Recipe: Char's Pie

Feeling adventurous, I cooked my mum a pie creation for dinner last night, which included a lot of our favourite foods (I'm taking advantage of being away from my food-fussy children to enjoy all my healthy 'likes').

Anyway, it tasted delicious, so it is going to become a new favourite of mine from now on:

I'm going to call it "Char's Pie"

To make...
You will need
Pie base: Shortcrust pastry
Pie filling: baby spinach leaves, baby roma tomatoes, beetroot, bacon, onion, garlic, egg, cream and topped with Feta cheese.

Cooking went sort of like this...
1. Boil beetroot in water until cooked (approximately one hour).  Allow to cool then peel and chop into cubes. Set aside.
2. Defrost pastry and drap over pie dish.
3. Chop baby spinach leaves and sprinkle over the base.
4. Chop baby roma tomatoes and sprinkle over the spinach.
5. Add cooled beetroot.

6. In saucepan, cook chopped bacon pieces, diced onion and tablespoon of crushed garlic.  Stir until cooked.  Drain in paper towel to remove excess oil/greasiness.   Sprinkle in pie dish.

7. Crack six eggs in a bowl and whisk.  Add thickened cream.
8. Chop and sprinkle feta cheese over the top.

9. Bake in oven until cooked.

The beetroot and tomatoes give it a nice sweetness.  The feta, bacon and onion give it a nice 'crumbly crunch'.

Tasted great eaten hot and cold.

Update  27/3
Look, left overs the next day!

(Char's Pie, satay chicken tenders, fresh chilled beetroot, avocado, mint in greek yoghurt, kiwi berries and blackberry). Very filling, and lots of taste!

Easy Snack Recipe: Onion & Feta Tartlets

Ingredients
4 large onions (I use two brown and two purple onions)
Olive Oil
Cooking spray
Balsamic Vinegar
Brown Sugar
2 Shortcrust Pastry sheets (thawed)
1 block of Feta cheese

Makes: 18 tartlets

Special Equipment Needed
Egg ring
Cupcake tins

Method
Preparation:
1. Onions: Peel onions and cut into thin onion rings.
2. Cupcake tin: Light spray with spray oil
3. Pastry: Using the egg-ring, cut thawed shortcrust pastry into circles (I get 9 per sheet),  then carefully press one circle of pastry per 'cupcake tin well' nto lightly sprayed cupcake tins.
4. Feta: Slice and roughly chop Feta.
5. Oven: pre-heat to 180* C.

Cooking:
1. In fry-pan, saute (lightly fry) onions in olive oil for approximately 10-15 minutes until soft and browned.
2. Add balsamic vinegar and brown sugar, and cook for further two minutes.
3. Distribute (evenly) the onion mixture into each of the tartlet cases.
4. Top with Feta cheese.
5. Bake in oven for approximately 20 - 30 minutes or until feta is lightly browned and the pastry has hardened.


Enjoy!

If you make or like this recipe, please add your comments below!

Yummy low calorie dessert for dieters

I don't remember where I discovered this recipe - but I make it often, and I love it even if my children don't (all the more for me!)

Berry Creamy Fruit Sandwich
Cooking level: Easy
Cooking & Preparation time: 30 - 40 minutes
Serves: 4 people

Ingredients:

1 sheet Puff Pastry
Cooking spray
1 tub Vanilla Fruche
16 Raspberries
16 Strawberries (quartered)
16 Blueberries
1 tsp Icing Sugar

Directions:

1. Pre-heat oven to 180*C  (Sorry, I don't know the *F equivalent)
2. Place semi-defrosted Puff Pastry sheet on lightly sprayed flat baking tray. Slice pastry sheet in half lengthways. Slice pastry sheet into quarters width-ways. This creates 8 slices of Puff pastry.
3. Spray each pastry slice lightly with cooking spray.
4. Bake in oven until puffed up and lightly golden.
5. Transfer cooked slices to cooling rack and allow to cool to room temperature.

6. Once cool, on serving plate, place one cooked pastry sheet.
7. 'Butter' the underside of the pastry sheet with approximately 1 - 2 tablespoons of Vanilla Fruche.
8. Place 4 raspberries, 4 strawberries and 4 blueberries on the vanilla Fruche.
9. Add another pastry sheet as top layer of sandwich.
10. Make the three other sandwiches repeating steps 6 to 9.

11. Place one teaspoon of Icing Sugar in a sieve, and sprinkle evenly over each of the 4 Berry Creamy Fruit Sandwiches.
12. To garnish, place mint sprig on top of each sandwich. Enjoy! 

Try it, and let me know what you think of the dieting-friendly treat by liking or commenting on this page!