Easy Lemon Shrimp Curry

• 1 tablespoon cornstarch
• 1/2 teaspoon sugar
• 1/2 teaspoon chicken bouillon granules
• 1/4 teaspoon grated lemon peel
• Dash pepper
• 1/2 cup water
• 4-1/2 teaspoons lemon juice
• 1/2 pound uncooked medium shrimp, peeled and deveined
• 1 tablespoon canola oil
• 3/4 cup sliced celery
• 1/2 medium green pepper, cut into strips
• 1/2 medium sweet red pepper, cut into strips
• 1 cup sliced fresh mushrooms
• 3/4 cup fresh sugar snap peas
• 1 green onion, sliced
• 1 cup hot cooked long grain rice

Directions

• In a small bowl, combine the first five ingredients. Stir in water and lemon juice until blended; set aside.
• In a large skillet or wok, stir-fry shrimp in oil for 1-2 minutes or until no longer pink. Remove with a slotted spoon and keep warm. In the same pan, stir-fry celery and peppers for 2 minutes. Add the mushrooms, peas and onion; stir-fry 3-4 minutes longer or until vegetables are crisp-tender.
• Stir cornstarch mixture and add to the pan. Bring to a boil; cook and stir for 2 minutes or until thickened. Add shrimp; heat through. Serve with rice. Yield: 2 servings.

Nutrition Facts: 1-1/2 cups shrimp mixture with 1/2 cup rice equals 326 calories, 9 g fat (1 g saturated fat), 168 mg cholesterol, 449 mg sodium, 39 g carbohydrate, 4 g fiber, 24 g protein. Diabetic Exchanges: 3 lean meat, 2 starch, 2 vegetable, 1-1/2 fat.

Vegetable Sandwich Recipe....

Butter two slices. Liberally apply green chutney on the unbuttered sides of both the bread slices. On one of the slices, start layering with boiled potato slices, cucumber slices, tomato slices, onion slices and capsicum rounds. Sprinkle chaat masala pwd and black pepper pwd on top. Layer with a cheese slice (optional). Top with the bread slice and toast till golden brown. Serve warm with tomato ketchup.

Green chutney recipe: Grind 1 cup chopped coriander leaves, few mint leaves, 1-2 green chilli, 1 tbsp lemon juice, 1 tsp sugar and 1/2 tsp salt to a fine paste, adding little water.

Chicken Piri Piri

Ingredients

• 1 whole chicken (about 1kg/2lb 3oz), spatchcocked
• salt and freshly ground black pepper

For the piri-piri sauce

• 6-12 fresh red chillies, depending on how hot you want it
• 1 tbsp garlic, blanched and chopped
• 1 tsp salt flakes
• ½ tsp oregano
• ½ tbsp paprika
• 100ml/3½fl oz olive oil
• 50ml/1¾fl oz red wine vinegar

To serve

• chips
• salad

Preparation method

1. To make the piri-piri sauce, preheat the oven to 180C/350F/Gas 4. Place the chillies on a roasting tray and roast them for 10 minutes.
2. Cool and roughly chop the chillies. Place the chillies, garlic, salt, oregano, paprika, olive oil and vinegar in a saucepan, and simmer for 2-3 minutes.
3. Allow the mixture to cool, then blend it to a purée in a jug blender or food processor. Store in a lidded container at room temperature; it will keep for about a month. Shake before using.
4. Place the spatchcocked chicken in a sealable plastic bag. Add half the piri-piri sauce, spreading it evenly over the chicken. Seal and marinate in the refrigerator for at least one hou
   Watch technique3:39 mins
5. Preheat the oven to 200C/390F/Gas 6, and preheat a large griddle pan on the hob. Alternatively, light your barbecue.
6. Season the marinated chicken, and cook it on the griddle pan for 2-3 minutes on each side, until golden brown.
7. Transfer the griddled chicken to a roasting tray and roast in the oven for 30 minutes, until cooked through. Alternatively, place the chicken on a medium heat barbecue, covered, for 10-15 minutes on both sides or until cooked through, basting regularly with the remaining piri-piri sauce.
8. Serve with chips and salad.

   
   

   Recipe - 2
   

   Ingredients

   • 5 lemons, zested and juiced, plus 2 lemons sliced into wedges, for garnish
   • 1 head garlic cloves, peeled
   • 4 red peppers, seeded and roughly chopped
   • 10 fresh chilli peppers
   • 900g fresh parsley leaves
   • 3 tbsps paprika
   • 225ml red wine vinegar
   • 450ml olive oil
   • Salt and freshly ground black pepper
   • 7 whole chickens, each cut into 6 pieces

   
   

   Method

   For the piri piri marinade:
   1) To a food processor add lemon zest, lemon juice, garlic, red pepper, chillies, parsley, paprika, red wine vinegar and oil. Process until it becomes a paste. Season with salt and pepper. Reserve 225ml of the sauce as set aside for garnishing cooked chicken later.
   
   For the chicken:
   1) Divide chicken pieces into 2 large resealable plastic bags. Divide the marinade into both bags and seal. Turn the chicken around in the bags to distribute the marinade. Place chicken in the refrigerator and let it marinate for at least 1 hour and up to 1 day.
   
   2) Preheat griddle to medium-high heat. 
   
   3) Remove chicken from bags with tongs and drain well. Season with salt and pepper. Place on griddle, skin side down first, and griddle for about 15 minutes on each side turning occasionally until cooked through. (You might need to do it in batches if grill is not big enough).
   
   4) Serve with lemon wedges and the remaining piri piri sauce.

10 fresh bread slices....or spring roll wrappers

For the stuffing1 cup grated cabbage
1/2 cup crumbled paneer (cottage cheese)
2 tbsp chopped coriander (dhania)
2 green chillies, finely chopped
oil for frying
salt to taste

Other ingredientsa few tbsp besan (Bengal gram flour)

Method

1. Remove the crusts from the bread and roll out the slices.
   
2. Mix together the cabbage, paneer, coriander and green chillies. Add salt.
   
3. Divide the stuffing into 10 portions.
4. Put the stuffing in the corner of the bread slice and roll the slice.
   
5. Seal the edge with a paste made of equal quantity of gram flour and water.
   
6. Deep fry in oil until golden.
   
7. Serve hot.

Spicy Lamb Curry

* Lamb – 1 kg,
* Whole red chilli – 30,
* Whole coriander – handful,
* Cloves – 8,
* cinnamon – 1 piece,
* black pepper – 15,
* cumin seeds – 1/2 tsp,,
* cardamom – 3,
* turmeric powder – 1/2 tsp,
* Ginger, finely sliced- 1 piece,
* curry leaves – 10 leaves,
* Onion – 2,
* Oil – 2 tbsp,
* Salt – to taste,

How to make Lamb Masala:

* Cut the lamb into small pieces and clean well.
* Fry ingredients 2-8 without oil until brown.
* Powder this with turmeric powder.
* Mix well this masala powder, lamb, ginger, curry leaves and salt with hand.
* Add needed water and cook until there is no water.
* The masala must be well coated with the lamb.
* Slice onion thinly.
* Heat oil in a pan, add sliced onion and stirs fry until golden brown.
* Add the cooked lamb masala to this and stir well for 5 minutes.

Eating Mushrooms ...Good for you

Mushrooms not only taste good but also a great source of healthy food

Remember those stories of mushrooms making somebody big or playing shields against the dreaded monsters. So, if diseases are considered as monsters then you know how to deal with them. The answer is simple: Enjoy your share of mushrooms. Mushrooms are full of proteins, vitamins and minerals, amino acids, anti-biotic and anti-oxidants. From pizzas, pastas to omelettes, mushrooms can really add taste to a dish.

The health benefits of mushroom include the following:

B Vitamins are vital for turning food (carbohydrates) into fuel (glucose), which the body burns to produce energy. They also help the body metabolize fats and protein. Mushrooms contain loads of vitamin B2 and vitamin B3.

Mushrooms have zero cholesterol, fats and very low carbohydrates. The fiber and certain enzymes in them also help lower cholesterol level. The high lean protein content in mushrooms helps burn cholesterol when they are digested.

Mushrooms can be an ideal low energy diet for diabetics. They have no fats, no cholesterol, very low carbohydrates, high proteins, vitamins and minerals, a lot of water and fiber. Moreover, they contain natural insulin and enzymes which help breaking down of sugar or starch of the food.

Ergothioneine, a powerful anti oxidant present in mushrooms is very effective in giving protection from free radicals as well as boosting up immunity. Mushrooms contain natural antibiotics (similar to penicillin, which itself is extracted from mushrooms) which check microbial and other fungal infections.

Mushrooms are the only vegetable and the second known source (after cod liver oil) to contain vitamin-D in edible form. They are rich in calcium (good for bones), iron (cures anemia), potassium ( good for lowering blood pressure) and selenium. The best source of selenium is animal proteins. So, mushrooms can be the best choice for vegetarians to obtain selenium.

Vegetable and Rice Muffins...Cakes

These muffin-shaped vegie cakes contain boiled rice, finely chopped/grated vegetables, egg and cheese. After baking them until golden brown, we serve them hot with sweet chilli sauce as a snack, side dish, or vegetarian meal.

We used a small onion, a medium carrot, and a medium zucchini in this recipe.

Preparation time: about 45 minutes (excludes baking time)

Makes 6.

150g (2/3 cup) rice
140g (1 cup, lightly packed) grated zucchini
20g (1 tablespoon) butter
90g (1/2 cup) finely chopped onion
1 small red chilli, seeds removed and finely chopped
4 medium cloves garlic, peeled and crushed
90g (1/2 cup, very firmly packed) grated carrot
40g (1 cup, lightly packed) finely chopped baby spinach leaves
1 tablespoon finely chopped parsley
Salt and pepper
2 large eggs (we use eggs with a minimum weight of 59g)
44g (1/2 cup) grated parmesan cheese
36g tasty cheddar cheese, cut into six equal pieces
3 cherry tomatoes, halved (or 6 small slices of tomato)
Sweet chilli sauce, to serve

Preheat oven to 200 degrees Celsius (180 degrees Celsius fan-forced).

Grease 6 holes in a muffin pan (1/3 cup capacity holes). Line the base of each hole with a circle of baking paper.

Boil rice according to directions on packet. Drain cooked rice and set aside.

Squeeze excess moisture from grated zucchini (we do this over the kitchen sink). © exclusivelyfood.com.au

Melt butter in a large saucepan over medium heat. Add onion, chilli, and garlic and cook for two minutes, without browning, stirring occasionally. Add carrot, and cook for another two minutes, stirring occasionally. Add zucchini, baby spinach, parsley, salt and pepper. Stir to combine and cook for another minute.

Remove saucepan from heat and transfer vegetable mixture to a large bowl. Stir in rice. Allow mixture to cool for 10 minutes.

Stir eggs and parmesan cheese into rice mixture. Fill the prepared muffin holes with the rice mixture, pressing the mixture down so that the cakes hold together.

Top each vegie cake with a piece of cheese and a piece of tomato.

Bake for about 24-30 minutes, or until lightly browned. Serve hot with sweet chilli sauce.

Store vegie cakes in a covered container in the refrigerator. They are suitable to reheat in the microwave or oven. If you are reheating the vegie cakes in the oven, cover them so they don’t dry out.


Variation: Rice and Vegie Slice

Use 50g (1/2 cup, firmly packed) grated tasty cheddar cheese in place of the cheddar cheese pieces. Use one small-medium tomato in place of the cherry tomatoes.

Grease base and sides of a 20cm non-stick square pan. Line base with baking paper.

Firmly press rice and egg mixture into the prepared pan. Cover top of rice mixture with tomato slices and sprinkle with tasty cheese.

Bake at 200 degrees Celsius (180 degrees Celsius fan-forced) for about 35 minutes, or until cheese is golden brown. Cut into slices, drizzle with sweet chilli sauce and serve.

Potato egg and Bacon Salad

Serves 4-6 as a side dish.

550g small potatoes, washed 
120g (about 4 pieces) short-cut bacon, finely diced
3 large eggs, hard-boiled and peeled (we use eggs with a minimum weight of 59g)
2-3 green onions (green shallots), finely chopped
188g (3/4 cup) good quality mayonnaise
Scant 1/2 teaspoon salt, or to taste

Place unpeeled potatoes in a large saucepan. Add enough water to cover potatoes. Cover saucepan and bring to the boil. Reduce heat to a medium boil and cook until potatoes are just tender (you should be able to pierce the potatoes with a knife and meet no resistance). Drain potatoes and cool to room temperature. © exclusivelyfood.com.au

In a small frying pan or saucepan, fry bacon over medium heat until cooked and lightly browned. Set aside to cool.

Remove skin from potatoes, if desired. Chop potatoes into bite sized pieces. Chop eggs.

Place all ingredients in a large bowl and stir gently to combine. If you like, you can reserve some of the bacon or green onions to sprinkle over the salad before serving.

The salad can be served immediately, or refrigerated until cold. Store in a covered container in the refrigerator.


How to hard-boil eggs

Place eggs in a small saucepan and cover with cold water. Cover saucepan and bring to the boil. Reduce heat to a simmer and cook for 8 minutes. Remove from heat, drain eggs and cover with cold water to stop further cooking of the eggs.

Savory Potato Pancake Recipe

Makes about nine (9cm diameter) pancakes.

1 small onion
625g potatoes (about 4 medium potatoes)
1 large egg (we use eggs with a minimum weight of 59g)
28g (2 tablespoons) self-raising flour
Salt and pepper
Oil, for pan-frying

Peel onion and grate into a small bowl. © exclusivelyfood.com.au

Peel and grate potatoes into a large bowl. Remove excess moisture from potato by firmly squeezing handfuls of grated potato over the kitchen sink. 

Add onion, egg, flour, pepper and a generous amount of salt to the potato and stir well to combine.

Heat oil in a heavy-based, non-stick pan over medium to medium-high heat. Drop scant 1/4 cups of mixture into pan and flatten slightly.

Cook pancakes for about 4-5 minutes on each side, or until golden and cooked through. Adjust the heat if the pancakes are browning too quickly or too slowly.

If you are cooking the pancakes in batches, you can place the cooked pancakes on a baking tray in a warm oven while cooking the remaining pancakes.

Drain pancakes on paper towels and serve.

Baked Vegetable Cake...Recipe

The recipe includes instructions for roasting capsicum, but if you wish to purchase chargrilled/roasted capsicum, you will need 125 grams. The cooked fresh corn could be replaced with 165 grams (one scant cup) frozen corn kernels or drained canned corn kernels.

Preparation time: about 40 minutes (excludes baking time)

Serves about 6 as a light meal with a salad.

We use a 20ml tablespoon and 250ml measuring cup for all of our recipes.

275g (about 1 large) red capsicum
1 teaspoon (5ml) oil, for frying onion
160g (about 1 medium) onion, peeled and finely chopped
9g (about 1 large) garlic clove, peeled and crushed
460g (about 1 very large) corn cob, husk and silk removed
200g (about 1 medium) zucchini
150g (about 1 medium) carrot
8g (2 tablespoons) finely chopped parsley
25g (1/4 cup, lightly packed) grated parmesan cheese
56g (3/4 cup, lightly packed) grated tasty cheddar cheese
112g (3/4 cup) self-raising flour
Salt and pepper, to taste
4 large eggs (we use eggs with a minimum weight of 59g)
83ml (1/3 cup) oil (we use peanut oil, but any mild-flavoured oil could be used)

Line an 18cm by 28cm rectangular baking dish or slice pan with baking paper. A different sized pan can be used if desired, but you will probably need to adjust the baking time.

Preheat grill on high.

Cut capsicum in half and remove the stalk, seeds and membranes. Press capsicum with your hand to flatten (you may need to cut through any lumpy parts to help them flatten). Place capsicum skin side up on a baking tray.

Place capsicum under the hot grill (broiler) for about 8-10 minutes, until most of the skin surface blackens.

Remove capsicum and tray from under grill (leave capsicum on tray), place a sheet of greaseproof paper on top of the capsicum, and set aside until cool enough to handle (about 10 minutes).

Preheat oven to 180 degrees Celsius (160 degrees Celsius fan-forced). If you are not using a fan-forced oven, move the oven rack to the middle shelf position.

Heat one teaspoon of oil in a heavy-based nonstick frying pan over medium heat. Fry onion for about 8-10 minutes, stirring often, until softened and very lightly browned. Add garlic and cook, stirring constantly, for one minute.

Set onion mixture aside while preparing remaining ingredients.

Place the corn in a saucepan of boiling water, cover and cook for 2 minutes. Drain and set aside until cool enough to handle.

Peel skin off capsicum and discard skin.

Dice the capsicum into small pieces and place in a large bowl. © exclusivelyfood.com.au
Remove ends from zucchini and carrot and finely grate. If you weren't able to weigh the carrot and zucchini before starting, the approximate cup measurements are 1 1/2 lightly packed cups grated zucchini and 1 lightly packed cup grated carrot.

Squeeze handfuls of grated zucchini and carrot over sink to remove excess liquid (this prevents the slice from being too wet). Add zucchini and carrot to the bowl with the capsicum.

Remove corn kernels from cob (stand cob upright on a chopping board, and use a sharp knife to cut down the length of the cob).

Add corn kernels, parsley and cooled onion mixture to the bowl with the vegetables and stir to combine.

Add parmesan and cheddar cheeses, flour, salt (we use a rounded 1/4 teaspoon fine salt) and pepper to the bowl and stir to combine the ingredients.

Use a fork to beat the eggs and 1/3 cup oil together in a small bowl. Add egg and oil mixture to the other ingredients and stir until just combined.

Pour mixture into prepared baking pan and spread evenly.

Bake for about 40-45 minutes, or until slice is golden brown and firm to the touch.

Store slice in the refrigerator or freezer. When freezing the slice, we cut it into single serve pieces, wrap the pieces in plastic wrap, and place them in an airtight container. The slice is suitable to reheat