Couscous Fritters {Leftover Makeovers}

I'm discovering a passion for using leftovers. Even when I am cooking something, I am thinking about what I'll be able to make that last uneaten portion into. Frugality at it's best I like to think. 

Last week, Jacob made some lamb and couscous for dinner. The lamb was perfect. So was the couscous. But there was a lot of it! He had made it with a mix of onions, garlic, silverbeet and currants. So yummy!

The next day, I had over a cup leftover in the fridge. So, I did what people tend to do with quinoa and such, Fritters!

The boy friendly lunch.
Couscous Fritters, baby cos lettuce with carrot 'slaw' and blackcurrant jam for dipping.

If you know how to make fritters, you can really make them from anything. Potatoes, kumara, mixed veggies, lentils, beans beans and more beans. It's all a bit to easy not to try. 

First, whisk the egg then mix in your couscous. Add in the breadcrumbs slowly, a little at a time and mix. You may need less or more depending on the texture of the couscous and what is in it already if you are using leftovers. 

Add in the feta and let it crumble a bit and keep some pretty chunky. I love the texture of big bits of melted feta. Next, you want to be able to make them into balls with your hands and have them stay together. If this isn't happening and it's still too wet, add more breadcrumbs.

Heat up the pan with a bit of oil. I used regular canola oil for this one, but tend to do grapeseed oil when frying. Pop them into the pan and let them brown a little bit and then turn them and flatten a bit with a fork or a spatula. 

They should be browned a bit on each side, it's just the egg you need to make sure cooks through, so it usually won't take any longer than 4-5 minutes on each side. 

Drain them on a paper towel and serve 'em up! I was secretly hoping the boys wouldn't like them so I could have the whole lot, but no such luck. They were, sadly, a hit. 

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Couscous Fritters

by August-11-2014

Ingredients

• 250 g (about a cup) cooked couscous, inc any yummy bits and pieces
• 1/2 to 1 cup breadcrumbs
• 1 egg, lightly beaten
• 2-3 tbsp crumbly feta
• 1/4 cup canola or grapeseed oil

Instructions

1. First, whisk the egg then mix in your couscous. 
2. Add in the breadcrumbs slowly, a little at a time and mix. You may need less or more depending on the texture of the couscous and what is in it already if you are using leftovers. 
3. Add in the feta and let it crumble a bit and keep some pretty chunky. 
4. You want to be able to make them into balls with your hands and have them stay together. If this isn't happening and it's still too wet, add more breadcrumbs.
5. Heat up the pan with a bit of oil. I used regular canola oil for this one, but tend to do grapeseed oil when frying. Pop them into the pan and let them brown a little bit and then turn them and flatten a bit with a fork or a spatula. 
6. They should be browned a bit on each side, it's just the egg you need to make sure cooks through, so it usually won't take any longer than 4-5 minutes on each side. 
7.  Drain them on a paper towel and serve 'em up!

Details

Prep time: 10 min Cook time: 10 min Total time: 20 min Yield: approx 8 fritters

Vegan Corn Chowder - Meatless Monday

This weather! Rain, rain and more rain! If this is the start to winter, I'm not sure I'm looking forward to it anymore. Everything is damp, laundry is taking forever to dry, everything smells musty. At least it's not cold... Yet!

Last week, I made this super hearty soup with a heap of leftover corn on the cob that I completely spaced serving at our latest family cook-off. Yeah. It happens. Nobody went home hungry. The corn was not missed. So score for us!

Vegan Corn Chowder

Prep time: 15 minutes
Cook time: 30 minutes
Total time: 45 minutes
Yield: 4-6 servings

Ingredients :

• 1 onion, diced
• 4 cloves garlic, crushed
• 1-2 tbsp olive oil
• 2 celery stalks, diced
• 1 potato, peeled and diced
• 1 kumara, peeled and diced
• 5 corn cobs, already cooked, kernels removed
• 1 litre vegetable stock
• freshly ground pepper

Method :

1. Saute the onion and garlic in oil for 5 minutes in a large saucepan.
2. Add the celery, carrots, potato and kumara and saute for another 5 minutes.
3. Add the corn kernels and stock to the veggies. Bring to a boil and simmer for about 20 minutes.
4. Puree with a soup wand or in a blender.
5. Serve up with some freshly ground pepper and done!

I served this with some roasted cabbage and it was amazingly filling! All three boys devoured it! And the leftovers were popped into the freezer.

Enjoy!

x

Meatfree Monday - Mushroom & Silverbeet Lasagne

I love a good, hearty lasagne. And to get that heartiness in a vegetarian dish - always add mushrooms! I found this recipe and thought it was a good basic idea. A great starting point for an easy lasagne. Also, as I try to budget more and more (it's amazing how much those boys can eat!!) I switched up a bit of the original ingredients for more of a budget conscious mind.

This is what you need...

Pikelets and Tea Parties..

Far out! Seriously easy!
I love pikelets! You can add pretty much anything to them. Corn, bacon, apples, bananas, savoury, sweet, topped with honey, jam, or just plain!
Here's all you need...

Leftover Makeover - Risotto Balls

Sheesh! Balls!

Right. Mind back in the right.... Leftovers.

We've been lucky the boys are ok with leftovers, but I feel bad making them eat things for lunch they may have had for dinner the night before. Not to mention, I get bored of eating the same things as well.

One of the MANY dishes that Jacob is amazing at, is his risotto. Amazing. Did I mention amazing? He's got the technique. And the free for all of the garden and the fridge. Maybe.... MAYBE... Someday, he'll write his own risotto post/recipe. Maybe.

Anywho, to get the boys to finish off this super tasty dish...

No Bake, Date & Coconut Balls... Dreamy...

After the big pantry clean out of 2014, I found a lot of ingredients that I noticed hadn't been used in ages or just about to go off. Soooo.. Hello coconut!

Since the boys love eating pitted dates, google uncovered this combo in this gem! Easy as and actually the only tedious part is making the actual balls. I wanted to make them small enough for the little mens' fingers to handle, so I used a teaspoon to form each one. Also, beware, when I first started the food processor, it was full on! I thought it was going to dance it's way off the bench!

It's really cool to see what happens when the coconut gets mixed and pulverised and turns into an oily mess... My hands loved making all those little bits and slithering in the oil..

Toss them in remaining coconut and ta-da!! After some chatting with a lovely old friend, I'm am really inspired to try some crushed nuts to coat them, especially walnuts! How yummy does that sound?!

So success! Boys love them. I love them. Done. I can't wait to try our next incarnation of them!

Ingredients :

• 2 1/2 cups desiccated coconut
• 2 cups (200g) pitted dates

Method :

Place 2 cups of coconut and the dates into a blender or food processor. Process on high speed for 3-4 minutes, pausing to scrape down sides as needed. Remove from processor and roll teaspoon-sized balls. Roll in remaining 1/2 cup of coconut.

What variations have you tried?...

X

Kid friendly Curry? Yes! Score!

A couple of years ago now, I worked as a nanny and looked after two lovely little hobbits! Cooking for them was pretty easy with the exception of the curry dilemma! They weren't really keen on anything curry. Not even butter chicken! It was something that I was hoping wouldn't happen with the boys. As soon as they were old enough, it's been all about variety.

A recipe for a veggie korma was sent to my inbox from the Vegetarian Times. I made it with really no intention of giving it to the boys, but when Jacob and I had it for dinner, I thought the boys might actually like it. The next day, I warmed up the leftovers, curious to what would happen, ready in the wings were a couple sandwiches, just in case.

Let's just say, I had the sandwiches for lunch, the boys devoured the korma! It was a triumph for me! I am amazed everyday at what they enjoy eating. Things that are basic and bland seem to get thrown on the floor lately while the garlicky and spicy get eaten straight away. Hendrik will lick Vegemite off of crackers and leave the crackers.

Anywho, this reasonably mild korma still has incredible flavour and Jacob who is renowned for his hot sauce consumption, didn't use any. It's loved by everyone in our clan! 

Sorry for the lack of photos!

So here is our version...

Crispy Tofu Teriyaki - Meatless Monday and Naptime Cooking!

A couple years ago, I came across this recipe from the lovely Pip @ Meet Me at Mike's. The first time I made it, it was love. It's still in regular rotation on the menu planner, but has gone through so many incarnations.

This is our latest version! With crispy tofu and udon noodles! Super yummy! As per usual, making a stir fry in our house means whatever veggies are in the fridge and garden are fair game! And of course, a lot of the recipe can be done when the kiddos are napping. Chop the veggies, cook the tofu, whisk up the sauce.. This makes actually cooking dinner with two little men under your feet quite a bit easier.

First things first. Crispy tofu. I've been trying to get this right for years! When I was vegan, back in my early 20's, my best friend and I would have this amazing crispy tofu and broccoli take away from our favourite Chinese restaurant at least once a week. The tofu was the perfect amount of crispy and still soft in the middle... *droooool* anyway! this is the closest I've got to that! and it's only taken 15 years!

So anyway... To make this lovely (boy-loved) dish...

Pumpkin & Sage Gnocchi - Meatless Monday!

I have been wanting to make another pumpkin and sage pasta for Meatless Mondays again, but haven't had the chance. I completely intend to make pasta again someday soon. But it will take a lot of planning I suspect. In the meantime, I had this brainstorm...

Get that sage fix, with pre-made gnocchi! Woowoo! 

This goes back to the 'I will make pasta again' idea that parallels the 'I will make gnocchi again' idea. Hmm. Time. It was nice while I had it!

Anywho, here's the go....

Kale & Silverbeet Pesto - Meatless Monday!

We are always facing the 'Neverending Kale Dilemma' at our house. It's one of those veggies that always turn up in the fridge. The same goes for chard and silverbeet. It never ends! I've almost come to hate it, but I'm always trying to find good and easy ways to use it. It's so good for you, it's horrible to have to toss it in the compost!

But a couple of days ago, this recipe came across my iPad. Brilliant! Why haven't seen this before?! So here is our version, with the tweaks of things I have here at home.

What you need...

Catching up on Meatless Mondays!

Sheesh! While we have been pretty good about our Meatless Mondays, I've had a hell of a time catching up on the recipes here. Let's just say, last night we had a lovely Veggie Curry with pumpkin, potatoes, zucchini, silverbeet, and red kidney beans. It was seriously easy! And so tasty... And because it all went so quickly, cooking and eating wise, I didn't even take photos. But you can easy imagine a Veggie Curry! See it in your mind..... Mmmmmm.

So anyway, here are a couple other ideas we've made over the past couple weeks!

Crustless Quiche!

Crustless Quiche

Whisk together:
4 eggs
1 cup milk (or cream)
1/2 cup self raising flour (or the equivalent of flour, salt and baking powder)
salt and pepper
1/2 cup grated cheese (I used a variety of cheeses, vintage cheddar, tasty, a little feta)
1 chopped red onion
Any veggies that you want, silverbeet, spinach, etc (make sure you blanch them first though.)

Coat your pie dish with a little oil and put into a hot oven until it begins to smoke a little, carefully take out of the over and pour egg mixture into the hot dish and bake at 180 deg for approx 45 mins or until golden on top and puffed up.

Pretty good!

Another recipe that was REALLY lovely, and again REALLY easy - was inspired by the progress in the front entry way...

The slow progression from green to white reminded me of a wedding cake! No, the recipe is not a wedding cake, but it is a yummy cheesy green and white pasta bake.

This is one of those dishes that is way to easy. We had silverbeet, zucchini, green beans, and basil (as always) in the fridge and in a the garden. And with an array of cheese - yummy as!

Pasta Bake

• 500g Pasta, cooked until al dente
• a few cloves of garlic
• 1 tbsp of oil
• a good mix of green veggies, quickly blanched to give them a head start in the cooking process, this was silverbeet, zucchini, green beans and a little basil
• enough milk and flour to make a nice white sauce (I always wing this, so I can't quite share the qty's. Sorry)
• salt and pepper
• 1 tsp of seeded mustard
• Lots of cheese! Try different kinds of cheese too! Blue cheese can be REALLY good with mushrooms and onions. Feta can be good with kalamatta olives and basil, you get the idea. 
• Breadcrumbs

So once the pasta is going, fry up the garlic in oil until slightly soft then add the flour. Take it off the heat and a add milk and stir until the flour is nicely blended, ie no lumpy bits. Put it back on the heat and let it thicken a bit. 

Meanwhile, blanch the veggies just a bit and throw them in with the cooked and drained pasta. 

Back to the sauce, once the sauce has thickened, add the mustard, salt and pepper, cheeses and what ever other spices you want to add. Stir and let the cheese melt slightly. 

Stir the cheesy mixture through the pasta and veggies and then put into a baking dish. Top with a little more cheese, parmesan is always nice, and sprinkle on some breadcrumbs.

Give it one more good salt and pepper and pop it into a preheated oven about 180C.

Bake for about 15 minutes, or until the top is nice and brown. 

Dig in! 

p.s. I'm sure I'm missing a few things in this, but hey, it's just the idea - work around what ever you have or don't have in the pantry. This is why I love making things like this, it's an extremely forgiving and comforting way of cooking. And carb-tastic!

I never said anything I make was healthy ;)

xx

Meatless Monday - Handmade Pumpkin Ravioli!!

Yeah, loving our pasta maker right about now! And since we had an extra half of a pumpkin in the fridge and a lovely bunch of sage from the lovely Jess (Thanks!!) I thought I would have a first go at making ravioli! 

I based it off of this recipe, but with a couple tweeks here and there.
For the Raviolis :

• 1/2 pumpkin - halved and de seeded (we used a Japanese Pumpkin)
• a little olive oil
• salt and ground black pepper to taste
• 1/2 teaspoon allspice
• 1/2 teaspoon ground nutmeg
• 1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
• 1/8 cup Parmesan cheese, finely grated
• While this recipe calls for 25 wonton wrappers, I made a batch of thin pasta sheets and used those instead.
• egg white, lightly beaten

For the Sauce : 

• 2 tablespoons unsalted butter
• 2 tablespoons chopped fresh sage leaves
• salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste

Preheat oven to 175 degrees C.
Drizzle pumpkin with olive oil and rub it in to make sure all the flesh gets a good coat. Salt and pepper a little bit then put it cut side down on a baking sheet. 
Bake in preheated oven until tender 45 to 60 minutes. I tend to give it a squeeze about half way through and to make sure the raw edge isn't stuck to the sheet. I usually do things like this around lunch time if I'm home so it has a lot of time to cool down. 

So, if it's still cooling, make your pasta. I used a half batch, normally what the recipe calls for will make enough for 6, but if it's just two of you, half it and you'll have some leftovers for lunch! You can look up how to make pasta online or check the instruction that came with your machine. I won't include the particulars here, but it's all about timing... so once your dough for the pasta is resting in a damp tea towel..

Scoop the cooked pumpkin into a bowl, and mash until somewhat smooth. You could puree it if you want, but I always love a bit of chunk and natural textures in my food. Mix in the allspice, nutmeg, cinnamon, and Parmesan cheese until well blended. Season to taste with salt and pepper.

If you can work quickly, start to slowly boil the slightly salted water to cook the pasta. 

To make the ravioli, put your pasta sheet on clean, flat surface. Since I had long sheets, I was able to make about 4 at a time by cutting strips of the dough and then placing about 1 teaspoon of the pumpkin mixture in the middle of each section. Then brush the edges of the pasta with the egg white and fold over. Make sure you give the edges a nice squeeze and pinch them together.

And as I was at this stage, my camera had an issue. So I got it a tissue and we moved on. Sorry about that :)

Thanks camera. :( But hopefully you get the idea!

Put the raviolis into the boiling water and cook for about 3 minutes, when ready drain and put it back into the pot. In the meantime, make the sauce!

This is the easiest thing ever. Throw the butter and the chopped sage into a little skillet and cook until the sage gets crispy and the butter browns just a touch. Toss it every once in a while so it doesn't burn.

When the sauce is ready, pour it into the pot with the ravioli and make sure it all gets a good coating. Serve up on warm plates with some veggies, and add a little extra rock salt, fresh pepper and a good grating of Parmesan cheese. 

Good golly Miss Molly! The leftovers are a score!

Happy Monday!

Meatless Monday - Really Simply

Last night was another good Meatless Monday experiment. Based loosely on this recipe, as I tend to Google whatever I have in the fridge, so I made this...

Roasted Veggie and Avocado Pasta

• 250g of pumpkin, peeled, seeds removed, cut into 1 inch pieces
• 2 zucchini, sliced into 1 inch pieces
• 2 kumara, peeled, cut into 1 inch pieces
• a small bit of chives, chopped
• extra virgin olive oil
• salt and pepper
• 250g fusilli pasta (because it's what we had in the pantry)
• an avocado, cut into good size slices
• a few fresh basil leaves, sliced super thin
• and a good bit of parmesan cheese

Preheat the oven 180C. Cut up the veggies, throw them on a roasting tray with a good coating of olive oil, bit of chives and give them a lot of salt and pepper. Let them roast for until tender, turning them every once in a while (about 20 minutes)
In the meantime, cook up the pasta. If you time it all right, the pasta and the veggies will be all about the same time. Throw everything together with a little more olive oil, salt and pepper and the avocado.
Serve up on a platter if you want to be fancy about it and top with the shredded basil and with a veggie peeler, shave some of the yummiest parmesan cheese on top of the whole thing.

I love recipes like these. So easy. All to taste. And a really good reason to use up leftover pasta if you have some, the random veggies in the fridge, and the heaps of basil sitting on the window sill. Not to mention, it makes great leftovers that I'll be having for lunch today!

Meatless Monday - Mexican Potato Cakes!

As one of our New Years Resolution's, we have decided to make a massive effort at Meatless Monday! We will usually have at least one meatless day, but it's nice to fully plan and be creative with it.

Last week, I followed a recipe from the Meatless Monday website, but was actually REALLY let down. It was rather bland and didn't turn out even remotely what I was expecting, so now, it's time to get creative our way!

via Greatest-Ever Mexican Recipes

• 600g potatoes, peeled and cut into even pieces
• 1 cup grated cheddar/tasty cheese
• 1/2 tsp salt
• 50g drained pickled jalapeno chili sliced, finely chopped
• 1 egg, beaten
• bit of fresh chopped coriander
• a little bit of flour for making cakes
• oil for shallow flour
• and salsa to serve

Add potatoes to a pan of cold water. Bring to the boil and cook for about 30 minutes, until tender. Drain, throw in a bowl and mash away. Stir in cheese, salt and jalapeno bits. Stir in the beaten egg and a little coriander. Mix until it forms something like a dough.
Once it's cool enough to work with, divide it up into even balls on a board with floury hands. Flatten into cakes.
Heat oil in a shallow frying pan and fry up cakes in batches for about 2-3 minutes on each side or until golden. Serve up sprinkled with a bit of salt and with some yummy salsa.

We had this with some lovely corn on the cob with a little garlic and chili butter.

And if you need to make some quick salsa, I worked out a quick batch today but random things that I had in the pantry...

• 1 can of chopped tomatoes
• 1 onion, chopped
• 1 large clove of garlic, finely chopped
• a bunch of fresh parsley and/or coriander, chopped
• cumin, salt and pepper all to taste

Leave it in the fridge for at least an hour and yay! Really easy. And all sitting around the house.

I'd love to share some Meatless Monday recipes if you're doing them as well! Share share share!!!