Chicken, Bacon and Leek Casserole

This meal is not pretty. At all. It is, however, delicious. Sometimes I want pure comfort food but I don't want to feel bloated and guilty afterwards.  This meal hits that spot.  And  more.  Plus it has stupidly high amounts of protein. I can't emphasise enough how much you need to cook this meal. It tastes so so naughty but is so so nice.

Curried Sausages: Traditional Australian Dinner

Ask any Australian of my generation what their Mum used to make them growing up, and a lot of them will include curried sausages with Keen's curry powder in their list.  It is a nostalgic Australian classic.  Every family has their own recipe, and the official Keen's recipe is here.  Mine differs from Keen's because I use stock and no cream, no peas (yuck) and include more veggies.  It is beautiful.

To be honest - unlike half of Australians, I stumbled upon this traditional recipe as an adult.  My Mum did her best to get me interested in food as a child, but (and this may sound odd given my diverse and expansive taste now) I didn't really like food growing up.  My poor Mum had very few meals she could tempt me with, and I was routinely sitting at the table for who knows how long (it felt like forever as a child but was probably not that long) after everyone else finished, pushing my partially eaten cold food around my plate disinterestedly, waiting for permission to leave the table.  Peas were the worst. The WORST.  I will occasionally eat peas now but only if it is in something really worthwhile.  My own favourite food memories of childhood were Spaghetti Bolognese, cheerios and baked beans (a real treat meal combo), and something Mum called a "picnic" which was a sliced apple, a slice of cheese, a boiled egg, ham and something else (fuzzy memory of Sunday nights).  Mum tried all sorts of other meals but I didn't eat much.  Poor thing had a terrible time making me eat.

But all that has changed now - perhaps too much!  Now I love pretty much everything, barring a few specific items.  Despite not having grown up with this beautiful dish myself, I adore it as an adult as ultimate comfort food.  Who could not? You know it is Australian - because after we finished I found myself saying to the Dragon - "It was bloody good wasn't it?"

Herbed Chicken and Vegetables with Quinoa

Since moving in together, the Dragon and I have both developed a case of the Contentment Spread. Our bellies have both grown and we have a little more under our chins than was there a little while ago.  I don't believe in dieting per se because it simply doesn't work long term.  We are just starting to watch the health value of what we eat a bit better than we have done recently and making sure to go on on active dates more often like bike rides and bush walks.  We may even give rock climbing a go.

We will still have balance and eat pasta and ice cream because I believe in balance. And not everything I post is going to be "health food". But here is a tasty and simple chicken meal which will serve 4-5 which is in line with my goals.

Miropoix is the basis of a wide variety of beautiful Italian and French dishes.  It is a classic trio of onions, carrots and celery slowly cooked down to make the basis of just about anything.  This meal is based on a miropoix with leek instead of onion, along with some simple ingredients and herbs.  It is surprisingly yum.