Chicken & Spinach Lasagne

I've never made chicken lasagne, or eaten it which is quite surprising; so I thought I would make one for dinner. I didn't follow a recipe, I just put in what I thought might taste nice. I didn't have lasagne sheets so I just layered a spiral one. I wasn't planning on putting evaporated milk in the chicken mixture but I'm so glad that I did, so creamy and delish!

Chicken Lasagne
Serves 6


400g pasta (or normally I would use 10 lasagne sheets)
2 medium chicken breasts, diced (I poached mine)
1 tsp olive oil
2 cloves garlic
400g tin chopped tomatoes
1 large onion, finely diced
10 button mushrooms, diced
1/2 C light evaporated milk
2 C fresh spinach leaves
Cheese sauce:
1 tbsp margarine or butter
1 tbsp flour
1 C milk
1/2 tsp mustard
salt & pepper
1/2 C cheese


Preheat the oven to 180 degrees Celsius on fan bake. Heat a medium frypan with the oil and sweat down the onions with the garlic half way then add the mushrooms and cook.


Then to the frypan add the chopped tomatoes, cooked chicken and evaporated milk and simmer for a few minutes. Season to taste.


To make the cheese sauce, melt the butter in a small saucepan then add the flour to make a roux. Slowly stir in small portions of the milk with a whisk to remove any lumps and to get a thick sauce, add the mustard and season. Then remove off the heat and add 1/4 C of the cheese which will melt into the sauce.


In a medium/ large oven dish spread half of the chicken mixture in the dish then cover with the half of the fresh spinach and top with a layer of pasta sheets, then repeat until all of the chicken mixture is used. Top with the cheese sauce and sprinkle with the remaining cheese. Cover with tin foil and bake for 40 minutes or until the pasta sheets have cooked. Remove the tin foil and brown the top for about 10 minutes.

Potato Topped Meatloaf & BBQ Glaze

Mmmmmmmmmmm. These are delicious. The meatloaf is moist and flavoursome, the bbq glaze adds a nice flavour combination with  the beef mince and also means you don't need any extra sauces to dip it in because it's just so nice the way it is! Sorry for the poor photo, I only took like two and I was rushing because I wanted to eat it! I don't know where I got this recipe from, I just kind of chucked anything I wanted in it.


I ♥ Potato Ricers. They. Are. Amazing.

Potato Topped Meatloaf & BBQ Glaze
Makes 6 texas muffin tin size meatloafs or meatloaves?? haha


Meatloaf:
500g premium mince
1 large onion, finely diced
1 clove of garlic, crushed
1 tbsp parsley, chopped
1 tsp wholegrain mustard
1 tbsp sweet chilli sauce (I put a bit more in because I love it haha)
1 egg
1/4 - 1/2 C breadcrumbs (just to bind)
1/2 tsp beef stock powder
salt & pepper


BBQ Glaze:
3 tbsp BBQ sauce (I used a smokey one and it was delish!)
1 tsp brown sugar
1/2 tsp garlic powder
3/4 tsp mustard


Mix together in a small bowl.


Mashed Potato:
3 large potatoes, boiled
1 tsp margarine
A few splashes of milk to get quite a smooth consistency
Salt & Pepper to taste.


Mash with a potato ricer to get an amazing lump free mash.


Instructions:
Preheat the oven to 180 degrees celsius, fan bake.


Line a 6 hole texas muffin tin with baking paper which has been cut into small squares to fit each hole.


In a large bowl, mix all of the meatloaf ingredients together so it combines well, if not add a bit more breadcrumbs. Divide the mixture evenly and press firmly in to the muffin tin. Bake for about 15 minutes.


After 15 minutes, slightly cut one open to see if is nearly cooked. If so, brush the glaze over each meatloaf and use up all of the sauce then put back into the oven for another 10 minutes.


After 10 minutes, take out the meatloafs and pipe on the mashed potato and put back in the oven to grill. ( I didn't grill mine much because I couldn't be bothered but it would be very nice!)


Done. Serve with some steamed veges and you're sorted :)
Oh, and btw. I will ProPoint it soon! I just wasn't in the mood to do it today, oops.

Lemon Chicken Skewers with Yoghurt Sauce

This recipe is from the new Annabel Langbein cookbook Free Range in the City. I love her! She is my favourtie celebrity cook and when i saw her at the Taste of Auckland just wandering around a couple of weeks ago i was pretty much star struck. Buy her book from her website or a shop... thought i might just throw a link to her website in there haha. This recipe is all hers with no adjustments and is so delicious. The flavours arn't over powering with the suttle hint of rosemary in the chicken is great for a light meal. This recipe is one from her new book so if you like this you should definately buy it!

Lemon Chicken Skewers with Yoghurt Sauce

Serves 6

1 cup greek yoghurt

3 single skinless

chicken breasts

juice of 1 lemon

1 tbsp olive oil

2 tsp rosemary leaves

salt and ground black pepper

½ cup mayonnaise

finely grated zest

and juice of 2 limes

1 tbsp fish sauce

1 tsp sugar

1 clove garlic, crushed

2 tsp grated fresh ginger

1 tsp turmeric

¼ cup chopped fresh

coriander leaves

about 1 tsp very finely

chopped red chilli, to taste

To make Spiked Yoghurt Sauce, stir together greek yoghurt,

mayonnaise, lime zest and juice, fish sauce, sugar, garlic, ginger,

turmeric, coriander leaves and red chilli, to taste. Refrigerate

until ready to use.

Cut chicken breasts on the diagonal into finger-thick slices. Place

in a bowl with the lemon juice, olive oil, rosemary leaves and salt

and pepper and toss to coat. Thread onto about 12 skewers.

Grill or barbecue chicken over medium heat for 5 minutes each

side or until cooked through. Serve with Spiked Yoghurt Sauce.

Any remaining Spiked Yoghurt Sauce will keep in the fridge for

several days for later use with seafood, pork or vegetables.

Tips:

• Don't over cook the chicken, it will dry out.
• Soak your skewers in water first so they don't burn.
• Salt the chicken to taste (i love salt so i thought it definately needed a bit)
• Enjoy!

SO. Yea...

Well, i haven't been posting as uni has been hectic and i haven't really been cooking much. I've decided to have a gap year from my health science bachelor next year and do a online photography diploma and a culinary course. I just don't get my camera, like seriously; looking through food blogs and seeing their amazing shots makes me grumpy haha. I know, i have just started so it will take a bit of practice to get the kind of photos that i want but i will get there! So watch this space. I LOVE cooking, that's pretty much all i think about. Once my exams are over I'm really going to start creating well thought-out recipes that are easy, delicious and good for you. I am a confident cook which doesn't really reflect on my past posts as they are always just rushed meals i get ready for dinner on a busy day but because i wanted to do posts on this blog i just went with what i had.

I am young, and have lots of learning to do and practice to achieve my goals, but i am determined. I want to be a food editor/recipe tester/food stylist/food photographer SO BAD! So in 10 days from now when my exams are over i am going to practice, do a bit more practice i think and maybe PRACTICE freakin heaps.

My future recipes i want to make include:

1) Eye fillet steak and a sweet potato rosti with wilted spinach
2) Chocolate nougat
3) Oven baked spring rolls
4) Spinach, feta and pine nut filo roll
5) Salted caramel cupcakes
6) Lebanese kebabs with garlic yoghurt, cous cous and greek salad
7) Roasted capsicum and Parmesan pasta
8) Chocolate macrons (and win.)
9) Pizza dough using semolina for a traditional margarita pizza
10) And some sort of individual tart with my tart tins that i bought and are still in the bag haha

That's enough for now, i'm so flippen hungry now. Oh, and of course i will make these dishes as healthy as possible! (Maybe except for the cupcakes, you gotta live a little haha)

So keep an eye out! See you soon :)

Dulce de Leche

A post! Woohoo. I spent flippen ages searching through food gawker looking at the different techniques of how to make dulce de leche, a couple of hours pass and i still hadn't figured out how to say it. Oh well. I ended up using no recipe just some comments from different blogs (which all contradicted themselves haha) including: open the tin slightly to let the steam or whatever out; then some posts would say NEVER open the tin that is when it is likely to explode, cover the tin completely in water or cover it 3/4 of the way rah rah rah.

I used light condensed milk and it worked out great, i can't compare it though cause i've never made nor tried dulce de leche before. If i can make it, anyone can. Super duper easy.

Dulce de Leche

ProPoints: 30 for the entire tin haha

400g tin of light condensed milk, label removed

large pot

water

Put tin into a large pot and completely submerge in water, bring to the boil then lower the element to a simmer and let it do its thing for three hours.

Let the caramel cool completly before opening the tin! I left mine over night.

Done! Now, what to do with it. I'm going to make WW brownies with dulce de leche swirled though and a brownie caramel slice, right now. I will post it when its done. YAY

GAHH!

Is that even a word? Well it's how i feel haha. Over the past month I haven't been posting, i've been super busy!

1. I have been going to photography classes, so my photos my not be as average as they have been because i actually know how to use my camera now, yay!
2. I have actually been losing weight on weight watchers. FINALLY. Love propoints, but i'm such a bloody slacker. Oh well, i'm on the weight loss band wagon and have lost 2.4kgs in three weeks. ( I would love to lose 8 kgs by the first day of summer, also my birthday! haha)
3. Uni= Hectic.
4. I got another part time job, at Stevens homeware- love that store! i want to buy everything in it!
5. Ummm, thats it.

I don't know if people actually like my recipes, but i do, and therefore i will post atleast one every Tuesday.

See you soon, friends.

Chicken Stir-Fry

This only took me like 20 minutes from start to finish, win.

Chicken Stir Fry

Pro Points: 5

Serves: 4

1 medium chicken breast, diced and marinated in soy sauce and sweet chilli sauce

175g pack of singapore noodles

1 C cabbage, shredded

1/2 C mushrooms, peeled and sliced

1 small head of broccoli, cut into pieces and steamed
1 medium onion, sliced

3 cloves garlic, crushed

1 tbsp soy sauce

1/4 tsp sesame oil

1 tsp fish sauce

1/4 cashews

Heat a fry pan and cook the chicken then set aside.

In the fry pan, cook onion and mushrooms until just cooked then add the cabbage, garlic and broccoil. Once the cabbage has cooked down, add the chicken, soy sauce, sesame oil, fish sauce and singapore noodle (breaking them up as they are added to the pan).

Heat through and top with the cashews.

Done.