Avocado & Four Bean Pasta Salad

It is finally, finally warming up here in Melbourne, after what feels like the longest winter EVER, so it's time to bust out some new Spring recipes!

I found this pasta salad recipe on one of my favourite websites Taste.com.au and thought it sounded interesting, so gave it a try. It was good, but not great, if you know what I mean.... I think it could have been improved with the addition of some crumbled feta cheese... just something to give it a kick. So next time I'll definitely be adding that! Otherwise this was a very light and fresh salad, perfect for a picnic or a warm evening when you don't feel much like cooking.



150g wholemeal pasta (recipe called for spirals, but I used penne)

1 medium avocado, cut into chunks

1 medium red capsicum, diced (recipe called for tomato, I didn't have any)

1/2 red onion, finely diced (not in the recipe, but I like it)

400g can of four bean mix

50g baby spinanch

Balsamic dressing*

Sea salt & cracked pepper

Cook pasta until just tender in a large pot of boiling salted water. Drain and rinse under cold water, then transfer to a serving bowl.

Add the capsicum, avocado, onion, beans and spinach to the cooled pasta then drizzle with balsamic dressing and season with salt and pepper. Toss gently until all ingredients are combined and coated with dressing.

Serves 4.

*To make a balsamic dressing, simply combine one part olive oil with two parts balsamic vinegar in a small jar, add a pinch of salt and pepper and shake well.

Happy Birthday to Me!

I LOVE birthdays... Especially when they're mine. And it just so happens that mine is today! I have been very spoilt so far, with awesome presents, flowers, a pre-work brekky with my superstar husband and then lunch with my lovely work colleagues.

Check out the amazing calabrese pizza I devoured at The Mint at lunch! SO good.... What a great day!

(Happy birthday Peet! Love Peet. x)

Share the PCC love

I received a super sweet email the other day, from a friend of a friend (whom I have never met mind you) letting me know that my humble little blog has a bit of a following going on in my home town of Perth, Western Australia, and that she has been a very busy bee in the kitchen whipping up a selection of Peet Can Cook recipes. Kudos for going straight to the Vietnamese and Middle Eastern banquets Sarah!

I was extremely excited to receive this feedback, and thought it deserved some recognition here. It also got me thinking.... So, if you have made a PCC recipe I'd love to hear about it! Send me an email to peet@peetcancook.com and let me know what you made and your thoughts, and I'll give you a little cameo! Photos will win you extra credit, and a place in my heart.....

Out & About: Mart 130

 
I brunched with Miss C and Miss O last weekend, at a place I have been meaning to try for ages... Mart 130 (107A Canterbury Rd, Middle Park) is conveniently located right on the 96 tram line, and overlooks the lovely Albert Park. What a great place to start your day!

After unexpectedly bumping into the girls on the tram, we all headed in together and claimed a table out the back in the sunshine, with a great view of all the sporty types playing tennis.

Miss C is adamant that the oven-roasted corn fritters ($17.90) will always be the only choice for her, so she opted for them straight away. They arrived stacked up with layers of crunchy bacon, tomato relish and a dollop of sour cream on the side.

Miss O went with the BLAT (bacon, lettuce, avocado & tomato) toastie ($10.90).... 

And I selected Mart Eggs #2 ($17.90), which consisted of 2 poached free range eggs on avocado smothered sourdough, topped with hollandaise and served with a side of super crispy bacon. Very rich, but very worth it.

We enjoyed our breakfasts with creamy coffees, friendly service and a pleasant atmosphere, and I'm sure I don't even need to tell you how good the food was (as if you can't tell) - but it really was absolutely delicious.

I think Miss C might be right though - those corn fritters really are something else, and I know exactly what I'll be ordering next time I visit Mart 130!

Chilli Beef with Fresh Tomato Salsa

To be honest I'm not 100% sold on this recipe, but I think that might be due to the fact that I tried to rush through it on a weeknight, instead of following instructions and allowing it the time to stew slowly over a leisurely couple of hours. Perhaps this is one best reserved for a lazy Sunday afternoon....

That being said, it was still a tasty and hearty dish, even if my beef did come out a little tough. The zingy salsa really livened things up too. I guess you'll just have to try it and see for yourself if you think it's any good!

500g lean blade steak, cut into 2cm pieces
1 brown onion, diced
2 cloves garlic, finely diced
1 medium green capsicum, diced
400g tinned diced tomatoes
400g red kidney beans
2 tsp cumin seeds
2 tsp chilli powder
1/2 cup beef stock
1 tbsp olive oil
3 cups cooked brown rice

Salsa:

1 large tomato, finely diced
1/4 red onion, finely diced
1/3 cup coriander, coarsely chopped

Preheat the oven to 180 degrees, or 160 degrees (fan forced).

In a large casserole dish (that can go on the stove top and in the oven) heat the olive oil over a medium heat and brown the beef in two batches, remove from the pot and set aside. Add a little extra oil if necessary and cook the onion, garlic, capsicum and spices until fragrant and softened. Return the beef, then add the tomatoes and stock and stir to combine.

Cover tightly with a lid and transfer to the oven, then cook for 2 hours or until the beef is tender. Add the kidney beans and return to the oven for a further 20 minutes.

Meanwhile, combine the red onion, coriander and tomato. Serve the chilli beef over brown rice and topped with the fresh salsa.

Serves 4.

BLT's

Sometimes when the weekend hits I really want a good cafe style breakfast, but without having to deal with going to an actual cafe... and it's exactly these types of moments when nothing beats a good homemade BLT!

If you're lucky you'll have all the ingredients on hand, so that not even a walk to the shop is necessary. Then you can stay in your pyjamas :)

1 fresh bread roll
3 rashers bacon
3 slices tomato
Iceberg lettuce
Mayonnaise
Sea salt & pepper

Heat a frypan and cook the bacon until your desired crispiness. Cut the bread roll in half lengthways and layer up the bacon, top with fresh tomato, crisp lettuce leaves, salt, pepper and lots (and I mean lots) of creamy mayonnaise. Delicious!

Serves 1.

Out & About: East Brunswick Club

It was round two of the AFL Grand Final last Saturday, and despite being rather hung over from Friday I was determined to stick to my plans and head to the pub to watch the game. Luckily my friends were feeling just as shady as I was, so we could all grumble about our sore heads together.

We headed out in the sunshine to the East Brunswick Club (280 Lygon St, East Brunswick), and managed to score ourselves a couch with a half decent view of the TV - which was a considerable victory considering the place was absolutely heaving with footy fans! After settling in we ordered up drinks and perused the lunch menu.

Mr B, Kate & I all opted for the steak sandwich ($19), which would not normally be my hangover cure of choice, but it really did sound too good to pass up! And boy was I happy with my selection when it came out.... Everything you could possibly want in a pub meal - a super soft roll loaded up with tender, juicy angus steak, bacon, cheese, beetroot, lettuce, tomato and mustard, along with a generous side of fat chips.

Hil decided to be adventurous and went with the Nacho Style Parma ($20), which was an enormous chicken schnitzel piled up with black bean chilli, corn chips, cheese, jalapenos, sour cream and hot sauce served with fat chips and salad on the side. Probably not something you'd want to eat every day... but it certainly did the trick for Hil who promptly finished it off!

We all left feeling a little bit too full, but I think it's safe to say that I will definitely be returning the the EBC. The steak sandwich was by far one of the best pub meals I've eaten in a long time and the bar was relaxed and spacious with a nice outdoor area out back. Seems like a good place for a sunny weekend afternoon beer to me...

Oh, and I have to apologise for the sub-standard photos, I'm blaming the hangover!