Camp Oven Chili con Carne

Camp Oven Chili con Carne

by | Apr 3, 2021 | Camp Oven, Mains, Recipes

This is so easy … this is actually the first ever recipe we cooked in our brand new camp oven on our own. We used ingredients that we had in the freezer and pantry and walah! Mexican bowls for us. It really could have been done in a frying pan, but we really just wanted to use our new camp oven – and Chris had a great time cooking it 🙂

 

Ingredients:

  • 500g mince beef
  • 1 brown onion, diced
  • 1 red capsicum (optional)
  • 1 packet taco seasoning (or make your own)
  • Chilli and/or cayanne powder (optional and amount to taste)
  • 1/4 cup red wine
  • 1/4 cup water
  • 1 can red kidney beans
  • 1 can crushed tomatoes (optional)
  • 2 Tbsp olive oil

Method:

  1. Preheat your camp oven over the coals.
  2. Add the oil and onion and stir until onion is transluscent.
  3. Add mince beef and stir until browned all over.
  4. Add taco seasoning and stir to combine.
  5. Add water, wine, beans and tomatoes if adding and stir well.
  6. Replace lid on camp oven and return to the coals for about 10 minutes or until the liquid has reduced.
  7. If it is still quite runny, remove from the coals, take the lid off and allow to continue to cook in the pot until the desired consistency is achieved.

To Serve:

We generally try to keep things fairly low carb, so we served this in a bowl topped with cheese, sour cream, tomatoes and avo. But you could serve it in in wraps, tacos, on nachos or however else you usually eat Mexican meat. To reduce the carb content even further, omit the kidney beans and canned tomatoes.

Slow Cooked Lamb Shanks

Slow Cooked Lamb Shanks

by | Nov 18, 2020 | All Recipes, Mains, Recipes, Slow Cooker

Tender, fall apart lamb slowly cooked to perfection. Yes please!

Ingredients

  • 4 lamb shanks
  • 1/2 cup of homemade beef broth
  • 2 garlic cloves whole, minced or crushed
  • 1 onion chopped
  • 1 carrot sliced
  • ¼ cup mushrooms sliced
  • 2 Tbsp olive or avocado oil or Ghee
  • ¼ cup red wine (optional)
  •  1 heaped tsp dried rosemary
  • 1 heaped tsp dried thyme
  • 1 heaped tsp of dried oregano
  • salt
  • pepper

 

SLOW COOKER METHOD

  1. Heat the oil/ghee in your slow cooker to sauté/brown option (if you don’t have this function, use a fry pan)
  2. Brown lamb shanks, 2 at a time, sprinkling with salt and pepper, and set aside.
  3. Add onion, garlic, salt and pepper in the same pan or slow cooker for a 2-3 minutes. Remove and set aside.
  4. Place lamb shanks in the slow cooker and cover with the sautéed garlic and onion
  5. Add the carrots, broth, wine, mushrooms and herbs.
  6. Cook on low for 6+ hours.
  7. The broth is divine poured over the plated shanks and cauliflower mash.

THERMAL COOKER METHOD

  1. Heat the oil/ghee in the large internal pot.
  2. Brown lamb shanks, 2 at a time, sprinkling with salt and pepper, and set aside.
  3. Add onion, garlic, salt and pepper in the same pan for a 2-3 minutes. Remove and set aside.
  4. Place lamb shanks in the pot and cover with the sautéed garlic and onion
  5. Add the carrots, broth, wine, mushrooms and herbs.
  6. Place the lid on and bring to a gentle boil for at least 20 minutes.
  7. Remove from heat (keeping the lid on) and place into thermal cooker. Seal it up and let it cook for at least 6 hours. I do mine for 12 -24.
    I give it an extra burst of 20 minutes on the heat half way through to make sure it’s still cooking.
  8. The broth is divine poured over the plated shanks and cauliflower mash.

 

Notes

 

  • Use fresh herbs instead of dried
  • Use store bought broth if you don’t have homemade
  • Add 3 Tbsp tapioca flour to thicken gravy/broth/sauce
Beef Stroganoff (thermal cooker)

Beef Stroganoff (thermal cooker)

by | Oct 14, 2020 | All Recipes, Mains, Recipes, Slow Cooker

This is a set and forget kinda meal, and it’s a delicious one at that! One of my favourites actually. This can be made in a traditional slow cooker, but I don’t have one of those anymore – I gave it to my son when we moved into the caravan. What I do have is a thermal cooker. It cost me $99 from Aldi and is the best thing when traveling. It’s just like a slow cooker but doesn’t use power to cook. You just heat it up on the stove then pop it into the thermal/insulated container and let it do it’s thing for a few hours. Easy as! Here’s how I made my beef stroganoff.

Ingredients:

  • ½ brown onion, sliced
  • 20g butter
  • 500g beef strips, thinly sliced
  • 2-4 rashers streaky bacon
  • 125g mushrooms, sliced
  • 1 tomato, peeled and chopped.
  • 1-2 cloves garlic, crushed
  • 1/4 cup red wine
  • 1 tsp of pepper
  • 1 tsp sweet paprika
  • 2 Tbsp of tomato paste
  • 2 Tbsp vegetable stock concentrate (this is homemade)
  • 1 1/4 cups of water
  • ½ Tbsp of worstershire sauce
  • 2 Tbsp sour cream (optional)
  • 180g rice in 400ml water (optional) Only needed if eating with rice. We usually eat cauliflower mash with it, but the rice is delish cooked this way!

Method:

  1. Place small inner pot on hot plate over high heat with 400ml water and salt (to cook rice). SKIP IF NOT EATING WITH RICE
  2. Meanwhile, to large pot add butter, bacon and beef. Cook stirring gently.
  3. When it starts to brown, add garlic, tomato paste and paprika. Continue to cook while stirring.
  4. Add vegetable stock, pepper, mushrooms, worstershire sauce and onion.
  5. Stir until it dries out a little on the bottom and starts to caremelise.
  6. Add red wine and chopped up, peeled tomato. Stir until well combined
  7. Add enough water to almost cover, continuing to stir while you bring it to the boil.
  8. By now the water for the rice should be boiling.
  9. Add rice to the boiling water and cook for 2 minutes. (absorbtion method) SKIP IF NOT EATING WITH RICE
  10. You will see it starting to absorb the water.
  11. Give the stroganoff one last stir before placing the little pot with the rice inside the big pot and popping the lid on.
  12. Allow to cook for a further 8 minutes.
  13. Remove from heat and place into the thermal cooker and close the lid.
  14. Leave for at least 2 1/2 hours (I’ve left mine up to 5 hours before)
  15. If eating with cauli mash (or anything else) prep this before it’s time to eat (of course … lol)
  16. When you are ready to eat, open the thermal cooker, remove the rice and set aside. This is where you add the sour cream (or yoghurt) to the stroganoff if you like.
  17. Serve up and enjoy!

Tips:

  • Add more of what you like (garlic, spices etc)
  • Leave out what you dont like (fresh tomato, wine, worstershire sauce etc)
  • Use normal stock if you don’t have the homemade stock concrentrate. This is quite salty, so if not using, add salt to suit your taste.
Loaded Broccoli & Cauliflower Soup

Loaded Broccoli & Cauliflower Soup

by | Jul 9, 2020 | All Recipes, Mains, Recipes, Soups, Thermomix

There are 2 ways to prepare this recipe, well, there are probably far more! But these are the two I will share here. The first way gives you a chunky soup, and the second gives you a semi-chunky soup. In the second method, all ingredients are pureed except the chicken, bacon and a few veggies. Both taste great; it just comes down to personal preference and if you can be bothered blending! You could most likely make this entirely in the thermomix, but I like to make a big batch, so that doesn’t suit me.

Feel free to play with the ingredients as I often do. The first time I made this, I included a turnip. Charli and I loved it, but  Chris & Cooper thought it tasted ‘weird’. Cooper had never tasted turnip before, so that may have been part of the problem! He refused to finish his bowl and Chris loaded it up with cheese and sour cream and was a good sport about it.

As with all recipes, you must tweak it to suit your tolerances, tastes and macros. Have fun playing around and let me know what you come up with. I’m sure if Chris had his way, some extra hot-sauce or chilli would be added in there somewhere 😉

Ingredients

  • 1 head (500g) of cauliflower (or 1 500g bag frozen)
  • 350g of broccoli fresh or frozen
  • 50g butter
  • 5 Cloves of garlic, chopped/smashed
  • 1- 2 brown onions, diced
  • 3 cups of bone broth or stock
  • 350g of diced chicken thighs (omit for vegetarian)
  • 250g streaky bacon (use more if you love bacon and omit for vegetarian)
  • 400g coconut milk
  • 1/4 tsp. nutmeg
  • 1 Tbsp. Turmeric
  • Pink salt to taste
  • 2 Tbsp. nutritional/savoury yeast flakes (optional)
  • Ground black pepper to taste
  • 2 Tbsp. coconut flour

Method 1

  1. Melt butter in a large saucepan over medium high heat.
  2. Add onion and garlic and sauté until transluscent.
  3. Add nutmeg, turmeric and flour and stir until well combined.
  4. Add other other ingredients and reduce heat to low and cook for about 45 minutes.
  5. Top with fresh chives and a dollop of sour cream (omit for dairy-free).

Method 2

  1. Melt butter in a large saucepan over medium high heat.
  2. Add onion and garlic and sauté until transluscent.
  3. Add nutmeg, turmeric and flour and stir until well combined.
  4. Add stock, coconut milk, brococli and cauliflower and stir to combine.
  5. Transfer the majority of the veggies and part of the liquid to a food processer and blend until as smooth as you would like it.
  6. Return to the pot and add chicken, bacon and savoury yeast.
  7. Reduce heat to low, cover and cook for about 45 minutes.
  8. Top with fresh chives, some grated cheese and a dollop of sour cream (omit for dairy-free).

Tips:

  • I usually make this with frozen cauliflower (1 500g bag), frozen broccoli (however much I feel like adding), frozen chicken thighs and frozen bone broth
  • Partially defrost the frozen chicken thighs to make dicing easier
  • Add some sweet potato if your macros allow
  • Omit meat for a delicious vegetarian soup
  • Use regular cream instead of coconut cream if you prefer

 

   

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Pork Belly and Baked Potatoes

Pork Belly and Baked Potatoes

by | Jul 8, 2020 | Air Fryer, All Recipes, Mains

Easy, delicious and awesome crackle with minimal mess. The perfect pork belly? Yup. Absolutely!

This was cooked in my Phillips XXL using the rack accessory.

 

Ingredients:

  • Pork belly (one large or multiple smaller pieces) Make sure it’s fairly flat as when the crackle cooks, it puffs up and can touch the top of the air fryer
  • Pink salt
  • Baby potatoes or larger potatoes halved
  • Coconut or olive oil spray

Method:

  1. Remove from fridge 60-90 minutes before cooking.
  2. Pat the pork belly dry using paper towel and then score the skin with a sharp knife.
  3. Sprinkle with salt and allow to sit for 10-20 minutes.
  4. Pat to dry once again (if you have time you can repeat the proccess until almost no moisture remains)
  5. If it is extremely salty you can rinse some of the salt off with hot water
  6. Give it a quick spray with oil
  7. Place the potatoes in the basket, give a quick spray with oil and set the rack on top.
  8. Place the pork belly on the rack.
  9. Cook at 200C for 25 mins, then 180C for the remaining time. This will vary according to the size of your pork.
  10. Let rest for a few minutes before serving.

 

  • General rule – cook for 30 mins per 500g of meat.
  • Veggies should take 20-30 minutes at 190-200 but I don’t worry about this – I put them all in at the same time and somehow it has always worked!
  • Check the pork before removing to make sure is isn’t under cooked in the middle.
  • I like to buy big slabs of pork belly and cut them up into portions

If you don’t have the rack you can rest the pork on top of the potatoes or throw the potatoes in around the pork. Try a few different methods and see what works best!

Fathead Pizza

Fathead Pizza

by | Jul 8, 2020 | Air Fryer, All Recipes, Bread, Mains, Recipes

This is even better than the real thing and we have been loving it for years! Trust me, after you make it a few times, you will ALWAYS want to make sure you have the ingredients on hand – ready for when that ‘Fathead Craving’ takes over! This has always been a staple for our family. 🙂 I have the Philips XXL Air fyer with the Pizza accessory. It’s not cheap, but it’s the best(!) and I highly recommend it if cooking piiza in your air fryer is going to become a regular thing.

Fat Head Pizza Base Serves 2 – 1 Pizza (this is a VERY filling pizza)

 

Ingredients:

  • 1 ½ cups shredded mozzarella
  • ¾ cup almond flour
  • 2 Tbsp. cream cheese, broken up
  • 1 egg
  • Garlic powder and herbs/spices of your choice
  • Baking paper/silicone mat and baking tray
  • Whatever toppings you like

TRADITIONAL METHOD

  1. If using oven, pre heat to 180c.
  2. Figure out what toppings you will have and prepare them first (cook any meats/onions etc. that need cooking).
  3. Put mozzarella & cream cheese in a medium size microwaveable bowl.
  4. Microwave for 1 min, stir and then another 30 sec, stir (very hot!).
  5. Stir in egg & almond flour.
  6. Wet hands and smoosh it into a ‘dough’
  7. Spread it fairly thin on baking paper. It should spread evenly with dough-like consistency (if “stringy” then your cheese has hardened too much—just put it back in the microwave for maybe another 20 seconds). I usually put another piece of baking paper on top and squash it through the paper.
  8. Poke holes into the base to stop those huge bubbles rising (you’ll soon know what I mean!).
  9. Sprinkle with garlic powder.
  10. Put in 180c degree oven or cook in air fryer or in weber/bbq.
  11. After about 7 minutes, check it and poke holes where any of those big bubbles may be. If using air fryer, cook base for 6 minutes, remove from the air fryer, discard the baking paper, and cook the other side for 5 minutes.
  12. Remove from heat and top with whatever topping you have prepared.
  13. Return to the oven/bbq until the cheese is golden and bubbling

 

THERMOMIX

Ingredients

  • 170 grams mozzarella, rough chunks
  • 50 g cream cheese
  • 1 egg
  • 80 g Almond Flour
  • 2 pinches salt
  • 1/2 tsp garlic powder and herbs/spices of your choice
  • Baking paper/silicone mat and baking tray
  • Whatever toppings you like

Method

  1. If using oven, pre heat to 180c.
  2. Figure out what toppings you will have and prepare them first (cook any meats/onions etc. that need cooking).
  3. Chop mozzarella and cream cheese 10secs/speed 6/mc on, scrape down
  4. Cook 80degrees/3mins/speed 2/mc on
  5. Mix 10secs/speed 4, scrape down
  6. Add egg and almond meal and garlic plus any other herbs etc
  7. Mix 20secs/speed 3/mc on
  8. Remove from thermomix with wet hands and smoosh it into a ‘dough’
  9. Spread it fairly thin on baking paper. It should spread evenly with dough-like consistency (if “stringy” then your cheese has hardened too much—just put it in the microwave for 20 seconds or so). I usually put another piece of baking paper on top and squash it through the paper. 
  10. Poke holes into the base to stop those huge bubbles rising (you’ll soon know what I mean!).
  11. Sprinkle with garlic powder.
  12. Put in 180c degree oven or cook in air fryer/weber/bbq.
  13. After about 7 minutes, check it and poke holes where any of those big bubbles may be. If using air fryer, cook base for 6 minutes, remove from the air fryer, discard the baking paper, and cook the other side for 5 minutes. 
  14. Remove from heat and top with whatever topping you have prepared.
  15. Return to the oven/bbq/air fryer until the cheese is golden and bubbling

 

Keep in mind that the toppings only cook long enough for the cheese to melt. Therefore, any meat you add needs to be fully cooked. Before you begin making your crust, cook the bacon/mushrooms/onion/. Remember, it’s a PIZZA… so be creative!

 

A good old cheese pizza. The kids favourite! (along with Hawaiian of course)

It also travels well and tastes great cold. It was our lunch while we were out exploring the Kroombit National Park 🙂