Side dishes

Zucchini & Tomato Bake

zucchini tomato bakeI used to make this deliciously simple zucchini bake dish all the time but I forgot about it until I was gifted a sh*tload of zucchini last month…I had zucchini coming out the wahzoo. I beavered away in the kitchen making zucchini salad, zucchini chocolate cake, zucchini curry, zucchini fritters (anyone else thinking of Forrest Gump right about now?) when something jolted my memory and a little voice in my head said ‘hang on!’ – what about zucchini/tomato bake? And I’ve made it three times since in the last few weeks, it’s that good.

Note, it might look a tad dry on top, but trust me: Once you cut into it, the moist goodness of the melted zucchini and tomato hits you. I love the crunchy topping as a contrast. Mmmm.

(more…)

Bacon, Broccoli and Cauliflower Salad

bacon broccoli and cauliflower saladI’ve been making this delicious salad for years, however it recently got an extreme makeover! My friend Emma sent me her cauliflower and broccoli salad recipe, which is really similar to mine, but it had a few extra ingredients that I just knew would take the recipe to a whole new level.  Emma’s addition of sweetness and vinegar in the creamy mayo dressing, as well as cauliflower a main ingredient, well… Oh yes. See for yourself!

Thanks Emma for the inspiration x

Bacon, Broccoli & Cauliflower Salad Recipe

Salad ingredients
1 head broccoli, cut into small pieces
1/2 head cauliflower, cut into small pieces
8 slices streaky bacon pan fried till cripsy, cooled, then chopped into little pieces
1/2 cup Craisins (you can use raisins or sultanas too)
1/4 cup sliced almonds (you can sub with other nuts)
1/4 cup chopped walnuts (”   “)
3 tablespoons toasted sesame seeds (dry fry them in a frying pan)
½ cup red onion chopped (Top tip: Finely dice the onion, cover it in cold water, drain the water out after five minutes, pat the onion dry with a paper towel. This step takes the acidity out of the onion!)
1 red capscium, finely sliced
2 heaped tablespoons of fresh herbs (you choose, I use any of the following: Flat leaf parsley, basil, mint – use what’s on hand!) – reserve some for ganish!

Dressing
1 cup of my Homemade DIY mayonnaise (click here) – if you don’t fancy making your own mayo, Best Foods or Hellman’s Mayonnaise are your next best options
1 tablespoon cider vinegar (rice wine and standard white vinegar work too!)
1 tablespoon of runny honey

  • Place salad ingredients in a large bowl.
  • Mix all the dressing ingredients together in a separate bowl.
  • Add the dressing ingredients to the salad – mix well. Top the salad with the reserved herbs as a garnish.
  • Chill for half an hour before serving

Couscous with herby feta and pomegranate

I made this yummy and rather festive looking salad over my recent (glorious) summer holiday in Ohope. It would have been gorgeous on the dinner table on Christmas Day – check out those colours!  I actually wanted to make this dish using Israeli couscous but we couldn’t find it anywhere! It didn’t matter a bit, regular couscous worked super well and I’ll definitely be making this again.   Bonus too, as well as being delicious this salad was super easy to prepare.

image

 

(more…)

Hollandaise Sauce – It’s easy

easy hollandaise sauce recipeEggs benedict. Asparagus with Hollandaise. The thought makes me go weak at the knees and my mouth water.  Everytime I make this sauce for visitors they are wowed that I’ve made it from scratch.  The thing is, I’ve bought pre-made Hollandaise sauce and I’ve been really underwhelmed – it just doesn’t compare to the homemade version.

Unfortunately, lots of people are intimidated by making Hollandaise because it’s known for being finicky and temperamental, or to be more precise, splitting.  I’m pleased to report this easy Hollandaise sauce recipe has never split on me, far from it: It turns out perfect everytime, the only problem is reigning in how much you eat! It’s also easy – it takes two minutes for the sauce to come together, which I like, I’m not known for having the best attention span in the North Island. I think the secret with this fool-proof recipe is that it contains less butter than most other Hollandaise recipes. Before you starting high-fiving me thinking this is a calorie friendly sauce, hold fire: It’s not.  But it’s delicious. Give it a go! (more…)

Kale Chips (where have I been?)

kale chips recipeI was a kale virgin until recently – I kept hearing about this superfood (mainly on my Facebook newsfeed from all the Paleo/Cleaning eating sites that I admire).   When I saw some in my local green grocers for the grand total of $2, I thought I’d give kale a whirl. “How do you like to eat kale?” I asked my local Asian greengrocer. “As chips” he replied and he talked me through how to make them. “I’m into this”, I thought and I busted it out for dinner. YUMMM!  Crunchy, delicious, healthy goodness. A new favourite food!  We’ve had them three times in the last couple of weeks.

As an aside, it turns out I’m a late bloomer… Kale Chips have been on trend for years with Hollywood folk (probably as kale is a nature super-food and jam packed full of nutrients) and, more recently they’ve been applauded by clean eaters and paleo lovers. Where have I been? It’s a bit like when you get a new car, a model you haven’t heard before, then after you’ve been driving in it for five minutes you realise every other sod has one.   Anyhow, I figure if I’m a kale virgin, you might be too, hence this post and, clearly if my local green grocers’ kale chip recipe has made it as a blog post, I’m a fan! So, if you are looking to get more greenery in your diet, or want low calorie meal ideas, or you were a fan of my roast cabbage recipe, get cracking with cooking kale chips, coz kale chips are every bit as good as roast cabbage. (more…)

Decadent Stuffed Mushroom Recipe

stuffed mushroom recipeThese bacon wrapped mushrooms are seriously mouthwatering morsels of goodness that will have any mushroom fan begging for more. We have these quite regularly as a side dish, although they went down a treat when we had friends over for dinner recently when I made them as pre-dinner nibbles!

Get creative with these: You don’t need to use a cream cheese/feta mix, if you are a blue cheese lover, why not use that? Instead of using chopped fresh herbs, why not use a heaped teaspoon of pesto? Like things spicy? Add some chilli flakes to the cheese. You get the idea. (more…)

Roasted Cabbage Recipe – Better than it sounds!

roast cabbage recipeThis roasted cabbage recipe is one that’s definitely worth a go:  The result is a side dish that will impress… It’s absolutely scrummy.  Talk about taking the humble cabbage to a whole new level!

You can get creative with this recipe – I’ve made lots of variations now, including adding a touch of grated parmesan, using different herbs and spices (any of the Masterfood seasonings are great, i.e. Moroccan Seasoning or Tuscan Seasoning), or roasting it simply with olive oil and drizzling it with balsamic cream at the end. Our favourite version is below. Quietly, I’m high-fiving myself at finding a vegetable recipe that Hubby requests.  Give it a go – I reckon roasted cabbage is one of the most surprising vegetable dishes ever!

 

(more…)