Lemony leeks and chickpea burgers

Taken from Martha Stewart and 101cookbooks.com

Lemony Leeks with Chickpeas and Feta
Serves 2-3

Ingredients:
3 large leeks
1 cup vegetable stock
1 cup chickpeas (canned is fine)
½ cup crumbled goat feta

Dressing:
2 Tbsp. extra virgin olive oil
1 tsp. liquid honey
juice and zest of one lemon
pinch of sea salt + pepper
1 clove garlic, minced
1 small bunch fresh dill

Directions:

1. Slice off the root end of the each leek, then cut the stalk into 1-inch chunks on the diagonal (see photo). Use both the white and pale green portion of the stalk, discarding the dark green tops. Submerge leek slices in a large bowl of water to remove dirt between the layers. Be careful the layers stay intact.
2. In a large frying pan or saucepan, heat the vegetable broth until simmering. Remove leeks slices from water and place each slice with one flat side down in the broth. Cover and let simmer for 4-5 minutes on medium heat.
3. While the leeks are cooking, make the dressing by combining all ingredients except for the lemon zest and dill.
4. When leeks are just tender (do not over cook!), remove from pan with tongs and set on a serving platter, leaving the remaining broth. Pour chickpeas into the pan and heat in the broth for about one minute, tossing to warm through. Add half of the dill and toss.
5. Remove pan from heat and place chickpeas on top of the leeks. Pour dressing over top, sprinkle with remaining dill, lemon zest, and plenty of freshly ground black pepper. Serve immediately.

Ultimate Veggie Burger Recipe

These make great do-ahead meals, and you can store shaped, ready-to-cook patties in the refrigerator for a week's worth of work lunches. Sprouted garbanzos are becoming more readily available, but if you can't find them, canned or cooked garbanzos (chickpeas) will work great. Sprouting boosts their already fantastic nutritional value even more...

2 1/2 cups sprouted garbanzo beans (chickpeas) OR canned garbanzos, drained and rinsed
4 large eggs
1/2 teaspoon fine-grain sea salt
1/3 cup chopped fresh cilantro
1 onion, chopped
Grated zest of one large lemon
1 cup micro sprouts, chopped (try brocolli, onion, or alfalfa sprouts - optional)
1 cup toasted (whole-grain) bread crumbs
1 tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil (or clarified butter)

If you are using sprouted garbanzos, steam them until just tender, about 10 minutes. Most of you will be using canned beans, so jump right in and combine the garbanzos, eggs, and salt in a food processor. Puree until the mixture is the consistency of a very thick, slightly chunky hummus. Pour into a mixing bowl and stir in the cilantro, onion, zest, and sprouts. Add the breadcrumbs, stir, and let sit for a couple of minutes so the crumbs can absorb some of the moisture. At this point, you should have a moist mixture that you can easily form into twelve 1 1/2-inch-thick patties. I err on the moist side here, because it makes for a nicely textured burger. You can always add more bread crumbs a bit at a time to firm up the dough if need be. Conversely, a bit of water or more egg can be used to moisten the batter.

Heat the oil in a heavy skillet over medium low, add 4 patties, cover, and cook for 7 to 10 minutes, until the bottoms begin to brown. Turn up the heat if there is no browning after 10 minutes. Flip the patties and cook the second side for 7 minutes, or until golden. Remove from the skillet and cool on a wire rack while you cook the remaining patties. Carefully cut each patty in half, insert your favorite fillings, and enjoy immediately.

Makes 12 mini burgers.

Corn Flour Corn Fritters

1 cup of corn flour
1/2 cup of wholemeal flour
1 tsp of baking powder
pinch of salt
egg (beaten)
milk

1 cup of brown rice cooked with a tsp of turmeric.
can of corn
spring onions
1 large onion
1 stalk of celery
clove of garlic
1cm of grated ginger
Spices - ginger, coriander, curry powder, cumin


Fry the onion, celery, garlic and ginger and put aside.
Place the flour, baking powder, salt and egg in a mixing bowl.
Mix the egg through to the dry ingredients till it is crumbly.
Add a small amount of milk ~ 2 Tbsp so the mixture forms a wet dough.
Beat the dough with a fork till it is smooth and lump less.
Add some more milk gradually till the mixture is a thick batter.

Add the corn, spring onions, celery, onions, and rice and mix

Fry patties.

Carrot Cake Recipe

Taken from 101cookbooks.com 

If you have a hard time finding whole wheat pastry flour, feel free to substitute unbleached all-purpose flour. Reader Nicole mentions that she made a wheat-free version with good results - substituting one cup oat flour and one cup gluten-free baking mix. Thanks Nicole!

2 cups whole wheat pastry flour
2 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
1 1/2 teaspoons cinnamon
3/4 teaspoon fine grain sea salt
3/4 cup finely chopped walnuts
4 ounces unsalted butter, heated until just melted
1/2 cup dried dates, seeded and finely chopped into a paste
3 ripe bananas (1 1/4 cups), mashed well
1 1/2 cups grated carrots (about 3 medium)
1/2 cup plain Greek yogurt (2% or lowfat is ok)
2 eggs, lightly whisked

6 ounces cream cheese, room temperature
3 tablespoons agave nectar or maple syrup (or to taste)

Preheat oven to 350F. Butter a 9x5x3 / 8-cup loaf pan (or 8x8 cake pan) and line it with parchment paper.

Sift together the flour, baking powder, cinnamon, and salt. Stir in the walnuts and set aside.

Stir the dates into the melted butter, breaking up the dates a bit.

In a separate bowl combine the bananas and carrots. Stir in the date-butter mixture, breaking up any date clumps as you go. Whisk in the yogurt and the eggs. Add the flour mixture and stir until everything just comes together. Spoon into the prepared pan. Bake for about 50 - 60 minutes or until a toothpick tests clean in the center of the cake - it'll be less if you are using a standard cake pan. Remove from oven and let cool.

While the cake is baking whip together the cream cheese and agave nectar. Taste. If you like your frosting sweeter adjust to your liking. When the cake has completely cooled frost the top of the cake with an offset spatula.

Makes one carrot cake.

Fancy Cauliflower Cheese

1 onion (diced)
2 cloves garlic (diced)
tbsp of butter /margarine
2 tbsp of flour
Milk

Blue Cheese (crumbled)

wine

Cauliflower (chopped)

Fry the onion, garlic with the butter on a medium heat until the onion is soft but not fried.
Add the flour and stir, if it starts sticking move on to the next step, if it is bubbling nicely cook for a minute.
Add as much milk as the mass of the flour/onions. Stir to a thick paste, stirring out any lumps.
Add twice as much milk as before, stir milk through, as I heats up it will thicken.
Once thick add twice as much milk as in the last step, stir till thick.
Add the same amount of milk as before (less if it is looking thin), stir till thick.
Take off the heat and stir in blue cheese

In a lidded casserole dish pour half a cup of wine, place cauliflower in, cover with white sauce. Place on the lid and bake in the oven until cauliflower is tender, around twenty minutes.

Potato Gnochi

1.5 kg potatoes
500g flour
1 egg yolk
Tomato pasta sauce

Boil potatoes whole in well salted water. The trick is to get the potatoes just cooked that they are edible but not over cooked or they will soak up to much water later.

Drain, cool, peel then mash.

Spread out flour, put the potato on top and add egg. Lightly knead the mixture until it has just come together.

Divide into three pieces. Roll each piece out to a 1.5cm thick roll. Cut into 1cm pieces.

Boil in well salted water. Remove when floating, or until cooked (some may float before edible)

Serve with tomato sauce.

Easy Pasta Bake

Ingredients

Frying ingredients
3 cloves of garlic (diced)
2 onions (diced)
2 stalks of celery (diced)
1 carrot (grated)
Mushrooms (optional)
Oil for frying

Sauce Ingredients
1 can tomato puree
1 can of chopped tomatoes
chopped roasted red peppers (from jar)
Bay Leaf
Some wine, red wine vinegar, balsamic vinegar
Herbs
Roasted vegetable (optional)

4/5 of a packet of Spaghetti

Cheese (preferably mozzarella)

Method

Fry the frying ingredients in a large saucepan until soft and cooked. Add the sauce ingredients and simmer for as long as it takes for the pasta to cook. Cook pasta until soft.

In a casserole dish layer sauce(removing bay leaf), pasta and cheese in successive layers.

Bake in the oven until cheese on top is toasted

Dal and Naan

Dal

Dal
3 cups of dried Lentils
1 clove of garlic (crushed)
1 bit of ginger (crushed or grated)
3 small Chilli (or more)
8 cups of water or stock
1 tsp salt

End Bits
1 onion
1 can of tomatoes (optional)
roast vegetables (optional)

Spices
coriander
ginger
cumin
turmeric

coriander to serve

Place the dal ingredients in slow cooker. Place on high for one hour, then reduce down to low and cook for at least 5 hours

An hour before serving add the can of tomatoes

Fry the onion with the spices
Add onions to the dal with the roast vegetables, let the flavours mix a bit for twenty minutes

Add coriander and serve.


Naan

1 tsp dry yeast
1 cup warm water
1/4 cup white sugar
3 tablespoons yogurt
1 egg, beaten
2 teaspoons salt
4 1/2 cups white flour (or sub in some wholemeal)

2 teaspoons minced garlic (optional)
1/4 cup butter, melted (very optional)

In a bowl, dissolve yeast in warm (slightly warmer than body temperature) water. Let stand about 10 minutes, until frothy (some times the bowl needs to be put in a sink of warmer water to get the yeast bubbling). Stir in sugar, yogurt, egg, salt, and enough flour to make a soft dough. Knead for 6 to 8 minutes on a lightly floured surface, or until smooth. Place dough in a well oiled bowl, cover with a damp cloth, and set aside to rise. Let it rise 1 hour, until the dough has doubled in volume (it takes for ever)

Punch down dough, and knead in garlic. Cut the dough into eight or ten piece. At this stage you are meant to let it rise again but I never have the time
Use the large caste iron fry pan on the large element element set to three and allowing time for the pan to heat up.

Roll one ball of dough out into a thin circle. Lightly oil grill. Place dough on grill, and cook for 2 to 3 minutes, or until puffy and lightly browned. Brush uncooked side with butter, and turn over. Brush cooked side with butter, and cook until browned, another 2 to 4 minutes, I don't usually do this.

Remove from grill, and continue the process until all the naan has been prepared. Which takes forever and is very tedious. The element has to be turned down to around 2.5 as the pan heats up, but don't be surprised if they start burning instead of cooking.

Chillie bean falafel- another gem from ex flatmate frankie thank u

1 can chillie beans, smooshed a bit
1/2 cup couscous
at least: 1 tsp cumin & 1 tsp coriander dried
lots of ginger- depends how ur feeling
1 cooked onion
few cloves garlic
1 tsp baking soda

combine patties & fry

Yummy Fast Cake- a 1 pot wonder cake stolen from S Reed

ex flatmate fabulousness

Bring to boil 1 cup water & 1 cup sultanas, then simmer for 1-2 min off element.
add 125g cubed butter, leave til butter melts
add 1 cup sugar
       1 egg (beaten)
       1 & 3/4 C flour ( 1 cup wholemeal & 3/4 plain)
       1 tsp baking powder
       1 tsp baking soda (small tsp)
       1 tsp mixed spice
       1 tsp nutmeg
       1 tsp cinnamon

pour into cake dish or tin (smallish size) & sprinkle with walnuts

bake @ 150 - 160 degrees for 45- 50 min or 35-40 min fan bake

enjoy

Essene Bread patties

nice health food recipe - slightly unusual

need:
Essene bread- sprouted wheat bread (My mum would say "what Jesus ate" from any health food shop eg harvest.
1 onion
feta cheese
1 clove garlic
spices- what ever mix u want i usually do cumin plus turmeric
1 egg
1 red capsicum roasted & peeled

Chop onions finely, fry with spices until brown. add garlic cook a little.
In a bowl break up essene bread, add onion mix, chopped feta & cubed roasted capsicum. use your hands to make patties & fry.

xx happy eating

tasty falafel

great with a yog & cucumber sauce

ingredients
2 x canned chick peas
2 cloves garlic
1 onion
1 T olive oil
1 egg
2 t cumin
1/2 t bicarb soda
2 T flour
Pita bread for serving

Steps:
1. Process chickpeas, garlic, onion &olive oil till they begin to combine, transfer to bowl. stir in egg, cumin, soda & flour till combined. That easy! shape or just start frying ur patties from mixture & cook in fry pan with oil.
xx

Black Bean Soup

Monday 20th June

Black Bean Soup with Foccacia bread

Soup ingredients:
1 can black beans
1.5 tablespoons olive oil
2 red onions
1 red capsicum
1 green capsicum
4 cloves crushed garlic
3 bay leaves
1 litre veggie stock
2 teaspoons oregano
2 tablespoons tomato paste
1 can corn
salt & pepper to taste

instructions-

1. heat oil in large sauce pan, add onion & cook for 6-7 minutes, or til soft. Add capsicums & garlic & cook for 4 min. Stir in back beans, bay leaves, oregano, stock & tom paste. Simmer, for 30 min then add corn. Im flexible with simmering times.

follow bread maker recipe for foccacia.

Vegetable Puff Pastry Pie

My recipe was based on this recipe:

5 medium-sized onions - I used three large ones
enough butter or oil to cover the bottom of a medium-sized shallow pan 
350g of any firm variety of mushrooms, or a mixture - I used Leek, Silverbeet and broccoli 
chopped thyme, lemon thyme or oregano (just enough to sit in the palm of your hand)
about 200g crème frache - I used mixture of cream, sour cream and yogurth
425g puff pastry 
a little beaten egg or milk to glaze the pastry

plus some blue cheese (optional)

Peel and roughly chop the onions and let them cook slowly with the butter or oil over a low heat for 20 minutes or so, until they are golden, soft and almost transparent. Tear or slice the mushrooms into large, bite-sized pieces and add them to the onions, adding a little more butter or oil if they soak it all up. Leave them to turn golden and tender but stir them from time to time so they do not stick and burn. Season them with the chopped herbs and stir in the crème frache, grinding in a little salt and pepper as you go. You want a mixture that is creamy rather than runny, so let it bubble for a minute or two to thicken.

Heat the oven to 200 C/gas mark 6. The pastry needs to be rolled into two rectangles about 35cm by 20cm (conveniently the same measurements as the ready-rolled frozen stuff). 

Put mixture into Pie dish. Cover with two slices of puff pastry that have been stuck together with water. 

Brush a little beaten egg, milk or even water on top of pastry sheet. 

Bake the pie until it has puffed up like a cushion and is the colour of honey. This should take about 25 minutes. 

Winter Vegetable Tagine

• 
  
• This is based on this recipe. With no Chicken, use what ever veges you have on hand - I used Kumara, Pumpkin, Capsicum.. Could use eggplant etc.   

• 2 tsp each ground coriander, cumin, ginger
• 1 tsp each ground cinnamon, turmeric
• 1/2 tsp chilli powder
• About 4-5 cups of chopped veges for tagine (see above)
• 3 tbs light olive oil
• 2 onions, thinly sliced
• 4 garlic cloves, crushed
• 375ml (1 1/2 cups) vege stock
• 425g can crushed tomatoes
• 2 bay 
• 2 tsp honey
• 2 tsp sugar
• 400g can chickpeas, drained
• 1/2 cup pitted dates
• 1/4 cup chopped fresh coriander plus parsley 
• 1/2 cup blanched almonds
• Cooked couscous, to serve
• 
  
• 
  
• Add oil to pan with onions and cook for 5 minutes. Stir in garlic and spice mixture. Let wilt together for a few minutes under low heat.
• 
  
• In a big roasting or casserole dish combine all ingredients, veges, stock, tomatoes, bay leaves, any spices not added, honey, chickpeas, dates. Cover with tinfoil and cook until veges are tender.   

When ready cook couscous. Toast almonds in the oven and chop roughly. Serve tagine on a bed of couscous with a large amount of coriander, parsley and roasted nuts. 

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Quinoa with Currants, Baked Feta and Broccoli

This is adapted from 101cookbooks.com. I never used the sesame seeds or dill, the lemon and currants seems to provide enough flavour. I also doubled the amount of quinoa. The key is the baked feta for this recipe. 

original recipe here

olive oil 1 bunch green onions, chopped
3/4 teaspoons fine-grain sea salt
1 cup / 6.5 oz / 185 g quinoa, well rinsed and drained
2 cups water
1/4 cup / 1 oz / 30g dried currants
1 lemon
2 sm-med zucchini or broccoli or other vegetable
4 tablespoons toasted sesame seeds 4 tablespoons chopped fresh dill
1 block feta cheese 
couple of garlic cloves

Peel the skin off a lemon. Chop skin finely and mix with 1/2 cup or so olive oil and couple of cloves of chopped garlic. Chop the feta into squares and arrange on a baking tray. Spoon on oil lemon mixture and bake in oven at about 100 for 15-20 mins or so. 

To make the quinoa, heat the olive oil in a medium saucepan over medium heat. Add most of the green onions, a pinch of the salt, and cook until the onions soften, just a couple minutes. Add the quinoa and cook, stirring occasionally, until the grains dry out and toast a bit, roughly another 3 minutes. Add the water, the currants, the remaining salt; bring to a boil. Dial back the heat and simmer, covered, until the water is absorbed and the quinoa is just cooked through- 15 minutes or so. Be mindful here, you don't want to overcook the quinoa, and have it go to mush.

When the quinoa is cooked, remove the pan from the heat. Stir in the zucchini (or broccoli), juice of one lemon, sesame seeds, dill, baked feta, remaining green onions. 

Sushi Bowl Recipe

From 101cookbooks.com  


I double the sauce recipe below. 


2 cups short-grain brown rice
3 1/2 cups water
2 teaspoons fine grain sea salt
2 (4-inch) square sheets nori seaweed
6 ounces extra-firm tofu

grated zest and juice of one orange
grated zest and juice of 1/2 lemon
2 tablespoons (raw) brown sugar (reg. sugar is ok too)
2 tablespoons shoyu sauce (or soy sauce)
2 tablespoons (brown) rice vinegar

4 green onions, chopped
1 avocado, peeled, pitted, and thinly sliced
3 tablespoons sesame seeds, toasted

Rinse and drain the rice two or three times. Combine the rice, water, and salt in a heavy saucepan and bring to a boil over high heat, cover, and simmer gently until the water is absorbed, about 45 minutes.

Toast the nori in a preheated 300F degree oven or a medium-hot skillet for a few minutes. Crumble or chop coarsely.

Drain the tofu and pat it dry. Cut the block of tofu lengthwise through the middle to make four 1/4-to 1/2-inch thick sheets of tofu. Two at a time, cook in a dry skillet or well-seasoned skillet over medium-high for a few minutes until browned on one side. Flip gently, then continue cooking for another minute or so, until the tofu is firm, golden, and bouncy. Let cool, enough to handle, then cute crosswise into matchsticks (see photo). Repeat with the remaining sheets.

To make the dressing, set the sheets aside. Combine the orange juice lemon juice, and sugar in a small saucepan and bring to a gentle boil. Cook for 1 or 2 minute, the add the shoyu and vinegar. Return to a gentle boil and cook another 1 or 2 minutes, until slightly thickened. Remove from the heat and stir in the zests.

When the rice is done, stir in 1/3 cup of the dressing and add more to taste. Scoop the rice into individual bowls and top with the toasted nori, green onions, tofu, avocado slices, and a sprinkling of sesame seeds.

Makes 4-6 servings.