Potato and Leek Cheesey Soup

As soon as the weather cools (even just a little) out comes my big pot and all the glorious soup and stew cooking. Don't get me wrong I love a salad and summery food too but there is just something about body warming, soul soothing comfort foods like soups and stews!

This one gets made a lot on our house and is one of the soups enjoyed by kids and adults alike!

Potato and Leek Cheesey Soup

Ingredients

• 5 potatoes, chopped into thin circles
• 2 small sweet potatoes, chopped into thin circles
• 1 leek, washed and chopped
• 3-4 cloves garlic, chopped finely
• 1 tablespoon olive oil
• 1 teaspoon ground cumin
• 2 teaspoons turmeric
• 1 tablespoon savoury yeast flakes (health food shop/chemist warehouse etc)
• 1 tablespoon grated cheddar cheese
• 2 stockcubes (for this I used transfat free Massel chicken style - vegetarian)
• 1 litre water (more as needed)
• 1/4 cup french green lentils, washed and drained
• 1/2 cup milk of choice

Method

• NOTE: This soup can be made in a rush on a higher heat or as I prefer slowly. It is totally up to you and the time you have spare! 
• In a deep pot or saucepan saute the leek and garlic in the olive oil gently over a medium low heat.
• After about 3-4 minutes add in the turmeric and cumin and stir through.
• Tip in the potatoes and for about 1 minute stir through the leek and garlic mixture you will see them get some colour from the turmeric.
• Pour in the water and milk and add the stock cubes and lentils.
• Season if desired with freshly cracked black pepper and a good salt like pink Himalayan or sea salt.
• Bring to the boil and then reduce the heat so it slowly simmers.
• Add more water during the cooking time if needed. The soup should not be thick.
• When the potato pieces can be just penetrated with a fork and the lentils are cooked add in the yeast flakes and cheese, stir the soup and continue to simmer for a few minutes.
• Test for seasoning.
• Serve and enjoy!

Notes

• I like to serve this with fresh crusty sourdough bread and organic butter or home-made garlic and herb bread.
• You can make this vegan, leave out the cheddar cheese and just use the savoury yeast flakes which have a lovely cheesey flavour anyway.
• The savoury yeast flakes are a quite exciting ingredient I like to use, de-activated yeast they are rich in flavour and B vitamins and potassium.
• If you don't eat normal potatoes you can make this with all sweet potato.

Toddler Tips

• Kids seem to love this soup, it must be the appealing colour from the turmeric and the loveloy cheesey flavour!
• To make this really fun you can serve theirs in bread boats. You will need really thick, solid bread rolls, hollow out some of the fluffy filling, fill with soup, serve on a plate.

Love Bek XX

(c)rebeccamugridge2014

Rainbow Coleslaw with Yoghurt Dressing

Just because the weather cools doesn't mean you can't still enjoy delicious salads

Rainbow Coleslaw with Yoghurt Dressing
As seen in HOLISTIC BLISS magazine

Bring some dazzling colour to your winter meals with this delicious, healthy salad the whole family will love.
Ingredients

Rainbow Coleslaw
• ¼ red cabbage, shredded
• 2 carrots, grated
• 1 red capsicum, thinly sliced
• 1 yellow capsicum, thinly sliced
• ¼ cup fresh snow peas, tipped and thinly sliced
• 1 red onion thinly sliced
• 1 red beetroot grated
• ¼ cup green beans, thinly sliced
• ¼ cup kale, finely chopped
• 1 pink lady apple, core removed and grated
• ½ cup walnuts, lightly toasted.

Yoghurt Dressing
• ½ cup natural yoghurt ( I use Maleny Dairies natural yoghurt)
• ½ lemon, juiced
• 2 teaspoons mustard
• 1 teaspoon honey

Method
• Combine dressing ingredients in a bowl, taste, adjust to personal preference if needed and set aside. You can also add some cracked black pepper here.
• Mix together all coleslaw ingredients except the beetroot and walnuts with the dressing.
• Just before serving gently fold through the beetroot, place rainbow slaw into a serving dish and then top with the walnuts.
• Serve.

Notes
• A beautiful, healthy coleslaw just bursting with colour, freshness and flavour.
• Perfect for entertaining, picnics and parties.
• This dish is really popular with kids because it is so bright and colourful. Great for lunchboxes, though you might want to leave out the onion from their portion.
I recommend sending it dry with the sauce in a glass bottle or container and letting them add it and mix it through to keep the salad nice and fresh and crisp and not soggy.
Try serving with freshly chopped avocado and macadamias.


Recipe and photography (c) Author Rebecca Mugridge

Silverbeet & Kale Canneloni

Silverbeet & Kale Cannelloni 

This is one of our family FAVOURITES!!

This recipe both my own kids love and have grown up eating, it is right up there with spaghetti  bolognaise and homemade pizza as an all time favourite meal and one we cook together as it is a great kids in the kitchen meal, they can even harvest the greens for it too as i alwasy try and have plenty of silverbeet, so they are really seeing food from garden to kitchen to plate.
This can also be made ahead and frozen for a ready-made dinner. Perfect for entertaining or just a delicious family meal. Meal planning friendly. Serves 6.

Ingredients
• 1 x 500gm tub Ricotta Cheese
• 1 box gluten free Cannelloni Shells
• 1 big bunch silverbeet leaves, washed and very finely chopped (or spinach)
• 1 cup of fresh kale, washed and finely chopped (around 4 large leaves or so)
• 1 large jar Tomato Pasta Sauce (or 2 cups homemade tomato pasta sauce)
• ¼ cup grated Cheddar Cheese and 1 clove garlic very finely chopped (optional)
• Baking Dish

Method
• Preheat oven to 180’c.
• Wilt the silverbeet and kale together slightly in a saucepan on a low heat with a tablespoon of water for a few seconds only.
• Remove from saucepan, drain and squeeze all excess water out
• Mix together spinach, kale, garlic and ricotta cheese in a bowl.
• In a deep baking dish pour a thin layer of the tomato pasta sauce to make a ‘bed’ for the cannelloni shells to lay on.
• Stuff each cannelloni shell with the spinach mixture and arrange so they are touching completely filling the baking dish.
• Pour a layer of tomato mixture over the top, use a butter knife to let the sauce run down between the shells.
• Top with the grated cheese.
• Bake for approximately 30 minutes or until tubes are cooked through and it is nicely browned on top.
• Serve hot with a fresh, leafy green salad.

Notes
• This is a meal that the whole family and even fussy eaters will enjoy.
• A delicious and cheap to make recipe, even more so if you grow your own spinach and kale.
• Make a double batch so you can freeze one portion for another night.
• Halve the quantities for a smaller family meal serving size or freeze leftovers for another night.
• A popular dish for dinner parties.
• You could optionally add garlic and/or 1 teaspoon nutmeg to the mixture.
• You can use defrosted, frozen spinach
or silver-beet in place of the spinach leaves.
 Just ensure all is wilted and excess water removed


Toddler Tip
• This is a great dish for when little ones are getting into solids that are also the family meal. Cut up into really small pieces.
• It can be messy but kids love this, make their servings nice and saucy.
• A great recipe to make with the kids, they will love mixing and stuffing all the tubes.

I use kale, spinach and sillverbeet (pictured with my youngest here) in so much of my cooking, I literally put them in almost anything! Full of nutrients and so very easy to grow organically at home.
Baby spinach is just so delightful and silverbeet is almost a fail

safe to grow.
Anyone really can grow it, if your not a gardener, this is one veggie I really urge you to have a go at. It's fast growing, forgiving, attractive so you even plant in amongst established gardens and can be used in so much cooking and things like juicing.

·        

Kale (Brassica Oleracea)
As modeled here by Mr Ryan Gosling -
Image Source is a green leafy vegetable considered to be one of the highest in nutrients with many health benefits including
it is said, having anti – cancer effects so it is well
worth tracking down or growing your own.
It is very easy to grow and is an attractive green (and sometimes purple or even black depending on the variety) leafy plant.
Throw some in your flower beds for edible foliage contrast too!
Simply sew seed straight into prepared garden beds
with good drainage, in the full sun as you would cabbage. It is a quick crop making it a great vegetable to grow with kids and even on sunny balconies, in tubs and large pots. It is pretty hardy and not too bad with garden pests, though like us caterpillars and grasshoppers also appreciate its healthy lush leaves too!
There are many varieties available and it is also excellent in juicing and often made into kale “chips”.

Not a new thing. kale was in fact a very popular vegetable in the middle ages it was considered the most widely eaten vegetable in Europe. It also has ancestry in Russia and Greece and there is even a related plant that is very similar used in Chinese cooking called kale in English Brassica oleracea.While recently becoming a popular superfood in the US and Australia in recent times it is a popular food source in many parts of the world and has been for a long time. During World War II it was also in the Dig for Victory campaign  in the UK because of its nutrient content.

This recipe has been published in Holistic Bliss magazine and I also re-created it with local cheeses, styled and photographed it for client Maleny IGA Supermarket to use on their
Local Product Local Recipe - recipe card series I did for them.
Contact me for commercial ventures and proposals. 

Recipe and photography (c)RebeccaMugridge2013

Sticky Date and Ginger Pudding

I seem to be having some serious GINGER love going on lately!

Fresh, crystallized, dried, preserves, powdered - juices, teas, baking, cooking, its all good...

But something that really sais Winter desserts to me is a great sticky date pudding with sauce and this one here is one you will love, it also features beautiful Buderim Ginger baby stem ginger pieces.

Ginger and Date Sticky Pudding with Ginger Cream Sauce

This beautiful rich dessert is really enhanced by the use of the Buderim Ginger Stem Ginger in syrup pieces, giving this sticking date pudding a lovely zing of flavour. Great for entertaining, or a warming winter dessert.

Ingredients

·         1 jar Buderim Ginger baby stem ginger in syrup

·         1 cup dates

·         2 cups plain flour

·         1 cup Maleny Dairies cream

·         1 teaspoon

·         ¼ cup golden syrup

·         1 teaspoon powdered ginger

·         1 teaspoon bi carbonate of soda

·         1 teaspoon cinnamon

·         1 cup dark brown sugar (see notes for alternatives to sugar and golden syrup)

·         1 teaspoon dark brown sugar extra

·         1 cup butter

·         2 freerange RawGanix eggs

·         1 cup boiling water

·         Oven safe pudding basin

Method

•          Pre heat oven to 180’c.
•          Grease and optionally line with baking paper the pudding basin.
•          Place the dates and bi carb into a heat proof bowl.
•          Pour over the cup of boiling water, stir well (it will go foamy).
•          Melt the cup of sugar and butter together over a low heat carefully, stirring. Remove from heat.
•          Whisk the two eggs in a large bowl
•          Add in the sugar mixture, jar of stem ginger and date mixture.
•          Sift the flour, baking powder and cinnamon together and fold into the mixture.
•          Mix together.
•          Pour into prepared pudding basin.
•          Bake for approximately 45 minutes or until pudding is cooked through.
•            While the pudding is coking make the ginger cream sauce.
•             Place the cream, golden syrup and teaspoon of ginger in a saucepan. Bring to the boil and then reduce to a simmer, stirring for 1 minute.
•      Serve the pudding warm with warm ginger cream sauce.

Notes

• This is a perfect dessert for chilly winter days.
• The ginger adds a fresh twist to a time old favourite.
• The Buderim baby stem ginger has a great, gentle flavour adding some zing without being overpowering.
• The ginger pieces can be added as is or chopped up for a finer texture.
• For a healthier twist use dark coconut sugar (usually bought in a hard log) in place of the dark brown sugar, maple syrup or dark agave in place of golden syrup and spelt flour in place of ordinary flour, just tweak as needed.

Toddler Tips

• Make it fun by making them their own little mini puddings.
• Chop the ginger pieces smaller.
• If the ginger is a bit strong make them their own miniature one and use 1/3 the amount of ginger or leave out.

You can get the recipe card for this delicious recipe and everything you need to make it from the Maleny Supa IGA, this recipe is one of the 42 recipes I have created for the Maleny IGA's Local Product Local Recipe - recipe cards giving you inspiration and ideas for shopping and eating local!

Happy Cooking!

Rebecca XX

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Winter Warmer Soup

There is something about the chilly air and crispness of the days in Winter that make me always long for soup. I love soup, especially with fresh crusty bread, enjoyed with friends and family under a cold, grey sky or rugged up in front of glowing fire embers with a great book.

Soup makes me think of scarves, boots and winter colours, fallen leaves, houses warmed by baking and the warming scents of spices.

It is a wonderful time of year to be baking in the kitchen and I make a lot of soup through Winter and this recipe here is so easy and so healthy.
You dont need to be a really experienced cook, have a big veggie patch or hours of time on your hands. This can be easily whipped after for a family dinner and is a perfect meal idea for when you are tired, cold and hungry after a long day.
It has lots of added goodness and protein and one of my favourte spices, turmeric, which has great health benefits.

It is so simple and yet so delicious...

Ingredients

• 1 Maleny IGA vegetable soup-pack (find me in the fruit & vegetable section)
• 1 Maleny IGA dry soup-mix (find me with the lentils & pulses)
•  4 cups vegetable stock
• 1 teaspoon ground cumin
• 1 teaspoon turmeric
• 1 teaspoon garam masala
• 3 teaspoons Goumet Garden garlic
• 1 can crushed tomatoes
• 1 onion
• 1 medium fresh red chilli
• 1 tablespoon olive oil.
• Karim Himalyan salt to taste
• Freshly cracked black pepper to taste

Method

• In a deep saucepan sauté the onion in the oil with the garlic and cumin until slightly wilted.
•  Add in the chilli, turmeric, garam masala, stir through.
•  Chop and peel vegetables from the Maleny vegetable soup pack, add into the onion mixture and stir together for a few minutes.
•  Pour in the stock, tomatoes and lentil mix.
• Season with salt and pepper.
• Cover and bring to the boil.
• Reduce to a simmer and allow to cook, stirring occasionally until lentils are cooked and vegetables are all cooked through.
• Add additional water if needed but only a small amount at a time.
• Taste test and season to taste.
• Serve with crunchy bread like Essential Grain spelt sour dough or olive bread.

Notes

• Using the ready to go soup packs makes this a really simple and cost effective soup for the whole family.
• Give the soup extra heat by adding more fresh chilli and you can give it more of a cold beating boost by adding to taste extra fresh Australian garlic.

Toddler Tips

• Increase their interest in soup by serving it in a fun bowl with toasted bread soldiers for dipping.
• A really dense sour dough bread roll can be hollowed out and filled with room temperature soup for a funky serving style.
• Call it dinosaur swamp soup and serve with dinosaur shaped toast soldiers.
• Add a healthy noodle/angel hair pasta into the soup a few minutes before serving, served when cooked.

This recipe is part of the Maleny IGA Local Product Local Recipe - free recipe card series.

You can collect this card and everything to make this recipe in store.

Maleny IGA - Make it easier to support locals.

www.malenyiga.com.au 

Recipeandphotography(c)2013RebeccaMugridge

 

Sosatie Flavoured Fruit & Vegetable Curry

Sasotie Flavoured Fruit & Vegetable Curry

This Sosatie flavoured fruit curry has delicious flavours and smells from the Sunshine Coast's locally made Afrika Sasotie Aromatic Curry with Apricots sauce (you can buy online or create your own Sosatie sauce) and uses fresh local pineapple, and is  served with a wholegrain/wild rice and local Essential Grain Crusty Sour Dough Bread. The fruity flavour and being a non-hot curry makes this a great family dish and popular with kids and guests. The smells while it cooks alone will get the whole house excited about dinner.

Perfect for a chilli day.

Ingredients
• 1 jar Afrika Sosatie curry sauce ( you can buy this all around the sunshine coast and online or google Sosatie and make your own!)
• 1 large fresh pineapple
• 2 stalks celery
• 1 red capsicum
• 3 zucchini’s
• 1 large sweet potato
• 1 onion
• ½ cup dried apricots
• 4 teaspoons garlic
• 2 teaspoons mild chilli ( or to taste/optional)
• 1 tin apricot halves in natural juice, drain and save juice.
• 1 litre vegetable stock
• 1 cup water
• 1 tablespoon olive oil
• 2 cups wholegrain rice
• ¼ cup wild rice
• 2 tablespoon tapioca flour (gluten free)
• Crusty Sour Dough or gluten free bread to serve
• Natural yoghurt to serve (optional, I use Maleny Dairies)
• A deep frying pan/pot suitable for cooking the curry in


Method
• Combine the wholegrain and wild rice. Cook together according to packet instructions but using the vegetable stock in place of water, adding additional water as needed. Keep warm or time it so rice is warm when serving the curry.
• Peel and chop the sweet potato. Par boil until it can be just penetrated with a fork.
• Chop the onions and fry in a deep pan with the olive oil, chilli and garlic until they are slightly transparent.
• Chop the zucchini, fresh pineapple, capsicum and celery into bite sized pieces.
• Add them into the onion mix with the sweet potato and dried apricots and stir through.
• Pour in the Sosatie sauce, mix and gradually add in the cup of water and half a cup of the apricot juice from the tinned apricots.
• Bring to the boil and then simmer on a medium low heat.
• Whisk the tapioca flour in an equal amount of cold water.
• Add in the tapioca flour to thicken the sauce.
• Stir occasionally and add extra water to the whole dish as needed.
• When all vegetables are cooked add in the drained apricots from the tin, stir through 2 minutes.
• Serve alongside the rice and with slices of fresh crusty essential tastes bread and optionally a dollop of Maleny Dairies natural yoghurt.

Notes
• This dish smells amazing when it is cooking, great for entertaining and dinner parties or to come home too!
• The fresh pineapple and apricots in this really give a sweet and tasty twist on curry and make it very palatable to children and even non curry fans.
• Tastes even better the second day, so great for leftover lunches.
• Add fresh, hot red chilli’s to give it some heat.
• Alternatively serve with pappadams.

Toddler Tips
• The fruity flavour in the curry and the flavoured rice make this a popular dish with young kids too.
• Leave out all chilli.


The tastes of Afrika range make it easy to create exciting dishes that transport your taste buds to an exotic destination. Warm your home and palette this winter with this beautiful and yet simple dish.
I can honestly say both my kids really like this recipe, the fruitiness really appeals to children's taste buds. I highly recommend looking out for them.
FIND OUT MORE ABOUT THEM
CLICK HERE


This recipe is from my commercial work portfolio and was created for supermarket Maleny Supa IGA and their Local Product Local Recipe - recipe card series I crafted for them, featuring over 52 recipes.

Recipe and photography (c)RebeccaMugridge