Egg Salad Sandwiches

I made these egg sandwiches for my family picnic last week and they were a massive hit. I made loads of them & they were devoured by the hungry people almost instantly. I made mine plain, but I usually add lettuce, alfalfa sprouts or some thinly sliced (and well seasoned) cucumber.

Please excuse my very blue picture - I took a quick picture whilst we were sitting under a tree because I didnt have time to take one before I left my house!

Ingredients:
6 eggs
2 tablespoons good quality mayo
2 tablespoons butter
4 drops lemon juice
1 heaped teaspoon chopped chives (adjust to your tastes)
Salt & Pepper
Fresh bread – I use white, but use whatever you prefer

Method:

1. Hard boil eggs. I like to put my eggs into cold water & put on high heat for about 7 minutes – this makes the whites hard & the centres still a little soft.

2. Remove eggs from pot and place into ice water for a minute or two until cool enough to handle.

3. Remove the shells and place eggs into a large bowl. Add butter.

4. Using a fork, mash the eggs until you have your desired consistency. I like mine smooth but with some texture to it. Add mayo, chives, lemon juice and some salt & pepper. Mix well and taste. Adjust seasonings and chives if needed.

5. Serve as a sandwich filling on fresh bread with lettuce, alfalfa sprouts or cucumber (or all of the above!).

Make these for your next picnic, luncheon or for a snack! Sunny xx

Broccoli, Bacon & Quinoa Fritters

I saw this recipe in the April/May 2012 Donna Hay. I had only recently discovered quinoa so I thought it was time to give it a chance! I love the bacon & broccoli combo so I was interested to see how the flavours would work with the nuttiness of the quinoa.

I was quite pleased with how these turned out. They were quick to prepare & pretty yummy – plus REALLY filling! This is my adapted version of the recipe and serves 3 as a large entrée & 4-5 as a starter.

Ingredients:

2 rashers bacon, rind removed & chopped
1 x 400g can white cannellini beans, drained, rinsed & mashed
150g steamed broccoli, finely chopped
1 ½ cups cooked quinoa (See here for how to cook quinoa)
Handful grated mozzarella
1 large egg
1 heaped tablespoon pesto or basil paste
Olive oil for frying
Salt & Pepper
Tomato chutney, to serve

Method:

1. Cook the bacon in a large non-stick pan until golden.

2. Place mashed cannellini beans, broccoli, quinoa, mozzarella, egg, bacon, pesto & salt & pepper in a bowl & mix well to combine. Shape either 2 tablespoonful’s of mix (for a large rissole shape) or 1 tablespoonful of mix (for a small fritter shape) into fritters. Refrigerate for ½ hour.

3. Heat oil in a large fry pan over medium heat. Cook fritters in batches for 2-3 minutes per side or until golden. Serve with good tomato chutney (I prefer the great flavour of Baxters!) and a green salad.


This is my prefered brand of tomato chutney! Give it a try! Quinoa will surprise you :)

Sunny xx

Pan Fried Risotto Cakes

This recipe evolved from a normal risotto that was too moist to create risotto balls. I had a whole bunch of leftover risotto & wanted to make some kind of yummy finger food/snack. This recipe is the result of that experiment. I was really chuffed with how it turned out - Dale & I pretty much scoffed these down!

Ingredients:

1 batch mushroom & bacon risotto (you could use plain parmesan risotto or any other kind you fancy!)
2 eggs, beaten
2 tablespoons plain flour
2 tablespoons stuffing mix
2 handfuls cheese, cut into ½ cm cubes – you can use grated mozzarella if you prefer.
Oil for frying

Method:

1. Mix the flour, stuffing mix, cheese and eggs into the risotto. If the mixture is too dry, add a dash of water.

2. Heat 1cm of oil in a pan. Oil is ready when you throw a cube of bread in and it sizzles & lightly browns in 2 seconds or so. Using either a tablespoon or teaspoon (depending on the size you want your risotto cakes) dollop risotto into the oil. Turn when golden brown on the bottom.

3. When browned on both sides, remove from pan and place on paper towel to drain slightly. Serve immediately with dipping sauces of your liking. These are also great as a side dish to steak/chicken with a salad.

Bon appetite! Sunny xx

Stuffed Mushrooms

This picture shows you the difference between the tiny button mushrooms and the cup mushrooms.

Let me start this by confessing that for most of my life I hated mushrooms. Not because they tasted bad but because my parents tried to make me eat them & that automatically guaranteed them a place in the “Thing’s Sunny Won’t Eat” hall of fame. However, once I reached adulthood I decided it was probably time to address my eating fears – so I started with mushrooms.

5 years on, I can confidently say I have tackled that obstacle with flying colours. So much so, that I LOVE this stuffed mushroom recipe and so does my family. Below is my adapted version of The Pioneer Woman’s stuffed mushrooms.

If you make these with tiny little button mushrooms they make fantastic finger food for a party. For a great starter, make them with cup mushrooms and serve with a simple dressed green salad.

A close up of one of my tiny ones!

Ingredients:

A large bag of mushrooms – I used both button and cup mushrooms

250g cream cheese

1 egg

1 cup parmesan cheese (grated)

1 large onion

4 spicy chorizo style sausages (or) 4 regular sausages and a tsp paprika, half tsp minced garlic

1 tsp minced garlic

1 – 2 cups white wine (whatever you’re drinking at the time)

1 tsp Mexican chilli powder

Salt & pepper to taste

Method:

1. Clean mushrooms of any dirt with a dry tea towel. Pull out the stems and if needed, cut the hole a little bigger to fit more filling in. Take the scraps of mushrooms and finely dice. Put aside.

2. Heat a dash of oil in a large frying pan. Using a sharp knife, make an incision along the raw sausage. Peel off the outer skin to leave only the inside mince. You can also do this by cutting the top off and squeezing the mince out. Discard skins.

3. Fry the sausage meat in the hot pan until cooked through. Use a spatula or wooden spoon to break up mince whilst cooking. If using regular sausages, add the extra spices to the mince whilst cooking.

4. Place sausage in a bowl and set aside. Add onions & garlic to the pan & cook for 2 minutes. Add wine & Mexican chilli powder. Cook until all the wine has been absorbed. Add chopped mushrooms and cook until both mushrooms and onions are soft. Add salt & pepper to taste.

5. In a large bowl, mix together cream cheese and egg until combines & smooth. Stir in parmesan cheese. Add onion mixture & sausage to cream cheese. Mix well & place in fridge to firm up for 20 minutes.

6. Spoon mixture into mushrooms – feel free to pile it high! – and place on an oiled tray. Place in a 180°c (or 350°F) oven for about 20 minutes (more if you’ve stuffed bigger mushrooms) or until golden on top. Allow to cool for a few minutes before serving.

Here is the cross section of the bigger mushroom - you'll notice my ridiculous mushroom to filling combo - this one was Dale's favourite of course!

As well as stuffing the mushrooms, the left over filling is fantastic in a toasted sandwich. Another idea is to cut a slit in a chicken breast, stuff with some of the filling, crumb and pan fry. Serve with a salad & pat yourself on the back for being so darn clever.

Enjoy! Sunny xx

Bourke Street Bakery

Check out my post on The Life of Sunny about the Bourke Street Bakery!

x Sunny x