I am always open to new ways of preparing or cooking food to simplify the process.
Since buying the airfryer about 18 months ago I have successfully modified my cooking methods for several recipes. One of these was zucchini quiche which I have converted to mini quiches made in the airfryer using muffin rings.
I recently took this a step further and made them in a muffin pan. Of course, a full-sized muffin pan does not fit in my small airfryer so I said to GMan that I needed to get another one so that he could cut it down to size. I had imagined that I might find one in an op shop but I did not even have to go that far. We were walking the dog one day and noticed a pile and goods on the verge to give away. Yes, it included a somewhat rusty muffin pan. GMan clean it up and cut in into some smaller sections that now fit in the airfryer.
I was very pleased with these zucchini muffins I made yesterday.
There will be no stopping me now. It will be so easy to whip up a small quantity of muffins fresh at anytime without having to heat the huge oven.
I grew a very successful crop of basil during the summer.
I made some pesto early in the season and also used some of it fresh. However, it is now going to seed and taking up space that I want to use for winter crops so it is really time for it to go. Yesterday I picked an armful of the younger shoots, stripped the leaves and rinsed them.
This haul was 4 tightly-packed cups of basil leaves so it was time to make more pesto.
Here is my recipe.
BASIL PESTO
4 cups basil leaves, tightly packed 7 tablespoons sunflower seeds 4 cloves garlic 1 lemon, juice and rind 5 tablespoons nutritional yeast 3-4 tablespoons olive oil 1/4 teaspoon salt Freshly ground black pepper
Place the basil, sunflower seeds and garlic in food processor and process until finely chopped and combined. Add the lemon juice, rind and nutritional yeast. Process until thoroughly combined. Gradually add the olive oil until desired consistency is reached. Add salt and pepper to taste.
I have chosen to replace the traditional ingredients of cheese and pine nuts with nutritional yeast and sunflower seeds which makes this recipe not only gluten-free but also nut and dairy free.
It was rather exciting to know that I had used basil, lemon and garlic which I had grown as well as locally produced olive oil.
I want to share a recipe that has evolved in my kitchen since I first discovered that I could use cooked cauliflower as the base for a savoury white sauce rather than the traditional flour and butter roux.
The quantities listed are very flexible and only intended as a guide. The seasoning depends very much on your palate and should be adjusted accordingly.
INGREDIENTS
1/2 large cauliflower, cut into pieces (including stalks) 500ml milk, dairy or plant-based 1&1/2 teaspoons salt 1/2 teaspoon dried rosemary 1/2 teaspoon ground black pepper 1 teaspoon smoky paprika
Cook cauliflower until tender – microwave or steamed. Puree the cooked cauliflower, gradually adding milk to create the required consistency.
At this stage it should be smooth but will taste like milky cauliflower. Gradually add seasoning of your choice. Other options include powdered onion or garlic.
The mixture freezes really well and is super versatile. Here are 4 jars ready to go in the freezer.
It can be used in any way you would normally use white sauce. I sometimes add to vegetables or use for a pancake filling with mushrooms and chicken. Tonight I used it for the base of a tuna pasta bake.
Here it is almost ready to go in the airfryer.
I will add some topping of flaxseed meal, nutritional yeast and a little grated cheese and serve with some sliced carrots and zucchini.
I think everyone has a personal favourite way of making lasagne.
Lasagne was my ‘go to’ dish in the early days of our marriage. In fact, so much so that GMan once commented that our impending dinner guests had eaten at our place previously so we would need to think of something else! 
My version of lasagne has evolved noticeably over almost 45 years due to a changing culinary landscape and a variety of dietary considerations. I have reduced the proportion of meat in the dish, eliminated cream, use gluten free flour and pasta. The latest iteration actually replaces the pasta with thin slices of zucchini and the bechamel sauce is made with cauliflower rather than a roux of flour and butter. Interested? Read on for the full details.
LASAGNE
Meat sauce
250g lean minced beef 1 cup dried red lentils 1 large onion, finely diced 2 cloves garlic, crushed 1 large carrot, grated 2 sticks celery, finely chopped 2 teaspoons beef stock powder 2 tins crushed tomatoes   } – whatever combination of fresh, dried or frozen tomatoes 2 tablespoons tomato paste }  you have on hand. More water may be required. Herbs (fresh or dried) to taste – I used a handful of fresh basil and 1 teaspoons of               dried mixed herbs Salt and black pepper to taste
Method
Place the lentils in a bowl and cover with boiling water. Allow to stand for 30 minutes. In a large saucepan fry the onion and garlic, add the mince and brown. Add the remaining ingredients including the drained lentils. Simmer gently until the lentils are tender. Add more water if the mixture becomes too dry.
Chop the cauliflower roughly. The stalk and small leave can be included in this recipe. Steam or microwave until tender. Place cooked cauliflower in blender and gradually add milk until the mixture is smooth and a suitable consistency. Add seasonings to taste. The quantities are only suggestion so add a bit at a time until it reaches your desired taste. 
Set sauce aside until required. This sauce can be refrigerated for a couple of days or frozen if you have too much. It can be substituted in any recipe that requires a creamy white sauce. You can use plant-based milk if you choose.
Other
Zucchini, sliced thinly lengthwise Grated cheese, I use a mixture of cheddar, parmesan and nutritional yeast
Assembly
Layer the various components in an ovenproof dish. I usually do meat sauce, zucchini, white sauce and then cheese and repeat 2-3 times until the dish is full.
Cook in the oven until heated through and browned on top. Alternatively, it can be heated in the microwave and finished off under the grill to brown the top.
Makes 6 generous serves.
This is the only photo I have as I did not think of writing this post until after we had eaten dinner. We ate 2 serves and the remainder were packed up and frozen in 4 individual serves.
Fruit crumble is one of my favourite desserts but is not usually on the Christmas menu.
This year I am preparing lunch for 3 adults on what looks like being a cool and rainy day despite the fact that it is the middle of summer.
I have plenty of cooking apples and an abundance of frozen mulberries so we will be having apple and mulberry crumble with ice-cream for dessert on Christmas Day.
CRUMBLE TOPPING
Ingredients
1 cup coconut 1/2 cup sugar 1/2 cup plain flour (I use gluten-free flour) 1/2 cup flaxseed meal 2 teaspoons golden syrup 2 teaspoons powdered cinnamon 2 teaspoons powdered ginger 2 teaspoons powdered mixed spice 90g butter
Combine all of the dry ingredients in a large bowl. Add the syrup and mix through. Finely shave the butter and rub through the dry ingredients using your fingertips.
Spread the crumble mixture on top of your favourite stewed fruit and cook in oven or airfryer until the topping is lightly browned and crisp.
NOTES: This is a large quantity as I freeze any excess for future use so you may wish to halve the amounts. I only use real butter as it needs to be very firm (not spreadable) for this recipe.
Today I am adding a new ‘recipe’ to the blog. It is tabouleh with a twist – made with quinoa rather than the traditional cracked wheat which makes it gluten free. The fresh, clean feel to this dish makes it perfect for summer meals. Unlike many salads, it can also be made a day ahead. In fact, I think making it beforehand allows the flavours to develop even more.
This is a rather loose interpretation of a recipe as the quantities are variable and can be adjusted according to taste.
The photo shows the tabouleh served with a piece a zucchini quiche for lunch.
QUINOA TABOULEH
Ingredients
1/2 cup tri-colour quinoa 2 cups water 1 teaspoon vegetable stock powder I cup curly leaf parsley, finely chopped 3 spring onions, finely chopped 1/2 tomato, diced 1/2 small cucumber, diced 1/4 red capsicum, finely diced
1 tablespoon olive oil 2 tablespoons lemon or lime juice 1 tablespoon rice wine vinegar Ground black pepper Salt
Method
Cook the quinoa in boiling water with stock powder added. Watch carefully and stir as required. Aim to absorb all of the liquid and not overcook the quinoa. Spread cooked quinoa on a tray, fluff with a fork and allow to cool thoroughly before adding the remaining ingredients and dressing.
We are home again after our short trip away. It was not so much a holiday as a reconnaissance mission to our preferred relocation destination. After about 6 months of searching we may have found the ideal property. More about that in the next week or so.
In the meantime, I have packed a few more boxes – I think the count is up to about 22. I have a description and number on each box and a small notebook where I have recorded the number of each box with a more detailed description of exactly what is in it. I am hoping that this will make it easy when we come to unpack at our destination.
There is also the everyday jobs to ensure that we remain fed and clothed. Yesterday I caught up on the washing and ironing after having been away and this morning I am cooking.
We are by no means self-sufficient but we do grow some food and also prepare most of our meals from scratch.
In the interest of energy efficiency we try to cook multiple dishes in the oven when it is turned on. GMan was ready to bake sourdough bread this morning so I made a Zucchini Quiche and some baked meatballs. The bread at the rear of the photo is fruit loaf made in the breadmaker.
I picked the last of the eggplant before I pull the bushes out and clear out that garden bed. So, I am making a big batch of Eggplant and Green Bean Curry which will make at least 4 – 5 meals for us so most will go in the freezer. These will be handy for days when I don’t have the time or inclination to cook.
I had some nectarines which were not great for eating fresh so I stewed them and will use this fruit on my breakfast cereal in coming days.
I have also made a batch of coleslaw and hard-boiled 6 eggs ready for lunches, prepared the mashed potato and cut up green beans to go with the meatballs for dinner tonight. My final project for this morning is to make some more hummus.
We arrived home from holidays last Friday afternoon and in next to no time we were back into building up our food supplies.
Our kitchen overlooks the vegetable garden and I could a sea of red cherry tomatoes rambling everywhere. This, coupled with the fact that we had almost entirely depleted our stock of tomato sauce (ketchup) meant that this was a high priority on my ‘to do’ list.
I have made salad wraps for our dinner tonight as we will be out of the house and between events.
Wraps are a great portable alternative to takeaway. An added bonus is that you can tailor-make them to meet individual choices and dietary requirements and there are no unknown, hidden ingredients.
In order to make this a totally waste-free option, I make my own wraps which are simple and gluten-free. The recipe is here.
Today the fillings include a spread of refried beans topped with mushroom and cucumber slices, leftover quinoa salad, grated cheese and a little mayonnaise and sweet chilli sauce.
The rolled wraps are the rolled up diagonally in greaseproof paper and can be eaten by unfolding the paper from one end.
What is your favourite portable meal or snack? Is plastic-free? Love to hear your ideas.
Before I begin on the actual content of today’s post, I have a bit of general news about the blog.
I have been absent for 3 weeks. Part of this was due to us being on holidays for a portion of the time but the remainder of my inactivity has been while I reassessed my general online presence. There are limited hours in the day and it is not all devoted to online activity. Therefore, I have decided to alter some of my priorities and this blog will be the main spot where you will be able to engage with me. The content will generally be shorter and more frequent – possibly daily. I look forward to your comments and interacting more fully with my readers. If you are not already following the blog, please consider doing so so that you don’t miss anything.
So, dear readers it is back to the real stuff that happens here every day.
This morning I whipped these 2 takeaway food containers from the freezer. One is vegetable curry and the other is rice. Therefore, dinner tonight is all ready to heat and eat.
My cooking style is pretty much a constant cycle of stocking up the freezer while using from it at the same time.
In that vein I have done a spot of cooking this afternoon. I always do more than one thing if I am turning the oven on.
6 gluten free pizza bases partly cooked and ready to freeze for later use.
Zucchini quiche which used the last of the packs of frozen zucchini from last summer’s harvest. I have about 3 different dishes I can use for making the quiche but this one that belonged to my mother is a new favourite.
The recipes for the pizza bases and zucchini quiche can be found checking the recipe index – click on the tab ‘Recipes – Food’ at the top of the front page of the blog.
Please share your prepared meals or glut of produce stored for future use. 🙂
organised castle 