Saturday 29 March 2014

Lamb Curried Casserole with Sweet Potatoes

Lamb for some is an acquired taste but when it is cooked properly the taste and how your body responds to it makes it one of the better meats out there to eat as our bodies digest it better then other meats. I always enjoyed a lamb dish, its one of those dishes that not only is full of flavour but it came with a ton of vegetables. Lamb is full of protein, zinc and iron. Lamb also provides high levels of Vitamin B12.Lamb was always a meal during the Easter holiday and my mom made sure there was always plenty for seconds.

This dish is not a one quick meal dish so it might be best to give this a try on a weekend and see how it goes for you. I find that leg of lamb is the best part of the lamb for this dish and you also get six different types of vegetables. You should make sure use a low sodium beef broth a  red wine that is a little sweeter in nature, but if you prefer dry then go for it. When this dish is done not only will it taste great but the lamb will be so tender it will literally melt in your mouth.

Inspired by Food.com

MORE SWEET POTATO RECIPES
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SWEET POTATO, CARROT AND CORIANDER SOUP
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Lamb Curried Casserole with Sweet Potatoes Recipe
Servings: 4  Prep Time: 15 minutes  Cook Time: 100 minutes

Lamb Recipe

Ingredients

Sunday 16 March 2014

Paprika Parmesan Baked Chicken

Chicken is a very popular meal in most parts of the world and who doesn't like the white meat from chicken. Baking is always the best way to go when making almost any dish for not only health reasons but mixed with the right seasoning just about anything that you place in the oven will come out to your liking and taste just right. When I was growing up chicken was always a meal I could look forward to on Sundays and a few other days of the week.

You will need a large sized baking dish to bake the chicken and you will always need a wet coating mixture to have all the seasoning stick to the chicken breast. The cook time is important and at the temperature that the oven is set to bake, it will be a long cooking process but chicken is a food that you want to make sure is baked right. I enjoy shredded parmesan cheese but if your preference is cheddar or mozzarella go with it. This dish can go with just about any side, have a look through our blog to find the side that has your taste buds watering.

Inspired by Family

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SPICY BREADED GARLIC CHICKEN
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Paprika Parmesan Baked Chicken Recipe
Servings: 4   Prep Time: 15 minutes   Cook Time: 80 minutes

Baked Chicken Recipe


Ingredients

Wednesday 26 February 2014

Sweet Potato, Carrot and Coriander Soup

These cold winter days give you plenty of time indoors to stay warm and no better way to keep warm then a warm winters soup. Soup and winter seem to go together like bacon and eggs or cheese and crackers. I really enjoy experimenting in the winter to find a soup blend that tastes delicious and I feel that this is one my mom would be proud of. This soup is tasty, warm and most important has you wanting more, the soup is also all vegetables aside from the chicken broth that is used.

The one thing about mixing and matching vegetables is finding ones that work well together, you will only know if this is the case when the soup is done and you have a mouthful of it but I have found that onions and carrots always go well together, sweet potatoes was something I though I would try adding to these two along with fresh coriander. Go for a low sodium chicken broth and make sure that you have a hand held blender that can puree the soup at the end and make sure to use a large pot.

Inspired by Once Upon a Chef

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EUROPEAN EGG DROP SOUP
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Sweet Potato, Carrot and Coriander Soup Recipe
Servings: 8  Prep Time: 10 minutes  Cook Time: 30 minutes

Soup Recipes

Ingredients

Wednesday 19 February 2014

Oven Baked Seasoned Chicken Wings

Chicken Wings, one of many peoples favourite fast foods, you can cover them in sauce, have them plain or season them with spices that your palate loves to taste. Chicken wings are easy to make and can be a part of any event that you may be having. One of my favourite things about chicken wings are that the are so versatile, you can make them any way you like from deep frying to broiling to baking and depending how you choose to season it, it will have a different taste every time.

I try to avoid deep frying anything that I eat, so being able to bake my wings at home is the decision that I always make. I choose to use wings that are split and have their tips removed. I also tend to go with average sized wings as they always seem to taste a lot better then the jumbo size. Its best to cook the wings on a baking sheet that is covered in parchment paper if you have a wire cage even better and you can replace any spices you may not like with some of your favourites and don't forget to have a sauce dip, it can be BBQ sauce, hot sauce or your choice. Turn wings over with about 5 minutes left for a bit more of a crunch.

Inspired by Family

MORE CHICKEN RECIPES
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PARMESAN CHICKEN BITES
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SPICY BREADED GARLIC CHICKEN
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Oven Baked Seasoned Chicken Wings Recipes
Servings: 4  Prep Time: 10 minutes  Cook Time: 40 minutes

Baked Chicken Wings Recipe

Ingredients

Tuesday 11 February 2014

Homemade Mashed Potatoes

Anything home made is always one of the more delicious and healthier ways to go when you are eating, the main reason of course is that we know everything that we are putting into our own food. I am a big fan of homemade sides, not only are they easy to make but they go so well with your main entree. I always grew up with a few options on my plate when it was time to sit down for a meal and a good side with the entree is something that hits the spot.

Homemade mash potatoes always beat the box kind, they are so easy to make and for those of you worried about time, give your head a shake will you. My potatoes of choice when making mash potatoes are Russet, they are higher in starch and lower in moisture and the result when boiled and mashed is a smoother texture. Milk gives a bit more of a creamy texture and butter brings out that the great taste that your buds will enjoy with the remaining ingredients, use a potato masher to get a mixture of creamy and chunky potatoes.

Inspired by Simply Recipes

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SPICY HOMEMADE FRIES
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Homemade Mashed Potato Recipe
Servings: 4  Prep Time: 15 minutes  Cook Time: 25 minutes

Mashed Potato Recipe

Ingredients

Tuesday 28 January 2014

Easy Steak Sandwich

We all have some tough work days and we get home and can't be bothered to spend an extensive amount of time cooking, we want something quick, tasty and in our stomachs. I have always enjoyed a good steak sandwich made to perfection that every bite taken has the meat just tear off without any struggle and it is not only easy to make but quick and painless, my family always made sure that even on those tough days we had something good to eat on the table, even at the time we had no clue how quickly it was made.

One of the least expensive types of meat is inside round steak, if it's certified Angus then even better. This cut of beef is not only cheap but easy to handle, season the steaks with your favourite spices, pick yourself up a couple of kaiser buns and make sure you have some cheese on hand, shredded would be best. You can add anything into the bun to go along as this becomes your sandwich. Lettuce, onions, hot peppers, mustard, it all goes based on your taste buds. I like to keep mine fairly simple as you will see below.

Inspired by Family

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Easy Steak Sandwich Recipe
Servings: 2  Prep Time: 2 minutes  Cook Time: 6 minutes

Steak Sandwich

Ingredients

Wednesday 22 January 2014

Penne with Smoked Sausage

Smoked sausage was always a great fall tradition in my family, I recall a tonne of pork meat at home being run through a mincer and coming out of a sausage funnel into a lamb intestine. Then my grandma would prick the sausage and take it out into the backyard and smoke them for hours in the backyard chimney for what felt like days. Smoked sausage is a memory I always cherish as it brought the family together and boy was it yummy when it was done.

I hope to one day carry on the family tradition but for now, the local butchers have all the smoked sausage you need in a variety of flavours from mild to spicy hot. I am not much of a pasta eater but when I do go with pasta its usually penne but you can use just about any type of pasta with this dish, so throw in your favourite.
A wok or large deep skillet is the choice of pan I would go with but you can also use a large pot to cook and mix the sausage with other ingredients.

Inspired by Family

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Penne with Smoked Sausage Recipe
Servings: 4  Prep Time: 10 minutes  Cook Time: 20 minutes


Ingredients 

Sunday 12 January 2014

Savoury Shrimp Fried Rice

For as long as I can remember I have always been a big fan of shrimp fried rice, whenever I am out with friends for a late night meal at a Chinese restaurant nothing beats getting a shrimp fried rice to accompany any other dish you may chose to order. Adding the proper hot sauce on top is the perfect final touch to a savoury meal. I am a seafood lover and the quickness of this dish has my mouth watering the whole time.

There are a lot of different things you can add to the shrimp fried rice dish when it comes to vegetables, there are plenty to choose from, green beans, celery, snap peas, sweet peppers and mushrooms work well besides the ingredients that I went with, pick them according to your taste. It is best to use a large wok when preparing the dish go with the healthy choice of brown rice and don't forget to top your dish off with a tasty hot sauce.  

Inspired by EatingWell

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Savoury Shrimp Fried Rice Recipe 
Servings: 4  Prep Time: 10 minutes  Cook Time: 20 minutes

Shrimp Fried Rice

Ingredients

Wednesday 8 January 2014

Portuguese Caldo Verde Soup

The cold weather just brings out the soup in me, this is one of my all time favourite soups and growing up a bowl before any meal was just what the doctor ordered. The family household was always a buzz awaiting the final moments of this fine soup. This soup was always made for any special occasion or holidays and you could be sure that a many western european wedding would kick off all that wonderful soup with the Portuguese Caldo Verde or Collard / Kale soup as it goes by in English.

You can make this soup with either collard or kale, I prefer collard for the soup but which ever you can find at your local grocery store is fine. The smoked sausage that you can pick up at your local butcher adds just the right taste to the soup depending on your palette you can choose the spicy or mild version to add. You will need an immersion blender to puree the soup at one point in the cooking, make sure you have a hand held one it makes it that much more easier.

Inspired by Family

MORE SOUP RECIPES
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MACARONI VEGETABLE SOUP
PORTUGUESE CALDO VERDE SOUP
EUROPEAN EGG DROP SOUP
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Portuguese Caldo Verde Soup Recipe
Servings: 8  Prep Time: 15 minutes  Cook Time: 40 minutes

Caldo Verde Soup

Ingredients