Mid Week Meals

/ emma@cookfasteatslow.com 2 Comments

Beetroot and Pomegranate Salad

As I am chatting with friends and family about food, I am hearing loud and clear that people are really wanting ideas for Christmas and entertaining that require minimal effort.

‘Recipes’ that read more like a list of nice ingredients that when put together with minimal process, taste great.

This Christmas themed salad is just so pretty with it’s red, green and white colours, but more importantly, when you take a mouthful of the fresh greens, soft beetroot and cheese, crunchy pomegranate seeds and then get a burst of fresh mint, you will be reminded again that sometimes cooking is indeed pairing the right ingredients together, with minimal fuss. The ingredients themselves are the hero, and not the process.

For those who haven’t seen or eaten Labneh before, it’s a cheese made from strained yoghurt and is often used in Middle Eastern cooking. You can easily make your own, but for ease this time of year, you can buy it in the supermarket. It makes a beautiful dip with raw veggies and crackers too.

If you prefer, you can use a creamy goats cheese or Persian feta instead. I do think a creamy cheese and not hard one, is best in this recipe.

And lastly, one of the ways you can be kind to yourself in the kitchen this time of year is to stock up on some different and beautiful store-bought dressings. At the drop of a hat you can make any salad at the last minute and take it to ‘a whole other level’ when you dress it with something gorgeous.

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This Pomegranate Balsamic Vinegar has been a favourite in our house for a few years now. I have to hide it at the back of the cupboard otherwise one of my sons, who has a sweet tooth, will drink it straight from the bottle! It’s generally found in Deli’s and Gourmet Food stores and can be pricey. For Christmas time, I think it’s worth spending a little extra for something special though.

Be warned – it’s quite sweet so you don’t need a lot, but it is the finishing touch a salad like this needs.

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Beetroot and Pomegranate Salad

Created by on November 30, 2015

  • Prep Time: 10m
  • Total Time: 10m

Ingredients

  • 450 grams tinned beetroot wedges, drained
  • 150 grams rocket and baby spinach salad mix
  • seeds of 1/2 a pomegranate
  • 1/2 bunch of fresh mint leaves
  • 125 grams Labneh, marinted in herbs and oil (or another soft creamy cheese)
  • Pomegranate Balsamic Vinegar to dress

Method

  1. Wash and dry the salad leaves and lay in a shallow bowl or on a platter.
  2. Top with all the other ingredients. Use a teaspoon to dollop the labneh all over the salad.
  3. Drizzle with the Pomegranate Balsamic vinegar to serve.
  4. NOTE - do not toss this salad. As people take spoonfuls the ingredients and flavours will come together on their own.
Source: cook fast eat slow

 

 

 

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Avocado & Basil Pesto Potato Salad (dairy free)

Potato Salad. It appears at nearly every BBQ or Christmas gathering in some form or another.

I have had to think outside the square with creating a Potato Salad my boys would eat as they don’t like mayonnaise.

Thankfully, this one is loved by them all. The ‘creaminess’ that you want in a good potato salad is achieved by using one of my favourite foods – avocado. Add a few other ingredients to it and you have a healthy way of adding flavour to your potatoes without all the nasties that store-bought mayo can have in it.

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Crispy pancetta adds a crunchy saltiness that the dish needs, and then the tomatoes are just so yum and add colour too.

This is where you can play around. Use regular old bacon and fresh tomatoes if you prefer. Or leave out the pancetta altogether to make it a vegetarian meal. If you were to do that, I would add some toasted almonds to the top to add the crunch factor.

I think we have all eaten a BAD potato salad before. There are a few really simple rules to follow, no matter what type of potato salad you are making:

  1. Choose the right potato – look for a waxy potato like Desiree, Dutch Cream, Kipfler, Nadine or Nicola. They have less starch than other varieties and hold their shape nicely when they are boiled. There’s nothing worse than a mushy potato salad.
  2. Cook them in cold water that is brought to the boil, rather than adding them to boiling water. Also, be careful not to over cook them. You want them soft to eat but to still hold their shape.
  3. ‘Dress them’ with either a small amount of oil or vinegar when they are warm so they absorb some of that flavour.
  4. Potato Salad is almost always best eaten at room temperature. Cooked potatoes can go very hard once they have been in the fridge too long.

Happy Cooking!

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Avocado & Basil Pesto Potato Salad (dairy free)

Created by on November 26, 2015

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

Ingredients

  • 1 avocado
  • 1/2 cup fresh basil leaves
  • 1/4 cup slivered almonds
  • 1 clove garlic, crushed
  • 2 tablespoons olive oil, (plus 1 tablespoon extra for potatoes)
  • juice of 1/2 lemon
  • 1 kilogram dutch cream potatoes, washed and halved (or left whole if they are baby sized)
  • 100 grams pancetta
  • 150 grams semi-dried tomatoes
  • chopped chives for garnish

Method

  1. Place the potatoes in a large saucepan and cover with cold water. Over a medium heat, bring to the boil with a lid on. Boil for 12-15 minutes until the potatoes are soft but not mushy. Drain in a colander, and then put the potatoes back in the saucepan. Pour 1 tablespoon of olive oil or basil-infused olive oil over them. Set aside to cool slightly.
  2. Place the avocado flesh, basil, almonds, garlic, 2 tablespoons of olive oil and lemon juice in the food processor and process till smooth. Set aside.
  3. Heat a non stick frying pan over medium and cook the pancetta until golden and crispy. Drain on paper towel and finally chop.
  4. When almost ready to serve, mix the pesto through the potatoes. I find this easiest to do in the large saucepan.
  5. Place the pesto potatoes in a serving bowl and add the tomatoes, crispy pancetta and chives.
Source: cook fast eat slow
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Panzanella Salad

This is the first of a few posts I am going to dedicate to the Christmas season. Whether you need inspiration for a relaxed summer BBQ with friends or a formal Christmas gathering, over the next few weeks I will post some simple and achievable recipes suitable for those occasions. I can’t wait to hear if any of them make it to your menu!

There are many reasons why this is one of my favourite salads.

Firstly, it’s from Tuscany, Italy. A place I dream of visiting one day.  I long to soak up the history, food and culture. I dream of spending a day in an Italian mumma’s kitchen, learning all that I can. I dream of olive groves, foraging for herbs and eating lots and lots of cheese!

The Italians are well known for being wise with their food and never wasting a thing. This salad was born as a way of using up stale bread. Pure genuis, to combine stale bread with some of summers best produce and finest herbs.

Secondly, it is colourful and so pretty on a big white platter. The red, green and white theme make it a perfect Aussie Christmas salad, especially when tomatoes are at their best and full of flavour.

Thirdly, it’s SIMPLE. A little chopping, a little toasting and a quick dressing, this salad is perfect to add to your Christmas menu, which like me, you are probably trying to keep as simple, yet as tasty, as possible.

My version of the Panzanella Salad is based on one I read about in the Quick Smart Cook recipe book, from the ABC delicious magazine.

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Panzanella Salad

Created by on November 22, 2015

  • Prep Time: 10m
  • Cook Time: 20m
  • Total Time: 28m

Ingredients

  • 1/2 loaf sourdough bread, torn into small chunks
  • 50 milliliters extra virgin olive oil (plus extra for the sourdough)
  • 2 tablespoons red wine vinegar
  • 1/2 bunch of fresh basil leaves, finely chopped, to give 3/4 cup (plus extra whole leaves for garnish)
  • 600 grams cherry tomatoes, halved (look out for yellow, orange and green tomatoes to make the salad more colourful)
  • 1 large lebanese cucumber, cut into chunks
  • 1/2 cup pitted olives, halved (more if you like olives!)
  • 150 grams fresh buffalo mozzarella or bocconcini, torn into chunks

Method

  1. Preheat oven to 180 degrees celsius.
  2. Drizzle the torn bread chunks in some olive oil, season with salt and place in a single layer on a baking tray.
  3. Bake for 15-20 minutes till golden and crispy. Set aside.
  4. Combine 50ml olive oil, red wine vinegar and finely chopped basil leaves in a jar with a lid and shake to combine.
  5. Place cut tomatoes, olives, cucumber, toasted bread and mozzarella in a large bowl and pour the dressing over. Mix well with your hands.
  6. Place on a serving platter and garnish with whole fresh basil leaves.
Source: cook fast eat slow
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Lentil Bolognese (vegetarian)

I had put off trying this recipe for a long time, unsure as to how my boys would respond.

You know what it’s like, weary mums….. sometimes you have the energy to try a new meal and you’re all ready and armed for the dinner battle and other times, it’s all you can do to plate up what you know will be eaten without a fuss.

In one of my tried and tested strategies, I served this dish differently the first time I made it for the family, which is a while back now.

I put the whole thing in one big bowl with serving spoons and brought it to the table. Everyone got to help themselves and then we played ‘guess the mystery ingredient’ as I got them to taste and try the lentils.

It actually worked this time, and this meal has gone on to become a regular in our house and all of our boys eat it.

We all love meat in our house, but it’s very good for us to have meat-free meals a few nights of the week. It’s good for our health as well as for the budget.

So a few quick facts about the star ingredient… LENTILS:

  • Lentils are part of the Legume family, (which includes other foods like black beans, chickpeas, kidney beans, peanuts and butter beans.)
  • Lentils are an awesome source of PROTEIN – they have the highest level of protein, by weight, of any plant-based food. This makes them a great food for vegetarians.
  • They are great source of folate, iron, magnesium, and B Vitamins.
  • They are a ‘slow-burning complex carbohydrate’, which gives you energy over a long period, without causing a massive spike in your blood sugar levels. These are GOOD CARBS.
  • They are super cheap – I used an 80c can of lentils for this recipe that served a family of 5.
  • They are quick and easy to prepare and use.

This recipe is from Delicious magazine, October 2013.

Lentil Bolognese (vegetarian)

Created by on November 2, 2015

  • Prep Time: 5m
  • Cook Time: 15m
  • Total Time: 20m

Ingredients

  • 500 grams wholemeal spaghetti
  • 2 tablespoons olive oil
  • 1 onion or leek, finely chopped (white part of leek only, wash before chopping)
  • 1 celery stalk, washed and chopped
  • 2 cloves garlic, crushed
  • 1/2 700ml jar of tomato Passata (tomato cooking sauce)
  • 250 grams punnet cherry tomatoes, chopped in half
  • 400 grams can lentils, rinsed and drained
  • shaved parmesan and basil leaves to serve

Method

  1. Cook the pasta according to packet instructions.
  2. Heat the oil in a frying pan over medium heat, and add onion, celery and garlic and cook until softened.
  3. Add passata and 1/2 cup water and bring to a simmer.
  4. Add tomatoes and cook for 5 minutes.
  5. Add lentils and stir, and cook for another minute.
  6. Drain pasta and place in a large serving bowl topped with the sauce.
  7. Season with salt and pepper and serve with parmesan and chopped Basil leaves.
Source: cook fast eat slow
/ emma@cookfasteatslow.com Leave a comment

Warm Beef Salad with Creamy Balsamic Dressing

If you’re a little bored with ‘meat and 3 veg’, then shake things up a bit by layering your veggies and meat on a plate, drizzling it with a dressing and calling it a salad!

Warm Beef Salad with Creamy Balsamic Dressing

Created by on October 27, 2015

  • Prep Time: 10m
  • Cook Time: 20m
  • Total Time: 30m

Ingredients

  • 500 grams rump steak
  • 1 medium size sweet potato, peeled and cut into thin rounds
  • 1 bunch broccolini, cut in half
  • 50 grams goats cheese, crumbled
  • 1/4 cup pepitas (pumpkin seeds), lightly toasted
  • 2 large handfuls green beans, topped and tailed
  • 1 handful snow peas, de-stringed
  • Creamy Balsamic Dressing
  • 1/3 cup extra virgin olive oil
  • 5 teaspoons balsamic vinegar
  • 2 teaspoons honey
  • 1 heaped teaspoon tahini paste
  • salt and pepper to taste

Method

  1. Mix all the ingredients for the dressing together in a jar with a lid. Set aside.
  2. Preheat oven to 200 degrees celsius.
  3. Place sweet potato rounds on a baking tray, lightly spray with olive oil spray (or use a small amount of oil to coat), sprinkle with salt and pepper and roast for 20 mins or until soft and slightly golden. Set aside.
  4. While the sweet potato is roasting, steam the green vegetables lightly, in the microwave or in a saucepan on the stove. Set aside.
  5. Brush each side of the rump steak with olive oil and season with pepper.
  6. Heat a non stick pan over a medium to high heat and add the piece of steak. When you see blood start to rise to the surface, turn the steak over. Cook for a few minutes on the other side or until cooked to your liking and then remove from the pan. Place on a plate, and cover with foil to allow to rest.
  7. Assemble together all the ingredients, layering the green vegetables on a plate, followed by the sweet potato.
  8. Thinly slice the steak and place on top of the vegetables.
  9. Sprinkle with goats cheese and pepitas and drizzle over the dressing.
Source: cook fast eat slow