Tag Archives: dinner

Weekend Detox Dinner

Posted on May 7, 2012 | 2 Comments

After a wild weekend, including far too many glasses of punch and champagne to celebrate my gorgeous friend’s 21st birthday, KFC and oreo-cream-cheese truffles (a minor setback on the quitting sugar, but really, can you blame me?), tonight definitely called for a detoxifying, vege and protein packed dinner!

I browsed a few of my favourite food blogs for inspiration before leaving work this evening, and came across a goodie on 101 Cookbooks.

Enter: Lemony Chickpea Stir-fry.

I made quite a few changes to the recipe…

  • Substituted coconut oil in place the olive oil. I am obsessed with the stuff at the moment, and it is so good for you (have a look here!). It adds an utterly delicious coconutty flavour to both sweet and savoury dishes. Recently I’ve been mixing a tablespoon into my bowl of porridge in the morning…mmm!
  • Replaced tofu with chicken thigh.
  • Replaced kale with spinach. Couldn’t find kale at the supermarket – any New Zealanders know where we can find kale around here?
  • Added mushrooms. Because they are yum!
  • Switched out lemon for lime. My supermarket had run out of lemons, can you believe it?!

Coconut and Lime Chicken & Chickpea Stirfry

Ingredients

2 tblsp coconut oil

1 onion, diced

Salt

1 tin chickpeas, drained

2 chicken thighs, cut into chunks

A large handful of mushrooms, sliced

1 large courgette, chopped into chunks

A few big handfuls of baby spinach

Zest and juice of 1 lime

Method

Heat 1 tablespoon of coconut oil over med-high heat in a large frying pan. Add onion, chickpeas and a pinch of salt, and cook for about 10 minutes or so until golden.

Add the remaining tablespoon of coconut oil and the chicken, and stir fry until the chicken is cooked through.

Add mushrooms and courgette, cooking for a  few minutes until tender. Add the lime zest, spinach and lime juice, toss and serve.

Chock-full of healthy fats, protein, and veges. The perfect meal to start your week off on the right foot.

Enjoy!

Xx Christie

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My favourite dinner.

Posted on February 13, 2012 | 5 Comments

I am still feeling under the weather today, so am just popping in for a quick post with a wonderfully healthy dinner we have been enjoying lately – Blackened Salmon with Bok Choy.

Salmon is great for your health, bursting full of good-for-you omega-3s. Served with an iron-rich leafy green and healthy fats (sesame oil!), my tastebuds classify this as the perfect, easy weeknight meal.

Don’t be put off by the ‘blackness’ of the salmon! I’m one of those bizarre types that loves crispy, blackened food. Like nearly-burnt toast. Delish!

If you don’t like your fish black, simply cook it on a slightly reduced heat.

This pic was just a quick snap before gobbling this meal up! Sorry, no attention was paid to food styling or photographic quality – I hadn’t even planned on putting it on the blog. But the outcome was so mouthwatering I had to share!

(Also in the above picture is a kumara salad that I have been making all the time lately – it is delish! I will post the recipe in the next few days – writing out the recipe for that is more than my head-cold can handle right now :( )

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Blackened Salmon with Bok Choy

Marinate salmon fillets in a combo of sesame oil (~1 tsp per fillet) , palm sugar (~1/2 tsp per fillet), and soy sauce (~1-2 tbsp per fillet).

Chop the bottom off a bunch of bok choy so all stems come apart. Rinse off dirt, and slice the larger ones in half lengthwise if you like.

Heat a non-stick frying pan over high heat. When hot, place salmon in, skin-side-down, and cook for approx three minutes. Flip salmon, and cook for another three minutes or until cooked through and at your favourite level of crispiness!

When the salmon has two minutes left to cook, throw the bok choy into the pan. It will soak up the delicious salmon and marinade flavours from the pan.

Remove salmon and place on serving plate.

Continue to stirfry bok choy in pan for an extra minute, throwing in an extra drizzle or two of soy sauce and sesame oil if it looks like it needs it.

Add the greens to your plate. If you’re feeling hungry add a carb (brown rice would be fabulous).

And… devour! This would be great with a light gewurztraminer (I love Seifrieds with asian/seafood) to balance the richness of the salmon.

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I hope you are having a wonderful start to the week!

What’s your favourite meal right now?

Xx Christie

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Delicious (& cheap) roast pork.

Posted on October 19, 2011 | 3 Comments

Has anybody else (from NZ ) been watching Get Fresh with Al Brown on Saturday nights? I love the idea – how he travels to different regions of New Zealand and prepares a three-course meal based on local ingredients. It’s pretty neat!

I was watching it last weekend (before the 1st RWC semi-final of course!) and was struck with a chord of inspiration when he served roast pork hock as the main course in Dunedin. I thought, pork hock? I can pick one one of those up at the supermarket for about five dollars!

That, I did.

Five bucks later, it was on the menu for dinner last night. Boy, it was good. Tasted like a million dollars. Ok, I exaggerate.

At least twenty, though.

I went ahead and just roasted it the way I know how. Although now that I look, his recipe is actually on the TVNZ site right here.

I’ll share my “recipe” anyway. Your call whether you want to go with his or mine…

Although whichever mode of roasting you choose, please do make it! It is slow-roasted, so the meat becomes deliciously tender and just falls of the bone. It’s melt-in-your-mouth kind of stuff.

(Please excuse the terribly grainy iPhone photos)

Roast Pork Hock

I used an 800g pork hock (keeping in mind that at least half of that is just the bone), and this served two. With enough left over to make a roast pork sandwich for lunch today.

Score the skin of the pork hock and rub lots of salt in. You will get the crispest of crackling if you leave it for a few hours/overnight like this – I forgot, but it still turned out wonderfully.

Preheat oven to 220*C

Rub the hock with about 2 tbsp olive oil, and sprinkle on some kind of seasoning of your choice. I used about a tsp of dried basil (although I reckon sweet smoked paprika would be out-of-this-world!).

Place in a baking tray and cook in the oven for 20 minutes. Reduce the oven heat to 160*C and continue to cook for about 2 hours.

I chopped up some kumara, potatoes and onions and threw them into the same tray with a bit of extra oil, when there was about an hour to go.

When the hock is cooked, leave to rest for about 10 minutes.

Serve with the roasted veg and something green.

Now I’m kind of kicking myself that I gave Rian the leftovers to take for lunch today… it was just so tasty!

Have you ever cooked a pork hock? What are some other good ideas to do with them?

Xx Christie

p.s. I’m headed to the post office shortly to pick up a parcel of new makeup I’ve been expecting for a while. Stay tuned for a beauty post coming up!

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The ultimate spaghetti & meatballs.

Posted on October 11, 2011 | Leave a comment

Like many New Zealanders I’m sure, Spaghetti Bolognese is a staple in our house. It’s a quick, unfussy meal at the end of a long day, guaranteed to please the senses with its thick, meaty, tomato sauce. It’s definitely one to satisfy.

However, I took some mince out the freezer yesterday morning with the intention of cooking something a bit different. A rather long time ago I wrote a list of goals for my 21st year (refer #4). Inspiration was born, and while the idea of this meal is by no means unique, it is the first time I have ever forayed into the world of Spaghetti and Meatballs (yes, they deserve to be capitalised). And if you’ve never visited chunky meatballs with your pasta either, it’s about time you did!

Similar to Spaghetti Bolognese, but on a completely new level. Same ingredients, different story. Kicked up a notch. Here we go.

The ulTimate Spaghetti & meatballs (Or Whatever-pasta-you-have-in-your-pantry & meatballs)

Inspired by Smitten Kitchen. Serves 4. Or 2 for dinner + lunch the next day. We live for leftovers.

Ingredients

Meatballs:
  • 500g lean minced beef
  • 1 cup fresh breadcrumbs (about 2 slices of bread)
  • 1 tsp dried basil
  • 1 tsp dried mixed herbs
  • 1 onion
  • 1 garlic clove
  • 1 egg
  • Olive oil (I’m still using Village Press, recommended!)
  • Vegetable oil. I like Rice Bran.
Sauce:
  • 3 onions
  • 3 garlic cloves
  • 1/2 tsp paprika
  • 1/2 cup red wine
  • 400g can chopped tomatoes
  • 3 tpsp tomato sauce
  • 1 tsp dried basil
  • Salt & pepper
To Serve:
  • Cooked pasta – use whatever you have on hand. Spaghetti is typical, but I had penne. So there.
  • Vegetables/salad for the side.
  • Freshly grated parmesan, if it floats your boat.

Method

Dump mince and breadcrumbs in a large mixing bowl.

Chop garlic and onion for the meatballs. You could get ahead of the game at this step and chop garlic and onion for the sauce too.

Threes for the sauce, ones for the meatballs.

Garlic needs to be finely minced, onions need to be finely chopped. As fine as you can get it for the meatballs, please.

Add the onion and garlic allocated to the meatball mix to the bowl, along with the dried basil, dried mixed herbs, egg, and a good shake of salt and pepper. Mix together with a fork, then lightly roll into small balls.

The mix makes this many.

Heat 1 tbsp olive oil, and 1 tbsp vegetable oil on medium high heat in a large frying pan. In two batches (do not overcrowd the pan!), brown meatballs all over. The purpose of this step is not to cook the meatballs, this will happen in the sauce later. It is to give them a nice crispy outer shell, and so that they hold their shape in the sauce.

Each batch will take about 10 minutes. Be patient!

Remove meatballs onto a plate covered with paper towels.

At this stage, you might notice the pan looking a bit like this.

Yummy.

This is good. Do not clean this! The leftover oil and crispy bits in the pan are going to make our sauce amazing.

Add the 3 chopped onions to the pan, and cook over a medium heat until onions are cooked, about 10 minutes.

Crispy!

Add garlic and paprika (adds a depth of both flavour and colour) and cook for another minute.

Add the red wine. It will sizzle! Stir well, using the wine to deglaze the plan, so that all the brown crispy bits become part of the sauce. Yum.

In the background, le boy plays on the xbox. Such is life.

Add tomatoes, tomato sauce, dried basil, and a good shake of salt and pepper.

Place the meatballs in the sauce and gently simmer for about half an hour. Use this time to have a glass of wine and get your pasta cooking.

As it simmers, the sauce will condense and become thick and luxurious.

Poor lighting, beautiful sauce.

Serve over al dente pasta, with a green vegetable or two on the side.

I choose broccoli!

I’m looking forward to the leftovers for my lunch today. Yum, yum, yum.

Have you cooked anything new this week?

Xx Christie

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Spaghetti with salmon, peas and lemon.

Posted on October 6, 2011 | Leave a comment

Salmon is my favourite source of protein. In fact, I could go as far as saying it is one of my favourite foods. Melt-in-your-mouth, deliciously tender and wonderfully healthy…just can’t beat it.

Needless to say, when I saw a recipe for Spaghetti with Almonds, Peas and Salmon in the latest issue of Dish magazine that arrived in my mailbox last week, it was immediately earmarked for future cooking. Yesterday afternoon I spied a great special on (the normally very expensive) salmon at our local supermarket – so suddenly it was on the menu for last night.

Beautiful. It's Spring!

Oh boy, it did not disappoint.

Earmarked, see?

I always get excited about pasta recipes that don’t call for creamy sauces – partly because they tend to be healthier, and partly because my boyfriend can’t eat dairy. The fact that this one wasn’t tomato-based either was a welcome change.

Photography by night. I'm learning that it's not great...

I made a few adaptations based on what we had on hand, and to keep it within our tiny budget.

Spaghetti with salmon, peas and lemon.

Adapted from Dish magazine, issue 38. Serves 4.

Ingredients

  • 300g salmon fillet, skinned and boned
  • 400g dried Spaghetti
  • 1 1/2 cups frozen peas
  • 3 tbsp olive oil + an extra dash for cooking salmon (I use The Village Press - it’s from the beautiful Hawkes Bay)
  • 1 dried red chilli, seeds removed and finely chopped
  • 2 garlic gloves, crushed/finely chopped
  • Zest + juice of a large lemon
  • 1/2 tsp dried mixed herbs
  • Salt and pepper

Method

Cook the spaghetti in a large pot of salted boiling water for 13 minutes, or until cooked. Throw the frozen peas in at the 11th minute.

While the spaghetti is cooking, lightly season the salmon on both sides and cook in a dash of oil in a hot pan. It should take about a minute or two on each side – it is best to slightly undercook the salmon, as this is going to rest while we cook another element of the meal. When the salmon is cooked to your liking, remove from the pan and cover to keep warm.

Using the same pan, heat 3 tpsp of olive oil and cook the chilli and garlic until fragrant. Add the lemon zest, juice and dried herbs, cooking for a further minute or two.

By this time the spaghetti should be al dente and the peas cooked. Drain well and add to the flavourful pan. Season to your taste and mix to combine. Finally, flake the salmon into small pieces, gently stirring through the spaghetti.

Serve, and eat immediately. This will be gobbled up in no time!

Eat me. Now.

What’s on your menu for dinner tonight?

I’m making a beef curry, based on EatLiveRun‘s wonderful Channa Masala. I’ve made this a few times before and it is divine. My tastebuds can’t wait!

Xx Christie

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