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COOKING MAINS

Main dishes

Baked mini meatloaves

500g lean beef mince
1 egg
1/2 cup soft breadcrumbs
1 carrot, grated
1/2 onion, finely diced in a processor
¼ cup tomato sauce
1 teaspoon salt
¼ cup tomato sauce, for top

Instructions
Heat a drizzle of oil in a large fry pan on medium heat. Cook carrot, and onion until tender, about
4 minutes. Cool.
Place mince, egg, breadcrumbs, carrots, onion, tomato sauce and salt into a bowl and mix together until combined, using clean hands.
Preheat oven to 190°C.
Grease mini muffin pan with oil and divide the beef mixture equally between the cups, then smooth the tops with the back of a spoon.
Spread ½ teaspoon of tomato sauce on top of each one with the spoon before placing them into the oven to bake.
Bake for 20 minutes or when brown and no longer pink in the middle.

Main dishes

Roast Chicken

Marinade:
1c Buttermilk – 1c water to 4tbsp buttermilk powder
1 1/2tsp onion powder
1tsp garlic powder

Night before: place chicken in enamel casserole dish with marinade. cover with plastic wrap and leave in fridge.

Day of: at 11am get chicken out of fridge to start thawing until cool, flipping over and squishing legs in when you can.
Place baking paper over chicken with casserole lid before cooking.
Cook for 1 1/2 hours in oven at 180. (4:30 at the latest)

Main dishes

Smoked fish pie

4 large potatoes, peeled and cut into chunks
50g Butter, plus extra for buttering dish
1 Onion, finely sliced
5 Tbsp Flour
2 cups Milk, full cream
310g tinned Smoked fish

Preheat the oven to 190ºC lightly butter an ovenproof baking dish.
Cook the potatoes in a saucepan of boiling water until tender. Drain and mash with ¼ cup milk and 1 Tbsp butter. Set aside.
Melt the butter in a heavy-based saucepan and add the onion. Sauté until the onion is soft and clear, about 5 minutes. Remove from the heat, add the flour and stir well. Slowly work in the milk.
Place back over a medium heat, stirring continuously and cook until the sauce is thick. Season with salt and pepper. Place the tinned fish in a bowl and break up until fine, add to the sauce. Return to heat fora few minutes.
Spoon mixture into a shallow 8-cup ovenproof dish. Spread with mashed potato, fluffing surface with a fork for a crust. Dot potato with remaining butter and bake 200C for 20-25 minutes, until golden. Serve.

Extras

Creamy potato gratin

8 medium all-purpose potatoes
1 cup milk
1 cup cream
1 clove crushed garlic
1 cup grated tasty cheese
about 30 grams butter
salt and freshly ground black pepper
freshly grated nutmeg (optional)

1. Heat oven to 160 degrees Celsius. Grease a 1L pie dish with butter

2. Wash and slice potatoes on to a clean tea towel, then pat the potatoes dry before arranging in layers in pie dish.

3. Dot each layer with a little butter and season with salt and pepper. The top layer should be just below the rim of the dish.

4. Heat the milk and garlic then add to cream. If using nutmeg, add at this point.

5. Stir and pour over the potatoes until the liquid comes to just below the top two layers of potato. Add more liquid if necessary.

6. Press potatoes in to liquid gently with the back of a spoon.

7. Sprinkle top with the cheese.

8. Bake in the centre of the oven for 1 hour, or until potatoes are tender.

Cook’s notes

Use all-cream if you like, but not all-milk as it will separate.

This dish holds its heat well and will stay warm for half an hour or while you grill meat or fish.

Leftovers reheat in the microwave but I doubt there will be any.

Main dishes

Sweet & Sour Meatballs

1 Egg
1 tbsp Milk
1/4 cup Breadcrumbs
600g Pork mince
1 tsp Garlic powder
Salt and pepper
1 – 2 Tbsp butter
Sweet’n Sour sauce

Whisk egg and milk together. Stir in breadcrumbs and leave for 2 minutes to soften.
Add pork mince and garlic powder. Season generously with salt and pepper. Use your hands to mix well, then shape rounded teaspoons of mixture into balls.
Heat butter in a large frying pan on medium-high heat, fry meatballs until browned all over.
Add to a large pot, or place in a small crockpot, pour in Sweet’n Sour Sauce and simmer for 10 minutes (one hour in a crockpot on high), until sauce has reduced a little and meatballs are cooked through.

Sweet’n Sour sauce
4 Tbsp malt vinegar
2 tsp brown sugar
4 dsp cornflour
4 Tbsp tomato sauce (or ketchup)
3/4 c pineapple juice
3/4 c water

In a pot combine the vinegar, tomato sauce and brown sugar. Stir in cornflour. Slowly add the juice and water. Cook over medium heat, stirring until thickened.

Vegetarian

Pumpkin, Pasta and Spinach Bake

250 g frozen spinach drained thawed (or use fresh)
30g butter
250g pumpkin puree
3 garlic cloves crushed
1 pinch ground nutmeg
50g parmesan cheese or vegetarian hard cheese, grated
2 eggs
1 cup Evaporated Milk or Milk
1 1/2 cups pasta cooked

Spray a 30 cm x 20 cm rectangular oven proof dish with non-stick spray.
Melt butter in a fry pan and add garlic, stir over heat for 4-5 minutes, and add pumpkin puree.
Add spinach and stir another 3 minutes.
Add nutmeg.
Beat milk, and eggs in a large bowl until smooth.
Stir in pasta and the pumpkin mixture.
Spoon into prepared dish and bake about 30 minutes at 180C, until set and lightly browned.

Homemade Takeaways

Hotdogs (corndogs)

For six Hotdogs
1/2 cup yellow cornmeal
1/2 cup all-purpose flour
2 Tablespoons sugar
2 teaspoons baking powder, rounded
1/8 teaspoon salt
1 large egg
1/2 cup whole milk
Vegetable oil, for frying
Tomato sauce

EQUIPMENT:
popsicle sticks

for 8 Hotdogs
3/4 cup yellow cornmeal
3/4 cup all-purpose flour
3 Tablespoons sugar
3 teaspoons baking powder
1/4 teaspoon salt
2 eggs
3/4 cup whole milk
Vegetable oil, for frying
Tomato sauce

Tomato sauce

Precook sausages in a pot of water, heating until just on the boil, remove the sausage and leave in a bowl to cool.

Cook fries, leave in oven to keep warm.

Insert a popsicle stick into the end of each hot dog, leaving 2 1/2 cm’s visible. Thoroughly dry off the hot dogs with paper towels.

In a large bowl, whisk together the cornmeal, flour, sugar, baking powder and salt. In a liquid measuring cup, whisk together the egg and milk. Pour the wet ingredients into the dry ingredients and stir until combined using a spoon or spatula. Pour the batter into a tall glass.

Heat oil in a deep fryer until it reaches 180ºC. Line a plate with paper towels.

Dip each hot dog in the batter until it’s completely coated, lightly shake off the excess then lower it into the hot oil. Fry the corn dog until golden and crispy, about 3 minutes, then transfer it to the paper towel-lined plate (while it is cooking Repeat with two more, then lift the first one out of the fryer, repeating the process with the remaining hot dogs. Serve immediately.

Then before serving, submerge the hotdogs in Tomato sauce, and serve.

Pasta Dishes

Easy tomato pasta bake – slow cooker

This is a great cheap meal, serve with a salad or vegetables.

INGREDIENTS
250g pasta, penne works well
1 medium onion
1 1/2 tins of tomatoes, chopped
a couple of handfuls of grated cheese

1. Preheat the crock pot on high.
2. Cook the pasta in a large pot of boiling salted water until cooked
3. While it is cooking, in a medium size pot, sautée the onion in butter, then add the chopped tomatoes. Bring to a boil then place in the crock pot.
4. Add the cooked pasta to the crock pot. Cook for 1 hour.
5. Scatter over the top the grated cheese and cook for another 5 minutes until bubbling. Serve.

Main dishes

Mince stew

1 onion diced
3 carrots diced
2 cups frozen peas
Mince 500 – 600 grams
1 tablespoons tomato sauce
1 teaspoon salt
2 cups water

Method:
In a large saucepan add onion, carrot and peas and sauté in 1 1/2 tablespoons of butter.
In a large bowl add the mince, mix with 1/2 a cup of the water, stir well. Add to this the sauce and salt, and mix through.
Add the remaining water, enough to cover with a little extra. Cover with the lid and simmer for 1 hour.
Once cooked mix 6 tablespoon of flour with a 1/2 cup of cold water to make a thickening paste, stir well. Add to mince stew, stir through simmer for 5 minutes Serve.

Crockpot Express
In the pot add onion, carrot and peas and BROWN/SAUTE in 1 1/2 tablespoons of butter.
In a large bowl add the mince, mix with 1/2 a cup of the water, stir well. Add to this the sauce and salt, and mix through.
Add the remaining water.
Add to the pot.
Cover with the lid, close the vent, manual MANUAL, HIGH PRESSURE 20 minutes, slow release 10 minutes.
Mix 6 tablespoon of flour with a 1/2 cup of cold water to make a thickening paste, stir well. Add to mince stew, stir through BROWN/SAUTE until thickened. SIMMER for 5 minutes Serve.

Slow Cooker
Total cook time 3 1/2 hours on high, 7 hours on low
In a small saucepan add onion, carrot and peas and sauté in 1 1/2 tablespoons of butter.
In a large slow cooker at high temperature, add the mince.
Cover the mince with 1/2 a cup of the water, smash up the mince. Add to this the sautéd vegetables, the sauce and salt, and mix through.
Add the remaining water, enough to cover with a little extra. Cover with the lid and cook for 3 hours.
Once cooked mix 6 tablespoon of flour with a 1/2 cup of cold water to make a thickening paste, stir well. Add to mince stew, stir through cook for a further half an hour. Serve.

Pasta Dishes

Macaroni and Cheese

Basic Baked Mac and Cheese, a good ole staple.
Makes 6 to 8 servings

Total cook time 70 minutes

250g dried Macaroni Elbows, cooked in 2L salted boiling water and drained (15 min to come to boil, boil for 30 minutes)
2 tbsp butter
2 tbsp flour
1 pinch dry mustard
1 pinch salt
2 cups milk
50 g ham
2 cups grated Cheddar cheese (if wished 1 1/2 cups in and 1/2 cup on top)
1 cup breadcrumbs
1 1/2 tbsp butter

Preheat oven to 190°C (375°F).
In a medium saucepan, melt butter, then stir in the flour, mustard and salt. Gradually stir in the milk with a spatula or whisk.
Cook and stir until mixture thickens slightly (mixture should coat spoon).
Remove from heat. Add ham, then cheese; stir until cheese is melted.
Stir in cooked macaroni.
Turn into greased 1 1/2 litre (1 1/2-quart) shallow baking dish.
Sprinkle over the breadcrumbs before dotting with the butter.
Bake 20 minutes or until bubbly. Refrigerate leftovers.

VARIATIONS: Add any of the following to macaroni before baking:
1 220g (7-ounce) can tuna or salmon, drained and flaked OR
1 1/2 cups cubed cooked chicken or turkey OR
1 1/2 cups cubed cooked ham or luncheon meat OR
250g (1/2 pound) frankfurters, sliced diagonally into fourths OR
250g (1/2 pound) sliced smoked sausage OR
1 315g (10-ounce) package frozen chopped broccoli or spinach, thawed and well drained OR
2 tablespoons each chopped onion and pimiento. Top with cornflake crumbs.

TIP: To double recipe to make 10 to 12 servings, use 1 500g (1-pound) package Macaroni Elbows, 1/2 cup butter, 1/3 cup unsifted flour, 2 teaspoons dry mustard, 2 teaspoons salt, 4 cups milk and 4 cups (1 pound) shredded Cheddar cheese. Proceed as above; combine in large bowl. Turn into greased 3-quart shallow baking dish (13×9-inch) OR 2 1 1/2 litre (1 1/2-quart) shallow baking dishes. Bake 25 to 30 minutes.
Or, casserole can be tightly covered and frozen unbaked. To bake frozen macaroni and cheese, preheat oven to 190°C (375°F). Bake frozen casserole, uncovered, 1 hour and 15 minutes or until bubbly and hot in centre.