Turkey Sloppy Joes

The other day we were watching Food Network and there was a special on Sloppy Joes - so Saugar goes "ooh i haven't had one in years". Well I haven't had one ummm ever. So typically I guess they are made out of beef so we decided to make our own with turkey. I didn't expect to like it honestly and was doing it more for Saugar, but i loved it! And it was so easy to make!

 

Ingredients:

1 Pound ground turkey

1 Onion finely chopped

1 Capsicum finely chopped

2 green chillies (or more) finely chopped

2-3 cloves garlic finely chopped

2-3 tbsp barbeque sause

2 tbsp tomato sauce

2 tsp chilli sauce

1 tsp worchestershire sause

1 tsp vinegar

1-2 tsp paprika

1-2 tsp cumin powder

Buns

 

In a hot pan brown the turkey. Once the turkey is fully cooked, take it out. In the same pan, fry the onion, capsicum, chillies & garlic. Half way through cooking the vegetables, add the spices (we used paprika and cumin but no reason not to add others - or increase the volumne). Once they are all cooked, add the turkey in and mix together. Add all the sauces and salt, mix, lower the temperature and let it simmer for as long as you can. We let it cook covered on a low heat for an hour and a half and i think that really got all the flavours together. Once you are happy with the flavours (adjust spice as you want) - uncover, increase the heat till a lot of the liquid evaporates. It shouldn't be totally dry since they are meant to be 'sloppy'

 

Toast the buns on a pan with a bit of butter. Then serve the turkey on the bun

Simplest cake ever - but Oh so Good!

This blog has been asleep for a while so thought I'd wake it up...Haven't lost my love for cooking, so why not :)

 

So a few weeks ago I baked a cake for my Father-in-Law's birthday but since he's diabetic we did it with splenda and the texture wasn't quite right. However it still tasted great, and a couple of weeks ago Saugar wanted to re-try it but with sugar and the right proportions. It was super simple and it is just a plain vanilla cake but the texture (especially when straight out of the oven) was amazing. We thought about icing it but it tasted great by itself so didn't bother :)

 

I think it's a good sponge cake recipe - and i might play with it a bit in the future to try other flavours

 

Ingredients:

 

1 Cup Flour

1 Cup Sugar (warning - it was on the sweet side - at least for me - but don't want to mess up the texture so sticking to the proportion)

1/2 Cup Milk (I used skim and it was fine)

4 tbsp Butter/Margarine

3 Eggs

1.5 Tsp baking powder

1 Tsp Vanilla Essence

Pinch of salt

 

Mix the Flour, salt and baking powder in one bowl

In another bowl, beat the eggs well and then beat the sugar and vanilla essence into it

Combine the two to form the batter

In a saucepan heat the milk and melt the butter into it. Once the mixture is hot, add it into the batter (warning: the batter is on the runnier side so don't worry)

Pour into a greased cake tin and bake in a pre-heated oven at 360F for 20-25 minutes (check the doneness first with a skewer)

Noodles Omelette

Now this really isn't a recipe...but it's a fun breakfast my mum used to make when I was little, and I started making it myself recently. Both Saugar and I love it and now I think I make it at least every other weekend. It's hard to mess up, it's comforting and I always have everything I need for it.

1 packet maggi (I always use masala but I'm sure any of them would work, or any instant noodles for that matter)

3 eggs

2 tbsp grated cheese (freshly grated tastes a lot nicer than pre-grated, but either is fine...or no cheese at all is fine too!)

Cook the maggi as you would usually. Just make sure it's not saucy and it's almost totally dry. 

Beat the eggs well with a pinch of salt till well mixed and fluffy.

Add the noodles into the egg

Heat a small pan with a tiny bit of oil. Once hot, pour the egg mixture it. Let it cook for a couple of minutes, then add the grated cheese. Turn the heat to a medium and let it almost completely set. It takes a good 8-10 minutes. Flip the omelette. Let it cook for a couple of more minutes

Add a little salt and pepper and that's it :)

It's the perfect weekend breakfast for the two of us :)

Lamb Kofta with Pita

I made this a couple of weeks ago in the weekend...And Saugar ate the leftovers 2 days in a row. Now I have never seen that happen before so I assume it turned out pretty good. The whole thing was super easy so definitely a keeper

For the kofta:

Ingredients:

1 pound ground lamb

1 finely chopped onion

2 tbsp ginger garlic paste

1 egg (beaten)

1 tsp cumin powder

1 tsp coriander powder

1 tsp chilli powder (or more depending on taste)

1/2 tsp smoked paprika (optional I'm sure)

3-4 tbsp breadcrumbs

salt to taste

Mixed all the above ingredients together, and form the koftas. Preheat the oven to 350F and bake for 20-25 minutes. (I think mine were done somewhere in the middle but I guess it depends on your oven)

For the sauce:

1/2 cup greek yoghurt

1 tsp garlic paste

1/2 tsp mint flakes (i'm sure it would be even better with fresh mint)

1/2 cucumber finely chopped

Salt

Mix all of the above together

Toast the Pita pockets lightly in a toaster oven or the tawa. Stuff it with the koftas (I chopped each kofta in half an used 1.5 koftas per pita pocket and the yoghurt sauce.

Hope you enjoy it :)

Chocolate Lava Cake (def my fave dessert!)

I thought I had sent this recipe before but apparently now...this was SO good and SO worth it!!! (and moreover really easy)

I just made 2 portions since it was just for the two of us...

3 oz. Semi-Sweet Chocolate
3 oz. Butter - cut it into pieces
2 Eggs
4tbsp Granulated Sugar

2 and a half tbsp Flour


Preheat oven to 350°F
Melt chocolate on a double boiler (or if you dont have the patience melt it in the microwave - but make sure you take it out and stir it every 30s)

Stir in diced butter, until it melts.
Beat eggs and sugar seperately. Once it's frothy, stir in the melted chocolate butter mixture.
Add the flour to the mixture
Grease 2 individual Ramekins and put it in the oven for 10 mins (don't over cook otherwise there won't be any laval!)
Tip it out on to a plate (hence greasing is very important!) and serve hot!!

Hope you enjoy it :)

Easy Peasy Banana Bread

Ok this blog has been sooooo quiet lately. But made some banana bread/cake the other day which came out really good but more importantly was super easy and fast so thought I'd share

Ingredients:

3/4 cup flour

1/2 cup sugar

1 large ripe banana

1.5 tsp baking powder

1 egg

3 tbsp butter/margarine (i used salted - if not then add some salt to the flour)

3 tbsp sour cream

1 tsp vanilla essence

Handful of choc chips (optional) - a good alternative may have been a handful of chopped walnuts

I used a food processor to mix all the ingredients (except flour) together but you don't have to necessarily - just made the whole thing really fast

Add a chopped banana and mash it in the food processor. To it add the egg and sugar and run the food processor for a minute or so. Next add the butter (chopped up), sour cream and vanilla essence. Run the food processor for a couple of minutes till it's all a mash

In a bowl mix the flour and baking powder. Fold the wet mixture into it. Grease a baking tray and pour it in. Dot the top with some chocolate chips or nuts. (Don't add it to the mixture from the beginning cause they will sink, instead add it once the mixture is in the baking tray.

Preheat the oven to 350F and bake for 30 minutes (that's how long it took me - just test to make sure it's done by then)

Ciao! xoxo

Mustard chicken

Hello girlies..

 

Havent contributed to the blog in a long time!  This recipe came about when I was trying to copy a friend's chicken curry.  Trying to figure out the tastes in her curry this new taste just emerged and both Pudy and I really enjoy it now.. make it almost every weekend!!

 

So here it is:

 

Chicken marinade - We use chicken legs and get our butcher to take the skin off and chop then in small pieces.  We use about 3 chicken legs this means we have some left overs for next day too.  Yes we only cook once for the weekend.. hehehe.  Having the chicken with bone also adds to the flavour.  Anyway marinade the chicken pieces in:

• mustard oil (about 2-3 tbsp)
• lime juice (half lime)
• coriander powder
• garam masala
• red chilli powder
• chopped up coriander stems

The chicken peices should feel like they are fully covered with the oil, lime juice and spices.

 

Then in a frying pan with a bit of oil, I fry till they are soft and cooked well:

• one red capsicum
• one onion
• two tomatoes
• 2 tbsp tamato puree

Add some curry powder to this mixture.  Once cooked, cool it down a bit and blend it all in a blender.  Now in the same pan (which should still be a little oily) add cumin seeds, ginger and garlic paste.  Once cooked add the blended curry mixture.  Add water to this to your liking.  When the mixture comes to boil add the chicken pieces.  Let it cook through and towards the end add some nigella seeds.  these give a really nice flavour.  Remember though they have a very strong flavour, sort of like fennel but much stronger. so a little goes a long way.

 

Thats it! Add chopped coriander as garnish.. oh! and once you serve it with rice, squeeze a bit of lime over it.  Its yummy!!

 

Enjoy! :)