Huevos Rancheros May 15, 2015

This is my go to hangover, I mean comfort food 😉  I love tomato based dishes; I think I was Spanish in a previous existence. You could have this as a vegetarian dish or I add chorizo if I have it in stock.

Serves 2

Ingredients

1/2 red pepper, diced

1/2 yellow pepper, diced

1 onion, diced

1 clove of garlic, crushed

1 or 2 Jalapeno pepper, chopped finely

3 sprigs of coriander, chopped roughly

1 tin of tomatoes

Olive oil

1/2 avocado, diced

75g grated cheese (something that melts well, like mozzarella)

2 eggs

Salt and pepper to season

Method

1. Heat a frying pan that you can put in the oven or under a grill. Add a tablespoon of oil to the pan and heat.

2. Fry the onion for 4 minutes.

3. Add the peppers and fry until softened.

4. Ad the garlic and Jalapeno and fry for 2 minutes.

5. Add the tin of tomatoes and season with salt and pepper.

6. Simmer for 10 minutes until the sauce has reduced.

6. Make 2 wells in the sauce and break the eggs into the wells.

7. Scatter over the avocado and grated cheese.

8. Place under the grill until the cheese has melted.

You’re done! Serve with tortillas or tortilla chips.

Acai Bowls May 13, 2015

Credit: Ben Thompson, Photographer

I was talking to my colleague about Acai Bowls and I somehow agreed to making them for breakfast for him and my lunch club girls. I had the Acai smoothie packets and I figured that I could wing making the rest myself. The brand of frozen acai smoothie that I have is unsweetened and has a kind of an earthy taste so if you like it sweet I would recommend adding a tablespoon of agave syrup or honey. The blender we have at work is pretty rubbish so I ended up mashing the berries with the smoothie mix. I added some almond milk, probably a little bit too much as it was a bit runny once it had melted so I have adjusted the recipe to cater for this. The bowls went down a treat. I may be called for duty again.

Serves 4

Ingredients

3 acai smoothie packs

4 tablespoons of chia seeds

120g granola clusters

1/2 pineapple, chopped

3 kiwi, chopped

1/2 punnet of fresh raspberries, chopped

1/2 punnet of fresh strawberries, chopped

200g frozen mixed berries

3 tablespoons of almond milk

Agave syrup or honey to sweeten if needed

Method

1.Break up the acia smoothie mix into piece and add to a blender. Blitz the smoothie mix, the frozen berries and the almond milk together until you get a smooth mixture that isn’t too runny.

2. Distribute the mix among four bowls. Layer the fruit in each of the bowls.

3. Sprinkle the chia seeds and the granola clusters over the fruit.

4. Drizzle some syrup or honey over the mix, serve and enjoy.

South American Style Brunch February 2, 2015

I recently started following Jamie Oliver on Instagram. Okay, I’ll admit it, I have a crush on him. I just love his food. It’s just rustic, with lovely accessible ingredients. I often buy cookbooks because the recipes look fantastic but I never end up making them because the ingredients are too hard to find or the recipes are too complex and I couldn’t be bothered. I’m all about hassle free cooking and I think Jamie is the master. Anyway, Jamie posted this recipe on Instagram recently and I loved the sound of it, so decided to give it a shot during the week. The original recipe uses Quinoa but I didn’t have any in stock, I substituted it for long grain rice and it worked out quite well. I will be saving this to my favourites for sure. I went a bit light on the chilli and chilli sauce, I will be a bit braver next time around.

Serves 6

Ingredients

200g quinoa

Sea salt

Olive oil

Pinch of cumin seeds

1 x 400g black beans or black eyed beans, drained and rinsed

1 long fresh red chilli, finely sliced

1 fresh jalapeno chilli, freshly sliced

2 tablespoons white wine vinegar

A pinch of golden caster sugar

Extra virgin olive oil

Juice of half a lime

Freshly ground black pepper

6 large free range eggs

1 ripe avocado

200g of ripe cherry tomatoes, quartered

2 spring onions, finely sliced

A small bunch of fresh mint

A small bunch of fresh coriander

Hot chilli sauce, to serve

Method

1. Cook the quinoa according to packet instructions, with a good pinch of salt. Meanwhile, add a good glug of olive oil to a frying pan and place over a high heat. Once hot, add the cumin seeds and then fry for 30 seconds, then add the beans and a pinch of salt and continue cooking for 5-8 minutes, or until crisp all over.

2. While the beans are cooking, place the sliced chillies into a bowl with the vinegar, sugar and a pinch of salt and set aside.

3. Drain the quinoa well, then drizzle over a little extra virgin olive oil and lime juice and season lightly. Spread on a tray and leave aside to cool slightly.

4. Transfer the cooked beans to a bowl. Wipe the pan clean and return to a medium heat with a splash of olive oil. Once hot crack in your eggs and fry to your liking.

5. Transfer the quinoa to a large serving plate, layer the eggs on top and spoon over the crispy beans. Halve and de-stone the avocado, then scoop out and dot over the flesh. Scatter the tomatoes, spring onions and chillies on top, then drizzle of some of the pickling juice. Pick and roughly chop the mint and coriander leaves and sprinkle on top, then add a drizzle of extra virgin olive oil and serve with plenty of hot chilli sauce.

Note: I used a mixture of Jalapenos in a jar and fresh. The version in a jar comes in a pickled sauce, so I just re-cycled this with a little sugar.

P.s. If you are a Jamie Oliver fan, I would highly recommend following him on Instagram, he posts a new recipe each day.

Corn and Courgette Fritters October 6, 2012

I got this recipe from Taste.com.au. It got the thumbs up from me and the in house taste tester. It’s dead easy to make, a great one for the weekend. The method I used is slightly different from the one mentioned on the original recipe, I’m not sure it really matters but I will give you my version of it. I also made an avocado salsa to go with it.

Ingredients

• 310g tin corn kernels, drained
• 150g zucchini/courgette, grated
• 2 eggs, lightly beaten
• 1/3 cup milk
• 1 cup self-raising flour
• 1/2 teaspoon ground cumin
• salt and cracked black pepper

Salsa

• chopped tomato
• chopped avocado
• coriander leaves
• Juice of half a lemon/lime juice
• 1 teaspoon old el paso fajita or taco seasoning

Method

1. Sift the flour, salt, pepper and cumin in a large bowl. Make a well in the centre and add the eggs. Start taking the flour in from the edges, once the mixture has all been worked in. Whisk to remove lumps.
2. Stir in the corn and the courgette. The mixture should be a thick      consistency.
3. Heat a little oil in a non-stick frying pan over medium heat. Using a tablespoon, place heaped spoonfuls of the mixture in the pan and cook in batches. Using a spatula, turn them once, until golden and cooked through. Drain on paper towel, cover and keep warm as you cook remaining fritters.
4. Mix all the salsa ingredients together and serve on top.

Apricot and Yoghurt Crunch January 17, 2011

This a Weight Watchers recipe.  This is a nice brunch recipe for the weekend. This can be made in large quantities and stored in an airtight container.  

Serves 2

Ingredients

low fat cooking spray

25g (1 oz) porridge oats

1 tablespoon sunflower seeds

2 heaped teaspoons clear honey, warmed

200g pot low fat vanilla yoghurt

201g can apricot in natural juice, drained and sliced

Method

1. Preheat the oven to Gas Mark 5/190 degrees celsius. Spray a baking tray with low fat cooking spray.

2. Mix the oats, sunflower seeds and honey together and spread out on the baking tray.

3. Toast in the oven for 6-8 minutes until golden brown, stirring halfway through.

4. Leave to cool on the tray for 2-3 minutes, during which time the oat mixture will become crunchy.

5. Layer up the yoghurt and apricots in two glasses or bowls and then top with the crunchy oat and seed mixture just before eating.

You can change the type of fruit used according to your preference or seasons.

Hot corncakes with avocado, bacon and basil August 29, 2010

I got this recipe from www.bbcgoodfood.com. The recipe instructions were really bad so I have edited their version. I tried the recipe with the avocado and I really don’t think it needs it. I didn’t have basil so I just used spicy italian herbs instead (from Schwarz). I also doubled up on the batter and kept the remainder in the fridge for the following day. These are not really the healthiest option but you have to indulge sometimes.

• 100 ml olive oil for deep frying
• 1 red pepper , diced
• 1 fresh red or green chilli , deseeded and chopped
• 100g self-raising flour
• 2 egg , beaten
• 6 tbsp milk
• 2 x 330g sweetcorn nibblets, drained
• handful basil leaf , chopped, plus extra to serve (or use 2 tsp spicy Italian herbs)

TO SERVE

• 8 rashers, back or streaky bacon
• juice 1⁄2 lemon
• 1 or 2 avocado , peeled, stoned and sliced

Method

1. Heat grill to high. Heat 1 tbsp oil in a large non-stick frying pan and sizzle the pepper for 5 mins until softened, adding the chilli for the final min. Remove and set aside.
2. Put the flour into a large bowl, make a well, then stir in the egg and then the milk to make a batter, whisking to remove any lumps. Stir in the corn, peppers, chilli and chopped basil, then season well.
3. Heat a wok and add the remaining oil and heat until very hot. Then carefully drop 4 large tbsps of the batter into the pan. Don’t panic they look like they will seperate but they bind together. Try not to agitate them while they are cooking.
4. Cook for 2 mins until risen and golden underneath, then cook for 1 min more. You’ll need to do these in batches, remove and drain on the kitchen paper to remove the excess fat. Keep warm.
5. Meanwhile, grill the bacon.
6. Mix the lemon juice and remaining oil together with seasoning. Serve 4 cakes each, topped with the avocado, bacon, a scattering of basil leaves and a drizzle of the dressing.