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With a return to warmer weather this week, and a broken oven, my Real Food Meal Plan is full of simple salads and easy meals. Chicken Schnitzel straight from the freezer, a simple stir fry and some great vegetarian patties are all on the menu.
I still don’t have an operating oven, although just when we thought summer was over the temperature spiked again. So the lack of an oven has not been such a big deal as it has been too hot to turn it on anyway.
This week we ate:
Sunday
Chicken Schnitzel with a simple side salad.
I had planned something different for dinner, but arrived home late and tired from a day of making Tomato Passata and really didn’t feel like cooking. Thankfully I had a batch of Chicken Schnitzel in the freezer, so I only had to pull together a simple salad to serve with it.
Monday
Peanut Brown Rice Patties from My Darling Lemon Thyme. Served with green salad.
Whilst the original recipe calls for raw peanuts, The Princess complained so loudly about their taste that I used roasted peanuts instead. These patties were very good, although the cooked patties had a definite peanut butter edge to them thanks to the roasted peanuts. Next time I think I will use raw peanuts, which should allow the other flavours to shine. I will also double the mixture as the leftovers were great for tucking into The Princess’s lunchbox.
Tuesday
Bun Cha – Vietnamese Pork Patties with Rice Noodles from Adam Liaw’s Asian Cookery School.
Wednesday
Runner Bean, Smoked Trout and Potato Salad.
An easy mid-week meal, perfect for the hot weather. I used kipfler potatoes instead of new potatoes, and replaced the smoked trout with homemade hot smoked salmon.
Thursday
Beef Saute with Pepper, served with white rice.
As simple as it sounds. Beef strips stir fried with red peppers (capsicum) in a garlic & chili paste.
Freezer Cooking
Whilst I didn’t manage to make any meals for the freezer, I have started to restock my corn supplies. Corn is currently in season, and I like to freeze organic corn whilst it is available. To do this zap unshucked corn cobs, three at a time, in the microwave for 5 minutes. Allow the cobs to cool slightly, remove the husks and slice the kernels from the the cobs. Pack the kernels into zip lock bags and freeze. I use corn throughout the year for fritters, soups and side dishes.
I also made six large trays of semi-sundried tomatoes in my dehydrator this week. As semi-sundried tomatoes still contain some moisture they do not keep well without additional preservation techniques. I store a small amount for immediate use in a jar of oil, and vacuum pack the remainder for freezing. I replenish the jar from my freezer stocks as required throughout the year.
Bon Appetit!
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