Mid Week Meals

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Farewell Summer Salad

When Autumn officially started 11 days ago, I was all ready with my soup pot and slow cooker, dreaming of new ways to use autumn’s rich bounty of fruits and vegetables. 

As anyone reading this in Sydney would know, we’ve had 2 extra weeks of summer, as temperatures have stayed above 30 degrees and the humidity has been at 1000% every day and some nights too. 

The hydrangea, my favourite summer flower, has continued to give me great joy with this extended heat. They began flowering early, last October in fact, and this beauty is the very last one in my garden. I just had to capture it in the fading afternoon sun. 

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So officially Autumn, but in the midst of a heat wave, we have kept enjoying The Weather of Salad. 

It was on a bend on a very busy road that I saw the mango man, and probably with not enough warning for the drivers behind us, screamed at my husband to stop and let me get what would probably be the last box of mangoes for the season. 

We’ve had mango at breakfast, after lunch and at dinner over this last 2 weeks of our extended summer, a fitting farewell to the fun, outdoor season that we love. 

While the BBQ was heating and the boys were finishing in the pool, this salad was thrown into a bowl. Being honest, most of the ingredients chosen were because I was once again, doing a fridge clean out. But as I began throwing this in with that and chopping this, I could see that the colours and flavours were actually working. 

I hope you enjoy it as much as we did. 

Farewell summer, we’ve had a blast.

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Farewell Summer Salad
Serves 5
A colourful and fresh salad topped with avocado, mango, feta and fresh herbs.
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Prep Time
10 min
Total Time
10 min
Prep Time
10 min
Total Time
10 min
Ingredients
  1. 3 big handfuls of baby spinach leaves, washed
  2. 1/8 purple cabbabe, finely shredded
  3. 1 large cucumber, halved lengthwise and cut into thin rounds
  4. 1 corn cob, husks removed, or 1 small can of corn, drained
  5. 1 avocado, flesh sliced thinly
  6. 1 large mango, flesh sliced thinly
  7. 100 grams greek feta, cut into cubes
  8. a handful of yellow cherry tomatoes, cut in half
  9. a handful of fresh mint
  10. juice of 1 lime
  11. salt and pepper to taste
Instructions
  1. If using a fresh corn cob, steam it in the microwave for 2 minutes or until soft. Using a sharp knife, remove the corn from the cob.
  2. Layer the baby spinach and cabbage in the bottom of a large salad bowl.
  3. Add cucumber, corn, avocado and mango.
  4. Top with fresh mint leaves, feta and cherry tomatoes.
  5. Squeeze lime juice all over the salad, finishing with a pinch of salt and pepper to taste.
Notes
  1. As with all salad recipes, leave out ingredients you don't like or have on hand, and substitute with whatever takes your fancy. There are really no limits when it comes to salads, however, the fresh mint and lime juice really do finish this salad off.
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Sweet Potato & Cashew Salad (vegetarian)

I recently got to hear Nigella Lawson speak at the Opera House.

What a night it was, listening to this amazing lady, (who refuses to admit she has a food empire!) share of her journey with food and her desire to champion the home cook.

“No human being should be ill at ease in the kitchen” was one of many quotable quotes from her that night, interspersed with her obvious love of using store-bought stock and frozen peas in her recipes wherever possible! She’s the real deal that lady.

Inspired to reconnect with her cookbooks, I started reading Forever Summer again, one of her early cookbooks.

It was this paragraph that I related to as I now blog about my home cooking journey and share it with you all.

“If at anytime I’m still wondering if this or that particular recipe is worth keeping, I set myself a scene – a friend, a reader, a fellow mother at the school gate, is coming up to me, telling me that she is going to cook my something-or-other. If I’m not filled with impatient, evangelical enthusiasm at the imagined exchange, and if that recipe doesn’t also inspire in me unwavering, bossy confidence, then out it goes. I want to write only about the food I love, and I want you to love it too.”

I couldn’t agree more.

This salad I found by accident.

After begging my friend Rebecca for one of her dessert recipes, I was excited to receive my photocopy from her. Scrawled in handwriting at the bottom of this photocopy, was the recipe for this salad. I read it and thought that sounds beautiful, but the photocopy was filed in DESSERTS in my overflowing recipe folder and it was a while till I remembered to look at it again.

Fast forward to the day of our office Christmas Party. My husband, the fearless leader, was taking his team out on the harbour sailing and my job was to feed them all day!

After filling lots of portable containers with salads, meats, snacks and desserts and transporting it to the boat, I was reminded by one of the team, that most of the men on our staff didn’t actually like or eat salad! Imagine my joy…..

As often happens, this salad was inhaled by our team as we sat moored in a bay off Pittwater.

“Can you please give this recipe to my mum?” said one of the team. “This is going to be the only salad I eat from now on.”

I smiled and happily emailed it later to his mum.

So it’s been called ‘Rebecca’s salad’ by me, then it’s been called ‘Emma’s salad’ and now, finally, it will be known as the Sweet Potato and Cashew Salad.

I’ve made it as a side dish many times, but we’ve also had it for lunch and dinner, with a piece of grilled meat on the side.

Go forth and try it and maybe a non-salad eater in your life just might love it too.

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Sweet Potato and Cashew Salad (vegetarian)

Created by on February 2, 2016

  • Prep Time: 10m
  • Cook Time: 30m
  • Total Time: 40m

Ingredients

  • 500 grams sweet potato (kumera), peeled and cut into small pieces (1 medium size sweet potato, use more if you are using this as a main or feeding a crowd)
  • 1 cup mint leaves
  • 1 cup basil leaves
  • 1 cup baby spinach and rocket mix (more if you are feeding a crowd)
  • 1/2 cup roasted cashews
  • juice of 1 lime, to produce at least 1/4 cup (you may need 2 limes if they are not juicy)
  • 1 teaspoon sesame oil
  • 1 teaspoon heaped, of freshly grated ginger or ginger paste

Method

  1. Preheat oven to 200 degrees celsius.
  2. Place cut sweet potato on a baking paper lined tray and roast for approx 30 minutes, or until golden and soft. Set aside.
  3. Place fresh herbs and salad leaves on the base of a large plate or platter.
  4. Add sweet potato and cashews.
  5. Combine the lime juice, sesame oil and ginger and shake. Pour over the salad.
  6. If you are making this for a large group and want to use more sweet potato and greens to bulk it out, double the dressing ingredients also.
Source: cook fast eat slow
/ emma@cookfasteatslow.com 2 Comments

5 Veg Fried Rice

The boys don’t really want to go back to school.

They’ll be fine once they are actually there, but living barefoot between the park, the pool and the beach would be their preferred lifestyle FOR EVER if they did indeed have such a choice.

A part of me could live in summer holiday mode for ever too…but I would be lying if I didn’t tell you I was just a teeny tiny bit excited about the thought of a couple of hours where everything will be still and quiet once more.

As food is my love language, I tried to steer the conversation away from the moans and groans and “How far away is Easter?” questions.

“You can choose what we have for dinner on the first day of school! It has to be cooked at home, but you guys choose!” I said excitedly, secretly worried that this could cause ANOTHER fight or argument.

“Fried Rice” was unanimously agreed on.

So here it is friends.

My not-very-fancy, but quick and easy, with lots of veggies, Fried Rice.

There would be a mutiny in my house if I left out the bacon, but that’s a simple way to make this into a vegetarian meal. If you leave out the bacon, you’ll need a little olive oil to soften the celery and garlic in at the beginning of the recipe.

5 Veg Fried Rice

Created by on January 25, 2016

  • Prep Time: 5m
  • Cook Time: 20m
  • Total Time: 25m

Ingredients

  • 1 1/2 cups basmati rice
  • 2 sticks celery, washed and finely chopped
  • 1 clove garlic, crushed
  • 175 grams (approx 4-6 short cut rashers) bacon, finely chopped
  • 1 cup mixed frozen veggies, like peas, carrots, corn, capsicum
  • 2 eggs, lightly whisked
  • 1 cup shredded cabbage
  • soy sauce to taste

Method

  1. Cook rice according to packet directions. Once cooked, spread into one layer on a baking tray and leave to cool. If you can, do this earlier in the day and leave in the fridge with some cling wrap over the top of it. This allows the rice to dry out a little and not be so 'sticky', which is what you want when frying the rice for a dish like this.
  2. Heat a non stick frying pan over medium heat and cook bacon until crispy and golden. Remove and drain on some paper towel.
  3. Add the eggs to the pan and cook for a minute or two, moving it around the pan to create ribbons of cooked egg. Remove and set aside.
  4. Add the celery and garlic to the pan and cook until slightly soft and then add in the rice, frozen veggies and cabbage. Stir for a few minutes to heat through, making sure the veggies are cooked.
  5. Add the bacon and egg back in and as much soy sauce as your family likes. I usually slosh it in, stir and then taste to see if we need more.
Source: cook fast eat slow
/ emma@cookfasteatslow.com 2 Comments

Thai Beef Salad

This Thai Beef Salad was the first meal I made after we got home from our holiday.

Along with our watches, phones and schedules, ‘meal planning’ went out the window for our holiday.

We went back to simple and no frills this time around. A basic cabin, a beach, some bike riding and bush walking, card games, slow mornings and late nights.

Like all family holidays, there were fights, tantrums, storms and torrential rain, power outages, laughs, hugs, big waves and beautiful sunsets. There was on any given day a million compromises to be made between 5 people who all wanted or expected something different.

Just like normal life, but in a different location.

It was a chance to be away from the rush and noise and endless demands of the business we run, home and school life. The biggest joy was having my husband with us, relaxed and engaged.

I did lots of reading, which is my other great love that I often don’t make time for when at home. Reading on holidays is starting to get a little easier now that the kids are getting older.

Even in it’s imperfect moments, we were together, making memories, good and bad ones and refilling our tanks before a new year begins.

When it comes to food on holidays, I find the break from thinking ahead and making all the decisions on my own about food quite liberating. Having another person around to share in that process is so good, not to mention the break from the dishes!

It means our eating habits change too, but that’s part of the novelty of the holidays. Way too many hot chips, ice-blocks, cereals the kids get to choose from the ‘normaly banned list’, treats in the car while travelling, christmas leftovers and more. There are pretty much no rules.

My husband and I share a love of cheese and wine and so that became our holiday ritual after a day on the beach. That’s one of the things I already miss the most. I told the wheel of Brie I saw in the shops the other day that we will reconnect at Easter. It’s not that long away is it?

I digress.

Back to the Thai Beef Salad.

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Now that we are home, salad and protein in different forms pretty much makes up our summer menu.

This is my kid friendly Thai Beef Salad, with no raw onion or spicy sauce. Just fresh and flavoursome and super quick. And just as I thought, vegetables that would otherwise be left on the plate, were gobbled up in this salad. It shows you what a little added flavour can achieve.

I hope you are having a great summer break and your re-entry back into your ‘normal’ isn’t too painful.

E x

Thai Beef Salad

Created by on January 20, 2016

  • Prep Time: 10m
  • Cook Time: 5m
  • Total Time: 15m

Ingredients

  • juice of 1 lime
  • 1 tablespoon soy sauce
  • 1 teaspoon brown sugar
  • 1 teaspoon sesame oil
  • 1 teaspoon fish sauce
  • 1 teaspoon fresh grated ginger or ginger paste
  • 600 grams rump steak
  • 100 grams baby spinach or mixed salad leaves
  • 1 punnet cherry tomatoes, halved
  • 1 large cucumber, sliced thinly into rounds
  • 1/2 capsicum (red, green or yellow), thinly sliced
  • 100 grams snow peas, raw, thinly sliced
  • 1/8 purple cabbage, thinly sliced
  • 1 cup fresh herbs, a mixture of basil, coriander and mint or whatever you like. (If you can get it, vietnamese mint works perfectly with asian salads)

Method

  1. Combine all ingredients for the dressing in a jar and shake to combine. Set aside.
  2. If you have time, bring your meat to room temperature before cooking.
  3. Brush both sides of the meat with olive oil and season with salt and pepper.
  4. Heat a non stick frying pan (or BBQ) over medium to high heat and add the meat.
  5. When blood rises to the surface, turn your meat. Continue cooking and turning until your meat is cooked to your liking. You can press the meat with your finger to test how cooked it is. The firmer it feels, the more well done it will be.
  6. Remove from the pan and set aside on a plate to rest. Don't skip this step.
  7. Once rested for a few minutes, slice thinly.
  8. Combine all salad ingredients in a bowl.
  9. Add the steak and pour over the dressing. Give it a big toss.
  10. Place on the table with servers and bowls and let everyone help themselves!
Source: cook fast eat slow

 

 

 

 

/ emma@cookfasteatslow.com 2 Comments

Chargrilled Peaches with Basil and Beans

Christmas With My Family is one of my favourite days of the year. Chaos, noise and the occasional meltdown from a child is almost guaranteed, but I love it anyway. We’re not a perfect family, but we’ll all tumble into my parents house with arms full of food, drink and gifts and lots of news to share that we will all try and share at once! The girls will end up chatting around the kitchen bench and there are usually bets on which over-tired Dad or Uncle will fall asleep first. Amy Grant’s Christmas album will be on repeat and the kids will hover around the tree until everyone has arrived and Nonni and Grandad say ‘It’s TIME’ to open the gifts.

And probably one of the best bits, is when my Dad stands up and always a little choked with emotion, gives thanks to God for his family, our many, many blessings and the gift of his son, Jesus.

And if he can’t get through the prayer, my brother usually takes over.

Then there will be countless loads through the dishwasher and a few fights from over-tired and over-sugared children, as we wait for the late night breeze to blow through the house and start to cool us all down.

This is will be my family Christmas and I wouldn’t have it any other way.

I enjoyed making and eating this salad last summer, from memory I made it for a Christmas gathering and enjoyed it again at our NYE celebrations.

After looking back at the original recipe from Delicious Dec 14/Jan 2015 I realised that it could lose a step or 2 to make it a little more achievable for the time poor cook.

And you could even go one step further – if the thought of char-grilling your peaches overwhelms you, just thinly slice them and add them to the salad just as they are. Chargrilling anything just ‘caramelises’ the natural sugars in the food and brings out the sweetness.

This salad is best assembled right before eating, so if you need to make it in advance, just prep your ingredients and store them separately, putting it all together at the last minute.

Chargrilled Peaches with Basil and Beans

Created by on December 16, 2015

  • Prep Time: 5m
  • Cook Time: 10m
  • Total Time: 15m

Ingredients

  • 500 grams green beans, trimmed
  • 4 peaches, cut into wedges
  • 1 cup fresh basil leaves, shredded, plus extra to serve
  • 1/4 cup slivered almonds, toasted
  • 2 tablepsoons basil infused olive oil (or plain extra virgin olive oil)
  • Balsamic Vinegar to serve

Method

  1. Steam green beans until just cooked, rinse under cold water and place on serving platter.
  2. Heat a chargrill pan or BBQ over high heat.
  3. Place the olive oil in a shallow bowl and tumble in the peach wedges. Toss around to coat in oil.
  4. Cook the peach wedges in the pan or on the BBQ for a few minutes on each side until fragrant, soft and slightly golden.
  5. Remove from the pan and place on top of beans. (Or you can store them separately at room temperature until you are ready to plate the salad up and serve)
  6. Add the shredded basil leaves and almonds to the platter.
  7. Drizzle with Balsamic Vinegar to serve.