Beef steak with Leek and Mushroom Sauce

With the goal of continuing our healthy dinner meals for the week, I thought a simple steak would be perfect but just wanted to add a tasty sauce to brighten it up a bit.

Ingredients:

• Two steaks of your choice
• Olive oil
• 1 leek, trimmed, washed, thinly sliced
• 1/2 cup beef stock
• 1/2 cup light cream
• 1/2 cup fresh sage leaves

Method:

Add oil and leek to frying pan. Cook, stirring often, for 3 minutes or until soft. Add stock and cook for 2 minutes or until slightly reduced. Reduce heat to low. Add cream and sage. Season with salt and pepper. Stir to combine.
Serve steak with steamed vegetables – we used broccoli and baby carrots (seasoned with cumin and coriander mix – see below).  Spoon sauce over steak and vegetables.
Enjoy!

Cumin and Coriander Baby Carrots – mix together the ingredients below and after steaming carrots, pour over and mix until covered.

• 1 tbs chopped fresh continental parsley
• 1 tbs chopped fresh coriander
• 1 tsp ground cumin
• 1 tsp olive oil
• 1 tbs red wine vinegar
• 1 tbs orange juice

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.

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!

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!

Roast Lamb With Vegetables

Poppit – Last night, we had my family over for dinner and for something special, we thought we’d make the ultimate favourite family meal, a roast.  We chose to make roast lamb and spent the afternoon preparing the vegetables and seasoning the lamb before putting everything into the Weber and BBQ to cook.  Now, you’d think that something involving just roasting meat and veg would be a simple task… it probably should be!  But as mentioned in our very first post, https://cookingwithapuppet.wordpress.com/2010/03/13/cooking-with-a-puppet-an-introduction/, we only have a Sunbeam Pizza “Oven” which doesn’t even fit a whole pizza let alone a roast and full trays of veggies!

We didn’t let this stop our feast preparations and we set up the BBQ with a boosted-up tray so that the veggies wouldn’t be touching the plate where they would risk being burnt.  The two roast lambs went into the Weber and everything seemed to be going smoothly for the first hour after which time, the gas bottle for the BBQ ran out.  We frantically decided that the lamb would probably keep cooking as the weber was still hot and changed the bottles over… but it seemed that the BBQ had just decided to stop working all together and would only produce a tiny flame (definitely not worthy of heating up an entire BBQ).

I quickly ran inside, switched on the pizza oven and as the lamb was already on its way to being done and had shrunk in size, we squeezed them into the little oven and switched the veggies over to the Weber.  Once again, everything seemed to be going well until a burning smell wafted in from outside where the veggies had begun to burn as they were now sitting directly over the flame.

Although there was quite a bit of drama involved in the cooking, everything turned out pretty well (minus a few burnt pieces of sweet potato).  The meat was very tender and the rosemary, garlic and sea salt seasoning really gave it a nice flavour.  The family all agreed that it was delicious – but don’t families always say that?

 The veggies prepared and waiting to be cooked

Almost forgot to take a photo of the meal!  Excuse the poor presentation and nibble from the side – by this stage, we just wanted to eat!

Triple Tomato Risotto

Poppit – Just a quick one today!  This is my latest risotto which I found on the Taste website.  If you’re ever having trouble finding something new or different for dinner, this website is so useful!  You can search for recipes or look through the many different collections.  I went to the risotto collection and found this one.  I think I could happily eat any risotto but sometimes they can be a bit plain if the wrong ingredients are used.  This one definitely didn’t lack flavour and the different tomatoes used were so delicious! 
I was happy with just the risotto but to make sure my husband didn’t go hungry, I cooked some lamb cutlets to go with his (as the recipe suggests).

Recipe found here: http://www.taste.com.au/recipes/6522/triple+tomato+risotto+with+grilled+cutlets

Enjoy!

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!)

Baked Apricot Chicken with Winter Vegetables

Poppit – Be prepared for lots of warm, delicious dinner meals in the coming weeks!  As I’ve been feeling a bit chilly during the days, all I’ve felt like eating is a comforting meal when I get home.  To step away from a curry or casserole, I thought I’d try making this recipe with some roasted vegetables.  It was really delicious and I think this will be joining my favourite dishes list with some regular appearances on our dinner plates!

Ingredients:
– 2 chicken breasts
– 3 tbsp apricot jam (no sugar added)
– 2 tsp Moroccan seasoning mix
– Onion, pumpkin, turnip – cut into pieces
– 2 tbs oil
– 8 thyme sprigs

Method:
1. Pre-heat the oven to 240°C.
2. Place the apricot jam,  Moroccan seasoning and 2 tablespoons of boiling water in a bowl and mix well.
3. Toss the vegetables well in a large bowl with half the apricot mixture, the thyme sprigs and 1 tablespoon oil.
4. Place vegetables on one baking tray and chicken breasts on another.
5. Pour remaining apricot jam mix over chicken breasts.  Place one thyme sprig on each chicken breasts.
6. Put both trays in oven.
7. Bake for approx. 45 mins or until chicken and veggies are cooked.
8. Serve and enjoy!

Winter Chicken Casserole

As the cooler months are arriving slowly, it’s the perfect time to start cooking warm, hearty casseroles and stews.  I was feeling particularly cold today after being inside for classes (and also a bit of shopping in between) in the freezing air-conditioning!  My hot car actually felt comforting this afternoon which made me realise that something filling and warm would be the perfect meal for dinner.

This casserole was really delicious and the strong flavours from the tomato, paprika and chicken really added to the whole warm casserole feel.  Very easy to make too and as with lots of our favourite recipes, you can add whatever vegetables you want.  It probably looks like too much sauce on the plate but it definitely was all gone by the end! 

Ingredients:

– 2 tablespoons olive oil
– 1kg chicken breast, cut into pieces
– 1 large brown onion, chopped
– 2 garlic cloves, crushed
– 1 teaspoon smoked paprika
– 2 tablespoons plain flour
– 1 cup dry white wine
– 1 cup chicken stock
– 400g can diced tomatoes
– 200g button mushrooms, halved
– 2 dried bay leaves
– 5 fresh thyme sprigs
– 1 capsicum, cut into pieces
– Frozen mixed veggies (peas, corn, carrot) – defrosted 
– Mashed potato, to serve

Method:

1. Heat half the oil in a large saucepan.
2. Cook chicken until browned then transfer toa bowl.
3. Heat remaining oil in pan.
4. Add onion and garlic and cook 3 to 4 minutes or until softened.
5. Add paprika and flour. Cook, stirring, for 1 minute or until fragrant.
6. Add wine. Bring to the boil. Cook for 2 minutes or until slightly reduced.
7. Return chicken and juices to pan.
8. Add stock, tomato, mushroom, bay leaves, capsicum, mixed veggies and 4 thyme sprigs.
9. Cover and bring to the boil before reducing heat to low. Simmer, stirring occasionally, for 45 minutes or until chicken is cooked through.
10. Remove and discard bay leaves and thyme sprigs.
11. Remove leaves from remaining thyme sprig. Sprinkle over casserole. Serve with mashed potato.

Honey and Orange Glazed Chicken

Poppit’s Creative Cooking – Tuesday Night

Poppit – This is such an easy meal to make and the flavours are so nice.  I would usually serve this with a potato bake but I thought I would try roasting some potato and pumpkin with the chicken at the same time.  It wasn’t quite as nice this way as the honey and orange sauce didn’t have the same almost-caramelised flavour as it normally does.  Still, it was a delicious meal to have, especially on a colder night!

Ingredients:
– 2 chicken breasts
– 4 spring onions, sliced thinly
– 1 garlic clove, crushed
– 3 tbsp honey
– 4 tbsp fresh orange juice
– 1 orange, peeled and cut into segments
– 2 tbsp soy sauce
– potatoes and any other prefered veggie

Method:
1.  Pre-heat oven to 190°C. 
2.  Place chicken in shallow roasting dish.
3.  In another bowl, mix the spring onions, garlic, honey, orange juice, orange segments and soy sauce.
4.  Pour over chicken and bake in oven for about 45 minutes or until the chicken is cooked.
5.  Serve with veggies and with sauce poured over top.