Saturday, 23 June 2012

Teriyaki chicken pizza



Ingredients
1 pizza base
1 large chicken breast
2 tablespoons sake (or japanese cooking wine)
4 tablespoons soy sauce
4 tablespoon mirin
2 tablespoon sugar
1 tablespoon grated ginger
1 tablespoon cornflour
3 spring onions, sliced
2 roasted capsicum, skin off, sliced
Sesame seeds
Chives

Method
1. Preheat the oven to 220 degrees celsius.

2. Poke chicken using a fork. Mix sake, soy sauce, mirin, sugar and ginger in a bowl. Marinate chicken in mixture for 15 minutes in fridge. Heat some oil in frying pan, fry chicken on one side, then the other until browned. Pour the sauce used to marinade the chicken, cover the frying pan and steam cook the chicken on low heat until done. Remove the chicken and set aside.

3. Add cornflour to marinade and keep on low heat and stir until thickened.

4. Smooth the marinade with a knife over the pizza base.

5. Slice the chicken thinly and crumb with the sesame seeds then place on the pizza.

6. Add the capiscum, spring onions and chives to the pizza.

7. Place the pizza in the oven for 10-15 minutes and serve.



(This is one of my creations based on GPK pizza)

Sunday, 3 June 2012

Oven baked frittata

Ingredients
1 tablespoon olive oil
5-6 slices middle bacon
500gm waxy potatoes
4 cloves garlic, chopped
1/2 cup chopped parsley
1 tablespoon fresh thyme
2 char grilled red capsicums, thickly sliced
6 eggs
2 tablespoons chicken stock
1 teaspoon white vinegar
1 teaspoon paprika
15 pitted olives, crushed
Salt and pepper

Method
1. Preheat oven to 190 degrees Celsius.
2. Cut potatoes into 2 cm cubes, boil in salted water until tender.
3. Place bacon in a layer covering the bottom and up the sides of the dishes.
4. Arrange the potatoes in a layer close together over the bacon.  Sprinkle the garlic, parsley and thyme over the potatoes.  Place the capsicum in a single layer on top of the potatoes.
5. Beat the eggs, stock, vinegar and paprika together, and season with salt and pepper. 
6. Pour this evenly over the capsicums.  Scatter the olives evenly over the top.
7. Place in the oven and bake for 35-40 minutes or until set.

Source: Countdown masterfoods.

Lamb, mint and rosemary pies

Ingredients

1 tablespoon olive oil
1 onion chopped
2 cloves of garlic chopped
1 carrot peeled and finely chopped
400gms lamb mince
1 cup tomato puree
2 tablespoons mint jelly
1/4 cup chopped rosemary
Salt and pepper
5 sheets puff pastry (check pantry basics for dairy free)

Method
1. Preheat oven 200 Celsius. 
2. Heat oil in a hot frying pan, add onion, garlic and carrot and cook for 5 minutes.  Add the mince and cook, breaking up, for 5 minutes until browned.
3. Add the tomato puree, mint jelly, rosemary, salt and pepper and cook for a further 5 minutes.  Cool.
4. Cut rounds if you want to make individual pies, or line a pie dish with the puff pastry.
5. Add the filling and top with pastry and seal the edges (use water if required).
6. Bake for 20-25 minutes until golden.
Serve with tomato sauce if desired.

Source: Donna Hay, Saturday Herald.

Saturday, 28 April 2012

Joe's minestrone

Ingredients
1 small onion chopped
1 small carrot chopped
2 rashers bacon chopped
A few leaves of silverbeet/spinach chopped
1 small potato choppped
4 cloves garlic
1 can beans (white, red kidney or chickpeas)
1 can chopped tomatoes
1 can full water
1 teaspoon dried oregano
Splash red wine
Salt and pepper

Method
Add all to a pot and simmer for 20 minutes then add a quarter of a cup of pasta (orzo works nicely) and simmer for a further 15 minutes.  Serve with black pepper and some crusty bread.

Juicy red pesto dip

Ingredients
3 roasted red peppers (capsicum)
2 cloves garlic chopped finely
1/4 cup sundried tomatoes
1/4 cup tomato paste
1/4 cup basil leaves
1/4 cup virgin olive oil


Method
Puree all ingredients in a food processor and slowly pulse in the oil to form a smooth paste.  Season with salt and pepper, and if you like add a sprinkle of sugar to sweeten.  Makes about two cups.


Source: Abes bagels recipes.

Saturday, 21 April 2012

Caramelised onion and tomato tarts

Ingredients

2 tablespoons olive oil
2 large onions, sliced
2 tablespoons white vinegar
1 tablespoon brown sugar
1/2 teaspoon salt
8 Roma tomatoes, quartered
1 tablespoon balsamic vinegar
2 sheets puff pastry
2 cups rocket leaves
 Method
1. Heat oil in a frypan. Add onion and simmer over a low heat for 20 minutes to sweat. Add vinegar, sugar and salt and simmer a further 15 minutes until golden and soft. Set aside. (alternative is to buy caramelised onions - available at delicatessens)

2. Place tomatoes on a lined baking tray. Brush with balsamic vinegar and bake in a slow oven, 150°C, for 20 minutes.

3. Score a border around the pastry leaving a 2cm edge. Spread caramelised onion over sheets of pastry within the border. Arrange tomatoes over top.

4. Bake in a hot oven, 200°C, for 20 minutes or until pastry is golden and puffed. Serve topped with rocket.

(Source: Sanitarium website)

Tuesday, 27 March 2012

Awesome chocolate cake

We did this cake for my son's 3rd birthday and it is the best dairy free chocolate cake I have had!!

Ingredients

Cake
250 gms of dark chocolate
225 gms of dairy free spread (I used Olivani)
6 large eggs separated
260gms caster sugar
75gms ground almonds
50 gms flour (sifted)
1 tsp baking powder
2 tsp vanilla extract
1 pinch of salt

Icing
1 1/2 cups of icing sugar
3 tbsp cocoa
2 tbsp melted dairy free spread
1 tsp vanilla extract
warm water for mixing

Method
1. Preheat oven to 175 degrees celsius.  Grease a 25 cm cake tin - line the bottom with baking paper and the sides with strips of tinfoil.
2. Melt the chocolate and dairy free spread together gently over a low heat and reserve.
3. Beat the egg yolks and caster sugar together until thick, pale and creamy.  Fold in the chocolate mixture.  Fold in the ground almonds, flour and baking powder.
4. Whisk egg whites until they hold soft peaks but are not dry or grainy.  Add a spoonful or two of whites to the chocolate mix to loosen it, then gently fold in remaining egg whites, vanilla and salt and pour into cake tin.
5. Bake for an hour or until a skewer inserted into the middle of the cake comes out clean but still moist.  Allow the cake to cool in the tin, turn out and remove the paper and foil.
6. Put the icing sugar, cocoa, dairy free spread, and vanilla in a mixing bowl.  Add water, little by little beating well so you have a spreadable paste.  Spread all over the cake and allow to set.