No Knead Basic Bread Recipe

Big thanks to Joyce McKay for taking the time to share this great recipe with me and also sharing her experience of making it.

Initially we made 1 small loaf and 1 plait from the 4 cups of flour recipe below.  As I wanted to use one loaf for sandwiches I found that it was too small. The second batch of bread I made one and a half times the amount, so 6 cups of flour. I used 1/3 for the plait and 2/3 of the dough for the 25cm round bread/cake tin. So if you want it to rise enough to have good sized sandwich bread I would suggest using 4 cups of flour for the loaf alone. You can also make hamburger rolls or bread rolls instead.

Recipe kindly shared with me by Joyce McKay. Continue reading “No Knead Basic Bread Recipe”

Spicy Fish and Raspberry Salad

We are trying out some interesting fish recipes and this is one that I found on Taste – Spicy Fish and Raspberry Salad.  We both really enjoyed it.

Ingredients

2 Tbs olive oil
1 Tsp ground cumin
1 Tsp dried oregano
1/2 Tsp ground cinnamon
2 Tbs lemon juice
1 garlic clove, crushed
4 fish fillets
120g pkt baby spinach
125g fresh raspberries
1 cup loosely packed fresh mint leaves
1 cup loosely packed coriander leaves
1/2 red onion, thinly sliced
Extra olive oil to serve
Greek-Style yoghurt to serve

Method

1. Combine the oil, cumin, oregano, cinnamon, lemon juice and garlic in a shallow glass or ceramic dish. Add fish and turn to coat (you do not need to marinade).

2. Heat a BBQ grill or chargrill on high. Cook the fish for 4 minutes each side or until cooked through. (We used a fry pan).

3. Meanwhile, combine the spinach, raspberries, mint, coriander and onion in a large bowl.

4. Divide fish and salad among serving plates. Season. Drizzle with extra oil. Serve with yoghurt and lemon wedges.

Karen you will be proud of me as I remembered to take a photo before eating it :)

Spicy Fish and Raspberry Salad - Recipe from Taste
Spicy Fish and Raspberry Salad – Recipe from Taste

Chargrilled Chicken with Corn and Avocado Salsa

We had a couple of corn cobs left over so I looked up some recipes to use these up.  My advice is you need to add this to your camping recipe list, but you don’t need to be on holiday to enjoy this one!  Very yummy.  (Taste.com.au/recipes/chargrilled-chicken-corn-avocado-salsa).  I also used my home made greek yoghurt to drizzle on top.

Ingredients
  • olive oil – 2 x tsp for marinade plus 1 tbsp for cooking the chicken
  • lime juice – 1/2 lime (1tbsp) for marinade plus another 2 tsp for the salsa
  • 1 x garlic clove
  • 1 x tsp Cumin (I didn’t have any so I used a mexican Burrito mix and this worked well.  I used a couple of teaspoons)
  • 1/4 tsp cayenne pepper (I used tobasco sauce)
  • 480g chicken tenderloins (I used 4 x chicken thighs that I pounded flat)
  • 2 x corn cobs, husks and silks removed
  • 1 x ripe avocado, halved, stone removed, peeled and diced
  • 2 x green spring onions, ends trimmed and thinly sliced (I used a 1/4 of a red onion finely diced)
  • 2 x teaspoons of fresh lemon juice for the salsa
  • 2 x tsp lime juice (extra) for the salsa
  • 1/3 cup coarsley chopped coriander
  • Optional – I used a medium red chilli and removed the seeds then finely diced
  • green salad leaves
  • plain greek yoghurt
Method
  1. For the marinade combine oil, lime juice, garlic, cumin and cayenne pepper.  Coat the chicken with the marinade.  Cover with plastic wrap and place in the fridge for 1 hour prior to cooking.  (I used a freezer bag to coat and refrigerate the chicken)
  2. Preheat the BBQ grill or frypan to medium heat.  Cook corn turning occasionally for 15 minutes or until tender and charred.  Transfer to a plate and set aside  to cool.  Cut the kernels off and put in a bowl.
  3. Add avocado, onions, lemon juice, lime juice, coriander to the bowl with the corn and gently toss to combine.  I also seasoned with salt and pepper and added the finely diced chilli (optional).
  4. Heat BBQ grill or Frying Pan (heat about a tablespoon of olive oil) on medium high.  Cook chicken for approximately 3 minutes on each side  or until cooked through .
  5. Place salad leaves on the plate, top with salsa (keep some for a garnish) then top with the chicken.  I added a little bit more salsa on top of the chicken as a garnish then drizzled with some greek yoghurt.

Looked gourmet and tasted amazing!!!  Enjoy.

PS – I was going to take a photo for the blog, but it was too yummy and we ate it all.  I will get a photo next time :)

Chapati (Roti)

This recipe is from http://allrecipes.com.au and is a simple recipe for cooking Chapati or Roti, an Indian unleavened flatbread.  When we made it we just used plain flour and water and it still worked out ok.  This is a really versatile and yummy recipe as it is great with curries, but can also be used with dips, as a sandwich wrap or even a pizza base.  It is fantastic as it does not require many ingredients and can be made when the shops are not easily accessible.   Some rolling pin substitutes when camping can include a wine bottle, a thermos or drinking glass (ideas from https://theboatgalley.com).

Ingredients
Serves: 10 
  • 1 cup (125g) wholemeal flour
  • 1 cup (125g) plain flour
  • 1 teaspoon salt
  • 2 tablespoons olive oil
  • 3/4 cup (185ml) hot water or as needed
Directions
Preparation:15min  ›  Cook:15min  ›  Ready in:30min 
  • In a large bowl stir together the wholemeal flour, plain flour and salt. Use a wooden spoon to stir in the olive oil and enough water to make a soft dough that is elastic but not sticky. Knead the dough on a lightly floured surface until it is smooth. Divide into 10 parts, or less if you want bigger breads. Roll each piece into a ball. Let rest for a few minutes.
  • Heat a frypan over medium heat until hot and grease lightly. On a lightly floured surface use a floured rolling pin to roll out the balls of dough until very thin. When the pan starts smoking put a chapati on it. Cook until the underside has brown spots, about 30 seconds, then flip and cook on the other side. Continue with remaining dough.

Jill Thaivarayan has another variation of this recipe on her site ‘Trip Around Oz’, as well as other yummy recipe ideas.  It is a great site to browse, with lots of good information.

Trip Around Oz – Chapati Recipe

Some more great ideas from the Adventure-Journal include adding some Cumin to the dough mix or rolling the dough in finely chopped garlic before cooking.

Adventure-Journal – Camp Bread

Karen’s Golden Syrup Damper

I have had the privilege of trying Karen Tree’s yummy damper around the campfire on a few of our camping trips.  She has kindly shared her recipe for eveyone to enjoy!!

Ingredients
  • Lion’s Scone Mix packet – half a packet
  • 150ml milk
  • Golden Syrup
  • Raw Sugar
  • Sultanas (optional)
  • Butter and some extra Golden Syrup to serve
Method
  • mix up half the Lions scone mix with 150ml milk
  • Add some Golden Syrup and a bit of raw sugar and sultanas.
  • Put a dutch oven on your campfire and get it hot
  • Use a griddle in your dutch oven to keep the damper off the bottom
  • Grease a cake tin and put your damper mix into this, then sprinkle a little sugar over the top
  • Place your cake tin on the griddle in your dutch oven and put this onto hot coals, also put hot coals onto the lid of your dutch oven.
  • The damper takes approximately 20 to 40 minutes to cook, you can usually smell it when it is ready.  Keep replacing the hot coals underneath and on top to maintain the heat and check it intermittently after the 20 minute mark.
  • Once cooked, you can serve with butter and another drizzle of syrup on top.

You can try different ingredients as well, we have also used dried apricots and choc drops which was good.  I did need to add a little more sugar to the scone mix for this.

Banana on the Campfire

Karen Tree’s Campfire Banana Recipe, delicious decadence.

Ingredients
  • Banana
  • Honey or Golden Syrup
  • Brown Sugar
  • Optional ingredients – Nutella, Marshmallows, Chocolate
  • Alfoil to wrap your dessert
Method
  • Slice the banana longways down the middle to add your filling.  Leave it in the banana peel and place on a sheet of alfoil.  You want to wrap it loosely and twist the ends when you are finished in order to cook it.
  • Pour in a little honey or golden syrup
  • Sprinkle some brown sugar on
  • You can also use Nutella, Marshmallows or put some Chocolate in – whatever you prefer to fill it with.
  • Wrap the banana in alfoil loosely, twisting at the ends
  • Separate some hot coals away from the fire and place your alfoil banana on the coals and cook for approximately 20 minutes.

Let us know if you try something good that you think should be added to the suggested filling list!

Pork and Roast Veg Salad

This is another versatile recipe that we really enjoy.  Our daughter Erin introduced us to it and it is now an official part of our regular meals.

Ingredients
  • Mixed vegetables to roast – we use onion, beetroot, carrot, sweet potato, but you can use any that you like.  If you are roasting them in the hooded BBQ, you may want to par-boil the root vegetables first.
  • Pork Loin roast – Erin uses patties, but we like the pork loin sliced up over the salad.  We have also had it with chicken fillets, so really whatever meat you prefer.
  • Baby spinach
  • Yoghurt drizzle
  • Salad Dressing
  • Feta (optional)
  • Spice, such as Cajun or Portugese Chicken
  • Olive oil
  • Salt and Pepper
Method
  • Chop your vegetables into 2cm pieces (approximately) and par-boil your potatoes and root vegetables.
  • Toss the vegetables in some olive oil and season with salt and pepper
  • Cook in the BBQ on medium heat until browned and tender (approximately half an hour), take them out and set aside.
  • If using Pork Loin, rub with the spice.
  • Heat some olive oil in a fry pan and cook the Pork Loin on low heat until cooked through (approximately 20 minutes depending on the thickness or the loin roast).
  • In a large bowl, toss the baby spinach, feta (if using) and roast vegetables and dress the salad with the dressing of your choice.  We usually use a honey mustard dressing.
  • Arrange the salad on a plate and lay the sliced meat over the top then drizzle with some yoghurt.

 

Leftover Pilau (Rice)

This recipe is good to use up any left over BBQ meat and whatever veg you want to use up in your fridge, hence the name – Leftover Pilau.

Ingredients
  • half a cup of rice per person uncooked
  • A handful of finely diced left over meat (we typically use up left over BBQ meat such as lamb chops, steaks, sausages or chicken.  You can use a mix of different meats)
  • A handful of diced veg (such as onion, carrot, celery, cooked potatoes, tomatoes, capsicum – but you can really use up whatever you have in your fridge.  You could also use frozen veg that has been thawed out)
  • Tablespoon of curry paste for 2 people, increase if you are cooking for extra people (our preference is Rogan Josh or Vindaloo, but you could use whatever curry paste your prefer)
  • Olive oil, 1 x Tbs
  • Salt and Pepper to taste
Method

Precook your rice, use a cup of water to a cup of rice for 2  people.  Bring to the boil then reduce the heat as low as you can make it and let the water absorb for 9 to 10 minutes.  Then remove from the heat and put aside.

Heat the oil in a large frying pan.  If you are using raw veg, cook this first until soft and then add your left over cooked meat and cooked veg.  Continue cooking until the meat and veg are heated through.

Add the curry pasted and cook for approximately 1 minute.

Add the cooked rice and stir through.  You may have to add a little extra water if too thick or gluggy.  You can also add more curry paste to taste.  Continue stirring until heated through.

Season with salt and pepper.

Four Bean Salad

Ingredients
  • 1 x can of Four Bean mix (400g)
  • Tomato x 1 large (diced)
  • Red onion (approx 1/4, finely diced)
  • Lime x 1, juiced.
  • Sticky Balsamic Dressing or Balsamic Reduction (approximately 2 x tsp plus extra to garnish)
Method

Add all ingredients to a large mixing bowl and combine.  You can adjust quantities to suit your taste.  Drizzle some sticky balsamic on top of the salad as a garnish to finish off.  You could also add some fresh coriander if you like this herb and if you have access to it.