Potato-topped, white bean pie

I'm sorry, there simply is no way to photograph this and make it look pretty....
Then again, often the sloppy-messy dinners are the most delicious!
We definitely think this is one of those dinners!!! :-)
This eventuated when a lentil shepherd's pie was on the cards, but no tins of lentils were in the pantry. Alas, potato-topped white bean pie came about :-)
I haven't given this recipe the usual make, try, try again process. However, it's quite a simple dish that is versatile and you basically can't go wrong!

POTATO-TOPPED WHITE BEAN PIE

You'll need:
1 onion
3 cloves garlic
2 stalks celery
1 zucchini
2 carrots
1 green capsicum
120g fresh spinach leaves
2 tins white beans
1/2 large jar of tomato passata
1 Tablespoon mixed Italian herbs

For the potato topping:
6 medium sized potatoes
1/2 cup motherless milk of choice
2 Tablespoons nutritional yeast
1/2 Tablespoon dried onion flakes
1 teaspoon dried chives

Chop the potatoes into little pieces and place in a microwave safe dish and cover with water. Heat in the microwave for 10 minutes (or until totally soft).
Combine all the vegetables except for the spinach in a food processor and pulse a few times until desired size. 
Put chopped veggies into a frying pan and dry-fry until then begin to soften.
Add the drained white beans, the passata, spinach and herbs.
Stir frequently until warmed through and spinach has wilted.
Transfer to a large lasagne size baking dish and press down evenly.
Drain the potatoes and mash with the other ingredients needed for the topping.
Spread the potatoes over the top of the bean/veggie mix.

Place in a preheated 180C oven for 30minutes until lightly browned on top.
Serve :-)

Bubble & Squeak Patties

Bubble and Squeak...
A classic and a favourite for many!
And yet it is made in so many different ways. I have seen people make a whole fry pan and slice it up. I have seen many different vegetables added. I have seen them done with different types of potatoes and coated with different things too.
This is my version.

BUBBLE AND SQUEAK PATTIES 

You'll need:
6 medium sized potatoes (1kg)
2 cups frozen carrots, peas & corn
1/4 cup chickpea flour
1/2 teaspoon onion flakes
1/4 teaspoon black pepper

Fill a large pot with water and place the chopped potatoes and vegetables in. Bring to the boil and simmer until the potatoes are very soft.
Strain and return to the pot.
Mash, focusing on the potatoes so that the vegetables aren't too broken down.
Add the flour, onion flakes and pepper. Stir well.
With wet hands shape approx 1/2 cup mixture into patties and use your hands to round the edges.
Place on a lined baking sheet.
(If you have time to cool them first then they will hold together better - if not go ahead and bake them but they will be more crumbly.)


Bake in a preheated 200C oven for 30 minutes (gently flipping once) until golden and slightly crispy on the edges. 
If you want these more crispy you can dry fry them in a frying pan.



Makes 10 patties.

  We love taking these on a picnic! 

Question of the day:
What do you usually add to your "bubble and squeak"?

Agave Mustard Baked Veggies

I love the simplicity of these veggies! They can be prepared in advance and they aren't hard work - a little bit of chopping and coating and then the oven will do the rest of the work for you.

The idea comes from the much loved flavour of honey & mustard, yet obviously excluding the honey.
They make a great side dish with roasts, or BBQ's, or simply to add veggies to your regular meals. 

Agave Mustard Baked Veggies

One large of each of these:
Zucchini
Carrot
Eggplant

Chop all the veggies into desired size.
Place them in a veggie bag along with 2 teaspoons dijon mustard & 2 teaspoons agave nectar. Toss until all veggies are lightly coated. (I save the bags that I buy our produce in to use for occasions such as this.)
Pour into a big roasting dish.

Pour veggie stock over the veggies until 1cm deep in the dish.
Sprinkle with 2 teaspoons dried thyme leaves.
Cover with foil.
Bake at 200C for 45-50 minutes til softened. (Time will vary depending on size of chopped veggies).

Do you enjoy the flavour of sweet & sour together?

Christmas meal and using leftovers

Sorry I didn't post this sooner after Christmas. I have been enjoying spending time with my family whilst we are on a break from work and school! 

I guess I feel like this post isn't really about a traditional 'Christmas meal' as such, but more about using up leftovers - regardless of what they are left-over from! Its about finding different ways to use what you have, instead of just reheating it and eating it.... again!

And also to share a few salad recipes that I love, which are quick & easy to make when large family gatherings require a variety of dishes! 

Let me start by sharing a picture of our Christmas dinner table:

As I saw it all sitting there it truly felt wonderful! Such healthy food! I love being able to host eating occasions and Christmas is no exception to the rule!

A huge range of salads always makes me smile!

I have mentioned before that I'm a huge fan of this couscous salad from PCRM.
It's really delicious and seems to be like equally by omni's and herbies.
 
 





 


A garden salad never goes astray! I love to add fresh basil leaves from our garden and I love the added colour that a red onion gives. 

I really enjoy making a rice salad too. 
I'm a big brown rice fan so I enjoy turning it into a sweet salad.

Here's how:
Simply combine
2 packets microwave brown rice
2 chopped spring onions
1/2 cup currants
1/2 cup seed mix (pumpkin & sunflowers seeds and pine nuts) 
2 teaspoons dried cumin
1 teaspoon  dried coriander
juice of one orange

Serve with the zest from the orange.
 

We made veggie kebabs for the BBQ which worked out way better than I was expecting! I enjoyed them even with the tomato!!! The veggies cooked really well and they were very tasty, even without oil or any dressing/marinade.
Corn pieces on the BBQ always work out exceptionally well too.





















There were quite a few kebab sticks leftover.
So I just used a fork to remove the vegetable pieces and warmed them in the microwave. Added them to leftover garden salad along with some dressing I had made to be a 'leftovers lunch'.

 Another PCRM recipe that I regularly make is this three bean salad (I just use whatever canned beans I have on hand, picture shows butter beans and a four bean mix).

The leftovers from the bean salad turned into a pasta meal for our family.

I just boiled some pasta and added the salad along with 1/2 cup tomato paste.

Super simple meal but totally delicious!

I also made my carrot salad recipe, just with the added addition of a grated apple too. This salad is quite sweet which makes it great for getting children used to enjoying some salads.

Leftovers also make wonderful carrot cake simply by combining wholemeal self-raising flour, a flax egg and some soymilk to the salad!!! ;-)

I made 3 kilograms of spiced wedges!
Clearly I over-catered when it provided our family with a whole other meal. Though, I'm grateful for that really! We LOVE potato nachos!
Our toppings were the leftover carrot, peas and corn mix with refried beans and salsa!

Super easy and tasty meal :-)

This brings me to the last salad I'm sharing today.
Mexican salad. One of my favourites lately. 
Lettuce, red kidney beans, tomatoes, capsicum, corn, spring onion and avocado. Topped off with home-made tofu sour cream.

It makes a great fresh burrito filling!

Particularly nice on warm days when a heated filling isn't necessary.

I can't finish this post without mentioning dessert of course!
Chocolate coconut whipped cream with dark chocolate shavings.
Everyone loves this and its so super quick & easy to make.
A few cans of coconut cream left in the fridge overnight. Scoop out the top thickened layer being careful not to add the water below. Whip the cream using beaters. I add Your Inspiration at Home chocolate powder but cocoa powder works too.

I was so very very pleased with how well my trifle worked out.
I made a basic vanilla cake (like this cake minus the cocoa), whole and blended raspberries, made soymilk custard and assembled them in layers. Topped with fresh berries to make a delicious vegan trifle :-)
Everyone agreed it was super yummy!
 
And I don't think you need to know how to use up leftover dessert! You just EAT IT! ;-)

Question of the day:
Do you enjoy eating leftovers? Do you re-purpose them or just reheat and serve how it originally was? 

In My Kitchen - Red & Green

December is often a time when the kitchen, and the whole house really, gets filled with bits and pieces lying everywhere, and the colours red and green seem to be everywhere! My kitchen is just that! 

Let's start with some lovely red and green produce picked from our garden! :-)
Such a delight to finally get to pick a few pieces. 

Our lovely tomato plant is growing strong. Lots of green tomatoes, and a few red ones. I don't actually like fresh tomato, but I'm looking forward to making lots of sauces.

In my kitchen is this packet of red chips! They are a new product available at Woolies. What a great alternative to regular corn chips. We don't regularly buy corn chips and I won't regularly buy these either, however there were a nice treat. Extremely tasty, but a bit salty for my personal taste.

 

When we were doing some Christmas shopping I simply couldn't go past this DIY gingerbread house kit. I love to do Christmas time baking and a gingerbread house is no exception. Often the ready-made kits have dairy &/or egg in them, or if there are vegan options that are full of junk. Will be great to create a gingerbread house that has fresh wholesome ingredients and without the hassle of making a paper template to cute out pieces.

Our kitchen is slowly getting filled with napkins, tissues and various other Christmas supplies.

I've also been going through our storage area and retriving all the Christmas platters!

Also in my kitchen is some new milks. 
I prefer to make my own soymilk for use in sauces, on cereal, in smoothies etc however for my morning coffee I have always favoured store-bought milk.
I have been trying various forms of milk to see if I can find a substitute for my favourite coffee milk that has changed. 
This Pure Harvest brand pictured below is one that I tried. The big red letters grabbed my attention in the store and also for my red & green post!

Very sad that my favourite 'green milk' is no longer available in the same form it was before. Although very similar, the new 'green milk' has no added fibre. Not that I'm worried about getting enough fibre in my diet, but it does mean that this new milk is not as thick. It still taste quite nice. This was my go-to milk for my morning coffee.

The only difference in the ingredients list between the old and new is that dietary fibre.
And of all the milks I've tried I must say that I'll still be sticking with Vitasoy for my regular coffee and fall back milk when I haven't had time to make my own!

What's happening in your kitchen at this time of year? Is it filled with red & green too?

Link your kitchen up on the Fig Jam & Lime Cordial blog.

Roasted Vegetable Roll

 

 

We all know how great baked veggies can be :-)

They seem to be the perfect accompaniment for all kinds of meals.

However, I really don't like it when the veggies are smoothered with oil. Not only is it not good for your health, but why destroy the natural taste of the vegetables?!?

Here's another way to have them that our family totally enjoy and I hope yours will too!

Place chopped veggies of choice on a lined baking tray.

Sprinkle with paprika and sage.

Bake in a preheated 200C oven for 40minutes, until tender & cooked through.

Serve in a bread roll with hummus and salad leaves.

Comfort food plus!

Great weekend cooking- when the smell of roast veggies will warm the home all morning, fill the stomach at lunch, and leave you perfectly satisfied all afternoon! 

Kids Lunchbox Club - Quick and Tasty Noodles

1 cup udon nooodles (or other noodles of choice)
1/2 cup frozen vegetables of choice (I used carrots, peas and corn)
1 Tablespoon peanut butter
1 teaspoon soysauce
1 teaspoon sweet chili sauce


Place the noodles and vegetables in a bowl that either has a lid or can be covered.
Pour boiling water over the top until the noodles are completely immersed.
Cover with a lid and let stand for 5-10 minutes.

Drain and add the sauces and peanut butter.
Stir well.


Pop into a container for your little one!
Don't forget something to eat them with!!

 

 If your school doesn't allow nut products - you can always replace the peanut butter with tahini for an equally delicious lunch.

WIAW - Veggie Love

Welcome to HUMP DAY everyone!

Do you call Wednesday's Hump Day?
The saying 'hump day' relates to the working week being like climbing a hill. It originates from feelings that Wednesday can be the hardest day of the week, the day that can feel the most exhausting & that we have the least amount of motivation because we've finally exhausted ourselves to get to the top of that hill! But at least after today it's a downhill run!!!!!!

Today I definitely felt like I was on the top of the hill!

Being up a touch earlier than usual meant that I was out the door without any rush. We had an office meeting for several hours, which is always great because I love my fellow workmates so much. This afternoon I had my first trip to Costco. The drive home this week on the freeway was only ONE HOUR!!!!!!!!! Wooooo-hoooooo :D And I was welcomed at home by a parcel of bras I'd ordered online *cheap* - my favourite brand!
Seriously - does a day get any better than that??????

Well stocked with dates, rice, tofu, passata and...... bras!!!!!

Here's my munchies for today:

I had a nectarine and apricot for afternoon tea and I also must admit that I did have a Macro bar on the way home..... it was a precautionary step that I took leaving one in my handbag just in case the drive home was bad..... but even though it wasn't I ate it anyway ;-)



This month on the peas and crayons blog veggies are getting a special mention!
WIAW followers are joining in love your veggies month!

If you ask me, veggies are definitely worth loving!
As I sat and thought about which veggie I would want to share the love of, I really couldn't decide!
I loooooooooove red capsicum....
   but I also loooooooooooooooove cauliflower............
        and I can't forget how much I looooooooooooooove snow peas, and shallots and mushrooms and............
Well you get the point!

Today I decided to share with you some EGGPLANT love <3.
Yes, I love eggplant too! (Also known as aubergine!)

Yesterday I made an Eggplant Moussaka recipe from the Forks Over Knives Cookbook. Clearly our eggplants needed to be used soon ;-)
I had never tried a moussaka before but had always wanted to so I was very excited. 
The recipe has 3 parts - lentils, eggplant & sauce. Each part is made from scratch. 
I really enjoyed the whole process!
And it was amazingly tasty! :-)

Do you have a favourite vegetable?
What's your favourite way to cook with it?
Have you tried any new recipes with it lately?

Stuff it!

mmmmmmmmm so tasty!

I love stuffed vegetables.

My all time favourite vegetable to stuff is red capsicum! Its so sweet & delicious when its been roasted! I just LOVE it!

Here's some other veggies that stuff well:

- eggplant

- zucchini

- sweet potato 

- tomatoes

- choko

How to stuff vegetables:

If the vegetable is hollow, simply cut the top off & spoon out any seeds.

If the vegetable is full - you need to scoop out the flesh (you can use it in the stuffing mixture).

Mix the 'stuffing' in a big bowl.

Spoon into the vegetables and bake until soft. 

TIPS: 

- If the vegetable is very hard you may need to precook it a little to be able to scoop the flesh out!

- I find a moderate oven works best, so that it doesn't burn the outside of the vegetable skin.

- I recommend cooking time of 40-60 minutes depending on how 'hard' the vegetable is - note that precooked vegetables will take less time.

 

Ideas for stuffing mixture:

- precooked brown rice

- tomatoes

- capsicum

- lentils
- spinach leaves

- mashed potato

- carrots (don't need to be precooked)

- tofu

- onion, spring onion

- mushrooms

- sauerkraut

 And don't forget your herbs and spices!

You can top with avocado once the vegetables are cooked if you like :D

Its so much fun to experiment with different flavours and it can make the meal taste so different each time! Why not combine some classic flavours like Indian spiced-rice with coconut milk, or Italian herbs & lentils, or pizza-type vegetables with a tomato base.

Pictured is a mix of carrots, spinach, brown rice & tomatoes with basil.

 

BUT WAIT.................. There's more!!!!!

I just feel like potatoes deserve a special mention of their own! Probably because I never 'stuff' potatoes in quite the same way that I do other vegetables!

I always prebake them wrapped in foil & then cut them open to pile (and pile high) my fillings on. 

I usually opt not to precook my fillings for stuffing potatoes but rather use easy to chop and serve fillings such as baked beans, mashed avocado and several canned items - pineapple, corn etc. I also find that lots of leftover meals can be warmed and served on top of baked potatoes to re-create the meal is a whole new light!

So good! The topping list is endless!

Pictures is leftover lentils, capsicum, mushrooms, spring onion, corn & tahini.

Simple stuffed potato - baked beans & mashed avocado! So delicious!