Easter Pull-Apart Scrolls

April 2, 2021April 2, 2021 ~ desertcook ~ Leave a comment

Delicious, sweet Easter treats!

This year I just haven’t had time to make my own hot cross buns… We wanted treats to take out but had no time to wait for 2 rises!

So instead these ones start with a modified scone dough and come together very quickly!

Dough:

2.5 cups SR flour* (plus extra for rolling out)

1/2 cup almond meal**

80g cold butter (or nuttelex)

1 tbsp sugar

1 cup milk of choice (I use high protein almond milk)

Filling:

1 large Apple, finely diced

8 medjool dates, finely chopped

1/2 cup walnuts (optional), finely chopped

2 tsp butter (or nuttelex), melted

1/2 tsp mixed spice

Icing:

2 heaped tsp butter (or nuttelex), melted

4 heaped tbsp pure icing sugar

1 tsp vanilla bean paste

1 tsp milk of choice

*To make this gluten free: swap the flour for 2 1/4 cup SR GF flour mix and add 1 tsp of psyllium husk
**To make this nut free: swap out the almond meal for an extra half cup of flour and omit the walnuts

Place the flour, almond meal and sugar in the food processor and pulse to combine.

Add in the butter and pulse numerous times until the mix resembles breadcrumbs.

Add in milk then process until dough is well combined (speed 4, 6 seconds).

Tip the dough into a well floured surface, bring together with your hands and then roll into a rectangular shape, about 1/2cm thick.

Mix together the Apple, dates, Walnuts, mixed spice and melted butter and spread over the dough.

Roll the dough over on top of each other to form a log.

Cut the log into slices about 2cm wide and then lay on a lined baking tray.

Place them fairly close together and into a preheated 200C oven for about 20 minutes.

Allow to cool for about 10 minutes before icing.

For the icing- mix together the melted butter, icing sugar and vanilla until smooth and then add in the milk to thin it out before drizzling over the top of the scrolls.

Best served warm.

Wishing you peace, hope and renewal this Easter!

J x

Lunchbox Apple Slice

September 7, 2020August 29, 2020 ~ desertcook ~ 3 Comments

I love this slice because it is fragrant and lightly sweet, uses only the things that I always have in my cupboard so it is inexpensive, you can have it in the oven in 5 minutes flat and it is really simple to make it allergy friendly.

And even better … my kiddo who has an Oral Allergy Syndrome reaction to raw apple can tolerate some cooked apple so everyone in our family can share!

**See below the main recipe for allergy friendly swaps and more options**

2 large apples
2 cups of flour (I use spelt and do half wholemeal)**
2 tsp GF baking powder
1 tsp ground cinnamon
1/2 cup sugar (I like coconut sugar for the caramel taste)
3/4 cup rolled oats
185g melted butter

Mix together all of the dry ingredients.

Add in the melted butter, then core and dice (but don’t peel) the apples and mix them through.

Press them mix firmly into a greased 20×20 baking dish and place in a preheated 180C for about 25 minutes.

Allow to cool for 5 minutes in the tin before moving to a wire rack.

Cut into about 16 squares and serve warm or cold.

To change it up:

Gluten Free – replace the flour with 1 3/4 cup of a gluten free flour mix plus 1 tsp of psyllium husk. Then replace the oats with shredded coconut or puffed rice.

Dairy Free – use a plant based butter

Can’t do apples? Pears are a great switch

Want something a bit fancier? Crumble some chopped almonds over the top and sprinkle with a tsp of extra sugar before baking and serve warm, with custard.

Got a super sweet tooth? Add in 6 chopped medjool dates or 1/2 cup of sultanas

Not sending it to school? Replace 1/2 a cup of the flour with almond meal

Enjoy 🙂

Crunchy Crumbles

July 16, 2020July 6, 2021 ~ desertcook ~ 2 Comments

These super speedy little bites are just slight sweet and deliciously crunchy.

They add great fats and proteins as well as some extra fibre and texture to yoghurt.

Add them to plain rolled or soaked oats too.

2 heaped tbsp pumpkin seeds
2 heaped tbsp hemp seeds
2 tsp honey OR maple syrup

Place seeds in a hot frying pan.

Dry fry the seeds, stirring regularly until they start to brown … Watch carefully, it won’t take long!

Add in the honey and stir until all the seed are well coated.

Fry until the seeds are golden brown (only another minute or so).

Remove from frying pan and spread out on a plate (don’t use kitchen paper or they stick!)

Place plate in the fridge or freezer for a few minutes until they have cooled.

Then break up and sprinkle on.

Keep the leftover crumbles in an airtight container in the fridge for a week.

This recipe has been included by Twinkl among their top picks for Healthy Lite Bites for Quick Snacking

If macros are important to you, here are the details for 1/4 of the mix.

Berry Fruit Compote

June 12, 2020June 5, 2020 ~ desertcook ~ Leave a comment

So simple to make. Quick and delicious … and you can adapt it to whatever fruits you have lying around.

1 cups frozen berries*
1 medium apple or pear, finely diced
Lemon peel (peel into strips for easy removal)
1 tsp vanilla bean paste
Optional: 1-2 tsp maple syrup

*if you are using fresh berries and not frozen, you’ll need to add a little splash of water when you first start cooking.

Place all ingredients into a small saucepan and turn on to a low heat.

Stir regularly until the juices from the berries release.

Allow the mix to come to a simmer and then leave to a very gentle simmer for about 10 minutes, stirring occasionally. Leave the saucepan partially covered with the lid to stop it splattering!

It is ready when you can very easily slide a fork through the apple and the juices in the pan are becoming thick and sticky.

Remove the lemon peel and if you want a smoother compote, use a potato masher to crush down the fruit.

Thermo Cooking instructions:

Place all ingredients into a bowl and turn on to Speed 2, 100C. For about 10-12 minutes.

Remove the lemon peel. If you want smoother compote, turn off heating, increase speed to 4, in 5 second bursts until you are happy with the texture, scraping down the sides as required.

—–

Serve warm on cakes, scones or pancakes, or allow to cool and serve with yoghurt, custard or ice cream … or just eat it on it’s own!!

Enjoy 🙂

Oaty Seed Bikkies

June 9, 2020 ~ desertcook ~ 1 Comment

These lovely bikkies are like a cross between an ANZAC and a muesli biscuit.

Just sweet enough to satisfy my husband’s sweet tooth, super easy to whip up plus they’re lunchbox and allergy friendly!

1 cups rolled oats
1 cup plain flour (GF flour, spelt, wheat – all work)
1 tsp GF baking powder
1/2 cup pumpkin seeds
1/2 cup sultanas*
125g melted butter or oil (coconut oil and melted vegan butter work well)
70g golden syrup/honey/maple syrup

*Chopped Dates, or dried apple, or apricots work well too

**For a Coeliac friendly version: you can replace the oats with a mix of rolled quinoa, puffed rice and shredded coconut.

Mix together all the dry ingredients in a large bowl. (Speed 4, 10 seconds). Then set aside.

In a medium sized saucepan (or microwave), melt together the oi/butter and syrup. (Speed 2, 100C for approx 2 mins)

Add the wet mix to the dry mix and combine well (Speed 4, 8 seconds, scrape down and repeat).

On a greased baking tray place heaped teaspoon-fulls of the mixture and flatten down slightly.

Cook in a preheated oven at 170C for about 15-20 mins or until golden brown.

When you remove them from the oven they will be fairly soft. They will harden as they cool. Leave them on the tray for 10 minutes before transferring to a wire rack to finish cooling.

Makes about 20 – store in an airtight container for up to a week.

20200609_212848 — And watch out for the bikkie thief ….

Enjoy 🙂

Zucchini cake

June 5, 2020 ~ desertcook ~ Leave a comment

Such a deliciously light and moist cake …. so good for afternoon tea, picnic and even in lunchboxes.

Approx 200g (combined) grated zucchini and carrot (roughly half a medium zucchini and 1 medium carrot).
1/4 cup good olive oil
1/4 cup apple sauce
1/2 cup honey/maple/golden syrup
2 eggs / 2 flax eggs / 2 tsp egg replacer whipped with 4 tbsp water
1/2 cup milk of choice
1 tsp vanilla bean paste
1/3 cup chopped nuts or seeds (hemp seeds or walnuts go really well)
1 tsp mixed spice
1 3/4 cups plain flour (we do half wholemeal)**
2 1/2 tsp baking powder
Optional extra: Top with choc chips of choice

** To make this one coeliac friendly, replace with a plain GF flour, 1.5 cups and 1 tsp of psyllium husk.

Start by grating the veg. After squeezing the moisture out of the grated zucchini you should have about 120g, and another 80g from the carrot. *If you are grating in a food processor or thermo cooker, you will need to take the zucchini out, tip out the liquid in the bottom, then squeeze the zucchini before adding it back in to the bowl.

Add all of the wet ingredients into a bowl and stir well to combine (speed 4, 6 secs).

Add in the baking powder, flour and mixed spice. Fold through gently until the flour is just combined. (Speed 3, 10 seconds)

Then add in the chopped nuts or seeds and fold through until evenly combined. (Speed 3, 8-10 seconds) Do not beat the mix.

Pour into a greased/lined loaf tin and place into a preheated 160C oven.

Sprinkle the top with some choc chips if you like (only half of family do!)

Bake for approximately 60minutes or until golden, well risen and a skewer comes out clean. Remember that if you are cooking with GF flour or without egg then you won’t get quite the same rise.

Allow to rest in the tin for about 15 minutes before removing to an airing rack and allowing to cool.

Slice and serve, warm or cold. A spread of butter on your slice is delicious too.

Slice before freezing any left overs and wrap so it is airtight.

20200601_164452 — Picnic time – this one with Sweet William White Chips

Enjoy 🙂

Baked Cauliflower, Broccoli, Miso ‘Bread’

February 27, 2020 ~ desertcook ~ Leave a comment

I think will be a recipe that divides you!

I adore it and my husband is totally won over (despite the way he looked at me when I first told him about it!). But I think it might be the worst thing he’s ever heard of, according to my dad!

Where will you sit I wonder? Are you game to give it a try?!

Lots of people choose not to eat traditional bread, because they are wary of carbohydrate levels, or their bodies don’t respond well through either allergies or intolerances.

Me? I love bread. I don’t eat it often, but when I do, I relish it! Seeded sourdough rye is my favourite!!! Especially with avo ….yuum!

So why this recipe then? Well I have seen recipes around for wraps or bread sticks or pizza bases using cauliflower (like this one … but too much dairy for us) and you know that I LOVE anything that involves cauliflower!

I love to include a variety of veggies in our meals and since there is more and more information around about the potential benefits of fermented food, I’ve been playing more with Miso paste.

I think it’s quite possible that the outrageous health and healing claims that abound about the miracle properties of fermented food could be over-stretching it! But it does seem likely that there is certainly some health benefit to these foods. Since, due to allergies, cabbage is right out for us (no kimchi or sauerkraut here!), yoghurt and miso are our go-to ferments.

The recipe isn’t going to replace your morning toast but it is a great option if you need a naan bread type option for curries or if you want to change up your lunches a bit.

350g cauliflower
150g broccoli
1/2 cup (20g) Nutritional yeast
40g white miso paste
2 medium eggs

Wash the cauliflower and broccoli and let it drain before patting it dry – you don’t want any extra moisture in this recipe.

Put it in to the food processor/blender/thermo machine and process until fine (Speed 4, 10 seconds, scrape down and repeat)

Add in the nutritional yeast and miso and process again until the miso is well combined (Speed, 4, 6 seconds)

While the machine is still processing add in the 2 eggs through the top chute and continue to process.

It won’t initially look like enough egg … but keep processing (on Speed 4 or 5) for a little longer – it will come together!

Spread the mixture out onto a large, lined baking tray. It needs to be even and fairly thin spread – about 3 to 4mm thick. Then place in to a preheated 180C oven

Cook for about 20 minutes before removing from the oven and gently scoring into 8 pieces – this make it much easier to flip and helps with even cooking.

Flip the pieces over and return to oven for a further 10 minutes. Until golden brown.

Remove from oven and allow to cool on tray for 10 minutes.

Serve warm or cold.

Our favourite way to eat it is slightly warm, and layered with a bit of tinned salmon or topped with some avocado and tomato. Yum!

If you aren’t using this all straight away, it does not freeze well, but it does keep well in the fridge for a couple of days – place some kitchen paper in the air tight container to help absorb any moisture and then reheat gently.

**If you don’t have a food processor, or similar: Grate the veg as finely as you can, mix the yeast and miso well, then whisk the eggs well before adding in and keep stirring until you bring it all together

If Macros are important to you, here are the details for 1 slice, that is 1/8th of the recipe:

Enjoy …. and let me know if you were brave enough to try!!

Egg Wraps

February 13, 2020February 9, 2020 ~ desertcook ~ 1 Comment

A couple of months ago I saw Dr Michael Mosely’s idea of using what is essentially a very thin spread omelette base to use as a substitute for a grain based wrap.

Pretty cool if you need to avoid gluten (several of us). Or if you need to keep an eye on your carbohydrate intake (Me thanks to PCOS).

Except 1 single egg wasn’t really enough for a meal for my husband or I so, to make a more filling option that gives a decent vegetarian source of protein with your meal … this is how we make ours:

2 medium eggs
1 tsp hemp seeds
2 tsp nutritional yeast
pinch flaked pink salt
1/2 tsp Italian style herbs, or 1 tsp fresh chopped thyme
optional: small spray of olive oil

Whisk the eggs together, then add in all the other ingredients and whisk again until well combined and frothy.

If you’re not sure about how non-stick your frying pan is, then give it a little spray of olive oil and set to a medium heat.

Pour in the egg mix and swirl around the pan until it is evenly distributed over the whole base.

Allow to cook gently for about a minute, then test that the side of the egg are well cooked, slide a spatula underneath to the centre and then flip it over to briefly cook the other side.

Remove from heat and lay on plate. Eat warm or cold.

Treat it like a normal wheat based wrap – We fill ours with a variety of salad and it keeps us full of ages – plus … it’s really delicious!

You can make several in advance and store them in the fridge for a couple of days – lay a paper towel between each one for storage.

Enjoy!

If Macros are important to you … are are the details for just the wrap – you will need to account for your own fillings:

Pear, Pomegranate & Date Overnight Oats

January 28, 2020 ~ desertcook ~ Leave a comment

Every year in January our extended family gathers at the beach for breakfast to remember my Grandad on his birthday.

It’s always a bring and share affair; fruit, savoury muffins, bacon and eggs, pancakes … And I’m pretty well not allowed to attend without bringing some form of fruity overnight oats.

This is the one I took this year.

It’s a super simple way to make a delicious, filling, summer breakfast when you are short on time in the mornings (ok – so every morning then?!).

2 cups rolled oats
2 cups unsweetened almond milk (or other milk of choice)
1 tsp ground cinnamon
1 large very ripe green pear, grated
1 pomegranate, seeded
6 medjool dates, quarted
Small handful of dry roasted almonds (or sunflower seeds), roughly chopped
1 heaped tbsp each pumpkin seeds and hemp seeds
Several mint leaves, torn

Place the oats, milk and cinnamon in a bowl and mix together. Cover and place in the fridge over night, or for at least 2 hours.

In the morning, fluff up the oats with a fork, then grate the pear and stir it though.

Top with the fruit, nuts and seeds and then mint and serve.

Add a spoon of your favourite yoghurt (dairy, soy or coconut) if you’d like too.

Serves 8

Enjoy 🙂

Fragrant Stewed Apples (and the best ever apple sauce!)

January 19, 2020January 18, 2020 ~ desertcook ~ Leave a comment

Such simple comfort food!

We often wind up making this recipe when the apples (or pears!) we’ve bought are really floury or soft but we don’t want them to go to waste. My biggest little one is very excited whenever this recipe appears. He has Oral Allergy Syndrome and reacts quite badly to raw apple, but cooked he can handle it!!

Like most of my recipes I take the simple (lazy?!) option!

As well as taking less time, leaving the skin on the fruit is terrific for the added fibre and nutrients. Very simple, and you don’t need to add any extra sweeteners.

6 apples (whichever kind you like)
peel of 1 lemon
1 tsp of ground cinnamon
6 cloves
1/4 cup water

Thermal Cooker Method: Core and slice the apples, place them in the machine, sprinkle over cinnamon and cloves. Then use a peeler to remove the yellow layer only of the lemon. Add the strips to the top of the apples.

Add in the water and set for 15 minutes, speed 1, ST.

Stove top method: place all of the ingredients into a large sauce pan, cook, stirring frequently, with the lid on in between stirring. Will take about 15-20 minutes on the stove.

If you want a sweeter fruit desert, add in a handful of sultanas during the last few minutes of cooking.

Place in an air tight container in the fridge and use for up to a week. Remove the peel and cloves before serving.

If you want a most delicious, fragrant, thick apple sauce instead, follow the same steps as above, then remove the lemon rind and either transfer to a blender or set a speed 4 for 15 seconds, scrape down and repeat.

How can I use stewed apples?

Eat them on their own!
Mix it with yoghurt for breakfast or dessert
Use it as a topping for your soaked overnight oats
Add it to your cereal
Add in some roasted, crunchy nuts and have it for an afternoon ‘pick-me-up’
Serve it as a side to a soft tea cake

And the sauce?

Perfect if you’re doing baby food
Mix it through yoghurt
Use it as an egg or sugar replacer in cakes and baking (check out my Apple, Pumpkin and Oat muffins, or my Maple Cinnamon Weet-bix slice)
Use it with you next pork roast or pulled pork burgers.
Freeze it in ice cube trays so you can grab it out at short notice