Parsnip and Macadamia Salad

Ingredients
4 parsnips, chopped and roasted
1/2 to 1 cups macadamia nuts, roasted
packet of fresh rocket or baby spinach


Dressing
1 tblspoon mustard
1 tblspoon honey
1/2 lime
1 tspn olive oil


Mix all ingredients in a big bowl. Mix the dressing well. Drizzle over ingredients and lightly toss to combine:)


Hey presto - yummy salad. It's a little rich so it goes well as a side:) Also, very filling:)


Taken from Susefoods:) 


I used a big, whopping parsnip:) Let's see how it turns out today.

That's not a parsnip...this is a parsnip...

Homemade lemonade

Just made this recipe:) I used Cold (Filtered) Water instead of Soda Water and it's still as yummy. Yay for lemons:)

Makes

1.25 litres

Ingredients

• 1 cup (220g) caster sugar
• 1 cup (250ml) lemon juice
• 3 cups (750ml) soda water, chilled

Place the caster sugar in a saucepan with 1 cup (250ml) water and stir over low heat until the sugar dissolves.

Allow to cool. Stir in the lemon juice.

To serve, top with chilled soda water.

Rasgulla - (steamed cheese (paneer) balls in sugar syrup)

This recipe was in our end of year pre-school booklet:) Yummo....can't wait to make them:)


One litre milk
250 grams sugar
One tablespoon flour
One teaspoon rose water
One tablespoon of lime/lemon juice

Boil Milk and when it boils reduce heat and add the lime juice.The milk will start curdling and the whey will separate. Let the milk stand for a few minutes. Then strain the mixture separate the  solid from the liquid with a cheese cloth. The solid is normally called the paneer(indian cottage cheese).

Hang the paneer in a place so by gravity all the water drains from it. This will take half to one hour.Then take it  squeeze any excess water remaining in it.Then place a heavy weight on it and let it rest for one hour.This ensures that the paneer is dry. Tjis will be in the consistency of wet bread crumbs when you handle it.

Transfer it to a container and knead softly with your palms. Then add the flour and continue to knead gently for a few minutes. Then make small round balls.You can make around 20 to 25 balls with the mixture.Keep it aside.

Place the sugar in a pressure cooker and add 3 cups of water and dissolve it.Wait for it to boil.When the syrup is boiling add the prepared paneer balls into it and also the rose water.Close the pressure cooker and steam it on a medium pressure for 5 to 7 minutes. Let it rest and open it. When it cools leave it in the refrigerator overnight and Yummy you will have tasty healthy rasgullas for the next day.

It can be had immediately after cooking  but will taste better if it soaks in the sugar syrup .This can be kept in the refrigerator for a week and Charu loves it.

PS.

For a different flavor instead of the rose water you can add powdered cardamom or vanilla essence

Food colouring can be added to the dough to make different coloured rasagullas

If you don’t have a pressure cooker you can use a container make the syrup and put in the balls and boil it on a low flame /reduced heat for around 15 to 30 minutes. The balls usually double up in size when you boil them.

Chickpea, fetta and coriander tarts

1 can chickpeas (about 400g)
1 cup of your fav pasta sauce
1 egg (optional#)
1/2 cup chopped Coriander Leaves (or Basil)
100g Feta Cheese
4 sheets of filo pastry

Preheat oven to 220 degrees.

Drain and wash chickpeas.  Mash chickpeas with a fork.  Add pasta sauce, crumbled feta and coriander leaves and mix through well. Taste and season with salt and pepper to your liking.  Mix in egg.

Lay a sheet of filo on the bench, kepping the remainder covered to prevent them from drying out.  Spary sheet lightly with oil and fold in half.  Repeat this once then cut in half, giving you a 2 rectangles of pastry.

Spray a muffin tin lightly with oil and line each mould with a filo piece, pressing it down around the base and edges.  Fill the moulds with chickpea mixture and bake in oven for 20 minutes or until pastry is golden brown.

Makes 8 tarts

** This recipe is from the biggest loser recipe book and everything is supposed to be low fat.  I do this a little differently.  I use puff pastry.  I cut the puff pastry into squares of four. (ie. one pastry sheet will can make four squares if you cut it or fold it into four).  Before I put the mixture in the tarts I bake the empty cases in the oven a little bit (for about 5 to 10 mins).  Once they are a little puffy and brown I take them out of the oven and then let them cool a little.  I then pop the mixture in and then put them in the oven for another 10 mins.

#I left the egg out the other night when I made this for Cynthy as she is vegie.  It didn't seem to make a whole lot of difference:)

Tomato & Red Lentil Soup

I kinda make my own recipes from other ones....so play with the soup and taste it lots and add extra water or vegie stock as needed

1 Brown Onion - halved and finely chopped
2 Garlic Cloves - crushed
2 cans of diced tomatoes
2 cans of tomato soup (plus 2 cans of water)
3/4 cup of split red lentils

Spray a big soup pot with olive oil.  Add onion and garlic and sautee until onion softens.  Add soup, water and tomatoes (juice and all).  Bring to boil.  Add lentils.  Reduce to low and cook for about 30 minutes or until the lentils are tender and the soup is yummy and thick.  Stir it occasionally while its cooking.  Taste and season with salt and pepper.

Serve it with crusty bread.  The little round 'cook in the oven' rolls are perfect with this.

You can freeze this soup.

You could also add crumbled or chopped up proscutio to the soup for a smokey flavour.

Chicken Noodle and Vegie Soup

Soup number two that I enjoy making...and basically made up.

You need about
About 400 grams of chicken thighs or breast (or less)
A winter soup pack of vegies from woolies or coles or the like.  They usually contain:
* one small potato
* one turnip
* one swede
* one medium brown onion
* two carrots
Dry packet of Chicken Noodle Soup
Massel Brand Vegie or Chicken Stock...one cube

In a big pot boil the chicken.

Meanwhile grate all the vegies.  Yes, grate them (very annoying part) but worth it.  You could probably chop the veggies and then blend them at the end but I have had an accident with a blender (eep).

Take the chicken out of the boiling water when cooked.  Discard the liquid.  Shred the chicken carefully using two forks (or just wait til their cool and do it safely).

Fill a big pot with a litre of water.  Add dry chicken noodle soup packet.  Add grated vegies and chicken.  Add stock/water if desired (depends on how many you are serving).

Bring to simmer.  Cook for about 15 minutes and then serve.  You can also throw in some frozen corn as well if you like.  This makes it a bit sweeter.

This serves (without extra water/stock) about four people.  And you can freeze it.

Sweet Potato & Tumeric Soup

This is my favourite soup in the world.  I sort of made it up through trial and error.  It's a bit time consuming if you allow the mixture to cool so you can blend it...but well worth it.

Tablespoon Olive Oil
A large golden sweet potato - chopped into small cubes
1 medium brown onion - chopped
2 crushed garlic cloves
2 cm piece of fresh ginger - grated
1 birds eye chilli - deseeded and chopped (be careful doing this - watch rubbing your eyes!)
1 heaped tablespoon of tumeric
1 litre of water (4 cups)
2 Massel Vegie Stock Cubes
1 can (400ml) Coconut milk

Warm a big pot and place in oil.  Wait about a minute for oil to heat through and throw in the onion, chilli, garlic and ginger.  Stir fry until onion is transparent.  Try not to burn the spices.

Chuck in the sweet potato and tumeric.  Fry this a little until aromatic.

Add litre of warm water with stock cubes.  Bring to boil.  Then lower to simmer for about 30 minutes or until the sweet potato is soft.

Take this off the stove and allow to cool.  Blend the mixture in a blender until smooth.  If you blend it while its hot it tends to steam up and pop the top off your blender! you do not want tumeric on anything as it will stain or hot soup on your face!  You can always use a hand blender while its hot - but it doesn't make it as fine and creamy.

Place blended mixture back in the pot on the stove.  Heat through until hot, then stir through the can of coconut milk.  Remove from heat and serve with crusty bread.

YUM. YUM. YUM.