Wholefood Caramel Mudcake

I've been doing my best lately to get back to "real food" eating - cutting back on processed and pre-packaged food as well as refined flours and sugar. It's really not hard when you get into the swing of things, and it was perfect timing that I came across a wonderful blog called Wholefood Simply. It has some fantastic recipes and great ideas. My sister told me about this Caramel Mudcake and I just had to give it a go!

Amazingly, as hard as it is to believe a cake made with sweet potato and dates that has no chocolate and no sugar can resemble anything like a real Caramel Mudcake, this one kind of does! The sweet potato, along with the coconut flour and eggs makes for a smooth, moist texture and it actually tastes good! It isn't and never will be the usual Caramel Mudcake - but as a super healthy alternative, it's really good!

The icing (which I made my own alterations to) is a great addition too - and I still can't believe that the tahini/honey combo really makes a caramel alternative! If nothing else, try this one out of curiosity, and you might just be pleasantly surprised :-)

Ingredients
650g sweet potatoes, peeled, chopped and baked until tender
12 medjool dates, seeds removed
2 tablespoons tahini
1 teaspoon vanilla
1/2 cup coconut flour, sifted
1 teaspoon baking powder
3 eggs
Pinch of salt

Method
Preheat your oven to 180 degrees Celcius or 350 degrees Fahrenheit. Grease and line a round 20cm cake tin.

In your blender or food processor puree the sweet potato flesh and dates until smooth. Add the remaining ingredients in the order listed above, mix until well combined.

Pour the mixture into a prepared tin and bake for 45 minutes or until the top is golden and an inserted skewer comes out cleanly. Allow the cake to cool slightly before removing from the cake tin and placing the cake onto a cooling rack. Cool the cake completely prior to icing.

Caramel Icing
1/2 cup unsalted cashews
3 heaped tablespoons hulled tahini
3 heaped tablespoons honey
1 teaspoon vanilla

Blend cashews until smooth and pasty.  Add remaining ingredients and mix until until smooth (I added a touch of water to thin it out a little). Pour the mixture directly over the cooled cake for a runny icing or refrigerate the mixture and allow it to set slightly for a thicker consistency.

Risotto Balls

Risotto Balls are the ultimate recipe for repurposed leftovers.  It's the perfect way to reinvent your dish and not get bored with the same meal two nights in a row.  The good thing about risotto is that the flavour options are endless, which means it's the same deal for these little delights too.

Most risotto balls are deep fried, but I wanted the oven-baked option so it was a bit healthier.  The kids LOVED the cheese surprise in the middle and they were a delicious Sunday night almost home-made takeaway kind of meal.  Enjoy!

Ingredients (makes 12 balls)
1/2 batch risotto (try this Leek & Bacon Risotto or this Pumpkin Risotto), cooled
12 small cubes cheese (you can use tasty, mozzarella or bocconcini)
3/4 cup plain flour
2 eggs, lightly beaten
1 cup breadcrumbs
1 teaspoon dried herbs
olive oil spray

Method
Preheat oven to 180 degrees fan-forced.

Place plain flour, eggs and breadcrumbs (mixed with herbs) in separate, shallow dishes.

With wet hands, take large handfuls of risotto.  Place a cube of cheese in the middle.  Roll in flour, then egg, then breadcrumbs.  Place on a lined baking tray.

Repeat for the rest of the risotto to make 12 balls.  Lightly spray with oil.

Bake for 20 minutes until golden and crunchy on the outside.

Kidsafe Cook-Off 2013

It was such an honour to take part in the Kidsafe Cook-Off this week in King George Square.  It's the second year we've been involved (here's last year's rundown) through 96five, and the second year of entering our very own "Mums in the Kitchen" team.  That's us, pictured above - Anny, Amy, myself & Hannah - ready to cook!

This year was a bit different and started out with a heap of activities for the kids.  They had a chef do some kids' cooking, an opportunity I just couldn't pass up for my little ones.  They came along and quite literally, got their hands dirty in the kitchen!

They also had a special appearance from Elmo & Grover, which was naturally, another big hit with the kids!

The first challenge was to re-create a dish that Damian Heads demonstrated to us.  We had a time limit and were provided with all the ingredients and utensils.  It was a simply divine Salmon & Quinoa dish (I'll share the recipe at a later date!) - and this year, we thought outside the square, and used our own creative flair with the presentation.  Here's what we put up...

It tasted amazing!  The next part of the challenge was teaming up with one of the real chefs and doing a bit of a mystery box challenge.  I was on a team with Mark Wright from Spring and it was so much fun seeing the chefs in action and admiring their ideas and techniques.  Our team put up these delicious canapes of crispy wontons, marinated chicken and a pomegranate & avocado salsa...

And a White Chocolate Cheesecake with Mango Salsa (divine!!!)

Then the results from the first challenge were announced...and we came 2nd!  We were over the moon!  The team from Springfree Trampolines took out the major prize, but we were only 3 points behind (out of 600 points) and tied with the Culinary Cops.  We were so thrilled to have improved on last year and even got awarded this whisk trophy!

Alana from Masterchef was just lovely, and I can highly recommend her new range of sauces!

All in all, a fantastic day, promoting a great message - keeping our kids safe.  Susan & Jennifer did a wonderful job bringing it all together - here they are with all the professional chefs.

Moroccan Stuffed Capsicums

Capsicums were on special this week, so I decided to try something new and stuff them.  Originally, I'd been thinking a bit of a Mexican-style, but went down the Moroccan path instead (stay tuned, I still want to try Mexican ones soon!)

I loved the result, as did the whole family!  Beautiful flavours, something different for presentation and the crunch of the nuts and seeds really lifts it.  These are super healthy too and packed full of vegetables from Charlies - give them a go!

Ingredients (serves 4)
4 medium-large capsicums (any colour is fine!)
olive oil spray
1 onion
1 clove garlic, crushed (or 2 teaspoons of this amazing product I've found called "garlic love"!)
2 teaspoons Moroccan seasoning
1 tomato, chopped finely
3 cups cooked brown rice
1 carrot, grated
1/2 cup corn kernels
1/2 cup seed & nut mix (mine was pepitas, sunflower seeds and almonds)
1/4 cup cranberries or currants

Method
Preheat oven to 200 degrees Celsius, fan-forced.

Slice tops off capsicums and scoop out seeds and flesh.  Place on a tray lined with baking paper.  Spray lightly with olive oil.  Bake for 20 minutes, until soft and golden.

Meanwhile, heat a wok or medium pan over medium heat.  Spray with olive oil.  Add onion and garlic and saute for 5 minutes, until soft.

Add Moroccan season and cook for 1 minute.  Add tomato and cook for a further minute.

Add cooked rice, carrot and corn and stir well to combine. If the mixture is fairly dry, add up to 1/2 cup water.

Stir through seeds, nuts and dried fruit, then scoop into capsicums.  Replace the tops and serve.

Bagels

Bagels are not something I'd really thought of trying until recently.  I got my bake on a couple of weekends ago and it was a pretty good result!  They were probably a bit more dense than I'd have liked, but overall they tasted good, and were a great variation to our usual lunches.

And of course, now that a couple of weeks have passed, I can't even remember which recipe I used, so I'll just link to a few here and you can have a look for yourself.  They are so delicious freshly-baked and always remind me of holidays overseas for some reason.

Let me know if you try them out!

http://www.sophisticatedgourmet.com/2009/10/new-york-style-bagel-recipe/

http://www.taste.com.au/recipes/22378/poppy+seed+bagels

http://www.taste.com.au/kitchen/articles/making+homemade+bagels,340

http://www.thefreshloaf.com/recipes/bagels

Mini Steamed Christmas Puddings

Yes, it's October.  And I'm talking about Christmas.  But just bear with me for a bit!

Last December, I felt so busy with cooking and preparing for the festive season, that I vowed to be more organised this year - and here we are!  Christmas Puddings are perfect to prepare ahead, because they freeze well and the flavour gets even better with time.  I prepped these up this week, wrapped them in calico I picked up from Spotlight - and now I have 30+ puddings in my freezer ready for Christmas!  I feel so organised!

You can use any dried fruit you like to make up the quantity - tailor it to your taste.  This method gives you that steamed texture, but is so much easier than steaming in a saucepan in the calico.  So get organised - December is just around the corner!

Grab your dried fruit, eggs and oranges from Charlie's!

Ingredients (makes about 34 mini puddings)
1kg mixed dried fruit
250g dried cranberries
250g dried apricots, chopped
150mL brandy
juice and zest of 1 orange
250g butter
2 cups brown sugar
1/4 cup maple syrup
2 teaspoons Parisian browning essence (optional)
1/2 cup water
1 1/2 cups breadcrumbs
1 1/2 cups plain flour
1 cup self-raising flour
2 teaspoons mixed spice
1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon ginger
4 eggs

Method
Preheat oven to 180 degrees Celsius/160 fan-forced.

Combine dried fruit in a bowl and add brandy and the orange juice.  Cover and leave for 2 hours (or up to overnight if you have the time).

Place fruit in a large saucepan and add butter, sugar, orange zest, maple syrup, browning essence and water.

Heat at medium-high, stirring regularly, until butter has melted and sugar dissolved.  Bring to the boil then reduce heat and simmer for 5 minutes.

Cool slightly.  Add dry ingredients then eggs and mix well to combine.

Grease 3 muffin pans with oil.  If they are not silicone, place a circle of baking paper in the bottom of each to prevent sticking.  Divide mixture between pans.  Place each pan in a roasting tray and fill to half-way up muffin pans with boiling water.  Cover pans with baking paper then alfoil, gathered tightly around edges.

Place in oven and cook for 45 minutes to 1 hour, until cooked through.  (I did 2 trays for 1 hour, then 1 tray for 45 minutes).

Cool to room temperature, then wrap in squares of calico and tie with ribbon.  Reheat in the microwave.

Salmon & Ricotta Quiche

I threw this one together as I had a few leftovers and it was a fabulous result!  I made the shortcrust pastry with my friend's Thermomix, but you can easily make your own with a recipe like this - or buy it, of course.  I didn't blind bake mine, but you can if you wish.  It's suitable to freeze and would suit breakfast, lunch or dinner - how versatile!  You could also add other vegetables, like peas, pumpkin or sweet potato (make sure you get them from www.charliesfruitonline.com.au!) and they would be great in mini-form for a party or afternoon tea.  And it's worth making your own relish to go with - yum!

Ingredients
1 sheet shortcrust pastry
3 eggs
200g ricotta cheese
100g sour cream
1/4 cup milk
60g smoked salmon, chopped
1/2 cup corn kernels
2 teaspoons fresh or dried herbs, chopped

Method
Preheat oven to 200 degrees celsius (180 fan-forced).

Line a flan tin with pastry.

In a bowl, combine remaining ingredients.  Mix well (use a stick blender or similar if you wish, to combine the eggs, ricotta, sour cream and milk).

Pour into pastry.  Bake for about 30-40 minutes, until golden and set.

Serve warm or cold.  Delicious with beetroot, tomato or capsicum relish!

Orange Puddings

These delightful little puddings were made by my wonderful husband Dean.  He insisted on doing dinner last weekend and after delicious chicken satay burgers, he produced these from the kitchen.  They were delicious!  He found the recipe at www.taste.com.au and they were perfect served with a scoop of vanilla ice cream.  I've copied the recipe exactly as it was but included Dean's changes down the bottom.  Pass on this recipe to your husband - he might just surprise you!

Ingredients
1 cup self-raising flour, sifted
1/3 cup caster sugar
1 orange, rind finely grated
60g butter, melted, at room temperature
1/2 cup freshly squeezed orange juice
1 egg

Sauce
2/3 cup caster sugar
1 1/4 cups freshly squeezed orange juice

Method
Lightly grease an 8cm deep, 6-cup capacity, heatproof, microwave-safe dish.

Combine flour, sugar and orange rind in a bowl. Whisk together butter, juice and egg. Stir into flour mixture until well combined. Spoon into prepared dish. Smooth surface.

Make sauce: Place sugar and orange juice into a heatproof, microwave-safe bowl or jug. Cook on MEDIUM (50%) power for 3 minutes, stirring every minute, or until sugar dissolves. Cook on HIGH (100%) power for 1 to 2 minutes or until sauce comes to the boil. Pour hot sauce over the back of a large metal spoon to evenly cover pudding.

Place pudding onto a microwave-safe rack or upturned dinner plate. Cook, uncovered, on MEDIUM (50%) power for 8 to 9 minutes or until a skewer inserted around edges comes out clean but centre is still a little sticky. Cover tightly with foil. Stand for 5 minutes or until centre is no longer sticky. Serve with ice-cream.

DEAN'S VARIATION:

He only made 1/2 quantity of the sauce.  He divided the mixture into a greased friand pan, to make individual puddings.  He baked it in the oven, rather than microwave - for about 20 minutes at 180 degrees.

Crunchy Brown Rice Salad

Perfect for a lunch, dinner, picnic or BBQ - add or subtract any ingredients you like!  This is versatile, healthy, colourful, delicious and easy - try it out :-)

Ingredients
3 cups cooked brown rice
200g corn kernels
1 red capsicum, deseeded, finely chopped
2 spring onions, finely chopped
50g baby spinach, shredded
1/2 cup currants
1/2 cup almonds, chopped
1 cup cooked chicken (or BBQ chicken), chopped - optional

Dressing
1/4 cup light olive oil
2 tablespoons soy sauce
2 tablespoons lemon juice
2 tablespoons balsamic vinegar
1 garlic clove, crushed
salt & pepper, to taste

Method
Combine all salad ingredients in a large bowl.

Mix together dressing ingredients, then add to the salad and toss well to combine.

Paleo Pumpkin Slice

I came across this recipe at a great website called Elana's Pantry when I was looking for a recipe to use up some leftover pumpkin.  It's pretty good - however, coconut flour does have quite a unique texture, so be prepared for that!  The chocolate (I used a 70% dark variety) was definitely the hero of the dish for me (I sound all Masterchef!) - but it's a tasty little combination and pretty healthy too!

Ingredients
⅓ cup coconut flour
¼ teaspoon salt
½ teaspoon bi carb soda
½ teaspoon cinnamon
4 eggs
1 cup roasted or steamed pumpkin
⅓ cup honey
¼ cup oil
½ cup chocolate chunks

Method
In a food processor, combine coconut flour, salt, bicarb and cinnamon.

Pulse in eggs, pumpkin, honey and oil until well combined.

Stir in the chocolate by hand.

Transfer batter to a lined slice pan.

Bake at 180 degrees Celsius for 20-30 minutes.  Best kept in the fridge.

Healthy Cheesy Fish Fingers

I rarely do a separate meal for the kids - I just don't have the time to be cooking multiple meals each night!  But hubby & I were having simple herb & garlic baked fish with steamed veges and I didn't think the kids would be too keen.  So I whipped these up and they got devoured!  You can use any veges you want and you can also make them into any shape, or even bake them in muffin pans or the like.  Get creative!  These are infinitely better than store-bought "fish" fingers (who knows what's actually in them?!?) - so get cooking!

Ingredients
150g firm white fish fillets (I used basa)
1 cup cooked, chopped vegetables (can use frozen or fresh)
1 egg
1/2 cup grated cheese
2 teaspoons fresh/dried herbs
1 cup breadcrumbs (adjust according to consistency)

Method
Place fish and vegetables in a food processor and process until smooth.  Add egg, cheese, herbs and breadcrumbs and mix until combined.

Shape into logs and place on a tray lined with baking paper.  Bake at 180 degrees Celsius for about 7 minutes, then turn over and bake for another 7 minutes.

OR

Spray a frying pan with olive oil spray and pan-fry logs for a few minutes each side until golden-brown and cooked through.