Healthy and Delicious Vegetarian Nachos

There are some meals that are just fun. Meals you gather around as a family, everyone laughing and basking in the ambiance of the shared moment. For our family we love a shared dish. There is something so intimate about it, you cannot help but enjoy each others company and be really present, together. Enjoying life.

One of our family's favourites, one I grew up eating myself as a kid too is nachos.
These are our vegetarian, refined sugar free, additive free, high protein, healthy and yet, truly, delicious nachos.

Nachos

Ingredients

• 1 quantity of home-made baked beans (get the recipe here. These can be made well ahead of time)

• 1 & 1/2 packets of Byron Bay organic corn chips
  ( we buy these as they have no added sugar, are gluten free, have none of that artificial scary yellow flavouring and colouring's other brands have and can be found at any supermarket for a really reasonable price, you can use any healthy alternative you like or make your own)
• 1/2 cup (or to taste) cheddar cheese
• 1 red capsicum, finely chopped
• 1 large or 2 medium avocados
• 125 g sour cream
• 1 teaspoon chili (optional or to taste)
• 1 teaspoon raw honey (optional)
• 1 teaspoon of a good quality paprika

Method

• Pre-heat oven to 180ç
• In a bowl mash the avocados until nice and smooth (I use a fork).
• Add in the sour cream, chili and honey, mix together well, adjust chili to taste.
• Using a large baking tray that is at least 3 cm deep, spread the corn chips across the tray, reserving a small handful.
• Layer the beans on top, using as thick or thin a layer as desired for personal preference.
• Sprinkle the finely diced red capsicum on top.
• Top with grated cheese and then the paprika.
• Crush the remainder chips and sprinkle over.
• Bake in the oven for approximately 15 minutes or until chips have turned a little golden around the edges and the cheese is fully melted with a nice colour to it.
• Remove from the oven and to serve top with generous amounts of the avocado and additional sour cream if desired.
• Enjoy!
  
  Notes

• While the most fun is to be had enjoying this buffet style with family or good friends, this can of course be served on individual plates.
• For a more adult version add finely chopped red onion with the capsicum and a lot more chili to the avocado.
• For dairy free make an avocado whip omitting the sour cream (you can add some cashew cream and use a vegan cheese that melts or just leave off)

Toddler Tips

• This is a meal that can get messy! So best eaten before bath time.
• If they are new to nacho's and you are serving individually place an amount of bean laden nachos in the middle of the plate, topped with avocado and sour cream and then assemble extra non baked corn chips, uncooked carrot, celery and capsicum sticks around the outside for them to dip into the meal, makes it a lot more inviting and fun for little fingers.
  
  Happy Cooking
  
  Bek XX

Brown Rice & Quinoa Pumpkin Wine Risotto & WIN the wine to make it!

Recently I was sent two beautiful wines to review that are by Taylors Wines
(A hardship I know!)

I have always enjoyed a glass of a great wine with a beautiful meal shared with friends. My first experiences with wine were straight out of studying Horticulture to my first job working in vineyards in Mt Barker in Western Australia. It was such a wonderful experience, (ok well maybe apart from all the secateurs cuts ;) working in vineyards and with winemakers gave me such an insight into wine and grape vines and the beauty of the whole process.

Mixing this with great food was always a part of it for me and from my experiences of my mothers kitchen table.

When I tried the Gewurztraminer I knew I wanted to cook with it!

This dish I have created is a relaxing recipe to create, it is slowly cooked and a savoured experience. Beautiful, enjoyable cooking, best done while also enjoying a glass of this lovely wine and even better while chatting to a great friend or two.

Brown rice, Quinoa and Pumpkin Risotto

Ingredients

• 3 cloves Australian garlic, chopped
• 1 brown onion, chopped
• 1 leek, chopped
• 1 tablespoon olive oil
• 1/2 cup Taylors White Wine I used Gewurztraminer
• 1 cup quinoa
• 1 cup brown lentils
• 1 cup organic brown rice ( I actually found the organic cheaper than the non organic at coles!)
• 1/2 litre good vegetable stock
• 4 cups vegetable stock, gently warmed (not hot) 
• water as needed
• 1/2 medium pumpkin
• a few garlic cloves extra (optional)
• 100g feta
• 1 teaspoon turmeric
• Himalayan pink salt and freshly cracked pepper to taste

Method

• Pre-heat the oven to 180'c
• Slice the pumpkin into slices about 3 cm long and 1/2 cm thick.
• Drizzle with a little olive oil and arrange on a baking tray, add some extra cloves of garlic and roast in the oven until cooked through and a little crispy on the outside. Set aside.
• Bring the vegetable stock to the boil in a saucepan.
• Add in the lentils, reduce to a simmer and cook until soft. Set aside
• Fry the onion and leek in the olive oil until wilted.
• Add in the garlic and turmeric, stir through 2-3 minutes.
• Add in the brown rice, stir through so it is covered gently in olive oil.
• Pour in the wine, stir over a medium heat until it is mostly evaporated.
• Pour yourself a small glass of the beautiful Gewurztraminer (totally optional of course feel free to insert herbal tea here if you wish) and relax as you slowly enjoy and experience the next step of slowly adding stock to the rice, a bit at a time, stirring, enjoying the smells and textures in the pan, why not munch on some lovely carrot and red capsicum sticks too!
• Keep simmering that rice, stirring, adding stock a little at a time. If you need to use some water do so, when the rice is mostly cooked but still just a little crunchy add in the quinoa and lentils with any remaining stock and a enough water so there is enough liquid to cook the quinoa in. Mix together well and continue to simmer until rice and quinoa are cooked. Turn the heat off.

• Chop the feta into small bite sized pieces.
• Carefully fold the pumpkin pieces through the rice mixture and then the feta. The heat will allow the feta to gently melt a little in places. Remove skin and through roasted garlic cloves through.
• Serve.
• Optionally top with some freshly chopped parsley 
• Optionally serve with a glass of chilled Gewurztraminer to adult dinner guests so the flavour experience continues.

Notes

• The alcohol burns off during cooking 
• This dish makes beautiful leftovers the next day, enjoyed cold or hot.

Toddler Tips

• If you want to make a wine free version simple make a much smaller version for them and use stock in place of the wine, they do not usually notice the onion but you can leave out if you wish also.
• If you are serving this for a dinner party or the parents are enjoying a nice glass of wine with the meal why not make it fun for kids and let them have a chilled fruit juice in a stemmed glass too (you could always use plastic stemmed glasses from the party section at most shops if your worried about glass.

One lucky reader will win two bottles of Taylors Wines!

‘Bringing great wines to life.’

Established three generations ago in South Australia’s beautiful Clare Valley, Taylors Wines is a family-owned Australian wine company that was born from a passion of producing exceptional,  hand crafted wines. With a philosophy that embraces balance, elegance and finesse in every wine, Taylors truly brings great wines to life.

From a velvety Cabernet Sauvignon to vibrant Promised Land Moscato, Taylors Wines boasts a world-class collection of unmistakeable quality and style. Plus, with a comprehensive Environmental Management System and a commitment to sustainability, Taylors Wines understands that green is just as important as red and white.

The giveaway is open to Australia only. Winner must be of legal drinking age and provide proof of age to claim prize.

@Taylors_Wines

https://www.facebook.com/pages/Taylors-Wines

http://www.taylorswines.com.au/

Would you like to WIN two beautiful wines from Taylors Wines?
To enter!
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Healthy and Hearty Home-Made Baked Beans

I have so many memories of being curled up on a cold Wintery night or after a long day out as a child with hot baked beans and freshly buttered toast.
It is such a comforting meal and full of protein and fibre.
While tinned baked beans may have there place it is the lovely, delicious and so nutritious home-made varieties that really shine for me.
After quite a few attempts, versions and tweaks this recipe for home-made beans has become my family's favourite version!

Hearty and Healthy Baked Beans

This recipe makes a large batch to feed a family or to give you leftovers - feel free to make a smaller amount 

Ingredients

• 3 x tins organic cannelloni beans OR soak the equivalent in water overnight and then cook until tender.
• 1 onion, chopped (if you have young kids/toddlers chop it finely so they don't notice it)
• 6 large cloves of Australian garlic, finely chopped
• 1 stalk of thyme (or 2 teaspoons dried)
• 1 tin of organic chopped tomatoes
• 1 large bottle of organic tomato passata sauce
•  1 teaspoon of a great mustard ( I use a lovely local macadamia mustard made where I live)
• 1/2 cup Apple Cider Vinegar 
• 1/2 cup good virgin olive oil
• 1/2 litre vegetable stock ( I use either Campbells or Massel)
• 2 teaspoons of a nice but mild curry powder ( I promise the kids wont notice!)
• 4-6 semi dried tomatoes chopped 
• 2 tablespoons or raw honey OR for a vegan version natvia, agave etc (to taste)
• dash pink Himalayan salt
• fresh crusty wholemeal bread with organic butter and some freshly chopped parsley to serve!

Method

• Fry the onion and garlic in a little of the olive oil until they are transparent.
• Add in the drained and washed cannelloni beans and thyme, stir together until mixed well.
• Pour in the tinned tomatoes, mustard, vinegar, stock, passata sauce, remaining oil and sweetner, mix well.
• Simmer the bean mixture over a medium low heat slowly for at least 25 minutes or until it has thickened, beans are tender and flavours are to your liking.
•  Serve.

Notes

• These beans go really lovely with a nice dense sour dough bread.
• Make a large batch so you have leftovers, great in pies!
• Add some chili for a different twist

Toddler Tips

• Serve with toddler soldiers, (long thin pieces of toast) or on top of a baked potato.
• Optionally leave out the onion

Family Movie Nights & Vege Spaghetti and Meatballs

I love a family tradition.
There is something so wonderful and warm and loving about them.

We don't have all that many of them in our family so my girls and I started a few of our own and one of our absolute favourites in our Family Movie Nights

Every Friday night our little group of 3 get excited about our Friday night. We plan it all week.
We pick our movie, and a lot of thought goes into this. Sometimes it a beloved classic aka Disney, sometimes it's a family fave, sometimes its a recent release and sometimes it is blast from the past!
(these are the most fun for me - recently we watched The Aviator!!)

I always make a big batch of organic homemade popcorn seasoned with pink himilayan salt and a tiny dash of olive oil, usually something like Pink Lemonade or my kids favourite Coconut Water, coconutty water as my youngest calls it! (and mummy might have a nice wine - especially if it is say a Barbie movie!)

And my favourite part is the fun dinner we put together, to go with the movie we usually have our own version of a popular takeaway so it could be pizza's, fish and chips, nuggets and dipping sauces, kebab's, burgers, noodle boxes, sausage rolls, party pies, hot dogs or something that goes with the movie!

One of our latest was spaghetti and vege meatballs while watching, yep, Cloudy with a Chance of Meatballs! It was such a hit with the kids! I have since made it several times and the 'meatballs' themselves, also make stunning hors d'oeuvre's - make them much smaller with extra chili and serve on toothpicks YUM!

  Vege Spaghetti and Meatballs

Ingredients

• 1 cup breadcrumbs (I made my own with spelt, sour dough bread but you could make your own with any nice bread, I would just recommend not white bread)
• 1/2 cup Quinoa crumbs (most supermarkets have these now - or you could check your local health food store)
• 3 free range eggs
• 1 can sanitarium nutmeat - see NOTES for my alternative to make your own
• 2 teaspoons dried thyme
• 2 tablespoons grated fresh Parmesan (please not the icky stuff in the tin)
• 1/4 cup finely chopped walnuts
• 1 cup baby spinach
• 1/2 cup fresh basil leaves
• extra basil leaves
• 4 cloves Australian garlic (you could also use Gourmet Garden)
• 1/2 fresh red chili, fineli chopped - optional (You could also use Gourmet Garden)
• 1 small onion

Method

• Fry the onion in a frying pan until lightly transparent, add in the garlic, chili and thyme, stir together 2-3 minutes.
• Remove from heat.
• Finely chop the baby spinach leaves.
• In a large bowl roughly mash up the nutmeat until pliable, add in the breadcrumbs, eggs, quinoa crumbs, spinach, walnuts and onion mix, mix well together. 
• Roughly tear up the basil ( I love doing this the smell is always so gorgeous!)
• Mix the basil and Parmesan through the mix.
• With your hands (yes I love my hand on cooking) roll mixture into balls until you have done all of it.
• Lightly fry a few of these at a time over a medium heat in a little olive oil or oil of choice..
• Remove from heat and drain on paper towel.
• Make your favourite tomato pasta sauce here is one of my really hearty ones you can make well ahead or you can make a lovely simple one by frying some onion and garlic, add in a tin of tomatoes,some fresh basil leaves, a little thyme and chili and some passata sauce.
• Cook your spaghetti noodles of choice (we are really loving CT Fine Foods Pasta at the moment)
• When your noodles are almost cooked add the meatballs into your still warm cooked tomato pasta sauce for a few minutes so they become plump, warm and delicious.
• Serve bowls of spaghetti, topped with tomato pasta sauce and delicious vege meatballs.
• You can serve topped with some fresh basil leaves and a sprinkling of fresh Parmesan.

Notes

• These vege meat balls make incredible hors d'oeuvre's, make them nice and small, with an extra hit of chili and serve warm or cold on toothpicks with a great dipping sauce.
• For an alternative version:
  1 & 1/2 cups breadcrumbs, 1/2 cup quinoa crumbs,1 cup peanuts, 1/2 cup cashews, 1/4 cup macadamias, 1/4 cup walnuts, 1 cup spinach, 1/2 cup basil, 1 onion, 4 cloves garlic, 3 free range eggs, 2 teaspoon thyme, 2 tablespoons Parmesan,
  Bash the nuts in a morter and pestal until mostly crumby. Mix all ingredients together in a bowl and follow directions above. 

Toddler Tips

• This is great for toddlers who love the tomato pasta sauce and spaghetti noodles.
• Make some of the meatballs nice and toddler bite sized.

(c)RebeccaMugridge2013