Cauliflower “DETOX” Salad

I saw this recipe on The Healthy Foodie blog.  Apparently Adapted from Angela’s Detox Salad.  I grated the broccoli stems and added them too.

INGREDIENTS(yelds about 8 cups)

• 1 head cauliflower, stems removed
• 1 head broccoli, stems removed
• 2 carrots, shredded
• 1 Gala apple, diced
• ¼ cup pumpkin seeds
• ¼ cup sunflower seeds
• ½ cup raisins
• ½ cup dried cranberries
• ¼ cup finely chopped fresh mint
• the juice of one lemon
• 2 tbsp maple syrup
• 1 tbsp white wine vinegar
• ¾ tsp salt
• ½ tsp black pepper
• 1 tbsp organic no-salt seasoning

 INSTRUCTIONS

1. In a food processor (or chop by hand) process the broccoli (no stems unless you grate them) until fine. Add into large bowl.
2. Now process the cauliflower (no stems) until fine and add into bowl.
3. Attach grating blade to your food processor and grate the carrots (or grate by hand) and add to bowl.
4. Stir in the rest of the ingredients and stir until well combined.
5. This salad can be served immediately, or left in the refrigerator to macerate for a couple of hours. It will keep for about 3-4 days in an airtight container.

Strawberry Sour Cream Streusel Cake

I first tried this cake when Val made it.  It's a winner!  It's a Nigella recipe.

For the strawberry purée:

• 8 ounces strawberries
• 3 tablespoons strawberry jam
• 2 teaspoons cornstarch
• 2 teaspoons vanilla extract

For the cake:

• Vegetable oil, for pan
• 3/4 cup sugar
• 2 cups plus 2 tablespoons flour
• 1 teaspoon baking powder
• 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
• 12 tablespoons (1 1/2 sticks) cold butter, cut into 1/2-inch cubes
• 1 cup sour cream
• 1 large egg
• 1 tablespoon vanilla extract

For the crumble topping:

• 2 teaspoons Demerara sugar

Preparation

1.

Prepare strawberry purée: In a blender,combine strawberries and jam. Make a paste of cornstarch and vanilla,and add to blender. Purée until smooth.Set aside.

2.

Prepare cake:Heat oven to 170 degrees. Oil a 23 cm springform pan and set aside. In a large bowl, combine sugar, flour, baking powder and baking soda. Sprinkle in butter cubes and rub them in by hand until mixture resembles large coarse crumbs. Remove 1/2 cup and set it aside. To large bowl, add sour cream,egg and vanilla. Mix well.

3.

Using a little over half the cake batter,drop dollops of batter into pan. Pat batter across bottom of pan and about 1 inch up sides;mixture will be very sticky and somewhat uneven. Add strawberry purée, making an even layer across bottom of pan and leaving a rim of dough above it. Cover with remaining cake mixture.

4.

Prepare crumble topping:In a medium bowl, combine reserved 1/2 cup dough and Demerara sugar. Stir with a fork to mix. Sprinkle evenly over cake.

5.

Bake cake until lightly golden,about 45 minutes.Cool completely before serving.

Choc mug pudding

This recipe has become popular in our house, becuase they can make it themselves!  It's from the Taste web site.  It's not gourmet, but it satisfies that need for something quick, warm and chocolatey.

Preparation Time: 2 minutes

Cooking Time: 2 minutes

Additional Time: 1 minute (Cooling)

Serves: 1

Ingredients:

• 1 Tablespoon Butter
• 1 Tablespoon Almond or Hazelnut meal
• 1 Tablespoon Gluten free cornflour
• 1 Tablespoon Natvia Sweetner
• 1 Tablespoon Coco powder
• 1 Tablespoon Dark chocolate chips
• 1 Tablespoon Light Sour Cream
• 1 Tablespoon Chilli Infused olive oil

Put your butter in the mug and microwave it for about 40 seconds, or until pretty much melted. Add everything else. Stir to incorporate well. Microwave for 100 seconds at 70% power. Leave it to cool for a couple of seconds... or not. I have an annoying tendency to burn my mouth out every time I make this. If you’re sniffly, cold and lonely – give this a shot, it’ll fix all your problems.

PS: I think my microwave has survived tonights episode!!??

Red velvet Cupcakes with Cream Cheese Frosting

This was my first "red velvet" recipe.  I decreased the red colouring, and halved the icing (to preservethe coronary arteries!)  They're goood!

Red Velvet Cupcakes
2 1/2 cups sifted cake flour*
1 teaspoon baking powder
1 teaspoon salt
2 tablespoons unsweetened cocoa powder
2 oz. red food coloring (two bottles)
1/2 cup unsalted butter, softened
1 1/2 cups sugar
2 eggs, at room temperature
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 cup buttermilk, at room temperature
1 teaspoon white vinegar
1 teaspoon baking soda
1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Line two 12-cup muffin tins with cupcake papers.
2. Sift together the cake flour, baking powder, and salt into a medium bowl; set aside.  In a small bowl, mix food coloring and cocoa powder to form a thin paste without lumps; set aside.
3. In a large bowl, using a hand mixer or stand mixer, beat butter and sugar together until light and fluffy, about three minutes.  Beat in eggs, one at a time, then beat in vanilla and the red cocoa paste, scraping down the bowl with a spatula as you go.  Add one third of the flour mixture to the butter mixture, beat well, then beat in half of the buttermilk. Beat in another third of flour mixture, then second half of buttermilk. End with the last third of the flour mixture, beat until well combined, making sure to scrape down the bowl with a spatula.
4. In a small bowl, mix vinegar and baking soda.  Yes, it will fizz!  Add vinegar mixture to the cake batter and stir well to combine. Using an ice cream scoop, fill cupcake cups with cake batter (they should be 2/3 – 3/4 full).  You may not fill all the cups, I ended up with 20 cupcakes.  Place muffin tins on the middle rack of a preheated 350 degree oven.  Bake for approximately 20-22 minutes, rotating pans halfway through. Cupcakes are done when a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean. Check early and don’t overbake!
5. Cool the cupcakes in their tins on a wire rack for 10 minutes then remove and allow to cool completely before frosting.  Frost cupcakes with cream cheese icing (recipe below) and decorate with red sprinkles if desired.

Cream Cheese Frosting
16 oz. cream cheese (2 packages), softened
1/2 cup unsalted butter (one stick), softened
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
2 1/2 cups powdered sugar, sifted
pinch of salt

With an electric mixer, blend together cream cheese and butter until smooth.  Turn mixer to low speed and blend in powdered sugar, salt and vanilla extract.  Turn mixer on high and beat until light and fluffy. Use immediately or refrigerate, covered, until ready to use.  If refrigerated, the frosting will need to be brought to room temperature before using (after frosting softens up, beat with mixer until smooth).

Pantry Muesli bars

Found a great foundation muesli bar at best recipes.com, and did my usual tinkering and think the result was great!  You can make it healthier with substituting or minimising the butter and using oil.  I loved that I could raid my pantry and use what was at hand.

100g butter
1/2 cup plain flour
2/3 cup brown sugar
11/2 cups rolled oats (you could supplement with rice bubbles)
1 cup dried fruit - I used cranberries
1/2 cup choc bits (I omitted)
1/2 cup nuts - I used walnuts
1/2 cup seeds - I used pepitas and sunflower seeds
2 tbspn sesame seeds
1 tsp cinnamon
1 tbspn peanut butter (generous)
11/2 tbspn honey
1/2 cup coconut

1. Line rectangular baking dish with baking paper. Preheat oven to 150 degrees
2. Melt together peanut butter, butter, honey and brown sugar in saucepan
3. Mix all other ingredients in a bowl and pour over butter/sugar mixture.
4. Mix well and tip into baking dish and flatten firmly with metal spoon
5. Bake for 40 mins and leave to cool before cutting into squares or rectangles.

Caramel Cheesecake

I had long wanted to conquer the condensed milk caramel thing, and needed to take a special cake for a work celebration, so went looking for a caramel cheescake.  Found a good one at Taste.com http://www.taste.com.au/recipes/16031/baked+caramel+cheesecake which of course I adapted to include the condensed mild caramel.

For the caramel:

Boil an unopened can of condensed milk for 2 hours (making sure that you top up the water so the can is always emersed) and voila!  ...... Caramel.

For the cheescake:

1 x 250g packet of ANZAC or granita biscuits
125 g butter, melted
2 x 250g pkts cream cheese (you can use fat reduced) softened
1 x 300ml carton sour cream (or normal cream if that's what you have)
150g plain yoghurt (low fat is good)
1/2 cup caster sugar
3 eggs
1 can condensed milk caramel (cooled)

Method:
1. Crush biscuits to a fine crumb, add melted butter and pack firmly into the bottom of a springform pan. Chill for 30 mins

2. Preheat oven to 160 degrees. Pulse cream cheese, eggs, sugar, yoghurt, cream in a food processor to combine.

3. Pour 1/2 the cream mixture over the biscuit base. Spoon caramel over (globs are fine) then top with remaining cream mixture

4. Bake for 1 hour and 10 mins or until set. Turn off oven, and leave cheesecake in oven with door ajar for 2 hours until cooled (this will ensure that the cheesecake does not split).

5. Chill in fridge for 4 hours or overnight

Smoky chilli braised beef with cornbread dumplings

Found this Donna Hay recipe in the Sunday paper a few weeks ago.  They are the best savoury dumplings I have ever tasted.  Really good!!

2 tbs olive oil
1.5  kg beef brisket, cut into 2cm pieces
sea salt and cracked black pepper
1 brown onion chopped
2 cloves garlic, crushed
2 tsp sweet smoked paprika
2 dried Chipotle chillies, chopped
¼ cup brown sugar
1 tbs tomato paste
2 x 400g tined tomatoes, chopped
2 cups beef stock

Sour cream to serve.

Dumplings:
1 ½ cups plain flour
1 tbs baking powder
1 cup instant polenta
1 ½ cup buttermilk
Salt & pepper
1 cup grated vintage cheddar cheese
½ cup chopped coriander leaves
1 long red chilli

Heat 1 tbs oil in large heavy base saucepan.  Sprinkle beef with salt & pepper and brown In batches. Set aside.  Heat remaining oil and sauté onion and garlic until soft.  Add paprika and chipotle chilli and cook 1 minute.  Return beef to pan, and add brown sugar. tomatoes, tomato paste, and stock.  Bring to boil.  Reduce heat and simmer 3-3 ½ hours.

Preheat oven to 200 C.  To make dumplings: place all ingredients in bowl and mix to just combine.  Place spoonfuls into top of casserole.  Bake uncovered in oven for 15-20 mins.  Serve with sour cream.

Rice and Pumpkin Torta

2/3 cup arborio rice
EVO
1 onion finely chopped
2 cups firmly packed grated pumpkin, jap or butternut
80g grated Parmesan cheese
1.2 cup cream
1/2 cup ricotta
3 eggs lightly beaten
1/2 tsp nutmeg
1/3 cup dry breadcrumbs
Salt/pepper

Cook rice for 8 minutes. Drain.
Heat 2 tbs EVO in non stick pan and fry onion for 5 minutes.
Add grated pumpkin and fry another 5 minutes.
In large bowl combine everything except breadcrumbs.
Oil a 21cm springform pan ( or lamington tin) then sprinkle with half the bread crumbs.
Spoon in the rice mixture, and sprinkle top with remaining bread crumbs.
Bake at 180 for 35 minutes or until firm in middle.
Serve warm or at room temp.

Vue de Monde

Last month my family had lunch at Vue de Monde. The food, the view and the service are all absolutely magnificant. This was our menu:

Oyster
&
Salt cured kangaroo
&
Celeriac, Sunflower seed
&
Smoked eel, white chocolate, caviar

~

Spanner crab, rockmelon, salmon roe

~

Tomato, fennel, watermelon, wasabi

~

Marron, kohlrabi, caviar, tarragon butter

~

Fried duck egg, lamb sweetbreads, pickled onion

~

Cucumber sorbet, crushed herbs

~

Snapper, herb emulsion, prawn, smoked bone marrow

~

Pigeon, carrot, clove, orange

~

Blackmore wagyu beef, fig, pear

~

Assortment of cheeses, bread, jams

~

Passionfruit, licorice, coconut

~

Lemon meringue ice cream, white chocolate, lemon curd, parsley

~

A selection of coffee, teas, infusions & petit-fours

~

WINE
2006 Delamere Blanc de Blancs Sparkling, Pipers Brook, Tasmania
2010 Man O War ‘Exiled’ Pinot Gris, Ponui Island, New Zealand
2010 Chateau D’Esclans, Whispering Angel Rosé, Provence France

Chocolate Brownies

This is Donna Hay's brownie recipe. It's goood.

Ingredients
250 g butter, chopped
200g dark chocolate, chopped
1 ¾ cups brown sugar
1/3 cup cocoa
4 eggs
1 cup plain flour
¼ teaspoon baking powder

Method

1. Melt the butter and chocolate in a medium saucepan over gentle heat then cool slightly.
2. Stir in sugar, cocoa, eggs and sifted dry ingredients.
3. Spoon the mixture into a lined 23 x 23cm slab tin.
4. Bake at 160°C for 30-35 minutes.
5. The mixture will seem soft but will harden on cooling.
6. Allow to cool in tin before removing.

Heston you're amazing

Check it out:
http://vimeo.com/theneighbourhood/sweetshop

Melon and Tuna Maki

Dressing

1 tbs soy sauce

1 tsp rice vinegar

1 tbs honey

1 tsp wasabi

1 rockmelon

200 g sashimi grade tuna

6 nori sheets

Combine dressing ingredients and set aside.

De seed melon and cut into strips about 2cm x 2 cm.

Cut tuna into same size strips as melon.

Place tuna on top of melon, and cut nori to size so it can wrap around this. Serve with dressing and garnish with parsley or fennel flowers.