Cheat's Lasagne

Okay, so I'll admit this from the start, if you're a purist - this isn't exactly lasagne, but if you're lazy like me and want the meat, pasta, cheese combo baked into something that you can serve (and freeze if you want) easily, then this is your jam! When I say easy, I mean EASY. Traditional lasagne takes time to prep and lots of pots and pans - you have to cook the meat sauce, cook the pasta and make a white sauce before assembling and baking again. This cheat lasagne however, simply mix, layer, and leave for 5 or 6 hours then devour! Yes, there is absolutely NO pre-cooking required. And to make it even easier, mix everything in the food processor! You can thank me later. 

Ingredients (serves 6):

• 1 onion
• 2 cloves garlic
• 1 large carrot
• 1 zucchini
• 1 cup of beef stock
• 1/2 cup tomato paste
• 400 g tin of tomatoes 
• 500 g beef mince 
• 2 tbsp dried oregano
• 1 tbsp cracked pepper
• 1 tsp salt 
• 250 g dried lasagne or pasta shapes (spiral would also work well) 
• 4 tsp cornflour
• 1 1/2 cup milk 
• 2 eggs
• salt & pepper to taste
• 1 1/2 cup grated tasty cheese 

Preheat the slow cooker by turning it on high, and oiling the dish. (Alternatively you could bake it in the oven on 120 degrees Celsius for 5 hours.  

In the food processor, chop onion, garlic, carrot and zucchini till well minced. Add the stock, tomato paste, tinned tomatoes, mince, oregano, salt and pepper and mix till well combined. 

Layer the mince with the dried pasta into the slow cooker dish. Use 1/4 of your mince mixture first, spreading evenly, then 1/2 of the dried pasta. Top with another quarter of the mince mixture, then the other half of the dried pasta. Finally put the remaining half of the mince mixture over the top. 

Scatter the grated cheese over top. Next mix your cornflour with a little of the milk till smooth, then mix in the remaining milk and eggs. Season with salt and pepper and beat well. Pour this over the top of the grated cheese. Turn your slow cooker onto low, cover and leave for 4-6 hours till cooked through and beginning to brown on top. Every slow cooker is different - in mine, it is done perfectly after 5 hours, so keep an eye on yours the first time to get the perfect cooking time. 

Slice and serve with garlic bread and either salad or steamed vegetables. 

Family Mince and Cheese Pie

 It might nearly be spring, but the weather is still pretty wet and cold, so comforting warming food is just what we need. I got the inspiration for this recipe when a friend of mine was telling me about the steak and ale pie she was making; I of course didn't have any steak in the fridge, but decided to make a pie using the things I already had on hand. I always keep a block of puff pastry in the freezer (ideal for whipping up mini quiches like these B&E Mini Pies for a picnic lunch or unexpected guests), and usually a packet of mince too. 

I wanted this to be really hearty, packed with meat and flavour and not like one of those 'disappointment  pies' you've probably picked up from a pie warmer, where the pastry is dense and there is more gravy than meat. I kept the cheese on the light side too, just enough for a flavour kick without overwhelming which is already a (let's be honest) indulgent meal. I used water and stock cubes, however if you wanted more of that ale flavour, just sub the water for beer, and dissolve the stock cubes straight in the pan. The mince mixture freezes well, as would the cooked pies. You could also use Texas muffin pans to make individual pies, I did consider doing this, but for me, cooking should be easy, and if I'm frank, I couldn't be faffed mucking around with rolling out loads of mini pie cases. 

Ingredients (serves 4-6):

• 500 grams premium beef mince
• 1 tbsp dried thyme
• pinch chilli flakes
• 1 tsp ground black pepper
• 2 bay leaves
• 1 onion
• 2 carrots
• 2 cloves garlic 
• 2 beef stock cubes 
• 300 ml boiling water
• 2 tbsp flour 
• 2 tbsp BBQ sauce 
• 300 grams puff pastry, thawed
• 100 grams of tasty cheese, sliced roughly 

In a large saucepan brown mince on a medium to low heat. I don't add any oil, instead let the moisture from the meat do it's thing. Use a wooden spoon to break up any clumps. 

Peel onions, carrots, and garlic and use a food processor to chop finely. This helps it meld into the sauce. Add this to the browned meat, along with thyme, chilli flakes, pepper, and bay leaves. Reduce heat to low, and cook stirring for another few minutes. 

Mix the beef stock cubes with the boiling water. Sprinkle the flour over the mince and stir in, then add the stock and BBQ sauce. Let simmer for another 5-10 minutes till the liquid has reduced and thickened. 

Set aside to cool completely. This part can be done a day ahead if you wish. 

Oil a pie dish, and preheat your oven to 190 degrees celsius. Roll two thirds of your pastry to fit the pie dishes base and sides. Remove the bay leaves from the mince mixture and fill it into the pie dish. Crumble the slices of cheese over the mince. Roll the remaining pastry to fit the top of the pie dish. Crimp the edges together with your fingers to seal the pie. Prick the top to allow steam to escape. 

Bake for 25 minutes till golden and the filling is hot. 

Allow to cool for 5 minutes before slicing and serving.  

Baby Panang (for parents too!)

As of late I have been adapting our adult meals to make a potful to freeze down for baby. I'm also aware that as he gets older, he needs to be exposed to more flavours, textures and tastes. 

For this Thai Panang Curry, each time I make it will gradually increase the amount of Panang curry paste which is added, therefore increasing babies tolerance of the different herbs and spices. Obviously stopping once I have achieved a mild flavour, I don't expect the poor kid to eat super spicy food like his Mum! The half a teaspoon used in this batch wasn't detectable to my palate, and therefore happily gobbled down by Mr 8 months. 

Depending on where your child is at with their eating, you could puree this, or pulse so still a bit chunky, or just roughly mash. We're still at the blitzing stage, also I add the rice in after a few blitzes so that it stays fairly chunky still. Feel free to use cooked rice, ground Only Organic Iron Fortified Baby Rice or a combination of the both. The good thing about adding the rice at the end is that it helps you to gain the right consistency; simply add more rice to make it thicker. 

This recipe includes everything that you need to make a meal to serve four adults (dinner and the next day's lunches for us), and 6-10 serves for baby. I freeze baby's portions in silicone ice-trays or muffin trays, then pop them out and store in a zip-lock bag in the freezer, defrosting as much as is needed each day. The first ingredient list is the total ingredients that you will need. The second is the portions which go into baby's pot. 

Ingredients (4 adults and 6-10 baby serves):

• 3 carrots, peeled and sliced
• 2 parsnip, peeled and sliced
• 1/2 a squash or pumpkin, peeled and diced
• 1/2 a head of broccoli, florets, and stem peeled and cut into sticks 
• 1 apple
• 1 small kumara, peeled and diced 
• 1 onion, peeled and thickly sliced 
• 1 400g tin of coconut cream
• 1 tbsp oil
• 50 g + 1/2 tsp Mae Ploy Panang Curry Paste*
• 600 grams free range chicken breast or thigh, diced**
• 1 tbsp fish sauce
• 1 tbsp palm sugar or brown sugar
• juice of 1 lime or lemon
• 2 cups water
• 2 cups rice + 4 cups of water

*Any Panang Curry Paste will work, however adapt the amount used according to the packet directions. 

**Use protein of choice including Beef, Tofu or Pork

Begin by preparing your vegetables, as you do measure out the following amounts to go into a separate 1.5L capacity pot for baby.

• 120 g carrot
• 50 g parsnip
• 80 g broccoli
• 200 g squash or pumpkin
• 100 g kumara
• 80 g apple 

All remaining vegetables, prepare and pop aside. 

Add to baby's pot: 100 g chicken (or other protein), 1/2 tsp curry paste, 1/4 cup of coconut milk and two cups of water. 

Cover and bring to a gentle simmer, stirring occasionally for 30 minutes or until vegetables are very soft. Remove lid and leave to cool for 20-30 minutes.

Meanwhile, begin cooking your rice, according to packet directions. 

In a large frying pan (with a lid), heat the oil and over a low heat stir in the 50 g curry paste till aromatic, add the remaining coconut cream, then fill the tin with water and pour that in too, stir to create a sauce. Add the fish sauce and sugar. Add the chicken, carrot, parsnip, squash and any kumara or apple that was leftover. Stir, cover and simmer for 5-10 minutes till chicken is cooked through and vegetables are nearly softened. Add the broccoli and onion, stir and cover for another 5 minutes. 

Serve the Panang Curry in bows on top of the cooked rice. 

As for baby's pot, it should be cooled enough now. Blend or blitz in a food processor till at the desired consistency. To make it thicker, add up to 1/2 a cup of Only Organic Iron Fortified Baby Rice, or up to 1 cup of cooked rice, or as I did a combination of both. Decant this into ice-trays or muffin tins to freeze, then store frozen cubes in labelled zip lock bags in the freezer for up to 2 months. 

Baby's Red Lentil Dahl

Ingredients (Makes 6-10 baby serves):

• 1/3 cup red lentils
• 100 grams carrot, peeled and diced
• 80 grams parsnip, peeled and diced
• 50 grams apple, peeled and diced
• 200 grams kumara, peeled and diced
• 1/4 tsp each of ground cumin and allspice
• 2 cups water 
• approx 1/4 cup Only Organic Iron Fortified Baby Rice
• Optional: 1/2 cup grated cheese

Prepare vegetables and add to the pot with lentils, water and spices. Simmer covered for 20-30 minutes till lentils have almost disintegrated and vegetables are very soft. Remove from heat and add cheese (if using). Allow to cool before processing in a food processor or using a stick blender. Add rice to thicken if required. 

Freeze in batches and thaw as required. 

Savoury Cheese Veggie and Polenta Muffins

Savoury muffins are my new favourite snack, breakfast on the go, or as they were today, a quick and easy lunch alongside my favourite tinned soup 

These muffins are loaded with veggies and tasty cheese for calcium and a protein kick. You're welcome to chop and change the veggies used. Corn kernals and roasted pumkin or kumara are also very tasty. 

Polenta is also known as cornmeal and is available at most supermarkets, if you don't have it, you could substitute for 1/2 a cup of ground nuts, or 3/4 cup of extra flour.  

This recipe is easily doubled. I make a double batch, then individually wrap and freeze them. Frozen they stay fresh for up to 3 months. Simply grab one in the morning and it will be good to eat by morning tea time, or quickly warm in the microwave for 30 seconds. 

Ingredients (makes 12 regular muffins, or 6 texas* muffins): 

• 1 cup milk
• 1/4 cup olive oil 
• 1 large egg
• 1 tsp dried herbs or 1 tbsp fresh herbs (parsley, chives oregano or thyme) 
• 1 cup plain flour
• 1/2 cup polenta 
• 1 tsp baking powder
• 3/4 cup grated cheese, plus 1/4 extra for sprinkling on top
• 1 grilled red pepper (skin removed), roughly chopped 
• 1 cup of baby spinach leaves, roughly chopped, or 1/2 cup of frozen spinach, defrosted 
• 1/4 cup finely diced red onion, shallots, or sliced spring onion
• 1/2 tsp salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste
• 1/2 tsp cayenne pepper or chilli flakes (optional) 

Pre heat oven to 200 degrees celsius. Grease muffin trays or line with paper cases. 

Mix milk, oil and egg in a bowl. 

Sieve flour and baking powder in another bowl and stir through polenta, herbs, cheese, pepper, spinach, onion and pepper.  

Make a well in the centre of the dry ingredients and fold in the wet ingredients. Be careful not to over-mix, some dry bits are fine. Sprinkle with remaining grated cheese. 

Spoon into muffin tins and bake for 20-25 minutes if making regular size, or 25-30 minutes for Texas sized muffins. 

Leave in the tin for 5 minutes before removing.
Serve warm or room temperature with lashings of butter and a dollop of chutney. Also, a smear of vegemite or marmite adds a salty nutritional boost. 

Can freeze for up to 3 months. 

* Texas muffins are the larger muffin trays and are a similar size to what you would get in a cafe, while regular are the more cupcake size.