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!

Pumpkin Soup

Poppit –  My apologies for the delay in getting a new post up.  I’ve been busy studying and studying for my exams and honestly haven’t done that much cooking!  Thankfully, I completed my first exam this morning (and I think I did okay!) and I’ve got one more to do on the weekend. 
I’m probably going to get in trouble by my friend/study partner/motivation coach/organiser for even being on here in the first place, but I definitely think I need a little break before getting into the study for my final exam of the semester.

I have made a few little things over the past week and this is one of them.  Yet another favourite winter dish and rightfully so.  You can never go wrong with a good old-fashioned pumpkin soup.  Simple and quick to make and it’s the perfect option for lunch or dinner during the cooler months.

I’ll just also add… 
The other meal that I made was a chicken and corn soup… and it will never be used again.  I don’t know if it’s just me, but the whole chicken soup thing just doesn’t appeal to my senses!  Along with the chicken and corn, the recipe that I used also had egg whites slowly dribbled in while stirring to create white stringy lines throughout the soup which just added to the strange, unpleasant appearance.  I really tried to like it and the flavour itself wasn’t terrible… but I much prefer a nice vegetable soup (e.g. Pumpkin, Cauliflower, Potato… anything but the chicken and corn!).  Like I said, it didn’t look  appetising at all.
At least I gave it a go but it definitely won’t be making an appearance in my kitchen again (for a long time anyway!).     

Anyway, on with the favourite and if you haven’t made a soup this winter yet, give this one a go, it’s delish!

Ingredients:
– 2 1/2 cups water
– 1 kg pumpkin, chopped into medium pieces
– 1 large brown onion, chopped
– 2 medium tomatoes, chopped
– Piece of fresh ginger, grated
– 1 cup chicken stock
– 1/2 cream

Method:
1. Place the water, pumpkin, onion, tomato, ginger and stock in large saucepan – bring to the boil.
2. Reduce heat, simmer, covered, about 20 mins or until pumpkin is tender.
3. Blend or process soup until smooth.
4. Stir in cream over heat without boiling until soup is heated through.
5. Serve with some fresh bread/toast if preferred and enjoy!

(And yes, I have had a few spoonfuls before taking a photo… just too tasty!)

Roasted Capsicum, Tomato and Borlotti Bean Salad with Lightly Roasted Figs

Poppit – We’ve been cooking a lot of delicious meals over the past couple of weeks but all of these have been focused around dinner-time recipes.  With our creative cooking bringing more enjoyment both in the kitchen and our tummies, we’ve also been trialing various salads and other lunch-time meals.
This one is very delicious and after eating it at work yesterday, I was feeling full and satisfied all afternoon.  I’ve just had it again now and can definitely say that the borlotti beans are full of energy which will last me all afternoon!  Making lunches at home is also beneficial in that it’s cheaper than buying something every day and you know that it’s been made fresh.

 

Ingrediants:

– 1 cup (200g) borlotti beans (found in canned section)
– 2 small red capsicums (300g), seeds removed and quartered
– 3 tomatoes (225g), quartered
– Handful of snow peas
– 60g salad mix (I’ve used a herb salad mix – the added coriander really adds to the flavours!)
– 2 figs, halved
– Parmesan cheese

Method:

1.  Preheat oven to 200°C (180°C fan-forced).
2.  Line oven tray with baking paper.
3.  Place capsicum and tomato on trays skin-side up.
4.  Roast, uncovered, for about 35mins or until the skin blisters and blackens on capsicum and tomatoes soften.
5.  Remove from oven and place capsicum in bowl, cover with plastic wrap and leave for 5 mins.
6.  While waiting, place figs on tray with a sprinkle of parmesan on each.  Place under grill for about 4 mins or until warm with cheese melted.
7.  Peel skins from capsicum and tomato and chop roughly.
8.  Place all ingredients in bowl and season with dressing. 

Dressing:
– Mix together 1 tablespoon olive oil, 1 tablespoon balsamic vinegar, 2 teaspoons finely chopped fresh oregano and 1 clove of garlic, crushed.