Roasted Pumpkin Pasta Sauce

June 4, 2016June 3, 2016 ~ desertcook ~ 2 Comments

pumpkin (approx 900g before peeling and de-seeding)
2 tbsp olive oil
3/4 tsp pink salt
1/2 tsp ground pepper
2 tsp fresh thyme, finely chopped
400g tin chic peas, drained (but keep the brine ‘aquafaba’ as an egg replacer)
1 brown onion
3 cloves garlic
1/2 cup hot chicken or vegetable stock (I used Massel)
1 tsbp nutritional yeast
1 tbsp coconut cream (optional)

Peel, de-seed and cut up pumpkin into small pieces. Try to keep them roughly the same size.

Drizzle 1 tbsp of oil plus the salt, pepper and thyme over the pumpkin and toss well to coat. Place into a large baking dish and spread out evenly.

Place into a pre-heated hot oven and roast for about 45 minutes, tossing after about 25 minutes.

In a large pan, heat the remaining oil. Finely chop the onion and garlic and add to the oil, and cooking, stirring until translucent.

(In a Thermal cooker, blitz the onion and garlic on speed 5 for about 8 seconds, then add oil and cook on steam temp, speed 1 for about 3-4 minutes with the m/c off).

Place the pumpkin, chic peas, nutritional yeast, stock and onion mix to a processor and process until smooth.

(In a Thermal cooker, add the pumpkin, stock, nutritional yeast and chic peas to the onion mix, then process on speed 5 for about 20 seconds, scrape down and repeat until smooth, combined consistency is reached).

Add coconut cream if using and mix to combine (Speed 4, 10 seconds).

Stir through your favourite al dente cooked pasta.

I love to add a large handful of baby spinach and top with a sprinkle of toasted pine nuts or toasted sunflower seeds.

Yum – Enjoy 🙂

Chocolate banana muffins

June 3, 2016October 24, 2024 ~ desertcook ~ Leave a comment

I meant to make my Pear Surprise muffins the other day …. but it turns out that I didn’t have the stewed pears left in the fridge that I thought I did. Oops.

I did have extra overripe bananas frozen and a little miss begging me for chocolate muffins …. so this was the result. These are lovely, light and moist.

75g butter/plant based butter, melted OR light tasting oil
180g milk of choice (we use almond or soy)
1.5 medium overripe bananas
4 tbsp sugar (honey or rice malt syrup work well too)
1 tsp vanilla bean paste
2 cups flour (half wholemeal)*
2.5 tsp GF baking powder
pinch salt flakes
2 rounded tbsp cocoa
1/2 tsp ground cinnamon
1 egg**

*To make this one coeliac friendly: replace the spelt flour with 1 1/2 cups GF flour mix plus 1/4 cup almond/seed meal

*To make this one egg free: replace the egg with an additional 1/2 banana

*To boost the nutrients: replace the 1/3 of the flour with equal quantities of almond or seed meal.

Into your blender/processor/nutribullet/thermo cooker place the bananas, butter, vanilla, milk and sugar/syrup. Blitz until smooth (Speed 7, 10 seconds)

In a separate bowl, whisk together the flour baking powder, cocoa, salt and cinnamon (plus almond/seed meal if using).

Add the dry mix to the wet and mix to combine (Speed 4, 10 seconds, scrape down and repeat). Don’t over beat. I often just tip the wet mix into the bowl with the flour mix and combine by hand.

Line a standard muffin tin and spoon fill.

Place in a preheated moderate oven and bake for about 25 minutes or until well risen and they spring back when gently touched.

You can eat these as is, dust with pure icing sugar or ice them like cupcakes. And if you like a sweeter treat you could add a handful of choc chips to the mix.

Makes 12-14.

Enjoy 🙂

Spiced plum cake

May 25, 2016June 8, 2017 ~ desertcook ~ 1 Comment

Such a speedy, light and tasty afternoon tea cake.

My kids absolutely demolished it!

225g stewed/tinned plums (drained from their juices)
50g Nuttelex/vegan butter/tasteless coconut oil, melted
160g milk of choice
1 medium overripe banana
4 tbsp maple syrup/coconut sugar
1 tsp vanilla bean paste
1 tsp ground cinnamon
1/2 tsp ground ginger
2 cups spelt flour OR 1 1/2 cups GF flour mix plus 1/4 cup hazelnut/seed meal
2.5 tsp GF baking powder
pinch Himilayan salt
1 tbsp coconut sugar

Into your blender/processor/nutribullet/thermo cooker place the plum, banana, Nuttelex, vanilla, milk and syrup. Blitz until smooth (Speed 7, 10 seconds)

In a separate bowl, whisk together the baking powder, salt, spices and flour (and almond/seed meal if using).

Add the dry mix to the wet and mix to combine (Speed 4, 10 seconds, scrape down and repeat). Don’t over beat. I often just tip the wet mix into the bowl with the flour mix and combine by hand.

Pour into a greased baking tin and sprinkle with coconut sugar.

Place into preheated moderate oven and bake for about 45 minutes or until an inserted skewer comes out clean. Allow to cool for a few minutes before transferring to a wire rack.

P.S. This one works really nicely if you replace the plums with equal weights of apricots or peaches and switch the ratio of ginger to cinnamon (so 1 tsp of ginger and 1/2 of cinnamon) – you can find it in an Apricot Muffin form here

Enjoy 🙂

Pear Surprise Muffins

May 19, 2016January 9, 2020 ~ desertcook ~ 3 Comments

I love these muffins – sweet and fluffy, without being loaded with too much sugar – and the gooey, surprise middle makes my kids happy every time 🙂

Great for a lunchbox treat, or even served warm with some cream or icecream, as dessert.

225g stewed/tinned pears (drained from their juices)
50g olive oil
170g milk of choice (unsweetened vanilla almond milk is fabulous here)
1 medium overripe banana
2 tbsp maple syrup OR honey OR coconut sugar
1 tsp vanilla bean paste
2 cups spelt flour (Half wholemeal) OR 1 1/2 cups GF flour mix plus 1/4 cup almond/seed meal
2.5 tsp GF baking powder
pinch Himilayan salt
100g dark chocolate of choice

Into your blender/processor/nutribullet/thermo cooker place the pear, banana, oil, vanilla, milk and syrup. Blitz until smooth (Speed 7, 10 seconds)

In a separate bowl, whisk together the baking powder, salt and flour (and almond/seed meal if using).

Add the dry mix to the wet and mix to combine (Speed 4, 10 seconds, scrape down and repeat). Don’t over beat. I often just tip the wet mix into the bowl with the flour mix and combine by hand.

Line a standard muffin tin, then spoon fill to about 2/3 capacity.

Place some broken chocolate in the middle of each muffin, then add approximately another heaped teaspoon of muffin mix to the top of the chocolate.

Place in a preheated moderate oven and bake for about 20 minutes or until well risen, golden and they spring back when gently touched.

20160519_132717-1 — Sometimes some of the surprise escapes!

Transfer to a rack to cool (mostly …. the chocolate surprise is especially good if it still a bit gooey!)

Makes about 14 and they freeze well.

P.S. I have also made these with a white Chocolate filling by Sweet William – so delicious but no longer soy free.

P.P.S These are also really yummy if you replace half of the pear with very ripe strawberries. Mmmmm!!

Enjoy 🙂

Honey and Banana pancakes

May 17, 2016February 23, 2018 ~ desertcook ~ 3 Comments

I have discovered (through many an unpleasant experience) that my kids come out of school ‘hangry’ (hungry which makes you angry!) in the afternoons.

I need to have food prepared for them to shovel in quickly …. then mostly we can cope better with the afternoon homework and jobs .

These are the snack we made to ward off the hangries today – and they were demolished in mere minutes.

1 cup spelt flour
1 cup oat flour
2 tsp GF baking powder
pinch Himilayan salt
100g honey/maple syrup
1 large overripe banana
45g Nuttelex/vegan butter
1.5 cups milk of choice
1/2 tsp vanilla bean paste.

For the coeliac friendly version replace the above flours with: 1 2/3 cups plain GF flour mix plus 1 tsp psyllium

Into your blender/processor/nutribullet/thermo cooker place the banana, Nuttelex, vanilla, milk and honey. Blitz until smooth (Speed 7, 10 seconds)

In a separate bowl, whisk together the baking powder, salt and flour (and psyillium if using).

Add the dry mix to the wet and mix to combine (Speed 4, 10 seconds, scrape down and repeat).

Place tablespoons of the mix into a hot, greased frying pan.

Cook until bubbles appear and pop, then flip and cook until the second side is golden.

Serve warm or cold with a little butter of choice …. I think they’re especially great with a smear of sunflower seed butter and some blueberries!

Enjoy 🙂

Lemon Blueberry Tea Cake

May 11, 2016September 16, 2018 ~ desertcook ~ Leave a comment

Mmmm, warm tea cake! Such a perfect afternoon tea.

We enjoyed ours on a sunny winter’s day down by the lake with a picnic cuppa for Mother’s day …. highly recommended serving suggestion 😉

1 1/2 cups plain spelt flour OR 1 1/4 cups plain GF flour mix
1/2 cup almond OR seed meal
2.5 tsp GF baking powder
1/2 cup coconut sugar
3 tbsp aquafaba (liquid drained from a can of chic peas) OR 1 whole egg
3/4 cup milk of choice (I use rice or oat)
60g Nuttelex or tasteless coconut oil, melted
the juice and finely grated zest of 1 medium lemon
1/2 cup frozen blueberries
1 tsp Nuttelex and 1 tsp vanilla sugar to top (optional)

In a small bowl mix together the wet ingredients, including the zest and whisk well to combine.

In a large bowl use a whisk to mix together the dry ingredients.

Pour the dry ingredients into the wet and mix until combined, don’t over beat it.

For a Thermal cooker, place all dry ingredients into machine first and mix on speed 4 for 10 seconds. Mix together the wet ingredients in a separate bowl then add through the chute at the top whilst mixing on speed 4. One all of the liquid is added, scrape down the sides and mix for a further 8 seconds on speed 4.

Pour the mixture into a lined 21cm round cake time.

Press the blueberries gently into the top.

Place into a preheated moderate oven for 45-50 mins or until an inserted skewer comes out clean.

As soon as you remove the cake from the oven, spread the Nuttelex over the top and them sprinkle with the vanilla sugar.

Leave it in the tin to cool for 10 mins before transferring to a wire rack.

Serve warm or cold.

(as an aside, I don’t know how this does in the freezer because there was only 1 slice left and my 7 year old claimed it for his lunch-box!)

Enjoy 🙂

P.S. If you enjoy this flavour combination you should check out my Lemon and Blueberry tart

Date Oat and Ginger Biscuits

May 7, 2016May 30, 2017 ~ desertcook ~ Leave a comment

My mum loves her cuppa. If we’re out at a cafe she mostly she resists sweet treats (serious will power!) but she does have a soft spot for a date and oat biscuit, so these ones are for her for Mother’s day. Hope you enjoy them mum 🙂

1 cup wholemeal spelt or light rye flour or plain GF flour mix
3/4 tsp GF baking powder
1/2 cup vegan butter or coconut oil
1/2 cup coconut sugar
2 tablespoons flaxseeds
4 tbsp aquafaba (the liquid drained from a can of chic peas) – or 1 whole egg plus 1 tbsp water
1 tsp vanilla bean paste
1 teaspoon ground ginger
1/2 Himilayan salt
2 cups rolled oats (or rolled quinoa for the GF version)
6 medjool dates, pitted

Using a food processor cream together the butter and sugar (Speed 4, 10 seconds)

Add in the aquafaba, vanilla, ginger salt and flax then mix again to combine (Speed 4, 8 seconds)

Drop the pitted dates one at a time onto spinning blades through the chute at the top, then process until dates are finely chopped (speed 4 whilst adding dates, then up to speed 7 for about 10-15 seconds)

In a separate bowl whisk together the flour, oats and baking powder then add half of this dry mix at a time to the processor and process to combine (Speed 4, 12 seconds, scrape down and repeat for next half).

Use about 3/4 of a tbsp of mix and roll into a tight ball (not quite as big as a golf ball), place onto a lined baking tray, then press down with the palm on your hand to a thick disc shape.

Bake in a preheated moderate oven for about 25 minutes or until golden brown.

The cookies will still be soft when you remove them. They will harden as they cool. Allow to cool on the tray for 10 minutes before transferring then to a wire rack to finish cooling.

Makes 18. They keep for about a week in an airtight container or you can freeze them.

Enjoy!

Salt and Pepper Calamari

April 29, 2016 ~ desertcook ~ Leave a comment

A little victory at our place tonight.

Little miss looked at new food and voluntarily said ‘I’ll try it’

… and she did AND she enjoyed it!!!

In fact, she enjoyed it so much, she ate her brother’s left overs!!!! Unheard of!!! Doing a little dance of joy 🙂

Will loves calamari, so when we saw it on sale at the markets a while ago we bought it but I hadn’t got around to cooking it yet because I hadn’t got my head around a non dairy option for soaking the uncooked squid … then today I had a brainwave ….

The reason that people normally soak calamari in milk is for the lactic acid in the milk to soften the collagen fibres in the squid. So I decided to try the buttermilk that I make to use in scones and banana bread etc. Success!

‘Buttermilk’:

1 cup oat/rice/soy milk
2 tsp apple cider vinegar

Whisk together very quickly until frothy (Speed 4, 12 seconds).

Place calamari into the buttermilk, cover and place in the fridge for 4 hours – overnight.

calamari, enough for your family, cut into rings
8 tbsp aquafaba (liquid drained from a can of chick peas)
1 cup GF flour mix (I used White Wings)
1 tsp garlic salt
1 tsp ground pepper
1 cup rice bran oil, or similar, to cook.
extra salt to season after cooking

Heat the oil in a heavy based frying pan to a very hot heat.

Drain and rinse the calamari (drain well as excess moisture will make the breading soggy).

Combine the flour, garlic salt and pepper and set aside.

Whisk the aquafaba until frothy (Speed 4, 15 seconds with the butterfly attachment).

Drop the rings into the aquafaba mix, allow to mostly drain then place into the flour mix and coat well.

Drop a few rings at a time into the hot oil, do not overcrowd the pan, an allow to cook for about 1 minute, and until lightly golden.

Use a slotted spoon or a meal spider to remove the rings and place on a draining rack or paper towel to remove excess oil.

Sprinkle with extra salt and serve immediately.

…. we were supposed to eat ours with oven baked sweet potato fries, but I dislocated the middle knuckle on my right hand and wasn’t up to the cutting …. so our local fish and chip shop chips came in handy 😉

Enjoy 🙂

Spanish Rice

April 12, 2016September 15, 2016 ~ desertcook ~ 2 Comments

Even though it was the inspiration for this dish, I daren’t call it ‘paella’ because I know that this one is not authentic and there are a lot of paella purists who would be very unimpressed!

So this is my take on a Spanish flavour for a 1 pot rice dish.

1.5 cups short grain rice
2 cups hot chicken stock (I use Massel)
1/2 brown onion, finely diced
2 cloves garlic, finely chopped
1 tbsp tomato paste
1 tsp smoked paprika
400g tin crushed tomatoes
1/4 cup white wine
3 large handfulls chopped green beans
3 large handfulls sliced button mushrooms
salt and pepper to taste
Optional – 125g sliced spicy chorizo (make sure it is GF and DF)

If you are going to keep this as a vegan dish, and not use the chorizo, you will need to add; 2 tbsp oil, an extra tsp of the paprika plus 1 tsp of minced chilli. It also benefits from a 400g tin of drained and rinsed chick peas!

In a large, heavy based fry pan, place the chorizo and render down the fat, whilst browning the meat.

Remove the meat from the pan, but leave the oil in the pan. (Add your oil to a dry pan at this point if making the vegan dish). Add the garlic and onion and cook until translucent (chilli too if you’re using it).

Add in the paprika and tomato paste and mix well.

Add in the wine and use a spatula to deglaze the pan (getting all the tasty, stuck bits off the bottom of the pan so you don’t lose their flavour).

Add the rice to the pan and stir well to coat. Allow to cook for 2-3 minutes.

Pour over the tomatoes and stock, stir well and bring to a gentle simmer.

Allow to simmer gently for 12 minutes, mixing occasionally.

Taste and season with salt and pepper.

Add in the mushrooms, stir well and simmer for a further 3 minutes.

Stir in the beans, remove from heat. Place lid on the pan and allow to sit, covered, for 10 minutes.

Return chorizo to pan and stir through, then serve immediately.

Serves about 6 adults.

Enjoy!

Pear Gingerbread Cake

April 6, 2016July 16, 2021 ~ desertcook ~ 2 Comments

This delicious, moist cake is perfect for afternoon tea (…. or any time cake is required really!).

See the option within the recipe for the coeliac friendly version.

2 very ripe pears, peeling, cored and diced
125g vegan butter
3 tbsp aquafaba (liquid drained from a can of chick peas) OR 1 whole egg
150g maple syrup
1 tbsp ground ginger
1 tsp ground cinnamon
1 tsp bi carb soda
1.5 tsp GF Baking powder
1 3/4 cups flour (OR 1 1/4 cup GF flour mix and 1/2 cup almond or seed meal)
300ml milk of choice

Whisk together the milk and aquafaba until light and frothy (Speed 4, 15 seconds). Then set aside.

Melt together the Nuttelex and syrup (Speed 2, 100C, approx 2-3 mins or until all melted).

Whisk together all dry ingredients in a separate bowl.

Add the milk mix to the butter mix, then add the pears and mix gently (Speed 2, 12 seconds). If you are using an egg instead of the aquafaba, add it in at this point.

Add the dry mix gradually to the wet mix and fold together until just combined (Speed 3, 10 seconds at a time, scraping down in between).

Pour mixture (which is quite runny), into a lined/greased tin and place into a preheated moderate oven for about 1 hour or until a skewer comes out clean.