pots & vans

Some nights feel like a curry night. Today was such a day, so I had a go at this yellow curry. In the van I make no apologies for using a jar of curry paste :-) rather than making the curry from scratch, although one day, with time, I'll give it a crack. Equipment chopping board and knife saucepan for cooking rice covered pan for curry measuring cup Ingredients olive oil salt and pepper onion (x1 small, segmented) yellow curry paste. I used ½ jar of AYAM Thai curry, I estimate it is about ⅓ cup coconut milk (small tin) chickpeas (x1 tin) veggies: I used eggplant (sliced and quartered, broccoli (flowers), green beans (cut in smallish pieces), spinach basmati rice (½ cup) cherries tomatoes (handful, cut in half) soy sauce x1 tbsp (or fish sauce but I don't have any in the van at the moment) raw sugar x1 tbsp (could use brown, but I have raw in the van) coriander to garnish (½ bunch chopped) Method heat oil in the pan add eggplant and season with pepper and salt add onion and cook...

We've got three go-to soups ... ones that we have made countless times because they always deliver. But they are all meat based, so this original recipe is an attempt to do a simple but satisfying veg soup. It will be nothing like it, but there is some inspiration from Tiamo 's lentil soup (not on the menu anymore from what I can tell), that was a favourite. One of the advantages of this soup will be not having to cook it for as long as we do with chicken, lamb or beef based soups. Recipe will serve 4-6 depending on serving size. Equipment chopping board and knife Decent size pot Ingredients Veg leek, 1 chopped celery, 2 sticks chopped carrot, 2 diced peas, 1 cup green lentils, 300g Spices minced ginger, 1 heaped tbsp minced garlic, 1 heaped tbsp garam masala, 2 tbsp cumin, 1 tbsp ground coriander, 1 tbsp paprika, 1 tsp bay leaves, x4 parsley, handful, chopped pepper and salt liquid olive oil tomatoes, 1 400g tin veg stock, 1 litre Method sauté onion, celery, carrot in oil, wit...

A few months ago, on the spur of the moment we decided to drive to Ballarat for the day. We found ourselves at Racers Cafe for lunch and decided to try Janine's salad. I've never committed to understanding and making good salads, but this simple lunch inspired me to have a crack. Since then, I've tried a few variations on the original. Never the same because you go with the available ingredients, but the basic idea is retained. Today on the drive home from Lismore, we agreed we needed something vegetable-y for dinner, After we cycled through baked veggies and a veggie lasagna, we decided to stop in at FoodWorks in Bangalow to pick up some ingredients to make what I'll now call our Ballarat Salad. I love the textures, flavours and colours in this mixture. The halloumi adds saltiness, the beetroot and sauerkraut some acidic bite. The avo and humus offer some creaminess, the nuts and seeds some crunch and the fritters some warmth and substance. Ingredients mixed lettuce le...

Today was Noosa Farmers Market Day and Johanna introduced us to her favourite stalls. Noosa is one of those markets that has a vibe. It is more than a row of stalls, it generates a local community feeling that  encourages people to slow down and make a morning of it, rather than get in and out to 'get the job done.' It's not quite Mullumbimby but it's good. We spent a few hours around the beach and after some exercise in the ocean we opted for a carby lunch, so on the way back the van we agreed something light and fresh was the go. We had enough other stuff to put together this broth, using mostly produce we'd picked up at the farmers market.  Servings 2 Equipment Chopping board and knife pot for broth pan for frying ladle for serving and tongs for stirring noodles Ingredients 3x stock cubes (we used some freeze dried 'bombs' from the market) 1x sachet of instant miso soup (if I had it I would have used a table spoon of miso paste) Splash of soy sauce peanut...

I had a pizza base in the cupboard that needed using. Luckily we had some fresh basil in the fridge and some cherry tomatoes, so with some passata, mozzarella, pepper and salt I was good to go. To top it off, I drizzled some olive oil from Maria's family in Abruzzo. We keep a bottle of it in the van pantry for occasions just like this.  (One of the pieces of 'specialist equipment' we keep in the van is a pizza stone ... first time we've pulled it from under the seat on this trip.)

We were out and about today, and our lunchtime toasties were a bit average, so we were keen for something wholesome. One of the things in the fridge was a bag of gourmet mushrooms from the farmers market; we were keen to use them so we ended up building the meal around them. Potatoes and carrots (both also from the farmers market) baked with onion, garlic and some mixed herbs. The kale and mushroom, and some char grilled brussel sprouts) were pan fried in butter, oil and a drizzle of white balsamic glaze. So good and satisfying.

We bought some fresh halloumi from a local producer at the New Brighton Farmers Market earlier in the week so decided it was time to find a good use for it. We were going to concoct some halloumi burgers but ended up having bagels and a burger from Elwood Cafe for lunch, so needed an alternative. We haven't done much with halloumi before so had to ask the internet. The recipe below is an adaption from Half Baked Harvest  which had some great looking food. As always, we used the veggies we had in the fridge. Servings 2 (generous)  Time Time to chop and prepare ingredients, then about 30 mins cooking time.  Equipment I used (main) Pan Simmer pad & saucepan (for rice) Chopping boards and knife Wooden spoon Strainer Grater Measuring 'cup' Bowls (for chopped ingredients) Ingredients Olive oil 150g halloumi, chopped into 1cm cubes 1x 400 can of chickpeas 1x onion, diced 4x garlic cloves, finely chopped Ginger (I used 1½  tablespoon of minced) Veggies: I used 1 cup of...

Today was New Brighton Farmers Market day which meant we had a little container of smoked mushrooms from Wollumbin Gourmet Mushroom. Time for some mushroom risotto we reckoned. Of course you don't need these special mushrooms to make this recipe, but if you are lucky enough to be able to jag some, then they will add a stack of flavour to this simple but layered risotto. Thanks Gav & Jules for the tip to try these mushrooms when we were here last year. As is becoming our custom, we wandered out along the breakwall before dinner and were treated to a gorgeous sunset. We had been awake early this morning and decided to get to the beach to see the sunrise, but were foiled by the clouds - all was forgiven. It was nice walking back to the van, starting to think about this dish and anticipating the smells and tastes.  Servings 2 Time Time to chop and prepare ingredients, then ~ ½ hour cooking time. Equipment (main) Deep pan Large saucepan (for stock) Chopping boards and knife Spatula ...

This is one of our go-to easy meals. Simple to prepare (chop veggies) but with a little bit of flavour tweaking it is one of my favourites. There are some meals that in Maria's domain ... this is typically one of hers :-). If we are feeling devoid of creativity, one of us will say, "Let's just do baked veggies". Servings 2 (or as many as you need; just vary the amount of veggies you add, but in a van your oven will be small, so try not to stack the pieces too high in the baking dish as it results in uneven cooking.) Time A bout 15 minutes to chop the veggies, then about 40-45 minutes in the oven. Equipment (main) Knife and chopping board Baking dish (baking paper - optional) Ingredients Whatever veggies you have. A variety of colours and textures helps make it interesting. It can be easy (for me) to over cater with this one, so you might find you have to be conservative with how much of each veggie you put in. Tonight we have: Brussel sprouts (purple) Corn cob, cut in...