The Recipe
~500g tenderloin
1/2 tsp each of cumin, cayenne, oregano, salt, garlic granules and brown sugar
A dash of ginger and pepper
Lemon juice
2 large potatoes
2-3 large carrots
2dl boiling beef stock
Mix together cumin, cayenne, oregano, salt, garlic, ginger and pepper. Rub the tenderloin with the mix.
Heat oil in a pan and brown the tenderloin on all sides. Transfer to the crockpot and leave the pan for later.
Peel potatoes and cut them into chunks, placing them around the tenderloin. Pour beef stock and a bit of lemon juice over.
Cook on LOW for 8 hours or HIGH for 4, adding carrots (also peeled and cut into chunks) about half-way through (they get waaaaay too soft if added at the beginning).
Remove the potatoes, carrots and pork and cut the pork into slices. Meanwhile, transfer the sauce to the pan from earlier and bring to a boil, stirring frequently for 2-3 minutes, until the sauce has reduced somewhat.
Serve with a nice salad.
The Verdict
I cooked mine on HIGH for 3.5 hours and the pork had gotten a tad dry already. I think I'll try on LOW next time and then check it after 7 hours. Other than that, I really liked it. It was a tad on the spicy side, so I may leave out the potatoes and serve it over rice another time, but I really liked the way it tasted.
Tuesday, December 10, 2019
Wednesday, November 6, 2019
Week 45: Chorizo Pasta
The Recipe
(Serves 3)
Olive oil
1 onion, chopped
3 cloves garlic, chopped
~200g mushrooms, thinly sliced
1 can (400g) tomatoes
~80g chorizo, cut into thin stripes (optional)
A handful of olives (optional)
Salt, pepper and basil to taste
1 cup (2.5dl) cream
Enough pasta for 3 people
Cook pasta in salted water.
Heat the oil in a wok or similar and saute onion, garlic and mushrooms until soft and fragrant. Add tomatoes, chorizo and olives and bring to a simmer. Cook for 5 minutes, stirring occasionally. Add chili, salt, pepper and basil and cook for another 5 minutes. Add cream and cook for yet another 5 minutes.
Serve immediately - it's best piping hot :D
The Verdict
REALLY good!!! The cream makes it taste so decadent :-D I used canned tomatoes with chili which meant the whole thing had a bit more of a kick than anticipated, but the cream cooled it down nicely enough for DH - I might try with non-spicy tomatoes next time though. Because there will definitely be a next time - SO yummy!!!
(Serves 3)
Olive oil
1 onion, chopped
3 cloves garlic, chopped
~200g mushrooms, thinly sliced
1 can (400g) tomatoes
~80g chorizo, cut into thin stripes (optional)
A handful of olives (optional)
Salt, pepper and basil to taste
1 cup (2.5dl) cream
Enough pasta for 3 people
Cook pasta in salted water.
Heat the oil in a wok or similar and saute onion, garlic and mushrooms until soft and fragrant. Add tomatoes, chorizo and olives and bring to a simmer. Cook for 5 minutes, stirring occasionally. Add chili, salt, pepper and basil and cook for another 5 minutes. Add cream and cook for yet another 5 minutes.
Serve immediately - it's best piping hot :D
The Verdict
REALLY good!!! The cream makes it taste so decadent :-D I used canned tomatoes with chili which meant the whole thing had a bit more of a kick than anticipated, but the cream cooled it down nicely enough for DH - I might try with non-spicy tomatoes next time though. Because there will definitely be a next time - SO yummy!!!
Thursday, September 26, 2019
Week 39: Cheesy Pasta
The Recipe
3/4l pasta
1 onion, sliced
2 garlic cloves, sliced
~100g sausages (or other meat) in bite sized pieces
1/2 squash, cubed
2 carrots, cubed
1 tomato, cubed
1/2 - 1dl milk
~100g feta, crumbled
Salt, pepper, paprika and curry to taste
Cook pasta according to the instructions on the package.
Meanwhile, warm a bit of oil in a pot and cook onion and garlic until translucent. Add squash, carrots, tomato and sausages and cook for a few minutes while stirring. Add milk, feta and stir in all spices. Bring to a simmer and reduce heat. Cook under lid until the feta has melted completely, stirring occasionally, to make sure the milk doesn't burn.
The Verdict
Honestly? This was a "for lack of better options, empty the fridge" dish, that I normally wouldn't even think to jot down. However, it turned out SO GOOD that I definitely want to save the recipe for future reference. The feta made the sauce deliciously creamy and the spices complimented each other nicely. I added some sweet chili sauce at mealtime - DH just left it as is. Definitely something I'd want to make again, and I can't even think of any substitutions that would've made it better.
3/4l pasta
1 onion, sliced
2 garlic cloves, sliced
~100g sausages (or other meat) in bite sized pieces
1/2 squash, cubed
2 carrots, cubed
1 tomato, cubed
1/2 - 1dl milk
~100g feta, crumbled
Salt, pepper, paprika and curry to taste
Cook pasta according to the instructions on the package.
Meanwhile, warm a bit of oil in a pot and cook onion and garlic until translucent. Add squash, carrots, tomato and sausages and cook for a few minutes while stirring. Add milk, feta and stir in all spices. Bring to a simmer and reduce heat. Cook under lid until the feta has melted completely, stirring occasionally, to make sure the milk doesn't burn.
The Verdict
Honestly? This was a "for lack of better options, empty the fridge" dish, that I normally wouldn't even think to jot down. However, it turned out SO GOOD that I definitely want to save the recipe for future reference. The feta made the sauce deliciously creamy and the spices complimented each other nicely. I added some sweet chili sauce at mealtime - DH just left it as is. Definitely something I'd want to make again, and I can't even think of any substitutions that would've made it better.
Monday, August 12, 2019
Week 33: Butter Garlic Noodles
The Recipe
~400g pasta
90g butter
6-8 cloves garlic, minced
150g bacon, sliced (optional)
1 bell pepper, sliced
A handful of cherry tomatoes, halved
1tsp salt
1tsp pepper
~3/4dl Parmesan or Parmigiano cheese
Fresh basil (optional)
Cook pasta according to instructions on package.
Meanwhile, cook bacon in a small saucepan. Remove bacon, leaving fat behind and cook the sliced bell pepper until soft. Add a bit of water if the pan runs dry. Remove bell pepper. Turn heat to medium low and melt butter. Once the butter has melted, add garlic and cook for about 5 minutes until translucent - do NOT allow garlic to brown. Add salt and pepper, bell pepper, bacon and cherry tomatoes.
Drain the pasta and mix with the cheese. Pour the sauce over top and stir to combine. Allow the pasta to rest for a few minutes to absorb some of the butter.
Serve with basil and a sweet chili sauce if desired.
The Verdict
VERY garlicky! But we like garlic, so that's all good :-D The sauce didn't coat the pasta quite as nicely as I'd hoped for, but I think I may just not have left it to rest long enough. But it tasted great, so if you don't mind smelling like garlic for the rest of the evening, I'd definitely recommend it. I think I'd add more tomatoes next time though. I used about 7-8 this time and it could easily have carried twice that.
~400g pasta
90g butter
6-8 cloves garlic, minced
150g bacon, sliced (optional)
1 bell pepper, sliced
A handful of cherry tomatoes, halved
1tsp salt
1tsp pepper
~3/4dl Parmesan or Parmigiano cheese
Fresh basil (optional)
Cook pasta according to instructions on package.
Meanwhile, cook bacon in a small saucepan. Remove bacon, leaving fat behind and cook the sliced bell pepper until soft. Add a bit of water if the pan runs dry. Remove bell pepper. Turn heat to medium low and melt butter. Once the butter has melted, add garlic and cook for about 5 minutes until translucent - do NOT allow garlic to brown. Add salt and pepper, bell pepper, bacon and cherry tomatoes.
Drain the pasta and mix with the cheese. Pour the sauce over top and stir to combine. Allow the pasta to rest for a few minutes to absorb some of the butter.
Serve with basil and a sweet chili sauce if desired.
The Verdict
VERY garlicky! But we like garlic, so that's all good :-D The sauce didn't coat the pasta quite as nicely as I'd hoped for, but I think I may just not have left it to rest long enough. But it tasted great, so if you don't mind smelling like garlic for the rest of the evening, I'd definitely recommend it. I think I'd add more tomatoes next time though. I used about 7-8 this time and it could easily have carried twice that.
Monday, July 29, 2019
Week 30: Grilled Corn on the Cob
The Recipe
2 corn on the cob, peeled (... or whatever you'd call it...)
1 clove garlic, thinly sliced
Olive oil
Salt
Heat the olive oil in a pan over medium-high heat and quickly saute the garlic until fragrant - about a minute. Lower the heat slightly and add the corn, grilling 2 minutes on each side. Sprinkle with salt and serve immediately.
The Verdict
SUPER easy to make, and really, really tasty. No modifications necessary.
2 corn on the cob, peeled (... or whatever you'd call it...)
1 clove garlic, thinly sliced
Olive oil
Salt
Heat the olive oil in a pan over medium-high heat and quickly saute the garlic until fragrant - about a minute. Lower the heat slightly and add the corn, grilling 2 minutes on each side. Sprinkle with salt and serve immediately.
The Verdict
SUPER easy to make, and really, really tasty. No modifications necessary.
Tuesday, July 16, 2019
Week 29: BBQ Chicken
The Recipe
~800g chicken (mix of dark and light meat)
2 onions, sliced
1 350ml bottle of BBQ sauce
If using chicken breast for the white meat, cut it in halves and keep aside for later. Add everything to the crockpot in the order listed and cook on LOW for 6 hours, adding the white meat after 2 hours.
Serve with boiled potatoes and some greens.
The Verdict
DH prefers light meat, I prefer dark, so this was a good chance for each of us to get our preference. One of the easiest crock-pot meals I've found so far (only 3 ingredients? sign me up!) and SUPER tasty. There was PLENTY of BBQ sauce, so it's possible that 1 cup would have been enough... but it's also possible that the fact that the chicken was completely covered is what made this so good!
I didn't try the light meat, but the dark was really, really good and I ate far more than I should have.
~800g chicken (mix of dark and light meat)
2 onions, sliced
1 350ml bottle of BBQ sauce
If using chicken breast for the white meat, cut it in halves and keep aside for later. Add everything to the crockpot in the order listed and cook on LOW for 6 hours, adding the white meat after 2 hours.
Serve with boiled potatoes and some greens.
The Verdict
DH prefers light meat, I prefer dark, so this was a good chance for each of us to get our preference. One of the easiest crock-pot meals I've found so far (only 3 ingredients? sign me up!) and SUPER tasty. There was PLENTY of BBQ sauce, so it's possible that 1 cup would have been enough... but it's also possible that the fact that the chicken was completely covered is what made this so good!
I didn't try the light meat, but the dark was really, really good and I ate far more than I should have.
Week 28: Watermelon Lemonade
The Recipe
1 large watermelon
~1l soda water with citrus
Powdered sugar to taste
Do yourself a favour and make sure to either get a seedless watermelon or one with REALLY BIG SEEDS!! I got one which claimed to be seedless, but which ended up having a ton of really tiny seeds instead. They were a hassle and a half to remove and took MUCH longer than it ought to!
Cut the top off the watermelon and scoop out the flesh into a large bowl, removing any seeds on the way. Either add it to a blender or use an immersion blender to mash up the flesh finely. Depending on how much pulp you like you can either leave it as is or pour it through a sieve to just get the juice. If you do the latter, leave it to drip for awhile, stirring the remaining pulp from time to time - you can get a lot more out of it than you originally think.
Pour in the soda and add powdered / caster sugar to taste. It does have to be caster sugar rather than regular, as we want it to dissolve completely.
Add some ice cubes to the hollowed-out watermelon and pour in the lemonade. Keep the rest in a jar next to it for easy refills.
The Verdict
Really easy to make, but it didn't look quite as "wow" as I'd hoped. I think next time I might go for the easy solution and just cut up the watermelon rather than using it as a serving dish. The large surface area also allowed the fizz to disappear really quickly from the soda, which was a shame.
I did like it though 🙂 I didn't add quite enough sugar, so it was a bit on the sour side, and I think I should have limited myself to 1/2-3/4l soda instead, as it got quite diluted. Regardless, it still tasted really good, so I'll consider it a success!
1 large watermelon
~1l soda water with citrus
Powdered sugar to taste
Do yourself a favour and make sure to either get a seedless watermelon or one with REALLY BIG SEEDS!! I got one which claimed to be seedless, but which ended up having a ton of really tiny seeds instead. They were a hassle and a half to remove and took MUCH longer than it ought to!
Cut the top off the watermelon and scoop out the flesh into a large bowl, removing any seeds on the way. Either add it to a blender or use an immersion blender to mash up the flesh finely. Depending on how much pulp you like you can either leave it as is or pour it through a sieve to just get the juice. If you do the latter, leave it to drip for awhile, stirring the remaining pulp from time to time - you can get a lot more out of it than you originally think.
Pour in the soda and add powdered / caster sugar to taste. It does have to be caster sugar rather than regular, as we want it to dissolve completely.
Add some ice cubes to the hollowed-out watermelon and pour in the lemonade. Keep the rest in a jar next to it for easy refills.
The Verdict
Really easy to make, but it didn't look quite as "wow" as I'd hoped. I think next time I might go for the easy solution and just cut up the watermelon rather than using it as a serving dish. The large surface area also allowed the fizz to disappear really quickly from the soda, which was a shame.
I did like it though 🙂 I didn't add quite enough sugar, so it was a bit on the sour side, and I think I should have limited myself to 1/2-3/4l soda instead, as it got quite diluted. Regardless, it still tasted really good, so I'll consider it a success!
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