The little things

Yesterday afternoon, Chris decided that we should have a bit of a "date night" at home. Wine, three course meal, and each other. Absolute bliss.

We had a wonderful night, spent cooking, laughing, eating delicious food, drinking wine, and enjoying each others company. I am so grateful to have someone who enjoys these little things as much as I do.

Our three course menu consisted of grilled vegetables and tahini dressing for starters, homemade spinach pasta and slow cooked meatballs for the main, and orange poached pears for dessert (I'll post a recipe for this one soon!).

And we ended the night with a board game - Game of Life anyone? Simpsons themed! Haha.

It's amazing how such a simple night at home can be such a meaningful thing in our relationship. Even living with someone doesn't necessarily mean that all the time you spend together is quality - sometimes it worth putting in that little bit extra effort to make something special.

Thank you for letting me share these little snapshots of my night with you. And sorry for the quality of the photos - I'm stuck with a mere iphone camera for the time being!

Reanna.

Miso Soup

As a child I hated soup. Passionately. I was already in the running for being one the fussiest children in the world in regards to eating, but soup was one of those dishes that I flat out refused to eat. Looking back now, I suspect this was due to my experience of soup being limited to your standard tomato or pumpkin soups (I'm still not much of a fan of either). Chris, on the other hand, loves soup, and was certainly not willing to give it up when we moved out of home. With a bit of encouragement, I will now happily indulge in most soups presented to me. I'm glad I do, it's the perfect winter meal!

Miso soup was something quite different. Miso paste? Tofu? Such things had never been seen in the refrigerator when I lived at home. After a friend dished up a basic version to us a few months back, Chris and I were inspired to try our hand at making it. Courtesy to one of our favourite cookbooks, this has become one of those dishes that regularly appears on our dinner table.

Miso Soup (Serves 4)

Adapted from Janella's Wholefood Kitchen.

Ingredients:

1 leek, white part only, sliced

1 tbsp olive oil

1 tbsp fresh ginger, grated

1 garlic clove, crushed

1 tbsp coriander stems, chopped

2 cups chopped/julienned vegetables (carrots, broccoli, beans, peas, etc)

2 cups filtered water

1 litre vegetable stock

4 shiitake mushrooms, sliced (I usually omit these, as I have trouble finding them)

180g buckwheat soba noodles

1 tbsp tamari/soy sauce

1 tsp sesame oil

1/4 cup miso paste (I use white miso)

200g silken tofu, sliced

2 spring onions, thinly sliced

1 cup coriander leaves

nori, cut into thin strips (optional)

Heat the oil in a large saucepan over medium heat, and sauté the leek. Stir through the ginger, garlic and coriander stems and sauté until soft. Add the chopped vegetables and stir to coat, then add the water, vegetable stock and mushrooms. Simmer for seven minutes, or until the vegetables are tender. Add the noodles - the variety I use don't take very long to cook, but if you use a thicker noodle you may need to add it earlier. Reduce the heat slightly, and stir in the tamari and sesame oil. Finally, add the miso paste and stir until dissolved, then turn off the heat. Try not to let it boil, as this apparently kills the live enzymes in the miso.

To serve, ladle into four bowls, add the tofu and garnish with spring onions, coriander leaves and nori. Delicious!

Minus the nori sheets this time...

I have grown to love Asian food, particularly anything with sesame oil - it just smells amazing! What are your thoughts on miso soup? What's your favourite soup recipe? 

--

Reanna

Quinoa Risotto with Prawns & Tomatoes

Quinoa seems to be one of these ever popular "super foods" that have come into the spotlight in recent times. Or maybe that's just me being slow on the uptake. Either way, I quite adore quinoa, and love it's versatility. At home we have used it as a replacement for rice/pasta, in salads, in burgers, and I am eager to try a recipe I've seen for quinoa sushi. 

I came across a recipe for quinoa risotto in a magazine, and found it again online. You can view the original recipe here. I've stuck to the recipe for the most part, but added a few extra vegetables. 

Quinoa Risotto with Prawns & Tomatoes (Serves 4)

Ingredients:

250g punnet of cherry tomatoes, halved

1/4 cup olive oil

1 tsp caster sugar

1 onion, finely chopped

2 garlic cloves, finely chopped

1 long red chilli, finely chopped

1 1/2 cups quinoa

1 tbs tomato paste

1/3 cup white wine

2 1/2 cups chicken stock

1-2 cups diced mixed vegetables

20 or so cooked prawns, peeled

dried or fresh oregano

Preheat the oven to 160°C., and place the tomatoes (cut side up) on a baking tray. Drizzle 1 tbsp of the olive oil over the top, and sprinkle over the sugar and some salt. Place in the oven and cook for about 25 minutes, or until soft.

In a large saucepan, heat the remaining olive oil over medium-low heat. Add the onion, and cook for a few minutes, stirring constantly until soft. Add the garlic and chilli, and cook for another few minutes. Add the quinoa, and stir to coat the grains, then add the tomato paste and wine. Simmer for a minute until the wine is evaporated.

I used tricolour quinoa (a mix of white, red and black) as that was just what I happened to have in the cupboard. It makes it so much more colourful and fun!

Add the stock and bring to a simmer. Cook, stirring occasionally, for 20 minutes or until the quinoa is tender. Add the vegetables a few minutes before the quinoa has completely absorbed the quinoa and allow to soften. Stir through the prawns and cook, then finally add the tomatoes and oregano. 

The addition of the mixed vegetables to the tricolour quinoa made for a very colourful risotto!

Remove from the heat, season and serve!

I love this healthy twist on a traditional risotto. I've made it quite a few times at home now, and it's always turned out well. Quinoa is also great to cook with - do you have any quinoa recipes you love?

--

Reanna

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