The Aussie Who Ate The Big Apple

[HomeCookin’] Slow cooked pulled pork naan pizza w/ caramelized onion, mozzarella & a sriracha tzatiki - holy hell this is GOOD!

This is super simple to make and literally used the pulled pork from Monday night!

Brush two store bought naan breads with olive oil and sprinkle some crushed fresh garlic on top.
Lay on a foil lined tray and place in a 350F oven for 10 mins.

While the naan is heating up, saute a sliced onion in a fry pan until it starts to caramelize. Set aside.

Heat up enough pulled pork to cover your pizza. Add a little chicken stock, Sriracha, salt, pepper and a sprinkle of paprika.

On top of the warmed naan bread, cover with slices of fresh mozzarella and a little grated cheese of your choice.
Put these back in the oven, until the cheese melts.

Cover the melted cheese with pulled pork, caramelized onions, chopped scallions and cilantro… and a little more shredded cheese. 

Put the pizza back in the oven for approx 5 mins.

Make a quick tzaztiki with chopped cucumber, greek yogurt, lime juice and a little Sriracha.

Garnish the hot pizza with remaining chopped scallion, cilantro, fresh chopped tomato and a little Tzatiki!

ENJOY.

HomeCookin: Greek style shrimp salad with garlic mint vinaigrette.

*Marinate peeled shrimp with 1 clove crushed garlic, 2 tbsp olive oil, 1 teaspoon red pepper flakes and 1/2 teaspoon dried thyme. Chop 1/4 cup fresh mint and stir through. Season with salt & pepper.

*Chop: In a big bowl, add 1 head chopped romaine, 2 chopped Roma Tomatoes, 2 small chopped cucumbers, 1/2 large red pepper chopped, 1/2 cup halved Kalamata olives, 1/2 cup chopped Feta Cheese.
Toss through some chopped mint, cilantro and green onions.

*Dressing: In a small bowl, add the juice of one lime. Add 1/4 cup Olive Oil and whisk together. Finely dice/smash a clove of garlic and whisk through. Add a handful of chopped mint and stir.

*Saute the shrimp in a hot frypan until pink.

Add salad to plates, then add shrimp on top. Season with salt and pepper and then drizzle the dressing over the salad and shrimp!

ENJOY.

HomeCookin: Laksa night is a GREAT night in our house.
Here is my vegetarian red curry laksa with corn, shitake, bok choy and chili.

RECIPE:

In a pot, saute two cloves of garlic, 1 tablespoon chopped red long chili and about 1/4 cup of scallions. Add a half of a chopped onion and about 1 cup chopped shitake mushrooms.
Saute until soft.
Add 2 heaped tablespoons of red curry paste and let the heat warm the paste. Stir through and coat the veggies.
Add one can of coconut milk, stir through. Add 1 cup veggie stock or fish stock if you like.
Simmer for 10 mins.

*Make some rice noodles or mai fun noodles to package directions. Strain and set in cold water.

To the broth add a can of baby corn (halved lengthwise) and a cup of roughly chopped bok choy.
Add 1 tablespoon brown sugar, juice of 1 lime, 1-2 tablespoons of fish sauce and 1-2 tablespoons of Sriracha.

When the bok choy is wilted, ladle the Laksa broth over a bowl of noodles.

Garnish with fresh cilantro, scallions, lime and chopped red chillies.

Enjoy!!

HomeCookin: $10 - 2 bean vegetarian chili with oven roasted tortillas
In order to save some money for my birthday vacation I have decided to be more conscious about making inexpensive meals at home.
Last night, I knew we had some sour cream, a can of kidney beans and a few yellow corn tortillas in the fridge.
So I set out to buy the remaining ingredients and keep it as budget friendly as possible.

I went to the store and picked up:
A bunch of scallions
1 green pepper
1 jalapeno
1 garlic bulb
1 can black beans
1 large can of Italian tomatoes
1 zucchini
1 carrot

The total was $5.81. Yup. Pretty good right. I figured tallying in the leftover ingredients at home it would be safe to say this meal cost $10.
There were a few pantry ingredients and spices I used from home - you can add what you have.

Saute 2 garlic cloves and the diced carrot in a pot until soft. Add a teaspoon of red pepper flakes and a pinch of thyme. Ad half a chopped jalapeno.
Add the diced green pepper, 2 chopped scallions and diced zucchini. Saute until soft.
Add salt and pepper.
Drain and strain the black & kidney beans. Add to pot and stir through.
Add 1 tablespoon of tomato paste (if you don’t have, leave out) then the can of tomatoes. Stir through.
Add 1 table spoon of hot sauce and a sprinkle of a mixed herb/spice rub. (this is where you use what you have in the kitchen)
I added a bullion cube and a little stock to thin out the chunky tomatoes.
I also added a small squeeze of Vegemite!
Simmer for 20 mins. Season with salt and pepper/hot sauce to taste.

I brushed a couple of the corn tortillas with olive oil and baked under the broiler, turning every minute or so.

Serve with sour cream, chopped scallions and the crispy tortillas.

Delicious and cheap!