Asian Vegetables

I really can’t tell you what I was thinking this morning, but I decided to try something outside the square. I wanted vegetables for breakfast. With rice. Asian style! What I got was delicious and well worth a blog post.

[  SERVES: 2  |  TIME: 40 MINUTES  |  COST: $3  ]
[  JOES' RATING:  4  / 5  |  MY RATING:  5  / 5 ]

Ingredients – Vegetables

4 bunches of young bok choy
4 baby corn ears
½ zucchini, sliced
½ cup snow peas

Ingredients – Sauce

¼ cup chicken stock
2 tablespoons soy sauce
1 tablespoon olive oil
1 teaspoon teriyaki sauce
½ teaspoon ginger
½ teaspoon garlic

Ingredients – Rice

½ cup uncooked brown rice
1½ cups chicken stock

Methods

1. In a small pot, cook the rice in the chicken stock using the absorption method. This will take 20 – 30 minutes. Add water if more moisture is required.
2. In a small pot, blanch all the vegetables in hot water. No vegetables should be submerged in hot water for more than 3 minutes.
3. Warm the chicken stock to be used for the sauce. In a small bowl, mix the sauce ingredients and set aside.
4. Place rice in a bowl and arrange the vegetables over the top.
5. Pour over a little sauce over the dish just as it is being served.
6. Enjoy hot and fresh.

Observations

• I am such a massive fan of hot vegetables and brown rice. The snow peas were a huge hit for Joe and I. Sweet, tender, delicious. You really should give this a try!
• Cooking the rice in stock adds a totally new dimension to boring old rice.  If possible, use your own chicken stock.
• I love to look at how other cultures eat. My heritage is Maltese so I was raised to look at vegetables as being an evening meal thing. Asian cultures, however, look at vegetables and rice as a staple and eat both at almost all meals. Eating this heavier than normal meal for breakfast kept me full until way past lunchtime. Something definitely worth exploring here.
• Diabetic Note: This meal could have been more diabetic friendly by using Basmati rice but I just can’t pull myself away from brown rice. It’s just so darn delicious. As a result, I have to be very careful with my serving sizes but that’s easily done. (I just got an extra serve of greens to make up for it!)
• Ethical Note: I adore the ethics of this dish. The rice I purchase is Nimbin Valley Brown Rice. It is local to me and is a dry rice variety (meaning it requires far less water to grow) and as such, has a much lower carbon footprint when compared to other brands. The vegetables I got were purchased locally from a green grocer (rather than a supermarket) and are mostly local in origin. The chicken stock was home-made using off cut chicken bones and wings. All in all, the meal has a greatly reduced ethical footprint which makes me a happy gal!

 

Savoury Zucchini Muffins – Gourmet Garden Blogoff

Day two of the great Gourmet Garden Cook off / Blog off is here! Today I’ve decided to make a family favourite savoury muffin using the Gourmet Garden range of spices.

My regular readers will know I am a big fan of chia seeds and zucchini and good quality cheeses. This delightful muffin has all the above and more! Let me introduce you to the champion of savoury muffins, adapted from this recipe at Netplaces.

[  SERVES: 3  |  TIME: 25 MIN  |  COST: <$3  ]
[  JOES' RATING: 4.5 / 5  |  MY RATING: 4.5 / 5 ]

INGREDIENTS

1½ cup plain flour
1 cup wholemeal flour
1 cup buttermilk
1 cup zucchini, grated and drained
2 free ranged eggs, beaten
½ cup cheese, grated
½ cup onions, diced finely
¼ cup chia seeds
¼ cup fresh parsley, shredded
¼ cup olive oil
1¼ tablespoon Gourmet Garden Chunky Garlic Paste
1 teaspoon Gourmet Garden Thyme Paste
1 teaspoon baking powder
½ teaspoon baking soda
¼ teaspoon black pepper

Method

1. Preheat oven to 180°C. Grate the zucchini and squeeze it well to remove all the fluids from the pulp. Chop the onion finely and shred the parsley.
2. In a frying pan, sauté the onions and garlic in a little olive oil until caramelising. Remove from heat and allow to cool in a large mixing bowl for about 20 minutes.
3. Once onion mixture is cool, add the oil, buttermilk, eggs and zucchini. Mix well.
4. Add both types of flour, baking powder and soda, chia seeds, thyme, and parsley, mixing gently until all ingredients are incorporated. Add the cheese and pepper to the mix, gently mixing through.
5. To a greased muffin tray, add batter until muffin cups are ¾ full. Bake for 20–25 minutes, or until muffins are golden brown and set. Remove from cups and serve immediately.

Observations

• These muffins can be eaten hot as a light lunch, cold as a snack, or as an accompaniment for a main meal such as a soup. Either way, they are delicious!
• We have discussed previously how wonderful chia seeds are for us. These muffins are an excellent way of incorporating more into our diet!
• These muffins will keep in an air tight container for a few days.
• These muffins are very savoury, and the use of Romano Pecorino Cheese really lifts this dish a lot. If you can’t get pecorino, try Parmesan for a similar taste and result.
• Diabetic Note: A medium size muffin is around 15 g of carbohydrates, so they are great for morning or afternoon tea snacks. Keep in mind that adding butter or other toppings will be yummy but naughty! Watch your serving sizes.
• Ethical Note 1: Ahh, how I love my local cheese maker cause this Pecorino rocks! As I mentioned last week, I chose to use free ranged goat cheeses and / or locally produced cheeses.
• Ethical Note 2: Zucchini is currently in season, and are cheap as chips at the farmers markets. Using seasonal and local produce is a great way of lowering your carbon footprint.
• Ethical Note 3: I’ve said it before and Ill say it again; free ranged eggs make a world of difference in terms of flavour and environmentally and ethical awareness. Where possible, insist on free ranged.

Related articles

• Banana Chia Muffins (mizrhi.wordpress.com)
• Banana Crumbs Muffins with Chia seeds (momphotographer.wordpress.com)

 

Wilted vegetables grace my plate and not the landfill.

What to do for dinner at the end of the week? Surely there isn’t anything still worth eating this close to shop day? Wrong!

This meal consisted of some wilted Asian greens (refreshed with some steaming), ageing broccoli (that brightened considerably after a quick dip in some hot salty water), zucchini fried in spring onions and garlic served on day old brown rice. And – it was delicious!

Make a commitment to reduce your waste and use all of your fresh produce rather than sending it to land fill. The earth will thank you for it.

 

 

Stuffed Vegetables

Tonight’s meal is a weird comedy of errors that turned out half decent. The story started 35 years ago in Malta. When I was little, my grandmother would make stuffed marrows. (For the uninitiated, marrows are similar to a zucchini in texture, but are round and mostly hollow.) She would hollow them out and stuff them with pork mince, vegetables, cheese and bread. Sometimes she would even make a soup out of it.

I have been trying for more than 10 years to buy marrows. When I was a child, they were in plentiful supply as my grandfather would grow them in the yard. They are not so easy to source here, and as a result, my desire to emulate my grandmothers master piece has been left on the back burner. Until recently. By chance, I noticed some over sized squash which I think MAY do the trick (kind of). Lets just say that this was error number one.

 

Fettuccine with braised vegetables

There are times when I surprise myself. This dinner worked but honestly, it was all ass, and no class. Do you have days when you just fluke an awesome meal?

[  SERVES: 6  |  TIME: 15 MIN  |  COST: <$5  ]
[  JOES' RATING: 3.5/5  |  MY RATING:  3.5/5 ]

Ingredients

Equal portions vegetables. We used:

• Carrot
• Zucchini
• Potato
• Pumpkin
• Sweet Potato
• Baby Broccoli

Fettuccine
300 ml Vegetable Stock
shaved Romano cheese
1 tablespoon corn flour
salt and pepper to taste

Method

1. Cook fettuccine as directed.
2. Boil the vegetables gently in the stock until they are cooked. Do not over cook.
3. Mix a little corn flour and water in a glass and slowly add into vegetable mixture until desired thickness has been attained. Stir continually to avoid uneven glugginess.
4. Drain pasta and stir through vegetables and sauce. Season and garnish with shaved cheese.

Observations

• Quick, easy and delicious. A great way of using up left over vegetables at the end of the shopping week.
• Diabetic Note: The pasta is a little scary, so watch your serving size.
• Ethical Note: Using up all your vegetables with meals like this is a great way to reduce your waste. Better for your hip pocket too!

Related articles

• Easy Tips to Get 9 Servings of Fruits and Vegetables Per Day (massageenvy.com)
• Chicken, Chia and Couscous (mizrhi.wordpress.com)
• Roast Vegetables with Couscous (mizrhi.wordpress.com)
• Versatile Sausage Pasta (curlybug.wordpress.com)
• Leftovers & Pasta surprise! (mizrhi.wordpress.com)

 

Warm Chickpea, Roasted Mediterranean Vegetables and Halloumi Salad

I remember many years ago spending some time at a dear friends home in Sydney while on holidays. As MJ’s tastes run to the more savoury side of things, her fridge was often an adventure in its own right full of amazing wonders. On this one particular morning, she fried up some Halloumi for our breakfast and as they say in the record books; the rest was history.

Halloumi is a semi hard cheese that is made of cows, goats and cows milk and originated in Cyprus. It is flavoured with a little mint (that in some brands is hardly even detectable), and uses non animal rennet making it safe for vegetarian consumption. Its high melting point makes it perfect for frying, and when served in this way, its slightly rubbery texture adds something amazing to the most simplest of dishes. As it is stored in brine, it has a strong salty taste; the use of additional salt should be limited.

[  SERVES: 2  |  TIME: 45MIN  |  COST: $5 - 8  ]

Ingredients

180g packet of halloumi
2 large handfuls salad greens
1 cup dried chickpeas
2 cups of water
1 continental eggplant
1 zucchini
1 punnet cherry tomatoes
½ red capsicum
sprinkle toasted nuts
drizzle of olive oil
salt and pepper

Method

1. Add the water to the dried chickpeas and soak overnight (or a minimum of 4 hours). Boil for 15 minutes, drain and set aside.
2. Dice all the vegetables into bite size pieces. Place into a baking tray with a drizzle of oil, seasoning  and mix well. Bake in at 180°C for 30 minutes.
3. Slice the halloumi into 1 – 2 cm wide peices and fry in a warm saucepan until golden brown. Set aside.
4. To assemble your salad on a plate, start with a good handful of washed salad greens. Layer with the warm roasted vegetables, chickpeas and halloumi. Garnish with the toasted nuts and a drizzle of any left over juices from the roasted vegetables. Serve immediately.

Observations

• Sooooooooo delicious! And so easy. The textures of this dish were perfect!
• We used a mixture of rocket and baby spinach for our salad greens. They worked well with the other flavours.
• We used a mixture of pine nuts and almond slivers toasted lightly in a frying pan for our garnish. The crunch and flavour of the nuts adds something fantastic to salads, and should not be over looked. Try it, and see for yourself!
• 250g of halloumi is enough for four people, so dont worry about getting a larger size. We were just hungry beasts tonight!
• Diabetic Note: No problems here, although, be careful with the oil. If you are worried about the lack of carbs in this dish, add a slice of bread to mop your plate with!
• Ethical Note: On the plus side, halloumi uses non animal rennet. Be careful of where your product is made, however. Upon closer inspection of the label tonight, I realised that my favourite brand is a product of Cyprus. I had always assumed that it was an Australian product because of the Australian address on the packaging. Check the fine print! (And, if you will excuse me, I must now find a new brand. The carbon miles for a cheese from Cyprus make it a little too unethical for my tastes…)

 

Garlic Zucchini and Leeks on Toast

Lately, I have been getting in touch with my cultural heritage. My mothers family is somewhat of a mystery to me; I don’t know her all that well, and haven’t spoken to her at all for more than 10 years. (She left my life when I was 3 months old). I think, from memory, they are English with Welsh origins, however, I am not certain.

My father and his parents raised me, and therefore were the major influence in my life. In my very early childhood I lived in my grandparents home, and I was heavily influenced by the Maltese culture. My father and his family immigrated to Australia in the late 50s and as a child, I lived in Malta with my grandparents for 18 months. After returning to Australia, I lost contact with my relatives in Malta, although I would occasionally say hello through my grandmothers letters or phone calls. It has been 36+ years since I have had direct contact with them. Recently, out of the blue and through the wonders of facebook, I was contacted by my Maltese cousins, Godfrey and Miriam! What a blast!

Here I am as a young child in Malta with my cousin Godfrey. I was perhaps 3 years of age here. (Circa 1974)

As I was quite young when I was there, I only remember snippets from Malta; certain tastes, smells and sights. What I remember most, however, was the flavours. The flavours and the uniqueness of the Maltese cuisine were such strong features through my upbringing and like all kids, I took it for granted. Last year, my grandmother died after a long illness. Most of the family recipes were lost with her death. I have thought about that loss for some time, but it was only when my family from Malta recently contacted me that I decided to try to reclaim some of those recipes.

[  Serves: 3  |  Time: 15min  |  Cost: <$5  ]

Ingredients

1 large zucchini
1 small leek
1 tablespoon minced garlic
dash of olive oil
splash of lemon juice
salt and pepper to taste

Method

1. Slice the zucchini into long strips about 1 – 1.5 cm thick. Cut the leek and clean it under cool water to remove any dirt.
2. In a saucepan, add a little garlic to some warmed oil. Add the leeks and sauté until cooked. This should take 3-5 minutes. Remove from heat and set aside
3. Add a little more oil to the pan, and add the zucchini. Season well, and fry until golden. Add a little lemon juice towards the end of the cooking period to lift the freshness of the zucchini.
4. Serve on hot crusty bread.

Season the zucchini with salt and pepper, and a dash of lemon juice towards the end of the cooking process to refresh its flavour.

Observations

• This dish is a bit of an alteration on one my grandmother would make a lot for lunch. It is easy, fresh and wholesome. Traditionally, my grandmother would not include the leeks. Sometimes she would use onions though, so its not that big a variation. I also added the splash of lemon as I thought the flavour would work well, which it did. I hope you will enjoy it.
• Diabetic Note: Be careful of how much oil you use – its very easy for a splash of olive oil to end up as a guzzle. Also, make sure you chose a low GI bread, such as a light rye or burgen brand bread. The simple flavours of this dish work well, and my BGL’s are fine with this one.
• Ethical Note: This morning, I woke up early and visited my local farmers markets. Almost all towns have some variation of the local farmer market and I encourage you to make a concious choice this week – shop locally and support local producers. Your money goes into your local economy, your produce has the lowest carbon miles which is a plus for the environment and you get to enjoy some of the freshest vegetables you can ever get! WIN WIN!