Mediterranean Chickpea Stew

I'll be honest, this was one of those meals where I literally just through in whatever happened to be lying around the kitchen. I had no idea what I felt like, what I could be bothered cooking, or what was even in the fridge. Plus, I am home alone all this week, so I couldn't even pester Chris for inspiration! But it turned out to not only be edible, but delicious! It can easily be tweaked to suit whatever is floating around your fridge too.

Mediterranean Chickpea Stew

(serves 2)

Ingredients:

1/2 a brown onion, finely diced

a clove of garlic, crushed

1 tomato, finely chopped

1 cup water

2 cups diced mixed vegetables

400g can of chickpeas, drained and rinsed

1tbsp tomato paste

1 tbsp mustard (I used wholegrain)

1-2 tbsp grated coconut palm sugar

1 tsp dried mixed herbs

salt and pepper

feta and olives, to serve

In a large saucepan, heat some oil over medium heat, before adding the onion and garlic. Allow to cook for 1 minute, or until soft. Add the chopped tomato, and cook for another minute. Pour in the water (or stock, I had conveniently ran out!), vegetables and chickpeas. Stir together, and allow to simmer for 5-10 minutes until the vegetables begin to soften. More water may need to be added if the stew becomes to dry.

Add the tomato pasta, mustard, palm sugar (adjust to taste depending on how sweet you want the stew to be) and mixed herbs. Season with salt and pepper, and stir well to combine. Allow to cook for a further 5 minutes.

To serve, ladle into bowls, top with crumbled feta and diced olives. A nice crusty slice of bread would probably go down rather nicely as well.

And there you have it! Quick, easy, cheap, and relatively tasty! I served my soup up with some of mum's amazing homemade gluten free bread. 

Enjoy!

Reanna.

Quick & Easy Vegetarian Dumplings

With uni drawing to an end, Chris and I have found ourselves spending more time around the house. As boring as this can get, this does give us the luxury of cooking lunch at home. No more last minute home-made salads, or a cheap meal at Union House. This does, however, leave us with the dilemma of what to cook.

The other day, we had a hankering for dumplings. Though not as absolutely delicious as your average Chinatown dumpling, these guys are still tasty. Plus, you know what is in them (cats? Or is that the joke for dim sims?).

Quick & Easy Vegetarian Dumplings 

(makes approximately 12)

Ingredients:

12 wonton wrappers

2 cups finely chopped silverbeet/spinach/kale/anything leafy and green

1 carrot, grated

1 tsp sesame oil

1 tbs soy sauce

1 clove garlic, crushed

1/2 tsp ground ginger

Prepare the vegetables, and heat the sesame in a frying pan over medium heat. Toss in the chopped vegetables and cook for a few minutes until they begin to soften. Add the soy sauce, garlic and ginger. Cook for a few more minutes, until the vegetables are soft and the silverbeet has cooked down. Remove from the frying pan and allow to cool slightly.

Separate the wonton wrappers (no easy feat, I know) and line up on a flat, clean surface. Brush lightly with water, ensuring the edges are wet. Place a heaped teaspoon of the vegetable mixture in the centre of the wrapper. Pull opposing edges together and press together tightly to ensure they stick.

Once all your dumplings are prepared, they are ready to cook! They can by fried, steamed or boiled. I steamed mine, and served them up with a quick Asian dipping sauce.

Delicious. The recipe is so basic, that it can easily be tweaked to suit what vegetables you have available, and adjust the flavouring to suit!

Reanna.

Apple & Raisin Muffins (Low-Gluten)

I am almost free of exams! This morning I survived my three hour Psychology exam (I'll be honest, it doesn't really take three hours), I have just submitted another assignment, and I have one essay to work on over the next week! However, procrastination got the better of me the other day. So procrasti-bake I did.

After meandering through a few gluten-free muffin recipes, I finally came across one that suited the ingredients I had on hand. With a bit of tweaking (I am slowly starting to get the hang of low-gluten cooking!), I managed to whip up these little muffins, which are perfect for a quick snack. Chris and I both devoured one about 30 seconds after they came out of the oven. Who can resist freshly baked goods?

Apple & Raisin Muffins (Low-Gluten)

(loosely adapted from here)

Ingredients:

100g butter/oil of your choice 

1 egg

180g milk

150g gluten-free plain flour

100g oats (these can be replaced with flour to make the recipe completely gluten free)

2 tsp baking powder

1/2-1 tsp agar-agar powder (or xanatham gum)

50g palm sugar

1 tsp cinnamon

1 apple, grated

1/4 sultanas

Preheat the oven to 200 degrees celsius, and line a 12-mufffin tray.

If using butter or coconut oil, melt before combining with the milk and egg. Set aside, and combine the flour, oats, baking powder, agar agar, sugar and cinnamon in a large bowl. Pour in the wet ingredients and mix until well combined. Fold in the apple and sultanas. Feel free to taste the mixture and adjust sweetness if needed (I am forever eating batter out of the bowl haha!)

Spoon the mixture - about 1/4 cup quantities - into the muffin try, and pop in the oven for approximately 15 minutes.

Enjoy! 

I was surprised at how soft these muffins were, considering some of the experience I have had with gluten free recipes.

In other news, Pip's blogging course has started, so look out for some changes around here!

Reanna.

Whole Wheat Bagels

I've never even had a bagel, let alone baked one. So when Chris suggested that we should try make our own bagels this week I was a bit nervous. Bread isn't really my forte (I think I've made an okay foccacia a couple of time), plus how can I cook something I've never even had? But, I endeavoured to try anyway! I came across a relatively simple recipe, and tweaked it by replacing white flour for wholemeal, sugar for honey, and reduced the quantities. And you know what? They actually worked!

Whole Wheat Bagels

(Makes 4 small bagels)

Adapted from A Beautiful Mess

Ingredients:

3/4 cup warm water

1/2 tbsp honey

1 tsp dry active yeast

1 3/4 cups wholemeal plain flour

Salt

1 egg

Seeds for top

In a small ball combine the water and honey, until the honey has dissolved. Pour in the yeast, and allow to stand for 6 or so minutes, until it has activated. In a larger bowl, combine the flour and salt. Add the yeast mixture, and stir. This mixture will be quite crumbly. Pour the dough onto a floured bench and knead for 5-10 minutes, until the dough starts to come together and is slightly elastic (I had a bit of trouble with this step, and my dough didn't come together as easily as I had hoped. This is probably due to my choice to use wholemeal instead of white flour, so I added a little extra water).

Place the dough in a lightly oiled bowl, cover with glad-wrap and allow to rise in a warm place for about one hour.

Preheat the oven to 210 degrees celsius. Remove the dough from the bowl and divide into four portions, rolling each into a ball. Poke a hole in the middle of each with your finger, and flatten slightly.  Place on a lined baking tray, and allow to stand for 5 or so minutes while you get a large pot of water boiling. Once the water has boiled, pop in your bagels (in batches if necessary) and cook for 30 seconds to a minute on both sides. Remove from the water and transfer back to the baking tray.
Chris commented that they looked like brains after being boiled...

Once they have all been boiled, crack the egg into a bowl - adding a bit of water - to create an egg wash. Lightly brush all the bagels, then sprinkle some seeds on top. I used sesame and black chia seeds. Place them in the oven and cook for 20 minutes.

We enjoyed ours fresh and warm, with roast pork from the deli, grilled veggies and some homemade apple sauce that Chris whipped up. I was pleasantly surprised how well they worked out! Not that I really had much to compare them too, but we ended up demolishing the whole lot. Nothing quite beats fresh bread, does it?

Cooked anything new lately? Have you cooked bagels before?

Reanna.

Mini Baked Apple Tarts

One night last week I found myself with minimal study to do (what is this?), so I was quite bored. Chris quickly picked up on this, and suggested I make something for dessert. I was happy to oblige, but it took me ages to find something that I could make that a) was remotely healthy and b) utilised the minimal amount of ingredients in our pantry. I cast my eye of heaps of vegan desserts (I'm not vegan, but most of these tend to be healthier recipes), but most of them contained nuts! Which I didn't have. I was about to give up hope, when I came across a few recipes for tart bases that didn't involve two hours of preparation and half a kilo of butter.

Here's what I came up with based upon my limited resources!

Mini Baked Apple Tarts

(makes 4-5)

Ingredients:

Tart base: (based off this recipe)

1 cup wholemeal flour

1/2 cup oats (plus extra for topping)

pinch of salt

3 tbsp butter

1/4 cup olive oil

1/4 cup natural yoghurt

Apple filling:

2 apples, diced

1/4 cup water

1 tsp (or more, depending on how sweet you like it) sugar

sprinkle of cinnamon

Preheat the oven to 180 degrees celcius, and line 4-5 holes in a muffin tray (I used a Texas size muffin tray).
Place all the dry tart base ingredients in a food processor and pulse briefly until combined. Add the butter a tablespoon at a time until incorporated, before adding the olive oil and yoghurt. The mixture should be rather crumbly, and there is no need to roll it out! Divide the mixture among the lined muffin holes (I'm sure there is a more professional term for them than that haha, excuse my ignorance!) and push down firmly with your fingers.
Cover the bases with tin foil and fill with beans, rice or pie weights. Pop in the oven and bake for 10 or so minutes.
While the bases are cooking, it's time to prepare the filling. Simply place all the ingredients in a pot, bring to the boil, before reducing to a simmer for about 10 minutes, or until the apples are soft and the liquid has been reduced. Drain any remaining liquid (this can be retained to pour over the top as a bit of syrup when serving).
Remove the bases from the oven, and take out the tin foil and weights. Pour the mixture into the bases and sprinkle with the extra oats. Pop the tarts back in the oven for a further 10 minutes, or until the oats are browned.
I served mine with a dollop of natural yoghurt on top, and the syrup I retained from the apples.
Enjoy!

This recipe is very basic, and can easily be tweaked to satisfy your own needs!
Reanna.

Cacao, Coconut & Oat Biscuits

Coconut seems to be popping up in quite a few of my recipes lately. But I just can't seem to resist throwing in a handful every time I bake something. I even have it sprinkled on my breakfast in the morning! 

On the weekend I was lucky enough to be gifted with a huuuuge bag of raw cacao powder from my generous mum. I ran out awhile ago and never got around to tracking down some more. Now I'm on the look out for recipes to use it all up! I whipped these biscuits up the other morning instead of doing more productive things, like studying. But hey, sometimes you just feel like baking damn cookies.

Cacao, Coconut & Oat Biscuits 

(Makes about 18)

Ingredients

1 cup rolled oats

3/4 cup flour (I used wholemeal)

1 tbs honey (or any sweetener you like. These biscuits aren't overly sweet, so you can also up the quantity if you so desire)

2 tbs olive oil

1/2 cup milk

1 tsp baking soda

1/4 cup shredded coconut, plus extra.

1 heaped tbs raw cacao powder

Preheat the oven to 180 degrees celsius. Throw all the ingredients into a bowl, and combine (it's that simple). Spoon into small balls on a lined baking tray, and flatten slightly. Sprinkle the extra coconut on top, and pop them in the oven for about 15 minutes, or until cooked.

Enjoy!

These biscuits are nothing special, but they are the perfect little snack to take along to uni with me!

And thanks to everyone who dropped by my blog yesterday through Meet Me At Mikes Sunday Blog Share. It was fun to explore some new blogs and hear from some lovely people.

Reanna.

Orange Poached Pears

A couple of months ago I shared a post about a lovely homemade date night. We cooked up pasta, drank good wine, chatted about anything and everything, and indulged in dessert.

Dessert. As a child, dessert was the best thing in the entire universe. Chocolate pudding. Ice cream. Cake. Anything containing multitudes of sugar and chocolate.

But then a couple of years ago I changed my attitude towards eating.

Dessert became something I trained myself off eating, except on special occasions. Even now, it's not something I have that often. As I've become more relaxed and familiar with this whole 'healthy eating' thing, I've allowed myself to explore healthy dessert options, and there are so many! It turns out you don't need sugar and cream to make a fantastically delicious treat.

So today I'm here to share a quick, simple and surprisingly delicious dessert that featured in our date night.

Orange Poached Pears 

(Serves 2)

Ingredients:

2 pears

Juice of one orange

Sultanas/raisins

Orange liqueur (optional)

Natural yoghurt and mint, to serve

Slice the pears in half, and remove the stem and seeds. You can peel the pears if you prefer, but I didn't bother. In a medium sized saucepan, placed the pears cut side down and pour the orange juice and a handful of sultanas over the top (and a splash of the liqueur if using), cover, and bring to a simmer. Cook gently for about 10 minutes, turning the pears over halfway and spooning some of the juice over them.

Remove the pears from the heat and place on plate. Spoon the remaining juice and sultanas over the top. Serve with a spoonful of natural yoghurt and a sprig of mint. Enjoy!

Reanna.

Apricot & Coconut Bliss Balls

With uni back in my life, I am constantly on the look out for quick, healthy and - above all - delicious snacks to take along with me. My contact hours are slightly longer this semester, so all the more need! After scrolling around online I came across this delicious sounding recipe on a lovely blog I discovered, as well as numerous other dried fruit snacks - but they all contained nuts. Which I did not have in my pantry. And whenever I do, they last about 30 seconds before I eat them all anyway. 

Eventually, I discovered a recipe without nuts, but I ended up modifying it anyway. And it actually turned out alright!

Apricot & Coconut Bliss Balls
(Adapted from this recipe)

Makes about 20 balls

Ingredients:

3/4 cup dried apricots

1/2 cup water

1 cup oats

1/2 cup shredded/desiccated coconut

1/4 cup sultanas

1 tbsp chia seeds

Extra coconut, for rolling 

Place the dried apricots and water in a saucepan and bring to the boil. Reduce the heat, cover and simmer for around 10 minutes until the apricots are soft. Remove from the heat and allow to cool. 

Once the apricots have cooled slightly, place them (and the liquid they cooked in) and the remaining ingredients in a food processor. Pulse for several minutes, until the mixture combines together to form a sort of dough. 

Roll into balls of your desired size, coat them in the extra coconut, and refrigerate. Or just eat straight away! 

I absolutely love dried apricots, which is why we barely buy them. They get demolished at our place!

I have a feeling these won't last long either. 

Enjoy!

Reanna. 

Peanut Butter

I absolutely love peanut butter. Besides tasting great, I recently read that it helps keep you feel fuller for longer, preventing you from snacking on less desirable foods. In my efforts to source out healthier alternatives for some old favourites, I purchased a jar of natural peanut butter from a local farmers market. It was absolutely delicious, but at twice the price of your store bought variety, I was reluctant to buy it again.

Then I realised, peanut butter is just peanuts (duh). Why not try make my own? Thanks to google and a recently inherited food processor from my mother, I was able to whip up my own batch in all of five minutes!

All you need is a bag of roasted, unsalted peanuts from the supermarket and a good quality food processor. Toss the nuts in, and power up the machine for about five minutes. Many recipes online suggest adding extra oil to the nuts, but the nuts release their own oil after a few minutes in the machine. It may look like the nuts need the extra oil (the mixture will appear grainy and dry), but just let it keep mixing and it should all come together. When it has reached the desired consistency, scoop out the butter and pop it in a jar. I keep my peanut butter in a glass jar in the fridge after reading that this helps prevent the loss of B vitamins. 

One of my favourite quick snacks is peanut butter spread on a rice thin. Though admittedly, I'd happily just eat this stuff right out of the jar! 

On a side note, it's only two nights until we fly off to Auckland! I am getting wayyy too excited, and a tad nervous (flying is not really my favourite past time). I'll take plenty of photos, which I'll endeavour to share when I get back. 

Have you got much happening in the upcoming week?

Reanna.

Coconut & Muesli Slice

One thing I never do is buy "snack foods" from the supermarket. The ingredient lists are always scarily long, and as I have basically cut refined sugar from my diet these days, I find them all far too sweet. Plus, I love an excuse to get baking! I've spent many an hour scouring the internet for healthy bars and biscuits, and the other day I decided to try make my own. I haven't pulled this completely out of thin air - it is based off various recipes I've tried over the past few months! Plus, I recently purchased coconut oil - which I am wayyy too excited about - and have been dying to incorporate it into my cooking.

Coconut & Muesli Slice (makes 6+ slices)

Ingredients:

1 cup wholewheat oats

1/4 cup LSA (linseed, sunflower and almond meal)

1 tsp chia seeds

1/2 cup dried fruit (I used cranberries and sultanas)

1/4 cup shredded coconut

1/4 cup honey

1/4 cup coconut oil

1 egg

Pre heat the oven 180 degrees, and line a small baking tray with baking paper (feel free to double this recipe as I often make small quantities of things - with only two people at home things often don't get eaten quick enough!)

Place the oats in a food processor and briefly pulse a few timse, just to break them up slightly. I find that this helps the slice hold together a bit better, but you can leave the oats whole.

Mix all the dry ingredients together in a bowl.

In a small pot over low heat, melt together the coconut oil and honey. Add to the dry ingredients, add the egg and mix together.

Spoon into the prepared tin, and pop in the oven for 20 - 30 minutes. Allow to cool, then cut into slices of your desired size.

Enjoy!

This slice isn't overly sweet, so more honey or dried fruit could easily be added for those of you with a sweet tooth. I currently have a chocolate cake in the oven for the first time in aaaages. I'm using this recipe from one of my favourite food blogs, and I am dying to see how it will turn out!

What are your favourite healthy snacks? Do you try and bake your own?

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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