Rustic Beef Stew.

As those who follow me on Instagram or Facebook know, hubby and I live mainly on chicken. This is because hubby will only eat chicken, beef and fish, and chicken is cheaper than beef or fish. He also only eats chicken breast. (I cannot lie; despite the variety of ways I find to serve up chicken breast, I do get bored with it.)

Last week I forgot to order chicken through my local organic collective. The chicken I buy is not organic (though that is available too, for a price that is way out of my reach!) but it is higher welfare free range than the offerings in most butchers or supermarkets, and cheaper too. However, my local butcher’s organic, grass-fed beef is cheaper than the collective’s. So, when I forget to place my order, what do you think I’d do?

Beef stew to the rescue!

Beef stew. Nothing complicated, just simple, wholesome, budget-friendly winter comfort food. Though somehow I chose the hottest May day on record here in Perth to make my first stew of the “winter”. (Hah! That’d be right!)

I used my electric pressure cooker, and the instructions should be roughly equivalent for any brand. This is a very easy dish to make, but allow plenty of time to prepare it. The browning takes a while as it is done in batches (but it is worth it for the added flavour), then there’s the interim step of adding the carrots and celery after the initial 25 minutes under pressure (important in order to avoid mushy veg) and then at the end of the cooking time it takes a while to come down from pressure naturally. The good news is that you can use this time to prepare any sides. The less good news is that if, like me, you want to take photos, the natural light has long since faded and you don’t have studio lighting.

Then again, the other good news is this beef stew tastes wayyyyy better than it looks.

It is rich and flavoursome and has the Fussy Hubby Seal of Approval.

Pressure Cooker Rustic Beef Stew

This simple beef stew is easy and full of flavour, the perfect comfort food for a cool autumn evening.

30 minPrep Time

50 minCook Time

1 hr, 20 Total Time

Author:

Ozfoodie

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Ingredients

• 1 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
• 1 kg chuck steak, cut into 2-3 cm cubes
• 1 large onion, diced
• 1 large handful swiss brown mushrooms, or button mushrooms, sliced
• 1 carrot, diced or sliced to 1-2 cm thickness
• 1 stalk celery, sliced 1 cm thick
• 5 small cloves garlic, sliced thinly
• 2 tbsp tomato paste
• 2 tbsp gluten-free worcestershire sauce
• ⅓ cup red wine, (use beef stock if you prefer, and skip Step 6)
• ⅓ cup beef stock, 2 tbsp reserved (use homemade or low sodium)
• 2 sprigs rosemary, halved but left intact
• 1 tbsp arrowroot flour, mixed into a smooth slurry with the 1 tbsp reserved beef stock
• ½ tsp salt (I use pink Himilayan sea salt)
• ¼ tsp ground black pepper

Instructions

1. Turn the pressure cooker onto the sauté function and heat 1 teaspoon of the olive oil until it shimmers. Add the carrot and celery and sauté for about a minute, until both are brightly coloured. Remove and set aside.
2. Put the pressure cooker onto its Browning function. Brown the beef in batches (at least 3), being careful not to crowd the pan or it will stew. Use a little extra oil if necessary. Remove each batch to a bowl, including the final batch.
3. Reduce the heat setting from Browning to Sauté. Add the remaining oil and heat, then add the onion to the pan and sauté for about 3 minutes. Add the mushroom slices and sauté until the mushroom starts to brown and release its juices and the onion softens and starts to turn translucent, about 4 more minutes.
4. Add the garlic and sauté until fragrant, up to 1 minute.
5. Add the tomato paste and Worcestershire sauce and stir well for 1 minute.
6. Add the wine and cook a further 2 minutes.
7. Add the stock (make sure you set aside 2 tablespoons for the slurry), rosemary and meat. Set the pressure cooker to HIGH pressure for 25 minutes, then release the pressure using quick release.
8. Open the lid and add the carrot and celery. Reset the pressure cooker to HIGH pressure for 1 minute (or 0 minutes if your pressure cooker supports it).
9. When it finishes cooking, turn off the Keep Warm function if there is one and it has kicked in, and allow the pressure to release using slow/natural release. (Turning off Keep Warm will bring the pressure down faster.) Allow 20-30 minutes for the pressure release. This is an important step that allows the fibres of the meat to relax and become tender to eat. If you are very short of time and really must speed things up, give it a minimum of 10 minutes before using quick release.
10. When you are able to remove the lid, remove the rosemary sprigs (which should now be bare). Stir in the slurry, allow to thicken for a minute or two in its own heat. Add salt and pepper, taste, and adjust as required. Serve immediately.

Notes

IN THE OVEN

Do the browning and sautéing on the stovetop (ideally in an oven-proof pan otherwise transfer to a an oven-proof dish) and cook 2½ to 3 hours on 140ºC fan-forced or 160ºC conventional, until fork tender.

ON THE STOVETOP

Do the browning and sautéing in a large saucepan, and simply simmer in the same pan, lid on, stirring occasionally (making sure it doesn't catch the bottom of the pan) until fork tender.

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It’s been one of those days.

It started yesterday, as these things so often do. Last night was a shocker. Hubby and I went out for dinner at a local pub. Mindful of keto eating, I asked for my grilled fish to be cooked in olive oil or butter instead of the industrialised seed oils typically used by restaurants. I was stunned when they flatly told me, ‘No.’ I couldn’t think of a single reason why they would refuse, except that they didn’t have healthy oils on the premises. I ate the fish anyway, but with little joy.

Later, it took hours (and hours, and hours) to get to sleep. Reading a good book does that to me for some reason, especially one that’s hard to put down… but I digress. This morning I woke up exhausted. From that moment, the whole day was go-go-go with work and errands. I felt like I’d walked the length and breadth of Perth, though I’d actually only driven it. (Not really—you’ll soon learn I’m somewhat prone to hyperbole.) I’d eaten my usual late breakfast around 10:30am and by the time 4pm rolled around I was ready to eat again, but my back was achy and all I wanted was to sit down. Preferably with a glass of wine. Seriously, the last thing I felt like doing was cook. Yet there was nothing I wanted—needed—more than a nourishing meal.

I resisted the siren call of the couch and opened the fridge door. I could see two chicken breasts I’d had the foresight to defrost the night before. I looked to see what else was there, and there wasn’t much. I grabbed some cheese and tomatoes and picked some fresh basil leaves, and stuffed them all into cuts in the chicken breasts. While that was doing its thing in the air fryer I rustled up a salad of baby spinach, red onion and a balsamic dressing. It could hardly have been easier. Half an hour after entering the kitchen, dinner was on the table. Not bad! And it tasted sensational.

Plus, the whole meal (including the salad) was just 4.3 grams of net carbs. The chicken itself is 0.8 g net carbs. Winning!

Note: Net carbs is a term used to describe what’s left after fibre has been deducted from total carbs. The theory is that fibre goes through our bodies largely undigested, and has little or no insulin effect on the body. Therefore, there’s no need to include fibre in the carb count.

I hope you enjoy this delicious meal. Let me know what you think in the comments!

Air Fryer Hasselback Caprese Chicken Recipe

This easy chicken dish takes its inspiration from a Caprese salad and is bright, colourful and packed with flavour. It takes just minutes to prepare and looks sensational, so it’s perfect for both busy weeknights and fuss-free dinner parties.

Yields 2

Author:

OzFoodie

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Ingredients

• 2 skinless chicken breast fillets (about 500 g)
• salt and freshly ground black pepper, to season
• 3 tsp extra virgin olive oil
• 3-4 large grape tomatoes, each cut into 3 slices (or 6-7 small, each cut into 2 slices)
• 50 g mozzarella, sliced
• ¼ cup fresh basil leaves

Instructions

1. Cut slits in the tops of each chicken breast about 1 cm apart. Make the cuts as deep as you can without cutting right through the fillet, and don’t extend them quite to the edges. This way each one will form a pocket.
2. Sprinkle salt and pepper over each breast and brush with olive oil.
3. Into each pocket press in a piece of sliced mozzarella, a slice of tomato, and a basil leaf or two, depending on the width of the pocket.
4. Place the breasts in the air fryer basket (or a pre-heated oven) and cook 15-25 minutes at 180ºC. The time will depend on your air fryer (if using) and on the thickness of the chicken. (Mine were quite large and took 23 minutes in my Maxkon 5.5L.) To test for readiness, gently pull one of the pockets open at the thickest part of the largest breast. When the innermost flesh is white and opaque, they are done.
5. Serve immediately and enjoy!

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Homemade tomato sauce.

Let’s face it: as Australians, we are brought up to like tomato sauce. (Ketchup to you Americans. ) Aussies can put tomato sauce on, and in, just about anything. And, almost amazingly, still enjoy their food. Unless you are my hubby, who doesn’t really like tomato sauce. (But this is a man who doesn’t like bacon, so after that nothing would be surprising.)

There are, according to Aussie tradition, few foods tomato sauce can’t improve.

The bad news is that tomato sauce is typically full of nasties. Added sugar, salt, colour, thickener, preservatives, you name it. Ick. The beautiful thing, though, is that it’s easy to make your own and the flavour will equal that of the commercial stuff. I’m yet to have anyone detect a difference.

Do allow a bit of time. You can make this more quickly but I like to allow the flavours to develop just that bit more. And more. And more.

This recipe was inspired by one found on Linda’s Low-Carb Menus and Recipes and my version has become a favourite in our household. I hope it becomes a favourite in yours too!

Homemade Tomato Sauce (Ketchup) Recipe

A healthy and utterly delicious alternative to store-bought tomato sauce (ketchup) that no one would guess was homemade.

1 minPrep Time

30 minCook Time

31 minTotal Time

Yields Approx. 680 ml, depending on amount of water added and evaporation.

Author:

Vicki

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Ingredients

• 2 x 140 g tubs tomato paste
• 410 g passata (tomato puree)
• 1/3 cup apple cider vinegar (80 ml)
• 1/2 cup water, (125 ml) plus extra if required
• 1/4 cup raw honey, or equivalent natural sweetener of your choice
• 1/2 tsp onion powder
• 1/4 tsp garlic powder
• 1/4 tsp ground cloves
• 1/4 tsp ground allspice
• 1/4 tsp ground cinnamon
• sea salt (optional), to taste (see Notes below)

Instructions

1. Place all ingredients in a saucepan and stir to combine.
2. Cook over a medium heat, lid on, until it starts to bubble then lower the heat and simmer for at least 30 minutes and up to 2 hours, or until you’re happy with the flavour. (Hot tomato splatters everywhere, so don’t forget the lid!).
3. Allow to cool and pour into sterilised airtight bottles, then keep refrigerated.

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Hoisin Sauce.

Have you, like me, missed making your favourite Chinese-style foods for lack of healthy ingredients? It seems to be extremely difficult to find healthy versions of the familiar Asian ingredients I used to love so much.

This Hoisin Sauce recipe is a lightly-modified version of one I found online. It’s hidden in the answer to a question on Paleo Hacks so for ease of reference I wanted to post it here.

I don’t claim this is authentic, but it’s tasty and my family really enjoy it. I hope yours does too.

Healthy Hoisin Sauce Recipe

A healthy version of a common Chinese sauce. This one is gluten free, dairy free, grain free and friendly to vegetarians, vegans and paleo folks too.

5 minPrep Time

5 minTotal Time

Yields Makes approx. 375 ml (1½ cups).

Author:

Vicki

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Ingredients

• ½ cup (125 ml) Tamari (wheat-free soy sauce) or coconut aminos
• ½ cup (125 ml) raw honey or pure maple syrup
• ¼ cup (60 ml) roasted almond butter (see Roasted Almond Butter recipe )
• 5 tsp vinegar (brown rice vinegar is traditional; apple cider can be used)
• 1 tbsp toasted sesame oil
• 1 tsp garlic powder, or 2 tsp or more fresh minced garlic
• a grind or two of black pepper

Instructions

1. Blend in a food processor until smooth.
2. Taste. Adjust balance of flavours as necessary. (See Notes.)
3. Store in an airtight container in the fridge.

Notes

Different honeys can taste quite different from one another. Your hoisin sauce may need more sweetener, or if it's too sweet for your liking, more of the tamari and vinegar. In either case, adjust in small increments and taste as you go.

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Roasted almond butter.

Nut butters are super easy to make, and the homemade version is soooooooo much healthier than any nut butter you’ll buy from the shop. All you need is nuts, a little salt, and a high powered food processor. (I say high powered because you don’t want to burn out your motor — it can take a while to get the desired consistency with a weaker machine.) I use my Thermomix. If you have anything else, it could take a lot longer for you than it did for me. If yours is taking a long time, just push on. The magic does happen eventually.

Some folks add oil to their nut butters to help them along. I’ve never needed to. You can see how the nuts naturally release their oil in the photograph above. Having said that, if you’re really, really, struggling to get a consistency you’re happy with, and have some almond oil on hand, it would be better to use it than to give up altogether.

Roasted almonds fresh out of the oven.

Roasting the almonds first adds an extra dimension of flavour. Use a 180ºC oven, and ten minutes later you’re done. Allow them to cool, then throw ’em in the food processor with some salt, and blitz. And scrape down. And repeat until you have lovely smooth nut butter. And then eat!

Roasted Almond Butter Recipe

Nut butters are very easy to make. Roasting the almonds first will add an extra dimension of flavour.

10 minPrep Time

15 minCook Time

25 minTotal Time

Author:

VIcki

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Ingredients

• 500 g raw almonds, preferably organic or chemical-free
• 2 generous pinches of salt

Instructions

1. Pre-heat oven to 180ºC/350ºF.
2. Spread the almonds over a tray in a single layer. Roast in the centre of the oven for 10 minutes, giving a stir about halfway through. Remove from oven and allow to cool.
3. Place almonds in a high-powered food processor and add the salt.
4. Process until smooth and creamy, scraping down as necessary. (In my Thermomix, I blitzed for 1 min/speed 9 before scraping down. Then I gave it two more 20-second bursts, scraping down in between, but one 20-second burst would probably have been enough. Your mileage may vary.)
5. Store in an airtight jar in the fridge.

Notes

In anything but a Thermomix, be prepared for the process to take up to 15 minutes. If you feel like you're not getting anywhere, persevere! The magic does happen.

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Bacon and egg salad.

Eating is a funny thing. No, really, it is. It’s so natural and instinctive, and yet it’s amazing how much thought we do put into it. For example, when I sit down in front of a plate of food, I automatically and almost sub-consciously divvy it up in my mind so my “proportions” are right. I like to have a little bit of everything that’s on my plate in every mouthful. I mean, whoever created the meal put all the elements together because they go together, right? They’re meant to be consumed at the same time. Surely. So I assess how much of each item I need in each mouthful if I’m going to have enough mouthfuls of everything to go around.

Is this odd?

Likewise, when I am preparing meals I also like to make sure there’s enough of everything for each person to eat with every mouthful. In my mind, it’s about balance.

On the other hand, Hubby likes to eat each element on the plate separately. I’ll tell you a little secret that I am sure he has never guessed: this drives me a leeeeeeetle bit crazy, especially when I’m trying to introduce him to a new flavour but it’s not one even I would eat without a bit of dilution. I mean, there are lots of foods I am happy to eat as part of a meal but it doesn’t mean I like them enough to eat them alone. Still, that’s how Hubby has always done it, and that’s how he’ll always do it. Diff’rent strokes and I love him to bits despite this rather incomprehensible flaw.

This salad is a really easy one to throw together, using whatever proportions of salad veg work for you. There is no right or wrong so adjust ingredients just how you like them. The key to enjoyment is, like all meals, in using fresh, real food that you like to eat.

The most time-consuming aspect of putting the salad together from scratch is boiling the eggs (I mean, have you ever waited for water to boil? Bleugh!) but I do a batch about once a week and use them as required. (For perfect hard boiled eggs see How to Cook a Perfect Hard-boiled Egg.) And if you happen to have bacon for breakfast, throw on an extra slice with this salad in mind. And even if you don’t have mayonnaise handy, it’s super quick and easy to make yourself — and generally a lot healthier than anything you’ll find in the supermarket. I keep my home-made mayo in a tightly-sealed jar in the fridge and it lasts for weeks.

I like to keep this salad fairly basic in its ingredients, not wanting to complicate flavours too much so the bacon and egg are really the stars of the show, but by all means add whatever appeals to your own taste buds. For example, I’m not fond of raw tomato but like the contrasty splash of red the capsicum lends to the salad. You might really love tomato and prefer to halve some cherry tomatoes and scatter those over instead. If so, then use tomatoes.

Bacon and Egg Salad Recipe

15 minPrep Time

5 minCook Time

20 minTotal Time

Author:

Vicki

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Ingredients

• 1-2 cups lettuce, enough to cover your plate
• 6-8 thin slices cucumber
• 1 thin slice red onion, cut in half
• 1 section red capsicum, thinly sliced
• 1/2 rasher bacon
• 1 hard boiled egg, preferably organic and free range (see How to Cook a Perfect Hard-Boiled Egg
• 1-2 tbsp home-made mayonnaise
• Parmesan cheese (optional), to taste. Use any other cheese of your choice if you don’t like Parmesan. Or leave it out altogether if you don’t eat cheese.
• freshly ground black pepper, to taste

Instructions

1. Heat a frying pan to high and cook the bacon until crispy and golden on both sides. Drain and set aside to cool.
2. Spread the lettuce on a plate. Arrange the cucumber more or less evenly over the lettuce.
3. Scatter the red onion and capsicum (or tomato) over the lettuce and cucumber.
4. Roughly chop the cooked bacon and scatter over the salad.
5. Peel the hard-boiled egg and cut in halves then quarters. Cut each quarter in half again, giving you 8 thin wedges. Arrange these over the salad.
6. Shave some Parmesan cheese over the salad. I use a vegetable peeler. Use however much you like, depending on how much you like it. If using another hard cheese, cut into small cubes and scatter over the salad. Or just skip this step.
7. Dollop on the mayonnaise. If it is quite thick, put just a little bit at a time on a teaspoon, dispersing little blobs as evenly as you can until you think you have enough.
8. Grind some black pepper over the salad to your taste, then serve.

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Perfect hard-boiled eggs.

Did you grow up, as I did, believing that hard-boiled eggs have a green-grey rim around the yolks? I mean, that’s just what happens when you hard-boil an egg. Right?

I didn’t become interested in food until relatively recently and it was a surprise to me to learn that eggs can be hard-boiled in such a way that there is no green, no grey, just bright yellow yolk against the soft egg white. It looks so much cleaner and more appetising, and I like the relatively gentle treatment given to the eggs with this method. No need to boil the poor thing to its death! (Not that we want it to be alive, exactly…)

As a bonus, it’s super easy (well, I mean, it’s boiling an egg, right? Not even I can manage to make that one complicated) and it’s not an exact science either, as a bit of extra time isn’t going to hurt.

How to cook a perfect hard-boiled egg

Say goodbye to green-grey-rimmed egg yolks and cook perfect hard boiled eggs with golden yolks — every time.

1 minPrep Time

15 minCook Time

16 minTotal Time

Author:

Vicki

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Ingredients

• eggs, from 1 to as many as you can fit into your pan in a single layer, at room temperature, at least a week old for easier peeling *

Instructions

1. Put the eggs in a single layer in a saucepan, not too close together, in case they knock against each other while they’re cooking, and crack. Add enough cold water to cover them, plus a bit more for good measure.
2. Place the saucepan on the stove over high heat and bring to a boil. We want some good bubble action happening here.
3. As soon as the water is bubbling nicely, turn off the heat and cover the saucepan. Calculate what the time will be in 12 minutes from now (or just set a timer) and find something else to do. Occasionally, glance at the time to see if it’s 12 minutes later — or more. More doesn’t seem to matter. Less could lead to an undercooked egg and we don’t want that, do we now?
4. Choose a bowl that will easily take all the eggs you have just hard-boiled, and prepare it with cold, iced water. Drain the eggs and place them in the bowl of iced water to stop them from continuing to cook. I usually put the eggs in the fridge at this point (still in their iced water) and come back to them later when I am to use them.
5. Peel, and serve in whatever way makes you happy. In fact, any way will make you happy because you will see there is no grey around the yolk and you will rejoice in their utter perfection.

Notes

* Use as many (or few) eggs as you want. I use local Mungalli Creek biodynamic, organic, free range eggs. They are mixed sizes but probably average about 60g each. If you’re using larger eggs, add a couple of minutes to the cooking time. If your eggs are smaller, it doesn’t really matter.

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A different slant on fried eggs for breakfast.

Breakfasts can be boring.

This is often because time — and patience — is short. That’s fine until you get so bored with bacon and egg you can’t face it for one more day. (Please don’t ask me how I know this.) Even before I changed to a more healthy lifestyle, I would still alternate between cold cereals, grain-based porridge, and variously-prepared eggs on toast. Once I changed my way of eating, bacon and egg became a staple. (I do confess, it still tends to be so!)

There is absolutely no reason at all to have any particular kind of food at breakfast and not at other times of the day, or vice versa. Regardless, egg remains a quick and easy breakfast choice that is high protein and helps keep us feeling full until our next meal.

Kylie writes: “Where Westerners have fried eggs and bacon, Chinese people have fried eggs with chilli, oyster sauce and spring onions.”

A word about fats

If you are freaking at the amount of fat in this recipe, fear not! Aside from the fact that coconut oil is almost a super-food it is so good for you (some might argue it is a super-food) it can be difficult to let go of the old and unproven “science” that said eating fat makes you fat, or that heart disease is caused by eating saturated fat. But this is simply not true. In fact, the body needs fats to maintain good health. (Though definitely avoid any fats that have been partially hydrogenated, producing trans fats, which are definitely bad for you &38212; think margarine.) Fats also serve the purpose of making us feel full for longer, and has been found to cause people to eat less.

This meal is a high-protein, fast and filling start to your day, so just relax and enjoy it.

Mrs Jang’s Home-Style Fried Eggs Recipe

A mouth-watering, tongue-tingling breakfast that will keep the hunger pangs away until lunch time.

2 minPrep Time

5 minCook Time

7 minTotal Time

Author:

Vicki

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Ingredients

• 1/2 cup virgin cold-pressed coconut oil
• 2 free range eggs
• 2 tsp oyster sauce (keep an eye on the ingredients list and avoid brands with sugar and wheat and corn starch if at all possible)
• small pinch ground white pepper
• 1 spring onion, finely sliced
• 1 red birds-eye chilli, finely sliced
• small pinch ground white pepper

Instructions

1. Heat the oil in a hot wok until the surface seems to shimmer slightly.
2. Crack the eggs into a small bowl, then pour into the hot oil. After a minute or so, reduce heat to allow the bottom of the eggs to become firm and crisp; the yolks should still be runny at this point.
3. Carefully slide a fish slice under the eggs, lift out of wok onto a kitchen towel, and pour off the oil in the wok. (I keep a heat-proof dish handy for this.)
4. Return the eggs to the wok and place back over the heat for another 1-2 minutes to crisp further. Use your own judgment here: weigh up the crispiness of the fried egg against the desired runniness of the yolk.
5. Gently remove the eggs from the wok and drain off any excess oil before easing onto a plate.
6. Drizzle the eggs with a little oyster sauce, top with spring onions and chillies, and season with pepper.

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