December Recipe Swap

November Recipe Swap

Happy Birthday to my dearest recipe swap group!

To start off the celebration, the lovely Christianna put a Maple Syrup Cake recipe -




I has some leftover Maple syrup leftover from a previous daring bakers challenge and lots of roses blooming in my garden.... So what do we end up with?

I present to you my Rose infused Maple Syrup Cake.

The recipe goes like this,

1/2 cup softened Nuttelex
3 cups Unbleached Self Raising Flour
2 teaspoons Egg Replacer + 1/4 cup water, to mix it with.
3/4 cup Soy Milk
1/2 cup Maple Syrup
3/4 cup Raw Sugar, powdered
2 Tablespoons Rose Infused Syrup

To make -

1. I used a 11 inch Bundt pan sprayed with non stick baking spray.
Preheat oven to 175 degrees Celcius.

2. Mix Egg Replacer and 1/4 cup water well till frothy and set aside.

3. Mix some soy milk and Maple syrup and, the rest of the soy milk with the rose infused syrup in separate bowls.

4. In a large bowl beat Nuttelex until it is creamy, about a minute (I used my Kitchenaid bowl).

6. Add the sugar in spoonfuls until well creamed.

7. Mix in the soy milk and maple syrup mix in. Pour batter into prepared Bundt pan.

8. Add in the flour, reserving the last 1/3 rd, lightly mixing.

9. Mix the remaining flour with the soy milk - rose infused syrup till the batter looks silky smooth.

10. Slowly add the pink batter into the pan and use a skewer to lightly swirl the pink mix into the batter.
Bake at 175 degrees Celcius, for about 55 minutes, or until done.

Enjoy!!

To make the Rose infused Syrup, I added equal amonuts of rose petals to sugar and covered with a half and half mix of Vodka and distilled water.

Please check out the rest of my really talented swappers,

Bubble & Squeak - September Recipe Swap

Sydney presently is having the  wettest & the coldest Spring ever, in my opinion. The Current Recipe Swap recipe is for a Hot Slaw with a salad. I'm still craving warm, fattening & stick - to- your - ribs food, at the moment.

So, when I looked at the recipe, for some reason all I could think of was that I used to hate Cabbage as a kid. Hated the smell, hated the texture, hated the feel, everything!! Now, now don't worry... things have changed since.... slightly!!

Here's the original recipe in all its glory - http://www.burwellgeneralstore.com/

When I read through it, I decided on Bubble & Squeak with a creamy dressing, which sounded perfect, given the weather.

So onto the recipe,

Patties,

We need,

A big head of Cabbaage,  shred finely
2  medium sized boiled Potatoes
1 Zucchini, grated
3 Tablespoons Olive Oil
Salt
Crushed Black Pepper, to taste.

What to do next,

1. Mash the boiled potatoes.
2. Heat 1 Tablespoon of olive oil in a pan, saute the zucchini & cabbage till soft & dry.
3. Add the mashed potatoes in & season. Cool.
4. Pat the cooled mixture into small rissole`s.
5. Heat the remaining oil on a non stick pan & slowly coat the pan. Lay the rissole`s carefully, making sure that they are not touching each other.
6. Flatten with the back of a heavy spatula. Turn & cook on the other side, till golden brown on both sides.

Serve hot plain with a creamy dressing (recipe follows), or sandwich between cut sides of a bun for  really filling meal.

Creamy Dressing

We need,

Tofutti, cream cheese - 1 pack
8 - 9 Tablespoon Soy Milk
1 teaspoon hot English Mustard
1 teaspoon White Pepper

Blend all the above ingredients to a soft consistency & spread either on the bun or, use as a dipping sauce for the Bubble & Squeak.

Enjoy!



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Vegan Gluten Free Cupcakes

August 2011 Recipe Swap - Vegan Gluten Free Cupcakes.

I haven't had much time to bake or experiment lately with work, children & a, new course I just started off. When Christianna sent the reminder out about the recipe swap early this week, it sent me scrambling around for any recent examples of gluten free baking.... These cup cakes were made for a friend to take along to her office as she has a colleague with gluten issues unfortunately, I never manged to take any good pictures either... Yay for camera phones!!

Here's the original recipe -

Please check the rest of the talented swappers,  Dennis, Toni, Shumaila, Alex, Lora, Lindsay, Mari, Crissy and Lauren, Pola, Jamie, Claire, Shari, Joy, Monique, Linda, Rachel, Alli, Katy, Emily, Krissy and Jaclyn.

Back to the cupcakes now,

Ingredients

1.5 cups Gluten free Flour Mix + 1.5 teaspoons Baking Soda, sifted at least thrice.
1 cup Raw Sugar
1/3 cup Cocoa Powder, gluten free
(Omit this if making white cuppies. I made half a batch of each.)
1/3 cup Canola Oil
1 teaspoon Vanilla Bean Paste
1 teaspoon Apple Cider Vinegar
1 cup Water

To Make

1. Preheat oven to 175 degrees C.

2. Line a 12 cup cake pan with paper liners.

3. Sift together all the dry ingredients.

4. Mix in the oil, vanilla, vinegar, and water.

5. Whisk together until smooth.

6. Pour into liners filling up to 3/4 mark.

7. Bake for 22 - 25 minutes & check centre is done.

8. Remove from oven and allow to cool for at least 5 - 6 hours before icing.

Vegan Gluten Free Fondant

We need,

910 grams of powdered  White Vegan Sugar (sifted well)
1 Tablespoon Agar Powder
1/2 cup of Glucose Syrup
1/2 teaspoon Natural Vanilla Extract
1 Tablespoon Glycerin
1/4 cup Warm Water

What to do with this:

1. Sift the powdered sugar very well to prevent lumps of hard sugar bits in the fondant.

2. In a heat-safe small bowl, sprinkle the agar powder over the 1/4 cup of warm water to soften & expand for 3- 4 minutes.

3. Either use a double boiler or, put the smaller bowl in a big pot of about a half-inch of water to simmer. Place small bowl with agar over the simmering pot of water to melt over.

4. Turn off the heat and mix the rest of the liquid ingredients & stir till well blended.

5. I used my KitchenAid stand mixer fitted with the dough hook attachment. Add the liquid mix & the warm, melted agar flakes along with approximately 1/2 the sugar.

6. Mix the rest of the sugar slowly a couple of tablespoons or so at a time.

7. Scrape down the sides of the bowl. In a couple of minutes the  mixture gets quite stiff &  is not very sticky.

8. Dust a flat surface with sugar & rub some on your hands too.

9. Knead the fondant with the base of your palm till soft & lump free.

10. Double wrap the fondant with cling film & put into an airtight box. Let this sit for 4 - 6 hours at least before tinting with colour and using.

July Recipe Swap - Coconut chocolate Ganache Cake with Strawberry Jelly filling.

A Very Happy Birthday To My Dearest Hubby!! The date of this month's Recipe Swap hosted by the lovely Christianna from  http://www.burwellgeneralstore.com/  coincides, with my better half's birthday . The recipe was for a gorgeous Jelly Cake recipe.

Small problem.... vegans & gelatine don't gel.. (Ha, ha ha bad pun! gotcha!!)

Here's the original recipe -



I put my thinking cap on and decided, that it needed to contain Coconut in some form, because that is his favourite flavour in everything sweet and savoury. So, I present to you a Coconut Cake with a luscious Strawberry Jelly Filling topped with Rich Chocolate Ganache.

For the Coconut Cake, I used my mother's recipe which is very simple to make and good to eat. It apparently does not have a long shelf life but, it hasn't gotten to the shelf yet :)))

We need,

For the Cake,

1 Cup Unbleached Self Raising Flour

1 Cup Raw Sugar

1 Cup Coconut Meal

1 Cup Coconut Milk

To Make,

Throw everything together in any order you fancy, and mix with a wooden spoon till all the lumps dissolve. Preheat the oven to 175 Degrees C at fan forced setting and grease and line a 6 inch square cake pan. (I used square because, hubby prefers it to round cakes). Bake for 25 - 30 minutes. Check if baked through. It has a lovely golden crumb crust.

Cool before cutting.

For the Strawberry Jelly,                                    

1 Cup Strawberries, hulled and chopped finely

1/2 Cup Raw Sugar

2 Tablespoons Corn Flour

1/2 Cup Water

2 Tablespoons Lemon Juice

To make,

Add the strawberries and raw sugar into a thick bottomed pan and heat gently. Whisk the corn flour & water till smooth. Add this mixture to the pan. Stir well to combine everything. Bring to a boil while mixing constantly. Turn the heat off and quickly mix the lemon juice in.

For the Chocolate Ganache,

1 Cup of Vegan Dark Chocolate (I used Sweet William)

1/2 cup Tofutti Cream Cheese

To Make,

Add both the ingredients into a sturdy microwave proof bowl and heat for 20 - 30 seconds at high. My ingredients were at room temperature so it required very little time. Whisk till smooth and silky looking and tasting :)

To assemble,

Slice the cake into equal layers and pour the Strawberry Jelly on the bottom half to spread. It starts to set if allowed to cool so, I needed to work quite fast.

Spread all over with  Chocolate Ganache and sprinkle some flaked, dessicated coconut on top, if desired.

Lamingtons

Lamingtons are essentially Aussie icons served at morning and afternoon tea time. I fell in love with the coconut covered chocolatey morsels at first bite. How can anything with chocolate not be good???

We need,

A Sponge/ White Cake
Chocolate Frosting
Desicated Coconut Flakes

For the Cake, I used -

2 cups Self Raising Flour

3/4 cup Raw Sugar - powdered

1.5 teaspoons Baking Powder

1 cup Soy/ Rice Milk, at room temperature

4 - 5 Tablespoons Vegetable Oil

To Make,

1.  Preheat the oven to 180 degrees C and, grease a round/ square 8 inch cake tin.

2. Sift together all the dry ingredients -  flour, sugar & baking powder into a large mixing bowl.

3. Make a well in the center and add in, the melted Nuttelex, vegetable oil & Soy milk.

4. Mix thoroughly for atleast 5 minutes by hand. I used the whisk attachment on my mixer for 3 -4 minutes.

5.  Pour the batter into the greased pan.

6. Bake at 175 degrees C for 20 to 25 minutes. Check with a skewer inserted in the center to check if done.

7. Remove from oven and cool completely. In the mean time cut the Cake into squares or cubes and keep a flat plate ready with lots of Coconut Flakes.

8. Mix 1/2 cup Of Cocoa, 1 Cup Powdered Sugar with 5 to 6 Tablespoons of warm water to make a thick but runny chocolate paste.

9. Use a fork to coat the cake pieces with the chocolate mixture.

10. Roll them next in the coconut flakes till well covered and then, set them on to dry on a flat surface.

Yummy!!

Tandoori Aloo Parathas - June Recipe Swap

The colder the weather gets, the heartier and warmer my food seems to get. The lovely Christina, of the http://www.burwellgeneralstore.com/  came up with a delicious potato donut recipe swap idea this month.




I have made Tandoori Aloo Parathas, which are essentially flatbreads made with pizza dough stuffed with a spicy and filling potato mixture and barbequed. They are eaten hot off the BBQ plate spread with lots of Nuttelex, with a Tomato - Red Onion salad and green pepper pickle.

Read about our kitchen escapades and brainstorming by visiting them all -  Dennis, Toni, Sabrina, Lora, Lindsay, Mary, Crissy and Lauren, Pola, Jamie, Claire, Shari, Joy, Monique, Linda, Tricia  and, a warm welcome to the new ones this month Rachel, Merry-Jennifer, Alli & Katy.

The dough recipe  -

300 ml Warm Water

3 Cups Strong Bread Flour

1/2 teaspoon Sea Salt

1 Tablespoon Olive Oil

1 Teaspoon Instant Yeast

2 Teaspoons Raw Sugar

For the Potato mixture, we need,

4 Boiled Potatoes
1 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon Paprika
1 teaspoon Dry Mango Powder
1 teaspoon Dry Coriander Powder
1 teaspoon Roasted Cumin Powder
1 teaspoon Carom Seeds
1 teaspoon Minced Garlic


To make,

1. Knead using a machine with the dough hook or, by hand till a smooth dough is formed.

2. Cover and rest in a warm area for 45 minutes.

3. Knead again and push the dough down till all the air is excluded.

4. Make small rounds and roll out after dusting with dry flour.

5. Let the rolled out bread rest for 10 - 15 minutes before cooking for really fluffy and melt - in - your - mouth bread

To Combine,

1. Mix all the ingedients except the Carom seeds, together with a potato masher and mash, till smooth. Add the Carom seeds now and then mix to distribute uniformly.

2. Take 1 spoon on the potato mixture and place it in the center of the rolled out dough.

3. Fold the edges over to seal the mixture in and roll gently into a round.

4. Dust with dry flour and roll out gently to get an even thickness all around.

5. Carefully place on the heated BBQ plate. Cook on both sides till brown spots appear.

Drizzle with olive oil or herb flavoured oil before serving.

Eat Hot!!

Cupcakes Galore

I haven't been posting very regularly lately because, I've been busy making a gazillion cupcakes for my little one's 6th birthday to send to school, for the party at home, for the official party for her friends... Whew!!

The good part about vegan cupcakes are that they taste as good if not, better than the egg & dairy ones. Since they cater to most allergies if I leave the nuts out, the cupcakes literally went off like........... hot cakes.

White Vegan Cupcakes, we need


2 cups Self Raising Flour

2/3 cup Raw Sugar - powdered

1.5 teaspoons Baking Powder

1/2 cup Lukewarm Water

1/2 cup Soy/ Rice Milk, at room temperature (not cold)

2 Tablespoons Nuttelex - softened

3 Tablespoons Vegetable Oil

1 teaspoon Vanilla Bean Paste

To mix,

1.  Preheat the oven to 180 degrees C and, set paper cups in the baking tray.

2. Sift together the flour, sugar & baking powder into a large mixing bowl.

3. Make a well in the center and add in, the melted Nuttelex, vegetable oil & vanilla bean paste.

4. Mix thoroughly. I used the whisk attachment on my Kitchen Aid mixer & mixed for 4 minutes.

5.  Slowly ladle out measured spoons into the prepared paper cups.

6. Bake at 180 degrees C for the first 7 minutes and then reduce the temperature to 160 degrees C for the next 12 to 15 minutes. Check with a skewer inserted in the center to check if done.

7. Remove from oven and set on cooling rack. Do not add icing or any toppings before 2 hours.

I used sugar decorations and a simple vegan fondant recipe for the smaller cupcakes and fluffy white icing for the larger cupcakes.

Enjoy!!

Hot Plum Chutney

Plums again!! We went plum and apple picking on the weekend. The girls in their enthusiasm collected raw, bird bitten and every other kind of unedible plums. Now looking at all the damaged plums, chutney making seemed to be the only way out. With Autumn setting in good and proper I decided to make a spicy plum chutney.

We need,

25 - 30 Damaged Plums (that is what I had :)), soaked for 30 minutes in hot water with salt dissolved
Dry the plums thoroughly and chop into rough quarters.

8 Tablespoons Raw Sugar

4 teaspoons Rock Salt

1 teaspoon Smoked Paprika, more if you want it really fiery

1 teaspoon Dry Ginger Powder

1 teaspoon Cloves roasted and powdered

1 teaspoon Nutmeg

1 teaspoon Cinnamon

1 teaspoon Coriander Powder

1 teaspoon Cumin Seeds, roasted and powdered

1/2 cup Apple Cider Vinegar

To make,

Combine the plums, sugar, spices and salt into a large, thick bottomed pan on low heat. 

Cook away, mixing every now and then. 

Add the Apple Cider Vinegar towards the end.

Turn the heat off when it reaches sauce consistency, i.e. can be poured and goes splat!!

I prefer to let the pieces remain if, desired use a potato masher to blend everything.

Cool before bottling. 

It is a luscious chutney that goes excellently with fritters, wedges, plain tortillas, flatbreads, in sandwiches as a spread and.... just plain to lick off the spoon when the kids aren't looking :))

Vegetable Chowmein with Peanut Tofu Curry

Chowmein is supposed to be a way of cooking noodles separately and then, topping them with your choice of vegetables, sauces and the rest.

I boiled thick noodles separately for my Chowmein, but vegan, egg free prepackaged ones from the supermarket are good too.

We need,

2 cups Boiled Noodles

1 Large Brown Onion, cut into crescent shape

1 cup Cabbage, shred finely

1 Carrot, peeled and cut into long strips

1 Green Capsicum, cut into strips

1/2 cup Mushrooms, finely sliced

1/2 cup Green Peas,  frozen or fresh peeled

4 Tablespoons Peanut Oil

2 teaspoons Chinese 5 Spice Powder

To make,

Heat oil in a wok and toss the onions in.

Cook till they lose their raw smell and chuck the cabbage, carrot, capsicum, mushrooms and peas in.

Saute lightly till the vegetable wilt a little.

Season with salt and spice powder.

Add the noodles and cook till well coated. Sprinkle with Chillie Vinegar just before serving.

The Peanut Tofu Curry was made out of leftover tofu and vegetables. I used,

1/2 packet Firm Tofu, cut into cubes

2/3 cups Peanut Powder

1 Tablespoon Corn Flour + 1/2 glass water

1 teaspoon Sweet Chillie Sauce

1/2 Carrot, cut into rounds

3 Banana Peppers, sliced finely.

1 Tablespoon Oil

Salt, to taste

To make,

Heat the oil and add the banana pepper and carrots in.

Mix salt, corn flour, water in a cup and add to the vegetables.

Add the tofu and slowly coat with the vegetable mixture.

Add the sweet chillie sauce when the mixture starts to thicken.

Garnish with Shallots, if desired. Serve hot.