The Hangry Chef

I always have something like these in my freezer, they're really a no-rules snack and go great in lunchboxes, for on-the-go breakfast or just some afternoon tea. You can eat them cold, reheat them in the oven or microwave and they're goooood! You will need.. 2 medium zucchinis 2 medium carrots 1 garlic clove 1/2 brown onion 1/2 cup of chopped spinach 2 sprigs parsley, chopped 6 cherry tomatoes 1/2 cup of feta 4 eggs 1 tsp lemon zest (optional) 3 Tbsp olive oil salt and pepper Method... Preheat oven to 180 degrees celsius (fan forced) and grease a 12-hole muffin tray with cooking spray (you can also use oil or butter if you prefer)  Wash all the veggies and herbs. Cut the ends off the zucchini and carrot and grate (don't bother peeling the carrot) squeeze out excess liquid. Peel the skin off the onion and hold by the root, grate it finely. Crush the garlic Combine the grated vegetables with the garlic, chopped spinach and parsley, a...

I have finally decided to try my hand at Croissants, they have always daunted me for some reason. It's probably because I'm not a one for patience, which is one of the main ingredients in croissant-making. I've rarely made puff pastry, opting for store bought every time. I'm not proud to admit it, but I'm just not interested in spending such a huge amount of time laminating dough (you know, all the folding of the butter in the dough so you get all the layers required in a good puff). But I'm conquering my fears and making croissants which uses the same technique of laminating dough, with the added fun of using a yeast-risen dough (yay more waiting). So here goes my first attempt at croissants... I was already worried when the recipes I looked up online told me that I definitely WOULD NOT get these right the first time. Well, thanks for the vote of confidence guys! I feel like maybe this doesn't apply to me seeing as these recipes are targeted at at-ho...

I recently found a couple of rogue tomato plants that had somehow taken root in my garden beds. Now it has to be said that I have tried and failed many times to grow my own fruit, herbs and vegetables,  so I have given up and now only keep hardy succulents that I know I can't kill. But when I saw these tomato plants growing out of nowhere, I decided to leave them and see how they fared without my grey thumb touching them. So, surprise surprise, I now have two large tomato vines, both baring fruit to the tune of about 30-40 tomatoes. These beauties have thrived on my neglect and I was able to pluck two ripe ones yesterday. WINNING! In honour of the first fruit I have ever grown from a seedling in my own backyard, I decided to make the most traditional tomato dish ever- Tomato Bruschetta! Bruschetta, meaning 'toasted bread' has no limits it seems, with most restaurants serving all different incarnations of the delicious Italian snack. There is only one true brusche...

A few simple steps and you can have yummy banana bread, you can slice this loaf up, wrap it up and freeze it for lunch boxes or eat it all in one go! You will need... 3 ripe bananas 2 eggs 1/2 cup milk 1/4 cup margerine 3/4 cups caster sugar 1 tsp cinnamon 1 tsp baking powder 1 tsp bicard soda 2 cups plain flour Method... 1. Preheat the oven to 170 degrees celsius, grease and line a loaf tin. 2. Peel all the bananas, mash two in a bowl using a fork, and slice the other banana lengthways and set aside to place on top of the banana bread. 3. Sift all dry ingredients together into a bowl. In a separate bowl, lightly whisk the eggs, add the milk and mashed banana. 4. Melt the margarine in the microwave and set aside to cool. 5. Form a well in the dry ingredients and pour in the wet ingredients slowly while mixing with a wooden spoon, stir well to make sure there are no lumps then finally add the melted margarine and stir to combine well. 6. Pour the batter into the pr...

This is a great afternoon snack or morning tea. You can make it a day or two ahead, and wrap it up nicely for lunch boxes or to serve with a nice cup of tea to fend off three-thirtyitis. You will need... 250gr packet of Arnott's Marie biscuits 2 Tbsp desiccated coconut 125gr unsalted butter, melted 2 tins sweetened condensed milk 3 lemons, zest and juice 4 eggs, room temperature, separated 3/4 cup of caster sugar 1 tsp vanilla extract extra desiccated coconut Method... Grease and line a 25x15cm (roughly) lamington or slice tray. Combine the biscuits and 2 Tbsp desiccated coconut into a food processor. Blend until biscuits become a fine crumb. Add the melted butter and pulse until combined. Spoon biscuit base into the prepared slice tray and press firmly with your hands to form an even base. Place in the fridge for 1 hr. To make the filling, combine egg yolks, sweetened condensed milk and lemon rind with 3/4 cup of lemon juice. Pour filling onto base and pop i...

So we went on a little vacay to Byron Bay a few weeks ago. We ate loads of yummy food while we were away but it seemed the 'dish of the trip' was tempura haloumi. We had a delicious version of this cheesy deep fried goodness at Kinoko in Byron Bay (a Japanese restaurant that I highly recommend!) And again at Chihuahua- a tacqueria just down the arcade from Kinoko- a Mexican spin that had us salivating. So I resolved to make the dish when we got home and this is the golden, deep fried gloriousness that I came up with... You will need... 250gr block of haloumi cheese, rinsed and sliced into 1cm thick pieces 1 cup plain flour, sieved 1/4 tsp bicarbonate soda 1 cup soda water, chilled 3-4 ice cubes 1 egg, white only Salt Peanut/canola oil for frying Method: 1. Pour the soda water into a large bowl, add the ice cubes. 2. Add the egg white and whisk lightly to combine (you will get a fluffy white foam on the top)- only mix briefly. 3. Sift the flour and bicarbon...

I took inspiration for these yummy biscuits from the Greek biscuits 'Kourabiethes'. They are nutty and sweet with a citrus-floral flavour that is to die for. They were easy to make as I whipped them up in the food processor and rested them in the freezer for 5 minutes before baking (usually shortbread needs to rest for a while in the fridge but I was under a time crunch). You will need... (makes about 30 biscuits) 250gr unsalted butter, cold and roughly cubed 160gr caster sugar 1 cup of natural almonds 2 cups plain flour 1/2 tsp baking powder 2 tsp rosewater zest of one orange Method... 1. Preheat oven to 200 degrees celsius. Line two large baking trays with greaseproof paper. Place the whole almonds on one tray, and toast in the oven for 5 minutes or until you can start to smell them roasting. Remove the almonds from the oven and transfer to a food processor. Keep the tray lined and set aside for when you want to bake your biscuits (this will minimise washing up...

These are a hands-down summer must eat. They're so light and flavoursome that you'll wonder where they've been your whole life. I'm happy that they were easy to make, and I think the stand-out component of the dish is the sauce (which was also super easy to make- thank you Jamie Oliver!)... Let's stop dithering and get into it shall we? You will need... (makes 4-5 tacos) 450-500gr of white fish- haddock, cod or gemfish work well in this! 2 large, juicy limes 2 shallots 2 kiwi fruit 1/2 yellow capsisum 1/2 ripe avocado, diced 1 bunch fresh coriander, washed 1 large green chilli, deseeded tabasco olive oil salt and pepper 1/4 small red cabbage 1 small tomato, diced 4 or 5 small (8 inch) white corn tortillas fresh yoghurt for serving Method... 1. Start by slicing the fish into nice thick pieces and place on a plate. I removed the skin off mine and took out a few bones that were left in, if you aren't confident doing this yourself you can ...

So let's ease into the new year with a reasonably healthy recipe... We'll overlook the cheese and aioli and think about all the great nutrients we're getting out of quinoa, lentils and baby spinach! I tried this one out for myself at home after a failed attempt at work. I realised that in order for these burgers to hold you can't change the quantities of egg at all in the original recipe (which was sourced online here- http://www.howsweeteats.com/2012/09/crispy-quinoa-sliders/ ). It really needs that extra egg white to bind the mixture and don't skimp on the cheese either, I didn't have provolone at hand so I changed it for grated extra-sharp cheddar. The biggest adjustments I made to this recipe were supplementing the chickpeas for lentils and sauteeing the onion and garlic to take out a little bit of the strong bite that raw garlic can impart. I also managed to put in some chopped parsley for flavour. You will need...(makes 10-12 sliders) 1 cup unc...

I'm not going to lie, I'm guilty of buying the boxed 'just add water' falafel mix. It's pretty gross, so if you're wandering the isles of your local supermarket don't bother buying it, just grab a tin of chickpeas and a tin of four-bean mix instead and you'll have the yummiest falafels ever! You will need.. 1 400gr tin of chickpeas 1 420gr tin of four bean mix (Edgell does this, but if you can't find it you can use extra chickpeas or other tinned beans) 2 cloves garlic 2 shallots 1 tsp ground coriander 1 tsp ground cumin 1/2 tsp ground turmeric fresh chopped parsley and/or coriander 1/3 cup plain (or gf) flour 2 egg whites 1/4 tsp chilli lemon zest salt & pepper olive oil for frying Method... 1. Drain the chickpeas and beans and rinse well, peel the garlic, trim the shallots, separate your eggs 2. Combine garlic, spices, lemon zest and shallots in a food processor until chopped, add the herbs, chickpeas and beans. Pulse until ...

Image and recipe from taste.com Or Doughnuts, depending on which side of the world you live on? Everybody loves a donut, what's not to love about what is essentially a deep-fried cake.. Covered in sugar, cinnamon, frosting.. Sometimes filled with cream or jam or custard.. DROOOOL! Ok so, most of us buy them from those brightly coloured stores with neon lighting, and why wouldn't we? They're cheap and easy and usually pretty fresh(ish) (if you're lucky). But what if I told you that donuts aren't really that hard to make? Really, there's not much to them! I grabbed this recipe from taste.com and halved it for the batch that I needed. They were delicious! The least you can do is try for yourself, and you'll realise that you can have freshly fried donuts every day if you like! You will need (makes 10 regular sized donuts)... 245gr plain flour 28gr caster sugar 1.5 tsp dried yeast pinch salt 125ml milk 100gr butter 3 egg yolks Vegeta...