Light and Fluffy Weekend Cheese Muffins with Roasted Capsicum, Basil and Baby Capers

Homemade Savoury Muffins are at their best eaten on the weekend for an easy relaxing lunch. Are you feeling a bit peckish? As with most muffins the basic ingredients of flour, salt, cheese, oil or butter, eggs, and buttermilk, cream or sour cream need to be used with these, but then after that they are one of the most versatile baked goods on the planet. I made these this morning rather impulsively after I had baked a cake, using up bits and pieces left in the refrigerator.

Cheesy Broccoli Fritters, Baked not Fried

Broccoli Fritters which can be baked instead of fried, are my ideal way of making delicious and easy fritters where there's no risk of them breaking apart and no need to stand endlessly at the stove flipping fritters. I just know you will love this method too.  Baking ensures they are crispy and hold together well, thanks to the egg and cheese binding all the ingredients together. 

Healthy and Simple Vegetarian Quiche

This is a versatile and economical vegetarian recipe where the vegetables and herbs that I use are all optional dependent on what is in season and what I have on hand. This time I used capsicum, zucchini, some cooked silverbeet and fresh parsley and 1 tablespoon of finely chopped spring onion. Tarragon and thyme are also very flavoursome herbs to use in moderation. Feel free to add 1 cup of some cooked salmon, ham or even leftover cooked chicken if you wish, just reduce the amount of vegetables to one cup.  

The real bonus with this recipe is that I don't need to make pastry for it to taste great, although I do love a nice, crisp pastry. Who doesn't love pastry? If you are desperate for a pastry lined quiche, just fill an uncooked homemade or bought savoury pastry shell with the filling and bake for 30-40 minutes. This recipe is also perfectly suited to making mini quiches, which can then be frozen. I love reheating those for a quick and nutritious breakfast. Do you remember the old saying, "Real men don't eat quiche?" Well Mr. HRK loves this quiche, and what can I say, except that I know a real man when I see one.

Ingredients:

• 4 free range eggs, beaten
• 1/2 cup Self Raising Flour
• 1 cup milk
• 1/2 cup fresh cream or low fat sour cream
• 3 tablespoons melted butter
• 1 1/2 cups grated tasty cheese including parmesan (low fat is fine)

Vegetables and Herbs

2 cups finely chopped vegetables (including any combination of capsicum, celery, cooked silver beet, zucchini, mushrooms,
broccoli, fresh asparagus or thawed frozen peas) If you use silver beet, squeeze it first to remove all of the liquid.

2 tablespoons chopped herbs including flat leaf parsley and 2 teaspoons chopped thyme (Thyme is quite a strongly flavoured herb so not as much is needed in a recipe)

Let's Cook:

1. Combine beaten eggs, flour, milk, cream and butter. Whisk until all lumps have disappeared and it is a nice, even consistency.

2. Stir in cheese, herbs  and vegetable filling. Add salt and pepper to taste.

3. Pour into a 24 cm  lightly greased quiche or pie dish.

4. Garnish the surface with thinly sliced capsicum, or thinly sliced zucchini.

5. Bake at 180 deg. C for 30 - 40 mins. or until cooked and nicely browned and set.

Serve this  with a crisp tossed salad and vinaigrette.

I am revisiting this recipe which I posted when I was new to blogging and it remains a firm favourite of ours

We have just returned home on Saturday from a road trip North to Cairns and so a simple meal like this makes life easy when we are still unpacking. I know that we are so lucky here in Queensland to still be able to travel within this beautiful state of ours, however I think we are now  aware that the situation could change very quickly. Let's hope it doesn't.

During the next week or so I'll post some photos and a story about our trip North  which I hope you will enjoy, so watch this space. There are a lot of travellers on the Bruce Highway towing caravans and camper vans, making the most of the easing of retrictions in Queensland, and all of the caravan parks and free camps are full to the brim. 

It's tomato season, and at this time of year it is a tradition for us to stop at Merinda near Bowen on the Bruce Highway in North Queensland and purchase some tomatoes straight from the farm. I was saddened to see that some of the established fruit and vegetable shops are no longer open on the highway, a consequence of the pandemic, and a long season without any customers. However whilst the farm shop we normally buy from on an honour system wasn't open, we did find one, also operating on an honour system and managed to buy some fresh, firm tomatoes at $2.00 for an 800g bag. This is much cheaper than what we are paying at the supermarket.

With Victoria now under lock down and experiencing curfews, and many countries still in crisis with Covid 19, let's not take anything for granted. Here at home we are still living simply, not going anywhere too crowded, but still practicing social distancing as much as possible when we do need to go out.

Blogging friends, I am persisting with using the new Blogger interface. How about you? We can now add photos from Google Photos to our posts, and I hope that if I remove those photos from GP,  that they won't disappear from the blog post as well, as they used to with the gallery photos. 

Stay strong and healthy and I look forward to hearing from you. 

Best wishes,

Pauline

Itsy Bitsy Broccoli Bites for the holidays

With a free morning up my sleeve, I made a batch of these green goodies  for the freezer to have on hand at Christmas time. These nutritious and fun snacks are great for small children to munch on and for adults to enjoy with a cold Christmas drink. If you know you are being visited by young parents over Christmas with little people you will score some serious Brownie points if you produce these little beauties which the kids will love. They don't even realise that they are packed with nutritious green vegetables and no sugar. Finger food and vegetables are essential for healthy children and if they see us eating them as well, they will want them. The Sweet Chilli Jam on the side is strictly for adults only.

The rain has stopped for the moment leaving muggy and oppressive weather, suggesting that more rain is on it's way. The Dove orchids are coming out in bloom again, also a promise of more rain,  so hopefully they are right. According to the BOM reports Cyclone Owen will be bearing down on us this Sunday so batten down the hatches. I am trying to get all of the housework, washing etc done today knowing that over the next couple of days the wet weather could hamper our activities.

To make these little gems, I whizz the broccoli up in the food processor to save time doing all that chopping and then the rest of the ingredients just need to be mixed up, shaped into bite sized balls and put in the oven to quickly bake. So easy and just serve with Sweet chilli sauce or Sweet chilli jam for the adults,  or homemade relish or eat them unadorned! This is my version of Sarah Wilson's clever recipe. I also find it easier to grease my hands with a light layer of coconut oil when rolling them as they can get sticky.

I am putting this recipe up again as I last posted it two years ago and for some reason all of the photos disappeared. This recipe has endured the test of time.

Ingredients:

Makes 36 Bites

2-3 cups of finely chopped fresh broccoli or frozen, thawed and chopped broccoli
1 1/2 cups grated cheese ( cheddar, Parmesan or whatever you have on hand)
3 free range eggs, beaten at room temperature
1 cup flour (plain, gluten-free or almond)
1 teaspoon dried oregano or 1 tablespoon freshly chopped oregano
sea salt
olive oil, coconut oil or butter for greasing (I use coconut oil and put a little on my hands as well when rolling the balls)

Let's cook:

Preheat your oven to 190 deg. C.
Line two baking trays with baking paper and lightly grease the paper.
Combine all the ingredients in a large bowl and mix well.



Roll the mixture into bite sized balls and place on the baking trays. Or spoonfuls of the mixture can just be plopped onto the tray to resemble small fritters.



Sprinkle a small amount of dried oregano or black sesame seeds onto each ball before cooking for the rustic look and for added flavour. Reserve the black sesame seed bites for the adults.

Bake for 25 minutes or until golden.



These will keep in the fridge in an airtight container for 4-5 days, or freeze for a few months.



Best wishes

Pauline

Sweet Corn and Zucchini Fritters For Brunch

Fritters are such an old favourite from a bygone era, however they are still on the menu at many of the better coffee shops. Just by serving them with a side salad and a tasty relish, the price escalates to around $15.00 a meal or even more, and yet they are so easy to cook in your own kitchen using your own combination of ingredient, and depending on what you have on hand. Canned sweet corn has become a staple in my pantry, and as I always have  an abundance of fresh vegetables and herbs on hand, corn marries well with those to make lots of savoury meals such as fritters, muffins, and quiches to mention a few. Leftover chopped cooked meats such as chicken and corned silverside can also be added. Perhaps I am addicted to the natural sweetness and the crunch that corn brings to most of my creations. If you manage to grow your own sweet corn instead of needing to buy the cans, then you are set to go.

After our early morning coffee this morning Neil and I went for a meander through our vegetable and herb garden which inevitably led to a weeding, watering and tidying mission. This is when I really enjoy the early morning solitude of the garden, the surprises it yields, the twittering of our visiting birds and the crispness in the air. During this time, part of my brain is already planning meals for the day, future projects, wondering how my children are managing and what our friends and family might be doing. However, pottering in the garden is a very relaxing and rewarding pastime where I can escape from all of the political and commercialised issues we are bombarded with these days. Thank goodness the frenzy of Christmas marketing hasn't started yet although decorations are appearing in the shops already, heaven forbid! My Mum always used to say that gardening is great therapy, without paying a fortune for it. How true!

Back to reality. The light bulb in our frig has blown necessitating an excursion to find the right bulb, not easy for something so small, and before we know it, breakfast time has passed and we have moved into the brunch time frame. Within half an hour of arriving home, the bulb is installed in the refrigerator by my wonderful handyman husband, and my homemade fritters are cooked and ready to be demolished. A side salad of greens from the garden, fresh Bowen tomatoes from the markets, and some spicy tomato relish and we are ready to enjoy our brunch at home at a fraction of the cost of eating out. Another productive and fulfilling morning in the retiree's garden and kitchen. I must add though that not eating out much when we are at home, makes it all the more enjoyable when we are travelling, especially for moi, who does most of the cooking.

Sweet corn and Zucchini fritters

Ingredients:

420g can corn kernels, drained
1 small zucchini, grated or approx. 150g.
2 eggs, lightly beaten
1 cup self raising flour (or a combination of plain flour and baking powder. 1 cup of flour + 2 teaspoons of baking powder, sifted together)
1/3 cup milk
1 tablespoon finely chopped parsley or other favourite herb such as coriander(optional)
2 spring onions, finely chopped or garlic chives (optional)
1/2 teaspoon ground cumin (optional)
salt and cracked black pepper to taste

Let's cook:

1. Lightly mix together the corn, zucchini, eggs, spring onions, parsley and milk. 
2. Gradually stir in the sifted flour and cumin, salt and pepper.
3. Heat a small amount of oil in a non-stick pan, over a medium heat. Place heaped tablespoons of the fritter mixture in the pan and cook in batches depending on the size of your pan.
4. When you see small bubbles starting to appear on the surface of the fritters, it should mean they are nearly ready to flip over.
5. Using a non-metal spatula flip them over once, until nicely golden and cooked through. Keeping them all the same size will ensure that they all cook at around the same time. 
6. Drain each batch as it is finished on some paper towel on a plate and cover with alfoil to keep warm, until all the fritters are cooked.
7. Serve three fritters to a plate with a small side salad, and a spicy tomato relish or with chopped avocado, and coriander and relish. Whatever you prefer really.

Delicious. Enjoy!

Best wishes and happy cooking,

Pauline

Easy Vegetable Quiche Recipe

Quiche is such an easy and tasty solution on those nights when there has been no time to prepare ahead and shop for special ingredients. Most of the ingredients except perhaps the cream, are fairly standard items in most kitchens. I grow my own herbs, and generally have a few different types of vegetables on hand so preparation is very simple.  I  often also serve quiche for a nutritious and sustaining lunch and everyone always enjoys it.

This is a versatile recipe where the vegetables, herbs and cheese used are all optional according to what you have on hand, and the real bonus is that I don't need to make pastry, although I do love a nice, crisp pastry.

This is my version of the recipe my dear friend Noela gave me many years ago, and brings back many pleasant memories whenever I bake it.

Ingredients:

• 4 free range eggs, beaten
• 1/2 cup Self Raising Flour
• 1 cup milk
• 1/2 cup fresh cream or low fat sour cream
• 3 tablespoons melted butter
• 1 1/2 cups grated tasty low fat cheese
• 2 cups finely chopped vegetables and ham (including any combination of capsicum, celery, zucchini, mushrooms, broccoli, fresh asparagus and thawed frozen peas) (ham is also optional)
• 2 tablespoons chopped herbs including flat leaf parsley and 2 teaspoons chopped thyme (Thyme is quite a strongly flavoured herb so not as much is needed in a recipe)

Let's Cook:

1. Combine beaten eggs, flour, milk, cream and butter. Whisk until all lumps have disappeared and it is a nice, even consistency.

2. Stir in cheese, herbs  and vegetable filling. Add salt and pepper to taste.

3. Pour into a 24 cm  lightly greased quiche or pie dish.

4. Garnish the surface with thinly sliced capsicum, or thinly sliced zucchini.

5. Bake at 180 deg. c for 40 mins. or until cooked and nicely browned.

Serve with a crisp tossed salad and vinaigrette.

The Classic and Original Zucchini and Bacon Slice

Zucchini slice was originally created, back in the 1980's to assist very busy Mothers to cook a healthy, nutritious and very tasty savoury slice for the family, requiring no precooking of any ingredients, just some grating and slicing. It became so popular, that  you could depend on  there being a Zucchini slice at any family gathering or party.