Vegan Quinoa Falafels with Avocado Dipping Sauce

The Vegan's wife is giving her man food! lol
These are yum yum and something different to your everyday falafel balls. Serve them in pita bread with tablouli, tomato and tahini or just eat them on there own .. Good either way!


Ingredients for Falafels

• 2 cans of chickpeas, drained and rinsed
• 1 medium onion, finely chopped
• 3 garlic cloves minced
• 1/2 cup cooked quinoa
• 2 Tbs of ground coriander
• 4 Tbs of fresh parsley chopped finely
• 1 tsp ground cumin
• 1 tsp tumeric
• 1 tsp Cardamom
• salt and pepper
• 3 Tbs plain flour
• 1/4 cup Vegetable Oil

Ingredients for Dressing

• 1 Avocado
• 1/4 cup Tahini
• 1 tbs lime juice
• 2 Tbs coriander
• 2 tbs crushed garlic
• 1/4 cup chopped almonds
• Salt and pepper

Method

For the dressing blend all the ingredients together in a blender until smooth - set aside.

Blend chickpeas, garlic, onion and spices in a blender until smooth - add to a large mixing bowl. Add the quinoa and combine well. Season.

Form into walnut sized balls and flatten slightly.

Deep Fry in batches for around 3 minutes each. Serve with the dressing ... 

Vegan Bobotie

This is a traditional South African dish that I have heavily altered to make into a Vegan version.  Traditional Bobotie is meant to have raisins and fruit through it. My Vegan man hates raisins and doesn't really like fruit put into main dishes - so I omitted those ingredients. Feel free to add sliced apple, apricots and raisins in this dish if you prefer.


Vegan Bobotie ( bar -boo - tee) 

Ingredients

• 1 Large red onion diced
• 1 Green capsicum diced
• 2 tsp ginger minced
• 2 tsp garlic minced
• 1 tsp ground tumeric
• 1 tsp ground cumin
• 1 tsp ground cardamon
• 1 tsp ground sage
• 1 tsp ground coriander
• 1 tsp ground mustard
• 1/4 tsp ground nutmeg
• 2 tbs Balti paste (medium)
• 2 cups of red lentils
• 4 cups of vegetable stock
• 6 slices of white bread, cut into cubes
• 2  cups of soy milk
• 1/2 cup chopped almonds
• 1 packet of soft tofu
• 1 tbs soy sauce
• 6 Bayleaves
• Salt / Pepper

Method

1. Soak soy milk and bread together while cooking the lentils.
2. Put a Medium sized pot on medium heat and add a bit of olive oil - when hot add onion, garlic, ginger, capsicum and some seasoning. Sweat until soft.
3. Add the lentils and all the spices except the nutmeg,  tumeric and mustard.
4. Give a good stir and then add half a cup of stock and cook the lentils how you would risotto. Adding half a cup of stock to the lentils once the lentils have soaked up the liquid. Cook until the lentils are al-dente 
5. Add the bread mixture and almonds - stir through. Season
6. Pour your lentil mixture into a baking dish. Put the oven on 180 C
7. Meanwhile, while your oven is heating - in a blender, add  nutmeg, tumeric, mustard, tofu, soy sauce and 2 tbs soy milk. Blend until smooth.
8. Spread on top of your lentil mix - spread out the bay leaves on top.
9. Bake for around 30 minutes.

Vegan Beetroot Curry

This is one of my Vegan man's favourites. When he knows I am making it, he gets all excited like a little kid.

You can make it as spicy or as non spicy as you like, I like to make mine with quite a punch. I usually serve it with steamed rice or dhal.


Vegan Beetroot Curry 

Ingredients

500 grams of raw beetroots
2 tbs of olive oil
1/4 tsp mustard seeds
1 large brown onion chopped
2 bay leaves
1 tsp ground cumin
1/4 tsp tumeric
1 cinnamon stick
2 cans of chopped tomatoes
1 lime juiced
2 garlic cloves minced
3 green chillies chopped
2 red chillies chopped
150 ml of coconut milk

Method

Peel beetroot and cut into match sticks

Heat oil in a large saucepan - when hot, add the mustard seeds until they pop, then add the tomato, garlic, onion and chillies.

Once sweated, add the beetroot, tomatoes, seasoning, one cup of water.

Simmer for around 35 - 40 minutes, or until beetroot is soft.

Add the coconut milk, simmer until thick - add seasoning.

Serve with steamed rice, pilaf rice or Dhal.

Vegan Kale Pasta with a Creamy Cheesy vegan Cashew Sauce

Who said Vegans can't also enjoy creamy or cheesy foods? Of course they can, and if done well, they taste delicious. I have gone on a vegan craze lately, the hubs is not complaining lol .. He is eating very well and is a happy man.

 This recipe is quite quick as I did not make my own pasta, but by all means if you want to make your own pasta, go ahead. Just remember substitute the eggs in the pasta with either soda water or mineral water if making your own.

 The other thing in this recipe is "Savoury yeast" you can find this at most health food places. It's 'savoury yeast' in Australia, elsewhere I think it's called nutritional yeast. This gives a cheesy flavour to your cream sauce. I also use it in many other recipes, like vegan cannelloni and such.

Ingredients

• 1/2 cup unsalted cashews
• 2 cups of vegetable stock
• 1/4 cup lemon juice
• 2 tbs of cornflour
• 2 tbs savoury yeast
• 1 tbs olive oil
• 2 tbs chopped fresh basil
• 1 pk pasta of your choice
• 2 stalks of chopped spring onion
• 2 garlic cloves chopped finely
• 2 carrots thinly sliced
• 1 bunch of kale chopped - stems removed.
• salt/pepper

Method

1. Soak cashews in cold water for at least an hour to soften them up
2. In a blender, combine stock, lemon juice, basil, cornflour and olive oil. Blitz 30 seconds.
3. Drain cashews and add to the blender with your sauce, add savoury yeast. Blitz until creamy and set aside.
4. Cook pasta according to directions
5. In a large fry pan saute spring onions and garlic for around 3 minutes. Add carrot and saute for another couple of minutes. 
6. Add your sauce, if it's too thick add a cup of water. Add the kale and thoroughly mix the kale through the sauce, season.
7. Add your pasta and stir through.
8. Serve with some chopped basil.

Thai Vegan Pho with a Spicy Lemongrass Broth

I am cooking more and more vegan meals, not only are they healthy but they taste damn good too. Husband has a full belly and is pleased and I am happy that my vegan man is happy ..

Ingredients for broth

Grab 2 or 3 red chillies depending on your personal heat preference, seed them, de-vain and chop coarsely.
1 Brown onion, chopped coarsely
Little bit of fresh ginger, peeled and chopped coarsely
3 stalks of lemongrass, chopped coarsely
Juice of one lime
1 Kaffir lime leaf
1 vegetable stock cube
9 cups of water
seasoning

Grab a big pot and add all ingredients, bring to the boil for around 30 minutes, then turn down to a low simmer and simmer for around an hour and a half to two hours. Keep an eye on your broth to make sure it doesn't reduce too much.

Once that is done, grab another pot either the same size or bigger and strain the broth into it. Put back onto a low simmer.

This is where the Vegetables come in .. 

A handful of each shall do ..

Broccoli
Chopped cabbage
Washed Bok choy
Shittake mushrooms
1 Zucchini sliced thinly
Packet of thin noodles of your choice

You can add more vegetables of your choice also if you wish.

Don't forget the Garnish ..

Chopped Basil
Chopped Corriander
1 Spring onion, thinly sliced
Bean shoots.


The Ending ...

Add your veg and noodles to the simmering broth and continue to simmer just until the broccoli has softened but not overcooked ..

Grab a nice big bowl, add some broth first, then the noodles and veg and lastly - garnish =)

Vegan Chocolate Ravioli

I could not find a recipe for this anywhere - not a vegan one anyway ... So I made up my own and I must say it tasted fricken good!
Chocolate and raspberry = for the win lol
I made this in a class room and lots of people asked for the recipe, since I made it up I thought I ought to write it down for others who would like to make it..

First you need to start off making your own pasta dough ..

Chocolate vegan pasta dough

2 cups of plain flour
1 cup of soda water
1/2 cup cocoa
pinch of salt

Chocolate Raspberry Ganache

2 cups of dark chocolate buttons
1/2 cup So Good Soy milk
2 Tbls Nuttelex (dairy free margarine)
1 cup of crushed raspberries

Raspberry Sauce

1 pint of fresh raspberries (you can use frozen)
2 Tbls of cornflour
1 cup of cold water
1/4 cup of sugar
2 Tbls of orange juice


Method

In a large bowl add the plain flour, cocoa and salt.
Make a well in the middle and add the soda water.
Work into a nice dough - cover in plastic wrap and put in the fridge for only 10 minutes.

Once your dough is ready - cut into 4's and put through the pasta machine. I go until number 5 - nice long and thin.

Meanwhile in a double boiler, melt the chocolate and once that is melted take off the heat and stir through the nuttelex and soy milk and raspberries until you have a nice glossy ganache. (set aside)

In a medium pot combine raspberries, sugar and orange juice. Whisk in cornflour slurry and simmer for 5 minutes. Let cool and once completely cool, puree in blender.

Lay your chocolate lasagne sheet flat and add a tablespoon of ganache every couple of centermetres .. Lay another chocolate sheet on top and with a small round jar cut around your ravioli.

Put your ravioli into a large salted pot of boiling water and when it floats to the top (couple of minutes), take out and pat dry.

Ensemble together ..

Vegan Chocolate Cake with a Salted Peanut Butter Cream Filling and Chocolate, Peanut Butter Ganache.

My husband (the vegan) loves this cake I make for him - anyone else who eats it loves it too and it gets demolished in less than a day!
It is rich, so I can't eat a lot of it - but it certainly hits the spot if you are craving some chocolate.
I made this for my husbands 40th last year and got a lot of positive feed back and even a few orders.

With the ingredients - instead of doubling the quantity, I usually just get two large bowls out and make both cakes at the same time. (Yes, you need two cakes for this recipe)


Ingredients for cake

• 1 1/2 cups of plain flour (sifted)
• 1/4 cup sifted cocoa
• 1 cup of caster sugar
• 1 tsp of baking powder
• 1/4 tsp salt
• 1 cup of soy milk
• 1/4 tsp white vinegar
• 1/2 cup of good quality dark chocolate (melted) I use Lindt Excellence 70% cocoa.
• 1/2 cup vegetable oil
• 1 tsp vanilla paste.

Ingredients for Salted Peanut Butter Cream Filling

• 1/3 cup of smooth salted peanut butter
• 2 Tbls of Nuttelex Margarine
• 1 cup of sifted icing sugar
• 2 tsp of soy milk

Ingredients for chocolate Peanut butter ganache

• 1/3 cup of good quality dark chocolate 
• 1 tbls Nuttelex Margarine
• 2 tbls of Maple Syrup
• 3 tbls of smooth salted peanut butter
• 3 tbs of Soy milk
• 2 tbls of sifted icing sugar

Method for cake (make two seperate batters)

1. Preheat the oven to 180°C 
2. Grease and flour two round cake tins 
3. In a small bowl combine the vinegar and milk and just let it sit for a while
4. In a large bowl, combine the wet ingredients and whisk well
5. In two batches add the dry ingredients to the wet and whisk well. 
6. Put each of the batters into the cake tins 
7. Bake for 35 minutes
8. Take out of oven and place on wire racks and let cake cool completely

Method for Filling

In a medium bowl using your electric mixer - combine the peanut butter and Margarine and beat until nice and glossy. Add the sifted icing sugar and continue to beat, add the milk. Beat until smooth and not grainy. 

Method for Ganache

Place all ingredients in a medium saucepan over low heat, whisk until smooth. Take off heat and let cool .. 

Time to Assemble 

Place bottom layer of cake on a spinning cake stand. Spread the Peanut Butter filling onto the first cake - try to make it even. Then lay the second cake on top of the spread and squish it down but don't break the cake.

With a Flat headed knife - spread your ganache on top of the cake, then fill in the sides of the cake with the ganache. Place in the fridge for 15 minutes to let the ganache set.

Top with crushed peanuts and grated chocolate.

Pita Bread

Love me some pita bread freshly done - yum yum .. This is easy and tastes delicious. Whenever I make these, they go in 5 minutes - I am lucky if I am left one!!!!


Ingredients
1 cup of warm water
1 pk dry yeast
2 1/2 cups of plain flour
2 tsp salt
1 tsp veg oil
1 tsp dry mixed herbs

Method

• Add your dry yeast to the warm water and let stand for about 5 minutes, or until it's 'frothy'
• In a large mixer, add the flour, salt, oil, herbs. Mix. Then add your yeast mixture and knead into a dough. 
• Place dough in an oiled bowl and place some cling wrap directly onto the dough - leave in a warm place for around an hour and let rise.
• Roll out into flat mounds and add a bit of butter to a hot pan - pan fry your bread.
• When it starts to bubble a little, flip over and repeat.

Mocha cupcakes with chocolate buttercream and mocha sauce

I needed something sweet - so I combined 2 of my favourite things .. Chocolate and Coffee ..
Once these were made and ready, they didn't last the hour! At least I got one in before I had to leave for work!

Ingredients .. (Cupcakes) 

• 1 cup of plain flour
• 1 cup of caster sugar
• 1/4 cup cocoa
• 1/2 tsp baking soda
• 1/4 tsp salt
• 1/2 cup of butter - melted
• 2 eggs
• 1 tsp of vanilla paste
• 3 tbl instant coffee
• 1/2 cup strong hot coffee

Mocha Sauce

• 1/2 cup cocoa
• 1/3 cup good quality dark chocolate
• 4 tbs heavy thick cream
• 6 tbs icing sugar
• 2 tbs water .. 
• 2 tsp instant coffee

Chocolate Buttercream

• 1 cup of butter at room temperature
• 2 1/2 cups icing sugar
• 1 tsp vanilla paste
• 2/3 cup of melted and cooled milk chocolate

Method ..

Combine the flour, cocoa, sugar, baking soda, salt.

In a seperate bowl, combine eggs, vanilla and butter.

Add to dry ingredients and beat on medium for a couple of minutes

Add instant coffee and the made up 1/2 cup coffee

Pour batter into cupcake cases in a muffin tin.

Bake at 180 for 18 minutes

Cool completely on wire racks 

Meanwhile make the buttercream.

Whip the butter on medium for around 5 minutes

Reduce the speed to low and add the icing sugar

Back to medium speed, add the chocolate and coffee and vanilla - beat for about 2 minutes.

decorate your cupcakes with the buttercream and store in the freezer for around 10 minutes.

Meanwhile make the mocha sauce.

Heat cream in a medium pot, do not boil.
Once warmed, take off heat and stir through your chocolate, coffee, cocoa and icing sugar .. stir until it has a pouring consistancy. =) 

Pasta Carbonara

Pasta Carbonara

Here's the question .. Cream or no Cream? 

Traditionally carbonara requires NO cream, however, I think it tastes better with cream - so I do add it.

It's totally up to the individual whether they want to add it or not, so if you aren't for cream just omit it from the recipe. 

Ingredients

1 pack of spaghetti (follow instructions on packet) 

50g butter

2 Tbs of Olive oil

2 garlic cloves - crushed

150g bacon or panchetta, cut into small chunks

1/4 cup good white wine

5 eggs

150g Parmesan cheese or Pecorino, grated.

150ml thickened cream

Small bunch of fresh parsley chopped finely

salt/pepper

Method

Cook the spaghetti according to instructions (pot of salted water and oil) 

In a large pan, melt the butter and cook the bacon or panchetta and garlic until crispy (drain on paper towel) 

Add the wine to the same pan and let it evaporate a bit. Put aside.

Lightly beat the eggs with the cream, cheese, parsley, salt and pepper. Set aside

When the pasta is ready - drain - then add the cream mixture, mix through. Put into the pan with the wine and add the bacon - stir through until warm. 

Serve

Aussie Style - Pumpkin Pie

It's nearing that time of year again .. Christmas ...
Every year my eldest son asks me to make him a pumpkin pie, so of course I do, then once it's on the table, it's by pure luck anyone but my eldest  gets a slice!

I know pumpkin pie isn't traditional down here in Aus - but neither is Halloween, and we love Halloween! We can 'borrow' the American's pumpkin pie and they can 'borrow' the good old Aussie Lamington! =)

I always make my own pastry unless it's puff (that's just easier to buy) so in this recipe, I make a cinnamon sweet shortcrust. Have a go at making your own, I think it's well worth the effort and the end result tastes better!

If you aren't confident in making your own pastry just grab some store bought shortcrust pastry.

PASTRY

• 3 cups of plain flour
• 190g unsalted butter
• 1/3 cup caster sugar
• 2 tbls cinnamon
• 2 egg yolks
• 2 tbls chilled water

METHOD

In a food processor, process the flour, cinnamon, butter and sugar until it resembles fine breadcrumbs.

Add the egg yolks and the water and process until a dough.

Take out the dough on knead on a lightly floured surface.

Roll into a ball, wrap in cling wrap and put in the fridge for 30 minutes. 

Take out your dough from the fridge and put between two sheets of baking paper and with a rolling pin roll out until even and smooth. 

Grab a flan tin and grease and line with baking paper - gently put your pastry in until it fits snug in the flan tin. 

Put some baking paper on top, and fill with baking weights. Bake for 15 minutes at 180C  - once done, take out, take away the weights and baking paper and further bake for another 5 minutes. 

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PUMPKIN PIE INGREDIENTS

2 cups of chopped roasted pumpkin pureed in the food processor.
1 1/2 cups thickened cream

1/2 cup packed brown sugar

1/3 cup caster sugar

1/2 tsp salt

2 eggs plus the yolk from a third egg

2 tsp cinnamon

1 tsp ground ginger

1/4 tsp nutmeg

1/4 tsp ground cloves

1/4 tsp cardamom 

1/2 tsp of lemon juice

METHOD

Pre-heat your oven to 220C

Mix sugars, salt, spices  - whisk the eggs and add

Stir in the pumpkin puree

Stir in the cream and the lemon juice

Whisk together until well combined.

Pour into your prepared pastry shell

Bake at 220C for 20 minutes

Turn the oven down to 180C and bake for a further 40 minutes. 

Stick a skewer in the middle of the pie and if it comes out clean, then it's ready.

Serve with some whipped cream. 

Fairy Floss (Cotton Candy) frozen Cheesecake

I like giving myself a bit of a challenge and I thought this cheesecake would be difficult, but it was eesy peesy.
The challenge comes later today when I get started on the Xmas Macaron's ...
This cheesecake is going to the son's Xmas party on the weekend, the one I have been invited to but have to do most the cooking for!!

INGREDIENTS

• 200g pkts of classic Tim Tams x 2
• 250g pkt cream cheese at room temperature
• 1/2 cup caster sugar
• 300ml thickened cream
• 250g mascarpone
• Pink food colouring
• handful red glace cherries, finely chopped
• 2 bags of strawberry flavoured fairy floss - plus extra to decorate.

METHOD

1. Lightly grease a 7.5 deep loaf pan and line the bottom and sides with baking paper.
2. Process one packet of Tim Tams in the food processor until finely crushed. Press firmly into lined pan with the back of a spoon. Place in the fridge.
3. Use an electric mixer to beat the cream cheese and sugar in a bowl until smooth. Beat the cream in a separate bowl until almost whipped. 
4. Fold the mascarpone into the cream cheese mixture. Fold in the cream, until combined.
5. Tint with a drop of food colouring.
6. Fold in the cherries. 
7. Fold in the fairy floss
8. Spread the mixture over the biscuit base - smooth - Freeze overnight.
9. Once fully frozen, decorate with the extra Tim tams (grated) and fairy floss.

Vegan Chocolate Beetroot Cake

This weekend coming up is full of Christmas parties with both sides of my family. Which means lots of cooking and baking for me to take food to these parties .. Especially the one at my son's house, he has invited us over for Christmas lunch but I have to make most of the food! How does that work? lol

The first Christmas party I am off to is at my MIL's on Saturday - besides my husband being a vegan, his older brother is also! Which means double the work for me ... as long as they enjoy what I make them, then the double work is no problem!

Last year I made them a vegan pumpkin pie - this year I went a little different and have made them a Vegan Chocolate Beetroot Cake ...

Who knew that beetroot and chocolate went so well together - but then again, chocolate goes well with most things!

So if you want to give this a go, it's quite easy ..


INGREDIENTS

• 2 Large beetroots, skin on, grated
• 1 extra beetroot - sliced thinly
• 3 cups of plain flour
• 2 cups of caster sugar
• 6 tbls cocoa
• 2 tsps baking soda
• 1 tsp salt
• 2 cups of water
• 3/4 cup vegetable oil
• 1 tsp cinnamon
• 2 tbls white vinegar
• 2 tbls vanilla paste
• Half a packet of glazed cherries

METHOD

Pre-heat oven to 190 C
Grease and flour a large springform cake tin or bundt cake pan

Sift flour, cocoa, baking soda, salt cinnamon, sugar in a large bowl

Add a well in the centre and pour in the water, oil, vinegar, vanilla and beat with a whisk until smooth - add the grated beetroot and make sure the mixture is well combined.

Pour the batter into the cake tin and bake for 50 minutes or until a skewer comes out clean. 

In the meantime make some vegan buttercream 

1/3 cup soy milk

2 Tbls Nuttelex

1/2 cup cocoa

In the electric mixer, cream the nuttelex, add the other ingredients and beat until creamy. 

Once your cake is done, let it cool on a wire rack and meanwhile while you are waiting, get your beetroot chips ready.
Deep fry your sliced beetroot chips until crispy - place on a paper towel to drain the excess oil. 

Time to now buttercream your cake, top with some glazed cherries and the beetroot chips.

I think it's almost Christmas!

It's that time of year again and the madness of cooking lots of Christmas goodies begins.

I was racking my brain as to what to give some family and friends as part of their presents - so I just made some little Gingerbread Christmas Tree's ..

This is a little time consuming but well worth the end result.
I started making the dough at around 8 in the morning - finished the baking process by 2 pm  - went to work and got home around 9.30 pm - looked at them and thought I would finish them tomorrow ... Got up around 2 am to grab a drink and thought 'Bugger it - I will do the rest now!" finished them at 5 am!! lol

But they are done, ready to be wrapped in some pretty cellophane with ribbon .. =D

So if you have some patience then give this a go ..


INGREDIENTS

• 3 1/2 cups Plain flour - 
• 1 Tsp Baking Powder
• 1 Tsp Bicarbonate Soda
• 3 Tsps Ground Ginger
• 1/2 Tsp Ground Cardamom 
• 150g Soft Butter
• 1 Cup Honey or Golden syrup
• 1 Egg
• 1 Eggwhite
• 1 1/2 Cups sifted icing sugar
• 1/2 Tsp Lemon Juice

METHOD

Sift flour, baking soda, bicarb soda, ginger and cardamom together.
Beat butter and sugar with an electric mixer until fluffy.
Add Honey / Golden Syrup and egg - Beat until well combined.
On a low speed, beat in sifted ingredients until well combined and turns into a dough.
Divide the dough in half and wrap in cling wrap and put in the fridge for 30 minutes.

Note; If Dough is too dry (crumbles) add a tablespoon of milk.

Roll out dough halves between baking paper, around 4mm thick.
Get a large, medium and small star cookie cutter and cut out 27 large stars.
If any dough is left over, start cutting out 45 medium stars, you will start using the other half of the dough by now. With the remaining dough cut out 9 small stars.

With the large stars bake in the oven at 180 C for 7 - 8 minutes. Put on a rack to cool
With the medium stars, bake for about 5-7 minutes. Put on a rack to cool
With the small stars, bake for about 5 minutes. Put on a rack to cool

Once you have all your stars, it's time to make some royal icing.

In an electric mixer, add the egg white and beat until glossy, add the lemon juice and continue to beat.
Little by little add the sifted icing sugar and keep beating until you have a nice smooth glossy icing.

Divide the royal icing in two
Put a bit of green food colouring in one half of the royal icing.

Get two piping bags with a small nozzle

Fill one up with the green royal icing and the other with the white royal icing.

Start with a large star and blob a bit of green icing on each point. Then blob a bit of white icing in the middle of the star. (The white icing is the glue that holds it together)

Start stacking 3 large stars at offset angles, then continue with 5 medium stars and finish with one small star.

Keep continuing until you have 9 little trees.

I then sifted some icing sugar over the trees to make it look a bit snowy ..

Ok I know I suck at tying bows lol 

Fried Cabbage & Bacon

This is good for those Winter night dinner side dishes - or even in Summer as a side dish on the BBQ ..
Tonight I have made my kids some slow cooked lamb shanks with mash and put this as a side dish.

I had some cabbage that really needed to be used up, same with the bacon I had in the fridge.

So I chopped up the bacon and cabbage, smashed a couple of garlic cloves, chopped up an onion and threw it all in large fry pan  - added a knob of butter, salt and pepper and it was ready in less than 10 minutes. ...

Rosemary Salt

I use rosemary salt in heaps of dishes. It's just yummy!
Put it on chips, potatoes, in stews ect ..


In this recipe I have used packet dried rosemary - but it's best if you use fresh .. =)


INGREDIENTS

Handful of Rock Salt
Handful of Rosemary


METHOD

Get out your mortar and pestle

Put the ingredients in it.

Start grounding until it becomes smooth 

And you have a mixture of Rosemary salt .. 

You can do this with anything really - parsley salt, garlic salt, mint salt for something different, corriander salt ..The list can just go on and on ...

Creamy Garlicy Rosemary Mash Potato

Mash can be so boring so to keep it interesting I usually jazz it up.
One of those days where I am pressed for time because I need to leave for work soon and the kids need dinner.

Last night my husband was in charge of dinner - I got home at 8.30pm .. Kids had not been fed .. Animals had not been fed! So after working my arse off, I had to cook dinner for the kidlets and dish up some food for the two cats, dog and fish!

So note to myself: In future, make sure you make dinner before you go to work always!!!! lol


INGREDIENTS

I am feeding two teenagers

6 medium whole potatoes with skin on
50g Butter
1/4 Cup thickened Cream
Fresh Rosemary - chopped
2 garlic cloves crushed
Rock Salt

METHOD

In a large pot of salted water, add the potatoes whole - make sure the water covers the potatoes.

Boil the potatoes for about 30 minutes.

Meanwhile - add your chopped rosemary and rock salt to a pestle and ground until you have a nice smooth rosemary salt.

Once your potatoes are cooked (stick a skewer in them and if they go right through they are ready)
Drain the potatoes and leave to cool

Once cooled, peel the skin off with your fingers, the skin will just slide off .. Add potatoes back to the pot you cooked them in. Add butter, cream, garlic and your rosemary salt and Mash until smooth ..

Vegan Chocolate Chilli Cake

My husband has been a vegan for the past 22 years, so I have had to learn how to cook a lot of vegan food.
He is a chocoholic - not long ago I made 50 vegan chocolate truffles - left them in the fridge, went to work - by the time I got home, the whole lot was eaten .. By him!!!!  And he has requested more ..

This is one of his favourite chocolate cakes that I make for him, as he loves spice.

It is delicious and it is very chocolatey but leaves that spicy tingle at the back of your throat.


INGREDIENTS

3 Cups of plain flour
2 Cups of caster sugar
1/2 cup Cocoa
2 tsp Baking soda
2 tsp ground cinnamon
2 tsp cayenne
1 tsp chilli powder
1 tsp vinegar
10 tbs vegetable oil
2 Cups of water

METHOD

Put the dry ingredients in a large bowl and give it a bit of a mix.
Gradually add all the wet ingredients, mixing until smooth.

Tip into a well greased spring cake pan and bake at 180 C for 30 minutes.

Decorate with some vegan ganache or vegan buttercream

Tim Tamming it Up (Timtam Cheesecake)

Who doesn't love Timtams? And who doesn't like cheesecake? So what better way than to have your (cheese) Cake and eat it too!! let's combine the two!

My eldest son lives on the other side of the Earth .. Well he lives over an hour away from me, but as a mother it feels like the other side of the Earth to be so far away from my boy!

Like most early 20's kids, he only comes to visit when he wants something lol  - but even so, I love the days when he comes home, so I usually make his favourite desserts when he comes back, which is cheesecake or pumpkin pie.

I made a timtam cheesecake and he ate almost the whole thing, lucky he left a piece for his other two siblings!

INGREDIENTS

2 Packets of original Timtams
80g butter - melted - cooled
1/4 cup boiling water
3 tsp gelatine powder
Double pack of Philly Cream Cheese - softened
1/2 Cup of caster sugar
1 tsp vanilla paste or essence
1 cup of thickened cream
180g block of white chocolate - melted
Extra chopped Timtams

METHOD

Process 300g of Timtams until crumbed - add cooled butter
Press mixture over base and sides of a 20cm spring pan and put in the fridge
Sprinkle gelatine over boiling water and stir - set aside
Roughly chop remaining biscuits
Beat the cream cheese, sugar, vanilla until fluffy
Add the cream
Gradually add the gelatine
Beat until thoroughly mixed
Spoon into the base
Top with extra Timtams
Put in the fridge preferably overnight, but for about 6 hours to set.

Basic Fasta Pasta Bake

I work nights, I leave my house for work at 2.30 in the afternoons, which means I need to get dinner prepared for the kiddies everyday before I head out the door. I usually don't have time to get too complex for their dinners and when I leave it for my husband to 'cook' them dinner, his idea of cooking for them is going out and getting Macca's or a Pizza!

I was buggered if I knew what to cook for dinner, it was a couple of days before I could go food shopping and I hardly had anything in the cupboards / fridge / freezer to cook!

I had a packet of Penne in the cupboard, some mince in the freezer and some cheese in the fridge .. Voila - pasta bake is on the menu tonight!

INGREDIENTS

Packet of Penne
Bit of butter
Mozzarella Cheese
Basic Bolognese sauce;
400g beef mince
1/2 cup red wine
1 brown onion finely chopped
2 garlic cloves, crushed
1/2 red capsicum, chopped
1 tin of chopped tomoatoes
1 cup of beef stock
Salt / Pepper for seasoning
Italian Herbs

METHOD

Cook the penne according the packet directions (salted and oiled water for about 12 - 15 minutes)
Drain
Throw it in a deep baking dish, add a bit of butter to melt through the pasta
In a large frypan cook the onion and garlic until soft, add the mince and brown. Add the capsicum and chopped tomatoes and stir. Then add the red wine and beef stock - leave to simmer for about 20 minutes.
Season and add Italian herbs

Stir the sauce through the pasta, top with mozzarella cheese and bake in the oven at 200 C for about 35 minutes.