Mexico Stew

This was something I did not make this weekend but rather a couple of weeks ago. It is a great recipe for the kids. The meatballs are always a favorite among the little ones and it is a great way to get them to eat beans and other vegies that might be turned down in the normal case.

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Ingredients:
300g Beef mince
1 egg
2 tablespoons oat flakes
Salt & pepper
1 teaspoon medium mustard
2 tablespoons oil ( I normally use rape or sunflower oil)
2 Onions - coarsely chopped
1 garlic clove - coarsely chopped
2 red bell peppers - coarsely chopped
1 leek - cut in slices
300 ml vegetable fond
1 can (approx. 800g) canned tomatoes
2 (400g) medium sized zucchini cut in slices
1 can (250g) kidney beans
140g sweet corn

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Method:
The best thing to do is prepare the meatballs first. To to this mix together mince, egg and oats in a mixing bowl. Add salt and pepper to taste and the mustard. Make small meatballs and fry in a hot pan. Take out and pat dry.

In the same pan add the onions, garlic, peppers and leek. Cook for and minute or so and then add the vegetable fond. Simmer covered for 10 minutes. Now, add the canned tomatoes and bring to a gentle bowl. Taste the stew and add salt and pepper. .If you have a purée mixer then purée the mixture. Otherwise, pour the mixture in a blender and purée.

Now, add the zucchini, kidney beans and corn to the stew and simmer for a further 5-8 minutes. Add the meatballs and warm through.

Before serving add a sprinkle of salt and pepper to taste.

Serve this with nice, thick and good mixed grain bread.

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Verdict:
In Germany we are really spoilt for choice when it comes to bread, so it is not hard to find really good bread. The bakery I go to has a large selection of organic bread. For this I used a dark multi-grain bread and toasted this in a pan with olive oil.
Soeri, loves this stew. As any three year old he loves meatballs with pasta, but when I served this I got a "ummmmm .... no need for pasta anymore mum!" Tom, who is not a stew fan, ate this with delight. For the both of us I had chopped up some red chillies that we sprinkled on top. This gave it a nice little spice.

Sweet & Sour Fish

Next stop Shanghai! On our food journey across the world this weekend, I decided to make this great alternative to the usual sweet & sour chicken. A lot of people shy away from making Chinese cuisine at home as it is known, that although the cooking time does not take so long it is the preparation that makes one slog in the kitchen. This really does not have to be if you prepare and plan in advance. I normally go to our fresh fruit and vegie market at least once a week. Once a month I buy in bulk. I buy all types of vegetables and fruit that we like to eat at home and spend part of my weekend chopping and freezing these in portions. This way I always have fresh vegies nicely frozen for any type of meal. When I wanted to cook this sweet & sour fish I hardly spent any time cutting and preparing the vegetables.

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Ingredients:

500g fish (do not use a very soft type of fish for this) - cut in bite size pieces
1 egg
3 tablespoons cornstarch
soya sauce
1 large onion cut in thick slices
1 garlic cloves, finely chopped
300g Mixed Chinese vegetables (I used cauiflower, peas, carrots, leeks, mushrooms, sprouts, bell peppers etc.)
2 tomatoes cut in half then in thick slices
1 small can pineapple

For the sauce:
3/4 cup of water
1/4 vinegar
1 tablespoon sugar
3 tablespoons ketchup
1 tablespoon cornstarch
1 tablespoon soya sauce

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Method:

Blend cornstarch, egg and some water together and make a nice smooth batter. Add some soya sauce to taste. Put the fish pieces in the batter and mix so that all the pieces are nicely covered. Take out, let drip and fry in portions in hot oil until nice and brown. Remove from oil and put on some kitchen paper so that some of the oil gets soaked up. Keep warm.

In a wok add some oil (Rape or Sesame oil) and fry the onions and garlic until tender. Except for the tomatoes and pineapple, add all the vegetables you are using.

Mix all the ingredients for the sauce in a bowl. Add the mixture to the wok and let simmer for a few minutes. When the sauce has thickened add the tomatoes and pineapple. At the very end add the fish pieces to the sauce & vegetable mixture.

Serve this with steamed basmati rice.

Verdict:
"Different with the fish, but extremely good" was Tom's comment to this. Soeri, asked what the pieces of meat were and I told him it was fish "Hmmmnnn I like to eat this stuff" and with that he literally stuffed his mouth spoonful after spoonful. I was a bit worried that Soeren might turn this down, as he likes to separate his vegetables to his fruit ... and keep them that way. I was very glad that he excepted this combination.

Greek Feta Chicken

Today I thought we would take a trip to Greece. Last week I found Alanna Kellogg's great website Kitchen Parade and this great recipe for Greek Feta Chicken. I wrote to her and told her it sounded great and promised to try it out and let her know what the verdict was. I liked the idea of preparing something light and easy for lunch, especially on a hectic Saturday!

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Ingredients:
1 low fat yoghurt
1 clove garlic, smashed or minced
Dried oregano - I did not have dried oregano but had some frozen mixed herbs that I used
black pepper & salt
3 chicken breasts - cut in mouth sized pieces
250 g feta cheese

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Method:

Whisk the first four ingredients ( yoghurt, garlic, herbs, salt & pepper) together. Place the chicken in the marination and marinate for at least 30 minutes.

Place chicken on oven rack and bake for 6 to 8 minutes, then turn over. Sprinkle with feta and bake for another 5 to 8 minutes.

That was it!

Verdict:
Tom found it a tad too dry. I served this with a Potato/Vegetable Gratin which had a bit of liquid to it so it was not all that bad. Soeri, picked off the feta and ate the chicken mixed with the gratin. The next time I will maybe take the chicken out of the oven in between and coat with the marination, or maybe put the chicken with a bit of the marination into the oven to keep it moist.

Cranberry & Mandarin Loaf

I will be honest: I do not bake very often so you might not find all that many cake recipes here. However, when I do bake, it is mostly scrumptious and easy to make cakes. This loaf recipe I got a long while back from a dear friend (thank you Susan) and it is one of our favorites.

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Ingredients:
475g all-purpose white flour
235g white sugar
1 teasp. baking powder
a pinch of salt
360g fresh, frozen or dried cranberries (if using frozen you do not need to thaw)
2 eggs
175 ml low fat milk
1 tablespoon oil
freshly grated orange zest
1 can (285g) mandarin orange in natural juice - save 1/4 cup of the juice.

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Method:
Pre-heat oven to 185°C. Coat a loaf pan with oil.

Combine all dry ingredients - flour, sugar, baking powder and salt - in a mixing bowl. Add the cranberries and coat with mixture.
In another bowl beat the eggs and the milk with a mixer. Add the mandarin juice, oil and the orange zest.

Stir in wet mixture to the dry mixture, making sure not to over mix. Just so that the mixture is well blended with eachother.

Add the mandarins to the batter and mix gently. Pour into the loaf pan and bake for approx. 50 minutes. Check with a tester and when it comes out clean it is done.

Cool on a rack and then enjoy!

Verdict:
On this I did not just have my regular jury - Soeri and Tom, but also my inlaws. They loved this cake. I was lucky I had some leftover to potograph! Very yummy!

Pasta, Spinach Salad

This is a great and light salad for an evening supper. Furthermore, a clever way to get kids to enjoy the spinach.

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Ingredients:
Spirelli pasta
Hand full of frozen Spinach
200g Cottage Cheese
Italian Dressing (I use Kraft)
Carrot and Leek - cut in thin strips
Spring onions - chopped
Pine Nuts - roasted in a pan
Olive oil

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Method:
Cook pasta according to instructions. Thaw spinach at room temperature (you can also do it in the microwave). In a mixing bowl add spinach, carrots, leek, spring onions and cottage cheese and mix well. Mix in the pasta, italian dressing and a good shot of olive oil. Lastly, throw in the pine nuts.

Serve with warm garlic bread.

Verdict:
Soeri loves spinach and was delighted that pasta can be served as a salad. Both Soeri and Tom gave this one plus points and wanted to take the leftovers to KIGA and University the next day.

Spaghetti with Fennel & Salami

Today I decided to try out one of Jamie Oliver's recipes. I like the way he uses different types of ingredients to pep up some old fashioned dishes. Here's a great way he serves traditional tomato sauce with spaghetti.

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Ingredients:

Spaghetti
Olive oil
140g Italian salami in slices - cut in strips
2 garlic cloves - finely chopped
1 whole fennel - cut in half and sliced
2 cans chopped tomatoes (each 400g)
2 hand full bread crumbs
fresh rosmarin
Fennel green

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Method:

Add some olive oil to a pan. Put in the garlic and salami strips and gently fry until the salami is crunchy.

Add the fennel slices and simmer at a low temperature with the pan covered for 5 minutes. Pour the chopped tomatoes into the pan and carry on simmering for approx. 25 minutes, until the mixture thickens.

Cook the pasta according to the packet instructions. In another pan heat up some olive oil and toast the bread crumbs until crunchy. Put in the rosmarin - it gives a nice aroma.

When the pasta is done, quickly add it to the sauce in the pan. Mix until the pasta is covered with the sauce. Pour this in a nice big serving bowl or plate and add the bread crumbs and fennel green to the pasta.

Verdict:
Fennel is not everyone's taste, but believe me, this was so delicious that none of my guys even asked what vegetable I used. It was a great way to sneak in something new. Soeri likes to think he is a pasta expert (what 3 year old does not). He looked at me and said "Hey mum ... this you can serve me tomorrow again" and I got a thumbs up sign. Thank you Jamie!

Times like these I wish I could have a taste and smell blog. I guess you will have to prepare this yourself to see just how yummy it really is.

Pizza Meatloaf

Ripe juicy tomatoes and crunchy bell peppers make this meatloaf a welcome change to the traditional meatloaf served up at most mealtimes. Served with fresh vegetables, even kids will gladly ask for another portion of this fun and nutritious meatloaf

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Ingredients:

1 bread roll (from the previous day)
5 tomatoes - sliced
2 yellow and 1 green bell pepper - sliced and de-seeded
2 red onions - sliced
2 garlic cloves - finely chopped
700g beef mince
2 eggs
1 teasp. fresh thyme and oregano
Salt & pepper
100g grated Emmentaler cheese
Chopped fresh basel

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Method:

Soak the roll in water until soft, then squeeze out well. Add this to the mince with the finely chopped garlic, eggs, herbs, salt and pepper. Mix well and form into a loaf. Put this on a baking tray and press down gently to flatten.

Pre-heat the oven to 225 °C.

In a pan heat up some olive oil. Fry the onion rings, bell peppers and tomatoes gently until the juices and flavours have blended.

Pour the vegetables onto the meatloaf and press down. Sprinkle the cheese over the top and bake in the oven for approx. 30 minutes.

Take out and add the fresh basel over the top.

Verdict:
I served this with mashed potatoes and green beans. Folks, my two men were so quiet on the dinner table because they were so busy spooning the food. Soeri, didn't even ask what was in the meatloaf, as he usually does, he just ate!
I think I can forget about making any other type od meatloaf from now.