Balsamic and Tomato Roast Chicken (or Fish)

Balsamic and Tomato Roast Chicken (or Fish)

3 smallish zucchinis sliced lenthwise into 3 or 4 slices (the recipe actually used eggplant) if you don't like either you could use potato or pumpkin slices.
2 - 3 chicken breasts sliced lengthwise into thinish fillets (vegos could use fish)
1 x 400 can whole peeled tomatoes drained & quartered (or 4-5 fresh tomatoes quartered)
2 tablespoons salted capers, rinsed (didn't have, didn't use)
1/4 cup balsamic vinegar
1 tab olive oil
2 tab brown sugar
1/4 cup whole basil leaves
cracked black pepper

Preheat oven to 200 degrees. Place the zucchinis (or eggplant if preferred) in the bottom of a baking dish and top with chicken fillets. Combine the tomatoes, balsamic, oil and sugar and spread over the chicken. Bake for 20 - 25 minutes or until the chicken is cooked through. Sprinkle with the basil leaves and pepper and serve with a rocket salad.

(I added some of the chopped up basil leaves at the beginning of the cooking time. I served mine with mashed potato & pumpkin and some extra veg. It's a little runny when cooked so you need something to soak up the yummy juices - couscous would probably work well).

Chicken Mexi-in-a-pan

1 teaspoon Mexican chilli powder
2 tespoons dried oregano
1teaspoon ground coriander
2 garlic cloves, crushed
2 tablespoons olive oil
8 chicken drumsticks
1 medium red onion, quartered thinly sliced
1 medium red capicum, chopped or sliced
400g can chopped tomatoes
375g jar medium thick and chunky salsa
400g can red kidney beans, drained and rinsed
2 tablespoons chopped fresh coriander (optional)

Combine chilli powder, oregano, ground coriander, garlic and half the oil in a large bowl, coat chicken pieces. Heat remaining oil in a flameproof baking dish over medium-high heat. Cook chicken, turning for 5 minutes or until browned. Add onion, capsicum and brown also. Add tomato, beans and salsa and enough stock or water to coat chicken. Bake in a moderate oven for 50 minutes. At this point, you can add 1/3 cup of long grain rice and 1 cup of chicken stock. I prefer to cook my rice separately, depends on how much washing up you want to do! When rice is tender and chicken cooked through, stir in chopped coriander and serve (with rice and a mixed salad).

Lemon & Ricotta Pancakes

5 eggs, separated
225g (1 cup) plain/all-purpose flour, sifted
13g (21/2tsp) baking powder
110g (1/2 cup) sugar
pinch of salt
zest of one lemon or orange
235ml (1cup) milk
300g (11/2 cups) ricotta cheese (I use low fat)
olive oil or butter
To serve : maple syrup; yogurt and mixed berries or your choice of fruits

Mix the egg yolks in a small bowl.
Mix the dry ingredients in a large bowl and combine with egg yolks, lemon or orange zest, milk and ricotta cheese.
Beat the egg whites until stiff and gently fold into the batter.
Lightly oil the pan and pour about a ¼ cup of batter onto the heated pan.
Cook until bubbles form.
Flip the pancake and cook the other side until golden.
Serve with warm maple syrup and yogurt and fruit

Spinach and Ricotta Triangles

Ingredients

• 1 bunch English spinach, stalks removed, washed and chopped or 2 packs of baby spinach leaves
  
• tub of low fat ricotta cheese. You can use feta, but this is a stronger and saltier taste.
• 1/2 cup pine nuts, toasted or plain
  
• 2 eggs, lightly beaten
• teaspoon of dill
  
• sheets filo pastry. I use puff pastry sometimes, depending what is in the freezer
• one chopped onion and garlic to taste
• milk for glazing
  
• sesame seeds
  

Method

1. Preheat oven to 180°C. Lightly grease 2 baking trays. Boil water in a saucepan and blanch spinach for 30 seconds or until just wilted. Drain and refresh under cold water. Drain well and squeeze out all the moisture.

2. Fry off the onion and garlic, combine ricotta, nuts, dill, eggs and add to spinach. Season with salt and pepper. Mix well to combine.

3. Place 1 sheet of pastry onto work surface. Cut into triangles.

4. Brush pastry lightly with milk. Place a tablespoon of spinach mixture in middle and fold diagonally, creating a triangle. Brush pastry with milk and sprinkle with sesame seed . Place onto baking tray. Continue with remaining pastry and spinach filling.

5. Bake for 20 to 25 minutes or until golden and crisp. Serve with a salad of your choice

6. *I have seen a recipe where 1 grated apple is added to the mixture. The more adventurous family members might like to try it!
   

Roast Pumpkin & Garlic Risotto Recipe

Serves 6
Approx 1 litre stock of your choice
1 tablespoon butter (Jamie uses more but I've cut it back)
1 tablespoon oil
1 large onion finely chopped
1 stalk celery (don't leave it out)
400 g risotto rice (I use Aborio)
1 wineglass dry white wine (Jamie uses 2)

2 cloves of garlic (or more if you like garlic)
bunch fresh rosemary
1 cup pumpkin cut into smallish pieces

100 g freshly grated Parmesan cheese

1. Place pumpkin pieces, garlic cloves & rosemary into the oven in a little oil and start roasting. You can add some capsicum or other vegies if you like.

Meanwhile
2. Heat the stock in the microwave.

3. Fry the onions & celery in a pan (I use my wok) in the butter and oil on a lowish heat until soft.

4. Add the rice and turn up the heat. The rice will start to fry so keep stirring it. After a minute or so, add the wine and keep stiring. Jamie's recipe uses 2 wineglasses of wine but I don't want a winey taste. He says any harsh flavours will disappear - so add more if you're game.

5. Once the wine has cooked into the rice, add your stock a ladelful at a time. Turn the heat down to a simmer so the rice doesn't cook too quickly on the outside.

6. Keep adding ladelfuls of stock, and continue stirring. It will take about 15 minutes. If you run out of stock you can add some hot water.

7. Add the now roasted and slightly smooshed pumpkin, rosemary and squished-out of the cloves of garlic. Stir. It should still be a little runny and the rice should be slightly al dente in the middle. Check the seasoning and add a little more rosemary if you wish.

8. Remove from heat. Add the Parmesan cheese. Jamie also adds extra butter but not I. Give it a stir, place the lid on and allow it to sit for a minute or two.

Eat.

Thai Red Prawn Curry

Jamie's 30 Minute Meals is a bit popular at the moment. I bought the book and have not really cooked too much out of it, except for a really delicious chocolate mousse, so thought it was time to try one of the meals. The recipe of choice was the Thai Red Prawn Curry. I made the recipe as per the book, but in hindsight would have made a couple of changes. Jamie would have you cook the tiger prawns fully shelled, peeling them at the table, however in reality this was messy and sticky and it's super hard to get that vein out of the back of the prawn once it's cooked. I would actually forgo the prawns altogether and make this a yummy veggie curry. I also didn't have any lemon grass, so I googled a substitute and came up with the below:

6-8 mint leaves
2 tsp lime juice
1/4 tsp sugar
1/4 tsp ginger
(to make the lemongrass substitute, otherwise use 2 sticks of lemongrass)
1 fresh red chilli
2 cloves of garlic
4 kaffir lime leaves
a bunch of fresh corriander
a jar of peppers in oil
1 heaped tsp of tomato paste
1 tbsp fish sauce
2 tbsp soy sauce
1 tsp sesame oil
2cm piece of fresh ginger
200g beans (plus any other veg you want to throw in)
1 x 400g tin coconut milk

Put everything (except for the veg and coconut milk) into a food processor and grind into a curry paste.
Heat a saucepan and throw in the veggies, add the curry paste and let simmer until the veggies are soft. I also didn't have any rice so made Jamie's herbed cous cous (also in the 30 minute meals book) which consisted of 200g cous cous (cooked as per the packet), some mint leaves and the juice of one lime.

Yum!

Check out Jamie's version of the recipe here.

Olive and Basil Muffins

I'm heading to Bali in a few weeks for a wedding and am obviously keen to look as decent as possible in a bikini. I bought the Michelle Bridges Crunch Time Cookbook and have been super happy with almost every recipe I have cooked from it. I made these muffins yesterday when craving some carbs:

Olive and Basil Muffins
1 3/4 cups wholemeal self-raising flour
1/3 cup grated parmesan
220ml skim milk
1 medium egg
1/4 olive oil
50g olives, pitted and chopped
1/4 cup fresh basil

Preheat the oven to 200C and line a 12 hole muffin tin with cases.
Combine the flour and parmesan and in another bowl, combine the milk, egg, oil, olives and basil. Combine wet and dry ingredients and stir until just combined, will still be a bit lumpy.
Bake for 18 mins or until golden. Yummy when eaten warm!

147 calories per muffin, so don't have too many in one go.

Family Favourites

Welcome to the Tried and True Family Favourites blog.

For Christmas last year, our family put together a collection of recipes, our favourite foods that we wanted to share. But we've found that there are plenty more recipes that we've come across since then. This blog is a place for us to add to, alter and amend our original recipe book, as well as experiment with a few new recipes along the way.

To kick things off, and provide a little inspiration, below are a couple of my favourite recipe blogs.

•  Fresh 365 is a great source of veg and non-veg meal options with some really quick and easy recipes. The photos are always beautiful too!
• Lottie and Doof has some seriously decadent desserts. Can you look at their chocolate caramel tart and not salivate?
• Smitten Kitchen is another beautiful food blog with beautiful pictures. They can make even a plain bunch of asparagus look good. I also like the step by step pics.
• 101 Cookbooks is another favourite, I like her series on cooking with natural foods, something I am trying to incorporate into my own cooking.

What are your favourite cooking blogs / sites?

Claire xx