Roast kumara, eggplant and lentil salad with feta and pomegranate

This salad has been a staple for us this summer.  It's never quite the same each time I make it, usually because I forget to add something or find something else that might be a tasty addition.. But here's the basic gist anyway.  If you can't find fresh pomegranate you could soak dried cranberries in water till they've plumped up and use those instead.

1 large orange kumara chopped into 2cm cubes (sweet potato for those of you outside New Zealand!)

1 large eggplant, cubed

1 head garlic

Olive oil spray

Rocket, baby spinach or other salad greens

1/2 telegraph cucumber, cubed

1/2 can brown lentils, drained and rinsed

1/4 cup flat leaf parsley

Large handful mint leaves, roughly chopped

1/4 cup feta, crumbled (I usually just use half a block of reduced fat feta chopped up)

Seeds and juice from 1/2 pomegranate

Juice from 1 lemon

Salt and pepper

Preheat oven to 220c.  Place kumara and eggplant on a lined baking tray with the garlic and spray everything lightly with olive oil.  Roast veggies for about 30 minutes or until nice and golden.

Build the salad on a large, shallow dish or platter.  Start with greens, parsley and 3/4 of the mint (save the rest to garnish later) and then scatter roasted veggies and cucumber over the top, followed by the lentils.  Crumble your feta over the salad, sprinkle over pomegranate seeds and the rest of the mint.  Squeeze lemon juice over the whole salad and season with some salt and freshly ground pepper.  Yum!

Vaguely Moroccan breakfast eggs

Full disclosure - I'm only calling this Moroccan because I threw in a vast amount of ras al hanout spice mix and make no other claims of its authenticity!!  It made a great rainy day breakfast for Mr B and I today though.

Moroccan Breakfast Eggs (serves 2-3)

Olive oil spray

1 red onion, finely diced

1 red capsicum, diced

1/2 zucchini, grated (I'd have used a whole on if I'd had it in the fridge!)

1 tablespoon Moroccan ras al hanout spice mix, or more to taste (I used Mrs Rogers)

4 household tablespoons full red kidney beans (chickpeas would work well too.  Again, I was just using things up from the fridge).

1 400g can diced tomatoes

Large handful roughly chopped spinach, silverbeet or kale.. I used silverbeet straight from our garden today

1 or 2 cage free eggs per person

Salt and pepper

Spray a large fry pan with olive oil spray and sauté onion, capsicum and zucchini over a medium heat for a few minutes.  Add spice mix and continue to sauté until nice and fragrant.  Throw in  kidney beans followed by tomato.

Once the tomatoes are bubbling away, add greens and allow to wilt.  Then turn the heat slightly lower and make a little hollow for each or your eggs and crack the eggs into it.  Put a lid over the pan if you have one that fits and cook until egg whites have just set, about 7 minutes depending on the heat of your pan.

Season with salt and pepper and serve with hot toasted pita breads or some yummy grainy toast.

Veggie Burgers

These easy tofu and veggie burgers freeze well and are great for getting loads of veggies into your kids whilst letting them believe they're getting "junk" food ;) My two like these burgers with sliced cheese, lettuce and pineapple and homemade kumara chips on the side.  Yum.

Below are the rough weights and types of veggies I use - but I tend to add whatever we have lurking in the bottom of the veggie drawer in the fridge as this is a good way to use them up.

Veggie Burgers

Makes 8 - 10 burger patties

1 tablespoon butter

200gm mushrooms, chopped

1/2 onion, finely chopped

2 cloves garlic, crushed

1 carrot, grated

100gm steamed broccoli

1/2 red capsicum, chopped

100gm unsalted raw cashews, finely chopped

1 package firm tofu (approx 290gm) - available in the chiller (fresh) at the supermarket or in the Japanese food aisle (long life)

Breadcrumbs from 2-3 slices of whole grain bread 

1 tablespoon tomato sauce

Flour for coating burgers

Olive oil spray for frying

Melt butter over medium heat in frying pan, add chopped mushrooms and sauté for 3-4 minutes until they're just tender.  Allow to cool slightly then transfer to food processor with remaining ingredients and blitz until well combined.  If you don't have a food processor, you can do this by hand but will need to chop all the ingredients very finely before you mix them in a large bowl.

Form into 8 - 10 burgers around the size of the palm of your hand.  Coat each burger lightly with flour before frying them over a medium heat until both sides are golden brown.

Freeze cooked patties by allowing them to cool and separating with baking paper and sealing in ziploc bags or an airtight container.

Teriyaki Chicken

This is my go-to recipe for an easy win with my boys.  It's so simple and so much better than any of the bottled stuff from the shops, you'll never go back!  In fact, it's such a staple in our house I thought I had already blogged about it years ago.  Oops.  We have teriyaki sauce on chicken most often but it's also fab on salmon - otherwise known as pink chicken around here - or on leftover hamburger patties.

Teriyaki Chicken (serves 4)
400gm chicken thigh fillets, skinless and boneless but if you have bone-in thighs they will still be fine!  
1 tablespoon cooking sake
1 teaspoon salt reduced soy sauce

1/4 cup mirin
1 tablespoon reduced salt soy sauce (Kikkoman is the best for this and available in the supermarkets here)
1/2 teaspoon sugar

Combine sake and first measure of soy sauce in a shallow dish.  Marinate chicken thighs for 20 minutes or so; less time is fine if you're in a rush.  Preheat your oven to 180 degrees.  

For the teriyaki sauce:
Combine remaining ingredients in a small saucepan, bring to almost boiling over a medium heat for 2 - 3 mins.  Let it bubble up then turn it down to a simmer for another couple of minutes.  It should thicken up more the longer you leave it on the heat.  Then just turn off the heat and leave in the pan to cool until you need it.

Heat a non stick fry pan over a medium-high heat and brown the chicken thighs in batches then remove to an ovenproof dish big enough to place the thighs in in one layer.  Spoon a tablespoonful or so of the teriyaki sauce over the chicken thighs and then bake for 45 mins, or until the chicken thighs are cooked through.

When you're ready to serve the chicken, slice about 1cm thick and serve over steamed rice.  Reheat the reserved sauce and pour over the chicken and rice.  My kids love this with edamame and miso soup served on the side!  But a green salad also works well in summer.

PS - this recipe is really easy to scale up if you like more sauce or if you are cooking for a crowd.

Ginger Loaf

Who doesn't love a good ginger loaf?!  This was my go-to morning tea for baby group when Callum was little.  So easy to throw together and it always works!

Ginger Loaf

Preheat oven to 170c.  Grease and line loaf tin.  Mine's a Wiltshire silicon one, it's not huge but if you have a large tin it'll just mean it won't be as high.

50g butter

1 household tablespoon golden syrup

1 large egg

3/4 cup brown sugar

1 cup plain flour

1 teaspoon baking powder

3 teaspoons ginger

1 teaspoon baking soda

3/4 cup milk

Melt butter and golden syrup together in a medium saucepan.  Remove from heat before it bubbles.  In another bowl, whisk egg and sugar until thick.  Add to the slightly cooled butter mixture.  Stir in flour, baking powder and ginger.  Combine milk and baking soda in another bowl or jug and then gradually stir this into the batter.  It will be quite runny.  Pour into prepared loaf tin and bake in the middle of the oven for 45 minutes or until a skewer comes out cleanly from the middle of the loaf.  Allow to cool for at least 15 minutes in the tin and then on a wire rack.

Perfect with lots of butter and a cuppa.

 

Bacon, tomato and lentil soup

Taste tested by my boys, this is a really easy soup to warm you up on a rainy day.

splash vegetable or olive oil
2 - 4 slices bacon, chopped
1 onion, chopped
2 carrots, grated
1 tin chopped tomatoes
1 L salt reduced chicken stock
1 cup red lentils
Salt and pepper to taste
Greek yoghurt
Fresh parsley or coriander

Saute the bacon and onions in a large pot over a medium heat until the bacon is just cooked and onions clear.  Add grated carrot and cook until it softens, about 2 minutes.  Add tomatoes and stock, increase heat and bring to a simmer.  Reduce heat, add the lentils and allow to simmer for 20 minutes or so until the lentils are cooked and the soup has thickened.  Remove from heat and cool slightly before blending with a stick blender.  Return to the stove, season with salt and pepper and reheat when you're ready to serve with dollop of greek yoghurt and some fresh parsley or coriander. 

Weetbix Slice

Preheat oven to 180C and grease and line a 18 x 28cm tin.

125gm butter
2 tablespoons golden syrup
1 cup brown sugar
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 large egg, lightly beaten
1/2 cup rye flour
1/2 cup wholemeal flour
2 teaspoons baking powder
6 weetbix, crushed
1 cup dessicated or shredded coconut
1/2 cup dried fruit, chopped (raisins, dates, dried apricots, cranberries.. whatever is in your pantry will do!)
1/2 cup dark chocolate bits

Combine butter, syrup and sugar in a pot and stir over a medium heat until the butter melts.  Remove from heat and allow to cool slightly before adding vanilla and egg.

Mix in flours and baking powder.  Add remaining ingredients and stir until evenly combined.

Press mixture into lined tin and bake for 25 - 30 minutes or until the top is golden brown and the centre is as firm as the edges.  Remover from oven and cool for 5 - 10 minutes in the tin before turning out onto a wire rack.  Allow to cool completely before cutting into slices else it will fall apart!

You can drizzle melted chocolate over the top before slicing if you're feeling fancy too!