It has been ages since I posted a recipe and this one is just great.. I found it at the Dentist while my son was getting his teeth cleaned and polished. I was flipping through the mags and just chilling. (Thank goodness it wasn't me getting the dental work) I tried taking a photo of the recipe with my very basic mobile phone, which didn't turn out very well, so some of this maybe from memory.. I have already made this a couple of days ago, so I do know it tastes good, actually great and it's low fat!!! Yes!! Another great fact is that my kids loved it, even my fussy daughter, so it was a bit of a hit.
2 Skinless Chicken Breasts
1/4 cup Tandoori paste (Sharwoods)
1 cup natural yogurt, Greek style
Topping
1 cup coriander leaves
1cup mint leaves
Juice of one lemon or lime
1-2 Tablespoons maple syrup
3/4 cup shredded coconut
1 small green chilli (optional)
Combine the Tandoori paste and natural yogurt and place the chicken breasts into the mixture to cover well.
Place the chicken under a grill or barbeque or place in the oven to cook through. The cooking process should only take about 10-15 minutes or until the flesh is white.
If you have a food processor you can blitz all the topping ingredients together. You can add more maple syrup if you want it a bit sweeter but the coconut does a pretty good job.
Cut the chicken into slices and place the topping over the chicken. The original recipe had green beans with the meal, but I think a green salad would suffice.
This is a great dish when you want to have something with a bit of spice, but without the huge hit of fat that usually goes with a great curry..
Enjoy!
Thursday, March 29, 2012
Tuesday, December 6, 2011
Christmas
It has been so long since I wrote on my blog, I know very slack. It is almost Christmas and I think the last time I blogged was July,eek! The year has gone nowhere and now the kids are counting down the days and opening up their Advent Calendars. I have seen so many gorgeous recipes lately, but one stands out as a simple and delicious morsel that I had to just give it away. This sweet little slice comes from an old family friend and with a little Christmas tweaking it's perfect for this time of year.
Peppermint and Cranberry Bubble Slice
200g Block Peppermint chocolate, chopped
180g Block Dark chocolate, chopped
50g Copha
5 Cups Rice bubbles
3 x 35g Peppermint Crisp chocolate bars, roughly chopped
85-100g dried cranberries
1. Grease a 3cm deep, 18x28cm slice pan. Line base and sides with baking paper.
2. Place peppermint chocolate, dark chocolate and copha in a saucepan over medium heat. Cook, stirring for 3-4 minutes or until melted and smooth.
3. Place rice bubbles,cranberries and peppermint crisp in a large heatproof bowl. Add chocolate mixture. Stir to combine. Spoon mixture into prepared pan, pressing down with the back of a spoon to level. Cover. Refrigerate for 2 hours or until set.
4. Cut into squares, serve.
It is easier to cut this into nice little squares if you get it out of the fridge after the two hours, or they easily cut into diamonds after being well set.
Christmas is a great time to get together with family and friends, and this little number is easy to create and take along to any Chrissy function.
Enjoy!
Peppermint and Cranberry Bubble Slice
200g Block Peppermint chocolate, chopped
180g Block Dark chocolate, chopped
50g Copha
5 Cups Rice bubbles
3 x 35g Peppermint Crisp chocolate bars, roughly chopped
85-100g dried cranberries
1. Grease a 3cm deep, 18x28cm slice pan. Line base and sides with baking paper.
2. Place peppermint chocolate, dark chocolate and copha in a saucepan over medium heat. Cook, stirring for 3-4 minutes or until melted and smooth.
3. Place rice bubbles,cranberries and peppermint crisp in a large heatproof bowl. Add chocolate mixture. Stir to combine. Spoon mixture into prepared pan, pressing down with the back of a spoon to level. Cover. Refrigerate for 2 hours or until set.
4. Cut into squares, serve.
It is easier to cut this into nice little squares if you get it out of the fridge after the two hours, or they easily cut into diamonds after being well set.
Christmas is a great time to get together with family and friends, and this little number is easy to create and take along to any Chrissy function.
Enjoy!
Sunday, July 31, 2011
Lemon Blueberry Muffins
I know, another recipe so soon, what is wrong with me. It's called having sick kids and having to stay at home. I am totally avoiding the huge pile of ironing that is calling me and the sound of the ringing washing machine that is telling me that the washing is ready to hang out. It is so much more fun cooking and listening to the radio and winning movie tickets. Yes my 7 year old thinks I am gold at the moment. I am not a real muffin fan, but these are well, yummy and almost a little bit healthier than the average muffin. They are sort of healthier, but I wouldn't get too carried away with eating more that one, even though you might want to. I picked this recipe up at the back of a book that I finished reading last week. The main character in the story kept making these for breakfast, so I guess the Author thought it only right to give the reader something to do once the book is finished and to satisfy the palate.
Makes 12 regular-sized muffins.
125g cream cheese
1 teaspoon lemon juice
Zest of 1/2 lemon
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
2 cups plain flour
3/4 cup caster sugar
1 1/2 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp baking soda
2 eggs
1/cup milk
1/4 cup canola oil
1 cup fresh blueberries
Preheat oven to 180. Line a muffin tray with muffin cases.
In blender,(I used my hand-held) mix cream cheese, lemon juice, lemon zest and vanilla till smooth. In seperate bowl, combine flour, sugar, baking powder and baking soda. Slowly add the dry ingredients to the cream cheese mix in the blender. (The mix goes very dry, but don't worry) Add eggs, milk and canola oil. With a spoon, fold in blueberries. Fill muffin cups. Bake for 30 - 35 minutes.
NB: I used olive oil instead of the canola as it was all I had at the time. The muffins turned out really good, with a crisp outer edge and soft on the inside. The recipe said to cook them for 35, but mine were ready at about 30 minutes, but it can depend on your oven.
I also made a cream cheese frosting. I used the left over cream cheese tub about 125g, added about 2 tablespoons of icing sugar, one tablespoon of sour cream and a lovely squeeze of lemon to your liking. Blend all together with a mixer and ice when cooled. Another tip that I can give you is to make sure your eggs are at room temp and the milk, it just gives the muffins a softer finish.
These are really easy to make for a morning tea, or just to indulge because you can!
Enjoy!
Makes 12 regular-sized muffins.
125g cream cheese
1 teaspoon lemon juice
Zest of 1/2 lemon
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
2 cups plain flour
3/4 cup caster sugar
1 1/2 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp baking soda
2 eggs
1/cup milk
1/4 cup canola oil
1 cup fresh blueberries
Preheat oven to 180. Line a muffin tray with muffin cases.
In blender,(I used my hand-held) mix cream cheese, lemon juice, lemon zest and vanilla till smooth. In seperate bowl, combine flour, sugar, baking powder and baking soda. Slowly add the dry ingredients to the cream cheese mix in the blender. (The mix goes very dry, but don't worry) Add eggs, milk and canola oil. With a spoon, fold in blueberries. Fill muffin cups. Bake for 30 - 35 minutes.
NB: I used olive oil instead of the canola as it was all I had at the time. The muffins turned out really good, with a crisp outer edge and soft on the inside. The recipe said to cook them for 35, but mine were ready at about 30 minutes, but it can depend on your oven.
I also made a cream cheese frosting. I used the left over cream cheese tub about 125g, added about 2 tablespoons of icing sugar, one tablespoon of sour cream and a lovely squeeze of lemon to your liking. Blend all together with a mixer and ice when cooled. Another tip that I can give you is to make sure your eggs are at room temp and the milk, it just gives the muffins a softer finish.
These are really easy to make for a morning tea, or just to indulge because you can!
Enjoy!
Saturday, July 30, 2011
Chick-peas and Eggplant in Minted Cream
This curry is adapted from the recipe book Classic Curries, by Lisa Dyer. This has to be one of my favourite recipe books and one of my favourite vegetarian curries in this book, besides the Pumpkin Korma which I may add at a later date. I know it has been forever since I posted on my blog, but life just catches up with you and it's hard sometimes to just sit down and write. I think when you have sick kids, the world just stops and it takes a little while to catch up. Winter time denotes a yummy curry that you can soak up with some garlic naan if it suits. My kids love this one, even with the eggplant which isn't always kid-friendly. I think the eggplant soaks up the flavour of the curry and nicely disguises the sometimes bitter taste of this vegetable.
Serves 4
4-6 finger eggplants
2 medium size zucchini
6 Tbsp oil or ghee
1 large onion, peeled, quarted and sliced
2 garlic cloves, peeled and crushed
1-2 fresh chillies, deseeded and chopped, or use 2 tsp minced chilli from a jar
2 tsp ground coriander
2 tsp cumin seeds
1 tsp ground turmeric
1 tsp ground garam masala
425g tin chopped tomatoes
300mls vegetable stock or water
salt and pepper
425g can chick-peas, drained and rinsed
2 tbsp chopped fresh mint
150ml double cream
Plain or pilau rice, or parathas, to serve
Trim the leaf off the eggplant and slice. Trim and slice the zucchini. Heat the oil or ghee in a saucepan and gently fry the eggplant, zucchini, onion, garlic and chillies for about 5 minutes, stirring frequently and adding a little more oil to the pan, if necessary. Stir in the spices and cook for 30 seconds. Add the tomatoes, stock or water and salt and pepper to taste and cook for 10 minutes. Add the chick-peas to the pan and continue cooking for a further 5 minutes. Stir in the mint and cream and reheat gently. Tast and adjust the seasoning, if necessary. Serve with plain or pilau rice, or with parathas if preferred.
NB You can easily omit the chillies if you would rather a milder curry. I just added one small green one, deseeded in the latest curry and it was just the right amount of heat for the kids.
Enjoy
Serves 4
4-6 finger eggplants
2 medium size zucchini
6 Tbsp oil or ghee
1 large onion, peeled, quarted and sliced
2 garlic cloves, peeled and crushed
1-2 fresh chillies, deseeded and chopped, or use 2 tsp minced chilli from a jar
2 tsp ground coriander
2 tsp cumin seeds
1 tsp ground turmeric
1 tsp ground garam masala
425g tin chopped tomatoes
300mls vegetable stock or water
salt and pepper
425g can chick-peas, drained and rinsed
2 tbsp chopped fresh mint
150ml double cream
Plain or pilau rice, or parathas, to serve
Trim the leaf off the eggplant and slice. Trim and slice the zucchini. Heat the oil or ghee in a saucepan and gently fry the eggplant, zucchini, onion, garlic and chillies for about 5 minutes, stirring frequently and adding a little more oil to the pan, if necessary. Stir in the spices and cook for 30 seconds. Add the tomatoes, stock or water and salt and pepper to taste and cook for 10 minutes. Add the chick-peas to the pan and continue cooking for a further 5 minutes. Stir in the mint and cream and reheat gently. Tast and adjust the seasoning, if necessary. Serve with plain or pilau rice, or with parathas if preferred.
NB You can easily omit the chillies if you would rather a milder curry. I just added one small green one, deseeded in the latest curry and it was just the right amount of heat for the kids.
Enjoy
Sunday, June 26, 2011
Vanilla Slice
Oh my goodnesss this has to be the easiest and most delicious vanilla slice that I have ever made. I think it's always great to eat a homemade vanilla slice, with that little bit of love and care that has gone into it. You are the one that gets to lick out the bowl at the end, which has to be the best reward for home cooking. Our church had an international food fair this weekend, where you could sample food from a wide variety of different cultures that makes up our church community. On the 'Serbian' stall was one homemade vanilla slice that even surpasses this particular recipe, it was a combonation of custard and cream with, yes, homemade pastry which just made it fantastic. The lovely creator of this vanilla slice was not forth coming with the recipe, so here is what I think is the next best vanilla slice that I have tasted.
This recipe is adapted from the Family Circle Recipe Encyclopedia.
Passionfruit Vanilla Slice
Preparation time: 35 mins
Total cooking time: 20-25 mins
Makes 12 generous squares.
2 Sheets ready-rolled puff pastry
Custard
1/2 cup custard powder
1/2 cup caster sugar
2 cups cream
3 cups milk
1 tsp vanilla extract
Icing
1/4 cup passionfruit pulp
25g unsalted butter
1 1/2 cups icing sugar
Preheat oven to moderately hot 210c. Line two oven trays with baking paper. Place pastry sheets on prepared trays and prick all over with a fork. Bake for 10-15 minutes or unitl golden and crisp. Cool on wire racks.
To make custard, blend the custard powder, sugar and cream in heavy-based pan. Gradually add milk; stir over medium heat until custard boils and thickens. Remove from heat, stir in vanilla extract. Cover surface of custard with plastic wrap to prevent skin from forming. Cool completely.
Spread one sheet of pastry evenly with custard. Top with remaining pastry sheet, upside down.
To make icing, combine pulp, butter and icing sugar in heatproof bowl. Stand bowl over pan of simmering water, stir until icing is smooth and glossy; remove from heat. Spread evenly over pastry sheet with a flat-bladed knife. Refrigerate for several hours or until pastry softens slightly. Cut into squares with a serrated knife.
A couple of tricks when making this slice is to use a deep square cake tin to place the cooked pastry sheet in and then put your custard on top and so forth. This just keeps everything together and makes it easy to cut later. You can also line your tin with plastic wrap to gently lift the slice out when it is set. Enjoy, but don't make too often or your waist line won't thank you!!!
This recipe is adapted from the Family Circle Recipe Encyclopedia.
Passionfruit Vanilla Slice
Preparation time: 35 mins
Total cooking time: 20-25 mins
Makes 12 generous squares.
2 Sheets ready-rolled puff pastry
Custard
1/2 cup custard powder
1/2 cup caster sugar
2 cups cream
3 cups milk
1 tsp vanilla extract
Icing
1/4 cup passionfruit pulp
25g unsalted butter
1 1/2 cups icing sugar
Preheat oven to moderately hot 210c. Line two oven trays with baking paper. Place pastry sheets on prepared trays and prick all over with a fork. Bake for 10-15 minutes or unitl golden and crisp. Cool on wire racks.
To make custard, blend the custard powder, sugar and cream in heavy-based pan. Gradually add milk; stir over medium heat until custard boils and thickens. Remove from heat, stir in vanilla extract. Cover surface of custard with plastic wrap to prevent skin from forming. Cool completely.
Spread one sheet of pastry evenly with custard. Top with remaining pastry sheet, upside down.
To make icing, combine pulp, butter and icing sugar in heatproof bowl. Stand bowl over pan of simmering water, stir until icing is smooth and glossy; remove from heat. Spread evenly over pastry sheet with a flat-bladed knife. Refrigerate for several hours or until pastry softens slightly. Cut into squares with a serrated knife.
A couple of tricks when making this slice is to use a deep square cake tin to place the cooked pastry sheet in and then put your custard on top and so forth. This just keeps everything together and makes it easy to cut later. You can also line your tin with plastic wrap to gently lift the slice out when it is set. Enjoy, but don't make too often or your waist line won't thank you!!!
Wednesday, June 8, 2011
Cashew Butter Chicken
This has to be the easiest chicken curry recipe ever. It is so straight forward to cook and is very tasty. I first recieved this recipe from a dear friend who could give any great cook a run for their money.. I have tweaked the recipe to suit my palate which is hot and spicy, but it can be altered according to your own taste buds. This is my seven year old's favourite meal, which he gets every now and then due to the high fat content, but what's a chicken curry if it's not creamy and decadent.
3-4 medium chicken breasts, skin off, cut into 3cm pieces
2 medium onions, diced
80-100g ghee or butter
2-3 cloves garlic, crushed
2-3 tablespoons tandoori paste (sharwoods brand)
1 large tablespoon ground coriander
3/4 tsp ground nutmeg
1 cup roasted and ground cashews
500-600mls cream
3 tablespoons coconut cream
Heat a heavy based saucepan on medium heat and add the ghee or butter. Add the onions and garlic and cook until soft and starting to brown. Add the tandoori paste, coriander and nutmeg and cook until fragrant. Place the chicken in the onion mixture and cook for 2-3 minutes, stirring. Add the cream, cashews and coconut cream to the chicken and bring to the boil. Turn the mixture down to low and cover. Stir frequently to avoid the mixture sticking and burning and cook for 35-40 minutes. Serve with some steamed jasmine rice or a pilau rice.
This would also be great with the paneer cheese for a vegetarian option if you so desire.
Have fun!
3-4 medium chicken breasts, skin off, cut into 3cm pieces
2 medium onions, diced
80-100g ghee or butter
2-3 cloves garlic, crushed
2-3 tablespoons tandoori paste (sharwoods brand)
1 large tablespoon ground coriander
3/4 tsp ground nutmeg
1 cup roasted and ground cashews
500-600mls cream
3 tablespoons coconut cream
Heat a heavy based saucepan on medium heat and add the ghee or butter. Add the onions and garlic and cook until soft and starting to brown. Add the tandoori paste, coriander and nutmeg and cook until fragrant. Place the chicken in the onion mixture and cook for 2-3 minutes, stirring. Add the cream, cashews and coconut cream to the chicken and bring to the boil. Turn the mixture down to low and cover. Stir frequently to avoid the mixture sticking and burning and cook for 35-40 minutes. Serve with some steamed jasmine rice or a pilau rice.
This would also be great with the paneer cheese for a vegetarian option if you so desire.
Have fun!
Wednesday, May 11, 2011
Herbed Risottto
With the weather cooling down it's so nice to have some warm comfort food and this recipe fits the bill entirely.. This is taken from a recipe book that a work friend gave hubby and I for an engagement present. It's by far the yummiest risotto that I have tasted and it's so easy to make. What really gives this risotto a big tick is the fresh tomato that goes in at the end. Along with the fresh herbs and of course parmesan cheese and cream that makes it a real winner. The rosemary and basil that is used in this dish gives it a distinct flavour and it makes you want more and more ( and you know you shouldn't). I have tweaked the recipe slightly to suit my own taste buds, so enjoy!!
2 Tbsp unsalted butter
1 onion diced
190g Aborio rice
700ml hot chicken or vegie stock (I use the Massel stock cubes, but you could just as easily buy the liquid stock)
salt and pepper to taste
500g mushrooms, sliced
1 tbsp olive oil
2 large tomatoes, skinned and diced
100ml double cream
1.5 tbsp parmesan cheese or romano cheese
2 Tbsp fresh basil finely chopped
1 Tbsp fresh rosemary finely chopped
Melt the butter in a large saucepan and saute the onion until tender. Add the rice, stir to coat. Cook for 1 minute, stirring constantly. Add the chicken stock, salt and pepper. Cook,(on lowest heat setting) covered until the rice is tender on the outside and chewy inside.(about 15-20 mins) While the rice is cooking, saute the mushrooms in olive oil. When the rice is done, fold in the mushrooms, tomato, cream, basil, rosemary and cheese.
What makes this risotto so great, is that you don't have to stand over the pan stirring it. You pop the lid on and prepare the rest of the ingredients and it actually only takes about 35 minutes from start to eating. Enjoy with some crusty garlic bread of your liking.
2 Tbsp unsalted butter
1 onion diced
190g Aborio rice
700ml hot chicken or vegie stock (I use the Massel stock cubes, but you could just as easily buy the liquid stock)
salt and pepper to taste
500g mushrooms, sliced
1 tbsp olive oil
2 large tomatoes, skinned and diced
100ml double cream
1.5 tbsp parmesan cheese or romano cheese
2 Tbsp fresh basil finely chopped
1 Tbsp fresh rosemary finely chopped
Melt the butter in a large saucepan and saute the onion until tender. Add the rice, stir to coat. Cook for 1 minute, stirring constantly. Add the chicken stock, salt and pepper. Cook,(on lowest heat setting) covered until the rice is tender on the outside and chewy inside.(about 15-20 mins) While the rice is cooking, saute the mushrooms in olive oil. When the rice is done, fold in the mushrooms, tomato, cream, basil, rosemary and cheese.
What makes this risotto so great, is that you don't have to stand over the pan stirring it. You pop the lid on and prepare the rest of the ingredients and it actually only takes about 35 minutes from start to eating. Enjoy with some crusty garlic bread of your liking.
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