This morning I had a case of “Mother Hubbard” going to an (almost) bare cupboard. You see my stock of fresh food in the fridge and shelf stable pantry essentials was looking a little bleak. That’s what happens just prior to a BIG food shop being done. I like to pull on my creative cap and come up with recipes that make the most of what I have available before re-stocking with bags of good quality groceries from my favourite suppliers. 

However there were a few scant items that I decided to incorporate into a dinner and a baked treats for afternoon tea. Kumera, buttermilk, beef chuck, zucchini and chicken stock are just some of the ingredients that I turned into two delicious dishes. The first is a fragrant Asian food flavour inspired Ginger, Coriander Beef with Lemon Rice. This conveniently finished simmering in the oven before I left home to collect my girls from swimming training. 
I also enjoyed a spot of baking bliss and came up with these velvety soft Buttermilk Coconut Muffins – half with studded with plump raspberries and half with moist apples. 

First for the muffins…

Buttermilk Coconut Muffins makes 18 large muffins

Ingredients
100 ml light olive oil (I use the Cobram Estate brand because it has a subtle flavour)
3 eggs
250 ml buttermilk
1 teaspoon vanilla
3/4 cup desiccated coconut
3/4 cup caster sugar
2 cups self raising flour
1 cup frozen or fresh raspberries (I had half a box of the frozen variety left in the freezer which I used)
1 large apple grated (use whatever solitary apple is left in the fruit bowl)

Preheat the oven to 180 degrees fan forced. Line your muffin tin with muffin papers. 

Put all of the WET ingredients in a mixing bowl and stir until smooth. 

Add all of the DRY ingredients and stir until just combined. 

Scoop half of the mixture into a separate bowl and add the raspberries to one batch of batter and the apple to the other. 

Gentle fold the respective fruit through each mixture. 

Place tablespoonfuls into each muffin case. 

Bake for about 20 minutes until the top of the muffins spring back at the touch of your hand and the tops have turned a light golden colour. 

Dinner Time…

Ginger, Coriander Beef with Lemon Rice to serve 8 people

Ingredients
Olive oil
50 g unsalted butter
2 cloves garlic crushed
1 Spanish onion finely diced
2 medium zucchini finely diced
1 medium – large kumera (sweet potato)
2 teaspoons sea salt
1/2 teaspoon ground ginger
1/2 teaspoon ground coriander seed
1/3 cup chopped fresh coriander leaves
2 tablespoons runny honey
2 kg beef chuck diced into 3-4 cm cubes
300 ml chicken stock

Preheat the oven to 170 degrees on a conventional setting. 

Over a low heat, melt the olive oil and butter in a heavy based oven proof pot. Add all the vegetables, sea salt and spices, including the fresh coriander and sauté for 10 minutes. Stir to prevent the spices from burning. 

Add the beef to the pot – no need to remove the veggies, this is a super quick dish to prepare. Increase the heat to medium-high and sear the meat, stirring to prevent it from sticking. 

Add the chicken stock, brig to the boil then clamp on the lid and place in the oven for 2.5 hours. 

When ready, serve with Lemon Rice. This is made by steaming 5 cups of long grain rice and then stirring through 40 grams of unsalted butter and the freshly squeezed juice of a lemon. I added finely chopped flat leaf parsley because this is wonderful for settling small tummies, but it is optional. Fluff up the rice with a fork before serving.