Thai Beef and Sweet Potato Curry

Not too hot or spicy so all the family will enjoy this curry. Cost per serve: $3.08 (as at 2014)

Photo  Beef and Lamb NZ

Prep time: 20 mins
Cooking time: low 5-6 hours, high 3-4½ hours

Serves: 8

Ingredients 

1-1.5kg lean beef for casseroling
1 tsp each salt and ground black pepper
2 onions, peeled and diced
3 Tbsp Thai-style red curry paste
2 tsp minced garlic
2 medium, orange-fleshed kumara, peeled and diced
400g can coconut milk
1½ cups beef stock
1-1½ cups frozen peas
2 Tbsp chopped fresh coriander

Method

1. Cut the beef into 2-2.5cm pieces and season with salt and pepper. Brown the meat in a dash of oil in a hot frying pan; this is best done in 2-3 batches. With the last batch of meat, add the onions and curry paste and cook until fragrant.
2. Put the beef mixture into the slow cooker with the garlic, kumara, coconut milk and stock, and cover with the lid.
3. Cook on low for 5-6 hours or on high for 3-4 hours. Stir in the peas and coriander, re-cover and continue cooking on high for a further 15-20 minutes.
4. Serve in bowls garnished with shredded coconut and accompany with steamed rice and prawn crackers.

Savvy Tip
There’s lots of curry sauce with this recipe. If you’d like a thicker curry, use only 1 cup stock when cooking in the slow cooker.
To cook in the oven, simmer at 160°C for 1½-2 hours with 1½ cups of stock.

Source:  Beef and Lamb NZ

Slow-cooked pulled chipotle beef

This is a easy tasty recipe, you can use any other cheaper cut of meat, such as blade, chuck, shin etc. Serve with pasta, mashed potato, tacos or burritos.

Ingredients
800g - 1 kg Beef, lean brisket
330 ml Beer, dark
1 cup Beef stock, good quality
¼ cup Chipotle sauce
1 Tbsp Soy sauce
1 Tbsp Brown sugar
1 Onion, peeled and chopped
1 Cinnamon stick
1 Dried chilli, optional

Directions
Heat oven to 160C.

Cut brisket into large 5cm pieces. Place in a heavy-based casserole dish with a tight-fitting lid and add beer, beef stock, chipotle sauce, soy sauce, brown sugar, onion, cinnamon stick and dried chilli (if using). There should be just enough liquid to cover the meat. Cover with a lid and cook in oven for 3-4 hours or until the meat is soft and shreds easily. Note: if your lid does not fit tightly, cover dish with tinfoil before placing the lid on top – this will help to create a seal. Check on the meat after about 2 hours — if it is looking a little dry, top it up with a little more stock and beer.

Once cooked, remove beef from the dish and place on a chopping board. Pour the liquid into a saucepan and boil for about 5 minutes to reduce a little. Meanwhile, use two forks to shred the meat, pulling the long fibres away from each other.

Mix shredded meat with the reduced liquid — the meat will soak up the sauce.
Turn this basic recipe into the following tasty meals

Pulled Chipotle beef tortillas with apple slaw (see bite.co.nz for recipe), or 

Pulled Chipotle beef and chickpea fettuccine (see bite.co.nz for recipe), 




Source:  Bite.co.nz Nadia Lim

Turn a orange into a candle

Try this a quick, easy and natural orange candle, you can make it in about 5 minutes and with only two ingredients.

Photo from handimania

What you need.
Orange, Grapefruit, Lemon
Knife
Any type of oil, Vegetable, Olive, Canola, etc.

Cut the orange skin only. Use the paring knife to slice into the peel of the orange. Insert only as far as the pith, taking the knife around the middle of the orange, going all the way around the circumference.

Peel the orange. Gently push your finger under the skin of the orange and peel only one half of the skin away at a time so that it separates from the orange without tearing.

Locate the "wick". Once separated from orange flesh, the orange peel should be easy to remove. When removing the orange flesh, a white wick-like “stem” part should remain––leave this intact, still attached to the peel.

Add oil. Pour a small amount of olive oil inside and wait a minute or two until the skin and wick soak with oil. It is really important that you wait because if you do it too soon you will burn the biggest part of your wick and there won’t be enough of it left to burn nicely.

Light it. Usually you have to try few times before it inflames for good but keep trying and don’t give up!

Corn and Feta Fritters

These are a tasty, budget friendly option for breakfast or lunch, serve with a salad or as shown in recipe

Photo: http://www.annabel-langbein.com

Prep time:

5 mins plus standing

Cook time:

10 - 15 minutes

Makes:

about 20

Ingredients
1 1⁄2 cups self-raising flour
3 eggs
1 tsp salt
freshly ground pepper
3⁄4 cup soda water
2 cups corn kernels
2 tbsp chopped mint
1⁄2 cup crumbled feta cheese

Instructions:
Mix flour, eggs, salt, pepper and soda water together until smooth. Stir in corn, mint and crumbled feta. Stand for 10 minutes. Cook spoonfuls in 1⁄2 cm hot oil in a pan over medium heat until golden on each side. Makes about 20.

Serve with sliced avocado and tomato chutney.

Source: www.annabel-langbein.com

Three-Ingredient Chocolate Mousse

Who would have thought such a silken chocolate mousse could be made using only three ingredients? This is a super easy and quick recipe to impress your guests.

Photo: http://www.annabel-langbein.com

Prep time:5 mins + chilling Cook time:10-12 mins Serves:4-6

Ingredients
200g dark chocolate (ideally at least 70% cocoa solids), coarsely chopped
2 cups (500ml) cream
1 cup (100g) chopped marshmallows

Instructions
Heat chocolate, half the cream and the marshmallows in a dry, heatproof bowl over a pot of simmering water, stirring until melted and smooth (about 10 minutes). Remove from heat and allow to cool to room temperature.

Beat remaining cream to soft peaks and fold through chocolate mixture. Pour into glasses or bowls and refrigerate for at least 6 hours or overnight before serving.

source:www.annabel-langbein.com