Salads

Aside from making curries from scratch, salads are my particular passion, so I am going to put up some of my most popular salad recipes. I will also put dressing options up as well.

The first one I have been asked about is Potato Salad. So here goes:

16 chat potatoes, skin on
2 boiled eggs, peeled
1/2 cup mayonnaise (bought or made - I will post how to make mayonnaise separately)
1/2 cup sour cream (low fat is fine)
2 rashers bacon, chopped
2 Tablespoons Wholegrain (seeded) Mustard
1 Tablespoon Dijon Mustard
Juice of 1 Lemon
2 Tablespoons Chopped Parsley
Salt and Pepper

Depending on the size of the potatoes, you can leave them whole or half or quarter them. Then boil or steam them until they are tender.

While you are doing this, Get a large bowl and add the mayonnaise, sour cream, Wholegrain and Dijon Mustards, Lemon juice and half the parsley.

Fry your bacon pieces until they are done to your liking. Add them to the bowl for dressing, including any fat that has rendered out.

Using a whisk, mix the dressing ingredients thoroughly, and taste for seasoning. Add salt or pepper if needed.

You can also add the eggs at this stage, if you like. You can crumble them up and mix them through the dressing or chop them up for a topping, or a mix of both if you like.

When the potatoes are ready, drain and allow them to dry off a bit. Then put them in the bowl with the dressing, and make sure all the potatoes get covered in the dressing. You may want to use your hands for this.

Use the remaining chopped parsley to garnish.

This can be served hot or cold.

Easy as finger food

After a twitter discussion with Zan from Triple J (follow her on twitter @triplejmornings), I thought I'd put up some of my super easy snack/finger foods.

The first one, based on said convo, is Cheesymite Scrolls. Super easy, kids will love making and eating them, and you can play around with the fillings.

All you need is:

Puff Pastry
Vegemite
Cheese - Grated is easiest

You also need a greased tray or if you have it, use glad bake - so much easier to remove when cooked!
Preheat your oven as per the packet instructions for the puff - usually about 180C.


Separate a sheet from the stack of pastry (this is easiest to do when it is still frozen - use a knife blade between the sheets) and leave the plastic on the bottom.

Now, spread vegemite all over the sheet, leaving a 2cm width along one edge.

Then, sprinkle the cheese over the vegemite, again making sure you leave the 2cm edge.

Next you need to roll up your pastry - start at the opposite edge to your free 2cm, pull the plastic off partly and use the plastic to roll the pastry together into a roll. When you get to the end, use the empty 2cm to stick it all together. You can use a little beaten egg or water to help it stick.

When you have it all stuck in a nice roll, take a knife (serrated edge works best) and cut the log into 1.5cm discs.

Place the discs flat on your tray, and into the oven for about 10 minutes, or until the pastry is puffy and golden. Let them cool on the tray for a couple of minutes, then remove.

These are great hot or cold, so you could pre-make them and serve cold or reheat them.


OTHER FILLINGS
The great thing with these is that you can make them as fancy as you like. Some other fillings I have done are:

Sweet Chilli Sauce and Cheese
Ham and Cheese
Olive tapenade and crumbled feta
Pesto and parmesan

Peanut Butter and Jam
Peanut Butter and Honey
Nutella
Sugar and Cinnamon
Lemon and Sugar

Hope you have a go and enjoy!