Curried Fried Rice with Chicken

The whole house is fragrant when I cook this. Quick and easy, and so hard to mess up, this is a favorite of our family. You can mix and match the veggies, and even substitute scramble eggs for the chicken, or tofu, for a non-meat version. I usually add cilantro to the dish, but tonight I was out.

The amounts are approximate. I rarely measure. I know it seems like a lot of spice but it really is not.

4 T. vegetable oil

6 cloves of garlic minced fine

3 to 4 T. chopped fresh ginger

1 onion, chopped

1 1/2 T. Curry powder

1 T. Chili powder

1 T. ground Coriander

6 Cups of cooked rice, brown or white

2 to 4 cups of veggies, your choice(I used 3 cups of snow peas, and a whole bag of frozen peas and carrots)

1/4 cup of low sodium soy sauce

4 cooked shredded chicken breasts

1 bunch of green onions, sliced

3 to 4 T. chopped fresh cilantro

Heat the oil in a large skillet or wok, over high heat. Add the garlic, stirring until fragrant, about 5 seconds. Add the ginger and onion, stir fry until the onion is softened, about 3 to 4 minutes. Stir in the curry powder, chili powder, and the coriander. Add the rice and vegetables and stir until it's heated through. Add the chicken, soy sauce, cilantro, and green onions. Heat through, and serve. We have it with a green salad for a well rounded nutritional meal. 

Yummy too. Be prepared for seconds. This makes a ton, and my kids eat it all.

Greek Pasta Bake

This recipe is from the magazine Super Food Ideas. We found that it was a bit on the bland side, so I cut the amount of the cream mixture in half and doubled the tomato sauce mixture and found it tasted a lot better. I also found that I needed a much larger baking dish than what they suggested. I used a large rectangular baking dish.

1 tbsp oil
1 onion, finely chopped
2 cloves garlic, finely chopped
500g (1 lb) beef mince
2 x 400g (14oz) cans chopped tomatoes)
500g (1 lb) macaroni, cooked and drained
2 cups grated tasty cheese (mild cheddar)
125g (4oz) butter
3/4 cup flour
3 1/2 cups milk
4 eggs, slightly beaten
seasonings to taste

1) Heat oil in a large frying pan. Saute onion and garlic for 3 or 4 minutes or until tender. Add mince. Brown over high heat, breaking up with a spoon as it cooks.

2) Add tomatoes. Simmer for 10 minutes, stirring occasionally.

3) Place half of the macaroni into a greased 24cm (10in) square baking tin. Sprinkle with a little cheese. Spoon mince over cheese. Top with remaining macaroni and a little more cheese.

4) Melt butter in a saucepan. Blend in flour. Cook, stirring, for 1 minute. Remove from heat. Gradually blend in milk. Return to heat. Cook, stirring, until mixture boils and thickens. Reduce heat. Simmer for 3 minutes. Remove from heat. Whisk in eggs and seasonings.

5) Pour sauce over macaroni. Sprinkle with remaining cheese. Bake at 180*C (355*F) for 40 to 45 minutes or until topping is set and golden.

Warm Sausage Pasta Salad

This recipe is from the magazine Super Food Ideas.

2 tsp olive oil
500g (1 lb) lean pork sausages
1 1/2 cups small pasta shapes (such as shells)
5 green onions, thinly sliced
2 garlic cloves, crushed
250g (8oz) cherry tomatoes, quartered
1 1/2 cups frozen peas
1/4 cup chicken stock
100g (3oz) baby spinach

1) Heat 1 tsp oil in a large, non-stick frying pan over medium heat. Add sausages. Cook, turning occasionally, for 12 to 15 minutes or until cooked through. Transfer to a board, slice thinly and set aside.

2) Meanwhile, cook pasta in a large saucepan of boiling water, following packet instructions until tender.

3) Heat remaining oil in a saucepan over medium heat. Add onions and garlic. Cook, stirring, for 2 to 3 minutes or until soft. Add tomatoes, peas and stock. Increase heat to medium-high. Cook for 2 minutes and remove from heat.

4) Drain pasta and return to pan. Add sausages, onion mixture and spinach. Season with salt and pepper. Toss to combine and serve.

As an alternative, tastes great with a light vinegrette dressing.

Corn, Chicken and Cashew Salad

This recipe is from the magazine Super Food Ideas.

1/3 cups cashews
2 1/2 tbsp olive oil
250g (about 9 oz) fresh baby corn, washed and halved
4 green onions, thinly sliced
2 cups shredded cooked chicken
125g (about 4 1/2 oz) snow peas, trimmed and shredded
1 lime, juiced
1/2 tsp caster sugar

1) Heat wok or large frying pan over high heat until hot. Add cashews and stir-fry for about 2 minutes or until golden brown. Remove to a plate.

2) Add 2 tsp oil to wok and swirl to coat. Add corn and stir fry for about 1 to 2 minutes until bright yellow and mostly tender. Remove to a large bowl and set aside for about 5 minutes to cool.

3) Add green onions chicken and snow peas to corn. Toss gently to combine.

4) Whisk 1/4 cup lime juice, sugar, remaining oil and salt and pepper in a bowl and drizzle over salad. Add cashews, toss gently and serve.

Note: I stir-fried the meat and veggies together and made it a warm (not hot) salad... tasted really good!

Matriciana Pasta

This recipe is from the magazine Super Food Ideas.

1 tbsp olive oil
3 garlic cloves, crushed
6 green onions, thinly sliced
1 red chili, deseeded and finely chopped
8 rashers bacon, rind removed and chopped
2 x 400 grams (about 14 oz) cans diced tomatoes
575g (about 20 oz) jar tomato pasta sauce
pinch caster sugar
625g (about 22 oz) fresh beef or cheese ravioli

1) Heat oil in a large frying pan over medium heat. Add garlic and onions. Cook stirring for about 3 minutes or until just tender. Add chili and bacon. Cook for about 3 minutes or until bacon is lightly golden.

2) Add tomatoes and pasta sauce. Increase heat to high and bring to the boil. Reduce heat and simmer until sauce thickens slightly. Taste and season with sugar (helps reduce acidity in tomatoes), salt and ground pepper.

3) Meanwhile, cook pasta in a large saucepan of boiling water, following packet instructions, until just tender. Drain and return to saucepan.

4) Add pasta sauce to saucepan with the ravioli. Toss over low heat until well combined. Spoon into bowls and serve.

Spinach and Bacon Quiche

Pastry
1 1/2 cups plain flour
1 tsp salt
3 tbsp butter or margarine
3 tbsp shortening
1 to 2 tbsp water

(To save on time, you can also buy ready made pie dough)

Filling
2 tbsp butter or margarine
4 bacon rashers
1 small onion
1/2 cup grated cheddar
1 cup spinach, chopped
2 eggs
2/3 cup milk
salt and pepper, to taste

1) Preheat oven to 390*F (200*C)

2) Mix flour and salt in a bowl. Cut in butter and shortening. Mix by hand until flour takes on the consistency of course corn meal. Add water a little at a time until a dough forms.

3) Spray bottom and sides of an 8 inch flan dish (or pie dish). Roll out dough and gently press into flan dish. Bake for 10 minutes.

4) Cut bacon and onion into small pieces (about 1/4 inch). Fry in butter until onions are soft. Spread bacon and onion into the bottom of the flan dish.

5) Mix cheese, spinach, eggs, milk, salt and pepper into a bowl. Pour mixture over bacon and onion. Bake for 25 to 30 minutes or until a knife inserted in the center comes out clean.

Chili (Meat or Vegetarian)

2 lb (1 Kilo) ground/minced beef (can substitute chicken or turkey, and tofu for vegetarian chili)
1 large onion, diced
3 cloves garlic, minced
1 green pepper, diced
3 carrots, sliced
2 cups frozen corn
2 cups tomato paste
2 cans diced tomatoes
1 lg can kidney beans
1 to 2 TBSP Chili powder (or 1/8 cup chopped fresh chili's)
1 tsp Coriander powder
1 tsp Cumin powder
¼ tsp Allspice
1 to 2 TBSP sugar (reduces acidity in tomatoes)
Salt and pepper to taste
Grated cheddar cheese (optional)
Sour Cream (optional)
Green Onions, chopped (optional)

1) In a medium pot saute onion, garlic, and peppers for about two minutes then place in a bowl. Brown the ground beef, then add the vegetables back into the pot with the beef. Add tomato paste and cook for about 2 minutes.

2) Add diced tomatoes, kidney beans, carrots and frozen corn and stir well. If necessary, add some water to thin the mixture. Add spices, keeping in mind the more chili powder you add, the hotter it will be. Add 1 TBSP sugar, then mix well. Taste the sauce and if it's still acidic, add a little more sugar. Then add salt and pepper to taste.

3) Let this cook for about 1 to 2 hours on a very low temperature. The longer it cooks, the better it will taste. Serve in a bowl topped with cheese, sour cream and green onions. Serve with dinner rolls or corn bread. Freezes well, so it can be stored for future meals.

Beef, Rice and Veggie Dish

500 grams (1 lb) stir fry beef or steak cut into thin strips
1 medium onion, sliced
1 green pepper, sliced
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 can corn or 1 cup frozen corn
1 can diced tomatoes
1 cup arborio rice
2 beef stock cubes or 2 cups beef stock
2 cups water (do not add water if you used beef stock)
1 tsp sugar (reduces acidity in tomatoes)
2 Tbsp dried (¼ cup chopped fresh) parsley
2 Tbsp dried (¼ cup chopped fresh) basil

1) In a large frying pan saute onion, pepper, garlic and herbs until the veggies are just starting to soften. Empty into a bowl and set this aside. Next fry the beef until well browned, empty into another bowl and set this aside. Then add enough oil to coat rice to the pan and stir the rice constantly until it starts to brown lightly.

2) As soon as you see the rice starting to brown add the can of diced tomatoes and 4 cups of water (or beef stock). Then add the beef stock cubes and sugar. Bring this to a boil then turn to a low temperature.

3) Add veggies (including corn) and beef back into the pan and simmer on low until rice is completely cooked. Add more water as necessary. Rice should be firm, but easy to bite through (if need add more water/stock and cook a little longer). Remove from heat and let stand about 10 minutes before serving.

Sloppy Joe

1 pound (500g) ground/minced beef
1 medium onion, diced
2 or 3 cloves of garlic, crushed
1 green pepper, diced (optional)
2 carrots, peeled and shredded (optional)
1 ½ cups ketchup (or 1 can Tomato puree)
½ cup brown sugar
1/8 cup yellow mustard
Salt and pepper to taste
Sliced cheese (optional)
Hamburger or Kaiser rolls

1) Saute the ground beef, onion, garlic, and green peppers over medium high heat until meat is cooked through. Drain off excess fat if necessary, then stir in carrots.

2) Stir in ketchup (just enough to cover meat and veggies... you don't want it soupy), brown sugar, yellow mustard and salt and pepper (be aware if you use ketchup it already has salt in it so you may not need to add more). Let that simmer over low heat for about 10 to 15 minutes stirring occasionally.

3) Cut open a roll, placing a slice of cheese on the bottom half. Scoop some of the sloppy joe mix onto the cheese, then put the top of the roll over it and serve.

Use this Simple White Bread recipe to make your own rolls.