Cheesy sweet roast veggie bake

A warm, hearty and healthy dish to help with the transition into Autumn that provides a delicious balance between protein, carbs and fats. It's not 'low-fat' but it's not going to give you a heart-attack either. After a long week of 'being good' and exercising hard this is the perfect weekend treat that is a joy to make and even better to eat.

Serves: Heaps!

INGREDIENTS:

1 Butternut Pumpkin (a small one will do), peeled and cubed
3-4 Carrots, spiffed up and cut into cubes
4 Kipfler Potatoes, cut lengthwise into 'chips'
1 head of garlic, cut in half and excess skin removed
1 stock cube (or equivalent)

2 tblspns Wholegrain Mustard
2 tblspns Honey
1 tblspn Olive Oil

1 can of Chickpeas (or a cup of pre-boiled)

200g Penne Pasta

2 cups of Milk
40g butter (or suitable low sat-fat alternative)
2 tblspns Cornflour
1 sprig Italian flat leaf Parsley
4 black peppercorns
1 Bay Leaf

1/2 cup grated Tasty Cheese
1 tblspn of Dried Oregano

Salt and Pepper to taste

METHOD (ie. the 'fun bit'):

Pre-heat oven to 180 degrees.

Add potato, pumpkin and carrot to a large saucepan and fill with cold water.

Bring to the boil and add stock cube. Allow to boil for 10-15 minutes until potatoes are tender.

Drain and return to heat and evaporate remaining water, scuffing up edges of the veg.

Pour out all veggies onto large roasting pan with garlic. Combine mustard, honey and oil and pour over the top of veggies, mix well and ensure even coverage.

Put in hot oven and roast for 20-30 minutes (until cooked and slightly golden).

Boil large pot of water, salt and cook pasta to al dente. Drain and keep warm.

In a medium sized saucepan make a cheesy white sauce:

Add milk to saucepan with Parsley, Bay Leaf and Peppercorns and heat gently over a medium heat until it is just starting to simmer (DO NOT BOIL).

Remove from heat, pour into another container and allow flavours to infuse.

Return saucepan to heat and melt butter completely. Add cornflour and mix for approx 3-4 minutes until all lumps removed and mixture starts to bubble.

Remove from heat.

Strain milk and slowly add to the butter mixture at approx 1/4 cup at a time stirring the whole time.

Once all the milk is back in the saucepan return it to the heat and stir for approx 5 minutes as sauce thickens and starts to boil. When it reaches the boil turn off the heat and add cheese and stir well to combine.

THE BAKE

Remove veggies from the oven and pull out the garlic. Remove skins and run through a garlic press. Return to pan.

Drain chickpeas and combine with pasta and veggies in a large roasting tray.

Pour cheesy white sauce over the top and mix lightly to ensure even coverage.

Top with Oregano, cracked black pepper and salt to taste.

Return to oven for 15-20 minutes until lightly browned on the top.

Remove from oven and allow to rest for 5 minutes before serving.

YUUUUUM!

Things I love.....

My kitty, Max!

FoodConnect and Clean Eating

A bit about clean eating....

One of my goals this year, and for about the last three years, has been to eat 'clean', whole foods. What started out as an experiment has well and truly become a lifestyle change for the better. There are no rules with this kind of eating except that the aim is for the produce I buy and eat to have undergone as little processing as possible. This means I rarely buy stuff in packets, when I eat meat it's always free-range, I make my own sauces, grow my own herbs and only buy artisan chemical-free bread. Yes it sounds wanky, it's generally more expensive but the benefits for me far outweigh any of those factors. When you think about the environmental impacts of large-scale food production coupled with the health implications of too many chemicals and saturated fats and our ever-growing culture of getting our vitamins out of bottles it makes sense to me to spend my hard-earned dollars on eating fresh healthy food. I have to say that since I've been eating like this I've been thinner, healthier and just generally more on the ball; my genetically gifted high cholesterol has also returned to 'normal' levels - no drugs required!

The magic of FoodConnect

For the past few months I have subscribed to a fantastic new venture known as FoodConnect. FoodConnect is a small, community based enterprise focussed on providing sustainable, locally grown, organic produce that is in season and has been bought at a fair price.

To begin I selected the size of my food box and how regularly I would receive it. There is a handy guide to help with this decision over at the website; at the moment I am getting a medium box every two weeks which is enough to feed myself and my partner for about a fortnight. Anything I don't get in my box such as eggs, milk, bread and cheese, I pick up from my local farmers markets or the Independent Grocers.

Unlike the weekly excursion to the supermarket, FoodConnect select the contents of the box for me and it generally only contains produce that is in season and organic. Every Wednesday (or Thursday depending on your location) I pop over to visit my 'city cousin' to collect my food box. Inside the box is a range of wonderfully fresh and organic produce that has all been locally sourced within a 5 hour radius of the city. This is, what I think to be, the most rewarding aspect of the FoodConnect program; encouraging local, organic farming and paying farmers a decent price for their produce. You can read more about why these types of ventures are so important over at the FoodConnect website, it is certainly an eye-opener and, mind the pun, definitely food for thought.

So what am I eating this fortnight?

Contents of the food box this week included:

• Kale - I've never used this before, have read lots about it and am looking forward to giving it a try


• Fat Goose Oranges - an old fave. I love these oranges so much I buy a bag almost every week at the farmers market to supplement my box order. Nothing beats freshly squeezed OJ.


• Pomegranate - I have a couple of cool recipes up my sleeve for this unusual fruit, one of which I will aim to share on here


• Cauliflower - Another winter staple, stay tuned for Turkey Meatballs!


• Bok Choi


• Carrots


• Apples - Pink Ladies!


• Mandarins - so many that I think I will have enough to make some fantastic mandarin polenta cakes


• Beetroot


• and much more! For the full detail on what's in the boxes each week check out the website.
  

Thanks and happy fooding!

:)

Curried Pumpkin and Lentil soup - Vegan

Curried Pumpkin and Lentil soup - Vegan

A sure fire hit in the cooler months, this deliciously healthy soup has all the creamy warmth you want from a lentil curry, while still being kind to your waistline.

As with the Bolognese I use a slow cooker for this recipe, but you could easily make this on the stove with a large soup or stock pot. The preparation at the beginning of this recipe is what gives this soup such a delicious blend of flavours. When frying spices be sure that they don't burn and you want to cook them for long enough that it starts to smell warm and aromati. This process awakens the true flavours that would be lost if thrown in with the water at the end.

I use red organic lentils that come dried. I don't bother to soak them first because the slow cooker takes care of that, but if I were going to cook on the stove I would probably soak them for a few hours (or even overnight) before using. It is possible to use brown lentils or even what you can get in a can. Just be sure to rinse them thoroughly before using.

I like to eat my soup with a nice thick slice of bread. I purchased a lovely Artisan loaf at the markets on Saturday that was flavoured with potato and rosemary which worked tremendously well with this dish. For maximum yum butter the bread and place under the grill (broiler) for 5 minutes to give it that crunch that works so well with a hearty soup.

Enjoy!

Serves - about 6

1/2 Large Pumpkin*
1 cup red lentils
3 teaspoons of Marsala
garlic to taste
1/2 white onion
1 cup coconut milk
6 cups of water (approx)
1 tblspn oil (I used coconut oil for this recipe)

In a small bowl, combine Marsala with a teaspoon or two of water to create a paste.

Dice onion and garlic.

Chop Pumpkin into small-medium sized chunks.

Heat oil and add garlic. Cook for 2 minutes and then add Marsala.

Fry lightly until aromatic (about 3 minutes).

Add onion and cook until translucent.

Add 1/2 cup water and bring to boil.

Add pumpkin coat with onion mix. Put lid on fry pan and allow to steam for 5 minutes.

Add lentils and pumpkin mix to a slow cooker (I used a 5.5l slow cooker for this recipe).

Add coconut milk and stir through.

Pour 3 cups of water into the pan used to cook the pumpkin. Bring this to the boil, scraping around the pan to ensure any 'flavour bits' stuck to the sides of the pan come off in the water, creating a light stock. Bring to a boil.

Add stock and top up with more water until all ingredients are covered.

Stir through and season lightly with salt and pepper.

Put lid on slow cooker and cook for 2-3 hours on high or 4-6 hours on low.

Serve with crusty bread, a teaspoon of Parmesan**, salt and pepper and a smile.

* I used a mix of Jap and Butternut for this recipe

** Other than the garnish this dish is 100% vegan friendly. A nice vegan alternative would be to use recipe such as this which is a satisfying and relatively easy to construct alternative.

Things I like...

My new Holga

<3

Fabulous slow-cooked "Spag Bog"

Fabulous slow-cooked "Spag Bog"

A deliciously, healthy and hearty meal that needs to be slow-cooked to ensure a full release of flavour. Make up a batch and freeze some for those nights when you don't have time to cook.

I use extra lean mince for this bolognese to reduce the amount of fat. Not only is it kinder to the waistline but I think if the sauce is too fatty it tends to be a bit claggy and thick. I like my spag bol to be a chunky mix of veggies and mince meat but the tomato sauce must be runny. When heaped on a spoon you should be able pour it off a bit like a hearty soup.

Passata is essentially pureed tomatoes that have been strained so all the seeds and bits are removed. You can get it in the Sauce aisle in most supermarkets in 700ml jars. If you can't get Passata then canned tomatoes or even tomato paste would do the trick. If you were going to use paste then I recommend heating the tomato paste up before putting in the slow cooker to help get rid of any bitterness (see recipe). I also add a couple of fresh tomatoes for a bit (but not too much) of chunk.

I generally serve this with either Fettucine or Spaghettoni. I like using the freshest pasta I can get my hands on and sometimes we make our own (future recipe idea!). Sometimes all that is available is the highly processed stuff which does the job when you can't get anything else. I like the Barilla brand, not entirely sure why - maybe it's the blue box?! Anyway, to cook pasta I take a large pot of water and bring to a rolling boil. Once the water is boiling I add a good handful of salt, the pasta always cooks better when the water is really salty. I leave the burner on high and the lid off, a good roiling boil will cook the pasta evenly and quickly. Check instructions on pack for cooking time, and test a minute or so before to see if it is done. Drain all but a couple of spoonfuls of the cooking water in the sink and return to the pot. Add a handful of Parmesan Cheese and a fleck of butter. Mix it through. The butter and cheese will mix with the water and coat the pasta causing the sauce to stick to the pasta more.

When it comes to red wine in cooking I tend to just use whatever is lying around. A bit leftover in a bottle from the weekend is easily enough for this dish, if not it's a good excuse to open one! ;) My only rule with using wine is that you should never cook with one that you are not prepared to drink. Red wine adds a beautiful warmth to this bolognese but you could also replace it with a nice chicken or beef stock and get a similar effect.

I use a slow-cooker for this because it means once the initial prep is done I can walk away and forget about it. You could use a heavy based pan on low heat on the stove or even an electric frypan that enables you to set it to a low temperature. Be sure to check on it intermittently to ensure it doesn't burn.

Now to the recipe...

Fabulous slow-cooked "Spag Bog"

Serves: Heaps!

500g extra lean preservative free beef mince
3 rashers of bacon (short cut, fat removed)
garlic to taste
4 small carrots
2 pieces of celery
1 yellow onion
1 zucchini
1/2 bottle red wine
1 bottle organic tomato passata
2 tomatoes
2 bay leaves
1 tblspn dried oregano
1 tblspn brown sugar

Garnish:
Sharp parmesan
Fresh basil leaves - washed and torn


Chop bacon, onion, celery, carrot and zucchini into small, evenly sized pieces.

Heat 1 part butter, 1 part olive oil in large heavy based pan.

Cook onions and garlic slowly until yellow and transparent - put the lid on for a couple of minutes to get it nice and steamy.

Add bacon and fry until colour changes.

Add carrots. Cook for a couple of minutes - until the onions start to turn orange.

Add celery. Cook for another couple of minutes.

Add zucchini. Cook for a few minutes until everything is heated through and bubbling.

Push veggie mix over to one side of the pan, to make room for the mince. Allow the juices from the bacon and veggie mix to drip back down to where you put the mince.

Add mince to the pan in batches and fry til colour changes. Mix through with veggies.

** If you were using tomato paste I would add it to the mix and heat through now to help reduce any bitterness.

Pour entire contents of the saucepan into a large (5.5l at least) electric slow cooker.

Pour in red wine and tomato passata.

Chop Tomatoes roughly and add to the pot.

Season with salt, pepper, bay leaves, oregano and sugar.

Stir through well.

Put lid on and cook on high for 3 hours and then on low until serving.

Serve with fresh cooked pasta and garnish with torn fresh basil leaves and grated Parmesan cheese.

Enjoy!

'Throw Down' Chicken Somen Noodles

'Throw Down' Chicken Somen Noodles - Serves 4

A lovely, fresh, quick and easy lunch that is healthy and packed with protein.

'Throw Down' because I threw this together as a quick lunch using whatever was on hand. Earlier in the week I bought a whole chicken, jointed and then froze it. It saves money and the meat is much fresher! I'm looking forward to using the different parts in different ways (including boiling down the bones to make a stock).

This recipe calls for Tenderloins which are the small 'bits' of chicken that kind of fall off the side of the breast meat. They are very juicy and as they are small, will overcook if you leave them on the heat too long. You could use breast or even thigh if you wanted to, the thigh will be fattier and I think a whole breast would make the dish a bit heavy BUT whatever works for you.

The recipe also calls for 'Somen Noodles' which are a mix between Soba and Ramen noodles and are usually available in the 'asian' section of your supermaket. If not, then see if you can find a good Chinese grocer - so worth it. I use the Hakubaku brand Japanese noodles but any brand will do and you could also use Ramen or Soba if you prefer. Basically you want something that will remain quite firm after cooking that is also high in protein (to fill you up!).

The dressing can be changed up to suit your tastes. Just make sure you keep a little citrus in there to even out the fattiness of the mayo and pesto.


'Throw Down' Chicken Somen Noodles

1 serving Somen noodles (or soba or ramen... pre-cooked*)
1 cup frozen peas
1/2 capsicum, chopped
chili to taste
garlic to taste
2 chicken tenderloins (pre-cooked**)
1/2 cos lettuce, chopped into chunky pieces - core removed.

dressing:

1 tbspn pesto
squeeze 1/2 lemon
squeeze 1/2 lime
1 tbspn tahini
1 tbspn mayo
salt + pepper
bit of hot water

To make dressing:

Combine all dressing ingredients to form a smooth consistency, I usually use the chopping tool on my hand blender to get it together quickly. Add more hot water or lemon juice if it is too thick.

Boil 1cup water in fry pan.
Boil garlic, peas, capsicum + chili for 2 mins (til just cooked)
Add chicken, cook for further 2 mins (til hot)
Remove chicken
Add Noodles
Add dressing
Stir to coat and heat for 30 secs - careful not to let the Mayo seperate...
Remove from heat.

Pour into large bowl. Combine with chopped lettuce and shredded chicken. You may like to use a knife to help break the noodles up while mixing.

Eat. Even better after about an hour in the fridge.

(serves: 4)

Average per serve:

293 cals
1227 kj
13.1g fat***
1.7g sat. fat
14.9g protein
27.5g carbs
2.2g fibre


* Boil for 2 mins. Rinse under cold water to stop further cooking. No need to add salt.

** I seasoned lightly with salt & pepper and then roasted in the oven @ 180 for about 15 mins

*** Majority of the fat comes from pesto, tahini & mayo. You could use lighter options and reduce this considerably.... ie. replace pesto with a low fat pesto dip, replace Tahini with low fat Hummus and use low fat Mayo instead of the high fat 'Kewpie' mayo (my secret delight!) I used for this mix.