tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-16165997536902644812024-02-20T17:45:49.086+11:00MellymaksThe place where food is celebrated, respected and loved with a passionMel Makrishttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17704761046228745879noreply@blogger.comBlogger88125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1616599753690264481.post-79605741735302420752015-08-24T09:48:00.000+10:002015-08-25T16:37:13.672+10:00Macadamia and Brown Rice Cookies<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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Biscuits are so much fun to invent! Mainly because I find them quite forgiving and it is hard to go wrong when making a biscuit recipe. Even if they don't turn out exactly as they should, unless you burn the life out of them, they wont suffer from issues such as sinking in the middle or not rising as commonly occurs with cakes or other demanding delights!<br />
These filled our house with such wonderful aromas - macadamias toasting, a subtle hint of vanilla and that delicious buttery goodness!<br />
Whilst they won't be able to set foot in the lunchbox (unless your school doesn't follow a nut free policy!), there are plenty of other occasions for these maca treats - after school snack, morning tea at the office, a gift to show someone you care, road trips, and the list goes on!<br />
I'm sure other nuts will work too, although there is something that works so beautifully with butter and macadamias! Not to mention the fact that Macadamias are indigenous to Australia - with growers spanning from the east coast of New South Wales right up to the far north of sunny Queensland! Please ensure that when you buy your macadamias, support our local industry and Buy Australian!<br />
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If you are using a Thermomix and raw brown rice, you'll get a little crunch in the bikkie which adds to the experience although if you prefer a really smooth result, once you grind the rice you could always sift it to remove the gritty bits.<br />
These are so quick and easy to make with simple ingredients, it really isn't necessary to buy packet biscuits! Avoid those processed ingredients, make a double batch, and freeze half for another time when the doorbell rings unexpectedly!<br />
Enjoy...<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh07joIZrKghTiXMY11m4S67xI5aJo4GJ5s206MIgg3qIMjzt6dWdvpIEgtiW-KEa-QrEmg8fZL_RtFvwSHAtLSieBI4jzhJs1cRBmOIWME0gn3O0ToNh4pfs7pl7mgu1kiHK8H_8wbVK8/s1600/IMG_20150823_164543.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh07joIZrKghTiXMY11m4S67xI5aJo4GJ5s206MIgg3qIMjzt6dWdvpIEgtiW-KEa-QrEmg8fZL_RtFvwSHAtLSieBI4jzhJs1cRBmOIWME0gn3O0ToNh4pfs7pl7mgu1kiHK8H_8wbVK8/s400/IMG_20150823_164543.jpg" width="300" /></a></div>
<h2>
Macadamia and Brown Rice Cookies </h2>
<h4>
Ingredients</h4>
100g raw brown rice (or brown rice flour if not using a TMX)<br />
100g macadamias<br />
100g gluten free self raising flour<br />
65g rapadura sugar (coconut sugar, brown sugar, or raw would also work)<br />
55g unsalted butter, cold<br />
1 tsp vanilla extract<br />
<h4>
Method - Conventional</h4>
<ol>
<li> Preheat oven to 180 degrees celcius. Line two baking trays with baking paper.</li>
<li>Add the macadamias to a food processor and pulse until a fine meal is achieved. If you do not have an appliance to do this, finely chop the nuts.</li>
<li>Place brown rice flour, macadamias, SR flour and sugar into a bowl or food processor and combine.</li>
<li>Add butter and vanilla - either pulsing in food processor until mixture holds together well when pressed into a ball, or mix through butter and vanilla with fingertips until butter is evenly distributed through the mix and then stir well until mix holds together well when pressed into a ball (this will take a bit of elbow grease to get a moist dough!).</li>
<li>Press tablespoons of mixture into balls then gently press down with a fork to flatten slightly.</li>
<li>Bake in preheated oven for approx 15 mins (checking regularly after 10 minutes as all ovens are different) or until golden brown.</li>
<li>Allow to cool completely on tray before storing in an airtight container. </li>
</ol>
<h4>
Method - Thermomix</h4>
<ol>
<li>Preheat oven to 180 degrees celcius. Line two baking trays with baking paper.</li>
<li>Place rice in TM bowl and grind on speed 10 for 1 minute.</li>
<li>Scrape sides, add macadamias to ground rice and process on speed 7 for 10 seconds.</li>
<li> Add flour and sugar and mix on speed 4 for 5 seconds.</li>
<li>Add butter and vanilla and process on speed 5 until combined (approx 20-30 seconds). Mix should come together into a ball easily.</li>
<li>Follow steops 5-7 above.</li>
</ol>
<br />Mel Makrishttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17704761046228745879noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1616599753690264481.post-45049787268453609422015-07-08T21:25:00.001+10:002015-08-24T09:49:15.110+10:00Date & Coconut Slice with Lemon Icing<br />
Some of my favourite moments these days involve spending time with good friends. I treasure it now more than ever before, and consider myself so very lucky to have such dear friends with whom I can cry with, laugh with, bounce ideas off, and solve the worlds problems with! But most of all just that companionship, that understanding (even when we may see things differently), that support and knowledge that someone is really there for you - as much as you are there for them. I mean, you can't trivialise that. That true friend is often years in the making, or sometimes not many years at all. But either way, it's a precious thing I have in my life, and I try not to take it for granted, ever.<br />
So this is to you, my dear friends. You know who you are. You are special to me and I thank you for giving me such richness in my life. I try hard to give that back to you. Here's to you and me, and the good times we've had, and the good times that lay ahead. The greatest way I give love is through food. And here is some love in a slice! How lovely it would be to know that this slice created another special moment between two good friends. Enjoy...<br />
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<h2>
Date & Coconut Slice with Zesty Lemon Icing</h2>
<h4>
Ingredients - Slice</h4>
8 Medjool Dates, pitted<br />
1 c (60g) shredded coconut (preferably organic to avoid the preservative 220)<br />
120g butter<br />
1 tbs coconut syrup (or maple syrup or golden syrup)<br />
1.5 c (200g) gluten free SR flour<br />
70g rapadura sugar (or raw, coconut, brown)<br />
<h4>
Ingredients - Icing</h4>
2 c icing sugar (sieved if lumpy) <br />
2 tbs softened butter<br />
finely grated rind and juice of 1 lemon <br />
<h4>
Method - Conventional</h4>
<ol>
<li>Preheat oven to 180 degrees celcius. Line slice tray with baking paper.</li>
<li>Chop up dates as chunky or fine as you would like in your slice.</li>
<li>Melt butter and coconut syrup together over low heat until butter is just melted.</li>
<li>In a large mixing bowl, mix together coconut, flour and sugar. Stir through dates.</li>
<li>Stir through melted butter mixture until all combined well.</li>
<li>Press into prepared slice tray.</li>
<li>Bake for 20-25 mins for a softer slice or 30 minutes for a slightly crispy slice.</li>
<li>For icing, mix butter and icing sugar together with a wooden spoon until evenly combined. Add lemon rind and juice and whip until smooth.</li>
<li>Once slice is cooled, spread over icing mix. Slice into 7 strips length-wise and then 4 width-wise, making 28 small squares.</li>
</ol>
<h4>
Method - Thermomix</h4>
<ol>
<li> Preheat oven to 180 degrees celcius. Line slice tray with baking paper.</li>
<li>Place dates and coconut in TM bowl and press Turbo 4-6 times, depending on how chunky you want the dates in the slice. Set aside but no need to clean the bowl.</li>
<li>Add butter and coconut syrup to TM bowl and melt on speed 2, 80 degrees for 2.5-3 minutes, until melted.</li>
<li>Add the date mixture, flour and sugar to the melted butter mix. Mix together on REVERSE, speed 2 for 10-15 seconds, or until thoroughly combined. </li>
<li>Press into prepared slice tray.</li>
<li>Bake for 20-25 mins for a softer slice or 30 minutes for a slightly crispy slice.</li>
<li>For icing, just rinse out TM bowl with hot water to get the remaining mix out. Add icing sugar, lemon rind and butter. Whip on speed 8 for 10 seconds. Squeeze lemon juice onto lid, allowing the juice to flow into the bowl and the pips to remain on the lid. Whip for a further 20 seconds on speed 8 until smooth.</li>
<li>Once slice is cooled, spread over icing mix. Slice into 7 strips length-wise and then 4 width-wise, making 28 small squares.</li>
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<br />Mel Makrishttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17704761046228745879noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1616599753690264481.post-34488501554567583252015-07-05T17:30:00.001+10:002015-08-24T09:49:38.632+10:00Roasted Tomato and Capsicum SoupOver two years on and my Thermomix still never ceases to amaze and impress me!<br />
Today I scored just under a kilo of deliciously juicy and sweet tomatoes and two large red capsicums. Soup came to mind straight away, but generally with homemade tomato and capsicum soup you would need to remove the skins in most recipes. And anyone who knows me knows that those kind of tedious steps in a recipe really turns me off!!<br />
Well I decided to put my trust in the power of the TMX and ditch the skinning step - and I'm here to tell you the TMX made light work of those pesky skins! Blitzed them right into oblivion!! The end result was smooth, yet layered with a complexity of flavours coming from the roasting. The sweetness of the tomatoes, capsicum and garlic shone through, complemented with a slight smokiness, the richness of the olive oil, then cut through with the fresh basil and cracked pepper.<br />
A solid entree or even hearty lunch with a chunk of fresh bread, this soup will surely impress its recipients, but most of all, it impresses the cook, because in just two simple steps and as many dishes, you are done and dusted and free to entertain in front of the crackling fireplace; glass of wine in hand, cracker of a soup at the ready! Now what could be better than that in the dead of winter?!<br />
Enjoy....<br />
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<h2>
Roasted Tomato & Capsicum Soup</h2>
<h4>
Ingredients</h4>
900g-1kg tomatoes, halved (no need to remove the tops)<br />
2 large red capsicums (I just slice down each side to reveal the inner core and seeds in one piece which I discard)<br />
3 garlic cloves (keep them in their skins while roasting)<br />
1 medium red onion (skin removed and quartered)<br />
olive oil<br />
cracked pepper<br />
1 red chilli (optional)<br />
1 large dollop of vegetable stock concentrate (from the EDC book) or 1 scant tbs chicken/veg stock powder<br />
3-4 fresh basil leaves (or as desired) <br />
<h4>
Method - Conventional</h4>
<ol>
<li>Preheat oven to 190 degrees celcius. Line two large baking trays with baking paper. Drizzle some olive oil over each tray. Place tomatoes, capsicum and garlic (and the chilli if using) on the trays. Drizzle a little more olive oil over the top and sprinkle with cracked pepper. Bake for 45 minutes or until soft with a slight roasted colour.</li>
<li>Push the garlic flesh out of their skins and place all the roasted ingredients into a blender/food processor with stock, basil and 500mL boiling water.</li>
<li>Blend on highest speed for 1 minute or until smooth.</li>
<li>Serve with a dollop of creme fraiche and a fresh basil leaf.</li>
</ol>
<h4>
Method - Thermomix</h4>
<ol>
<li> Follow step 1 above.</li>
<li>Push the garlic flesh out of their skins and place all the roasted
ingredients into TM bowl with stock, basil and 500mL
boiling water.</li>
<li>Blend on speed 9-10 for 1 minute, scraping down sides once.</li>
<li>Serve with a dollop of creme fraiche and a fresh basil leaf.</li>
</ol>
<br />Mel Makrishttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17704761046228745879noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1616599753690264481.post-46135997274285638622015-05-21T21:52:00.000+10:002015-08-24T09:49:54.609+10:00Carrot & Pecan Brownie Topped with Lemon Curd Half a lemon each, a spoon in hand and the sugar jar in our lap. Sitting on the trampoline on a warm summers day is a distinct memory of my cousin and I many moons ago. Two girls. Footloose and fancy free. The warm breeze in our hair. Chatting about everything and nothing. Our dreams, our friends, the big issues. All the time in the world. A sprinkling of sugar, a taste of the sweet juice, another sprinkling of sugar, and on it would go! Where did that time go?<br />
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I love love love lemons! Lemon juice, lemon water, lemon cake, lemon slice.<br />
Lemon lifts. Lemon builds. Lemon cuts through sweet and salty. Lemon adds another dimension. <br />
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Lemon curd is such a beautiful thing. And yet, before the Thermomix entered my kitchen, I rarely made it. Now, of course, almost cruelly, the TMX makes it for me in just 7 minutes without me needing to do more than throwing the few ingredients into the bowl. It is such an impressive thing to serve up, whether it be in a pie, tart, roulade, or even slapped on piece of warm brioche, lemon curd always creates a 'wow', and yet the effort is minimal.<br />
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So making some last week from the lemons off my friends mums old lemon tree, I had the jar sitting in the fridge and I wondered what could be done with it next (to save my spoon diving in uncontrollably every time I passed the fridge!). The combination of the subtle sweetness of a carrot, earthiness of the pecan and tartness of the lemon curd came to mind, and so this brownie was born! I've tried to keep it pretty light on the sugar whilst packing it with carrot and pecans. You be the judge. Did I nail it?<br />
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Enjoy....<br />
<h3>
Carrot & Pecan Brownie topped with Lemon Curd</h3>
<h4>
Ingredients</h4>
400g carrots, roughly chopped (or grated if no TMX or food processor)<br />
130g pecans (finely chopped if no TMX or food processor)<br />
2 eggs<br />
1/2 cup packed (100g) rapadura sugar (or another substitute)<br />
1 1/2c (190g) gluten free self-raising flour<br />
1/2 c (90g) oil<br />
1 c lemon curd (recipe in EDC recipe book although I always double the lemon juice qty!)<br />
<h4>
Method - Conventional</h4>
<ol>
<li>Preheat oven to 180 degrees celcius. Line a slice tin with baking paper. </li>
<li>If using a hand held blender and bowl, place all ingredients except lemon curd in a large bowl and blend for 1 minute on medium-high setting, until well blended and slightly lighter in colour. If using a food processor, add carrot chunks and pecans in bowl and blend until finely chopped. Add remaining ingredients and blend for 1 minute, scraping down the bowl if required.</li>
<li>Pour mixture into lined tin, spread evenly and bake for 45 minutes or until cooked through.</li>
<li>Leave to cool for 5 minutes and then spread 1/2 cup lemon curd evenly over brownie. Leave to cool.</li>
<li>Before serving, spread another 1/2 cup lemon curd evenly over the brownie and slice. Top with chopped toasted pecan nuts if desired.</li>
</ol>
<h4>
Method - Thermomix</h4>
<ol>
<li> Preheat oven to 180 degrees celcius. Line a slice tin with baking paper. </li>
<li>Place carrot chunks and pecans in TM bowl. Process on speed 6 for 10 seconds.</li>
<li>Add remaining ingredients, except lemon curd, and blend for 1 minute on speed 5.</li>
<li>Follow steps 3-5 above. </li>
</ol>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgyO-rwJeI5J-hvgSsfghGHNyhjnrEdk-UY0E4D0WQ0BeZ-NXOZbkhxI-0dp9EIzSwrCZhwifC_ni5LgQAduCewuZ_FP_SBmWe6IdjPHBKmJ3Rfokz5RNcQWsEsFenIFBT2pebDnCfXLX8/s1600/IMG_20150521_210733.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgyO-rwJeI5J-hvgSsfghGHNyhjnrEdk-UY0E4D0WQ0BeZ-NXOZbkhxI-0dp9EIzSwrCZhwifC_ni5LgQAduCewuZ_FP_SBmWe6IdjPHBKmJ3Rfokz5RNcQWsEsFenIFBT2pebDnCfXLX8/s400/IMG_20150521_210733.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Carrot & Pecan brownie topped with Lemon Curd</td></tr>
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<br />Mel Makrishttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17704761046228745879noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1616599753690264481.post-7709518924452133372015-03-15T21:12:00.001+11:002015-08-24T09:50:09.423+10:00Chocolate Zucchini cake/muffins - Gluten free, nut free, dairy freeMy <a href="http://mellymaks.blogspot.com.au/2012/05/fudgy-chocolate-beetroot-cake.html" target="_blank">chocolate and beetroot fudge cake </a>has proven to be a huge hit, both amongst friends and family as well as on this blog! The benefits are not having to cook the beetroot before cooking, and of course sneaking vegetables into a decadent chocolate cake makes eating one slice too many <i>almost </i>acceptable!<br />
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Well, here is another option of adding a vegetable to a chocolate cake, no-one any the wiser! <br />
I'm not suggesting this as a way to get vegetables into your children and to therefore serve it next to their pork chop on the dinner plate! But actually the zucchini creates a beautiful moistness in this cake, and if that can be done from a vegetable, why not!<br />
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Depending on whether you pour this mix into muffin tins, a loaf tin or a round cake tin, the eating occasion changes and you can glam this cake up just as easily as throwing a muffin into the lunchbox. Versatile!<br />
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For those who avoid gluten, nuts and/or dairy, you definitely won't feel deprived here. In fact you won't even wish you could add them! <br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjY8C0t-PexIGclTDKKd5qZSesHLEK3yhU0JOQaNED7yt4MHmFoBCoNCDEcwbS2ciYAHl2DvIrX7xlf98mOpMNdhaSD9oQa_zkrkw2qIBEg7w_DrMMbwrakl-dCtoEov5XNX9YvB6IQhBw/s1600/20150315_132247.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="225" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjY8C0t-PexIGclTDKKd5qZSesHLEK3yhU0JOQaNED7yt4MHmFoBCoNCDEcwbS2ciYAHl2DvIrX7xlf98mOpMNdhaSD9oQa_zkrkw2qIBEg7w_DrMMbwrakl-dCtoEov5XNX9YvB6IQhBw/s1600/20150315_132247.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Photo-bombed by a cute little taste tester!!</td></tr>
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I made up an 'icing' to go on the top today. I didn't want to use icing sugar. I wanted to create something that would enhance the cake, not just in a sugary way. If you are making the cake to avoid nuts, you could sub the cashews in the icing for an avocado or 100g soaked sunflower seeds. The avocado will obviously give you a smooth icing - actually as I write this I think I will try it next time! Sounds like a great idea ( ;<br />
I didn't soak the cashews today, hence the 'crunchy peanut butter' texture! But if you do use soaked cashews, ensure that you drain them well and even dry them on a piece of paper towel. If they are wet the icing won't be thick. <br />
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Enough talking, more cooking. Make this a recipe you will actually try, not one you add to the list and never get around to. I promise you it's super fast to make, simple, and you won't regret it! Enjoy....<br />
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<h2>
Chocolate Zucchini Cake/Muffins</h2>
<h3>
Ingredients</h3>
2 medium zucchinis<br />
3 eggs<br />
150g rapadura sugar (or any sugar you wish to use)<br />
100g oil (I used Grapeseed but any mild tasting oil will work)<br />
1 tsp vanilla extract<br />
1 tsp ground cinnamon<br />
1/2 c (55g) raw cacao/cocoa powder<br />
1 c (130g) gluten free self raising flour<br />
100g melted dark chocolate (the darker the better especially if avoiding dairy. Check the label to ensure dairy free)<br />
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<h3>
Method - Conventional</h3>
<ol>
<li>Preheat oven to 180 degrees celcius. Lightly grease tin of choice. (This mix will make a small loaf tin sized cake as well as 6 small muffins, or one round 20cm cake)</li>
<li>Finely grate the zucchinis. Put into a large mixing bowl.</li>
<li>Add lightly beaten eggs, sugar, oil and vanilla. Whisk well until egg lightly froths.</li>
<li>Add dry ingredients and fold through carefully but thoroughly. Add melted chocolate and stir through gently again.</li>
<li>Pour mix into prepared tins and bake for 20 mins (muffins) or 40 mins (loaf/cake), or until springs back when lightly pressed in the center of the cake. Leave in tin for 5 minutes before turning out onto a wire rack to cool completely.</li>
<li>Cover with icing (recipe below) and enjoy!</li>
</ol>
<h3>
Method - Thermomix</h3>
<ol>
<li>Preheat oven to 180 degrees celcius. Lightly grease tin of choice.
(This mix will make a small loaf tin sized cake as well as 6 small
muffins, or one round 20cm cake)</li>
<li>Roughly chop each zucchini into 4 pieces and place in TM bowl. Blitz on speed 6 for 5 seconds. Scrape down.</li>
<li>Add eggs, sugar, oil, vanilla and cinnamon and combine on speed 5 for 20 seconds.</li>
<li>Scrape down and add flour, cocoa and melted chocolate.</li>
<li>Mix on speed 2-3 for 10 seconds.</li>
<li>Follow steps 5 and 6 above.</li>
</ol>
<h3>
'ICING' RECIPE </h3>
<h4>
Ingredients </h4>
85g coconut cream (I scooped the thick part of an unshaken 270g tin of coconut milk off the top. Coconut cream would probably give you a thicker 'cream' if you have it)<br />
100g raw cashews (if you have the time a smoother icing would be achieved by soaking the cashews in water for minimum 4 hours. Drain them and dry on a paper towel before adding to the mix)<br />
3 heaped tablespoons solid coconut oil<br />
3 heaped tablespoons raw cacao/cocoa powder<br />
40g rapadura sugar, or to your taste (brown or coconut sugar would also work)<br />
1 tsp vanilla extract, if desired<br />
<br />
<h4>
Method</h4>
<ol>
<li>Using a food processor, Thermomix, or other similar appliance capable of pulverising nuts, place all ingredients into bowl and blitz until as smooth as possible. Depending on the appliance you use, you may need to scrape the sides of the bowl a few times to get an even consistency. Spread over cakes.</li>
</ol>
NOTE - To make this icing nut free, substitute the nuts for a whole avocado or 150g soaked sunflower seeds.<br />
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Mel Makrishttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17704761046228745879noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1616599753690264481.post-36194742433592865462014-12-08T13:24:00.001+11:002014-12-08T14:18:42.805+11:00Homemade body sugar scrubs - great gift ideasThis time of year, and lets face it, every other time of year, is busy busy busy! If you're anything like me you have all the best intentions to make homemade gifts during the year, pinning lots of cute ideas to your Pinterest boards, spotting gorgeous jars and bottles in your travels, making a mental note to come back and get them closer to Christmas.... Is that you too?!!<br />
Well then you will understand me when I say that as much as I am happy I have actually pulled it off this year, I am equally surprised that I have actually pulled it off this year!!<br />
But seriously these sugar scrubs are not only a really lovely gift to receive, they are also all natural (no preservatives or numbers), can be all organic if you choose, and only contain two ingredients for the base - YES TWO!! - and then whatever flavours/scents you chose to personalise them.<br />
No whiz bang appliances are needed - just a bowl and a spoon - and within the hour you will have a collection of jars looking so pretty, good enough to eat, and ready to go! <br />
<br />
Teachers, neighbours, grandparents, the postie..... whoever you want to give a little gift to to say thanks for all you've done/been this year, this is definitely the thing to make!<br />
I tested some of my scrubs out this morning and my skin is so soft and smooth! I loved the result so much I think the next batch may just be for our shower!!<br />
The most difficult part of this recipe is deciding which flavour/scent combinations to choose. I have included some ideas to get you thinking below.<br />
<br />
Enjoy the festive season Mellymaks family! And don't lose sight of whats most important throughout the busyness!! <br />
Enjoy...<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Homemade body sugar scrubs</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
<h3>
Homemade body sugar scrubs</h3>
<h4>
Ingredients</h4>
3 cups sugar (I used white this time but in my research the scrubs will work just as well with brown sugar)<br />
3/4 cup oil (I used grapeseed oil, but again many oils would work well - almond, avocado, coconut, macadamia)<br />
flavours ( In one batch I used 10 drops of lavender essential oil and 1 teaspoon of vanilla bean extract. In the other batch I used the juice of half a lime, the grated rind of a whole lime and a splash of peppermint extract)<br />
<br />
<h4>
Method</h4>
<ol>
<li>Put all ingredients into the bowl and mix well.</li>
<li>Spoon into jars and seal. (This recipe filled 5 x 200ml jars - see pic above)</li>
<li>Store in a cool, dry place. It will apparently keep for months!</li>
</ol>
<br />
<u><b>Flavour/scent options </b></u><br />
<ul>
<li>Citrus essential oils and a cinnamon stick</li>
<li>Chai - Cinnamon, cardamon, star anise, cloves, black tea leaves</li>
<li>Ground freeze-dried strawberries</li>
<li>Coffee grounds and vanilla bean extract</li>
<li>Raw honey and ginger powder</li>
<li>Grated lemongrass and lime zest</li>
</ul>
Mel Makrishttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17704761046228745879noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1616599753690264481.post-54953301890011533232014-10-03T13:48:00.000+10:002014-10-03T13:48:14.245+10:00Blood Orange Tart with an almond base - Gluten FreeThere's something really exotic and mysterious about blood oranges. Is it their unusually short harvest season (approx 2 months) that creates a sense of urgency and desire? Their stunning and unique flesh colours? Or the beautiful flavour combination of both citrus and raspberries? Either way, I absolutely love seeing blood oranges hit the markets and always stock up to make as many treats as possible!<br />
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This year I couldn't go past blood orange sorbet. The colour is striking and the flavour sharp and citrusey yet refreshing! Making sorbets in the Thermomix is oh so easy that it is almost worth buying one for that benefit alone!<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Blood Orange Sorbet made in the Thermomix</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
But with a bowl of sorbet chilling in the freezer I still had a lot of blood orange quarters peeled and pipped and waiting for another creation. So a blood orange tart it was! I was looking for a decadent tart yet something quite light in texture to ensure the citrus notes were not drowned out. And of course I find it hard to create anything without a touch of nutrition added, and so almonds and chia were made a part of the base and I stuck to minimal sugar and the lesser processed rapadura at that.<br />
You need to excuse my pictures, as per usual, as I am far from a good photographer but take my word for it, this tart was YUM!! <br />
One of the best features of this recipe is the requirement for just one bowl, whether it be a TMX bowl, a food processor bowl or the old traditional, well, bowl! Serving this up at the table in front of friends will be sure to impress, and yet you needn't disclose the minimal fuss you have gone to! I won't tell them if you don't!<br />
Make it the day before to let the flavours settle if time allows, and serve up with anything from a reduction of extra blood orange juice, double cream, vanilla ice cream, segments of fresh blood oranges or indeed a scoop of homemade blood orange sorbet. Enjoy...<br />
<br />
<br />
<h3>
Blood Orange Tart with an almond base (gluten free)</h3>
<h4>
Ingredients</h4>
BASE<br />
100g butter<br />
100g raw almonds (or almond meal if you don't have a processor to mill almonds)<br />
200g gluten free plain flour (I used Orgran brand)<br />
40g rapadura or coconut sugar<br />
10g white chia seeds<br />
1 egg<br />
<br />
FILLING<br />
300g blood orange flesh (skin, pith and pips removed)<br />
100g rapadura or coconut sugar<br />
2 eggs<br />
180g cream<br />
1 heaped teaspoon gluten free cornflour<br />
<br />
<h4>
Method - Conventional</h4>
<ol>
<li>Preheat oven to 170 degrees celcius. Lightly grease a 24cm shallow pie case with a removable base.</li>
<li>For the base, if you are using a food processor, add almonds and chia seeds to the bowl and process on high speed until a meal consistency is achieved. </li>
<li>If not using a food processor, place almond meal, chia seeds, sugar and flour in a large mixing bowl. Add butter and work through with finger tips until mixture resembles bread crumbs. Add beaten egg and work through until mixture comes together. Continue at step 6.</li>
<li>Add butter, sugar and flour and process just until mixture resembles bread crumbs.</li>
<li>Add the egg and pulse until just combined. </li>
<li>Press mixture evenly into pie case both into the base and the sides. Place on a baking tray for stability and blind bake in preheated oven for 20 minutes. Remove from oven and set aside.</li>
<li>For the filling, add orange flesh and sugar to the food processor bowl. Blend until fine pulp is formed.</li>
<li>Add remaining filling ingredients and process until smooth and well combined. </li>
<li>Pour over base and bake in oven for 30 minutes or until set. The filling will still wobble when you move it however is actually set.</li>
<li>Allow to cool to room temperature before storing in fridge.</li>
</ol>
<h4>
Method - Thermomix</h4>
<ol>
<li>Preheat oven to 170 degrees celcius. Lightly grease a 24cm shallow pie case with a removable base.</li>
<li>For the base, place almonds and chia in the TM bowl and mill on speed 10 for 10 seconds.</li>
<li>Add flour and sugar and combine on speed 5 for 5 seconds. Add butter and process on speed 5 for 10 seconds. </li>
<li>Add egg and mix on REVERSE, speed 4 for 10 seconds.</li>
<li>Press mixture evenly into pie case both into the base and the
sides. Place on a baking tray for stability and blind bake in preheated oven for 20 minutes. Remove from oven
and set aside.</li>
<li>For the filling, place orange and sugar in TM bowl (no need to clean from making the base, just ensure as much of the base has been removed as possible) and blend on speed 9 for 20 seconds.</li>
<li>Add remaining filling ingredients and blend on speed 4.5 for 30 seconds. Pour over base and bake in the oven for 30 minutes or until set. The filling will still wobble when you move it however is actually set.</li>
<li>Allow to cool to room temperature before storing in fridge.</li>
</ol>
<br />
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Mel Makrishttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17704761046228745879noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1616599753690264481.post-92002205881385098952014-08-01T20:33:00.000+10:002014-08-01T20:33:10.966+10:00Clean eating kids party plan - All recipes included<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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<br />
<br />
Putting together a party is such a big thing isn't it?! Even the simplest of parties still requires thoughts about food, decorations, entertainment, other supplies such as napkins, cups etc etc etc!!!<br />
I've just gone through another party - my son's 6th birthday! He wanted a science themed birthday so we ended up hiring a company called '<a href="http://www.thescientwists.com.au/" target="_blank">Scientwists</a>' to come and host the first hour of the party, with the second hour being about eating and free play! Just as a side note, the Scientwists were fantastic and kept all 15 kids attention for the whole hour! We had the rockets party and after a brief science interactive display show, the kids all donned a lab coat and pair of safety glasses and got to work on making a little rocket which they all launched towards the end of the party! It was so fun and they got to take home their homemade rockets for more fun beyond the party!<br />
Anyway, as all of you regular Mellymaks readers know, my passion is providing real foods to kids, avoiding as many additives as possible and fostering an appreciation for whole foods, real flavours, 'clean' home cooking, and a respect for food and where it has come from.<br />
I would suggest parties are inherently the most difficult places to find these values, and much of this has come from an expectation of sugar laden, highly processed, 'treat' foods that have little nutritional value and a high additive content. WHY?!!! I go into this more in <a href="http://mellymaks.blogspot.com.au/2012/06/party-time-healthy-style.html" target="_blank">this blog post </a>so will leave it there, but only to say that this blog post is designed to make it as easy as possible to create a mostly additive free party that kids will love. I certainly had no complaints from our little guests and believe me there wasn't much food left over when they all shut the gate and left with their rockets in hand!!<br />
So below I have listed each food item that was on our table and the recipes or links to recipes I used so that hopefully you can just print this out and have all the information you need in one place to make your next party an additive free one. Who really wants kids high as kites on colours, flavours, other additives and processed sugars and fats?? How is that celebrating? <br />
Whilst you may think this is a lot of time and effort compared to picking up a heap of frozen and packet items from the supermarket the day before, I just spread out the tasks over the week or two before and didn't find it too hard with some pre-planning.<br />
<br />
<h2>
DRINKS</h2>
I had <b>NO soft drinks </b>at our party. <b>Mineral water </b>was available, as was '<b>free from concentrate' orange juice </b>(this is important as the concentrate loses any nutritional value and is further processed. Also then generally synthetic vitamins are added back into the juice after processing to replace what was killed off in the process).<br />
I also made <b>homemade cordial </b>which is super easy to do - with or without a Thermomix (although probably a little less messy and less dishes with a TMX). Here is the recipe (taken from the EDC cookbook)<br />
<h4>
Ingredients </h4>
130g berries of choice (I have always used frozen organic raspberries)<br />
300g water<br />
approx 370g raw sugar (rapadura will impart a flavour and colour into the cordial so for this recipe I either use coconut sugar and whiz it up first in the TMX to almost icing sugar consistency or otherwise organic raw sugar)<br />
<h4>
Method (TMX and conventional) </h4>
Place the berries and water into TM bowl and mix for 20 seconds on Sp 4. (or whiz together in blender, food processor (make sure it is water tight!) or you could even use a stick blender to blend the fruit then mix through the water)<br />
Heat for 5 minutes at 90 degrees on Sp 2 (or in a saucepan until just at simmering point).<br />
Strain through a fine sieve (making sure you press out all the liquid you can) into a jug and weigh it back into the TM bowl. Add the same weight in sugar. It always weighs in at around 370g so for those of you who aren't using a Thermomix, pour the strained liquid back into your saucepan and add 370g sugar.<br />
Heat for 6 minutes at 90 degrees on Sp 2 or on the stove at a low simmer until the sugar has dissolved (approx 5 minutes).<br />
Cool slightly and pour into clean jars or bottles. Store in fridge. <br />
This will keep for weeks so make it in advance and it will be ready for the party with ease. This quantity made approx 3-3.5 litres of cordial which seemed adequate for this sized party (approx 16 kids plus some big kids sneaking cordial!!)<br />
<br />
<h2>
SAVOURY </h2>
Our party was from 10.30-12.30am and the kids ate from 11.30 so I was catering for 'brunch/almost lunch'. Therefore my savoury spread was:<br />
<ul>
<li><b>Mini meat pies </b>(home made shortcrust spelt pastry and slow cooked meat filling)</li>
<li><b>Homemade 'sausage' rolls </b>(with lots of vegies as well as minced rump steak). </li>
<li><b>Cheese platter with carrot and celery sticks</b>, tasty cheese cut into small squares for the kids, <b>hommus dip and a spinach and cashew pesto, and wholegrain rice crackers.</b></li>
<li><b>Mexican Dip </b>(layers of mashed avocado, diced tomato, grated cheese and served with corn chips.</li>
<li><b>Mini organic sausages </b>(I bought the Macro brand available in Woolworths supermarkets) served with preservative free wholemeal bread and tomato sauce.</li>
</ul>
Other savoury ideas:<br />
<ul>
<li>sushi platter</li>
<li>homemade sandwiches with fillings such as cheese/tomato, tuna/mayo mix, shredded roast chicken/avocado, cream cheese/cucumber.</li>
<li>mini homemade quiches</li>
<li>mini noodle boxes filled with homemade fried rice or vermicilli rice noodles.</li>
<li>mini homemade pizzas using preservative free pita breads</li>
<li>little spinach/ricotta/feta filo pastry triangles </li>
<li>homemade popcorn</li>
</ul>
Savoury foods to avoid:<br />
<ul>
<li>'Little franks' - we all know those fluro red cased hot dogs are nothing but a super concoction of preservatives, colours and stuff far removed from actual meat!!</li>
<li>Prepackaged frozen foods such as chicken nuggets, pies and sausage rolls all have an ingredient list as long as your arm! I know they are quick and easy but if you are looking to reduce the additives/preservatives/colours etc, these are food to avoid. The recipes below can be made well ahead of time so a little bit of pre-planning can mean that the workload is spread over a few weeks making it more manageable.</li>
<li>Artificially flavoured/coloured potato crisps. Best to stick to plain flavours that don't contain a huge ingredient list. Putting a bowl of plain crisps next to a nice guacamole or hummus can be a perfect flavour combination naturally!</li>
</ul>
<h2>
Recipes:</h2>
<h3>
Mini meat pies </h3>
<h4>
Ingredients</h4>
<br />
<h4>
Pastry</h4>
I used the shortcrust pastry recipe from the Thermomix EDC recipe book although used organic spelt flour instead of plain wheat flour.<br />
200g organic spelt flour<br />
100g butter<br />
pinch of salt<br />
50-60g chilled water<br />
<h4>
Method</h4>
1. Place flour, butter and salt into the TM bowl or food processor and mix for about 10 seconds on speed 6 until mixture resembles breadcrumbs.<br />
2. If using TMX, set dial to closed lid position. Add water and knead for 10-20 seconds on interval speed to form a dough, adding more water if necessary. If using a food processor, add water to flour mix and pulse until mixture just comes together into a ball.<br />
3. Take mixture out onto a large piece of plastic wrap (or Thermomat) and bring together kneading lightly into a ball. Press down into a disc and wrap, placing in fridge for at least 15 minutes. This dough will last like this for a couple of days in the fridge so can make ahead of time.<br />
4. When you take out of the fridge to use, knead lightly until just pliable, and roll out on floured board to about 2mm thickness. I used mini muffin trays and cupcake trays for my pies. For this qty of pastry I made approx 20 pies (a mix of both sizes) so you may wish to double the pastry qty if you are having a larger party. You'll need to find a round cutter slightly larger than the width of the hole for the base and about the size of the hole for the lid. <br />
5. Push the cut out bases into the trays, fill to 3/4 mark with cold meat filling (recipe below) and place pastry lid on top, pressing the base and lid together around the sides with the prongs of a fork. Brush with a little beaten egg if desired.<br />
6. These can be frozen at this stage (proving the meat filling has not already been frozen separately) or cooked and then frozen, if making in advance. Thawed pies need to be cooked in a 180 degree oven for approx 25-30 minutes. (cooking times will vary depending on size of pies and individual oven variances)<br />
<br />
<h4>
Gluten Free Pastry</h4>
Yes you can do this gluten free!! I had some great feedback on this pastry and I managed to sneak a few mini gluten free pies in during the party too! YUM! This pastry recipe came from a dear friends mum so thank you Althea! <br />
<h4>
Ingredients</h4>
1 1/2 c organic cornflour (I used 1 c cornflour and 1/2c Orgran gluten free plain flour)<br />
1/2 c organic soy flour<br />
1 heaped tsp xanthan gum<br />
pinch salt<br />
125g butter<br />
1 egg yolk<br />
1/4-1/2c chilled water<br />
<h4>
Method</h4>
1. Place dry ingredients and butter into TMX or food processor. Pulse (Turbo button for TMX) until mixture resembles fine breadcrumbs.<br />
2. Add egg yolk and water (start at 1/4 c and add more if necessary to obtain a dough ball) and pulse/turbo until dough just comes together into ball.<br />
3. Follow steps 3-6 above.<br />
This qty of gluten free pastry made 12 mini pies for me. <br />
<h3>
Meat Filling</h3>
700g beef steaks (I used rump only because it was half price that week however you would normally use a cheaper cut such as Chuck Steak)<br />
2 tbs oil <br />
2 tbs plain flour (gluten free if making gluten free pies)<br />
1 brown onion<br />
3 cloves garlic<br />
5 mushrooms (organic preferable), <br />
2 tbs vegetable stock concentrate (made in TMX), 1 1/4c liquid stock, or 2 tsp commercial stock powder (try to stick to something without MSG and other additives, such as Massells)<br />
1 1/4c water (only add this water if using stock concentrate or stock powder. NOT liquid stock as it will be too much liquid!)<br />
2 tbs tomato paste<br />
cracked pepper to taste <br />
<h4>
Method</h4>
1. Finely chop up the meat into a fine dice. Set aside. <br />
2. If using a TMX or food processor, chop onion, garlic and mushrooms very finely. Set aside.<br />
3. In a medium saucepan, heat oil over high heat and add chopped meat. Stir through and once browned add flour and stir through.<br />
4. Add onion/garlic/mushroom mix and stir through. After a couple of minutes, add stock, water if using, and tomato paste. Stir through and bring to a slow simmer. With the lid on, cook on a very slow simmer for an hour or until meat is tender, checking every now and then to stir and ensure the mix isn't catching on the bottom.<br />
5. Remove lid and cook for a further 10-15 minutes until the sauce thickens to a gravy consistency.<br />
6. Place in container, allow to cool slightly and then place in the fridge until cold.<br />
<br />
NOTE: This mix can be frozen until required and therefore can be made up to a couple of months before using. However note that the thawed filling mix could not then be frozen again in the pastry cases without having been cooked first.<br />
I had a lot of filling over after making the 20 spelt pastry pies and 12 gluten free pies. A couple of days later I was able to make a family size pie for us for dinner! If you double the pastry recipes above, you should have enough meat filling from one quantity. <br />
<br />
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<h3>
'Sausage' Rolls. </h3>
Sausage mince is NOT used in my sausage rolls!!! No way ho-say!! A good quality mince can be found at most butchers for well under $10/kg so please stay clear of that stuff in the sausage-looking packet!! Could you really say what is in that mush?<br />
<h4>
My recipe can be found at <a href="http://www.recipecommunity.com.au/baby-food-recipes/sausage-rolls/48918" target="_blank">this link</a>. Check out the feedback from 'happy customers' at the end of the page if you are at all concerned about the recipe!!</h4>
If you do not have a TMX, the filling could either be made in a food processor or the veggies could be chopped/grated by hand. NOTE - make sure you squeeze as much liquid out of the veggie mix as possible to ensure your sausage rolls do not turn out soggy. Although I did make these using commercial puff pastry, it was Pampas Butter Puff Pastry which is free from additives. There is a recipe for puff pastry in the TMX EDC recipe book if desired.<br />
<br />
These can also be made up to a couple of months prior to the party and a batch will use 8-10 sheets of puff pastry which, when cut into 6, will give you approx 48-60 mini sausage rolls, plenty for most sized kids parties although we certainly had none left and we probably served up about 40, thinking that would be plenty!!<br />
<br />
<h2>
SWEET</h2>
Ok so its a party and there is inevitably going to be sweet stuff on offer! And why not?! But sweet stuff often comes with a trailer load of chemicals making food look all the colours of the rainbow... artificially!<br />
<br />
At our party we did have a couple of little bowls of Natural Confectionary Company snake lollies and Nestle Smarties. Whilst these aren't foods we eat every day by any means, they are at least options that come without the harsh and bright artificial colours and flavours. Apparently Nestle Australia removed them from Smarties back in 2009. Other confectionary suggestions would be white marshmellows, plain chocolate, the Natural Confectionary lolly range, and some other great organic options can be found <a href="http://happytummies.com.au/confectionery/all-confectionery" target="_blank">here</a>.<br />
<br />
My sweet spread was:<br />
<ul>
<li>Natural Confectionary Company snakes (1 large bag spread across 3-4 ramekins on the table)</li>
<li>Nestle Smarties (1 large share bag spread across 2 ramekins on the table)</li>
<li>Platter of sliced watermelon</li>
<li>Cheesecake brownie slice (recipe below)</li>
<li>Chocolate crackles (a recipe I always use from the amazing 'Natural New Age Mum'). <a href="http://naturalnewagemum.com/really-healthy-chocolate-crackles/" target="_blank">Link here</a>. This recipe made 15 crackles for me.</li>
<li>THE BIRTHDAY CAKE!!! ( recipe below)</li>
</ul>
This may not seem like much but no one seemed to be looking for more to eat and the good thing about it was that the birthday cake was probably 3/4 eaten - and many of you would have had the experience of a birthday cake being barely touched which I always think is a waste given the amount of time taken making it!<br />
<br />
Other sweet suggestions would be:<br />
<ul>
<li>Pikelets with jam and cream.</li>
<li>mini homemade custard tarts or lemon curd tarts</li>
<li>fairy bread using 100s and 1000s that contain no artificial colours or flavours (available in supermarkets or at <a href="http://www.hopperfoods.com.au/Products/NaturalSprinkles.aspx" target="_blank">this link</a>)</li>
<li>cupcakes</li>
<li>homemade shortbread bikkies (my gluten free recipe <a href="http://mellymaks.blogspot.com.au/2013/12/gluten-free-shortbread.html" target="_blank">here</a>) or choc chip bikkies (my gluten free recipe is <a href="http://mellymaks.blogspot.com.au/2013/06/black-rice-seed-and-choc-chip-cookies.html" target="_blank">here</a>)</li>
</ul>
<h2>
RECIPES:</h2>
<h3>
Cheesecake and brownie slice</h3>
<h4>
Ingredients:</h4>
CHEESECAKE LAYER: <br />
110g (1/2 cup) rapadura sugar<br />
250g cream cheese<br />
1 egg (preferably free range organic)<br />
1 tsp vanilla bean extract<br />
125ml (1/2 cup) cream<br />
1/4 cup organic vanilla yogurt<br />
<br />
BROWNIE LAYER: <br />
85g sunflower kernels<br />
85g pepitas (pumpkin seeds)<br />
140g butter<br />
40g rapadura sugar<br />
150g dark chocolate<br />
35g raw cacao powder<br />
3 eggs<br />
<h4>
Method:</h4>
1. Preheat oven to 180 degrees celcius.<br />
2. Place the 1/2c sugar (cheesecake ingredient) in the TM bowl of TMX and powder on speed 9 for 15 seconds. Set aside. No need to wash the bowl. If you don't have a Thermomix, skip this step.<br />
3. First make the brownie layer. Recipe <a href="http://mellymaks.blogspot.com.au/2014/01/nut-and-gluten-free-fudgy-dark.html" target="_blank">here</a>. Do not bake the brownie. Just pour the mix into the tray and set aside while you make the cheesecake layer.<br />
4. Wash out the TM bowl or food processor. Place the cheesecake ingredients in and whiz on speed 5 for TMX or medium speed for food processor until smooth.<br />
5. Pour out onto brownie layer and gently smooth over the top.<br />
6. Place in preheated oven and bake for approx 20 minutes. As long as the cheesecake can be touched with a skin on it, it is ready. Overcooking this slice will dry it out and it won't be as creamy and moist. Better undercooked than over cooked actually!!!<br />
7. Allow to cool in the tin. Carefully pull up and out using the baking paper to pull and slide out onto a cooling rack. Place in the fridge uncut in a slice container. Once chilled, using a clean knife for each cut, cut the slice into squares approx 2cm x 2cm. <br />
<br />
This slice will keep in the fridge for up to 5 days. It also freezes well so could be made up to a month prior to your party! <br />
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<h3>
THE BIRTHDAY CAKE!</h3>
OK. So this is always my favourite part of the kids birthday parties! I have always loved cake decorating and I seemed to have passed this passion onto my boys as they now start thinking about the cake that they want even a few months prior to their birthdays! You can check out pics <a href="http://mellymaks.blogspot.com.au/2012/06/party-time-healthy-style.html" target="_blank">here </a>of most of the boys cakes to date (scroll down to the bottom of the post). <br />
The cake that I made for this birthday was chosen by Liam himself. I had made it a few months earlier for a dear friends 40th and Liam had managed to sneak a taste when I wasn't looking and loved it!!! So the cake is a caramel mud cake sandwiched between two moist vanilla bean cake layers. Three layers of decadent, gluten free, moist, deliciousness...... oh yes, if I do say so myself!!! I can't take credit for creating these cake recipes though so I have included the recipe links below. I did make a few changes to both recipes though and these will be detailed below. Between each layer was a vanilla bean buttercream icing, so yes this cake does have a processed element in that I have used pure icing sugar for the icing. I used whipped cream to decorate the sides of the cake which cuts through the sweetness nicely, while giving a nice white finish to the cake.<br />
Whilst chocolate is normally the crowd favourite, I think these flavours appeal to both kids and adults alike, and really there is nothing to not like about this flavour combination, other than the pull it has to sneak another piece from the cake board!<br />
Like all good cakes there is no shortage of butter and sugar in these recipes however I use minimally processed rapadura sugar (which also contributes a caramel/butterscotch flavour) and hey, its the birthday cake!!<br />
So <a href="http://www.taste.com.au/recipes/12743/caramel+mud+cake" target="_blank">here is the Caramel Mudcake link </a><a href="http://addapinch.com/cooking/2013/08/09/the-best-white-cake-recipe/" target="_blank"></a><br />
Changes to the caramel mud cake -<br />
<ul>
<li>Rapadura instead of brown sugar</li>
<li>Organic vanilla bean extract with the seeds, instead of vanilla essence.</li>
<li>Gluten free plain and SR flour instead of normal wheat flour (same qtys)</li>
<li>I used the TMX so placed all the ingredients they put in a saucepan into the TM bowl instead. Melted at 60 degrees for about 4 minutes on speed 1 until all melted. Then added one egg at a time on speed 3 and then added the flours and stirred through on speed 1 until just combined but with no flour lumps. I used a rectangle cake tin 25 x 20cm.</li>
</ul>
and here is the <a href="http://addapinch.com/cooking/2013/08/09/the-best-white-cake-recipe/" target="_blank">vanilla cake recipe link . </a><br />
Changes to the vanilla cake recipe - <br />
<br />
<ul>
<li>Rapadura instead of granulated sugar</li>
<li>Raw organic coconut oil instead of vegetable shortening </li>
<li>Gluten free plain flour instead of all purpose flour (same qtys)</li>
<li>Organic vanilla bean extract with the seeds, instead of vanilla extract.</li>
<li>I have to be honest and say I didn't use any ingredients at room temperature as suggested and mine still worked out fine! I'm not that organised!</li>
<li>I used the same rectangle cake tin as above and cut the cooled cake in half lengthways, making way for the caramel mudcake layer in between.</li>
<li>I used the TMX so creamed the butter and coconut oil on speed 6, scraping the sides down a few times. Then added the sugar slowly and continously on speed 3, then the eggs on the same speed one at a time. I then decided to take this creamed mixture out of the TM bowl and into a big mixing bowl to be able to get the air into it and mix it carefully and properly with the dry ingredients and milks, alternatively.</li>
</ul>
The buttercream icing recipe I use is <a href="http://www.recipecommunity.com.au/recipes/easy-peasy-cupcakes-buttercream-icing/22607" target="_blank">here </a>(step 2) and although this is a TMX recipe, use the same quantities in your electric mixer and the same result will occur. I doubled this recipe to cover the layers and added a couple of teaspoons of vanilla bean extract! YUM!!<br />
Once the cakes were cooled and the vanilla cake halved, place one half of the vanilla cake on a cake board (with a smudge of icing on the board to stop the cake from slipping), cover it with almost half the icing. Place the caramel mud cake on top (making sure it is relatively even and if not, shave off some of the cake to even it so that you get a flat top). Ice the mudcake with most of the remaining icing (leaving some to fill the gaps in the layers on the sides). Place the top half of the vanilla cake on top.<br />
Then whip 300ml cream flavoured with a splash of vanilla bean extract and a spoon of icing sugar until it is firm (but don't curdle it whatever you do!!) <br />
Patch the gaps and unevenness up with the remaining icing. Cover the outside of the cake with the cream. I would generally do a thin layer over the entire cake first to keep the crumbs contained to this layer. Leave it for 20 minutes or so and then cover with the remaining cream evenly to make a perfectly white cake!<br />
Decorate as desired.<br />
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So I hope this blog post has given you some ideas and direction for making your next party a 'clean' one! I'm sorry I didn't have a lot of great photos for you but will hope to add them over time (The party went so fast I didn't get my camera out fast enough!) If you have any more questions on my 'mostly clean party', please either leave a comment here or on my <a href="http://www.facebook.com/mellymaks" target="_blank">Facebook page</a>. Enjoy...<br />
Mel Makrishttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17704761046228745879noreply@blogger.com10tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1616599753690264481.post-26718066893830747082014-07-13T21:20:00.001+10:002014-07-26T16:22:34.028+10:00Seeded cheddar biscuits - 'Cheds' style! Gluten and nut freeA big part of my love affair with food are the emotions that come from eating. Whether it be memories that come flooding back with just one bite, family traditions passed down from generation to generation, love that is felt from ones effort and thought, or even a talent of flavour matching and creation of a dish that gives you no choice when you experience it than to close your eyes and treasure the moment, hairs standing on end. I've experienced many of these moments. It's something I live for, something I guess you can't understand unless you feel that way about food too!<br />
So where does this recipe fit in? Do you remember the age old 'Arnotts Cheds' biscuits? I'm pretty sure they are still on the shelf actually, I just don't look in that aisle anymore and they contain gluten anyway so are a no-go zone for me!<br />
But childhood memories come flooding back with the talk of Cheds and I am happy for the trip down memory lane!<br />
These days I am much more mindful of what I am putting in my mouth and 'Cheds' have an ingredient list as long as my arm, many of which are not what I would consider to be 'food'! Check this out....<br />
<i>Wheat Flour (Contains Folate, Thiamin), Vegetable Oil, Cheese (17%)
(Milk Solids, Salt) Salt, Malt Extract (from Barley) Yeast, Yeast
Extract, Flavours, Glucose, Raising Agents (E500), Rye Meal, Rice Flour,
Milk Solids, Spices, Colour (E150D), Antioxidants (E306 from Soy,
E304), Emulsifier (E322 (from Soy)).</i><br />
<i>(Correct at the time of publication)</i><br />
<br />
Hmmm, these ingredients in your or your childrens tummy??? I think not!<br />
<br />
These are so easy to make and a little delight that can personalise a cheese platter, compliment a picnic, complete a school lunchbox, satisfy after school hunger pangs, or even make a thoughtful gift for housewarmings, teachers and, well, just about anything really!<br />
<br />
So here is the recipe - tell me what you think here or at <a href="http://www.facebook.com/mellymaks" target="_blank">www.facebook.com/mellymaks </a>and pass your love on to someone you care about in the form of a seeded cheddar bikkie!<br />
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<h2>
Seeded Cheddar Biscuits - gluten and nut free</h2>
<h4>
Ingredients</h4>
80g sharp cheddar (I think the secret to this recipe is in the cheese so make sure you pick a really bitey one! I used Mainland Extra Tasty Cheddar)<br />
120g plain gluten free flour (I used Orgran)<br />
20g/2tbs sesame seeds<br />
30g/2tbs poppy seeds<br />
75g butter, chilled<br />
10g/just under 1tbs olive oil<br />
paprika<br />
1 egg white<br />
<br />
<h4>
Method - Conventional</h4>
<ol>
<li>Preheat oven to 180 degrees celcius. Line two baking trays with baking paper. </li>
<li>Grate cheese on fine grater or use a food processor and process until relatively fine. </li>
<li>If using a food processor, add all ingredients except egg white and process until mixture resembles breacrumbs. If not using a food processor, add cheese to a large mixing bowl with flour, seeds, butter, paprika and olive oil. Rub together with fingertips until mixture resembles fine breadcrumbs.</li>
<li>Add egg white either to the bowl or food processor and mix or pulse until mix just starts to come together.</li>
<li>Lightly flour bench or pastry mat and bring gently together into a ball. </li>
<li>With a floured rolling pin, roll mixture out to 1/2cm thickness. Using a biscuit cutter of your choice, place biscuits onto prepared trays with just a bit of space between them. </li>
<li>Bake for 20 minutes or until lightly browned. Place immediately on a cooling rack. Store in an airtight container once completely cool.</li>
</ol>
<h4>
Method - Thermomix</h4>
<ol>
<li>Preheat oven to 180 degrees celcius. Line two baking trays with baking paper. </li>
<li>Place the cheese in a dry TM bowl and grate on speed 7 for 5 seconds.</li>
<li>Add flour, seeds, butter, oil and paprika and combine on speed 7 for 3 seconds.</li>
<li>Add egg white and combine on REVERSE, pressing Turbo 3-4 times, or until mixture just begins to come together. Don't over process or you will lose the flakiness of the finished biscuit.</li>
<li>Pour mixture out onto lightly floured Thermomat or bench top and gently bring together into a ball.</li>
<li>Follow steps 6 and 7 above.</li>
</ol>
Enjoy..<br />
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Mel Makrishttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17704761046228745879noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1616599753690264481.post-80709031028793976232014-06-15T16:23:00.000+10:002014-06-15T16:23:17.911+10:00Flourless whole grain date loaf (gluten and dairy free)I seem to have quite a few 'to have with a cuppa' recipes on my blog! Perhaps it's an indication of how much I like a good coffee or tea, or perhaps more to the point it's an indication of how much I enjoy catching up with friends over a cuppa! Problem with us Coeliacs is that often we miss out on the bikkies and cakes on offer, but not if you have this recipe on hand!<br />
The whole loaf is only sweetened with half a cup of a natural raw syrup (such as honey, maple or coconut syrup) and medjool dates. With the white and brown rice, quinoa and chickpeas, nuts and eggs as the remaining ingredients this loaf oozes decadence, but is actually healthy and natural! The first time I made this I threw in a handful of dark choc chips, the second time I didn't. It was tasty either way, but I would feel it would be more for afternoon tea with the chocolate and morning tea without - although really, a good dose of cacao can be enjoyed at any time of the day if you are like me ( :<br />
<br />
<div>
I only just bought my first tub of <a href="http://www.goodness.com.au/Organic-Coconut-Syrup-1L.html#full-desc" target="_blank">coconut syrup </a>from <a href="http://www.goodness.com.au/" target="_blank">Honest to Goodness </a>and so was experimenting with this recipe. The flavour it brings is rich and 'caramelly' - similar to golden syrup, but given how it is extracted from the sap of the coconut blossom, it brings a range of nutrients and has a low GI (glycemic index).</div>
<div>
If you are not using a Thermomix or high speed processor, use a mix of flours such as white/brown rice, chickpea, soy, millet, quinoa, potato... whatever you have in your cupboard.</div>
<div>
Delicious with a spread of organic butter, or even just warm out of the oven, this is sure to add to the conversation at your next gathering with coffee and friends! Enjoy...</div>
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<span id="goog_767876685"></span><span id="goog_767876686"></span><br /></div>
<div>
<h3>
Flourless Whole Grain Date Loaf (Gluten and Dairy Free)</h3>
</div>
<div>
</div>
<div>
<h4>
Ingredients</h4>
</div>
<div>
1/2 cup (100g) white rice (rice flour if not using a Thermomix)</div>
<div>
1/2 cup (100g) brown rice (rice flour if not using a Thermomix)</div>
<div>
1/2 cup (100g) quinoa and chickpeas (quinoa/chickpea/millet flour if not using a Thermomix)</div>
<div>
8 medjool dates, pips removed</div>
<div>
1 cup (110g) walnuts/pecans</div>
<div>
1/2 cup (150g) coconut syrup/honey/maple syrup</div>
<div>
3/4 cup (170g) hot water</div>
<div>
Pinch Himalayan rock salt (or any other minimally processed salt)</div>
<div>
1 tsp vanilla extract</div>
<div>
2 eggs</div>
<div>
1/2 tsp baking soda</div>
<div>
1/2 tsp baking powder</div>
<div>
1 handful dark choc chips, if desired</div>
<div>
<br />
<h4>
Method - Conventional</h4>
<ol>
<li>Preheat oven to 190 degrees celcius. Lightly grease a loaf tin.</li>
<li>Roughly chop pitted dates and nuts with either a knife or pulse in a food processor.</li>
<li>Add water, syrup, salt, vanilla extract and baking soda to dates/nuts in a large bowl and stir until combined and soda has frothed the mixture slightly.</li>
<li>Lightly whisk eggs and add to date mixture, whisking for 30 seconds or until fully combined and slightly aerated. </li>
<li>Combine flours and baking powder and add to date mixture. Stir through carefully just until flour is completely incorporated into the mix. (Add choc chips at this stage too if using)</li>
<li>Pour mix into prepared loaf tin and bake for approx 35 minutes for until a skewer inserted into the middle of the loaf comes out clean.</li>
<li>Leave in loaf tin for 5 minutes before turning out onto cooling rack and leaving to cool. Serve warm or cold with a spread of organic butter. Store in airtight container for 5 days.</li>
</ol>
<h4>
Method - Thermomix</h4>
<ol>
<li>Preheat oven to 190 degrees celcius. Lightly grease a loaf tin.</li>
<li> Place rices, quinoa and chickpeas into dry TM bowl and mill on speed 10 for 1 minute. Set aside.</li>
<li>Add pitted dates to TM bowl and chop on speed 6 for 1 second. Add nuts and chop on speed 6 for a further second.</li>
<li>Add water, syrup, salt, vanilla and baking soda and stir on REVERSE, speed 4 for 5 seconds.</li>
<li>Add eggs, flours and baking powder (and dark choc chips if using) and stir on REVERSE speed 5 for a further 7 seconds.</li>
<li>Follow steps 6 and 7 above.</li>
</ol>
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<ol>
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Mel Makrishttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17704761046228745879noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1616599753690264481.post-49667100635332107352014-05-06T21:34:00.001+10:002014-07-26T16:18:11.018+10:00Raspberry Coconut Slice - Gluten Free, Real Raspberries and a Nutritious Lunchbox Filler!There wouldn't be many people out there who haven't had a slice of the traditional Raspberry Coconut Slice in their life! Whether it was a staple in Grandma's slice tin or a local bakery favourite, this slice conjures up memories of days gone by.<br />
When this slice popped into my head the other day, I wanted to maintain the traditional flavours and textures of the slice, whilst increasing the nutritional value (as I had planned for this to be a successful inclusion into Master 5s school lunchbox). So the obvious renovation was to first swap the raspberry jam for just the fruit itself, and then a little tinkering to the base has boosted the fibre, protein, omega 3s, antioxidants and so the list goes on!<br />
If you like things really sweet you may find you want to add a little more sugar, but remember the raspberries add sweetness and for the kids I reckon they are sweet enough!<br />
<br />
Easy to make and even easier to eat, this slice is guaranteed to spice up the lunchbox, the morning tea platter at work, or even just the humble cuppa for a rare 'me time' moment! <br />
If you don't own a <a href="http://www.thermomix.com.au/" target="_blank">Thermie</a>, just use brown rice flour, available at your local health food store and some good supermarkets. The rest can be made with an electric mixer, food processor, or with a bit of muscle power, bring the tradition right back into this recipe with a good ol' fashioned whisk and wooden spoon!<br />
Enjoy...<br />
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<h3>
Raspberry and Coconut Slice </h3>
<h4>
Ingredients</h4>
<span class="element">100g butter</span><br />
<span class="element">3/4 cup (120g) + 1/4 cup (40g) rapadura sugar (or coconut sugar, brown sugar)</span>
<br />
<span class="checkbox input"></span>
<span class="element">3 eggs</span>
<br />
<span class="element">3/4 cup (150g) brown rice (or brown rice flour)</span>
<br />
2 tbs (25g) chia seeds<br />
<span class="checkbox input"></span>
<span class="element">1/2 cup (70g) gluten free self-raising flour</span>
<br />
<span class="checkbox input"></span>
<span class="element">1/3 cup buttermilk</span>
<br />
<span class="checkbox input"></span>
<span class="element">250g fresh or frozen organic raspberries</span>
<br />
2 <span class="element">cups organic desiccated coconut</span>
<br />
<br />
<h4>
<span class="element">Method - Conventional</span><span class="element"> </span></h4>
<ol>
<li>Preheat oven to 180°C (160°C
fan-forced). Line a 3cm-deep, 20cm x 30cm lamington tin with baking paper. Add chia seeds to buttermilk, stir, and allow to sit until needed. </li>
<li>Using an electric mixer, food processor or whisk/wooden spoon, beat butter
and 3/4 cup sugar until light and fluffy. </li>
<li>Add 1 egg. Beat until
combined. </li>
<li>Sift flours over butter mixture and add buttermilk/chia mixture. Stir gently to combine. </li>
<li>Spread mixture over base of prepared tin. Evenly place raspberries over
mixture.<span class="step"></span> </li>
<li>Whisk remaining eggs and 1/4 cup sugar
together in a bowl. Stir in coconut. Sprinkle mixture over raspberries. </li>
<li>Bake
for 35 to 40 minutes or until light golden. Cool in the tin before slicing. I've stored mine in the fridge due to the raspberries.</li>
</ol>
<h4>
Method - Thermomix</h4>
<ol>
<li>Preheat oven to 180°C (160°C
fan-forced). Line a 3cm-deep, 20cm x 30cm lamington tin with baking paper.</li>
<li>Place brown rice and chia seeds in the TM bowl. Mill on speed 10 for 1 minute. Set aside. No need to clean the bowl.</li>
<li>Add butter and 3/4 cup sugar to TM bowl and whip on speed 6 until pale. This will require a few stops and scraping down the bowl.</li>
<li>Add 1 egg. Blend on speed 5 for 10 seconds or until combined. </li>
<li>Add flours and buttermilk. Blend on speed 2 until just combined.</li>
<li>Spread mixture evenly over base of prepared tin. Scrape as much mixture out of the TM bowl as possible but no need to clean. Evenly place raspberries over mixture.</li>
<li>Add remaining eggs and 1/4 cup sugar to TM bowl and whiz on speed 4 for 15 seconds. Add coconut and stir through on REVERSE, speed 1 until combined. Sprinkle mixture over raspberries.</li>
<li>Bake
for 35 to 40 minutes or until light golden. Cool in the tin before slicing. I've stored mine in the fridge due to the raspberries.</li>
</ol>
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Mel Makrishttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17704761046228745879noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1616599753690264481.post-39443790792840234452014-04-08T14:29:00.000+10:002014-04-15T08:03:04.576+10:00Butterscotch and Pear Gluten Free Tart<br />
This tart would go so beautifully with a cup of tea in the afternoon, or dressed up with a scoop of vanilla ice cream for dessert.<br />
Us Coeliacs don't always get to enjoy sweet treats as most cakes/slices are made with wheat, but when you try this I think you'll agree that there is absolutely no reason why wheat is necessary in this tart, and instead there are plenty of nutrients replacing it!<br />
I have made this base previously with a <a href="http://mellymaks.blogspot.com.au/2013/02/gluten-free-stone-fruit-tart.html" target="_blank">Stone Fruit Tart</a>, so this is another version and a little more decadent with the addition of a butterscotch sauce.<br />
If nuts are an issue, replace the almonds with sunflower seeds, puffed amaranth or even chestnut meat if it's that time of the year.<br />
Without a Thermomix this recipe can still successfully be made, have a look below for the conventional recipe.<br />
Enjoy...<br />
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<h3>
Butterscotch and Pear Gluten Free Tart</h3>
<h4>
Ingredients</h4>
15g Chia seeds<br />
25g chickpeas (or chickpea flour if not using a TMX)<br />
20g flaxseed/linseeds<br />
30g brown rice (or brown rice flour if not using a TMX)<br />
25g raw buckwheat (or buckwheat flour if not using a TMX)<br />
40g raw almonds (or almond meal if not using a TMX)<br />
35g rapadura sugar (or brown/raw/coconut sugar)<br />
20g organic shredded coconut<br />
100g gluten free SR flour<br />
100g butter<br />
2 organic beurre bosc pears<br />
<br />
<b>Butterscotch Sauce </b><br />
65g rapadura sugar (or brown/raw/coconut sugar)<br />
135g cream<br />
1 tsp vanilla extract<br />
<br />
<br />
<h4>
Method - Conventional</h4>
<ol>
<li>Preheat oven to 180 degrees celcius. Line a 20cm springform tin with baking paper and lightly grease the sides.</li>
<li>Peel and slice pears lengthways and set aside. </li>
<li>If you have a food processor, grind up the chia and flaxseeds until
fine. Add the coconut and process until finely chopped. (If you don't
have a food processor, just add all flours and seeds in a large bowl and
work the butter into the dry ingredients with your fingertips until a
fine breadcrumb consistency).</li>
<li>Add flours and sugar and mix to combine. </li>
<li>Add butter and pulse until thoroughly combined.</li>
<li>Press mixture firmly into prepared tin with your fingers or the back of a spoon to make an even
base. Place the sliced pears evenly over the base.</li>
<li>Place the butterscotch sauce ingredients into a small saucepan and heat, stirring, until sugar has dissolved. Pour evenly over pears.</li>
<li>Place in preheated oven and cook for approx 45-50 minutes.</li>
<li>Allow to cool in the tin until just warm. Slice carefully and serve with organic vanilla yogurt, ice cream or cream.</li>
</ol>
<h4>
Method - Thermomix</h4>
<ol>
<li>Preheat oven to 180 degrees celcius. Line a 20cm springform tin with baking paper and lightly grease the sides.</li>
<li>Peel and slice pears lengthways and set aside. </li>
<li>Place chia, flax, chickpeas, rice and buckwheat in TM bowl and grind for 30 seconds on speed 9.</li>
<li>Add almonds, sugar and coconut and grind on speed 8 for a further 5 seconds.</li>
<li>Add SR flour and butter pieces and process on speed 6 until combined (approx 5-10 seconds).</li>
<li>Follow step 6 above. </li>
<li>Place butterscotch sauce ingredients in the TM bowl (no need to have washed it - just get as much of the base out as you can). Cook at 90 degrees, speed 1 for 3.5 minutes. Pour evenly over pears.</li>
<li>Follow steps 8-9 above.</li>
</ol>
<h4>
</h4>
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<br />Mel Makrishttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17704761046228745879noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1616599753690264481.post-2931228162155690742014-01-25T21:01:00.000+11:002014-01-25T21:01:03.025+11:00Carrot cake slice - Nut free, egg free and gluten freeFilling the lunchbox every day is a constant challenge, so I've been told! I'll find that out first hand this year. And so given I use nuts in most things I make, it has been a challenge for me to ditch the nuts (during the week anyway!) and to come up with some lunchbox friendly snacks that will still nourish and energize my little man as he takes on each of the days events.<br />
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<br />
<br />
This recipe has no highly processed ingredients, with the bulk of the mix coming from carrots, sunflower seeds and brown rice! It is also low in added sugar, using dates to sweeten, with just a little help from one of the least processed sugars, rapadura. Taste the mix before pouring into the tray and if your tastes say 'sweeter please', blend through another couple of dates, some grated apple or sultanas.<br />
I experimented and made a coconut 'icing' to put on top of each slice however you could go more traditional with a cream cheese frosting or even a lemony type icing which would be yummy too!<br />
<br />
Of course this isn't just for kids! Given the ingredients, it would make an energising snack for busy days on the go, between meals, or even with a cuppa and a chat! (or breakfast!).<br />
<h3>
Carrot Cake Slice - Nut, egg and gluten free</h3>
<h4>
Ingredients</h4>
150g brown rice (or brown rice flour if not using a TMX)<br />
30g chia seeds <br />
300g carrots<br />
120g sunflower seeds<br />
1 tsp cinnamon<br />
1/2 tsp nutmeg<br />
40g rapadura sugar<br />
6 medjool dates (or 1/2 cup sultanas)<br />
70g butter<br />
<br />
<h4>
Method - Conventional</h4>
<ol>
<li>Preheat oven to 180 degrees. Line a slice tray with baking paper.</li>
<li>Place carrots, sunflower seeds and dates in a food processor and blend until almost smooth.</li>
<li>Add remaining ingredients and blend until smooth.</li>
<li>Pour into prepared slice tray and place in preheated oven for 25-30 minutes, or until cooked through.</li>
<li>Cool in tray for 5 minutes then turn out onto a cooling rack.</li>
<li>When cool top with coconut icing (recipe below) or desired topping.</li>
</ol>
<h4>
Method - Thermomix</h4>
<ol>
<li>Preheat oven to 180 degrees. Line a slice tray with baking paper.</li>
<li>Place rice and chia seeds in TM bowl and mill on speed 10 for 1 minute, scraping down once or twice if needed. Set aside but no need to wash the bowl.</li>
<li>Add carrots, sunflower seeds and dates to TM bowl. Blend on speed 6-7 for 30 seconds. Scrape down and repeat.</li>
<li>Add remaining ingredients, including rice/chia flour and blend on speed 6 until completely combined (approx 20 seconds).</li>
<li>Follow steps 4-6 above.</li>
</ol>
<h4>
COCONUT ICING</h4>
Place a 270g tin of coconut milk in the fridge for a couple of hours (I use Ayam brand). Once it's cooled through, place 50g organic shredded coconut and 40g rapadura sugar in TM bowl. Blend until a rough paste forms. Open the coconut milk can without shaking and carefully spoon off just the solid part (the liquid will be down the bottom) and add to the coconut/sugar mix. Add the finely grated rind of 1 lime and 1 tbs coconut oil and blend on speed 7 until creamy (there will still be some texture from the coconut), scraping a couple of times.<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj3LZwAkjoHASa9DeIkimPF3Vrl9wDDSPgDP7MbeQANBLcJxKE2pQaueN0-rghctHhu8hPQ5qZ2gMRT1zavvl1ad_GlwO0enPm5VQsSoLNJFTmxxE62MhxXUeBX9k4tjqvbRdA_ijKi3_M/s1600/IMG_20140122_174558.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"></a>Place in a piping bag and decorate individual cake squares as in the picture above or spread over the whole slice and cut into pieces. <br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh2uHbFJ_OFoVZPQneg65aKw_dtvS1oUAJVPmAJONj_xcUStwx9wBEp4IyLYzWIZkjT8PLDLEsIaMM8j40CEshBYuia3iUzHTC-X5_x4zRVse7Rz2yav-WoGBY-e3fpMtGZoRt1O8kWWYY/s1600/IMG_20140122_174558.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh2uHbFJ_OFoVZPQneg65aKw_dtvS1oUAJVPmAJONj_xcUStwx9wBEp4IyLYzWIZkjT8PLDLEsIaMM8j40CEshBYuia3iUzHTC-X5_x4zRVse7Rz2yav-WoGBY-e3fpMtGZoRt1O8kWWYY/s1600/IMG_20140122_174558.jpeg" height="400" width="400" /></a></div>
<br />Mel Makrishttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17704761046228745879noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1616599753690264481.post-84336131937481466842014-01-07T06:28:00.000+11:002014-01-07T06:48:32.517+11:00Nut and gluten free fudgy dark chocolate brownie slice<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgUEyZHxhVPGS5SMtwbADRBPmnKxKSR6vr2Z2so9NcgkVz3CbhGYpFWgjoHVUqSAaDL4oG_5tixDkF_-EzPJMcfXOaIwHqU_FC2n8vZ8YA0Et392IogGEXp1p_PkyF1BgsUFMjcP_Sypew/s1600/IMG_20140106_212609.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgUEyZHxhVPGS5SMtwbADRBPmnKxKSR6vr2Z2so9NcgkVz3CbhGYpFWgjoHVUqSAaDL4oG_5tixDkF_-EzPJMcfXOaIwHqU_FC2n8vZ8YA0Et392IogGEXp1p_PkyF1BgsUFMjcP_Sypew/s1600/IMG_20140106_212609.jpg" height="400" width="400" /></a></div>
<br />
Hehehe I love you guys!! A bit of chocolate splashed across my <a href="http://www.facebook.com/mellymaks" target="_blank">Facebook page</a> and before I could blink again it had become one of the most popular posts since, well, the last chocolate recipe!!! You and I have something in common that is for sure! A LOVE of all things chocolate! And why not?! A good quality chocolate recipe can fit perfectly well into a balanced diet.<br />
<br />
Chocolate is mood food, comfort food, soul food, endorphin releasing smile food! Chocolate lovers live it and breathe it. And when the 'chips are down', chocolate has this uncanny knack of being able to give us a hug, turn up the corners of our mouth, pick us up, brush us off and keep us going. Any wonder many health professionals out there are calling it a super food! Damn right it is ( ;<br />
<br />
And the closer you get to the natural cacao bean itself, the more you benefit from antioxidants, magnesium, flavenoids, iron, zinc, potassium, copper.....<br />
<br />
As Mellymaks regulars know, these days I only use raw cacao powder (instead of the over heated and processed cocoa powder) and minimum 70% dark chocolate. For Christmas a dear friend of mine gave me a sachet of <a href="https://lovingearth.net/products/13/organic-single-origin-drinking-chocolate" target="_blank">Loving Earth Drinking Chocolate</a> which is so amazing as it contain cacao nibs in it which gives these beautiful little crunchy pieces while drinking the chocolate milk! YUM! When I served this recipe up with <a href="http://mellymaks.blogspot.com.au/2012/04/icecream-in-thermomix.html" target="_blank">homemade vanilla ice cream </a>and strawberries, I sprinkled some of the drinking chocolate over the top which finished it off beautifully!<br />
<br />
So given I am officially a new school mum this year, my mind is on nut free recipes at the moment! This recipe therefore uses sunflower kernels and pepita seeds instead of the traditional walnuts or almonds. Of course it is also gluten free. I've also made it more bitter than sweet, but adding just a little more rapadura, or preferably some raspberries to the mix, will increase the sweetness!<br />
<br />
If you like a really fudgy slice, reduce the cooking time by a few minutes. I layered my slice up with ice cream, but a coconut cream, ganache or even a butterscotch sauce would be just as delicious.<br />
<br />
I challenge you not to lick the bowl from this one! ( ;<br />
<br />
<h3>
Nut and gluten free Fudgy Dark Chocolate Brownie Slice</h3>
<h4>
Ingredients</h4>
85g sunflower kernels<br />
85g pepitas (pumpkin seeds)<br />
140g butter<br />
40g rapadura sugar<br />
150g dark chocolate<br />
35g raw cacao powder<br />
3 eggs<br />
<br />
<h4>
Method - Conventional</h4>
<ol>
<li>Preheat oven to 180 degrees celcius. Line a slice tin with baking paper. </li>
<li>Grind sunflower kernels and pepitas in a food processor until fine. Set aside.</li>
<li>Melt butter, sugar and dark chocolate in a small saucepan over low heat until just melted. Take off heat.</li>
<li>Add cacao powder and stir through. </li>
<li>Add eggs and beat with electric beaters for approx 1 minute or until thickened.</li>
<li>Fold through ground seeds. </li>
<li>Pour into prepared slice tray and smooth surface. Bake for 25 minutes or until just cooked through. Be sure not to over cook or you will lose the fudgy centre!</li>
<li>Serve in any of the ways suggested above.</li>
</ol>
<h4>
Method - Thermomix</h4>
<ol>
<li>Preheat oven to 180 degrees celcius. Line a slice tin with baking paper.</li>
<li>Place sunflower kernels and pepitas in TM bowl and grind on speed 9 for 20 seconds. Dont let it turn into a paste though. Set aside. No need to wash the bowl.</li>
<li>Place butter, sugar and dark chocolate into TM bowl and combine on speed 7-8 for approx 10 seconds - enough to break it all up. </li>
<li>Scrape down sides of bowl and heat at 90 degrees, speed 2 for 2 minutes, ensuring all mixture has melted.</li>
<li>Add cacao and eggs and whip on speed 5 for 30 seconds.</li>
<li>Add ground seeds back into the mix and blend through on speed 4 for 15 seconds.</li>
<li>Follow steps 7-8 as above. </li>
</ol>
Enjoy.... <br />
<ol>
</ol>
Mel Makrishttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17704761046228745879noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1616599753690264481.post-62614537229575605012013-12-19T14:41:00.001+11:002013-12-19T14:41:21.964+11:00Gluten Free ShortbreadAlthough shortbread is available all year round, there is something about Christmas and those buttery sweet treats that goes so beautifully together. Well, in fact, in Scotland it would be rude <i>not </i>to serve up a plate of shortbread at some point around Christmas and New Year!<br />
<br />
Move over macaroons I say, because the humble shortbread is not only so much easier to make, but that buttery, soft, melt-in-the-mouth texture, combined with the nostalgia of home baked shortbread having adorned grandmas bikkie tin for years, makes these simple pleasures a beautiful gift for loved ones.<br />
<br />
And for those of us avoiding gluten, the shortbread lends itself beautifully to a gluten free version due to the inherent crumbly and 'short' texture. I don't find all that much of a difference between a wheat and gluten free version, which is a nice change!!<br />
<br />
So whilst you can simply press the mix into a slice tin and run a knife through it straight after baking to make into fingers, this year I chose to make them extra Christmassy by pressing the mix out into Christmas shapes and making a hole in the top with a straw to create an ornament effect! <br />
<br />
Either way, get yourself some butter, GF flour and sugar and get cooking!<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: left;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi4m_PDnzHWI0F_oYxqAjVRvVn-EqEpFTWDFKg3lajrsxAPGnX5gcOl2JOhgmnAJrdX_0wLSXZo4GqBQiENRCNQMvfwKLMxyddn2I-SGRuA4lRQBbMYeEgtE_-sF-7yw9QG2KPOM1EZDLY/s1600/IMG_20131218_083329.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi4m_PDnzHWI0F_oYxqAjVRvVn-EqEpFTWDFKg3lajrsxAPGnX5gcOl2JOhgmnAJrdX_0wLSXZo4GqBQiENRCNQMvfwKLMxyddn2I-SGRuA4lRQBbMYeEgtE_-sF-7yw9QG2KPOM1EZDLY/s400/IMG_20131218_083329.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Gluten Free Shortbread (recipe sourced from 'Wheat & Gluten Free', Jody Vassallo</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
<h3>
Gluten free shortbread</h3>
<h4>
Ingredients</h4>
250g butter (softened if using conventional method)<br />
125g pure icing sugar<br />
375g gluten free plain flour<br />
milk and sugar (if desired) for brushing over the biscuits<br />
<br />
<h4>
Royal icing ingredients</h4>
165g pure icing sugar, sieved<br />
1/2 tsp cream of tartar<br />
1 egg white<br />
<br />
<h4>
Method - Conventional</h4>
<ol>
<li>Preheat oven to 160 degrees celcius. Line two trays with baking paper.</li>
<li>Beat the butter and icing sugar until light and creamy. Add the flour and stir until the mixture forms a soft dough.</li>
<li>Gently knead the dough on a lightly floured surface for 5 minutes. Roll the dough between 2 sheets of baking paper until 1 cm thick. Using your preferred cookie cutters, cut out shapes and place on prepared trays.</li>
<li>Lightly brush the top of the shortbread with the milk and sprinkle with the sugar. (I didn't sprinkle with sugar as I iced mine with royal icing instead)</li>
<li>Bake for 15 minutes or until crisp and lightly golden. Cool slightly on the trays, then transfer to a wire rack to cool completely.</li>
<li>Decorate with prepared royal icing if desired.</li>
<li>For royal icing, place sugar and cream of tartar in a medium bowl. Gradually add egg white, whisking with an electric mixer until the mixture forms a thick white paste. Spoon icing into a piping bag and decorate as desired. </li>
</ol>
<h4>
Method - Thermomix</h4>
<ol>
<li>Preheat oven to 160 degrees celcius. Line two trays with baking paper.</li>
<li>Place butter and sugar in TM bowl and whip on speed 7 for 30-40 seconds, or until lighter in colour.</li>
<li>Add flour and mix on speed 3 for 30 seconds. Mixture will be quite crumbly but after some kneading and rolling out it will come together.</li>
<li>Follow steps 3-6 as above.</li>
<li>For royal icing, place all ingredients in clean and dry TM bowl. Mix on speed 2 for 5 seconds to combine then whip on speed 9 for 30 seconds. Add butterfly to bowl and whisk on speed 4 for another 30 seconds. Spoon icing into a piping bag and decorate as desired. </li>
</ol>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhlAd38PmvEkYQ60U7dj347y0bpJ6kkQ4JS9lD_pMgyFiVeE-ynOEYUB1KOotPVKiTMPuiSCp5M6N9snvqimrb60nuUWndzruKt_KdHxBTrmpZHmmB88QIn7gTPQRDvLz7Xa_1Nfvmyl0Y/s1600/20131218_080845.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="225" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhlAd38PmvEkYQ60U7dj347y0bpJ6kkQ4JS9lD_pMgyFiVeE-ynOEYUB1KOotPVKiTMPuiSCp5M6N9snvqimrb60nuUWndzruKt_KdHxBTrmpZHmmB88QIn7gTPQRDvLz7Xa_1Nfvmyl0Y/s400/20131218_080845.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg8frf_Xr1Jtgu1J5a7i2f3BhnjPtRCYaiDe4LtUvPpK8hc408YFTGHwWvnlcB6_c3jbCTl9LRKRDugzuSCRFJvMQzHJBUSyHsci004O4SSY4Ry2PWwRm8W4s0z8rLesExPTq-YI8y7KvM/s1600/FB_IMG_13873148329740246.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg8frf_Xr1Jtgu1J5a7i2f3BhnjPtRCYaiDe4LtUvPpK8hc408YFTGHwWvnlcB6_c3jbCTl9LRKRDugzuSCRFJvMQzHJBUSyHsci004O4SSY4Ry2PWwRm8W4s0z8rLesExPTq-YI8y7KvM/s400/FB_IMG_13873148329740246.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>
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<h4>
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Mel Makrishttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17704761046228745879noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1616599753690264481.post-25769652904605184582013-11-06T21:38:00.001+11:002013-11-12T22:06:15.246+11:00Apricot and Coconut animals dipped in dark chocolate<div>
<span style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue Light', HelveticaNeue-Light, helvetica, arial, sans-serif;">Nawwww, now these are just toooooo cute! Hehehe I certainly can't take credit for how adorable these little guys are - the silicone mould can take the bow for that one! But I felt the need to maximise the potential and whip up something beneficial for the kids. </span></div>
<div>
<div>
I'm sure we all remember eating those apricot and coconut snack bars/slices, touted as healthy and our well meaning parents smiled satisfactorily as we gobbled them down. Problem is, the sugar and additives in these snacks actually outweigh any benefits from the apricot and coconut, and even these have the sulphur dioxide preservative added which, I don't know about you but I don't fancy my boys consuming this chemical!</div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhgkz7jvtfjMfM5TKXNvF-fIE3GC5uXpugGcrbYc-7NnHnRCvOMt8sxJJ2xo7NyS4WR3-wePXpl7XxhqhFsEdBs46CHXqkVEfvW81P-W8O-oSe3gUBnM1zlr2POUxghQDMERtI7CmyibMY/s1600/IMG_20131106_192433.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhgkz7jvtfjMfM5TKXNvF-fIE3GC5uXpugGcrbYc-7NnHnRCvOMt8sxJJ2xo7NyS4WR3-wePXpl7XxhqhFsEdBs46CHXqkVEfvW81P-W8O-oSe3gUBnM1zlr2POUxghQDMERtI7CmyibMY/s400/IMG_20131106_192433.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>
Here's a leading brands ingredient list for Apricot and coconut bars. What do you think?</div>
<div>
<div style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue Light', HelveticaNeue-Light, helvetica, arial, sans-serif;">
<br /></div>
<div style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue Light', HelveticaNeue-Light, helvetica, arial, sans-serif;">
Sugar, Coconut (42%), Dried Apricots (14%), Maltodextrin (From Wheat), Invert Syrup, Cocoa Butter, Acidity Regulator (330), Natural Colour (160c), Preservatives (202, 220, 224), Wheaten Cornflour (Gluten).</div>
</div>
<div style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue Light', HelveticaNeue-Light, helvetica, arial, sans-serif;">
<br /></div>
<div style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue Light', HelveticaNeue-Light, helvetica, arial, sans-serif;">
Ok. Point made I think!</div>
<div style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue Light', HelveticaNeue-Light, helvetica, arial, sans-serif;">
<br />
<a name='more'></a><br /></div>
<div style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue Light', HelveticaNeue-Light, helvetica, arial, sans-serif;">
So here is a version that is so simple, quick and 'clean', you won't be able to justify buying them ever again! </div>
<div style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue Light', HelveticaNeue-Light, helvetica, arial, sans-serif;">
I have used an organic coconut sweet spread from Sprial Foods (not a paid advertisement by the way!). The ingredients are 'organic coconut, organic extra virgin coconut oil, organic coconut nectar'.</div>
<div style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue Light', HelveticaNeue-Light, helvetica, arial, sans-serif;">
I found it next to the coconut milks in Woolworths. If you don't have this, just replace with coconut oil and rapadura or coconut sugar (qtys below).</div>
<div style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue Light', HelveticaNeue-Light, helvetica, arial, sans-serif;">
<br /></div>
<div style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue Light', HelveticaNeue-Light, helvetica, arial, sans-serif;">
Leave the chocolate off if these are for young kids, but if you can't resist, be sure to use a good quality dark chocolate. If dairy is to be avoided, use a 70-80% dark chocolate, ensuring the ingredients don't contain dairy. </div>
<div style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue Light', HelveticaNeue-Light, helvetica, arial, sans-serif;">
<br /></div>
<div style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue Light', HelveticaNeue-Light, helvetica, arial, sans-serif;">
<b>Ingredients</b></div>
<div style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue Light', HelveticaNeue-Light, helvetica, arial, sans-serif;">
<br /></div>
<div style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue Light', HelveticaNeue-Light, helvetica, arial, sans-serif;">
100g organic dried apricots</div>
<div style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue Light', HelveticaNeue-Light, helvetica, arial, sans-serif;">
100g organic shredded coconut</div>
<div style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue Light', HelveticaNeue-Light, helvetica, arial, sans-serif;">
30g Spiral Foods organic coconut sweet spread (found next to coconut milk section in supermarket). Alternatively use 20g organic coconut oil and 10g rapadura or coconut sugar</div>
<div style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue Light', HelveticaNeue-Light, helvetica, arial, sans-serif;">
100g dark chocolate, melted</div>
<div style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue Light', HelveticaNeue-Light, helvetica, arial, sans-serif;">
<br /></div>
<div style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue Light', HelveticaNeue-Light, helvetica, arial, sans-serif;">
<b>Method - Conventional</b></div>
<div style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue Light', HelveticaNeue-Light, helvetica, arial, sans-serif;">
<br /></div>
<div style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue Light', HelveticaNeue-Light, helvetica, arial, sans-serif;">
1. Place apricots, coconut and coconut spread in food processor and whiz until fine and the oils have started coming out of the coconut. </div>
<div style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue Light', HelveticaNeue-Light, helvetica, arial, sans-serif;">
2. Press mix into moulds or small slice tray and refrigerate until hardened (approx 1 hour).</div>
<div style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue Light', HelveticaNeue-Light, helvetica, arial, sans-serif;">
3. Turn out moulds or slice small squares from tray, dip bottom into melted chocolate and place on a piece of baking paper, choc side down. </div>
<div style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue Light', HelveticaNeue-Light, helvetica, arial, sans-serif;">
4. Return to fridge until chocolate hardens. Store in a container in the fridge. Enjoy!</div>
<div style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue Light', HelveticaNeue-Light, helvetica, arial, sans-serif;">
<br /></div>
<div style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue Light', HelveticaNeue-Light, helvetica, arial, sans-serif;">
<b>Method - Thermomix</b></div>
<div style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue Light', HelveticaNeue-Light, helvetica, arial, sans-serif;">
<br /></div>
<div style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue Light', HelveticaNeue-Light, helvetica, arial, sans-serif;">
1. Place apricots, coconut and coconut spread in TM bowl and process on speed 7 for approx 45 seconds, or until fine and the oils had started coming out of the coconut.</div>
<div style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue Light', HelveticaNeue-Light, helvetica, arial, sans-serif;">
2. Follow steps 2-4 above.</div>
<div>
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Mel Makrishttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17704761046228745879noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1616599753690264481.post-9418238791798772202013-10-18T16:04:00.002+11:002013-11-10T20:00:18.605+11:00Utilising juicing pulp - Ricotta Cakes (gluten free, nut free)<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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And so it is that I am a huge convert to juicing, if you haven't already noticed on <a href="https://www.facebook.com/Mellymaks" target="_blank">Mellymaks Facebook page</a>!<br />
Earlier this year my hubby and I completed a <a href="http://www.hungryforchange.tv/article/3-day-detox-plan" target="_blank">3 day detox</a>,
created by the team at Food Matters. It wasn't so much a detox for us
but a door which we opened to find the wonderful world of juicing, among
other things (such as how much nicer activated nuts are, how little
hunger you feel when you actually feed your body with a barrage of
nutrients, the deliciousness of chia puddings etc!!).<br />
<br />
So back to
juicing..... although I had tried it here and there in the past, and
actually had a juicer in the cupboard gathering dust (as many of us
do!!!) I hadn't felt the benefits of vegetable juice before, and the few
commercial varieties that I had tried in the past definitely gave the
idea of vegetable juice a bad name for me (think that terrible V8 juice
in a can!!).<br />
<br />
But a green juice was part of the detox and so we
set about buying all the ingredients we needed - cucumber, parsley,
lemon, apple, celery, kale and ginger.<br />
<br />
<a name='more'></a><br /><br />
You know, in those three
days of juicing (and obviously not consuming any processed foods, sugar,
coffee) we felt fantastic! The little black spots that I see all the
time in my vision had gone, we never felt hungry (and actually didn't
feel like our snacks half the time) and instead had a new energy feeling
which was not up and down with the help of caffeine and sugar, but just
an even state of energy that felt really good! Our skin felt great,
and we slept well too. All in just three days! And I would say that we
actually have a pretty good diet anyway. But definitely coffee, tea,
sugar etc do appear in our diet and for me, often lunch is missed or
something quick on the run as I dart around with the boys. So yeah, its
not perfection, but we do the best that we can.<br />
<br />
Anyway, since
January when we did the detox, I have changed to having a green juice
for breakfast. I have a big milkshake sized glass full of the above
ingredients, changing them around every now and then with other vegies
and fruits such as zucchini (which actually gives a creamy taste which
is yum!), coriander, orange, Aloe Vera (from our herb garden),
mandarins, limes, silverbeet, beetroot etc. <br />
I love it now, and wouldn't want to go without for more than a day!<br />
<br />
The
problem I have been having is looking at the discarded pulp and feeling
really wasteful - especially given most of the veggies/fruits I use are
organic.<br />
The benefit of having just the juice and not the whole
veg/fruit blended into a green smoothie is that the nutrients get
absorbed within 15 minutes when just the juice is consumed. When the
whole veg/fruit is consumed you gain the added benefit of the fibre
component however this obviously slows the digestion process allowing
the possibility of nutrients not absorbing into the body and passing
through. The choice is a personal one but I am going with the juice!<br />
<br />
Last
week I invested in a cold press juicer (which, by the way, I highly
recommend if you get into juicing such as I have) and decided I really
wanted to test out some recipes using the pulp.<br />
<br />
SO, this is where this recipe comes in! (Finally, you say!!)<br />
<br />
I
made the boys a carrot, orange and apple juice and decided to use the
pulp to create a cake, mini cakes actually although it could be made
into one big cake. The result was a moist, subtle and delicious cake
that will be versatile enough to play around with what you add in the
pulp. From one orange, one apple and one carrot, I had about 1 cup of
quite dry pulp, so depending on your juicer and the amount of fruits/veg
you use, just use less milk if it is a wetter pulp.<br />
<br />
I
hope this is the first of other recipes I come up with to use the pulp,
both savoury and sweet, so that we can all benefit from less waste and
also gaining that fibre in a different way.<br />
<br />
These have
stayed moist for 3 days now! If you are avoiding egg, either use egg
replacer powder or mix up a tablespoon of chia seeds with 1/4c water and
leave it for 10 minutes or so until a gel is formed and use it in place
of the egg. Unfortunately it will be harder to make these dairy free
given the ricotta however a silken tofu would probably be your best bet.<br />
<br />
So,
last words.... Brush the cobwebs off your juicer and give 'green'
juicing a go. Take the 14 day test and if you don't feel the difference
at the end of those 14 days, please let me know.<br />
And with your pulp, give these a go and let me know what you think!!<br />
<br />
These
are so easy to make, you can have your morning juice and whip up a
batch of these cakes in time for morning tea (if your hungry!).<br />
<br />
Enjoy....<br />
<br />
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<h3>
Juicer Pulp Ricotta Cakes </h3>
<h4>
Ingredients</h4>
1 cup juicing pulp (I used carrot, orange and apple)<br />
250g ricotta cheese<br />
50g rapadura sugar (coconut, brown or raw would also suffice)<br />
100g gluten free self raising flour<br />
1 egg (or egg replacer powder, or 1tbs chia seeds soaked in 1/4c water for 10 minutes or until gel forms)<br />
150g milk<br />
<br />
TOPPING<br />
1 banana (or your desired fruit - ie berries, sliced peach etc)<br />
extra rapadura sugar<br />
<br />
<h4>
Method - Conventional</h4>
<ol>
<li>Preheat oven to 180 degrees Celsius. Lightly grease and line a mini loaf tin, Texan muffin tin, or one 20cm round cake tin.</li>
<li>On top of the lining, sprinkle rapadura sugar to lightly line the
base, and arrange slices of banana or other desired fruit on top. Set
aside.</li>
<li>Place pulp, ricotta and sugar in a food processor or electric mixer bowl. Beat ingredients together until smooth. </li>
<li>Add flour, egg (or egg substitute), and milk and beat again until smooth.</li>
<li>Pour on top of sugar and banana and lightly smooth top.</li>
<li>Place in preheated oven and bake for 30 minutes or until skewer comes out clean.</li>
<li>Leave in tin for 5 minutes before running a knife around the sides
of the tin and carefully turning out onto a cooling rack. Carefully
peel the lining from the banana. Cool.</li>
</ol>
<h4>
Method - Thermomix</h4>
<ol>
<li>Follow steps 1 & 2 above.</li>
<li>Place pulp, ricotta and sugar in the TM bowl and process on speed 5 for 15 seconds. Scrape down if necessary.</li>
<li>Add flour, egg (or egg substitute), and milk and process again on speed 5 for a further 10 seconds.</li>
<li>Follow steps 5-7 above. </li>
</ol>
<br />
<br />
<br />
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Mel Makrishttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17704761046228745879noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1616599753690264481.post-57756461799626445062013-10-10T22:09:00.001+11:002013-11-10T20:00:33.828+11:00Carrot loaded mini carrot cakes with a spiced honey butter! Gluten, Nut, and can be dairy and egg free. Gee, it really has been a while between posts hasn't it? I have to admit, having Mellymaks Facebook page has made me a little more lazy about blogging because it is so easy to type up a quick recipe with a photo and, click, its out there!<br />
But here we are, back together again, having a good ol' chat at the kitchen bench. With maybe a cuppa between us, or if its late enough in the day, maybe even a glass of wine! Why not?<br />
<br />
'What have you been up to?'<br />
'Ah not much. You know, nothing exciting enough to mention but enough to feel like I am run off my feet!'.<br />
'Yep. I hear ya! Where does the time go?'<br />
<br />
<a name='more'></a><br /><br />
Anyone had this conversation recently?! <br />
I might have got a little off the topic from carrot cakes, but my point is, life is busy. We all say it and feel it. And so more than ever before we really need to keep our bodies running at optimum health to keep up with life as we now know it. To do this we need, above all, the importance placed on good health in your family, and priority placed on it over many other things.<br />
People often freak out when they hear what I spend on food each week, what I've spent on a juicer, the amount of food items I make from scratch, the degrees I go to to avoid processed food.... But that is because I believe so strongly in the benefits of eating real foods, and the damage done in eating overly processed foods, chemicals,etc. When you start to make the little changes, when you start to do your research, when you start to <span style="font-size: large;"><i>feel </i></span>the benefits, you can't help but to continue on that journey, down that path. And when you make those little changes and they become just part of everyday life, it doesn't feel hard. It doesn't feel like a sacrifice. It just feels like the right thing to do!<br />
<br />
And so with my piece said (!!), lets get back to this recipe! The carrot cake has absolutely been done to death, I know that! I don't know about you though, but many of the carrot cakes I have eaten in my time seem to have very little actual carrot in them! Or is it just me who wants a carrot cake to be pretty much carrot with a couple of other things to bind them together??!!<br />
This is a great recipe for school (and office) lunchboxes, on the go snacks, and actually if my son grabbed one for breakfast, I don't think I'd object too loudly, and would definitely prefer it over anything on offer in the cereal aisle!!<br />
If you are avoiding eggs, the 2tbs chia seeds should do the job so just leave the egg out. If you are avoiding dairy, use whichever milk you prefer and coconut oil in place of the butter.<br />
I used organic sultanas on top of some of the cakes and cranberries on the rest, and both options were delicious! Other toppings could be banana slices, goji and/or inca berries, chopped fresh dates or even a few slivers of fresh ginger sprinkled with rapadura sugar, to spice it up a bit!!<br />
<br />
These little cakes/muffins will keep moist for a few days, stored in an airtight container. <br />
<br />
Enjoy....<br />
<br />
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<h3>
Mini carrot cakes with a spiced honey butter</h3>
<h4>
Ingredients</h4>
70g brown rice (or brown rice flour if not using a TMX)<br />
2 tbs chia seeds<br />
300g carrots, cut into large chunks for TMX or food processor, or grated otherwise<br />
4 fresh dates, pips removed<br />
35g rapadura sugar (coconut, brown or raw could substitute)<br />
1 tsp cinnamon<br />
1 egg (optional)<br />
35g softened butter (or coconut oil for those avoiding dairy)<br />
200ml milk (any milk you prefer if avoiding dairy)<br />
1 tsp baking powder<br />
100g gluten free SR flour<br />
<br />
Toppings such as sultanas, cranberries, thin slivers of fresh ginger sprinkled with sugar, fresh banana slices etc.<br />
<h4>
Method - Conventional</h4>
<ol>
<li>Preheat oven to 180 degrees Celsius. Lightly grease muffin tins or run silicone muffin trays through running water and tip out excess.</li>
<li>Process carrots and dates in food processor until finely chopped, or grate carrots and finely chop dates if not using a food processor.</li>
<li>Add remaining ingredients (except toppings!) to food processor, or use electric beaters, and beat until thoroughly combined.</li>
<li>Spoon enough mixture into prepared muffin tins to fill just below the tops. Press a few of your selected toppings into the top of each. </li>
<li>Bake for 30-35 minutes, or until cooked through (they will be quite moist inside though).</li>
<li>Turn out onto a cooling rack. Delicious warm or cold. </li>
</ol>
<h4>
Method - Thermomix</h4>
<ol>
<li>Follow step 1 above.</li>
<li>Place brown rice and chia seeds into TM bowl. Process on speed 10 for 1 minute. Set aside. No need to clean the TM bowl.</li>
<li>Add carrots, dates, sugar, and cinnamon to TM bowl and process on speed 7 for 10 seconds. Scrape down.</li>
<li>Add remaining ingredients, including rice and chia mix, and process on speed 7 for a further 10-15 seconds, until thoroughly combined.</li>
<li>Follow steps 4-6 above.</li>
</ol>
<h4>
SPICED HONEY BUTTER</h4>
Place a couple of tablespoons of softened good quality butter in a small bowl with your choice of spices (such as mixed spice) and a big spoon of honey (raw organic is always preferable!) and mix through. Slice cakes in half and spread with the butter. Especially delicious when the cakes are warm! Alternatively use cream cheese, or even a good quality thick greek style yogurt. Mel Makrishttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17704761046228745879noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1616599753690264481.post-41938584377559901962013-08-28T21:48:00.000+10:002013-11-10T20:00:51.449+11:00Creamy chocolate moussy pudding! (Gluten & Egg Free)<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhyy7Cp4s_zKVAzbC5cYuOzZlEr2ygczsp47OoPO242sTLnFRf0WE6oYpFV4TuLE65IDXIHe50Oi190_l8b9v0vgIvBGzH-lsTUVgzLRnPe0uEoezerx9r_4KF-yJRhirhPWDIeVTHs1N4/s1600/photo(34).JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhyy7Cp4s_zKVAzbC5cYuOzZlEr2ygczsp47OoPO242sTLnFRf0WE6oYpFV4TuLE65IDXIHe50Oi190_l8b9v0vgIvBGzH-lsTUVgzLRnPe0uEoezerx9r_4KF-yJRhirhPWDIeVTHs1N4/s400/photo(34).JPG" width="298" /></a></div>
Yes, by the title of this post you can see that I had trouble defining exactly what this chocolate creation actually is! I don't think you would be wrong to say it is a custard, a pudding or a mousse, as it has elements of each of these in one.<br />
<br />
<a name='more'></a><br /><br />
Typically though, these desserts aren't considered overly healthy, and are sometimes a bit involved. I wanted to change that, and so set to work in an attempt to add some nutrition and 'real foods', simplify the process, and create a chocolate dessert that could be eaten by people avoiding gluten and egg too!<br />
<br />
The Thermomix obviously makes light work of most things, and this is no exception, although as always I have included the coventional method below too!<br />
<br />
Raw cacao, raw cashews, rapadura sugar, vanilla extract, organic cornflour, butter and milk (coconut or other milks of your choice could be used although the more watery, lower fat milks may require an extra tbs of cornflour or more cashews) are all that is required here - making it a great snack for kids, providing them with protein, calcium, lots of vitamins and minerals and antioxidants from the cacao! Actually it reminded me slightly of the chocolate custard 'YoGo', or 'Snack', although it is safe to say this recipe contains a lot less sugar, less processing and more 'whole food' ingredients.<br />
<br />
For the adults, this can be served as pictured below with sugared almond slithers (I just sliced up some raw almonds and tossed them through some rapadura sugar and coconut oil that I melted together in a saucepan), fresh fruit of the season, a reduced espresso/rapadura syrup, or even a coconut cream (try Quirky Cookings version towards the bottom of the page <a href="http://quirkycooking.blogspot.com.au/2012/08/one-bowl-thermomix-carrot-cake-gluten.html" target="_blank">here</a>).<br />
<br />
Funnily enough the mixture actually tastes like a chocolate milkshake so it may not even make it to the steamer! You could also eat the steamed puddings warm with a scoop of ice cream, or leave them to set further and chill in the fridge to turn out the following day or at least a few hours later. Quite a multipurpose recipe really! I'm also thinking that I could try it out in my ice cream maker! Hmmm, leave that with me ( ;<br />
<br />
So these are steamed. If you don't have a steamer, microwaving them would work although I have to admit I try to use the microwave as little as possible these days so haven't tested the time it would take but in small 125mL ramekins I would suggest probably 2-4 minutes (Depending on the power of your microwave) would be enough to set the 'custard'. Just keep an eye on them and let us know how you go! <br />
The quantity of mix fit perfectly into 7 x 125mL dariole moulds - which fit perfectly into the Thermomix Varoma dish! If your moulds are bigger or smaller, fit as many as you can in the dish and you may need to cook two lots. <br />
<br />
OK, enough talk, here's the recipe! Enjoy......<br />
<br />
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<h3>
Creamy Chocolate moussy pudding! (Gluten & Egg Free)</h3>
<h4>
Ingredients</h4>
70g raw cashews (use cashew butter if you dont have a high powered machine able to produce fine meal)<br />
1/4 c (20g) raw cacao powder<br />
1 tbs organic cornflour <br />
1/2 c (75g) rapadura sugar (coconut sugar or brown sugar could also be used)<br />
1 tsp vanilla extract<br />
2 1/4c (560ml) full fat/regular milk (see above for my suggestion on different milks)<br />
2 tbs (30g) butter<br />
<br />
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<h4>
Method - Conventional</h4>
<ol>
<li>Prepare your steamer according to instructions.</li>
<li>If using raw cashews, blend to a fine meal/paste in your food processor/blender before adding remaining ingredients and blending on top speed for a couple of minutes or until smooth and creamy. If using the cashew butter, just place all ingredients in blender/food processor and blend as described above.</li>
<li>Pour mix into 7 x 125mL moulds and place carefully into the steamer. Cook for 15-20 minutes. Cooking time will depend on the steamer used, however you are looking for a set custard - wobbly but set.</li>
<li>Remove carefully from steamer and place in fridge to chill and set further. </li>
<li>Once chilled, serve with your desired accompaniments.</li>
</ol>
<h4>
Method - Thermomix</h4>
<ol>
<li>Place cashews in TM bowl. Grind on speed 9 for 30 seconds. Scrap bowl to loosen meal.</li>
<li>Add cacao powder, cornflour and sugar. Blend on speed 10 for 15 seconds.</li>
<li>Scrape bowl again. Add remaining ingredients and slowly increase speed to speed 10, blending for 1 minute. Scrape bowl again and blend for a further 20 seconds on speed 10.</li>
<li>Pour mix into 7 x 125mL moulds and place into Varoma dish. Rinse out TM bowl and lid and fill with 1 Lt of hot water. Place covered Varoma dish on top of lid and steam for 21 minutes at Varoma temp, speed 4.</li>
<li>When finished, carefully tip lid away from you to ensure you don't burn yourself and to avoid the condensation on the lid from falling onto the puddings.</li>
<li>Follow steps 4-5 above.</li>
</ol>
<br />
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<br />Mel Makrishttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17704761046228745879noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1616599753690264481.post-89633685759336439342013-08-20T21:51:00.001+10:002013-11-10T20:01:08.325+11:00Breakfast Balls<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Breakfast Balls</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
Some of the most common things I hear about breakfast are 'I don't have time', 'I don't feel like eating first thing in the morning', 'I'm bored of traditional breakfast foods', and 'an hour or so after brekky I am searching for food again'.<br />
Do any of those sound familiar to you? Sometimes kids can also be difficult customers when it comes to getting a good breakfast into them before school, and plenty of studies have shown a reduction in concentration with a nutrient poor/missed breakfast.<br />
<br />
<a name='more'></a><br /><br />
Funnily enough these insights are exactly what has driven a whole new subcategory to emerge in the breakfast cereal aisle - Breakfast on the go. The past 5-10 years has seen shelf stable drinks, single serve cereal packs, and most recently even biscuits! I mean, really???!!<br />
The marketing is even convincing. The spotlight is placed on the high fibre/protein contents to fill you up and keep you fuller for longer, as well as an array of 'essential' vitamins and minerals for busy people to kick start their day.<br />
<br />
But I know all you loyal Mellymaks readers are not going to fall so quickly for the marketing jargon right?! Look a little closer at what you are actually starting your day with. Sugar? LOTS! A loooooong ingredient list including thickeners and fillers, colours and flavours? ABSOLUTELY. Is this 'real food'? Is it really what you want to be putting in your and your families bodies? I think these ingredient lists below speak for themselves...... (sorry for the fuzzy pic, I was trying to take it inconspicuously in the supermarket!!)<br />
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<br />
OK. So what do you need to start the day right, keeping it quick and on the go, yet tasty, wholesome and 'real'?? You need ingredients that are going to sustain and nourish, a little bit of time at the start of the week, and to throw out those overly processed commercial alternatives!<br />
<br />
These are similar to the energy balls that I have made and discussed here on my blog and also on Mellymaks Facebook page, however the main difference is the complex carbohydrate content in these balls is greater, to give that fibre, blood sugar steadying, fuller for longer effect.<br />
Fibre, tick.<br />
Protein, tick.<br />
A multitude of vitamins and minerals, tick.<br />
Whole ingredients without the heavy processing or fillers, tick. <br />
Easy to make, easy to eat, easy to take on the go, tick.<br />
<br />
Well, lets get to it then ( :<br />
<br />
<br />
<h3>
Breakfast Balls</h3>
<h4>
Ingredients</h4>
1 tbs chia seeds <br />
3/4 c oats (for a gluten free option try puffed corn, puffed brown rice, puffed or flaked quinoa, puffed buckwheat)<br />
3/4 c puffed amaranth<br />
3/4 c organic shredded coconut<br />
3/4 c nuts, finely chopped if not using the TMX (try cashew, almond, hazelnut, macadamia. To avoid nuts use sunflower seeds, pepitas, linseeds, raw cacao nibs)<br />
3/4 c dried fruits, chopped if necessary (think cranberries, goji berries, dates, sultanas, currants, apricots) <br />
1 tsp cinnamon, if desired <br />
1 tbs raw honey<br />
1 tbs pure maple syrup<br />
1 splash vanilla extract <br />
1 tbs apple puree or natural yogurt <br />
<br />
<h4>
Method - Conventional</h4>
<ol>
<li>Mix chia seeds in a small cup with 3 tbs water and leave to soak into a gel while collecting other ingredients.</li>
<li>Meanwhile, in a large bowl place the oats, amaranth, coconut, nuts and dried fruits and mix together. (If using puffed corn and/or rice, crush them to smaller pieces, helping the binding process later on)</li>
<li>Add chia gel, honey, maple syrup, vanilla extract and apple puree and stir until combined.</li>
<li>Mould into balls the size of a walnut.</li>
<li>Chill in the refrigerator overnight or for at least a few hours to bind and release flavours. </li>
</ol>
<h4>
Method - Thermomix</h4>
<ol>
<li>Mix chia seeds in a small cup with 3 tbs water and leave to soak into a gel while collecting other ingredients.</li>
<li>Meanwhile, place nuts in dry TM bowl and pulse on Turbo a couple of times until finely chopped (but not a meal).</li>
<li>Add dry ingredients to the TM bowl and stir on REVERSE, speed 1 for 5 seconds. If using larger puffs (such as corn and rice), mix on speed 2 (and not REVERSE) for a few seconds to chop down the puffs helping to bind later on.</li>
<li>Add chia gel, honey, maple syrup, vanilla extract and apple puree and stir on REVERSE, speed 1 until thoroughly combined.</li>
<li>Follow steps 4 and 5 as above.</li>
</ol>
<br />
<b>NOTES:</b><br />
<ul>
<li>For the choc variant (as pictured above), add 1-2 tbs raw cacao powder. It may seem strange me recommending a chocolate brekky however raw cacao is full of antioxidants and other vitamins and minerals, so why not?!!!</li>
<li>This recipe makes approx 15 balls and will keep for a week in the refrigerator. </li>
</ul>
Here are some other breakfast ideas that will give you a great start to the day:<br />
<a href="http://mellymaks.blogspot.com.au/2013/01/naturally-sweetened-4-seed-banana-loaf.html" target="_blank">Naturally Sweetened 4 seed Banana Loaf</a><br />
<a href="http://mellymaks.blogspot.com.au/2012/10/healthier-nutritious-homemade-breakfast.html" target="_blank">Nutty Seedy Clusters and Cocoa Crunch Cereal</a><br />
<a href="http://mellymaks.blogspot.com.au/2012/10/breakfast-loaf-gluten-nut-and-dairy-free.html" target="_blank">Gluten Free Breakfast Loaf</a><br />
<br />Mel Makrishttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17704761046228745879noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1616599753690264481.post-51948609802794529512013-08-01T21:16:00.000+10:002013-11-10T20:01:23.056+11:00Raspberry cheesecake ice cream sandwich (with gluten free coconut and almond biscuits)Hmmm I'm starting to notice a trend with my blog. Ice cream, ice cream, and ice cream!!! Do you think I like it much?! <br />
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Well hopefully you do too. I know these pics would be enough to get me craving ice cream, even on the coldest of days!</div>
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Last night I realised I had no cream but in the fridge was a block of cream cheese and some organic yogurt so immediately cheesecake flavoured ice cream came to mind, of course!</div>
<div>
So I used my <a href="http://mellymaks.blogspot.com.au/2012/04/icecream-in-thermomix.html" target="_blank">original ice cream recipe </a>but substituted the cream for the cream cheese and yogurt, and when it was almost finished churning, I threw in a couple of handfuls of frozen organic raspberries. Whilst it didn't churn as thick as with the cream, it hasn't frozen icy at all and is actually a lighter, slightly more acidic flavour. Quite refreshing really.</div>
<div>
But what puts it into a league of its own is teaming it up with these little biscuits that quite seriously take seconds to whiz together, thanks, of course to the Thermomix! The recipe is based on the 40 second biscuit recipe found in the EDC Thermomix cookbook but I have made a few changes. Of course any of your favourite bikkies would work just as well - ginger, choc chip, even filling a brandy snap with the ice cream would make an impressive dessert for even the most discerning guest!</div>
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So if you actually need reasons why you should be half way into the kitchen right now to start baking, these sandwiches would be a fun alternative to commercially made ice cream cones, and obviously more natural. You could even have an ice cream sandwich bar at your child's party where the kids get to sandwich their bikkies together with a selection of a few ice cream flavours.</div>
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Being Coeliac we often miss out on the yummy waffle cones but with these yummy bikkies we will be the envy of everyone else!</div>
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<div>
If you don't have an ice cream churner (which is such a great investment to be able to make all natural frozen treats the whole family can eat and not feel guilty about), you could freeze the mix and whiz back in the Thermomix or other high powered food processor once frozen.</div>
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I would love to hear if you create your own flavour combinations. Post the pics on <a href="http://facebook.com/mellymaks" target="_blank">Mellymaks Facebook page</a> - we would all love to see them!</div>
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<h3>
Raspberry cheesecake ice cream sandwiches </h3>
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<h4>
Biscuit ingredients</h4>
</div>
<div>
100g almonds (or almond meal if not using a Thermomix)</div>
<div>
100g rapadura sugar (sometimes I use a little less - especially for this where the sweetness will come from the ice cream)</div>
<div>
1 handful shredded organic coconut (probably around 50g)</div>
<div>
150g gluten free plain flour (I used Orgran)</div>
<div>
100g butter, chilled</div>
<div>
1 tsp vanilla extract</div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
<h4>
Raspberry cheesecake ice cream ingredients</h4>
</div>
<div>
250g block cream cheese</div>
<div>
100-150g organic yogurt</div>
<div>
2 eggs</div>
<div>
3/4 tin condensed milk </div>
<div>
1 tsp vanilla extract</div>
<div>
2 handfuls frozen organic raspberries</div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
<h4>
<u><i>Method - Thermomix</i></u></h4>
<h4>
Biscuit</h4>
</div>
<ol>
<li>Preheat oven to 180 degrees Celsius. Line two baking trays with baking paper.</li>
<li>Place almonds, coconut and sugar in TM bowl and grind for 20 sec on speed 8.</li>
<li>Add remaining ingredients and combine on speed 6-7 until nearly comes together into a ball.</li>
<li>Mould tablespoons of the mixture into balls and press down lightly to make a disc. Place on tray. Repeat with remaining mixture, leaving a small amount of room for spreading.</li>
<li>Place in oven and bake for approx 15 mins or until lightly brown. Leave on tray for a couple of minutes before transferring to a wire rack to cool. Makes approx 30 biscuits.</li>
</ol>
<h4>
Raspberry cheesecake ice cream</h4>
<ol>
<li> Place cream cheese, yogurt and eggs in TM bowl and whip on speed 5-6 for 10 seconds or until smooth. Scrape down and place butterfly into bowl. </li>
<li>Add remaining ingredients except for raspberries. Whiz on speed 4 for 2 1/2 minutes, scraping down once.</li>
<li>If you have an ice cream churner, pour mix into churner and follow churner instructions. Add raspberries in the last couple of minutes of churning. Place in a freezer proof container and store immediately in the freezer.</li>
<li>If you do not have an ice cream churner, pour mix into a freezer proof container and place in freezer until firm but not frozen. Once nearly frozen, break up roughly and place in TM bowl. Blend on speed 9 for 20 seconds, add raspberries and continue to blend on speed 4 for 10 seconds. Return to the freezer until set (approx 5-6 hours).</li>
</ol>
<h4>
<u><i>Method - Conventional</i></u></h4>
<h4>
Biscuit </h4>
<ol>
<li>Preheat oven to 180 degrees Celsius. Line two baking trays with baking paper.</li>
<li>Place all ingredients into food processor and process until mixture nearly comes together in a ball.</li>
<li>Mould tablespoons of the mixture into balls and press down lightly
to make a disc. Place on tray. Repeat with remaining mixture, leaving a
small amount of room for spreading.</li>
<li>Place in oven and bake for approx 15 mins or until lightly brown.
Leave on tray for a couple of minutes before transferring to a wire rack
to cool. Makes approx 30 biscuits.</li>
</ol>
<h4>
Raspberry cheesecake ice cream</h4>
<ol>
<li> Place all ingredients except for raspberries into food processor or electric mixer. Blend for 3 minutes, scraping down as needed until smooth.</li>
<li>If you have an ice cream churner, pour mix into churner and follow
churner instructions. Add raspberries in the last couple of minutes of
churning. Place in a freezer proof container and store immediately in
the freezer.</li>
<li>If you do not have an ice cream churner, pour mix into a freezer
proof container and place in freezer until firm but not frozen. Once
nearly frozen, break up roughly and place in TM bowl. Blend on speed 9
for 20 seconds, add raspberries and continue to blend on speed 4 for 10
seconds. Return to the freezer until set (approx 5-6 hours).</li>
</ol>
<div>
<h4>
To assemble the ice cream sandwich:</h4>
<ol>
<li>Spoon slightly softened ice cream onto the flat side of one biscuit, approx 2cm high. Smooth evenly and place flat side of second biscuit on top, pressing lightly to adhere to the ice cream. Repeat with remaining biscuits and ice cream (you will have ice cream left over). Return to freezer and serve as required. </li>
</ol>
</div>
Mel Makrishttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17704761046228745879noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1616599753690264481.post-28656161591274970882013-06-25T20:29:00.000+10:002013-11-13T08:50:00.986+11:00Chorizo, chicken and sweet potato baked rice with paprika, mixed veggies and spinach leavesDuring the week most of us need dinner suggestions that take little time and effort, but never do we want little flavour!<br />
<br />
I think this dish meets the brief!<br />
<br />
The recipe requires a little bit of sauteeing in the beginning, but the reward is delicious smokey, garlicy, caramelised flavours in the finished dish, and the oven really gives a lovely texture and flavour to the rice - not to mention it saving you any further effort for 50 minutes!<br />
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As with most of my recipes, take ownership and self belief, and make this dish your own. If your family doesn't like the veggies I used, change them to suit your tastes. Increase or decrease the garlic, use fresh tomatoes while they are cheap and in abundance in the summer months, add seafood if that's your thing (in the last 15 minutes of cooking), a drained tin of kidney beans instead of chicken, or even a garnish of freshly chopped coriander and a squeeze of lime before serving instead of the spinach leaves. The important thing to maintain is the liquid to rice ratio and the rest you can play around with!<br />
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<h3>
Chorizo, chicken and sweet potato baked rice with paprika, mixed veggies and spinach leaves.</h3>
<h4>
Ingredients </h4>
2 chorizo sausages, peeled (if required) and sliced in half lengthways, then chopped into half moons.<br />
1/4 of 1 sweet potato, peeled and chopped roughly<br />
a glug of olive oil<br />
2 large garlic cloves, finely sliced<br />
1 chicken breast, roughly cubed<br />
1 tbs sweet paprika (more or less could be used depending on your tastes and hot paprika could also be used if you like it hot!) <br />
1 400g tin chopped tomatoes<br />
1-2 tbs vegetable stock concentrate stirred into 700ml hot water (made in the TMX. A good quality chicken or veg stock would suffice)<br />
Diced/chopped veggies - I used 2 carrots, approx 1/2 head broccoli and a zucchini.<br />
2 c uncooked Basmati rice (brown or black rice could also be great but the cooking time may need to increase and increase stock/water by 100 ml)<br />
A handful of washed baby spinach leaves <br />
<br />
<h4>
Method</h4>
<ol>
<li>Preheat oven to 200 degrees celcius. </li>
<li>Place chorizo into a frypan with olive oil. Bring up to medium heat until they start to sizzle. Add sweet potato, garlic and chicken and saute until chorizo and chicken start to brown slightly. Add paprika and stir through.</li>
<li>Pour chorizo mixture into an oven proof dish. I used a pyrex large lasagna style dish. Don't wash the frypan and lose all those yummy flavours! Add the tomatoes, stock concentrate and water into the pan and bring to just below boil.</li>
<li>Meanwhile, scatter the veggies and rice over the chorizo mix. Pour the stock mix evenly over the other ingredients and just mix through slightly, making sure the rice is submerged into the liquid.</li>
<li>Cover with foil tightly and place in the oven. Cook for approximately 50 minutes to 1 hour, checking at 50 minutes to see if the rice is cooked. When rice is soft the dish is ready.</li>
<li>Stir through spinach leaves and serve immediately.</li>
<li>This quantity would probably serve 6 adults, depending on how hungry they are!</li>
</ol>
Enjoy!Mel Makrishttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17704761046228745879noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1616599753690264481.post-30027322158991784832013-06-19T16:11:00.003+10:002014-07-26T20:04:35.733+10:00Black rice, seed and choc chip cookies - gluten and nut freeMy eldest son starts school next year and already I think I have heard more about 'lunchbox etiquette' than anything else to do with school!!! <br />
<br />
It seems gone are the days when pretty much every lunchbox consisted of a peanut butter or ham sandwich, cheese stick, Prima (Juice Box for many other parts of the country/world!), pack of chips and piece of fruit! And that's probably a good thing on the whole!<br />
<br />
These days you have to be 'nude food' compliant, 'rainbow food' savvy, cold chain compliant, and must have not a trace of nut in sight! 5 days of the week, 38 weeks of the year, 13 years straight! AAAUUUGGGHHHH. How ever are we going to get out of the door each morning??!! And will we be accepted by the lunchbox police? ( :<br />
<br />
In all seriousness though, the allergy thing is a big one these days, with so many kids administered with an EpiPen in the case of an anaphylactic shock. So not only do these parents understandably spend so much time and effort keeping their children safe and avoiding nuts, every parent who has school aged kids really needs to be mindful of the products they are sending to school in lunchboxes. That can be tough for a family not needing a radar for nuts in their life (or any other allergens for that matter).<br />
<br />
So given I use nuts a lot, I really wanted to start exploring the nut free world so that next year we can be armed with some yummy homemade snacks that might just win over not only the lunchbox police, but also the nutrition police (me!) and most importantly, the taste police (being my boys!!).<br />
<br />
Nutrient wise, when it comes to bikkies, these little guys not only contain a lot less sugar than probably all store bought varieties and many home baked too, but also actually provide goodness, coming from the black rice, sesame seeds and chia seeds! As I spoke about on <a href="https://www.facebook.com/Mellymaks" target="_blank">Mellymaks Facebook page</a> recently, 'black foods' are a powerhouse of minerals, isoflavones and antioxidants, helping to strengthen the immune system among other benefits. And milling the whole grain means that not only do you get those immunity benefits, but the fibre and healthy fats from the bran, germ and endosperm!<br />
<br />
I spoke a lot about the benefits of seeds in <a href="http://mellymaks.blogspot.com.au/2012/10/steps-3-add-2-tablespoons-of-seeds-5x.html" target="_blank">STEP 3 of Mellymaks STEPS program</a>, and the chia seeds and sesame seeds in these bikkies will certainly boost the kids with energy and nutrients galore!<br />
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<a name='more'></a><br />
<br />
Just 1/2 cup of rapadura sugar and 1/2 cup of chocolate chips are used, which, when divided into the 25-30 batch, is minimal, however this can be reduced, or the choc chips could be replaced with sultanas or another favourite dried fruit. I used a good quality dark chocolate block and just chopped up half a cup worth, so minimal sugar and antioxidant benefits again there! And for those <a href="http://www.criobru.com.au/" target="_blank">Crio Bru </a>fans out there, 1/2 cup of your favourite flavour could be used instead of the choc chips too ( :<br />
<br />
If you need these to be dairy free as well, just substitute coconut oil for the butter, and although I haven't tried it yet, for an egg free version I would just up the chia seeds to 2 tbs, reduce the sesame seeds to 1 tbs and add 2 tbs water. They may be a little crumbly but given these are cookies it shouldn't be too much of an issue.<br />
<br />
As with all of my recipes, chop and change flavours to suit you and your family. If ginger isn't a favourite, use cinnamon or vanilla instead. If you don't have access to black rice, use brown instead. If you don't have a Thermomix, just buy a good quality brown rice flour - preferably a whole grain brown rice flour to obtain all the nutrients I spoke about above.<br />
<br />
Let me know which combos you come up with! Enjoy.....<br />
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<br />
<h3>
Black rice, seeds and choc chip cookies - gluten and nut free</h3>
<h3>
</h3>
<h4>
Ingredients</h4>
1/2 cup (100g) black rice (brown rice can also be used. If no Thermomix being used, use whole grain brown rice flour instead)<br />
1/2 cup (80g) rapadura sugar (coconut, brown or raw sugar could be used also)<br />
80g butter, chilled (use coconut oil for dairy free version)<br />
2 tbs sesame seeds<br />
1 tbs chia seeds<br />
85g gluten free plain flour (I used Orgran) <br />
1 tsp ground ginger<br />
1 egg<br />
1/2 cup dark choc chips/pieces (ensure it is free from milk solids for dairy free version)<br />
<br />
<h4>
Method - Conventional</h4>
<ol>
<li>Preheat oven to 180 degrees celcius. Line two baking trays with baking paper. </li>
<li>Place sugar and butter in food processor or electric mixer bowl and beat until pale and light.</li>
<li>Add egg and continue beating until thoroughly combined. </li>
<li>Add flours, seeds and ginger at low speed until combined. Stir through choc chips.</li>
<li>Place heaped teaspoons of mixture onto trays, allowing a small amount of room to spread.</li>
<li>Bake for 15-20 minutes, or until golden brown around the edges.</li>
<li>Leave to cool slightly on tray for 5 minutes before placing on a cooling rack.</li>
<li>Store in an airtight container.</li>
<li>Makes approx. 25-30</li>
</ol>
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<h4>
Method - Thermomix</h4>
<ol>
<li>Preheat oven to 180 degrees celcius. Line two baking trays with baking paper.</li>
<li>Place rice in TM bowl and mill on speed 10 for 1 minute. Set aside. No need to clean bowl.</li>
<li>Add butter and sugar to bowl and whip on speed 5-6 until pale and light. (I needed to scrape down a couple of times).</li>
<li>Add egg and continue to mix on speed 4 until thoroughly combined. (a few seconds)</li>
<li>Add flours, seeds, ginger and chocolate and mix on speed 3 until combined.</li>
<li>Follow steps 5-9 above.</li>
</ol>
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Mel Makrishttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17704761046228745879noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1616599753690264481.post-36089545642128403932013-05-29T09:27:00.001+10:002014-12-18T15:47:36.655+11:00Raw cashew, cacao and coconut oil truffles coated in dark chocolateThis was such a fun recipe to develop! Apart from the obvious reason that copious amounts of chocolate goodness 'needed' to be consumed for 'testing purposes', it was also fun because my vision (that came to me around midnight one night by the way!) worked first go, which to me can only mean that these are so simple to make that it needn't be a special occasion to whip a batch up!<br>
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The smoothness of the truffle is discovered only through the snap of the dark chocolate coating. And once this delectable little ball melts away in your mouth, unlike conventional truffles, you'll be feeling not one ounce of guilt (well I didn't anyway!!) due to all the nutrients found in the raw cashews, cacao powder and raw organic coconut oil!<br>
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<a href="http://www.blogger.com/blogger.g?blogID=1616599753690264481" name="more"></a><br>
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I'm already imagining the flavours you could inject into these truffles to make them that little more special..... finely ground coffee beans, finely grated orange/lime rind, a few drops of natural peppermint extract......!<br>
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I'm sorry to those of you needing to avoid nuts. Sunflower seeds come to mind as a possible replacement although I havent tried them. Perhaps soaking them overnight and then drying them well would soften them enough to achieve that smooth paste consistency. Let me know if any of you try that.<br>
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I obviously made these in the Thermomix which makes it all super super easy but I imagine a good quality food processor could achieve the same result.<br>
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Enough talking, lets get making!<br>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjcELnwilWhdF4UR6smJwS97bJ1f69e4vH6h4LEmtT2PpZL05Xfp9ANViwdu_MKWXIjvPhRMR7lBph34IhX0YBAKiu_Cq-uswL1VUy0dSMPbnHNuf8RPxnRWwdXrdrDrdZCUxYYMnaJHrE/s1600/raw+cashew+cacao+and+coconut+oil+truffle.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="298" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjcELnwilWhdF4UR6smJwS97bJ1f69e4vH6h4LEmtT2PpZL05Xfp9ANViwdu_MKWXIjvPhRMR7lBph34IhX0YBAKiu_Cq-uswL1VUy0dSMPbnHNuf8RPxnRWwdXrdrDrdZCUxYYMnaJHrE/s400/raw+cashew+cacao+and+coconut+oil+truffle.jpg" width="400"></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Raw cashew, cacao and coconut oil truffles coated in dark chocolate</td></tr>
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<br>
<h3>
Raw Cashew, Cacao and Coconut Oil Truffles coated in Dark Chocolate</h3>
<h4>
Ingredients</h4>
<span data-ft="{"tn":"K"}" id=".reactRoot[5].[1][4][1]{comment371078459663441_740514}.0.[1].0.[1].0.[0].[0][2]"><span id=".reactRoot[5].[1][4][1]{comment371078459663441_740514}.0.[1].0.[1].0.[0].[0][2].0"><span id=".reactRoot[5].[1][4][1]{comment371078459663441_740514}.0.[1].0.[1].0.[0].[0][2].0.[2]">150g raw cashews</span></span></span><br>
<span data-ft="{"tn":"K"}" id=".reactRoot[5].[1][4][1]{comment371078459663441_740514}.0.[1].0.[1].0.[0].[0][2]"><span id=".reactRoot[5].[1][4][1]{comment371078459663441_740514}.0.[1].0.[1].0.[0].[0][2].0"><span id=".reactRoot[5].[1][4][1]{comment371078459663441_740514}.0.[1].0.[1].0.[0].[0][2].0.[2]">90g raw organic coconut oil</span></span></span><br>
<span data-ft="{"tn":"K"}" id=".reactRoot[5].[1][4][1]{comment371078459663441_740514}.0.[1].0.[1].0.[0].[0][2]"><span id=".reactRoot[5].[1][4][1]{comment371078459663441_740514}.0.[1].0.[1].0.[0].[0][2].0"><span id=".reactRoot[5].[1][4][1]{comment371078459663441_740514}.0.[1].0.[1].0.[0].[0][2].0.[2]">35g (1/3 c) raw cacao powder</span></span></span><br>
<span data-ft="{"tn":"K"}" id=".reactRoot[5].[1][4][1]{comment371078459663441_740514}.0.[1].0.[1].0.[0].[0][2]"><span id=".reactRoot[5].[1][4][1]{comment371078459663441_740514}.0.[1].0.[1].0.[0].[0][2].0"><span id=".reactRoot[5].[1][4][1]{comment371078459663441_740514}.0.[1].0.[1].0.[0].[0][2].0.[2]">100g (1/3 c) rice malt syrup</span></span></span><br>
<span data-ft="{"tn":"K"}" id=".reactRoot[5].[1][4][1]{comment371078459663441_740514}.0.[1].0.[1].0.[0].[0][2]"><span id=".reactRoot[5].[1][4][1]{comment371078459663441_740514}.0.[1].0.[1].0.[0].[0][2].0"><span id=".reactRoot[5].[1][4][1]{comment371078459663441_740514}.0.[1].0.[1].0.[0].[0][2].0.[2]">a splash of vanilla extract</span></span></span><br>
<span data-ft="{"tn":"K"}" id=".reactRoot[5].[1][4][1]{comment371078459663441_740514}.0.[1].0.[1].0.[0].[0][2]"><span id=".reactRoot[5].[1][4][1]{comment371078459663441_740514}.0.[1].0.[1].0.[0].[0][2].0"><span id=".reactRoot[5].[1][4][1]{comment371078459663441_740514}.0.[1].0.[1].0.[0].[0][2].0.[2]">a couple of glugs of cream</span></span></span><br>
<span data-ft="{"tn":"K"}" id=".reactRoot[5].[1][4][1]{comment371078459663441_740514}.0.[1].0.[1].0.[0].[0][2]"><span id=".reactRoot[5].[1][4][1]{comment371078459663441_740514}.0.[1].0.[1].0.[0].[0][2].0"><span id=".reactRoot[5].[1][4][1]{comment371078459663441_740514}.0.[1].0.[1].0.[0].[0][2].0.[2]">a block of good quality dark chocolate</span></span></span><br>
<br>
<br>
<h4>
<span data-ft="{"tn":"K"}" id=".reactRoot[5].[1][4][1]{comment371078459663441_740514}.0.[1].0.[1].0.[0].[0][2]"><span id=".reactRoot[5].[1][4][1]{comment371078459663441_740514}.0.[1].0.[1].0.[0].[0][2].0"><span id=".reactRoot[5].[1][4][1]{comment371078459663441_740514}.0.[1].0.[1].0.[0].[0][2].0.[2]">Method - Conventional </span></span></span></h4>
<span data-ft="{"tn":"K"}" id=".reactRoot[5].[1][4][1]{comment371078459663441_740514}.0.[1].0.[1].0.[0].[0][2]"><span id=".reactRoot[5].[1][4][1]{comment371078459663441_740514}.0.[1].0.[1].0.[0].[0][2].0"><span id=".reactRoot[5].[1][4][1]{comment371078459663441_740514}.0.[1].0.[1].0.[0].[0][2].0.[2]">1. Place raw cashews in a good quality food processor and blend until a smooth paste forms.</span></span></span><br>
<span data-ft="{"tn":"K"}" id=".reactRoot[5].[1][4][1]{comment371078459663441_740514}.0.[1].0.[1].0.[0].[0][2]"><span id=".reactRoot[5].[1][4][1]{comment371078459663441_740514}.0.[1].0.[1].0.[0].[0][2].0"><span id=".reactRoot[5].[1][4][1]{comment371078459663441_740514}.0.[1].0.[1].0.[0].[0][2].0.[2]">2. Melt the coconut oil in a small saucepan on a low heat until just melted.</span></span></span><br>
<span data-ft="{"tn":"K"}" id=".reactRoot[5].[1][4][1]{comment371078459663441_740514}.0.[1].0.[1].0.[0].[0][2]"><span id=".reactRoot[5].[1][4][1]{comment371078459663441_740514}.0.[1].0.[1].0.[0].[0][2].0"><span id=".reactRoot[5].[1][4][1]{comment371078459663441_740514}.0.[1].0.[1].0.[0].[0][2].0.[2]">3. Add coconut oil and remaining ingredients (except chocolate block) to the food processor and blend until a smooth thick paste forms (similar to a ganache). </span></span></span><span data-ft=""K"}" id=".reactRoot[5].[1][4][1]{comment371078459663441_740514}.0.[1].0.[1].0.[0].[0][2]"><span id=".reactRoot[5].[1][4][1]{comment371078459663441_740514}.0.[1].0.[1].0.[0].[0][2].0"><span id=".reactRoot[5].[1][4][1]{comment371078459663441_740514}.0.[1].0.[1].0.[0].[0][2].0.[8]">Taste for sweetness and add a little more rice malt
syrup</span> if desired.</span></span><br>
<span data-ft="{"tn":"K"}" id=".reactRoot[5].[1][4][1]{comment371078459663441_740514}.0.[1].0.[1].0.[0].[0][2]"><span id=".reactRoot[5].[1][4][1]{comment371078459663441_740514}.0.[1].0.[1].0.[0].[0][2].0"><span id=".reactRoot[5].[1][4][1]{comment371078459663441_740514}.0.[1].0.[1].0.[0].[0][2].0.[2]">4. </span></span></span><span data-ft="{"tn":"K"}" id=".reactRoot[5].[1][4][1]{comment371078459663441_740514}.0.[1].0.[1].0.[0].[0][2]"><span id=".reactRoot[5].[1][4][1]{comment371078459663441_740514}.0.[1].0.[1].0.[0].[0][2].0"><span id=".reactRoot[5].[1][4][1]{comment371078459663441_740514}.0.[1].0.[1].0.[0].[0][2].0.[10]">Spoon
into chocolate moulds or if you dont have them, just scrape it all into
a container and once it sets spoon out into balls to coat with the
melted chocolate.</span><br id=".reactRoot[5].[1][4][1]{comment371078459663441_740514}.0.[1].0.[1].0.[0].[0][2].0.[11]"><span id=".reactRoot[5].[1][4][1]{comment371078459663441_740514}.0.[1].0.[1].0.[0].[0][2].0.[12]">5. Place moulds or container in the fridge and allow to set (this will take at least a couple of hours). </span><br id=".reactRoot[5].[1][4][1]{comment371078459663441_740514}.0.[1].0.[1].0.[0].[0][2].0.[13]"><span id=".reactRoot[5].[1][4][1]{comment371078459663441_740514}.0.[1].0.[1].0.[0].[0][2].0.[14]">6. Once
set, melt a block of good quality dark chocolate, press out
cashew/chocolate ganache from moulds (or scoop from container) and spoon
over melted chocolate to coat. Place on a tray and back in the fridge
until chocolate sets.</span></span></span><span data-ft="{"tn":"K"}" id=".reactRoot[5].[1][4][1]{comment371078459663441_740514}.0.[1].0.[1].0.[0].[0][2]"><span id=".reactRoot[5].[1][4][1]{comment371078459663441_740514}.0.[1].0.[1].0.[0].[0][2].0"><span id=".reactRoot[5].[1][4][1]{comment371078459663441_740514}.0.[1].0.[1].0.[0].[0][2].0.[2]"> </span></span></span><br>
<br>
<h4>
<span data-ft="{"tn":"K"}" id=".reactRoot[5].[1][4][1]{comment371078459663441_740514}.0.[1].0.[1].0.[0].[0][2]"><span id=".reactRoot[5].[1][4][1]{comment371078459663441_740514}.0.[1].0.[1].0.[0].[0][2].0"><span id=".reactRoot[5].[1][4][1]{comment371078459663441_740514}.0.[1].0.[1].0.[0].[0][2].0.[2]"> </span></span></span></h4>
<h4>
<span data-ft="{"tn":"K"}" id=".reactRoot[5].[1][4][1]{comment371078459663441_740514}.0.[1].0.[1].0.[0].[0][2]">Method - Thermomix</span></h4>
<h4>
<span data-ft="{"tn":"K"}" id=".reactRoot[5].[1][4][1]{comment371078459663441_740514}.0.[1].0.[1].0.[0].[0][2]"></span></h4>
1. <span data-ft=""K"}" id=".reactRoot[5].[1][4][1]{comment371078459663441_740514}.0.[1].0.[1].0.[0].[0][2]"><span id=".reactRoot[5].[1][4][1]{comment371078459663441_740514}.0.[1].0.[1].0.[0].[0][2].0"><span id=".reactRoot[5].[1][4][1]{comment371078459663441_740514}.0.[1].0.[1].0.[0].[0][2].0.[4]">Blend cashews on speed 9 until a paste forms (approx 20 sec)</span><br id=".reactRoot[5].[1][4][1]{comment371078459663441_740514}.0.[1].0.[1].0.[0].[0][2].0.[5]"><span id=".reactRoot[5].[1][4][1]{comment371078459663441_740514}.0.[1].0.[1].0.[0].[0][2].0.[6]">2. Add coconut oil and melt at 60 degrees sp2 for 1 minute.</span><br id=".reactRoot[5].[1][4][1]{comment371078459663441_740514}.0.[1].0.[1].0.[0].[0][2].0.[7]"><span id=".reactRoot[5].[1][4][1]{comment371078459663441_740514}.0.[1].0.[1].0.[0].[0][2].0.[8]">3.
Add cacao powder, rice malt syrup, vanilla extract and cream and mix on
speed 4 until it all comes together into a smooth thick paste. (approx
15-20 seconds). Taste for sweetness and add a little more rice malt
syrup</span> if desired.<br id=".reactRoot[5].[1][4][1]{comment371078459663441_740514}.0.[1].0.[1].0.[0].[0][2].0.[9]"><span id=".reactRoot[5].[1][4][1]{comment371078459663441_740514}.0.[1].0.[1].0.[0].[0][2].0.[10]">4.
Spoon into chocolate moulds or if you dont have them, just scrape it
all into a container and once it sets spoon out into balls to coat with
the melted chocolate.</span><br id=".reactRoot[5].[1][4][1]{comment371078459663441_740514}.0.[1].0.[1].0.[0].[0][2].0.[11]"><span id=".reactRoot[5].[1][4][1]{comment371078459663441_740514}.0.[1].0.[1].0.[0].[0][2].0.[12]">5. Place moulds or container in the fridge and allow to set (this will take at least a couple of hours). </span><br id=".reactRoot[5].[1][4][1]{comment371078459663441_740514}.0.[1].0.[1].0.[0].[0][2].0.[13]"><span id=".reactRoot[5].[1][4][1]{comment371078459663441_740514}.0.[1].0.[1].0.[0].[0][2].0.[14]">6.
Once set, break up block of chocolate into single pieces and place in
clean and thoroughly dry TM bowl. Melt on speed 3, 60 degrees for 2
minutes.</span></span></span><br>
7. P<span data-ft=""K"}" id=".reactRoot[5].[1][4][1]{comment371078459663441_740514}.0.[1].0.[1].0.[0].[0][2]"><span id=".reactRoot[5].[1][4][1]{comment371078459663441_740514}.0.[1].0.[1].0.[0].[0][2].0"><span id=".reactRoot[5].[1][4][1]{comment371078459663441_740514}.0.[1].0.[1].0.[0].[0][2].0.[14]">ress
out cashew/chocolate ganache from moulds (or scoop from container) and
spoon over melted chocolate to coat. Place on a tray and back in the
fridge until chocolate sets.</span></span></span>Mel Makrishttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17704761046228745879noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1616599753690264481.post-86228870834692586712013-05-07T21:12:00.002+10:002013-11-10T20:02:39.892+11:00Apple and Raspberry teacake - gluten free<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgkh9RKCJbnM98FROiVVHJ4zd8BNYb5syCwhKvWMVjgagStWuUGJWQnIYOND1iXzfyRruSVDQg6eUgsH5ch58q1GnmrU0Lraz5MOQK5swavflrU0NIh6pFfZF2i2gaxbL8SCxOk0cURYEg/s1600/photo(20).JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgkh9RKCJbnM98FROiVVHJ4zd8BNYb5syCwhKvWMVjgagStWuUGJWQnIYOND1iXzfyRruSVDQg6eUgsH5ch58q1GnmrU0Lraz5MOQK5swavflrU0NIh6pFfZF2i2gaxbL8SCxOk0cURYEg/s400/photo(20).JPG" width="400" /></a></div>
It must have been the cold rainy weather we had this morning that made me crave this kind of cake!<br />
And who doesn't love a teacake?! <br />
Memories of Mum and I making apple teacakes with caramelised sliced apple laying delicately on top flooded my mind today, as my own son and I pieced together this little beauty! But if I'm to be honest with you, Jake was far more interested in pinching the raspberries from the middle and licking the bowl! Well, who can blame him really?!<br />
As most of you know me quite well by now, you would be reading this waiting patiently to discover which injections of nutrients I have snuck into the mix! Weeeellllll, it was almost a case of my hands working independently of my mind! Before I even knew it, chia seeds were being soaked in a cup of brewed tea, almonds were being ground into a meal, and yogurt was dolloped into the bowl! How did that happen??!!! ( ;<br />
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<a name='more'></a><br /><br />
Yep, I refuse to say this is a treat, but instead a celebration of an afternoon. A special afternoon? Maybe, maybe not. But a slice of this cake with a cuppa will definitely improve the afternoon either way, and afterwards you can tick off your list fruit, seeds, protein and soul warming goodness!<br />
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Don't avoid the cake if you can't eat nuts, just substitute with sunflower seeds. And if dairy isn't your thing, coconut cream or silken tofu would work just as well as yogurt, although obviously the flavour will change! <br />
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Enjoy...... <br />
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<h3>
Gluten Free Apple & Raspberry Teacake</h3>
<h4>
</h4>
<h4>
Ingredients</h4>
3 teabags (or equivalent of loose tea leaves)<br />
2 tbs chia seeds<br />
1/4 c coconut sugar (rapadura, raw or brown would also work)<br />
1 large granny smith apple, thinly sliced<br />
1/4 c raspberries (I used frozen)<br />
120g raw almonds (or almond meal if not using TMX)<br />
150g greek yogurt<br />
2 eggs<br />
1 tsp vanilla<br />
90g rapadura sugar (coconut, raw or brown would also work)<br />
130g gluten free SR flour<br />
1 tsp cinnamon<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
</div>
<h4>
Method - Conventional</h4>
<ol>
<li>Place teabags in a mug and add 1 cup of boiling water. Leave to steep for 10 minutes.</li>
<li>Squeeze and remove teabags from mug. Stir through chia seeds and leave for a further 10 minutes for chia seeds to absorb the tea. This will create a gel.</li>
<li>Preheat oven to 180 degrees Celsius. Line a 20cm round baking tin with baking paper.</li>
<li>Sprinkle 1/4c sugar evenly over base of tin. Cover with apple slices and place raspberries in the middle. If you love raspberries, you could sprinkle another 1/4 c over the top of the apples.</li>
<li>Place almond meal, sugar, flour and cinnamon in a large bowl and stir to combine. In a separate bowl whisk together the chia/tea mix, eggs, yogurt and vanilla together. Pour into the dry ingredients and stir until thoroughly combined.</li>
<li>Pour mix on top of the apples and bake for 35-40 minutes - until a skewer comes out clean from the middle of the cake.</li>
<li>Allow cake to cool for 5 minutes before turning out onto cooling rack. Serve warm with a scoop of ice cream, yogurt or a dollop of cream and some fresh raspberries!</li>
</ol>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi-0ffICA-rAXzmnTgdgS0aWklu8IgitC3gf0L0BxwKK3dz77BWJQH0jX0x4TwQIOQ4CnNZgCE-Mn81Y-6-1re2Kcr0RyEb3SpPDz_bY8oeDelWG_IXRcR4LAuD0a3DPT8DU8vb85kuIzA/s1600/photo(21).JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="298" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi-0ffICA-rAXzmnTgdgS0aWklu8IgitC3gf0L0BxwKK3dz77BWJQH0jX0x4TwQIOQ4CnNZgCE-Mn81Y-6-1re2Kcr0RyEb3SpPDz_bY8oeDelWG_IXRcR4LAuD0a3DPT8DU8vb85kuIzA/s400/photo(21).JPG" width="400" /></a></div>
<h4>
Method - Thermomix</h4>
<ol>
<li>Follow steps 1-4 above.</li>
<li>Place almonds in the TM bowl and grind on speed 8 for 10 seconds. Set aside.</li>
<li>Place chia/tea mix, eggs, yogurt and vanilla in TM bowl and blend on speed 5 for 1 minute.</li>
<li>Add ground almonds, sugar, flour and cinnamon and blend for a further 30 seconds on speed 5.</li>
<li>Follow steps 6-7 above.</li>
</ol>
<br />
<br />
<br />Mel Makrishttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17704761046228745879noreply@blogger.com5