Beef & Broccoli Pasta

This winter has fallen upon us very quickly, and it took me down with it. I was very sick last week - flat on my back for 5 days straight - and am still recovering this week. But I can cook again! I really, really love my cooking. It always surprises me how much I enjoy it. Even on days when I am not in the mood, once I start, it's like a prozac - it instantly lifts my mood and I feel accomplished, as if I fit. Does this make any sense? 

Anyway, the green in this dish can be replaced with any vegetable of your choice. I really like the color combination, it just looks wholesome! I am very lucky in that my kids all eat their veggies. Any veggies. My babies eat the broccoli raw - they call it "boompies". My youngest chows down on mushrooms - raw, cooked, she devours it! 

Ingredients
500g goulash, cut into small pieces
2tbs soya sauce
1 beef stock cube
500ml warm water
1/4t freshly ground black pepper
2 onions, finely chopped
50g margarine
2x small or 1x large broccoli head 
1/2 cup flour
50g margarine
salt & pepper to taste
water

Method
1. Heat a black cast iron  pot to very, very warm. Add the meat cubes and fry a little to seal it. 
2. Add the soya sauce and fry for a couple of minutes, to lightly brown.
3. Dissolve the stock cube in the warm water and add to the meat. Cook on low heat for about 15 minutes.
4. Pour off about 150ml of the thickened sauce, and set aside.
5. Turn off heat, but keep the pot on the plate, Add the onion and margarine, and cover.
6. Cook the broccoli until soft, but don't overcook. Cut on the stems to make little trees and add to the pot with meat. Mix and cover.
7. Melt 50g margarine in a saucepan. Add the flour and mix.
8. Add 350ml water to the 150ml sauce and add to the flour mix. Whisk well until smooth.
9. Depending on how thick you want your sauce, you can add more water if you want.
10. Add salt & pepper to taste.
11. Make the pasta of your choice.
12. Dish the pasta up first, then the meat and veggie and then pour the sauce over to taste. 
13. Sprinkle some parmesan cheese over for extra flavour.

And enjoy!

Yours in oil and veggies
Risch

Chicken & Sweet Pepper Casserole

There is about a 100m stretch of gravel road from the tar road to our entrance here on the plots where I live. And this stretch of gravel road turns into a sticky, watery gooey clay road hell bent on devouring all vehicles who dares to drive it without 4x4, diff-lock and road side assist on speed dial... So, tonight's meal was supposed to have mushrooms in, and was supposed to look a bit different, too. But since we had 30mm rain in 3 days, I could not dare to drive on our car-devouring stretch of gravel road to go the shop to buy mushrooms and cream. I improvised. And it turned out AMAZING! 
Best part: I didn't even make it. I just gave the instructions to my daughter and she made it. Which makes this recipe a very easy, very tasty dish. Disclaimer: I am not implying that my daughter cannot cook - she actually can do it very well - it's just that during these teen years, between her boyfriend and technology, she doesn't want to.... So, paying attention is not part of her expenses at the moment!! 

Ingredients

3/4 cup oil
3 tbs worcestershire sauce
1 cube chicken stock
500ml warm water
10 pieces chicken (we used frozen)
2 tbs chicken spice
2 onions, chopped
1 sweet pepper (any color), roughly chopped
100g margarine

Method

1. Put the chicken pieces in a large, cast iron pot on full heat on the stove.
2. Add the oil and worcestershire sauce.
3. Dissolve the chicken stock cube in the warm water. Add to the pot.
4. Add the chicken spice.
5. Let it cook for about 10 minutes.
6. Add the onions, pepper and margarine, cover and cook until done.

Serve warm on rice, samp, mash, bread... it goes with almost anything!!

Yours in oil and veggies

Risch

Asparagus Quiche

There are a lot of recipes for this quiche out there, so browse around and find one that suits your style, ingredients and time. Wednesdays are our meat-free days. We do add bacon to a lot of our Meat-Free recipes, but that is because I don't see bacon as meat... More as a taste enhancer or garnish! This is my version of an Asparagus Quiche, and I am throwing it together as I go along... Let's see how it turns out!

Ingredients                                                                      

1 cup Flour
1 tbsp Sugar

1/2 tsp Salt
50 g Margarine
1/4 cup Milk
30 g Margarine
2 Onions, chopped
300 g Bacon, cubed
1 tsp Worcestershire sauce
430 g Canned asparagus pieces
4 Eggs
1 Tin sweetcorn
2 tsp Homemade mustard*
1 tsp Dried parsley
Pinch Cayenne pepper
To taste Salt & pepper
2 cup Strong cheese, like cheddar

Method

The crust
1. Mix flour, salt, sugar and margarine in blender.
2. Add milk to form loose crumbs.
3. Spread evenly in a baking dish, and press tight.

The filling

1. Melt the butter and fry the onion till lightly browned.
2. Add the bacon, loosen well and add the Worcestershire sauce.
3. Fry till done. Set aside.
4. Mix sweetcorn, eggs, spices, 2/3  of the cheese and asparagus.
5. Add the onion & bacon, mix well.
6. Scoop into baking dish and level.
7. Evenly cover with the rest of the cheese.
8. Bake in oven @ 180°C  for

Serve warm with some spicy preserve - curried beans and copper penny carrots - or a garden salad.

Yours in oil and veggies

Risch

Beef Schnitzel, Mushroom Sauce & Mash

It has been a while since I made Beef Schnitzel, so I am looking forward to creating this dish! It has also been a while since I typed up a recipe and actually posted it, so I am quite looking forward to that too. 
I have the menu for May 2018 all done and dusted, and if all goes well, I will be doing the recipes every night. 
Remember, my end goal is to create easy, but tasty recipes, made with ingredients that is easily found and easy on the budget: 365 recipes for 365 days!

Ingredients:

Mash
8 Potatoes
1 l Water
1 tsp Salt
1/4 cup Cream
60 g Margarine

Mushroom Sauce
30 g Margarine
2 Onions, chopped
250 g Mushrooms, sliced
1/2 cup Cream
2 tbsp Grated Parmesan cheese

Beef Schnitzel
1 tsp Salt
1/2 cup Flour
1/4 tsp Ground white pepper
1/2 tsp Ground coriander
2 Eggs
1/2 cup Breadcrumbs
1 kg Tenderized steak

Method

Mash
1. Quarter the potatoes and boil till very soft in the water with salt.
2. Add margarine and cream to potatoes and mash. Set aside.

The Mushroom Sauce
1. Melt margarine and add chopped onions. Fry till lightly brown.
2. Add the mushrooms to the onions and lightly fry.
3. Add the cream and cook on low heat for a couple of minutes.
4. Add the parmesan, mix well, remove from heat, set aside.

The Schnitzel
1. Mix flour, salt, pepper and coriander. Place in flat dish.
2. Lightly beat eggs and 1tsp  water. Place in flat dish.
3. Put breadcrumbs in flat didsh.
4. Take steak and dip in flour, then in eggwash, then in the breadcrumbs.
5. Fry the crumbed steak in a little oil in a pan / frying pan, until golden brown.

Serve warm with mushroom sauce, mash and salad - and perhaps a glass of wine!

Yours in oil and veggies

Risch

May 2018 Meal Planner

The journey continues!
So far this year, we have been able to stick to our Monthly Meal planner with great success. Now I am going to try and actually capture the recipes for every meal, too. 
Rough and hectic has become our normal, so bear with me as I am trying to make sense of a crazy, but absolutely fantastic life!
I am still pursuing the 365 meals for 365 days recipe book, so I will simply continue where I have left off. I thought about restarting completely from scratch... but then I shook my head: that's just silly!

So, join me on this journey - and please give feedback! I will appreciate your comments and inputs very much!

Yours in oil and veggies
Risch