Healthy and Delicious Mushroom Straganoff

Straganoff is a Russian dish normally made with beef strips but a few clever substitutes can turn this traditional creamy casserole into a low fat, low calorie and delicious meal.

Mushroom Straganoff

Ingredients: (Serves 3)

• 2 teaspoons olive oil
• 1 onion (I used two small onions)
• 1 tablespoon paprika
• 2 garlic cloves, crushed
• 400g mixed mushrooms
• 250ml vegetable or beef stock
• 1 tablespoon Worcestershire sauce
• 3 tablespoons low fat sour cream (I used low fat cream with a squeeze of lemon juice)
• small bunch of parsley, roughly chopped
• 250g cooked brown wild rice

Ingredients

Method:

1. Heat the oil in a large pan and soften the onion for about 5 minutes.
2. Add the garlic and the paprika and cook for 1 minute more.
3. Add the mushrooms and cook on a high heat, stirring often for about 5 minutes.
4. Pour in the stock and the Worcestershire sauce. Bring to the boil for 5 minutes until the sauce thickens.
5. Then turn off the heat and stir in the cream and the parsley. Make sure the pan isn't too hot or the sauce may split.
6. Serve with the cooked rice.

Healthy and delicious

Tantelizing Tiramisu!

I love love love dessert. Last week I went out for dinner to a little traditional Italian bistro and my Dad ordered Tiramisu and I tasted it and I've been thinking about it ever since... So when I went to the shop this afternoon, I walked past a packet of finger biscuits, and there we go I just had to make Tiramisu as a little treat for this evening. This recipe is easy and amazingly delicious, give it a try...

Tiramisu

Ingredients: (Serves 6)

• 250ml espresso (or instant coffee made with 250ml of water and 7 teaspoons of coffee)
• 125ml Tia Maria Liqueur 
• 200g Italian Finger Biscuits
• 1 egg
• 35g Castor sugar
• 250g Mascapone
• 2 tablespoons cocoa powder

Method

1. Mix the coffee and half of the Tia Maria in a shallow bowl.
2. Dip the biscuits into the liquid, let them soak on each side enough to become damp but not too soggy. Line the bottom of a shallow dish with one layer of the soaked biscuits.
3. Separate the eggs, whisk the yolk and the sugar until thick and pale yellow then fold in the remaining Tia Maria and the Mascarpone to make a mousse mixture.
4. Whisk the egg white until think and frothy. 
5. Fold the egg white into the Mascarpone mixture then spread half over the layer of biscuits.
6. Repeat with another layer of soaked Biscuits then top with the remaining Mascarpone mixture.
7. Cover the dish with cling wrap and leave in the fridge (over night is ideal but i only left mine for 6 hours and was still divine).
8. When ready to serve, sieve some cocoa on top on the tiramisu




Mmmmm!

 

The Easiest Macaroni Cheese ever…

Macaroni Cheese is just one of those comfort food, “everyone’s Mom makes the best”, dishes. It’s the basic cheese and pasta combination that just calls out for imaginative combinations of extras. Like a four cheese Macaroni with blue cheese, mature cheddar, feta and mozzarella. Or you can add some basic mince with a tomato-based sauce for a meatier version. Or cooked roast chicken pieces. Or ham and tomatoes. Or (like I did here) bacon, sun-dried tomatoes and mixed herbs. Or make a crispy topping with some bread crumbs on top of your pasta mixture. Or it’s perfectly divine just plain with some nutmeg. Play around with the flavor combinations to find your favorite. The great thing about this recipe is that it’s a cheats Macaroni as you don’t need to make the white sauce, this is the easiest recipe and it can be double, halved or whatever you need to feed a hungry crowd.

Bacon and Sun-dried Tomato Macaroni

Ingredients: (Serves 4)

• 250g Macaroni pasta
• 250g Mature cheddar (or any full flavored cheese)
• 2 eggs
• 1 tin (250ml) evaporated milk
• Salt pepper

Extras I added:

• Streaky bacon fried and cut up into pieces
• ½ cup sun-dried tomatoes
• 15ml mixed herbs (including basil, oregano, rosemary, thyme, marjoram)



Ingredients

Method:

1. Preheat the oven to 180 degrees Centigrade.
2. Bring a saucepan of salted water to the boil and cook the pasta as to the instructions on the packet.
3. While the pasta is cooking, grate the cheese and mix together the eggs, evaporated milk, bacon, sun-dried tomatoes and seasonings.
4. When the pasta is cooked, drain and put it into an ovenproof saucepan (I used a copper one they’re great in the oven) then pour the cheese mixture over the pasta.
5. Bake in the oven for 10 – 15 minutes or until the top is golden brown.



 



In the copper sauce pan

 

Perfection

Recipe Adapted from: Nigela Lawson Express

Creamy and delicious Sago Pudding

Sago pudding is a delicious end to any meal, not too sweet but perfectly creamy. It is made by boiling sago pearls (available from any grocery store near the grains, like rice, etc) in milk or water. It's creamy and smooth texture can be made runny or thick depending on how you like it. You can serve it with maple syrup, stewed fruit or cream.

Sago Pudding

Ingredients: (Serves 4 - 6)

• 200ml sago pearls
• 375ml milk
• 1/2 cup of brown sugar
• 1-teaspoon cinnamon
• 2 eggs
• 250ml cream

Ingredients

Method:

1. Soak the sago pearls in milk for 3 ½ hours.
2. Preheat the oven to 180 degrees centigrade.
3. Add the sugar, cinnamon and cream to the sago in a saucepan and heat slowly until the sugar had dissolved.
4. Add the beaten eggs then mix well.
5. Pour into a grease dish and bake for 25 minutes. Or until set to your desired consistency.
6. Serve with fresh strawberries, syrup, or cream.

Amazing!

Honey and Soya Glazed Salmon

Very few people include enough fish in their diets. Fish, especially salmon, has essential oils that are very important. When I went to the shop this afternoon I saw that the Norwegian salmon was on special so I decided to get some and make something delicious with it. I served mine with some broccoli, baby corn, carrots and Pak Choi, but it would be delicious with rice, or mashed potato too.

Ingredients: (serves 2)

• Salmon (I used a 100g portion per person)
• 1 teaspoon crushed garlic
• 1 teaspoon ginger
• 2 tablespoons honey
• 1/4 cup soy sauce
• Mixed vegatables

Ingredients

Method:

1. Mix the soy sauce, honey, garlic and ginger in a bowl.
2. Add the salmon to the soy sauce mixture and marinade for a minimun of 15 minutes. (this can be done a while before and left to marinade in the fridge).
3. When you are ready to eat, place the vegatables in a wok with some dried chilli and stir fry.
4. Heat a separate pan for the salmon. 
5. Place the salmon skin side down and cook for a few minute then turn over for a minute.
6. The sauce will reduce and thicken quickly be careful not to burn the sauce.
7. Pour the reduced sauce over the salmon and serve .

Simple and delicious

 

Scrumptious Butternut and Sage lasagne

I went to a fresh fruit and vegetable grocer on the weekend and there was a special on butternut, so as you do I bought a few packs and decided to use the butternut in creative ways. So tonight, I decided to make a butternut and sage lasagna. It was an experiment and turned out well, my family was well impressed. I used the smooth cottage cheese as an alternative to a Béchamel sauce, for a low fat and low calorie alternative but for a more luxurious option use a basic Béchamel sauce.

 

Butternut and Sage Lasagne

Ingredients: (Serves 4)

• 750g butternut
• 1 small red onion diced
• 250g lasagna sheets (I used spinach lasagna sheets as I had some left over)
• 5 cloves of garlic
• Handful of fresh sage
• 250g low fat cream cheese
• 200g mozzarella
• 5ml nutmeg
• Olive oil
• Salt and pepper

The main ingredients

Method:

1. Preheat the oven to 200 degrees C.
2. Cut the butternut into smallish pieces and place in a roasting pan with the dice onion, fresh sage and whole garlic cloves. And a good few glugs of Olive oil
3. While the butternut is in the oven, grate half of the cheese and mix with the cottage cheese, salt, pepper and the nutmeg.
4. Roast the butternut until soft and golden this should take 30 minutes approximately.
5. When the butternut is soft mash into a rough mash.
6. Layer the butternut mix, pasta and “white sauce” in alternate layers with the cheese and some sage leaves ontop.
7. Bake in the oven for 30mins or until the pasta is cooked.

Perfection!

How to make a variation of the perfect steak!

Last night I made steak for dinner. I normally just marinade my steaks in lemon juice, garlic and a generous helping of olive oil, which is absaloutely delicious, but last night I decided to do it slightly differenlty! I decided to use some of the left over pesto (which is still delcious and has been stored in the fridge all this time!), the juice of one lemon and olive oil to marinade it. It was outstanding! So flavoursome and delicious, and the actual steak was done perfectly! Rare to Medium - Rare just how I like it! Try it...

Lemon and Pesto marinated Sirloin Steak:

Ingredients:

• 125ml olive oil
• 1 lemon, juiced
• 100ml pesto
• 2 large sirloin steaks, cut into 4

Ingredients

Method:

1. Rinse the steaks under cold water.
2. Cut the steaks into 4 equal sized pieces
3. Put the steaks into a dish that has a firm fitting lid. Pour the olive oil, pesto and lemon juice over the steaks and make sure that all the steaks have an even coating of pesto on both sides and allow to marinade with the lid on for +/- 1-2hours.
4. Heat a griddle pan until it is piping hot!
5. For medium -rare: Cook the steaks for 2 minutes a side and allow to rest for 2 minutes before serving. 
6. If you'd like you steaks well done, just increase the cooking time slightly, be careful not to burn them!
7. Serve on a warmed plate, otherwise the steaks will get cold fast!
8. Enjoy with your choice of accompaniment :)

Delish!



Delicious Lemon Polenta Cake!

It was my dads birthday on Sunday and he loves eating anything with a lemon flavour, so after making lemon tart after lemon tart over the past few years I wanted to try something different and this months "Taste" Magazine was just the inspiration I needed. I love the Woolworths taste magazine its always full of ideas and new recipes for me to try. I love the "month of meals" recipe special section and the new "Taste Guide to Really Good Cooking" where they incorporate the discount for Woolworths cardholders and make recipes for affordable cooking. This cake had an amazing texture and lemon infused taste. Try it!

Lemon Polenta Cake

Ingredients:

Cake:

• 100g fine Polenta
• 100g ground almonds
• 100g shredded coconut
• 1-teaspoon baking powder
• 2 lemons juiced and zested
• 250g butter
• 250g caster sugar
• 4 eggs

Lemon glaze:

• 200g icing sugar
• ½ lemon juiced

Ingredients

 Method:

1. Preheat oven to 160 degrees and line a 23cm cake tin with baking paper.
2. Combine the Polenta, almonds, coconut and baking powder with the lemon zest.
3. Cream the butter and the sugar until pale and fluffy.
4. Add the eggs 1 at a time and beat in between.
5. Fold in the lemon juice and the dry ingredients until just combined.
6. Spoon into the prepared cake tin and bake for 1 hour or until a skewer inserted comes out clean. Cool then pour over the glaze.
7. To make the glaze, place the icing sugar in a bowl together with the lemon juice and beat into a smooth paste.

Enjoy

Recipe Source: Woolworths Taste Magazine