Tag Archives: Lunch

Aunty Sandra’s Pasta made a little more healthy for the kids!

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IMG_2966OMG, I’m exhausted.  I have just made spelt rolls testing out the Callington Mill flour now available from my new website www.paleoprovidore.com (they are lovely), made my new version of what the kids know as “Aunty Sandra’s Pasta” by special request for miss 6 and lamb shanks in the oven for us!  Now to make something for the lunchboxes for the morning…I think I’ll make my chocolate cake!

I thought I would quickly share the pasta recipe because it is so quick and easy and ALL kids seem to like it from 5 year olds through to teenagers.  I will give you the original recipe plus my “healthified” one!

Aunty Sandra’s Pasta Original Recipe

250g spiral/macaroni/tube pasta of choice

1 tin condensed tomato soup (I think it was a 400/420g tin)

6 bacon rashers

1/2-1 onion

1 garlic clove

1 tbsp. oil of choice

Method

Cook pasta and remove from saucepan to drain.

Put saucepan back on the stove.

Add oil.

When hot, fry off onion, garlic and bacon.

When soft, add tomato soup and pasta.

Heat through, and serve with cheese if desired.

I sometimes would put in a casserole dish and grate cheese on top – pop in the oven to brown!

My “healthified” version

250g gluten free pasta – macaroni or spirals

200g Organic Passata

6 rashers organic bacon

2-3 spring onions

1 clove garlic

1 tablespoon organic maple syrup

1 good pinch salt

1 tbsp. oil of choice

Method

Put pasta on to cook.

In another saucepan fry off spring onions, garlic and bacon, then add passata.

Let it simmer while the pasta is cooking.

When pasta is done, drain.

Put back into the saucepan and add the tomato mixture.

Serve with or without cheese.

Miss 6 hasn’t even realised I’ve changed the recipe and requested it for dinner again tonight!!!  Miss 12 and Mr 19 may be a different story though!

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Paleo Quiche – Gluten, grain and dairy free, low fodmap, fructose friendly!

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As promised here is my quiche recipe. It is a rough guide as to what I used as it was just a trial that worked really well!

“Pastry”

1 1/2 – 2 cups Almond Meal
1 egg white
1 full egg (or you could use 2 egg whites)

Preheat oven to 180 degrees Celsius.
Mix ingredients together until they have a pastry like consistency.
Next time I would do this in the Thermomix – mix the ingredients for about 5-6 seconds on speed 5 and then kneed for about 1 minute.

Roll out between two sheets of baking paper.
Put into a greased quiche dish.
Prick the bottom of the pastry.
Blind bake for about 10 minutes or until it has only just started to colour.

“Quiche”

About 6 eggs
Then add whatever bits you have in the fridge. I added:
1 tomato diced
Greens of about 6 spring onions, finely chopped
ham/bacon (about equivalent to 6 rashers of bacon)
2 tablespoons coconut yoghurt
Approx 100g baby spinach leaves finely chopped
Salt and pepper to taste

Mix all ingredients together.
Pour into the “pastry case”.
Cook at 180 degrees until set in the centre.

Hope you enjoy it! We had leftovers cold and heated in the microwave – both worked well! Bron x

Ocean trout served with creamed spinach and a tropical salsa

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When I was a child I lived in Western Samoa, a group of little islands in the Pacific. It was a time that created amazing memories and impressions that will last for the rest of my life. I lived at a tourist attraction, Piula Cave pool, and met people from all over the world on a daily basis. I swam through caves and snorkelled on coral reefs that were the colours of the rainbow.

We lived in a fabulous “missionary” house that had a central courtyard in which a bunch of bananas was always hanging. Our veranda was surrounded with paw paw trees. We had huge mango trees, guavas, lime, avocados, pineapples and coconut trees. I quickly made friends with local families and was always welcomed into their homes to eat their amazing food.

The other day I was at our local green grocer’s where I saw very green bananas. In Samoa, green bananas were a staple in their diet as a vegetable. I went home and did a test run! That night I was also cooking ocean trout, which I served with a salsa. It immediately made me think of a more tropical version, which is what i cooked tonight, and yes it was a winner! So here it is, Ocean trout with (coconut) creamed spinach and a tropical salsa! The spinach is inspired by a local Samoan dish called palusami. It is traditionally made with taro leaves and baked in an umu (ground oven) This recipe serves 2.

Creamed spinach

Ingredients

150 g baby spinach leaves

1 x 270 ml can coconut milk

6 spring onions (green only for low FODMAP)

1 tablespoon garlic infused olive oil

Salt and pepper

Method

Heat a small saucepan on medium heat.

Add olive oil.

When hot, fry off the spring onions until just wilted.

Add spinach leaves and coconut milk and season.

Simmer for about 5 minutes or until spinach leaves are wilted.

Ocean trout with tropical salsa

Ingredients

1/4 pawpaw diced

1 small tomato diced

6 spring onions (green only for low FODMAP)

1 small bunch coriander leaves finely chopped

1/4 red capsicum diced

1 tablespoon balsamic vinegar

1/2 lime juiced

2 fillets ocean trout (I like middle pieces of the fillet)

1 tablespoon garlic infused oil

Method

Mix all the fruit and vegetables in a small bowl and add balsamic vinegar and lime juice.

Combine ingredients well and season with salt and pepper. Set aside.

Heat frypan with oil on medium high heat.

Panfry trout for a few minutes on each side, until cooked to your liking.

To serve, divide the creamed spinach between the bowls/plates.

Place the trout on top.

Spoon generous amounts of tropical salsa over the trout and serve immediately.

I hope you enjoy my culinary journey back to the islands!

Pierre’s Restaurant, Launceston, Tasmania, Australia

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pierres-brasserie-launcestonOn Friday night I ate at this restaurant with a group of girlfriends.  Pierre’s is somewhat of an iconic institution on the Launceston restaurant/café scene and this year has been awarded a spot at number 12 on the Australian Good Food Guide (AGFG) list of Australian Restaurants.  It has been around since 1956 and in recent years has had a facelift which has modernised it’s interior without sacrificing it’s charm.  With the classic black and white tiles, rich red colours and the high back leather bench seats, Pierre’s provides a sophisticated yet relaxed dining experience and has a great pre theatre feel about it.

The restaurant is divided into two sections.  The main entrance is off George Street and is a long narrow room, dimly lit and lined with bench seating.  The Courtyard room and bar is a bit more open and light and can be accessed either from George Street or through the back, which is handy for those diners who wish to park in the Patterson Street undercover car park which is conveniently located adjacent to the restaurant.  While the back room does have smaller tables, it is also perfect for larger groups or functions.

The menu looked great and the wine list extensive, although I thought there could have been a bit more choice in the Tasmanian wine department.

OuPierres Creme Bruleer table however,  was fairly unadventurous, only ordering two of the main course dishes and two desserts.  Meals were simply presented but loaded with flavour.  The Duck confit a la orange was by all reports a superb dish.  I ordered the fish of the day, which was Atlantic salmon.  The restaurant catered well for my dietary requirements and served the fish with steamed vegetables and a slice of lemon.  The fish was moist, but cooked all the way through.  Desserts also looked great with crème brulee and a trio of sorbets being ordered.

Unfortunately the service on this occasion was a bit slow, particularly when it came to drinks.  We ended up having to go and wait at the bar to order drinks, which was a bit disappointing.  As I’ve dined here previously, I know that this isn’t always the case.

All in all it was a great dining experience and I would recommend this restaurant to anyone who is visiting Launceston.  No doubt the locals are already well aware of it’s presence!  Pierre’s is open Tuesday to Saturday for breakfast lunch and dinner.

Tallwood, Mollymook, New South Wales, Australia

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tallwood_11_02_13_178348[1]A couple of weeks ago, I made it my mission to go and try this restaurant. As I pointed out in my previous review, my brother Matt Upson is chef and co-owner of Tallwood with his friend Clayton Till.

The restaurant has a modern “big city” feel to it, yet it is located in a little town called Mollymook on the South Coast of New South Wales. The décor is clean and fresh and there is a great display of local art works which are for sale.

Outside dining, complete with a retractable awning, is also on offer to make the most of the fabulous NSW weather. There are even knee rugs for when the air is a bit chilly.

Evening dining sees the restaurant transform into a sophisticated indoor space with a great atmosphere. The mood is set off by the clever interior design and gorgeous lighting that throws patterns onto the walls and roof.

Tallwood is open for breakfast, lunch and dinner from Wednesday to Sunday. The menu is the same for lunch and dinner, so I decided to have both meals here so I could try more of the dishes (after all I had come all the way from Tasmania and had been waiting quite some time to eat here)!

I dined with my parents, sister in law and daughter for both meals (arguably my brother’s toughest critics). For lunch we decided to have lighter options to save room for our evening meal! The food did not disappoint. Popular with my 5 year old daughter were the taro chips. I was partial to the “salumi Australia” cured meat board and the Black Angus scotch (which I ate without the pine mushrooms due to FODMAP’s), while my mum loved the Portuguese Fish Cakes served with a saffron mayo.

For dinner my favourites were the Japanese pancakes (I have to say that as he adapted them from my recipe!), American spare ribs with tomato, coriander and lime, and the red braised quail. We didn’t have dessert as we were trying to be good! Actually, by special request the chef whipped up some banana and choc chip ice-cream for my daughter!

Tallwood quail a

All in all we thoroughly enjoyed both meals here. The staff were knowledgeable and attentive, without being intrusive. I particularly enjoyed the experience of evening dining.

If you are in the vicinity of Mollymook, you really need to check this restaurant out. If you are a little further down the coast, the Tallwood team also run Merry Street Restaurant and Bar at Kioloa. I know that you may be thinking that I am biased being that the restaurant belongs to a family member. If so, please check out what other people are saying on TripAdvisor!