Brie and Cranberry Rolls

Pin It

Mmmmm cheesy....

These things seriously could not be simpler.  Bake-at-home dinner rolls, cranberry sauce, sliced Brie.

The end. See you next post!





Ok maybe not. But they are super-simple. I just bake the rolls and fill them, then pop them back in to the turned-off oven to melt juuuust a little. They're great for lunch with a salad, but are also a really cool alternative to the usual tea party/baby shower/any kind of party fare. I've not seen anyone do it before so I'm totally claiming it.

Crunchy, sweet, a little savoury and gooey. If there's a better canape combination, I don't want to know about it.

Enjoy!

Roast Pumpkin and Haloumi Salad with Honey-Lemon Dressing.

Once upon a time I was the editor of a small newspaper in a small town. The small town had several cafes, but I frequented just one - the one that had a roast pumpkin and haloumi salad on its extensive menu. I never once deviated from this choice in all the times I went there - which is incredibly strange, as I love to try new things. I just couldn't stray. If I was to meet someone for lunch, it was to this cafe I'd go, and to my beloved haloumi I would remain loyal.

One particular day, I was racing to get the paper finished by my 1pm deadline. Deadline days didn't usually leave me much time to eat, save whatever snacks I had stashed in a drawer, or whatever lunch I brought from home, microwaved in fits and starts, and mouthfuls eaten sporadically between work. It usually went cold and I would sadly poke at it at about 1.02pm. This day though was hectic. I drank about nineteen cups of tea and tried to forget I was hungry. As soon as that deadline hit, and I saw the last page disappear into the printing ether, I raced out the door and flew down the street in record time. Which hard to do in small towns. People want to stop you and chat. Particularly when you're the editor of the very popular (and slightly controversial) paper. I am sure I may have made a few more enemies that day, but I didn't care, all I wanted was the pumpkin and haloumi salad, and ain't nothing was going to stand in my way.

I don't even remember eating it. But I've no doubt it was good.

As is this one - the salty crispness of the haloumi pairs so well with the smooth, sweet pumpkin and the lemon dressing really adds another dimension of deliciousness. Very easy to throw together, and you can add whatever you fancy to flesh it out - this recipe should just be a guide.

Ingredients:

4 cups chopped pumpkin

Several handfuls lettuce

1 can lentils, rinsed and drained well

2 ripe tomatoes (cherry tomatoes would be even better), quartered

2 packets haloumi, sliced

Juice of 1 lemon

2 tablespoons honey

1 teaspoon olive oil

Directions:

1. Roast the pumpkin and tomatoes in a 220C oven 15-20 minutes until soft and just starting to brown, turning once. I dusted mine with cinnamon, chili and sea salt.

2. Arrange the lettuce, lentils, tomatoes and/or whatever else you're using on plates.

3. Mix the lemon juice, honey and olive oil.

4. Fry the haloumi over medium-high heat until browned on both sides, a couple of minutes.

5. Top the salad with haloumi and dressing.

I only had sad little iceberg lettuce today (thanks so much, Brisbane floods/Queensland cyclone!) but I would totally recommend a nicer lettuce.

Artichoke Ravioli with Tomatoes

Oh boy. ohboyohboyohboyohboy.

I know tons of people that clip recipes and save them for "someday", but never end up making them. Actually, the first thing people ask me when I tell them I have thousands of recipes saved is "yeah, but do you actually make them?" and then are genuinely surprised when I say yes. Part of the reason for this blog is that I was always making something new from a recipe I found somewhere. My point to all this rambling is if this recipe looks good to you, PLEASE make it. It is so unbelievable and SO worth you breaking from your regular cooking routine.

Please.

I have adapted this recipe from Epicurious because I couldn't be bothered making my own ravioli dough. Understandable, right?!

This would probably serve 2 very generously as a main dish, but feel free to double.

Ingredients:
1 packet refrigerated wonton wrappers (mine had 30, which was just right).
1 tablespoon butter
1 small onion, chopped
1 can artichoke hearts, drained and chopped
1/2 cup parmesan cheese
1/3 cup parsley, chopped
1 large egg yolk
1 tablespoon lemon juice
salt, pepper
1 large egg white

Sauce:
1 tablespoon butter
1 tablespoon olive oil
3 medim tomatoes, diced
1/4 cup water
1 cup cream
1/2 cup parmesan
salt and pepper

Directions:

1. Preheat the oven to 180C.

2. Heat butter in frying pan over moderately high heat and saute onion, stirring occasionally about 6 minutes. Add artichoke hearts and saute 2 minutes. Remove and cool slightly.
3. Add cheese, parsley, yolk, lemon juice, salt, pepper. You can put it in the food processor  but I didn't bother.
4. Lay out half your wonton wrappers and place a scant tablespoon mixture on each one. Brush around edges with egg white and stick the top wonton wrapper on.
5. Cook ravioli in a large pot of boiling water until just tender, about 6 minutes. Drain.

6. While ravioli is cooking, saute the chopped tomatoes with the butter and olive oil for 1 minute. Add water and cook, stirring 5 minutes until soft.

7. Place a layer of ravioli in greased baking dish and top with 1/3 cream, tomatoes and cheese. Repeat.

8. Bake uncovered until ravioli is heated through and cream is bubbling, about 15 minutes.

9. Drool.


Next time I'm thinking of making this into a lasagna, just to cut even more corners!






Read More http://www.epicurious.com/recipes/food/views/Artichoke-Ravioli-with-Tomatoes-236983#ixzz18AjUq2XZ

Mexican Lasagna

This is a big hit. Everybody loves Mexican food, right?

And seeing yesterday was Cinco de Mayo, I wanted to make a Mexican feast to celebrate. I'm like that.

Any excuse for cooking will do. You got a promotion? I'll make a cake. Found a pair of shoes you love? Celebratory cookies for you. Other countries' national holidays? I'm right there with the pumpkin pie.

It doesn't photograph well, but it tastes damn good and is super-easy. Can be doubled.

Ingredients:
1 packet veggie soy crumbles (I use Sanitarium Veggie Mince)

1 can refried beans

1/8 teaspoon each of basil, garlic powder and cumin

1 jar salsa

1 1/2 cups cheese

four tortillas


Method:

1. in an oiled pan over medium heat, break up the crumbles.

2. sprinkle over the herbs and spices, and add a tablespoon or two of salsa.

3. Mix in the refried beans.

4. Spray a square casserole dish with oil, spread over another tablespoon of salsa. Lay one tortilla on top.

5. Put half the crumble/bean mix on, top with 1/3 salsa and 1/3 cheese.

6. Repeat.

7. Top with tortilla, the rest of the salsa and the rest of the cheese.

8. Bake in a 180C oven for 30-45 minutes, until heated through and cheese is bubbling.

Arrriba!

Family Fondue

Fondue gets me excited - I mean, I really love melted cheese that I can dip things in and overload on.

Which is why real fondue makes me cry. It's too kirschy and not anywhere near creamy enough for me. Or small children, for that matter.

So, for board game nights or Sunday evening dinners, there's nothing better than a pot of creamy cheese sauce and crusty bread. in my house, anyway.

It's basically a cheese sauce that you would make an au gratin from... over-cheesed into creamy fondue. Yay!

Ingredients
1 tablespoon butter
1 tablespoon flour
1 cup milk
2 cups swiss cheese
2 cups gruyere cheese
1/2 tsp mustard
salt to taste

Method
1. Melt butter in a pan over medium heat

2. Add flour and cook 1 minute. This helps get rid of the raw flour taste.

3. Add milk and whisk vigorously for a bit... you don't want any lumps!

4. Bring to a boil, stirring often.

5. When thick and bubbling, add cheese a cup at a time, waiting until it's fully melted to add more.

6. Add mustard powder and salt at any time.

7. You could also drop in a dab of garlic.... yum!

I serve mine with cheese, blanched veggies, gherkins and those little cocktail onions.

Roasted Cauliflower Penne with Rosemary Cream

Poor cauliflower. A much-maligned vegetable. That is, of course unless it's covered in cheese sauce, or wallowing in glorious creaminess as soup.

I never knew roasting it could be so damn good.

Unfortunately its white-on-whiteness doesn't photograph well, but it IS delicious.

Ingredients

1 large clove garlic, halved

1 cup cream

3 sprigs rosemary, 1 sprig finely chopped

A pinch of ground nutmeg

Salt and pepper

1 pound whole wheat penne pasta

1 head cauliflower, roasted

1/2 cup grated Pecorino Romano cheese, plus more to pass around the table

1/2 cup walnuts, toasted and chopped

To roast the cauliflower, preheat your oven to 220 C. toss bite-size florets in olive oil, add salt and pepper. bake for 30 minutes. Oh so sweet and uber-delicious.

Method

1. Rub the inside of a small saucepan all over with the garlic. Add the cream, the two whole rosemary sprigs and the nutmeg; season with pepper and cook over medium-low heat until reduced by half, about 10 minutes. Discard the rosemary.

2. Bring a large pot of water to a boil, salt it, add the pasta and cook until al dente. Drain and transfer the pasta to a serving bowl. Add the rosemary cream, cauliflower and Pecorino Romano cheese; toss to coat.

3. Season with salt and pepper and top with the walnuts and chopped rosemary. Pass more cheese around the table. Easy peasy.

It's almost Rachael Ray week on Veggie Mama... haha. Recipe here.

Care of the vintage invalid.

While reading The American Frugal Housewife (1828), I came across a few gems. In fact... the book is full of them!

This would have to be my favourite so far: "A good quantity of old cheese is the best thing to eat, when distressed by eating too much fruit, or oppressed with any kind of food. Physicians have given it in cases of extreme danger."

Um ok... what constitutes extreme fruit-consumption overload danger? And how often do doctors have a "good quantity" of old cheese on hand for emergency cases such as this? 

Anyone that knows me will know I have a deep aversion to fruit... and chocolate, but that's a story for another day... and a deep, abiding, life-long love of cheese.

This book obviously validates my cheese-over-fruit choices, and I'm sticking to it. Scurvy be damned!

Now I advise those with weak stomachs (or just common sense) to not read on.

Still reading, huh? Well... it's your funeral.

Bear in mind that this poor chap is already feeling ill...

"Wine whey is a cooling and safe drink in fevers. Set half a pint of sweet milk at the fire, pour in one glass of wine, and let it remain perfectly still, til it curdles. When the curds settle, strain it and let it cool. It should not get more than blood-warm. A spoonful of rennet-water hastens the operation."

What a waste of a glass of wine! So you're feeling queasy, and somebody brings you a warm, curdled milk-and-wine concoction... uh... thanks?

Real men eat quiche

What's not to love about quiche? Its creamy goldenness? Its smooth cheesiness?

The glorious semi-sweet sauteed veggies you can pack in it? The crispy, crunchy, crumbly pastry shell?

Stop whining and eat it.

And better yet, it's super-easy to make.

I adapted a quiche lorraine recipe, as I'm obviously not a fan of... bacon.

I also made my own pastry case by taking the frozen sheet out of the freezer and allowing it to thaw before placing in my fancy christmas-themed pie plate. Voila!

Ingredients

Pastry (either shell, frozen shortcrust pastry or make it yourself, ha!)

1 onion, chopped fairly small

3 eggs

300ml cream

1/2 cup milk

3/4 cup cheese

Method

1. If you're using frozen shortcrust pastry, you'll need to blind bake it. Once you've put it in your pie plate/quiche tin/whatever, you'll need to prick a few holes in it with a knife, cover it in foil and place some dried beans or baking beads on, and bake 10 minutes. Remove beans and bake 10 minutes more.

2. OR, if you're me, you'll poke a few holes in it, and throw it in the oven for fifteen minutes. If it puffs up, burst the bubbles and press them down with the back of a spoon. Moving on.

3. Cook onion in frying pan in a little oil until soft. You don't want too much colour on it, unless you're adding other veggies. If so, saute them along with the onion. Capsicum, zucchini, spinach... plenty of options.

4. Beat eggs in a bowl with whisk, add cream, milk and cheese, whisk until just combined. Pour into pastry case.

5. Bake at 180C for about 35 minutes or until filling is set and brown. Stand for five minutes before removing from tin.

Cheesy Garlic Potato Bake

I’ll fight you to the death for the last scoop.

Potato bake, otherwise known as potatoes au gratin (French for holy shit this creamy, cheesy potato dish is amazing) has long been a staple in my life. It causes fights, is jealously guarded, and significantly overindulged in on a regular basis.

It is surprisingly easy to get wrong. I know what you’re thinking… potatoes, cream, cheese. What is there to ruin? But we’ve all been there. RSL potato bakes with still-raw slices. Friends’ mother’s tasteless trays of goo (isn’t that the worst? you get all excited when you see its golden goodness, and you dig in only to find it tastes just this side of depressing). Bakes that have funny ingredients in them that shouldn’t be found within twelve light years of the holiness that is au gratin.

Allow me to help.

ooh. Nice, yah?

Ingredients
Potatoes. Lots of them. It actually depends on what size dish, but you’ll probably need four or five decent-sized ones for most rectangle casserole dishes. peel and slice thinly. Please do use the big brown or white ones, the little red ones will hold their shape too much. Still tastes good, but just isn’t the same!
3/4 cup vegetable stock
300ml cream
garlic powder
onion powder
pepper
cheese (amount depends - for this I’d probably use 1 3/4 cups)

Method
1. Preheat oven to 180 and grease your casserole dish. Place a layer of potatoes on the bottom, and sprinkle quite liberally with the garlic, pepper and onion powder. Sprinkle over a layer of cheese.

2. Repeat.

3. On the top layer, pour over the stock and then the cream before sprinkling with the seasonings, and adding cheese to the top.

4. Bake for at least an hour. You don’t want RSL potatoes do you? I would check after an hour by sticking a knife in the middle. If it slides in easily, you’re good to go.

There are honestly so many ways of making this - poaching minced garlic in milk, adding sliced onion, sprinkling the layers with nutmeg or lemon pepper - but I just wanted to give you a basis. It’s so easy, has tons of flavour, and will probably need a security guard if you’re wanting leftovers the next day.

Enjoy, Miss K x

Roasted Vegetable Lasagna

Welcome to my first kitchen fail.

Well, not ever, of course. There’s been plenty of those!

So I had the lasagna in the oven, and everything was smelling good.
The veggies had roasted perfectly, the sauce was lovely and rich, and the bechamel was thick and just right. Everything fit in the pan, and the cheese on top was just getting to that golden melty stage. Perfection!

It wasn’t until about ten minutes later that I realised all the gloriously roasted vegetables were still sitting on a tray in the griller, keeping warm, and NOT in my fabulously constructed lasagna, bubbling merrily away in the oven. Where they should be. Oops.

So with the help of a barbecue flip, a handy plate and a bemused Veggie Husband looking on and more making fun of me than helping, I peeled back the first layer, jammed the veggies in all nice and snug, layered the now-mixed saucy, cheesy, pasta layers back over, dumped some cheese on top and voila! Nobody need know.
see how pretty it looks? mmmm

Anything can be saved in my kitchen!

Ok so for the recipe. I actually tried to pay attention to this, as I never normally measure anything. All veggie strips should be about 1cm thick.

Ingredients
1 large eggplant, cut into strips
1 medium sweet potato, cut into strips
2 zucchinis, cut into strips (I only used one today)
Instant lasagna sheets
TOMATO SAUCE:
2 onions, diced,
4 cloves garlic, minced
1 small capsicum/bell pepper, diced
2 400g cans diced tomatoes
1 tablespoon tomato paste
1 tablespoon balsamic vinegar
1 teaspoon sambal oelek (you can omit this if you want, I just like mine with a kick)
1/4 cup chicken stock (mine is vegetarian)
1 teaspoon of sugar… don’t forget this! very important.
salt, pepper
1 teaspoon each of dried oregano and basil. you can also layer fresh basil in with your veggies. Yum!
BECHAMEL SAUCE:
2 tablespoons butter
2 tablespoons flour
2 cups milk
a pinch of salt and pepper
the smallest amount possible of nutmeg. you can add more but i’m a tiny bit afeared of it.
ok.

Method
1. Preheat oven to 220 C. place all veggies onto baking trays, drizzle with olive oil, salt and pepper. Bake about 30-40 minutes, turning halfway, until golden and soft.

Sauce: In a saucepan, saute onion and capsicum in 1 tablespoon olive oil for three or four minutes over medium-high heat. Add garlic and saute one minute more.
add all other sauce ingredients, bring to the boil, then cover and simmer 20 minutes.

Bechamel Sauce: Melt butter in a saucepan over medium heat. Add flour and cook, stirring for one minute, to cook all the raw taste out of the flour.
Add the milk, stirring all the time.

bring to the boil, stirring often. It should be lovely, thick and lump free after about 10 minutes.

Assembly: spray a lasagna pan and ladle some tomato sauce on the bottom. Make a layer of pasta, tomato sauce, vegetables, then bechamel. DON’T melt and forget the vegetables here, like I did.
Keep alternating, ending with bechamel and a good sprinkling of cheese.

See? Ultimate lasagna betrayal. It looked so good I had no idea roasted vegetable lasagna could be so devoid of roasted vegetables.

Bake in 200 C oven about 30-40 minutes.

omnomnom.