I have another cake recipe to share! I made this for a friend's birthday recently and it was a hit, and really simple to make! If you have a thermomix or similar it's a breeze. It's a matter of throw everything in an blitz, my favourite kind of recipe! You can also vary it in any way you like, by adding different spices, nuts, lemon zest or even chocolate chips.
Cake ingredients
125g butter, at room temperature
1/2 cup honey, rice syrup or maple syrup, or a mixture of any of these
1 1/4 cups mashed overripe banana (about 2 large bananas)
2 eggs
1 tsp vanilla extract
100ml buttermilk (or raw milk mixed with yoghurt)
225g (1 1/2 cups) gluten free or spelt self-raising flour
1/2 tsp bicarbonate of soda
nutmeg, I like a whole tsp but you add to taste!
Whizz all these in the processor or thermomix, then bake in a 20cm sandwich tin for about 40 mins, or til a skewer comes out cleanish. It won't be totally clean, it's a very moist cake.
Cool completely, then refrigerate before serving, preferably overnight. The texture is like a banana mud cake!
Icing ingredients
3 bars well...naturally sugar free chocolate, milk or dark (about 135g)
250g cream cheese, preferably home made (from yoghurt)
1/3 cup maple syrup
Melt chocolate in a double boiler then leave aside to cool.
In a processor blend cream cheese and maple syrup, then add melted chocolate and blend til smooth.
Slather over the cooled cake thickly!
Please leave your comments if you make this cake, and let me know how it went!
Showing posts with label Winter food. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Winter food. Show all posts
Thursday, August 1, 2013
Saturday, June 30, 2012
Banana and honey moaves (muffin-loaves)
You know a cake recipe is a winner when Antonio is happy to eat it for breaky and I am happy to feed it to him! This recipe is a modified version of one I found on taste.com. I increased the honey, eliminated the granulated sugar, played around with the flours and baked it in mini loaf tins. I did this yesterday afternoon. They're all gone!
Ingredients
2 ripe bananas
2 eggs
1 cup organic spelt flour
1 cup hazelnut meal
1 cup gluten free self raising flour
1/2 cup runny yoghurt
1/4 cup milk
1/2 cup chopped walnuts
2 tsp cinnamon powder
2 tsp ginger powder
1 tsp clove powder
A note on the flours; you'll notice this isn't gluten free but it can easily be made gluten free. Just use another cup of self raising (I always use white wings). I think I can make it gaps friendly too. My plan is to use more hazelnut meal and a little coconut flour. And of course use more yoghurt instead of milk.
Method
Pre heat oven to 180
Melt butter and honey in a small saucepan on a low heat.
In a processor, blitz bananas, eggs, yoghurt and milk.
In a mixing bowl, combine flour, hazelnut meal, spices, bicarbonate and baking powder.
Combine wet and dry ingredients, spoon into little loaf tins or muffin tray and bake for about 25 mins
I'm yet to experiment with it, but a great icing for these would be made of cream cheese blended with honey, then some whipped cream folded through.
There's something wonderfully satisfying about baking something that tastes this good and yet contains no refined sugar. I love baking and I have a rampant sweet tooth! So to be able to continue to pursue my hobby and satisfy my sweet cravings without compromising my health is such a relief! I'm also really concious that kids birthday party fare is traditionally sugar laden. Now I'm sure I'll be able to bake great tasting food for Antonio's parties that I'm happy for him to eat. And that's a relief too!
Wednesday, July 28, 2010
Eating warm part 2 - Recipes!
Following on from last weeks blog, here are some of my favourite Winter comfort foods. Other than these recipes I also make lots of soups, stews, and meat/fish/veg type stuff, but although my man prefers the simple things, those recipes were too boring to bother blogging!
My awesome korma recipe
I found this recipe on the net and it’s really great! I make it at least every couple of weeks, either with some chicken or lamb and a couple of veggies, or just with veggies. It’s really tasty and really warming.
Diced lamb or chicken breast
Cubed veg, either sweet spud, pumpkin, eggplant etc
Green veg like green beans or broccoli
2 cloves garlic
3 cm piece ginger
1 finely chopped onion
1 tin organic chopped tomato
½ cup natural pot set yoghurt
1 tsp cumin seeds
1 tbsp coriander powder
2 cloves, whole
2 cardamoms, whole
1 tsp turmeric powder
1 small stick cinnamon, whole
Salt and chilli powder to taste. Sometimes I use fresh chilli, whatever you’re in the mood for!
Mince the garlic and ginger together, place in a bowl and cover with 2 cups cold water. Set aside.
In a frypan with a fitted lid, gently sauté the chopped onion in some butter or ghee. Add the cumin and stir til fragrant, then add the tomatoes, then the remaining spices. Allow the tomatoes to reduce a little.
Meanwhile brown meat in another pan in some butter or ghee. If I’m using potato or sweet potato I fry them too for extra flavour!
Stir the yoghurt into the tomato and spice mixture, then add the meat and any firm veggies, pop the lid on and let it sit on a low heat about 20 mins til the meat is tender. Every so often lift the lid and add some ginger/garlic water and stir. This gives the right texture to the sauce.
Finally, add the green veg and allow to cook through. Serve with rice.
Pumpkin & Spinach Risotto
Make an ordinary risotto, starting with a base of organic butter and onion, then adding your home made chicken stock, seasoned with sea or rock salt. Just before the rice finishes cooking add some big handfuls of spinach. In another pan fry about 3 cups of pumpkin cut into 1cm cubes til they get a little caramelised on the sides, then stir into the risotto as it finishes absorbing the stock. Add lots off parmesan to serve.
Grilled Veg and Quinoa Salad
This is a good winter salad and great for the lunchbox the following day. It’s great with some grilled haloumi too!
1 cup quinoa
1 1/2 cups chicken stock
2 cloves of garlic
a little butter
rind of one lemon
juice of half lemon
1 or 2 tsp turmeric
a zuchini
an eggplant
some cherry tomatoes
more garlic
olive oil
Slice up the vegies, mince a clove garlic and combine with oil in a bowl, toss the veg to coat.
Mince another clove of garlic and warm in the butter in a medium pot, then add quinoa and warm through. Add turmeric and stock, bring to a boil, pop lid on and turn to lowest heat on smallest element until quinoa is cooked.
Meanwhile, grill veg on a grill pan.
Once the quinoa is cooked remove it from the heat and add lemon rind and juice and stir through. Mix the grilled vegies through the quinoa, drizzle with olive oil and serve with some fish or chicken, or a salad of baby spinach leaves.
Polenta and lentils
As a kid I loved lentils! So soft and flavoursome. The best thing about making polenta is making extra then letting it set in a biscuit tray, cutting it into bars, crumbing them and grilling or frying them into big fat polenta chips! (Which are also great for lunch boxes)
You’ll need lots of your home made stock, maybe 6 cups to serve 2 with some left over for chips, then a little more for the lentils, organic instant polenta, organic dried lentils, organic tinned chopped tomatoes, garlic, onion, carrot and celery and some dried Italian herbs. It’s also a great treat to occasionally include some free range spicy Italian pork sausage!
This one is an overnight process since you’ll have to soak the lentils, and the cooking process needs to be started early too. Once they’ve soaked for 24 hours boil the lentils til they’re mostly soft, then drain. In another pot, heat some butter and fry the diced onion, carrot and celery, then add the garlic once the others have softened. Add the dried herbs, then the tin of chopped tomatoes and cook them down for a bit. The tomatoes need to spend some time losing their acidity. If you’re adding sausages, fry them now in a dry pan, cut into forkfuls and set aside. Finally, add the cooked lentils and a little stock (and sausage if you’re using it), and allow everything to sit with the lid on over a low heat while the flavours entwine! Season with good salt.
The polenta part is really easy, just season the stock and add the instant polenta, whisking it up until it’s thick. You can add a handful of fresh chopped parsley at this point if you like. Serve onto plates, (with the lentils over the top) then immediately pour the remainder onto a tray with sides and stick in the fridge.
Polenta chips
Once the polenta has set cut into bars and cover with egg and salted breadcrumbs, then either grill or fry them in a non stick pan with a little oil. They’re good either hot or cold!
My awesome korma recipe
I found this recipe on the net and it’s really great! I make it at least every couple of weeks, either with some chicken or lamb and a couple of veggies, or just with veggies. It’s really tasty and really warming.
Diced lamb or chicken breast
Cubed veg, either sweet spud, pumpkin, eggplant etc
Green veg like green beans or broccoli
2 cloves garlic
3 cm piece ginger
1 finely chopped onion
1 tin organic chopped tomato
½ cup natural pot set yoghurt
1 tsp cumin seeds
1 tbsp coriander powder
2 cloves, whole
2 cardamoms, whole
1 tsp turmeric powder
1 small stick cinnamon, whole
Salt and chilli powder to taste. Sometimes I use fresh chilli, whatever you’re in the mood for!
Mince the garlic and ginger together, place in a bowl and cover with 2 cups cold water. Set aside.
In a frypan with a fitted lid, gently sauté the chopped onion in some butter or ghee. Add the cumin and stir til fragrant, then add the tomatoes, then the remaining spices. Allow the tomatoes to reduce a little.
Meanwhile brown meat in another pan in some butter or ghee. If I’m using potato or sweet potato I fry them too for extra flavour!
Stir the yoghurt into the tomato and spice mixture, then add the meat and any firm veggies, pop the lid on and let it sit on a low heat about 20 mins til the meat is tender. Every so often lift the lid and add some ginger/garlic water and stir. This gives the right texture to the sauce.
Finally, add the green veg and allow to cook through. Serve with rice.
Pumpkin & Spinach Risotto
Make an ordinary risotto, starting with a base of organic butter and onion, then adding your home made chicken stock, seasoned with sea or rock salt. Just before the rice finishes cooking add some big handfuls of spinach. In another pan fry about 3 cups of pumpkin cut into 1cm cubes til they get a little caramelised on the sides, then stir into the risotto as it finishes absorbing the stock. Add lots off parmesan to serve.
Grilled Veg and Quinoa Salad
This is a good winter salad and great for the lunchbox the following day. It’s great with some grilled haloumi too!
1 cup quinoa
1 1/2 cups chicken stock
2 cloves of garlic
a little butter
rind of one lemon
juice of half lemon
1 or 2 tsp turmeric
a zuchini
an eggplant
some cherry tomatoes
more garlic
olive oil
Slice up the vegies, mince a clove garlic and combine with oil in a bowl, toss the veg to coat.
Mince another clove of garlic and warm in the butter in a medium pot, then add quinoa and warm through. Add turmeric and stock, bring to a boil, pop lid on and turn to lowest heat on smallest element until quinoa is cooked.
Meanwhile, grill veg on a grill pan.
Once the quinoa is cooked remove it from the heat and add lemon rind and juice and stir through. Mix the grilled vegies through the quinoa, drizzle with olive oil and serve with some fish or chicken, or a salad of baby spinach leaves.
Polenta and lentils
As a kid I loved lentils! So soft and flavoursome. The best thing about making polenta is making extra then letting it set in a biscuit tray, cutting it into bars, crumbing them and grilling or frying them into big fat polenta chips! (Which are also great for lunch boxes)
You’ll need lots of your home made stock, maybe 6 cups to serve 2 with some left over for chips, then a little more for the lentils, organic instant polenta, organic dried lentils, organic tinned chopped tomatoes, garlic, onion, carrot and celery and some dried Italian herbs. It’s also a great treat to occasionally include some free range spicy Italian pork sausage!
This one is an overnight process since you’ll have to soak the lentils, and the cooking process needs to be started early too. Once they’ve soaked for 24 hours boil the lentils til they’re mostly soft, then drain. In another pot, heat some butter and fry the diced onion, carrot and celery, then add the garlic once the others have softened. Add the dried herbs, then the tin of chopped tomatoes and cook them down for a bit. The tomatoes need to spend some time losing their acidity. If you’re adding sausages, fry them now in a dry pan, cut into forkfuls and set aside. Finally, add the cooked lentils and a little stock (and sausage if you’re using it), and allow everything to sit with the lid on over a low heat while the flavours entwine! Season with good salt.
The polenta part is really easy, just season the stock and add the instant polenta, whisking it up until it’s thick. You can add a handful of fresh chopped parsley at this point if you like. Serve onto plates, (with the lentils over the top) then immediately pour the remainder onto a tray with sides and stick in the fridge.
Polenta chips
Once the polenta has set cut into bars and cover with egg and salted breadcrumbs, then either grill or fry them in a non stick pan with a little oil. They’re good either hot or cold!
Sunday, July 11, 2010
Eating warm
There is no one right way to eat. I believe the only rule about nutrition is this; if you're not feeling vital and energetic, looking and feeling fabulous, change something. We all deserve to feel awesome all the time, and food choices are one of the biggest determining factors. However 'correct food choices' means something different at different times of the year, depending on your ethnicity, age, level of activity, job and so many other lifestyle factors.
Thus, when I'm asked what we should eat during Winter, I find it a little difficult to launch into the discussion. So what I will do is take the opportunity to talk about seasonal eating, since this topic takes things like geography into account.
First, I shall yet again point out the flaws in the current prevailing supermarket food supply. If you buy 'fresh' food from the supermarket you probably have no idea what's in season at what time of year, since supermarkets transport frozen foods over vast distances and keep them in cold storage for very long periods so they can be available year round. So while some of the produce may be reasonably fresh, some will not be, and those that aren't have seriously compromised nutritional values. Even when you buy organic you need to be aware that some things may have been flown in, so familiarise yourself with what is in season in your local area each season.
When it comes to preparation of foods it's important to observe your body's instincts and inclinations. A salad is a very healthy choice in summer, but is far too light at midwinter, when the body needs as much help to warm up as possible. Therefore soups, stews, stir-fries, curries and roasts are the healthy choice for Winter. Of course, cooking the begeezers out of your vegies certainly reduces the nutritional content, so nature thought up a balancer for that too.
Here's a fantastic tip for boosting the nutritional content of your food in Winter time: Cook with your own home made stock.
Stock recipe
(You will need an enormous pot with a lid, a silicone muffin tray and some tuppaware, as well as lots of time.)
2 or 3 chicken carcasses or some beef bones from the biodynamic butcher
2 or 3 carrots
3 stalks of celery
2 unpeeled onions, halved
2 or 3 tbsp white vinegar
Place carcasses or bones into the pot, cover with cold water and add vinegar. Allow to stand for one hour. Add roughly chopped veg and bring to a boil. Using a seive, skim off any scum from the surface, then turn the heat way down to very low, cover and simmer for 6-12 hours for chicken and up to 24 hours for beef stock. Add water if you need to.
Once this has cooled, strain and discard the solids, and freeze the liquid into tuppaware and muffin pans. I find it's useful to mark the number of cups on the container for when you need a specific amount. This won't matter if you're making soup, but for things like rice and quinoa you'll need to know a more exact quantity.
So that's my stock recipe. I make this once every 3 weeks or so to keep my freezer full. The purpose of standing the bones in the vinegar water is to liberate the gelatin and the lovely minerals from them. Preparing food with this stock is a wonderful way to increase the nutritional content. And also much tastier than the packaged stuff! Bonus.
Adding spices to food is another great idea during winter. Cumin, ginger, cloves, black pepper, turmeric, chilli, cardamom, cinnamon and herbs like parsley, thyme, corriander, sage and galangal are really important during winter to warm the body and boost immunity. Cumin turns a pumpkin soup into restaurant quality, along with a little last minute orange zest over the plate. Toss some chilli, garlic and olive oil throgh some lightly blanched greens, or make poached pears with cinnamon or baked apples with cloves, (both can be sweetened with honey) for dessert. Nature provided us with these gorgeous warming spices to keep us healthy. They're used at midwinter in most traditions, just think of the traditional Yule tide plum pudding or mulled wine!
It's important that we get enough salt through Winter, so make sure you cook with a good quality sea salt or rock salt. As always, avoid processed salts containing anti-caking agents and other additives.
Animal products like meat and eggs are very warming foods and therefore best consumed in Winter. During the Summer they can be too heavy and acid forming, but in small amounts they are great during the cold months. If you imagine our primitive ancestor's diet, meat would have featured more during Winter due to a shortage of most other foods, and this is what our bodies are genetically accustomed to.
Other warming foods are the high carbohydrate veg like pumpkin, sweet potato, carrots, leeks, parsnips etc, legumes like beans and lentils, nuts and seeds, and grains like rice, oats and quinoa.
In winter we still require our 2 litres of water daily, but drinking cool water is often the last thing we feel like doing, and quite rightly. During the cold months it's much better to drink warm cups of herbal tea for our fluid intake. Some of the most useful are rosehip tea, which tastes yummy and is a great source of vitamin C, liquorice tea, which soothes the lungs and digestion and decreases stress, and green tea, which is full of antioxidants like quercetin (which is helpful in treating varicose veins).
When I was going through school I remember being freezing in the classroom and playground during winter. It's really difficult to combat this using food since it has to be sent in a lunch box, but it is possible. Personally I would love to see tuck shops producing some healthy warm food for kids lunches. But until that time, here are some tips for keeping little ones (and big little ones) warm using food.
Breakfast should be warm and heavy; eggs, either soft boiled, lightly fried or poached, or some organic oatmeal with honey are perfect. Then fill the lunchbox with heavy, wholesome snacks like organic salted nuts, crispy polenta sticks, real cheese (not the processed stuff), vegie patties made with grated sweet potato, leek or zucchini, or a cold rice or quinoa pilau made with your homemade stock, some spices and some vegies. If you have to put in a sandwich, replace the salad and sprouts with a piece of grilled chicken or roast lamb, some cheese, avocado and some grilled veggies. Use a heavier bread like rye or oat flour bread, and maybe even grill it. When their food keeps them warm they'll learn better and have more energy to run around and warm up even more.
So to conclude, follow your instincts in every season. Find a way to continue to eat healthy, whole foods so they keep you warm, using ideas like homemade stock, quality salt and spices.
If your immunity needs an extra boost, try a good quality powdered vitamin C supplement and some zinc tablets, or see your naturopath for individualised treatment.
Warm fuzzies! Love, Sara
Thus, when I'm asked what we should eat during Winter, I find it a little difficult to launch into the discussion. So what I will do is take the opportunity to talk about seasonal eating, since this topic takes things like geography into account.
First, I shall yet again point out the flaws in the current prevailing supermarket food supply. If you buy 'fresh' food from the supermarket you probably have no idea what's in season at what time of year, since supermarkets transport frozen foods over vast distances and keep them in cold storage for very long periods so they can be available year round. So while some of the produce may be reasonably fresh, some will not be, and those that aren't have seriously compromised nutritional values. Even when you buy organic you need to be aware that some things may have been flown in, so familiarise yourself with what is in season in your local area each season.
When it comes to preparation of foods it's important to observe your body's instincts and inclinations. A salad is a very healthy choice in summer, but is far too light at midwinter, when the body needs as much help to warm up as possible. Therefore soups, stews, stir-fries, curries and roasts are the healthy choice for Winter. Of course, cooking the begeezers out of your vegies certainly reduces the nutritional content, so nature thought up a balancer for that too.
Here's a fantastic tip for boosting the nutritional content of your food in Winter time: Cook with your own home made stock.
Stock recipe
(You will need an enormous pot with a lid, a silicone muffin tray and some tuppaware, as well as lots of time.)
2 or 3 chicken carcasses or some beef bones from the biodynamic butcher
2 or 3 carrots
3 stalks of celery
2 unpeeled onions, halved
2 or 3 tbsp white vinegar
Place carcasses or bones into the pot, cover with cold water and add vinegar. Allow to stand for one hour. Add roughly chopped veg and bring to a boil. Using a seive, skim off any scum from the surface, then turn the heat way down to very low, cover and simmer for 6-12 hours for chicken and up to 24 hours for beef stock. Add water if you need to.
Once this has cooled, strain and discard the solids, and freeze the liquid into tuppaware and muffin pans. I find it's useful to mark the number of cups on the container for when you need a specific amount. This won't matter if you're making soup, but for things like rice and quinoa you'll need to know a more exact quantity.
So that's my stock recipe. I make this once every 3 weeks or so to keep my freezer full. The purpose of standing the bones in the vinegar water is to liberate the gelatin and the lovely minerals from them. Preparing food with this stock is a wonderful way to increase the nutritional content. And also much tastier than the packaged stuff! Bonus.
Adding spices to food is another great idea during winter. Cumin, ginger, cloves, black pepper, turmeric, chilli, cardamom, cinnamon and herbs like parsley, thyme, corriander, sage and galangal are really important during winter to warm the body and boost immunity. Cumin turns a pumpkin soup into restaurant quality, along with a little last minute orange zest over the plate. Toss some chilli, garlic and olive oil throgh some lightly blanched greens, or make poached pears with cinnamon or baked apples with cloves, (both can be sweetened with honey) for dessert. Nature provided us with these gorgeous warming spices to keep us healthy. They're used at midwinter in most traditions, just think of the traditional Yule tide plum pudding or mulled wine!
It's important that we get enough salt through Winter, so make sure you cook with a good quality sea salt or rock salt. As always, avoid processed salts containing anti-caking agents and other additives.
Animal products like meat and eggs are very warming foods and therefore best consumed in Winter. During the Summer they can be too heavy and acid forming, but in small amounts they are great during the cold months. If you imagine our primitive ancestor's diet, meat would have featured more during Winter due to a shortage of most other foods, and this is what our bodies are genetically accustomed to.
Other warming foods are the high carbohydrate veg like pumpkin, sweet potato, carrots, leeks, parsnips etc, legumes like beans and lentils, nuts and seeds, and grains like rice, oats and quinoa.
In winter we still require our 2 litres of water daily, but drinking cool water is often the last thing we feel like doing, and quite rightly. During the cold months it's much better to drink warm cups of herbal tea for our fluid intake. Some of the most useful are rosehip tea, which tastes yummy and is a great source of vitamin C, liquorice tea, which soothes the lungs and digestion and decreases stress, and green tea, which is full of antioxidants like quercetin (which is helpful in treating varicose veins).
When I was going through school I remember being freezing in the classroom and playground during winter. It's really difficult to combat this using food since it has to be sent in a lunch box, but it is possible. Personally I would love to see tuck shops producing some healthy warm food for kids lunches. But until that time, here are some tips for keeping little ones (and big little ones) warm using food.
Breakfast should be warm and heavy; eggs, either soft boiled, lightly fried or poached, or some organic oatmeal with honey are perfect. Then fill the lunchbox with heavy, wholesome snacks like organic salted nuts, crispy polenta sticks, real cheese (not the processed stuff), vegie patties made with grated sweet potato, leek or zucchini, or a cold rice or quinoa pilau made with your homemade stock, some spices and some vegies. If you have to put in a sandwich, replace the salad and sprouts with a piece of grilled chicken or roast lamb, some cheese, avocado and some grilled veggies. Use a heavier bread like rye or oat flour bread, and maybe even grill it. When their food keeps them warm they'll learn better and have more energy to run around and warm up even more.
So to conclude, follow your instincts in every season. Find a way to continue to eat healthy, whole foods so they keep you warm, using ideas like homemade stock, quality salt and spices.
If your immunity needs an extra boost, try a good quality powdered vitamin C supplement and some zinc tablets, or see your naturopath for individualised treatment.
Warm fuzzies! Love, Sara
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