Mexican Corn Cobs

August 11, 2015August 2, 20152 Comments

This corn is bad-ass. Crunchy, sweet, spicy, salty, creamy and all together YUM. It can be served as a snack or side to a Mexican feast. However you serve it, the mayo is a MUST, it helps the cheese stick. I know, best sentence ever written, right? My arteries are tightening as I type.

Ingredients – Corn Cobs

1 packet of McCain Corn Cobbettes
50g of butter – melted
1 tbs of honey
1 tsp of cayenne pepper
2 tsp of sweet smoked paprika
½ cup of finely grated parmesan cheese
Lime wedges to serve

Ingredients – Spicy Mayo

½ cup of whole egg mayonnaise
1 tsp of cayenne pepper

Method

Place McCain Corn Cobbettes in a large pan of salted water and bring to the boil. Simmer gently for 8 minutes, or until the corn is tender. Drain in a colander and allow to steam dry.
Meanwhile, for spicy mayo, combine mayonnaise and cayenne pepper in a small bowl. For spice mix, combine cayenne pepper and sweet smoked paprika.
Place melted butter with honey into a small bowl and stir well to combine. Once the Corn Cobbettes are dry brush with a little of the butter and honey mixture. Place on a barbeque or in a preheated grill pan and cook, turning the Corn Cobbettes, until lightly toasted.
Pour the remaining melted butter and honey mixture into a shallow tray. Remove the Corn Cobbettes from the grill and roll in the butter and honey mixture, sprinkle with spice rub and serve with spicy mayo, wedges of lime and topped with finely grated parmesan cheese.

Enjoy!

Pea, Bacon and Lentil Salad

August 3, 2015August 2, 2015Leave a comment

How do you make salad better? You put BACON in it! Yes, bacon!

Don’t worry, you can thank me later..

Ingredients – Salad

2 cups of McCain Peas – cooked as per packet instructions
400g tin of lentils – drained
1 red onion – finely sliced in half moons
1 tbs of olive oil
300g of bacon – diced
1 bunch of fresh mint – stalks removed
160g of baby spinach leaves

Ingredients – Dressing

50ml olive oil
2 tbs lemon juice
2 tbs of white vinegar
1 tsp Dijon mustard
1/4 cup fresh mint leaves – finely chopped

Method

Heat 1 tbs of olive oil in a pan over a medium heat, add bacon and cook, stirring occasionally, for 5 minutes or until browned. Remove pan from heat and drain bacon on paper towel.
Place McCain Peas and all salad ingredients into a serving bowl and toss well to combine.
Whisk olive oil with lemon juice, white vinegar, Dijon mustard and finely chopped mint leaves. Season with salt and pepper and toss gently through salad.

Enjoy!

Pumpkin and Chickpea Curry

June 8, 2015May 31, 2015Leave a comment

This vegan dish is rad as a standalone meal or perfect as a side dish to spiced meat, fish or crispy tofu. This is a great warming dish to enjoy in winter. If you can make it ahead and give all the wonderful flavours a chance to develop and blend together. Everything tastes better the next day, right?!

Ingredients

2 cups of McCain Cubed Pumpkin – cooked as per packet instructions
400g tin of chickpeas – drained
1 medium brown onion – quartered and finely sliced
2 cloves of garlic – crushed
3 tbs of curry powder
400ml tin of coconut milk
1 tbs of peanut oil
Salt and pepper, to season
Toasted chopped cashew nuts and fresh coriander leaves, to serve
Basmati rice and/or naan bread, to serve

Method

Heat oil in a large saucepan over medium-high heat. Add the curry powder and stir for 1-2 minute or until aromatic. Add onion and garlic and cook, stirring for 3-4 minutes or until onion has softened.
Stir in the coconut milk and bring to the boil, reduce heat to simmer, stir in McCain Cubed Pumpkin and chickpeas and cook, uncovered for 5-10 minutes or until the coconut milk has reduced. Season with salt and pepper, to taste.
Divide among bowls, top with coriander leaves and toasted cashew nuts. Serve with basmati rice and/or naan bread.

Enjoy!

Crispy Skin Salmon with Mushy Peas

April 14, 20154 Comments

Crispy Salmon + Mushy Peas, did somebody say heaven?! I absolutely love salmon, so salmon with crispy skin doesn’t stand a chance around me. Paired with super simple mushy peas and potatoes YUM! Oh, and I mention you can have it on the table in 20 minutes?
ENJOY!

Ingredients

2 Atlantic Salmon Fillets – approx. 200g each, skin on, scaled and pin boned
2 tbs olive oil
McCain Mini Roasts Italian Herbs – cooked as per packet instructions
Salt and pepper

Ingredients – Mushy peas

2 cups of McCain Baby Peas
2 tbs of thickened cream
1 tbs of butter
2 tsp of fresh lemon juice
1 tbs of fresh mint – finely chopped
1 clove of garlic – crushed or grated
Salt and pepper

Method

Bring a pot of lightly salted water to the boil over medium high heat. Add McCain Baby Peas and cook for 3 minutes or until tender.
Drain McCain Baby Peas and in the same saucepan, melt butter in the cream. Once melted, add McCain Baby Peas, mint, lemon and garlic and mash with a potato masher until chunky with small pieces of peas remaining. Season with salt and pepper to taste and keep warm.
Meanwhile, place salmon, skin side up, on a plate. Drizzle with oil and rub salt into skin. Heat a large, non-stick frying pan over medium-high heat. Add salmon, skin side down. Cook for 4 to 5 minutes or until skin is crisp. Turn, and cook, covered for 4 to 5 minutes for medium or until cooked to your liking.
Spoon the mashed peas onto plates and top with the salmon, skin side up. Serve with McCain Mini Roasts Italian Herbs.

Enjoy!

Rainbow Noodles

March 25, 2015March 24, 20153 Comments

This week is Meat Free Week; why go meat free? I hear you ask… Well, it encourages you to think about how much meat you eat, where your meat comes from and the impact eating too much meat has on your health, the environment and animals. Head to www.meatfreeweek.org for more info.

If you’re a little hesitant to try a week without meat, and I totally understand, meat is delicious; why not try 2-3 dinners sans our fury and scaled friends? Opt instead for a tonne of deliciously nutritious veggies and I guarantee you your body will be feeling great! Try starting with these Rainbow Noodles, filled with so many noms that you won’t even notice you’re missing meat. So, go forth and taste the rainbow!

Ingredients

450g of Hokkien Noodles – cooked as per packet instructions
2 cups of McCain Pea, Corn and Carrot Mix – cooked as per packet instructions
1 red capsicum – cut into long strips
¼ red cabbage – cut into long strips
3 shallots – sliced into 5mm diagonal rounds
1 tbs of peanut oil
2 tbs sweet or hot chilli sauce depending on your tastebuds
3 tbs of oyster sauce
3 tbs of freshly squeezed lime juice
Toasted sesame seeds and chopped unsalted peanuts – to serve

Method

Cook Hokkien Noodles according to package instructions.
Meanwhile, heat oil in a large saute pan over medium-high heat. Add the whites of the shallots and sauté for 2 minutes, or until fragrant. Add cabbage, and capsicum, cook for 5-7 minutes, stirring occasionally, or until cabbage has wilted and capsicum has softended.
Place the McCain Pea, Corn and Carrot Mix, Hokkien Noodles, sweet chilli sauce, lime juice, oyster sauce and vegetable mix to a large mixing bowl and toss well to combine.
Serve topped with the greens of the shallots, toasted sesame seeds and peanuts if desired.

TIP: this is delicious cold and is great for picnics or lunchboxes.

Enjoy!

Persian Feta and Green Pea Bruschetta

January 29, 20152 Comments

Bruschetta is an exercise in getting the basics right; balancing the flavour, and texture of simple ingredients to create something greater than the sum of its parts.

The flavours of my Pea and Persian Feta Bruschetta are perfection. The creamy peas, are accentuated with fresh mint, then hit with the sharpness of garlic, parmesan and lemon, and finished with crunchy bread and smooth Persian Feta. So good.

Ingredients

10 slices of sourdough bread
2 cups of McCain Peas
¼ cup of fresh mint leaves
2 tbs of olive oil
2 tbs of freshly squeezed lemon juice
¼ cup of grated parmesan cheese
1-2 cloves of garlic – crushed or grated
250g of Persian Feta
Salt and black pepper to taste
Fresh mint sprigs and lemon cheeks to serve

Method

Bring a pot of salted water to a boil, add McCain Peas and cook 3 minutes or until tender. Scoop peas out of the pot, into an ice bath to cool. Drain. The ice bath will help the peas retain their bright colour, juiciness and plumpness.
Add McCain Peas, mint leaves, olive oil, lemon juice, parmesan and garlic to a food processer and blitz for 1 minute or until roughly crushed. Season with salt and black pepper to taste.
Preheat a chargill pan over medium-high heat. Brush both sides of bread with oil and chargrill, in batches, for 3 minutes each side.
Spread pea mixture over grilled bread and serve scattered with Persian Feta, mint leaves and lemon cheeks.

Enjoy!

Jam-Tini

December 1, 2014August 19, 20147 Comments

Welcome to my celebratory ~~toast~~ post to welcome the first day of Summer – the Jam-Tini.

Jam’s ability to glam up a piece of toast is, of course, a foregone conclusion. But, have you ever thought about adding a dollop of this sweet, sticky fruit spread to your cocktail? No? Well, you should! Shaken with ice, mixer and a shot of spirits, jam creates a cocktail of unsurpassed summery goodness. Whether you’ve been hard at work harvesting your garden’s bounty, or soaking up the summer sun, a Jam-Tini is just the thing to toast the end to a perfect summers day.

Serves 4

Ingredients

4 tbs of Anathoth Farm Raspberry Jam
The juice of 4 limes
600ml of cranberry juice
600ml of soda water
1 bunch of fresh mint leaves
Crushed ice
Lime wedges to serve
Optional: 30ml of gin or vodka, per serve

Method

In a cocktail shaker, muddle half the fresh mint leaves, fresh lime juice and Anathoth Farm Raspberry Jam.
Add the cranberry juice, optional spirits, and some ice. Put the lid onto the shaker and shake. Shake some more!
Add crushed ice to each serving jar, along with a sprig of the remaining fresh mint. Top each jar with 150ml of soda water and evenly strain the cocktail mix over each serving jar. Discard solids in the shaker, garnish with fresh lime wedges and serve.

Enjoy!

Berry Crumble

August 27, 2014Leave a comment

I love making this lush berry crumble; it takes minutes to prepare and can be served warm or cold with custard, thick natural yoghurt, a light drizzle of coconut cream, el naturale or with ice-cream if the whole sugar-free thing isn’t your cup of tea.

The use of frozen berries means it’s super quick to prepare and the crumble topping can be personalised to suit your preferences or what’s in your pantry. Hazelnuts, macadamia’s and pistachios are personal favourites of mine, although this combination with the coconut and almonds is delicious!

Ingredients – berries

600g of McCain’s Season’s Choice Four Berry Mix
1/3 cup of honey or rice malt syrup

Ingredients – crumble

1/3 cup rolled oats
1/3 cup of desiccated coconut
1/3 cup of slivered almonds
½ tsp of ground cinnamon

Method

Place berries and honey in a saucepan over a medium-low heat and allow to gently simmer for 10-15 minutes or until berries are defrosted and have released their juices.
Meanwhile, combine oats, coconut and almonds in a saucepan over a medium-low heat, stir well to combine and allow to toast for 5 minutes, or until golden stirring regularly. Stir through cinnamon.
Divide berry mixture between teacups, top evenly with crumble mixture and serve.

Enjoy!

Easy Pea-sy Risotto

July 28, 2014July 17, 20142 Comments

This risotto is fabulous any time of the year, you can use either frozen or fresh peas, when they are in season. It’s a simple and nourishing meal that is purely delicious comfort food and makes you feel great from the inside out.

The one pot, all liquid in, absorption approach means it’s quick and easy to make, which is perfect for after a long day at work! Great as a main meal topped with some roasted cherry tomatoes and crispy prosciutto, or the perfect side to slow cooked meat.

Ingredients

1 tbs of butter
1 tbs of olive oil
1 brown onion – finely diced
2-3 cloves of garlic – diced, dependent on taste
3 cups of Arborio rice
4 cups of hot chicken stock – you can use vegetable stock if you would like to make this meal vegetarian friendly
2 cups of boiling water
½ tsp of dried rosemary
½ tsp of ground dried oregano
2 ½ cups of McCain Peas
2 bunches of asparagus – cut into 5cm lengths
Zest and juice of 1 lemon
1 cup of grated parmesan
¼ cup of shaved parmesan, to serve
Salt and pepper, to taste

Method

1. Heat oil and butter in a large, deep frying pan over a medium heat. Add onion and garlic and cook, stirring for 3-5 minutes or until softened and translucent.

2. Add rice and herbs and stir to coat. Add stock and 1 cup of boiling water and bring to the boil. Reduce heat to low and allow to simmer for 12 minutes or until rice is tender.

3. Remove from heat, season with salt and pepper to taste, and add 1 cup of boiling water, McCain Peas, asparagus, lemon and 1 cup of grated parmesan. Stir well and cover for 5 minutes.

4. Remove lid, stir well and serve in bowls topped with shaved parmesan.

Enjoy!

Garden Green Pasta

July 16, 2014Leave a comment

This delicious pasta dish will ensure you and your family are getting your daily dose of greens! Ready in a flash, and with a chilli pop that will keep you warm in winter, it’s the perfect weeknight main meal or side to grilled meat.

Ingredients

2 cups of Green Vegetables – I used McCain Garden Greens – cooked as per packet instructions
¼ cup of olive oil
3 cloves of garlic – halved and finely sliced
1 long red chilli – halved, seeds and membrane removed, and finely sliced
The juice of 1 lemon
500g of Orecchiette pasta
1/3 cup of green basil pesto
100g of rocket
Shaved parmesan to serve
Salt and pepper to season

Method

Cook pasta in a large pot of boiling water, to al dente, and drain, reserving ½ cup of pasta water.
Heat olive oil in a large pan over a medium heat. Add sliced garlic and chilli and cook for 2 minutes, stirring. Add pesto, pasta, Green Vegetables, lemon juice and season to taste. Mix well and cook for 2 minutes. Add reserved pasta water sparingly to lubricate the pasta and create a dry sauce.
Divide rocket evenly amongst bowls, top with Garden Green Pasta and serve topped with shaved Parmesan.

Enjoy!