Chilli con carne

500g (1 1/2lb) ground (minced) beef
800g can tomatoes
2 teaspoons dried chilli flakes
1 tablespoon cumin seeds or ground cumin
2 cans red kidney beans

Coriander leaves

1. Place beef, tomato, chilli and cumin in a slow cooker. Cook on low 10 hours or so.

2. Season, add beans and warm through. Garnish with coriander.

Prawns with garlic, beans & spinach

1/2 onion, diced

1 large clove garlic, chopped

Chilli flakes

1 ripe tomato

Glug white wine

2 big handfuls of baby spinach

400g tin white cannellini beans

About 8 basil leaves, torn

Grated zest of 1/2 a lemon

8 big green prawns

Heat BBQ, if using.

Heat oil in pan & start cooking onion. Add garlic, chilli & 1/4 tsp salt flakes. After a few minutes more, add tomato & cook stirring another few minutes. Add wine, spinach & beans & cook till spinach is wilted. Stir through basil & lemon.

BBQ prawns (or pan fry) & serve on bean mix with black pepper.

Chicken "tikka masala"

4 serves:

440g can crushed tomatoes

1 medium onion, chopped

2 cloves garlic, chopped

2 teaspoons garam masala

salt and black pepper

skinless chicken thighs (about 8)

1/2 cup yoghurt

Cucumber, halved and thinly sliced

1/4 cup fresh coriander leaves

1 tablespoon fresh lemon or lime juice

In slow cooker, combine the tomatoes, onion, garlic, tomato paste, garam masala, ¾ teaspoon salt, and ¼ teaspoon pepper. Place the chicken on top of the vegetables, cover, and cook until the chicken is tender, on low for 8 hours.

Toss the cucumber and cilantro with the lemon juice and ¼ teaspoon each salt and pepper.

Just before serving, stir the yoghurt into the chicken tikka masala. Serve over rice with the cucumber relish. Also good with big handfuls of baby spinach stirred through.

Apricot toasting loaf

Makes 1 fat loaf

2 cups old-fashioned rolled oats
3/4 cup shelled pistachios
3/4 cup chopped dried apricots
3/4 cup unsweetened shredded coconut
1/2 cup sunflower seeds
1/2 cup pepitas
1/2 cup whole flax seeds
1/3 cup psyllium husks
3 tablespoons chia seeds
2 teaspoons sea salt
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 teaspoon cinnamon
1/8 teaspoon cardamom
2 1/2 cups water
1/4 cup maple syrup
1/4 cup extra-virgin olive oil

Optional: Start by toasting the pistachios, sunflower seeds, and pepitas for about 10 minutes at 180°C, until fragrant.

Combine all the dry ingredients and the spices in a bowl. Pour over the water, maple syrup, and olive oil. Stir everything into a wet, sticky mash — keep mixing until all the liquid has been absorbed and no longer pools on the bottom of the bowl.

Oil a loaf pan. Scrape the mixture into the pan, press it firmly in, and smooth the top. It will fill the entire pan and be slightly mounded on top. Poke any visible apricots below the surface (as they toast more quickly than the rest of the ingredients in the oven). Cover and rest for at least 2 hours or up to 24 hours.

Preheat the oven to 200°C. Bake the loaf for 1 1/2 hours — check the bread every 10 minutes in the last half hour and tent with foil when the top is deep golden and looks to be on the verge of (but not yet!) burning. When done, the bread will be dark golden brown on top, pull away from the sides of the pan. This is a dense loaf — it takes a while to bake all the way through.
When done, transfer the bread from the pan to a cooling rack and cool for at least 2 hours, until no longer warm at all. If you cut the loaf before it's fully cooled, you may find that it's gummy in the middle.

Red lentil "risotto"

2 ppl:

1 tablespoon ghee or O oil

1 large onion, chopped

Big handful mushrooms, chopped
2 cups chicken or veg stock
200g (1 cup) red lentils, rinsed
1 handful grated parmesan

1. Heat iron pot on the stove top and preheat your oven to 200C

2. Add ghee and onion, then mushrooms and cook stirring every now and then until the onion is soft, about 10 minutes.

3. Add the stock and lentils. Cover with lid. Bake for 20 minutes or until the lentils are super soft.

4. Stir in the parmesan, black pepper and serve on bed of baby spinach or with a green salad on the side.

Luuurve pancakes (chocolate & ricotta)

Pancakes:

1 cup white spelt flour

1 tsp baking powder

2 Tbsp cacao

1 Tbsp coconut sugar

250g ricotta

3/4 cups milk

1 egg, separated

Hazelnut sauce:

50g good-quality dark chocolate, coarsely chopped

1/3 cup cream

55g hazelnut butter

(Did not use 1/4 cup Frangelico liqueur)

Hazelnuts, toasted 200C for 10 minutes, skinned & chopped

Yoghurt

Strawberries

1. Sift the flour, baking powder and cocoa powder into a bowl. Add sugar and make a well in the centre. Whisk the ricotta, milk and egg yolks together in a bowl. Add the ricotta mixture to the flour mixture, stirring until smooth. Cover and set aside for 20 minutes to rest.
2. Meanwhile, to make the sauce, place chocolate and cream in a heatproof bowl over a saucepan of simmering water. Cook, stirring, until the chocolate melts. Add hazelnut butter (and Frangelico if using) and stir until heated through.
3. Whisk the egg whites in a clean, dry bowl until soft peaks form. Gently fold the egg whites into the pancake batter.
4. Oil frying pan and heat over medium heat. Cook batches of 3 x 1/3-cup quantities at a time.
5. Divide the pancakes among serving plates, spread with sauce & sprinkle with hazelnuts. Greek yoghurt & strawberries to serve.

Mushroom onion burger

Makes 6 modest patties:

1 large garlic clove, chopped
1/2 pound cremini mushrooms, stems removed
1 tablespoon fresh thyme leaves
2 tablespoons olive oil, divided
1 large onion, chopped (about 3 cups)
1 cup canned lentils, rinsed and drained
3/4 cup whole-wheat breadcrumbs
1 large egg, whisked
1 teaspoon salt
1/2 cup polenta

BBQ sauce
goat cheese, crumbled or cottage cheese to serve

1. Heat 1 tablespoon oil over medium-high heat in a skillet; turn down to medium, and cook onion, stirring occasionally, about 15 minutes or until golden brown. Add mushroom mixture, and cook, stirring, about 2-3 minutes or until liquid evaporates. Remove from heat, and let cool.

2. Pulse first 3 ingredients in food processor until finely chopped.

3. Stir cooled mushroom mixture into lentils, and combine with next 3 ingredients (through salt) until well-combined. Form mixture into 6 patties (about 1/2 cup each). Put cornmeal on a shallow plate, and coat burgers evenly.

4. Heat remaining 1 tablespoon oil in a non-stick skillet over medium heat, and cook burgers about 3 minutes or until golden brown on underside. Flip burgers. Cook about 3 minutes more or until golden brown.

Maple zucchini nut muffins

12 small muffins:

 

2 cups almond flour

1 cup rolled oats

2 teaspoons cinnamon

1 teaspoon baking soda

1/2 teaspoon salt

1/4 cup flax seed, ground

1/2 cup pecans, chopped

3 eggs

6 tablespoons organic butter, melted

1/2 cup real maple syrup

1.5 teaspoon vanilla extract

2 cups (or more) finely grated zucchini, about 2 medium size

 

Pre-heat the oven to 180. Grease muffin pan.

 

Mix together the dry ingredients in a large mixing bowl. Beat the eggs with the maple syrup, melted butter and vanilla extract.

 

Combine wet and dry ingredients. Fold in the grated zucchini.

 

Spoon the batter evenly into 12 muffin cups. Bake in the centre of the oven for 30 minutes or until browned on top.

Ricotta gnocchi

190 g ricotta

60ml cup grated parmesan cheese

1 egg

3/4 tsp salt

3/4 cup plain flour

Lemon rind

Sauce:

Garlic

Red onion

Tomato

Capers

Kalamata olives, pitted

Parsley

Drain excess water from ricotta by placing it in a colander over a bowl and leaving it in the refrigerator for at least 30 minutes.

Combine the ricotta, grated parmesan, egg, lemon rind and salt in a bowl. Add the flour and mix. Add only as much flour as you need to create a workable dough, and be careful not to overwork it. Divide the dough into four, and roll each piece into a 2 cm-thick log. Cut into 1 cm slices and gently place on a lightly floured baking sheet. Press down with the back of a fork to make indents in each gnocchi. Continue with the remaining dough in this manner. If not using immediately, chill.

Make sauce.

To cook the gnocchi, drop them in several batches into a saucepan of simmering, lightly salted water and remove as soon as they float to the top, after 1 or 2 minutes. Place in a warmed bowl, top with some sauce and gently mix. Scatter over some parmesan.

Jeff's chicken shawarma

2 lemons, juiced
½ cup plus 1 tablespoon olive oil
6 cloves garlic, peeled, smashed and minced
1 teaspoon kosher salt
2 teaspoons freshly ground black pepper
2 teaspoons ground cumin
2 teaspoons paprika
½ teaspoon turmeric
A pinch ground cinnamon
Red-pepper flakes, to taste
900g boneless, skinless chicken thighs
1 large red onion, peeled and quartered
2 tablespoons chopped fresh parsley

Prepare a marinade for the chicken. Combine the lemon juice, 1/2 cup olive oil, garlic, salt, pepper, cumin, paprika, turmeric, cinnamon and red-pepper flakes in a large bowl, then whisk to combine. Add the chicken, and toss well to coat. Cover, and store in refrigerator for at least 1 hour and up to 12 hours.

When ready to cook, preheat oven to 220. Use the remaining tablespoon of olive oil to grease a rimmed sheet pan. Add the quartered onion to the chicken and marinade, and toss once to combine. Remove the chicken and onion from the marinade, and place on the pan, spreading everything evenly across it.

Put the chicken in the oven, and roast until it is browned, crisp at the edges and cooked through, about 30 to 40 minutes. Remove from the oven, allow to rest 2 minutes, then slice into bits. Scatter the parsley over the top and serve with tomatoes, cucumbers, pita, hot sauce, olives, fried eggplant, feta, rice, anything you desire.

Osso Buco in bianco

4 pieces of osso buco or beef shank
8 baby carrots
4 tablespoons tomato paste
1 cup white wine
1 head garlic

1. Place beef, carrots, tomato paste, wine and garlic in  a slow cooker. No need to peel the garlic, just break into individual cloves.

2. Cover and cook on auto for 11-12 hours or until the beef is meltingly tender.

Summer veg Thai red curry

2 Tbsp red curry paste

Tin coconut milk

10 or so squash

Baby corn

Capsicum

1 Tbsp fish sauce

1 tsp sugar

Kaffir lime leaf, sliced

Big handful snow peas

Handful basil leaves

Squeeze of lemon or lime juice

Eggplant parmigiana

3 large eggplant, degorged, brushed with oil & BBQed
1 (large) quantity tomato sauce
1 hunk mozzarella
grated parmesan

Layer and bake at 180 for about 35minutes. Serve with simple green salad. Also good on toast!