Kale fritters

Can't believe how long it's been since our last post!!
As you can imagine, my preschooler is no longer one and we have added another human to the mix! Hahaha lots change in a few years...
Anyway...

Now we have a little veggie patch and we proudly post this recipe that was proudly made with our own kale :)
It was so tasty! Maybe because from ground to plate was so fast! Here it is..

KALE FRITTERS

INGREDIENTS:
Two handfuls of Kale
1 spring onion
2 fresh corn, grains cut (or a can will do as well)
5 eggs
salt, pepper and spices
Oil for frying

To serve:
2 tomatoes
A handful of parsley
Salt, pepper and lemon juice
Yoghurt

WHAT TO DO:

1. In a food processor chop the kale and spring onion (not too fine)

2. Mix that with the corn and eggs and then add the spices

3. Heat up the oil of your choice and fry the fritters until golden from both sides. Take out of the pan unto a paper towel.
4. While the fritters are cooking chop up the parsley and tomatoes and add the salt, pepper and lemon juice.
5. When ready to serve just top with some of the salad and yoghurt if desired.



Enjoy! :)

Quinoa and veggie fritters

Back after so long!!!

So here we are again. Today Mr. F came home to tell me he had been learning about "healthy eating" at school so I seized the chance and made these quinoa and veggies fritters. They were easy and delicious!

Here is the recipe:

INGREDIENTS
2 cups of cooked quinoa
2 eggs
Veggies of your choice. I added:
1 grated carrot
3 grated mushrooms
1 can of corn
1/4 small broccoli - only the busy tops
1 tomato
Some chopped parsley
Salt and pepper

1. Mix all the ingredients in a bowl. If the outcome is too dry, add another egg.
2. Form the patties and fry them until golden brown.

I ate mine with yoghurt and lemon but you can also make an avocado and tomato salsa.

Enjoy!

                

Veggie and sausage risotto

F and I never made risotto before and it is quite weird since we really like wet rice with goodies. So, we went and bought some Arborio rice and made this dish. You can obviously go all vegetarian with this one...just leave the sausage out.
Makes enough for about 4 people.

INGREDIENTS:
1/2 medium onion diced
2 sausages sliced
6 button mushrooms
1/2 leek chopped -we used the green part
Salt and pepper
Spices (we used coriander, paprika and turmeric)
1 cup arborio rice
3 cups of stock or water with stock cubes
Shaved Parmesan to serve

1. Brown the onion and then add the sausage and cook.
2. Once these are cooked, add the rest of the veggies and spices and cook until the veggies are soft. Add the rice and fry until it is slightly toasted.
3. Add one cup of the stock/water and stir constantly until the rice absorbes the moisture and then add the second cup and repeat until you add the third and last cup.
4. Check that the rice is cooked and the taste is right and if needed, add more water.
5. Once done and while still hot, stir in about 25 grams of butter in smaller chunks and mix quickly until completely melted (this will make the risotto creamy).

Add shaved Parmesan and serve!

Pickled vegetables

This is super easy and you can let your imagination go wild mixing and matching veggies for this delicious pickle.

INGREDIENTS:
Vegetables of your choice, cut into whatever size you prefer
Apple cider vinegar
Water
Salt and spices (turmeric, cumin, peppercorns and bay leaves)
Glass containers with lids previously washed and sterilised (you can do this by placing them -without the lids!- in the microwave with a bit of water for a minute or so)

1. Add three parts vinegar to one part water (according to how much you think you'll use) in a saucepan and stir in all the spices and the salt to taste. Bring to boil and remove from heat.
2. Put the chopped vegetables in the containers you will use (we chopped cabbage and cut cauliflower into bite-size chunks) and cover completely with the hot vinegar an spices mixture.
3. If there is some room left just fill in with more water and cover. Let sit for a few days to a few weeks at room temperature. Done!

Once you open a jar, it may be better to store it in the fridge.

Teriyaki tofu with noodles and broccoli.

This is not as much of a recipe as it is a suggestion on how to use these yummy ingredients in a simple dish.

INGREDIENTS:
Firm tofu
Chinese broccoli (broccolini or regular broccoli is good too)
Noodles
Teriyaki sauce*

1. Slice the tofu and pan fry until golden. Set aside and marinate in the teriyaki sauce for a few hours.
2. Chop up the broccoli and pan fry until softened.
3. In the meantime cook the noodles you want to use (we used thin rice noodles)
4. Dice the marinated tofu (optional) and add to the broccoli along with the cooked noodles. Add some extra teriyaki sauce, stir and serve hot!

TERIYAKI SAUCE RECIPE
1/4 cup soya sauce
1 cup water

1/2 tsp ground ginger (we added 3 pieces of ginger)
1/2tsp ground garlic or garlic powder

5 tbsp brown sugar
1tbsp honey 
1tbsp cornflour dissolved in a little cold water (for thickening)

1. Put all the ingredients except the cornflour in a small saucepan, dissolve sugar crystals and heat stirring constantly.
2. Once hot, add the cornflour and water mixture and whisk until the sauce reaches the desired thickness.
3. It can be stored in an airtight container in the fridge.

Fesenjun . Chicken with walnuts.

Persians have a LOT of amazing dishes and this is one of our personal favorites. It is called "Fesenjun" and it is basically a stew with walnuts, meat and pomegranate. Sounds yummy yet? If you have seen the Junior Masterchef in Australia a few years ago, there was a kid who made this. Although the judges liked the taste, it didn't make it because of its appearance...hahaha...yes, not the most appetising looking dish but truly a very delicious one!

- You can make this dish vegetarian. We suggest using mushrooms whole or cut into large chunks.

INGREDIENTS:
1 medium onion diced
1-2 cloves of garlic, minced
Chicken - we used 400gr of diced thigh fillet but you can use as much/little as you like with or without the bone. People also make it with small meatballs.
Salt and spices
400gr walnuts ground
1 bottle of Pomegranate paste (found in Middle Eastern grocery shops)
1 tbsp brown sugar
Water

1. Soften the onion in a large saucepan and add the chicken and garlic mince. Cook but don't brown. Add salt and whatever spices you like (we used cumin, turmeric and pepper).
2. In the meantime, put the ground walnuts in a frying pan and heat until you can smell them roasting (be careful it doesn't burn and stir constantly). Add to the chicken.
3. Add the pomegranate paste (we added almost the entire bottle...only left about 1/8 of it) and sugar and stir.
4. Add the water until it almost covers the entire stew and bring to boil. Reduce heat and simmer for 40 minutes to up to several hours - you can do this in a slow cooker and leave it to slow cook for a really long time. The stew will become darker.
5. Taste and adjust sugar or salt accordingly.

We served it on a bed of rice (as you would).