Banana, apple and almond muffins

So after a very messy experience with the Almond Banana Breakfast Bonanza with a few too many variations I put the rest of the mixture into a muffin mould and chucked it in the oven. The result got me thinking...

As I continue to make my almond milk for my breakfast I continue to find ways I can use the remaining nutritious almond meal before it goes off. I think I've found it! They keep longer than the meal on its own and they make great morning or afternoon snacks.

Ingredients

• 3/4 cups of almond meal (or meal remaining from 3/4 almonds after making milk)
• 2 eggs
• 1 to 1 1/2 smashed up very very ripe bananas
• 1 peeled and grated apple
• 1 tsp cinnamon
• 1 1/2 tbsp psyllium husks

Putting it together

• Mix all ingredients in a bowl
• Spoon into muffin moulds (or tray)
• Bake in moderate oven for 25 - 35 minutes (depending on your oven)
• Check they are cooked by using a cake tester or metal skewer
• Allow to cool

Result

Okay, so these little muffins are probably more nutritional than treat. The texture has echoes of firm jelly but without being weird. I guess that is what you get when you add the fibre of psyllium husks. I wouldn't go out of my way to make these for guests but they are excellent to make when I need to use up the almond meal which seems to go off within about five days. Each muffin is filled with goodness and I enjoy them.

Verdict

I won't always have a very very ripe banana on hand so no doubt this recipe will get plenty of experimentation in the future. But for now it gets my vote for quick, easy and a nutritious snack. Some people might want to add some sort of sweetener like agave or honey as they aren't particularly sweet.

What's the deal with psyllium husks?

Without going into too much into detail, psyllium husks come from the psyllium seed. It is an excellent source of soluble fibre and often used in products like Metamucil. In some gluten-free cooking it is an excellent substitute for gluten because of its gooey texture after adding water. Essentially, psyllium husks absorb moisture. In the body this means that it helps to keep bowel movements on the soft side, in cooking this means it binds a recipe together.

NOTE: With any supplement or food that adds lots of soluble fibre it is important to ensure you drink a reasonable amount of water. The reason being because it draws on your own water supply in your body. This is true of Chia seeds too which I have spoken about in my sweet gluten free slice recipe.

You can buy psyllium husks in health food stores or even the supermarket. You can buy it in husk form or powdered. You can even buy it in tablet form.

Dairy-free creamy beetroot dip

This recipe is super easy, looks great and tastes yummy. It is a variation on a recipe I heard about which included Parmesan cheese. Right now I'm off dairy so had to think of how to adjust the recipe. There is a little preparation involved if you want to soak the cashews but otherwise it's a throw it all together and blend it to a smooth consistency kind of dip.

Instead of Parmesan I used savoury yeast flakes which I had bought a while ago for making nut cheese. I had read that it had a cheese like flavour. Well, it seemed like the perfect recipe to test that out.

Ingredients

• 1 425g can of beetroot (drained)
• 160g raw cashews (soaked in water for 8 - 12 hours)
• 1 - 2 cloves of garlic
• The juice of one lime
• 2 heaped dessert spoons of savoury/nutritional yeast flakes
• Salt and pepper to taste

Putting it together

• Blend the drained cashews in a vitamix/food processor
• Add the drained beetroot, garlic, lime juice, salt & pepper and blend some more
• Add the savoury yeast flakes and blend again until you have a smooth and impressively pink dip
• Spoon out into a bowl
• Eat with carrot sticks or dry biscuits

 

Result

It looks fantastic and it taste pretty good too. I've had it in the fridge for almost a week and it has preserved well, probably due to the already preserved nature of the beetroot.

Verdict

I think this might just make it into my staple repertoire for when I have a bunch of people over for afternoon drink and nibbles. I love that it's dairy free and that it is high in protein and Vitamin B.

A word on savoury yeast flakes

Also known as nutritional yeast - this a product advertised as 'perfect for vegetarians'. The reason for this is that it is high in vitamin B12. It originates from molasses and though it is yeast it is deactivated. Basically they have killed the yeast culture but retained its nutritional properties.

To learn more you can google nutritional yeast or savoury yeast flakes and you find all sorts of sites that explain what it is and how to use it. Popcorn factors a lot in the 'how to use' stories.

It appears that the main reason why people use it is because of its cheesy taste.

More information:

• http://blog.fatfreevegan.com/2011/10/what-the-heck-is-nutritional-yeast.html
• http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nutritional_yeast

Lamb Roast for Autumn

I love a roast. During my five years as a vegetarian the only meat I missed was mum's roast lamb. As the weather grows colder and the evenings become darker earlier I thought it would be the perfect meal to share with my friends.

Driving back from my trip to the supermarket with a large lamb leg sitting beside me I called my sister and said 'so I've bought a leg of lamb ... how do I roast it?'

You see, I had only ever roasted lamb in a convection oven which would do all the weighing and adjusting heat and length of time. It would even beep at me and tell me when I needed to turn the meat over. Now in my lovely new home I have an oven which sometimes acts like it has a mind of its own but it certainly doesn't communicate with me.

So with a little help from my sister here is what I did.

Ingredients

• 2.35kg leg of lamb
• bunch of rosemary (direct from my garden)
• some Australian garlic (several cloves)
• Pepper and salt

Could it be simpler that that?

Now to put it all together

Method

• Preheat oven to 180 degrees Celsius
• Chop up the rosemary into bits
• Chop garlic cloves into quarters
• pierce the lamb with a sharp knife to make enough space to press a garlic piece inside. Do this several times and on both sides of the leg
• Then sprinkle salt, pepper and the rosemary over the meat and rub in - like you are giving the lamb an exfoliating rub. Be warned if you have any cuts ... you'll know about it!
• Do this until the entire lamb is covered (both sides)
• Place your lamb in a baking tray . I don't have a fancy roasting tray with a doovalacky that drains the juices off so I just put my cooling rack over a normal baking tray and put it into the oven in the middle. 
• Now this is when things are dependant on your oven. I've been told that you roast 1 hour for each kg of meat. So that would mean 2.35 hours. In my oven it actually took closer to 3.5 hours. 
• Pull your roasted lamb out of the oven and cover with foil and let it rest for ten to twenty minutes. 
• Carve and serve with roasted veggies - YUM!

Additional experiment
After carving up my meat (and I think I need some lessons to dramatically improve my technique there) I looked at all the juices that remained in the tray. Why not make some gravy? Can't be that hard right? So I looked in my cupboard and found some arrowroot flour which I added to the juice I now had heating in a saucepan on the stove.

I might need to work on the gravy. I ended up with something which was tasty but seriously salty. Not something I would serve up to guests unless I also offered comprehensive health cover. 

Result

Delicious is a word that comes to mind. I had so much meat it fed me for over a week after the meal I shared with my friends. As someone who struggles to get red meat into her diet and in addition to that has low iron, I got quite a boost that week.

The meat was tender, the garlic pieces were roasted to perfection and the rosemary flavour was infused throughout.

Verdict

I would definitely do this again. It certainly takes time which I'm not usually good at but it's well worth the wait. Mind you, I might try and source a smaller leg of lamb next time!

The perfect meal to make when I'm in writing mode.

Almond banana breakfast bonanza

This recipe comes to my blog thanks to a friend of mine. She introduced me to this concoction when we were travelling through Kangaroo Island SA. I was especially excited by this dish as I saw another opportunity to use the precious by-product of my almond milk.

What's in it?

• 3/4 cup of almond meal (or meal remaining from 3/4 almonds for milk)
• 1 tbsp psyllium husks
• 1 very ripe mashed up banana
• 1/2 tsp ground cinnamon
• 1 egg

How it works

• Place all ingredients in a bowl
• Mix well ensuring you don't have a clump of psyllium husks
• Heat a frying pan with a little olive oil
• Spread mixture into the pan
• When base has browned, carefully turn over (hardest part of this recipe)
• Once other side is browned take out of pan
• Serve with berries

 

Result

Okay, so the mixture is a little difficult to flip in the pan (hence the reason I haven't go a photo of that). And as a result it isn't going to win any prizes for its looks ... but this dish is YUMMY!  Since giving it a go after coming home from SA I have made this four times. I love that I have no added sweetener (the banana is enough) and I love that it's dairy free and has the added fibre of the psyllium husks.

Verdict

This is a definite winner. I have tried a few variations when I didn't have a full banana such as adding berries or grated carrot. These attempts definitely fell into the TBNP bracket - that's Tasty But Not Presentable. Latter uses of this recipe I have made four small patties rather than one large one. A little less messy when flipping.

Quick & easy Vietnamese inspired salad

We have had some very hot weather in Melbourne. My little house with all its charm and potential is a hotbox in the heat. The last thing I want to do when the house feels like an oven is to turn any cooking appliance on to make my dinner. One such night I opened my cupboards looking for inspiration and my gaze rested upon a packet of rice vermicelli. I hadn't made the salad in years but the recipe is simple and for the past three weeks I've had it at least five times. At a friends request I'm posting the recipe on this blog.

Rice vermicelli often comes divided up in serving sizes. This following recipe serves two (and as per usual it's a little relaxed in it's quantities). I think the traditional salad that this is based off is called Goi Ga. I've cheated a bit with the dressing but when it's hot, I'm bothered which means a few shortcuts.

Ingredients

Wombok (Chinese)
cabbage

• Rice vermicelli
• 1 - 2 carrots grated
• a handful of snow peas sliced thinly
• 1/2 red capsicum sliced thinly
• 2 cups of finely chopped cabbage (wombok cabbage works best)
• handful of herbs chopped (coriander &/or Vietnamese mint)
• poached chicken shredded or your preferred unflavoured canned fish

Dressing

• 1 tbsp fish sauce
• 2 tbsp lime juice
• 1 tbsp sweet chilli sauce
• chopped coriander

Pulling it together

• Soak the rice vermicelli in boiling water for 4 - 5 minutes
• Prepare the remaining salad ingredients
• Toss together the 'dry' ingredients (including the soaked rice vermicelli)
• In a small bowl mix the dressing ingredients to taste (depending on the fish oil and your lime juice you may prefer different ratios of ingredients)
• Drizzle some of the dressing over the salad but not all of it. I usually put half of the dressing in a little jug for people to add more to their own taste.

Result

This really is quick, easy and as a bonus is also really fresh tasting and healthy. The ingredients are not expensive and the only part which can make the experience go awry is the dressing. You really do need to taste test it as you go.

I use poached chicken most often and as I poach chicken a lot I always seem to have some cooked in the fridge. I'll post a blog soon about my method of poaching chicken with is fool proof (as it proven that I can do it), healthy, delicious and super super easy.

Variations

The beauty of this dish is it's easy to adjust based on what you have in your kitchen or what you want it to look like. Try purple cabbage for something a little more eye catching. You can use common mint and Greek basil if you don't have any coriander or Vietnamese mint. You can use just about any vegetable. You can use grated zucchini or add chives or thinly sliced cucumber. If you can eat it raw you can try it in this salad.

Faux lemon 'cheesecake'

For Christmas I decided to experiment on my family. I had found a recipe for 'Hail Merry Lemon Tart Knock-Off' which intrigued me. But not enough to try it twice. So rather than make a test batch I decided to throw caution to the wind and just make it the first time for Chrismtas dessert. I figured that there is always too much food at Christmas so if it was a disaster we wouldn't all go hungry.

This recipe is dairy-free and gluten-free

Recipe

In a rare moment of discipline I stuck to the recipe so rather than write out what I did I direct you to the original website recipe found on tessadomesticdiva.com: http://www.tessadomesticdiva.com/2011/07/hail-merry-lemon-tart-knock-off.html 

A woman after my own heart this Tessa Domestic Diva has created this recipe herself and adjusted it as she learned more about the ingredients. 

As I've already mentioned I stuck to the recipe with the only exception being that I didn't not go with the stevia options. I went with the coconut milk rather than nut milk and I used paper cupcake moulds which worked rather well.

Results:

It wasn't much like a lemon tart but more a lemon cheesecake. I nervously waited to see if anyone would take one and then if anyone would it on their plate with only one bite taken out of it. Success! It was well received by both adults and children.

Verdict:

This is a dessert which would be worth doing again but like cheesecake it is incredibly rich. For that reason I think it unlikely I'll make this again but I'm glad I gave it a go and enjoyed the results. 

Bircher inspired creamy goodness

I love breakfast. I don't like to be rushed in the morning because I like to start my day with a wholesome meal with wholesome thinking. I don't just want to kick start my digestive system but also kick start my approach to the day.

This following recipe is a variation of what I have pretty much every day. Why the variation? Because usually I soak my Bircher style concoction in water in preparation for a quick cooking in the morning. As it's been rather hot in Melbourne the idea of cooking my breakfast is not appealing. So to find a yummy variation on my standard was my plan.

I'm not that keen on the more popular type of Bircher muesli preparation which has apple and usually yoghurt and fruit juice. I find it too sweet. This recipe that follows is still creamy and very good for you. Those who like more sweetness in their breakfast can achieve this by adding honey. The recipe is simple but it does require some forethought. I prepare my breakfast the night before.

Ingredients

• 1/4 raw rolled oats (not quick oats)
• 1 tbsp sunflower seeds
• 1 tbsp pumpkin seeds
• 5 - 8 almonds
• 1/2 - 1 tsp cinnamon
• 1 handful of raspberries (I use frozen for convenience)
• Almond milk

Method

• Put all but the almond milk into a bowl that you will be able to cover. I use a Pyrex bowl which has a lid.
• Pour in enough almond milk to cover most of the ingredients
• Cover and place in the fridge overnight
• In the morning take it out when your ready, grab a spoon and dig in! Add honey if you want a little sweetness but it's so creamy and lovely I don't think it needs it. 

Results

I'm sold on this! My breakfast was creamy with just the right amount of crunch and there is nothing like knowing that the yummyness you are eating is also good for you.

Of course variations on the fruit/berries used and spices is endless. I've made this with lemon thyme instead of cinnamon and with mango in place of raspberries. 

A note on oats:

The reason for using rolled rather than quick oats is purely to try to use the least processed of options. Oats are an awesome food. Aside from the practical nature of keeping us regular, they can help reduce our bad cholesterol. It is also classified as a low GI food, meaning that it is slow to release sugars so you stay satisfied for longer.

Soaking them overnight makes them even easier for your body to digest.

Gluten: Oats are free from wheat gluten. However, there is a gluten which is found in oats. Also, oats are often 'cut' on the same food production lines a wheat so some gluten 'contamination' could be present. If you have to have a completely gluten free diet you will have to make your decision based on the information provided. The Coeliac Australia site has some information worth reading.