Category Archives: Dinner

Light Mash with semi sun dried Tomatoes and Zucchini

The sour cream gives the mash lightness and freshness. With added zucchini you’ve got your veggies covered too.

Ingredients;

Serves 4

2 lbs. Yukon potatoes, peeled and quartered
1 tsp. salt
1/4 C. milk of choice
1 tbsp. olive oil
1/4 C. Sour cream
2 tbsp. Semi sun-dried tomatoes, diced
2 tbsp. chopped chives
2 tbsp. chopped dill
1 large Zucchini, diced in 1/2″ cubes.

Method;

Put the potatoes in a pan and add cold water and half way the potatoes with the salt. Bring to a boil, turn the heat lower and boil for about 15 min, or until soft when pierced with a fork. Drain. Return to the pan and let them steam off. Add the milk and mash the potatoes. Check seasoning and add more salt if needed.

Keep warm.

Meanwhile wash the Zucchini and dice. Heat a frying pan and add the olive oil. Sautée the Zucchini for 5 minutes. Add the garlic and continue to fry for two more minutes. Remove from the heat. Add the Zucchini to the mashed potatoes, together with the sour cream, the herbs and chopped semi sun-dried tomatoes. Carefully stir together, do not over mix. (you don’t want to end up with glue). Serve straight away.

Black Bean Burger

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I had mentioned in another post that my favorite food is actually Hamburgers. Well one of my favorite Hamburgers is this one, the Black Bean Burger. It is so good and if you serve it on a home made bun even better, goes without saying.

You won’t miss the meat at all with this one. They’re crunchy on the outside and soft on the inside but with enough bite to give you the burger sensation. The bite is because you’re not supposed to squash all the beans to a puree, but leave some whole. You also need to add enough seasoning. Then bake them nicely in a pan until they get a dark golden crust on the outside. I serve mine with grilled Eggplant & grilled red Peppers.

Ingredients:

2 C. Black Beans, cooked

1 tbsp. Olive oil + 2 tsp. for cooking

1 Onion, peeled and chopped fine

1 clove of Garlic, peeled and grated

1 tbsp. Nutritional Yeast (optional, but it does add a hearty flavour)

1 tsp. Taco seasoning

1/4 C. Breadcrumbs or use GF oats instead.

1/4 C. of mixed nuts

1 Flax egg (1 tbsp. flax + 3 tbsp. water) Let sit for 15 min.

1 tbsp. Chia seeds

Salt and Pepper to taste.

Method:

Put the beans on a plate and squash them with a fork until roughly mashed. There should still be enough chunks for texture.

Meanwhile cook the onion and garlic in 1 tbsp. of olive oil over gentle heat until golden. Let cool slightly.

Put the squashed beans in a bowl and add the remaining ingredients.

Form into patties and place them on a slightly oiled plate. Cover with cling film and put them in the refrigerator for a couple of hours to firm up.

When ready to cook. Place a frying pan over medium high heat, put in the 2 tsp. of olive oil and cook for about 5 minutes on each side. Serve with toppings and additions of your liking. I do recommend you put them on the Hamburger Buns ,that makes them even better! Enjoy.

Smokey Maple glazed Bbq Ribs.

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Serves 4

When you’re in the mood for Bbq ribs and it’s pouring with rain outside, you’ve got a problem. Best thing to do if you live in a very rainy country like we do is to cook them in a slow cooker and finish them off under the grill. I make these all the time and it’s almost embarrassing how easy they are. You just have to plan it a bit in advance.

Ideally you make the Bbq Sauce 24 hours in advance before marinating the ribs for a night. You could buy ready-made Bbq Sauce if you like but it’s great to have your own special home-made sauce.

The recipe for the Bbq sauce is enough for several times. I keep mine in the fridge and use it over grilled chicken, hot dogs or steak.

Smokey Maple Bbq Sauce:

2 tbsp. Olive oil

1 onion, peeled and chopped fine

1 garlic clove, peeled and grated or crushed

2 tbsp. tomato paste

1/2 C Maple syrup

1 14.5 oz. can peeled chopped tomatoes + 1 can of water or more

1 tsp. mustard powder

1 tbsp. Cajun seasoning

1/2 tsp, ground black pepper

3 tbsp. liquid smoke

2 tbsp. Worcestershire sauce

2 tbsp. Soy sauce

Method:

Fry onion and garlic in the olive oil over gentle heat until just beginning to go golden, add the remaining ingredients and simmer for an hour. Add more water if needed, for the right thickness. Let cool completely and store in the fridge.

For the ribs:

4 lbs. of spare ribs.

21/2 C. Bbq sauce

Method:

Place the ribs in the pot of the slow cooker and pour over 2 cups of Bbq sauce. Let marinate overnight in the fridge.

The next day take the pot out of the fridge and put it in the slow cooker. Cook for 3-4 hours on high or for 4 to 5 hours on low. This really depends on your slow cooker so you may have to adjust the cooking time.

When the ribs are tender to your liking, transfer them carefully to a baking tray, preferably with a rack on it. Pour some more Bbq sauce over the ribs and repeat when you turn them over. Grill for about five minutes on each side. Keep an eye on them.

Chicken Saté (Saté Ajam)

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Saté has to be one of our favourite dinners. Served with either Bami, Nasi or even just crispy baguette and plenty of sate sauce.

You can get ready made Boemboe (spice mix) for the sate but it’s best made at home.

1 lb. chicken breast cut into cubes.

Boemboe Saté:

(boemboe=spice mix)

Makes a small jar.

2 tbsp. Turmeric (Curcuma)
1 tbsp. Cumin, ground (Djinten)
1 tbsp. Onion powder
1 tbsp. Lemon grass powder (Sereh)
2 tsp. Coriander, ground (Ketoembar)
2 tsp. Ginger powder (Djahé)
2 tsp. Garlic powder
1 tsp. ground Pepper
1 tsp. Galangal (Laos)

Saté Marinade:

1 tbsp. dark Soy sauce
1/2 C. Ketjap Manis, sweet Indonesian soy sauce
2 Garlic cloves, peeled and grated or crushed
2 tsp. Boemboe Saté
1 tsp. (or 2) Sambal oelek, Indonesian red chili sauce similar to Sriracha, quite hot
2 tsp. fresh grated Ginger
a good squeeze of fresh lemon juice

Method:

Mix all the ingredients for the marinade in a glass bowl large enough to hold the chicken.

Marinate 1 lb. of chicken (organic), cut into cubes overnight. If you are grilling the chicken over an open fire, I suggest you soak the wooden skewers in water for a couple of hours. Meanwhile make the Saté sauce. Take the chicken out of the fridge about 20 minutes before grilling. Pour or spray a little oil over the skewers before grilling them for about five minutes on each side. Serve with the Saté sauce.

Saté sauce:

1/2 C. Peanut butter
1 c. Coconut milk
1/2 – 1 C. water,
1 tbsp. Soy sauce
2 tbsp. Ketjap manis
1-2 tsp. Sambal oelek
1 tsp. Boemboe saté
a squeeze of lemon juice

Method:

To make the Saté sauce just mix all the ingredients except the water in a pot with a thick bottom, the sauce burns easily so you will have to stir constantly with a wooden spoon. Add the water as soon as the sauce thickens, and add a little at a time to get the right thickness. It should have a medium thick consistency. You could also make the sauce the night before.