TASTY TUESDAYS // MINI QUICHES

A trip down memory lane...

Back when my brother and I were youngsters mum used to frequently make these little quiches for us as an after-school snack. She grins deviously recalling how she enjoyed sneaking all sorts of veggies and 'good stuff' in there, in order to 'trick' us into eating them, unbeknownst to us! But, I mean, it's not that hard to eat veggies when these quiches taste so darn good...

Mini quiches

These are quick to prepare and simple to make - great for entertaining, or just to treat yourself (#treatyoself) :P

(Yields approximately 24 medium sized quiches)

What you need*:
1 pack of Pampas Puff Pastry (6 sheets)
1 leek, chopped finely
1 capsicum, diced finely
1/2 large or 1 small brown onion, diced finely
Approx. 15 small Swiss brown mushrooms (any type is fine), diced finely
3 eggs
300g sour cream
100g honey leg ham, chopped
Cheese to top (optional)
1 large mixing bowl
2 medium sized muffin trays
Olive oil to grease

*Feel free to switch up the filling according to your fancy!


What to do:
1. Preheat oven to 180 degrees celsius.
2. Combine the leek, capsicum, onion, mushrooms, and ham in a large mixing bowl.

3.  Fold in the sour cream, then beat the eggs in one at a time.

4. Grease the muffin trays. Section the puff pastry into squares and gently press them into the muffin trays.

6. Divide the filling amongst the puff pastry squares.

7. Top with cheese and bake until browned (ensure that the bottoms are also cooked through).

8. Let them cool a little, and enjoy!

What snacks did you enjoy as a child? Do share! x

TASTY TUESDAYS // GREEK SALAD

With the arrival of the warmer weather I find myself craving light, refreshing meals, such as salads and wraps, over carbohydrate-heavy, 'comforting' foods of Winter, such as pasta or soups. Today I decided to whip up a quick Greek salad - my salad of choice - for a simple snack/light lunch. I find that I don't eat as much in Spring/Summer, either, as the weather is warmer (as I have poor circulation, a lot of the time I burn energy trying to keep warm!)

Greek Salaaaaad

I followed this recipe here, and didn't do much tweaking, though I did sprinkle some Oregano leaves on top for more flavour. The best part about it is that it's so easy to make, and doesn't take long at all.


What do you enjoy eating in the warmer months?
Are you a fan of Greek salad like me?

TASTY TUESDAYS: HERITAGE EDITION // CURRY PUFFS

Curry Puffs

It's been a little tough lately. This time exactly a week ago marked the third anniversary of my grandmother's passing. I originally wasn't going to do a post on this, hence the absence of photos/visuals of the preparation, etc., but I've decided to anyway. Perhaps it's more a cathartic experience for me more than anything, though I'd also love to share my grandmother's recipe passed down through the family. These curry puffs aren't too difficult to make, plus they're a wonderful little snack. My disclosure, before we begin: These are nowhere near as tasty as hers were!

What you need*:

Ingredients

*You may have noticed by now that my family is pretty '#YOLO' in the kitchen, and we pretty much just throw everything together according to our fancy, without measuring them out exactly. Hence, the amounts below are merely approximations or recommendations. Feel free to tweak the recipe to suit you. 

- 300g frozen green peas, thawed (we used about 200g)
- 600g beef mince, thawed (we used about 700g)
- 1kg puff pastry sheets, thawed (they usually come in a pack of 6)
- 2 brown onions
- Curry powder (we ended up using around 40g)
- Ground turmeric (we ended up using around 10g)
- A drizzle of olive oil
- A sprinkle of salt
 - A frying pan
- A food processor of some sort (ours is by Kenwood)

Makes approximately 35, depending on how you section the pastry.

What to do:
Filling -
1. Pulse the peas in the food processor until they're in small bits (but not a paste).

2. Chop the onions finely.

3. Heat some oil in a frying pan and brown the onion until aromatic. Then add the mince.

4. Season with curry powder, salt and turmeric.

5. Add the peas and continue frying until all ingredients are cooked through.

Puffs -
6. Preheat the oven to 200 degrees (high fan).

7. Section the pastry sheets (we experimented a little, and ended up dividing a sheet into three strips, and then each strip into half)

8. Spoon a little of the filling into the pastry sheet then fold over to create a parcel (I found it difficult to find the equilibrium between putting in as much filling as possible, but not so much that the edges wouldn't seal.)

First attempt....

Second attempt...

Third attempt!

9. Bake for about 30-40mins - or until brown.

10. Enjoy! (Ours barely lasted a day...)

Tip: It's probably easier if you make the filling beforehand and refrigerate it - I found it easier to wrap them in the pastry sheets when the filling was cool. The sheets didn't stick together too well while the filling was still hot. Common sense, eh? (Or, as my dad likes to say, "Common sense isn't so common anymore..." :P)

TASTY TUESDAYS // CHAKCHOUKA

After making the cobb loaf a fortnight ago, I thought I'd give cooking another go - this time a middle Eastern 'breakfast' called Chakchouka, featuring tomato, onion and capsicum. Think of it more as a salsa, rather than poached eggs...
I followed this recipe from Taste.com.au, and while 'successful' to some extent, mine didn't turn out anywhere near as pretty as the photo!

How the photo from Taste.com.au looked:

How mine looked:

Hmmm... I suppose I need to work on presentation...

I followed the instructions exactly (though I omitted the fresh chilli and used chilli flakes instead, so it wasn't as spicy), and although users in the comment section recommended only using one and a half cans of tomato, I used two, as per the instructions. It was more liquid-y, I suppose, but it didn't really bother me. I've been having the left overs on lavash bread, which I bought to have with it - it's lovely with avocado. Next time I'd probably not poach the eggs unless I was eating it immediately. Cold eggs the next day aren't so nice - nor are cold eggs in salsa, for the record! Another way to tweak it could be adding mince and making nachos, mmmmm.

If you're a fan of salsa or spices, I'd recommend this for a healthy meal (to me, it wasn't really a 'brekkie' kind of dish).

TASTY TUESDAYS // SPINACH DIP IN COBB LOAF

Ta-daaaa! The finished product

I'm not very consistent with these, my apologies! I'm just not much of a foodie. But I'm making an effort. I made this cobb loaf dip as a 'welcome home from work' treat for Mother (spoilt much?). It's relatively simple to make, but took me a lot longer than expected (at least it worked out in the end!) Mine was based on two recipes, here and here. I mainly followed the first recipe, though they are very similar, only differing in regards to proportions.

What I used:

• 1 large cobb loaf, unsliced (I actually bought a cottage loaf, but apparently they're the same)
• 250g Frozen chopped spinach
• 1 small white onion, diced finely
• 250g tub of sour cream
• 2/3 cup mayonnaise
• 1 30g packet of Continental Spring Vegetable Soup Mix

What I did:

1. Thaw spinach and squeeze out excess water. (This took the longest for me - I ended up putting in the microwave on 'defrost').
2. Combine onion, spinach, sour cream, mayonnaise and soup mix in a large bowl. Refrigerate (for 4 hours or overnight, according to the recipes above, though I only put it in for about half an hour, if that).
3. Cut a 'lid' off the cobb loaf and scoop out bread. I cut the bread into 2cmx2cm cube pieces.
4. I then put those bread pieces into a mini oven for 5mins until warmed and slightly crisp. (I think the recipe also recommended putting the whole hollowed loaf into the oven as well, though I found it unnecessary, as it was still fresh.)
5. Fill the loaf with spinach mixture and serve with bread.

Step 3

Step 3 Part II...

Step 4

What I'd do differently next time:
- Either double the spinach or halve the soup mix, as it was quite salty.
- Buy an extra baguette to go with the dip.
- Not forget to buy the soup mix and have to make another trip (noob! -.-")
Edit: And I'd actually let it sit and refrigerate for the time required, as it combines the flavours and makes the soup mix less salty.

Are you a foodie (or a wanna-be-foodie like me)?
Have you tried making cobb loaf dip?
Which recipe should I try next?

LAZY LUNCH FOR LAZY DAYS //

Lately I've been loving simple snacks that are satisfying, without requiring significant preparation or cooking time. This burger/toast/roll has been on high rotation these past few days, especially as the cooler weather has me hankering for a heartier meal. (Sandwiches just don't cut it). I usually don't like ham or cold meats, but it's actually quite nice when panfried. It tastes just like a Bacon & Egg McMuffin, with the added bonus of nutritional value :P

I've tried this combination with different types of bread and my favourite would have to be Helga's wholemeal, though the 'filling' makes practically anything taste good! It only takes about 5 minutes. Max.

Ingredients used:
1 egg
1 slice of ham
1 slice of cheese
1 bread roll/slice of bread
Pepper to season

I heated the bread roll in the mini oven, fried an egg, seasoned it with pepper, heated the ham on the still-hot pan, melted the cheese and shoved it all into the bread roll. And then proceeded to devour it in a most unladylike manner. I wanted to add some tomato or lettuce as well, but we didn't have any. This would also make a lovely lunch paired with a garden salad and fruit smoothie. Maybe next time (tomorrow)...