Lil Buddha Belly has moved!

LBB has relocated to the UK! So for the next year or so you can also find me reviewing restaurants & pubs in Reading and around the UK here: http://lilbuddhabellyinbritain.blogspot.com/

I'll be attempting to update both blogs from time to time :)

Happy New year to you all!
LBB x

1st Guest Appearance! - Nicola & Lucy's Raspberry & Coconut Muffins

(basic recipe from Jude Blereau)

Wholefood Book, Heal...nourish...delight

1 cup unbleached plain flour

1 cup wholemeal flour

2 ½  teaspoons of baking powder

½ cup raw sugar

1 large cup of raspberries (I used frozen)

½ cup coconut

1 tsp of vanilla extract

80g unsalted butter, melted

1 ¼  cup of full cream milk

(for variations of ingredients refer to Jude's Wholefood Book)

Preheat oven to 180 degrees, Grease an 9 hole muffin tin.

As I make these with my 2 year old I do it the quick way..

 

Mix all dry ingredients, add raspberries and wet ingredients, mix with a

metal spoon (don't overmix as they will become tough), spoon into a muffin

tin.

My variation to this recipe is I use real vanilla bean paste (yum)

Cook for 30-35mins (my oven is a hot so they only take 30 mins), Makes 8-9 Muffins

Delicious!

Thank-you to my very special guests; Nicola & Lucy

Andrea's Amazing Salmon Salad..

I never really had a thing for smoked salmon (unless it came on a ritz cracker smothered in Philadelphia Cream Cheese).. that is, until I tasted my friend Andrea's Amazing Smoked Salmon Salad! Now, I'm simply hooked!

Ingredients:

100g smoked salmon per person

Plenty of rocket leaves

Chopped fresh dill

boiled eggs - sliced (2 per person)

lemon juice

extra v olive oil

sea salt

cracked black pepper

What to do:

Toss rocket in a  bowl with olive oil & lemon juice

Divide leaves onto plates to serve

Top with slices of Salmon, sliced eggs, and season with salt and cracked pepper.
Sprinkle with chopped dill

Squeeze over a little more lemon juice & drizzle with extra virgin olive oil

Such a simple dish, easy to prepare.. but it is the most wonderful combination! Try it! :)

 

Very easy to prepare, looks impressive & tastes amazing!

Father's Day Lunch

Just a little something my mum whipped up for Father's Day Sunday Lunch:

 

How could I ever compete with this?! ;) Mum is a brilliant cook!

 (click on image to enlarge)

And my sister & niece's cupcakes:

Delicious!

Happy Father's Day

x

My Fave Easy Pasta Dish!

This is a Donna Hay creation, however I can't find the recipe anywhere! Have looked through all my mags and recipe books but to no avail! It's so easy, I make it all the time without really needing the original recipe at hand.

In an oven tray add:
Red capsicum sliced
Yellow capsicum sliced (didn't have any this time)
Chorizo sausage (sliced)
Garlic - whole pieces, slightly smashed to let out the flavour
Spanish/Red Onion - sliced
Olive Oil
(A splash of balsamic vinegar if you like)
Salt & Pepper

* Roast this in the oven until the capsicum is soft (about 20-25 mins)

Boil up some spaghetti (My fave at the moment are Buchattini).

While that's cooking, prepare some lemon rind, lemon juice, bit more olive oil and grated parmesan cheese. (And I added fresh baby spinach this time which tasted great!).

Throw it all together and serve!

So yummy & easy! :)

Paella!

When my family makes Paella, we don't muck about:

I have a Spanish Aunty who has influenced our paella making skills! Mum has been kind to my non piscean eating sisters and always made her paella with much less seafood for us! Of course, the traditional way is to load the Paella up with mussels, prawns, fish pieces etc.. but we've always stuck with chicken & maybe tuna too! What's so good about this dish is that you can add as many or as little ingredients as you like, but it always tastes good!

John has been asking me to make this for him for a while...to be honest - the first (and last) time I made Paella - I was in Spain! I bought all my fresh ingredients from the local market, called my mum for the recipe over the phone & went for it! It was awesome.. but I've never attempted it again since. Well, until now....

Main Ingredients

Olive Oil
1 onion – chopped finely
1 small red pepper (capsicum) - chopped finely
1 tin tomatoes
1 tspn saffron powder
Rice (risotto sized rice)
Hot water (with chicken/vegetable stock added optional)

* ½ cup rice needs 1- ½ cups water for about 2 ppl. You can always add more water as needed during cooking so better to add too little then too much water at first.

* If you want to use stock with your water, less additional salt is required. If you do not add stock then add salt to the paella.

Ingredients As Desired:

Vegetables – cauliflower, spanish black olives, peas (frozen or fresh), artichoke hearts, mushrooms (fresh or tin), broccoli.

Seafood – Mussels, prawns, squid pieces, crabs, 1 tin of tuna (Sirena is the best).

Chicken – boned pieces or cubed chicken breast

* Paella can be made vegetable/chicken/seafood only or a combination of your choice – it’s up to you! You only need a few ingredients of each item ie. Only a handful of peas, and each vegetable, etc.
* I always put in black olives and a tin of tuna even if I’m making a chicken or only vegetable Paella to add flavour!

What To Do:

- Fry well dried chicken pieces in oil with salt & pepper. Once browned take out of pan.
- In same oil cook onion & red pepper till soft then add tomato and cook for 5 minutes.
- Add all ingredients in the pan here (chicken, rice, seafood, saffron, etc) and mix well.
- Add water (based on amount of rice added) and mix all well this ONCE ONLY.
- Let rice simmer evenly on low-medium heat (never stirring) until water is absorbed and rice is cooked (add more water if necessary as you go).
- Once all rice is cooked dish out and serve with lemon.

* With seafood, you may want to add some of the pieces towards the end, on top of the paella dish and only cook for a short time. (ie. Prawns and other seafood can be arranged in a pattern on top of the dish and as they don’t take long to cook, they can be saved till last).

- Just a note - you don't stir paella the way you constantly stir a risotto. You stir once at the beginning, then let the stock gently simmer down & evaporate - this leaves a yummy, crunchy (almost burned) yummy Paella base to the pan!

Pav Overload!

My Latest (3rd) Pavlova I made for my sister's bday..... I think my first attempt was actually my best...


Still yummy tho! :)

Chicken & Couscous Creation!

A wintery cold evening.. and I REALLY want to make an Indian Korma Curry or Easy Butter Chicken from the jar.. but last night we had mushroom risotto, night before Lamb Shanks with Mash & the night before that, my Mum's gnocchi.. so something light & healthy was in order!

In the pantry: I had chicken tenderloins, couscous, and a bag of fresh baby spinach leaves I picked up for $4 for a huge bag at this market on the weekend!

I did a bit of googling and took inspiration from these two recipes:

http://www.taste.com.au/recipes/20410/couscous+crumbed+chicken+with+chickpea+parsley+salad

http://www.taste.com.au/recipes/19129/moroccan+chicken+and+couscous

To create this:






Served with my friends` home made mango chutney & a glass of red. The boy was pleased and so was I :) Yum!

Having Indian tomorrow night..one more sleep! (I know, I'm obsessed) ;)

“Wine makes a symphony of a good meal.”
Fernande Garvin, The Art of French Cooking

Pavlova Tips

Found this awesome website with step by step pics of making a pav and it's pretty spot on!

http://australianfood.about.com/od/bakingdesserts/ss/PavlovaSbS.htm

No excuses now.. try making a pav - it's easy!

Pavlova - Take 2!

This is the second time I have made a pavlolva..they are getting better & better. You cannot go wrong with a Donna Hay recipe - she makes things so easy & simple to follow! The result was perfect - crunchy outside, marshmallow centre and soo good! Made this for the team at work & it was devoured... :)


Pavlova
4 eggwhites
1 cup (220g) caster (superfine) sugar
3 teaspoons cornflour (cornstarch)
1 teaspoon white vinegar
whipped cream and fresh fruit, to serve
Preheat oven to 150°C (300°F). Place the eggwhites in the bowl of an electric mixer and beat until soft peaks form. Gradually add the sugar, beating well until the mixture is glossy. Sift the cornflour over, add the vinegar and fold through. Pile into an 18cm-round on a baking tray lined with non-stick baking paper. Place in the oven, reduce the heat to 120°C (250°F) and cook for 1 hour. Turn the oven off and allow the meringue to cool in the oven. To serve, top with whipped cream and fresh fruit. Serves 6–8.

http://www.donnahay.com.au/recipes/431-pavlova/

Very easy... I doubled the recipe! It was extra high & double the pleasure...

Donna Hay's Chocolate Tart

Heaven on a plate...

Cooking for Friends..

On the menu:

Nibbles:

Olives (from my Dad)

Grilled italian sausage (picked fresh hanging from Mum & Dad's house) ;)

Fetta (sprinkled with herbs & drizzled with olive oil)

Fresh Baguette

Entree:

John's Mushroom Risotto (see previous post)

Main:

Roast chicken (cooked in my friend's amazing Rotisserie)

Roast Vegetables

Baby spinach salad with fetta & cherry tomatos with a special vinegarette!

Dessert:

Donna Hay's awesome Chocolate Tart served with double cream, raspberries & an orange sauce

+ lots of good red wine, and a sweet & delicious Bortolli dessert wine to finsh :)

We were pretty happy with the end result! (Well, except for all the dishes)..

Rotisserie - Cooks chicken to perfection. Crispy skin and soo moist!

almost done..

Vege's Prepped...

And seasoned..

If anyone wants info on where to buy a Rotisserie (that can be used for other meats/poultry) let me know I have found some online sites that sell them...

Chocolate tart pics and recipe coming up in the next post...

Chilli Con Carne

My all-time super easy, 5 minute staple recipe when I can't be bothered cooking and there's nothing in the fridge..

I always have these essential items in stock in the pantry so I can make this wonderful comforting meal in next to no time.

Continental (or Maggi) Chili Con Carne Mix/Sachet
500g beef mince
Can of peeled/crushed tomato's (or 2 cans if you want it extra saucy)
1 onion (chopped)
Olive Oil
Can corn kernals
Can red kidney beans - rinsed
Can whole champignons - halved

Basically, follow the steps on the back of the Continental Sachet, but the corn and champignons are extra additions. Serve on its own, with rice, in a taco shell or with pasta (I like spirals).

Yummm and done in under 15-20 mins!

Vegetarian Heaven

I googled a couple of Spinach & Ricotta Lasagna recipe's, mixed and matched a little... and made this:

INGREDIENTS
olive oil

1 medium onion, finely chopped

2 teaspoons minced garlic

600g lean beef mince (I made mine without beef mince!) - option only.

575g jar tomato-based pasta sauce - I used tomato passata (that mum n dad make) - large bottle - I also added tbspn tomato paste (optional)

400g can crushed/whole peeled tomatoes

1 teaspoon chilli

250g packet frozen chopped spinach, thawed

375g (low-fat - optional) ricotta cheese - I used 500g (I used Mundella Ricotta it was yum!) 375g packet fresh lasagne sheets - I used Latina.

½-1 cup grated (reduced-fat optional) tasty cheese.

I added - 1 teaspoon nutmeg - optional

METHOD
Pre-heat oven to 180°C or 160°C for fan forced.

To make meat sauce, heat oil oil and heat.

Cook onion and garlic over a medium heat for 2 minutes, until soft. (Add mince and cook over high heat for 5 minutes until brown, using a wooden spoon to break up any lumps.)
Stir in tomato sauce, paste, canned tomatoes and chilli then bring to the boil, then simmer lid off for about 15 minutes till tomatoes cook and sauce thickens a bit. Season to taste.
Drain spinach and squeeze out excess liquid. Place in a bowl and mix with ricotta. Add tspn nutmeg (and season if you like with salt n pepper)

Trim pasta sheets to fit a large lasagne dish, and spread a very thin layer of meat sauce over the base. Arrange a layer of pasta over the sauce. Divide the remaining sauce and spinach mixture into 3 portions each. Start with a thin layer of sauce, then pasta sheets, then spinach mixture.

* I add some grated cheese in-between some layers for extra cheese/flavour - I added a little bit of grated parmesan too but this is optional)Sprinkle the top with tasty cheese (and some grated parmesan optional).Bake for 30 minutes until heated through and top is golden.

yummm

Serve with a green salad.
Serving size: Serves 6.

My recipe loosely follows this one I found online - http://aww.ninemsn.com.au/article.aspx?id=783469

Step-by-step pics to follow...

Squid Risotto!

Today I went fishing for Squid in Fremantle on a friend's boat! Had an absoloute blast and all together we caught about 11 squid and quite a few Herring (that Phil kindly filleted for me, Yay!)

I had never attempted this dish before, but I decided I would make a Squid Risotto for John, who had just come back from an 180km cycle! Thought he could do with a nice home cooked meal, and I was really inspired to cook with the freshly caught squid! A quick phone call to mum and she gave me this basic recipe:

1 large onion diced (or 2 medium, or 3 small) basically, lots of onion as it gives this dish a real sweetness

1 garlic, chopped

1 cup arborio rice

Olive Oil (and a bit of butter)

Squid, cut into small pieces

1 cup white wine

1 cube vegetable stock in about 2 cups boiling water

Salt & Pepper

Ok, so I did things a little differently to what mum explained over the phone.. but it went like this:

In a heavy based pan:

Heat olive oil (and a bit of butter - optional) in a pan, add the onions (I added a shallot as well) and cook for a really long time on low/medium heat until the onions are soft, sweet & caramelised. (Half way through this process add the garlic)

Add the squid and cook for a few minutes.

Add the rice and stir through for a minute or two

Add the cup of white wine and simmer, stirring until the alcohol evaporates (1-2 minutes)

Now, just like a normal risotto, add stock slowly while stirring constantly...as stock evaporates in the pan, add more stock a bit at a time, always stirring.. season with salt & pepper.

My risotto cooked in about 20ish minutes, and I used the full 2 cups stuck plus a dash more water...but this will vary. Basically, only cook the rice till it's all dente....

For someone that doesnt usually really like seafood risotto, this was pretty good! The flavour is mild, not too fishy, sweet from the onions and you can really taste the wine! It's yummy!!

Best Ever Leek & Potato Soup

No pic for this blog.. as the soup was eaten while I made the beef casserole (see below post!) And the rest was eaten by John and then taken to work for lunch! But...it looked a little something like this:

http://www.exclusivelyfood.com.au/2007/05/leek-and-potato-soup-recipe.html

I also added a few rashers of bacon to this recipe. The teaspoon of cumin really adds flavour and a dimension to the soup so try not to skip on this ingrediant. I used my stick master for the first time to blend this soup and it rocked!! :)

Easy Beef & Red Wine Casserole...

Can't take credit for this recipe... I got the inspiration from this awesome website: http://www.exclusivelyfood.com.au/2006/05/beef-casserole-recipe.html

You can vary it up however you like..by adding different vegetables, a can of peeled or fresh tomatoes, adding some fresh Thyme, I added 2 sticks celery, and I used port instead of brandy. I also threw in a few cherry tomatoes the next day, while it was re-heating which was a great addition.

Recipe states to cook for a time with lid on, then lid off - but I just whack it all in and cook for about 1 - 1 1/2 hours :) So good on its own, served with mash, turned into a pie... it's all good! :)

Coconut Balls of Heaven :) (or properly named - Coconut Cardamom Burfi )

4 Ingredients:

250g desiccated coconut

395g can sweetened condensed milk

10 cardamon pods - grind/crush seeds into a powder (or about a teaspoon of ready ground powder or you can use mixed parts of cinnamon / ground nutmeg)

Handful of pistachio nuts, roughly crushed/ground

4 steps for Preparation:

1) In a bowl, mix 200gm of desiccated coconut, sweetened condensed milk, cardamon and pistachios.
2) In a non-stick pan, heat the mixture, stirring gentally for about 10 mins until the mixture starts to dry (be less sticky) and can roll easily into a ball.
3) Remove from heat, and cool mixture until cool enough to handle. Place the remaining coconut onto a plate.

4) Using damp hands (I keep some water close by to constantly wet my hands) roll the mixture into balls and then roll in coconut to coat.

Chill in fridge for about 30 mins before serving

The coconut balls can be refrigerated for up to a week.

This recipe came from the SBS show Food Safari. You can watch the video here:

http://www.sbs.com.au/food/recipe/41/Coconut_cardamom_burfi/search/true

*Warning - these are addictive* *Double the recipe for more balls of heaven to eat*

Fab-ulous Steamed Fish with Lemon Sauce!

Stole this recipe off my sister, Fab :)

It's easy...

Steam rice (and while you're at it some greens as well) to serve with the fish:

Ingredients:
Sliced lemons, lemon juice and lemon rind
Fish fillets
Garlic
Chicken Stock
White wine
Small carton cream (whipping/pouring cream)
Pepper

Method:
Put sliced lemons and a bit of water in a pan. Place fish fillets on top of lemons and steam with lid on until fish is cooked. (Should take about 10 minutes - Don't overcook the fish).

In another pan, saute the sliced garlic in olive oil for a few minutes, careful not to burn the garlic. Add the 1/2 cup or so of white wine and cook for a few minutes.
Add a cube of chicken stock, half a lemon's juice and rind and some fine ground black pepper.
Add cream and slowly stir and bring to boil. This will thicken the sauce.

The longer the sauce is cooked, the thicker it gets... I only simmer mine for about 5 minutes.
Then serve the steamed rice, with fish fillets and the lemon sauce on top with your greens!

Yummm...

Yummy Lemon Yoghurt Cake

The easiest & yummiest cake (or cupcakes) ever... I got this recipe from a good friend of mine Nicola, but think it came out of a Women's Day Mag.

Sue's Lemon Cake

Ingredients
1 cup natural yoghurt
3/4 cup oil (I use vegetable as olive oil may be too "heavy")
1 1/2 cups castor sugar (I use slightly less)
2 1/4 cups SR flour
3 eggs beaten
2 tspns grated lemon rind
1/3 cup lemon juice

Method
Grease & flour 24cm ring tin
Whisk all ingredients together in a bowl
Bake for one hour at 160C
Stand 5 minutes
Dust with icing sugar

Doesn't get easier than that! ;)

**Option to bake as cupcakes instead of a cake. I sometimes double the mixture and make loads of cupcakes as they don't last long!**

**In my oven, the cupcakes take about 20 minutes**

This recipe is great for variations: my friend Andrea adds in blueberries from his garden into the mixture. You could even try making with orange rind/juice instead of lemons..

Delicious served warm with a dollop of fresh cream, or on their own with a good cup of tea :)

Ode to Michelle...

Knowing Michelle is the only one who ever actually checks to see if there is something new on my food obsessed blog... this one is for you darling!

John's Mean Mushroom Risotto!

Now.. there is no exact recipe for this one.. John improvises, usually with a glass of wine in one hand and a wooden spoon in the other! But it goes a little something like this;

Ingredients:

Onion (white or red) - chopped

Garlic clove

Arborio Rice - 1 cup for 2 ppl provides a big serve and a bit more for seconds ;)

Wine (Dry White preffered but Red works too) - just a big splash

Stock - mushroom or vegetable (chicken too if you're scraping the pantry)

Dried Porcini Mushrooms (soaked in warm water/stock)

Mushrooms - fresh - any mix of different types or just one type.

This time we used - swiss brown, field and button all cut up differently

Salt, Pepper

Butter

Olive Oil

Parmesan Cheese - grated

Rosemary / Sage from the garden :)

Method:

Prep all your food so it's ready to throw in

Pour some wine (for yourselves to enjoy)

Sweat the onions (i.e saute in the pan with no butter/oil) until softened

Add a bit of butter and olive oil, cook for a bit more

Add the rice and stir through with the onions.

Cook the rice until it starts to turn translucent & just starts to crackle and pop, a bit like popcorn.

Add a splash of wine and stir until the alcohol has evaporated

Add the mushrooms & herbs, stir then slowly start to add the stock (with porcini soaking in them) bit by bit constantly stirring.

Keep the risotto moist/covered with stock, don't let it get too dry.

Continue adding stock and stirring until the rice is just al dente (bit firm) (this takes about 15-20 minutes). Then remove from the heat.

Stir through a knob of butter (about 40g), a good handful of parmesan, cracked pepper and salt to taste.

Let sit for 5 minutes (if you can wait!) then serve with more wine ;)

*hint - keep your stock on or near the boil on the stove*

*for easy variations you can: add fresh asparagus, mix through baby spinach at the end, chopped italian sausage, the possibilities are endless*

Carbonara - The best version I've come across yet!

I found this recipe in a book by Ruth Reichl (The New York Times's restaurant critic for 6 years), called ''Garlic and Sapphires". Great book and even better Carbonara recipe in it..the way it is supposed to be made! No cream, a few whisked eggs and loads of garlic and bacon with parmesan to top! Since this discovery, I now always make sure i have buchattini (my fave pasta at the moment), a few eggs, bacon and parmesan in stock so I can cook this all up in under 15 minutes! Plenty of fresh parsley out of the garden is a must for this recipe! So Yum! So easy and you feel better eating a version of carbonara with no cream (less calories! ;) ...does that mean it makes it ok to eat two serves?

(I will post this recipe soon - need to find the book! The recipe is so easy I know it by heart but better post the correct measurements for you!)

Recipe Update - You can find the recipe for this at this link: - http://www.ruthreichl.com/?ID=3&page=1#recipe - (Thanks to Juanita for hurrying me up to get this recipe up).

** My only addition to the recipe is that I add lots of chopped parsley to the beaten egg mixture to stir in through the hot pasta **

Caramel Slice - Cake!

Donna Hay makes an easy to follow Caramel Slice recipe.. but John loves the stuff so much, I thought I'd turn the slice into a Cake! - it's comes out so thick and rich you need a decent heavy knife to cut a slice! :) This cake version makes for one very happy caramel slice lover..

At last, the Donna Hay Recipe:

Chocolate Caramel Slice
Base
1 cup plain flour
1/2 cup desiccated coconut
1/2 cup brown sugar
125g melted unsalted butter
Caramel
1/3 cup golden syrup
125g melted butter
2 x 400g cans sweetened condensed milk
choc topping
185g dark chocolate
3 teaspoons vegetable oil

1.Preheat oven to 180c
2.Place flour,coconut,sugar and butter in bowl and mix well. Press the mixture into a 20cm x 30cm slice tin lined with non-stick baking paper and bake for 15-18 minutes or until brown.
3.To make caramel filling, place the golden syrup, butter and condensed milk in a saucepan over low heat and stir for 7 minutes or until the caramel has thickened slightly.Pour over the cooked base and bake for 20 minutes or until the caramel is golden.Refrigerate the slice until cold.
4.To make the chocolate topping, place the chocolate and oil in a saucepan over low heat and stir until melted. Remove from the heat and allow to cool slightly before spreading over the slice. Refrigerate until firm and cut into slices. Make 24 slices.

This is a great slice because one tray makes heaps, and really you could get almost double the pieces because its so rich you really don't need a big piece. Well......ok for those who love caramel chocolate, you may need to have a huge slice!!! Or you can make it in a cake dish like I did, and it comes out really thick!

Follow your nose...

This is a blog devoted to all the food i love to cook, eat and share with my family & friends (or eat by myself while no one is watching!) Some of the recipes belong to my mother (my greatest source of inspiration), my aunties, my sisters... some of the recipe's come from cook books, novels about food, and from well known chefs like Jamie Oliver or Donna Hay - but i'll rarely follow a recipe to the letter, and i dont always have enough patience for baking, and risotto's... but just like the way my mum cooks - i just follow my heart and my nose, and it always works out well in the end! :) If you cook from the heart and with love, you just can't go wrong...