Mushroom Chilli with Lime

Lately, I've been pondering a lot about the meaning of life! I think Douglas Adams and Monty Python have already had a few stabs at it. There's a lot of talk about it, quotes about it but has anyone actually defined it?

"Life is rather like a tin of sardines-we're all of us looking for the key." Alan Bennett 

So has this anything to do with Mushroom Chilli with Lime? Absolutely!

If this meaning involves giving your body the best possible food, which in turn will keep you healthy then yes, its all part of the meaning of life, for me anyway. And it fuels the brain and gives more time for procrastinating and thinking of what the hell am I really doing here.

Hey, this is getting a little heavy. 

I need to add more value to what I am doing in my later years, so it is time to get all my jobs done, things I have put off for a while, then I will have some breathing space. I have made a huge list and I am going to work through this over the next couple of months. That painting job, family history, the garden project, the photography project, the collage, that mandala etc etc.

With all that accomplished it will be time to plan the rest of my life...................!

So to start off this rather eventful week, I offer you this delicious, easy to make, flavoursome, low calorie recipe (around 200 calories). It's full of fibre, protein, vitamin C and D, B6, Riboflavin and Niacin. 

Can you beat that?

MUSHROOM CHILLI WITH LIME

INGREDIENTS

500g mushrooms, sliced thickly
400g can of kidney beans, washed and drained
1 brown onion, chopped finely
2 cloves garlic diced
1 tablespoons ground coriander
1 teaspoon ground chilli or chilli flakes (more if you want it really hot)
1 tablespoon ground cumin
2 teaspoons smokey paprika
salt and pepper
400g can chopped tomatoes
4 tablespoons olive oil
handful fresh coriander, chopped
juice of 1/2 lime

Lime dressing
1/4 cup  light sour cream or Greek yoghurt
ime zest and juice 


Make the lime dressing first. Zest the lime and juice it. Keep the juice and the zest seperate.  Put the zest, 1/4 cup of Greek yoghurt and half the juice into a small container and stir to incorporate. Now set aside.

In a large frypan add oil and bring it up to temperature. Lower the heat and add all of the spices and cook, stirring for 2 minutes. Do no allow the spices to burn or they will be very bitter.

Next, add the mushrooms. Cook relatively high so the mushrooms colour up but do not release juices. Throw in the chopped garlic and keep stirring, making sure that everything is covered in the oil and spices. 

Time to add the washed beans and tomatoes. Stir in 2 tablespoons of chopped coriander and season with salt and pepper. Lower the heat and simmer uncovered for approximately 25 - 30 minutes until the sauce has thickened. Make sure you stir often to avoid burning.

Add the juice of half of the lime and stir in. When you are ready to serve, sprinkle the top with more chopped coriander and a few dollops of the lime dressing.

Serve with salad, rice, quinoa, cous cous, bread or just eat by itself.

Quinoa Salad - Asian Style

Oh my, January has almost gone and we are rushing headlong into 2017.

I'm hoping for a healthier 2017, filled with amazing adventures, travel, new food combinations, weight loss (yes I am still trying), finding new things to try, taking more photographs, getting fitter!!! The list goes on. 

Fingers crossed, I will be launching my new look blog in 2017 which will have more features and lots of new recipes. So keep a look out!

My biggest hurdle for this year, apart from getting my new blog working, is to find ways to reduce calories, get high nutrition and still have enjoyable food.

What I want to reduce - apart from my waistline - is having too many 'trendy' ingredients that you use once and then hide in your pantry until you throw them out in a years time. Great food, great tastes, simple as......

It's summer here and we had a ridiculously early start to hot weather  - 41 degrees C on Christmas Day, and our Tour Down Under (cycle race) last week experienced temperatures in the 40's too. We have had hot, humid weather and more storms than ever before. 

Don't despair, I've got some great salads for you.

This week I am sharing one of my favourite salads. Low calorie, a healthy combination, high in protein and it tastes pretty damn good! 

In hot weather, this salad is fantastic, there's so little cooking.

Quinoa Salad - Asian Style

Ingredients - serves at least 6 as a side dish

1 cup Quinoa - I use red, but any colour will be fine
2 cups water
salt
1 cup  red cabbage shredded
1 cup shelled edamame
2 carrots shredded
1 zucchini shredded
1 red capsicum chopped
1/2 large continental cucumber diced
pinch salt and pepper


Sauce

1 spring onion finely sliced
1/2 teaspoon fresh ginger, grated
1 tablespoon sesame seeds
1/8 teaspoon chilli flakes
1/4 cup of Tamari/ soy sauce
1 tablespoon sesame oil
1 tablespoon rice wine vinegar 
2 tablespoons of chopped coriander
2 tablespoons water - optional


Wash the Quinoa well and place into a medium saucepan with 2 cups of water and a pinch of salt. Bring to the boil, cover and simmer until all water has evaporated. This usually takes 10 - 15 minutes. Cool slightly.

While Quinoa is cooking prepared salad vegetables. I use a mandolin to cut cabbage, zucchini and carrot. Place in a bowl and mix well. Add chopped red capsicum and edamame beans and mix well. Add salt and pepper to taste.

Make the sauce by mixing all the ingredients together in a small bowl. Now if the sauce looks a little thick (depends if you go overboard with the coriander), then add 1 - 2 tablespoons water and mix well.

Once the Quinoa has cooled slightly, mix into the salad vegetables. Add the sauce and mix well. Sprinkle with a few chopped coriander leaves and slices of spring onion.

Serving suggestions


This salad can be used on its own or as a side dish. 

You could add some cooked tofu, omelet, or nuts. You can also substitute the Quinoa for brown rice or other grains you prefer.

Noodle, Avocado and Tofu Salad

Happy New Year to you all. Thank Goodness Christmas is over and the world can get back to normality. Although is there such a thing when the world is still in turmoil?

If you are in the southern hemisphere, no doubt you are experiencing some hot, wild weather and unfortunately with that comes savage bush fires. And yes they have been very savage this year. One can never imagine the devastation, the loss of your entire home and contents and your community all but gone. It is very saddening.

On the opposite side of the world, there is war, famine and floods.  Having returned from holiday recently to find part of my house flooded and ceilings destroyed, I feel lucky that it was only minor damage compared to that in UK.

While I wait for the insurance company to work out compensation to replace the damage to some walls and carpets, I thought it wise to get back into the kitchen to try and maintain some sanity to my world.

It's hot, it's humid and it's summer! I want something yummy but I don't want to have my house warmed up with the oven on.

So tonight I've made a Japanese inspired salad with noodles, tofu and avocado. There's some cooking but it's minor and that will help maintain a cool house and a cool head.

NOODLES AVOCADO AND TOFU SALAD

INGREDIENTS

1 packet Japanese style marinated tofu (Teriyaki) sliced thinly

1 large avocado diced

2 teaspoons sesame oil

200g noodles - either soba noodles or Singapore noodles

3 tablespoons pickled ginger chopped

1/2 bunch fresh coriander, finely chopped

Lebanese cucumber, sliced thinly

2 tablespoons Mirrin (Japanese cooking wine)

3 tablespoons soy sauce or Tamari

Big squeeze of lemon juice

3 spring onions, sliced thinly

100g natural cashew nuts lightly toasted and roughly chopped

100g baby spinach leaves

100g snow peas,  trimmed

Make the dressing first.

In a small bowl add Mirrin, soy sauce, 1 teaspoon sesame oil, pinch caster sugar. Stir to dissolve sugar and set aside.

Cook noodles in a large pan of salted water, according to packet instruction (depending on which noodles you use). Once cooked rinse under cold water and drain. Immediately toss with remaining sesame oil. The noodles need to be cooled before using in salad.

Steam snow peas until tender, refresh under cold water and cool.

Dice avocado and liberally coat in lemon juice to prevent browning

In a bowl mix, noodles, tofu, cucumber, snow peas, ginger, spinach and coriander. Pour the dressing over and mix thoroughly. 

Top the dish with diced avocado, finely sliced spring onions and cashew nuts.

I love this dish because it is so easy to put together yet it has all the flavour of Japan, highly nutritious and quite low in calories.