tomatoes

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Indian Feast, Chana Masala: Deliciously Ella with Friends – Ella Mills (Woodward)

deliciously-ella-with-friends

Deliciously Ella with Friends by Ella Mills RRP $29.99 published by Hachette Australia on 31 January 2017

Indian Feast

Chana Masala

 

“Absolutely delicious and filled with incredible spices that really transform the chickpeas. I also add leeks and spinach, as I love getting the extra veg in and they add a great flavour, plus the green of the spinach makes the meal look beautiful, too. I love this served alongside my Aloo Gobi and Coconut Rice (pages 130 and 133), with a generous dollop of coconut yogurt.” p. 129

 

DELICIOUSLY ELLA WITH FRIENDS by Ella Mills (Woodward). Hodder & Stoughton 2017.

DELICIOUSLY ELLA WITH FRIENDS by Ella Mills (Woodward). Hodder & Stoughton 2017.

CHANA MASALA
Serves 6

NUT-FREE
5 tablespoons olive oil
6 curry leaves, or 1 teaspoon curry powder
1 leek, finely chopped
½ teaspoon ground turmeric
2 tablespoons ground cumin
2 tablespoons ground coriander
2 tablespoons garam masala
1 teaspoon chilli powder
1 onion, finely chopped
2.5cm root ginger, finely grated
5 garlic cloves, finely grated
2 x 400g cans of chopped tomatoes
2 tablespoons tomato purée
2 green finger chillies, halved lengthways
plenty of salt and pepper
2 x 400g cans of chickpeas,
drained and rinsed
250g baby leaf spinach
juice of ½ lemon
fresh coriander leaves, to serve
Heat the oil in a large saucepan and throw in the curry leaves, if using. Let them sizzle away and release their flavour for a few minutes, then drop in the leek and stir.
Next add the dry spices – including the curry powder if you’re not using curry leaves – and stir so that they’re mixed nicely with the leek. Let this cook for a few minutes before adding the onion, ginger and garlic; at this point you can add 1–2 tablespoons of water if things are starting to stick to the pan. Cook for a few minutes before adding the canned tomatoes, tomato purée, green chillies, salt and pepper. When you’ve poured in the tomatoes from their cans, swish a little water around in each to get the remaining juice, then add this to the saucepan, too. Let everything bubble away for 20 minutes.
Add the chickpeas and cook for another
10 minutes.
Stir in the spinach, just until it wilts. Let cool slightly, then stir in the lemon juice and serve in shallow bowls, sprinkling coriander leaves over the curry.
INDIAN FEAST CLEVER COOKING
Make extra so that you have leftovers. As with most curries, this tastes even better the next day, as the flavours have had a chance to develop further, so it’s worth saving some to enjoy in your lunch box!
FEASTS p 129

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Slow-Roasted Tomato and Scrambled Egg Breakfast Wrap: Get lean Stay Lean – Dr Joanna McMillan

I think this is going to become a new favourite for breakfast or even lunch.

get-lean-stay-lean

 

 

Images and recipes from Get Lean Stay Lean by Joanna McMillan (Murdoch Books RRP $35)

Slow-roasted tomato and  scrambled egg breakfast wrap

“I have to admit to being a creature of habit with my weekday breakfasts, but on the
weekend I love to do something different. These wraps filled with scrambled eggs and
veggies are so delicious, they fit the bill for a leisurely Sunday morning meal. I’ve used
a sandwich press to toast the wraps, but if you don’t have one you can do this in a large non-stick frying pan instead.”p.70

slow-roasted-tomato-scrambled-egg-breakfast-wrap-

 

Serves 4  Time 40 minutes  NF V

 

12 cherry tomatoes, halved

Freshly ground black pepper

1/2 garlic clove, crushed

8 button mushrooms, sliced (see note)

70 g (21/2 oz) rocket (arugula) leaves

8 free-range or organic eggs

125 ml (4 fl oz/1/2 cup) light milk

4 thin wholegrain wraps

1 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil

+

1 teaspoon balsamic vinegar

Pinch of salt flakes

 

Preheat the oven to fan-forced 160°C (315°F/Gas 2–3). Line a baking tray with baking paper.

Put the tomatoes on the tray, drizzle with 2 teaspoons of the extra virgin olive oil and the balsamic vinegar, and season with salt and
pepper. Roast for 30 minutes or until the tomatoes are soft and slightly caramelised. Remove from the oven and set aside to cool.

Preheat a sandwich press, if using.

Heat a teaspoon of the olive oil in a frying pan over medium heat. Add the garlic and mushrooms and sauté for 3–4 minutes or until browned.

Meanwhile, break the eggs into a bowl and whisk together with the milk.

Remove the mushrooms from the pan and set aside.

Wipe the pan with paper towel and place over medium heat. Drizzle the pan with the remaining teaspoon of olive oil and pour in the egg mixture. Cook gently, moving the eggs with a wooden spoon until just set (they should still be slightly wet as the mixture will continue to cook off the heat). Remove from the heat and set aside.

Lay out the wraps on your work surface. Divide the rocket between the wraps and place in the centre of each one, then top with the sautéed mushrooms, slow-roasted tomatoes and the scrambled eggs. Fold the bottom of the wrap up into the centre, then fold each side over the other to enclose the filling and form a parcel, open only at the top.

Place in the preheated sandwich press or in a frying pan over medium heat and cook for 1–2 minutes until sealed and heated through. If cooking in a frying pan, turn over after 1 minute to toast the other side.

Serve immediately.

 

Note I’ve just used button mushrooms here, but you could also try chestnut, shiitake or any other type of small mushroom. All mushrooms have an impressive nutrition profile and are a worthy addition to your diet

 

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Sadhana Kitchen Super Bowl: The Naked Vegan – Maz Valcorza

naked-vegan-cvr

 “Images and recipes from The Naked Vegan by Maz Valcorza (Murdoch Books) RRP $39.99”

 

Sadhana Kitchen Super Bowl

SERVES 4

 

“This is one of our most popular dishes at Sadhana Kitchen because it’s so vibrant, beautiful and delicious. That it’s one of the healthiest things you could eat is just a happy bonus.”

 

baby English spinach leaves, to serve

1 batch Brazil nut cheddar cream cheese (page 79)

1 batch Tomato, paprika & zucchini hummus (page 125)

1 batch Sauerkraut (page 84)

1 batch Beetroot dip (page 122)

 

Zoodles

2 zucchini (courgettes), spiralised

1 tablespoon lemon juice

1 tablespoon cold-pressed extra virgin olive oil

pinch of Himalayan pink salt or Celtic sea salt

 

Minted cucumber

2 large cucumbers, sliced

2 tablespoons finely chopped mint

1 tablespoon lemon juice

 

Lemony kale

140 g (5 oz/2 cups) shredded kale

1 tablespoon lemon juice

1 tablespoon cold-pressed extra virgin olive oil

 

Parsley tomatoes

250 g (9 oz) cherry tomatoes, cut in half

1 tablespoon cold-pressed extra virgin olive oil

2 tablespoons finely chopped flat-leaf (Italian) parsley

 

Put the zoodles ingredients in a small mixing bowl and toss together. Toss the minted cucumber ingredients together in another bowl, and the lemony kale and parsley tomatoes in two separate bowls.

 

Line a large bowl or platter with some baby spinach leaves. Arrange the four different salads on top, along with the Brazil nut cheddar, hummus, sauerkraut and beetroot dip. Enjoy straightaway.

 

superbowl

 

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When Your Garden Gives You Tomatoes

It is tomato season and we have an abundance of tomatoes once more. I have been bottling pasta sauce – with all home grown ingredients – eggplant, capsicum, zucchini, onions, chillies and tomatoes in a variety of combinations of the previous listed ingredients.  My pantry is full!

 

Tomatoes 001

Before

 

pasta sauce

After

 

Now I am finding recipes to use up large quantities of fresh tomatoes. Last night I made a rustic Shakshuka based on the recipe in Falafel for Breakfast by Michael Rantissi and Kristy Frawley .  In my “rustic” version I did not skin the tomatoes, merely chopped and simmered with onions and capsicums ( peppers) my garden had red and yellow so that is what I used, spices, chilies, and at the last few minutes added cherry tomatoes and a few shredded leaves of silver beet ( as per Michaels suggestion). The earthy silver beet goes perfectly with the rich sweetness of the tomatoes and capsicum.  Add eggs to complete. Delicious!  ( A dollop of Natural Greek yoghurt or lebneh when serving makes this meal in pan a heavenly treat). Great for breakfast or dinner.

shakshuka

 

 

 

 

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One Pot Chicken With Smoked Spices: Secrets From My Indian Family Kitchen – Anjali Pathak

Another simple, quick and delicious recipe from my new favourite recipe book…my twist was to use home grown purple skinned white fleshed sweet potatoes rather than potatoes (It is what I had available – the gardener picked them for me 5 minutes before I added to the pot)  Photographer could do with taking a bit more care! 🙂 But yummy all the same.

 

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One Pot Chicken With Smoked Spices

 

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Mediterranean Piccalilli – Preserving – Emma Macdonald

It has been a very bust time in the kitchen this week. We have had an abundance of zucchini (courgette), eggplant (aubergine/brinjal) , capsicum (bell peppers) , onions and tomatoes- the problem being they all ripen at once so what do you do with the excess after you have given away and made pasta sauce and passata? You make pickle! And this turned out perfect – just like the pictures in the book Preserving and tasted so good ( it is meant to be left in the cupboard for a month before use but the little bit I had leftover was great on my ham sandwich today)

The before:

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Mediterranean Piccalilli – Preserving: Emma Macdonald- the raw ingredients

And the after:

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Mediterranean Piccalilli

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My Garden is Yellow the Colour of Summer

Summer has just arrived and with it comes the wonderful summer crops I am so looking forward to; tomatoes, pumpkins, zucchini, sweet potato, cucumbers, capsicum…The garden is alive with colour.

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Zucchini with Ants – a study of nature.

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Wildflowers aka weeds

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Tomatoes aka Kasundi, pasta sauce, salads,