Mid Week Meals

/ emma@cookfasteatslow.com 2 Comments

Hoi Sin Pork, Fried Rice and Steamed Greens

If you would like a low carbohydrate option for this meal, you can substitute cooked Quinoa for the rice in this recipe, or leave it out all together and just enjoy the pork and vegetables.

If you want to use rice, Basmati is your best choice as it is a long-grain rice and has less starch in it, which means it has a lower glycemic load than other varieties of rice. In other words, it releases energy more slowly into your blood stream rather than giving you a quick energy hit. Short grain rice, like Arborio or Carnaroli, (used in dishes like risottos and sushi) are higher in starch which means they are soft and sticky when cooked. This type of rice is considered to have a higher glycemic load.

If you are watching your carbohydrate intake, you are best to limit your consumption of rice or use Basmati rice where possible.

Ingredients

(Serves 4-5)

1 teaspoon sesame oil

2 tablespoons soy sauce

1/2 tablespoon of grated fresh ginger or fresh ginger paste

1 teaspoon Chinese 5 Spice

2 tablespoons Hoi Sin sauce

400-500gm pork fillet, sliced thinly

1 cup cooked basmati rice or quinoa, cooled down

1/2 bunch of asparargus, sliced vertically

2 handfuls of beans, top and tailed and cut in half

1 bunch of brocillini, cut in half and then sliced in half vertically

Method

Combine the sesame oil, soy sauce, ginger paste, Chinese 5 spice, Hoi Sin sauce and pour over sliced pork fillets and marinate for 30 minutes (or as long as you have).

Steam the green vegetables till just cooked and set aside.

Heat a medium size frying pan and cook the pork through. Set aside.

Add the left over marinade to the frying pan and bring to a boil, add rice and fry a few minutes till the rice is coloured and warm.

Throw the steamed greens and pork back into the frying pan and give a big toss to combine and heat through before serving.

/ emma@cookfasteatslow.com 2 Comments

Avocado and Lemon Pasta

This dish is known as ‘Green Pasta’ in our house, and when the kids find out we are having it, they fist pump the air and say “We love Green Pasta!”  I find this quite amusing as all 3 don’t like avocado. Please don’t anyone tell them that’s the main ingredient!

Serves 4-6 people

Ingredients

500gm pasta, we use fettuccine

2 ripe avocados

Juice of 1/2 lemon

1 clove garlic

3-4 tablespoons of lemon infused olive oil (or plain if you don’t have it)

1 tablespoon of basil paste or a small handful of fresh basil leaves

a handful of cherry tomatoes, cut in half

fresh parmesan cheese, grated

Salt and pepper to taste

Method

While your pasta of choice is cooking, place the flesh of the avocados, the lemon juice, garlic clove and basil in food processor and blitz until smooth.

While the motor is running, add the olive oil slowly. Taste and season with salt and pepper and add more olive oil if you wish.

Drain the pasta and toss it through the avocado sauce.

Serve with cherry tomatoes and parmesan cheese.

 

 

 

/ emma@cookfasteatslow.com 4 Comments

Chicken Noodle Soup

It’s that time of year when our family and many, many around us are unwell. A change of season almost always guarantees someone getting sick in our home and I know we are not alone.

When the kids were little and seemed to always have one thing or another (3 asthmatics = lots of respiratory issues), I use to really struggle with it. The sleeplessness, fights to get medicine in and just seeing them so sick and struggling to breath would have my husband and I weary with worry.

And to be honest, I struggled with the lack of control when sickness would descend upon my kids. I couldn’t ‘fix’ it myself and life invariably got thrown into chaos. For this planning freak, weeks of sickness, meant lots of cancelled plans, missed opportunities and life just not going the way I saw it.

It’s funny what life teaches you along the way though. 11 years of parenting have taught me that I’m not in control, I don’t always know what I’m doing and I can’t fix every sickness or problem that comes my kids way. Tough lessons for a control freak to learn.

I’m a little more chilled these days. Life does that to you. I’m not sure when it was that I realised that I may as well just not fight the stuff I can’t change.

So, kids get sick, I cancel plans, we medicate, cuddle, love, lie in the dark and listen to their breathing, make worried phone calls or trips to doctors, read, watch TV, cuddle, force fluids down, cuddle, watch TV, medicate, love, read and so it goes on.

Even as I type this though, and we are still bunkered down with various flus, ear infections and pneumonia, I feel blessed. Blessed knowing we’ll all be well again soon. Blessed no-one is in hospital this time. Blessed my boys have always received the treatment they need. Not everyone can testify to that.

So, in the midst of panadol and puffers, I count my blessings….. and make Chicken Noodle Soup.

It’s like a warm hug from your mum.

With the family sick these last weeks, this is all we’ve wanted.

We actually picked up the bowls and drank the liquid it felt so good.

For those of you who have made my Sticky Cinnamon Chicken, you will be pleased to see you get another chance to use your Chinese cooking wine and Star Anise in this recipe.

Chicken Noodle Soup

IMG_4931

(recipe adapted from Donna Hay’s Fresh and Light cookbook)

Ingredients

2 tablespoons of soy sauce

1.5 litres chicken stock

1/2 cup Chinese cooking wine

2 whole star anise

1 tablespoon brown sugar

3 cloves garlic, thinly sliced

a few dried chilli flakes, if you want some added heat (otherwise leave it out)

2 chicken breasts, thinly sliced

1 x 440gm packet of Udon noodles, rinsed

1 bunch of bok choy, washed and thickly sliced

1/2 bunch of fresh coriander, roughly chopped

Method

Place soy, stock, Chinese cooking wine, star anise, sugar, garlic, chilli in a large saucepan and bring to the boil.

Reduce heat to low and place sliced chicken breasts in and simmer for 5 or so minutes until chicken is cooked.

Add the bok choy and noodles and cook for 3 minutes or until bok choy is tender, but still has a slight crunch.

Place in bowls and serve with coriander.

 

 

/ emma@cookfasteatslow.com 2 Comments

Coconut Chicken Salad

Well, the weather is finely starting to feel as Autumn in Sydney should, with cooler mornings and evenings finally upon us. I am starting to put the ‘throws’ back on the lounges and will need to get the blankets out of the cupboards and on the beds soon. In terms of food, my mind is starting to think of warming soups, slow cooked dishes and puddings, which I am looking forward to sharing with you over the coming months.

So, this is probably one of the last salad style recipes I will share for a while. I really wanted to share it as the whole family ate it just last week (even Mr 3!) and LOVED IT.

There are 2 main steps – poaching the chicken breasts in coconut milk and cutting up salad ingredients. Pretty easy right?

If you are new to POACHING as a cooking technique, it’s a great one to learn as it’s such an easy and healthy way to cook chicken, or fish. This recipe uses coconut milk as the liquid, but you can poach chicken in plain water or stock, brought to the boil with some basic flavourings added like lemon slices, chilli, peppercorns, herbs or spices.  Generally, you bring the liquid to the boil, add your chicken, boil for a few minutes and then take off the heat and let the chicken stand in the liquid with a lid on while it continues to cook. A normal sized chicken breast will take approximately 10 minutes to cook this way, but it can vary depending on the volume of liquid and size of the pan and piece of chicken.  Poached chicken breasts will last in the fridge for around 2 days and can be sliced and shredded and used in almost anything!

The following recipe was inspired by a recipe I read in cookbook “Good Food” by Anneka Manning, once the Food Editor of Australian Good Taste magazine.

Coconut Chicken Salad

Serves 5 (3 of us did go back for small amounts of seconds!)

Ingredients

2 single chicken breasts

1 cup coconut milk

1 lemongrass stalk, pale section only, bruised with the back of a knife (place the blade of a knife horizontally on top of the stalk and press down with the palm of your hand) and roughly chopped.

Note – Lemongrass is commonly used in asian cooking to flavour a dish with a lemon lime flavour. If you can’t find one to buy in your local green grocer or super market, using a vegetable peeler, throw a few pieces of lemon rind in the pan instead.

1/2 teaspoon of dried chilli flakes

1/2 Chinese cabbage, outer leave and core removed and roughly shredded

1 cucumber, peeled and sliced

1/2 red capsicum, thinly sliced

1 carrot, skin removed and peeled into long ribbons using a vegetable peeler

1/2 bunch of fresh coriander finely chopped

a handful of toasted cashews

juice of 2 limes

1 tablespoon of fish sauce

Method

Place the chicken, coconut milk, lemongrass or lemon peel and dried chilli flakes into a medium saucepan. Bring to a simmer over medium heat. Reduce the heat to low, cover and simmer gently for 5 minutes, turn the chicken over and simmer for another 3 or so minutes or until the chicken is cooked through. Pour the contents of the saucepan, chicken included, into a heat-resistant bowl and set aside to cool while you cut up the salad ingredients.

IMG_4715

Place the shredded cabbage, cucumber, carrot and capsicum into a large serving bowl. Combine lime juice and fish sauce and pour over the chopped salad.

Remove the chicken breasts from the liquid and slice thinly. Place the chicken on top of the salad, sprinkle with coriander and cashews.

Place the large bowl and serving spoons in the middle of the table and let everyone serve themselves.

Note – this salad would be beautiful with a handful of bean sprouts tossed through it, but my kids won’t eat them, so I left them out.

/ emma@cookfasteatslow.com Leave a comment

Greek Salad and Homemade Herb Bread

My boys love sausages. I don’t. But if I really want to make them happy, I make sure they appear on the menu every few weeks at least.

To fancy up our sausage dinner recently, I made this Greek Salad and Homemade Herb bread. Two great side dishes that would work perfectly alongside almost any piece of meat, fish or leftover roast.  If I come across some beautiful steak on sale, I will throw it in the freezer and serve it to my husband and I instead of sausages. Coming soon will be my 4 top tips for cooking a great steak!

Greek Salad 

Serves approx 5

Ingredients

2 handfuls of baby spinach

1 punnet of cherry tomatoes, halved

1 large cucumber, cut into chunks

125gm of Greek Feta, cut into cubes (Greek Feta is hard and works best in this salad. Danish Feta is soft and will fall apart into the salad when mixed)

1/4 cup pitted Kalamata Olives, cut in half

a few sprigs of parsley, finely chopped

Balsamic vinegar to drizzle over the top

Method

Combine everything, except vinegar and parsley, in a bowl and mix to combine. Sprinkle with parsley and drizzle with Balsamic vinegar.

Homemade Herb Bread

IMG_4740

You won’t want to buy a pre-made herb bread again after realising how easy and yummy this is. The smell of it cooking in the oven alone is worth it!

Ingredients

1 sourdough loaf or baguette

a few handfuls of chopped mixed herbs like rosemary, oregano, parsley and thyme.

2 or 3 garlic cloves, crushed (this is dependant on how garlicy you want it!)

2-3 tablespoons of softened butter (or olive oil if you prefer)

Method

Preheat oven to 200 degrees celsius.

Using a bread knife, cut thick slices into the loaf, without cutting right through to the bottom.

Mix the crushed garlic into the softened butter and using a small knife or pastry brush, spread a small amount on each slice of bread. If there is any left, brush a little butter over the top of the loaf.

Grab small handfuls of herbs and stuff them into each slit and then scatter the rest over the top of the loaf.

Wrap the loaf in foil and bake in the oven for approx 20 mins.

IMG_4743