Beetroot Avocado Spelt Buns
Tuesday, December 16, 2014Beautiful bright bread buns made with precooked vacuum-packed beetroot, avocado and refined spelt bread flour. They are best served warm with soup, stews or for sandwiches. Besides its beautiful vibrant bright colour and awesome flavour, these homemade spelt buns are a lot healthier than white bread.
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- Place chopped beetroot, avocado flesh, walnut oil and salt in a blender. Process until smooth.
- Transfer the beet-avocado puree in the bowl of your tabletop mixer with a dough hook attached. Mix on a low speed until combined, about 3 minutes. Increase the speed and knead the dough for a further 4 minutes until smooth and elastic.
- Turn out the dough and shape into a ball. Coat the mixing bowl with a little bit of olive oil. Put in the ball of dough. Cover with a clean kitchen towel and leave to prove in a warm place until doubled in size, about 1½ hours.
- Knock back the dough and divide it into 9 equal pieces. Shape each piece of dough into a ball and place them on a parchment lined baking sheet. Cover with a clean kitchen towel and leave them in a warm place to rise again for a further 45 minutes.
- Preheat the oven to 190C/375F. Brush the top of buns with a little bit of water and sprinkle some black sesame over. Bake the buns in the middle of hot oven for about 20 minutes.
Double Chocolate Poppy Pistachio Torte
Thursday, December 11, 2014This moist, naturally gluten-free cake is delicious and rich even without its white chocolate glaze. The cake does not rise very high when it's baked in a 10-inch pan. It can be baked it in a 7-inch springform pan for about 80 minutes. Though similar in texture to a flourless chocolate cake, the use of ground poppy seeds makes this torte wonderfully different and irresistible.
Evelyne, thank you once again for this awesome pistachio syrup!
Double Chocolate Poppy Pistachio Torte
inspired by thisPoppy Torte | Chocolate Glaze |
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- Preheat the oven to 180C/350F. Grease and flour an 10-inch springform pan.
- Put chopped semisweet chocolate in a heatproof bowl that fits snugly over a pot of barely simmering water. Stir occasionally until the chocolate is melted and smooth. Remove it from the heat.
- In a mixing bowl, cream butter until light and pale. Gradually beat in 120 grams of pistachio syrup. Add in egg yolks and continue to beat until well combined.
- Add in the ground poppy seeds and melted chocolate and mix until incorporated. Beat the whites with a pinch of salt until firm peaks, and gently fold into the chocolate mixture in thirds, and transfer to the prepared springform pan.
- Bake for about 55 minutes until cake tests done in center. Remove from oven and allow to cool. Remove springform sides, and cool completely.
- In a bowl set over simmering water, stir chopped white chocolate and coconut oil just until the chocolate is almost melted, remove from bowl from heat and continue to stir until the chocolate is completely melted. Let cool to the room temperature.
- Brush the surface of cake with the rest of pistachio syrup, then pour the white chocolate over the top of the torte. Garnish with chopped pistachio nuts.
Spelt Gingerbread Biscuits
Monday, December 08, 2014These festive gingerbread biscuits are both tasty and decorative. This easy recipe, adapted from Lecker, is great for involving the little ones in your family by letting them ice these spice cookies and they make a lovely homemade Christmas present.
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- Finely chop the candied ginger. In a large mixing bowl, add in spelt flour, raw brown sugar, diced butter, egg yolk, chopped candied ginger, molasses, spice mix and baking soda. Stir until well combined. Turn onto a lightly floured surface and knead until smooth. Shape into a disc. Cover with plastic wrap. Place in the fridge for at least overnight or two days.
- Preheat oven to 180C/350F. Line two baking sheets with baking paper. Divide the dough into 3 portions. Roll out pieces between baking paper to 4-5mm thick. Use your favourite biscuit cutters to cut cookies from the dough.
- Place on the lined trays. Bake in oven for 10-12 minutes or until lightly browned. Transfer to wire racks to cool completely.
- Place the egg white in a bowl. Use a wooden spoon to lightly beat the egg whites until foamy. Sift icing sugar over the egg whites and stir until smooth. Add lemon juice and stir until well combined.
- Spoon 2/3 of icing into a snap-lock bag. Place the rest in a bowl. Add red colouring and stir until combined. Place it in another plastic bag. Cut a small hole in a corner of each bag. Pipe icing over gingerbread to decorate. Finish with silver cachous and sprinkles. Dust with some icing sugar if desired.
Chocolate Christmas Trees
Thursday, December 04, 2014Give a creative food gift this Christmas - these tree-shaped chocolate spelt cookies call for a few simple ingredients you’ve likely got on hand, they’re super-easy to make and gorgeous on a cookie platter. The kids will love helping you decorate and eat these holiday cutout cookies.
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- Using an electric hand mixer, beat butter, pure stevia extract and vanilla until pale and creamy. Add egg. Beat until well combined.
- Sift flour and cornstarch over butter mixture. Add cocoa and milk. Stir well. Divide in half. Press each half into a disc. Wrap each disc in plastic film and refrigerate for 30 minutes.
- Preheat oven to 160C/320. Line two baking trays with baking paper. Roll each disc out between 2 sheets of baking paper to 3mm-thick. Using cookie cutters (tree, star, or round), cut shapes from dough.
- Place them onto the prepared trays. Refrigerate for 15 minutes or until firm. Bake for 12 minutes or until firm to touch. Stand for 5 minutes. Transfer to a wire rack to cool.
- Melt chopped white chocolate in a water bath. Spread some white chocolate over flat side of each biscuit. Press 1 pop stick onto one cookie and sandwich together with another one. Set aside until they are firm. aside until they are firm.
- Spoon white chocolate into a small plastic bag. Snip off 1 corner. Pipe a zigzag pattern over trees. Decorate with coloured sugar and silver cachous.
Lamb's Lettuce Salad with Belgian Endive, Grapes and Goat Cheese
Saturday, November 29, 2014A fresh and healthy winter salad wtih lamb's lettuce, Belgian endive, grapes, and goat cheese, dressed with a truffle mustard vinaigrette, which complements the flavours of the lettuce. This delicious salad is full of goodness, and makes a simple yet impressive starter.
Lamb's lettuce, also known as mache lettuce, or corn salad, has long spoon-shaped dark green leaves and a distinctive, tangy flavour. The interesting name comes from the lettuce's resemblance to the size and shape of a lamb's tongue.
Salad | Dressing |
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- Up to 2 days ahead, shake all the dressing ingredients together in a jar. Season and chill.
- Slice the chicory in half diagonally so you get loose leaves and a solid stalk end. The leaves will be easy to separate, thinly slice the stalks, add the grapes, and lamb’s lettuce. Chill until needed.
- When ready to serve, top with sliced goat cheese and drizzle with prepared dressing.
Black Quinoa Salad with Mandarine, Kale, Radicchio and Anchovy Vinaigrette
Tuesday, November 25, 2014Sweet, juicy mandarin oranges, slightly bitter crisp radicchio, deep earthy kale, and crunchy nutty quinoa tossed with a balsamic anchovy vinaigrette-- this beautiful vibrant salad is bursting with flavours and naturally gluten free. I used black quinoa here, but you can use whatever kind you like.
Salad | Anchovy Vinaigrette |
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- Place all the dressing ingredients in a food processor on medium speed until combined.
- In a medium saucepan, bring the vegetable broth to a simmer over medium heat. Add the quinoa, cover, turn the heat down to medium low, and cook until the quinoa is tender and the liquid is absorbed, about 15 minutes. Remove from the heat and let stand for 3 to 5 minutes. Uncover and fluff with a fork. Let cool to room temperature, about 30 minutes.
- Toss the black quinoa, mandarin oranges, kale, and radicchio together. Add some of the vinaigrette, toss, and serve.
Pear and Walnut Tart
Friday, November 21, 2014A deep dish pear tart, adapted from Eat Smarter, with walnut honey filling in a nutty spelt shortcrust pastry. This is also great with the combination of apples and almonds.
Spelt Walnut Crust | Filling |
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- Combine all the ingredients for the crust and mix until the dough forms a ball. Wrap in plastic and refrigerate for 30 minutes.
- Combine vanilla sugar and water in a saucepan and bring to a boil. Peel, halve, and use a melon-ball scoop to core and stem the pears. Cut them in half lengthwise and add to the saucepan. Adjust the heat to low and let it simmer for 12 minutes. Remove the pear halves and set aside to cool.
- Beat the egg whites until stiff. Beat the egg yolks with honey until thick and creamy. Fold in egg white.
- Preheat to 180C/350F. Roll out the chilled dough on floured sheet of parchment paper and Gently lay dough inside 9-10-inch spring form pan and press up the sides.
- Spread the walnut filling evenly into the crust. Arrange the pear halves atop filling and gently press in. Bake tart until golden, about 50 minutes. Cool tart in pan on rack. Cut tart into wedges and sprinkle with powdered sugar and chopped walnuts, if desired, and serve.
Black Quinoa Spelt Muffins
Sunday, November 16, 2014These delicious and moist quinoa spelt muffins, adapted from Martha Stewart, are an ideal breakfast on the go or for a post work out treat. They are healthy, protein packed, and refined sugar free. Use regular quinoa if you don't have the black variety.
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- Preheat oven to 180C/350F. In a medium saucepan, bring quinoa and water to a boil. Reduce to a simmer. Cover and cook until water has been absorbed and quinoa is tender, about 15 minutes.
- Meanwhile, prepare a standard 12-cup muffin pan with paper liners. In a medium bowl, whisk together flour, pure stevia extract, baking powder, salt, raisins, and 300 grams of cooked quinoa. Reserve any leftover quinoa for another use.
- In a small bowl, whisk together olive oil, milk, egg, and vanilla extract. Add milk mixture to flour mixture, and stir just until combined. Divide the batter among prepared muffin cups.
- Bake until toothpick inserted into the center of a muffin comes out clean, 25 to 30 minutes. Cool muffins in the pan for 5 minutes before transferring them to a wire rack to cool completely.
Teriyaki Tofu Steaks
Monday, November 10, 2014The delicious teriyaki marinade, a blend of dark soya sauce, brown sugar, sake, mirin, and fresh ginger, imparts a wonderful salty, sweet and yet tangy taste to tofu steaks. Sake can be replace with dry sherry, and mirin with white wine or vermouth with 1 tablespoon of sugar.
Teriyaki Tofu Steaks
adapted from taste
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- Combine the soya sauce, sake, mirin, sugar and ginger in a small saucepan over medium heat. Bring to a simmer. Cook, stirring occasionally, for 2-3 minutes or until sauce thickens slightly. Remove from heat and set aside to cool slightly.
- Place the tofu in a single layer in a glass or ceramic dish. Pour over the soya mixture with the sesame oil. Cover with plastic wrap and place in the fridge for 4 hours to marinate.
- Heat the vegetable oil in a large skillet. Cook the tofu for 3 minutes each side or until caramelized. Transfer to a serving platter. Sprinkle with sesame seeds, green onions and chilli. Serve over the greens.