I recently watched the Masterchef master class series on a DVD and saw George make a wonderful homemade baked beans. It looked divine, and I have tried to copy it, with my own twists.
Preheat oven to 160°C. Cut all the vegetables into bite size pieces.
In a hot oven proof saute pan, add the oil, garlic and onions. Sauté until transparent before adding all other vegetables and drained beans. Warm through for 2 – 3 minutes before adding the thyme, bay leaves and enough stock to cover the ingredients. Turn heat down to medium and simmer on the stove for 20 minutes.
Check for water content and add stock / water as needed. At this point, I added the second tin of tomatoes.
With the lid on, place the pan into the oven. You will need to check on it every 20 minutes religiously, stir through and add water / stock as needed. It will take 4 – 6 hours in the oven.
Dice the bacon into small pieces and fry in a small frying pan. While cooking, twist each sausage to form three bite size pieces from each sausage. Use scissors to cut and cook gently in the frying pan.
About half way through the cooking time, place the bacon and sausages into the bean mixture and stir through well. Ensure the bean mixture stays moist at all times, using any left over stock or water as needed.
Before serving, add a little salt to taste and a splash of vinegar to refresh the dish. Enjoy with toast or as is for a hearty delicious meal!
Observations
I used canellini beans but other recipes I have seen used navy beans. I think you can use any beans you fancy, as long as you soak them well and don’t let them dry out during the cooking process
This recipe could (and will!!) be adapted to cook in a slow cooker. The trick would be to ensure that it doesn’t get too dry during the cooking process.
After letting it dry out once (I forgot to set the timer to tell me 20 minutes was up!) and almost ruining 4 hours of work, I ensured it never happened again by setting the alarm each time. I can not stress how important it is to check it every 20 minutes and ensure it stays moist. Its better to be a little too moist than too dry.
George said it was really important to give it a splash of vinegar before serving, but I must admit that I actually forgot. I can see why it would be good, but make sure you limit it to a splash.
The chicken sausages could be left out if desired, but I opted to include them instead of the pork sausages suggested in the original recipe.
Just a FYI, everyone in the family loved this mean, including the fussy teenager. Joe really enjoyed it and wants it to be on regular slow cooker menu cycle through winter.
Ethical note: I am still having a lot of trouble sourcing free ranged pork. I am using up old freezer stock of bacon, but am very hopeful of finding an ethical alternative in the near future.
Diabetics Note: My BGLs were fantastic after this meal. I decided to avoid having toast with my dinner to keep my carbohydrates down. I should also point out that although I didn’t add much oil to this dish, there was a fair amount of fat in the sausages. Cooking them in a pan allowed me to drain off any oil that leaked out.
I just adore the fresh ingredients and taste of Vietnamese Rice Paper Rolls. I have to be honest and say up front that I alter from traditionalists a fair bit, as my family do not enjoy prawns. Prawns are also an unsustainable / unethical product but I will have to write on that another day! So I made a few with prawns and some with free range chicken.
Ingredients
4 – 6 King Prawns
1 cooked free ranged chicken breast
1 packet of rice paper wrappers
1 packet of vermicelli bean thread
1 capsicum
1 cucumber
1 carrot
2-3 spring onions
1-2 cups shredded lettuce
handful mint leaves
few Thai basil leaves
few flat leaf parsley
Method
Put two vermicelli bundles into a small container with enough lukewarm water to cover. Sit aside for 15 – 20 minutes while it softens.
Cut the chicken into thin long strips. Prepare the prawns by removing the shell and vein. Cut prawns in half and place meat aside.
Cut all the vegetables into julienne strips. Shred the lettuce finely. Break the leaves of the herbs off the stems and discard the stems. Arrange all the ingredients in a sort of assembly line.
Wet a clean tea towel and place it on your work bench. Have a large plate filled with room temperature water sitting near by. To make the rolls, place the rice paper wrapper (which is stiff and hard) into the water for around 30 seconds. Don’t be tempted to leave it in longer, as it will become impossible to work with. Lay it on the tea towel.
Begin to assemble the roll, place a strip of meat in a line about half the width of the wrapper in the centre of the bottom third of the wrapper. (See image below for placement). Layer all the other vegetable ingredients on top of the meat, placing a mixture of herbs on top. Complete the stack with a handful of vermicelli noodles.
To wrap, simply fold the bottom up over the ingredients and fold the sides in to create a pouch. Gently but tightly, roll from bottom to top to form a wrap. Serve with a dipping sauce.
Observations
I love this dish. I have made it on several occasions, and would make it more often except my family are not such fans. The flavours are crisp and clean, so experiment a bit with your vegetable and herb choices. I strongly recommend the mint though – it just adds to it so fantastically!
I use to make my own dipping sauces with combinations of ginger, sesame oil, fish sauce and maple syrup, however, this time around I bought a commercial one to try to pick their flavours.
Excuse my absolute crappy diagram above. I’m not so good with drawing on the computer.
Diabetics note: My BGLs were fine after this meal, but do be careful of your bean thread / noodles as they can be high in carbohydrates.
This dish was inspired by something similar I saw recently on Master Chef. I like the idea of introducing more tofu into our diet, but as it is a new ingredient for me, I am often at a loss of how to cook it! This recipe just… works. Enjoy!
Ingredients – Serves Four
½ packet of fresh noodles
1 onion
1 carrot
1 capsicum
2 celery sticks
3 spring onions
1 bunch bok choy
1 egg per person
1 packet firm tofu
tapioca flour (starch)
1 – 2 tablespoon garlic or to taste
1 - 2 tablespoon ginger or to taste
1 - 2 tablespoon oyster sauce or to taste
1 - 2 tablespoon soy sauce or to taste
guzzle of vegetable oil for deep frying
drizzle of olive oil for stir fry
Method
Remove tofu from packaging and wrap in a clean tea towel. Place it in the fridge over night, weighted under something heavy to draw the moisture from the tofu.
Place the vegetable oil into a small saucepan and bring up to heat. Remove tofu from tea towel and cut into bite size batons. Coat it well with tapioca starch, ensuring all sides are evenly coated. Place gently into the oil, and cook until browned. Remove and let drain.
Chop all the vegetables into bite size pieces, keeping separate.
Place the wok on the heat to begin to heat. In a small bowl, beat the eggs. Once the wok is hot, add a drizzle of olive oil. Pour in the egg mixture and make an omelette. Remove from the wok, and shred.
Prepare the noodles as to the instructions on the packet. Separate noodles and place in bowl until needed.
Bring the wok back to a hot temperature and add another drizzle of oil. Add garlic, ginger, soy sauce, oyster sauce and salt and mix well. Add the onions and carrots, sautéing for until half cooked. This may take up to 4 minutes.
Add the celery, capsicum, spring onion and mix well with other vegetables. Cook for 2 minutes before adding the noodles, bok choy and tofu batons. If necessary, add a little stock, oil or sauce to ensure the ingredients remain moist (to your taste)
Serve and enjoy!
Observations
This was delicious! The Tofu need a little more flavour, so I could have added a little more sauce to ensure they were coated well. Having said that, they were crunchy, light and fluffy. Even Brittany ate a few!
As with all stir fries, let your fridge contents and tastes guide you. The real winner of this recipe is the tofu batons which could be adapted into so many different uses. Hmm, tofu batons and dip or tofu batons in soup instead of croutons………
Because of the moisture in the tofu, you need to make sure you at least leave it over night before frying it. I left mine for 24 hours. If its wrapped well in a tea towel, it shouldn’t dry out, but I did place it in a shallow container in case of moisture leakage.
Diabetics Note: There is actually quite a bit of carbohydrates in the tapioca starch and the noodles, so go light with your serves. Let the information guide on the packet of noodles guide your serving size. I tend to serve Joe and Brittany’s up first, giving them the larger amounts of noodles, leaving me with more vegetables! My BGLs were fine with this meal.
Friday nights are chicken nights, and we all love chicken! This week, we bought a brand new six piece Baccarat cookware set, and I’ve been itching to use the stove to oven sauté pan since I got it. I decided to do my spin on Chicken Cacciatore and take advantage of this one pot cooking style that I have been dreaming of. The results were mouth watering delicious, but had a very painful twist.
Ingredients (serves 4)
Chicken
1kg free ranged chicken pieces
1 red capcicum
1 zuchinii
1 large onion
1 can tomatoes
¾ cup white wine
6- 10 olives
½ cup flour
3-4 cloves garlic
1 tablespoon tumeric
1 tablespoon thyme
1 tablespoon parsley
3 bay leaves
salt and pepper to taste
Splash of olive oil
Polenta
2 cups water
½ cup polenta
2 tablespoons butter
salt to taste
Method
1. Preheat oven to 220°C. Chop all the vegetables into large bite size pieces and set aside. Remove any excess fat from the chicken before giving it a good season with salt, pepper and a little tumeric. Coat the seasoned chicken into flour (Photo 1).
2. Bring a sauté pan up to a hot temperature and warm the oil. Add the chicken and brown off. Remove from pan and set aside (Photo 2 above)
3. Using the left over chicken juices and oil, begin to sauté the onions with the garlic, thyme, parsley and left over turmeric. Once onions are opaque, add the remaining vegetables, and ensure they are coated in the juice and herb mixture (Photo 3 above). Add the wine and cook at a high simmer for 2 minutes.
4. Add the tomatoes, olives and bay leaves to the pan before returning the chicken. Don’t worry about submerging the chicken all the way into the vegetable and liquid mixture as the crispy tops add a lovely texture to the dish (Photo 4 below). Place pan lid on into the oven and cook at 220°C for 20 minutes.
5. Check that the liquid hasn’t reduced too much, and top up with warm water if needed (Photo 5). Reduce heat to 150°C and cook for a further half hour until sauce is reduced and vegetables are cooked (Photo 6 above). This will allow the flavours to develop. For those who enjoy a richer sauce, remove the meat and vegetables from the pan and reduce the sauce into a thicker gravy.
6. To make the polenta, bring the salted water to boil in a small saucepan. Reduce heat to lowest setting and slowly pour the polenta into the water in a slow steady stream. Whisk constantly to ensure the polenta grain is distributed evenly and totally absorbed into the water. Add the butter and stir until it melts. Bring to a slow simmer and allow to cook for 20 minutes, stirring frequently (photo below). Serve when grain texture is smooth and tender.
Observations
This meal is a hearty delicious meal that tastes of heaven. I really enjoy it when ever I make it. I add different vegetables at different times for a slightly different feel, but the tomatoes, olives and capsicums are a must! Traditionally, mushrooms would be used instead of the zuchini but I am allergic to mushies so this is my substitute.
I am not sure that the polenta is traditionally served with a meal like this, but I adore the texture of it as it firms up. The salty sweet taste of if adds something magical to this dish.
Diabetic Note: For diabetics, I am unable to give you a good indicator as to how my BGL’s reacted to this as my BGL’s were sky high due to the burn (below). Ahh shock and stress… how you played havoc on my bloods last night. Anyway, carb content for the chicken portion of the meal is very low. I added the polenta to boost it a little for my insulin intake. Polenta is quite high in carbohydrates so don’t overdo the serves; less is better. Also, because the chicken is cooked skin on, there are a fair amount of fats in this dish, so keep the oil to a minimum when browning off the chicken / sautéing the veggies.
I have a cautionary tale to tell, dear readers. When I removed the sauté pan from the oven half way through the cooking time to check the contents, I forgot to put my oven mitt back on when putting the pan back into the oven. The metal was exceedingly hot, and I received some exceptionally nasty burns to my hand for my trouble. It is probably my inexperience showing as I am so use to the one pot cooking style. At any rate, my error hurt quite a bit. Thank you to Brittany for helping finish off the dinner, making the polenta, plating up and taking all the pictures.
Post note:
I really didn’t get to enjoy my dinner because of my burnt hand, but I sure did enjoy the left over sauce with toast the next day for lunch, and I think it tasted even better than it did the night before! nom nom nom
Its a few days later now and my hand is fine thanks to some tender loving care from Joe.
So, its Wednesday night. I’ve been trying to make Wednesday nights our regular seafood / fish night and for two weeks running, I’ve succeeded! Last weekend, I watched the Master Chef DVD for the Master Classes. I have to say, I got a lot of inspiration out of the video. This dish is inspired from that video.
Ingredients
1 cup hickory chips
1 cup rice
½ cup sugar
½ cup salt
½ cup loose leaf tea
firm fish fillets or whole fish
Method
Soak the hickory chips in water sufficient to cover them for at least 2 hours prior to using. The longer you soak them, the better the smoke! Drain the chips and discard the liquid.
Mix the rice, sugar, salt and tea in a large bowl. Add in the chips, and toss through. Line a large wok with aluminium foil before pouring the chip mixture evenly into the wok bottom. Place a wire wrack in the wok so it sits above (not touching!) the chip mixture. With the lid on, place on a very high heat and allow to get very hot – about 20 – 30 minutes on the highest heat setting (bottom left picture above).
Place the fish on a small amount of aluminium foil and place straight on to the wire wrack. Steam (lid on) for about six minutes or until the fish is cooked and flaky (bottom right picture above).
Observations
I over cooked our fish. It was only on for 10 minutes so please, watch your fish! Also, make sure it is a fair amount above the chips so it smokes rather than is cooked by the heat in the chips.
Ensure the aluminium foil that the fish is on is only just large enough to support the fish or it will hinder the movement of the smoke.
I got my hickory chips from BBQ Galore. Any BBQ shop or good food agent should stock them.
Add whatever flavour tea you want. I used a combination of green tea, vanilla flavoured green tea and peppermint tea. I could definitely taste the green tea flavour in the fish! The hickory flavour is subtle and comes on late, but is so smooth and more’ish.
The chip mixture melted into a solid mess on the foil so to save yourself a lot of clean up later, ensure there is plenty of aluminium foil beneath the chip mixture and the wok.
The favours of this dish were amazing, and on the verge of overpowering. I suspect that is because I overcooked it. I have plans to smoke some chicken next week using the same method but substituting rosemary and thyme for the tea. Watch this space!
As always, this fish is the skinless hoki fish from Aldi. The manufacturers claims that their produce to be caught within the boundaries and guidelines of the NZ government sustainably quota. Please, if you use fish, chose fish that you know are fished within quotas using sustainable fishing practices. Mother earth will thank you for it.
Diabetic Note: There are no real carbohydrates really in this dish when served with a salad. The fish and salad combined may attribute to 3g carbohydrates, so this is a meal you will definitely be careful with. Some chips, a slice of bread or a little dessert would make up for that in the yummiest way possible!
Joe had originally asked me to cook chunky oven baked sweet potato chips to accompany this meal, but I forgot. It would have worked a treat! Next time…
I have started back at uni today (3rd and final year environmental science student), and am already waist deep. This one particular unit – “Ecological and Environmental Economics for Sustainable Development” asked me to do a reading entitled “The state of the world’s land and water resources for food and agriculture”. The report, ironically, was from the same organisation that I referred to a lot throughout my recent Big Beef Debate post. It is written by the Food and Agriculture Organization (sic) of the United Nations (FAO) and was presented at the World Environmental Summit in Rome during 2011. The assessment asked me to chose one photo from the report and to write my reflections (in a few sentences) about the image tied in to the reading. I have gone way out on a limb and written it from an emotional third party prospective instead of a more clinical scientific view point. Below is what I have submitted for grading; I hope you enjoy it.
Hands on grain; the demand for food.
Image from: Page 10
Title: Hands on grain; the demand for food.
Name: Rhianna B
This photo speaks to me on so many levels about all of the issues regarding food securities and the underlying problems. It is an unavoidable fact of life; people need food for survival. Currently, mother earth must feed over seven billion mouths and yet she is failing; over one billion are undernourished. By 2050, predictions estimate the world’s population at over nine billion. This population rise will increase the demand for sustenance by 70%. Even if this demand is met at a basic level, it is still estimated that one in 20 people will be undernourished.
And who is to blame? Is it mother earth for failing to provide? Or is it us, her dependant children for abusing the very hands that feed us? A staggering 11% of the available landmass is used for agriculture and 40% of these agricultural lands are reliant on irrigation sourced from underground sources. The utilisation of underground water stores outweighs natural recharge rates. While our rivers contain only 5% of their former volumes we continue to irrigate our fields. Our inefficient farming practices use 70% of the water withdrawals and yet we demand more to meet the needs of growth as cultivated areas have increased 12% in the last 50 years.
It is us who have bled the rivers and aquifers dry with our abusive farming practices. And it is us who must unlearn outdated farming practices that strip the soil of nutrients. These loss nutrients end up in the ocean only to cause damage to the life there. To regain what was lost, we load our fields with unnatural substitutes who benefit us at the cost of biodiversity.
At the dawn of a new era realise the damage we have done. The value of the very land we require to sustain us increases beneath our feet. Its proximity to water and the soil nutrient composition determine its availability to us. The rich acquire the fertile land and can maintain its high yield with their wealth and modern agricultural practices, hopefully undoing the sins of the forefathers. The poor can only access the barren fields remaining, with little or no money to improve its potential, further degrading it with their lack of options and poverty.
The rich, with their fat bellies and wallets are sustained by greed while nearby, our poor cousins starve. If only a little of that money could be redirected. If only our governments would make a stand, develop a higher farming standard and support us. If only…
I had originally written this at the bottom of my Kranksy and Roast Veggies post, but decided to make it a stand alone post. I would love to say that the meal in question was ethical, but I don’t think the Kranskys were. Although the company itself was ethical, the ingredients list “meat including pork”. I can only assume that there is beef in the mix, which for us is highly unethical. This is not a meat source we would normally purchase, however, it was left over from the party and I decided to use it rather than waste it. So why is beef bad, Rhianna? Let me explain why as simply as I can. For simplicity, I am only sticking to three main issues; Water, land degradation and air pollution. I assure you, there are five times as many issues associated with cattle production, but I don’t want to write a paper on such a gorgeous day as today!
This photo I took in 2006 on the bank of a river in Candelo, NSW. I call it the three judges.
Water:
Climate change and land use issues are starting to impact on the availability of clean water used for drinking, cooking and bathing. Of all sources utilising water resources (people, industry, agriculture ect), the beef farming industry is the largest water consumer. Although global estimates vary largely, it is internationally accepted that the water used to produce one kilo of beef is roughly 20,000 litres of water (2500 gallons per pound). Think about it; the cattle raised for human consumption must be fed and watered. The feed they eat (soy, hay ect ect) must be watered to grow just like any crop. There is a lot of water involved in the slaughtering and butchering processes. In fact, every aspect of bringing you a piece of meat to the table has involved large quantities of water. This water is now unavailable to people for consumption, and as a result, people in may countries dehydrate while cattle drink.
Furthermore, the use of underground water stores (such as the Great Artesian Basin) have been depleted to near exhaustion all over the world to (directly or indirectly) water cattle. While this doesn’t initially seem like a bad thing, the geology and water infiltration rates result in these aquifers requiring centuries to refill. Current extraction rates are exceeding recharge rates, and this gap is only increasing. The natural flow of water within the GAB is estimated at just one to five meters annually. That is exceptionally slow for an aquifer that is estimated to cover some 64,900 cubic kilometres (or a quarter of the Australian land mass).
Land Degradation:
In the USA, approximately 50% of agricultural lands are used in beef production. Similarly, beef production in Australia extends to approximately half (yes, half!) of the entire continental landmass. Once forestry and natural land cover is cleared for agricultural purposes, it leaves it exposed to degradation. Degradation is a generalised term to describe many forms of declining land quality which has far reaching effects for humans and indigenous fauna and flora. I have chosen just three to speak about here at the moment, however, you should be aware that there are MANY more complications that arise directly from land clearing such as biodiversity issues (flora and fauna survival and extinction complications), land use competition (shortage of land for other forms of agriculture and housing) and direct soil issues (nutrient loading, exhaustion and shifts).
Salinity: Naturally occurring soils and their sediments containing iron sulfides (principally pyrite) are known as Acid Sulphite Soils. When these soils are exposure to oxygen (for example, by drainage or excavation to use as pasture lands) Sulfuric Acid is generated through natural, unavoidable chemical reactions. The land degrades to a point where it is unable to sustain organic life. The reversal of this effect is timely and costly. It many be centuries before the damage is undone, and until it has been reversed, the land is unusable for any purpose.
Compaction: Over time, the heavy traffic of cattle compacts the soil on which they graze. This compression of soil results in a reduced rate of water infiltration (ie: the ability and rate which the land absorbs water) and makes it more difficult for flora to establish. This has a trickle down effect; i) plants have a hard time growing in the hardened, condensed soil and less water is available to them, ii) fauna has reduced amounts of food available to them, increasing competition and loss of biodiversity and iii) more land is required to produce crops to feed cattle, as it is less likely to grow naturally in their pasture lots.
Run Off: Farming and agricultural activities requiring the removal or disturbance of ground cover predisposing the site to erosion. This results in a wicked cycle of events, all linked to this clearing; i) loss of sedimentation through water run off which eventually travels through storm water drains ending up in rivers or the sea, ii) nutrient loading in water ways and the sea results in algal blooms (blue green algae) which deplete the water of oxygen, eventually result in fish kills and iii) the lost nutrients need to be replaced so that the crops (that support the cattle) grow – enter fertilisers.
While searching for an image for this article, I rediscovered this photo which I presumed had been lost. This is my father with his pet cows on his property at Candelo, NSW, in 2006. I think this is the last image I have of him before he died.
Green House Gasses:
Our understanding of the green house gas effect is that certain gasses act to form an atmospheric canopy that trap solar energy near to the earth’s surface. This in turn causing a change in the air closest to the earth’s surface, gradually increasing surface temperature through a processes commonly refereed to as global warming. In a United Nations paper released in 2006, beef production was named as the number one producer of green house gasses. It specifically named carbon dioxide (CO2), methane and nitrous oxide. It estimated that beef production accounts for up to 22% of the worlds entire green house gas omissions directly related to climate change. That is a whole hell of a lot of climate change attributed solely to cattle!
So, what’s it all mean? Generally speaking for the environmentally concious, the negative impacts of cattle farming outweigh the tasty steak on your plate. One study reported by the University of Chicago suggested switching from the average meat-based diet to a lacto-ovo vegetarian diet will reduce your personal carbon footprint by 0.97 tons. I am not suggesting that everyone becomes vegetarians over night. Small steps is what we need; start Meat Free Monday’s in your home. Once you are comfortable with having a totally vegetarian day in your regular diet, introduce Pulses Thursday. Just reducing your meat consumption to zero two days a week will have a huge positive result on the environment in which we live.
By-Note: I started to list my sources, but most of it comes from my undergraduate studies as an Environmental Sciences student. I am sure that there are dozens of papers that would verify what I’ve said, and if pushed, Ill get to the text books and fine them for you. Sing out if you need clarification.
Sources:
Bell, A.W., Charmley, E., Hunter, R.A. and Archer, J.A, (2011). “The Australasian beef industries—Challenges and opportunities in the 21st century.” Animal Frontiers, Inc. Retrieved 18 Feb 2012 from http://animalfrontiers.fass.org/content/1/2/10.full
Food and Agriculture Organisation of the United Nations, (2006). “Livestocks role in water depletion and pollution.” Conference papers presented at Rome, Italy. Retrieved 18 Feb 2012 from ftp://ftp.fao.org/docrep/fao/010/a0701e/a0701e04.pdf
Food and Agriculture Organisation of the United Nations, (2006). “Livestock in geographic transition.” Conference papers presented at Rome, Italy. Retrieved 18 Feb 2012 from ftp://ftp.fao.org/docrep/fao/010/a0701e/a0701e02.pdf
Food and Agriculture Organisation of the United Nations, (2006). “Livestocks impact on biodiversity.” Conference papers presented at Rome, Italy. Retrieved 18 Feb 2012 from ftp://ftp.fao.org/docrep/fao/010/a0701e/a0701e05.pdf
Food and Agriculture Organisation of the United Nations, (2006). “Livestocks role in climate change and air pollution.” Conference papers presented at Rome, Italy. Retrieved 18 Feb 2012 from ftp://ftp.fao.org/docrep/fao/010/a0701e/a0701e03.pdf
Hoekstra, A.Y, Prof., and Chapagain, A.K, Dr. (2012). Retrieved 18 Feb 2012 from www.waterfootprint.org
Yesterday was a big day in the kitchen with lots happening. As I was already preparing vegetables for last nights dinner, I decided to do extra on a similar theme for lunch. We all live busy life styles, and where possible, I will think ahead and prepare several meals at once, keeping refrigerated in containers to retain its freshness. This time saving strategy means we can enjoy fresh, healthy, hearty meals when when we are flat out with work / school / life / whatever. We also had some cheese kransky’s left over from the medieval murder mystery night so I decided to add them – I hate waste!
Ingredients
1 packet of kransky’s – 1 sausage per person
1 medium potato
1 small onion
1 zuchinni
¼ butternut pumpkin
¼ sweet potato
½ leek
1 punnet of cherry tomatoes, cut in half
3 teaspoons crushed garlic
sprinkle of chilli flakes
sprinkle of rosemary
sprinkle of paprika
few torn basil leaves
a little parsley finely chopped
drizzle of olive oil
Method
Chop the vegetables into smallish bite size pieces (see photo 1 above as a guide). In a baking tray, mix the vegetables with the oil and herbs, ensuring all pieces have an even coating.
Cook in the oven at a moderate temperament (200°C) for 30 minutes (photo 2). Check every 15 minutes, stirring vegetables to redistribute the oil and herbs over all the vegetables as needed.
Warm a tiny bit of oil in a shallow saucepan or skillet over a medium heat setting. Chop the kransky into bite size pieces, placing into the oil cut side down. Cook for several minutes before turning (photo 3 above).
Pile the vegetables on a warmed plate, topped by the kranksy. Garnish with a sprinkle of paprika or sprig of parsley. Enjoy!
Observations
I make variations of this dish quite often. Almost weekly. Its actually my “mustn’t waste vegetables!” technique. At the end of the week when the cupboards are starting to look bare, I will whip something like this up to use up any left over vegetables before shopping day. Sometimes I will serve this on a bed of couscous, sometimes mixed in with left over pasta with a cheese sauce. The herbs used vary according to what I am feeling at that moment. Experiment with this idea in an effort to reduce the amount of waste your family generates through uneaten vegetables.
I made this in my portable convection oven. If you use a PCO, don’t forget to add a little water to the bottom to keep the air moist / stop the veggies from drying out.
Diabetics Note: The kransky is VERY high in fats, so portion control is essential, regardless of how delicious they are! The carb content from this meal comes primarily from the potatoes and sweet potatoes. I often omit those vegetables if I am using couscous or pasta. Adjust to suit your carbohydrate needs, but this meal ran well within my exchange point budget, and my BGLs were fine.
One last (but big!) note – I would love to say this meal is ethical, but I don’t think the Kranskys were. Although the company was ethical, the ingredients list “meat including pork”. I can only assume that there is beef in the mix, which for us is highly unethical. Read my post regarding the big beef debate to find out why.
This recipe is straight from Smitten Kitchen with very little alterations. It was divine. The soaking processes lend a silky texture to the chicken that just has to be experienced.
Ingredients
Chicken
2 cups buttermilk
5 teaspoons of minced garlic
1 tablespoon salt
1 tablespoon sugar
1½ teaspoons paprika
Lots of freshly ground black pepper
1 – 1.5kg free ranged chicken pieces
Drizzle of olive oil
Vegetables
1 portion size of each vegetable per person – Potato, Pumpkin, Carrot, Sweet Potato
1 teaspoon minced garlic per person
salt, pepper, paprika and rosemary to taste
Drizzle of olive oil
Method
Prepare your chicken for the marinade by removing any excess fat and skin (Photo 1 above). If you have boned a whole chicken as I have, remove the excess bone such as the backbone, rib cage and pelvis
To prepare the marinade, mix all the ingredients together with a whisk in a container deep enough to accommodate the chicken (Photo 2 above). Refrigerate for 2 – 24 hours.
To prepare the vegetables, peel and dice into large chunks – Use the photo 3 above as a guide. Add the vegetables to a baking tray and mix well with the garlic, salt, pepper, paprika, rosemary and oil ensuring each piece of vegetable is thoroughly coated. Cook in a moderate oven for 45 minutes to an hour, depending on quantity. Check every 15 – 20 minutes, basting the vegetables in the oil as needed.
To cook, place the well drained chicken into a baking dish that has been lined with aluminium foil (shiny side against the meat). Sprinkle with a little paprika to the skin before placing into a moderate oven (200°C) for 40 minutes to one hour. Check every 15 – 20 minutes, and adjust cooking time as needed for quantity.
Observations
The chicken was silky smooth, moist and delicious. The trick here is to check the chicken regularly to ensure it isn’t drying out. To test if the chicken is cooked thoroughly, piece the flesh with a fork. If the juices run clear, its cooked. If no juices run, it is drying out already.
Vegetable portion sizes can be tricky to work out. Tonight, I didn’t plan on doing any steamed vegetables, so I aimed for a rough serving size of each vegetable of approximately ½ – 1 medium potato each person and an extra serve “for the pot”. These extra serves are there in case of unexpected arrivals, extra hungry family members or lunch tomorrow for Joe’s work lunch box.
This meal was cooked in our awesome little portable convection oven (where would I be without it!). Just a reminder – if you are using a PCO, add a little water into the bottom to ensure that the air is moist. This will stop your vegetables from drying out. If only I had of remembered that trick before I cooked tonight…
I only marinaded this chicken over a five hour period. I would LOVE to have done it for a full 24 hours. I would recommend a longer soaking time. If you do marinade for a longer period, ensure that you agitate the container periodically to ensure that all the pieces are still sitting in the buttermilk.
I boned out a whole free ranged chicken, as whole birds are often much cheaper than pre packaged pieces. Boning out a whole chicken does leave you with a little extra bones (usually considered waste), but these can be saved to make some fantastic home made chicken stock. There is no need to waste any part of the bird, and it will be much more economical. I am sure there will be youtube instructional videos on how to bone out chickens, and you shouldn’t feel daunted – its actually quite easy!
Diabetics Note: I added potato to this dish to lift the carbohydrate content. The buttermilk is very low in carbs, as are all the other ingredients. A slice of bread would bring it within the 30-45g carb allowance (2-3 exchanges). You should also be aware that there can be a lot of fat on the chicken so ensure you trim your meat well to avoid the excess fats. Portion control may be important, however, my BGL’s were fine after this dish.
Thursday night is pulses and lentils night in our house. I was going to do up a quick dahl, but ended up with this creation. The veggie patties were purchased from one of our all time favourite local veggie shops - Beanz Salad Bar. They were absolutely delicious, so locals should definitely check them out! The low fat salad was inspired by the That’s Life recipe book that is on the cover of the current edition. I am not one for buying magazines generally, but there was a recipe or two that caught my eye so I decided to buy the magazine to get the free recipe booklet. Well worth it, cause this recipe is a gem!
Ingredients
1 can of cannellini beans – rinse and drain well
1 continental cuecumber – seeded and cut into bite size peices
1 container of baby roma tomatoes – cut in half
¼ - ½ cup basil leaves
½ cup flat leaf parsley
2 cloves of garlic (or more!)
juice of one lime
splash of olive oil
toasted pine nuts to garnish
salt and pepper to taste
Method
Toss all ingredients in a bowl, ensuring an even coating over all the vegetables. Serve.
Observations
This was an absolute treat, flavour wise. Joe and I adored it, but Brittany rejected the beans. For me, nothing beats loads of garlic with slatherings of flat leaf parsley. It just reminds me of my childhood, and I thought of my grandma a lot while cooking this. (She made a very similar dish with potatoes when I was a kid which I will recreate in the very near future!)
I suspect that other pulses such as red kidney beans or butter beans may be substituted with similar results.
Diabetic Note: My BGLs were a tad low after this one. I suspected there would be enough cabs in the beans, but I was wrong. A slice of bread probably would have worked.
