'Stand n Stuff' Quiche

I have recently come across this easy quiche made in the slow cooker. Last night I decided to bake some in the oven...just to make sure the shell stayed crispy. They turned out beautifully and I packed one for lunch today with some salad. So why did I call them 'stand n stuff'?

Well, because I used these beaut little soft taco boats as the base. Super easy and lower in calories than pastry.

I placed four 'boats' on a greased oven tray.

Then chopped some bacon, kale, tomato and capsicum.

I placed the fillings into the boats, then poured whisked eggs (six) to cover, and sprinkled with parmesan cheese.

Voila! I baked them for about 30 minutes at 150 degrees. You don't want the oven too hot or the 'boats' will burn on the edges. These look a little dark in the photo but were just perfect!

How is that for the easiest, quickest quiche on the run?

                                                   

Pumpkin Kale and Quinoa Salad

I was looking for an up-market salad to take to a party last weekend and thought that I would try and use up the abundance of pumpkins and kale I have at the moment. A quick Google search using the two ingredients led me to this recipe, which I have varied slightly. It is an ideal winter salad as it can be served warm or cold and it really brings out the flavours of the pumpkin without the kale being overbearing. Plus...it looks pretty fancy!

Ingredients

800g pumpkin, peeled, seeded and cut into 1.5cm cubes
Spray olive oil
Olive oil
1 x onion, finely chopped
2 x garlic cloves, crushed
1 x teaspoon finely grated ginger
2 x teaspoon ground coriander
2 x teaspoon turmeric
1 cup quinoa, rinsed and drained
100g trimmed kale leaves, shredded
1/4 cup slivered almonds, pepitas or pine nuts

Method

1. Place the pumpkin on a lined baking tray, spray with oil and bake in the oven for 30-40 minutes or until golden and tender. As my oven did not crisp the outsides of the pumpkin cubes, I tossed them into a frypan with some spray oil to finish off.

2. Meanwhile, heat oil in a large saucepan over medium heat. Cook onion for five minutes until softened. Add garlic, ginger, coriander and turmeric and cook stirring for one minute.

3. Add quinoa and 2 cups off water, bring to the boil. Reduce heat to low, cover and simmer until water has evaporated and quinoa is soft. I found I had to add more water and hence increased the quantities of coriander and turmeric from the original recipe, due to evaporation.

4. Stir through kale until just wilted, then gently stir through the roasted pumpkin and almonds. Season with salt and freshly ground black pepper.

The salad was very popular and a wonderful showcase for the fresh produce from my property.

I hope you enjoy!

Slow Cooked Pork and Pineapple

I posted a review of my multicooker this week and had a request for this recipe. I must confess I made it up as I went along and it turned out beautifully, so I thought it would post it here. That way I will remember how to make it next time!

Ingredients

700g diced pork (I used forequarter chops which were only $6/kilo and cut the meat off the bones, removing all fat)
1 x can of pineapple pieces (including the juice)
1 x onion chopped
1 x red capsicum chopped
2 cloves garlic, crushed
1 x teaspoon chilli powder
2cm piece of ginger, chopped
1/2 cup hoisin sauce
1/2 cup kecap manis
1 cup chopped pumpkin

Method

Combine garlic, ginger, chilli powder, hoisin sauce and kecap manis in a bowl. Add to the diced pork and marinate overnight.

I then sauteed my onion in my multicooker, but if you are doing this in a slow cooker I would just add it raw. Add marinated pork, tinned pineapple including juice, capsicum and pumpkin and stir to combine. When adding the pineapple juice, the total amount of liquid you need depends on the size of your slow cooker. You don't want to cover the meat, and I find about half way up the meat level works best as the pork juices will add further liquid.

Slow cook for 6 - 8 hours on low, depending on your slow cooker. I had mine on timer and when I got home I added some homemade natural yoghurt to thicken the liquid a little. You could also use sour cream or a little cornflour mixed with water.

Serve with basmati rice. The pork falls apart on your fork and is rich with asian-inspired flavour.

Enjoy!

Multicooker Road Test: New Wave 5 in 1

With the money I received from relatives for my birthday I decided to purchase a multicooker. My main reason for buying one is that I love to cook slow cooked meals over winter and my current slow cooker does not have a timer. It is also a little overzealous so I could not leave it on all day whilst at work as it would overcook the food.

The other thing that appealed to me about a multicooker was the inclusion of a pressure cook function. I have never used one before and was fascinated at the possibilities and practicalities for a full time working mum of football-playing-eat-like-a-horse teenage boys.

So I did a bit of research and read heaps of reviews and decided on the New Wave 5 in 1 Multicooker which I ordered from Kitchenware Direct. It cost about $140 delivered (in 3 days) and just so you know, this post is not sponsored. I mainly want to let you know that so far I am extremely happy with my choice. These are the 5 functions that my multicooker performs:

1. Searing

You can brown your meat in the dish before slow or pressure cooking. Very handy for adding cooked onions and garlic to your dish - extra flavour without the added washing up.

2. Slow Cooking

These are a couple of dishes I have made using the slow cook function.

I came home to this pork and pineapple curry tonight which was such a treat. I marinated the pork overnight and put it in the cooker with the vegetables at 8am this morning before I left for work. I had the timer set to come on at 10am for six hours. The cooker then automatically switches to 'warm' function so it was absolutely perfect when I got home. I only had to boil some rice, but a lot of people put that in too.

You can see how clear and easy the functions are selected. The red time is the preset time and the green time is how long you want it to cook for. There is no low or high setting like most slow cookers and I find the timing to be in between. Most dishes you would cook on low for eight hours or high for four hours, and I find six hours is perfect in this cooker.

This is not a great photo but it shows a mild sausage curry I made for the boys. I boiled the sausages first to remove fat and skins, then put the pasta in with the curry and sausages. I then put it on slow cook for three hours. Perfect!

3. Pressure Cooking

I am so impressed with the pressure cook function and have used this the most. Anything that I would normally fry I am now cooking in my multicooker, and it is so much easier to clean. I did steak the other night cooked in gravy which took 8 minutes and was perfectly moist and tender.Getting the timing right is the key to pressure cooking and I use the recipes provided and a fantastic Multicooker Facebook group if I am unsure. It is suggested to use the high pressure for meats and low pressure for vegetables

This bolognese sauce took 15 minutes on high pressure. Next time I will add the spaghetti at the same time.

The yummy beef casserole took 30 minutes on high pressure. I browned the meat (chuck steak) using the searing function in the photo above.

4. Soup

This is one of my beautiful home grown pumpkins.

Chopped up with some onion, garlic, chicken stock and bacon.

Two hours later, perfect pumpkin soup. I have also made this on the low pressure function which halved the cooking time.

5. Steaming

How perfect are these steamed vegetables? You just put some water in the bottom of the cooker and place the steam basket on the rack...and ten minutes later you have perfect vegies.

The cooker is quite big (6 litre capacity), and the insert is made of a very easy to clean non stick metal. You can buy stainless steel inserts separately if you want to. The steam basket and rack are shown below, together with the spoon which also came with the package.

So, if you have been contemplating getting a multi cooker I can thoroughly recommend the practicality and functionality of the New Wave 5 in 1. They also have a 6 in 1 cooker that has deep frying but I thought that would just get rather messy...and I don't deep fry anything anyway.

Slow Cooker Lasagne

I had some time recently to experiment with my slow cooker. I have been making all sorts of bread and scrolls in it, with great success. Just lately it has become a tradition in my home to make a lasagne every Sunday for the kids, and they have the leftovers the next night. When I discovered I could make it in the slow cooker, and then found out how well it turns out, I decided I will never make it in the oven again. It only takes 3 hours on low (depending on your cooker) and it is beautifully moist. I also find the ceramic bowl so much easier to clean than an oven baked lasagne dish...and apparently the running cost of your slow cooker is cheaper than your electric oven, even with the extended cooking time.

Ingredients (for a six litre slow cooker)

700g mince
1 x finely chopped onion
400g tin tomatoes
1 x jar pasta sauce
2 tbsp tomato paste
2 tbsp beef stock
2 tsp ground oregano
3 cloves crushed garlic
1 pack dried lasagne sheets
30g butter
2 tbsp flour
2 cups milk
3/4 cup grated cheese

Some versions of this recipe say you can add the ingredients to the mince meat and put it in the slow cooker raw, but I always make my meat sauce first in a separate pan. You can use your normal lasagne recipe which is what I used for this one.

Brown the onion until clear and then add the meat and brown, breaking up lumps with a wooden spoon. Add the garlic, beef stock, oregano, tomatoes, pasta sauce and tomato paste and stir well. Cook for about 20 minutes until mince is cooked through and is a beautiful red colour. It should be quite moist so that when it is added to the slow cooker, the dry lasagne sheets will cook.

Put 1/4 of the mince mixture into the bottom of your greased crockpot (I use spray olive oil). Now you need to make the white sauce by melting the butter in a saucepan, adding the flour, and then gradually adding the milk. I use a whisk to ensure there are no lumps. Cook over a low heat, stirring until thickened. Pour 1/3 of the white sauce over the mince in the crock pot and spread out with the back of a spoon.

Break up your lasagne sheets to fit and layer over the white sauce. Complete this process three times, ending with a final layer of mince. Sprinkle a good layer of cheese over the top. I then place a tea towel over the crock pot before placing the lid on the top. This will stop condensation dropping onto the lasagne and making it soggy.

Bake for three hours on low (check every hour just in case).

$21 Challenge - Week two

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Well, I am happy to say that we survived the first week of the $21 challenge. Usually you would only do this for one week but I have so much excess stuff to use up that I have decided on a second week...to pocket a little more cash for the boys to spend on clothes.

Week One Recap

The biggest hit of the week was the home made pizza. The bread flour from my 'bonus box' that had just expired was perfect for the base, together with the bbq sauce bottles that were almost empty. I just added a chicken fillet which I fried in the pan and sliced, some kale, ham, cheese, bacon and pineapple. I had a slice for breakfast and lunch the next day.

I could not figure out the wall socket timer so my crock pot honey and lemon chicken was cooked in the pan and served with mash. The boys ate leftover sausage casserole.

My favourite was the salmon patties which used up the open bag of panko breadcrumbs and was served with fresh salad from my garden. I was surprised that the boys liked them too so I will definitely include this on my budget-week menu in the future.

This was my total shop for the week...just over $15. Mainly drinks for the kids and milk. The cream was for potato bake last night, and the boys like cheese on everything! The pineapple was $2 from the local service station....the best pineapples ever. Confession...my husband did bring home some meat but I put most of it in the freezer to use after the challenge so I can still stick to my original menu plan.

This is just a selection of items in the bonus box which I would like to use up this week. So, here is my menu this week!

SATURDAY

Roast lamb and vegies in the slow cooker. I had never done a roast in it before and it was very tender. I do prefer roast vegies in the oven though! I used some of the cranberry sauce as a glaze to try and get rid of it and it was very tasty.

SUNDAY

Corned Beef and Potato Bake. This was gobbled up before I could take a photo.

MONDAY

Pasta bolognese using up the open packet of penne pasta

TUESDAY

Chicken tacos to use up the taco shells which although opened are still fresh

WEDNESDAY

Shepherds Pie using the packet mix which is about to expire

THURSDAY

Chicken (breast) pesto pasta using the brown spaghetti and open jar of pesto

FRIDAY

Slow-cooked chicken curry using the curry paste, and the indian vegie packet thingy I have never been game to open. I will use a pack of chicken pieces I have in the freezer.

It feels a little weird going to the fridge and being able to see what is in there, but it's a feeling I can get used to. We had too much stuff hiding and wasting...despite my resolve to live more simply and utilise everything... which I thought I was good at. So, I would thoroughly recommend a clearing out every now and then, and it's actually fun making compromises and devising recipes without buying extra ingredients. I made some home-made yoghurt yesterday which will be used in a few dishes and only cost $1.50, and I plan to make lemon cordial tonight to stretch out the drinks (and use up the lemons)...it's these habits that will help keep the dollars in my pockets, and healthy food on the table.

So, what's for dinner at your place tonight?

Tea-cup Biscuits

We had our Biggest Morning Tea at work recently and one of the girls brought in these cute little tea-cup biscuits which I just had to share...no baking required, just assembly.

You will need:

1 packet of tic-toc biscuits (they are already iced)
1 packet of marshmallows
1 packet of musk lifesavers (halved)
1 packet of freckles
White icing in a piping bag to glue the bits together.

Then just assemble as above...cute idea for a tea party, and they taste really yummy!

$21 Challenge - Week One

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As I mentioned last week, this week I am attempting the $21 challenge. I have done a huge clear-out of my pantry, fridge and freezer, and have made a list of items which need to be used up. I will use those items this week to create all of my evening meals, together with what else I have available. My goal this week is to only shop for staples...if I don't have something on hand for a recipe then I will improvise. I started the challenge on Saturday, so when I finish my two weeks it will be my usual shopping day, Friday.

In my post above I showed you the two boxes of produce I sorted from my pantry. The chooks have been enjoying the fruits of the expired items this week. My 'bonus items' that need to be used include the following: panko breadcrumbs, honey soy and garlic packet sauce, 2 x nearly empty bbq sauce bottles, packet of potato mix, 2 x open pasta packets, just expired bread mix, polenta, rice paper wrappers, sushi rice and nori, couscous...and at least another dozen random items.

This weekend I delved into the fridge and followed the same process. Most of the items in my door had expired.

And the above photograph was taken before I sorted out the shelves.

These are my bonus items from the fridge. Sour cream, massaman curry paste, three open jars of home made tomato relish, jaboticaba jam, lemon squeeze, basil pesto, home made mango chutney, some cherry tomatoes and a bag of kale and spinach. There are also my vegies in the crisper to use through the week, and some pumpkin and salad from the garden.

And the amount of produce that I had to discard was once again an eye opener. 

My freezer is fully stocked for work lunches. These were put away on my last holidays and I take them to work when there are no leftovers from dinner.

This is my outdoor freezer which I also did an inventory of. I was pleased to see there are still backup items for school holiday lunches such as pies etc. I am aiming to provide leftovers from dinner for the boys to eat for lunch each day...and make some homemade snacks. So....here is my weekly menu plan.

SATURDAY - SLOW COOKED SAUSAGE AND PASTA BAKE

I started the $21 challenge by sorting out everything in my bonus box, and working out some recipes for the week. I had about fifteen sausages in the fridge that needed to be used so I decided to do a slow cooked sausage casserole (in the crock pot) for dinner on Saturday night.

The boys absolutely loved it and there was plenty left over for breakfast on toast on Sunday, and for the boys lunches. I just used a french onion base, some frozen peas, gravox and pasta.

SUNDAY - CHICKEN CASSEROLE AND LASAGNE

Last night I used up the three part-jars of tomato relish, together with some pesto, the cherry tomatoes and a tin of tomatoes. I just mixed them together and added them to some chicken legs in the slow cooker. Six hours later we had an easy chicken casserole for Paul and I. As it was my daughter's birthday, I made her favourite lasagne and potato bake which she and the boys had. There are tons on leftovers so tomorrow night's dinner is also sorted.

MONDAY - SUNDAY'S LEFTOVERS

Leftover chicken casserole and lasagne.

TUESDAY - CHICKEN BARBECUE PIZZA

The just expired bread flour will be used to make home-made chicken barbecue pizzas for dinner. Paul and I will have a thinner base and loads of fresh kale and spinach from the garden, plus I will probably use up some of the pesto.

WEDNESDAY - SLOW COOKED LEMON CHICKEN BREASTS WITH COUSCOUS

My slow cooker tends to be a little over-zealous so I have bought a timer and will put this on before I leave work to commence cooking at midday. Should be perfect by 6pm. I am going to put in chicken fillets, utilise the stiry fry honey soy and garlic mixes which I was not keen on the flavour of, and add some lemon juice, garlic and a jar of mango chutney I had left over from the Biggest Morning Tea. I will probably serve this with the couscous, using another bonus item.

THURSDAY - SALMON PATTIES AND SALAD

This packet of mashed potato is close to it's use by date and always makes good patties so I will add it to a jar of salmon, use the leftover spring onions and a couple of my eggs to make patties. I will then crumb them in the panko crumbs which I have way too many of, and bake them in the oven. A quick and easy dinner. I aim to prepare the salmon patties the night before and use salad vegies from the garden.

FRIDAY - MARINATED T-BONE STEAK AND VEGIES

I think the boys will be screaming out for red meat by now, so I plan to marinate some t-bone steak that we have in the freezer with the leftover sauces in my bonus box - a little hoisin, soy, honey and garlic.We will then serve them with sweet potato, mashed potato and peas.

So, wish me luck with the challenge! My shopping list this week will be milk, bottled water, bread and cheese which should come in under the $21 budget....hopefully anyway. I am already thinking about next week's meals. I think that bonus box will keep me going for a while.

What are you having for dinner this week?