Vegetable Garden

There is nothing more satisfying than growing your own vegetables. On a recent trip to Adelaide, I had the pleasure of eating from my parents vegetable garden which they have had up and running for the past 6 months.

On the menu from their Tarian Garden was a Bok Choy and Choy Sum stir fry. We simply picked the Asian greens, sauteed in tamari, ginger & garlic and served with brown rice. A simple yet extremely tasty meal.

Other meal suggestions for Asian greens are add them to a pumpkin laska or dice and serve in a Vietnamese salad with grated carrot, cucumber, tomato & puff tofu.

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Caramalised Onion Jam

There is no need to buy a jar of caramalised onions again...this recipe is so easy.

Ingredients

1 brown onion, sliced

1 tbsp olive oil

2 tbsp caramalised balsamic vinegar

Method

In a small saucepan, heat the oil and add the onions & balsamic vinegar. Cover and simmer for 25-30 mins or until the onions are sticky in consistency.

Makes enough jam for 2 home made burgers. Of course you can always increase the measures to make more!

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Artichoke & Green Olive Pasta Salad

Discovering new products keeps innovative recipes & tastes evolving in your kitchen. Over the weekend on my gastronomic travels I discovered, Pukara Estate Artichoke & Green Olive Tapenade.

We had friends coming to dinner and time was of a premium so with a few moments thought, this recipe was created. The preparation and cooking of the meal took no more than 25 minutes.

Ingredients

1 x 500g Kamut Spiral Pasta

170g jar, Pukara Estate Artichoke & Green Olive Tapenade

3 tbsp Premium Extra Virgin Olive Oil

1 head Broccoli florets, steamed

1 bunch Purple Kale, sliced roughly

1 onion, sliced finely

2 garlic cloves, crushed

1 red chilli, diced

Pepper to taste

Method

Cook the pasta according to the packet instructions, drain and set aside.

Heat 1tbsp olive oil in a saucepan on a medium head and fry the onions, garlic and chilli for 3-4 minutes or until the onions are transparent. Then add the purple kale and broccoli florets and cook on a low heat until the kale has wilted.

Add the cooked pasta and mix through the Pukara Estate Artichoke & Green Olive Tapenade. Turn off the heat and add the remainder of the olive oil and season with pepper.

Serve warm garnished with rocket. Serves 6.

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New Discovery - Kamut

There is always something to learn about food, a new product, a new brand and most importantly, a new (or old) food that gets brought to your attention. Today I discovered Kamut pasta.

Kamut is an ancient grain, and a close relative to durum wheat. Kamut is considered nutritionally superior to many other forms of wheat with protein content 40% higher than traditional wheat. Kamut is high in vitamins and carbohydrates therefore produces greater energy than traditional wheat - ideal for that carb load needed when training for a marathon like myself!

Kamut has a sweet nutty flavour. Kamut pasta takes around 7 minutes to cook and makes the perfect meal when served with Tarian’s basic tomato sauce recipe with added swiss brown mushrooms, spinach, red peppers and onions.

www.tarianpantry.com.au

Fried Rice

Coming in a close second to soup, one of the simplest meals to cook is fried rice. Basically you can throw all sorts of vegetables into the rice to create your own unique version. Here's mine to share with you.

Ingredients

2 tbsp tamari, 2 tbsp black bean sauce, 2 tsp sesame oil, pinch of raw sugar, 1 tbsp oil, 1 tsp minced ginger, 2 cloves garlic, chopped, ½ red chilli, finely chopped, 6 pieces puff tofu, sliced, 12 green beans, chopped .5cm thick, 2 corn cobs, corn sliced off cob, ½ cup carrot, grated, 2 spring onions, finely diced, 2 cups Jasmin Rice (cooked)

Method

In a small bowl, combine the tamari, black bean sauce, sesame oil, vinegar and sugar.

Heat oil in a large wok and stir-fry ginger, garlic and chilli. Add the green beans, spring onions, corn, tofu and carrot and cook for 3 mintues. Add the rice and sauce mixture and combine.

Stir-fry until hot and serve.

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Hot Tomato

Being mid week, I take a good look at my fridge and see what has and hasn't been eaten. I am mindful that Saturday is only two days away and once again, I will be heading down to the Eveleigh markets to do my produce shopping.

Last weekend, we picked up some lovely vine tomatoes and bell peppers so tonight, I am going to roast and serve them with risotto cakes for dinner.

Preheat the oven to 180 degrees, lay the tomatoes and bell peppers on a non stick pan and drizzle with 1 tbsp olive oil and 1 tsp sea salt. Roast for 40 minutes checking from time to time. The tomatoes and peppers should be slightly dehydrated and look well roasted.

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Roasted tomatoes are equally delicious stirred through al dente pasta served with chopped basil.

Feeling the cold?

Day light savings may have ended and winter on its way but it seems the dreaded lurgy has already found its way into my system. I am not one for getting sick, not that I don’t mind being sick, it reminds me how good it is to be well but I rarely get sick so when I do, it’s a bit of a shock to the system.

To combat this head cold of mine, I have been drinking Highland Herbs cold and flu tea – the tonic for all colds. Ingredients such as yarrow, thyme hyssop, fennel, ginger, peppermint, echinacea and elderflower, there’s nothing in this tea that won’t help you get better fast! Along with miso soup and steamed greens my immune system is getting all the medicines it needs without the need to visit a pharmacy. Go natural this winter.

www.tarianpantry.com.au