Asian Noodles and Teriyaki Chicken

I've really enjoyed gardening the past couple of years. Even though I have a very small space to work with, I try to make the most of it. Gardening this year, however, have proved a bit challenging. I've planted a tomato plant, herbs and a couple of pepper plants in pots on the patio. My pepper plant hasn't fared too well, since my two year old decided to try his pirating skills on it. Every pepper that might have even had a chance has been pulled off. As I was taking a picture of it, the little terror himself came and pulled the entire plant out of the pot. I realized that this was not the first time this happened as I discovered a load of buried treasure (About 5 more very immature peppers were peeking their little heads out).

I've used the planter strip in the front garden to plant lettuce and other greens, and I've battled with the neighbourhood cat using it for a litter box. The plants in the little strip next to the fence in the back have done really well though. I've especially enjoyed the pea plants and the spring onions. My boys loved eating the peas straight out of the pod, and the snow peas have done really well. It's not enough to feed my family every night, but I love being able to make a meal with home grown food.

Yesterday I used the snow peas and spring onions as inspiration for my Asian noodles and Teriyaki chicken.
I didn't measure anything, as usual, but I'll do my best to estimate.

Teriyaki Chicken

For the marinade I combine about 1 inch piece of fresh ginger grated, 1-2 Tbs Orange Marmalade (Apricot preserves works well too), 1-2 Tbs rice vinegar, about 1/4 cup soy sauce, a dash of sesame oil, and water in a food storage bag. Taste the mix, and adjust according to taste if necessary. Remove the skins from about 6-7 chicken thigh and drumstick pieces, and place in the bag. Leave in the fridge to marinate for a few hours.

While preparing the noodles, preheat the oven to 350 F, place the chicken with marinade into a baking dish, and cover with foil. Bake covered for about 20 minutes, then remove foil, turn the pieces over and continue to bake until cooked through, another 10-15 minutes.

Asian Noodles

Heat a large pot of water to boiling. Blanch about a cup or so of edamame, for a few minutes, remove from the water with a sieve or slotted spoon. Then blanch 1 julienned carrot, and about 1 small head of cauliflower florets, and then some snow peas. Rinse the blanched veggies in cold water to stop them cooking. Then cook 1 package Medium Chinese Noodles (or other Asian noodle, soba or udon would work well), according to directions. Shell the edamame.

For the dressing combine about 1/3 cup oil (I used a combination of vegetable and rapeseed oil), a few Tbs rice vinegar, grated ginger, soy sauce, honey, sesame oil, and apple juice. Just add a bit of each at a time, keep tasting it, until you have the desired taste. It should be stronger than you want it to taste, as it will be thinned out among the veggie and noodles.

When the noodles are cooked (should be aldente), drain and rinse with cold water. Combine the noodles, blanched veggies, and 3-4 Spring onions thinly sliced. Then add the dressing mixing thoroughly. Serve cold.

Smothered Burritos, Take 2

I've been asked to share my smothered burritos recipe from my week in food last week. I was looking through my older posts and discovered that I did write up a recipe for smothered burritos, but the ones I made last week were quite a bit different. The basic idea is the same: meat, rice, and beans. However, I tend to change it up every time I make it depending on what I have on hand. Unfortunately for those of you who like to know exact amounts, I don't usually measure. That's kind of the great thing about burritos though, you can put in pretty much whatever you want (within reason of course), and in the ratios that you want or have, just taste as you go.

Last week, I used my leftover rice pilaf, which already had some onion and garlic in it. I also used leftover roasted chicken, shredded or chopped into small pieces. I then cooked up some black beans. If you want a vegetarian version, just leave out the meat. For the black beans I used about 1 to 1 1/2 cups of dried black beans, soaked overnight. Drain the beans, and place in a saucepan or pot. I like to add Mexican type spices to my beans while they cook (this time I put in a couple dried chilies, about 1 tsp cumin seeds, a couple garlic cloves, and a cinnamon stick). Next time I'll leave out the cinnamon stick, I thought it was a bit too much. Cover the beans with a couple of inches of water, bring to a boil for a few minutes and lower the heat to a simmer. Simmer for a couple of hours, or until the beans are soft, then drain. Of course, if you don't have time to cook the beans, you could always use canned black beans.

In a large mixing bowl, mix together the rice, chicken, and beans. Add some of the "enchilada" sauce (which you can find the recipe for on the first burritos post), and some plain yogurt if you like (about 1/2 cup or so). Season to taste with chili powder, cumin powder salt and pepper. Add anything else you think it might need (minced onion, green onions, olives, grated cheese, fresh tomatoes). Last time I added onion and fresh tomatoes. One time I even added so chopped avocado (which was good, but didn't freeze very well). Be creative, but taste as you go, and you can't go wrong.

Monday: Roast Chicken and Veg, and Carrot and Nettle Soup

I took the boys to the park today, and finally harvested some Nettle that grows along the creek near the playground. Stinging Nettle grows everywhere in England. Although it's something you want don't want touching your bare skin, once cooked, it's apparently quite delicious and very nutritious. It loses it's stinging quality once cooked. It's similar to spinach, but with a peppery kick.

So with gloves, scissors and a bag in tow, I trimmed the tops off of several nettle plants. I discovered that the cheap disposable plastic gloves are not strong/thick enough for this job (but at least I knew I was picking the right thing). Next time I'll bring my rubber washing up gloves.

Since I had the nettle, I decided to make a soup to go along with the roast chicken I had planned for tonight. (I bought a whole chicken at Tesco for £1.59!) Even though I don't write out a weekly menu for the week, sometimes I am organized enough to plan ahead, especially when I have leftover food I need to use up. I had a ton of rice leftover from dinner last night, and knew I would have leftover chicken from tonight. So I plan on making burrito/enchiladas later this week using those two ingredients. Because I wanted some Mexican type flavours for the burritos, I decided to go that route with the roast chicken as well.

Verdict: The soup was actually really good. My two-year old ate it right up. Although a bit wary at first, Paul really enjoyed it too. My three year-old took one look at it and declared he didn't like green soup. I made him try a couple of spoonfuls, and he still declared he didn't like it. The chicken turned out great, and the oven chips were good as usual.

Carrot, Nettle and Coriander Soup

1 medium onion, chopped

2 large carrots, peeled and diced

Bunch of Nettle leaves, about 1 cup packed (handle with gloves!)

~1 Tbs dried coriander leaves (cilantro leaves)

Vegetable stock or water

salt and pepper to taste

Sweat the onion and carrot in a bit of Oil until soft. Add the nettle leaves and cook until wilted. Add the coriander, seasoning and enough stock or water to cover the vegetables. Bring to boil and simmer for about 10 minutes. Let cool, and puree the soup until smooth. Season to taste.

Roast Chicken with a spice butter rub

In a frying pan, (I used the saucepan I was going to use for the soup), dry roast about 1 Tbs Cumin seeds, 1-2 tsp Coriander seeds, and a dash of hot pepper flakes, on medium heat for a couple minutes, until you can smell the spices well. Remove from pan, and using a mortar and pestle or spice grinder, grind the mixture into a powder. Add salt and pepper to taste, and some chopped fresh Coriander/cilantro leaves. Add to some softened butter (~1-2 Tbs), along with a squeeze of lime juice), and mix.

Using your finger separate the skin from the flesh of the breast on a whole roasting chicken. place about half the butter rub under the skin of the breast, and using your hand, push the butter to the end of the breast, and evenly spread it around. Do the same with the other breast. If desired, you could make a slit in the skin of the drumsticks and rub some butter under that skin as well. Season the cavity with a salt, pepper, ground cumin and paprika rub, and place a couple small pieces of lime inside as well. Rub the outside of the chicken with oil, and season with the salt, pepper, ground cumin and paprika rub. (You could also just season with Salt and Pepper. Cover the breasts with foil. Place chicken in a roasting pan, on a rack if possible, and bake at 350*F for about an hour, removing the foil after 30 minutes. The temperature of the meat should reach 170*F. Let rest for at least 10 minutes.

I also made some oven fries and roasted carrot sticks to go along with the meal.

Baked Sea Bream and Rice Pilaf

Although this may bore most of you, I've decided to try to make a log of every dinner I make this week. Instead of just giving the recipes that I've made up or I know are really good, I'm just going to document what I cook in a week. This anybody who's interested, which is probably really just me, can see what a typical week of food in my house might entail. Granted, this is just going to be dinners.

If you're interested in what we have for breakfast and lunch, it's not really that exciting. Most mornings we have cereal (dry for the boys), or maybe toast. For lunch, we are often on the go, and I'll pack cheese sandwiches, carrot sticks, some kind of fruit, and some type of snack (crackers or the like). If you're wondering what a cheese sandwich is, it's butter/margarine spread on bread, and slices of cheese in the middle. Very exciting, I know, but the boys like it.

Yesterday, they had Sea Bream on sale at the local supermarket. I've never had it before, but it looked good, and I wanted to try something new. I decided to keep the fish whole, and just had the fishmonger gut it for me, not knowing exactly what I was going to do with it. After looking at a couple of recipes, to see what might go well with the fish, I came up with the following recipe.

The Verdict: I'm really glad I tried something new. Sea Bream is really good. (Can you even get it in the states?) It's a smaller white fleshed fish, with a firm texture and mild flavour. It is, apparently, also high in Omega-3 fatty acids. My two-year old, who was watching me plate the fish, kept asking for "more bish please," and my three year old ate everything on his plate! So, this was a good meal, and a good fish

(Please excuse the pictures. Using a six-year old point and shoot camera with poor lighting does not always make the food look as appetizing and delicious as it actually is.)

Baked Sea Bream with Roasted Garlic and Rosemary

Clean a gutted and scaled Sea Bream fish, about 2 lbs. Season the inside with salt and pepper, place a few thin slices of lemon, 3-4 bulbs of roasted garlic (skin still on), a couple of sprigs of thyme and rosemary. Rub outside of fish with olive oil, season with salt and pepper and top with more lemon slices and a couple of sprigs of thyme and rosemary. Seal in a foil pouch, and bake in a 350* F oven for 15-20 minutes, or until the eyes turn white and the flesh is firm.

Basmati Rice Pilaf

2 tsp Olive Oil

1 medium onion, chopped

1-2 garlic cloves, minced

14 ounces Basmati rice

squeeze of lemon juice

salt and pepper to taste

chopped fresh parsley (optional)

Sauté the onion and garlic in the olive oil on medium heat until soft, about 5 minutes. Add rice, and sauté for a minute or two until rice is glossy. Add 23 ounces of boiling water, season to taste, adding a squeeze of lemon juice. Cover the pot, bring to a boil, and lower the heat to a simmer. Simmer rice for about 10 minutes, until water is absorbed, then remove pan from heat, and let sit, covered for another 10-12 minutes. Fluff the rice with a fork and top with chopped fresh parsley before serving.

If you like, you can add broccoli florets to the top of the rice about 5 minutes after the rice starts it's simmer (at least half the water absorbed). Then you have steamed broccoli and rice all in one pot, but easy to separate.

Easy Cornish Pasties

Anywhere outside of the UK, British food has a reputation of being bad. Although it may not be as exciting or exotic as other countries, British food can be good. It's simple, and rather homely, but it can be good. One of our favourite things to eat here, are pasties. The boys love the vegetable pasties from Gregg's bakery, and when we visited southern England, we had some great Cornish Pasties. It's a great thing to eat on the go, and a lot of fun for the boys to eat.

Traditionally, Cornish Pasties use diced beef of some sort, and you bake it with raw root vegetables and potatoes. I have never tried this version, but have always wondered how every thing gets cooked through without the pastry crust burning. Since I don't usually have steak on hand, I used minced beef instead.

Another traditional ingredient is Swede or Rutabaga. The Swede grow really big in England, and you can find them for really cheap at times. It's flavour is stronger than other root vegetables, it tends to be slightly bitter, but mixed with the right ingredients, it can be very good. I was surprised how good it tasted in the Pasty. When raw, it's a very pale yellow, but when you cook it, it turns a bright orange. It really it amazing.
If you aren't able to find Swede, or you want a vegetarian version, you could substitute these items with other mixed veg (i.e. peas and diced carrots). That's the great thing about pasties, you can experiment using what you have on hand.

Easy Cornish Pasties

2 large potatoes, peeled and diced

1 medium swede/rutabaga, peeled and diced

4-6 oz lean minced/ground beef

1 medium onion, chopped

1/2 tsp dried thyme (or to taste)

1/8 tsp dried marjoram (or to taste)

Salt and pepper

Prepared short-crust pastry dough (see note)

Place the potatoes and swede in a pot, cover with salted water, bring to a boil, and cook until soft, about 10 minutes. Drain the swede/potato using a colander.

Meanwhile, in a skillet, brown the beef mince, remove from pan when cooked through. Add a bit of oil to the pan if needed, and saute the onion until soft. Add the potato and swede, thyme and marjoram, and season to taste. Remove from heat, let cool while you prepare the pastry dough.

Divide the pastry dough into small balls (about the size of a golf ball for smaller pasties). Roll out into a circle. Place a generous amount of the filling in the middle of the pastry. Bring up the sides to meet, and crimp the edges together. Pierce the top a few times with a sharp knife to let the steam escape when cooking. Place on a baking dish, and bake in a preheated oven at 375 *F/175*c for about 15-20 minutes, or until the crust is golden, and crispy. Let cool, and enjoy!

Note: I made some short-crust pastry (pie crust dough) a while back, separated the extra into individual balls, and put them in the freezer. Today I pulled them out in the morning, and thawed them in the fridge, and viola, short-crust pastry ready to go, and it was still delicious.

Home Made Vegetable Stock (among other things)

When I was at school and then working, most of my meals were ones that I could prepare quickly. Now that I am a SAHM, I have more time throughout the day, but that time is usually rationed to small amounts at a time. So, my meal preparations have changed quite a bit. Instead of finding meals I can prepare quickly, I tend to cook meals that I can prep ahead of time, little bits at time. Today was a good example of how I tend to spend my afternoon, and what I do for dinner.

12 noon, put my boy down for a nap, eat lunch and find a recipe online.

1:00 pm, little one wakes up earlier than I expected. He is a bit groggy and wants to watch t.v. I take advantage of this opportunity to get started on dinner by peeling and cutting celeriac and potatoes for a mash. I am nearly finished when little one comes in needing me. Put the celeriac and potato pieces in a pot, cover with water and leave for later.

2:00, after playing with little one for a while, I find some more time to sneak away and get more done on dinner. Slice the leeks for my main, cut off broccoli florets to steam later, and decide to make a vegetable broth using the ends of the leeks and broccoli stems among other things.

3:30, after getting my older boy from school, I get them interested in colouring in the kitchen while I prepare the rest of the meal. I decide to not only skin my chicken thighs, but actually bone them too, which I actually found quite easy to do with a pair of kitchen shears. So I put the bones into my vegetable stock, and suddenly it becomes a chicken stock. My boys have lost interest in colouring at this point, and want to watch t.v. I decide not to argue, and am able to finish boning the chicken, and get it in the pan to cook. By this time, my little one comes in needing my attention and wants to help me cook. So I let him have a butter knife to help cut up the pears for the main, when he's finished he gets distracted with something else, and I am able to finish up dinner.

5:00, dinner is served. Since the only table we have is a small one for the boys, my hubby and I end up eating on the floor, and both boys usually end up wanting to eat their Dad's food, because his plate is more interesting than their own. I usually end up sneaking their food onto Dad's plate, and they end up eating it that way.

Recipes

Vegetable/Chicken Stock

Making a vegetable stock couldn't be easier, it just may take a bit of planning. I like to use up the bits of vegetables that I don't normally use in my regular cooking. Therefore, my stock is never exactly the same. I tend to use the stalks from broccoli and cauliflower, sometimes the stems from mushrooms I may have just used, the tough ends of leeks, old celery or the tough outer stalks. I'll then supplement those veg with some staples: one or two onions peeled and quartered, one or two carrots cut into chunks, and a few cloves of garlic (no need to peel), and a couple of dried Shitake mushrooms (this really adds a depth to the broth). Then I'll add some herbs (bay leaf, rosemary, thyme, parsley, peppercorns, etc). Cover the veg with water, bring to a boil and simmer for a couple of hours. To make is a chicken stalk, just add a chicken carcass or some chicken bones (like from boning chicken thighs).

Let the broth cool, strain the liquid and place in the fridge overnight. Skim any fat that has risen to the top (not necessary if making just a veg stock). To store, I like to pour the stock into ice-cube trays and freeze them, then place the cubes in a freezer bag/container for later use.

Celeriac and Potato Mash

Peel and cut equal amounts of potato and celeriac, place in saucepan, cover with water and add salt. Boil the potatoes/celeriac until soft enough to mash. Add chopped roasted garlic if desired (I had some leftover from roasted veg the night before). Then add a bit of butter, milk or cream, or a combination of the three as desired, and mash. Season to taste.

Chicken Thighs with Pear and Leek Sauce

I found the recipe for the main on the Eating Well website. I had 6 chicken thighs, so I doubled the recipe for the sauce. Instead of using all olive oil, I rendered the fat from some of the pieces of chicken fat I had cut off of the thighs. It gave it a really rich buttery flavour. I also used gooseberry jam instead of the currant jelly, I only used about 3 teaspoons, and it was already pretty sweet. I'd say you definitely don't need as much jelly as the recipe calls for. I used my homemade stock, and it was yummy!

INGREDIENTS

• 1 large leek, white and light green parts only, thinly sliced
• 4 teaspoons extra-virgin olive oil, divided
• 4 large boneless, skinless chicken thighs, (about 1 1/2 pounds), trimmed (see Tip)
• 3/4 teaspoon salt, divided
• 1/2 teaspoon freshly ground pepper, divided
• 1 large firm ripe pear, peeled and diced
• 3/4 cup reduced-sodium chicken broth, divided
• 2 teaspoons cornstarch
• 2 tablespoons currant jelly
• 1/4 cup chopped walnuts, toasted (see Tip)

PREPARATION

1. Place sliced leek in a colander; rinse and drain well.
2. Heat 2 teaspoons oil in a large nonstick skillet over medium-high heat. Season chicken with 1/4 teaspoon salt and 1/4 teaspoon pepper and cook until golden brown and no longer pink in the center, 4 to 5 minutes per side. Transfer to a plate and tent with foil to keep warm.
3. Reduce heat to medium and add the remaining 2 teaspoons oil to the pan. Add the leek and cook, stirring, until beginning to brown and soften, about 2 minutes. Add pear and 1/4 cup broth; simmer until the pear is soft and the broth is evaporated, about 2 minutes.
4. Meanwhile, whisk the remaining 1/2 cup broth and cornstarch in a small bowl. Add currant jelly to the pan and cook, stirring, until melted. Stir in the cornstarch mixture, the remaining 1/2 teaspoon salt and 1/4 teaspoon pepper. Bring to a boil, stirring, and cook until thickened, about 1 minute. Return the chicken and any accumulated juices to the pan and turn to coat with sauce. Serve sprinkled with walnuts.

Smothered Burritos

I do like trying new recipes and when I do, I usually follow the measurements. However, most of the dishes I make are ones that I have made up, or have tweaked from recipes that I have made a lot. Therefore, I don’t really measure things out. Most of my cooking is done by eye and palate. I usually add a little bit of this and that. I guess that’s why I haven’t posted many of my own recipes; I just don’t have time to figure out specific measurements. So, I’ve made a decision to post them anyway, and do my best to put measurements to them. Just keep in mind that most of these recipes are not exact, and feel free to change the amounts of just about anything according to what you have on hand, and your own palate.

Baked beans are practically a staple in the English household. They are basically white beans in a slightly sweet tomato sauce. When looking for the tinned beans in the supermarket, you’ll find half an aisle full of baked beans, and one small section devoted to all the other types of beans. You’ll see baked beans with an English breakfast, beans on toast, beans over a baked potato (jacket potatoes), among other things. I have tried to branch out a bit, and Smothered Burritos is just one of several uses I have found for these culinary gems. If you can’t find baked beans, you could use pork and beans, or any other tinned beans plus extra tomato sauce.

Smothered Burritos is a recipe that I have made quite a lot, and my boys love it! They are similar to Enchiladas, but the sauce I use is a simple tomato sauce and not a proper red chilli sauce. I usually make extra burritos and freeze them; which make a great quick lunch and easy to send to work with my hubby. Just pop them in the microwave for a few minutes, and you’ve got a healthy filling lunch. It’s also a great use for leftover rice.

Smothered Burritos

Filling

~1/2 pound lean beef mince/ground beef

1 onion, chopped

1 green bell pepper, chopped

2-3 cloves garlic, minced

1 400g/14 oz tin kidney beans, drained and rinsed

1 400 g tin baked beans

2 tsp ground cumin

1 tsp ground coriander

½ tsp dried oregano

Chili powder to taste

Salt and Pepper to taste

~1 to 1 ½ cups cooked rice

1/3 cup natural/plain yogurt

Tomato sauce

1 Tbs oil

2-3 garlic cloves, minced

1 chili pepper, minced (deseeded for less heat)

1 400g/16 oz can diced tomatoes

500 g sieved tomatoes/tomato sauce

1 handful chopped fresh coriander leaves/cilantro (or 1-2 tsp dried cilantro)

Tortillas

Grated cheddar cheese

1. Preheat oven to 350 F/180 C. In a large frying pan, brown the beef, remove from the pan. Add a little oil if necessary, and sauté the onions and bell pepper until soft. Add garlic and sauté for another minute. Add the beans, cumin, coriander, oregano and chili powder, and cook on medium, stirring occasionally until warmed through (about 5 minutes).

2. For the sauce, heat the oil in a small saucepan on medium heat. Sauté the garlic and chili for about 1 minute. Add the tomatoes , tomato sauce, and coriander/cilantro. Continue to cook until heat through. Season to taste.

3. In a large bowl (or in the frying pan if you have room), combine the meat mixture with the rice and yogurt. Add a bit of the red sauce for extra moisture.

4. Warm the tortillas to prevent them cracking when folding. Fill the tortillas and wrap them up. Place in a greased baking dish. Smother the burritos with the red sauce, and cover with grated cheese. Bake for about 20 minutes, or until the sauce is bubbling and the cheese is melted.

Simple Friday Night Meal

I try to give my kids a variety of foods, lots of vegetables and different flavours. I don't want them to grow up being picky eaters. But, they're still kids, and sometimes don't want to try a new curry, or a different looking stew. They can sometimes be a bit picky, and still enjoy the kid friendly fare. One of my boys' favourite things to eat is chicken nuggets (with BBQ sauce). I on the other hand am not a fan of the store bought pre-processed chicken nuggets. Who knows exactly what they contain? Most have added salt, and other unhealthy preservatives. I like making my own chicken nuggets. It is so easy and so quick, and I know exactly what's in them. My boys love them too! When I make the chicken nuggets, I also make some sort of vegetable side dish to accompany it.

Chicken nuggets

1-2 Boneless Skinless Chicken Breasts

~1/2 cup plain/natural yogurt

salt and pepper to taste

Other herbs and seasonings of choice to taste: i.e. paprika, minced garlic, dried herbs with

dried or fresh bread crumbs seasoned with salt & pepper.

1. Preheat oven to 375 degrees F/170 C. Place the chicken breasts between two pieces of plastic wrap or wax paper. Pound the breasts flat to about 1/2 inch thickness (you could use a rolling pin, the flat side of a meat tenderizer, a rubber mallet, or the bottom of a glass). Cut the chicken into pieces of desired size, about 2 inches, and set aside.

2. In a bowl or bag, mix together the yogurt salt, pepper, and other seasonings of choice. Place the chicken pieces in the bag and marinate for at least one hour if possible.

3. Place the breadcrumbs in a shallow dish, cover each piece of chicken in the bread crumbs, and place on a greased baking sheet (or covered with baking paper). Place in oven and bake for 7-10 minutes, or until chicken is cooked through.

Minted Carrots: slice a couple of peeled carrots, place in saucepan, cover with water, cook with some chopped fresh mint until water evaporates and carrots are soft. Add salt and pepper, and honey to taste. You could also add a little knob of butter if desired.

Breakfast Burritos

Despite the name, I usually make these for dinner. Eggs are a good inexpensive protein, and this dish is not only delicious, but really easy to make. I like to roast my own bell pepper, but you could use one from a jar if you want.

2-3 Tbs vegetable oil

1 onion, chopped

1 large potato, petite diced

3 roasted red or yellow bell peppers, chopped

1/2 head savoy cabbage, finely chopped (see note)

1/2 tsp cumin (or to taste)

1/2 tsp chili powder (or to taste)

5-6 large eggs

salt and pepper to taste

tortillas

grated cheddar cheese

yogurt or sour cream

salsa

In a large frying pan, sauté the onions in the oil for about 5 minutes, or until soft. Add the potatoes and continue to sauté for another 5 minutes. Add the cabbage and bell pepper, cumin and chili powder and sauté until potatoes and cabbage are soft. Remove potato mixture from pan.

Add a little more oil to the pan, and add the eggs to scramble them (I add eggs straight to the pan and scramble in the pan. You could whisk the eggs together in a separate bowl before cooking if desired).

Heat tortillas, add desired amounts of potato mixture and eggs, and any other condiments of choice.

Note: Savoy Cabbage is a variety of cabbage in the UK. The leave are more tender than regular white cabbage (sort of a mix between nappa and white cabbage). Regular white cabbage would probably work, but might not be as tender as the savoy cabbage. You could also try spinach or kale.

Twice Baked Potatoes

This is a simple dish, and a good way to use canned tuna.

4 Large baking potatoes

1 can tuna, drained

1 large celery stalk, finely chopped

1 onion, minced

1 Tbs capers, rinsed and chopped (optional)

1 tsp dried thyme

1/4 cup grated cheddar cheese

1/4 cup grated Italian/Parmesan cheese

1/4 cup natural/plain yogurt

salt and pepper to taste

Preheat oven to 350 F/180 C. Wrap potatoes in foil, and bake for 30-45 minutes, or until potatoes are soft. Let cool, and then cut a slit across the top, leaving about 3/4" at each end. Push the ends together to open the potato.

Using a tablespoon, scoop out the flesh of the potato and place in a large bowl. Leave some flesh in the potato to help keep its shape. Repeat with all potatoes.

Mash the potato in the bowl and combine the rest of the ingredients and mix well. Season to taste. Stuff each potato with the filling, and sprinkle more grate cheese on top. Place in a baking dish, and bake for about 30 minutes, or until cheese on top is bubbly and brown.

Mini meatloaves

In trying to use up some mince beef, I decided to try some mini meatloaves (similar to a recipe I tried a long time ago). But I needed to bulk it out and wanted to find some other uses for our cans of baked beans we have in our food storage. I didn't really measure things out, but I'll guesstimate. They turned out pretty good, and Noah loved them. He doesn't usually like baked beans, but he ate these!


8 ice cubes vegetable stock (~1 cup)
~ 1/2 cups Bulgar wheat
1 tin baked beans (sauce drained off)
1-2 Tbs mustard (I used Dijon) or to taste
1-2 tsp Worcestershire sauce or to taste
salt and pepper to taste
1 egg
~1/2 pound beef mince

Preheat oven to 180 Celsius/350 F. Placed vegetable stock in a small saucepan and bring to the boil. Remove from heat, and add Bulgar wheat. Cover with lid, and let stand about 30 minutes or until the wheat has absorbed all the water, and the Bulgar wheat is soft. If there is excess water, place in sieve and squeeze water out. Place soaked Bulgar, drained baked beans, mustard, Worcestershire sauce, salt and pepper in a medium bowl, and mix together. Taste mixture to test for desired flavour, then add the egg and beef mince. Mix together using your hands (This ensures it will mix evenly).

Shape mix into mini meatloaves on baking sheet (lined with baking paper or foil if desired). Cooking times will be different depending on the size of your meatloaves, but they should be firm and cooked all the way through.

We served ours with Thai sweet chili sauce on the side. You could glaze the top with chili sauce before baking as well.