Beef and Potato Curry

It was my turn to cook dinner one night last week.  I got home to an almost-empty fridge with the only main ingredients left being beef and potato.  I thought this would be a good time to try one of the many recipes I’ve looked at online and went back to this one: http://bakingatmidnight.blogspot.com.au/2011/02/beef-potato-curry.html
I would usually have added capsicum, broccoli or some other type of colourful vegetable to add a bit of variety, but on this occasion, I had to work with what I had.  It turned out pretty nice… A few extra vegetables would have made it perfect but my husband also enjoyed it and we both had it for lunch as leftovers the next day.

Thanks “Tramie’s Kitchen” for the recipe!

 

Spinach and Ricotta Cannelloni

We have always wanted to try making cannelloni but weren’t sure exactly how to do it or what ingredients to use.  While at the supermarket one day, we found pre-made cannelloni’s which just required to be filled with whatever filling you wanted!  Since we love spinach and ricotta ravioli, we thought we would start with that.  It was so easy to do and very delicious!  We’re definitely going to try making our own pasta next time which would make it even better.  We’ve poured a tomato pasta sauce over the top and added some extra grated cheese.

 

 

Homemade Pasta – Spinich & Ricotta Ravioli & Fettuccine

About four months ago, maybe more, we decided to buy our first pasta maker… but it’s taken this long until we’ve actually been motivated enough to use it.  Not that we thought it would be terribly time-consuming and difficult, but I guess we haven’t thought of actually getting in and testing it out!  After watching it done so many times on MasterChef, we really wanted to see how good fresh pasta was.
It turns out, it’s actually heaps of fun to use and quite easy once you get the hang of it.  Plus, it’s true when people say that once you taste fresh pasta, you’ll never want to go back to the packaged variety!

We just used a basic recipe for this first time which we found at: http://www.taste.com.au/recipes/12460/basic+fresh+pasta
There’s also suggestions for other things you can add to it to make different variations – beetroot pasta, fresh pesto pasta, spinach pasta, saffron pasta… I’m sure you could basically try anything!

Once we had made the pasta sheets, we cut out circles using a cutter as we were making half ravioli, half fettuccine.
For the ravioli, we mixed in a bowl some chopped spinach leaves and ricotta.  Once the circles were cut in the pasta, we put a dollop of the spinach mixture into the middle, put a light layer of whisked egg around the outside of the pasta circle and then put a second piece of pasta on top, closing it up properly by using a fork around the outside.
The fettuccine was easy as there’s an attachment with our pasta maker.  Once we’d made a pasta sheet, we just put it through the attachment and we had fettuccine!
For cooking it, we had a boiling pot of water with some salt added and it probably took about 8 mins for the ravioli and a bit less for the fettuccine.  It was all trial and error though – we kept testing it until we were happy with it!

We served it with a semi-dried tomato sauce and some of the spinach and ricotta mixture on top.  Delish!!

Please see the photo gallery for the whole process!

Moroccan Lamb Cutlets with Bruschetta

This is an easy meal to prepare and cook, plus very delicious!!

We made bruschetta for a small entrée using a bread stick, cherry tomatoes, little onions and mushrooms.  The lamb cutlets were seasoned with Moroccan spices and served with a sweet potato mash, asparagus and the bruschetta topping.  So easy but so tasty!

Chinese Herbal Tea

A couple of months ago, I had a bad migraine and so I went to visit my Chinese therapist.  Along with acupuncture, cupping and a massage, he also gave me a selection of different Chinese herbs which would help with the recovery.  I was instructed to put it in a little pot and slowly let it simmer for a couple of hours.  I was to then drink it that afternoon, before I went to bed and the next morning.  It was extremely bitter but not terrible at all.  Upon researching it, I found that migraines can be caused when there is too much heat in the body and the herbs are used to bring some ‘coolness’.  It’s all to do with balance! 
It’s definitely an area I’m very interested as I’m always keen to try alternative treatments besides medications and drugs from my usual doctor.  Even though it’s not really cooking, I still thought it was interesting, so here’s some photos!

Happy New Year!

Happy New Year Everyone!

I hope you had a great Christmas and New Years!  What delicious creations did everyone make for the holiday season?

I’ve got a few posts to catch up on and heaps of new recipes to try out, so stay tuned for those!

Chicken & Veggie Rice Paper Rolls

The long-awaited end to my hiatus is finally over!  I’m so sorry for taking this long to post again but I do have valid reasons!  Firstly, we moved house.  That in itself is a huge task which look about two weeks out of my cooking time.  When we were finally moved and settled, out internet took another three weeks to get connected and working!  So here I am again, finally!  I promise there will be a lot more cooking from here on.

This first meal to begin with after my time away is something I have been making to take for lunch at work.  I am in love with these rolls and they’re super healthy too!  If you don’t want to add the chicken, they’re just as nice with just veggies and seriously, try mixing it up with all your favourite veggies too!
I have three of these for lunch – usually two with chicken and one with just veggies.  It’s great for my lunch-time protein but I don’t get bloated as the rice paper is a great substitute for bread or bread rolls.

In these ones, I’ve used capsicum, zucchini, carrot, chicken and some crushed raw almonds on top.  Add whatever you like though!  You just buy the rice paper from the grocery store.  I soak mine for about 10 seconds in a bowl of warm water and then put it on a teatowel.  You have to quickly add everything into the middle of it – so have it all cut and prepared beforehand.  Once you’ve got it all placed in the middle, roll one side over, then the middle sides and then keep rolling the whole thing until it’s a long roll.

I also make a dipping sauce which is just delicious! 
1 tbsp soy sauce, 1 tsp rice wine vinegar, some dried mixed herbs and some pepper.  Once again, I’m sure you could use/make whatever you like best.  Experiment!