Organic Veggie Box Series - Part 4

I was getting a bit worried about posting this recipe because it is more of an autumn/winter dish and we have been having scorching weather - but the rain has finally started - hip hip hooray! (You can all stop doing your rain dances - Murphy's law it might never stop raining... hee hee)

So this recipe sort of works for now :) As I said before I made this 3 weeks ago... and it was a brilliant way to use up some left over organic veggies - would be perfect for kiddies too - as they won't really even taste the veggies :) Dre seemed to like it a lot and he's a big kid (I also have to hide the veggies for him) - ha ha :)

Beef and Vegetable Lasagne:
(Serves 4 - 6)

Ingredients:

Mince:
500g Extra Lean Beef Mince
1 Onion, Diced
2 Carrots, Grated
1 Green Pepper, Diced
Bunch of Thyme
1 Tin of Tomatoes
2 tsp Tomato Paste
2 tsp Ground Coriander
1 tsp Dried Chilli Flakes
2 tsp Paprika
2 tsp Fructose
Herbal Salt and Pepper to Taste

White Sauce:
1/4 Cup Maizena
1 Tsp Macadamia Nut Oil/ Olive Oil
2 Cups Rice Milk (You can use the powdered one and mix it up with water or use ready-made)
Sea Salt and Pepper

Layers:
6 - 8 Oregran Lasagne Sheets
2 Small Potatoes Sliced
Spinach Leaves
4 - 5 Sliced Baby Marrows

Directions:

Heat oven to 180 degrees Celsius
Fry onion until translucent
Add mince and spices and fry for a few mins
Add carrots, green pepper and thyme and keep frying
Add tinned tomatoes, tomato paste and fructose and bring to the boil
Season with herbal salt and pepper
Simmer for about 15 mins
For the white sauce mix the maizena and the oil together in a pot and cook out a little on a low heat
Slowly add the milk, adding more once the previous amount has been absorbed
Stir hard and fast as maizena gets lumpy very quickly
This should take about 10 - 15 mins
Season with salt and pepper
In an oven proof dish, place a small amount of the mince on the bottom and then layer the lasagne sheets (this is to stop the lasagne from sticking to the dish)
Add a layer of mince and a layer of white sauce on top
Add a layer of potatoes and a layer of spinach
Add another layer of mince and another of white sauce
Add a layer of baby marrow and the last layer of mince and a last layer of white sauce
Bake in the oven for 50 minutes on 180 and on 200 for the last 10 minutes to get the top delicious and bubbling and golden - yum!

Organic Veggie Box Series - Part 3

Wow, the chicken in this recipe still amazes me - the flavour was insane! I guess I was just super lucky with the flavour combination and plus chicken thighs have way more flavour than chicken breasts!

Chicken Thighs Stuffed with Leeks and Cashew Nuts:
(Serves 2 - 4)

Ingredients:

4 - 6 Deboned Chicken Thighs
1/4 Cup Finely Chopped Leeks
1/2 Cup Cashew Nuts
Basil Leaves
1/8 Tsp Dried Mint
Light Sesame Oil (I buy mine from Dischem)
Herbal Salt and Pepper
Tin Foil

Directions:

Heat oven to 180 degrees Celsius
Fry leeks in sesame oil
Add to blender with cashew nuts
Drizzle sesame oil over, add a few torn basil leaves, herbal salt and pepper and dried mint
Whizz together until a paste has formed
Stuff deboned thighs with the mixture and top with a basil leaf
For each chicken thigh, drizzle a piece of tin foil with sesame oil and herbal salt
Lay thigh on top of tin foil and fold over onto itself to close in the stuffing
Wrap up the tin foil parcels
Bake in the oven for 10 - 15 minutes
I served mine with sweet potato mash (seasoned with cinnamon and herbal salt) and broccoli flavoured with a little almond essence - beautiful!

Apologies for the poor photo quality - I was very eager to eat this! :)

Organic Veggie Box Series - Part 1

About 3 weeks ago, I promised to share the recipes I created from my organic box of veggies. I don't know where the time went - it definitely got the better of me and I am already onto another box of veggies and some more recipes...

Without further ado - here is the first recipe in the "Organic Veggie Box Series".

Beetroot Risotto:
(Serves 2 - 3)

Ingredients:

4 - 5 Beetroot, Quartered
Juice of 1 Orange
1 Cinnamon Stick
1 tsp Cumin
Herbal Salt and Pepper to Taste
1 tsp Fructose
2 Cups Water
1 Large Leek, Sliced
1 Cup Risotto Rice
Olive Oil for Frying

Directions:

Combine beetroot, orange juice, cinnamon stick, cumin, herbal salt and pepper, fructose and water into a pot and put onto boil - this is your stock
Strain liquid once beetroot is tender - cook for about 10 minutes - you should have at least 3 cups of stock
Reserve the beetroot for later
Fry the leek in olive oil until tender
Add the rice and fry for a further few minutes
Ladle one spoon of beetroot liquid at a time into the rice until it has been absorbed - stirring continuously
Continue until all the liquid has been absorbed
Chop up about 2 cooked beetroots and add to the pot
Your risotto should be ready after 20 minutes
Serve with beetroot crisps and rocket

To make the beetroot crisps - thinly slice a beetroot, brush each slice with olive oil, chilli flakes, herbal salt, a little ground cinnamon and bake in the oven until crispy

With any leftover cooked beetroot - make a simple beetroot salad. Combine beetroot with a few spring onions, lemon, olive oil, herbs of your choice such as mint or basil, salt and pepper

I just love the colour on this - don't you? What a statement! I think this would go wonderfully with a tender chicken breast, calamari tubes or a simple piece of fish. It was wonderful on its own though - a perfect summer dish, eaten in the garden - heaven!

An Organic "Gift" Box of Veggies and a Roast

I blogged a few days ago about wanting to purchase organic fruit and vegetables directly from a farm - Confuzzled told me about Wensleydale Farm. I immediately went onto their website; it is located 45 kilometers north-west of Joburg and the owners have farmed organically for over 40 years. Wow, it looked so promising! I couldn't wait to get started. It is so easy - you register, order and pay online and your box can either be delivered on a Wednesday, Thursday or Saturday - depending on your area. I asked for my box to be delivered to the Bryanston Organic Market - where they also have a stall.

I was like a kid on Christmas Eve - I was so excited I couldn't sleep. At the crack of dawn I raced to the market to collect my gift - I ordered the standard box, consisting of 12 different items for R125. The box was huge and heavy! After struggling a little to carry it to the car - I raced home again - my heart beating with excitement. I almost flew up the stairs in anticipation. What was going to be in my box?

I lifted the lid, holding my breath, and hoping I would get some good stuff. I exhaled in relief; in my box was a plethora of veggies - spinach, baby potatoes, carrots, baby marrows, broccoli, beetroots, onions, giant leeks, celeriac, avos, sweet potatoes, and radishes. Wow - I felt like a real "chef" - all professional, buying organic veggies. My fridge and cupboards were packed with all this glorious goodness. Now the mission, what was I going to do with all these veggies? Hmmm...

I wanted to make something special for me and Dre, to mark the occasion - I don't usually make roasts - but that is exactly what I was going to make!

I had some deboned chicken thighs in the freezer and thought these would make an interesting roast. I still had half a head of cauliflower left over from last week's challenge - so decided to make a refreshing salad.

Roast Deboned Chicken Thighs with Veggies:
(Serves 2)

Ingredients:

4 - 6 Deboned Chicken Thighs
1 - 2 Onions, Cut into Quarters
4 Carrots, Cut into Chunks
2 - 3 Potatoes, Cut into Wedges
Rice, for 2
Corn Starch for dusting
Thyme
Canola Oil
Herbal Salt and Pepper

Cauliflower Salad:
Half a Head of Cauliflower
1 Tsp Ground Coriander
1/4 Tsp Dried Chilli Flakes
Squeeze Lemon Juice
A Drizzle of Lemon Infused Olive Oil
Herbal Salt

Gravy:
1 Cup Vegetable Stock
Fresh Thyme
Herbal Salt
Fructose
1.5 Tsp Corn Starch dissolved in 1/4Cup Water

Directions:

Heat oven to 180 degrees Celsius
Season corn starch with herbal salt and pepper
Lightly dust potato wedges with the seasoned corn starch
Add veggies and potatoes to an oven pan and lightly toss in canola oil, herbal salt and pepper
Add thyme to the pan
Roast in the oven for about half an hour
Put rice onto boil and set aside once cooked and rinsed
Turn veggies and potatoes over in the pan
Lightly dust chicken thighs with the seasoned corn starch and add to the roasting pan
Roast for another half an hour
Cook cauliflower florets until al dente
Toss in the rest of the salad ingredients - set aside

Turn the veggies and chicken over - remove any veggies that are cooked
Turn the grill on and grill the chicken and potatoes
Turn over after 5 minutes
Remove the chicken and the rest of the veggies
You may need to roast the potatoes for a few more minutes until they are crispy
Make the gravy in the roasting pan - on the stove - remove any burnt bits
Deglaze the pan with the vegetable stock
Add in the corn starch and the rest of the ingredients
Stir well until a thick sauce has been created
Strain the gravy through a sieve
Serve

The carrots were beautfully sweet and the onions tasted so lovely - I know I am going to enjoy cooking with my organic veggies over the next 2 weeks. Keep a look out for more recipes with my organic veggies.