I am a person that really loves vegetables. I always have done, and none more so than those in the brassica family . . . cabbage, broccoli, cauliflower . . .
I think of them all cauliflower is my absolute favourite. All white and tasty, I love it raw and I love it cooked, on it's own, or in a soup. Anyway you cut it, or cook it, I just love cauliflower.
It's not a vegetable that I ever had when I was growing up. We never had broccoli either. I was an adult before I had either one, and I think my first taste of broccoli was in a Chinese stir fry, and it was absolute love at first bite.
Cauliflower cheese has to be one of my favouritest of the favouritest ways of eating cauliflower . . . you get the lovely bite of the cauliflower slathered in rich cheese sauce and the tasty crunch of buttery bread crumbs . . . all together in one delicious mouthful.
It's an unbeatable combination, and yes . . . come to think about it . . . I DO say that about a lot of things . . .
And then I discovered these.
Cauliflower Cheese fritters.
Mashed potato, egg, chopped spring onion, cauliflower and cheese . . . deep fried and sprinkled with crispy bacon bits . . . need I say more?
*Cauliflower Cheese Fritters*
Serves 4 people, approx 8 fritters
Printable Recipe
If you like cauliflower cheese you are going to love these fritters!!! Cauliflower, two types of cheese, spring onion and sprinkled with chopped crispy bacon. These are just wonderful!
8 ounces of floury potato, peeled and diced (1/2 pound)
8 ounces cauliflower florets (1/2 pound)
2 ounces finely grated parmesan cheese (1/3 cup)
1 ounces grated red leicester cheese* (1/4 cup)
1 spring onion, finely chopped
salt and black pepper to taste
1 large egg, plus one egg white
oil for frying
To serve:
crispy cooked bacon, chopped
Place the potatoes in a pan of salted water to cover. Bring to the boil and cook until tender, about 10 minutes. Drain well and mash until smooth. Set aside.
Place the cauliflower in a pan of salted water to cover. Bring to the boil and cook until tender, about 10 minutes. Drain well and set aside.
Beat the egg yolk into the mashed potatoe, along with the cheeses and spring onion. Season with some salt and pepper, remembering that Parmesan is quite salty. Whisk the egg whites until soft folds form. Fold them into the mashed potato along with the cauliflower.
Heat some oil in a frying pan over medium high heat. Once hot, drop the fritter mixture into the hot oil and cook for 3 to 5 minutes, until nicely browned on both sides, turning once halfway through the cooking time. Serve at once, sprinkled with some crispy bacon bits. Delicious!
Note* I added the Leicester cheese for colour. You can add a strong flavoured cheddar if you wish instead, coloured or not.
In The Cottage today, Chicken Salad Pie.
I have to confess that I can be rather lazy when it comes to cooking from time to time. I don't always want to spend hours and hours slaving over a hot stove.
I do enjoy cooking, but if I can find an easier and quicker way of doing something without compromising flavour . . . I'll take it!
I also like to have things in the freezer that I can take out in an emergency so that I can have a quick and tasty meal on the table in just a short time. I keep bags of frozen vegetables and a variety tasty homemade and pre-baked meatballs in the freezer.
These here today are the Italian ones I like to make.
I picked up this recipe about 15 years ago in a grocery store flyer and I have adapted it to use over here. Not all of the original ingredients were available here and so I did what I always do . . . improvised and I was very happy with the results.
What I like the most about them, is there is no rolling or frying. You just make a square on your baking pan, cut the meatballs into squares, bake and then separate and freeze after baking.
Easy Peasy Lemon Squeasy!
*Italian Square Meatballs*
Makes 36 meatballs, or 4 servings
You don't have to use sausage in these if you don't want to. You can use a mixture of all beef, or a mixture of beef and ground pork or ground turkey. This is a great make ahead recipe. Just bake the meatballs and then separate them, freeze and pop into freezer containers, storing them for up to two months in the freezer. Handy to have at the ready!
1 large free range egg
1 medium onion, peeled and finely chopped
30g fine dry bread crumbs (1/4 cup)
45g of finely grated Parmesan cheese (1/4 cup)
55g of tomato sauce (Ketchup, 1/4 cup)
1/4 tsp of black pepper
1 tsp salt
1/2 tsp garlic powder
1/4 tsp red pepper flakes
1 tsp dry oregano flakes
1 tsp dry basil flakes
1 pound extra lean beef mince (ground beef)
3/4 pound of bulk pork sausage meat (use a meaty good quality, or an Italian sausage meat if you can find it)
Preheat the oven to 220*C/425*F/ gas mark 7.
Line a large baking pan with aluminium foil. Lightly grease with nonstick cooking spray, or some oil.
Beat the egg in a large bowl. Add the remaining ingredients and mix well together with your hands. Shape the mixture into an 8 inch square on the baking sheet. Cut into 36 evenly sized squares, without separating them on the tray.
Bake for 20 to 25 minutes, or until the meatballs are thoroughly cooked and no longer pink in the middle. Cut apart with a sharp knife and allow to cool completely before using in another recipe or freezing.
To make ahead: Freeze the meatballs by separating them into recipe size portions and placing them in freezer containers or resealable freezer bags. They can be frozen for up to 2 months. To thaw, place in the microwave and microwave them on defrost for 4 to 6 minutes until thawed.
Here are three really simple and delicious things you can do with them! Taken from and adapted from the same booklet as the original meatball recipe. I love it when things go together like that!
*Meatball Sandwiches*
Serves 4
I like to use the sundried tomatoes packed in olive oil and herbs for these. For extra flavour cook the peppers and onions in some of the oil from the tomato jar. Delicious!
80g of drained oil-packed sun dried tomatoes in herbs, julienned (1/2 cup) Reserve 1 TBS of the oil)
250g frozen pepper and onion stir fry strips (about 2 cups)
18 cooked Italian Square Meatballs, thawed
4 sub buns, split and toasted as below
55g of mayonnaise or salad dressing (1/4 cup)
40g of shredded lettuce or lettuce leaves (1 cup)
Toast the buns before assembling by placing them, cut sides up on an ungreased baking sheet and baking at 190*C/375*F/ gas mark 5 for 8 to 10 minutes.
While the buns are toasting heat a 12 inch nonstick skillet over medium high heat. Add the reserved oil from the tomatoes. Once it is hot add the pepper and onion stir fry mix. Cook for 4 to 6 minutes or until tender, stirring occasionally. Stir in the meatballs.
Cover and cook, until heated through, about 5 minutes.
Spread the cut sides of the toasted buns with the mayonnaise or salad dressing. Fill the buns with lettuce, slivered sun dried tomatoes and the meatball mixture. Serve hot.
*Meatball Primavera*
Serves 4
I like to use fresh pesto if I can, but that's not always possible. A good quality purchased pesto will work just fine. This is delicious, quick and simple.
8 ounces uncooked fettuccine, broken in half
low fat cooking spray
1 small red onion, peeled and cut into thin wedges (about 1/2 cup)
2 small courgettes (zucchini) washed, trimmed and cut into 1 by 1/2 inch strips
4 Plum tomatoes, chopped (about 1 cup)
18 cooked Italian Square Meatballs, thawed
60g of prepared basil pesto (1/2 cup)
Cook the fettuccine as directed on the package. Drain well and keep warm.
Cook the onion in a large nonstick skillet, (which you have sprayed with low fat cooking spray) over medium heat for several minutes, until crispy tender. Add the courgette strips and cook for a futher 2 minutes, stirring.
Add the tomatoes and meatballs. Cook for 3 to 5 minutes until heated thoroughly, stirring occasionally.
Add the cooked fettuccine and pesto, mixing all together well. Heat through and serve.
*Creamy Meatballs & Potatoes*
Serves 4
You don't have to use broccoli in this recipe if you don't want to, green beans or peas are also lovely.
1 lb of new potatoes, boiled until tender, cooled and then cut into wedges
1 tin of bachelor's condensed cream of mushroom soup, undiluted
1 single serving envelope of dried French Onion instant soup mix
2 fluid ounces of water
450g of frozen broccoli florets ( 2 cups)
18 cooked Italian Square Meatballs, thawed
30g of sour cream (1/4 cup)
salt and pepper to taste
Combine the potatoes, soup, dry soup mix and water in a 12 inch nonstick skillet. Bring to the boil, then reduce the heat to low and allow to simmer for 5 minutes, stirring occasionally.
Stir in the broccoli and meatballs. Simmer for an additional 10 to 15 minutes, until the broccoli is tender and everything is heated through, stirring occasionally.
Stir in the sour cream and cook just until thoroughly heated through. Taste and adjust seasoning as required. Serve hot.
I had some plums that I needed to use up the other night as well as company for dinner. I had already made a plum crumble several days back and wanted to do something different with them.
Should I make a pie?
Should I make a cake, or another crumble?
And then I remembered this lovely cake that I had made last year, with it's buttery bottom and crunchy streusel top! Kind of like a cake and crumble combined . . . just perfect!
This is incredibly moreish, and smells so beautiful when it is baking, with the cinnamon, cardamom and nutmeg in the steusel, not to mention the lemon zest and vanilla in the base . . .
We gorged on thick, warm slices of it, with huge dollops of extra thick double cream spooned over top of it. Sometimes it's good to indulge oneself . . . very good . . .
*Spice is Nice Plum Cake*
Serves 8
Printable Recipe
I like to use slightly tart Italian plums for this, but really . . . any type of plum will do. A moist and rich cake with the delicate flavours of lemon and vanilla, topped with juicy sliced plums and covered with a blanket of a wonderfully fragrant and crunchy and spicy streusel! This is what I would call moreish!
4 ounces butter, softened
1/3 cup caster sugar
1/2 tsp vanilla
1 large egg
1 TBS sour cream
pinch of salt
the grated zest of one lemon
1 3/4 cups plain flour
1 tsp baking powder
2 cups plums, pitted and sliced into wedges
for the streusel:
6 TBS cold butter, cut into bits
3/4 cup flour
1/3 cup caster sugar
1/2 tsp cinnamon
1/2 tsp ground cardamom
1/4 tsp freshly ground nutmeg
To serve:
Spooning cream, Clotted cream or vanilla ice cream
Pre-heat the oven to 180*C?375*F. Lightly butter a 10 inch cake tin with a removeable bottom. Line with baking paper, butter the paper, and set aside.
Cream together the butter and sugar until light and fluffy. Beat in the egg, lemon zest, vanilla, sour cream and salt. Whisk the flour and baking powder together and then add it to the creamed mixture, mixing it in well. Spread this batter in the bottom of the cake tin.
Liberally spread the plums over top of the batter to within 1/2 inch of the edges. I like to arrange mine in a neat circular pattern, but that's just me. It's not really necessary.
To make the streusel, whisk together the sugar, flour and spices. Rub in the butter until the mixture is crumbly. Sprinkle the crumbs evenly over top of the plums.
Bake in the pre-heated oven on a middle rack for approximately 45 minutes to one hour, until the topping is nicely golden brown and the cake tests done. Remove from the oven and allow to sit for about 15 minutes on a wire rack, before you remove the sides of the pan and the paper. Serve warm, cut into wedges with some spooning cream, clotted cream or ice cream.
Over in The Cottage today, delicious Molasses Crinkles.
One of the most famous desserts here in the UK has to be Sticky Toffee Pudding. Basically it is a date cake, with a lucious sticky rich caramel like toffee topping.
It is amazingly delicious!
One might argue that the cake itself is not all that bad for you . . . as it is chock full of dates . . . and dates are full of iron and fiber.
But alas . . . there's also a pretty healthy portion of butter in there too . . . so not exactly all that good for you, but as a once in a blue moon treat . . . they are quite, quite . . . ok.
Well, it's more than ok actually . . .
ITS FABULOUSLY DELICIOUSLY DECADENTLY OK!!
Pardon my shouting . . . I lost control for a few seconds . . . ahem . . .
These are incredibly moist, moreish and TO - DIE - FOR . . . but don't take my word for it.
Make them . . . NOW . . . seriously, I mean it! Would I lie about something like that??
You really do need to bake these. Trust me. You won't regret it.
They are quite simply fabulous.
Sticky Toffee Pudding Bars
Yield: Makes about 18 bars
Prep time: 20 MinCook time: 25 MinTotal time: 45 Min
These lovely little bars are incredibly moreish and moist. I bet you can't eat just one!
Ingredients
- 250g ( 1 1/3 cups) pitted dates, chopped roughly
- 1 tsp baking soda
- 215g unsalted butter, divided (a scant cup, 9/10 to be exact)
- 185g ( 1 1/2 cups) self raising flour
- 1 tsp vanilla extract
- 1 tsp baking powder
- 3 large eggs
- 90 ml (1/3) cup milk, divided
- Frosting:
- 2 TBS soft light brown sugar, packed
- 90g (3/4 cup) sifted icing sugar
- 90g (3/4 cup) chopped toasted walnuts
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 180*C/350*F. Lightly grease a 9 inch square baking pan and line the bottom with parchment baking paper. ( make sure it hangs well over two sides so that you can just lift the bars out to cut when finished)
- Place the dates into a saucepan with 200 ml of water ( about 7 fluid ounces). Bring to the boil, and then reduce the heat and allow to simmer for about 10 minutes, gently. Make sure the water doesn't completely evaporate. Add the baking soda, and set aside to cool.
- Place 185g (8/10 of a cup) of the butter, the flour, vanilla, baking powder, eggs, and 75 ml (1/3 cup)of the milk into the bowl of a food processor and mix together in short bursts for 1 minutes, until well blended. Add the dates and pulse again to blend. Do not over process.
- Scrape the batter into the prepared pan and bake for about 20 minutes, or until a skewer inserted in the center comes out clean. Set aside to cool.
- To make the frosting combine the remaining butter, the brown sugar, and remaining milk into a small sauce pan. Heat gently to dissolve the sugar. Add the icing sugar and mix together well. Spread over the cooled cake mixture and sprinkle with the toasted walnuts.
- Cut into squares to serve.
In my continuing quest to eat healthily today I made myself a most delicious Buffalo Chicken Salad for my lunch, once again pinching and adapting it from a recipe I found in the cookery book, "The Food You Crave," by Ellie Krieger. (Fabulous book by the way. Everything tastes so good!)
I didn't have chicken breasts, but I did have chicken tenders and so I used them instead. I just popped them into a plastic baggie and pounded them a bit with the bottom of the vinegar bottle, so that they were of an even thickness throughout.
I had some Louisanna Hot Sauce that someone had gifted me with, so I used that, but you can use Tabasco or any other hot sauce you may have. (Taste it first to see how hot it is and adjust accordingly.) I also sprinkled mine with some paprika for colour, and seasoned it lightly with some fine sea salt. (I am trying to break the salt habit, but it's hard!)
Ellie called for grating the carrot, but I thought cutting the carrot into ribbons with a vegetable peeler was much prettier and gave a nice texture to the dish. As well, I used a baby gem lettuce, broken into leaves as I had cut the salad ingredients back to feed only one. (My man is not a salad man per se. Salad for lunch. He's just not going there!)
The real winner here is that luciously rich salad dressing. It's hard to believe that it is low fat! It's creamy and just wonderful and full of flavour. I used Danish Blue Cheese and it's just marvelous how much flavour just a little blue cheese can add!!
All in all I gave this salad a rousing 10 out of 10, for ease, for presentation and for taste! Just call me one very happy camper! Low fat and low calorie doesn't have to equate with low taste.
*Buffalo Chicken Salad*
Serves 4
Printable Recipe
A delicious chicken salad with crisp vegetables, spicy chicken tenders and a fabulous low fat blue cheese dressing!
For the salad:
1 pound chicken tenders (or boneless skinless chicken breast meat, pounded and cut into 1/2
inch thick strips.)
2 TBS hot pepper Sauce (Tabasco, Louisianna, or some similar sauce)
2 tsp olive oil
1 heart of Romaine lettuce, cut into 1 inch wide strips (about 8 cups)
4 stalks of celery, trimmed and thinly sliced
2 medium carrots, peeled and thinly sliced into strips with a vegetable parer
2 spring onions, the green part only, thinly sliced (scallions)
1/2 cup of the blue cheese dressing (see below)
Preheat the grill of your oven to high. Put the chicken tenders in a plastic bag and pound out to an even thickness. Place in a bowl and combine with the hot sauce and olive oil, tossing well to coat. Arrange on a baking sheet and put until the grill. Grill for about 4 to 6 minutes, until cooked through, turning once halfway through the cooking time.
Combine the lettuce, celery, carrot and spring onions in a large bowl. Divide between 4 chilled plates. Top with the warm chicken. Drizzle each with a portion of the dressing.
*Blue Cheese Dressing*
Makes 3/4 cup
Delicious "light" version of a classic blue cheese dressing.
2 fluid ounces of plain non fat yoghurt (1/4 cup)
2 fluid ounces of nonfat buttermilk (1/4 cup)
2 TBS low fat or no fat mayonnaise
1 TBS white wine vinegar
1/2 tsp white sugar
75g of crumbled blue cheese (1/3 cup)
fine seasalt and freshly ground black pepper to taste
Whisk the yoghurt, buttermilk, mayonnaise and vinegar together until smooth. Whisk in the sugar until it dissolves. Stir in the crumbled blue cheese and season to taste. Cover and refrigerate any leftovers.
And in The Cottage today, Bread Bowl Meatball Sandwiches.
I have seriously been trying to eat a bit healthier this year. Not as many treats and indulgences . . . I know it may not seem like it, but it's true!
The lighting was really, really poor today, so I apologize for the quality of these pictures. I try always to photograph in natural light. I like the way food looks in natural light. I just think it looks delicious - er. (Is that a word?? Meh . . . it is now!)
Today I had some bone in chicken thighs that I wanted to cook in the most delicious way possible without adding too much fat, calories or bad things to make them taste delectable. It's not all that hard to take the skin and fat off of chicken . . . but I do like to cook it on the bone as often as I can. The bone adds a lot of flavour to chicken and most meats.
I turned to one of my favourite books by Ellie Kreiger, The Food You Crave. A seriously good book. I find though that I have to really make some serious adaptions to some recipes because the ingredients in some of them are not readily available over here, but for the most part, I can cook most of them.
And they're good. Really good. Tasty. Delicious. Simple. Seriously simple.
And
*Maple & Mustard Glazed Chicken Thighs*
Serves 4
Printable RecipeChicken thighs baked with a delicious maple mustard glaze. Wonderful flavours! Adapted from The Food You Crave by Ellie Kreiger.
8 bone in chicken thighs, skin and any visible fat removed
85g of grainy French mustard (1/3 cup)
1 clove of garlic, peeled and minced (about 1 tsp)
3/4 tsp dried marjoram
3 TBS pure Maple Syrup
Preheat the oven to 190*C/375*F/ gas mark 5. Have ready a large baking dish.
Whisk together the mustard, garlic, marjoram and maple syrup. Spread about 1 TBS of the mixture over the top of each chicken thigh, trying to cover as much of the surface as you can. Arrange the chicken in a single layer in the baking dish. Bake until the chicken is cooked through and glazed, about 45 - 50 minutes, basting it several times with the mustard mixture. The juices should run clear when the chicken is pierced in the centre. Serve hot. We had ours with a baked potato and green beans. Delicious!
Note : In the original recipe Ellie says that the mustard/maple mixture will form a crust. Mine didn't, but more like a glaze. My mixture was quite runny and so I just used it to baste the chicken as it cooked. It was utterly fabulously delicious. Todd had three 1/2 pieces!
Over in The Cottage today, Chili-Roni, a delicious one dish family meal that cooks in a skillet.
Question . . . does this look like stewing beef to you?? I thought not! It doesn't look like stewing beef to me either . . . but apparently it does to Todd. I sent him to the shops this morning to get me a pound of cubed stewing beef and this is what he brought back. I had in mind to make a beef curry in my crock pot as the gas is off again today . . .
Scratch the beef curry.
I tried not to grumble at him too much . . . meh . . . these things happen. Never send a man in to do a woman's job . . . most times they will mess it up, but . . . c'est la vie!
Instead I made a lovely oven hash . . . it occurred to me that whilst my gas burners wouldn't operate with the gas turned off . . . the electric oven still would. Duh . . . it only took me three days to figure that bit out.
I also have a beautiful Morphy Richard's crock pot which browns things, and so I browned my meat, onions and peppers for the hash in that. I stirred in all the other ingredients, poured them into a casserole dish and popped it into my hot oven.
This is a very old recipe. It's called many different things . . . Texas Hash, Macaroni and Meat . . . Oven Hash. It all boils down to the same thing.
Comfort food. Simple food. Family food. Economical and honest ingredients combined to make a delicious meal that your family will love.
All you need on the side is a tossed salad and perhaps some crusty rolls. I'll make the beef curry another day . . . today we feasted on this.
*Oven Hash*
Serves 6
Printable Recipe
Not a hash with potatoes, but a delicious mixture of spiced minced beef, baked with tomatoes, onions and noodles. Comfort food. Family food. Simple, maybe . . . but never plain.
3 TBS fat (You can use oil, drippings or butter)
3 large onions, peeled and thinly sliced
1 large green pepper, trimmed, seeds discarded, and flesh chopped
1 lb. extra lean minced beef
2 (400g) tins of chopped tomatoes in tomato juice (about 3 cups)
180g of uncooked noodles (2 cups) (You may also use 1/2 cup of raw long grain rice)
1 tsp mild chili powder
1/2 tsp oregano flakes
2 tsp salt
1/8 tsp black pepper
1/4 tsp garlic powder
Preheat the oven to 180*C/350*F/ gas mark 4. Butter a 2 litre casserole dish. Set aside.
Melt the fat in a dutch oven. Add onions and pepper. cook, stirring, until the onions are softened, but not browned. Add the minced beef. Cook and stir until the mixture falls apart and is no longer pink. Stir in the remaining ingredients. Pour this mixture into the buttered casserole dish. cover and bake for 45 minutes. Remove the cover and bake for 15 minutes longer. Serve hot.
Cooking in The Cottage today, a delicious Chocolate Bread Pudding with Raspberry Cherry Sauce.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)
Social Icons