So it all gets busy. Dinner seems too hard. Take away is either too boring, too junky or too pricey. Last night Dear Husband had a work dinner to go to so I decided the kids and I would have tomato pasta. I have a dislike of store bought, jarred sauces and for a sauce like this you save on your health and wallet by making it from scratch. It was so easy, and the kids love the simple flavours. Like most of the recipes I post there are many variations you can make to suit your tastes, your budget and whatever is in your pantry. I have used passata (sieved tomoatoes, with nothing else), basil, garlic cloves and a chopped tomato. You could used dried oregano, dried mixed herbs, chilli, you could even blitz some veggies in the thermomix/food processor. It’s all up to you, and what you feel like. That’s what makes this so easy. Giving yourself a break sometimes is also one of the most loving things you can do for yourself, and a simple meal like this is definitely a break.

So here is my recipe for simple tomoato pasta. Even Master R thought it was a winner, as evidenced by the photo!

I hope you are loving easy food

SIMPLE TOMATO PASTA

1 bottle tomato passata 

4 bruised cloves of garlic

Large handful roughly torn basil leaves

Chopped ripe tomato

Salt to taste

Enough pasta (long or short) for how ever many you’re feeding

Parmesan for sprinkling on top at the end

In a saucepan place the chopped tomoto, garlic cloves, basil and passata. Place on a simmer, I leave it for an hour

Cook pasta according to packet instructions

Serve sauce with pasta and top with Parmesan

Eat with a simple salad

Sometimes I find it hard to come up with something different for dinner, but not so different that the family is reluctant to try it. Then there’s the time factor! So while shopping the other day I spotted a whole chicken and decided instead of a roast, a baked curry may be the way to go. The preparation is easy and the cooking leaves me time to do the homework with the kids and all the other household jobs that need doing at that time of day. 

When I took the whole chicken home I flat backed it, you do this by cutting the bird on its back bone. Then I made a curry marinade in the thermomix. The beauty of making your own is you can alter the flavours to suit your palate, but if you didn’t have time (or the inclination) a good quality bought curry paste would work just as well. You could add coriander, chilli, more ginger, less garlic, the options are endless.

 I rubbed the chicken with the marinade and left it overnight. The next day I baked it for dinner. It was a winner so I thought I’d share it with you. 

I hope you are loving easy food

BAKED CURRIED CHICKEN

1 whole chicken

1 onion quartered

1 small head of garlic, separated

3cm piece of fresh ginger 

1 Tbsp cumin powder

2 Tbsps turmeric powder

3 Tbsp curry powder (in Bahrain there is chicken masala powder, I used this)

400mL coconut cream

400mL chicken stock

Salt to taste

Rice to serve

In the thermomix/food processor place the onion, garlic and ginger, 5sec/speed 7

Add the powders to the mixture are mix for 5sec/speed 7

Get your chicken, and using kitchen scissors, cut the chicken along the spine (this is the other side of the breast). Place the chicken on a tray or in a container and then rub the marinade all over it, even under the skin. Put any marinade left over in the container with the chicken. Place in the fridge until the next day, if you have time. A few hours would work too

When you are ready to cook the chicken take it out of the fridge and preheat your oven to 150 degrees celcius

Heat a fry pan and fry the chicken, and any paste that was left over, until you get that delicious curry smell. Place the chicken in a roasting dish. Add the coconut cream and chicken stock to the frypan until it bubbles and pour this over the chicken

Cover the roasting dish with foil and cook for 2 hours

Serve with rice

A new country always brings with it some new experiences. For my family it was the fish market in the city centre, Manama. We were told to make sure we weren’t wearing clothing that was special and to be prepared for the smells and sights. This was advice well heeded! There are buckets of fish, prawns, crabs and squid tightly squeezed in to a room. Water is all over the floor, along with fish heads, fish guts and fish scales. It is truly a place for all your senses! All the fish (so we are told) comes in the morning, expect for the Norwegian Salmon which is imported.

On this day we decided to bite the bullet and buy some fish and prawns. Being from Western Australia, prawns are something we could recognise, so we went for body, freshness and size. I look forward to buying more prawns and making curries and pasta dishes, but that will be for another post. The fish to pick and purchase was a bit trickier. We relied on broken English from the fish monger to tell us what the fish was and how it could be cooked. I still couldn’t tell you what the fish we had was, but it was similar to a smaller snapper back home. The fish is selected whole and then the fish monger fillets it for you, unless of course you want it whole, then they will gut and scale it for you. The variety of fish here is something that will probably take this expat the whole time she is here to learn, but that is all part and parcel of the fun. Next time we go I will take photos of the market to share, but for today I will share the recipe for how I cooked the fillets of fish and the prawns. 

Fresh seafood is so good for you, a good way to nourish and love yourself, and when it’s fresh its preparation is easy as only the simplest of flavours are needed.

GARLIC PRAWNS AND FRIED FISH FILLETS
1kg prawns, shell and devein them

1 head of garlic, peeled

Rind of 1 lemon

Salt to taste

3Tbsp chopped parsley 

1kg white flesh fish fillets, use whatever you have available to you

4Tbsp plain flour

2tsp ground cumin

1tsp salt

In a food processor, thermomix or motor and pestle place the garlic, lemon rind and salt and purée

Place prawns in a container or bowl and place the garlic mix over the top. Cover and place in the fridge until ready to cook. It does pay to do this ahead of time and the prawns get more flavour the more time they’ve been marinating, but I don’t recommend leaving them for more than 12 hours.

When you are ready to cook dinner place the flour, cumin and salt on to a plate and combine

Have one wok getting hot and one fry pan getting hot. If it feels tricky to do the fish and the prawns at the same time I recommend doing the prawns first and then leaving them in a warm oven while you cook the fish

To cook the prawns, heat some oil in the hot wok and add the prawns. The prawns are cooked when they’ve changed colour. I find testing one (or two, if no one is looking) helpful. This way you can also add some salt if it’s needed

Place in a warm oven and start to cook the fish

In a frypan heat some oil. While this is heating dust the fish fillets in the flour mixture. This doesn’t need to be a think coating, it’s just enough to protect the fish from the direct heat of the frypan

Cook each side until the fish is cooked. This time will depend on the thickness of the fillets and the type of fish. Mine took about 4 minutes each side

When you are ready to serve place prawns and fish in a platter and sprinkle with parsley and some lemon wedges

We had our seafood with a green salad, my favourite accompaniment to any protein meal

Hope you are loving easy food

It has been a long time between posts, for that I apologise. It has been a crazy 8 weeks that has seen my family move from our home in Perth, Western Australia, to the Kingdom of Bahrain, in the Middle East. Filled with excitement and butterflies I packed our home up and flew the long distance with my three children to meet up with my husband who was already here setting up our new home.

Our new home awaits the arrival of my prized kitchen equipment but good food for good health in this time of change is still important so improvisation is the key. Finding a supermarket that is well stocked, discovering the best days and times for shopping and learning to safely drive on the opposite side of the road is a process that takes time. Lucky for us the little shop in the apartment building is surprisingly well stocked with things to make a whole meal from, and supermarkets are not too far. Miss L and Miss B started school yesterday so I felt a meal for their dinner that was fun and homely and healthy was important, as well as having food leftover for my husband’s lunch the next day. So dinner was tuna patties and salad.

Tinned tuna and fresh, washed salad leaves have been very easy to find. The easy thing about this meal is my kids and husband can make the patties in to a burger, in a wrap (pita bread is everywhere) or just eat it with salad (my personal preference). You don’t need to use tuna, tinned salmon is just as tasty, and I used potato only as I wasn’t able to find sweet potato like back home. Use which ever herbs you have available to you, I had coriander and dried herbs, but you could use basil, parsley or even mint.

The patties can be made ahead of time and put in the fridge, then cooked when it’s time for dinner.

I hope you are loving easy food

TUNA PATTIES

2 potatoes peeled and diced

2 X 200g tins of tuna (I used tuna in spring water)

1 cup breadcrumbs (I used rye bread, but you could use whatever you have), mixed with 2 Tbsps chopped coriander 

2 beaten eggs

Salt to taste

20g butter

Flour for dusting, with 2 Tbsps mixed dried herbs

Oil to shallow fry

Salad to serve

Cook the potatoes in boiling water until they are cooked. Once cooked, mash with the 20g of butter and add salt to taste

In a separate bowl add the drained tuna, breadcrumbs and coriander and the beaten egg and mix

Add the mash potato to the tuna mix. If you feel the mixture is too wet then add some more breadcrumbs or get some flour

Once combined make in to patties and place in the fridge to chill. The size of your patties will depend on how you want to serve them. I made 7 out of the mix

Before you are ready to cook the patties place the flour and herbs on a plate and coat the patties with this mix

Heat the oil in the frypan and fry each pattie until they are browned on each side

Serve hot or cold, with salad or as a burger or wrap

It’s been a little while between posts thanks to life throwing curveballs and situations which you need to just get through. I can say that you can organise your home and family for an overseas move in a short space of time, but not without the help and love of those around you. Those beautiful people who make you cups of tea, listen to you talk and help you with the heavy, physical grunt work. 

When I get busy it reminds me how important it is to utilise your freezer and pantry for back up meals, and also how a little planning can make a long arduous day end with a warm, loving and comforting meal, food to sustain you for the following day’s packing, cleaning and child rearing. This is where my slow cooker comes in. If you don’t have a slow cooker then this recipe for Guiness Beef Cheeks can be done in a low oven.

Guiness Beef Cheeks came about when I was pregnant with Master R, who is now 9 months old and now enjoys this meal for his own dinner. While pregnant I was a bit funny with very rich tomato based sauces but loved slow cooked meat, so I tried cooking beef cheeks with Guiness instead of tomato passata and red wine. The results were great! So here is my recipe. The greens on the side were the result of the gardening a few months back, some delicious silverbeet and tuscan kale, but you could have peas or green beans. I also served it with mashed potato, but you could shred the meat and have it with buttery pasta.

Enjoy this loving, easy food

Guiness Beef Cheeks

4 beef cheeks

4Tbsp plain flour, 1Tbsp dried oregano, salt all in a freezer bag

2 carrots, sliced thickly

2 stalks celery, sliced thickly

1 onion diced

2 cloves garlic, bruised

1 can of Guiness

500ml water

2 Tbsp vege stock paste

2 Tbsp tomato paste

Put the beef cheeks in the bag of seasoned flour and shake until they are coated. Brown the cheeks off in a hot pan and put aside

In the same hot fry pan place the onions, carrots, celery and garlic and sauté for a couple of minutes

In the slow cooker place the sauted vegetables, then place the beef cheeks on top

Next, add your Guiness, water, vege stock paste and tomato paste. Add some more water (or Guiness) to make sure the cheeks are mostly submerged

Cook on low for 6 hours, or if in an oven for 3 and a half hours at 150degrees celcius

Once cooked they will fall apart when a fork is inserted. Serve with sides of your choice and enjoy

When it needs to be quick and healthy and fast is there anything better than a stir fry? The varieties and flavours that you can make, the ease with which this meal can be prepared and the gorgeous warmth and love that comes from a serve of it. On this particular evening it the weather was cold and rainy and we’d been out all day, so a quick chicken and broccoli stir fry was very welcome. Chicken and broccoli was what we had in the fridge, but you could use a protein of your choice and whatever vegetables you like. The sauce I used was made up of lots of ginger and garlic, good to ward off the colds and flus at this time of year.

Enjoy this loving, easy food

Chicken and Broccoli Stir Fry

500g chicken tenderloins, sliced

3 cloves garlic, crushed

3cm chunk ginger, grated

1/4 cup soy sauce

1/2 chilli, diced finely

Half head of broccoli, cut in to florets

1 carrot sliced

1 cup snow peas

1 cup cashews

Sesame oil to stir fry

Rice or noodles to serve

Placed the sliced chicken in a bowl with the garlic, ginger, soy sauce and chilli and stir to coat the chicken. If you have time this can marinade in the fridge for a few hours, but that’s not necessary if you’re short on time

Heat the sesame oil in a wok and once hot fry the chicken in batches. Place the cooked chicken aside. Now stir fry the broccoli, carrots and snow peas. Once they’ve softened slightly return the chicken to the wok, then add the cashews

Serve with rice or noodles

Making up a platter of food is something we consider doing when we have a group of people over, something to nibble on and share before a meal, whilst having a drink. However, there are times when a platter can be a meal. Honestly. You can put whatever you have in the fridge or pantry on a board, or make something fresh like a frittata, and serve it up. Things you could use to make a platter;

• Cold meats
• Dip- fresh or bought. Guacamole, hommus, beetroot- whatever you’re inclined to make or have in the fridge
• Different breads and crackers
• Sliced fruit- strawberries with Camembert, pear and blue cheese are just a couple of suggestions
• Sliced vegetables
• Pickles, olives
• Cheese
• Frittata
• Chippolatas (small sausages)
• Chicken wings
• Rocket
• Sweets. A platter could be put together for dessert with fruit, biscuits, cake

Yesterday my husband and I did just that. We are fortunate enough to be able to have days together without the interruption of work, or the rushing around after children. Time to sit and talk, laugh, fight (let’s be honest, it’s not all roses all the time), plan and reminisce. We had hard cheeses, fresh Turkish bread from the bakery down the road, pickles, olives, caviar, avocado and halloumi, washed down with a bottle of white. It was a wonderful meal to share with my Love, easy to put together so that all we needed to do was sit, eat and spend time together talking about plans for the garden, life, the future, our children and whatever else crossed out minds. 

Whether it’s an impromptu visit from a friend, a quiet night in with your loved ones, a picnic or just to use up what you’ve got in your fridge, a platter is one of those things that will feed hungry tummies and be exciting and fun. An opportunity to explore new flavours and tastes. Something that is easy to prepare and little time to clean up.

I hope you’re loving easy food

Every now and then in my household we have a pyjama day. We stay at home all day watching movies, eating, playing games and taking it slow. There is nowhere to be. The only time we get out of our pyjamas is to go to bed in clean pyjamas! 

On these days I enjoy being in my kitchen preparing meals from my freezer, fridge and pantry, nourishing our insides while we rest up our bodies. As we are at home all day it’s a good time to make something that gently simmers on the stove, or slowly cooks away in the oven or slow cooker. On this pyjama day I made a beef casserole- perfect cold weather food that feels like a nice warm hug on the inside while you eat it. In our busy lives being slow, using wholefoods and taking the time to nourish and rest ourselves is a loving, easy thing to do. A casserole uses what you have and need not be elaborate. We ate this with mashed potato but you could just as easily serve it with soft polenta, pasta or whatever side you have and enjoy eating. The next night’s dinner was leftover casserole in a pie dish, with puff pastry on top, a quick and easy beef pie.

Take the time to slow down and enjoy some loving, easy food.

BEEF CASSEROLE

1kg gravy beef cubed

3Tbsp plain flour

1Tbsp dried oregano leaves

1tsp salt

3Tbsp olive oil

2 bay leaves

1 onion, diced

2 carrots, sliced

2 celery stalks, sliced

300g button mushrooms, left whole if they are small, or cut in half if they are large

1 tin diced tomatoes

1 Tbsp tomato paste

1Tbsp vegetable stock paste in 2 cups water

1 cup red wine
In a freezer bag place the flour, oregano and salt. Add the beef to the bag and coat the pieces in the flour

Heat the oil in a heavy based saucepan and fry the beef pieces in batches until browned. Set aside

Add the onion, carrot and celery in to the saucepan and fry with the bay leaves. I like the carrot and celery slices to be quite large as they will be cooking for quite a while

Add the meat back to the saucepan

Add the tomato paste, tin of tomatoes, stock and wine to the saucepan and bring to a gentle simmer

Let this cook for two hours

Once two hours is done, add the mushrooms and cook for another 15 minutes

Serve with mash potato or whatever side you like. A sprinkle of chopped parsley on top also goes nicely