My staple foods

I'm sure that every foodie has a standard selection of foods that can always be found in their pantry, fridge and freezer. I love to test out new recipes but when I'm in a rush or haven't planned anything for dinner it's great to be able to whip something up with what I have on hand. Here are some of my staple foods that I always make sure I have:

Pantry
Cans - Diced Tomatoes, Whole Tomatoes, Chickpeas, Cannellini Beans, Coconut Milk or Coconut Flavoured Evaporated Milk, Tuna, Corn Kernels
Rice - Basmati, Brown & Arborio
Couscous - a great alternative to rice, here are some Couscous recipes for you to try
Dried Chickpeas, Lentils, Pasta & Noodles
Sugar - Brown, Palm, White, Caster
Sultanas, Dried Apricots & Dates
Pine Nuts, Almonds & Unsalted Roasted Peanuts - for a great Massaman Curry, unless I eat them all first...
Oils - Extra Virgin Olive Oil, Sesame Oil, Olive Oil Spray, Sunflower Oil, Macadamia Oil - great for baking my Macadamia white chocolate and raspberry muffins
Sauces - Soy Sauce, Oyster Sauce, Fish Sauce, Worcestershire Sauce, Kecap Manis
Vinegar - White Vinegar, White Wine Vinegar, Red Wine Vinegar, Apple Cider Vinegar
Peanut Butter - smooth & crunchy for Satay Sauce or Hoisin Peanut Dipping Sauce and my Protein Balls
Pasta Sauce & Pesto
Plain & Self Raising Flour
Cocoa, Baking Powder, Bi-Carb Soda
Breadcrumbs - Panko are the best for my Panko-Crusted Eggplant Parmesan and Panko crusted veal schnitzel

Stock powder - Chicken, Beef & Vegetable
Herbs & Spices - Sea Salt, Black Peppercorns, Cumin, Coriander, Cardamom, Cinnamon, Nutmeg, Chinese Five Spice, Fennel, Garam Marsala, Curry Powder, Moroccan Seasoning, Tuscan Seasoning, Turmeric, Chilli, Cayenne Pepper, Paprika, Cloves, Bay Leaves, Oregano, Saffron

Fridge
Free Range Eggs
Cheese - Tasty, Parmesan, Laughing Cow
Vegemite
Dijon Mustard & Seeded Mustard
Redcurrant or Cranberry Jelly - for turkey sandwiches & my Redcurrant & Rosemary Pork Cutlets
ETA BBQ Sauce - the best BBQ sauce!
Tomato Sauce
Lemon Juice & Lime Juice
Mayonnaise
Curry Paste - Red, Green, Massaman
Minced Garlic, Ginger & Chilli
Fresh Veggies - Broccoli, Cauliflower, Carrots, Cherry Tomatoes, Red Capsicum, Green Beans, Snow Peas, Cucumber, Potatoes (I've discovered that in Brisbane you have to keep your potatoes in the fridge or they sprout super fast), Sweet Potatoes and Pumpkin

Freezer
Chicken Thighs
Premium Beef Mince - split up into 500g lots and squash flat before freezing. This will reduce thawing time significantly.
Chicken Pieces and Marylands - for a quick roast spray Chicken Marylands and some potatoes/sweet potatoes with Olive Oil Spray and sprinkle with Tuscan Seasoning and roast for 30-40 mins at 180C
Frozen peas and corn
Frozen berries - for a quick and easy smoothie
Grated Cheese - perfect for topping pasta bakes

Garden
Rosemary
Basil
Mint
Thyme
Oregano
Coriander
Italian Parsley
Sage
Tomatoes
Lettuce & Baby Spinach
Snow Peas
Radishes
Onions - Red, Brown & Spring Onions

Vegetable Rice

Here is a quick and easy recipe using your rice cooker. It can be adapted to use up any vegetables that you have on hand. I only had green capsicum, cauliflower and frozen peas & corn so that's what I used. But this made it predominately green and gold - a great Aussie dish but it would look much better with some red capsicum to liven it up a bit. Swap the chicken stock for vegetable stock if you want to make this a vegetarian dish. You could also cut up some chicken thighs and toss them in as well.



Serves 2

1/2 brown onion, diced
2 cloves garlic, crushed
3/4 green capsicum, diced
1 cup cauliflower florets
1/2-3/4 cup basmati rice
1 tsp ground turmeric
1/4 tsp hot ground chilli (optional)
1/2 tsp ground nutmeg
1 1/4 cup chicken stock
1/4 cup frozen peas & corn
1 spring onion, sliced to serve
fresh green herbs to serve

Place all ingredients except spring onion and herbs in your rice cooker bowl and stir to combine. Switch to the Cook setting.

When it switches to the Warm setting remove the lid and fluff up. Spoon onto plates and top with spring onion and any other green herbs of your choosing.

Mashed Potato Variations

- Add a teaspoon of garlic and sweet chilli sauce.
- Add a big dollop of Horseradish Cream.
- Add some Honey Wholegrain Mustard.
- Add some Dijon Mustard.
- Mash and add chicken salt and a bit of cream.
- Mash and add chicken salt, milk and butter.
- Add a splash of mint sauce and lemon.
- Dice up some onion and add it in after mashing.
- Add Sultanas
- Add BBQ Sauce, Peas n Corn
- Add a little bit of Cumin
- Add crispy bits of bacon, some onion and a tiny sprinkle of cheese all mixed through
- Add cooked finely sliced cabbage, diced bacon and spring onions

Tips for eating more vegies

Make stuffed baked potatoes with corn kernals, spring onions, mushrooms & capsicum.

Stir diced red capsicum, currants, pine nuts, sliced spring onions, drained tinned salmon, lightly steamed broccoli & fresh basil through cooked rice, serve warm.

Serve salsa with chicken or fish, diced avocado, finely chopped spring onions (or diced red onion), chopped chilli & fresh coriander or mint.

Add grated carrot to rissoles.

Blend apple, ginger, carrot & OJ for a healthy drink.

Smoked Chicken Salad

Well, I've barely managed to survive another year of Christmas gorging and my poor body is craving salad - and lots of it! So who am I to deny it...

Tonight I gave my fav salad a slight makeover as I've been drooling over the yummy Danish fetta that has been in my fridge since before Christmas and tonight I could no longer resist.

So here is the recipe:
Smoked Chicken Salad
1 smoked chicken breast, skin removed and discarded (into my trendy new indoor composter :-) and shredded
1/3 red capsicum, diced
1/2 lebanese cucumber , diced
handful of greeen beans, ends removed and cut into 2cm pieces
handful of snow peas, ends removed and cut into 2cm pieces
1 small tin chickpeas, drained & rinsed
1 small tin super sweet corn kernals, drained & rinsed
1 carrot, pelled and diced
1 avocado, chopped into large chunks
1/3 pack Danish fetta, crumbled

Place all ingredients into a large salad bowl and toss well. The fetta and avocado will coat the vegetables and create a delicious dressing.

Serves 2

Variations:
I usually dry fry some pine nuts or almond slivers in a small frypan and throw them in.
I don't usually add fetta but this was a nice addition - although it did make it less healthy and a bit heavier (I'm feeling like I need to go for a walk...not good!)