Monday, February 25, 2013

Spinach and Feta Pies

I'm a big fan of the spinach and feta combo. It always makes me feel like I'm eating something really healthy and I'm not bloated and super full afterwards. I've been thinking about making these pies for a little while now so finally remembered to buy some filo at my last shop and made them last week.

So so so so easy. Mixing together some spinach, feta, an egg and some orange rind (recipe calls for lemon rind but I only had an orange and I figured it'd still give that zesty fresh feel) with some mint in a bowl. Brush three sheets of filo with melted butter and layer them together. Cut to the size of the small tart tin, insert the filo, fill with the spinach mix, brush with a beaten egg and bake till golden.

Yum!


Wednesday, February 20, 2013

Chilli Beef and Snake Bean Stir-fry


If I'll be honest, I've been hesitant to make the 'chilli' dishes so far. While I love how chilli can transform a dish, the heat doesn't necessarily agree with me. Or my taste buds. And I like to be able to enjoy what I eat, not have my head blown off. 

So when this recipe called for 'Chilli Bean Paste' I substituted for Black Bean sauce and a finely diced and deseeded long red chilli. I marinated the beef in the sauce and chilli for a little while before cooking them on my grill pan. Once the meat was out and resting I then quickly cooked the garlic slivers and beans in a little more sauce. 

Both Hubby and I really enjoyed this dinner. There was no heat from the chilli and it was so easy and tasty, this would make a great BBQ dinner for those warm summer nights!

Monday, February 18, 2013

Panchetta, Mozzarella and Balsamic Sandwich


Substituting the Panchetta for Proscuitto, I made this sandwich for Hubby and I last weekend. I just love how the fresh basil compliments the tomato and mozerella. The balsamic addition just completes the picture.

Make sure you make it on fresh bread, as ours was a day old and in hindsight I should've warmed it as the three layers of bread made it hard to eat and we ended up pulling out the delicious filling and eating that on its own.

There's no cooking or mixing involved in this sandwich, just assembly so it's a nice and easy lunch time meal. Give it a go!

Saturday, February 16, 2013

Melon with Rosewater Yoghurt


This is a beautiful Breakfast alternative for those warm summer mornings. Just be careful of the rosewater in the yoghurt. It can really HIT you!

Also, I didn't have any pistachios as the recipe calls for, so I toasted some cashews then added some honey right at the end so they caramelised a little. B-e-a-utiful! 

Really simple. Completely in the style of Donna Hay. Just beautiful food.

Monday, February 11, 2013

Choc-Chip Ice-Cream Sandwich

On these hot summer days, who doesn't like Ice-Cream? Anyone? No-one? Didn't think so.

How about an Ice-Cream sandwich? Maybe not for lunch, but a great afternoon snack to cool off from the scorching summer sun.

Best part about this easy recipe - you can use store-bought Ice-Cream!

I don't have an ice-cream maker and never remember to do the whole 'whisk every hour or so' thing. And I'm a busy Mum of two ratbags, so the easier it is for me, the more I love it.

This recipe does require you to make the biscuits for the sandwich, which was a fun afternoon with Noah as we sprinkled chocolate chips on top of measured and squared out batter. As they were so thin they didn't take long to cook too.

Noah kept asking and asking for the sandwich and I pushed it out till just before bath time as I knew it would be messy! In the end, he wasn't that keen and I'm thinking for dessert tonight I'll crunch up the remaining biscuits and scatter them over a bowl of Ice-Cream instead. Still just as yum!


Friday, February 8, 2013

Feta with Crispy Bread and Salad

If you're looking for a light lunch, this is it. It's so light and Summery and would serve as a great appetizer before a nice big dinner. And oh so easy.

After grilling some fresh Bruschetta, top it with Feta, Salad leaves, Parmesan, Salt and Pepper and Olive Oil.

See, told you it was easy.

It has a light salty taste from the cheeses and the crunchy toasted bread gives the added texture. Not to mention the oil soaks right in and mixes with the feta. Yum.

Try it next time you're in need of a quick but tasty lunch idea!!


Thursday, February 7, 2013

Caramelised Onion and Anchovy Tart

I looooove caramelised onion. I love the sweetness with the strong onion flavour. On burgers. On toast. And in a tart.

I also love going to a BBQ, so I have an excuse to make lots of yummy food to share. Like tarts and cakes.

This is a beautiful and simply recipe. Cook onions sloooooowly over a medium high heat. Add Sherry Vinegar (I used Malt as I didn't have any Sherry). Add brown sugar. Cook a little more. Half a sheet of Puff Pastry and score an outline around the edge before popping the mixture into the middle. Top with anchovies, olives and thyme. Brush with beaten egg yolk then bake till golden.

So yum. Love the sweetness of the onion clashing with the salty anchovies. Or melding together. I never know, it just tastes good.

So easy and so going to be making this one again.

Please excuse the dodgy iPhone photo, I forgot to take a decent one...



Tuesday, February 5, 2013

Honey Cream Sponge Cake

Ok, so another thing that I can't cook apparently is Sponge Cake.

I followed the recipe. Sifted the (gluten free - maybe that made a difference??) flour over and over and over again. Then again into the beaten egg and sugar mixture.

Then folded the flour in. I think that maybe my folding wasn't gentle enough and too much air got out of those lovely beaten eggs. I noticed that it was a lot thinner then I expected when pouring it into the cake tins to cook.

I loved the honey and vanilla syrup poured over the top of the cooked sponge though. As it dried it set a little hard and gave the cake some extra texture.

The cake along with the lashings and lashings of cream just marry together perfectly. It would've been better if the sponge rose more and was a lighter cake, but it still went down well just the same.