Monday 9 July 2012

Mandarin cake

This is so lovely, simple and tasty. Lots of different topping options to mix it up too.

6 medium mandarins peeled
250 grams of almond meal ( I always make my own in the food processor, too expensive to buy)
100 grams of sugar
3 eggs
1 tea spoon of baking powder
1/4 cup of desiccated coconut
Water

Put mandarins is a small pot and just cover with water. Simmer until cooked down should only be 1/4 cup of liquid left. Set aside to cool. Preheat oven to 170 degrees. Grease a loaf tin and dust with coconut. Add almond meal, sugar, remaining coconut eggs, baking powder and mandarins in food processor. Process until smooth. Bake until firm 30-40 minutes.

Top with a dusting of icing sugar, cream cheese icing or make a sugar syrup with a splash of contreau.

Home made falafel

Falafel are easy and delishes made fresh. I like to add peas, my little ones favorite vegetable plus they are full of vitamin C and iron. Vitamin C helps you absorb the iron, making it a great combination.

1/2 a large onion
2 cloves of garlic
2 cups of chickpeas drained
1 cup of peas (I use frozen and remove as much liquid as possible)
1 dessert spoon of tumeric
1 dessert spoon of cumin
Olive oil for sauteing

Chop garlic and onion saute for 3 minutes with spices. Add chickpeas and peas and cook to remove any excess moisture. Process into paste. Heat frying pan with some oil. Fry spoonfulls until golden then flip and repeat. Serve with yoghurt or a spicy tomato sauce.


Sunday 8 July 2012

Spanish baked eggs

Quick, easy and tasty for breakfast, lunch or dinner. So this is my version, I am sure you could find 50 more. It is very similar to the home made baked beans with a few extras.

Serves 2
Olive oil for sauteing
4 ruby Lou potatoes peeled and cubed
1 large clove of garlic
1medium onion
1 tin of diced tomatoes
1 tin of butter beans
1 tin of canellini beans
1/2 green capsicum
1 dessert spoon of smoked paprika
2 eggs
Optional Halomi

Saute potato for 5 minutes. Chop garlic and onion add and saute until transparent then add capsicum and paprika and saute a further 3 minutes. Add tomatoes and beans, heat through. I then spoon this into 2 large ramekins (they hold around 2 cups) top with the egg and pop in the oven until egg is cooked to your preference. I also like to fry up some cubes of halomi while it is cooking and top mine with crispy cheese squares and tabasco but not on the little ones.

Friday 6 July 2012

Making friends with salad

This is one of my favourites. It has an asian dressing and is all raw I can eat it for breakfast lunch and dinner.

Salad
1/4 savoy cabbage chopped or shredded
1/2 carrot (I like to use a mandolin for  the carrot and beetroot and create match sticks)
1/4 beetroot
1 tablespoon of pepitas
1 tablespoon of sunflower seeds
1cm of ginger finely shredded
10cm of spring onion sliced

Dressing
1/4 cup of white vinegar
1/4 cup of raw sugar (dissolve in vinegar)
 1 tblsp of tamari sauce
2 tsp of sesame oil
1/2 cup of mild olive oil
1/2 teaspoon of xanthan gum (optional)

Mix salad together sprinkle with seeds. Mix dressing up and drizzle over salad. Xanthan gum is often used in gluten free baking but is also great as a thickener in dressings.


Fried Rice

Simple I know but you can pretty much make it with any leftovers out of the fridge. My little one loves it and lucky for me she is not shy when it comes to chilli.

3 cups of cooked rice
(if I am cooking it for fried rice I add a tablespoon of miso)
1 medium onion
1/4 of a savoy cabbage
1 clove of garlic
1 small carrot
4 large Broccoli floretts chopped
1 desert spoon of sambal (chilli paste)
1/2 cup of peas
1 dessert spoon on sesame oil
Olive oil

Chop onion and garlic saute in olive oil. Add chopped carrot, savoy cabbage and sambal saute for 3 minutes. Add peas, rice and sesame oil and a good dash of olive oil. Heat through and serve.

Tuesday 3 July 2012

Deliciouso Torta Caprese -translation delicious italian chocolate cake!

Mmmmm this is such a delicious chocolaty treat once the little one is in bed. It is almost like a giant brownie! A little noisy to make but well worth the effort. Though this is an easy version.

250 grms of dark chocolate
250 grms of almonds
120 grams of raw sugar
120 grams of butter
1 table spoon of baking powder
1 table spoon of cocoa
4 eggs

Preheat oven to 170. Process the almonds into almond meal and the chocolate, set aside. Process other ingredients until well mixed, then add back in chocolate and almonds. Bake  in greased tin (aprox 24cm). Bake up to an hour, check after 40 minutes.

Almonds are so good for you and this is a very tasty way to get them. Full of vitamin E, calcium, magnesium and iron. Plus they are extremely anti-inflammatory.

Based on 138 grms of almonds

Vitamins
Amounts Per Selected Serving
%DV
Vitamin A
1.4
IU
0%
Vitamin C
0.0
mg
0%
Vitamin D
~
~
Vitamin E (Alpha Tocopherol)
35.9
mg
179%
Vitamin K
0.0
mcg
0%
Thiamin
0.1
mg
7%
Riboflavin
1.2
mg
70%
Niacin
5.3
mg
27%
Vitamin B6
0.2
mg
9%
Folate
45.5
mcg
11%
Vitamin B12
0.0
mcg
0%
Pantothenic Acid
0.3
mg
3%
Choline
71.9
mg
Betaine
~


Minerals
Amounts Per Selected Serving
%DV
Calcium
367
mg
37%
Iron
6.2
mg
35%
Magnesium
395
mg
99%
Phosphorus
675
mg
67%
Potassium
1029
mg
29%
Sodium
1.4
mg
0%
Zinc
4.9
mg
33%
Copper
1.6
mg
81%
Manganese
3.6
mg
181%
Selenium
3.9
mcg
6%


Read More http://nutritiondata.self.com/facts/nut-and-seed-products/3087/2#ixzz1zZCkKYCN


Monday 2 July 2012

My lentil stew

This is a delicious winter warmer which will even have the meat eaters in the house asking for seconds. It is also very cheap to make.

2 tablespoons of olive oil
2 large cloves of garlic
1 medium onion
1 heaped teaspoon of smoked paprika
12 button mushrooms
250 grams of red lentils
500ml of water
1 tin of tomatoes
1 large tablespoon of Miso paste (the darker the heartier)
150 grams of brussel sprouts (small or halved)
250 grams of cubed pumpkin (butternut or kent are my preference)
(buy organic where you can :)

Roughly chop the garlic and onion saute in oil for 3 minutes. Add paprika and quarter or roughly chopped mushrooms. Fry for a further 3 minutes. Add lentils, miso, water and tinned tomatoes cook for 25 minutes on medium high heat. Add brussel sprouts and pumpkin and cook for a further 10 minutes then let stand for 5 minutes.
Carrots are also great in this but one thing that is expensive organic. Try growing some at home, there are varieties that you can grow in pots, so you don't even need a garden.

Trick- I stir in frozen peas for my little one, to cool it down quickly to baby eating temperature.

Brussel sprouts are a great source of vitamin C, vitamin K and folate. Vitamin K helps the absorption of calcium for bones.

Based on 78grms of Brussel sprouts.

Vitamins
Amounts Per Selected Serving
%DV
Vitamin A
604
IU
12%
Vitamin C
48.4
mg
81%
Vitamin D
~
~
Vitamin E (Alpha Tocopherol)
0.3
mg
2%
Vitamin K
109
mcg
137%
Thiamin
0.1
mg
6%
Riboflavin
0.1
mg
4%
Niacin
0.5
mg
2%
Vitamin B6
0.1
mg
7%
Folate
46.8
mcg
12%
Vitamin B12
0.0
mcg
0%
Pantothenic Acid
0.2
mg
2%
Choline
31.7
mg
Betaine
0.2
mg


Minerals
Amounts Per Selected Serving
%DV
Calcium
28.1
mg
3%
Iron
0.9
mg
5%
Magnesium
15.6
mg
4%
Phosphorus
43.7
mg
4%
Potassium
247
mg
7%
Sodium
16.4
mg
1%
Zinc
0.3
mg
2%
Copper
0.1
mg
3%
Manganese
0.2
mg
9%
Selenium
1.2
mcg
2%
Fluoride
~


Read More http://nutritiondata.self.com/facts/vegetables-and-vegetable-products/2363/2#ixzz1zSQTadV0