Friggingly overpriced banana muffins

Anyone in Australia would feel the same way I do, when bananas are no longer our perfect fibre source. With that, there is no way I would spend an average of AUD$10 per kg on bananas. I *hearts* my free bananas.

I dislike seeing kids wasting their overpriced bananas as they merely take a bite of it and having the rest in the bin. Having said that, I see it happening almost everyday.

Recipe (9 muffins)
2 bananas (if its not way expensive, 3 bananas would possibly be better)
1/2 cup of sugar or slightly lesser
1 tbsp olive oil spread (butter, margarine, etc)
1/2 egg, beaten
2/3 self raising flour, sifted
1/3 almond meal
pinch of salt
handful of walnuts

1. Preheat oven to 180C.
2. Beat eggs and bananas. Add other ingredients and mix well.
3. Fill muffin tray till 3/4 full and bake for 20 minutes.
I baked it for 15 minutes before turning it off, and then keeping them in the warm oven for another 5 mins.

They really aren't the prettiest muffins, I have to say and vanilla extract would also make the muffins more flavoursome. They tend to be a bit too sweet for my liking, but I still enjoyed it.

I actually love it more when its cold, straight out from the fridge. Having said that, I made these muffins as snacks on the go. I think I like it best because I have been deprived of bananas.

*wails* When will bananas prices go down like it used to?

Winter fav

A month of winter is almost over, and I have to say we have been enjoying some beautiful weather over the weekend.

An overdue post this is, because I made it during one of those cold wintery weekends. Taken from the Women's Weekly Winter favourites, this recipe of a hearty bacon, lentil and vegie soup has led me to appreciate lentils further.

Recipe (serves 4)
2 tbsps olive oil
1 medium brown onion, chopped finely
4 bacon rashers, finely diced
2 sticks celery, chopped coarsely
2 medium carrots, chopped coarsely (I used 3)
1 cup of red lentils
4 cups of chicken stock
salt and pepper

1. Heat oil in large saucepan, cook onion, bacon, celery and carrots over high heat till softened.
2. Add lentils, then stock, bring to boil. Reduce heat, simmer, uncovered for 15 minutes or until vegies and lentils are soft.
3. Serve with bread (toast!)

Love this easy quick soup. Its hearty and enjoyable, suitable to freeze and microwave. Perfect for me for work, and for the days where I just want to bum around. =)

Big 5

It's my little girl's BIG 5! And the huge balloon justifies the BIG number, it is even bigger than her in size. When you're 5, you go to BIG school you do huge proper excursions and do heaps of exciting fun things. *hurray* We had dinner at the Colonist Tavern Funky Bar and Restaurant. 5 years of age and she had an awesome surprise birthday party @ a bar?!

*missing food pictures due to my self consciousness*

Menu for the awesome night
Home Made Dukkah
intense your palate with home made dukkah, candied Coonawarra merlot vinegar + Limestone Coast extra virgin olive oil, served with oven baked bread
I love this to the max! Warm oven baked bread dipped in vinegar, then olive oil with the awesome mixture of herbs and spices in the dukkah.

Chicken Schnitzel
tenderised chicken breast coated in chunky crumbs
Little girl's dish*

Vego Burger

portobello mushroom + chickpea pattie served with Adelaide Hills cos, tasty cheese, fresh tomato + a free range egg, finished with eggplant kasaundi in a warm roll with chips
I expected a huge portobello mushroom, and a chickpea pattie rather than a mixture of portabello mushroom and chickpea mushroom. I was craving for a burger *thanks to Jin and Masterchef too* but this burger was so huge I could not fit it in my mouth. So the dainty side of me deconstructed this burger. Eggplant kasaundi was delicious =)

Angus Scotch Sanga

char-grilled Angus scotch served with red onion jam, wild rocket + tasty cheese between grilled rustic bread, finished with tomato chutney + chips

Grilled Halloumi + Asparagus Salad

pan-fried Halloumi served with pickled beetroot, char-grilled asparagus, rocket, toasted pinenuts, preserved orange, gremolata + blood orange oil

Barossa Valley Free Range Chicken Salad with Pancetta + Preserved Lemon
free range chicken breast lightly marinated in herb olive oil, grilled + presented with warm roasted pumpkin, chickpeas, Danish feta,grilled pancetta, wild rocket, shavings of preserved lemon + basil pesto
Not sure how the rest of the dishes tasted but the grilled halloumi was absolutely presentable. Beautiful, standing tall and proud in presentation.

Chocolate cupcakes from American Candy Stand/ Cupcake Cafe

I never liked the icing because I found it too sweet. Almost any cupcake have the sweetest icings, sugar sugar sugar. The surprising thing about this surprise: the little girl previously loved their chocolate cupcakes to the max but decided to say "I don't like the chocolate cupcakes" and gave someone else a bonus cupcake!

Whats even better, we have a 'personalised' goodie bag each to take home. M for Mich =)

Colonist Tavern

44 The Parade

Norwood SA 5067

American Candy Stand

Shop 6/224 The Parade

Norwood SA 5067

note: Details are taken from Colonials website www.colonist.com.au and an image from google to justify their funky design.

Mex bacon enchiladas, my way =)

Have been debating (or more accurately contemplating) on recipes to make during the long weekend, to be more productive instead of bumming around. From baking cupcakes or muffins to pasta dishes, I settled with bacon enchiladas. The main reason being I have most of the ingredients (or substitute) without spending more money.

My recipe (which is not truly authentic enchiladas) makes 4 wraps
4 multigrain tortilla wraps
Half an onion
Diced bacon
Baked beans (specifically SPC hot chilli ones for the spiciness)
Grated carrot (doesn't exist in authentic recipes)
Grated cheese (used vintage buttt... I'm sure tasty works better)
Sliced lettuce
Mild peri peri sauce (my extra ingredient!)

1. Preheat wraps in the oven (180C). Authentic enchilada makers encourage wraps to be dipped in sauce individually before using them as wraps.
2. Fry off onions and bacon bits.
3. Drain liquid from baked beans and reserve them. Mix the baked beans into pan.
4. Add peri peri sauce and grated carrot.
5. Lay sliced lettuce on base, before topping with filling and rolling it.
6. Layer the baking dish with reserved sauce and assemble the rolls on it.
6. Cover the tortilla rolls with remaining sauce and cheese.
7. Place dish in the preheated oven, and bake for another 10-15 minutes.

I definitely needed more sauce and possibly cheese on it. However, I am so conscious with my intake of cheese I stopped myself.

I've seasoned it further with slight mixed herbs and pepper before eating. And... I totally love it, I had to take another one from my packed lunches to enjoy.

As you can tell, sliced lettuce or carrots are normally served as salad sides but I've decided to put them into the wraps for work lunches convenience. Having said that, I will still be making a small salad to go along with these enchiladas.

A new label for the blog: Frugal recipes. Then again, some might debate my recipes aren't exactly frugal but they are definitely still cheap eats.