Wombok Noodle Salad

INGREDIENTS

1 Packet Chang's Fried Noodles
1/2 a wombok (Chinese Cabbage)
4 to 6 spring onions
1/2 cup Pine Nuts (lightly roasted)
1/4 cup castor sugar
1/4 cup white vinegar
1/4 cup Peanut Oil
1 tablespoon soy sauce
2 teaspoons Sesame Oil

METHOD

Finely shred wombok
Finely chop spring onions
Place in a salad bowl with Fried Noodles and roasted pine nuts
Mix together well.

Dressing

Combine castor sugar, white vinegar, soy sauce, Peanut Oil and Sesame Oil in a jar with a lid.
Shake well until all the sugar has dissolved.
Add to salad to suit your taste.
Mix well and serve immediately

White Christmas

 

INGREDIENTS

3 cups Kellogg's® Rice Bubbles®

1 cup desiccated coconut

¾ cup icing sugar, sifted

1 cup powdered milk

1 cup dried mixed fruit

250g Copha

Glacè cherries for topping

DIRECTIONS

1. Combine dry ingredients in a mixing bowl.

2. Melt Copha® slowly over low heat.

3. Cool slightly, pour onto dry ingredients. Mix well.

4. Be sure to work quickly, spoon the mixture into either paper patty cases or press into a lamington tin.

5. Freeze until set (about 15 minutes), then store in the refrigerator.

6. Serve cut into fingers and topped with glacè cherries.

Serving Suggestion: You can also finish this dish by pressing dried fruits into the top. For a more decadent finish, drizzle melted milk chocolate over the top.

Christmas Baked Ham

INGREDIENTS

1 Cup (340g) Orange Marmalade
1/2 Cup (90g) Maple Syrup
1 Cup (125ml) Orange Juice
Good dash of Sherry (Dry) - Optional

Leg of Ham

METHOD

Position oven shelves so there is enough room for the Ham to fit in.  Preheat oven to 200°C. 

Place Orange Marmalade, Maple Syrup, Orange Juice and Sherry into a saucepan and stir together well....bring to the boil on a high heat (5 minutes or so)

Turn the heat down a smidge and allow the mixture to bubble away and slightly reduce while you are prepping the Ham.

Remove skin from Ham, being careful to not remove too much of the white fat beneath it.  Score the fat with a smallish sharp knife in a diamond pattern.

Place the ham on a lightly greased wire rack in a baking dish....or you can place it straight into a well oiled baking dish without the wire rack.

Thoroughly brush the Ham with the glaze, making sure you get it right into all the diamond cuts.  Bake for 40-50 minutes, brushing with the glaze from the baking dish every 10 minutes....or until Ham is golden and caramelised.

Butter Chicken (Jimmy's Recipe)

Ingredients:

4 Skinless Chicken Thighs – cut up into bite sized pieces

Spices to be blended to coat Chicken in
½ teaspoon Chili Powder	½ teaspoon Ginger Powder
½ teaspoon Ground Cumin	½ teaspoon Turmeric Powder
½ teaspoon Garam Masala	½ teaspoon Paprika Powder
½ teaspoon Cinnamon	½ teaspoon Keens Curry Powder
½ teaspoon Ground Coriander	Salt to Taste
4 tablespoons plain flour

Spices to be blended and added Sauce Mixture
½ teaspoon Chili Powder	½ teaspoon Ginger Powder
½ teaspoon Ground Cumin	½ teaspoon Turmeric Powder
½ teaspoon Garam Masala	½ teaspoon Paprika Powder
½ teaspoon Cinnamon	½ teaspoon Keens Curry Powder
½ teaspoon Ground Coriander	Salt to Taste

Sauce Mixture
425gr Can of Tomato Puree	2 tablespoons Tomato Paste
A good Handful of Cashews (crushed)
150ml of Pure Cream
50gr Butter
2 tablespoons Honey

Preparation of Spices

I like to prepare the spices before I start anything else.  Measure out and place the spices into two separate piles on a dinner plate (or in bowls).  Give them a good mix around.

 

Preparation (and method) for Chicken:

Place well blended spices and flour into a plastic freezer bag and shake a little to mix together well. Add in a few of the chicken pieces at a time to the bag and shake, to cover with flour mixture. Place in well oiled grill tray (with the grill actually removed) and grill on a medium to high heat – turning often, until browned and cooked.  Alternatively, you can cook the chicken in a baking tray in the oven.  On maybe about 220C.  After about 20mins check regularly to turn pieces.  If it looks like the pieces may be burning - turn down the oven :-).

Method for Sauce:

Put Tomato Puree & Tomato Paste into a saucepan and mix together well – boil with lid on for 10 – 15 minutes. 

While this is cooking start coating the chicken and place it on the grill tray/backing pan.

Once you've popped the chicken under the grill/in the oven then you can get back to prepping the sauce.

Add Sauce Spices to Tomato mixture in the saucepan and stir in well.  Turn the heat down just a fraction.

Cover and boil over medium heat for 5 minutes – stir occasionally. 

Add in Butter and stir in well until Butter has melted – cook for 5 minutes, stirring almost constantly. 

Pour in cream and sprinkle Crushed Cashews into Sauce mixture – stir well, turn heat down to low.  Add Honey and stir in well.

When Chicken is cooked add to Sauce and allow to simmer gently for a little while before serving with Basmati Rice.

Creamy Pumpkin Soup

(original recipe from Women's Weekly Basic Cookbook)
Serves 4

INGREDIENTS

1 Dessert Spoon Oil (Rice Bran etc.)
1 Rounded Table Spoon Butter
1 Medium to Large Onion - roughly chopped
2 Bacon Rashers - rind removed and roughly chopped
750g - 1kg Pumpkin - roughly chopped
1 Large Potato - cut into quarters
1 Litre Water (4 Cups).
2 OXO Chicken Cubes
Salt and Pepper to Taste
Cream


METHOD


1. Add Oil & Butter into large heavy based saucepan on stove top (medium heat)

Peel and chop up Onion (no need to chop it too small because it's all going to be processed)
Add to Oil and Butter and give a good stir and allow to fry while you prepare the other ingredients.

De-rind and chop up Bacon - add to frying Onion and give a good stir and allow to fry - stirring so it doesn't burn.


Peel and de seed Pumpkin - chop into chunky bits - add to saucepan with Onion and Bacon
Peel and chop Potato into quarters - add to saucepan.

Stir everything together well with a wooden spoon.....scrape bottom of saucepan to release any cooked on bits

Allow to fry while you get the Water & Chicken Stock Cube ready.

Dissolve Chicken Stock Cube in Water - pour into saucepan and give it all a really good stir up.

Put the lid on the saucepan and turn the heat to high and bring to the boil

Once boiling reduce heat, cover and simmer for about 30 minutes or until Pumpkin and Potato are tender

2.  Once cooked, remove saucepan from heat and blend with a stick blender until smooth
(if using a bench-top blender, blend in several batches)

Return blended soup back to stove top to reheat - stirring constantly.

Plate up - add a swirl of cream to each serve.


NB:  It doesn't really matter what kind of Pumpkin you use - a mixture is always yummy.

If there seems to be a lot of water once it's all boiled and ready for blending (can only see liquid and no pumpkin) - just remove (and save) some of the liquid  before blending. 

You can always add as much as you like back into the soup until it's the consistency you're after.

The soup will keep for at least 2 - 3 days in the fridge and can be frozen for two months.

Andrea's Berry Sorbet

1 Litre Berry Sorbet

2 Cups (500ml) Strawberry flavoured sparkling wine

2 Tablespoons Bacardi Rum

Place all ingredients into blender - process until smooth

Chicken Pad Thai

Chicken Pad Thai

Prep time -10 mins

Cook time - 20 mins

Total time - 30 mins

Restaurant-style chicken pad thai - ready in just 30 minutes!

Author: Tiffany

Recipe type: Chicken Pad Thai

Cuisine: Asian

Serves: 4

Ingredients

• 8 ounces flat rice noodles (found in the Asian section in most grocery stores - may sub fettuccine noodles in a pinch), cooked al dente according to package instructions
• 1 large boneless skinless chicken breast, pounded to ½ inch thickness and chopped into bite-sized pieces + salt & pepper to taste
• 2 eggs
• 1 cup fresh bean sprouts
• ⅓ cup sliced green onions
• ¼ cup sliced white onion
• ⅓ cup cilantro, roughly chopped
• optional: peanuts

Sauce

• ¼ cup ketchup
• 2 tablespoons fish sauce (found in the Asian section at most grocery stores)
• 2 tablespoons sugar
• 1 teaspoon minced garlic
• 1 teaspoon peanut butter
• juice of 1 lime
• ½ teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes
• 1 teaspoon soy sauce

Instructions

1. Season chicken with salt and pepper to taste. Cook chicken in a large wok or pan over medium heat, stirring throughout until cooked through (about 6-8 minutes), transfer chicken to a bowl and set aside.
2. Whisk together all sauce ingredients and set aside. Crack eggs over preheated pan (where you cooked the chicken) and allow to fry for a bout a minute ,then break it up with a spoon and add the onions and bean sprouts. Add chicken and sauce. Add noodles and toss to coat the noodles in the sauce. Stir in green onions and cilantro. Garnish with peanuts if desired.

Notes

*adapted from The New Way To Cook Light

Recipe by Creme De La Crumb at http://www.lecremedelacrumb.com/chicken-pad-thai/

Moroccan Chickpea pilaf with haloumi

Author: Leanne Kitchen  Image credit: Rob Palmer  Publication: Australian Good Taste

(serves 4)

Ingredients

60ml (1/4 cup) extra virgin olive oil
50g butter
2 large brown onions, halved, thinly sliced
1 1/2 tablespoons Moroccan seasoning
65g (1/3 cup) raisins
2 x 250g pkts steamed Tilda Coconut, Chilli & Lemon Grass basmati rice
400g can chickpeas, rinsed, drained
80ml (1/3 cup) hot water
Plain flour, to dust
2 x 180g pkts haloumi, cut into 1cm-thick slices
1 bunch fresh coriander, leaves picked, coarsely chopped
40g (1/4 cup) pistachio kernels, coarsely chopped
Baby spinach leaves, to serve

Method

Heat half the oil and half the butter in a saucepan over medium-high heat. Cook the onion, stirring often, for 10 minutes or until light golden. Stir in the seasoning and raisins and cook for 1 minute or until aromatic.
Add the rice and use a fork to separate the grains. Stir in the chickpeas. Add the hot water and bring to the boil. Cover and cook over medium heat for 5 minutes or until heated through.
Meanwhile, heat the remaining oil and butter in a large frying pan over medium heat. Place the flour on a plate. Dip the haloumi in the flour and shake off excess. Cook for 2 minutes each side or until golden.
Divide the chickpea pilaf among serving plates. Sprinkle over the coriander and pistachios. Top with haloumi. Serve with baby spinach leaves.

Per Serve:
Energy 3328kJ
Fat saturated 19.00g
Fat Total 46.00g    
Carbohydrate sugars 20.00g
Carbohydrate Total 61.00g    
Dietary Fibre 8.00g
Protein 30.00g    
Cholesterol 76.00mg
Sodium 2898.10mg