Brown Rice Salad

My friend Cathy made this for a BBQ on Saturday night & it might possibly be the nicest rice salad I've ever tried!

1 cup uncooked brown rice
1-3/4 cup water
1/4 cup light soy sauce
1/2 medium onion - finely chopped
3 spring onions - finely chopped
1 red capsicum - chopped into tiny cubes
1/2 cup sultanas
1/2 cup roasted peanuts - coarsely chopped
1/2 cup each of roasted sunflower seeds, pumpkin seeds & sesame seeds

Dressing:
1/4 cup olive oil
2 Tbsp lemon juice
1 tsp lemon zest
1 clove crushed garlic
1 tsp grated fresh root ginger
1 tsp honey

• Combine and process until smooth (or shake in a jar).

Method:

• Place rice and unsalted water in a tightly covered pot.
• Simmer 20-25 minutes until rice is tender and water absorbed.
• Add soy sauce and finely chopped onion to hot cooked rice. Mix well.
• Leave at least 2 hours or overnight.
• Add remaining ingredients.
• Just before serving, toss through the dressing.

Spaghetti with Tuna,Egg & Rocket

• 400g spaghetti
• 185g can of tuna in oil (preferably olive oil)
• 3 Tbsp caper
• zest of 1 lemon
• 1 red chilli, thinly sliced
• 2 spring onions, finely sliced
• 1 handful rocket leaves
• 4 eggs
• S+P
• extra virgin olive oil for "dribbling over" - if possible lemon infused
  

1. Add the eggs to a pot of cold water, bring to the boil & boil for 3 minutes. Place in cold water.
2. Cook spaghetti.
3. Whilst spaghetti & eggs cooking/cooling prepare, gather ingredients above.
4. Divide spaghetti evenly in 4 plates.
5. Top with rocket & other seasonings. Place a peeled roughly chopped egg on top & drizzle with extra virgin olive oil. If eggs are cooked just right they should be runny.

A great meal for after work!

Herbed Potato Salad

from NZ Herald Viva section - very scrummy & just what we need with summer & BBQ time

• 500g waxy potatoes - depending on size halved or quartered - cook lightly & cool
• 3 gherkins finely diced
• 1 Tbsp capers
• 1 small red onion finely sliced
• 2 Tbsp fresh herbs finely chopped (dill, chervil or Italian parsely)
  

Mix the following ingredients separately

• 2 Tbsp creme fraiche
• 2 tsp wholegrain mustard
• 1 Tbsp fresh lemon juice
  
• 1 tsp finely grated lemon zest
• salt & pepper

Combine all gently & refrigerate before serving

Fruit Loaf

• 1-1/2 cup water
• 1 cup sugar
• 25 g butter
• 3/4 tsp cinnamon
• 225g mixed fruit
• 3/4 tsp mixed spice
• 3/4 tsp ground cloves

Boil all of above for 10 minutes
When cold add:

• 2 cups flour
• 2 tsp baking powder

Bake in a loaf tin for 1 hour at 350oF

I love recipes like this - so easy!

Baked Chicken & Pumpkin

• 4 cloves garlic, finely chopped
• 1 Tbsp coarsely ground coriander seeds (or 2 Tbsp ground coriander)
• 3/4 cup sultanas
  
• zest of 1 lemon
• 16 skinned & boned chicken thighs
• 1 kg peeled, seeded, diced (3cm cubes) pumpkin
• 100ml white wine
• 500ml chicken stock
• 4 Tbsp olive oil
• salt & freshly ground black pepper

1. Preheat oven to 190oC
2. Sprinkle the garlic, coriander seeds, sultanas & zest evenly over the base of a large roasting pan
3. Place the chicken thighs, side by side on top
4. Place pumpkin pieces around them
5. Pour over wine, stock, olive oil, & season with S+P
6. Bake 1 hour until the pumpkin is tender, everything is brown & the liquid has reduced.

Serve on white rice & sprinkle with chopped parsley.

Serves 8

Smoked Chicken Phyllo Pie

This is sensational, easy & transports well. It came from www.foodinaminute.co.nz originally.

This is my take on their recipe:

• 1 large red onion diced
• 250 g button mushrooms, quartered
• 2 Tbsp sundried tomatoes, sliced
• 2 Tbsp chopped fresh marjoram (or another green herb)
• 1 smoked double chicken breast ~300 g, chopped into small bite sized pieces
• 250 g Creme Fraiche
  
• 12 sheets phyllo pastry
• 1-2 Tbsp oil, spray can of canola oil
• sesame seeds for top of pie

1. Cook the onions in oil, until soft ~3-5 mins
2. Add mushrooms & cook for another 5 mins
3. Add marjoram, sun dried tomatoes & cool
4. Add Creme Fraiche, chicken & combine well
5. In a large flan dish, spray lightly with canola oil
6. Add 2 sheets of phyllo & lightly spray
7. Add another 2 sheets but alternate the way lying & spray
8. Repeat 2 more times (total sheets used =8)
9. Add chicken, creme fraiche mixture
10. Pull overhanging phyllo sheets in
    
11. Roll remaining 4 sheets of phyllo into individual balls & arrange on top of flan dish
12. Spray lightly & sprinkle with sesame seeds
13. Bake at 190oC for 40 minutes
    

Melanzane alla parmiggiana

We made this in Italian Cooking last week & I assumed I wouldn't like it as it contained aubergines so I didn't take a picture of it - but it was sensational & I will be definitely making it again!

Slice eggplant in 1cm slices lengthwise. Cover with rock salt & allow to drain in a colander for a few hours. As the teacher had done this pre-class I'm assuming 2 would be sufficient.

Prepare tomato sauce:

Fry chopped garlic & onions in extra virgin olive oil, when soft add a decent dash of wine to stop them cooking further. Add 3 cans of good quality Italian tomatoes & reduce.

To prepare the dish:

1. Layer of tomato sauce
2. Layer of eggplant
3. Dot some broken up chunks of tasty cheese (mozzarella if one can afford it)
4. Repeat as above
5. Final layer of tomato sauce
6. Cover with breadcrumbs, more crumbled tasty cheese, handful of freshly grated parmesean, good handful or two of dried oregano. Then drizzle extra virgin olive oil on top.
7. Bake approx. 40 minutes in a moderate oven.