Chives Pancake

My mum always makes chives pancakes for our snack. They are savoury and aromatic. Dipped in soy sauce they are complete. This pancake is simple to make.

Chives
1 Cup Flour
Cold Water

Mix until you have a runny consistency
Add salt to taste
Add vegetable oil to pan
Once oil is hot, scoop a ladle of mixture
Spread around to evenly coat the pan
Flip once bubbles start to appear
Brown other side
Serve with soy sauce for dipping.

Check me out on Instagram @heelsandspice for recipe updates.

Enjoy!

Vegetarian Fritata

Vegetarian Fritata

4 Eggs – beaten

1 tbsp Olive Oil

1 Brown Onion

3 Carrots – grated

2 Zucchinis – grated

1 Cup of Cooked Barley

Seasoning (Salt, Pepper, Curry Powder) – Your choice

Method

Add oil to pan and stir-fry onion until see through and browned on the edges, add curry powder or other spices and herbs

Add carrots and zucchini and stir until liquid is released and evaporates

Remove from pan and in a bowl mix vegetables, eggs and barley

Add salt and pepper (optional)

Place in lined baking tray and bake in fan-forced oven at 160 degress for 40 minutes or until top is browned and mixture is solid

Serve with salad or have on its own

Easy Beefy Skewers

In the freezer we always keep stock of the basic meats like minced or ground beef, chicken wings and chicken carcass. Last night I took out some minced beef with plans to make some burritos but this morning I thought it might be nice to use skewers and cook them on the bbq instead.

So here is how I made these yummy beef skewers.

1. In a bowl, place 2 tbs of breadcrumbs, 1 tsp of salt, pepper, 1 tsp of cumin, chopped parsley and 500g of minced beef

2. Mix thoroughly so all the ingredients stick together and breadcrumbs are no longer visible.

3. Shape into sausages and insert skewer in the middle

4. Using a pastry brush, brush each lightly with olive oil

5. Cook on the Weber or bbq for 4 minutes each side

Serve with salad or in my case I had some quinoa and stir-fried kale with garlic. It was delicious.

Follow me on Instagram @heelsandspice for recipe updates.

Pumpkin Bread

I made pumpkin soup the other day and had too much butternut pumpkin so I thought I will just use them to make pumpkin bread. I had a banana bread recipe that used oats as well as flour and I wanted to experiment with swapping the bananas with pumpkin. The recipe needed about 400 grams of pumpkin and I didn’t have quite enough so I bought a small sweet potato to add. The best thing about using oats is that it fills you up and you only need a few slices at a time, in my case, 2 slices are enough.

The recipe makes 2 loaves. I slice them up, wrapped 2 slices with glad wrap and placed everything in a zip lock bag and freeze. I like to take 2 slices to work for breakfast. To crisp them up and warm them, I place them on the flat toaster for a few minutes.

What you’ll need:

• 400g butternut pumpkin– steamed for 20 minutes then mashed
• ¼ cup of sunflower seeds
• 125 g rolled oats
• 495 g wholemeal self-raising flour
• 2 teaspoons baking powder
• 135 g brown sugar
• 150g butter, melted
• 375 ml skim milk
• 2 x loaf pan

How it’s done:

1. Steam the pumpkin for 20 minutes
2. Heat oven to 180 degrees or 160 degrees fan forced
3. Grab a big mixing bowl and add all the dry ingredients – oats, flour, baking powder, sunflower seeds and brown sugar. Mix well and get rid of any lumps in the flour or sugar.
4. Add milk and pumpkin and mix well
5. Add melted butter
6. Mix well to ensure that all flour have combined with wet ingredients
7. Line loaf pan with baking paper and pour bread mix
8. Bake in oven for 45 – 50 minutes. Depending on your oven, you may need to adjust the temperature or timing. I tend to place mine at about 140 degrees and cook it for longer to ensure the inside is cooked properly.
9. Bread is ready when skewer inserted comes out clean
10. Once cooled, slice the loaf and freeze as mentioned above or serve

I hope you like this pumpkin bread as much as I do. It’s definitely something handy to have in the freezer. It takes about 30 minutes to defrost 2 slices. I took it out of the freezer as I was leaving for work and by the time I arrived in the office, it was ready to heat up.

Don’t forget that you can use sweet potatoes instead of pumpkin and add other seeds and nuts.

Enjoy.

Check out my Instagram account @heelsandspice for more recipe updates.

Ginger and Garlic Kale

I don't know about you but I love Kale. It's very woody in flavour and when cooked right, it is chewy and wholesome.

Here is how I prepared the ginger and garlic kale.

1. Steam kale for 4 minutes
2. In the meantime, toast some sesame seeds in a frying pan.
3. Smash some garlic and ginger.
4. Once kale is steamed, place some oil in frying pan and add garlic and ginger. Toss in pan to release aroma and flavour.
5. Add kale and season with salt and pepper to taste. Since kale had been steamed, no need to leave for too long.
6. Place kale in bowl and sprinkle with toasted sesame seeds.
7. Serve and enjoy.

Follow me on Instagram @heelsandspice for more recipes and updates. Check out my other posts for simple recipes.

Midnight Cheat's Noodle Soup

It's midnight and I am craving noodle soup. All yhe restaurants in my area are closed and I am not in the mood to drive to Chinatown to get some.

So I check my pantry and I have some Special Chicken flavoured IndoMie and some dumplings in the freezer which I had prepared earlier. There are some greens in the fridge and I am pretty much all set. Here is how you turn the humble 2-minute noodles into a meal.

1. I left some dumplings out for a few minutes to defrost then fried them on low heat to get the wrappers crispy.

2. Cook noodles as per instructions then add the vegies. Depending on what you have, I had leafy ones so I just blanched them in the same pot as the noodles.

3. Drain then place in bowl, add dumplings.

4. Serve with fried shallots and fresh chilli. Enjoy!

It's not the healthiest indulgence but it certainly satisfied my craving. Don't have dumplings? Substitute with leftover meat, mushroom or put an eggs in there and poach. Follow me on Instagram @heelsandspice for more ideas and updates.

Prawn and Pork Dumplings

I love making dumplings. I usually get some minced pork from the Asian supermarket, shitake mushrooms and wonton wrappers then get some fresh prawns and spend the evening in front of my favourite tv show, wrapping them up.

Here is what I do:

1. Place five mushrooms, three stalks of spring onions, one brown onion, one small carrot and prawns in the food processor and mince.

2. In a mixing bowl, place minced pork and vegetables and prawns, add a tablespoon of soy sauce or oyster sauce. Add salt and pepper to season and mix well until combined.

3. Cover and place in the fridge for a minimum of 30 minutes.

4. To wrap, take a sheet of pastry, place a teaspoon of mixture into the middle of the pastry then bring the edges to cover the filling. Repeat until filling is used. Any leftover pastry can be wrapped and placed in the fridge.

6. Dumplings can then be steamed for 15-20 minutes.

To freeze dumplings:

1. To freeze the dumplings, place in a plastic container and layer dumplings with plastic cling wrap in between, space them out so they don't stick together.

2. Once frozen, move dumplings into zip lock bags.

Here are some before and after photos. Follow me on Instagram @heelsandspice  for more ideas and updates. Enjoy.

Brown Rice Salad

I am attending a housewarming bbq and what I usually do is make a dish to bring then leave the serving plate there as a gift.

Today, I have decided to make some brown rice salad. It is something simple, healthy, flavoursome and delicious.

So here is what I did:

1. Cook or heat up brown rice. I need two cups of cooked rice.

2. Mix half a teaspoon of chopped garlic, a teaspoon of soy sauce, a teaspoon of mirin or rice wine vinegar or just vinegar, salt, pepper, sugar (optional) and a tablespoon of olive oil and leave for ingredients to fuse together

3. Chop up a medium sized, red capsicum and three shallots or spring onions

4. In a large bowl, place brown rice, a cup of sultanas or raisins, half a cup of pepitas or sunflower seeds, capsicum, spring onions, dressing and mix well.

5. Serve in platter or bowl.

The combination of colours and flavours are just amazing. Nuts can be added or chicken but I prefer this dish to be meat-free. I hope you like it too. Don't forget to follow me on Instagram @heelsandspice for more ideas and updates. Enjoy!

Breakfast - Omellete with leftover steamed veggies

My eldest son asked me for something different to eat for breakfast. That means something other than cereal, toast, bacon and eggs etc. I looked in the fridge and there was a bowl of steamed veggies leftover from last night's dinner. I asked him if he wanted an omellete with steamed veggies and he said 'yes please'.

Here is what I did:

1. Chop up half a small onion and pan fry on olive oil in a non-stick oven-proof pan
2. When onion starts to brown, add the steamed veggies. Put flame on low to medium as the veggies have come out of the fridge and needs time to warm.
3. Place 4-6 eggs in a bowl, add salt and pepper and beat.
4. Spread the vegetables out to an even layer then pour on the egg mix. Tilt the pan to spread out the egg. Leave on low flame to ensure the bottom is cooked through.
5. In the meantime, set you grill to 150 degrees celcius.
6. Once the omellete starts to solidify on the bottom, place the pan under the grill. Once the top starts to solidify and turn golden brown, remove from grill.
7. Sprinkle spring onions on top and serve.

It was a hit! Even my 5 year old who is not a fan of veggies had two serves. Enjoy!

Chilli Beef - Leftover Roast Beef Transformation #2

My previous post was about transforming leftover roast beef into a stir-fry with zucchini and mushroom. This post is about transforming it into a spicy dish that is filled with bursts of fresh flavours which tastes amazing with steamed rice.

1. In a blender/food processor, place:
x3 brown onions
x1 lemongrass or 3x kaffir lime leaves or a small piece of ginger
x1 garlic
x3 large red chillies or x1 red capsicum
x1 birds eye chilli for extra spicyness (optional)
x1 tsp sugar
x1 tsp salt and pepper
Blend until you get the desired texture. I prefer to be able to see the ingredients, some prefer more of a paste
2. Cut up beef to matchstick like pieces.
3. Add oil to wok or frying pan, once heated, add beef and leave on medium heat until all liquid has evaporated and beef has crisped on the edges.
4. Remove beef, wash the pan the add oil. Once heated, add the spice mix and stir fry on medium heat until capsicum and onions starts to wilt.
5. Add the beef and mix well.
6. Serve on steamed rice.

The spice mix can be used with vegetables or even boiled eggs (recipe coming soon). It is one of my favourites.

Follow me on Instagram @heelsandspice for more ideas and updates. Enjoy!

Stir-fry Beef with Vegetables - Leftover Roast Beef Transformation #1

So you made some roast beef and even though it was delicious, there was too much and now you have leftovers. If you want to transform it into a different dish without too much fuss, allow me show you what I did at our #wintergetaway2015 :

1. Get that roast out of the fridge and slice it up into matchsticks
2. Put some oil in a wok or frying pan and once oil is hot add the beef and leave for a few minutes on medium flame. It will release some liquid then gradually dry up. 3. Whilst that is going on, chop up some vegetables, I used mushrooms and zucchini.
4. Once beef starts to crisp up on the edges, remove from pan but leave the remaining juices there (don't wash the pan).
5. Add another tablespoon of oil then add the zucchini and a teaspoon of garlic. On medium heat, stir fry until the zucchini is near see-through then add the mushrooms. Once mushrooms starts to wilt, add beef and mix well.
6. Place a teaspoon of cornflour and place in a small bowl with some cold water. Mix well then pour onto the vegetables and beef and mix well.
7. Add salt and pepper as desired keeping in mind the beef was seasoned when roasted and the veggies have absorbed the liquid in the pan.
8. Serve on steamed rice or on it's own.

There is also a spicy option that I will post soon, so follow my instagram account @heelsandspice for updates. Enjoy!

Office Smoothie

I find it a real challenge to eat fruit. Despite living in Melbourne where we have a wealth of fresh fruit, I am not someone who has a habit of having fruit in my diet. Also, getting braces in my teeth and other attachments, I decided to make it easier for myself and make smoothies in my afternoon tea break.
1. To give me a boost to get me through the afternoon
2. To incorporate fruit in my diet

I know the last two smoothies in my instagram account included yoghurt, however most of the time I only have the fruit and some water to keep it all natural and raw.

So how do I do this in the office?

On my visit through a local department store, I saw a blender with a sports drink attachement for $15. It was cheaper than other types of smoothie blenders so I decided to give it a try. I store it in my bottom drawer in my workstation and every day at 3pm I take it into the kitchen where I have frozen berries in the freezer and pineapple that I cut up in portions and place in a bag in the freezer. I then bring a banana, kiwi fruit or get any other piece of fruit from the supermarket and those are my ingredients.

It takes minutes to cut up and place in the blender and since you are using the same bottle to drink out of there is minimal washing up. The blender is still going after a year and others have jumped on the wagon - the more the merrier.

So if you want more fruit in your diet and you cannot find the time elsewhere, especially if you are a busy mum like myself, try the smoothie at 3pm. It works for me.

Steamed Fish with Brocolli and Jasmine Rice in 20 minutes

Today was one of those days where I hadn't prepared anything for dinner. All I knew was that I wanted some fish fillets and some greens on rice. It was my turn to pick up the boys and they will be hungry.

So on my lunch break, I grabbed some skinless blue grenadier fillets from the supermarket and some fresh spring onions. I had some ginger at home so I decided to make some soy and ginger steamed fish and some veggies on the side, I was pretty sure we had some brocolli in the fridge.

When I arrived home, here is what I did:

1. Cook 3 cups of rice in the ricecooker. Turn it on and leave. It will take around 20 minutes to cook.

2. Mix 1 tsp of caster sugar, 1/4 cup of soy sauce (light), chopped up ginger and sliced spring onions (white part) in a bowl

3. Cut up the fish fillets into 4 parts each and spread around a pie dish or any flat dish that can hold liquid and fits into the steamer.

4. Pour the sauce on the fillets and place the whole dish in the steamer. Set for 15 minutes.

5. Cut brocolli into florets and wash in cold water. Place in a separate steamer for 2 minutes.

6. Once brocolli is steamed, stir fry in olive oil with garlic and chicken stock powder with 5 tablespoon of water.

7. Place a pan with 3 tablespoons of sesame oil until heated and once the fish is cooked, pour oil onto the steamed fish (watch out for splaterring)

8. Leave the fish steaming for another minute then take out of steamer. Garnish with green parts of the spring onion.

9. Get a bowl and fill with a cup of steamed jasmine rice, a cup of stir fry brocolli and a portion of fish. Pour some sauce over the fish and rice.

10. Serve and enjoy

Healthy Snacking

I met a lady once who had a 5 year old daughter and we were talking about kids and food. She told me that she got sick of having to go to the pantry to get her daughter snacks that she decided to fill a drawer full of snacks for her daughter to help herself to anytime of the day. That drawer is filled with chocolate bars, potato chips, lollies, basically junk.

This lady was overweight and she was telling everyone that her daughter was heavy for her age group and had to wear size 12 kids clothes which was 7 sizes bigger than the average 5 year old clothing size.

I was pregnant with my first child during this conversation and I made a mental note never to have such a snack drawer for my children.

I don't forbid them from the food mentioned above however when they do ask for a snack, I always offer them fruit or carrots or something that doesn't come packaged. I also try to bake them biscuits and cake myself so I know what ingredients have been used.

Today, we are having a slow day at home. They are playing dress-ups and since they have been well behaved, they get to watch one of their favourite movies. With that, I made them a fruit platter of sliced apple, pear and dried apricot on a bed of sultanas. They are enjoying it as I type and I am glad that they don't have a habit of expecting chocolate, chips or lollies when they ask for a snack.

Vietnamese Vermicelli Inspired Late Meal

The kids were in bed and I was watching my favourite TV show after my daily workout. As usual, I was hungry and had a very strong craving for a bowl of Vietnamese Vermicelli which usually consists of thin rice noodles, grilled pork, pickled vegies and fresh lettuce and beanshoots.

Usually this craving would take a 5 minute trip to Footscray to satisfy however it was midnight so I didn't have that luxury. I started to think about what ingredients I have available to put together a similar dish and here is the result.

I had left over pork, prawn and shitake mushroom stir-fry and although I didn't have vermicelli, I did have glass noodles. So all that is left to do was to drown some carrots and onions in a mirin, fish sauce and sugar concoction for around 15 minutes and thinly slice some cos lettuce I had in the fridge.

It was absolutely delicious and did not take that much time at all.

BanCondensAdo - Healthy Snack with a side of Condensed Milk

I am not the snacking type, no packet of chips or popcorn in front of a movie. I am more of a wholesome meal person but sometimes I do like to indulge in the quick snack but mine is probably a little weird or 'different' for some.

I call this snack the BANCONDENSADO...you'll see why.

Take a banana and split it in half longways as you would a banana split. Scoop out an avocado using a tablespoon, take a can of condensed milk and pour some onto the mix like syrup, then add some shaved dark chocolate.

I know the avocado may have put some of you off but it is actually delicious as a dessert. This dish is so filling, it's like having a meal.

Try it out and let me know.

Katsu-Don Inspired Dinner in Patent Mary-Janes

When I think of Japanese food, more often than not, Sushi rolls would come to mind. However, the Sushi place at the local shopping centre I usually visit at lunch times is now offering some hot dishes that they cook up on order. One of my favourites is the Katsu-don which is crumbed pork fillets with eggs on rice. The combination is just delicious and I love the nori sprinkled on top and a few pieces of pickled ginger on the side. It is a very satisfying meal, especially in winter.

Tonight, I have decided to make something similar for dinner however I will use chicken instead of pork. Last night I have sliced some chicken breast very thinly and coated it in bread crumbs. They are in the fridge ready for me to shallow fry when I get home. So all I have to do is quickly make the omelette and assemble with some steamed rice and top with nori.

It's winter in Melbourne but for some reason my legs don't really get cold. Today, I decided to wear my red dress that makes me look like a flight attendant and my white blazer finished off with my favourite black, patent, mary-janes. They are comfortable and I have had them for a while now but they are a classic and it would take a very nice pair to make me part with them.

First thing to do when I arrive home is to get the rice going in the rice cooker then shallow fry the crumbed chicken fillets. Whilst that is going, I start stir-frying the thinly sliced onions and cabbage until nearly see-through. Then I pour in three beaten eggs and swirl them around the pan to get an even layer and leave on medium flame to cook through. By the time the chicken is done, the rice has clicked to the 'Warm' setting indicating that it is cooked.

To assemble the dish, use a deep bowl and scoop some rice, topped with a quarter of the omellette, a chicken fillet sliced into finger width pieces, kecap manis and pieces of nori.