It’s been quiet in this little blog space of mine lately – but that is a clear indication that it has been anything but quiet in “real life”. The kids have their ever-growing array of school and after school / weekend activities and the hubs and my work schedules have been pretty jam-packed. So it’s probably no surprise that we feel as though we are always running from one thing to another.
Oh yeah, and then there was the big family trip we took to Japan! But more on that in another post…
Needless to say, I have quite the growing backlog of recipes that I want to share (if not, at the very least, to remind me of some of the delicious eats we’ve had recently).
Take this Red Lentil Dahl (or is it Dal or Dhal?)for instance, that made its way to our dinner table a few months ago.
Back when the morning frosts were still going strong, and the daylight hours were short. I popped the ingredients in my slow cooker before I went to work, and was rewarded with not only a glorious aroma when I returned home later that day, but also the ability to get dinner on the table in a flash. From memory – C & J had swimming after school on this particular day, so the hearty and belly-warming dahl was a welcomed hit when they walked in the door.
I served the dahl with rice and coriander, and although not pictured, I’m pretty confident I also added a dollop of natural yoghurt and a squeeze of lemon juice.
A perfect meal to warm us from the inside out (with leftovers for lunch the next day too!)
| Servings |
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- 3 cups red lentils rinsed and drained
- 2 tsp cumin seeds
- 2 tsp brown mustard seeds
- 1 tsp fennel seeds
- 6 cups vegetable stock
- 1 onion sliced
- 3 garlic cloves minced
- 1 tsp minced ginger
- 2 tsp turmeric
- 800 g tinned tomatoes
- rice, coriander, yoghurt and lemon juice to serve
Ingredients
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- Place all ingredients (except for the toppings) into a slow cooker and stir to combine.
- Cover - and cook on low for 8 to 10 hours.
- Serve with steamed rice, coriander, a spoonful of yoghurt and a squeeze of lemon juice.
Hearty and delicious! With a great yield too so we had lots leftover for lunch and dinner the following days.
2. Grab a pan and heat a little oil over a medium heat (with the help of a grown up of course!).
3. Add your ingredients, heat and stir.
4. Serve and Enjoy!
My little budding chef and her grand creation. And I’m told she did beautifully in presenting her project to the class also (proud parent moment right there!!)
I wanted to try a new slice creation when asked to ‘bring a plate’ to a friend’s BBQ the other week. Normally I take my 
Combined, pressed into a pan, then topped with white chocolate and more biscuit pieces. Then it was into the fridge to set – no baking required.
Then, after a few hours, the slice was ready to slice and serve.
I’m pleased to report that the slice had all the hallmarks of their biscuit inspiration. Full of chocolate and crunch.
A word of warning though….you may find it difficult to stop at just once piece…
Meat pies.
I spoke a little while ago about make ahead meals. Ones that I can prepare in advance, then reheat when dinnertime arrives. Well the other advantage of these meals is that you often have leftovers too – which can be portioned and frozen for future meals.
This vegetarian chilli is packed with beans, spices and vegetables. In fact, it is so filled with flavour that you don’t miss the meat component at all. 
And while on this occasion I served the chilli with quinoa, you could easily substitute the quinoa for rice or even tortillas. The addition of fresh avocado or some natural yoghurt or sour cream would also work beautifully if you had any on hand. 
