CAULIFLOWER MAC AND CHEESE

This warm and comforting food is great in my mind for a lazy Saturday evening dinner while watching a DVD. But it is great for any night of the week... soft on the inside and crispy on the top, mmmm I wish I had some now.
The dried oregano on the cauliflower is a great Antioxidant. Antioxidants help protect the cells in your body against the effects of free radicals and improve your ability to fight infection.

VEGETARIAN SPAGHETTI BOLOGNESE / MUSHROOM STYLE MEATLESS BOLOGNAISE

With the colder weather approaching the need to each comforting bowls of warmth has drastically grown!
I then realized that our move to eating meat free and mostly animal product free too that I would have to come up with a dish to replace my usual spaghetti bolognese  I used to make  (filled with mince etc).  I can confidently say that we are 97% vegetarian and indulge in meat maybe once a month. (yay us! ;)
Replacing the meat with good quality mushrooms worked beautifully and I still got my lovely tomato pasta fix I wanted.

Autumn has been particularly beautiful this year and I couldn't help but photograph the leaves :) the seasons are changing fast and the cold is setting in!

INGREDIENTS
2 medium onions
2 cloves of garlic
1 and a half punnets of mushrooms (i used porcinni ) 
2 teaspoons balsamic glaze or balsamic vinegar
1 large jar of organic tomato puree 
2 teaspoons brown organic sugar
salt 
pepper
some fresh herbs - basil, oregano, thyme
Pasta (cooked) I use rice pasta



METHOD
Fry onion in some olive oil and season with salt. Once it starts to change colour add a teaspoon of sugar. then add garlic and lightly brown then remove all from the pan. In the same pan fry chopped up mushrooms and then add some balsamic glaze or balsamic vinegar and cook the mushrooms through. Now add the cooked onion and garlic back into the pan with the mushrooms. Add a jar of tomato puree and add sugar, salt, pepper and fresh herbs (basil, thyme and oregano) and simmer until flavors infuse. serve over cooked pasta :) I use a rice pasta.
Sprinkle with cheese if you eat dairy

So what warmer foods have you been making lately now that winter is here?

 

ROASTED BUTTERNUT RAVIOLI - GLUTEN FREE

I found this really nice recipe for gluten free pasta/ravioli on Gluten Free Girl & The Chef.
I made it quite a long time ago and made up my own filling for the little ravioli pockets. And even though it been a long time since I made them my daughter has been asking for it again.

I need to make them again soon. They do take a little work and time to make - but its sooo worth it!

I did a roast butternut filling and in others I did a tomato mince filling. 

Start by making the Ravioli (I found this recipe on Gluten Free Girl & the Chef)

RAVIOLI 

DOUGH INGREDIENTS

2-1/2 cups gluten free flour (I used Health connection Gluten Free Flour Mix)
1 teaspoon salt
1 Tablespoon olive oil
5 eggs
1 egg yolk

METHOD

Place the flour in a bowl.
Add salt, oil and eggs.
Mix until you have a dough.
Then place on a lightly floured surface.
Knead dough by folding over and turning over and kneading for a few minutes, until the right consistency appears (somewhat like bread dough). If the dough is too dry and crumbly, add remaining egg white
Place the dough in a bowl and cover.
Allow dough to rest for at least 20 minutes


ROASTED BUTTERNUT FILLING

FILLING INGREDIENTS
1 medium butternut peeled
1 small onion peeled
1 Tablespoon olive oil (or oil of choice)
salt
1 garlic clove skin still on
a few Tablespoons fresh cream

METHOD
Chop your butternut into chunks (the smaller they are the quicker they'll cook)
Place in a medium to large oven roasting dish.
Dice the onion finely and sprinkle on the butternut
Drizzle with olive oil (or oil of choice)
Take 1 clove of garlic with the skin on and crush under a knife or heavy object to just break the skin so flavors can release.
Place in the middle of the butternut tray. 
Sprinkle with a tiny bit of salt
Bake at 180 degrees Celsius until golden brown and tender. (stir occasionally)
Take out the oven
Remove the garlic clove
Take your ingredients and place in a food processor/blender and blitz until smooth adding a tablespoon of cream at a time. You want a consistency of mashed banana or heavy cream (not to runny).
If you don't have a blender you can mash butternut with a potato masher or a fork but you won't get as smooth a filling.

COMPILING THE RAVIOLI

METHOD
If you have a pasta machine put the dough through it a few times and then cut into squares.
If you don't have a pasta machine - not to worry. Just roll out the dough with your rolling pin until nice and thin and then cut into squares. You can decide if your want small, medium or large ravioli - just make sure your squares that you place on top of each other are the same size. I made ours roughly 5 cm x 5cm.
Once you have decided on the size of your squares and cut them up. Place a spoonful of the butternut filling in the middle and dab water all along the edge and then place another square on top to seal. I then used a fork to press down lightly on long the edge to make sure they were well sealed. (not sure if this is necessary) I also liked the pattern.

Put water in a pot and bring to a rolling boil and then place a few in at a time.
Once they rise to the top take out and place on a plate with season with salt, pepper and a little sprinkled cheese if desired or a nice sauce - like a cheese sauce or whatever you fancy. I think if would go well with a cream cheese and bacon crumbled on top.

You can see I served it with a mince sauce in the pic above. Use this recipe minus the spaghetti for the mince sauce.


Enjoy

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)

 

Spaghetti Bolognese (my version)

SPAGHETTI BOLOGNESE

1 x  500g pack of free range beef mince
2 x medium onions
1 x 125g button mushrooms
2 x garlic cloves
1 x tin of tomatoe paste concentrate
1 x large jar of organic tomatoe puree or 2 x tins of whole italian organic tomatoes
6 - 10 tablespoons sugar 
basil dried or fresh
oregano dried or fresh
salt
pepper
Spaghetti pasta ( i use wheat free - king soba noodles)



1) Place the mince in a large frying pan and over low heat fry (stirring occasionally) until cooked and changed colour to brown
2) while mince is browning finely dice the onions, thinly slice the muchrooms and peel and crush the garlic
3) when the mince is brown add the onions and cook until onion is translucent
4) add mushrooms and garlic and stir, cook until mushrooms start to soften
5) add the tin of tomatoe concentrate, stir in
6) add the jar of tomatoe puree (if using the whole tinned tomatoes push them through a sieve mashing until all juices are extracted and add to mince mixture)
7) add a little salt and pepper
8) add roughly a teaspoon of basil and a teaspoon of oregano (dried) or a half a hand ful of each chopped (if using fresh)
9) add 2- 3 tablespoons sugar
10) stir and let simmer with the lid on for 30 minutes
11) taste, add more sugar if the mix is still to sour and a little salt of it needs
12) simmer until nice and thick and not to runny then add a bit more oregano and basil to taste
13) cook pasta as instructed on the packet
14) drain pasta and put into bowls - dollop mince on top and grate over a good parmesan cheese

serve warm with some nice soft fresh bread and a salad - or enjoy on its own

Enjoy

CREAMY BUTTERNUT, FETA AND WALNUT PASTA - WEEKEND FOOD

CREAMY BUTTERNUT, FETA AND WALNUT PASTA

so it isn't only weekend  food but anyday of the week food - pasta is one of those great staples that you can dish into a bowl and just spoon into your mouth while watching a movie or reading a book - you don't have to think about it - it just tastes good :)

Ingredients
1 x packet of pasta - preferably the spaghetti or tagliatelle kind- i used King Soba Brown Rice noodles but regular noodles will do too
1 x medium butternut
1 x tub(250ml) cream
1 x round of feta
1 x medium onion roughly diced
1 or 2 cloves fresh garlic peeled (kept whole)
1 x handful of walnuts or cashew nuts
some olive oil

Method

1) Peel and dice the butternut into medium to small cubes then put in a roasting pan with diced onion and the garlic and drizze with olive oil.
2) Roast in the oven at 190 degrees celcius until soft and and lightly browned.
3) Bring a large pot of water to the boil and cook your pasta according to the packets instructions.
4) In a large frying pan or pot place the roasted butternut and onion, add the tub of cream and bring to a simmer.

5) Crumble in half the feta and season with salt.
6) Once the pasta is boiled rinse and mix in with the butternut cream mixture and crumble feta on top and stir on most of the nuts.

Dish into bowls and sprinkle a few extra nuts on top

:)

mushy spoonfuls of warm, comforting soul food with cheese

Creamy mushroom pasta - that just says it ALL! i love pasta and mushrooms and cheese and cream. so i decided to combine them all to make something that really makes me happy and comforted. so here goes:

1) boil taglietelle until tender ( i use rice pasta - on an anti wheat eating plan)
2) while pasta is boiling, finely chop 2 onions and fry till light brown in a large frying pan or wok
3) add chopped up mushrooms (+/- 250g or punnet)
4) cook mushrooms through then add a tub of cream (250ml) and stir
5) add some nice cheddar or parmesan to taste and lightly simmer
6) add 1/3 to half a packet instant mushroom soup powder or some spices of your choice and some salt
7) simmer and stir to let flavours develop
8) slowly spoon pasta into pan and mix in thoroughly till pasta is well coated
9) serve in deep bowls seasoned with salt and pepper and some grated parmesan or cheese of choice

enjoy - you'll want seconds :)