Cauliflower “potato” salad

If you are anything like me, you may have indulged a little too much over the Christmas period. Actually, it was more than just the Christmas period in my case, with celebrations and other festivities kicking off in November and running all the way through to the New Year. The food was abundant, the drinks were flowing and my morning walks, whilst regular, were probably not enough to balance out the indulgence.

So I guess it ought to have been no surprise when my clothes felt a little tighter than usual when I returned to work last week. Slouchy summer shorts and dresses can be far more forgiving than a tailored suit, it seems.

With a view to getting things ‘back into balance’ we tend to keep carbs at dinner time light. We don’t cut them out altogether (I could not think of anything worse!) but we’ll make substitutions where we can. Cauliflower rice instead of regular rice, zucchini noodles instead of pasta…you get the idea.

When I had a craving for potato salad recently (but not wanting to get the ‘carb load’ that comes with my usual version) I decided to try a cauliflower version instead. Still laden with all things that make a potato salad yummy, of course.

I started by steaming some cauliflower florets until they were just tender. While warm, I added them to a mixture of mayonnaise, sour cream, celery, pickles, Dijon mustard and my favourited ingredient, dill. I then covered the salad and placed it in the fridge, allowing the flavours to develop overnight.

And, I must say, I’m rather taken with this lovely little salad. So much so that I’ve made it a few time since. Sometimes omitting the sour cream and replacing it with natural yoghurt, other times adding  spring onions, celery salt or a few chopped boiled eggs. It may be low in carbs but its definitely packed with flavour!

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Cauliflower potato salad
Course Salad
Servings
Ingredients
Course Salad
Servings
Ingredients
Instructions
  1. Steam the cauliflower florets until just tender (you want them to retain a little crunch).
  2. Combine the mayonnaise, sour cream and mustard in a large bowl. Add the cauliflower while it is still warm, along with the celery, pickles and dill, and stir to combine.
  3. Cover and place in the fridge for a few hours to allow the flavours to develop.
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Slow Cooker Red Lentil Dahl

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!)

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Slow Cooker Red Lentil Dahl
Course Main Dish
Servings
Ingredients
Course Main Dish
Servings
Ingredients
Instructions
  1. Place all ingredients (except for the toppings) into a slow cooker and stir to combine.
  2. Cover - and cook on low for 8 to 10 hours.
  3. Serve with steamed rice, coriander, a spoonful of yoghurt and a squeeze of lemon juice.
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Roasted Pumpkin Hummus

Miss J is proving to be quite the fussy eater at the moment. She loves banana smoothies, but wont go anywhere near an actual banana. Apples and pears are eaten by the bucket load, but grapes and watermelon are nothing short of offensive. Pasta is a firm favourite, as are prawn dumplings (!), but getting her to try new things is generally difficult.

So when she came home from day-care boasting a new love for celery (!) and hummus – well that was a combination I could embrace with gusto!

Since then, I’ve been making a batch of regular ol’ hummus most weeks. Although, recently I thought I would be a little clever and sneak some veg in by adding roasted pumpkin.

Did it work? Not even close. She turned her nose up at the combination, preferring her usual hummus instead.

On the plus side, though, we now had ourselves a lovely recipe for an appetiser to contribute at a recent lunch with friends.

We topped the hummus with parsley, sesame seeds, chilli flakes and olive oil, and served it alongside toasted pita chips, cucumber and olives. Unlike Miss J, we loved the roasted pumpkin addition – and the chilli added a little extra zing!

But I guess it will be back to regular ol’ hummus for Miss J next week…

Print Recipe
Roasted Pumpkin Hummus
Course Appetiser
Prep Time 10 minutes
Cook Time 30 minutes
Servings
Course Appetiser
Prep Time 10 minutes
Cook Time 30 minutes
Servings
Instructions
  1. Preheat the oven to 220C.
  2. Place the cubed pumpkin on a lined baking tray and drizzle with olive oil. Sprinkle with cumin.
  3. Roast for 25-30 minutes, or until tender. Set aside to cool slightly.
  4. Place the pumpkin, chickpeas, garlic, tahini, salt and chilli in a food processor - and process until smooth. Add water, as necessary, to reach desired consistency.
  5. Spoon into a serving bowl, and top with parsley, sesame seeds, chilli flakes and a little drizzle of olive oil.
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Easy Pineapple and Ginger Salsa

So now that Spring has, at least officially, “sprung” – I am already dreaming of all the gatherings that will soon appear on our calendar. Morning lake walks and bike rides, followed by milkshakes and ice-cream treats. Lunches with friends, while the kids play on the trampoline and splash around the wading pool. Afternoon teas, that more often than not turn into impromptu dinners, as we chat and laugh our way into the evening.

Our BBQ is inevitably a star of the warmer months – allowing for dinners to be thrown together easily and with minimal fuss (not to mention avoiding a hot kitchen with the oven turned on).  But what BBQ dinner would be complete without a few tasty side dishes to serve alongside.  These too ought to be fuss-free and quick to prepare – for who wants to be trapped in the kitchen when all the fun is happening outside.

One of my favourite side dishes would have to be this easy pineapple and ginger salsa. I often serve it alongside grilled pork, but it would easily work with chicken or fish too.

Packed with fresh pineapple and herbs, balanced with lime juice and given a hit of heat with some red chilli – it really is a  versatile addition to the dinner table.  The added bonus being that you can make it in advance before guests arrive – leaving more time for fun!

 

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Easy Pineapple and Ginger Salsa
Course Side dish
Servings
people as a side dish
Ingredients
Course Side dish
Servings
people as a side dish
Ingredients
Instructions
  1. Combine all ingredients in a bowl. Season to taste.
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Slow Cooker Pea and Ham Soup

There are some dishes that, despite their humble appearance and ease to make, are really something special.

The ones that make your belly full, and heart warm, and undoubtedly earn a star place on the regular meal plan.

Well, friends, I think I’ve found another of these dishes – as this Pea and Ham soup was rather delicious indeed. It is one of those dishes that I’ve always enjoyed eating, but never actually made, and I had to laugh at my ignorance when I realised that it contains split peas, not green peas!

With simple ingredients, and created easily in the slow cooker, the result was a hearty dinner soup (with lots of leftovers for lunch and for the freezer too). We served ours topped with natural yoghurt, shredded ham from the hock and a sprinkle of parsley. Even the kids loved it – particularly Miss Maggie – who ate bowl after bowl with gusto!

Inspired by this recipe.





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Slow Cooker Pea and Ham Soup

Course Soup

Servings
people


Ingredients

Course Soup

Servings
people


Ingredients


Instructions
  1. Heat the oil in a small frypan over a medium heat. Add the onions, spices and garlic and cook for a few minutes - until the onion softens.

  2. Transfer the onion mixture to a slow cooker. Add the ham hock, parsnips, apples, split peas and 8 cups of water. Stir well, cover, and cook on medium for 8 hours.

  3. Remove the ham hock and shred the meat (discard the bone and fat). Blend the soup using a stick blende until smooth. Stir through the lemon zest and juice, and season to taste.

  4. Divide the soup among serving bowls, and top with some of the shredded meat, natural yoghurt and parsley.


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Easy savoury scolls

And just like that, the Summer holidays have come to a close. School uniforms have been ironed, school and day-care bags have been cleaned, and school lunches are again, inevitably, on my mind.

I returned to work part-time last week too, which means that organising lunches and meals in advance is even more of a necessity. I’ve decided to make Sundays my  preparation day – with the hope that an hour or so of food preparation on Sunday will make things a lot easier during the rushed weekday mornings.

Sandwiches are made and frozen, fruit and vegetables are sliced, eggs are boiled and, on this particular occasion, a big batch of savoury scrolls was baked.

These were made even easier by using ready-made puff pastry. For all I had to do was top the sheets of pastry (I went with cheesy vegemite and “‘pizza”), roll them, slice and bake.

And while the kids demolished quite a few scrolls straight from the oven, the others were packaged up and placed in the freezer for a quick ‘grab and go’ addition to the lunchbox. My kids don’t mind eating the scrolls cold once thawed, however you can easily re-heat them for 10 minutes or so in the oven if you are wanting a nice after-school treat. 

And they made a pretty moreish afternoon snack for the grownups too!

 

Print Recipe
Easy savoury scrolls
Course Baking
Cuisine Baking
Prep Time 10 minutes
Cook Time 15 minutes
Servings
scrolls
Ingredients
Course Baking
Cuisine Baking
Prep Time 10 minutes
Cook Time 15 minutes
Servings
scrolls
Ingredients
Instructions
  1. Preheat oven to 175C (fan forced) and line 2 trays with baking paper.
  2. Place two pastry sheets on a clean work surface. Spread with vegemite and top with half of the cheese. Roll up to enclose filling - brushing the edge with a little of the beaten egg to seal.
  3. Place the other two pasty sheets on a clean work surface. Spread with the tomato paste, and top with ham and the remaining cheese. Roll up to enclose filling - brushing the edge with a little of the beaten egg to seal.
  4. Slice each roll into 8 pieces. Place the pieces, cut side up, on the lined baking trays. Brush the tops with a little beaten egg at this stage if you'd like the scrolls to be even more golden brown).
  5. Bake for 15 to 18 minutes, or until puffed up and golden brown. Allow to cool on the tray for 5 minutes, then move to a wire rack.
  6. Serve warm or cool.
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Nutty Date & Chocolate Slice

My two eldest girls can be quite challenging when it comes to food. Miss C will happily eat avocado, mangoes and prawn dumplings by the bucket load, but is generally not all that food focused at meal times (preferring instead to snack and graze throughout the day). Little J would happily have yoghurt for breakfast lunch and dinner, and has no interest in more ‘traditional’ meals such as sandwiches.

Needless to say that if I was to present them with a bowl filled with dates, they would be looked at with suspicion and remain uneaten.

Put dates in a chocolate covered slice however? Well that proved to be a winner!

This slice contains no flour, no eggs, but it does contain nuts so is not allergy-friendly for school lunchboxes.

The texture of this slice is almost fudge-like, and we all loved the little pops of crunchiness throughout. Covering the slice in dark chocolate took the whole slice to the next level too – and worked perfectly to fool my suspicious eaters!

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Nutty Date & Chocolate Slice
Course Baking
Cuisine Slice
Prep Time 10 minutes
Passive Time 1 hour
Servings
slices
Ingredients
Course Baking
Cuisine Slice
Prep Time 10 minutes
Passive Time 1 hour
Servings
slices
Ingredients
Instructions
  1. Line a loaf tin with baking paper, leaving a little overhanging the edges.
  2. Process the dates and nut butter in a food processor for a few minutes, until the mixture is well combined and forms a paste. Transfer to a large bowl, and stir through the puffed rice and chopped nuts.
  3. Press the mixture firmly into the lined tin (it will be quite sticky so you may want to use wet hands to do this). Pour the melted chocolate over the top of the slice, and place in the fridge to set for 1 hour. Cut the slice into squares and serve.
Recipe Notes

Keep the slice in the fridge until ready to eat as it will soften at room temperature.

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Sweet Potato and Quinoa Burgers

With the warmer weather having (finally) arrived, I expect you will see more and more BBQ-cooked meals on the menu at our place. For why mess up a pan and heat up the kitchen, when you can cook dinner on the BBQ outside instead!

And while I enjoy the ease and simplicity of throwing some steak or sausages on the BBQ, those dinners can get a little meat-heavy when repeated throughout the warmer months. Instead, it’s nice to change things up a little from time to time –  and these vegetarian sweet potato and quinoa burgers are just perfect for a meat-free BBQ meal.

Combining sweet potatoes, chickpeas and rice / quinoa, you can easily make these burgers in advance and keep them in the fridge until it is time to grill. Throw some extra vegetables on the BBQ too – and you will soon have yourself a tasty meal with very little fuss!


Print Recipe
Sweet Potato and Quinoa Burgers
Course BBQ
Cuisine BBQ, Vegetarian
Prep Time 20 minutes
Cook Time 20 minutes
Servings
people
Ingredients
Course BBQ
Cuisine BBQ, Vegetarian
Prep Time 20 minutes
Cook Time 20 minutes
Servings
people
Ingredients
Instructions
  1. Steam sweet potato for 5 minutes or until tender. Mash, then set aside to cool slightly.
  2. Place cooked sweet potato, chickpeas, paprika and cumin in a large bowl, and mash until well combined. Stir through the rice / quinoa and egg, until well combined.
  3. Shape the mixture into 4 large patties, and place on a plate covered with baking paper. Place in the fridge for 20 minutes to firm.
  4. Cook patties on the BBQ or a large frypan (sprayed lightly with oil) for 10 to 15 minutes (turning as required), or until golden brown. Serve with salad and toasted Turkish bread.
Recipe Notes

I served these patties with salad, but you could easily serve them 'burger-style' in a bread roll too.

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Cherry Ripe Power Balls

Growing up, our family had a regular Sunday night ritual. After dinner, Dad would present four chocolates of different varieties to the family, with instructions that we could each choose one. We’d then sit down to some TV time as a family, and noting the era, we probably watched an episode of The Wonder Years, Xena Warrior Princess or, perhaps, Home Improvement.

Generally Dad presented a mars bar, a crunchie bar, a picnic and a cherry ripe. Or, if he was feeling particularly creative, maybe a curly wurly or a kit kat.  And generally there were no arguments when it came time to choose, with each family member having their preferred variety of sugar hit.

Dad would take the picnic bar, Mum would take the cherry ripe, and my brother and I would negotiate over whatever was left.

Although, if we were to have that ritual these days, I would almost certainly opt for the cherry ripe.

For dark chocolate + cherries = yes please!

These tasty little cherry ripe power balls use dates, dried cherries, coconut and cocoa to create a flavour combination that is not all that dissimilar to the ol’ cherry ripe bar.  They are rich, but not overly sweet.

They are, however, a lot healthier and definitely lunchbox friendly – as well as a tasty snack to reach for throughout the day.

What about you? What is your favourite chocolate bar?

Print Recipe
Cherry Ripe Power Balls
Course Baking
Cuisine Baking
Prep Time 15 minutes
Servings
balls
Course Baking
Cuisine Baking
Prep Time 15 minutes
Servings
balls
Instructions
  1. Add all ingredients to a food processor, and process until well combined.
  2. Shape and roll into balls, and place on a paper-lined plate. Store in the fridge.
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Raspberry and Pistachio Brownies

I’m all for a little indulgence, albeit in moderation. And what could be more indulgent that a chocolate / nut / berry combination – in the form of a homemade brownie. Inspired by a recipe I came across in My Darling Lemon Thyme’s cookbook (ps how gorgeous are her photos!), these luscious brownies made an appearance after dinner a little while ago.

Filled to the absolute brim with dark chocolate, pistachios and raspberries, they were far from “healthy”, but ticked all the boxes when it came to satisfying my sweet tooth. The raspberries added a nice touch of tartness too, meaning the end result was not sickly sweet, while the pistachios gave the slices a little texture.

On this occasion, we served the brownies warm for dessert, with a little vanilla bean ice-cream on the side. The remaining brownies kept well in the fridge for the next few days, becoming more fudge-like (with no complaints there either!).

So, if you are looking to satisfy a craving for sweets, may I suggest you make a batch of these! Be warned, though, they were hard to stop at just one piece…

Print Recipe
Raspberry and Pistachio Brownies
Course Baking
Cuisine Baking
Prep Time 15 minutes
Cook Time 1 hour
Servings
Ingredients
Course Baking
Cuisine Baking
Prep Time 15 minutes
Cook Time 1 hour
Servings
Ingredients
Instructions
  1. Preheat oven to 180C. Grease and line a 22 x 30cm slice tray with baking paper.
  2. Combine the oil, 200g of the chopped chocolate, sugars and salt in a small saucepan. Melt, stirring often, over a low heat. Add the vanilla, remove from the heat, and allow to cool for 5 minutes.
  3. Whisk the eggs into the chocolate mixture, one at a time, ensuring they incorporate well. Add the almond meal, and sift in the flour, cocoa powder and baking powder. Stir to combine.
  4. Add half of the raspberries and pistachios, and 25g of the chopped chocolate, and stir until just combined. Spread into the prepared slice tray, and sprinkle with the remaining chocolate, raspberries and pistachios.
  5. Bake for 40 to 45 minutes, or until just set. Cool in the tin for 15 minutes, then slice.
Recipe Notes

These brownies will keep at room temperature in an air-tight container for 2 to 3 days. You can also keep them in the fridge for a week or so, where they will become more fudge-like.

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