Pick-me-up Pumpkin & Ginger Soup (vegetarian)

It seems like our extended summer in Sydney has finally come to an end.

As I type this I am looking out to my front yard where leaves of many colours and sticks of many sizes are dropping to the ground, covering our lawn and driveway. The wind is strong and cold and it looks like winter might well and truly be here.

I don’t know many who love this season we are about to enter, but dear friends, it’s coming anyway, so we may as well get out our scarves and hats, throw some extra blankets on the beds and start making soup. 

It’s days like these that make me happy to be at home, on the couch holding a mug of this Pumpkin Soup. 

Made in the slow cooker, it’s a little more ‘pumped up’ than your normal pumpkin soup. 

There is a beautiful sweetness from the fennel and apples, and a gentle heat from the ginger and turmeric. A mixture of sweet potato and pumpkin add the rich earthiness that brings it all together.

Turmeric is such a super spice that actually belongs to the ginger family. It is considered to be one of nature’s most powerful anti-inflammatory’s, while also being an anti-oxidant and an infection fighter. 

Including ginger and turmeric in your diet over the winter months will help in keeping your immune system strong.

Weekends are a perfect time to bung these ingredients in the slow cooker, let it bubble away and then you’ll be set up for lunches or dinner the following week. 

Stay warm friends x

Pick-me-up Pumpkin & Ginger Soup (vegetarian)
Serves 5
A slow-cooked soup made from pumpkin, sweet potato, fennel, apple and spices.
Write a review
Print
Prep Time
10 min
Cook Time
5 hr
Total Time
5 hr 10 min
Prep Time
10 min
Cook Time
5 hr
Total Time
5 hr 10 min
Ingredients
  1. 800gm pumpkin, peeled and chopped into large chunks
  2. 400gm sweet potato, peeled and chopped into large chunks
  3. 2 granny smith apples, peeled, cored and roughly chopped
  4. 1 small fennel bulb, white part, chopped into large chunks
  5. 1 teaspoon turmeric
  6. 1 tablespoon peeled and grated fresh ginger
  7. 1 vegetable or chicken stock cube
  8. 5 cups water (or 5 cups of ready made stock)
Instructions
  1. Place all ingredients in the slow cooker, put the lid on and cook for 5 hours, (or on low for 6 or high for 3)
  2. When all the vegetables are soft it is ready.
  3. Allow to cool slightly before pureeing with a stick blender or in batches in a food processor.
  4. Serve on it's own or with greek yoghurt, sour cream or cream fraiche and fennel fronds.
Notes
  1. If you don't own a slow cooker, you can use a large soup pot and gently boil it till all the vegetables are soft.
  2. It will freeze well without the toppings.
  3. It will keep in the fridge, covered for 5 days.
cook fast eat slow https://www.cookfasteatslow.com/

Slow Cooker Massaman Beef

If there is a dish my husband almost always orders when we indulge in Thai takeaway, it is Massaman Beef Curry. 

So that we didn’t only enjoy it on the odd occasion we had takeaway, I gave myself the challenge of finding a good recipe we could make ourselves at home, and ideally, one the boys would eat too.

I have played around with a recipe I found on TASTE.com

IMG_8162

What I was looking for was a recipe that wasn’t too spicy for the kids, that didn’t have a whole lot of palm or brown sugar (most Thai restaurant dishes do), a sauce that wasn’t too runny and a dish that had more veggies than the one you normally get in a Thai Restaurant. Also, a one pot, slow cooker version was essential too!

IMG_8169

Happy to report, this is the winner right here.

Enjoy x

 

 

Slow Cooker Massaman Beef
Serves 6
A mild beef curry, slow cooked, with carrots, potato and cauliflower
Write a review
Print
Prep Time
15 min
Cook Time
5 hr 30 min
Total Time
5 hr 45 min
Prep Time
15 min
Cook Time
5 hr 30 min
Total Time
5 hr 45 min
Ingredients
  1. 1kg gravy beef, fat trimmed, kept in large pieces (the meat stays more moist like this)
  2. 1 brown onion, peeled, thinly sliced
  3. 2 garlic cloves, crushed
  4. 1 cinnamon stick
  5. 6 cardamon pods, (bruised with the back of a knife to open up)
  6. 1/4 cup massaman curry paste
  7. 2 kaffir lime leaves
  8. 400ml can coconut cream
  9. 1/4 cup fish sauce
  10. 2 large carrots, roughly chopped
  11. 1/2 head of cauliflower, roughly chopped
  12. 1 medium sweet potato, peeled and roughly chopped (this will go all mushy, thickening and flavouring the sauce)
  13. 3 medium potatoes, peeled and roughly chopped
  14. juice of 1 lime
  15. fresh coriander and chopped cashews or peanuts to serve
Instructions
  1. Place all ingredients, except lime juice, in the slow cooker.
  2. Cook for 5 hours. If using a low setting, cook for about 7.
  3. Remove the lid and cook for another 30 minutes. This will thicken and reduce the sauce.
  4. Remove the cinnamon stick and cardamon pods.
  5. Stir through the lime juice.
  6. Using a fork, roughly shred the beef into smaller pieces if you wish.
  7. Serve with Basmati rice, coriander and nuts.
Notes
  1. This dish freezes really well. Just leave the coriander and nuts out before you freeze.
  2. This is a very mild, kid friendly, version of a traditional Massaman curry. Add more curry paste if you would like it more spicy.
Adapted from TASTE.com
Adapted from TASTE.com
cook fast eat slow https://www.cookfasteatslow.com/

Champagne Risotto with Asparagus and Snow Peas (vegetarian)

It’s Valentine’s Day on Sunday.

If you rolled your eyes as you read that, this post is for you my friend.

I know, another commercial day where we are forced to buy over priced flowers BLAH BLAH BLAH…..I’ve heard it all before.

I’m just going to jump out on a limb and state an observation from among my fellow middle-age, too weary and too busy friends who are raising kids right now.

No-one I know is suffering from TOO MUCH ROMANCE.

It’s been a while since a girlfriend has complained to me over coffee that her husband is JUST ALWAYS BUYING FLOWERS and holding her hand while they watch TV and enough already!

It’s rare that I hear my peers whingeing about TOO MUCH TIME TOGETHER, talking and dreaming over a meal and candles.

I could count on one hand the people I know who are getting this right and balancing home/parent/work life with a side of romance and spontaneity thrown in.

Back to Valentine’s Day.

Half the hard work has been done for you my friend.  The day is set aside. It even falls on a weekend this time! Flowers and cards and small gift ideas are available every where you look. It’s going to be hard NOT to pick up a card and your partners favourite chocolate. Not that I recommend service station flowers, but if that is your only option…JUST DO SOMETHING.

It doesn’t have to be big or expensive or flashy.

And those little cherubs you are so busy trying to raise right?

They’re watching and listening…..ALL THE TIME. Every short word, eye roll, huff and puff and tense discussion, they don’t miss any of it.

So let’s change it up a little and show them that even THEIR mum and dad still actually love each other and it’s a good idea to make a fuss about the other person every now and then.

IMG_7979

This Champagne Risotto is not a mid-week meal. You are not supposed to make this while juggling tantrums, baths and homework.

This one is designed to be made after the kids are in bed, or are otherwise preoccupied.

Start with opening the champagne and pouring yourself and your partner a glass. Light a candle, turn on Norah Jones and if you are cooking, make sure there is a stool or chair nearby for your partner to sit and chat while you stir.

It’s not hard, it just takes a little patience. A bit like a good relationship really. And the results are worth it. It tastes just beautiful, especially with a glass of your favourite wine and sitting beside your favourite person.

The original recipe is from delicious. cookbook Simply the Best by Valli Little.

IMG_7968

 

 

 

 

 

Champagne Risotto with Asparagus and Snow Peas (vegetarian)

  • Prep Time: 5m
  • Cook Time: 30m
  • Total Time: 35m

Ingredients

  • 30 grams unsalted butter
  • 1 tablespoon olive oil
  • 1 leek, trimmed, washed and finely chopped
  • 2 garlic cloves, finely chopped
  • 300 grams arborio rice (approx 1 cup)
  • 1 cup Champagne (or white wine)
  • 1 liter (4 cups) chicken or vegetable stock, heated
  • 1 bunch asparagus, woody ends chopped off, then chopped into small pieces
  • a handful of snow peas, top and tailed and finely chopped
  • 1/3 cup parmesan cheese, finely grated, plus extra to serve
  • 2 tablespoons mascarpone
  • 2 tablespoons finely chopped parsley to serve

Method

  1. Melt the butter in a large frying pan over a low heat.
  2. Add the leek and cook gently until soft.
  3. Add garlic and cook further for 1 minute.
  4. Add rice and stir to coat the grains.
  5. Increase the heat to medium and add the Champagne, then simmer for 1-2 minutes till almost all the liquid has evaporated.
  6. Stir in the stock one ladleful at a time, allowing each to be absorbed before adding the next. This will take about 20-30 minutes. Test that the rice is cooked, it should have a slight bite, but not be chalky.
  7. Towards the end, stir through the asparagus and snow peas and allow them to soften slightly.
  8. Stir through the parmesan and mascarpone.
  9. Serve sprinkled with finely chopped parsley and more parmesan cheese and ground pepper.

 

 

Slow Cooked Chicken Chasseur

It’s around this time of year I start having a re-occuring daydream.

It has a beach and a book in it.

And not much else.

Actually, there’s a box of mangoes, lots of coffee and cheese.

Okay, so my boys can be in the day dream too. All 4 of them. Just quietly playing in the sand nearby and frolicking happily in the water.

Can you picture it?

Yep…..I am running out of steam. With a month of the school year left, like most families I know, we are limping to the finish line.

Mornings are getting harder. Lots of cranky tiredness going on. And that’s just the parents 🙂

Evenings, well.. let’s just leave that well alone. Set tables and nutritionally balanced meal plans are slowly being replaced with “Who wants a toasted cheese sandwich with a side of carrot?”

We are all slowing down and dreaming of long days of nothing…after we get through Christmas of course!

Oh Christmas! That’s a WHOLE other conversation. I love you so much and yet…(if you want to read a conversation I had with myself about Christmas, click here.)

This slowing down and ‘slightly losing it’ feeling comes at this time every year.

In this house, we are all in need of BUCKET LOADS of GRACE and PATIENCE for each other and ourselves.

I am great at telling my kids to go easy on themselves and each other and to accept that they are tired as the end of year approaches. A bit of compassion and graciousness can go a long way in taking the edge off an over-tired and over-stretched family.

I am not however, as good at preaching that to myself as I try and keep the balls in the air for myself and those around me.

A familiar tale for lots of mums I think.

This brings me to my confession.

Feeling a little full and worn out recently, I found myself sitting outside my gym, first thing in the morning, ready for my work out. My normal routine a few mornings a week for the last few years.

Except this day I didn’t get out of the car. I just sat there.

And then I drove to the movies. And bought one ticket to a movie at 10AM on a school day.

Who does that?

I sat in the empty theatre, in my gym gear, and got lost in BURNT, the current foodie/chef movie starring Bradley Cooper. I loved it.

Feeling guilty, I confessed all to the stranger in the ticket line in front of me. A lovely older lady, with kindness in her eyes, said “I have raised 3 boys. You know the boys and your home, and everything else will be there, when you get back from the movie. Right now, enjoy a quiet moment to yourself.”

I could have hugged that woman.

So I got lost in the story for 2 hours and then I went home and got straight back into ALL THAT NEEDED TO BE DONE.

Yep, just like the older, wiser woman had said, it was all still there.

This recipe came about on a day when I had defrosted chicken thigh fillets for another, more fancy purpose, before LIFE got in the way.

I found myself throwing the chicken in the slow cooker with all of the above ingredients and much to my families joy, it tasted pretty good.

As I was eating it that night, the flavour reminded me of a yummy Chicken Chasseur Pie I used to buy a long time ago when I worked in the city.

Chassuer, is a french word that refers to any type of game meat being cooked with tomatoes and white wine, and often mushrooms and other herbs. When you make this for your family or for friends, you can explain this meaning to them, as you pronounce it with your best french accent. I am sure they will be very impressed indeed!

Another french cooking word to add to your vocabulary, is a bouquet-garni. Meaning ‘garnished-bouquet’, it is a bundle of herbs and often a bay leaf tied together with kitchen string and placed in soups or stews or casseroles to flavour the dish. You can either make your own if you have herbs in your garden, or you can buy them already made in packets in the supermarket.

IMG_7302

 

 

 

 

 

Slow Cooked Chicken Chasseur

  • Prep Time: 10m
  • Cook Time: 4h
  • Total Time: 4h 10m

Ingredients

  • 1 kilogram chicken thigh fillets, halved
  • 450 grams tin diced tomates
  • 3/4 cup white wine
  • 2 tablespoons tomato paste
  • 1 cup button mushrooms, washed and chopped
  • 1 red capsicum, de-seeded and roughly chopped
  • 1 bouquet garni (a bay leaf, some thyme and rosemary sprigs tied together with kitchen string)
  • 2 cloves garlic, crushed
  • chopped fresh parsley to serve
  • a mixture of green vegetables to serve
  • loaf of sourdough bread to serve

Method

  1. Place all ingredients in the slow cooker and cook for 4 hours, removing the lid towards the end of cooking time to thicken the sauce slightly.
  2. Garnish with chopped parsley and serve with steamed green vegetables and a loaf of sourdough bread.

 

Slow Cooker Honey Soy Chicken

I think I have said before how much I love any recipe that uses a whole chicken. They are inexpensive to buy and there is often more than one meal’s worth of meat, depending on the size of your family of course.

I almost always have a whole chicken in the freezer, and with a recipe like this, using staples found in most pantries, you have an easy and tasty family meal.

This is currently one of our favourite meals.  As the boys walk in the door from school they will smell it cooking and say ‘YES, we are having Honey Soy Chicken!’ It’s always a bonus when they look forward to dinner.

Ingredients

1 whole chicken (remove some skin if you wish, rinse the inside cavity with water, drain and pat the outside dry)

1/2 cup soy sauce

1/4 cup honey

1 tablespoon balsamic vinegar

2 tablespoons olive oil

1 teaspoon sesame oil

1 teaspoon Worcestershire sauce

juice of 1/2 lemon

Basmati rice and green vegetables to serve (I use bok choy, broccolini, snow peas and beans)

Method

Place the chicken in the slow cooker.

Pour over all the other ingredients.

Cook for 3 hours on high or 6 on low.

Remove the chicken and pull apart into pieces.

Place on a platter and cover with sauce.

Serve with steamed basmati rice and asian greens.