Wednesday, August 8, 2012

You don't need a kitchen to cook a great meal!


As most of you know, at the moment my parents are in the middle of building their dream home. Whilst the building process takes place they are living on site in a caravan, which is lovely for a holiday, but a bit rough in the long term. All things considered they are coping surprisingly well. Goodness knows how Mr B and I would survive living in such close quarters for such a long time. One thing I know I definitely could not cope with is the kitchen, or lack thereof. Obviously in summer, the bbq was a huge saviour, but now that winter is upon us, Dad is not so keen on standing outside at the bbq, and Mum is not so keen on Dad bringing the bbq into the caravan! Mum has a gas stove and microwave that is shoved up in an akward spot above head height and that's about it, don't even think about asking where the bench space is because there is not even room to store your electric mixer, let alone use it. It's giving me a slight twitch just thinking about it! The moral of the story is that despite being in the caravan with the non-existent kitchen and the seemingly limited menu options, Mum is persevering / powering ahead with the cooking, whereas many would have pulled into the McDonalds drive-thru or picked up the phone and called for pizza long ago!

Last night when we rocked up at Mum and Dad's for tea and I think it's safe to say that everyone, even Mum, were surprised with what was dished up.

Mum made Veggie Burgers with Avocado Tzatziki, Haloumi and Brown Rice Salad and holy moses, did it blow the room away! There were earlier concerns that maybe this meal was slightly (read as waaayyy) too adventurous for the little caravan kitchen, but I think it's fair to say that not only did Mum show just how little you need in the way of kitchen space / appliances to put up a delicious and good looking meal, but she knocked it out of the ball park!

So let's get down to business...this is roughly how she did it....

Veggie Burgers with Avocado Tzatziki, Haloumi and Brown Rice Salad

You will need:

4 x veggie burgers
200g haloumi
200g european style yoghurt
1 cucumber peeled and chopped
1 avocado chopped
10ml lemon juice
3 cups of cooked brown rice (we used 2 pkts of the 90 second brown rice you find in the rice section of the supermarket)
1 capsicum diced
1 red onion diced
10 medium sized sun dried tomatoes finely sliced
1 cup diced celery
3 tbspn red wine vinegar
200g baby spinach
1 tbspn basil paste
1 tspn crushed garlic

For the Avocado Tzatziki

Combine the yoghurt, lemon juice, avocado and cucumber together in a bowl. Mix well and set aside.

For the Brown Rice Salad

Cook rice according to packet directions.

Meanwhile in a fry pan over medium heat, cook the onion, capsicum and celery for 5-7 mins or until softened.

Add the sun dried tomatoes, rice, red wine vinegar, spinach, garlic and basil. Mix well and cook for a further 5-7 mins or until spinach is wilted.

For the Haloumi and Veggie Burgers

Cook burgers as per packet directions - either oven bake or cook in a fry pan.

Once the burgers are cooked, cut them into 3.

Slice the haloumi into 8 pieces and cook in a lightly greased fry pan, turning frequently until golden.

To Assemble

Start by dividing your brown rice salad between four plates.

Top with a generous dollop of the avocado tzatziki.

Follow with the veggie burger and finish with the strips of fried haloumi and drizzle with lemon juice.

Now sit down, relax and enjoy your master piece!


Mrs B xx

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