'Paleo' Spiced Carrot & Banana Muffins - A little lady's snack

As I stated in my previous post (a rather long time ago), the food coming from our kitchen has undergone a fair bit of change since one little lady's hands started reaching and grabbing, mushing meals into her mouth. Combine that with a husband who's undergoing a "Clean" challenge currently and I'm presented with ample opportunity to explore new and 'health concious' recipes. I've been loving the process and the joyful discovery of what you can make from whole, unprocessed and delicious ingredients! It takes a bit of getting used to new items but once mastered the results are rewarding!

I've never been a great fan of eating baking. Put a bucket of ice cream and a block of chocolate in front of me and I might come up for air once or twice in the devouring process to fumble out a "thanks!" Yet cakes, biscuits and muffins I haven't grasped the wonder of them yet. Enter coconut and almond flour, take out refined sugars... suddenly I'm a changed woman - this kind of baking is scrumptious, moist, flavourful, and moreish to a fault. 

Now that the wee Miss is nearing one and has become a lot more active, I've turned my attention to making snack foods as well as main meals. After a couple miserable attempts and grand failures I concocted these fruit and vege-packed muffins. If you use well ripe bananas there's no need for any other sweetener at all yet you wouldn't guess while eating the final product!

Enjoy :)



Spiced Carrot & Banana Muffins

4 eggs
1/3 cup coconut oil (or butter)
1 tsp pure vanilla essence
1/2 cup coconut flour
1/4 tsp sea salt
1 tsp baking soda
1 tsp cinnamon
1 tsp ginger
1/4 tsp ground cloves
3 cups carrot (or a mix of carrot and zucchini) 
3 very ripe bananas (if not super ripe add 3 tbsp honey)
3/4 cup coconut milk
1/2 cup raisins

Preheat oven to 180'c.

In a large bowl whisk eggs, melted coconut oil (or butter), and vanilla together (with honey if using). Sift in coconut flour, sea salt, cinnamon, ginger, and cloves, beating to combine. Add in the carrots, mashed banana, coconut milk, and raisins and mix it all together. 
Spoon into a muffin papers in a tray (preferably the unbleached kind) and bake for 20-30mins or so until it's slightly springy when lightly pressed. When using coconut flour they're 'done' when the tops are cooked yet they feel just slightly undercooked/dense (they'll set more as they cool). 

Allow to cool on a wire rack then let little (and big) mouths enjoy the nourishing goodness. 

Little hands of change.... (& Stuffed Beef Koftas)

My recipe blogging has been rather non-existent of late. However that is not for lack of creating. Quite the opposite. Lately there has been a change in the wind through our kitchen. 
I have a new person to cook for. 
Little hands that have been reaching for morsels of food, mushing them around little gums and, yes; all over the floor... 

This wee lady has been with us for quite some time now, but in the more recent months she has begun to enjoy cooked and chewable meals. Suddenly my interest was piqued; which foods 'nourish' the body? What balance of variation does she need? What kind of effect will different foods have in her system? How do I nurture a respect and appreciation of food? 
Coming up with and creating meals for a growing body has inspired in me a new desire to craft "healthy" dishes, yet ones which also celebrate the joy of cooking and lack nothing of flavour and delight. 
Granted, she doesn't yet eat the exact meals my husband and I enjoy, yet the inspiration to "eat better" has crossed over into our dinners as well. I'm still in the initial stages of research, discussions, and experimentations but I'm finding my passion for cooking is only heightening as I move forward. A few of the trials undertaken have included grain-free quiche, almond milk, refined-sugar and gluten free baking, 'activating' nuts and seeds, dairy and refined-sugar free ice cream...

Grain-free Quiche

Homemade Almond Milk

Banana, Date & Coconut Cake (Refined-sugar, wheat and dairy free)

"Activating" Nuts & Seeds

Banana, Coconut & Cocoa Ice "Cream" (sugar and dairy free)

However the recipe I'm keen to share in this post is a concoction enjoyed just last night; Beef Koftas.

I've been a keen foodie for quite some time. While we don't have a TV (by choice) I eagerly look up OnDemand on a frequent basis to enjoy the latest episode of Masterchef Australia. It's dramatic, it's high-flying, it's stress and flair... but it's wonderful. I love it!!

Friday night, amongst many other activities, aired a small segment in the Emirates First Class Kitchen. The chef pieced together a Lamb Kofta dish which looked simply delicious. While a recipe wasn't shared, I kept my eyes glued to the screen, mind ticking over, processing a way to replicate something similar at home with a healthy spin. So thus arose the creation. It may not be an "every night" kind of dish, but last night an important game of rugby heralded a special meal...

Stuffed Beef Koftas with Qunioa Salad and a Pumpkin Toss 

(serves 2-4 depending on how hungry you are!)

Koftas

400g premium beef mince

3 cloves garlic, crushed 

1 tsp cinnamon

1 tsp cumin powder

1 egg

1/4 cup ground almonds

Small handful fresh italian flat-leaf parsley, finely diced

sea salt & pepper

2 handfuls baby spinach

2 tbsp pine nuts

olive oil or butter for cooking

1/2 cup beef stock

Qunioa Salad

1 cup quinoa

2 cups liquid (water or stock - I used liquid beef stock)

sea salt to taste (not required if using stock)

6 dried apricots

6 prunes

1 tbsp diced fresh chives

Pumpkin Toss

1/4 pumkpin, cut into 1-2cm cubes

1 tbsp olive oil

sea salt

1 large handful baby spinach, torn

2 tbsp diced feta (optional)

Preheat oven to 180'C. 

For the Pumpkin Toss:

Put the pumpkin - tossed with olive oil and sea salt - in the oven, cook till browned and slightly crispy (will take about 30-40mins)

When the pumpkin has finished cooking, toss through baby spinach and feta (if using). 

For the Quinoa Salad:

Rinse quinoa well (to reduce bitterness). Add quinoa and liquid to rice cooker - cook until completed. Dice apricots, prunes and chives, toss through quinoa when finished cooking. 

For the Koftas:

Mix together mince, garlic, cinnamon, egg, almonds, parsley, salt and pepper in a bowl. Set aside. 

Dry toast the pine nuts in a pan until browned and fragrant (happens quickly so be careful not to burn) Add the spinach and remove from the heat immediately. Season with salt. Mix together well as spinach wilts. 

Shape mince around your forefinger to create an oval-like shape with a hole in the centre. Fill the gap with the pine nut and spinach mix. Then close over the gap with more mince. 

Heat oil or butter in pan. Briefly cook the koftas to seal and brown the outside (turning frequently). Then transfer to a pan (on baking paper) and cook in the oven for 15mins. 

Meanwhile, add the beef stock to the used pan and allow to cook down (reduces to approx 1/4 cup) - set aside to use as sauce when serving.

Plate up as desired, pouring the sauce over the koftas. Enjoy!!!

Stuffing the Koftas

Shaped and stuffed

Browning and sealing in pan

The finished product!

Dulce De Leche

Temperatures are plummeting. Toes are blue. Heaters are emerging. Bring on the ice cream!! 
Some may think I'm a little crazy to continue digging in to ice cream as the winter months roll through. But there's something rather delightful about rugging up just to enjoy dessert; hands going icy as I cup my little bowl, shivering beneath a blanket once I've finished - not only is it the most satisfying snack I can imagine, but it also feels like I'm cheekily laughing at winter in the face.
I'll say it; I'm an ice cream addict. In truth it's the first thing I look for when I pick up a menu or peruse the "frozen foods" section of the supermarket. Sometimes I lie awake at night simply dreaming up a new flavour match. And yes, it's a pipe-dream of mine to travel to Italy purely to run wild in the birthplace of gelato. Or Ohio; home of my handmade inspiration. 
Don't get me started on where to find Auckland's best ice cream... the inner passion may scare you. But if you're a fellow frozen dessert lover then please, let me know, and we can dine to our hearts content. 
I love making ice cream, learning new flavour mixes and watching someone's reaction as they try the latest batch. This year I've made so many batches that in the early weeks of learning how to settle a small baby, my husband and I discovered the repetitive whir of the ice cream churner was becoming a winning background hum to lull our little darling to sleep - Bonus!
Developing a quality technique is an ongoing practice, fueled by an obsession and a dream. I may never open the doors to a colourful, unsual-yet-refined Ice Cream Boutique... but my front door will always be open and a space on the couch for you, my friends and family, to try the most recent creation.

The most recent creation being....


Dulce De Leche Ice Cream

2 cups milk
1 cup cream
1/2 cup sugar
4 egg yolks
1/2 tin condensed milk (you will need a whole tin to make the recipe - see below)

Pour the milk & cream into a medium-large pot, heat gently (without boiling - so that the milk doesn't curdle) until it reaches 80'c (stirring every so often)

Meanwhile, whisk together the egg yolks and sugar until pale and fluffy

Very slowly (whilst whisking) add the hot milk mixture to the egg mix, until combined. Then pour it back into the pot and heat gently (without boiling) until the mixture has thickened and coats the back of a wooden spoon. Transfer into a bowl and leave to cool then refrigerate for 4-24 hours

Take an unopened can of condensed milk. Cover with water in a pot. Bring to the boil then simmer for 2 hours. Leave to cool then open carefully. 

Add 1/2 tin of (now caramelised) condensed milk to the ice cream mixture. Whisk together

Churn in an ice cream machine (Alternatively freeze, taking it out to mix it up - breaking down ice crystals, every 1/2 hour until frozen)

Pour into container then freeze for at least 2 hours before serving. YUM

Bread: The Kitchen Hero

For some reason unknown to man (or maybe just to me), there's nothing quite so satisfying in the kitchen as the art of making bread. The simplicity of mixing together a few elementary ingredients then allowing them to progress on their own; it's a basic, sedating and enlightening process. 

Bread, I believe, is one of a meal's best companions. Whether it be studded with seeds to accompany a hearty salad, crisped and buttered to dunk in a warming soup or sliced in chunks to mop up that extra meat sauce... it's got to be high on the list as far as side dishes are concerned. Besides, what beats the smell and allure of freshly baked bread?!

One of my objectives for "Food Year 2013" was to master the art of bread making. I quickly discovered that this task held many possibilities, as "bread" itself comes in many forms. Sourdough, ciabatta, rye - I look forward to conquering such items, but I have already managed to bake up a few varieties. 

Challah, thus far, has been my favourite. It's a six-stranded, plaited, enriched bread; a Jewish Sabbath tradition. Learning the history of this bread truly stirred my interest (two loaves would be eaten throughout the Sabbath; 12 strands in total to represent the 12 tribes of Israel). Attempting the six-stranded plaiting was no mean feat. It required the works; crossed eyes, protruding tongue, assistance of helpful husband hands and a rather detailed YouTube video. But the end results were worth it and made me ever so slightly proud...

For this entry however I will step back to plain old loaf bread - the most versatile and perhaps the most satisfying. 

Via my sister I was introduced to the book "Artisan Bread in Five Minutes a Day". It asserts not all bread needs kneading - lo and behold! A new concept for me! In all my skepticism I decided to give it a go. Result - delicious!! There have been MANY more loaves since.

I basic recipe is enough for two decent sized loaves and is open to additions and alterations. In the following photos I mixed chopped olives through one loaf. Other times I've used various seeds such as sunflower or pumpkin; definitely worth a try!

No Kneed Bread

3 cups warm water

1 tbsp instant yeast

1 tbsp sea salt

5 cups standard flour

1 1/2 cups wholemeal flour

+/- additional items (olives, seeds, sundried tomatoes etc...)

In a large bowl, mix together water yeast & salt until cloudy. Add the flour & mix until combined 

Place a towel over the bowl and leave for 2 hours or until doubled in size

^ doubled in size!!^

Divide in two and mix through any extra ingredients you like (if you want these extra ingredients through both loaves then just add during the step of mixing in the flour)

Shape into loaves, buns or place in loaf tins. Allow to rise again while the oven heats to 230'c

Cook until well browned on top and sounds hollow when tapped. Cool on a wire rack then DEVOUR

Soup Season

My recipe silence of late has not been for want of trying. In fact, in the last month I've been inspired to try many new culinary adventures. Out of our little kitchen has poured a variety of new creations such as; challah, braised beef cheeks, hot cross buns, garlic-pepper chicken, a traditional passover dinner, homemade marshmallows, slow-cooked lamb, lemon curd shortbreads, or last night's prime addition; Baileys and chocolate ice cream. 
No, my silence has rather been an effect of becoming so caught up in the joy and interest of creating that I forget to capture the journey until my plate is about 7/8th's clean.
But finally, after the previous failed attempts, I snapped a dish in the making - Roasted Pumpkin Soup. 
I love soup. It certainly hasn't been a lifetime love-affair, and it never has the hit to be a show-stopper but in the last few years my fondness for the versatile, humble meal has grown. Soup is forgiving; you can bend the recipe to fit your palate desires or pantry lackings. It's empowering; you can feel just quietly self-proud for putting potentially wasted, slightly mushy veges to good use or boiling up last night's roast meal bones to make that base stock. Furthermore, it's easy, budget-friendly and importantly; the perfect excuse for some delicious fresh crusty bread (smothered in melting butter).
So it was with a smile that I pulled out my big soup pot and set to work concocting the first batch of the season, beginning with an old classic, and my sister(-in-law)'s request - pumpkin soup. I hope this recipe is somewhat similar to the one you were after!
I changed it up a little by roasting the pumpkin first, to give a more intense punch-of-pumpkin flavour, but it also works just as well by throwing in un-cooked pumpkin and letting it boil away to softness.
Welcome soup season.

*Note: the ingredient list below is more of an "approximation" of measurements, more of a there-or-thereabouts, thrown into the pot. Feel free to play around with quantities

Roasted Pumpkin Soup

1 onion, diced
knob butter (approx 20g)
1 tbsp olive oil
2-3 cloves garlic, crushed
2-3cm cube ginger root, finely grated
1 Pumpkin, peeled and chopped
1 litre chicken stock (homemade from a chicken carcass or purchased liquid stock)
1 can tomatoes (chopped or whole, it doesn't matter)
1 cup water
3 tsp curry powder
1 tsp ground cumin 
1 tsp ground coriander 
1 tbsp balsamic vinegar
salt & pepper
+/- more water to reach desired consistency
Topping to garnish (drizzle of cream, crumbled feta or blue cheese, greek yoghurt, pumpkin seeds etc.)

Peel and dice the pumpkin

Roast at 180'c until soft and browned

Melt butter in oil in a large pot. Add onions, garlic and ginger, cook until softened

Add the roasted pumpkin, mix around, allow it to mush up then add the spices, stirring more.

Add the vinegar, tomatoes and stock. Bring to the boil. Season with salt and pepper.

Puree with a stick blender or in a blender machine. Add water to achieve desired consistency (I had to add quite a bit) Season to taste.

Top with whatever toppings you prefer & serve with warm bread. 

No need to stick to the rules

In our house we like to try new things. 

Although to be honest, when it comes to food I definitely know what I like and quite easily become a woman of culinary routine. We know which meals we particularly enjoy and certainly dine on such often (my breakfast staple of vogels and avo, plus good meat salads and ice cream are in plentiful supply). 

But, in saying so, we're happy to sample new foods, flavours and ideas and would not turn up noses at something previously un-ventured or not often tasted. 

Except for two specific foods; two ingredients which are not welcome on our premises.

Cauliflower and celery. 

They've been tried, they've been tested and we are not wanting. 

Cauliflower; I've never been a fan. No amount of cheesy sauce could rectify it for me. 

But I'll sheepishly admit I used to "like" celery, and that any "enjoyment" was perhaps an attempt to fool myself the snack was delicious after hearing the health benefits... A stage at which I believed this food item which apparently "burns more calories than it holds" was a good idea. Thankfully that stage is long past, replaced by the groundbreaking notion that I should enjoy what I eat. What a novel idea. 

Then as the great man I married declared a similar disdain for said pale green veges, it became official; no cauliflower or celery for us.

I'm not sure if its the flavour or the texture...maybe a tragic mix of both, but any placing such items in our pantry will occur the day after pigs fly. 

So, when I first spied this recipe which included BOTH cauliflower and celery, I grimaced and quickly turned the page - intent never to glance at it again let alone consider placing the meal on our table. However, watching a friend of mine produce the dish, seeing the other delicious ingredients, my resolve weakened and I realised I never stick perfectly to recipes anyway, so why not give this one a whirl and change it up a little?

Sub out the weaker team members and bring in the big guns - broccoli, and I found myself enjoying the flavours greatly, happily anticipating the "seconds" waiting patiently in the bowl. 

Here's my twist on the original recipe...

Curried Chicken and Chickpea Toss

Salad:

2 chicken breasts

1 lemon

1 tsp rosemary, chopped

1 tsp thyme, chopped

salt & pepper

1 red onion, sliced into thin wedges

1 head broccoli, cut into florets

2 spring onions, angle sliced

2 tbsp fresh coriander, chopped

400g tin chickpeas

Dressing:

1/3 cup mayo

3 tsp lime or lemon juice

1 tsp curry powder

1/2 tsp soft brown sugar

1/2 tsp salt

Chop chicken horizontally and pound to equal thickness with meat hammer (or side of can)

Marinade in rosemary, thyme, lemon juice, salt and pepper (up to you how long you marinade, I ended up marinating them overnight *unplanned* and the flavour was amazing!) 

Cook on a medium to high heat, 4-5 minutes each side. Set aside to cool then angle slice horizontally

Chop broccoli into florets and place in boiling water for 5 minutes to soften slightly. Drain and set aside.

Angle slice spring onions and chop red onions into wedges. I like to cook these until softened (approx 5 mins) in a splash of olive oil to produce a more subtle onion flavour

Roughly chop coriander

Place all cooked and chopped ingredients in a bowl along with the drained and rinsed chickpeas

In a cup, mix together all ingredients for dressing

Toss dressing through the salad and enjoy!!

And so it begins....

"The years of famine have begun." 
That's what my husband jokingly remarked as we peered at our bank account. The final installment of my maternity pay had come in, it is now official; we're a one income family. 
Don't get me wrong, I have no regrets over the choice we have made. None at all! We always intended (and still do!) that I would be a stay-at-home mum. I LOVE being at home with my delightful new daughter. A lot of people are already asking me "do you miss work?", "will you miss having something to do?". I try not to sound overly eager as I think to myself "OF COURSE NOT! This is a million times better than work!" 
So here we are, entering a new phase of life. One of less "cushions" or material comforts. But more family time, more washing, more cuddles, more mess, more laughs, more sleepless hours, more discoveries and.. more time I get to spend in the kitchen (albeit segmented through the nap times of one lovely little lady). 

I love my kitchen. Not because any physical attributes it has or a particular design. But it's my space, my haven, my outlet, a creative workbench to produce new experiences. 
I don't consider myself a good cook. I stuff up often and there a many dishes I would never repeat (and those I try to forget). I'm not the kind of person who would make it far in any cooking competition, but I love food and I love the process of creating a dish then enjoying it with others. There's nothing like talking and laughing over a good homemade meal - that's what I consider a true feast. 

On the cusp of this new phase I see fresh opportunities to branch into new areas of cooking... 
Fresh, inexpensive, healthy, homemade and hopefully... delicious! 
My wonderful sister-in-law (who has also just entered the world of motherhood) asked me if I would supply fortnightly recipes for inspiration. I'm using her request to motivate myself to make new things, learn new techniques and discover new flavours. 
I never thought I'd be a "blogger"; I'm not quite so adept a writer as my talented and inspiring older sister, and it takes some discipline to stick to activities I start, but I figured this would be a good method by which I can supply those recipes and prompt myself to continue. 
So here goes....

On thinking of where this new food-blog adventure should begin, I decided to neglect the new and kick-off with an old favourite of mine; Chicken Salad with Sesame Dressing. 
I can't count the number of times I've enjoyed a variation of this meal or remember when I first ate it, but it's become quite a regular in our house. In years gone by it was the meal I requested for a special occasion (subsequent to the years I asked for macaroni cheese - esh, what was I thinking?!) and it's the very same dish I cooked for a celebration dinner with my parents the night my now husband and I became engaged. As with most of my current meals, there's no strict recipe to follow and it allows room for great variation, but here's the basics...

Chicken Salad with Sesame Dressing
(serves 2)

Salad:
1 tbsp sesame oil
2 chicken breast, skinned & chopped
1/2 packet ravioli or similar pasta (my current favourite is three-cheese sacchetti) 
2 tbsp (approx) Thai sweet chili sauce or Spiced apricot sauce
salad greens
Then whatever other salad ingredients you enjoy!
This particular round I used:
   tomatoes, sliced
   carrots, peeled and sliced thinly
   camembert cheese, sliced in thin wedges
   slivered almonds
   dried apricots, chopped
   
Dressing: (you won't use it all up on this one meal but its handy to have extra in the pantry)
3 tbsp olive oil
3 tbsp sesame oil
3 tbsp cider vinegar
3 tbsp balsamic vinegar
1 clove garlic, diced
1 tbsp honey

Chop the chicken. Heat the sesame oil in a pan then add chopped chicken, cook, stirring often, until cooked through

While the chicken is cooking. Prepare the pasta according to packet instructions. When finished drain and leave aside to cool

When the chicken is cooked through, add the sauce and remove from the heat

Chop/prepare other other salad ingredients then arrange all ingredients in a bowl as desired

Combine all dressing ingredients and mix thoroughly. Drizzle over salad.  

ENJOY!!!