Spinach and Feta Pie

 

Ingredients
2 sheets of puff pastry
2 bags frozen spinach
1 lrg onion, diced
1 block of feta cheese, diced
2 tbsp plain flour
3 eggs
1/4 cup olive oil, or a really good drizzle

Salt and pepper to taste

Oil for greasing 

Sesame seeds or poppy seeds, to top pie

Method
1) Preheat the oven to 200°c.

2) Lightly grease a pie dish with olive oil. Pull out the sheets of puff pastry and allow to defrost slightly before lining the pie dish with one sheet.

3) Add spinach, onion, feta cheese, flour, egg, oil, salt and pepper to a large mixing bowl and mix to combined.

4) Add spinach mixture to the pie dish, then top with remaining puff pastry sheet.

5) Grease the pastry with oil (or milk) and top with sesame seeds or poppy seeds.

6) Bake for 45 minutes.

Banana and Choc-chip Muffins

Adapted from taste.com.au

Ingredients

60g butter

2 cups self raising flour

1/2 cup caster sugar

1/2 cup milk

2 eggs

2 ripe bananas, mashed

1/2 cup of choc-chips

Method

1) Preheat oven to 180°c. Line a muffin tray with cup cake cases.

2) Melt butter in a microwave safe bowl, and set aside to cool slightly.

3) Sift flour and sugar, then make a well in the centre.

4) Whisk the eggs, milk and butter in separate bowl, then add to the dry mix, along with the mashed banana and choc-chips.

5) Mix until just combined. Don't over-mix or you'll end up with tough muffins.

6) Spoon into the cup cake cases.

7) Bake for 20 -25 minutes, until a skewer comes out clean.

8) Leave to cool for 5 minutes, then transfer onto a rack to cool.

Vegetarian Dumplings (Japanese Gyoza)

Ingredients
300g firm tofu
20g shiitake mushrooms, diced
1 spring onion, sliced
2 tsp fresh ginger root, peeled
2 cloves of garlic, peeled
1 egg
1 tsp soy sauce
1 tsp sesame seed oil
1 tsp teriyaki sauce
A package of wonton or gow gee wrappers
A small bowl of water
Soy sauce, ginger and chilli to serve

Method
1) Drain the tofu and use some paper towel to dry. Place in bowl and mash until tofu has a mince like consistency.
2) Add the shiitake mushrooms and spring onions. Use a microplane to grate the ginger and garlic, add to the mix. Add an egg.
3) Add the soy sauce, sesame seed oil and teriyaki sauce. Mix until combined.
4) Separate the wrappers. Spoon a heaped teaspoon of the mix into the middle of a wrapper.
5) Dip fingers into a bowl of water, dampen the edges of the wrapper, then fold the wrapper in half and pinch the edges until the dumpling is closed. Place on some non-stick paper.
6) Repeat until the mixture has been all used. Be careful not to put dumplings too close together or they may stick to one another.
7) Place non-stick paper on a steamer. Fill a saucepan to below the steamer height, then boil water.  Place steamer into the saucepan once the water is at a light boil. Steam 4-6 dumplings at a time for 8-10 minutes, or until cooked.
8) Serve with some soy sauce mixed with ginger and/or chilli.

Spinach Potato Top Pie

Spinach Potato Top Pie

Ingredients

1 cup rice, cooked
8-10 potatoes, peeled and chopped
1- 2 bunch of spinach
1 -2 onion, diced
1 -2 egg, whisked
1/4 cup olive oil/peanut oil
1 cup cheese, grated

2tbsp-1 cup of milk (in mashed potato, to taste)
A very large nob of butter(add more to taste)
Salt and pepper to taste

Method

1) Preheat the oven to 180°c for a fan forced oven. Grease a large 8 cup baking dish with oil.

2) Cook the rice according to packet instructions (either boiling or absorption method). Boil the potatoes.
3) While the rice and potatoes are cooking, slice the spinach close to the stalks, discard the stalks, then finely shred the leaves. Put the shredded leaves in a very large bowl.
4) Add cooked rice, onions, oil, half of the cheese, eggs, salt and pepper to the shredded spinach. Mix until well combined (I just use my hand unless rice is boiling hot). Put the spinach mix into the greased baking dish.
5) Mash the potatoes with 2 tbsp milk and a large nob of butter. Spoon the mashed potato on top of the spinach mix and spread with a fork. 

6) Spread the rest of the cheese on top of the mashed potato.
7) Bake for 45-60 minutes at 180°c until cooked through. (Bake on the bottom rack of the oven so the cheese doesn't burn.)

8) Serve with tomato sauce.

Couscous Tabouli

Couscous Tabouli

Couscous tabouli is fast and easy to make. Traditionally tabouli is made with burghul, but it is just as delicious made with couscous. It is great on a mountain bread wrap, with some hummus and a falafel, or just as a simple salad. When cooking the couscous to the packet instructions, you can leave out the butter to keep it lower in calories, and just use olive oil instead.

Ingredients
1/2 cup couscous, cooked
1 Tomato, diced into small chunks
1/2 red onion, sliced in half, then into rings
2 cloves of garlic, crushed
1/2 cup of parsley, roughly diced
1/2 lemon
1 tablespoon Extra-virgin olive oil
Sea salt and pepper to taste

Method
1) Add the couscous, tomato, red onion, parsley to a bowl and mix together.
2) Squeeze over the lemon, and drizzle over the olive oil, then crunch on some salt and pepper to taste.

This recipe is inspired by Quick Couscous Tabouli Salad on Taste.com.au.

Watermelon, Feta and Parsley Salad

Ingredients

3 slices of 1/4 of a watermelon, diced into random chunks

1/2 of a cucumber, cut in halves and sliced

3 slices of feta, cubed and crumbed

1/2 red onion cut in halves and sliced

1 handful of baby spinach leaves

A handful of parsley leaves

1/2 of a lemon

Drizzle of Extra-virgin olive oil

Sea salt and pepper to taste

Method

1) Put the watermelon, cucumber, feta, onion, baby spinach and parsley into a bowl. Toss until combined.

2) Squeeze over lemon, and drizzle over the extra-virgin olive oil, then add salt and pepper to taste.

Vegan Mocha Mousse

Vegan Mocha Mousse 

I attempted to make a mocha mousse this afternoon. Not only was it delicious, it was really filling. This mousse is a vegan, and is not only really easy, but required no cooking.

Tofu is a great source of protein for vegetarians and vegans, and is used in this recipe to create this delicious dessert. I used raw, organic cacao powder in this recipe. Alternatively,  you could substitute it with cocoa powder. The main difference between cacao and cocoa is cacao has been cold-pressed and cocoa has roasted, therefore cacao is in a more raw form. Cacao has also had the fat removed, and retains a higher amount of nutrients. Cacao has a different taste to cocoa, so feel free to use whichever ingredient is to your taste. I also use sativa sweetener, however you could also use rice malt syrup, sugar, golden syrup or even honey. If mocha is not to your taste, feel free to leave out the coffee, and enjoy it as a chocolate mousse.

Ingredients
300g silken tofu
2 tbsp cacao powder
1 tsp vanilla extract
2 tbsp sativa sweetener, or to taste
1 tsp good quality instant freeze dried coffee

Method
1) Put the tofu, cacao powder, vanilla extract and sativa in a bowl.

2) Smash up the tofu and mix until combined, then use an egg beater or wizz stick to blend the ingredients together. Blend on high for 5 minutes or more until the tofu reaches a smooth consistency.

3) Put the instant coffee in a cup and melt with a teaspoon of water. Add to the tofu mixture and beat until combined.

Tomato, Capsicum & Coriander Omelette

Ingredients

3 eggs, scrambled with a fork

1 small tomato, sliced then cut into quarters

1/4 red capsicum

1/4 yellow capsicum

1 spring onion

1/2 cup of coriander
1 nob of ginger

1 dash of peanut oil (or whatever oil is preferred, butter for a fuller flavour)

1 dash of sesame seed oil

Method

1) Heat a oils in pan on a medium heat, throw in the scrambled eggs.

2) Add in most of the spring onion, capsicums, tomato and coriander. Microplane the ginger to taste.

3) Once the egg starts to cook in the middle, or around the edges, slightly lift the egg around the outer edge and tilt the pan to allow the uncooked egg to spread.

4) Once the eggs firmed up flip in half, cook both sides for a couple of minutes.

5) Serve with any remaining vegetables and herbs.