Quinoa Salad with Chicken, Snap Peas and Mango
Tuesday, March 10, 2015This deliciously light yet satisfying quinoa salad with poached chicken breast, mango, and snap peas is quick and easy to prepare. It is high in vitamin, fiber, protein and low in calories, and any leftovers would make a great lunchbox filler.
Quinoa Salad with Chicken, Snap Peas and Mango
adapted from taste
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- Combine onion, peppercorns and pinch of salt in a saucepan with water. Bring to boil over high heat. Add chicken breast. Reduce heat to low. Cover. Simmer for 5 minutes. Set aside, covered, for 20 minutes until chicken is cooked through. Remove chicken. Cool, then shred.
- Meanwhile, place quinoa and extra water in saucepan. Bring to boil. Reduce heat to low, cover and simmer for 12-15 minutes until water absorbs. Cool.
- Cook snap peas in a saucepan of boiling water for 2 minutes or until tender crisp. Refresh under cold running water and drain.
- Place chicken, quinoa, snap peas, mango, and shredded leek in a bowl. Whisk together vinegar and oil in bowl. Add to salad. Toss to combine. Top with some spiced almonds if desired.
Freekeh Coconut Banana Muffins
Thursday, March 05, 2015These banana muffins with freekeh and coconut are full of flavours and texture. They are fantastic for breakfast, served with a pot of freshly brewed tea or coffee and some seasonal fruits aside. Or add them to a lunchbox or take them into work for afternoon break. Sugar here again was replaced with a mix of NuNaturals white stevia powder and unsweetened applesauce.
Freekeh is ancient roasted green spelt berries and has an awesome nutty, chewy texture. It comes in both whole and cracked forms. The spelt is harvested when it is still young and green. It is then slow roasted over coals in the hulls, and is then de-hulled resulting in a beautiful green spelt berry. You can replace it with wholegrain spelt flour.
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- Line a 12-hole muffin pan with paper cases. Process melted coconut oil, stevia powder, applesauce, bananas, eggs and vanilla in a food processor until well combined.
- Place flours, baking powder, desiccated coconut and chocolate chunks in a large bowl, then fold in banana mixture.
- Divide the batter in muffin cases. Bake for 250-25 minutes or until risen and golden. Cool slightly in pan, then turn out onto a rack to cool completely. Serve dusted with icing sugar if desired.
Kiwi and Almond Crustless Tart
Sunday, March 01, 2015If you're watching your sugar and carbohydrate intake, but still feel the need for a treat, you really can't do much better than this sugarfree, crustless fruit tart recipe which can be adapted to use whatever fruit is in season. It is basically a frangipane tart without pastry crust and very easy to put together. It’s buttery, nutty, moist, and totally irresistible. Serve it with whipped cream if desired.
Kiwi and Almond Crustless Tart
adapted from Donna Hay
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- Preheat oven to 160C/320F. Lightly grease a 10cm x 33cm loose-bottom fluted tart tin.
- Place the butter and stevia in the bowl of a food processor and process until just combined. Add the eggs, almond meal, einkorn flour, baking powder and lemon rind and process until just combined. Spoon the mixture into the prepared pan.
- Press the kiwi quarters into the tart mixture and bake for 35–40 minutes or until cooked when tested with a skewer. Allow to cool in the tin. Serve with whipped cream if desired.
Black Quinoa Loaf with Lentils, Sundried Tomatoes and Cashews
Monday, February 23, 2015Black quinoa, green lentils, cashews and sundried tomatoes combined together to make a fabulously delicious and flavourful vegetarian loaf that your whole family will love. Gluten free, hearty, filling, and loaded with protein, fiber and you won't even miss the meat.
Black Quinoa Loaf with Lentils, Sundried Tomatoes and Cashews
adapted from Taste
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- Grease and line the base and two sides of a 25cm x 11cm loaf tin, allowing the paper to overhang on the two sides.
- Place the quinoa in a bowl, cover with cold water and set aside to soak for 15 minutes. Cook lentils in a large saucepan of boiling salted water for 15 minutes. Drain the quinoa, then add to lentils and cook for 15 minutes or until the lentils and quinoa are tender. Rinse and drain and set aside. Preheat oven to 200C/400F.
- Meanwhile, heat the oil in large frying pan over medium heat. Add the onion, garlic, chilli and cashews and cook, stirring for 3 minutes. Add the tomato paste and continue to cook for a further 2 minutes, or until the onion is tender.
- Place the lentils and quinoa in a large bowl. Add the onion mixture, grated carrot, sundried tomatoes, fresh herbs, eggs and season with salt and pepper. Mix well to combine and press into the loaf tin.
- Arrange extra sundried tomatoes and cashews on top and bake for 40-45 minutes, (covering if browning too quickly) or until golden firm. Leave to cool in the tin. Cut into slices and serve with some yoghurt dressing on a bed of salad.
Beetroot Chia Seed Chiffon Cake
Tuesday, February 17, 2015Known for its light, moist, tender texture and rich flavour, chiffon cakes are so versatile and are always made with oil, not butter. It gets its height and airy texture from whipped egg whites. The cake needs to be turned upside down immediately upon removing it from the oven as this keeps the cake from shrinking and losing its volume as it cools. To dress it up, you can pour a beetroot glaze over the top or decorate with buttercream frosting. I like to dust the top of the cake with powdered sugar and it is great when served with fresh fruit and whipped cream.
On February 19, the Chinese New Year will be celebrated and I would like to take this opportunity to wish you all happiness and prosperity in the coming year of the SHEEP.
Beetroot Chia Seed Chiffon Cake
inspired by Ann's Chiffon CakesYolk Batter | Meringue |
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- Sift the flour twice into a mixing bowl. Add in chia seeds. Set aside. Preheat the oven to 160C/320F.
- Beat beetroot juice, sunflower oil and NuStevia until well combined and emulsified. Add in flour mixture and stir until just combined. Stir in egg yolks and vanilla extract and stir until combined.
- Combine white sugar, NuNaturals and cornstarch in a bowl. Beat the egg whites and lemon juice on medium-high speed until frothy. Gradually add in sugar stevia mixture and beat until stiff and glossy.
- Fold 1/3 of meringue into the egg yolk batter to lighten it up, then fold in the remaining meringue and fold until well combined.
- Pour the batter into an ungreased 10-inch/25-cm tube pan and bake on the lowest oven rack for about 70 minutes until top springs back when lightly touched. Immediately invert baking pan and cool completely. Run a knife around sides and center tube of pan to remove the cake. Serve the cake with some whipped cream and fresh fruit if desired, or simply dust with some icing sugar.
Amaranth Walnut Einkorn Cookies
Friday, February 13, 2015These healthy and nutritious whole grain cookies with walnuts and amaranth are easy to bring along and delicious to enjoy with a cup of tea. The trick with these cookies is to allow the dough to chill thoroughly and firm up, ideally overnight. If the dough balls become soft while you finish them with the walnut halves, chill the baking sheet with the cookies for 20 minutes before baking. Rolling them in amaranth seeds adds a wonderful crunch, but they are also delicious without.
Amaranth Walnut Einkorn Cookies
adapted from Epicurious
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- Whisk together the ground toasted walnuts, ground einkorn, amaranth flour, and sea salt in a medium bowl.
- In a large bowl, beat the butter and pure stevia powder with an electric mixer at medium speed until fluffy and smooth, 1 to 2 minutes, scraping the sides with a rubber spatula as needed.
- Add the egg yolk, brandy, and vanilla extract and beat until well blended, about 30 seconds. Reduce the speed to low and gradually add in the walnut-flour mixture until it is just incorporated. Cover the bowl with plastic wrap and chill until the dough is firm, at least 3 hours or overnight.
- Line 2 large baking trays with parchment paper. Place the amaranth seeds in a small bowl. Pinch off walnut-size pieces of the firm dough and roll them between your palms into smooth 1-inch balls. Roll each ball in amaranth seeds, gently pressing to adhere if needed, and place on the baking sheet, leaving 2 inches between pieces. Make an indentation with your thumb in the center of each ball, gently pressing it down about a third of its height, and then lightly press a walnut half into the center. Chill again for 20 minutes.
- Preheat the oven to 180C/350F. Bake, one tray at a time, until the cookies just turn golden brown around the edges and firm up but still yield to gentle pressure, 17 to 18 minutes. Remove from the oven and carefully slide the parchment paper with the cookies onto a wire rack to cool. The cookies will crisp as they cool.
Lemon Yoghurt Spelt Cake
Saturday, February 07, 2015This moist, tangy lemony spelt cake, adapted from Donna Hay, uses Greek yoghurt and sunflower oil rather than butter for a moist, soft, delicate crumb that just melts in your mouth, and to cut down on calories and sugar intake, a combination of applesauce and stevia works as a substitute. It is very easy, quick to mix and freezer friendly.
Lemon Icing | |
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- Preheat oven to 160C/320F. Grease and flour a 25cm non-stick bundt pan. Whisk together the spelt flour and baking powder.
- Place oil, eggs, lemon rind, lemon juice, yoghurt, applesauce and stevia in a large bowl and whisk to combine. Sift over the flour mixture and stir until smooth.
- Pour the cake batter into prepared cake pan and bake for 50–55 minutes or until a skewer inserted comes out clean. Allow the cake to stand in the pan for 5 minutes.
- To make the lemon icing, combine the icing sugar, lemon juice and boiling water. Carefully turn the cake out onto a cake stand and spoon over the icing while the cake is still warm. Sprinkle with savoury leaves and allow to set for 10 minutes before serving.
Black Quinoa stuffed Bell Peppers
Monday, February 02, 2015A colourful and delicious recipe of stuffed sweet bell peppers with black quinoa, ricotta, tomatoes, golden raisins, sunflower seeds and cumin. The protein-rich quinoa makes a nice change from rice or meat-filled peppers and is a a wonderful option for those who can't eat gluten. It is perfect for an easy weeknight dinner and the leftover can be easily reheated in the microwave.
Black Quinoa stuffed Bell Peppers
adapted from taste
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- Preheat oven to 180C/350F. Place the black quinoa in a medium saucepan with water, bring to the boil. Reduce heat to low, cover and simmer for 12-15 minutes or until just tender. Remove from heat, set aside to cool.
- Meanwhile, heat a large frying pan over a medium heat, spray with oil. Cook the chopped onion, stirring, for 5 minutes or until softened. Add the garlic and cumin, cook for 1 minute more. Remove from heat and set aside to cool.
- Place onion mixture, black quinoa, golden raisins, sunflower seeds, parsley, tomato and ricotta in a large bowl. Stir to combine. Season with salt and pepper.
- Stuff the bell pepper halves with the quinoa mixture and place on a baking tray, cover tray with foil. Bake in preheated oven for 20 minutes. Remove foil, bake for a further 15-20 minutes, or until vegetables are tender and stuffing is golden.
Beetroot Chocolate Einkorn Cake
Monday, January 26, 2015This easy, moist beet and chocolate cake recipe comes from Nigel Slater. The plain cooked vacuum packed beetroot keeps this rich chocolate cake wonderfully moist and extra delicious.
Cake | Glaze |
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- Preheat the oven to 180C/350F. Grease a 20-cm / 8-in cake tin with a little butter and line the bottom of the tin with a disc of baking parchment.
- Blend the beetroot in a food processor to a rough purée.
- Melt the chocolate in a bowl suspended over a pan of hot water (do not allow the bottom of the bowl to touch the water), then pour in the hot coffee.
- Stir in the butter in small pieces and leave to soften. Remove from the heat and allow to cool slightly.
- Meanwhile, sift the flour, baking powder and cocoa together in a bowl and set aside.
- Separate the eggs. Whisk the yolks in a bowl until frothy. Stir the eggs into the chocolate and butter mixture, then fold in the beetroot.
- Whisk the egg whites until still peaks form when the whisk is removed. Fold in the stevia, then fold into the chocolate mixture, then the flour mixture. Pour the batter into the prepared tin and bake for 40-50 minutes, or until a skewer inserted into the cake comes out clean. Allow to cool in the tin.
- Combine the sifted powdered sugar with the beet juice until smooth. Pour the glaze over the cake and allow the icing to set.
I am sending this to Chocolate Contest held in Torta Della Figlia.