Hands up if you are busy. Who is way too tired to get in the kitchen to cook at the end of the day? Definitely me.
My days are filled with meetings, to-do lists, emails and telling people what to do; by the time I finish work, the last thing I want to do is get stuck into cooking a meal and cleaning up afterwards. I want to work out and do something fun before I crash. That is why freezer meals are my favourite solution to the challenge of a busy life. A few hours on the weekend, and you find yourself with a stack of options for dinner that can be thawed and cooked for a healthy, delicious meal that is good for you.
Not so blah now
My previous experience with fish cakes was never good; they were always bland white burger-shaped food, mushy in the middle and blah on the outside. I like white fish, but I get bored quickly when baked or pan-fried, so I wanted to try something different with the fillets I picked up this week. I remembered a recipe from a food magazine for fish cakes and decided to experiment by swapping some ingredients and making it a little spicy.
With some leftover cauliflower rice in my fridge, I smashed these tasty little cakes together.
Cook once, eat many times
As I can’t eat 12 fish cakes in one sitting (I’m sure some people can), I packed my leftovers with baking paper to separate the cakes and put them in the freezer. The cakes can be pulled out of the freezer to thaw and reheated in a frying pan over medium heat until they are heated through. You can reheat them in the microwave, but be warned you will disgust anyone else in the building for an extended period.
These spicy fish cakes are a great way to use up some left over cauliflower rice.
Credit: Cath @ easycleaneats
Ingredients
500g raw white fish
1 cup cauliflower rice
2 tsp. coriander
1 tbsp. Thai green curry paste
Directions
In a food processor mix together fish, coriander and curry paste.
1 cup cauliflower rice
Shape the mix into patties.
Place them on a baking tray lined with baking paper or a silicone liner.
Bake in a preheated oven at 180 degrees C/ 350 degrees F for 15 minutes.
Nutrition
Per Serving: 51 calories; 0.6 g fat; 0.4 g carbohydrates; 7.5 g protein
Equipment
Food processor
Measuring cups
Measuring spoons
Spatula
Baking tray
Baking paper or silicone liner
Nutritional disclaimer
Nutrition information is provided as an estimate based on the ingredients used and available in my area (New Zealand). The nutritional information is here to help you understand the recipe; I use MyFitnessPal to generate my estimates. For more accurate nutritional information, please use a nutritional calculator with the ingredients in your area.
Eating clean gets a lot easier once you have mastered a few essential recipes. This recipe is basic; not like basic unicorn basic, more like beard and flannel basic. Back to the point (which isn’t Unstable unicorns), having basic skills and recipes in your arsenal means you will never be left with only Uber Eats as your weeknight option. Once you master this recipe, the possibilities are endless.
New take on a classic
Bolognese is one of those dishes that everyone knows and probably has their version of. While traditionally, Bolognese is used to dress pasta, this meaty sauce is a perfect centrepiece to a meal instead of dressing.
This dish is full of flavour and tastes better the day after you make it.
Bolognese is an easy recipe; it is cheap and makes the perfect weeknight dinner.
Bolognese recipe
Ingredients
500g beef mince
2 tins chopped tomatoes
2 onions, finely diced
2 garlic cloves, minced
2 tbsp. tomato puree
2 tbsp. olive oil
a handful of basil, plus extra for garnish.
1 tsp. dried oregano.
Instructions
Put a large stock pot over medium heat.
Add the olive oil to the pan.
When the oil is hot, add the onions and stir them.
Reduce the heat when the onions start to colour.
Add the garlic, basil and oregano.
Add the beef mince to the pan with the onions.
Cook the meat off until it is browned.
Use a spoon to break the meat up as it cooks.
Stir in the chopped tomatoes and puree into the meat.
Turn up the heat to bring the liquids up to a boil.
When you have rolling bubbles reduce the heat and keep stirring everything.
When you get to a gentle simmer, put the lid on your pan and let everything cook down for a least an hour.
Stir the sauce now and then to make sure it doesn’t stick or catch on the bottom.
Serve over some coodles with some grated parmesan cheese.
The flavour will develop and be better the day after you have made it, so it will be great for leftovers.
When the oil is hot, add the onions and stir them.
Reduce the heat when the onions start to colour.
Add the garlic, basil and oregano.
Add the beef mince to the pan with the onions.
Cook the meat off until it is browned.
Use a spoon to break the meat up as it cooks.
Stir in the chopped tomatoes and puree into the meat.
Turn up the heat to bring the liquids up to a boil.
When you have rolling bubbles reduce the heat and keep stirring everything.
When you get to a gentle simmer, put the lid on your pan and let everything cook down for a least an hour.
Stir the sauce now and then to make sure it doesn’t stick or catch on the bottom.
Serve over some coodles with some grated parmesan cheese.
Nutrition
Per Serving: 186 calories; 10.7g fat; 9.3g carbohydrates; 12g protein
Equipment
Knife
Chopping board
Stockpot
Wooden spoon
Measuring spoons
Nutritional disclaimer
Nutrition information is provided as an estimate based on the ingredients used and available in my area (New Zealand). The nutritional information is here to help you understand the recipe; I use MyFitnessPal to generate my estimates. For more accurate nutritional information, please use a nutritional calculator with the ingredients in your area.
Hands up who wants to spend two hours a night in the kitchen each night?
I love cooking, but I don’t want to spend hours in the kitchen every night preparing a real meal. We all have more interesting and important things to do when we get home from work.
The key to getting real food daily without spending hours cooking is managing time and planning. OK, I may have a slight advantage in this area. I plan things out for a living, but it’s easy to get into the swing of planning to make better use of the time you have.
Here are the key things to managing your time and making real food easy:
Plan your meals before you shop
Make sure the plan meets your needs
Make the freezer your friend
Make sure you clear a part of your day
Make sure you have the right tools for the job
Plan out your time in the kitchen
Prep lots of things at the same time
Plan your meals before you shop
This is probably the most important factor in minimising the time you spend in the kitchen each week. If you intend to make seven different dishes for breakfast, lunch, and dinner, you will have a nightmare in the kitchen and, more than likely, a very expensive food bill.
Simple meals will minimise the time you spend preparing and cooking. Look for meals that can be frozen or put in the slow cooker, plan to make extra (the cook once, eat twice principle), and don’t be afraid to use the same ingredients.
Save the fancy meals and new recipes to try and experiment on the weekends, when you have a little more time. Write out your shopping list and stick to it. My personal tip is to avoid going food shopping when you are hungry! It is a surefire way to end up with a million things you don’t want or need.
Make sure the plan meets your needs
One speed bump most of us encounter is that our plan doesn’t account for everything else going on. To make the plan fit for purpose, it pays to tailor it to what is happening in your life. I plan my meals around my weekly activities and commitments, and how much free time I will have. Here is an example: Two days a week, I work from the office, which means I have at least an hour-long commute home, followed by a workout with a friend that takes at least an hour. That means on these two days, I won’t set foot in the kitchen until 7 pm at the earliest. On these days, my meals include morning protein smoothies and a meal that has been sitting in the slow cooker or just needs 15 minutes to reheat. For these longer days, I’ll plan a curry, chilli, or chicken roasted in the slow cooker, with a salad.
Make the freezer your friend
This is the most critical aspect of making the most of your time. Being able to prepare all your meals for a week depends on you making friends with the freezer. Don’t get me wrong; you can food prep and store your food in the fridge, but that means you have three or four days of food.
If you only have four days’ worth of food, that means a second trip to the supermarket and another couple of hours in the kitchen on a weeknight. The alternative is to use the freezer. Plan your meals so that the produce that is best eaten fresh is used within two days after you have shopped; store that in the fridge. Then plan for everything else so it can be cooked, then frozen, or frozen when raw. That way, you have meals that can be reheated when needed or put into the slow cooker.
Make sure you clear a part of your day.
Find a time in your week, or on the weekend, to block out for food preparation and make it part of your routine. Saturday morning is an excellent time for food prep. I spend two hours slicing, dicing, simmering, and portioning before heading out for breakfast with friends. I do as much as possible during those two hours, so on weekdays my meals are usually ready to eat in less than 30 minutes. I feel relaxed knowing I’ve ticked off a big chore before I go to drink coffee and talk sh*t for a few hours.
Find a time that works for you and block it out so you can work uninterrupted and get busy in the kitchen.
Make sure that you have the right tools for the job
Once upon a time, I would spend an entire day in the kitchen on the weekend, preparing food for the coming week. God, I am glad that is not the case now.
Having the right tools for the job can drastically reduce your time in the kitchen. At a minimum, a food processor with a grater and slicing attachment will save you heaps of time. The slicing-and-dicing gadgets you can pick up for a few bucks can help, but in my experience, you still have to do a lot of chopping before you can use them. A good food processor that can grate and slice requires minimal chopping before you can use it. Save the money you would spend on gadgets and put it towards a food processor.
A real-world example is making cauliflower rice. Grating a head of cauliflower by hand will take at least 30 minutes, and if you are lucky, the skin of only one knuckle. The same task with a grating attachment on a food processor will take 2 minutes.
Investing in a few key pieces of kit for your kitchen can make your life easier and give you back some free time.
If you don’t have the right tools for the job, look in the freezer aisle at the supermarket; you can buy cauliflower rice, diced onions, diced carrots and more. If it is in your budget, buy what you need in the form you need it.
Plan out your time in the kitchen
You don’t need to write down a plan every time you set foot in the kitchen (unless that makes you happy, and please stop judging me), but it does pay to have a rough plan of what you are going to do and in what order. Look at your food plan and use it as the basis for your plan. You should be able to get an idea of the different tasks (chopping, slicing, dicing, peeling, etc.) and how long they might take you.
Plan your time out so you start with the challenging and time-consuming tasks first. That way, you get them out of the way, and everything else will go quickly.
Prep lots of things at the same time
The way I figure it, if I’m in the kitchen, I want to get as much done as possible in the shortest time. Multitasking is the key. Dividing tasks and grouping similar ones is a good approach. If you can do two things at once, do so.
Here are some of the things I do and plan for when I’m in the kitchen
Have your bags or containers ready and labelled before you start. This makes it easy to throw things in as they are ready.
Prep and portion your meat; it’s one of the more time-consuming tasks, so get it out of the way.
Make sauces at the same time; you can often leave them to simmer while you do something else.
If you have vegetables to peel, you can peel them all at once; it will actually save you time.
Do specific tasks together. For example, if you have to dice onions, carrots, and courgettes, do it all together; same for mincing and slicing.
Back in another lifetime, there was a weekend tradition. On Sunday mornings, a small person would stumble out of bed into the living room, still half asleep and plonk on the sofa. I would always offer a cup of tea to help him wake up. The offer of tea always sparked the same question, ‘Are there ginger nuts?’. Because what more could you ask for when you have just woken up, a brew and a ginger nut to dunk in your tea?
Gingernut cookies
Try to clean up the ginger nut
My inspiration for coming up with a grain-free ginger nut cookie was in an effort to reduce the amount of crap the small people in my life were eating. While my efforts to provide healthier alternatives didn’t always go down well, this is one of the few times my baked goods beat the store-bought version.
Crunchy, not teeth-breaking.
As these things go, this recipe was pretty easy to develop. I knew the challenge would be getting the right amount of crunch. Too much crunch and we could be looking for replacement teeth, not enough crunch and you have a terrible cookie with no structural integrity for dunking. The key to a good ginger nut is how long you bake it for. The trick with this recipe is to remove the cookies from the oven on time and let them sit on the hot baking tray to crisp up and develop the right amount of crunch. If you leave them in the oven too long, you will be looking for new teeth, and no amount of dunking will help you.
While I no longer have to bake ginger nut cookies weekly to keep a child happy, they are still my go-to treat for road trips. If I know I am heading off on any kind of adventure, I make sure I have a few ginger nut cookies in my car for those coffee pit stops. Having my ginger nuts on hand means I get a fuel-up when I make a stop for coffee and a leg stretch without having to run the gauntlet of grain and sugar-filled offerings at coffee shops and petrol stations.
Gingernut cookies
Gingernut cookies ingredients
Ingredients
200g seed butter
3 tsp. Ground ginger
1 egg
100g coconut sugar
Instructions
Preheat oven to 200 degrees c/ 392 degrees f
Have a baking tray ready with baking paper on it
Into a food processor, place the coconut sugar and ginger blend until thoroughly combined.
Into a food processor place, the coconut sugar and ginger.Blend until thoroughly combined.
Add the seed or nut butter and mix until thoroughly combined; it will start to clump together.
Add the seed or nut butterMix until thoroughly combined, it will start to clump together.
Add the egg and mix again until the mixture starts to form a ball. If it doesn’t form a ball straight away, don’t worry.
Add the egg.
When everything is thoroughly combined and sticking together, stop the processor.
Mix again until the mixture starts to form a ball
Use an ice cream scoop to portion out the cookie dough, place each portion onto the lined baking tray, and make sure there is space between each portion so that the cookies have space to spread.
Use an ice cream scoop to portion out the cookie dough.Place each portion onto the lined baking tray.Make sure there is space between each portion so that the cookies have space to spread.
Use the back of a spoon to press down the pieces slightly.
Use the back of a spoon to press down the pieces slightly.
Bake the cookies for 15 minutes or until they are golden brown.
Remove the cookies from the oven, let them cool on the baking tray; this will let them crisp up.
When the cookies are hard, move them to a container; they will keep for about a week.
This recipe is my take on the traditional gingernut, it is gluten-free but still has all the flavour and crunch.
Credit: Cath @ easycleaneats
Ingredients
200g seed butter
3 tsp. Ground ginger
1 egg
100g coconut sugar
Directions
Pre-heat oven to 200 degrees c 392 degrees f
Have a baking tray ready with baking paper on it
Into a food processor place, the coconut sugar and ginger blend until thoroughly combined
Add the seed or nut butter and mix until thoroughly combined, it will start to clump together.
Add the egg and mix again until the mixture starts to form a ball if it doesn’t form a ball don’t worry when everything is thoroughly combined stop the processor.
Use an ice cream scoop to portion out the cookie dough, place each portion onto the lined baking tray, and make sure there is space between each portion so that the cookies have space to spread.
Use the back of a spoon to press down the pieces slightly.
Bake the cookies for 15 minutes or until they are golden brown.
Remove the cookies from the oven, let them cool, and crisp up.
When the cookies are hard, move the cookies to a container, they will keep for about a week.
Nutrition
Per Serving: 161 calories; 10 g fat; 15 g carbohydrates; 4 g protein.
Equipment
Food processor
Ice cream scoop
Baking tray
Baking paper/ silicone liner
Spoon
Measuring spoons
Scales
Nutritional disclaimer
Nutrition information is provided as an estimate based on the ingredients used and available in my area (New Zealand). The nutritional information is here to help you understand the recipe; I use MyFitnessPal to generate my estimates. For more accurate nutritional information, please use a nutritional calculator with the ingredients in your area.
Possibly the most stupid question I can ask. The answer is always the same: YES!!!! While the traditional build-your-taco approach to dinner never disappoints, sometimes a little more structural integrity is needed to ensure dinner doesn’t distract from those blink-and-you-will-miss-it sporting moments. I had a friend over to watch some UFC recently and needed an easy-to-eat dinner that would allow for uninterrupted viewing of some great fights. This is how I solved the problem.
What could be better
Everyone loves cupcakes, and everyone loves tacos. What could be better than combining the two? It isn’t as crazy as it sounds, I promise. These little cupcakes are perfectly portioned, with a crispy case and tasty fillings, and they have the bonus of not having to worry about losing half the filling while you are trying to eat them.
Gluten-free wraps
I like to use the traditional corn tortilla wraps for my tacos, but this recipe works well with wheat-based wraps and even egg wraps. Egg wraps don’t get crispy, but they do taste amazing. The corn tortillas are less flexible, so you have to be careful when placing them in the cupcake pan. I find slightly warming the wraps before use makes them easier to shape.
These taco cupcakes are an excellent option for dinner parties, shared lunch at work or just because you want something a little different on the weekend.
Taco cupcakes recipe
Taco cupcake ingredients
Ingredients
500g minced beef
1 onion, finely diced
2 tbsp. taco seasoning
12 large corn tortilla discs
12 small corn tortilla discs
400g can refried beans
2 cups cheese, grated
Sour cream
Fresh coriander, chopped
Instructions
Preheat the oven to 160 degrees C/ 375 degrees F.
In a large, heavy-bottomed frying pan, fry the onion until translucent.
When the onion has cooked for a few minutes, add the beef to the pan and cook until browned.
Add the taco seasoning to the meat just before it is completely cooked.
Remove the pan from the heat and set it aside.
Take a medium-sized 12-cup muffin pan. In each cup, place one large tortilla disc and press it into shape to create a cup.
Taco cupcakes filled
In the centre of each tortilla cup, add one teaspoon of refried beans.
On top of the beans, add a small tortilla disc.
On top of the small disc, add two tablespoons of the cooked beef.
Sprinkle each cup with cheese.
Taco cupcakes topped
Bake for 15 minutes or until the cheese is golden brown.
Taco cupcakes fresh from the oven
Remove the cupcakes from the oven and top them with a teaspoon of sour cream and chopped fresh coriander.
Taco cupcakes topped with sour cream and coriander
These little cupcakes are perfectly portioned, have a little crispy case and tasty fillings,
Credit: Cath @ easycleaneats
Ingredients
500g minced beef
1 onion, finely diced
2 tbsp. taco seasoning
12 large corn tortilla discs
12 small corn tortilla discs
400g can refried beans
2 cups cheese, grated
Sour cream
Fresh coriander, chopped.
Directions
Preheat the oven to 160 degrees C/ 375 degrees F.
In a large, heavy-bottomed frying pan, fry the onion until translucent.
When the onion has cooked for a few minutes, add the beef to the pan and cook until browned.
Add the taco seasoning to the meat just before it is completely cooked.
Remove the pan from the heat and set it aside.
Take a medium-sized 12-cup muffin pan. In each cup, place one large tortilla disc and press it into shape to create a cup.
In the centre of each tortilla cup, add one teaspoon of refried beans.
On top of the beans, add a small tortilla disc.
On top of the small disc, add two tablespoons of the cooked beef.
Sprinkle each cup with cheese.
Bake for 15 minutes or until the cheese is golden brown.
Remove the cupcakes from the oven and top them with a teaspoon of sour cream and chopped fresh coriander.
Serve while they are hot.
Nutrition
Per Serving: 276 calories; 10 g fat; 25 g carbohydrates; 20 g protein
Equipment
Scales
Measuring cups
Measuring spoons
Frying pan
Wooden spoon
Knife
Chopping board
Large round cookie cutter
Medium round cookie cutter
Muffin pan/ cupcake pan
Teaspoon
Nutritional disclaimer
Nutrition information is provided as an estimate based on the ingredients used and available in my area (New Zealand). The nutritional information is here to help you understand the recipe; I use MyFitnessPal to generate my estimates. For more accurate nutritional information, please use a nutritional calculator with the ingredients in your area.
Cards on the table: I hate coming home from a busy day and knowing I have to walk into the kitchen at 7 pm, cook a full meal, and then clean up. Don’t get me wrong; I love cooking. It gives me joy to create a beautiful and healthy. After a 10-hour day at work, an hour commute home, and a heavy workout, cooking is not much joy; it is a chore. I’m usually borderline hangry at the end of a long day, and I want my food as fast as possible.
This is where having a slow cooker comes into its own. I know that I can walk in and find a meal that is cooked, hot, and ready to serve. That means food is served as soon as I want it, not 30 to 60 minutes later.
Beef and onions
Putting the slow cooker on the counter
It has been getting a bit cold in the mornings and evenings here in the southern hemisphere, and the cost of salad is going through the roof. Yes, it means winter is upon us. It also means that the slow cooker is coming out of the cupboard and taking up residence on the kitchen counter again. My slow cooker is my favourite kitchen appliance when the weather cools down. To celebrate the slow cooker taking its place on the countertop, I decided to make brisket and onions.
A little bit of effort, a lot of reward
This slow-cooker meal isn’t a dump-and-go recipe; it requires some prep work, but it is worth the effort. Making a bed of caramelised onions for the brisket to sit on in the slow cooker gives the meat an extra level of flavour that kicks ass and takes names. The bone broth helps to make a rich sauce that can easily be turned into a gravy. If you want to kick things up on the comfort-food front, whisk a tablespoon of tapioca flour into a small amount of the bone broth, then return it to the slow cooker and mix well. I love combining my brisket and onions with cauliflower rice, but it also goes well with mashed sweet potatoes or cauliflower mash.
Sear in the flavour
I spent some time experimenting with this recipe to create a deeper flavour; I finally landed on the seared meat to make this recipe extra special. The extra step of searing the meat adds a beautiful caramelised flavour to the meat and, more importantly, to the gravy.
Brisket and onions Recipe
Ingredients
Beef and onions ingredients
1 tbsp. olive oil
4 onion, sliced
1.5kg beef roast
6 cloves garlic, minced
2 cups beef bone broth
2 tbsp. Worcestershire sauce
1 tbsp. coconut aminos
Salt and pepper
Instructions
slice the onions
In a large frying pan, heat the olive oil over a medium heat.
In a large frying pan, heat the olive oil over a medium heat.Add the sliced onions to the pan and let them cook for about 15 minutesBe sure to stir the onion now and then.
Add the onions to the pan and let them cook for about 15 minutes, stirring them now and then.
When the onions are caramelised, spread them on the bottom of your slow cooker.
When the onions are caramelised, spread them out on the bottom of your slow cooker.
Return the frying pan to the heat.
Season the brisket before searing it in the pan where the onions were cooked.
Season the beef well.Sear the beef in the pan the onions were cooked in.
When the meat is browned, place it on top of the onions in the slow cooker.
Sear the beef on all slides.When the meat is browned all over, place it on top of the onions in the slow cooker.
Put half of the onions on top of the brisket.
Pour the Worcestershire sauce, coconut aminos and broth over the meat.
Pour the Worcestershire sauce, coconut aminos and broth over the meat.Cook the beef on a low heat setting for 6 to 8 hours.
Cook the brisket on low heat for 6 to 8 hours.
The meat should pull apart with a fork.
Let the meat rest for 20 minutes before serving.
Use two forks to pull the brisket apart and mix it well with the onions and cooking juices.
This slow cooker meal is one of my favourites and delivers so much flavour.
Credit: Cath @ easycleaneats
Ingredients
1 tbsp. olive oil
4 onion, sliced
1.5kg beef brisket
6 cloves garlic, minced
2 cups beef bone broth
2 tbsp. Worcestershire sauce
1 tbsp. coconut aminos
Salt and pepper
Directions
In a large frying pan, heat the olive oil over medium heat.
Add the onions to the pan and let them cook for about 15 minutes, stirring them now and then.
When the onions are caramelised, spread them on the bottom of your slow cooker.
Return the frying pan to the heat.
Season the brisket before searing it in the pan where the onions were cooked.
When the meat is browned, place it on top of the onions in the slow cooker.
Put half of the onions on top of the brisket.
Pour the Worcestershire sauce, coconut aminos and broth over the meat.
Cook the brisket on low heat for 6 to 8 hours.
The meat should pull apart with a fork.
Let the meat rest for 20 minutes before serving.
Use two forks to pull the brisket apart and mix it well with the onions and cooking juices.
Serve on a bed of cauliflower rice.
Nutrition
Per Serving: 259 calories; 8 g fat; 6 g carbohydrates; 38 g protein
Equipment
Knife
Chopping board
Measuring jug
Measuring spoons
Frying pan
Wooden spoon
Tongs
Whisk
Nutritional disclaimer
Nutrition information is provided as an estimate based on the ingredients used and available in my area (New Zealand). The nutritional information is here to help you understand the recipe; I use MyFitnessPal to generate my estimates. For more accurate nutritional information, please use a nutritional calculator with the ingredients in your area.
Hands up if you are busy. Who is way too tired to get in the kitchen to cook at the end of the day? Definitely me.
My days are filled with meetings, to-do lists, emails and telling people what to do; by the time I finish work, the last thing I want to do is get stuck into cooking a meal and cleaning up afterwards. I want to work out and do something fun before I crash. That is why freezer meals are my favourite solution to the challenge of a busy life. A few hours on the weekend, and you find yourself with a stack of options for dinner that can be thawed and cooked for a healthy, delicious meal that is good for you.
Meal prep on the weekend
Last weekend, I restocked my freezer and added a few easy meals to make life easier on those very busy days. Salmon was on special offer at my bulk store, so I picked up a side and decided that salmon cakes would be my easy-added protein option for salads over the next few weeks. I like a bit of variety when preparing meals, and these salmon cakes give me an easy option that doesn’t need to be reheated before eating and tastes fantastic. If you can get your hands on a lot of salmon at a price that doesn’t require you to sell a kidney, you can easily make a large batch and package them up for the freezer.
Salmon cakes recipe
Ingredients
600g salmon fillets, cooked
4 eggs
1 onion, finely sliced
1/4 cup coconut flour
Instructions
In a large bowl, combine all ingredients and ensure everything is well mixed.
Take a small handful of the mixture and shape it into a patty; repeat with the remaining mixture.
Fry the patties in some oil over medium heat until the cakes are crisp on the outside.
In a large bowl, combine all ingredients and ensure everything is well mixed.
Take a small handful of the mixture and shape it into a pattie; repeat with the remaining mixture.
Fry the patties in some oil over medium heat until the cakes are crisp on the outside.
Nutrition
Per Serving: 192 calories; 8g fat; 5g carbohydrates; 18g protein
Equipment
Knife
Chopping board
Large mixing bowl
Frying pan
Spatula
Nutritional disclaimer
Nutrition information is provided as an estimate based on the ingredients used and available in my area (New Zealand). The nutritional information is here to help you understand the recipe; I use MyFitnessPal to generate my estimates. For more accurate nutritional information, please use a nutritional calculator with the ingredients in your area.
These delicious gluten-free crepes are a COVID-inspired recipe. 2020 was a rough year, but it wasn’t all bad. I managed to get out of Auckland and made it to Wellington for a mini-adventure. While I wasn’t a fan of the cold, surprisingly, I got a few non-windy days! I love mooching around, seeing the sights and getting out and about in a new place; if I don’t end up with sore legs from walking around a city, I’ve done adventure wrong. Discovering new places to eat is always a highlight of any trip away. While in Wellington, I came across a great little place that had all of the crepes, seriously, all of the fillings, and they do buckwheat crepes. On a recent work trip back to Welly, I went to see if the little place was still open; it seems they didn’t survive the bumps left by COVID, but I haven’t been able to stop thinking about crepes since then. There was only one solution: make my own.
Grain-free crepes
Taking inspiration from that little crepe shop, I experimented to come up with my own buckwheat-flour batter for crepes that could be made more exciting by adding anything. As with all of my experiments, I had to eat a few mistakes before I came up with a base batter that was smooth and the crepes don’t fall apart when you try to flip them over.
Make it like an Oreo
What can I say? If you find something that works, stick with it. While I’m not a fan of chocolate, I do like Oreos. I refuse to buy them, but I will try to recreate the flavours when I want a sweet treat.
For me, these Oreo crepes are the perfect balance of sweet filling and dark chocolate wrapping.
Oreo crepes
Ingredients
3 eggs
1/4 cup cream
1/4 cup water
1/4 cup buckwheat flour
2 tbsp. cacao powder
1/2 tsp. vanilla powder
Filling
190g cream cheese
2 tbsp. monk fruit sweetener
1/4 tsp. vanilla powder
2 tbsp.buckwheat flour
Instructions
To make the filling, take a mixing bowl, beat together the cream cheese, sweetener, vanilla powder and flour. I recommend using a stand mixer for this to achieve a smooth, fluffy mixture.
Beat until the mixture is light and fluffy.
Put this mixture to one side.
Put the cream cheese mixture aside for later.
In a bowl, whisk together the cream, sweetener, vanilla and two tablespoons of buckwheat flour for the base crepe batter.
In another bowl, beat the eggs and water together.
Add the eggs to the base crepe batter and whisk.
Whisk in the cacao and buckwheat flour, beat until you have a smooth batter.
Heat a crepe or frying pan and lightly oil the pan.
Put a quarter cup of the batter in the pan and swirl it around to create a thin, even layer.
Cook over low heat for about 1 minute, or until the edges are set, before turning.
Cook for a minute on the other side.
Set the cooked crepe aside and repeat the process with the remaining batter.
To plate the crepes, place one crepe on a plate, add a heaped tablespoon of the cream filling in the centre, then spread it out evenly.
In a bowl, whisk together the cream, sweetener, vanilla and two tablespoons of buckwheat flour for the base crepe batter.
Beat until the mixture is light and fluffy.
Put this mixture to one side.
To make the filling, take a mixing bowl, beat together the cream cheese, sweetener, vanilla powder and flour. I recommend using a stand mixer for this to achieve a smooth, fluffy mixture.
Put the cream cheese mixture aside for later.
In another bowl, beat the eggs and water together.
Add the eggs to the base crepe batter and whisk.
Whisk in the cacao and buckwheat flour, beat until you have a smooth batter.
Heat a crepe or frying pan and lightly oil the pan.
Put a quarter cup of the batter in the pan and swirl it around to create a thin, even layer.
Cook over low heat for about 1 minute, or until the edges are set, before turning.
Cook for a minute on the other side.
Set the cooked crepe aside and repeat the process with the remaining batter.
To plate the crepes, place one crepe on a plate, add a heaped tablespoon of the cream filling in the centre, then spread it out evenly.
Fold the crepe in half and then in half again.
Sprinkle with a bit of cacao powder to serve.
Nutrition
Per Serving: calories; g fat; g carbohydrates; g protein
Equipment
Mixing bowls (3)
Whisk
Measuring cups and spoons
Kitchen scales
Frying pan/Crepe pan
Spatula
Tablespoon
Nutritional disclaimer
Nutrition information is provided as an estimate based on the ingredients used and available in my area (New Zealand). The nutritional information is here to help you understand the recipe; I use MyFitnessPal to generate my estimates. For more accurate nutritional information, please use a nutritional calculator with the ingredients in your area.
It’s been a busy few weeks; I’ve been keeping my meals simple and relying on freezer staples while operating in survival mode. I have a little bit of breathing room now and an intense craving for something fancier for dinner.
Fancy but easily
In my book, fancy doesn’t have to mean spending hours in the kitchen boiling to death over a hot stove. This recipe delivers a very fancy meal with minimal effort; it is all cooked on a single tray, which makes it perfect.
The roasted garlic is the star of this meal for me. The bed of garlic under the chicken means you get great flavour throughout the meat, while the roast garlic cloves have a deep, rich flavour that complements the rest of the dish.
The quick prep and hands-off cooking mean you can get on with other things and come back to a perfectly roasted chicken that can satisfy any desire for a fancy dinner.
Dinner ready without effort
While living in survival mode, I try to make life easier for myself by multitasking so that life admin and essential tasks don’t take away from much-needed rest and relaxation. In the spirit of multitasking, I combined a trip home from the office with a pit stop at the supermarket to get everything I needed for my fancy dinner and did the prep (putting everything on a tray) while I waited for the kettle to boil. Knowing I would be ready for dinner after my workout, I smashed dinner in the oven before heading downstairs to throw around some weights. By the time I finished my workout, the chicken was ready for the foil and baking paper to be removed, and there was plenty of time for me to shower before sitting down to a flavourful, filling and fancy dinner.
Italian roast chicken recipe
Italian roast chicken ingredients
Ingredients
2 large tomatoes thickly sliced
250g cherry tomatoes
1 red onion thinly sliced
1 garlic bulb peeled and bruised
1/3 cup flat-leaf parsley chopped
1/3 cup red wine vinegar
1/4 cup olive oil
3 sprigs rosemary
1.6 kg chicken
Large chicken
Take a large baking tray.
Take a large baking tray.
Place one garlic bulb on the baking tray.
Place one garlic bulb on the baking tray.
Lay the chicken on top of the garlic.
Lay the chicken on top of the garlic.
Spread out the onion next to the chicken.
Spread out the onion next to the chicken.
Add the remaining garlic bulbs on top of the onions.
Add the remaining garlic bulbs on top of the onions.
Add the tomatoes on top of the garlic.
Add the tomatoes on top of the garlic.
Drizzle the vinegar and olive oil over the chicken and vegetables.
Drizzle the vinegar and olive oil over the chicken and vegetables.
Place the rosemary sprigs on top of the chicken and the vegetables.
Cover the baking tray with baking paper.
Cover the baking tray with baking paper.
Cover the baking paper with foil.
Cover the baking paper with foil.
Bake for 1 hour.
Check the chicken to make sure the meat is cooked and the juices are running clear before removing the baking paper and foil, this will depend on the size of the chicken.
Check the chicken to make sure the meat is cooked and the juices are running clear
Return the chicken to the oven uncovered for another 20 minutes or until the skin is golden brown.
Return the chicken to the oven uncovered for another 20 minutes
Slice the chicken, squeeze out the garlic and serve while hot.
Slice the chicken, squeeze out the garlic and serve while hot.
This one tray meal a great option for busy week nights or an action packed weekend.
Credit: Cath @ easycleaneats
Ingredients
2 tomatoes thickly sliced
250g cherry tomatoes
1 red onion thinly sliced
1 garlic bulb peeled and bruised
1/3 cup flat leaf parsley chopped
1/3 cup red wine vinegar
1/4 cup olive oil
3 sprigs rosemary
1.6 kg chicken
Directions
Preheat the oven to 200 degrees C/ 400 degrees F.
Take a large baking tray.
Place one garlic bulb on the baking tray.
Lay the chicken on top of the garlic.
Spread out the onion next to the chicken.
Add the remaining garlic bulbs on top of the onions.
Add the tomatoes on top of the garlic.
Drizzle the vinegar and olive oil over the chicken and vegetables.
Place the rosemary sprigs on top of the chicken and the vegetables.
Cover the baking tray with baking paper.
Cover the baking paper with foil.
Bake for 1 hour.
Check the chicken to make sure the meat is cooked and the juices are running clear before removing the baking paper and foil, this will depend on the size of the chicken.
Return the chicken to the oven uncovered for another 20 minutes or until the skin is golden brown.
Slice the chicken, squeeze out the garlic and serve while hot.
Nutrition
Per Serving: 349 calories; 14 g fat; 9 g carbohydrates; 53 g protein
Equipment
Roasting tin
Baking paper
Aluminium foil
Measuring cups
Scales
Nutritionaldisclaimer
Nutrition information is provided as an estimate based on the ingredients used and available in my area (New Zealand). The nutritional information is here to help you understand the recipe; I use MyFitnessPal to generate my estimates. For more accurate nutritional information, please use a nutritional calculator with the ingredients in your area.
Caesar salad is one of my favourites, this dressing is easy to make and will finish off your Caesar salad just right.
Make your own
If you are like me and try to avoid mass-produced processed foods, the best option is to make your own. When you make your own, you control which ingredients you use and how much or how sweet you want it to be. Once you have a go at making your own and realise how easy it is, you will never go back to store-bought again.
Sauce without sh*t
It is a sad fact that you can find sugar in pretty much every mass-produced food item. If you stop and read the back of the bottles of sauce and salad dressing, you will find a scary amount of sugar in sauces and dressings that you don’t need it in. The first dressing I learned to make at home without any sugar was the classic Caesar salad dressing. The dressing can be created in just a few minutes using easy mayo and some simple pantry ingredients. Learning to make your own dressings means you won’t get caught out by shit-filled dressings or stung for extra cash to buy ‘clean’ versions at your local health food store.
Give it a go and enjoy the fresh dressing that will keep in the fridge for up to a week (if you don’t use it all first).
Caesar salad is one of my favourites, this dressing is easy to make and will finish off your Caesar salad just right.
Credit: Cath @ easycleaneats
Ingredients
1/2 cup olive oil
2 tbsp. easy mayo
1 tbsp. Dijon mustard
3 garlic cloves, minced
1/4 cup parmesan cheese, freshly grated
3 anchovy fillets
2 tbsp. lemon juice
2 tsp. Worcestershire sauce
Directions
For a food process
Set aside the olive oil.
Put all of the other ingredients into a food processor.
Turn on and pulse the ingredients until everything is smooth and creamy.
While the food processor runs, slowly drizzle the oil through the chute. Take your time pouring the oil so that it emulsifies properly.
Store the dressing in the fridge; it should keep for about a week.
For a stick blender
Place all of the ingredients into a jar or container with the oil as the last ingredient.
Put the blender stick all the way to the bottom of the jar.
Pulse to break up the anchovy fillets, then blend until everything is smooth and creamy.
Nutrition
Per Serving: 121 calories; 13 g fat; 1 g carbohydrates; 1 g protein
Equipment
Food processor or stick blender
Spatula
Nutritional disclaimer
Nutrition information is provided as an estimate based on the ingredients used and available in my area (New Zealand). The nutritional information is here to help you understand the recipe; I use MyFitnessPal to generate my estimates. For more accurate nutritional information, please use a nutritional calculator with the ingredients in your area.
