What I cooked with evaporated milk

A neighbour of Mum's friend is eligible for food parcels from AC Care. She gets tins of evaporated milk in them and with no idea what to use them for she hands the tins to mum's friend, who gives them to Mum, who in turn hands them to me.

I am sure my mum lives for giving away food. If it's not homegrown veggies from her abundant garden, it's packets and cans of stuff she wont use.

I am not one to knock back free food. So I happily brought them home with me and they sat in the pantry until I hit google up for some ideas.

One of my pet hates is when hubby stands at the pantry, fridge or freezer proclaiming to all who will listen that he thinks we are running out of food. It gives me the shits! 

To prove that no, I don't need to go to the shops, it gave me the perfect opportunity to use up the three cans of evaporated milk keeping the pantry shelves warm, for weeknight dinners. I did not hear any complaints, from hubby anyway. The kids are a whole other kettle of fish, that continue to make me want to throw my hands in the air and order takeaway every night.

Bacon and egg pasta.
I used this recipe for ham and egg pasta on the Taste website. Instead of ham I used bacon. It's cheaper and I had in the freezer. It's a quick and easy recipe, tasty too.

Bacon, broccoli and sweet potato quiche 
This was another Taste recipe which I changed to use up ingredients I already had. 

The broccoli was from the garden, I substituted ham for bacon again, and instead of using tinned corn, which I didn't have, I cut up sweet potato in small cubes, about a cup, and microwaved them until soft.

Pumpkin and pea risotto
When you have a particular brand of food stuff that you have no ideas for, a great tip and one that I didn't do myself at first, is to head to the brands website for recipes. I found this recipe on the Nestle website, for Pumpkin and broccoli risotto. 

Of course I'd used the broccoli in the garden in the quiche, so used a cup of peas instead. 

This makes a fair bit of risotto, so if you have lots of left overs, you can try making arancini balls! I didn't, I just ate risotto for lunch three days in a row!

Here's how I made my risotto. You will need -

2 tablespoons olive oil
2 cloves of garlic, chopped finely
1 onion, chopped
2 cups short grain rice 
4 cups water
1 teaspoon thyme leaves
600 grams cubed pumpkin (about 1-2 cm cubes)
375ml can evaporated milk
1 cup frozen peas
Parmesan cheese, for serving

Heat oil in a large saucepan on medium heat. Add onion and garlic for a minute, add rice and stir to coat the rice with oil.

Pour in water, add thyme and pumpkin. Bring to the boil, reduce heat and simmer, covered, for 15 minutes, stirring occasionally.

Add the can of evaporated milk and frozen peas, continue cooking for a further 5 minutes.

Serve with parmesan cheese.

An InLinkz Link-up

Red lentil and coconut dhal

I like to spoil myself for lunch and cook yummy stuff just for me. Some days I need to be kind to myself, to treat myself well. Be comforted with something warming and healthy. It's also a perfect accompaniment to these bitey winter days.  

The bonus is it tastes satisfyingly good. The kids wouldn't touch this with a barge pole though. No one in this house appreciates my cooking finesse! That's OK, more for me, they can eat boring nuggets or sausages (which they would have no complaints about)!

I appreciate the days Summer and Izzy are at school and kindy. I need those days to catch up. To calm the overwhelm. I am in a state of tenseness (mainly in my shoulders) most of the time. 

In the last six years I haven't had a break away on my own. A break from being a mum, a wife and housekeeper. It's taking a toll on me. I need a weekend away by myself. No kids, no husband. Just me. 

Finding that weekend seems near impossible any time soon. I just have to keep plugging away and savouring the breaks where I get them. I need to nourish myself well, mind and body. I have too many people to care for and no one to look after me. Except me. So I need to do a bloody good job!

A recent course I undertook, to do with food and health, encouraged you to eat as many different ingredients in a day as you could. About 25 - 30 different foods was the recommendation for obtaining as many nutrients as possible from natural sources. 

This recipe has more than ten, so it's a good start to reaching that goal, along with a great breakfast and evening meal filled with healthy natural foods.

Red lentil and coconut dhal

1 medium onion, chopped finely
1 stick celery, sliced
2 tablespoons oil
2 teaspoons finely grated ginger
2 garlic cloves, finely chopped
2 teaspoons cumin
1 star anise
1 teaspoon ground coriander
1 teaspoon turmeric
1 teaspoon salt
1 fresh green chilli
3 cups water
375 gram packet of dried red lentils
1 can coconut milk
500 grams diced pumpkin

Fry onion and celery in oil over a medium heat until onion is transparent.

Add garlic, ginger, cumin, star anise, coriander, turmeric and chilli, stir for one minute.

Stir in lentils and coconut milk, bring to boil.

Reduce heat, stir in pumpkin and simmer covered until lentils and pumpkin are tender, about 25 minutes.

Season with salt and pepper.

I like to serve it with a dollop of natural yogurt, fresh coriander and mint scattered on top.

• Remember not to eat the star anise, it's not that palatable, however I don't mind chewing on it to get the flavour out of it and then spitting it out. It's not for everybody.
• Instead of pumpkin, try other veggies like eggplant, zucchini or sweet potato. Even carrots, broccoli and peas!
• Keep peeled ginger in the freezer. It won't perish in the bottom of the fridge and is easy to grate when frozen and pop the rest back in the freezer for another time.
• I also freeze any herbs that are threatening to turn feral in the fridge, like coriander. The stalks give so much flavour to soups and casseroles. You'll be saving money too by keeping it for later.

An InLinkz Link-up

Roasted pumpkin and capsicum couscous salad

Cous cous is something I forget I have in the pantry. It gets pushed to the back, but I am always glad to see it when I go looking hard enough. It's like finding a long lost friend. I fondly speak to it, "Oh cous cous. Hello. Where have you been?". Yes I am a weirdo.

Here's what I did with my long lost friend. This salad is great warm or cold.

1 cup couscous
1/4 of a butternut pumpkin, diced
1 capsicum, chopped into large dice ( I used a bit of yellow, red and green)
1 tablespoon olive oil
1/4 cup sliced black olives
1/4 preserved lemon, finely sliced
A few finely sliced mint leaves

Place pumpkin and capsicum on a baking tray. Drizzle olive oil over and sprinkle with salt. Bake in a 180 degree oven for 15-20 minutes.

Put a cup of cous cous in a large heatproof jug. Pour 1 cup of boiling water over the cous cous and leave for five minutes.

Stir the cous cous to break it up. Add in the pumpkin, capsicum, olives, preserved lemon, mint and stir to combine.

An InLinkz Link-up

Pumpkin soup with some spice and a coconut twist

I've been feeling exceptionally shit lately. My anxiety is dreadful at the moment, and I am struggling.

I am recognising that I am eating my emotions and have stacked on the weight. The last few days I have made a pact with myself to move more, and stop binging on crap. I need to drink more water too.

In February I started #flourishinfebruary. For the month I posted three things that went well every day. When February was over I stopped. I shouldn't have stopped, although it's been in the back of my mind ever since. 

In an anxious mind, it's easy to let the trivial shit take over. It takes a lot of mental energy to keep an even keel. Especially when I don't have a lot of understanding, emotional support. So I am going to start doing that again. I found the feedback very supportive.

One way I like to keep busy is cooking stuff. I did that yesterday. Izzy actually did me a huge favour, she put the radio on. I made pumpkin soup, potato bake and a chocolate cake. I really enjoyed doing it with some music. Why don't I do that more?

I've gotten out in the garden the last couple of days too and have realised just how unfit I am. I need to look after me a bit better. I am worthy. My kids are worthy, of a healthy, happy mum. At the moment I am not happy and not healthy. I am not being the best me.

My future if I don't look after myself, is certain diabetes. It would not surprise me if I am knocking on it's door to tell the truth.

I made this for lunch yesterday. It turned out great so I'm sharing the recipe.

This makes heaps. Feel free to halve the recipe.

I served it with a dollop of plain yogurt, some chilli oil and fresh coriander. It's very tasty.

If you don't have chilli oil, add a little with the other spices at the start. 

1 large onion, chopped
2 cloves garlic, chopped
2 stalks celery, sliced
1 tablespoon olive oil
1/2 teaspoon turmeric
1 teaspoon garam masala
2 cm piece of ginger, peeled and grated
2 tablespoons of chopped coriander stalks*
1 x 165 ml tin of coconut milk (I used Pandaroo Lite)
1 kilo of peeled and chopped pumpkin
4-5 cups of water or stock, to cover pumpkin

Heat oil in a large saucepan, add onion and celery. Fry until softened.

Add garlic, ginger, coriander stalks, turmeric and garam masala, and stir for a minute. Pour in coconut milk, stir and add water.

Bring to the boil, then turn down to a simmer. Cover and cook for about 20 minutes.

Take off the heat and blitz with a stick blender.

Serve.

*When I buy fresh coriander from the supermarket, I freeze the leftover stalks and roots. You could plant some in the garden. Right now is a good time.

An InLinkz Link-up

Creamy pumpkin pasta

If you follow me on Instagram, you'd see me posting of my lunch quite often. If you haven't, search #onemotherkitchen and see all the yummy stuff for yourself. 

Nothing like making my own pasta in the morning, and eating it for lunch. Just have to knock up an easy sauce. This one is made in one dish(if you don't count the pot for cooking the pasta). 

Pumpkin creamy pasta 
400 grams pumpkin, cubed into 2cm pieces
4 or five garlic cloves
dried mixed herbs*
salt and pepper

1/2 cup of thickened cream
cooked pasta of choice( I used 400 grams of cooked spaghetti) A pasta like penne, would be great too to hold all of that wonderful sauce.

Place pumpkin and garlic in a baking tray. Drizzle with a tablespoon of olive oil and mix all together.

Sprinkle with dried mixed herbs and bake in a 190 degree oven for 15-20 minutes.

Remove the tray from the oven. Grab a fork and press down on each cube of pumpkin. Some will collapse and some will still be a little firm. That's ok. You want the different textures.

Mash the bits of garlic with the fork, so it will incorporate with the sauce.

Pour the cream into the tray and stir to combine it through the pumpkin and garlic. Season with salt and pepper. Put back in the oven for five minutes to warm through the cream.

Throw cooked pasta in the pan and stir through the creamy pumpkin sauce. Serve with parmesan and crusty bread if you like.

*Now is a great time to pick some herbs from the garden, hang them up somewhere like you're kitchen, it looks great. When they dry out, chop them finely and keep in a jar in the pantry. Try rosemary, thyme, parsley, sage, whatever you have. Even though I have rosemary in my garden already, I have just discovered rosemary growing in the carpark in our local Woolies. Sucked in to anyone silly enough to buy it in store!

Do you grow your own herbs? 

An InLinkz Link-up

Pumpkin and herb damper

Pumpkins are ripening in gardens now, if not, gardeners have picked them, and are cutting them up for use.

This handy, quick and rustic damper recipe is good for mopping up casserole juices, for dipping in soups, or just because with a spread of butter or cream cheese.

If you don't have pumpkin ready, mashed potato works just as well.

Pumpkin Damper
1 cup mashed pumpkin
3 cups self-raising flour
3 teaspoons margarine
2 tablespoons dried herbs
1/4 teaspoon salt
pepper
1/2 cup milk

Preheat oven to 220C.

In a bowl, add flour, salt, pepper and herbs. 
(optional extras here could be 1 teaspoon of cumin for a pumpkin damper, or 1 tspn paprika for a potato damper)

Rub margarine into flour.

Mix the pumpkin with the milk, then add to the flour until a soft dough forms.

Place the dough onto a greased tray and press into a 25 cm round. Cut the round into 8 segments, 2cm deep.
(you could sprinkle the top here with pepita seeds or sesame seeds if you like)

Bake for 10 minutes, then reduce the heat to 180C for 20-30 minutes.

Pumpkin ravioli

I made ravioli last week. It's one of those things I had listed in my bucket list, so was taking the kids to the circus apparently, which I can cross of the list too. I had forgotten until I actually went and looked at the list this week. 

I was in love eating this, and if someone had of been standing at the door it would have sounded like I was having an orgasm on the kitchen floor. It was that good, I'm a legend in my own lunchtime  Almost. I didn't have butter, but crisped up some sage in margarine. Sue me. It was bloody delicious!

500 grams pumpkin

2 cloves garlic

olive oil

1 heaped tablespoon of bread crumbs.

Peel and slice pumpkin and place on a baking tray with some olive oil and whole garlic cloves(in skin). Bake until soft.

Pop garlic out of skins and mash together with pumpkin. I just used a fork right there on the tray.

Mix in the breadcrumbs and let cool. 

If there any hard bits(edges of pumpkin) that wont mash properly just discard them or eat them! You should be left with at least a cup of pumpkin filling.

400 grams plain flour

4 eggs

pinch salt

Make a well in the flour and break in the eggs and add salt. Use your fingers to break the eggs and mix in the flour. Combine to make a dough. Knead until smooth and shiny, it will take at least 10 minutes.

Cling wrap it and set aside for 20 minutes.

Use a pasta machine to roll out dough until it is on the thinnest setting, make strips with a width of about 9 cm. 

Place small teaspoons of filling about 10 cm apart. Brush around the filling with some water. 

Place another strip on top sealing around the filling first and then out to the edges.

You could just cut them into squares, but I used a cookie cutter to cut out the ravioli.

I kept the off cut pieces together and wrapped them in glad wrap, rolled them all together and cut them into fettuccine with the machine at the end. If you have any left over pumpkin, knead this with some more flour back into the pasta for a pumpkin tainted pasta. Cooked with a cream sauce would be nice. Happy days :)