Easy Thai Coleslaw

Just made Pete Evans Easy Thai Coleslaw for our Dinner Guests tonight.  I found it when I was wading through old Christmas menus looking for inspiration.  The mint and coriander were a delightful surprise and the light fresh dressing made a lovely change from our usual mayo sodden veggies I usually produce.

I will definitely be doing this again over Christmas and New Year.  If you make a large batch and only dress the bowl full you are using the rest will last in the fridge for days.  Pop a folded paper towel sheet under the extras in an airtight container, this will absorb any moisture.  If you don't like the full on flavour of whole coriander leaves (I think they call it cilantro in the US of A and Me-eecko) you can always pop a 1/4 tspn of powdered coriander in the dressing, then you will get the flavour without it being overbearing.

Yum!


Easy Thai Coleslaw

Combine
1/2 Savoy cabbage - shredded  (I used ordinary)
1/4 purple cabbage - shredded
4 lebanese cucumbers, sliced lengthways, seeded and sliced thinly
1 large or two small carrots peeled and grated
1 bunch each picked and washed mint and coriander leaves
1 tablespoon each white and black sesame seeds toasted (dry roast in hot pan with no oil till they start to go golden)
Toss with Dressing

Dressing:-
whisk together
1/2 cup grape seed oil
1 tablespoon sesame oil
2 1/2 tablespoons light soy sauce
1 1/2 tablespoons honey
1 tablespoon mirin (Mirin is sometimes called Rice Wine and is made from glutenous rice, with a low alcohol level but quite a high level of sugar, I used sherry instead and cooked my dressing to get rid of the alcohol.  We usually have it for when we cook sushi rice, but were all out)
1 lemon, juiced

Walnut and Rice Roast

This is a great vegetarian, budget meal that I have made for years from my old $55 a week cook book by Cynthia and Peter Mayne.

the gravy looks a little sick, but it was actually delicious

Combine in a bowl
50g chopped Walnuts
95g rice (cook till tender about 20 minutes) or l l/12 cups cooked left over rice
1 medium onion chopped
75 g breadcrumbs soaked in 3/4 cup milk
2 eggs
3 tablespoons chopped parsley

mix together and pour into greased oven proof dish
bake for 30 - 40 minutes till golden
serve with hot with gravy

Gravy
Dry fry two tablespoons floor in a frypan on a medium heat till it starts to turn brown (it burns very quickly so keep an eye on it)
add water while stirring to avoid lumps until you have the consistancy you require
add salt and pepper as desired
1 tspn stock powder
also good with parsley, worcestershire sauce or soy sauce added

Pancakes

I made pancakes yesterday morning, so when I had cooked enough for breakfast, I thinned out the mixture and made 4 crepe style pancakes, to use in another dish.  These can freeze well for filling and rolling with savoury meat or chicken and topping with cheese for grilling at another time.  These four made two nights desserts filled and rolled with apple, peeled, diced and stewed till tender with a small amount of water some blueberries and a little sugar, (sometimes I use sultanas).  A sprinkle with icing sugar and a plop of cream made for a delicious dessert.  Store the pancakes covered with cling film or in an airtight container for freezing.

Pancakes: Beat together 2 cups S/R flour, 1 teaspoon baking powder, 1 dessertspoon sugar, about 1 cup milk, 1 egg.  Beat for 1 minute then add 1 tablespoon melted butter. Let mixture stand for 10 minutes before cooking.

Lentil Burgers

The key to doing things like Lentil Burgers is to do some pre cooking, otherwise it is just too daunting to start from scratch at 5 o'clock when everyone is hungry.  I cook up some lentils with water just covering, stirring occasionally so they don't stick.  Use half for a lentil stew one night topped with mashed potato and cheese (Lentil pot pie).  Second night pull cold lentils out of fridge add:-
onion chopped fine
spring onion chopped fine
grated carrot
parsley chopped fine
walnuts chopped
salt, pepper
1 egg to combine
Form into patties and roll in a little seasoned flour.  Shallow fry in Olive oil.
I've served mine with Cauliflower Cheese and shredded cabbage. Delish
These freeze well and make a quick lunch with salad or another meal, hot or cold.

Chicken Soup

This delicious soup was the result of a simmered frozen chicken carcass (I never waste them), removed and chicken pulled off a set aside in fridge.  Add to pot bay leaf, then any vegetables you have left over in the fridge, mine has onion, corn, zucchini, tomato, carrot, (all chopped in the Kitchen Wizz), then add a hand full of lentils to thicken, salt and pepper and simmer for about thirty minutes (or hours on the stove set on very low or in a crock pot, to give that lovely winters day swell to the house) and add half a cup of broken rice noodles, vermicelli noodles or risoni and a handful of chopped parsley, and your set aside chicken 10 minutes before you want to eat).  Serve with crusty bread. Yum.