Thai Green Curry Prawns & Zucchini Spaghetti

This recipe is 100% Paelo and is very very tasty. I have tweaked my green curry paste over time and it makes for a great base for curries and soups alike. Always ensure that you are selecting organic produce and wild seafood where possible. Enjoy!

Serves 2
Preparation time 10 mins
Cooking time 10 mins

Ingredients
1 shallot stem
1 green chilli
1/4 cup coriander
1/2 stem of lemongrass
2 cloves of garlic
Thumb sized piece of galangal
1/2 teaspoon ground cumin seeds
1/2 teaspoon ground coriander
Juice from 1 lime
1 tbsp fish sauce
1 can Ayam premium coconut milk
12 green prawns peeled and deveined but with tails left on
1 brown onion
1 can bamboo shoots
1 tbsp coconut oil
2 zucchinis

Method

1. To make the green curry paste place shallot, chilli, coriander, lemongrass, garlic, galangal, cumin, coriander, lime juice, 1/2 tbsp fish sauce and 2 tbsp of coconut milk in a food processor 
2. Use a vegetable spiraller to make the zucchini spaghetti and set aside in a microwave proof bowl 
3. Heat oil in large pan and cook the curry paste until fragrant, add the onion and bamboo and stir until the onion is soft
4. In the meantime, heat the zucchini in the microwave for about 1-2 mins until al dente
5. Pour in the remaining coconut milk and fish sauce and stir until combined then add prawns and cook for a few minutes until the prawn meat turns white and the tails turn orange. 
6. Serve the prawns on top of zucchini spaghetti and sprinkler with some fresh coriander if desired

Low Fat Banana Muffins

Happy 2013!

I haven't posted to my blog in ages but finally have the perfect recipe to share. These Low Fat Banana Muffins are absolutely delicious and what makes them even better is that they are only 75 calories each! They are very quick and easy to make and store perfectly in the freezer ready to grab on the go or what a great 3pm snack to curb your sweet tooth.

Makes 12 (75 calories p/serve)
Preparation Time 10 mins
Cooking Time 15 mins

Ingredients
1 cup Plain Flour
1 tbsp Baking Powder
1/2 tsp Bicarb Soda
1/4 tsp Salt
1 cup Banana, mashed
1/4 cup Castor Sugar
1/4 cup Natural Yogurt (Vaalia is my fave!)
1 egg
1/2 tsp Vanilla Extract

Method

1. Preheat oven to 180degrees Fan-forced. Line 12 hole muffin tray with patty pans/muffin liners

2. Combine sifted flour, baking powder, bicarb soda and salt in a large bowl

 3. In a separate bowl beat together the banana, sugar, egg and vanilla extract

3. Stir in the natural yogurt to the banana mixture

4. Stir in the banana mixture to the flour mixture until just combined

5. Distribute dessert spoon size scoops into the patty/muffin cups

6. Bake in oven for 15 minutes or until brown on top. 

Basic Pasta Sauce - 4 ways!

Well haven't I been a busy little bee since my last update. Things have been absolutely hectic for the last 4 months but I have decided to keep updating every now and again with fav recipes etc.

Last night I was spending a quiet night in so took the opportunity to make one of my favourite pasta sauces. What I love most about this classic Napoletana sauce is that it can be the base for four yummy dishes! Simply serve on top of pasta with some freshly grated parmesan, use it as the base for a vegetable lasagne, add seafood marinara mix for an amazing pasta marinara or add some grilled chicken pieces and kalamata olives for a chicken cacciatore.

Because this is a sauce from scratch, it does require about 1-1.5 hours of simmering so is not always the most convenient week night meal but makes for a very impressive weekend dinner party meal!

Napoletana Pasta Sauce

 

picture from http://www.better-living-ideas.com/

Serves: 6

Preparation time: 5 minutes

Cooking time: 1hr10mins - 1hr40mins

Ingredients

2 tbsp olive oil

1 x medium brown onion, finely diced

1 x clove garlic, crushed

2 x 400g can Italian Diced Tomatoes

2 tbsp Tomato Paste

1/2 cup dry white wine

1 1/2 cups water

1 tsp chicken or vegetable stock powder

2 tsp white sugar

3 x shallots, finely diced

Basil leaves, roughly chopped

Method

1. Heat oil in large saucepan, add onion and cook until soft, add garlic and cook for 1 minute.
2. Add in tomato, tomato paste, wine, water, stock and sugar. Stir and leave to boil.
3. Once boiling, add shallots and basil, reduce heat and simmer for 1-1.5 hours depending on how thick you would like the sauce.
4. Serve over pasta, add to vegetable lasagne, add seafood marinara mix for pasta marinara or add grilled chicken and kalamata olives for a cacciatore sauce. 

Enjoy!! x

Penang Holiday!

Hi guys,

Well I've been very quiet on the blog front because I just got back from 7 nights away at tropical bliss!

We went to Penang, which is an island state of Malaysia. We stayed in the amazing Shangri-La Golden Sands at Batu Ferringhi and had an absolute blast.

Our days were spent lazing by the resort pools, enjoying delicious cocktails, getting massages, watching the sunset on the beach and bartering our hearts out in the night markets. All in all, a perfect way to spend a week away from Brisbane. It turned out to be a nice co-incidence that we spent the week in 35 deg, 75% humidity while Brisbane was encountering the coldest week of weather on record!

Now I know you all must be dying to see photos so I have created a short video montage with all of the highlights. I just love my MacBook Pro and all of the amazing features like iMovie!

I'm going to quickly throw out a quick plug about Malaysia before you get to see the movie... this was my second time to Malaysia and once again I had a fabulous time! Malaysia is a great place to visit on a low budget because you can nab amazingly cheap fares with AirAsia to Kuala Lumpur and then you can travel all over the country! The island destinations of Penang and Lankawi are beautiful places to visit and you can get very cheap accommodation in gorgeous resorts and the food, alcohol, shopping and activities are really well priced. Next time you're thinking of a quick getaway - make sure you put Malaysia on your radar.

Here is the movie I made, apologies in advance, I didn't upload the HD version (I was too impatient) so the quality isn't the greatest.. you'll get the general picture though!

Enjoy!!

G xx

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Absolutely appalling, please do the right thing and visit the site, watch the videos and then follow the links to Take Action !!

MicroSteamer - Ginger Shallot Snapper with Vegetables and Rice

Tonight I am excited because I just used a BRAND NEW piece of Tupperware, never before released and it has just amazed me!!!!!

Tupperware have just released the MicroSteamer!!!

Tupperware MicroSteamer www.tupperware.com.au

Now a very quick rundown of the product, I'm no longer a demonstrator so can't give you all of the facts but basically it is one of the first microwavable items in the world which contains metal. The base is made out of the same material as the Tupperwave Stack Cooker and that is where you put the water. The you have a deep steaming dish which sits in that, it is metal encased in very special tupperware plastic which stops and microwaves from getting inside. Then it has a shallow steaming dish which sits on top of the deep one and then a special lid on top.

I am pretty sure this is one of the only products out there which allows super fast true steaming in the microwave!

Tonight I tested out the MicroSteamer by making some very yummy ginger shallot steamed fish with steamed vegies and rice. I am proud to say that everything I used was made from Tupperware (yes I am a tuppaholic and own too much tupperware to fit in my cupboards) and goes into the dishwasher for easy cleaning.

Ginger Shallot Snapper with Vegetables and Rice

Preparation time: 10 mins

Cooking Time: 30 mins

Serves: 2

Weightwatcher's Pro Points: 11 per serve

Ingredients:

2 x pieces of snapper (or any white fish suitable for steaming)

2cm piece of fresh ginger, cut into small matchsticks

1 x lime, cut into small wedges

1/2 bunch of coriander

3 x individual shallots, chopped finely

1 x carrot, chopped into sticks

1 bunch bok choy, roughly chopped

3 tbsp soy sauce

1 tbsp peanut oil

1 cup Jasmine rice

Method: 

1. Cut some slits into the fish and stuff with lime and ginger.

2. Place the fish in the shallow steaming dish on top of buk choy leaves.

 

Snapper on bok choy leaves stuffed with lime and ginger

 3. Place the corinander on top of the fish.

4. Place the rest of the bok choy and the carrots into the deep steaming dish.

Carrots and Bok Choy

5. Cook the rice, either using the Microwave Rice Cooker or on the stove.

Fluffy Rice cooked in the Tupperware Rice Cooker

5. Steam the vegetables for 10 minutes on 800watts in the Tupperware MicroSteamer as per the instructions.

6. Add the fish in the shallow steaming dish on top of the vegetables and Steam for 5-8 minutes on 800 watts.

7. While the vegetables and fish are steaming, mix the shallots, soy sauce and peanut oil into a dressing.

Soy Sauce, Shallot and Peanut oil dressing

8. Once veggies and fish are finished steaming, serve on a bed of rice topped with the dressing and bon apetite!

Yum Yum Yum!!!

Now fish may not be your thing so do not stress, when you get the Tupperware MicroSteamer it comes with a fantastic recipe book... I cannot wait to make some vegetable dumplings!!!

Recipe Book that comes for free when you purchase

I challenge you to all get creative in the kitchen, it is a great way to switch off and a fantastic way to share love with all of those around you.

If you are interested in purchasing any Tupperware products or hosting your own get together to get loads of free stuff, please get in contact with me because I know an amazing demonstrator!!

I highly recommend the Tupperware MicroSteamer but if you don't have one, you could modify the recipe and steam conventionally on the stove or in an electrival rice cooker if it has steaming trays.

Enjoy & I look forward to your feedback!

xx G

Gluten Free?

Hi guys,

Well this might come as a shock but I'm sending a shout out to the cyber world for some help...

I have always struggled with tummy troubles and lately a few different people (dr's, acupuncturist, friends) have suggested that I try going Gluten Free.

(http://www.nashvillescene.com/images/blogimages/2011/03/27/1301268201-gluten-free.jpg)

I have been tested for Coeliac in the past and have been given the all clear but I suffer from a bit of IBS so I thought if there are so many people swearing by the Gluten free lifestyle, I should at least give it a go.

Now I just don't want to jump straight into anything because I know that if I go too hard too fast that I will fall on my face.

Does anyone out there have any helpful links, books, recipes that might help me put together my plan of attack??

First place I was going to start was...

(http://www.dummies.com/store/product/Living-Gluten-Free-For-Dummies-2nd-Edition.productCd-0470585897.html)

Please email me or comment on my blog with any help or suggestions... much appreciated!!!!

xx G