Slow Cooker BBQ Beef Ribs by Sharron

Slow Cooker Barbequed Beef Ribs

Recipe by Sharron found on http://allrecipes.com/recipe/228796/slow-cooker-barbequed-beef-ribs/

"Beef ribs with a homemade BBQ sauce in a slow cooker (or on top of stove, if you have the time). Very, very good made on High for 4 hours...better on Low for 8. Serve over hot cooked rice."

1 cup water 1 cup ketchup 1 (6 ounce) can tomato paste 3/4 cup brown sugar 1/2 cup vinegar 2 tablespoons prepared mustard 1 tablespoon salt 2 pounds beef back ribs

Mix water, ketchup, tomato paste, brown sugar, vinegar, mustard, and salt in a slow cooker, stirring to dissolve brown sugar and salt.

Place short ribs into the sauce and stir to coat. Set cooker on Low, cover, and cook for 8 hours.

Serve over rice or with salad or on a roll as a slider

Homemade Savoury Sausage and Vegetable Rolls

So simple - Pastry 1 cup SR flour, 1/4 cup oil, 1/4 cup water, good pinch of salt (or sugar if making sweets). Roll out pastry into thin sheet.

Sausage mixture - 3 spicy sausages filling broken up, 1 egg, up to one cup of chopped and or shredded vegetables - I used onions, celery, carrots and cabbage - but whatever you have is fine. Mix well with hands. To make consistency right add 1/4 - 1/2 cup dry cracker crumbs (or bread or oats) enough to make mixture 'unsoggy' and mix evenly. You can change recipe to suit your taste - more or less of veg or even no veg but does change the texture. Place a roll of the mixture onto the pastry and cut so enough on either side to join with slight overlap. This will be underneath so turn over and cut into lengths desired, make a slit or two in each roll. Brush with milk and put in a preheated 180 degree C oven for 25 minutes until browned. Serve with sauce.

Aussie Style Juicy Pork Patties / Burgers

If you want a juicy tasty burger try fresh minced pork instead of beef or half and half.

In a bowl mix 500g minced pork, 1 egg, 1 slice bread wet with enough milk to soak into slice, 1 tablespoon fresh chopped parsley and one of coriander, one teaspoon chopped garlic, 1 grated zucchini, 2 tablesppons cold cooked onions, salt and pepper.

Mix gently until combined. Avoid handling the meat too much, form them into round patties, and refrigerate them for 15 minutes before cooking.

(A great recipe is by Manu - https://www.manusmenu.com/aussie-burger-with-the-lot)

To cook hamburgers that stay in one piece don't have too many liquidy things in mixture.  Make sure they are cold when you put them in the pan or BBQ, AND do not keep flipping them. That will make the burger fall apart for sure.

Preheat a heavy base frypan or BBQ plate to high heat.  Brush with oil.  Cook patties for 5 minutes per side until well browned.  

Serve on a toasted burger bun or toast with fresh salad. sauce and more fried onions.  Some like to add lettuce, tomato, cucumber, bacon, pickles, cheese, beetroot and a soft fried egg - well in Australia anyhow.  That'd be a 'Burger With The Lot'. Crunchy chips on the side!  Dinner done!

Spicy Vegetable Fritters for Two

Want to use up some vegetables from the crisper or feel you need a vegetable boost then try these Vegetable Fritters.

Chose Vegetables to grate or chop - one cup for two people.
Eg: carrots, zucchini, onions, cabbage, broccoli, cauliflower, sweet potato, parsnip, potato, green onion, grated parmesan cheese is a good flavour enhancer.

Sift 1 cup all-purpose flour with added spices (eg., cumin, chili, pepper, garlic, salt, ground pepper).

Place oil in a solid fry pan to 1cm height and heat to medium.

Prepare batter.  Flour and 1 cup ice cold water; wisk with fork to combine. Add in one cup of your chosen grated vegetables and mix well.

Cabbage Onion Fritters with curry powder and spicy salsa and dukkah topping

Heat oil in a non-stick frying pan over medium heat. Add heaped tablespoonfuls of the vegetable batter mixture to the pan and cook in batches for 2-3 minutes each side or until golden and crispy. Don't over crowd pan. Transfer to a plate and keep warm. Serve fritters with favorite topping / sauce - minted yoghurt, salsa or chutney.


Sauces - Toppings:
Avocado Yogurt Sauce
1/2 cup greek yogurt plain
1/2 medium-sized avocado ripen
1 teaspoon dill chopped fresh
1 teaspoon chives chopped fresh

Minted yoghurt, salsa or chutney, to serve.  Dukkah powder.

Marshmallow Pavlova With Custard Cream

4 egg whites, 1 cup caster sugar, 1/2 tsp vanilla extract, 3/4 tsp white vinegar, 1 tbsp corn flour.
Whipped cream, custard cream - see below (great recipe to use up egg yolks)
Seasonal fresh fruits such as strawberries, raspberries, blueberries, passion fruit pulp, mango, banana and kiwi fruit sliced.

Preheat oven to 120°C/250°F. Line oven tray with baking paper.  Mark approx 7-inch circle on foil. Beat egg whites in small bowl with electric mixer until soft peaks form; gradually add sugar, beating until sugar dissolves. Add vanilla and vinegar; beat until combined.  Fold through corn flour.  Spread meringue into circle on foil, building up at the side to about 3 inches in height. Smooth side and top of pavlova gently. Using spatula blade, mark decorative grooves around side of pavlova; smooth top again.  Bake pavlova about 1½ hours. Turn oven off; cool pavlova in oven with door ajar.

Cut around top edge of pavlova (the crisp meringue top will fall on top of the marshmallow centre). Fill inside pavlova with custard cream topped with whipped cream.  Decorated with fresh fruits. Enjoy!

Custard Cream
4 egg yolks, 1/4 cup sugar, 1 tsp vanilla, 1 tbsp cornflour, 1/4 cup milk, 1/2 cup cream
Beat egg yolks, sugar, vanilla and cornflour until smooth and creamy.  Put into saucepan, gradually add cream and milk, stir until smooth.  Stir over medium heat until sauce thickens, bring to the boil, reduce heat, simmer 2 mins.  Remove from heat, allow to become cold, stirring occasionally.

Slow Braised Lamb Shanks

What you need: 4 large lamb shanks, 2 tbls flour, salt, pepper, oil, 1 large onion diced, 1 rasher of bacon diced, 1 clove of garlic minced, 1 tbls ketchup, 1 tbls soy sauce, 1 tbls Worcestershire sauce, 1 tbls brown sugar, 1 tsp dry mustard, ¼ cup vinegar, ½ cup water

What you do:

Trim excess fat off shanks. Roll in flour seasoned with the salt and pepper. Brown shanks in a heavy based pan. Remove.  Saute onion, bacon and garlic and then add browned shanks. Combine all other ingredient and pour over shanks. Bring to a boil then turn down to very low simmer, cover and cook on the stove-top for about 2-2½ hours or until meat super tender.  

Pantry Staples - Frugal, Practical

Nothing for dinner - what's in your cupboard?

What foods should be in your cupboard, freezer and fridge so you can always cook something healthy for dinner?  Nothing for dinner - what's in your cupboard?

Pantry (Any additional Ideas?)

Tinned
Tomatoes as base for pasta sauce, curry, stew and soup
Legumes - Kidney beans, Chickpeas (spiced baked chickpeas as a snack are filling and delicious or some hummus dip). Lentils to add to soups and stews and meat dishes to reduce the meat needed then over rice, pasta, mashed veg or on toast or with bread and butter to dip extends all measl a lot further
Tinned Baked Beans - quick easy snack on toast!  Or added to casserole
Tinned fish - tuna, salmon, sardines etc - make creamy mornays, noodle casseroles, on toast, with salads etc
Coconut milk - great to add to a curry or can use yogurt
Fruits - apple, pears, apricots, peaches etc make yummy low cost deserts such as pies and crumbles

TOMATO - king of 'fruits'  - tinned, dried, semi-dried, dehydrated as tomato powder - FRESH in a bulk buy - these delicious fruits deserve a place alone as can be used in so many ways and prices are reasonable.  Home made pasta sauces!!  Always tastier and free of additives!! On toast, in stews etc etc.

Herbs & Spices
Pepper, Curry Powder, Cumin, Corriander, Paprika for curries etc
Mustard, Bay leaves, Chilli powder or flakes,
Dried Herbs: Oregano, Basil, Thyme, Rosemary, Sage, Parsley
Nutmeg, Cinnamon,

Stock powder, jelly or liquid tetra-packs, Tomato paste
Powdered soup - eg french onion soup to coat meats and slow bale or coke chicken, apricot chicken etc. Cream of chicken soup for tasty creamy casseroles and try a different packet each week until get your favs

Oils, Sauces, Vinegars
Oils, Soy, Tabasco, Tomato, Fish, Sesame, Salsa, Worchestshire, Vinegar - wine, balsamic, apple cider; lemon juice

Toppings
Honey, Peanut Paste, Aussie Vegemite, Jams
 
Dried Staples
Pasta of all types from the semi dry chinese egg noodles, udon etc to all the Italian style pastas - pappardelle, farfalle, shells, campanelle, angel hairr, gnocchi, spaghetti, lasagna
Rice - white, brown, basmati (fragrant), jasmine
Couscous with all types of spice dishes
Rolled oats, flat breads - make pizza bases or wraps
Barley, dried peas, dried soup mix, peanuts, beans
Flours, Yeast Powder, Baking Powder, Baking Soda
Thicken stews and soups, make muffins, no-knead breads
Pie and Quiche Bases
Raw Sugar, Salt,

Vegetables
Potatoes of all types (baked, boiled, mashed, chipped etc), Kumara or sweet potatoes, Carrots, Onions, Garlic, ginger - types that last longer to avoid food waste and good to boil for mash, roast, add to stews etc
Citrus - lemons, oranges etc and if in bulk juice and freeze.
Bananas - if getting over ripe freeze and/or use for muffins or cakes
Any fruits on special

Flours, Yeast Powder, Baking Powder, Baking Soda
Thicken stews and soups, make muffins, no-knead breads
Pie and Quiche Bases
Raw Sugar, Salt,

Dairy
Yoghurt - instead of coconut in savoury cooked meals, like pasta and curries - add at the last minute so it doesn't split
Cheeses - all types to taste - over pasta, with noodles, toasted sandwiches - great concentrated protein and fills people up

Fridge / Freezer
EGGS - a great whole food and so many ways to cook - very satisfying and filling and good energy food!
Any types of Vegetables, Peas, corn, green beans as can be added to many dishes.
Home made pasta sauces!!  Always tastier and free of additives!!
Meats purchased at discount prices. Mince and sausages can make many interesting low cost meals that are tasty and filling.