Pop chop on top and a rare raw treat

Ah sweet Sunday. How I love you. Family day, time to myself day, cooking day. Why must there be only one of you in the week! It has been 2 weeks since I’ve got to do the grocery shopping on my own, so today was savoured. I went to a cafe and drank my coffee while it was still hot! And read some of the newspaper (which was so depressing I had to stop). I had the lovely man at the fruit and veg shop carry my shopping to my car. I ran into friends and could chat without getting distracted. Trust me, I love my daughter beyond words. But to have a few hours just to myself is something rare and wonderful. The best bit? Coming home and having Possum give me a huge smile and a big sloppy open mouth heavy breathing 10 month old kind of kiss.

The second best bit? Having Legoman home so the two of them can hang out while I plonk myself in the kitchen to make stuff! Hurray!

Our meat free week starts tomorrow, so I thought we could have a lamb stew as a final meat farewell. I even made the recipe up myself. And we lived to tell the tale! Double rainbow!

I also finally got around to using the medjool dates I bought 2 weeks ago to make my first “raw” sweet treat. I have seen so many recipes for sweets and snacks using fresh dates and a food processor lately. My poor little Possum is absolutely terrified by our food processor though (can’t blame her really, it sounds like you’ve got your head stuck in a jet engine). So my opportunity to use the darn thing is reserved to her awake time when Legoman is home to take out for a walk outside. Basically Sunday afternoons between 3 and 5pm. I didn’t get round to taking a picture before putting the yummies in the fridge, but i did get to have a taste test. Delicious! Will have to make something again next Sunday between the hours of 3 and 5pm!

Medjool Dates

I will take the time to write out the two recipes from today for you. I’m really happy with how the lamb turned out and would love for someone else to give it a go and see if it worked out well for you too! The sweet recipe is super tasty and worth sharing! Enjoy!

Lamb and Quince Stew, Serves 4

8 forequarter lamb chops, torn or cut into 3 pieces each

2 Tbsp olive oil

2 brown onions cut roughly

4 cloves of garlic chopped

3 carrots roughly diced

2 potatoes roughly chopped

1/2 sweet potato roughly chopped

1 quince, peeled and chopped

3 cups of stock and 2 cups of water (I used 1 cup of beef stock and 2 cups of vegetable stock)

1 cinnamon stick

1 tsp fennel seeds

1/4 tsp ground cardamom

ground pepper

1. Preheat oven to 160 degrees (celsius).
2. In a large cast iron casserole pot, heat 2 Tbsp olive oil over medium – high heat. Brown the meat in batches. Set aside.
3. Turn down the heat to medium and add the onion. Cook for a minute until starting to soften. Then add carrot and garlic. Stir for another couple of minutes.
4. Add your chopped vegetables and quince. Stir to mix.
5. Add your meat, spices and stock. Stir to combine (as best as you can stir chops…). Put on the lid and place into the oven.
6. Cook for 2 hours.
7. Serve with rice, couscous or quinoa. I suggest steaming some vegetables for on the side.

Fudgy Choc-Orange Pistachio Bars, makes 16 squares (taken from Taste Magazine March 2014, p77)

500g fresh medjool dates, pitted, halved

35g (1/3 cup) raw cacao powder

60ml (1/4 cup) cocnut oil

2 Tbsp LSA (linseed, sunflower and almond meal)

1 1/2 Tbsp fresh orange juice

3 tsp finely grated orange rind (I used my microplane)

75g (1/2 cup) dried cranberries

80g packet pistachios, toasted, chopped

Raw cacao powder, extra, to dust

1. Grease and line the base and sides of a 11 x 21 cm loaf pan, allowing the sides to overhang.
2. Place the dates, cacao powder, coconut oil, LSA, orange juice and orange rind in a food processor and process until smooth and well combined (mine turned into a giant ball).
3. Transfer to a large bowl. Stir in the cranberries and pistachio.
4. Dust a little extra cacao powder over the base of the prepared pan. Spoon in date mixture and use a greased spatula (I found just my hands worked best) to smooth the surface.
5. Place in fridge for 8 hours or overnight until firm. Remove from pan. Use a hot, dry knife to cut into squares (mixture will be sticky).

And now for the scale…

Lamb and Quince Stew

Affordability : MODERATE – EXCELLENT. In terms of meat dishes, stews are one of the most economical. They take advantage of lovely slow cooking cuts on the bone as well as combining with cheap veg like potatoes and sweet potato. Easy to feed a lot of people for not much. I picked up my chops on quick sale (I swear I have a special eye that can spot sale stickers from the car park). The 8 of them cost me $6.50. 

Time Factor : MODERATE. It does take a bit of time to chop everything and brown the meat. But once in the oven you can forget about it for 2 hours!

Complexity : LOW. Easy peasy. This would also work in a slow cooker if you have one. I’m not sure how to convert a recipe over to slow cooker use though.

Deliciousness : EXCELLENT. Not an overpowering flavour, but not dull or boring either. Just lovely.

Mess : MODERATE. Browning the meat does send off a fair bit of fat splatter. But that’s easy to clean up. Otherwise this is a lovely one dish wonder.

Tummy Filling Factor : EXCELLENT. Some steamed veg and carbs on the side complete this dish nicely.

Possum Friendly? YES. Low in salt (none added apart from whatever is in the stock I used). Slow cooked meats and veg are perfect to offer bubs as they as soft and easy for them to digest. The veg also would’ve soaked up all the goodness that comes from cooking with bones. Highly nutritious. Just pull some meat off the bones as the chop bones are quite sharp.

Would I make it again? Yes, I think I will. Maybe even for guests!

Lamb and Quince Stew

French Cottage Pie… Oui!

I love food magazines. Love them! If I go to a newsagent I need to exercise some serious self control not to walk out of there with 3 new food mags. I set myself a challenge this year to not buy cookbooks or food magazines. I have already failed… It’s not fair to set a challenge like that right when a new food magazine is released that meets so many relevant criteria at the moment! Taste magazine is related to the fantastic website taste.com.au. Their recipes are real. There’s also no crazy ingredients that you have to live in the middle of a big city to get a hold of. You also don’t need to be a fully trained chef in order to make their food.

My gripes are that they will tell you to season about 5 times through a recipe. Hello kidney failure! Also they seriously underestimate how long preparation takes. Tonight’s recipe had 10 minutes prep according to the magazine. I recorded an hour (though I was carrying a sick 10 month old whilst trying to peel 1kg of potatoes and defrost mince in the microwave). But honestly, who can prep for a cottage pie in 10 minutes? Gordon Ramsay?? They also very sneakily don’t put their own recipes on the website (so I don’t have a link for you tonight but google cottage pie and there are hundreds to choose from).

I really really want a subscription but then that would be an uber fail. So I keep hinting to Legoman (but I know family and close friends read this too, so hint hint!).

Anyway, last night’s lamb chop debacle re-emerged tonight in the form of stinky oily smoke. What’s worse than trying to cook chops in an all in one oven/grill? Forgetting about the tray of chop fat before turning on the oven to preheat at 200 degrees, opening the door to put your lovely cottage pie in and get whalloped with a plume of lard smoke. Bum.

The pie turned out pretty good in the end, nothing amazing, but belly filling and warm. The unexpected parts to the recipe were the addition of an egg yolk to the potato top, plus an egg white and a whole egg into the mince mixture. To add a bit more pow, I would’ve topped the pie with a bit of grated parmesan (along with the suggested breadcrumbs and fresh thyme) plus added some veg to the meat mixture and maybe a bit more tomato (there is one chopped tomato in the mix).

Whilst peeling the potatoes I thought I saw a pig’s face in one of them. Can you see it too??

French Cottage Pie

Affordability : MODERATE. A very traditional meat and potatoes meal. Easy to fill out with lots of veg to make the meat stretch to feed more mouths as needed. You could make this by using leftover roast meat too, instead of mince.

Time Factor : MODERATE. Basically you’re making a bolognese type mince sauce and mashed potatoes then needing to bake it. So not a speedy meal, but one you could slap together with most fridge, freezer, pantry items.

Complexity : LOW. Pretty easy and straight forward. Not suggested unless you can multi-task (or cook in stereo as Legoman likes to call it).

Deliciousness : MODERATE. Filled our bellies but I didn’t make mmmmmmmm noises while eating it.

Mess : MODERATE. Frypan, saucepan and strainer plus the casserole dish it was baked in.

Tummy Filling Factor : MODERATE. Good ratio of meat to potato. I could’ve gone back for more but didn’t really want to.

Possum Friendly? YES. Possum had some of the mince mixture (I used 1 cup stock and 1 cup water instead of the 2 cups stock as recommended) at dinner time and enjoyed it along side her sweet potato wedges, cucumber sticks and banana.

Would I make it again? Yes, but it won’t be a go to recipe.

Leftover Challenge #1

I am going to set a challenge for myself every now and again. To use up the leftovers in the fridge in a creative kind of way. Tonight is night one! I had high hopes and big plans. There was going to be the carrots from last night, with the roast lamb, and cous cous and currants, and tomato and garlic. And it was going to be magnificent! And Lego Man would rejoice at what a wonderful wife he had married who could do such amazing things with leftovers.

And then Possum’s bed time came. And took nearly an hour. And Lego Man was going to be stuck at work until really late.

So leftover challenge #1 for one. It had to be quick as my stomach was rumbling while sitting in with Possum. Once out of her room I started to think, but all I could think with was my tastebuds and my very hungry tummy.

The decision was made not to order every deep fried entree off the thai take away menu (as much as I would have gobbled it all up). Instead I would actually do the challenge. So I made an omelette. Not very original or exciting use for leftovers. I remember reading in Anthony Bourdain’s books “Kitchen Confidential” that you should never order the “omelette special” on a Monday, it is just the restaurant doing their own Leftover Challenge.

Omelettes always make me giggle after watching the TV series “Gavin and Stacey“. Apparently there is a drinking game where you have to take a shot every time you hear the word omelette.

My omelette had onion, roast lamb and potato in it. A bit heavy, so i had a big serve of leafy greens next to it. It was pretty tasty and tummy filling. Not a bad start. Though it did end up taking alot longer than I expected. Once again, I underestimated the time it takes to cook onions. Thankfully our fridge and cupboard have a variety of snack options that kept me going.

Roast Lamb and Potato Omelette

Affordability : EXCELLENT. A couple of eggs and some leftovers. Too easy.
Time Factor : MODERATE. Using spring onions instead of brown onions would’ve made this a heck of a lot faster.
Complexity : LOW. Everyone should know how to make an omelette. I use a cheap little fry pan from Ikea which works a treat. I cook the eggs on low until you notice the edges starting to cook. Then sprinkle with grated cheese and place under a hot grill for a few minutes. The top will puff up and brown nicely. Light fluffy omelette, ta dah!
Deliciousness : MODERATE. Filled a hungry belly and was tasty but nothing to make me go wow.
Mess : LOW. Chopping board, knife, frypan and cheese grater.
Tummy Filling Factor : MODERATE – EXCELLENT. Feeling nicely full but not entirely satisfied.
Possum Friendly? NO. Bubs apparently find digesting egg whites difficult, but egg yolk is a great baby food. Possum had an egg yolk and spinach pancake today at dinner (I used the remaining egg white in my omelette). I also am avoiding serving Possum dairy, so no cheese for Possum.

Would I make it again? Maybe. I will most certainly end up making an omelette again.

“When love is not madness, it is not love”

Valentine’s day. A day for roses, chocolates, special dinners…. and sharp knives?? Thank you to my wonderful husband who knows me best and got my knives professionally sharpened as an early valentine’s gift. He knows a box of chocolates would sit on the shelf, and with us moving house in a week, flowers would disapear behind boxes. Where as sharp knives will be appreciated for a long time to come. If that is what he does every valentine’s until we are old and eat pureed food, I will be a very happy lady.

Apologies for the absense the past few days. Possum and I have been at maternal wellness centre (aka sleep school) for the past few days without internet or computers. Or flavour. They say a meal cooked by someone else will always taste better. I beg to differ. Especially when the other person is the public health system. Poor Possum got served puree for the first time in her life. Wouldn’t eat it unless it was smeared on toast. Anyhoo, we didn’t go for the cooking. We went for the sleep and sleep we got! Hurray!

So home we are, and a roast chook I made. There has been no planning this week so it was a quick run around the supermarket this afternoon after a luxurious pedicure (thankyou Lego Man again!). Whole free range chickens on special. Done. Veg already in the fridge. Done. And the prep was that much more enjoyable with my deliciously sharp knives. Felt like Uma Thurman in Kill Bill with samurai sword cutting up a big chunk of pumpkin. Happy days.

True love is sharp knives

Affordability : EXCELLENT. A whole chook (chicken) is a bargain. Under $10 for a free range bird. Veg is cheap especially root veg good for roasting.
Time Factor : EXCELLENT. Minimal prep and even faster today with my sharp knives. Did I mention my knives are sharp?
Complexity : LOW. A roast chook can be as fancy or as simple as you choose. My way today was a few sprigs of rosemary, a few cloves of garlic and a wedge of lemon in the carcass. Salt, pepper, lemon juice and olive oil over the skin. 180 for close to 2 hours for a 1.5kg chicken. Yummmmmmm.
Deliciousness : EXCELLENT. An oldy but a goody.
Mess : LOW. Roasting trays. Chopping board.
Tummy Filling Factor : MODERATE. I missed my carbs (even though there were potatoes).
Possum Friendly? EXCELLENT. Possum is loving her meat at the moment so I am expecting her to gobble down some leftovers tomorrow. Her dinner tonight was field mushroom, avocado, cucumber, and toast.

I feel like chicken tonight

Stuffed Capsicum: Take Two

As the saying goes “The sequel is never as good as the original”. In this case this statement is neither true nor false. They were pretty much exactly the same. Despite another hour in the oven. Rice was still under cooked, as were the potatoes. And yes, the oven was actually on.

At least tonight I was mentally prepared to just eat food and nothing more. No intense emotional response to tonight’s dinner. The only added extra tonight was some tinned roast tasmanian salmon which was leftover from Possum’s dinner. I last gave her salmon about 2 months ago and at the time she wasn’t too impressed. But tonight’s salmon she devoured. Was lovely to watch her get so excited over food. Not so fab was the mess to tidy up. Next time I think I will make salmon patties instead, if you have a good recipe let me know!

On a different note, I am part of a bulk buying group here in the Blue Mountains. The group’s focus is on eco friendly products for home and family. There was a big toy order made before Christmas which was fantastic! The most recent order was a “Back To Sschool” theme with lots of stainless steel food containers, drink bottles and a few relatively new ideas popping up too. Such as the Wrap It Green reusable food wraps and the Keep Leaf lightweight food bags. Both designed to cut down the amount of plastic waste going into our environment. I have started using the food wraps to cover cut produce and bowls instead of using glad wrap. They are made of cotton and mostly beeswax and are quite firm but soften with the warmth of your hands to be shaped around whatever you choose really. Great when you have a baby who doesn’t eat a whole piece of fruit or veg just yet.

The cotton bags will be good to trial when going fruit and veg shopping. I have weighed them to see how much they may influence how much you pay at the counter. The lightest is 15g and the heaviest is 50g. In the pack are two mesh and two solid cotton bags. I will be taking the mesh to do fruit and veg shopping next and will fill you in. I was thinking you could probably sew something similar without the toggle with old muslin baby wraps (which we seem to have mountains of).

And here is the scale for dinner tonight…

• Affordability  :  EXCELLENT.  Leftovers are always cheap. It’s like the price per wear of the food world, and when you started at a cost of about $2 for the whole meal then you can afford dessert!
• Time Factor  :  EXCELLENT. I kept the leftovers in the casserole pot so this afternoon before Possum’s dinner I just took it out of the fridge and put it into a preheated oven, an hour later (thinking surely the rice was cooked) I turned the oven down to 100 to keep things warm. In retrospect, should’ve kept it high.
• Complexity  :  LOW. Open fridge, take out pot. Open oven, put in pot. Wait. Open oven, take out pot. Eat. My brain can handle that today.
• Deliciousness  : LOW. But oh so slightly higher than yesterday.
• Mess  :  LOW. Casserole pot, bowls and cutlery.
• Tummy Filling Factor   : LOW. Even with the salmon and potatoes I don’t feel satisfied.
• Possum Friendly?  MODERATE. Still wouldn’t serve her the rice mix but the capsicum has softened. Though capsicum is a high allergen food so just be wary when feeding it to bubs. And I should say thankyou to Possum for sharing her salmon with me.

So what’s for dinner tomorrow night?…. you’ll just have to wait and see!