Spicy Vegan Mexican Dinner

Let me preface this by saying we are not vegans but we do enjoy the odd vegan meal here and there. My diet is predominantly vegetarian however, I have eaten some meat during this pregnancy. Once Pecan arrives, it's back to my herbivore lifestyle. I cannot wait for August (more bump pictures to be posted very soon)!!!

Kidney beans are an excellent source of protein, folate, iron, and fibre for those who may be interested. They're excellent for cardiac health, provide energy and help to stabilise blood sugar levels. Some might agree they're kind of magic.

Time savers: We prefer to pre-soak and cook dried kidney beans, but tinned varieties may be used. You may also opt for tinned corn kernels as they are inexpensive, less messy and like the tinned beans, require less time to prepare. Fresh is best in our eyes so enjoy the following recipes and feel free to tweak them to adjust what you have readily available.

Spicy Mexican Beans
Vegan, gluten free

1 Tbs olive oil
1 small brown onion, diced
1 clove garlic, finely diced
1 red chilli, seeds removed, finely diced
1 jalapeño chilli (if you dare), seeds removed, minced
1/2 tsp cumin powder
1 can diced tomatoes
1-2 cups water
1 cup red kidney beans, pre-soaked*
1 ear sweet corn, kernels sliced away from cob**
Sea salt and cracked pepper
Fresh coriander to garnish

Preparing the beans:
Pour one cup of dried kidney beans over a tray, discard any stones and funky looking beans. Rinse thoroughly under cold running water, strain and pre-soak kidney beans in water over night. I use the 1:3 rule (1 cup beans in 3 cups of water, cover and refrigerate overnight). Rinse again and drain well before use.

Cooking the beans:
Place 1 cup pre-soaked beans in a saucepan with 3 cups of fresh water (enough to cover the beans by one inch). Do not season the water. Bring to the boil, then reduce to a simmer and partially cover. Skim any foam that develops and stir occasionally. Cook for 1 to 1/2 hours over low heat. You may choose to use a pressure cooker, which will reduce the cooking time to a third.

*If you prefer not to wait for the pre-soaking and cooking, use one tin of kidney beans, rinse and drain prior to use.

Heat oil in a large pan over medium heat, sauté diced onion until soft. Add the garlic, chilli and jalapeño (if you like the heat... We like the heat!), cumin powder and stir, cooking for 2 minutes.

Pour in the diced tomatoes and 1 cup of water, add the pre-soaked kidney beans and corn (** Again, you may opt to use tinned corn which has been rinsed and drained). Stir to combine, season with salt and pepper to taste and simmer for 10 to 20 minutes. If the beans are too thick, add a little more water to achieve the desired consistency. We like thick beans and tend to mash some of the beans prior to serving to thicken the sauce.

Cook until the beans are tender and serve with freshly chopped coriander.

Fresh Salsa

1 ripe mango
1 large Lebanese cucumber
1 large sweet red pepper (capsicum), stalk and seeds removed
1 small lime
sea salt and cracked pepper
*fresh diced chilli or dried chilli flakes optional

Wash and pat dry all fruit. Finely dice the mango, cucumber and red capsicum, add to a large bowl and stir. Add the zest and juice of half to one small lime (it depends on how much citrus flavour you want- We love lots of lime!) and season with sea salt and cracked pepper to taste. Stir until the fruit is evenly coated and serve immediately.

Sar from Love, Love Lady suggested fresh diced chilli or dried chilli flakes to add a bit of a kick and I'm really digging her suggestion, we tried it and luuuurrrved it!

Wedges

3 medium-large scrubbed potatoes
1/2 Tbs ground cumin
1/2 Tbs paprika
1/2 Tbs ground coriander
1/4 tsp ground chilli powder (+ 1/4 tsp if you like your wedges HOT!)
2 Tbs olive oil
sea salt and cracked pepper

Preheat oven to 190 degrees Celsius (375F). Wash and pat dry potatoes, slice into 1.5cm thick wedges, leave skin on.

In a separate bowl, combine spices and oil. Add potato wedges and thoroughly coat with spice mixture (use your hands, get your spice on!).
Line a large baking tray with greaseproof paper. Spread wedges evenly in a single layer over baking tray and generously sprinkle sea salt and a little cracked pepper to season.

Bake for 40 minutes or until the wedges are crispy on the outside and soft in the centre. Serve hot with the Mexican beans, salsa, and fresh guacamole.

Guacamole

1-2 large ripe avocado (we use Hass avos)
1/2 small red onion, finely diced
1/2 red chilli, deseeded and finely diced
1 small tomato, diced
1 small garlic clove, minced
sea salt
lime juice (just a squeeze)
small handful fresh coriander

Smash the avocado flesh roughly with the back of a fork, stir in diced red onion, chilli, tomato, garlic, sea salt and lime juice. Season to taste. Sprinkle with smokey paprika and freshly chopped coriander to serve.

This guacamole can be made up to an hour before serving. Cover with plastic film and refrigerate, stir before serving.

This is the HOT CHIPS! dance. She performs it for most cooked meals though...

If you would like to add some dairy to your meal, for a vegetarian option try sour cream or natural yoghurt on the side of the beans and melted cheese is also optional. We prefer to keep this meal vegan as it's fun, balanced, colourful, fresh and delicious as is.

What are your favourite Mexican dishes? Do you have any suggestions for vegan cheese? Puh-lease share it below as I'd love to try it!

Bella xx

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Kari Ayam: Malaysian Chicken Curry

One of the obvious perks of being married to a gorgeous Malaysian man is sharing delicious home-cooked meals from his childhood. I imagine he dined on this curry as a boy, surrounded by family at a busy kitchen table in the small town of Miri in Borneo.

Here, Byron shares his recipe for a mild, flavoursome traditional family chicken curry, Kari Ayam (aren't we lucky?!).

Kari Ayam
Serves 4

Olive oil
500g chicken thigh fillets, chunky diced
2 garlic cloves, crushed
8 cm piece of ginger
1 long red chilli, seeds removed, finely sliced
3 star anise
6-8 cardamon pods, smack with the back of your knife to open
1 cinnamon scroll
2 Tbs ground turmeric
4 kaffir limes leaves
2 pandan leaves
1 cup chicken stock
1 Tbs hard palm sugar
2 large washed potatoes, large cubes
1 cup coconut milk
Coriander and fresh chilli to serve
Brown rice

In a large pan, heat roughly 1 tablespoon of olive oil, brown the chicken (high heat) and set aside. Reduce to low heat, add more oil, the crushed garlic, thinly sliced ginger, chilli, star anise, cardamon pods, cinnamon scroll and the turmeric. Stir constantly to prevent sticking to the pan and cook until the ingredients cook to a golden colour, approximately 5 minutes. Return the cooked chicken to the pan, add the kaffir lime leaves and pandan leaves, stir to coat with the spices and cook, stirring for 2 minutes.

Add the chicken stock and palm sugar and cover the pot, allowing a small space for steam to escape (Byron used a wooden spoon under the lid to allow a small gap). Simmer over low heat until the volume of the stock is reduced slightly. Add the potatoes and coconut milk and continue to slowly simmer until the potatoes are just soft (test with a fork).

Taste and season if needed.

Serve with fluffy brown rice, and sprinkled with sliced chilli and fresh coriander leaves. Usually we prepare our brown rice in a rice cooker with several slices of ginger and knotted pandan leaves tucked into the rice as it cooks. The flavour is subtly enhanced and the aroma is mouth-watering.

A handy tip: Remove the cardamon pods when you serve as they can have quite a surprising burst of flavour when you bite into them unexpectedly.

Eat surrounded by family or friends around your kitchen table. Talk, laugh, savour and enjoy.

Sangat Sedap!

Bella and Byron xx

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Seared Scallops and Tiger Prawn Tagliatelle with Creamy Tomatoes

It was early Friday morning when the recently absent sun finally graced us with her shiny appearance after a long hiatus. Content to wear a pair of shorts and light cardigan, I pulled on my boots and drove to Pyrmont, where I was met with the cool salty breeze of Blackwattle Bay, home of the Sydney Fish Markets.

My first port of call was Claudio's Seafood. As soon as I stepped inside the store I encountered a very busy scene indeed. Staff vigorously packed crushed ice around the cleaned fish, the hosed concrete floor squished under my boots, and the constant crunch of loose ice underfoot reminded me of the noise ski boots make on snow.

The variety of produce at Claudio's Seafood is impressive and it is here where I began my search for the ingredients for the seafood lunch I wished to prepare for Byron and myself. We walked in opposite directions to one another to make a complete lap of the store, speaking to staff and watching the skilled workers carefully fillet various cuts of fish from the sea right outside the store windows.

After selecting a few items, we then proceeded to the Waterfront Arcade of the SFM and to Peter's Fish Market for the beautiful produce we purchased for our meal.

To my basket I added fresh scallops, Australian Black Tiger Prawns, finely sliced salmon sashimi, one salmon fillet and one dozen large, freshly shucked Pacific oysters with lemon wedges.

With our fresh produce bagged and folded quickly into neat paper parcels, we made our way back to the car and sat with a view to the water and seagulls hovering in the wind, whilst enjoying the cool, pink sashimi salmon flesh and a salty oyster or two.

When our stomach grumbles quietened down, we drove home and I prepared our dinner.

Seared Scallops and Tiger Prawn Tagliatelle with Creamy Tomatoes

2 Tbs butter
200g fresh scallops
1 clove fresh garlic, diced
3 spring onions, sliced
1 tray or 300g vine ripened cherry tomatoes
1 small red chilli, seeds removed, finely diced
1 splash white wine
150-250g fresh back tiger prawns, peeled, deveined
100 ml thick cream
1 small handful of fresh basil
Salt and pepper to taste
Tagliatelle or gluten free spaghetti for 2 generous servings
1 bottle of a delicious, chilled white wine (we enjoyed a Chardonnay)

In a large pan heat 1 Tbs butter over medium heat until foamy, quickly add the scallops to the pan. I place mine down in a circular arrangement in a clockwise direction, as if my pan were a clockface. This method allows you turn the scallops in order, and helps to prevent over-cooking them. Depending on the heat, sear the scallops for 30 seconds to one minute on one side, generally enough time to arrange them in the hot pan and season with salt and pepper, before turning them one by one. I usually cook them for another 30 seconds or so on the reverse side, then remove them from the pan and drain on a plate lined with paper towel.

If your butter is brown, please wipe your pan clean, then heat the remaining butter over low- medium heat. Add the garlic, spring onions, chilli, and cherry tomatoes and gently stir the ingredients until slightly soft but still vibrant in colour. Next, turn up the heat (medium-high), add the prawns, taking care not to overcook them. Remove the prawns from the pan and drain with the scallops. Add a small splash of your white wine, slightly reduce the wine, then decrease the heat (low-medium), add the cream and gently heat until slightly thickened.

At this point I usually quickly chop the basil and add it to the sauce with the prawns and the scallops. Stir until the prawns and scallops are heated through, season with salt and pepper to taste, then toss the sauce gently through your tagliatelle and serve imediately with a sprinkle of shaved parmesan. Now I happened to eat gluten free spaghetti and was surprised at how well the San Remo version fared.

Best accompanied with a chilled white wine, we enjoyed our delicious seafood pasta dish with a fresh, yet soft chardonnay. The prawns were plump and tender, the scallops were melt-in-your-mouth balls of delicate sweet flesh, and the sauce gave the tomatoes a buttery flavour, that enhanced the slightly spicy heat from the chilli.

At this point, I wish to thank Becky for requesting a creamy prawn pasta (I know it's very, very late). You were a large part of the inspiration behind this dish.

Mmmm... I'm so pleased we had leftovers!

Bella xx

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Vietnamese Chilli and Garlic Sauce

Vietnamese Chilli and Garlic Sauce: (Yes, A recipe from a Vietnamese chef)

1-3 red chillies
1 clove garlic
1/3 cup Fish Sauce
1/3 cup White Sugar
1/4 cup water
Juice of one lime

Deseed and remove membrane of red chillies (I used one because I'm a bit of a fire breather lightweight). Dice finely, then dice the garlic.
Pour fish sauce, white sugar and water into a saucepan over medium heat. Add the chilli and garlic and stir until the sugar dissolves. Squeeze in the juice of half a lime. Taste. If the mixture is too salty, add more lime juice. The mixture should not heat above a simmer. Reduce slightly, but keep the liquid watery.

If you're not sure about using 1/3 cup of fish sauce, you can use a smaller volume, simply add more to taste if desired.

Set aside to cool, and refrigerate before serving with whatever asian delight you have in mind. I used this sauce for fresh spring rolls. Recipe to follow!

Bella xx

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Thai Sweet Chilli and Peanut Sauce

Last post I mentioned I'd share my recipe for fresh spring rolls with two dipping sauces. This post is all about one of those sauces. I chose to write about this before the spring rolls because you can keep the sauce for a few days and the flavour improves after all the ingredients settle together. If you're like me though, you'll probably want to eat it straightaway because it's delectable.

This is a simple, traditional Thai recipe from an old cookbook Mum gave to me containing recipes direct from market stalls in the streets of various Thai cities.

Thai Sweet Chilli and Peanut Sauce:

1 long red chilli
1 pinch salt
1/2 clove garlic
1/2 cup white vinegar
1/2 cup white sugar
2 Tbs dry roasted peanuts, ground or chopped finely
OR 1 heaped Tbs of SUPER crunchy peanut butter

Pound the chillies and salt together, then add the garlic and grind to a thick paste (I could not find my mortar and pestle since moving house so I used the blunt end of a rolling pin). Add the paste to a small saucepan, pour in the vinegar and sugar and simmer, stirring occasionally until thick.

Set aside to cool, before adding the chopped peanuts. I used super crunchy peanut butter because I forgot the peanuts!! Never fear, it added a smooth, creamy quality to the sauce.

The flavour of this sauce is sweet, with a hint of heat from the chilli, and the texture is smooth, with crunchy peanut pieces.

Best served at room temperature or slightly warm, this is a delicious sauce that you can use for grilled pork, prawn or chicken skewers, crunchy prawn cakes, and fresh spring rolls.

Variation: I work with a Thai-Australian girl, who had a recipe for a cucumber sauce that her mother makes. Replace part of the sugar with a tsp of tamarind paste (you don't want it too sweet), and instead of adding peanuts at the end, stir freshly diced cucumber into the cool mixture. It's an absolute treat!

ขอให้เจริญอาหาร! (kŏr hâi jà-rern aa-hăan!)

Bella xx

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First Day of Winter... Sweet Pumpkin Pie & Chilli Hot Chocolate

I have been fighting a bug for the past few weeks but after pushing myself to the limit in recent times, my body finally succumbed to illness.

My health is gradually improving and on my better days I have developed an appetite. The good news? I have started baking again.

I had purchased half a pumpkin for 78 cents/kilo two days earlier when I had decided to make pumpkin soup but something changed my mind.. I remembered a chilly morning in Armidale not quite a year ago when I baked my very first pumpkin pie.

And so it was on the first day of Winter I baked another sweet pumpkin pie.

Byron kindly chopped and cubed the pumpkin before baking it with honey at his home. We then drove back to my house and he left for the evening, whilst I dozed. After waking feeling more refreshed I commenced the pâte brisée and mashed the pumpkin with an ordinary old potato masher (Julia Child eat your heart out, I have gadgets for doing things by hand too!).

After rolling the first sheet of chilled pastry, I turned to wash the rolling pin and who should jump up on the freshly rolled pie base, planting two perfect paw prints in the middle of the pastry but Maxi cat.. He quickly inspected the flour to check it was safe to eat...


... Before allowing me to continue baking.


Luckily I had made ample pastry (though I was saving it for a rainy day as it can keep for a short time in the freezer) so I rolled another pastry base, lined my wonderful pyrex glass baking dish and pre-baked my pie crust. Meanwhile, I blended the ingredients for the pie filling. These ingredients saw me venture out to purchase double cream as I had forgotten it. I hastily blended the pumpkin mash (too lumpy to be purée) with the sugar, spices, lightly beaten eggs and cream and poured the sweet filling into the crust.




Whilst I baked the pie, I made some decorations for the top from leftover pâte brisée. I sprinkled these with a light dusting of cinnamon sugar and baked them on a separate baking dish for the last ten minutes of pie-baking time.


The smell of cinnamon really does lift the senses.

Byron arrived home surprised to find me awake (No surprises there really as I had slept almost the entire day), I heated some milk on the stove and made chilli hot chocolate, with just a hint of orange. This really is a treat to enjoy with another person.


Chilli Hot Chocolate

Heat 3 cups of full cream milk over low heat in a milk pan together with a large chunk of couverture chocolate, stirring occasionally. The amount of chocolate you use will depend on how chocolate-y you want the drink to be and if I'm being honest- Anyone who personally knows me will confess that I am a chocoholic so of course I tend to use a giant chocolate chunk, usually more than 150 grams.
Once warm, add a generous pinch or two of red chilli powder, the amount depending on how much 'kick' you want to give your hot chocolate, I used one pinch and don't screw up your nose but I also added a tiny pinch of salt to enhance the flavours.
The orange flavour came from adding two spoonfuls of Maggie Beer's Dark Chocolate and Orange Ice Cream. Once all ingredients had melted together (I don't like super-hot chocolate), remove the milk pan from the heat and strain into cups. Sip and enjoy.


After the pie was removed from the oven we simply couldn't wait!


We grabbed two spoons from the cutlery drawer and plunged them deep into the creamy hot middle of the pie.

Now this is how you eat a pie!!


Not such a shabby start to the coldest season of our year.



Bella xx

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