Tuesday, August 9, 2011

Marinades & Sauces


· Honey Lemon Mustard Marinade 2 tbls of honey & 1 tbls of wholegrain mustard, Juice of 1 lemon – combine all of the ingredients delicious with chicken, saussies or grilled veggie skewer

· Sweet Chilli, Coriander, Lime, Marinade or Sauce…. 4 tbls sweet chilli sauce, 1 handful of coriander chopped, 2 limes juiced – combine all the ingredients great with Salmon, Prawns, or Chicken

· Marinade straight from your fridge/cupboard..

  • Curry pastes mixed with natural yoghurt
-rub straight onto meat joints & chill for a couple of hours or overnight.
  • Curry paste combined with teriyaki or sauce sauce
-rub straight onto meat joints & chill for a couple of hours or overnight.

Honey, soy sauce & lemon juice

Red currant jellies, Mint Jellies mix with a little hot water to dissolve and then combine with extra garlic & fresh herbs..

Soy, sweet chilli sauce, garlic & fresh herbs

Yoghurt Sauces & Chutneys

– we use An Organic Natural Yoghurt as it produces a more flavoursome creamy sauce or chutney however you can also use Greek Yoghurt..

· Saffron yoghurt – small pinch of saffron strands, 3tbs of hot water, 4 tbsp Organic Natural Yoghurt, 1 garlic clove crushed 2 tbsp of lemon juice 1 tbsp olive oil – infuse the saffron in hot water for 5 mins, place all of the other ingredients into a bowl and pour the infusion into bowl, whisk well to get a smooth golden sauce. Chill.

· Lime yoghurt - 4 tbsp of Organic Natural Yoghurt, 2 tbsp of finely chopped coriander, grated zest of 1 lime, 1 tbsp of extra virgin olive oil – pop all the ingredients into a bowl whisk well, taste you want a vibrant, tart, citrusy flavour so add more lime juice & coriander if required – chill

· Middle Eastern Chutney – 4 tbsp Organic Natural Yoghurt, 1 tbsp finely chopped coriander, 1 tbsp of chopped mint, 1 teasp of cumin, 1 clove of finely chopped garlic. Combine all of the ingredients and chill..

· Tomato & Coriander Salsa – 6 chopped Roma tomatoes, 1 tbsp of ex virgin olive oil, 1 handful of chopped coriander - combine all of the ingredients together & Chill

· Sweet Basil, Roast Pepper & Garlic Salsa

3 Roast peppers finely chopped, 1 Garlic clove finely chopped, 1 handful of fresh basil, 1 tbsp of ex virgin olive oil – combine all of the ingredients together & chill

Chicken Kofta wraps with yoghurt chutney

2 cloves of garlic bashed

4 Chicken breasts

3 tbs mild curry paste

Meanwhile make your chutney......

Yummy… Yoghurt chutney

8 tablespoons of organic natural yoghurt

1 small red chilli chopped finely

2 tablespoons fresh mint chopped

1 tablespoon of coriander chopped

Combine all of these ingredients to form yummy chutney…

Now all you need is a bowl of mixed salad leaves & your bbq..

Place the skewers on the bbq and cook for about 10 mins turning occasionally until evenly browned …when cooked heat your wraps for about 10 secs each side on the bbq.

To serve push the kofta off the skewer into the wrap with some leaves and a tablespoon of the chutney and fold to make and edible parcel…..

Middle Eastern Veggie Skewers

1 red pepper

1 yellow pepper

10 mushrooms

1 aubergine

1 courgette

3 tbls of olive oil

1 tbls of cumin

½ tbls of chilli flakes


1. Chop the peppers into bite sized pieces

2. Slice the Courgette & Aubergine into bite sized thick pieces

3. Cut the mushrooms in half

4. Skewer the veggies creating colour and variety

5. Combine the olive oil with the cumin & chilli

6. Brush the veggies skewers with the olive oil mix & pop onto the bbq for about 12 mins.

Thursday, August 4, 2011

Cooking with kids

The kids are home for the holidays ... so if you find yourself running out of outdoor options or the weather is not so good why not get the kids involved in making some delicious treats …. Let’s Get Cooking!


Simple tasty food that they will love to eat.....

Saussie Kebabs with Fresh Pineapple

Oven Baked Chicken Wings

Make a pizza dough or buy some ready made pizza bases

Pop toppings into little bowls and get the kids making their own variations

Iced Lollipops with blueberries

Granny Donelli’s Holiday Bun mixture


Saussie Kebabs with fresh pineapple

These kebabs are so quick and easy to assemble, and make a tasty meal for kids. Serve with a salad and chargrilled chunks of corn on the cob.

Makes: 10 kebabs

Ingredients

30 cocktail saussies

1 medium sized pineapple

3 tbls of honey

1 tbls of olive oil


Method

Blend the honey & olive oil in a shallow dish and add the sausages, turning to coat well. Cover with clingfilm and place in the fridge to marinate (leave for at least 15 minutes or up to 1 hour).

Preheat the barbecue or grill to its highest setting. If using wooden skewers, soak 10 in cold water for 30 minutes, to prevent them from burning.

Thread 3 sausages onto each skewer, alternating with the pineapple pieces. Cook for 15-20 minutes, turning regularly and basting with any remaining marinade.

Serve the kebabs with a mixed salad and chargrilled corn on the cob chunks.

Cook's tips

Add some chunks of yellow and red pepper to the sausages, to make larger kebabs for adults. Use the same marinade recipe, but substitute the sausages with some chicken breast pieces.


Fruity Ice Pops With Fresh Blueberries

Kids love ice pops and even better love to make them… You could also have a little competition with them guessing how long they will take to freeze…. These are so easy to make how about and are made with fresh blueberries that are full of vitamin C.

Makes: 12 50ml ice pops

Ingredients

200g blueberries
100g caster sugar

75ml of water
Grated zest and juice of 1 lemon

Method

Place the blueberries, sugar, lemon zest and juice in a pan with 75ml water.

Heat gently, stirring until the sugar dissolves, then bring to the boil.

Simmer gently for 5 minutes then allow to cool.

Purée the mixture with a hand-held electric blender until smooth (or tip into a blender to liquidise).

Stir in an extra 300ml cold water from fridge. Tip the mixture into a jug then pour into ice pop moulds and freeze for at least 4 hours, until solid.

You could also use any other berries or mixture of berries using the same method and measurements... How much fun is that!!


Granny Donellis Holiday Bun Mixture

8 oz butter 8 dessertspoons of caster sugar

3 eggs 1 cup of milk

12 dessert spoons of sifted self raising flour

1. Melt the butter over heat in a saucepan

2. Take off the heat – add the sugar and stir until well combined 3 mins

3. Beat the eggs with the milk

4. Pop in gradually to the mixture stirring for another 3 minutes

5. Mix in the flour stirring to a smoothish batter

6. Pop into cake cases into a preheated oven @ 200 for 15 to 20 mins.