Healthy Vegetarian Burgers

Hey everyone!

As a trusty McDonalds employee, I like to think I know a thing or two about burgers. These burgers however are nothing like a big mac, quarter pounder or a grand angus. They are FAR healthier and FAR tastier, and even better-they contain no animal products whatsoever (I’m not a vegetarian myself but I do like healthy recipes). I’m not claiming that these taste anything like meat, but I can assure you that they taste pretty damn good, and that you can feel good knowing that you are putting such healthy food into your body. Lets get into it.

Makes 8 patties

Ingredients:

• 1/4 cup brown rice
• 1/2 brown onion, chopped finely
• 1 clove garlic
• 1 cup grated zucchini
• 1 cup grated carrot
• Oil to prevent sticking
• 1 tablespoon salty soy sauce
• 2 tablespoons tomato sauce
• 1 and 1/2 teaspoons paprika
• 1 and 1/2 teaspoons oregano
• Cracked pepper to taste
• 1 and 1/2 cups of tinned 4 bean mix, strained
• 1 cup breadcrumbs
• Burger salad ingredients
• Burger bun

Method:

1. Bring a saucepan of water to the boil and cook the brown rice for 20-25 minutes until it is slightly under-cooked (We under-cook the rice to give more texture to the patties.
2. Put a dash of oil into a large  fry-pan and fry onion with the carrot and zucchini until soft.
3. Remove from the heat and toss in the soy sauce and tomato sauce.
4. Transfer the vegetable mix to a food processor and add beans, paprika, oregano, pepper, breadcrumbs and 1/2 cup of cooked brown rice.
5. Pulse until a coarse mixture is formed, scrape sides with a baking spatula to combine in between pulses.
6. Roll into balls and flatten them into 3 cm thick patties
7. Fry the patties in a minimal amount of oil to prevent them from sticking to the pan. About 4 minutes each side on a medium-high heat.
8. Serve in a bun of your choice with salad, I prefer multi-grain buns.

There you have it, my healthy vegetarian burger patties! I hope you enjoy this one. Comment any feedback or questions and feel free to leave a like! I plan on posting twice weekly- 1 healthy recipe and 1 cheat meal recipe. 😀

I am not promoting any of the above products and all of these recipes are my own unless stated otherwise.

Cheat Meal Of The Week-Spiced Pear And Apple Pie With Homemade Pastry

Hey guys!

I have decided to put a healthy spin on this blog, because that is exactly what I’m attempting to do to my lifestyle! However we have all had those fad diets that we have tried and given up after a week (GUILTY). Diets will work, but it can be tricky to remain happy while making healthy food choices. A cheat meal or cheat day is the best way to get past this, so I’m going to start a weekly segment for less healthy, homely and most importantly, super tasty meals that you can prepare to treat yourself.

This pear and apple pie is packed full of flavor coming from the lashings of spices involved, and the pastry is some of the best I have ever made (not my own pastry recipe, not quite daring enough for that yet). Here it is!

Pastry recipe is here made by POPSUGAR

Pastry Notes:

1. I cant stress enough how important it is that the pastry remains cold while making it. When rolling the pastry out it can get a little warmer.
2. I added 2 tablespoons of sugar to the pastry in the first step
3. I made the pastry using the food processor method.
4. Just put the pastry in the freezer while you make your filling, if that only takes 30 minutes that’s completely fine.
5. When rolling out the pastry firmly smack it into a circle with a rolling pin before rolling, this makes it easier to roll with less cracks because when you take it out of the freezer it is quite firm.
6. Don’t stress if the edges of the pastry crack when you are rolling, just push the cracks back together and keep rolling.
7. The 8 Ounces of butter is converted to 225g of butter.

Ingredients (Filling):

• 800g peeled, cored and chopped pears and apples (about 9 fruits before peeled and cored)
• 10 mint leaves chopped super fine
• 1 teaspoon cinnamon
• 1/2 teaspoon nutmeg
• 2 tablespoons brown sugar
• Juice of 1 large lemon
• 1 tablespoon milk (for glazing)

Method:

1. Make pastry according to POPSUGAR instructions and place this in the freezer until the filling had been made.
2. Peel and core the apples and pears before chopping them into 2cm cubes.The ratio of apples to pears doesn’t matter too much.
3. Put the mint, sugar, spices and lemon juice in with the chopped fruit and toss it together (being careful not to spill the lemon juice like I did!).
4. Remove pastry from the freezer. On a lightly floured surface using a lightly floured rolling pin, smack the one ball of the pastry into a circle before rolling it to the desired thickness. Roll the pastry onto the rolling pin and place into the pie dish. Preheat the oven to 180ºC fan forced.Push the pastry so it fits snugly into the dish. (Some mint found its way into my pastry).
5. Place the spiced fruit into the the prepared pastry dish.
6. Roll out the second similarly to the first and place on top of the pie.
7. Crimp the edges using your finger or a fork (I used my finger) and trim off the excess pastry.
8. Glaze the top with the milk using a soft pastry brush and place in the oven for 1 hour.
9. Take it out of the oven and serve by itself or with cream or ice cream.

Thanks for reading, I hope you guys enjoy this one! Feel free to leave any questions or feedback in the comments! 🙂

See ya in the next one!

I am not promoting any of the above products and all of these recipes are my own unless stated otherwise.

Healthy Spiced Carrot Dip

We all know it has been far too long without a blog post from me,  being a 16 year old kid tends to get in the way! But that’s enough excuses!

Thank you Miss Hannah Jayne for inspiring me to write again. Its coming into summer now (In Australia), and that means Christmas time, this recipe is perfect for entertaining on the holiday period. And even better. Its super healthy! Here it is.

Ingredients:

• 3 Medium carrots
• 3 Medium cloves of garlic
• 1/4 teaspoon truffle oil (olive oil is an alternative)
• 1/4 teaspoon cumin
• 3 sprigs of thyme
• 1/4 teaspoon salt (or to taste)

Method:

1. Preheat oven to 200°C
2. Peel and end carrots before cutting into 1 inch thick rounds, place the chopped carrots into an oven dish with a lid.
3. Peel and crush the garlic cloves, add them to the oven dish with the truffle oil, cumin and thyme. Put the lid on the dish and toss the mixture thoroughly.
4. Place the dish in the oven for 50 minutes or until tender. Remove from oven.
5. Using tongs, remove the 3 cloves of garlic and the 3 sprigs of thyme. (Thyme leaves are okay to leave in but not the stalks).
6. Put the cooked carrot into a flat bottomed bowl.
7. Blitz with a stick mixture until a coarse paste is formed, with a spoon mix in the salt. (Yes, at this point it looks like baby food)
8. Serve with some water crackers or Turkish bread.

 

I hope you guys love this one just as much as me, its delectably creamy and gets it natural sweetness from the carrots, furthermore it’s SUPER HEALTHY!

If you have any questions or feedback I’d love to hear what you have to say just write to me in the comments and feel free to leave a like 😀

I am not promoting any of the above products and all of these recipes are my own.

 

 

 

Apple Pie

Hello again

This week I’m bringing you a recipe that I think is perfect for winter. Its warm and hearty, has some cinnamon spice and a crispy top. I cheated a little bit using shop bought pastry, but my puff pastry never turns out anyway, that’s right, puff pastry. You don’t usually use puff pastry for apple pies because it tends to go soggy but I prefer the flaky texture to a crumbly one on top.

Ingredients:

6 medium granny smith apples

1 teaspoon of cinnamon

1 tablespoon of brown sugar

1 sheet of shortcrust pastry

1 sheet of puff pastry

1 egg

Method:

Preheat oven to 180 degrees

1) Peel and cut the apples into 1 cm thick slices, set aside in a bowl.

2) Into the apple mixture add the cinnamon and the sugar and mix until the apple is coated completely.

3) Put the pastry into a pie dish and put the apple on top.

4) Close the pie with the puff pastry and crimp the edges with a fork to join the 2 pastries.

5) Whisk the egg in a small bowl then use a pastry brush to coat the top with a thin layer of the egg. (This gives the pie top some gloss).

6) Bake in the oven for 40 minutes. (Use the bottom shelf of the oven to allow the bottom pastry of the pie to cook without burning the top).

7) Serve, cream or ice cream makes a good accompaniment.

I hope you enjoy this one, its a fairly simple recipe which is why I enjoy cooking it, sometimes you just need a break from difficult, complex dishes. Thank you for your support and for leaving a like, feel free to comment any questions or suggestions.

All of these recipes are my own, I am not promoting any products in this recipe.

Super Creamy Spicy Easy Pumpkin Soup

Hello again!

It’s getting very cold now that winter is progressing so I thought I’d bring you this one! This recipe is a no brainer and cannot go wrong, it can be a little spicy due to the curry powder but once milk and cream is added it really takes off the edge. A hearty, creamy and relatively healthy Pumpkin soup requires hardly any attention with this easy recipe.

Ingredients:

1/2 a butternut pumpkin

2 large potatos

1 large brown onion

3 teaspoons of olive oil

2 teaspoons of curry powder

500mL of reduced salt chicken stock

1 1/2 teaspoons of salt

100mL of milk

light sour cream to serve

Method:

1. Peel the pumpkin and the potatoes, then chop them roughly into 3cm cubes.
2. Finely dice the onion and set aside in a separate bowl.
3. In a large saucepan heat the oil and fry the onion until it is transparent, add the curry powder and fry for 2 minutes. (during this stage feel free to deglaze the pan with some water because curry powder really sticks)

   4. Add the potato and pumpkin and fry for a further 3 minutes before adding the stock and salt. Bring to the boil then simmer while covered for 30-40 minutes

 

Before simmering

After simmering

5. Whiz with a stick mixer untill smooth, stir through the milk. Serve with sour cream. Serves 4-5I hope you enjoyed this recipe, I find it so easy because there is very little preparation and it takes less than an hour to cook! Thank you everyone for your support, thanks for leaving a like and feel free to comment any questions or suggestions!

Rustic, Vibrant Roast Beetroot Dip

Hello again!

I come bearing new recipes. On Saturday I went to the farmers market and came across these lovely purple beetroots and immediately knew what to do with them. Today’s recipe is a beetroot dip that packs a punch. This recipe didn’t take too long to cook, most of the time goes into roasting the beetroots in the oven! So here goes.

Ingredients:

3 beetroots

2 tablespoons of olive oil

2 cloves of garlic

4-5 sprigs of thyme

1/4 teaspoon of ground cumin

200mL Greek yoghurt (10 tablespoons)

4 pinches of salt

1 teaspoon of lemon juice

Method:

1. Preheat the oven to 180 degrees.
2. Wash then chop the ends off the beetroot and place them in a small roasting dish, spoon the oil over the top of them.
3. Finely slice 1 of the cloves of garlic and sprinkle over the beetroot, then place the sprigs of thyme over the beetroot in the roasting dish.
4. Place the tray in the oven for 1 hour
5. Take the beetroot out of the oven, they should still be fairly firm. Peel the beetroot then chop them as finely as possible (remember this is a rustic dip so you don’t want to pure`e them, but you don’t want chunks of beetroot either), feel free to use a food processor for this part. Place it in a bowl.
6. Finely chop the second clove of garlic and add it to the beetroot bowl with the cumin, Greek yoghurt, salt and lemon juice. Stir well.
7. Serve. This will go nicely with water crackers or crispbread

This has a very vibrant purple color so it is best served with a complimentary colored garnish which in this case is green.

Enjoy this one guys! It is great for a party or a snack, the possibilities are endless!

Thank you for all your support, thanks for leaving a like and feel free to comment any questions or suggestions! See you in the next one.

Basic Indian Curry

Hello everyone!

This is the first time I have tried to create my own recipe, I also don’t have much experience with curries so I had to do some research. For me it is a very daunting task to create a recipe for people who I don’t personally know, and I understand that if someone were to cook a dish for their family it has to be perfect! After hours of slaving away in the kitchen, tweaking spices and familiarizing myself with Indian Ingredients, I came up with this one! I hope you guys enjoy it just as much as I did.

Today I will attempt to take you on a journey through India, with a basic Indian curry that packs a punch! My aim for this curry is to create a delicious recipe that anyone can enjoy (even those non-curry lovers), and has room for tweaking to your own personal tastes.

Ingredients:

2 brown onions

1 clove of garlic

1 1/2 teaspoons of tumeric

1 1/2 teaspoons of ground cumin

1 teaspoon of ground coriander

1 teaspoon of smokey paprika

1/4 teaspoon of garam marsala

1 cardamom pod

3 teaspoons of curry powder

1 teaspoon of mustard seeds

4 tablespoons of oil

3/4 cup of beer ( pilsener or lager)

1 cup of tinned chopped tomatoes

1 cup of water

3 large chicken breasts

salt to taste (approximately 1 teaspoon)

1/2 cup coconut milk

1 quill of cinnamon

Method:

1. Slice the onions into semi-circles, finely chop the garlic and set aside.
2. In a bowl combine the tumeric, ground cumin, ground coriander, paprika, garam marsala, cardamom pod (gently crush this under a knife to release the flavor before you add to the bowl) and curry powder and set aside.
3. Heat 1/2 (2 tablespoons) of the oil in a large saucepan for 20 seconds, over a medium heat fry the prepared spice mix for 3 minutes. Be careful this does not burn because it will result in a bitter taste in the final product.
4. Add the onion and garlic to the spices and sweat them down until they are soft and translucent over a low heat.
5. Increase the heat for a short period (about 15 seconds) before deglazing the pan with the beer. cook off the alcohol for 1-2 minutes. (Instead of beer you could use water or chicken stock).
6. Once the beer has been simmering for 1-2 minutes stir in the tinned chopped tomatoes and one cup of water. Simmer this for 10 minutes uncovered.
7. While the gravy is simmering, slice the chicken breast into 1cm thick pieces. (Size doesn’t really matter it is up to you what size pieces you like).
8. Once the gravy has been simmering for 10 minutes remove it from the heat. Use a stick-mixer or blender to blitz up the gravy to a somewhat smooth paste, add salt to taste (I used about 1 teaspoon) and stir in the coconut milk.
9. Lightly brown the sliced chicken in a deep sided frypan with the remaining oil.
10. Add the gravy to the frypan with the chicken and simmer for a further 10 minutes uncovered. (Now would be the time to start your rice if you planned on eating it with the curry)
11. Serve on its own or with some rice, naan breads or poppadums.

Serves 4-5

Thank you so much for your support, thanks for leaving a like and if you have any questions ask away in the comments! Any feedback on my first recipe would be greatly appreciated, see you in the next one!

About Me!

Hello everyone!

My name is Matthew Oxford, I’m 16 years old and I live in Australia. I enjoy cooking, gardening and writing.

I thought that I might be able to combine my hobbies in this blog, my aim is to create mouthwatering recipes to share with the world and let everyone know where to find the best food in town!

I have had little experience with blogging and am hoping to grow as a writer and a cook by presenting you with this blog.

I hope to post at least once weekly (lets see hoe that goes) and thank you for taking the time to read my blog!