious!!

Recipe for about 2 serves
Ingredients:
1 sweet potato, peeled and cut into fries
Olive oil spray
2tsp olive oil
Sprinkle coarse sea salt

Method:
1.Place chips on a lined baking tray. Spread out evenly, and spray with a fine mist of olive oil.
2.Place, covered, in a pre-heated 180C(350F) oven.
3.Bake for about 40 minutes, or until tender.
4.Heat 2tsp of olive oil in a large frypan on medium heat. Add salt, and chips, and cook until the chips glisten, and start to get nice brown crispy bits on them.

Penne with Tomato & Basil

I had the house to myself tonight.

I don't know why that makes dinner feel so different, but it does.

I recently bought a basil plant, and it's succulent & sweet smelling leaves, have been calling me.

So tonight, I decided on a simple pairing- tomato & basil.

I used some canned tomatoes- last years harvest from my Dad's farm.

I poured myself a glass of delicious wine, from said farm, and put on Andrea Bocelli (loud).

Recipe (for 2)

Ingredients:

1 Tbs olive oil

1/2 red onion, finely chopped

2 cloves garlic

10 or so basil leaves

1 cup passata

1 cup stewed roma tomatoes, chopped (canned is fine)

1/2tsp fuoco d'amore or chilli sauce

1 Tbs red wine

Salt & pepper to taste

1 Tbs pine nuts

1 Tbs bread crumbs

2 basil leaves, chopped

Method:

1.Heat oil in frypan, on medium heat.

Add onion, and cook til golden. Add garlic, cooking until softened.

2.Add remaining ingredients.

3.Cook pasta as per directions.

4.Place pine nuts, bread crumbs and basil leaves on a tray, under the grill (broiler) until golden.

Pour into a motar and pestle, and beat around until evenly textured.

5.When the pasta is about ready, add pine nut mixture to sugho(pasta sauce). Turn off heat.

6.Drain pasta.

Add to frypan, and stir sugho through well.

General Tso's Vegetables & Basmati Rice

After reading about no impact man, in the New York Times, I have been thinking of ways to further lessen my environmental impact, in regard to food.

I decided buying in bulk from the co-op (so I can use my own containers), is a good start..

As well as habitually(I've been sporadic at best) frequenting, my local organic farmers market.

All this takes some planning though, and so, until then, I'm foraging through what's left in my pantry and fridge-

And so, again last night I had General Tso's veggies TA-DA!

Cucciolo mio had home-made pizza instead, but after having a bite of mine, said he would have rathered it - wow, veggies over pizza!?

Chickpea and Green Bean, Tomato Stew

I have no idea of the origins of this dish- neither literally, or ethnically..
It came to me from my dear friend M, she bought it along to a potluck picnic once.
I've been making it ever since. It's a nice, reliable 30 minute meal (who doesn't love 30 minute meals!?)..
The secret ingredient, which really transforms the whole dish- is white vinegar:
Don't ask me, in this case, I just follow the instructions.

Recipe
Ingredients:
1-2Tbs olive oil

1/2 onion, diced
1 clove of garlic, minced
2tsp cumin seeds
1/2tsp asafoetida
1 1/2 cups diced tomatoes (I used tinned organic)
2Tbs tomato paste
2Tbs water
1 can(400g) chickpeas, drained
2 handfuls green beans (or snake beans) split, and halved
4 small dried bay leaves
Salt and pepper to taste
1-2Tbs white vinegar

Basmati rice

Method:

1.Add oil and onion to frypan on medium heat. When softened, add garlic, cumin & asafoetida, and saute until onion is browned.

2.Add all remaining ingredients, except vinegar, and stir well to combine. Cover, and turn down heat just a little.

3.Boil water for rice, and cook per instructions.

4.By the time your rice is cooked, and drained, the green beans should be tender.

Add vinegar, and stir in well. Cook for 1 or 2 more minutes.

5.Serve, with rice.

General Tso's Tofu with Vegetables & Basmati Rice

I've never had General Tso's before.
I haven't even seen it on a menu, here in Australia.
Still, considering how much my husband adores it- I figured it was worth trying..
Then I found this recipe, via ateoto ...



Cucciolo mio(my little pet/husband)doesn't like tofu, so I only did enough tofu to satisfy myself- and because I'm not a fan of cornflour, I only used it sparingly..
I also added:

1 1/2 carrots (diced)
1 1/2 smallish zucchinis (diced)
1/2 head of broccoli (cut into small florets)
Handful of green beans (sliced in 2 and halved)
1 rib of celery (cut into small strips)
1 smallish onion (diced)
1/3 red capsicum/bell pepper (cut into chunks)

*While I was preparing my tofu, as per instructions, I steamed my veggies (except the onion and capsicum) until just tender.
*I then set both aside, and continued to make the sauce as per recipe.
*I added the onion and capsicum, with the ginger and garlic.
*Finally I stirred the whole kit and caboodle together, and served it over some basmati rice.

DELICIOUS!
I'll definitely be making this again.
This was enough for cucciolo mio and I + leftovers for 1

Cauliflower Pasta with Toasted Breadcrumbs

It's always a challenge, when you have a few lonely vegetables in your crisper, and not much else by way of ingredients.

I realised, despite good intentions- a lot of vegetables I buy, go straight from crisper to compost.

So, in the spirit of 'use what you have', this pasta was born..

I've been a bit bored with pasta lately- I know all my own tricks too well..

But this was something new, and it was really quick and easy to make- always a bonus.

I don't know if it was the addition of fuoco d'amore (Fire of Love) chilli sauce (actually a gift for my husband), but this dish was really a flavour notch above my usual pasta staples..

Makes 2 serves

Ingredients:

1 Tbs olive oil

1/4 onion (I like red)

1/2 cup mushrooms (diced)

1 garlic clove (minced)

2/3 cup cauliflower (chopped into small florets)

2/3 cup diced tomatoes (I use organic tinned/canned)

1 tsp chilli sauce [I used fuoco d'amore (product of italy) but you can use any that contains real chillies]

2 Tbs water

250g(about) dried pasta (I used wholemeal penne)

2 Tbs breadcrumbs

2 Tbs pine nuts

2 tsp mixed dried herbs (I wanted to use 2 Tbs fresh parsley)

Method:

1.Put oil in a fry-pan on medium heat, and cook onions until golden.

Add mushrooms, until softened, then add garlic. Cook until garlic is golden but not brown.

2.Add cauliflower, diced tomatoes, chilli sauce and water, and stir until well combined. Cover.

3.Cook pasta, as per directions.

Place breadcrumbs, pine nuts and herbs on a lined baking tray, and place under the grill/broiler.

Keep an eye on them(I burnt one lot!). Toast til golden, then set aside.

4.By the time your pasta's done, your cauliflower should be nice and tender- if not, continue to cook until it is.

Drain pasta.

With your frypan on the still warm, hotplate, add pasta, and stir well to coat.

Stir in breacrumb mixture.

Spiced Yellow Split Peas with Vegetables and Basmati Rice

I'm a little too fond of my breakfast ritual.
So much so, that lately I have been eating breakfast, twice a day..
To curb the ill effects of too much tahini, I tried something different last night.

This was a make-it-up-as-you-go type dinner, with the starting point being split-yellow-peas.
It ended up being a quasi indian meal- spiced split peas and veggies, with basmati rice.

We have been having monster rain storms around here lately.
Such that, it already feels a little bit like autumn.
So with this in mind, I cosied up on the couch, and ate this last night.
It was mild, yet still flavourful.
Had a real satisfying comfort food feel- I think it would be lovely in winter.
It hit the spot.

Recipe
Ingredients:
1/2 onion
1/2 rib celery
1/5 capsicum (bell pepper)
1/3 carrot (save the rest)

1tsp tumeric
1tsp ground cumin
1 tsp ground coriander
1 tsp ground mustard seeds
1/4 tsp cinnamon
1/4 tsp ground ginger
Chilli or cayenne pepper to taste
Salt and pepper to taste

1 1/2 cups split yellow peas
water

2 large cauliflower florets (cut off from a head of cauliflower)
Remaining carrot
1 apple (peeled & cored)
1/3 cup raisins
1 zucchini

Basmati rice

Method:
1.Finely dice onion, celery, bell pepper and 1/3 of the carrot .
Place in saucepan with enough olive oil to suit, on medium heat.
Stir in spices, and cook until onion is browned.

2.Pour in washed split peas, and stir to coat the split peas thoroughly.
Add enough water to cover, and bring to boil.

3.Roughly chop zucchini, apple, cauliflower and remaining carrot.
Add the sultanas and reduce heat, to a gentle boil.
Cook for about 10 minutes.

4.Cook basmati rice, as per directions. Mine usually only takes about 10 minutes on the boil.

5.Add cauliflower, apple and carrot to mixture.
If split peas are running dry, add a little more water.
Cook for another 15 minutes, stirring every now and then.

6.Add zucchini, and continue to cook until tender.
You may have to stir more frequently towards the end, to prevent sticking.

7.Your split peas and veggies, by now should be tender but not mooshy!
Serve on top of basmati rice..