Savoury White Bean Mash - a change from Mashed Potatoes

How often are you cooking dinner and think:  Rice? Noodles? Potatoes? 
An easy white bean (Cannellini) mash is so quick to make and the flavours can be changed to suit whatever you are serving.  The ingredients suggested below were delicious with a Moroccan Chicken dish - change the spices and herbs to suit you.  A tin or two of Cannellini beans is a great pantry standby!   Enjoy!   Colleen

 

Preparation    2 minutes
Cooking         5 - 10 minutes 

Ingredients
1 tin rinsed, drained Cannellini beans (white beans)  OR 2 tins depends on your needs
Good splash of Extra Virgin Olive Oil - enough to make a mash
Salt and Pepper to taste

then depending on your meal - adjust the following to your needs

1/2 lemon - zest and juice    OR    you could pop in a splash of stock to loosen
rosemary leaves chopped (about 1 teaspoon)
1/2 clove garlic crushed
Some dried sumac and lemon pepper
Shake dried chilli flakes

Method
Mash the drained beans in the saucepan first.
Add the olive oil. crushed garlic and herbs etc and warm together.
Don't let it burn.  Gently stir and add the lemon juice (or stock) to loosen.
Continue cooking then taste and season with sufficient salt and pepper plus additional herbs etc. and consistency is right.
Mash again if needed.  
Serve. 
                                                          Cheers!   Colleen

Mushroom Sage and Lentil Forager's Pie

As you know, I recommend roasting extra pumpkin, sweet potato etc whenever you have the oven on and saving the cooked veggies as a shortcut for an easy meal later in the week.  This pie is a perfect example of this time saver. A complete meal in a bowl.
I call it Forager's pie as it is not a Shepherd's pie or Cottage pie because there is no meat.  It's filled with delicious chunks of mushrooms and lentils flavoured with rosemary and sage, then topped with roughly mashed potatoes, pumpkin, sweet potato and red onions.  So yummy and filling.  Perfect comfort food any time of the year. Enjoy!  Colleen

Preparation   20 minutes for chopping all veggies, frying mushrooms etc.  

Plus     allow   45 minutes to roast vegetables for mash topping if not already prepared

Baking    20 - 30 minutes until golden

Ingredients  (for 4 generous pies)

Topping

Roast sufficient veggies to generously cover.  For these 4 bowls I peeled, chopped and baked  1 sweet potato, 1 small pumpkin, 3 large potatoes and 1 large red onion all tossed in a splash of olive oil and some salt, pepper and dried herbs

splash Olive Oil

tablespoon butter

400 -500 gram sliced mushrooms

Sage leaves and rosemary leaves chopped - about 2 tablespoons each

fresh parsley - chopped (reserve some for topping)

shake of dried sage 

3 stalks of celery and some inner leaves - sliced

2 cloves garlic - crushed

1 packet baby spinach leaves 

tiny splash Worcestershire sauce or similar

teaspoon Dried Porcini mushroom powder (optional)

1 tin of rinsed and drained brown lentils

Season well with lots of freshly cracked pepper, some sea salt and some white pepper

tiny tiny splash of Dry Sherry (optional)

Sprinkle of dried breadcrumbs (optional)  and chopped fresh parsley garnish

Method

Preferably a day ahead

Roast the topping vegetables ready to rough mash with enough Olive Oil to make topping, taste and season to your preference.  Set aside.

Preheat oven 190℃ 

prepare 4 ovenproof bowls placed on an oven tray (easy to remove from oven later)  You could use 1 large bowl and increase cooking time if preferred

In a large frypan, melt the butter along with a splash of olive oil.

Add the sliced mushrooms, celery, garlic and herbs and fry until mushrooms start to brown, then add the spinach leaves. Toss through until most of the water is removed.

Add Worcestershire sauce, mushroom powder and brown lentils.

Taste and season with salt and peppers.  If desired, add tiny splash Dry Sherry.

Warm through.  Mixture should be moist but not dripping with water.

Spoon mixture into 4 bowls 

Dollop the vegetable mash over the mushroom lentil mixture.  Don't push too hard.

If desired, sprinkle over a little breadcrumbs for crunch

Bake for approx 20 - 30 minutes until tops are golden.

Garnish with reserved parsley

                                         Enjoy!   Colleen 

Baked Sweet Potato loaded with veggies

Sweet potato is so versatile and delicious and a perfect base for different flavour combinations.  Use Italian or Spanish seasonings one time then Moroccan the next. This recipe can be adapted in so many ways and is a fuss free hearty dinner!  Enjoy!  Colleen

Baked Sweet potato by Feed Your Inner Cook

Preparation      5 minutes
Cooking           Bake sweet potato approx 50 -60 minutes.  
                        Frying the topping approx 5 to 10 minutes depending on ingredients

Ingredients
I find 1 large sweet potato is enough for 2 people but I usually bake 3 halved and save the rest for mash etc later on.
splash of olive oil
Topping
1 onion chopped
2 cloves garlic
good handful Swiss Brown mushrooms sliced
2 rashers bacon - sliced.  Omit for vegetarian option
1 zucchini - quartered and sliced
lots of baby spinach leaves
1 small tin of baked beans either in BBQ sauce or your preference. Aim for low salt.
Dried and fresh herbs depending on other flavours
eg I tend to aim for Italian flavours so add fresh thyme and rosemary leaves and some dried oregano as well as chilli flakes etc
Season to taste.  Be aware of saltiness of other ingredients plus Fetta is salty
Crumbled fetta and fresh herbs for garnish

Method
Preheat oven to 180℃ .  
Peel and halve the sweet potatoes length ways.  Score the top if desired then Lightly rub with a little olive oil and place on flat baking tray.  When cooked they can be pierced easily with a knife. Bake approx 50 - 60 minutes.  Check at half time and rotate tray if needed.  When cooked leave in oven to keep warm with heat turned off, whilst finishing the topping.

About 5 minutes before sweet potatoes are finished, commence frying topping.
Saute onions in a little oil til soft then add the garlic  and mushrooms, bacon if using.
Toss the zucchini through and cook until begins to golden and soften.
Wilt in the baby spinach leaves and herbs, spices being used.
Pour in the baked beans and heat through.
Taste and add extra seasonings if needed.

Serve the baked halved sweet potato covering with generous dollops of the vegetables then garnish with a little crumbled fetta and some fresh herbs. 
                                           Enjoy!   Colleen

Healthy Chocolate Spread - Vegan

Fancy a guilt free Nutella like chocolate spread? Your prayers have been answered. I know, I know, not the most attractive food image but it's tricky. Anyhow it tastes delicious and is better for you!

Ingredients

2 cups raw hazelnuts
1 1/2 tablespoons pure vanilla extract
1/4 cup good quality cocoa powder
1/4 cup + 2 tablespoons maple syrup or unrefined sugar
1 Tablespoon additional sugar
1/4 teaspoon + 1/8 teaspoon salt
optional 2 teaspoon oil to make extra smooth
1/2 cup milk (almond milk for vegan version)

Method

Roast the hazelnuts for 6-8 minutes in the oven at 200 degrees Celsius.

Pop in a clean tea towel and rub to remove skins. Don't worry is some stubborn skins remain.
Blend the nuts in a food processor until they have turned to butter, then add all other ingredients and blend for quite a long time until it becomes smooth like Nutella.

And hey presto you have it.

Now try to stop eating it.

Thanks fellow blogger Chocolate covered Katie.

Mamma Marmalade

Mushroom and Herb Phyllo Scroll

It might not look pretty but it's so tasty and a great way to make a vegetarian meal look a little bit special.  You could vary the ingredients if you like and make the pastry casing and filling thinner if you prefer.  Excellent with a salad and some spicy tomato relish on the side. (you might have some filling left over which is delicious for brekkie with a fried or poached egg).    Yum!               Enjoy!  Colleen

Mushroom Scroll by Feed Your Inner Cook

Preparation   15 - 20 minutes   NB check if your pastry needs to thaw before use

Cooking         15 minutes for filling.      Baking  approx 20 - 25 minutes

Ingredients

splash Australian Extra Virgin Olive Oil

2 teaspoons butter

I used approx 3/4 kg Portobello mushrooms - sliced

1 small sweet potato - peeled and very finely cubed

2 cloves garlic - crushed

6 sprigs fresh thyme - leaves only

good shake dried oregano

good shake dried chilli

1 bag of baby spinach leaves

handful fresh parsley - chopped

garlic chives - finely sliced

small pinch salt  and freshly ground black pepper

Sesame seeds  etc for garnish

16 sheets Phyllo pastry.   You will need to layer 4 sheets of pastry for each roll, then repeat to make 4 rolls in total.

60 gram butter - melted.  To brush the phyllo layers and finished coil

Method

Preheat oven to 180℃ fan forced

Heat oil and butter in a large frypan (Cook mushrooms in batches until wilt if pan not large)

Begin cooking the sliced mushrooms and tiny cubes of sweet potato

Add the garlic, thyme, oregano and chilli

when sweet potato is cooked through, add spinach and remaining fresh herbs.

Taste and add salt and pepper to taste.

Remove from heat and allow to cool a little. 

Thaw and prepare pastry as per packet instructions.

Prepare a shallow ovenproof dish (approx 24cm wide) with melted butter or baking paper

Gently spread out the first phyllo sheet and lightly brush with a little melted butter

Place second sheet on top covering first sheet and brush with a little more butter

Continue process with third and fourth sheets. Now you have 1 prepared pastry ready to fill

Use approx 1/4 of the prepared filling, leave about 2cm border on one long edge, start spooning the filling along the long edge.  Roll up (firmly) so pastry encloses filling.

Place this first roll into the middle of prepared dish in a coil shape.

Repeat the process of buttering four phyllo sheets then fill and coil to join up with the previous coils until completed.

Brush the completed scroll with remaining melted butter and sprinkle over sesame seeds if desired.

Bake for approx 20 -25 mins until golden brown.

Allow to rest for a few minutes before cutting.

Delicious served with salad and spicy tomato relish.

                                              Enjoy!   Colleen