Green Beans Stir Fried with Oyster Mushroom & Garlic

Recipe by Luke Nguyen

Ingredients

1 tablespoon vegetable oil
2 garlic cloves, thinly sliced
200g green beans, cut into 5cm lengths
100g oyster mushrooms, torn in half
2 teaspoons light soy sauce
1 tablespoon oyster sauce
2 teaspoons sugar
1 teaspoon sesame oil
½ teaspoon freshly ground pepper
Coriander sprigs, to garnish

Method

Place a large frying pan or wok over high heat. 
Add the vegetable oil and fry the garlic until fragrant. 
Add the green beans and stir fry for 2 minutes, the add the oyster mushrooms, soy sauce, oyster sauce, sugar, sesame oil and pepper. 
Toss for a further minute, then transfer to a plate. 
Garnish with coriander and serve immediately

Donna Hay's Porcini Mushroom & Chicken Pie

Recipe from Donna Hay No Time To Cook, page 156

Ingredients

16g dried porcini mushrooms
¼ cup boiling water
2 tablespoons olive oil
1 onion, sliced
1 clove garlic, crushed
3 x 140g chicken thigh fillets, cubed
2 tablespoons plain flour
1 cup chicken stock
¾ cup fresh or frozen peas
½ cup flatleaf parsley leaves, roughly chopped
6 sheets (25cm x 25cm) store-bought puff pastry, thawed
lightly beaten egg, for brushing
onion slices, for topping
salad leaves, to serve

Method

1. Preheat oven to 200°C. Place porcini in a small bowl, cover with boiling water and allow to stand for 10 minutes. Drain the porcini, reserve soaking liquid and chop porcini finely.
2. Heat oil in a large non-stick frying pan over medium heat, add onion and garlic and cook, stirring, for 2 minutes or until onion softens slightly. 
3. Add chicken, cook 2 minutes more, stir in flour then add porcini, reserved soaking liquid and stock and cook for 10 minutes, or until sauce thickens.
4. Stir in peas and parsley, remove from heat and set mixture aside to cool for 30 minutes. 
5. Cut 12 pastry rectangles measuring 10cm x 12cm (or divide pastry sheets into 4 squares). Place 6 pastry rectangles on baking trays lined with non-stick baking paper and divide chicken mixture among them (1/3 cup each).
6. Brush edges of the pastry with egg, cover with remaining pastry rectangles and press edges to seal. Top with onion slices, brush pies with egg and bake for 18 minutes or until the pastry is puffed and golden. Serve with salad leaves. 
7. To freeze, wrap the pies in baking paper, then plastic wrap and aluminium foil to seal. Freeze for up to 3 months.

Jamie Oliver's 15 Minute Meals Mushroom Farfalle Blue Cheese Hazelnut & Apple Salad

Recipe from Jamie's 15 Minute Meals, page 196

*Ingredients out *Kettle boiled *Large frying pan, medium-high heat *Large lidded pan, high heat *Small frying pan, medium heat *Food processor (bowl blade)

Ingredients
Pasta
25g dried porcini mushrooms
olive oil
2-4 cloves of garlic
½ a small dried chilli
250g chestnut mushrooms
6 sprigs of fresh thyme
320g dried farfalle
1 tsp truffle oil
1 lemon
½ a bunch of fresh flat-leaf parsley
150g low-fat cottage cheese

Salad
50g blanched hazelnuts
200g baby spinach
1 eating apple
40g blue cheese
1 teaspoon extra virgin olive oil

Method

Put the porcini into a mug and just cover with boiling water. Put 2 tablespoons of olive oil into the large frying pan, squash in the unpeeled garlic through a garlic crusher, crumble in the dried chilli and tear in the mushrooms. Strip in the thyme leaves, then add the soaked porcini and toss and fry for a few minutes. Put the pasta into the large pan, cover with boiling salted water and cook according to packet instructions.

Toast the hazelnuts in the small frying pan until golden, tossing regularly. Put the spinach into a salad bowl, coarsely grate over or matchstick and add the apple, then crumble over the blue cheese. Crush the toasted nuts in a pestle and mortar, then scatter over the salad. Tip the mushrooms into the processor and whiz until fairly smooth, then return to the pan and add 3 small ladles of pasta cooking water and the truffle oil, season to taste and simmer gently.

Drain the pasta, reserving a cupful of the starchy cooking water, then toss the pasta with the sauce, loosening with a splash of cooking water, if needed. Finely grate over the lemon zest, finely chop and add most of the top leafy half of the parsley along with the cottage cheese, then toss together and serve straight away. Drizzle the salad with extra virgin olive oil, squeeze over the juice of the zested lemon and serve on the side.

Mushroom and spinach risotto

Recipe adapted from Super Food Ideas Magazine, April 2012 issue, page 35

Ingredients

1 litre chicken stock
2 tablespoons olive oil
1 medium brown onion or shallots, finely chopped
2 garlic cloves, finely chopped
3 sprigs fresh thyme
200g Swiss brown mushrooms, sliced
15g dried porcini mushrooms, sliced
1½ cups arborio rice
½ cup dry white wine
50g baby spinach
½ cup finely grated parmesan cheese
40g butter, chopped

Method

1. Rehydrate the porcini mushrooms with 1 cup hot water for 20 minutes.
2. Place stock and mushroom water in a saucepan over medium heat. Cook for 6 minutes or until mixture starts to simmer. Reduce heat to low to keep hot.
3. Heat oil in a large heavy-based saucepan over medium-high heat. Add onion, garlic, thyme leaves and mushrooms. Cook, stirring, for 5 minutes or until onion has softened. Add rice. Cook, stirring, for 1 to 2 minutes or until coated. Add wine. Cook, stirring, for 30 seconds or until wine has absorbed.
4. Add 1/3 cup stock mixture to rice mixture. Cook, stirring, until stock has absorbed. Repeat with remaining stock mixture, 1/3 cup at a time, until liquid has absorbed and rice is tender (stir every minute for approx 16 to 18 minutes).
5. Remove pan from heat. Stir in spinach, parmesan and butter. Season with salt and pepper and add a splash more stock if needed. Set aside, covered, for 2 minutes. Season. Serve with grated parmesan.

Notes & Tips

Adding more than 1/3 cup stock at a time will make the risotto cook too quickly, and the rice will not be tender. Make sure the stock is hot when adding it to the pan.

Mushroom Tacos

I'm trying to reduce my meat consumption by eating vegetarian once a week and getting on board with Meatless Monday. Benefits of going meatless once a week include reducing your risk of chronic preventable conditions like cancer, cardiovascular disease, diabetes and obesity. It can also help reduce your carbon footprint and save precious resources like fresh water and fossil fuel.

Initially, I thought it'd be hard to not have meat as part of a meal and feel satisfied/filled but surprisingly it hasn't been too difficult, even hubby doesn't mind the odd vegetarian meal!

Recipe adapted from Recipes +, June 2008 edition, page 68

Ingredients

1 tablespoon cooking oil
400g button mushrooms, sliced
6 green onions, thinly sliced
2 cloves garlic, crushed
1 small red capsicum, diced
375g jar mild or medium heat chunky tomato salsa
300g can kidney beans, drained
⅓ cup chopped coriander
1 pkt taco seasoning
8 taco shells, warmed, to serve
1 cup shredded lettuce
1 medium tomato, diced
⅓ cup sour cream
⅓ cup shredded tasty cheese
Guacamole, to serve

Method

1. Heat oil in a large, non-stick frying pan over moderate heat. Cook and stir mushrooms for 3 minutes or until tender. Add onions, garlic and capsicum. Cook and stir for 4 minutes or until onions are soft. Reduce heat; stir in salsa and beans. Simmer for 5 minutes. Remove pan from heat. Stir in coriander.
2. To serve, fill taco shells with mushroom mixture. Garnish with lettuce, tomato, sour cream, cheese and guacamole.

Chicken & Mushroom Fettuccine

Fast and easy pasta that's as kind to your taste buds as it is to your wallet! Try this dish tonight!

Ingredients

450g fettucine pasta
1 tablespoon olive oil
650g chicken tenderloins/chicken thigh fillets
125g rindless bacon, diced
1 brown onion, diced
300g mushrooms, sliced
420g can chicken & mushroom soup
½ cup light thickened cream (or milk for a lighter version)
1 tablespoon worchestershire sauce
½ cup fresh flat-leaf parsley, roughly chopped

Method

1. Cook pasta in a large saucepan of boiling, salted water, following packet directions, until tender. Drain pasta, reserving 2 tablespoons cooking water. Return pasta and water to the saucepan.
2. Heat 2 teaspoons of oil in a large, non-stick frying pan over medium-high heat. Add half the chicken. Cook for 4 minutes on each side or until golden. Remove to a plate. Cover to keep warm. Repeat with remaining chicken, adding more oil if necessary. Cut chicken tenderloins diagonally into 3 pieces
3. Add bacon to frying pan. Cook for 2 minutes. Add onions and mushrooms. Cook, stirring occasionally, for 4 to 5 minutes or until mushrooms are golden. Add soup, cream and Worcestershire sauce. Stir until well combined. Add mushroom mixture, chicken and parsley to pasta. Toss to combine. Season with cracked black pepper. Serve.
   

Creamy Chicken, Asparagus, Mushroom & Proscuitto Pasta

My sincere apologies to my fellow blog readers for taking so long to post on my blog. I've been a bit bogged down with assignments lately... Hence, the last couple of weeks I've been cooking up a lot of quick, simple and easy to prepare meals. Hope you enjoy some of the next couple of recipes that I will blog about. I'm sure there are many time poor people out there, just like myself :P

Serves 4

Ingredients

300g penne pasta
4 slices prosciutto, cut in half length ways
2 tbsp olive oil
500g chicken breast or thigh fillets, thinly sliced
1 onion, finely chopped
2 cloves garlic, crushed
½ cup dry white wine
1 bunch asparagus, cut in 5cm lengths
50g mushrooms, sliced
1 chicken stock cube
375ml light & creamy evaporated milk
¼ cup Parmesan cheese, grated
salt and pepper, to taste

Method

1. Cook pasta according to directions on packet, drain and keep warm.
2. Brown prosciutto under grill until golden brown and crisp then break into smaller pieces.
   
3. Heat 1 tbsp oil in pan over high heat. Add chicken, cook for 2 minutes until golden brown, remove from pan. Set aside onto a plate lined with paper towels. Keep warm.
4. Add remaining oil, onion and garlic to pan, cook until onion softens. Add wine and cook for 2 minutes before adding the remaining ingredients. Bring to the boil, then add chicken and simmer for 1 minute. Season with salt and pepper to taste.
   
5. Toss cooked pasta through sauce, top with prepared prosciutto pieces. If desired, sprinkle with extra grated Parmesan cheese.
   

Donna Hay's Rustic Simmered Chicken

Recipe from Donna Hay, No Time to Cook, page 84

Serves 2

Ingredients

2 tablespoons olive oil
1 leek, trimmed and chopped
2 cloves garlic, sliced
4 slices pancetta, chopped
4 chicken thigh fillets, halved
plain flour, for dusting
200g small button mushrooms
4 chat (baby) potatoes, quartered
½ cup (125ml) dry white wine
1 cup (250ml) chicken stock
3 sprigs thyme
1 sprig tarragon
½ cup (125ml) cream
sea salt and cracked black pepper, to season

Method

1. Heat a frying pan over medium- high heat. Add oil, leek, garlic and pancetta and cook for 1 minute or until golden. Dust chicken with flour and cook for 2 minutes each side or until golden.
2. Add mushrooms, cook for 2 minutes. Add potatoes, wine, stock, thyme and tarragon, reduce heat, cover and simmer for 25-30 minutes or until chicken is tender.
3. Stir in cream, salt and pepper.