Winter Menu

Nine days I have been working on this post lol. I think the northern beans got moved to next fortnight in case I can't get what I need. As it is I think I have doubled up the recipes that use spinach and wombuk.

OK. I haven't tried my Great Northern Beans that I got with my fruit order yet. Have found prosciutto is available at my local shop these days. And have ricotta left over from the lasagne from last week, yes, the rocket didn't make it. I found out a few years ago that sausage is pork mince, I still haven't seen American sausage or even what this UK recipe calls sausage but I will adapt it to pork mince if we can get some, we do have it locally now, it is just a matter of if we can see any on the day we go there.

I don't do the shopping these days. So I buy minimal stuff for my husband to organise. Since we are on a strict budget at different times this works. This week in the fruit order though, they have burrito kits and taco kits. To ask my husband for the various pieces of this, all which seem like extras often backfires because they add up and I am not there to help with the decision making. So I will get them with the fruit order and make something modest with them, I hope. Or go for something like chicken and if I have to change it to vegetarian or save them for another day so be it. My daughter will be so excited. The thought of enchildas makes her very happy. However expensive you can count on the shop to have BBQ chickens so maybe that is a safe bet? Lots of juggling goes on here lol. If my husband didn't have to make the trip to our hometown next pay it would be fine.

I came across a recipe from Heinz, went to their website, looks lovely.

Tuesday ~ Borlotti Bean & Prosciutto Soup
Wednesday ~ Pea & Ham Soup with Kranskys
Thursday ~ Stir-fried Beef & Vegetable Chow Mein (uses wombuk)
Friday ~ Chicken & Avocado Burritos (from Mission Kit)
Saturday ~ Chicken & Chilli-bean Tacos
Sunday ~ Hotdogs with Sauerkraut and Onion Sauce
Monday ~ Greek Lentil Soup
Tuesday ~ Pies, Peas & Chips & Gravy
Wednesday ~ Pork Meatballs in Creamy Mushroom Sauce
Thursday ~ Pumpkin, Bacon & Pasta Bake
Friday ~ Mushrom & Bok Choy Risotto
Saturday ~ Pumpkin & Vegetable Curry
Sunday ~ Warm Potato & Tuna Salad
Monday ~ Pizza


Success from last week:
Tray Baked Chicken Stroganoff everyone liked the way the chicken was cooked

Recipe using lamb mince:
Spiced Shepherd's Pie Using Heinz Baked Beans

Recipe using Italian Sausages:
Sausage & Pea Pie

Recipe using Pork Sausages:
Sausage and Pasta Salad
Sausage, Broad Bean & Mint Pasta

Recipe for Chipolatas:
Sticky Sausage & Fennel Coleslaw Lavash Wraps
Snags with Onions Cooked in Beer

Swaps last week:
One Pot Pasta with Bacon, Tomato & Ricotta
Spicy Chorizo Minestrone

Interesting recipe:
Sauerkraut Hotdog Topping
Chicken Tacos with Corn Salsa
Soft Breakfast Tacos
Lamb Strip & Corn Tacos

Beef Sausage Minestrone Soup

This is adapted from a chorizo recipe. We accidently used them up and had just normal sausages that you throw on the Barbie. This is probably the best minestrone I have had. Some in the end put me off minestrone. There is something about it. Maybe it is the tomato paste. This one doesn't need it. My husband used sumac, a favourite spice of mine. None of this spice combination makes you notice the spices, but at the same time it doesn't taste like boring carrot and celery. Make sense? I don't think it needed parmesan.

Sausage Minestrone

Ingredients (serves 6)
* 2 tablespoons olive oil
* 2 med- large brown onion, diced
* ½ tsp sumac
* ½ tsp oregano
* 1 ½ tsp hot paprika
* 1 tsp salt
* 4 garlic cloves, chopped
* 1 tsp chopped dried chilli
* 8 sausages, chopped
* 2 large carrot, peeled, diced
* 3 sticks celery, diced
* 400g can diced tomatoes
* 6 cups water
* 6 tsp chicken stock powder
* 1 1/4 cups dried small pasta shapes, such as spirali , ricini, broken penne (I suggest macaroni)
* 1/2 cup frozen peas
* 400g can cannellini beans, rinsed, drained
* 1/4 cup flat-leaf parsley leaves, chopped
* grated parmesan cheese and crusty bread, to serve

Method
1. Heat oil in a large saucepan over medium-high heat. Cook sausages, when nearly fully cooked, slice thinly and then put back into pan. Add spices and continue to cook.

2. Add onion, when nearly cooked then add carrots, celery and garlic. Cook, stirring often, until well cooked. Add stock powder.

3. Stir in tomatoes and water (boiling) Bring to the boil. Add pasta and simmer, uncovered, for 10 to 15 minutes or until pasta is just tender. If peas frozen can add soon.

4. Stir in peas, beans and parsley. Simmer for 7 minutes or until beans are warmed through. Season with salt and pepper.

5. Ladle soup into warmed bowls. Sprinkle with parmesan. Serve with crusty bread.

The Prairie Oysters - Things that I Like Best

Chorizo & Silverbeet, Carrot & Potato Soup

We had this tonight. The original didn't have carrots or silverbeet stalks and was one of the few recipes we could use at times. I am so glad my husband found a way to modify it. It has gone from just bearable to really nice.

Chorizo and Vegetable soup

Ingredients (serves 6)
* 1 tbs olive oil
* 1 onion, roughly chopped
* 4 garlic cloves, chopped
* 3 or 4 carrots qtrd and chopped
* 4 chorizo sausages, sliced
* 4 tsp chicken stock powder
* 1.5L water
* 800g potatoes, peeled, cut into 2cm chunks
* 1 bunch silverbeet, trimmed, leaves sliced and stalks chopped finely
* Crusty bread, to serve

Method
1. Heat oil in a large saucepan on medium high heat. Cook chorizo until cooked, then slice and put back into saucepan.
2. Add onion cook till soft, add garlic potatoes, carrots and cook for about 10 mins.
3. Add stock powder and 1 tsp salt.
4. Then add boiling water (from jug). Add silver beet stalks, cook 5 mins.
5. Add chopped leaves and cook until wilted, 3 or 4 mins.
6. Serve with crusty bread or buttered toast.

Silverbeet Menu

I have so many bags of leaves in my fridge and want to buy more, have to check how they are going first I think. They come in freezer like bags in the fruit box. The silverbeet arrived all cute and young leaves. I was hopeful of some bratwurst to make the recipe in the wish list below, but my husband found some chorizo instead. I asked him to go to the shop a few miles from our other house which is not in this town to check on their meat which is always lovely. Our local shop had prosciutto which is good, I wasn't sure. It was very long.

Tuesday ~ Pies, Peas & Potatoes
Wednesday ~ Spaghetti Bolognaise
Thursday ~ Potato Salad
Friday ~ Japanese Pancake with Bacon and Bean Shoots
Saturday ~ Crunchy Thai Chicken Salad
Sunday ~ Puttanesca Potato Salad
Monday ~ Pumpkin & Bacon Pasta
Tuesday ~ Chicken Drumsticks Tray Baked Chicken Stroganoff
Wednesday ~ Pork Mince Stroganoff
Thursday ~ Mince (Chow Mein)
Friday ~ Chorizo & Silverbeet Soup
Saturday ~ Prosciutto & Rocket Lasagne (see below)
Sunday ~ Roasted Beef Sausages with Braised Lentils and Bacon
Monday ~ Meat Japanese Pancakes
Tuesday ~ Chorizo Potato Salad

Interesting recipes:

Prosciutto and Rocket Lasagne (uses silverbeet)
Bratwurst Sausages with Potato and Sauerkraut Salad
Lentil & Chorizo Soup

Budget Menu

Tuesday ~ Egg Curry
Wednesday ~ Spaghetti Bolognaise
Thursday ~ Pea and Ham Soup with Kranskys
Friday ~ Stir Fry Noodles with Pork Mince and Boc Choy
Saturday ~ Pork Chow Mein
Sunday ~ Fragrant Egg Curry
Monday ~ Vegetarian Japanese pancakes
Tuesday ~ Pumpkin Cauliflower & Lentil Curry
Wednesday ~ Left-overs
Thursday ~ Sloppy Joes from Marbig Recipes+
Friday ~ Chicken & Wombuk Salad (while we have 4 people at home)
Saturday ~ Chicken & Mushroom Quiche
Sunday ~ Corn, Bacon & Zucchini Soup
Monday ~ Macaroni Cheese with Broccoli


Success from last week:

Easy Pastitsio
Zucchini & Bacon Fettucine (absolutely beautiful)
Vietnamese Chicken & Cabbage Salad really nice

all from recipes+ magazine.

Swap recipe for last week:
Beef and Bean Pancakes with Carrot Salad (to use up burrito mix in the pantry)

Legume, Rocket & Artichoke Menu

I have come across a few gorgeous blogs that have great soups. After that I found that my fruit and vegie delivery people have an American bean Great Northerns to buy! I was very very excited. I have been going through the magazines my Mum gave me recipes+ that I don't think have an online link and keeping them in a marbig.

Tuesday ~ Jerusalem Artichoke & Rocket Soup or Jerusalem Artichoke & Rocket Soup
Wednesday ~ Lemon & Red Lentil Soup
Thursday ~ Adzuki/Aduki Bean & Pumpkin Soup
Friday ~ Pierce Street Vegetarian Chili (mixture of lentil colours)
Saturday ~ Egg & Green Olive Salad
uses sumac
Sunday ~ Falafal uses Great Northern Beans and the left over wraps from last week
Monday ~ Easy Pastitsio (marbig) uses a bag of gravy mix or something we have in the pantry (normally uses lamb mince)
Tuesday ~ Roast Vegetable and Tuna Pots
Wednesday ~ Crispy Bacon, Bean & Cheese Penne
Thursday ~ Vietnamese Chicken & Cabbage Salad
Friday ~ Zucchini & Bacon Fettucine
Saturday ~ Nicoise Risoni Salad
Sunday ~ Vegetable Pancakes with Curried Beef
Monday ~ Fish Parmagiana with Dill Slaw

although these are cheap recipes they may not be cheap enough, we'll see how I go.

Success from last week:
Noodle and Bean Soup
Silverbeet & Feta Crepes
Apple & Oat Muffins

Substitution last week that I had the things for:
Tray baked Sausages with Potatoes and Cherry Tomatoes

Recipe for black lentils:
Pierce Street Vegetarian Chili

Arugula

Adzuki Bean & Pumpkin Recipe

Had this last night, we were really impressed.

Adzuki Bean & Pumpkin Soup Recipe

2 tablespoons olive oil
1 teaspoon cinnamon
1 teaspoon (dried) coriander
2 tsp hot paprika
2 teaspoons fine grain sea salt
2 medium-large onions
8 cloves garlic, sliced thinly
4 cups butternut pumpkin, peeled and cut into 1/4-inch dice (1 kg)
3 tsp veg stock powder
5 - 6 cups water, (cover pumpkin and beans)
5 whole canned tomatoes, chopped (2 cans whole peeled)
4 cups pre-soaked adzuki beans (overnight).
coriander chopped

Method

Heat the oil in a large pot over medium heat. Add the onions and saute until they start to go translucent. Add the cinnamon, coriander, paprika and salt and saute for a minute or two - until aromatic. Add the garlic, cook. Then add butternut squash, cooking for about 5 mins, stir well, and then add beans and tomatoes. Cover with just enough water (plus stock powder). Increase the heat to bring to a boil, and once boiling, reduce heat,cover, and simmer, until the squash begins to soften – 15-20 minutes. Once the pumpkin has softened, use a potato masher and break up the pumpkin pieces and whole tomatoes as well.

Cook for about 1 hour in total.

Serve sprinkled with the coriander.
Serves about 8.

Adapted from this recipe.

Five or Less People Menu

Tuesday ~ Pork Chow mein with peas
Wednesday ~ Pea & Ham Soup with Kranksys
Thursday ~ Noodle & Bean Soup

very excited by this, uses dried borlotti beans, rocket, and egg noodles & chives

Friday ~ Fragrant Egg Curry (my daughter often asks for this)
Saturday ~ Yellow Split Pea Soup with Garlic Toasts
Sunday ~ Silverbeet & Feta Crepes
Monday ~ Spaghetti Bolognaise
Tuesday ~ Chow Mein
Wednesday ~ Beef Sausage & Salad Pitas
Thursday ~ Bacon & Pumpkin Pasta
Friday ~ Nachos
Saturday ~ Tuna Casserole
Sunday ~ Cauliflower Chicken Pilaf
Monday ~ Pasta with Broccoli & Feta

Interesting recipes:

Potato & Borlotti Bean Soup needs radichio
Spaghetti with Tuna, Peas and canned Borlotti Beans
Spicy Pinto Beans with Pumpkin
Warm Pumpkin Salad with Sesame Salt needs asparagus
Dry Roasted Cauliflower Curry with Eggs

Arugula

Menu Update

Budget modified menu using the ingredients I already have as far as possible, ie reusing the vegetables etc. I have already bought in a different way

Wednesday ~ Winter Vegetable & Red Lentil Soup with Herbed Yoghurt
Thursday ~ Lemon Spaghettini with Poached Eggs & Rocket
Friday ~ Moroccan Pumpkin Soup
Saturday ~ Zucchini, Carrot & Corn Pancakes
Sunday ~ Baked Mushroom Risotto
Monday ~ Lemon, Lentil and Spinach Soup



Arugula

Menu

Tuesday ~ Tuna, Leek & Pumpkin Quiche
Wednesday ~ Winter Vegetable & Red Lentil Soup with Herbed Yoghurt (uses pumpkin)
Thursday ~ Bacon & Roast Vegetable Penne (uses pumpkin)
Friday ~ Stir-fried Vegetables on Asian Style Coconut and Pumpkin Polenta
Saturday ~ Tuna & Olive Salad
Sunday ~ Greek Meatballs (from The Cook & The Chef)
I figured if it had cloves in the tomatoes, it would actually taste Australian because that is a taste of Ezi-sauce sauce
Monday ~ Spiced Meatballs in Cream Sauce
Tuesday ~ Chilli-Bean Nachos
Wednesday ~ White Chilli Chicken

will add the other stuff later when I see how much money or vegetables I have to work with.

Thursday ~ Lasagne & Chips
Friday ~ Chow Mein
Saturday ~ spinach
Sunday ~ Pork Chow Mein
Monday ~ Spinach & Salami Pizzas

Swap recipe from last week's Mexican Macaroni Cheese:
Spicy Bean & Rice Pilaf
this was to use up extra coriander and avocado

Interesting recipes: Greek Rice Pudding
Chicken Pasta Bake
Sweet Potato Salad
Barbequed Corn with Tomato & Almond Salad