Baguettes & Vegemite is on the move!

10.11.2016 by Trish // 4 Comments

I know it’s been a long time and I do apologise.It’s been quite a stressful year really. In the past 12 months I have changed jobs, moved house, built a house, moved house again, changed jobs again, a family member retired then decided not to retire…..

The thought of resurrecting the ol’ Bag n Veg crossed my mind occasionally but for some reason it just didn’t happen, I’m not quite sure why…….

I did mention in one of my last posts that Nepal was calling, and this time in 4 weeks I will be recovering from my first day of the Annapurna Panoramic Trek, only about 5 days, but considering my current level of fitness, probably more than enough trekking!

So watch out for the next adventure, Baguettes and Vegemite does Nepal!

Don’t say I wish……….

08.18.2016 by Trish // 1 Comment

Two years ago my daughter and I did the Camino Pilgrimage in Spain. At the end of it we both felt so awesome. When I returned I had so many people, women in particular, tell me how inspiring, brave and amazing I was and they just couldn’t do it. I don’t look at myself like that, the bravest thing is taking that first step onto the track. After that it just happens, one step after another.

If you have thought about doing Camino but are part of that group who feel they can’t, why can’t you? Do you think you are too old, too unfit, too fat, too scared, got no-one to do it with ….what stops you from taking that first step?

Don’t say I wish! If you are interested in finding out how I can help you take that first step onto the Camino let me know in the comments and I will let get back to you.

Getting in the mood for Japan – Chicken Doria reconstructed

08.30.2015 by Trish // Leave a Comment

You know how it is, you find a recipe and tear it out of a magazine or print off the internet, it spends the next 6 months attached to the fridge with a magnet from a holiday 5 years ago, then you finally take it off the fridge and put it in the folder of “Recipes I am Going to Cook One Day”, having transferred the name of course into the “Recipes to Try” box on the white board or into Evernote on your phone

In my house one recipe that made this journey is Adam Liaw’s youshoku dish, Chicken Doria. Youshoku cuisine takes Western dishes and adapts them to something uniquely Japanese. Doria originated in France but is now found almost exclusively in Japan. Like a lot of people, when I think Japanese food I think sushi or miso soup, so when I read this recipe for Chicken Doria at goodfood.com.au (definitely one of my fave recipe websites) it didn’t actually leap off the page as Japanese. It is basically chicken, veges and rice covered in white sauce, sprinkled with cheese and grilled until bubbly and golden brown. But it did sound rather yummy, so when I found some chicken on special I retrieved the recipe from my file and gave it a try.

I have to say that I am the microwave master of the white sauce. However, this time I did what the recipe said and heated a clove studded onion in the milk before making it the traditional way. It was definitely worth the effort, the hint of cloves through the dish was gorgeous.

It was definitely a winner taste-wise, but probably only about a 5 on the healthy eating scale of 1 – 10, so I thought I would have a go at adapting Chicken Doria and pushing it higher up the health scale.

The first thing I did was replace the rice with quinoa, my favourite food of the moment. I used the Tri-Colour Macro which mixes white, red and brown quinoa.

Instead of making a white sauce I used ricotta, but because I loved the taste of the clove studded onion in the white sauce I added a clove to the water when I cooked the quinoa. I couldn’t really taste it when I tried the dish straight from the grill, but it must have infused into the dish overnight because when I had some leftovers for breakfast the next day you could definitely taste the cloves. Maybe it is one of those dishes that just taste better the next day.

All the rest of the ingredients were the same, except on top I sprinkled some finely grated manchego cheese. Healthy versus traditional doesn’t always go down well in my house so I cunningly served it up without saying what it was, and it went down a treat. Definitely a lighter meal and more healthy, just as delicious as the original in its own way, but probably not quite making it to the comfort soul food category. On a cold and wet winter’s day I think I’d be going for the traditional version.

CHICKEN DORIA RECONSTRUCTED

Ingredients

600g chicken thigh fillets, sliced into bite-sized pieces

1/4 cup vegetable oil

1 brown onion, finely chopped

1 cup frozen peas

2 cups sliced button mushrooms

8 cups cooked quinoa

1/2 tsp salt

2 tbsp tamari

1/4 cup tomato sauce

500g ricotta cheese

1 egg yolk

finely grated cheese such as parmesan

finely chopped chives, to serve

Method

Cook the quinoa as per instructions on the packet. Place the clove-studded onion and bay leaf in the water with the quinoa. Remove the onion and bay leaf when the quinoa is cooked.
Heat the oil in a large wok over high heat. Add the chicken and fry until lightly browned. Add the onion, mushrooms and peas and toss until the onions and mushrooms are softened. Add the quinoa, salt, soy sauce and tomato sauce and toss for about five minutes until the quinoa is coated and fragrant.
Stir the egg yolk into the ricotta.
To assemble the doria, place the quinoa mixture into a gratin or baking dish and cover with the ricotta. Scatter the top with cheese and grill under an overhead grill until the cheese is browned and bubbling. Top with chives and serve.

So here it is, my healthy version of Chicken Doria, a Japanese dish, adapted from a French dish, with just a hint of Spain. I know that many of you adapt recipes to make them more healthy. I’d love to hear about it.

Baguettes and Vegemite is on the move!!

08.12.2015 by Trish // 5 Comments

Yes folks, I am moving and Baguettes and Vegemite is coming with me . And no, it’s not to my dream house on the beach that we have been planning and building for 18 months, and which is only 2 months away from completion. That dream house I wont be living in permanently for 6 months!

Life is amazing. The phone rings, you answer it, the person on the other end offers you a job, and in just a few moments your life has changed. It wasn’t the dream job that I have always wanted (as yet no-one has offered me a paid job trekking around the world, I’m still waiting for the phone call from Vegemite!) It was 450 kms away from my family, from my home town and my dream house. But it was a challenge and only for 6 months, and the money would pay for that rug which would look fabulous in my new living room, and the painting that I absolutely fell in love with.

So of course I took the job and here I am sitting in the local library using their free wifi . And come summer instead of lying on the balcony in my new house, beer in hand, watching the sun set over the ocean, I will be sitting on the trundle bed that is my living room sofa.

I was briefly determined not to get a TV, but to pursue noble pursuits like reading my way through the list of 100 Books you Must Read Before You Die and writing and blogging and learning Spanish. Hmmm, well that lasted a week and I’m just getting a move on with this blog because it is almost time for the new cooking reality series Hot Plate and I can’t miss the gay guys from Mandurah who according to the ads are going to have the TV melt down of the century!

Now that I am settled I will get back to Baguettes and Vegemite and I look forward to sharing some new food thoughts and insprations with you soon.