Courgette & cheese pie

So... It's been nearly 6 months from my last post and I really don't have any excuses for that. When I was still studying I used to think that the reason working people end up eating take-aways, deliveries and ready made meals was because they were lazy and were not trying hard enough, but now, having worked for the past year my outlook has totally changed. Although I still managed to cook at home most days, to eat relatively healthy took a lot of planning and dedication. And batch cooking was my biggest friend - I prepared few dishes over the weekend and all my lunches and dinners for the week were sorted. Admittedly it all wasn't very exciting, because I ended up making the same soups and stews over and over again, but still it was better than throwing a ready made meal into an oven. 

In addition to working, and summer being a relatively busy period, I moved to Dubai end of last month. So, another way of life to get used to and I have to admit that my meals during my first week here consisted mostly of oven grilled cheese sandwiches and ice-cream (very grown up, or what?). Now, after having settled in a bit, figuring out where to get the good groceries (good old Waitrose to the rescue) and getting my act together I've finally started to pay a bit more attention to my food. 

I don't know whether I've mentioned it on this blog before, but although I love eating out, I am a big fan of brining my own lunch to work. Not only does it work out cheaper than buying something out every day, it also means that I have a lot better idea of what I'm actually putting into my body. If I was in London around this time of the year (let's just pretend it's a normal autumn and the city is not suffering from a heatwave), I'd probably start preparing some lovely stews and soups. Easy to prepare in batch, transport, warm up and relatively healthy to top it off. However, over here I've struggled a bit because it's still over +35C outside and I just can't imagine warming up something warm and filling for lunch. As I went a bit overboard when ordering some groceries online and have half a fridge full of courgettes I was looking for something easy to make out of those that I could take with me to work. 

I came across this lovely recipe and just knew I had to give it a shot. I love courgettes and absolutely adore cheese. Add a bit of puff pastry and I knew I had found a winner. This one is super easy to make, makes a lovely packed lunch or even a great something to put together when having friends over. The topping is to die for and completed with a crispy puff pastry base. What else could you wish for? 

Ingredients

Makes approx. 12 slices

- 500g courgette

- Olive oil

- Salt

- Pepper

- 1 clove of garlic, crushed

- 150g Philadelphia cream cheese

- 100g grated cheese (I used 60g parmesan and 40g mature cheddar)

- 500g puff pastry

Directions

Preheat the oven to 200C. 

To prepare the filling, cut the courgettes into thin slices either using a kitchen mandolin, spiralizer, vegetable peeler, cheese knife or a normal knife. Place the courgette slices into a bowl, pour over some olive oil and   add the crushed garlic clove and a generous sprinkle of salt and pepper. Mix well and set aside for 10 minutes or so. 

Roll out the puff pastry so it would cover the whole baking tray and then place it on the baking tray which has been lined with baking parchment. Cut a line with a knife 1-1,5 cm from the edge of the pastry. Now, to prepare the cheese filling, mix together the cream cheese and 50g of the grated cheese. Spread it evenly on the puff pastry, keeping inside the line you've made with the knife. Then, place the courgette slices on top and bake for 15 minutes. Take out the tray, sprinkle with rest of the 50g cheese and bake for another 15 minutes. Enjoy hot or cold! 

Recipe from nami-nami.ee http://www.nami-nami.ee/retsept/11408/parmesani_suvikorvitsapirukas

Steak sandwich

This is in my opinion the most manly meal I've ever wrote a post about - a proper steak sandwich. And I'm sure I'm not wrong in saying that it is probably every meat eating man's dream. I find that there's something really manly about eating steak - maybe it's the whole caveman thing in a more modern angle.

We have a couple of steaks at home that need to be eaten before we leave for Vietnam this weekend and I started it by making a lovely steak wrap for my other half for yesterday brunch. And then suddenly inspiration hit me - I should make him a steak sandwich instead. And I wanted to make him a proper steak sandwich and thus I found myself making bread a couple of hours later as I really wanted all of it to have a lovely home made feel to it. And I must say I was not disappointed with the outcome.

Apart from baking the bread and letting the steak come up to room temperature the whole thing was really easy to put together. And by all means use some nice and fresh bread or bread rolls from a bakery - had I been short of time that would have been exactly what I would have done.

I really love the rustic look and feel of those sandwiches. And you should have seen my significant other's eyes when he saw them when I was taking photos. That was pure happiness. So here you go - a juicy filling homemade lunch which is guaranteed to go down a treat.

Ingredients
(Makes 2 sandwiches)
- 4 slices of bread (I used this)
- 200g steak
- Butter
- Lettuce
- 1/2 tomato, sliced
- 4 tsp mustard
- 2 gherkins
- Salt, pepper to season
- Olive oil

Directions
Start by taking the steak out of the fridge 1 hour before cooking in order to allow the steak to come to room temperature before cooking it. When the time has passed, heat up a non-stick pan. In the meantime season both sides generously with salt and pepper and then rub the steak with some olive oil. When the pan is hot, place the stake on it and cook for a couple of minutes (this really depends on the thickness of the steak and how well do you like it cooked). Whilst the steak is cooking, spread some butter on all four slices of bread and add lettuce and tomatoes on 2 slices. Then flip the steak and cook for the same amount of time. In the meantime slice up the gherkins. When the steak is done, remove it from the pan, place on a chopping board, cover with cling film and let it rest for about 5 minutes, so the juices that concentrated in the middle of the steak could even out and result in a more flavourful and juicier steak.

So finally, slice up the steak, divide it between the sandwiches, top it off with some mustard and gherkins. Place the other slices of breads on top of it and enjoy!

Simple sesame-seared tuna

As you can see I'm really taking my task of making the most of the fresh fish here quite seriously - last week I made a salmon tartare and now I made myself this super-quick tuna dish for lunch. I really love sushi and sashimi, but sometimes when I eat sashimi I feel like there's something missing. The fish itself has always been delicious, but sometimes I just crave for something a bit more than plain fish. And as the local fish and sushi shop does not do sesame seared tuna I had to get myself together and make it at home.

I was pleasantly surprised to find out how easy it was to put together such a lovely dish - it's just a matter of minutes! The asparagus takes the longest to prepare, but if you have your tuna without a side, then it'll be ready in just over a minute. Apart from the speed I really loved the taste and texture. I know that the middle is still raw (that's why you need sushi grade tuna), but the seared edges really make a difference. This was the first time I prepared something out of tuna steak and I was really pleased with myself. So no more excused for not cooking at home - it is possible to have a healthy, filling and satisfying meal ready in no time.

This works well as a starter or light lunch or dinner and on top of that, it is fancy enough to be served at a dinner party. And if you've got a bit more time and prefer slightly nuttier taste, roast your sesame seeds until they're golden brown before rolling the tuna in them.

Ingredients

(Serves 1)
- 110g sushi grade tuna steak
- 90g baby asparagus
- 2 tbsp sesame seeds
- 5 tbsp soya sauce






Directions
First stir-fry the asparagus with a dash of soya sauce and set on a plate. Then sear the tuna steak by doing each side for 12-15 seconds and then roll it in the sesame seeds. Slice the tuna up and place it on the asparagus. Serve with soya sauce.

Salmon & Avocado tartare

I've become aware of the fact that my time in Singapore is limited (I'm moving back home mid-September) and as my recent visit to London reminded me of the expensive sushi grade salmon prices I decided that it was my last chance to get myself together and actually give making a homemade salmon tartare a go.

I absolutely love tartares - salmon, tuna or a mixture of both and I frequently have them whenever I'm eating out. So, having my hopes up high I did some research on the internet and to my great disappointment I did not find the recipe that I was looking for. Well, to be honest I didn't know what I was looking for exactly, but whatever I found just didn't feel right. Don't get me wrong - the recipes and pictures looked divine, but they were just not was I was looking for. So I had no other choice than to improvise... and it turned out so well that I'm actually thinking of giving tuna tartare a shot as well!

Because I've had quite a few tartares I kind of knew what I wanted mine to have. Also, I was sure about the things that I didn't want my tartare to include - onions and no mayo based dressing, as I wanted to keep it healthy. I love the taste cooked onions give to soups, fry-ups and roasts, but I just don't like raw onions. I never have and the chances are that I'll never will - I even make all my fresh salads without raw onions. But that's just my thing. If you love onions then by all means add some to the tartare. So after deciding on the ingredients and actually buying them it was time to mix it all together. I was aiming for a light, but at the same time creamy, and flavourful tartare. The resulting tartare was exactly what I had wanted for - simple, creamy and with a nice oriental touch. I served my tartare with some cracker bread, but it would also go well with toasted baguette or even Indonesian krupuk.

Also, apart from being really delicious and filling, both avocado and salmon are two of super-foods - so in addition to having a filling meal you're also doing your body a whole lot of good.

Ingredients

(Serves 1)
- 1 Ripe avocado
- 140g sashimi grade salmon fillet, skin removed
- Juice of 1/4 lemon (plus zest to serve)
- 2 tsp sesame seeds
- 3-4 tsp soya sauce
- Small piece of root ginger, crushed
- 1/2 tsp fish sauce
- Crackers, to serve
- Dried coriander, to season
- Pepper, to season

Directions
First halve the avocado, remove the seed and peel both sides. Then smash one side up with a for and add lemon juice, 1-2 tsp soya sauce (it all depends on how salty you like your food), fish sauce and crushed ginger. Mix well and set aside.

Then cube the other half of avocado and salmon and place them in another bowl. Add the remaining soya sauce, 1tsp sesame seeds, some fresh pepper and a pinch of dried coriander. Mix well.

Mix the avocado puree together with the salmon. Place a piece of clingfilm in a bowl, then place the tartare in firmly in the bowl. Keep in the fridge until serving.

To serve the tartare, remove it from the bowl - this is where the cling film comes in handy. Sprinkle it with some sesame seeds and serve with crackers or toasted bread. Enjoy!

Simple tuna & pasta salad

Before turning to today's post, I'd like to let you know that I've added a new smoothie recipe (check them all out here). As most of you know I've been spending a considerable amount of my time at university over the past two weeks (just one more week of intensive course to go!) and I have to admit that I'm not the biggest fan of the food available there. So, I've just resorted to bringing my own lunch and/or dinner with me. I know it adds to the weight of my bag, but it's really worth it.

I've pretty much exhausted my appetite for the plain green salads that I made for myself the last term and therefore I've had to resort to coming up with some new ideas. Whilst I was doing some food shopping last week, I stopped in the pasta aisle and had a look at what there was - I've never realised that the choice of different pasta (different shapes, sizes and ingredients) is so big. And as I was already going to try out a new recipe I decided to try out a new pasta at the same time - two birds with one stone. I made the salad with rice and millet pasta and to be honest, the only real difference I could tell was that this one was a tiny bit sweeter than the 'normal' pasta (but let's be honest, nothing beats the 'normal' pasta). There is no big difference between the nutritional values of the two but the rice and millet pasta is supposed to be easier to digest and also can be eaten by people with different food sensitivities and allergies (it is vegan, gluten free etc). I wouldn't say I would from now on just eat that, but I would seriously consider incorporating it into my diet if I want to be a bit nicer to my digestive system.

Anyway, enough about the pasta itself - turning to the salad. It is incredibly easy to make and you can add anything you wish (e.g. sweetcorn and tomatoes) to your salad. This combination gives you a nice base to have it on its own or to improvise further with. If you're not a big fan of capers, by all means leave them out. But I really recommend at least giving a try because I find that capers add a really nice touch to the salad, making it taste a bit more interesting than just pasta and tuna would. This is perfect for packed lunch (that's what I've been doing with it), easy to make and will keep you full for quite a few hours.

Ingredients
(Serves 2 - approx 400 cal per serving)
- 125g pasta, boiled
- 1.5 cans of tuna (in water)
- 3 tsp capers
- 60g iceberg lettuce
- 1 tbsp olive oil

Directions
Boil and drain the pasta and leave to cool down. When the pasta has cooled down, mix together all the ingredients and serve (or place in a box and keep in the fridge until serving).