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Oct 31, 2008

Pork Loin With Apples and Pancetta

This is a very nice pork recipe simple and the flavours all work really well. I have listed some changes to the original to make it easy to understand but if you would like to view the original recipe please click here. I am the first person to make this one so there are no other reviews or photos of this one.

I know it is Halloween so I hope all you kids and big kids have a wonderful safe evening. I wanted to post some great treat ideas for the kids but I have been so busy I did not get round to it, BOO HOO. Hopefully next year. Anyway have a good one to all my regular readers.

If you have been keeping up with the progress of my beautiful handcrafted, Eco friendly camphor laurel chopping, cheese, platter boards and mezzaluna boards. My official site is finally finished and live so to see my full collection please click here.

Ingredients

2 Green apples, cored and diced
2 Leeks, white and tender green parts, thinly sliced
3 Tablespoons olive oil
1/4 cup Apple cider vinegar
1 Tablespoon honey
1/2 Teaspoon ground cumin
1/2 Teaspoon ground coriander
Salt and pepper
1 (4 lb) pork loin roast, butterflied, debonded
12 slices pancetta, thinly sliced

Method

1. Saute the apples and leeks into in the oil over high heat until softened, about 3 minutes.

2. Add the vinegar, honey, cumin and corianger and simmer until the vinegar has evaporated.

3. Season to taste with the salt and pepper.

4. Allow the mixture to cool slightly.

5. Preheat oven to 450°F.

6. Spread the mixture in the center of the pork loin, roll to close and tie with kitchen string.

7. Liberally season the outside of the pork loin, Place pancetta slices around the outside of the pork, slightly overlapping them.

8. Roast in a baking pan for 10 minutes and then lower the heat to 325°F.

9. Cook for about 25 minutes per pound.

All photos taken by me unless otherwise stated.

Oct 30, 2008

Savoury Couscous

I made this to go with the Kibrisli Kofte / Köfte - Turkish Cypriot Fried Meatballs I made the other night and it paired very well. It is a very versatile couscous recipe and could be paired with a lot of different dishes. It super simple to make without lots of fuss which is always a bonus in my books. This one has been reviewed several times if you want to read more reviews on this one or view more photos please click here.

If you have been keeping up with the progress of my beautiful handcrafted, Eco friendly camphor laurel chopping, cheese, platter boards and mezzaluna boards. My official site is finally finished and live so to see my full collection please click here.

Ingredients


30g Butter
1 Onion, finely sliced
1-2 Garlic cloves, crushed
1 Cup couscous
2 Cups chicken stock
2 Tablespoons fresh coriander or parsley, chopped (I do a mix of both.)
Salt and pepper to taste

Method


1.Heat butter in sauce pan (which has a lid).

2. Add chopped onions, stir and allow to cook until soft.

3. Stir in crushed garlic.

4. Add couscous, stir.

5. Add chicken stock, stir and bring to boil.

6. Remove off heat, cover and allow to stand for 5 minutes.

7. Stir in coriander or parsley.

8. Add salt and pepper to taste.

All photos taken by me unless otherwise stated.

Kibrisli Kofte / Köfte - Turkish Cypriot Fried Meatballs

This is a wonderful recipe I made this as a main meal but it would make a great finger party food. You will see from the photo that I shaped mine slightly larger as I was making for a main meal and it saved a little on time. I made mine with chicken and would prefer them this way rather than with beef, which is more traditional. I served mine over couscous and serve with a mint, cucumber, yogurt dipping sauce and it was absolutely gorgeous. If you would like read more reviews or view more photos please click here.

If you have been keeping up with the progress of my beautiful handcrafted camphor laurel chopping, cheese boards and Mezzaluna Boards. My official site is finally finished and live so to see my full collection please click here.

Ingredients

1kg Ground chicken or minced chicken or minced beef or ground beef
1 1/2kg Potatoes, peeled and finely grated
1 Onion, finely chopped
1 Egg, whisked (optional)
150g Flat leaf parsley, finely chopped
3 Teaspoons ground cinnamon
3 Teaspoons dried mint, grounded
1 1/8 Teaspoons salt
1 Teaspoon ground black pepper, to taste
Vegetable oil, for frying

Method


1. Peel and finely grate potatoes, place them in a bowl and sprinkle 1/8 teaspoon salt, set aside.

2. In a separate large bowl, place ground/minced chicken or beef, onion, parsley, egg, cinnamon, mint, salt and black pepper.

3. Potatoes have excess liquids and with this recipe you need to remove all the excess liquids. In a large strainer, kneed all liquids out of the grated potatoes with only leaving the potatoes flesh.

4. Then add the potato with the rest of the ingredients and mix them together. If the mixture is a little sticky you may need to add more potatoes.

5. With your hand mold the kofte into a small long patty about 5cm x 2cm (2 inch x 1/2 inch) then place them on a tray, repeat this until all the mixture is finish. When placing the kofte’s on a tray do not allow them to touch each other as they may stick together.

6. Heat oil in a frying pan or deep fryer add kofte one by one in the pan without touching each other. Flip them over once they are brown and then let the other side brown. Remove onto serving platter, then repeat this step until all kofte's are finished, then serve.

Could be served as finger food, entree or a main dish with Turkish Cacik (yogurt, mint sauce) and garden salad.

All photos taken by me unless otherwise stated.

Oct 29, 2008

Spiced Balsamic Duck With Plums and Couscous

This is a wonderful duck recipe I love the sauce and I think it is perfect served over the couscous. The recipe sounds big and like a lot of work but it a very easy recipe to make with wonderful end results. A definite company worthy dish that will be enjoyed by all, well if you love dick that is. This is zaar recipe no one has reviewed this yet so there are no other photos and I have listed the recipe as it was listed as for once I did not play with it or add anything else to it. I will still however list the link to this so if you do want to view the original please click here.

If you have been keeping up with the progress of my beautiful handcrafted, Eco friendly, camphor laurel chopping, cheese boards, platter boards and mezzaluna boards. My official site is finally finished and live so to see my full collection please click here.

Ingredients

Spiced Balsamic Reduction


1 cup balsamic vinegar
2 tablespoons brown sugar
2 star anise
1 garlic clove, lightly smashed
1 hot red chile, split

Duck

4 duck breasts, skin scored in diamonds
salt and pepper
2 tablespoons oil
8 plums, canned

Couscous

1 cup couscous
1 1/2 cups chicken stock, boiling
2 tablespoons butter

Method

Spiced Balsamic Vinegar

1. Combine vinegar, sugar, garlic, chilli and star anise in a small saucepan stir over low heat for 4 minutes or until sugar has dissolved.

2. Bring to a boil. Reduce heat to medium. Simmer for 5 minutes or until reduced by one-third and slightly thickened. Remove the flavourings and discard. Set aside.

Duck

1. Season the duck breasts well with salt and pepper.

2. Heat the oil in a frying pan over medium high heat and place the duck breasts in skin-side down. Cook 6-10 minutes until crispy, then turn over and cook a further 4-8 or until done to your liking (depending on thickness).

It's normal to serve duck breast cooked medium to rare. Rest for 5 minutes before serving

3. While the duck is resting, pour the boiling stock over the couscous and set aside covered for 5 minutes. Stir the butter through with a fork fluffing up well.

4. Place the plums in the reduction and reheat gently.

5. Slice duck breasts and serve them and the plums over couscous.

All photos taken by me unless otherwise stated.

Oct 27, 2008

Veal Piccata

I found this on Zaar on one of my regular chefs posts and I enjoy making a lot of her recipes so wanted to try this one. It was a throw together meal for her so her suggestion was to play around with spices ect.. which I did. I did not adjust too much as the beauty of this dish is its simplicity with also being a wonderfully flavoured dish. I felt you had to add the capers to make this a traditional Veal piccata (Lemon Veal) This is an Italian dish which I have eaten several times in restaurants, I just never made at home and I have to say at home is best because you can adjust flavours to suit your taste. I have listed the things I added in the ingrediants below but if you want to read more reviews of this and see the original recipe please click here.

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Ingredients

2 tablespoons olive oil
2 tablespoons butter
8 veal scallopini (mine were small so I made more so don't be fooled by the photo)
flour, mixed with salt & pepper (I added about 1/2 teaspoon cayenne pepper)
1 cup chicken broth (I didn't have this so I used 1 cup water with about 2 teaspoons chicken stock granules.)
1 lemon, juiced
4 Tablespoons dry white wine
1 Tablespoon chopped capers
2 tablespoons butter
1 lemon, sliced for garnish
fresh parsley (to garnish)

Method

1. Mix flour with salt and pepper to taste and cayenne.

2. Dredge veal in flour.

3. In a large skillet heat oil and butter, add scallops to skillet, in batches, cook 2 mins, flip and cook 2 minutes more.

4. Remove to ovenproof plate and place in preheated oven to keep warm.

5. Meanwhile add water, wine and stock to pan, reduce approx half.

6. Squeeze the juice of 1 lemon into broth, reduce until thickened slightly, about 5 Min's add butter a bit at a time and whisk into sauce to thicken, add chopped capers.

To Serve: I served mine over fresh vegetables cooked in butter and garlic, topped with veal scallops, drizzled with sauce around dish and a little over the top. I served the rest of the sauce in jug on the table.

All photos taken by me unless otherwise stated.

Serves 4

Oct 25, 2008

Corn with Mushrooms

I made this to go with an apricot chicken recipe I was trying, this was excellent I did make with fresh ears of corn and just chopped the corn kernels off before cooking. I loved the buttery, crunch taste, of the corn, it was so moreish, then again my whole family love fresh corn. I can not comment on how this would turn out with frozen, only to say it would be tasty, but I think fresh is always best. If you want to read more reviews or view more photos please click Here.

If you have been keeping up with the progress of my beautiful handcrafted, Eco friendly, camphor laurel chopping, cheese, platter boards and mezzaluna boards. My official site is finally finished and live so to see my full collection please click here.

Ingredients

3 tablespoons butter ( I used a little more.)
1 cup mushroom, sliced (I did about 220g)
1/4 cup green onion, choppped
10 ounces frozen corn, thawed and drained ( I used 4 large ears of corn and chopped kernels from them.)
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/8 teaspoon pepper

Method

1. Melt butter in a large pan.

2.Add mushrooms and cook uncovered over medium heat stirring occasionally until tender and slightly browned.

3.Add remaining ingredients, stirring occasionally until tender about 5 to 7 minutes.

As I used fresh corn I cooked for about 10 Min's and I added the green onions about 4 Min's before the end of cooking.

All photos taken by me unless otherwise stated.

Apricot Chicken

I have several apricot chicken recipes saved that I love, I came across this one the other day, it is not mine but the ingredients sounded good so I thought I would give it a go. It was a super simple easy recipe to make and the end result was very nice indeed, I did boil the left over marinade and served it over the top as extra sauce it was very yummy. If you want to see more photos or read more reviews on this one please click here.

If you have been keeping up with the progress of my beautiful handcrafted, Eco friendly, camphor laurel chopping, cheese, platter boards and mezzaluna boards. My official site is finally finished and live so to see my full collection please click here.

Ingredients

1/2 cup apricot preserves
2 tablespoons soy sauce
1 tablespoon lemon juice
1/4 cup onion, minced
1 tablespoon parsley, chopped
1/8 teaspoon oregano
4 boneless skinless chicken breast halves

I also added some rice wine vinegar and just added a little more of the preserves to compensate as I love the flavour this gives.

Method

1. In a flat glass or china dish or a mixing bowl, combine fruit spread, soy sauce, lemon juice, onion, parsley, and oregano; set aside 1/4 cup of mixture for basting sauce.

2. Add chicken breasts to remaining mixture and turn several times, coating well.

3. Refrigerate at least 5 hours or overnight; turn pieces several times during refrigeration.

4. Remove from marinade and place in a single layer in a baking pan.

5. Bake, uncovered, in a 375°F oven 30-45 min's or until chicken is tender and lightly browned. (cooking time will vary for chicken wieght.)

6. Brush with reserved sauce several times during cooking.

7. Brush remaining reserved sauce on chicken just before serving.

I actually boiled reserved marinade and served it as a sauce to pour over the top.

All photos taken by me unless otherwise stated.

The Best Asian Salmon Cakes

These are the best salmon cakes I have ever made, I found this recipe on zaar and loved the sound of all the ingredients and boy did they taste great. I made wasabi mayonnaise to go with these in case they were a little dry, it was so not needed, they were super moist with outstanding flavour and were gorgeous with or without the mayo. If you want to see more reviews on this recipe please click here. I have lots of my own recipes for cod cakes, crab cakes etc.. and I will definitely be adding this to my favourites.

If you have been keeping up with the progress of my beautiful handcrafted, Eco friendly, camphor laurel chopping, cheese, platter boards and mezzaluna boards. My official site is finally finished and live so to see my full collection please click here.

Ingredients
1 lb poached salmon, chilled and flaked
2 cups panko
1/3 cup scallion, chopped
1/4 cup cilantro, minced
4 eggs (I only used 3 eggs)
3 tablespoons fresh lime juice
3 tablespoons soy sauce
2 tablespoons rice vinegar
2 tablespoons minced ginger
1 jalapeno, seeded and diced (I used 2 red chilies instead)
1 tablespoon sugar
1 teaspoon salt
1 cup panko, extra
1/4 cup sesame seed (I did a mix of black and regular)
oil (for frying)

Method

1. Mix the first 4 ingredients in a large bowl.

2. Whisk together the next 8 ingredients and add to the salmon mixture.

3. Add sesame seeds to 1 cup panko.

4. Form into cakes, place on baking sheet and chill for 1 hour, remove from fridge, coat with extra panko, sesame mixture.

5. Heat oil in a pan, fry for 7 minutes until first side is browned, flip over and fry for 5 minutes more.

All photos taken by me unless otherwise stated.

Oct 23, 2008

Gnocchi with Herb and Mushroom Sauce

This is a quick and great tasting recipe that my son loves, we both think that it would also be a great sauce for steak. I will warn you the sauce whilst yummy tasting is very rich so you will not want large portions as it is very filling. The amounts listed below would be fine for 4 big eaters or 5 smaller appetites.

If you have been keeping up with the progress of my beautiful handcrafted, Eco friendly, camphor laurel chopping, cheese , platter, and mezzaluna boards. My official site is finally finished and live so to see my full collection please click here.

Ingredients

800g fresh potato gnocchi
1 Tablespoon olive oil
500g Swiss brown mushrooms, sliced thinly
1 Onion, chopped finely
2 Cloves garlic, crushed
2 Teaspoons soy sauce
2 Teaspoons Worcestershire sauce
80ml Dry red wine
200ml Water
1 Vegetable bouillon cube
11/2 Tablespoons fresh oregano, chopped finely
2 Tablespoons sage, finely chopped
100ml Sour cream
1 Teaspoon cornflour, mixed with a little water
Pepper to taste

Method

1. Heat oil in a pan add, onion, garlic and mushrooms, cook, stirring, until vegetables are tender.

2. Add wine, water, sauces and bouillon cube, stir to dissolve, add cornflour, cook, stirring until sauce thickens slightly, stir in herbs.

3. Meanwhile cook gnocchi in a large saucepan of boiling water, uncovered, until gnocchi rise to the surface and are just tender, drain.

4. Add gnocchi to herb mushroom sauce, toss gently to combine, serve immediately, garnish with extra herbs if desired.

Serves 4-5 (See note above)

All photos taken by me unless otherwise stated.

Oct 22, 2008

Creamy Mussels

I found a recipe on recipezarr that sounded really good but I wanted more sauce to it so I changed it, as I was making more mussels and wanted a more hearty sauce as I wanted to make a mussel pasta as well and this way I had a great sauce for both. I will list a link to the recipe that inspired this dish so you can see how it was made. My mussels were very dirty and after much scrubbing I decided I did not want to chance getting grit in the sauce so I cooked them separately and added the sauce at the end. If you want to view original recipe please click here.

If you have been keeping up with the progress of my beautiful handcrafted, Eco friendly, camphor laurel chopping, cheese boards, platter boards and mezzaluna boards. My official site is finally finished and live so to see my full collection please click here.

Ingredients

2kg Fresh live mussels
70g Butter
2 Cloves garlic, crushed
1 Onion, finely chopped
150ml Liquid from mussels
300ml Dry white wine
2 Teaspoons fish stock granules
1 Teaspoon vegetable stock granules
200ml Cream
2 Tablespoons Parsley, finely chopped
2 Tablespoons Tarragon, finely chopped
2 Tablespoons Oregano, finely chopped
pepper to taste
1 Teaspoon cornflour

Method


Mussels

1. Wash and remove beards from mussels, discard any that are cracked or open.

2. Place mussels in a bowl of cold water.

3. Add enough water to a large saucepan to cook mussels in, bring water to a boil, add mussels, cover, cook about five minutes or until mussels open, drain all but 150ml of liquid from pan, discard any unopened mussels.

4. Wash pan and return mussels to it, leave to one side, covered.

Make Sauce

1. Melt butter in a pan, add onion and garlic, cook until onion softens.

2. Add reserved liquid from mussels, white wine and both stocks, stir until granules dissolve.

3. Add cream, herbs and mix a little water with the cornflour, add to sauce and stir until sauce thickens slightly, season with pepper.

4. Pour sauce into mussels pan, return pan to stove, cook, covered about 5 Min's to warm through, stir occasionally.

Serve Immediately

All photos taken by me unless otherwise stated.

Oct 19, 2008

Spiced Chicken legs with Mango Salad

This is another recipe which is lower in carbs than most, I have said before I have been trying to cook lower carb meals recently as per my hubby's request. This fine by me as it gives me a chance to eat a bit lighter as well. I like to mix it up and not cook low carb every night as I prefer to throw in some starchy carbs 1-2 times a week for balance. This is a very light refreshing meal with the mango salad and is probably more of a summertime dish but we have had some mild weather here again so it was a nice dish that did not over heat the house to much. This dish contains approximately 17g of carbohydrates per serving and 42g protein, if you want to add some carbs to make this more filling just toss some rice noodles in with the salad.

If you have been keeping up with the progress of my beautiful eco friendly, handcrafted camphor laurel chopping, cheese boards, platter boards and mezzaluna boards. My official site is finally finished and live so to see my full collection please click here.

Ingredients

1 Tablespoon sesame oil
12 Chicken drumsticks
1 Cup water
1/2 Teaspoon chicken stock granules
2 Tablespoons honey
2 Tablespoons rice wine vinegar
1 Teaspoon 5 spice powder
6 Cloves garlic, crushed
50ml Soy sauce

Mango Salad

1 Mango, peeled and sliced into thin strips
4 Green onions, sliced thinly
1 Cup loosely packed coriander leaves
180g Snow peas, halved
1 Large cucumber, seeded, sliced thinly
11/2 Cups bean sprouts

Lime and Vinegar Dressing

60ml Lime juice
60ml Rice vinegar
1 Tablespoon peanut oil

Method

1. Heat the tablespoon sesame oil in a deep frying pan, cook chicken, in batches, until browned all over about 7-8 Min's. (Do not skip this step, chicken will not brown with sauce and you will end up with unappealing looking legs on your plate.)

2. Meanwhile, combine remaining chicken ingredients in a jug.

3. Return chicken to pan with stock mixture, bring to the boil, reduce heat, simmer, covered, about 25 Min's or until chicken is cooked through.

Salad

1. Combine all the salad ingredients in a bowl, mix the ingredients for the dressing in a jug pour over salad greens and toss through.

To Serve: Divide chicken and salad among serving plates, drizzle chicken with remaining pan juices if desired,

All photos taken by me unless otherwise stated.

Oct 18, 2008

Javanese Roasted Salmon

This recipe is simple, quick and tastes exceptional, I love salmon and this is a great way to make it. It is yet another swap recipe, I love these swaps but I feel Like I make more of these than my own recipes as of late. I can not apologise as I love making and reviewing others recipes and it gives you nights of not even having to think of what to make, let alone having to measure and record every ingredient.

Since starting this blog which I have so much pleasure in doing and almost feel guilty when I do not have the time in a day to post. I have taken so much time in meal planning and what tends to be the biggest thing, which is measuring the exact amounts that I am using and taking notes so I can list accurately, the amounts to whoever is enjoying my blog the next day.

Making others recipes is a great opportunity to try something new, which I love, but they have already measured out ingredients, so I do not make my family wait for so long. and I can also split the month between my own and others. If you want to read other reviews or see other photos of this recipe please click here. I served mine over stir-fried vegetables including bok choy which I absolutrly love.

If you have been keeping up with the progress of my beautiful handcrafted camphor laurel chopping, cheese boards, platter boards and mezzaluna boards. My official site is finally finished and live so to see my full collection please click here.

Ingredients

1/2 Cup unsalted butter
1 Teaspoon dry crushed red pepper
1 Clove garlic, minced (I used 3 cloves)
1/2 Cup brown sugar
1/2 Cup fresh lime juice
1/2 Cup soy sauce
2 Teaspoons cornstarch, dissolved in
2 Teaspoons water
1 Tablespoon butter (I cooked mine in a little olive oil)
2 Large salmon fillets

Method

1. Melt butter in heavy large saucepan over medium heat.

2. Add crushed red pepper and garlic and stir about 1 minute.

3. Add sugar.

4. Whisk until mixture is melted and smooth, about 4 minutes.

5. Whisk in lime juice and soy sauce.

6. Increase heat and boil until reduced, about 2 minutes.

7. Add cornstarch mixture and boil until thick, about 3 minutes.

8. In another large skillet, melt 1 tablespoon butter over high heat.

9. Add salmon.

10. Cook 2 minutes per side.

11. Spoon 2 Tablespoons sauce over salmon.

12. Transfer to baking dish.

13. Roast at 400 degrees for 5 to 8 minutes.

14. Serve with remaining sauce.

All photos taken by me unless otherwise stated.

Tipsy Chicken

This is a very quick and easy recipe to make with a wonderful end result, there is nothing better than a simple recipe that takes no time st all to make. I served mine over stir-fried vegetables, it would also be nice over noodles and rice. I also doubled the sauce as we love sauce and I also added chili flakes to the sauce at the end to give it a bit of a kick and it was excellent. If you want view other photos or read other reviews of this recipe please click here.

If you have been keeping up with the progress of my beautiful handcrafted camphor laurel chopping, cheese boards, platter boards and mezzaluna boards. My official site is finally finished and live so to see my full collection please click here.

Ingredients

4 Boneless skinless chicken breasts
1 Tablespoon butter or olive oil
1 Clove garlic, crushed (I added 3)
1/4 Cup dry sherry
1/4 Cup liquid honey
1 Tablespoon fresh lemon juice
1/4-1/2 Teaspoon salt, to taste (I omitted this)
3 green onions, cut into strips
2 carrots, julienned (I usually use 3)

Note: I doubled the sauce and also added about a teaspoon of chili flakes at the end. I also cut the green onions into thin slices and used them to sprinkle over the top as a garnish at the end rather than cooking them in the sauce.

Method

1. In pan over medium heat saute chicken in butter or oil.

2. Add minced garlic stir in carefully, saute lightly.

3. Stir in sherry, honey, lemon juice and salt.

4. Simmer covered about 20 minutes or until tender and no pink showing.

5. Add vegetables, cook to tender crisp or as you prefer.

6. Place chicken on platter, arrange vegetables around chicken, spoon sauce over chicken.

7. If you wish a thicker sauce boil sauce a few extra minutes.

All photos taken by me unless otherwise stated.

Crock Pot Roast Beef With Gravy

This is a wonderfully easy recipe to make it is full of flavour the meat is so tender and it fills the house with a gorgeous smell while cooking. I made this for the swap I am in this month and it was so good. I really couldn't believe you get something so tasty with such simple and so little ingredients. I cut back on the meat weight as I was only making for 4 but followed the other ingredients as stated. I served mine with corn on the cob, stuffing balls, roast pumpkin and mashed parsnip rounds, the gravy at the end is o good poured over everything. If you would like to see more photos or read more reviews of this recipe please click here.

If you have been keeping up with the progress of my beautiful handcrafted camphor laurel chopping, cheese boards and Mezzaluna Boards. My official site is finally finished and live so to see my full collection please click here.

Ingredients

4lbs Boneless sirloin tip roast
1/2 Cup all-purpose flour, divided
1 (1 1/4 ounce) Envelope onion soup mix
1 (1 1/4 ounce) Envelope brown gravy mix
2 cups water

Method

1. Rub roast with 1/4 cup flour. I browned my meat all over at this stage in a pan just my preference.

2. Put roast in crock pot.

3.In a bowl, combine soup and gravy mixes and remaining flour.

4. Stir in water until blended.

5. Pour over roast.

6. Cover and cook on low for 6-8 hours or until meat is tender.

All photos taken by me unless otherwise stated.

Oct 15, 2008

Grilled Halibut with Tamarind Stir-Fried Vegetables

I have been cooking more low carb meals lately as per my hubby's request not wanting to eat too many starchy carbs in the evening. I have been switching out with just 1-2 meals a week containing a higher carb content. Whilst I have seen what following a low or no carb diet can do, as far as quick results in weight loss, as opposed to following just a balanced eating plan which seems to take forever for results to be seen. I am not a big fan of low carb diets

I think everyone needs to watch their carbohydrate intake as too many carbs are not good, especially those that come from sugars, because if the body can not burn off this extra energy, it is stored as fat. It is also the same, in that you can follow a virtually no carb diet like the Atkins and again dramatic weight lose which I have noticed more predominate in men than woman.

A diet that is low in carbs but high in fat is also not good for you or sustainable on the long term basis. I think balance is best, I prefer to cook as low carb as possible with, as I said earlier those couple of nights a week adding more carbs to the meal. Making for a balanced diet that is also nutritious but allows for those naughty times of fattening desserts and high fat cream sauces, as I think this helps the body, to not get in a routine of always eating the same thing which I think slows down weight loss.

Changing to a healthier balanced eating plan will see weight loss results in the beginning as your body is not used to eating healthier. Sticking with same foods all the time I think results in a slow down or what appears to be a stop, whereas if you shock the body once a week with a naughty day it helps with continued weight loss and maintenance of desired weight once goals have been achieved. These are all my opinions and observations I have noted over the years through trials I have done and are not medically based or taken from a proper nutrition expert so take them as you like.

If you have been keeping up with the progress of my beautiful handcrafted camphor laurel chopping, cheese boards and Mezzaluna Boards. My official site is finally finished and live so to see my full collection please click here.

Ingredients

1 Tablespoon peanut oil
2 Halibut fillets

Marinade

50ml Soy sauce
2 Tablespoons rice wine vinegar
2 Cloves garlic, crushed

Vegetables

1 Tablespoons Peanut oil
2 Teaspoons grated fresh ginger
2 Cloves garlic, crushed
2 Red chilies, chopped finely
1 Red pepper, sliced thinly
1/2 Cup water
1/2 Teaspoon chicken stock granules
2 Tablespoons oyster sauce
2 Tablespoons brown sugar
1 Tablespoon tamarind concentrate
500g Baby bok choy, chopped coarsely
200g Bean sprouts
4 Green onions, sliced thinly
1/2 Cup loosely packed coriander leaves

Method

1. Combine marinade ingredients in a bowl, place fillets in marinade, ensuring they are completely covered,refrigerate 2 hours.

Vegetables

1. Heat 1 tablespoon oil in a wok or pan, add garlic, ginger and chili stir-fry until fragrant, Add capsicum, stir-fry until capsicum is tender.

2. Add water, stock, sauces, sugar and tamarind, bring to the boil, boil 1 minute, add bok choy, bean sprouts and onion, stir-fry until greens just wilt, remove from heat and stir in coriander.

Fish

1. Remove fish from marinade and discard marinade.

2. Cook fish on a heated oiled grill plate or grill or BBQ, about 4 Min's a side or until cooked as desired. Cooking times will vary depending on thickness of fillets.

To serve: Spoon vegetables onto a plate, top with fish and garnish with extra coriander if desired.

All photos taken by me unless otherwise stated.