Pork, Fennel and Caraway Meatballs

I had a rest day yesterday, I ate too many nuts and I had a glass of wine.

After yesterday's withdrawal from society and recuperation I feel better and little more recharged!

To be honest these meatballs were super easy but they were missing something, I think it might have been chilli? I'm not sure but please have a play around with what I've done so far and if you would like; let me know what you've added to the mix.

I watched MKR last night and got jealous of the pressure cooker they used to cook shanks. I think I want to cook shanks soon!

I'm pretty happy with my slow cooker though to be honest. I'd need to know what I could cook differently in order to make the full investment! Beans is a good start though and tomato bases to avoid BPA... I'll get there - I may be moving house so I'll wait till then!

Ok so meatballs...

Ingredients:

• 1kg free range pork mince
• 2 eggs
• 2 green apples grated
• 2 tsp fennel seeds
• 1 tsp garlic
• 1 tsp caraway seeds
• 2 cloves
• 1 tsp black peppercorns
• 3 tins diced tomatoes

Method

1. Pour diced tomatoes into your slow cooker
2. Grind all dry spices in a mortar and pestle
3. Add spices along with grated apple & garlic to mince - combine well
4. Roll into meatballs & place in the slow cooker
5. They will be tight, like meaty neighbours.
6. Set it on low for when you are at work
7. When you come home carefully remove the meatballs and drain the fat off the top of the sauce
8. I used slim pasta for the first time last night, was good!

Juli's Recipe: Crockpot Beef and Mushroom Stew

Crockpot is American for Slow Cooker.

If you want to google recipes - google crockpot to get started.

Reasons to love &/or use your slow cooker:

1. The house smells delicious. 
2. Little to no effort is required - chop & throw the ingredients in there!
3. Save your hard earned moolah $. Yes eye fillet steak is amazing but cheaper cuts can taste just as good in the slow cooker.
4. Easy Clean-Up. One pot! Hoorah!
5. Cook in Bulk - I cook whole legs of lamb at the time, and freeze portions - no excuses for take-away!
6. Your food is ready when you come home! You switch it on in the morning and dinner is waiting for you in the evening - it doesn't get more convenient. 
7. Even crappy cooks can make nice food. It's true. 

I often google other people's food blogs, I love Juli's blog her recipes are simple and she is hilarious. 

I gave her Crockpot Beef and Mushroom Stew a go - it was awesome, I didn't have onion powder & I added leek and carrots. 

So good to come home too!

The Lazy Girls Guide to Bolognese

One morning last week:

* 8am am pouring wine into slow cooker*

James: What are you doing?
Me: Lazy Bolognese

This is also for guys. I'm not discriminating but seeing as in my house I do all the cooking I went for alliteration and girls guide got the title.

Anywho I've been busy lately and normally I'd cook bolognese on the stove top but I just could not be bothered. 13.5 was due to be released and I had to get my gym and attempt c2b's then get home and did not want to start this process from the beginning.

Plus I've a well know affability for the slow cooker. Brilliance in simplicity.

Ingredients:

• 3 cans salt reduced diced tomatoes
• 1 tbsp tomato paste
• 1kg organic beef mince broken up
• About 1/2 a bottle of red wine
• 2 tbsp mixed herbs
• 3 bay leaves
• 2 brown onions segmented
• 4 large mushroom diced chunkily
• 2 tsp minced garlic

Method

• Combine everything in that slow cooker - give it a few stirs
• Turn it on low 
• Go to work or wherever you need to go
• Return home to deliciousness. 

Dark Choc Chip Banana Bread

I get so nervous letting people try my food. I like it, James rarely complains and that's all I really have to please but handing out 'healthier' versions of favourite treats makes me so nervous.

It actually takes me a while to warm up to people, I'm normally blissfully happy with James, Molly & training and then occasionally branch out to include other people in my life. I'm really chatty in my blog but in real life it takes me a while to get comfortable with people. I'm sure I'm a hermit at heart, so handing out food to near on strangers is like heart palpitation stuff.

At least if I just give you the recipe and it sucks you can curse me in private!

Anywho the sweet potato chai muffins I would say were at best a 4/10.

The sweet potato brownies just flopped - major-ley - they were bad.

But this banana bread - it was awesome. One person did say it tasted like I added fibro to the mix but I'm not sure if he was just joking.

The recipe is based on the one from the civilised caveman - with a twist!

Ingredients:

• 4 bananas mashed
• 4 eggs
• 1/2 cup nut butter (I used organic peanut)
• 4 tablespoons macadamia oil
• 1/2 cup coconut flour
• 1 tablespoon cinnamon
• 1 teaspoon baking soda
• 1 teaspoon baking powder
• Sprinkle of nutmeg
• 1/2 cup organic 85% dark chocolate 

Method:

1. Preheat your oven to 180 degrees Celsius
2. Combine your bananas, eggs, and nut butter, and grass-fed butter in a food processor and mix well 
3. Once all of your ingredients are blended, add in your coconut flour, cinnamon, baking soda, baking powder, and nutmeg and mix well
4. Whizz the chocolate in the food processors so that it is crumbly and broken down - fold into the batter
5. Grease a loaf pan
6. Pour in your batter and spread it evenly throughout
7. Place in your preheated oven and bake for 55-60 minutes or until a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean
8. Remove from oven and flip your bread out onto a cooling rack
9. Slice and serve

Pumpkin, Pork & Apples

This is so easy, after taking my shredded Lamb, Ginger & Prunes out of the slow cooker on Tuesday morning I washed it quickly and also burnt my finger and filled it back up so dinner was ready when I got home.

After cutting another finger on Monday - having 5 tears on my hands from CrossFit and now burning my right pointing finger my hands are so terrible. As I've said before I'm lucky I have a boyfriend as I have the hands of a lumberjack !

James had complained last night that dinners were getting too late. Fair enough, anything past 8 on a weeknight is probably too late, but in my defence some days training finished at 7.30 so by the time I got home I was cooking like a mad woman to get dinner done by 8.30.

I was so smart yesterday - preparation - and *almost* complete meal in a pot - with minimal washing up - another win. I put this is the slow cooker in layers. In my head I said layers just like Shrek did.

Ingredients:

First Layer:

• 1/4 of a Kent Pumpkin - chopped into chunky cubes
• 1 cup vegetable stock
• 1 teaspoon cinnamon
• ¼ teaspoon nutmeg
• dash of celtic sea salt

For your pork

• 1 kilo lean pork
• 2 apples, peeled & sliced
• 2 red onions, thinly sliced
• 2 tablespoons macadamia oil
• 2 tablespoons raw honey
• 2 teaspoons cinnamon
• 1 teaspoon mustard powder
• salt and pepper, to taste

Method:

1. Place the pumpkin as a first layer in the slow cooker, add all other first layer ingredients
2. Place the pork on top of the pumpkin
3. Combine the oil, honey, cinnamon and mustard powder - stir into a paste and over the pork
4. Top with onions and apple
5. Let cook in slow cooker on low for however long you are at work - in my case about 10hrs. 
6. When it's cooked take out the pork from on top and place on a plate, stir up the pumpkin underneath
7. Serve in 2 layers with pumpkin on the bottom and shredded pork on top

Lamb Tagine

I love spicy food, more so than James. This was so spicy it burnt his tongue keep that in mind and perhaps halve the chilli or omit it if you don't like spicy things.

Yesterday was awesome I ran my first 7km run with under 5 mins km's (and at pretty much my heaviest body weight) and then did an ginormous hike with James and Molly then I got home & started cooking 'cause I find it relaxing. It was really relaxing until I cut my finger, that was crap; it's also the second time I've cut myself with my new knives this year. I'm extremely clumsy.

James actually bought McDonald's & then he threw it out when it was evident I was slaving away and sacrificing fingers to make a great dinner.

Traditionally tagine's should actually be cooked in a tagine. But I don't own one of those so I used Jamie Oliver's Large Pot Roast Pan on the stove top. As I said I'm a big fan of substitution so use whatever you have that is similar.

So onto the recipe.

I made a lot of spice mix, it may look like too much when you are combining the spices but it works just fine.

Ingredients:

• 1kg butterfly lamb leg - fat removed
• About 3/4 cup water
• 2 red onions cut into about 8 segments each
• 3/4 cup pitted prunes

Spice Mix

• 2 teaspoons hot paprika
• 2 teaspoons ground coriander
• 2 teaspoons ground cumin
• 2 teaspoons minced ginger
• 3 teaspoon hot chilli powder
• 1 teaspoon cinnamon
• 3 teaspoons black pepper
• 6 ground cardamom pods
• 1/2 teaspoon allspice
• 2 teaspoons celtic sea salt
• 2 tablespoons olive oil
• Grated rind and juice of 1 lemon

Method:

1. Combine all the spices into a mortar and pestle a grind them up (I had whole peppercorns and cumin seeds but use whatever is available) add the lemon juice and oil and stir around to make the spice paste
2. In the pan that is heating (hope you pre read the recipe because you should heat it first!) add about a tablespoon of oil and then the onions, cook them until then soften a little and lose the raw onion burning eyes sensation, add about 1/4 cup water and then the spice paste, add the prunes
3. Cook until fragrant (about 3-5 mins)
4. Add the lamb now and another 1/4 cup to 1/3 cup water. I wasn't specific with the water measurements, basically you always want about at least 1/2 a cm of water on the bottom of the pan -this stop things burning and keeps the meat moist and the spices paste fluid-y
5. Continue to cook the meat until you know it is cooked through and add water as you see fit. 
6. The end results is a pretty thick sauce covering the meat and it is delicious. Like most food (but especially curries) I suggest storing it in a glass dish in the fridge as it will stain Tupperware. Also - remove the cardamom pods!
7. Enjoy - let me know how you go!