vegetarian | girl in a food frenzy

October 6, 2012

It ain’t easy being green…

Here’s another one pan wonder which is Gluten free, vegetarian and quick, quick, quick! It seems to be a current theme of late, not that (that’s) a problem. These little green goodies are a blessing in disguise, little green power balls in fact. They make a quick frittata-style omelette with goats cheese & coriander, in a flash!

Fact: it’ll take you as much time to make this one, as it does to cook an egg. Plus it looks as though you went to sooooo much more effort too

Ingredients:
4 Eggs or (allow two per person)
Knob of butter,
1/2 cup frozen peas
salt & pepper to season
Goats cheese,
Chopped coriander & Lemon cheeks to serve

You’ll need a medium sized frying pan, (non stick preferable,) a wooden spoon, a plate and a small bowl/jug and fork.

Method:

Heat the pan with the butter until it’s just melted over a medium heat,

Throw in the peas and cook gently for a minute or so until they defrost,

Smash with the back of a wooden spoon or (potato masher,) crushing them up a little,

Whisk 4 eggs in a jug or bowl and add to the pan, season with salt and pepper,

Shake the pan gently to distribute the peas and continue to cook on low,

Once the top is starting to set, invert onto a plate and slide the underside back in to cook for a few more seconds.

Check the to see it’s golden underneath and serve in thin wedges with some goats cheese, fresh coriander & lemon cheeks.

39 comments

September 24, 2012

Brunch crostini platter & frenzy free weekends!

Happy Weekend everyone! Woke up this morning full of energy. A perfectly sunny day with not much to do. By this I mean no more moving, no cleaning or tidy ups of the old apartment and no boxes left to unpack hurrah!

So it’s time for a few favourite tunes in the background, a strong cup of tea and a cook-a-thon! To kick off a few of the recipe ideas in my head, I’ve decided on something quick and frenzy free for breakky today!

Even better, there are a few ingredients here which you probably already enjoy, but perhaps not in this combination. I’m hopeful that you’ll get to try these crostini soon and revel in these simple yet tasty flavours.

Crostini:
You’ll need some olive oil and a nice crusty bread (or sourdough) for the crostini,

Drizzle the bread with olive oil before grilling or toasting, be as frugal or generous as you like. Toast until ultra crisp and golden brown, the firmer the better as it will hold the toppings without getting too soggy later on.

1) Homemade Za’atar, greek yoghurt & olive oil crostini,

My version of the Home made za’atar mix includes Coriander seeds, Fennel seeds, Caraway seeds and Sesame seeds. Along with some good quality sea salt and cracked pepper you’ve got a pretty close substitute. Optional You can smash up the za’atar mix in a mortle & pestle or use as is, hint I find rubbing the mixture in a brown paper bag helps to release those aromas and break up the bigger spices.

Spread the Greek yoghurt generously onto the crostini and sprinkle lightly with the Za’atar mix and a drizzle of olive oil.

2) Smashed peas with lemon zest & Fetta crostini,

Take a handful of frozen peas blanched in hot water and drained. Add some salt & pepper, mix in and using a fork, mash with some grated lemon zest. Lastly spread on the crostini and serve with the crumbled Fetta.

3) Glorious fluffy clouds of Ricotta spread thick on the crostini, topped with a generous drizzle of honey and sprinkle of cinnamon.

Hopefully all breakfast cravings have been cured…till next time!

Like this, you might want to see:
Ricotta Fritters-2 ways!
Crab cakes with corn, coriander & ricotta
Pancake Formulae

36 comments

August 15, 2012

Eat your greens!

Today is a Springlike day! It’s the kind of day which reminds me of warmer weather, fresh produce and bright, fresh greens. Silverbeet to be exact.

Now that practical tests, theory papers and assignments are handed in, there’s going to be a bit more kitchen loving going on. Better yet, when the sun is shining and those days keep warming up, I get a lot more inspired to potter about, throw open those windows and make something fantastic!

Bunches of Silverbeet have popped up at the local shops, heralding Spring! So today is the day where we celebrate & eat our greens. Plentiful, leafy, wonders and I’m going to start with this Filo Scroll, with Silverbeet, Fetta & Pinenuts!

This looks deceptive in the fact that those flaky layers of pastry look so golden tucked amongst rounds of the tin. If you can use a pastry brush, you can assemble this scroll! If you can boil water, you can make the filling! If you can use a grater, you’re half way there, Happy Cooking!!!

Like this, you might want to see:
Carrot Tart, with honey & thyme
Spring Onion Pancakes
Pickled Wild Rice Salad

20 comments

August 7, 2012

Spicy Yellow Cauliflower Love…

Confession, I profess to quite a bit of veggie love at the moment. I’m not sure what’s going on, but at our local supermarket and markets there’s been such an array of brightly colored heirloom veggies, that I’ve pretty much vowed to cook with every odd thing I find.

This might be to the behest of my sweetheart who doesn’t necessarily feel the same way about Purple Pickled cauliflower, or Bulging Green Radish’s and Purple Carrot Tarts, as I do.

So, when I saw this beautiful yellow cauliflower, I immediately began to wrack my brain and think of how to highlight & complement the incredible sunshine yellow of those florets. Sadly my first offer to make canary yellow Cauliflower & Cheese, was met by a little apprehension but I can now tell you that the final solution I came up with was a definite hit.

Spicy Yellow Cauliflower Fritters , tinged with Saffron, Curry Powder and a whole lotta crunchy bits. They’re tasty, very moreish and bound to get a lot of action in your recipe repertoire once you take that first bite!

Like this, you might want to see:
Spring Rolls
Dim Sum
Ricotta Fritters, Two ways

28 comments

July 25, 2012

Eat the Rainbow!

Just a bit of veggie love today. Here are some of my favourite ways with veg, some of which you’ll be familiar, others which you might not. I’ll admit that not every meal is perfectly balanced in the giaff household but I will promise that I’m constantly looking for new & varied ways for us to enjoy bucket loads of veg!

Either way, I love these fresh and vibrant greens, pinks & purples. So let’s eat ourselves a rainbow today!

1. Pink Radish carpaccio style.
I love radishes. I love them sliced thin and simply finished with salt, pepper and some lemon zest. No cook, no fuss and you get to practice those knife skills.

2. Vegan Rocket Pesto with almonds & lemon
Got a box of salad greens you want to use quickly! Blitz a few handfuls of rocket (or watercress or spinach.) Add a couple of garlic cloves, some salt and almonds. With a good glug of olive oil, squeeze of lemon and lemon zest, you have an instant topping for pasta,
some spuds or even roasted tommy’s!

3. Overnight Cauliflower pickle,
I’ve found some amazing varieties of veggies of late, (purple carrots) and it seems Purple Cauliflower is the next giaff trend. A quick overnight pickle with some coriander seeds, peppercorns, some salt & sugar to taste. With one part vinegar and one part water to cover, the next day they look a lot more like this!

want to know more about these varieties, see Cauliflower on the wiki

4. Pack a punch sauce,
Not a true peri-peri or a Chimichurra, simply a few basic ingredients which pack a punch. You already know I’m a chilli fiend, you probably know I’m a bit in love with coriander. With the addition of lemon zest, bucket loads of garlic and some olive oil, I have a sauce which can be used on most seafood, red meats, chicken. I might even toss it through hokkien noodles with fried eggs (Chinese style)

It’s not really a secret ingredient, just good cooking!

5. Roasted Tomatoes
I just had to include these favourites. Oven roasted tommy’s with a bit of salt, pepper and a teeny bit of sugar. There’s nothing nicer than the sweet taste of good tomatoes, standard yes…boring, never!

Like this, you might want to see:
Purple Carrot Tart with Honey & Thyme
Beetroot, Pomegranate and Fetta Salad with Tea Salt
Spaghetti Confetti

42 comments

girl in a food frenzy

Tag: vegetarian