Sunday 23 February 2014

Spicy Sausage Mac 'n Cheese

So when you don't really feel like cooking this is a good old faithful that is easy and never lets you down.  I have included some spicy sausage today which I had in the fridge, making it a great lunch.  You can also include bacon, mushrooms or really anything to 'spice-it-up. Here we go ... (suitable for 3 - 4 foodie lovers)

#MAKING WEEKENDS COUNT: Spicy Sausage Mac 'n Cheese
300g macaroni (100g per person)
2tbsp butter
1 cup red onion, medium chop
300g spicy sausage, small dice
1tbsp garlic, chopped
1 tsp salt
1 tsp pepper
1tsp smoked paprika (or normal paprika)
1tbsp mazina (or flour)
2 cups milk
1 tbsp parsley, finely chopped
1 cup strong cheese
1 egg yolk

Cook pasta as per cooking instructions on packet
Melt butter in a pot
Add onions, sausage, garlic, salt, pepper and paprika cook for 7 min on medium until all the oils and flavours draw from the sausage
Remove mix from pot and cool
Place pot back on the stove and add mazina and stir in the juices and scrape drizzle off the bottom of the pot
Remove pot from the heat and add the milk and parsley and stir
Add pot back on the stove and stir all the time until sauce thickens
Remove pot from the stove and stir in cheeses and yolk
Drain pasta.  Add sausage and cheese sauce to pasta and mix well
Place in an oven dish
Add freshly grated cheese and a few slices of fresh tomato for garnish
Bake for 20 min until brown

Delish ... I promise and it will never let you down.




Saturday 8 February 2014

Thai Sweet Chilli Steak Salad

Been an active day and feeling like something healthy.  This is a hearty and great salad but without the usual boring salad greens.  It has a punch of flavour, is nutty and crunchy and is slightly warm.  Did I mention it is great for the waistline? I usually get my hubby to do the meat on the grill and then we finish it off together.  Here we go ... (suitable for 2 foodie lovers)

Thai Sweet Chilli Steak Salad
1 Tbsp fish sauce
2 Tbsp Soy sauce
3 Tbsp Sweet chilli sauce
1/2 tsp lemon juice
2 tbsp olive oil
300g Rump steak
1/2 English cucumber, cut in half lengthwise, seeded, sliced
2 ripe tomatoes, halved and seeded, sliced
1/2 red onion, thinly sliced
Bunch of mint leaves, rough chop
Bunch of coriander, rough chop
1/2 cup bean sprouts

Dressing
1/3 cup sweet chilli sauce
1 tsp lemon juice
1 tsp fish sauce
1 clove garlic, minced

Mix fish sauce, soy sauce, sweet chilli and lemon juice in a flat dish
Add rump steak and marinade, min 30 min, few hours is best
Heat oil in pan and fry steak for 3 min each side
Remove from pan and allow to stand for 5 min in aluminium foil
For dressing: in a jug whisk together all ingredients and set aside
In a bowl combine cucumber, tomatoes, onion, mint, coriander and sprouts
Thinly slice steak, toss through salad with dressing just before serving.

Yummy!

Sunday 2 February 2014

Potato Wedges with Smoked Paprika, Rosemary & Garlic

Now here is a great snack or side dish with anything.  It is affordable for entertaining and above all is oh-so-easy.  Here we go ... (suitable for 4 foodie lovers)

Potato Wedges with Smoked Paprika, Rosemary & Garlic
500g small to medium potatoes, cut into quarters lengthwise
4 tbs olive oil
3 cloves garlic, finely chopped
1 tbsp fresh Rosemary, chopped
1 tsp salt
1 tsp black pepper
1 tbsp smoked paprika

Heat oven to 200'c
Place potatoes on a baking sheet
Add olive oil, garlic, rosemary, salt, pepper and paprika
Toss with your hands to ensure all is mixed well
Bake as a single layer for 1 hr, turning half way through
Serve with pretty much everything, but herb cream cheese works best

Enjoy!



Saturday 1 February 2014

Death-By-Chocolate in 5 min

Who doesn't love chocolate?  Who doesn't like a chocolate dessert that only takes 5 minutes in the micro and tastes delish?  I was a sceptic myself until I tried.  I was not disappointed.  Here we go ... (suitable for 2 foodie lovers)


4 tbsp cake flour
4 tbsp castor sugar
2 tbs cocoa
Pinch of salt
1 egg, beaten
3 tbsp milk
3 tbsp oil
3 tbsp chocolate chips
2 tbsp roasted almonds, finely chopped
1/2 tsp vanilla essence
Ice-cream for serving

Lightly spray 2 cups (250ml capacity) with baking spray
Sift first 4 dry ingredients to a bowl and mix well with a spoon
Divide evenly into both cups
Add 1/2 of the egg to each cup and mix well
Add 1/2 oil and milk to each cup and mix well again
Add chocolate chips, almonds and vanilla evenly and mix again
Place in microwave and cook 3 minutes on 100% power
Piece with a skewer in the centre to make sure it is cooked (it should come out clean)
Loosen around edges and tip out
Serve with ice cream and a dusting of cocoa

Now how easy was that and did I not tell you it was DELISH?