Jaylen's fajitas

These were an easy choice for dinner last night

First the spice mix:

4 tablespoons cornflour

5 teaspoons chilli powder

3 teaspoons salt flakes

4 teaspoons raw sugar

4 teaspoons paprika

2 teaspoons garlic powder

1/2 teaspoon cayenne powder

2 teaspoons ground cumin

Grind for 10 seconds at speed 9 - this makes enough for 2 or 3 batches

Then prepare some meat strips (we used beef but chicken works too). Mix 2-3 tablespoons spice mix with 1 kg meat.

Slice onion and capsicum

Saute onion and capsicum in non stick pan with a little oil, set aside and cook meat in same pan in 2 batches. Return all to pan and mix together.

We served this with tortillas, salsa, sour cream and Skinnymixers amazing chilli conqueso. There isn't much in the way of leftovers!

Thai Beef Salad

This has become one of our favourite meals, especially since we got the Thai basil and mint well established in the garden.

so for us step one is go outside,  enjoy the sky, and pick mint, coriander, thai basil, limes and chilli.

Then come in, fill a glass and do this:

Make the salad base:
2/3 cup Thai basil
2/3 cup mint
1/3 cup chopped Thai coriander
1 bag salad leaves
1 punnet cherry tomatoes (halved) I am looking forward to picking our own again soon

mix these together using your hands in a large bowl or on a platter

Top with
1 lebanese cucumber cut into ribbons using a vegetable peeler
3 spring onions chopped on the diagonal
1 large red chilli de seeded and sliced

Then slice your beef into thin strips. I buy skirt steak especially for this kind of recipe as it is beautifully tender when cut right. I used 400g skirt steak

put all the meat in a bowl and top with the marinade ingredients:
1 teaspoon chopped garlic
1 teaspoon chopped ginger
1 tablespoon soy sauce
1 tablespoon fish sauce
juice of one lime
1 tablespoon oil (I used rice bran oil)
Mix through.  I use chopsticks to mix, as it helps build strength and dexterity when using them. All the marinade stays on the meat too, I find if you use a spoon the marinade sticks to the spoon rather than the meat.

For the dressing shake these ingredients together in a jar.
2 teaspoons soy sauce
2 tablespoons fish sauce
juice of one lime
2 tablespoons palm sugar (chopped finely)
A shake of sesame oil

Cook the meat in batches in a fry pan or on the barbecue

this is Taff's hand, not mine

Assemble at the last minute

pile on the meat then pour on dressing then sprinkle 1/2 cup fried shallots (from an Asian supermarket) over the salad

Enjoy. This is another 6 propoint meal, if you use a Chef's toolbox pan and only brush a teaspoon of oil over it for cooking. And it's OK to go back for seconds...

Comfort food - Beef pot roast

Although there is not much call for comfort food in sunny North Queensland some comfort food principles can be applied to give you back part of your weekend.

I grabbed my CT saute pan and browned a piece of blade roast in it

While it is browning coarsely chop 2 brown onions and when you turn it throw them in the hot pan too

Then add:

1 sliced carrot

250g mushrooms (halved or quartered depending on size)

1 red capsicum roughly diced

1 green capsicum roughly diced

3 cloves chopped garlic 

In a separate jug or bowl mix:

1 can diced tomatoes

1/2 cup red wine

1/2 cup water

2 tablespoons oyster sauce

2 tablespoons worcestershire sauce

2 teaspoons dried oregano

1 teaspoon salt

1/2 teaspoon ground allspice

1/2 teaspoon salt

Pour over roast and bring to the boil. 

Put lid on with vents closed, turn heat right down and simmer for 2 hours Top up with water if necessary - my beef sprung up and lifted the lid so I have just switched it for the tagine cover to stop evaporation.

About 20 minutes before you want to serve add 3-4 tablespoons of red lentils to thicken the sauce. I put 3/4 cup frozen peas in then too - to save cooking veg separately.

Remove beef and carve

Serve with a green vegetable and mashed potatoes. My potatoes were done in the Thermomix with a teeny piece of pumpkin

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