Best Homemade Chinese Take-away

Somehow the taste of this dish reminds me of a delicious chinese noodle take-away dish that we used to get when I was a kid.

Best Homemade Chinese Take-away

Packet Stir Fry Veg (I used oriental stir fry from Woolies)
Green Chilli
Garlic
Crushed Ginger
Packet Bean Sprouts
Packet Exotic Mushrooms (You get from Woolies)
2 Eggs beaten
Packet Egg Noodles
Teriyaki Marinade Sauce
Soya Sauce
Cashew Nut Butter
Sweet Chilli Sauce
Fresh coriander or even better, Vietnamese Coriander (a really fab little herb that tastes like coriander, lemons and curry leaves all in one!)

Boil water and cook noodles according to instructions. Stir fry the veg, garlic and chilli in a wok with a little olive oil or sesame oil, add the ginger and a little soya sauce towards the end of the cooking time.

Take veg out of wok and keep aside. Add some more oil and when hot throw in the egg and cook like a mini omelette and then chop up. Throw in the cooked noodles and the stir fried veggies. Toss in some teriyake sauce, a little more soya, add a few teaspoons of cashew nut butter. Mix well and dish up!

Serve with some chopped coriander on top and a whirl of sweet chilli sauce. Ooooo yummmmy.

2010 Resolutions

Admittedly, I have not been great at updating this blog. I keep making the most delicious meals and then forgetting to photograph them and since one of my ideals is to at least show the meal produced from the recipe, getting too hungry to waste time grabbing the camera has meant that I simply do not post the recipe at all. Mmmm. May need to rethink.

Anyhow...here's to some foodie 2010 resolutions:

1. I will get a worm farm
2. I will start recycling properly
3. I will cut out as many processed and refined and chemical laden foods as possible
4. I will buy organic and pesticide free produce when possible
5. I will keep up the veggie garden as I cannot believe how rewarding this is - I just roasted a huge tray of delicious home-grown and entirely pesticide free tomatoes...with some garlic and basil...delicious! In fact I used this last night for dinner...a simple but sum-of-the-parts winner!


Prawn and Tomato Spaghetti

200g Uncooked prawns
Few cloves of garlic
1 Red chilli
5 Very ripe tomatoes or 2 handfuls cherry tomatoes
Lashings of olive oil
Dash of sugar
Handful of basil
Salt & pepper
Spag for 2

Fry the garlic and chilli in olive oil until yummy and sizzling. Toss in the prawns and fry for a few minutes. Throw in the chopped tomatoes (or as I used a few ladels of already roasted homegrown tomatoes. The riper the better!), some salt and black pepper and half of the basil. Add a dash of sugar (1 tsp max). Simmer for a few more minutes. In the meanwhile, you will have boiled the spag...drain and toss into the tomato pan. Throw in the remaining basil and toss together. Serve with a lashing of olive oil and freshly ground black pepper and maybe a little grated parmesan...mmm delic!

You might just lick the pan like I did!

By the way...If you don't like prawns then you can leave them out. I often just make up a tray of tomatoes, garlic, basil, olive oil, salt and pepper and roast for 40 mins or so and toss into some pasta with some more fresh basil - really really delicious.

PS: My favourite tomatoes are "heirloom tomatoes" - bought three trays of different types and these were by far the best - fleshy, juicy and real-looking...yum. The heirloom tomato is the one in the basket of veggies above from our veggie garden.

Something Sweet

Do you ever feel like something sweet but with substance? Even if on a healthy diet, everyone needs a little comfort treat now and then. So let's do something healthyish and filling for pudding tonight?

Using plums which are in season...at least we're getting some fruit. (You can use whatever fruit you feel like though - I threw in some blueberries too! The end result was very tart...so might try apple or pear next time instead). This pud is cooked under the grill and you can serve it straight out of the frying pan you are going to make it in...preferably with a scoop of vanilla ice-cream if you are feeling extra wicked.

Plum Pan Pud

Serves 4-6

6-10 Ripe plums (depending on size)
2 Tbsp castor sugar
150ml Freshly squeezed orange juice (maybe apple juice to counter the tartness? Will try this next time)
100g Self raising flour
60g Brown sugar
60g Oats
60g Butter cubed & chilled

1. Put the orange juice and castor sugar in a small frying pan, bring to the boil, reduce heat. Add the plums cut-side down and cook for about 5 mins. Turn plums over and cook for another 3 mins until they are soft but still retaining their shape and the liquid is almost all evaporated. Remove the pan and set aside

2. Preheat the grill. Mix the flour, oats and brown sugar. Rub the cubed butter into the flour mix to resemble breadcrumbs. Sprinkle it over the plums and slide pan under the hot grill and cook for 3-4 minutes until the crumble is golden. I switched to convection oven for another 5 mins as I like mine well-cooked.

Don't forget the vanilla ice-cream. Or as I used, frozen yoghurt which has half the calories. Yummy yum.

Out to lunch

We went out to lunch today and I am not feeling inspired to cook...

We decided to go to Marika's in Bakoven, recommended by Christie for great Greek food. And it was scrummy. We started with spinakopita, chicken livers and mussels. For main, we both had lamb. I had baked lamb with rosemary and lemon while DH had lamb kebabs and peasant greek salad. I couldn't finish my food I was so stuffed. DH still had baklava (yes, I stole mouthfuls anyway), a shot of Frangelico and a coffee. The restaurant is very relaxed, laid back and fabulously non-poncey considering its location to the nearby pretentious Camps Bay strip.

I love Greek food, and Marika's does a great job with the basics - good solid flavours and simple dishes. My baked lamb fell off the bone and with a subtle herb and lemon flavour, the delicious taste of the lamb defined the meal. Dh's lamb kebab was grilled with peppers and onions and very tasty! The baklava, still fresh from being made was wonderfully nutty, sticky and the phyllo pastry still crispy...mmmm.

The wind is particularly fiesty today, the sea wild and choppy. We took the Chapman's Peak Drive route back and had some breathtaking sea vistas on the way home. This picture was taken in Cape Point a while ago, but reminded me of the gorgeous sea colours and of our drive today.

A visit to Greece is most definitely on the cards.

Sticky honey chicken and asparagus salad

This is an especially yummy and light meal. Because we ate it without any carbs on the side, I used 2 chicken breasts each for a substantial and filling salad dinner. Who needs asian takeaways when you can whip this up at home?

You need:

Packet chicken breasts
Packet cashew nuts
Bunch asparagus
3 Tblsp Honey
3 Tblsp Soya sauce
Baby spinach leaves or combo baby leaves salad pack
Sesame Seeds
3/4 Spring Onions
A lemon
Olive oil or coconut oil or sesame oil
Himalayan salt & black pepper

How to:

In a bowl, mix the honey (if it is not runny then warm it a little first) and soya sauce. Slice the chicken into pieces and stir through the sauce. Leave to marinade for about 1/2 an hour or so. Wash the baby spinach (we used our first bunch of spinach from our veggie garden!!), dry and arrange leaves on plates. Slice the spring onions diagonally and toss over the leaves.


Next, wash the asparagus, heat up a pan, add a little oil of your choice and flash fry the asparagus (I find it easier to chop the stalks in half and throw them in - fit into the pan better!). It is fine if they brown a little, just toss them about until glistening and a little seared. When just done, turn off the heat and squeeze a little lemon over them, add a little Himalayan salt and freshly ground black pepper and keep to the side.

Now, heat up a wok or pan, add a little oil of your choice and toss in the chicken and marinade. Stir every now and then until the chicken is done and the honey marinade starts to get all sticky - the chicken turns a lovely caramel colour and you can see the sticky honey coating taking effect. Watch you don't burn the chicken!

Throw in the packet of cashew nuts ( I like roasted but unsalted but you can also use raw cashews). Stir them in, turn off the heat and spoon the chicken and nuts over the leaves on the plates. Top with the asparagus. Squeeze a little lemon juice over the top and then sprinkle some sesame seeds on top. Viola...yummy.

An alternative to good old meatballs & spaghetti that works and is healthy and low-fat too

This should make enough for 3 or 4 servings depending on how hungry you are and how many meatballs you need to eat...

Meatballs
1 pkt Lean mince
1 Onion chopped finely
1 Egg
Thyme
Salt & pepper

Tsatsiki
1/4 Cucumber grated with all liquid squeezed out
1/2 Cup natural yoghurt
2 Cloves garlic crushed
Salt & pepper
Tsp mint sauce or chopped fresh mint

Rice
White basmati rice - enough for 2 or 3 or 4...

Salad
Anything your tastebuds desire...make up a side salad on the plates. Drizzle flaxseed oil and lemon juice over the top. There is something extra yummy about flaxseed oil - I am just loving the taste of it!

How to...

Right. Start by mixing the mince, onion and egg into a meatball type mix. Make small meatballs - one packet of mince should make about 12. Season the mix with thyme, salt & freshly ground black pepper. You could add some cumin or just use cumin instead of thyme.

Pop the rice on to boil. Spekko pre-cooked basmati is the best rice I think at the moment - love it! You can use brown basmati if you are feeling like being really healthy. I just think white basmati works better with this dish.


Start frying the meatballs in a little olive oil until they are nice and brown on both sides - about 6 mins per side. Keep on low until the rice is done.

Get your plates ready with the side salads. Some avo on top would be great if you have any. I usually do baby salad leaves, radishes (as above from our veggie garden but not essential if you don't have any), tomatoes, peppers, sprouts (homemade in our sprouter so we have a constant supply), avo, a little red onion etc.

To make the tsatsiki grate the cucumber and squeeze out all the liquid by squeezing the grated cucumber with your hands in the bowl and letting the juice run out - do this until no juice left otherwise tsatsiki will be too runny...Add the crushed garlic, yoghurt, salt, pepper and tsp mint sauce or fresh mint if you have any in the garden.

As soon as the rice starts making a slight crackling noise, it should be done. Dish up the rice, place 3 meatballs on top of the rice and top with dollops of tsatsiki. Mmmmmmm so fresh and greek-like and garlicky and yummy. Enjoy!

PS: I want to try this with lamb mince instead of beef - am sure it will be a winner!