Posted by kathryn in Main courses

It’s been a light blogging week for me. My attention has been taken up by our new Balance2health clinic website. It’s nearly, nearly ready and should be fully functioning next week. Which means I’ll have that bit of spare time back, which I need for blogging. In the meantime – here’s the usual Friday Quicklinks. * Re-gaining weight: Short piece at Weighty Matters on why Oprah regained her weight. We don’t usually talk celebrities and gossip here at Limes …

Read more 12 December, 2008

Posted by kathryn in Main courses

• Sweet potato, halloumi & seed soup: I first saw the link to this recipe on The Amazing Adventures of Dietgirl and thought what a glorious sounding soup. Sweet potato cooked with leeks and chickpeas, and then topped with sauteed haloumi, seeds and fresh parsley. * Health & the economy: The launch last month in the UK of Change4Life has prompted some debate. Should new health initiatives be delayed until the economic forecast improves? A perspective on Foodnavigator. * ...

Read more 05 December, 2008

Posted by kathryn in Main courses

What can you make for dinner from a list of 15 long-life ingredients? The kind of foods you’d have in your pantry? This was the question I asked a few weeks ago, when I announced the second round of the Pantry Challenge. And what a list of meals it is. I love these entries because they’re all so different. It shows that even with a limited set of ingredients you can make a range of different meals. h3. “Mograbieh Dinner …

Read more 02 December, 2008

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• Negotiating food at kids’ schools: Pizza Day seems to be a common thing in the US, although I haven’t heard about it over here (anyone?). Yoni Freedhoff from Weighty Matters approached his child’s school about the food and they’ve reached a compromise. It’s a good example of how to negotiate the subject of food at school. * Brown rice with roasted pumpkin: A lovely simple, vegetarian meal from a non-vegetarian – ChichaJo of 80 Breakfasts cooks “brown rice …

Read more 28 November, 2008

Posted by kathryn in Main courses

I’ve written before about frittatas being one of the staple meals in my house. They’re a quick-ish, flexible dish. As long as you have eggs, you can make a frittata with whatever else is in the cupboards. Which makes a frittata a perfect meal for the Pantry Challenge. Eggs, olive oil, some herbs, an onion and a few frozen vegetables are all you need to make a basic frittata. I made this frittata for lunch today and had it …

Read more 25 November, 2008

Posted by kathryn in Main courses

I thought I’d do something a bit different with today’s Quicklinks. Usually I post a round-up of what I’ve been reading: new information, recipes and resources. However instead today I thought I’d link to a group of recipes I use all the time. I enjoy cooking and love trying out something new. However we also have our staples. Recipes which are used over and over and over again. And in amongst these are a number written and published by …

Read more 21 November, 2008

Posted by kathryn in Main courses

Today I have another guest post – from the lovely Wendy of A Wee Bit of Cooking. I asked Wendy to tell us about one strategy that helps her eat well. And this was her answer. Tuesday nights kill me. The days are always the busiest; the evenings are often filled with meetings, parents’ nights and/or marking and, to make matters worse, the weekend is never anywhere in sight. Arriving home on a dark and cold Tuesday night it …

Read more 29 October, 2008

Posted by kathryn in Main courses

• How to cook: Mark Bittman hands his Bitten over to his producer, who wants to learn to cook. Her first effort is pumpkin soup. Not everything goes to plan, but she makes a soup that’s “tasty and satisfying”. * Credit crunch lunch: Shocked to realise the real cost of school lunches, Charlotte from The Great Big Vegetable Challenge has made some butternut pumpkin tarts for packed lunches – and they’re only 40p a serve. * Chickpea salad: Lovely …

Read more 24 October, 2008

Posted by kathryn in Main courses

The latest issue of Life etc magazine is out, complete with my regular Ten Minute Kitchen recipe column. In this edition the feature ingredient is chicken and the three recipes are: * Chicken, tomato and olive tart * Oat and sesame crumbed chicken * Chicken noodle soup The three recipes can be downloaded from the Life etc website. Simply click on the link half way down the right-hand sidebar.

Read more 23 October, 2008

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Bananas, custard and asparagus are not the most obvious elements on which to base a meal. And when I started thinking about Sarah Cucina Bella’s $7 dinner challenge they were far from my mind. Originally I was planning a red lentil dal with yoghurt and rice. Good bargain fodder. Until I saw asparagus for a dollar and realised bananas were the cheapest fruit in the supermarket. Which is when my plan changed. Instead my meal is a barley, fetta …

Read more 13 October, 2008

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• The US$7 Dinner Challenge: Sarah’s Cucina Bella has set a challenge: making a two-course dinner for four people for US$7. That’s not a lot of money, about $10 Australian. I’m taking part – are you up to the challenge? * A selection of salads: I’m new to Food Blogga, but particularly love her salad selection. There are side salads, meal salads, dishes suitable for winter, as well as lighter salads for the summer months. The Food Blogga salad …

Read more 10 October, 2008

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• On becoming an omnivore: This has nothing to do with health, nutrition or even being sensible really. But I just love Jeffrey Steingarten’s writing. Here he talks about becoming an omnivore. * Mediterranean-style quinoa: Each week I say to myself I’m not going to link to 101 Cookbooks again. And then Heidi posts another superlative recipe and I just have to let you know. This one is culturally confused quinoa dish – with “pesto, roasted cherry tomatoes, pine …

Read more 03 October, 2008

Posted by kathryn in Main courses

I’ve been thinking recently about one of the difficult parts of keeping on the dietary straight and narrow. Planning and shopping. They’re an integral part of eating well, but for most of us there are days and weeks when thinking ahead and getting to the supermarket just doesn’t happen. At these times it’s easy to fall back on fast food and take away. h3. The challenge So a few weeks ago I set a challenge. Was it possible to make …

Read more 02 October, 2008

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I’ve had some lovely entries for the Pantry Challenge. I’m in the process of collating them and putting together the round-up – which I’ll post on Thursday. In the meantime though I have a recipe of my own. I’ve been making variations on this tagine for years. It started with a recipe I spotted in a North African cookbook for vegetarian kofta balls in a tomato sauce. The meal was finished with whole eggs, cracked into the dish and …

Read more 30 September, 2008

Posted by kathryn in Main courses

A while ago I blogged about how small impediments can stop us from eating well and why I never cook stir frys. I love eating them. They’re quick, tasty and healthy. You can add in lots and lots of vegetables, change around the flavours, use some low fat protein. What’s not to like? Instead I don’t cook stir frys because I hate cleaning the wok afterwards. So this meal is what I make instead. It has many of the …

Read more 27 September, 2008

Posted by kathryn in Main courses

It’s been a light blogging week for me. I’m working hard on a writing project for Wellbeing – something interesting they’re releasing early next year. But I shall be back properly next week. For a few days of food made from the pantry. I’ve had some entries already and am going to post a couple of recipes of my own. In the meantime, here’s the usual Friday Quicklinks. Plus a photo of my fridge – which is for Wendy. ...

Read more 26 September, 2008

Posted by kathryn in Main courses

• Easy way with broccoli: There’s a big promise in The Wednesday Chef’s post on broccoli, but this is a super simple and great looking recipe. * Huevos Rancheros: Smitten Kitchen is a new blog to me, but I love the look of this recipe for the Tex-Mex dish huevos rancheros. * Indian spiced croquettes: I’m loving the idea of these spinach and pea tikkis from Quick Indian Cooking. And they’re grilled, not fried. * BBC’s food resource: There’s …

Read more 05 September, 2008

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• Fuel prices vs food prices: Interesting read from Crikey. While we’re concentrating on rising fuel prices, it’s food prices which are more worrying. * Easy fish: Another of Mark Bittman’s easy recipes – this time grilled fish with fennel. Only six ingredients and takes about 20 minutes. * Beer-baked beans: One recipe I’m going to make very soon is Cassie’s beer-baked beans from Veggie Meal Plans. * Filo samosas: Wendy from A Wee Bit of Cooking has been …

Read more 25 July, 2008

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• The Great Big Vegetable Challenge: The Great Big Vegetable Challenge has charted one family’s attempt to convert vegie-phobic children into vegetable lovers. They’ve come to the end of the alphabet and are challenging you to make a vegetable face. * Strawberry salad: I love the strawberry salad on this post from Just Braise. Leaves, kohlrabi, fresh herbs, strawberries and goats’ cheese. Light and delicious. * Sustainable food: Interesting debate on The Gobbler about the possible backlash against eating …

Read more 18 July, 2008

Posted by kathryn in Main courses

• A week of salads: Over at Food Stories Helen Graves has celebrated her blogging anniversary with a week of posts on salads. My two favourites are the zucchini with cornichons, herbs and capers and the glorious looking beetroot, pumpkin & haloumi. * Rhubarb with lentils: I’ve been buying the most glorious rhubarb recently. Once a week an organic shop near my clinic has vegetables picked that morning. At the moment it’s rhubarb. With this week’s bunch I’m making …

Read more 11 July, 2008

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• Eating well with limited resources: Really like this post from The Simple Dollar. It’s all about making your diet better when you have minimal space, equipment and dollars. * The Cheese Guide: Good information on cheeses. Which have the most fat, calories and calcium. Thanks to Sophie. * Ethical fish: Fascinated to read Kale for Sale’s review of Bottomfeeder – as she says it’s the Omnivore’s Dilemma of seafood. I’m going to look out for a copy of …

Read more 04 July, 2008

Posted by kathryn in Main courses

The latest issue of Life etc magazine is out, complete with my Ten Minute Kitchen recipe column. This month the three recipes all feature ricotta: * Lemon chicken with pea & ricotta puree * Lentil, ricotta & rocket tarts * Toasted brioche with warm fruit salad The magazine is available from newsagents and ABC shops. You can also download the recipes from the Life etc website – simply click on the link about half way down the right hand sidebar. ...

Read more 01 July, 2008

Posted by kathryn in Main courses

We ate this last week. And it was wonderful. It’s another one pot meal which takes about 10 minutes to prepare and then cooks away in the oven, requiring very little attention from you. I didn’t have a recipe, but instead put this together from ingredients we had in the cupboard, fridge and freezer. It’s another flexible recipe, allowing you to adapt and vary, depending on what you have on hand. You could replace the edamames with white beans …

Read more 11 June, 2008

Posted by kathryn in Main courses

I seem to have bumper list of Quicklinks today: * How virtuous are you?: A gentle poke at dietary snobbery that made me laugh. I am as guilty of this as anyone! * Healthier baking: Sophie from Mostly Eating has written an excellent post with tips on making your muffins healthier. It’s solid and useful advice. * Our diet is killing us?: Michael Pollan was recently in Australia for the Sydney Writers’ Festival. He did an interesting interview on …

Read more 06 June, 2008

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I’m bending my own rules with this recipe. It’s not quite a one-pot meal. I’ve tried adding more vegetables and increasing the variety of ingredients, but it’s one of those dishes you just shouldn’t tamper with. It’s not a very glamorous dish, or even particularly good looking. However it is one of the best and easiest ways to cook lentils. Five minutes of prep, put it in the oven and it cooks away all by itself. No stirring, sauteeing, ...

Read more 03 June, 2008

Posted by kathryn in Main courses

Given my one-pot meals focus I thought I’d continue the theme into this week’s Quicklinks. * Haloumi & vegetable bake: It was Sophie from Mostly Eating who directed me to this fabulous recipe potatoes and lots of vegetable baked in the oven and topped with haloumi. Which sounds absolutely lush. * Quinoa tagine: I’ve linked to it before, but I’ll link to it again, because Ricki’s quinoa tagine with chickpeas and olives is a brilliant example of one-pot cooking. ...

Read more 30 May, 2008

Posted by kathryn in Main courses

This is one of my favourite, favourite one-pot meals. I’ve been making this vegetable and bean stew for years. I’ve made it for Richard and I, for dinner parties and it never fails to please. In some magic way it manages to be both warming and light, at the same time. It’s exactly the kind of food I’m loving at the moment. A perfect example of my one-pot cooking strategy. While there’s a bit of vegetable prep and a …

Read more 29 May, 2008

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It’s Friday – so instead of quizzes, it’s time for some links: * Salt & pepper: Startling photos from the BBC of a peppercorn and a grain of salt. * Using seaweed: Another great recipe from Food Stories – this time it’s mushroom, nori and wakame soup. * The easiest chickpea salad?: I love the simplicity of A Life Time of Cooking’s quick and easy chickpea salad with ginger, herbs and citrus. * Gingery mushroom salad: Delicious autumn food …

Read more 25 April, 2008

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• Quinoa tagine: Over at Diet, Dessert & Dogs Ricki has been running a series on using quinoa. She’s surpassed herself with this beautiful tagine of chickpeas, olives and prunes. I cooked this during the week and it was wonderful. * Wild rice salad: I’m new to Syrup & Tang but this week Duncan posted a gorgeous looking wild rice, apricot and almond salad. * Veggie burgers: Another blog I’ve only discovered recently is Food Stories from the UK. ...

Read more 18 April, 2008

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• Counter-productive TV ads: Over at Chew on This Paula Goodyer discusses adverts that poke fun at healthy habits. * Well balanced pasta: I like this pasta dish from Vegan Yum Yum. It has over three serves of vegies and looks delicious. * Celeriac chowder: I’m always a bit unsure what to do with celeriac, so I was delighted to spot Lily & Chew’s celeriac, sweetcorn and butterbean chowder. * 7 days of wellness tips: Another great link from …

Read more 29 February, 2008

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• Obesity: Fascinating article on CalorieLab about the difference between Japanese and American cultures, food habits and attitudes to obesity. It’s written by Makiko from Just Hungry. There’s a follow up perspective here. * Beetroot soup: It’s been at least a month since I linked to the last beetroot recipe, so how could I pass up the opportunity to show off Green Gourmet Giraffe’s chunky beetroot soup with kidney beans? * Don’t know what to do with fish? Why …

Read more 25 January, 2008

Posted by kathryn in Main courses

Yesterday I posted recipes for an easy Christmas menu. Each dish takes no longer than ten minutes of prep – so you can get out of the kitchen and enjoy the day. I’ve put together the following preparation guide – to make the day even easier: h3. The night before * Baked cod with lime & summer vegetables: prepare the whole dish up to the cooking point, cover with clingfilm and leave in the fridge overnight * *Roast potato, ...

Read more 20 December, 2007

Posted by kathryn in Main courses

This is a Christmas menu I developed for Life etc magazine last year. It’s an easy-summer Christmas menu. Each dish is designed to take no more than ten minutes of preparation and to keep the cook out of the kitchen. This also makes a light and healthy meal, with a few Christmas treats to follow. I’ll also post a preparation guide, showing what you can do the day before – to make Christmas day even easier! h3. The Menu …

Read more 19 December, 2007

Posted by kathryn in Main courses

• Food labelling: I’ve blogged about being wary of food marketers using the word natural before. This week Refrigerator Raid posted about discussions in the US of what is natural?. There’s also some good advice on choosing the best foods for you. * Mediterranean lamb pizza recipe: Should You Eat That posted a simple Mediterranean lamb pizza recipe. Pitta bread bases, covered with pesto, lamb mince and a reasonable veg component. It’s then topped off with ricotta, a healthier …

Read more 16 November, 2007

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• Mental health: Finding Optimism has a wonderful series on being the partner of someone with depression. The posts are written by Anna, the wife of Finding Optimism’s blogger James. It’s a personal, but practical look at how to cope if the person you love has a mental health issue. The series starts here: the depression dialogue. * Mediterranean diet: Revolution Health has a post about the Mediterranean diet – the “behind the scenes” facts which make this way …

Read more 05 October, 2007

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• I originally saw the link to Shape of a Mother on Cranky Fitness. This is a wonderful site, giving a refreshing dose of reality about womens’ bodies after pregnancy. * After discussing the Australian proposal to offer people money to lose weight, over at Dietriffic Melanie has brought up the topic of workplace better health incentives. Do they work and are they a good idea? * Veggie Chic has posted about calling a truce with your vegetable enemies. ...

Read more 28 September, 2007

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• Over at the Guardian blog they’ve been exploring strange food combinations. Peanut butter and cornflake sandwiches, chips wrapped in naan bread, broccoli and marmite sandwiches, people are confessing their innermost food secrets. * Trusted MD and Envisions Solutions are taking the pulse of the healthcare blogosphere. If you’re a healthcare blogger, then you might want to take part in their online poll. * Veggie Meal Plans has a beginner’s guide to worm farming. * Perfect for this time of …

Read more 07 September, 2007

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A friend sent me a link to cuisine.com.au. This website is based on the recipes published in the The Age, Sydney Morning Herald and NZ Cuisine, so it includes dishes from Bill Granger, Stephanie Alexander, Lynne Mullins, Jill Dupleix and many more. It’s an easy to use, smart looking website, with lots of pictures and recipes categorised by meal, cuisine and also special diets. There are a couple of functions I really like. The What’s in the fridge? search function …

Read more 01 September, 2007

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• Peanut allergies can cause people to limit their life and activities. Professor Robyn O’Hehir an allergy specialist from the Alfred Hospital in Melbourne has some simple and practical advice. * Family Therapist, Rod E Smith’s blog Difficult Relationships is a wonderful resource of compassionate and straight-talking relationship advice. * Since the beginning of July, Veggie Chic has been on a shopping strike. She’s only allowed to buy fresh fruit, vegies, tofu and milk – everything else has to come …

Read more 31 August, 2007

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The latest issue of Life etc, including my regular Ten Minute Kitchen recipe column. The theme for this issue is walnuts and the recipes include: * Barbecued flathead with walnuts * Walnut & egg salad with creamy eggplant dressing * Spiced lamb with walnuts For the next two months you can download the recipes from the Life etc website. The button is in the right-hand sidebar, about half way down. If you do pick up the magazine, I’m one of …

Read more 27 August, 2007

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• I’m becoming a fan of Half of Me’s regular Lick The Produce section. I’ve linked to it before – hoping to inspire the vegie- and fruit-phobics out there. In this episode she tries mango, kiwi fruit and purple cauliflower for the first time. * The Guardian blog asks if you’re vegetarian and have given up meat then why do you eat so many meat-substitutes? The post is beautifully titled Hard-core Quorn. * Those of you following the “31 Days …

Read more 20 August, 2007

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• For all of you having problems with those afternoon munchies, Chew On This has some good advice on taming food cravings. Paula quotes research from the Journal of Applied Psychology which found “rather than actively trying not to think about the food you crave, it’s better to focus on an image of something completely different”. * Despite it’s salt content, I’m a big, big fan of haloumi – which means this dish from Figs, Olives and Wine is going …

Read more 10 August, 2007

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Today’s quicklinks is for the omnivores out there. I’ve just been responding to comments and in one answer I mentioned that one of the best meats to eat, here in Australia, is kangaroo. Kangaroo is low in fat, plus they’re adapted to living in our harsh environment and cause much less damage to top soil than cows and sheep. However, it’s still not a popular meat and I think most people just don’t know what to do with it. So …

Read more 20 July, 2007

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Monday is always the night I want something quick and easy for dinner. While home-made and healthy are important, I’m mostly after speed and simplicity. Some quick and easy suggestions are: * Pork&Asian greens stir-fry – although I’d probably miss out the five-spice mix and use a pack of frozen vegies * An omelette with a big pile of steamed vegetables and (if I could be bothered) oven-baked wedges * Tuscan bean soup – it may be from Sunrise, but …

Read more 09 July, 2007

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Yesterday’s Good Living featured easy fish recipes from Bill Granger. While there are many health benefits to including fish in your diet, people seem unsure of what to do with it. As Bill says: bq. Fish can strike terror into the hearts of novice cooks, but ironically it is probably the quickest and simplest thing to cook. If you’re a fish beginner, then why not try one of Bill’s recipes? They include a grilled coconut salmon, polenta crusted fish and …

Read more 04 July, 2007

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• Family Nutritionist has a recipe for green and orange ribbons with fettucine, a lovely way to balance out the vegetable to starchy carbohydrate ratio. If you can’t get mustard greens you could use silverbeet. * I wouldn’t recommend this approach to anyone, but here’s what happens when a meat addict goes hard core vegan for one month. * I love the sound of these Turkish Red Lentil Balls – I think I’ll be cooking them this weekend. * Chew …

Read more 22 June, 2007

Posted by kathryn in Main courses

After my weekend cook-fest, I have a fridge and freezer full of ingredients. Last night, instead of using the roasted pumpkin in a risotto, I decided to combine it with some of the beans and barley. All the ingredients were cooked, so they just needed to be warmed in a saucepan with a small amount of water. I then made a quick dressing and dinner was ready in minutes. h3. Roast pumpkin with white beans and barley These quantities …

Read more 19 June, 2007

Posted by kathryn in Main courses

Rain, rain, rain and more rain made cooking on the weekend very attractive. My nephew’s fifth birthday party was washed out, so Sunday was an unexpected free day and an opportunity to cook some meals and ingredients for the week ahead. h3. What I cooked Lentils: I cooked three cups of lentils in my rice cooker. I used half of them to make Quick Lentil Soup and the other half has gone in the freezer. Barley: I also cooked …

Read more 18 June, 2007

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• Overseas action on junk food advertising to kids: tomorrow the UK parliament is having its second reading of a bill aimed at preventing the advertising on TV of foods high in fat, sugar and sodium before 9pm (when in theory young children have stopped watching and gone to bed). * According to Rudd Sound Bites, Starbucks in the US is about to make reduced fat milk the standard in a lot of its drinks. * I like this breakfast …

Read more 08 June, 2007

Posted by kathryn in Main courses

I recently asked the question * what’s your perfect mid-week meal * and received some interesting and useful responses . I had assumed everyone would be after speed and minimal preparation, but readers also commented they were looking for ways to use up leftovers, meals to freeze and how to recycle last night’s dinner into something new and fabulous. I’m still mulling over these answers, but they have persuaded me I need to tweak my recipe categories, ...

Read more 30 May, 2007

Posted by kathryn in Main courses

This was my dinner on Tuesday night. Richard was out and I wasn’t in a big cooking mood, but I still wanted something tasty, healthy and home-made. This salad fitted the bill. The original recipe prescribed tinned lentils, but I already had some dried to use up. Rather than fuss around cooking them on the stovetop, I thought I’d try cooking them in my rice cooker. I used one part lentils to