Cheat's Indian

Last night I wanted to cook a vegetarian meal so decided to make a few Indian dishes. I have plenty of beautiful spices in the cupboard but I was after some quick options so decided on the following convenient dishes :
* mushrooms marinated in tandoori paste and yoghurt
* biryani mix from the jar without added chicken
* egg and bean curry

The biryani was nothing without the chicken.
I cooked the mushrooms without watching closely so the yoghurt separated (I still liked the taste though).

The egg and bean curry was T's favourite, probably because he disliked it the least :-)

I set my self up for disappointment though. I should know by now, if I want to cook Indian, I should do it right!

Vegetable Soup

Last weekend I made a simple vegetable soup. It consisted of carrot, potato, celery and a soup mix of barley and lentils. To add flavour I used vegetable stock, some Garden Fresh herbs and curry powder.

I enjoyed the soup for a light dinner but it made for a great lunch too.

Parkmore Charcoal Chicken for Dinner

Parkmore Charcoal Chicken
Address: Parkmore Shopping Centre, 317 Cheltenham Rd, Keysborough
Phone: (03) 9798 5955  

We have visited this store a number of times and have always really enjoyed their charcoal cooked lamb on the spit but not this time!! The lamb was REALLY fatty. Usually it is a little crunchy on the outside and perfectly cooked with minimal fat. 
T ordered Gyros, chips and salad (lamb, chips and egg salad) $11.80.

How it looked when the lid was first opened.

After the chips were moved to the side.

I ordered a small serving of lamb ($6) and a small coleslaw ($3.20). They came in the same sized container.

While the lamb was a big let down, the chips and salads were decent.
We will probably head back to Parkmore Charcoal Chicken store in the hope that they have returned to their former high standards, but if we have an experience like this again, it will be for the last time.

Roast Chicken and Vegetables

On Saturday night I had no meat in the fridge but felt like eating a wholesome home style meal so I asked T to buy a roasted chicken while I prepared some vegetables in the oven.
He bought the cooked chook from My Chickadee, 144 Balcombe Rd, Mentone for $12.50. It was one of the nicest chicken I have ever tasted!

My roasted vegetables complemented the meat nicely and we had a lovely meal with minimal effort.

Country Pear Cake

My Grandma's pear tree was still producing plenty of fruit the week before last so I had an abundance of pears that I needed to find a use for. I went searching and came across a lovely looking recipe for Country Pear Cake. I decided to give it a go with a few small changes to the original recipe.

• I didn't have enough walnuts so added some pepitas too
• I used less sugar and butter, adding a splash of oil to the mix
• Pear juice was swapped for another juice I had in the fridge
• Wholemeal flour was used instead of plain

Country Pear Cake

Ingredients

• Melted butter, to grease
• 150g butter, at room temperature
• 270g (1 1/4 cups) caster sugar
• 2 eggs
• 225g (1 1/2 cups) plain flour
• 2 tsp baking powder
• 60ml (1/4 cup) pear juice
• 3 (about 450g) packham pears, peeled, cored, coarsely chopped
• 55g (1/2 cup) walnut halves, coarsely chopped
• 65g (1/3 cup) sultanas
• 2 tsp mixed spice
• 2 tbs honey 

Method

1. Preheat oven to 170°C. Brush a round 20cm (base measurement) cake pan with melted butter to lightly grease. Line the base and side with non-stick baking paper.
2. Use an electric beater to beat together the butter and sugar in a medium bowl until pale and creamy. Add the eggs, 1 at a time, beating well after each addition until just combined. Sift together the flour and baking powder over the butter mixture and gently fold until just combined. Add the pear juice and fold to combine.
3. Add the pear, walnut, sultanas and mixed spice and stir to combine. Spoon the cake mixture into the prepared pan and smooth the surface. Bake in oven for 1 1/4 hours or until a skewer inserted into the centre comes out clean.
4. Brush the cake with honey. Set aside in the pan for 10 minutes to cool slightly before turning onto a wire rack to cool completely. Cut into wedges and place on serving plates. Drizzle with extra honey and serve with creme fraiche, if desired.

 
When I added the pear to the cake mixture I was more than a little worried because there appeared to be far too much pear! Due to the enormous amount of fruit in the cake, I was also unsure if it would need the whole 90minutes cooking time the recipe called for. In the end I cooked it for probably about an hour.
When it had cooled slightly, I drizzled plenty of honey over the top and enjoyed a nice warm piece of cake.

The cake truly is delicious. It's bursting with pear and is fabulous hot or cold. I'm keeping it in the fridge so I can enjoy eating it all week long.
Next time I have a few excess pairs, this will be the first thing I make. It is fabulous!

Mustard Chicken with Pea and Potato Mash

Last night I turned to my 4 Ingredients Cook Book collection for a little inspiration and found two recipes that were just what I was after. Mustard Chicken is something I have cooked before and enjoyed, I decided to serve it with Pea and Potato Mash and some roast pumpkin.

Mustard Chicken

• 6tbs corn flour
• 4 chicken breasts, cut into strips
• 2tbs wholegrain mustard
• 1 cup chicken stock

Season flour with salt and pepper. Toss chicken in seasoned flour to coat. Heat a non-stick frying pan and fry on all sides until lightly browned. Stir in stock and mustard and bring to the boil. Simmer uncovered for 5 minutes or until the chicken is cooked and the sauce is thickened.

Pea and Potato Mash

• 700g potatoes, peeled and cubed
• 140g peas
• 50g sour cream
• 25g parmesan cheese

Boil potatoes for about 10 minutes. Add peas, cook for 4 minutes then drain. Mash together before adding sour cream and cheese, season and serve.

The mustard chicken was a real winner but I think I'll stick to regular mashed potato in the future.
In addition to being easy, I love that these recipes are budget conscious too.

Sweet Chilli Spring Rolls & Asian Vegies

Oh how I love Leonard's Chicken!
Earlier in the week we had Leonard's Sweet Chilli Spring Rolls and Asian vegies (from the freezer) drizzled with chilli and soy sauces.

It tasted more exciting than it looked

Quick, nutritious (kind of!) and delicious.