A warm and comforting stew. A great dish to set and forget. Can be made in the slow cooker as well.

Ingredients:
2 Tablespoons Olive Oil
500g Gravy Beef, large dice
1 Brown Onion, diced
1 Carrot, diced
2 Garlic Cloves, crushed
1 Tin Tomatoes
500ml Beef Stock
1/2 Cup Pearl Barley
2 Rosemary Sprigs

Method;

Heat oil in a large casserole dish over a medium heat. Cook the beef in batches, turning occasionally until browned. Transfer to a bowl. Add onion and carrot to a bowl and cook, stirring for 5mins or until onion softens. Add garlic and cook for 1min. Return the beef to the pan with the tomatoes, beef stock, barley and rosemary. Bring to the boil. Reduce heat to low and cook for 2hrs, covered. Season well and serve.

This ragu is utterly divine. Full of bold flavors as well as rich and filling. This ragu was inspired by a meal i had at Jamie Oliver's a few years ago.
The recipe uses Chianti, which is a type of red wine, its the only red wine i cook with now because of the flavor it gives, also the milk added at the end creates such a creamy taste which id never experienced before.

Ingredients:

2 Tablespoons Olive Oil
2 Tablespoons Butter
1 Onion, finely chopped
1 Carrot, finely chopped
2 Garlic cloves, crushed
80g Bacon, diced
250g Beef mince
250g Pork Mince
1 Tablespoons Dried Oregano
3 Tablespoons Tomato Paste
250ml Chianti (type of red wine, its delicious)
500ml Beef Stock
125ml Milk
500g Spaghetti, cooked
Parmesan Cheese to Serve

Method:
Heat oil and butter in a large, deep saucepan over a medium heat. Add Onion, carrot and garlic, stirring until its a nice golden colour. Add bacon and cook for 5mins, then add mince and oregano. Break up mince with a wooden spoon ,season with salt and pepper and cook for 8mins or until everything is browned. 
Add wine and let it simmer until it looks like its mostly evaporated. Pour in stock and add tomato paste, mix well. Bring to the boil and then simmer half covered for 45mins, stirring regularly. Add milk and let simmer for another 15mins. Season to taste. Add mixture to cooked pasta and sprinkle with parmesan cheese.

A super tasty dinner. Using chicken on the bone creates a deeper flavor, in which this dish benefits from.

Ingredients:

1/4 cup plain flour
2 teaspoons smoked paprika
8 small chicken thigh cutlets or 2 Maryland's
2 tablespoons  olive oil
1 small brown onion, finely chopped
2 garlic cloves, crushed
1 1/2 cups chicken stock
4 sprigs fresh thyme
2 dried bay leaves
1 tablespoon lemon juice
1 bunch spinach, trimmed
1 can cannellini beans, drained, rinsed

Method:

Place flour and paprika in a large ziplock bag. Add chicken. Seal bag. Shake to coat chicken all over in flour.
Heat oil in a large frying pan over medium heat. Cook chicken in batches until browned all over. Transfer to a plate.
Add onion and garlic to pan. Cook, stirring, for 2 minutes. Add stock, thyme, bay leaves and lemon juice. Return chicken to pan. Bring to the boil. Reduce heat to low. Simmer for 20 minutes. Remove and discard bay leaves.
Add spinach and beans. Season with salt and pepper. Cook for a further 5 minutes or until chicken is cooked through. 

A quick and tasty lunch. This mustard steak baguette is filled with and amazingly stick onion jam/sauce. Perfect for those days when you want maximum flavor/minimum time.

Ingredients: 

1 Baguette
Mixed Lettuce Leaves
Handful of Cheese
3 Tablespoons Olive Oil
2 Onions, thinly sliced
1 Rump Steak 
1 Tablespoon Worcestershire Sauce
2 Tablespoon Wholegrain Mustard
2 Tablespoon Water

Method:

Cut the bread into 4 equal lengths, then cut each piece horizontally in half. Spread butter on each side and add some lettuce and cheese. 
Heat 2 tablespoons of the oil in a large saucepan on a medium heat. Add the onions and cook, stirring occasionally, for 10-15mins until softened and golden. Transfer to a plate and set aside.
Increase the heat to high and add the remaining oil to the pan, when hot, add the steak, season with salt and pepper. Cook til your liking. Transfer steak to same plate as onions.
Add the Worcestershire sauce,mustard and water to the pan and stir to deglaze by scraping any sediment from the base of the pan. Return the onions to the pan, season and mix well. 
Thinly slice the steak and divide between the bread. Cover with the onions and Serve.

The lovely people over at Froothie kindly sent me one of their Nutri Force Extractor machine's to have a play and create some recipes with.
I've heard all the rage with nutri bullets so it quick intrigued me.
I've created a tomato pasta sauce recipe that is so simple. With just a few ingredients, you will feel like an Italian mama cooked it for you.

Ingredients:

1 Punnet (box) Cherry Tomatoes, halved
1/2 Small Onion, chopped
1 Tablespoon Tomato Paste
1 teaspoon Garlic, minced
1 Tablespoon Mixed Herbs
1/4 teaspoon Lemon Juice
1/4 teaspoon Brown Sugar
1/2 Cup Water

Method:

Place all the ingredients into your Nutri Force Extractor (or blender) and blitz on high for 15/20 secs. Pour mixture into a saucepan and simmer for 30mins. 

To check out the Nutri Force Extractor Click Here

Old fashioned honey joys, totally nostalgic and delicious.

Ingredients:

90g Butter
75g Caster Sugar
1 Tablespoon Honey
160g Corn Flakes

Method:

Preheat oven to 130'c. Line a 12 hole cupcake tin with cupcake liners.
Melt butter in a small saucepan on a low heat. Add sugar and honey and heat until mixture foams. Place cornflakes in a large bowl and pour over butter mixture. Stir gently to coat, spoon mixture into your cupcake cases. Bake for 20 mins. Set aside to cool (the become crisp once cooled).

A warm, comforting chicken and chickpea stew. Great served with rice or couscous. 

Ingredients:

2 cloves garlic, finely chopped
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/4 cup lemon juice
1 teaspoon ground cumin
1 teaspoon paprika
1/2 teaspoon ground pepper
500g BBQ Chicken (Cooked)
1 tablespoon olive oil
1 large Onion, chopped
1  Tin  diced tomatoes
1 can chickpeas, rinsed
¼ cup chopped flat-leaf parsley

Method:

Mash garlic and ½ teaspoon salt on a cutting board with the back of a fork until a paste forms. Transfer to a medium bowl and whisk in lemon juice, cumin, paprika and pepper. Add chicken and stir to coat. Heat oil in a large frying pan . Add onion and cook, stirring occasionally, until golden brown. Transfer the chicken to the pan, Add tomatoes with their juice and chickpeas. Reduce heat to medium and cook, stirring occasionally, until the chicken is warmed through. Serve sprinkled with parsley.

A heartwarming dinner with a bit of a twist. This Shepard's pie has lentils in it to bulk it up and a super tasty sweet potato topping. Tasty and good for you.

Ingredients:

1 Tin Brown Lentils, rinsed and drained
250g Lean Lamb Mince
1 Brown Onion, chopped
​1 Carrot, grated
2 Cloves Garlic, Crushed
200ml Beef Stock
1 Tablespoon Worcestershire Sauce
1 teaspoon Vegemite
1 Large Sweet Potato, peeled and chopped roughly
2 Tablespoons Greek Yoghurt
2 Tablespoons Chives, chopped

Method:

Preheat oven to 200'c. In a frying pan fry the mince until browned. Add the onions, carrots and garlic to the mince and stir for 5mins. Add the stock, worcestershire sauce, vegemite and lentils. Season well.
Reduce the heat and simmer for 10mins.
Whilst the sauce is simmering, steam the potatoes (I do this in my pressure cooker for 10mins). When potato is cooked, mash it together with the yoghurt. Add the chives and mix well.
Pour the mince mixture into an ovenproof dish, top with sweet potato mash and bake for 25 mins or until the top is golden.

I am a massive fan of baked potatoes, if there is a choice between chips and baked potato, baked potato wins every time! But there’s a problem.  Cooking them is always way too difficult (well too long, but that's difficult to me). 
 Then i realised I can totally cook them in my pressure cooker! It takes 10 mins and the result is amazing fluffy jacket potatoes! I pop mine in a hot oven for a few mins after to crisp up the skins, but that's just me! When i was a kid my most favourite thing my dad made me where his jacket potatoes, these totally brought back the nostalgia. Top with whatever you desire, my favourite toppings are baked beans, cheese and sour cream.

For the pressure cooker i recommend Click Here

 Ingredients:

Potatoes, how eve many you want, roughly the same size

Method:

Insert the steamer rack into the pressure cooker. Add 1 cup of water into the pressure cooker. Add pricked potatoes, Shut the lid and lock it. 
Click the steam button (or manual if you don't have a steam function) and set the time to 10 minutes.
Once cooking completes let the pressure valve release.
Open the lid and eat the potatoes or put them in a pre-heated 200'c oven to crisp up. Load them up with toppings and serve.

I love when foodies send me their recipes! My good friend Lauren who is a keen fisherman loves to cook her catches and boy does she catch some extreme fish!. She has sent me her Thai red fish & squid curry. Looks delish Lauren! To see laurens catches click here.

Curry Paste 
40 Dry Red Chillies
8CM Piece of Ginger (Peeled)
1 Stalk of Lemon Grass
4 Coriander Root Bunch
2 Heaped Tablespoon of Shrimp Paste
8 Cloves of Peeled Garlic 
8 Kaffir Lime Leaves 
2 Largish Shallots
3/4 Cup of Water
​Curry
5 tins Coconut Cream
2 Tablespoons of Palm Sugar
Vegetables of choice
Firm flesh fish of choice
6 Small  Squid Tubes, skinned
To Serve - rice, birds eyes chillies, fried shallots and a quick salad of bean sprouts, coriander and spring onions with a squeeze of lemon juice.

To make chilli paste
Soak chillies in hot water for 3-5 minutes, drain and add all ingredients to a blender, combine until smooth.
Paste will last 5 days in the fridge sealed or can be frozen in ice cubes and will last a few months in the freezer
To make Curry 
In a large pot heat a few tablespoons of vegetable oil
Add 4-5 heaped tablespoons of curry paste and cook until fragrant (1-2 minutes)
Add 5 tins of coconut cream and 2 tablespoons of palm sugar (or brown sugar) heat on low for 1-2 hours stirring occasionally
Add vegetables of choice 10 minutes before serving (I used canned baby corn, whole water chestnuts and fresh green beans), bring back up to a simmer
Add a firm flesh fish of choice (cut into 3cm cubes) I used Spangled Emperor (approx 2kg of fillets, skinned and de-boned) submerge under the curry and bring back up to a simmer before turning to low, I cook for a max of 5 minutes but check my fish to make sure it is only just cooked through
Add squid (I used 6 small tubes, skinned) 2 minutes before fish is ready
Serve with whatever you like, i've done rice, birds eyes chillies, fried shallots and a quick salad of bean sprouts, coriander and spring onions with a squeeze of lemon juice.