A Few Super Fast Lunches

I've been trying to each healthier this year, as by the end of the academic year, my lunches are crazy carb fuelled wonders....

The plan is food from the garden, in the box, and out the door before I have time to think...




Garden salad, satay sauce in the piggy, apricots and almonds.


Pasta salad using garden vege, picked grapes and strawberries, dip for crackers, and frittata made from free range gifted eggs.


Iskender with tabouli (all garden vege), rice, beetroot, falafel, salad, yogurt, hummus and chilli.


Corn and pasta salad, frittata, cheese, cherry tomatoes, yogurt with fresh picked berries, tabouli from garden vege.


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Help! There's a Vegetarian at my BBQ!

As a vegetarian, who is the only vegetarian in my close circle of friends, I have been to soooooo many dinners and barbecues where the only food to eat was the salad. And telling you now, seriously, vegetarians like hot food too! Like the amazing skewered vegetable recipe at the end of this post.

The thing is, often someone will bring a +1 to a dinner party or BBQ, and even the partner won't know they are vegetarian. (My husband of 12 years still forgets....) so being prepared for the event that a vegetarian could show up unannounced, and having hot food ready to go.... Guaranteed BBQ success.

The tricks to feeding a vegetarian at a BBQ:

- always have 2 types of salad. I always have a boring lettuce or spinach salad made f garden vege, dressed with salt, pepper, and a little lemon juice. This caters for those allergy types as well, as clearly every ingredient can be seen, saving a lot of, 'are there any nuts in this?'. And then I pair it with either a potato, rice or pasta based salad with a boiled egg in it. This won't help with your vegans, but they have the green salad, and the egg helps to cater to the protein of your vegetarians.

- Corn on the Cob. In summer we always have this growing wildly. I usually just go and pick one cob per guest as the BBQ is cranking up. Throw the cob, husk and all, on the barbie and forget. Peel the husk back creating a handle, and a glorious corn experience awaits.

- Falafel. I keep a ready supply, but if you don't, don't stress. But an instant falafel patty thrown on the hot plate (I use a non-stick aluminium foil underneath) makes an easy burger patty.

- Asparagus. Throw it on the grill, rotating as it gets those grill lines, and serve hot.

- Large, flat mushrooms. Giant flat mushrooms drizzled with oil, pepper and a little chili powder make a meaty meal.

- Potato Slices. Sounds strange, but I learned this one in China at a Korean BBQ... Take a sheet of non-stick baking paper and put it on the hot plate. Using a mandolin, thinly slice a potato. Wash well. Place on the BBQ... When the edges are slightly browned, turn the slices over. These will take the longest to cook, but they are delicious with a dipping sauce.

- Vegetable Skewers. See below

- Dipping Sauce. Everyone loves a choice. I like to have tomato sauce (duh), a Thai Chilli Sauce (sweet with ginger), and a spicy Satay sauce. This gives your guests flavour options which will blow their mind.

Also, those carnivores need to eat vegetables too.... When dished out to the boys, these skewers never disappoint.



Vegetable Skewers

1. Soak long wooden skewers in water for about an hour.

2. Wash button mushrooms in water, slice a yellow courgette, slice a purple onion, slice thickly a green pepper, and rinse cherry tomatoes.

3. Thread into a colourful arrangement on a skewer

4. Optional: marinate in a mix of olive oil, dark soy sauce, pepper and chilli powder.

5. Throw on the BBQ- can be cooked on the grill or hot plate.

6. Serve on the stick, optionally with a drizzle of sauce.

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Summer Coleslaw

I love coleslaw, and it's one of those amazing salads that is so simple to make in winter and have something fresh on the table.

However, this year I planted mini-cabbages, which are perfect for summer. They make these gorgeous tear drop shaped vegetables and don't take up much room in the garden.



You will need:
1/2 mini-cabbage head
1 carrot
1/2 cup grated cheese
Handful of parsley
Tablespoon of mayonnaise

1. Rinse the cabbage well, then cut into slices about 3mm thick.

2. Peel and grate the carrot.

3. Chop the parsley finely

4. Combine all the vegetables in a large bowl.

5. Crack pepper and sea salt on top and mix in the mayonnaise well.

Chill until ready to serve. I love the crunchiness of the salad with a bbq on a hot day, or on top of roasted potatoes with chilli beans.


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What's Growing: January 2014

It's already 2014, and the year is flying by. Basically the whole year has been in the garden. Last year my trip to China left my husband and the dogs at home, doing their best to maintain the garden. Now it is all back in action. Actually, our old dog, Spice, died after a stroke while I was away... And now we have a new set of trouble with a beagle boy currently named Solo.



In 2013 I set myself the goal of growing year round, and it worked. Admittedly over winter all we really had was spinach, chard, spring onions and leeks... But it did keep us in fresh greens over those hard-to-eat-fresh months.

This year my goal is to grow year round, as well as keep the blog updated with the garden. Last year I didn't want to commit too many goals to the internet in case I didn't get there.... And often the garden has weeds....



We have plenty of fruit and citrus trees planted around the place now, and they are slowly producing. Still not enough to cater to our supreme citrus needs, we use a lot of lemons... But getting there. We also planted extra fruits, like cranberries, this year. I bought a coffee plant, which the new beagle did eat, but I am determined to have a flourishing coffee plant on my back deck where I drink my morning java. In fact, it has a coffee-rail. It's basically the top of the hand rail... But I insisted that the handrail was large enough to lean on and safely hold a cuppa.






We have been doing well with the corn, and the passion fruit, though neither are quite up to harvesting yet. Yesterday I fertilized the passion fruit, tomatoes and strawberries, and I may through sulfate of potash on them today to encourage their fruiting.







The peas are now growing up a make-shift obelisk like the cucumbers, and I am impressed with how they are doing there.

We had our first chilli harvest yesterday, at least a month earlier than last year. Also, the back composting gardens are being converted to actual gardens... So I'm looking forward to seeing how they hold up with plants in them.

Lastly, I had my first go at building a garden bed.... Now I will try to build a 2 layer one next. I'll put a tutorial up at some point... So others can copy.... And so that I can remember how I did it!



My garden has so far been a haven of solace this year, and I have enjoyed working it, even with the scratches, bruises and broken fingernails.


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5+ a Day Challenge: Day 5

Well, the last day of term, and the one I had dreaded most. Usually a sugar fed high of chaos.

Breakfast
- Special K
- peaches

Lunch
- lasagne (vegetarian)
- Kumara soup
- 2 bread rolls
- mandarin



I was too full for the pasta salad or kiwi.

Snacks
- nuts
- scone with jam
- Pringles chips (it was a movie, alright!)

Dinner
- falafel Iskender

Portions: 8

And how was I feeling? Together. Usually at the movies I eat all sorts, and drink juice. This time I went with peanut m&ms and didn't even touch them. I drank a bottle of water and was happy.

I know I need to eat as many fresh vege as possible. In my counts I've only been using the vege portions of things that were fresh or whole. And I made it.


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Silver Beet and Potato Curry

Long term followers will be aware of the love the husband has for curry.... and meat.  The curry I don't mind.  Meat however.... I don't eat the stuff and I hate cooking it.  However, a great compromise has been various vegetarian curries.

At the moment, while I am super proud of my winter crops growing in the garden, it's certainly not like the cornicopia of goodness we had in autumn.  The silver beet is going great guns - and finding out that it's called chard elsewhere has made me very happy indeed.  I am not a fan of the stuff.  I need it hidden.  But i do like the colours.

So this is my Silver Beet and Spud Curry

Ingredients

2 garlic cloves, ready to be smashed in the mortar and pestle
4 green chillies, chopped and ready to be smashed
Clump ginger, chopped finely ready to be smashed.  I don't worry about peeling it.

A small bunch of coriander

3 cardamom pods, bashed
2 tablespoons olive oil

2 teaspoon garam masala

1 teaspoon mustard seeds
1 teaspoon cumin seeds

1 teaspoon ground turmeric

1 purple onion, diced

1 tomato, diced

4 potatoes, chopped into about 8 pieces each.

1/2 cup water

6 massive silver beet (chard) leaves.  Different colours are the greatest.

Juice of one small lemon

Salt and pepper

 

Chop everything.  Admire the colours. :D

Throw the garlic, ginger, cardamon, corriander and chillies into the mortar and pestle, and crush it.

In a large saucepan, heat the oil.  Throw in the dry spices (garam masala, turmeric, mustard seeds, cumin seeds) and the crushed ones with the onions.  Stir and cook until the onions are somewhat soft.  Add the tomato and stir again.  Stir in the potatoes and coloured silver beet stalks, and stir it all around.  Add the water at this point.  Cook on a low heat until the potatoes are ready.  The water will have just about all disappeared.

Throw in the silver beet leaves on the top and lemon juice.  Add salt and pepper.  Allow the leaves to wilt, then stir them all in.

It does look a little dogs breakfasty in the pot, but I was an idiot and forgot to photograph the actual plate. It does make the silver beet palatable.  And the husband likes it because its curry.  Go figure.