Looks Are Deceiving …

I was excited to make dinner tonight. It was a recipe from the bonappetit website for Seared Asian Steak and Mushrooms on Mixed Greens with Ginger Dressing (quite a long recipe title, eh?!) and seemed like the perfect solution for a warm Spring evening.

I wanted to post the picture this size so you couldn’t see how unappetising the meat looks, but here’s the proper sized picture:

For once I nearly followed the recipe, only taking a few shortcuts. Usually my kitchen shortcuts don’t make too much of a difference in the final product but today it showed. I really SHOULD have toasted the sesame seeds and I really SHOULD NOT have bought cheap steak and then overcooked it too! Despite this salad’s washed out looks it really DID taste good. The meatiness of the mushrooms goes fantastically with the steak and the dressing is delicious and zingy.

Preparation involves whisking the salad dressing ingredients, toasting the sesame seeds, sautéing the mushrooms and frying the steak – a very achievable week night dinner. I almost wanted to make another one with better meat, just so I could get a photo that might persuade you to try it too!

Related articles

• Sesame Beef Stir Fry (orderenvy.wordpress.com)

Easy Miso Vege Soup

This soup has been one of my staples this winter. It’s nothing gourmet but I like it because it is warming, satisfying and an easy source of lots of vegetables and protein. Perfect for when all you want to do is snuggle up under a warm blanket and keep warm! It also reheats nicely for lunch or dinner the next day.

Easy Miso Vege Soup Recipe

(serves 2)

Ingredients

• 3C water
• 3TBSP miso paste
• 1/2t ginger, minced
• 1/2t garlic, minced
• 1TBSP tamari
• 200g pumpkin, chopped into cubes
• 1/4 cauliflower head, chopped into florets
• 1/3C dried shiitake mushrooms
• 1/2 block tofu, cubed
• 1 large handful baby spinach leaves
• 1 spring onion, chopped finely
• 1 sheet nori (seaweed), cut into thin strips  (I roll my nori up like a cigar before cutting it to save time)

Method

1. Bring water to the boil in a medium saucepan
2. In the meantime, chop the pumpkin, tofu and cauliflower
3. Whisk miso paste, ginger, garlic and tamari into water then add pumpkin, tofu, cauliflower and mushrooms
4. Once the pumpkin is tender (about 12 minutes depending on the size of your cubes) add the spinach leaves and heat until wilted.
5. Serve the soup in bowls and sprinkle spring onion and nori on top

This is another recipe that lends itself to using up left over veges lingering in your fridge. I have used kumara, broccoli, beans, carrots and snow peas before. Rice noodles would be another nice addition if you wanted to bulk it out a bit.

Recipe Underdog Win

At the start of every week I make a list of recipes I want to cook and go and buy the ingredients so I’m not having to visit the supermarket every other day. I start off making the recipes I’m excited about and then get left with the ones that I wonder why I even chose. More often than not it’s the end of week reject recipes that are often the most delicious. Maybe it’s because they make me venture from my usual ‘safe’ eating choices.

Yesterday I tried my favourite recipe I’ve cooked so far since writing this blog. I hadn’t been looking forward to cooking it but my-oh-my it was delicious! I just wish I’d made more because I could happily live off the leftovers for days. The recipe was Thai Fried Quinoa by Mama Pea of PeasandThankyou. Check out her website, it’s hilarious and everything I have tried off it has been super tasty.

To cook this dish you toast quinoa in a saucepan, then simmer it in broth and coconut milk. Meanwhile, you fry up garlic, ginger, spring onion then peas, pineapple and coriander. You add the cooked quinoa to the fry pan, add some soy sauce and lime juice then top it with roasted peanuts, coriander and coconut. So simple but so good. I wanted to bulk mine out a bit so added some shrimp in at the start with the garlic and ginger. I am SO glad I did – it was the perfect protein accompaniment.