CAULIFLOWER SIDE SALAD

When you fetch your daughter from school and you ask how was your day and she replies boring. But then tells you she would have the boring day all over again just so she could eat her lunch again. Yes this is a true story, I promise. One that made me a proud mom and home cook. This dish was in her lunch box on the day in question.

TOASTED QUINOA AND CARROT SALAD

Im told you pronounce this word Quinoa like this:  Keenwa - Interesting hey?
I don't know why but now I go around correcting others= kinda annoying right? Im trying to stop...

CREAMY ROASTED ROSA TOMATO, MUSHROOM AND CHICKEN PASTA

When walking into a shop and smelling gorgeous cooked meats and tomatoes.. it made my stomach growl. I shopped like a lunatic buying a whole chicken and little tomatoes and onions and cream... came home and proceeded to make the aching for the gorgeous smell in the shop go away... It worked!

INGREDIENTS
1 whole chicken 
2 large onions
400g (2 punnets) rosa/small tomatoes
250 - 350g mushrooms of your choice (i used button and portabello)
250ml (1 cup) of cream
fresh herbs - thyme, basil, sage (1 small sprig of each)
salt
pepper
2 tablespoons brown Organic sugar
3 cloves garlic
1 packet of pasta (i used rice noodles) 

METHOD
Place your chicken in a roasting dish and season with salt and roast at 170 degrees until cooked but still moist. Take the chicken out the dish and set aside to cool. keep the dish with the juices from the chicken.
Peel and slice the onions into half rings about thin to medium thickness and place in the same dish as that the chicken was roasted in - in all the juices. Roast the onions for roughly 10 - 15 min (until light golden brown)
Now place the little tomatoes in with the cooked onions, placing a slit in each tomato so it won't burst in the oven. Add the fresh herbs and thinly sliced 2 cloves of garlic. You can use dried herbs if you don't have fresh.Sprinkle with sugar, salt and pepper. Place back  in the oven and stir occasionally. Cook until the tomatoes are soft and wilted and oozing. Squish them down with the back of a large spoon. 
While the tomatoes are finishing up in the oven start to boil your pasta.
Thinly slice the mushrooms and fry in a large frying pan with some olive oil add 1 diced garlic clove.
Once your pasta is boiled take off the heat and rinse.
Take all the white meat off the chicken and chop into chunks.
Add the tomato/onion dish from the oven to the mushrooms (juices and all) stir.
Now add the chicken and a tub of cream. Mix together and salt to taste.
Stir your chunky mushroom, chicken and tomato sauce into the pasta and serve.

(serves 4)

 

ASIAN LAMB RIB NOODLE SOUP

INGREDIENTS
2 Large Onions
500- 800g lamb ribs (cut into ribbetjies - cut into strips)
a few tiny pieces star anise
fresh celeriac stems (about half a handful)
1 bunch organic carrots

fresh sage (half a handful of the baby leaves)
fresh chives (about 5 leaves)

fresh rosemary (1 sprig- end of a stick)
fresh oregano (half a handful)
dried basil (2 Tablespoons)
dried origanum (1 Tablespoon)
1 medium to large butternut
2 large fresh mielies/corn
2 handfuls of rice noodles
olive oil
Salt 
Black pepper
1 clove of garlic crushed

METHOD
Take your lamb ribs and place them in an oven dish  sprinkle with olive oil, salt and black pepper and half of an onion roughly chopped. Add a little fresh rosemary and a sprig of fresh oregano. Place in the oven and bake at 190- 200 degrees Celsius. While the lamb is cooking in the oven in a Large pot chop up the remaining 1 and a half onions and fry in some olive oil with a tiny bit star anise until lightly browned. Add a little salt. Cut the corn off the cob and place in the browning onions and stir for a few minutes. Now add the celeriac stems and leaves chopped up medium fine. Stir for a little bit and then fill your pot with water until just above three quarters of the pot. Bring to the boil. While you are waiting for the watery soup to come to the boil peel and chop up your carrots into rounds and place in the soup. Add the fresh and dried spices (except the rosemary). Take out the floating star anise, if you can see any. Peel and cube the butternut and add to the lamb ribs which should be starting to brown - Cover the ribs with the butter nut and add some garlic and season with salt. Continue to bake the butternut and lamb ribs until the butternut is tender and the ribs are well cooked. At the same time the soup should be boiling, turn down to a simmer and allow to reduce for about an hour. Then place the butternut and lamb and all the juices etc from the lamb dish into the soup pot and continue to simmer - cover the soup and taste. Add salt and skim off the oils on top with a large spoon. Add the rice noodles 10 minutes before serving. Stir and season then serve in Large soup bowls


Enjoy