Pumpkin and Almond Soup

This isn't quite my recipe - it is a version of my husbands.

I swapped some the ingredients which you don't have in your 'everyday' cupboard for ones that you do!

Peel and carve 1/2 a butternut pumpkin. (A fairly largish one)
Peel and chop  4 potatoes
Peel and Chop 2 Carrots
Chop 1/2 an onion
Peel a couple of garlic gloves.
Chop some raw almonds haphazardly
(The soup will be blended so don't go to too much effort with the knife, but keep the veggies roughly the same size so they cook more evenly)
Moroccan Seasoning
1 Ltr of GOOD veggie sock.

Pour some good oil in the pan, (olive or Vege doesn't matter)  and fry off the onion, garlic and almonds.

Sprinkle in the Moroccan seasoning - this is basically just paprika and cumin with chicken salt. You could also use a chili or even curry powder - what ever takes your fancy - OR if kids will be eating it you can leave it out.

Fry this off, being careful not to burn.

Throw in all the chopped veggies and cover with the Stock. If they aren't quite covered, top it up with water.

The veggies should only JUST be submersed, too much water will make the soup runny.

Bring it to the boil and then let simmer for around 20mins or until the veggies are soft  when you poke them with a knife.

Then turn off the stove and blitz the soup until it is nice and smooth. You can do this with a bar mix, or a blender.... If you are using the blender make sure it cools down a bit.

Pour in about 1/2- cup of cream. The more cream, the more runny it will be, so you need to taste it.

Serve with a dollop of sour cream and some crusty bread.

yum yum yum.....

The almonds add a texture to the soup, if you don't think you would like the extra crunch you can easily leave them out. Or substitute for cashews are they are a little softer.

'I don't have time to eat breakfast' Muffin Recipe

Ok - well most of us know that I have gone back to work full time.

It's not as easy as I thought it would be - I have hired a cleaner. lol

I have found that the housework is taking too much out of my quality time with the kids, so whether or not I need it is irrelevant. I am not the one doing it, that's what matters!

So I was fiddling around in the kitchen trying to put together a muffin recipe for me to shove into my mouth, with grace, as I toddle off to work each morning.

There is no processed sugar in the recipe, I use Banana and Honey for sweetness.

Also I use wholemeal flour for a lower GI.

I have added All Bran, but you can use any bran you can get your hands on.

The only ingredient that isn't 'typical pantry'  would be the Buttermilk. Despite it's name, it's actually isn't loaded with butter. It is basically soured skim milk. It is the acidity which helps break down the gluten's in the baking to give the muffins a soft texture. Most buttermilk is less than 2% fat.

Ingredients
2 RIPE bananas
2 tbls Honey
2 tbls Olive Oil

1/2 cup of Wholemeal SR flour
~300mls of buttermilk
1/3 cup of LSA
1/3 cup of All bran
1/3 cup of Muesli (or whatever it is in your cupboard)

Mix the bananas, oil and honey together.

Mix all the dry ingredients.

Add the banana mix and wet together.

Add the buttermilk. Try not to over mix now as it will make the muffins tough. Just combine it evenly.

Pour into greases muffin tins and bake for around 20mins. Depends on your oven. But if they are golden brown on the top... and you can smell the goodness... it is ready to go.

You may have noticed the LSA ingredient. This is simply ground Linseed (flaxseed), Almonds and Sunflower seeds. Basically people use it as a liver cleanser. But the ingredients are just plain good for you really. You can get in Woolies in Coles, usually in the 'organic-y' type section. Bloody hippies. lol

Get that Bran into ya!

Sweet Potato Pizza

My husband made this pizza for me on our 3rd date! I never forgot it. I still make it every couple of weeks!!! Scrumptious!

What you will need

• Pizza base - buy one or make one. It's personal preference when it comes to thickness. We make this on Turkish bread from our local kebab shop. They make it fresh daily and it really is - amazing.
• Tomato pasta sauce
• Pesto
• Fresh Basil
• Fetta
• Sweet Poato
• Almonds
• Sweet chilli sauce
• garlic
• Grated cheddar cheese
• Fresh rocket

• Peel the potato and chop into smallish cubes, the size of size of a die - dice?
• Place in a baking tray and toss through some olive oil. Throw some garlic in the pan if you like, or some rosemary.
• Bake this until the potato caramelises.
• In a small dish mix the pasta sauce, pesto and sweet chilli. I would use equal parts, but if you aren't a chilli fan then you could use a smaller amount or leave it out completely. You need enough to cover the base of your pizza.
• Once you have spread the sauce, sprinkle a small amount of cheddar cheese.
• Sprinkle the basil leave on top
• then place the Potato on top.
• Break the fetta over the top and then the almonds.

Place the pizza in the over for around 20 mins.

Once you have bought the pizza out and cut the sections you want, place the rocket on top. I use quite a bit, so there is an inch or so of rocket.

You can add cooked diced chicken to this pizza if you want also.

Sweet potatoes were one of the first consumed foods in history. They have plenty of fibre and are complex carbohydrates so they will make you feel fuller for longer.

This really is my most requested dish. Love love love it!!

So this Twilight thing...

My all time favourite books of all time are the Tomorrow Series.

Tomorrow when the war began became a movie last year. I was there on opening night, with pre bought tickets.

I worked at the cinemas when the first harry potter came out - I laughed at people like me. Fair enough I didn't have a cape on and a weird stick in my hand, but still I was probably just as keen hidden under all my coolness.

Then the Twilight thing happened. I would have read the books, but seriously - they are of biblical proportion. The word Biblical in the dictionary should read - the size of a Twilight Book.

So we rented the first 3 movies and sat down to watch the first 2.

First things first - not Bella's biggest fan, she is a little bit of a whinger and quite frankly borders on an emo. Powdery white, doesn't smile, shuffles her feet and averts peoples gaze. At first I thought she was a vampire.

Then I met Edward. Do you people really camp outside his house? Sorry, but when did weird pink mouths, skinny arms and massive foreheads becomes hot? So he's the vampire - makes a little more sense.

Then we go through a whole teenage love story which in NO WAY depict real teenage love.

1. He saves her life. If I guy liked me in high school, I would be lucky if he pulled a bee sting out. He certainly wouldn't hold a car back in order to save me.
2. If you didn't mope around the school  staring at your feet you would have been quick enough to move away from the car.
3. Where is the texting? Facebooking? and in my day ICQ-ing.

So then we have the wolf man with a SHOCKING wig. At least in the first film. Obviously they had made a little money and we able to cough up for a better one  in the sequel.

So who does Bella love, Edward or Jakob?

Lets run a quick list

1. Edward may try to eat her at any given moment, not to mention if she gets paper cut.
2. Edward will watch her get all old and  saggy while he stays all Emo.
3. Jakob is in with the parents
4. Jakob is hotter.

Fair enough, Jakob might try and eat her if she forgets to fill his water bowl. But seriously, is there a competition here?

The only thing that annoys me the most about this, is that all these Teenagers are going to to be brainwashed into thinking these are the only choices for a boyfriend?

How about the normal guys. That guy from school, who really likes her and makes jokes. Maybe the thrill won't be as good, but I'll tell you now. I would rather that than give birth to either weird vampire adults or hairy wolf babies.

Then again - I married a Greek man - I am fairly used to hair.

TEAM JAKOB!

Oh Mexicana

I love Mexican food. Bring it on.

Thus I love Old El Paso packs.

One thing I do not love, is sloppy soft burritos. Go for a bite and all the good stuff ends up on the plate.

Also, when you are cooking for 1 most nights, it seems a waste to set up a buffet for burritos. Waste of presentation. Well. Link The Dog gets a bit of a wag on.

So I make a taco lasagna. I know how great Kidney beans and mushrooms are for you, but I am not their biggest fan. I do the blitz version of this so I can't taste them. Yes I am like a 4 yr old.

Taco Lasagna

• Rip open your burrito pack
• Chop some 1/2 an onion and garlic and throw it in a pan.
• Chop some mushrooms, add them to the onion mix.
• Then add a tin of drained Kidney Beans
• Mix the seasoning through this mix.... watch the heat - don't want any burned onions.
• Throw in a tin of tomatoes and if you have any 1 fresh tomato chopped roughly.
•  Stir all this on low heat.
• Blitz with your bar mix. This is optional. If you like it chunky, then leave it nice and chunky.

Then get a small baking dish. I use a ceramic loaf tin type size. As long as it is ceramic. Not too big as there isn't enough burrito sheets to cover.

• Grate some cheese.

Get Creative. I sort of lay folded burritos and then do a layer of sauce, and then some cheese.

But you could make more of a 'wave' effect. It's all personal preference. Depends on how much bread to sauce ratio you want.

When I have got to the top, I put a layer of burrito and then the 'dipping' sauce that comes in the packet with some cheese.

Bake for around 20mins.

Then serve up like you would a lasagna. You can add a side of salad or vegies, depending on the weather.

So in there we have a serve of mushrooms, kidney beans and tomatoes.

Kidney beans are a fabulous food, protein to help you feel full and not to mention this serve will cover 1/2 of your daily fibre needs.

Mushrooms. Meat for vegetarians. Heaps of vitamin B. It's great for cell growth and division. As well as keeping your skin looking beautiful.

And tomatoes, we all know how much I love them.

Now calories. This meal certainly has them. But once again it is carried in the bread product and the cheese. You can get 'light' burritos, and you can opt for less or low fat cheese. This meal would sit at around 400-500. So if you are trying to lose weight, be an idea to have it earlier on in the evening - or just run up and down the street a couple of times before hand. :-)

Personally - I feel this meal serves me my fibre,dairy and F&V in a yummy bowl.  So I take the calories as a given.

You win some, you lose some.

You say Tomate-o I Say Tomarto

Ewwwww - always hated fresh tomatoes. They are squishy, their texture is fricken weird and the seeds are all membran-ey.

Then I found out how good they are for you.
Massive amounts of vitamin C - we all know how vitamin C keeps the colds away. We also know that in order for that iron to be absorbed you have to eat the same amount in vitamin C. They are best mates, like peas and carrots.

2 Tomatoes is your daily intake covered.

To get all nerdy on you, new research suggest they can also prevent lung cancer.

Here's why

Two powerful compounds found in tomatoes-coumaric acid and chlorogenic acid-are thought to block the effects of nitrosamines. These are compounds that not only are formed naturally in the body, but also are the strongest carcinogen in tobacco smoke. By blocking the effects of these nitrosamines, the chances of lung cancer. If you want more tomatoe reading - Click Here

So - I needed to combat my hate for fresh tomatoes. I make this salad most days for lunch.

Bruccetta Recipe
2 Tomatoes - I fillet the seeds out - but if you love them. Keep them.
Boccocini (or fetta, what every floats your boat)
Fresh Basil
Gourmet Garden Basil
Any sort of bread roll that you can chop up into squares.
Olive Oil
Almonds

• Put a pan on the stove - throw about a tbls of olive oil in. and a dash of salt
• Throw the chopped bread it and flick it through the olive oil so they crisp up nicely.
• Add the almonds
• Put your tomatoes, cheese, basil, Basil Squeezy in a bowl and mix the basil sauce through.Pour the toasted bread and almonds in.
• Mix.
• Eat.

Basil is another superfood. It's super yummy. Click here to find out more trendy basil facts.

Almonds - VERY good for you Click here

The Recipe sits at around 400cals. Depending on how much bread and cheese you use. I don't worry too much about the bread because I try to have my serving prior to 6pm. I use 1 little multigrain dinner roll, and sometimes I find it is a little too much bread. But I definatly think the dish needs it mainly for texture.

What do you guys think??

2011, the year of balance

After 4 years of crash learning I have finally found a couple of things that give me peace.

This short list is mainly derived from process of elimination.

Things that do not give me peace have actually been a part of my life for 26 years too long, they include obvious things like, traffic, boxing day hysteria, materialistic possessions and most importantly other peoples perspective of me.

After watching the QLD floods, I tried to think of what I would salvage if a flood was coming. After my 3 loved ones, 4, including Link The Dog. I scrambled to think of what I couldn't live without.

Marriage certificate? Nahhh I can remember that I am married. I am reminded - EV-ER-RY DAY

Birth Certificates? I won't be forgetting labor anytime soon.

Photos? Face book has that covered.

My 3 Ranga Fish? Wouldn't they be happier?

Everything I need I have in my memory, I don't think that is going anywhere. If anyone is going senile, I have my money on James.

So my husband and I are embarking on an alcohol free January. Australia is a our target. I happily (happily? actually no, scratch that) went alcohol free for both pregnancies, so what would be so hard about this?

We want to give our livers a break after a massive silly season and be on top of the biggest change to our lives since we met - me going back to work full time.

My idea is to share ideas. I want to create a recipe sharing community amongst my health concious friends.

It's not about dieting, I hate dieting - no balance, but it is about choosing the right foods. Tasting them and loving them.