Archive for the ‘Main Course’ Category

Sage and Garlic Stuffed Pumpkin

Posted 4 Jan, 2011 in Main Course [ 1 Comment ]

Sometimes you need a break to recharge and recalibrate. I’ve been on hiatus from this website as I’ve just been mad busy. Really, Christmas and New Years comes around once a year and they are only two days out of the year. But the lead up to it is always so long and so hectic, it’s like the world is going to end.

My work and personal life has been pretty full with parties, meetings and lunches. For New Years, I went to Raglan for 4 days with a group of friends. I even jumped off the Raglan footbridge straight into the water. So much fun. I’m back at work tomorrow but well rested and ready for new challenges.

Now onto the food. I have been cooking and making lots of food. I just haven’t been blogging about it. I can’t say that I have been very strict with the Paleo diet but I have no regrets. For the most part, I have been sticking to the basics of meat and veggies. This recipe for Sage and Garlic Stuffed Pumpkin is super easy to make and also super filling. The pumpkin goes all gooey inside as it cooks with the meat.

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Sage and Garlic stuffed Pumpkin

1 buttercup pumpkin
400 grams beef mince
8 sage leaves finely chopped
2 cloves garlic crushed
1/2 white onion chopped
1 tbs butter
salt and pepper

  1. Preheat oven to 175°C
  2. Cut the top of the pumpkin using a knife.
  3. Scoop out the seeds and the inside.
  4. In a separate bowl, mix the mince meat, sage, garlic and onion.
  5. Season with salt and pepper.
  6. Stuff the pumpkin with the meat mixture.
  7. Take the butter and rub around the outside and the top of the pumpkin.
  8. Bake in the oven for 1 hour.
  9. Remove and drain the juices from the mince.
  10. Continue baking in the oven for another 1/2 an hour until done.

Serves 4.

Roasted Vegetables with Oven Baked Meatballs

Posted 21 Nov, 2010 in Main Course, Vegetables [ No Comments ]

I generally spend a bit of time on Sunday afternoons making bulk loads food as once Monday rolls around, I really don’t have a lot of time to cook. And given that all my meals are based on meat and vegetables, I need to be prepared. This week, I made a huge batch of roasted vegetables and a dozen meatballs. Both are highly versatile and I like to use them to make:

  • A salad with the roasted vegetables tossed through with salad greens and a nice vinaigrette.
  • Meatball and hard-boiled egg mashed up with a bit of olive oil and some fresh herbs.
  • Meatballs warmed up with some pasta sauce and served over the roasted vegetables (this is my favorite)
  • As an omelette filling.

Aside from the few strange looks I get from the people at my office, I’m getting used to having leftovers of meat and vegetables for breakfast. Lunch is more accepted but a meat and vegetables based breakfast is certainly different from the traditional breakfast of cereal and yogurt. But given that I feel so much better eating this way, I’m not taking too much notice that I am the odd one out at my work with my leftover dinners for breakfast and my snack of hard boiled eggs and carrot sticks.

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Roasted Vegetables

1 head of large broccoli, cut into florets.
1 eggplant cut into cubes
2 red onion sliced into crescents
6 garlic cloves unpeeled
3 sprigs of thyme
2 tbs olive oil
salt and pepper

  1. Mix all ingredients and roast at 175°C for 45 minutes.
  2. Cool completely and store in the fridge.

Makes 4 servings.

Oven Baked Meatballs

1 kg ground beef
1 onion finely chopped
1 egg
1 tbs dried thyme
salt and pepper

  1. Mix all ingredients with your hand.
  2. Roll into 12 evenly sized meatballs.
  3. Bake on an oven tray for 40 minutes. The meatballs will be cooked through but the bottom side will be wet as it has been floating in its juices.
  4. Drain the juices and transfer the meatballs upside down (wet side facing up) into a clean oven tray.
  5. Place under the grill for 5 minutes to finish off.
  6. Cool completely and store in the fridge.

Makes 12 meatballs.

Beef and Bacon Pies

Posted 14 Nov, 2010 in Main Course [ 5 Comments ]

I feel best on a diet of meat and vegetables. Over the last few months, my diet has been more coffee, alcohol, baked almond flour goods, and then meat and vegetables. With the holidays fast approaching, I really need to watch my diet or I know I will be completely burned out by Christmas.

The first step to this is that I stopped drinking coffee. I decided to do so because I was replacing breakfast with flat whites which is good for getting a kick start in the mornings, but not very good for my sleep. Since I stopped drinking coffee, I have been able to get a full 8-9 hours of sleep and I’m waking up without my alarm. This is even on the weekdays when I need to be up around 6:30AM. I feel a hundred times better and I’ve been so much more productive at work. It’s actually pretty amazing to feel so well rested.

So I’m now focusing on cutting every other crap from my diet except meat and vegetables. It will surely prove to be a challenge with the festive season just around the corner but still worth a go. I found this recipe in an old Dish magazine that I found when I was cleaning out my bookshelf. This recipe makes 12 half-cup sized portions which are great to have as breakfast on the go or with a large salad for lunch. Given that I have a crazy schedule during the week, having conveniently ready made foods is the best way for me to stick to a meat and vegetables diet.

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Beef and Bacon Pies

Recipe adapted from Dish magazine

6 slices of middle bacon
1 onion, finely chopped
1 carrot grated
2 cloves garlic, crushed
1/4 cup tomato paste
1/2 cup parsley chopped
1 egg
750 grams beef mince
1 tbs curry paste (I used tandoori)
salt and pepper

  1. Preheat oven to 180°C.
  2. Cut the bacon into halves so that you have 12 pieces.
  3. Line the muffin tins with the bacon.
  4. Cook the onion, garlic, and grated carrot in a skillet with butter until everything is cooked.
  5. Add in the tomato paste and stir through. Take this mixture off heat and cool.
  6. In another bowl, mix the beef, egg, parsley, curry paste. Season with salt and pepper.
  7. Add the onion carrot mixture to the beef mixture. Mix well with hands.
  8. Divide this mixture evenly in the bacon lined muffin tins.
  9. Bake in oven for 40 minutes or until the juices run clear.
  10. Remove from the muffin tins and flip onto a baking tray lined with baking paper so that the bacon side is shown on top. The pies should be easy to remove due to the juices from the beef mince.
  11. Put under the grill for a further 5 minutes so that the bacon gets crisp.

Makes 12 pieces.

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