SIMPLE DARK CHOCOLATE MUFFINS

Since Friday has become my official baking day, I feel very disjointed and erratic when I am unable to stick to this commitment. I was feeling this way last Friday afternoon, and decided that I just had to bake before rushing off to work at 4pm. Having bought dark chocolate chips the previous day (as a very naughty snack for myself), I resolved to put them to better use by baking dark chocolate muffins. As I was on a race against time, I ransacked my pantry for ingredients and made the simplest muffins I could think of.  Modest and simple muffins though they may look on paper, they actually tasted quite splendid! Sometimes simplicity is paramount.   

INGREDIENTS

• 1/2 cup good quality (such as Cadbury) cocoa powder
• 2 cups self raising flour
• 2 eggs
• a dash of vanilla essence 
• 1/2 cup dark chocolate chips
• 1/4 cup vegetable oil
• 1 teaspoon cinnamon
• 1/2 cup brown sugar
• 2/3 cup skim milk, plus 2 tablespoons extra
• cooking oil spray

COOKING 

1. Preheat oven to 160 degrees celsius fan forced. Lightly spray a 12 hole muffin pan with cooking oil spray. 

2. Mix together flour, cocoa, sugar and chocolate chips in a large bowl. Make a large hole or well in the middle of the bowl. In a jug, whisk together milk, vanilla essence, oil and eggs until combined. Pour liquid mixture into the well and using a mixing spoon, gently stir until ingredients are just combined. Take care not to overmix. If the batter is looking too dry, add a few tablespoons extra of milk (as I did). Spoon mixture evenly into the 12 prepared muffin holes. 

3. Bake muffins for around 25 minutes or until batter is cooked. A good way to test this is to insert a skewer into the centre of a muffin; if the skewers comes out clean, the muffins are cooked. Stand in muffin pan for around 10 minutes, then gently remove the muffins from the pan and leave on a wire rack until cooled. 

x E

VEGETABLE & BEEF SALAD WITH GARLIC DRESSING

My boyfriend detests salads. It’s really a shame, as I adore them, especially in the hot summer and spring months. To trick him the other night, I made a warm vegetable and beef salad. The oblivious guy did not even notice that his dinner was technically a salad (bless him). The garlic mayonnaise dressing adds a tangy taste to this salad and prevents it from becoming a mundane dinner with roast vegetables. If you have read my blog more than once, you may have noticed that pine nuts make a regular appearance in small amounts (usually a tablespoon at a time). Pine nuts are as the name sounds; they are the nuts or seeds of pine trees. I discovered them when I first made pesto (as they are basically essential to creating a yummy pesto sauce) and I now use them for meat and vegetable dishes as well as dips and bread baking. Whilst expensive, you only need small quantities in dishes to appreciate their full flavour. 

 

INGREDIENTS

• 400g sweet potato, cut into 3cm pieces
• 250g potato (sebago), cut into 3cm pieces
• 3 tablespoons fresh rosemary
• 1 tablespoon olive oil 
• 200g lean beef pieces, cut into thin strips
• 1 teaspoon olive oil 
• 80-100g rocket, washed
• 10 large garlic cloves, unpeeled 
• 2 tablespoons pine nutes
• 1/4 cup low fat mayonnaise
• a pinch of smoked paprika
• 2 tablespoons water

COOKING 

1. Preheat oven to 200 degrees celsius fan forced. Prepare a large baking tray with baking paper. 

2. Combine sweet potato, potato, rosemary, garlic and pine nuts with 1 tablespoon olive oil in a large bowl and toss well. Place the vegetable mixture on the prepared baking tray in a single layer. Bake for around 25-30 minutes or until both types of potatoes are tender. Place all ingredients but the garlic in a serving plate or bowl. 

3. Remove the garlic from the skin by pressing gently. (If the garlic has had ample time to cook, the skin of the garlic should easily come away). Place garlic in a small bowl and mash well. Add mayonnaise and smoked paprika and mix well to combine. If need be, add 2 tablespoons of water to thin down the dressing. 

4. Heat 1 teaspoon olive oil in a small frying pan. Add beef strips and cook, stirring constantly, for around 3-5 minutes or until beef is browned. 

5. Serve cooked vegetables and beef on a bed of rocket with mayonnaise dressing drizzled on top. 

x E 

POACHED EGGS SERVED ON RAINBOW RICE

Don’t let the extensive list of ingredients required for this recipe deter you, as you may find (as I pleasantly did) that I had all the ingredients bar feta in my pantry and fridge! I struggled on what to name this dish, initially calling it ‘Persian Eggs’, then ‘Protein Packed Salad’ before settling on the above title, which I think is much more fun and whimsical. I made this dish for lunch yesterday, as I was dying to cook something a little different and exotic. I was craving a filling, substantial dish that did not include meat. Hence came the inspiration for this recipe. Loosely based on the filling in the vegetarian stuffed capsicums that I made a few weeks ago, the lentils, chickpeas and fresh tomato tasted delightful combined with the warm yolk of the poached egg. If you have never used the spice sumac before, do yourself a favour and make this recipe!

INGREDIENTS

• 1 1/2 cups brown rice
• 3 cups water
• 1 green onion, chopped finely
• 1 small red onion, chopped finely
• 1 teaspoon sumac
• 1 teaspoon olive oil
• 1 teaspoon balsamic vinegar
• 1 x 400g tin of brown lentils, rinsed and drained
• 1 x 400g tin of chickpeas, rinsed and drained
• 1 tablespoon lime juice
• 1 tablespoon white wine vinegar
• 4 eggs
• a handful of lettuce, roughly torn 
• a pinch of sea salt & pepper 
• 2 medium tomatoes, finely chopped
• 100g reduced-fat feta, crumbled 

COOKING 

1. Bring rice and water to the boil, then simmer, for around 25 minutes, or until rice has absorbed all the water. Remove from the heat and stir in lime juice, brown lentils, tomato and salt & pepper. 

2. Meanwhile, mix red onion, green onion and the sumac in a small bowl. Toss well to combine. 

3. Pour around 3cm of cold water into a medium frying pan and add vinegar. When bubbles start to appear on the surface of the water, crack each egg individually into the water. (I did 2 eggs at a time). Cook for 2-4 minutes or until egg has just set- I like my eggs to still be running but feel free to cook to your own specifications. Using a slotted spoon, remove egg/s from pan and gently place on a plate. Repeat process until 4 eggs are poached. 

4. Serve brown rice with onion & sumac mixture on top. Sprinkle feta over and top with 1 poached egg. 

Serves / 4

Preparation & Cooking time / 35 minutes 

x E

CHILLI CON CARNE

Whenever possible I like to cut complex carbs, such as rice, out of my lunches and dinners. Don't get me wrong, I do enjoy carbs like pasta and rice, but I know they are not great for my stomach and my health. So I like to make filling meals that do not need these carbs, such as this chilli con carne. For those that like it hot, add 1 teaspoon or more ground chilli. You can use whatever spices you have on hand; for example if you do not have ground cumin or coriander add some ground black pepper and more smoked paprika. For those vegetarians out there, replace the meat with more legumes or perhaps more vegetables such as carrot and potato. 

INGREDIENTS

• 1 teaspoon rice bran oil
• 1 large garlic clove, finely chopped or crushed 
• 500g lean beef mince
• 1 teaspoon ground cumin
• 2 teaspoons ground coriander
• 1/2 - 1 teaspoon ground chilli 
• 1 teaspoon smoked paprika
• 600-650g fresh tomatoes, roughly chopped 
• 1 red capsicum (150g), chopped finely
• 2 tablespoons tomato paste
• 1 x 400g tin red kidney beans, rinsed and drained 
• Optional- fresh coriander and /or lime wedges, to serve  

COOKING 

1. Heat oil in large frying pan or saucepan over medium-high heat. Cook garlic for 1 minute. Add mince and all 4 spices and stir constantly until beef is brown. Make sure to break up any lumps of mince with a spoon. 

3. Add tomatoes, capsicum, tomato paste and 1 cup of water to the pan and stir, bringing to the boil. Reduce the heat and simmer, covered, for 10 minutes. After this time, remove the lid and simmer for a further 15 minutes or until the chilli con carne has almost thickened. Add red kidney beans and stir to combine. Remove from heat. 

4. Serve chilli con carne with coriander leaves sprinkled on top and lime wedges, if desired. 

Serves / 4 
Total Preparation time / 10 minutes 
Total Cooking time / maximum 30 minutes 

x Emily 

HAM & TURKEY SALAD WITH MUSTARD DRESSING

On a terribly hot summers day there is nothing better than a nice, cold and colourful salad. However, there is nothing worse than slaving over such a salad for an hour or so on such a day. Because lets face it, we are all lazier in summer. The heat from the powerful sun, whilst majestic zaps our energy and we cant really be bothered with meals that take hours to prepare and cook. Enter my extremely simple but delicious salad. You can use whatever sandwich meat you have on hand- I just happened to have some ham & turkey that I wanted to get rid of in my fridge. Chicken would also work, as would chorizo (but folks, that’s a less guilt-free alternative). The mustard dressing is my favourite part of this dish. Ever since my dad started to make his own salad dressings, I have enthusiastically followed suit. The difference between homemade and store bought dressing is vast, as homemade dressing tastes a million times fresher. Try it out for yourself!


INGREDIENTS


Salad

• 100g sandwich meat, torn into small pieces
• I used 50g gluten-free ham & 50g turkey slices 
• 1 medium avocado, roughly cut into pieces
• 1 lebanese cucumber, sliced and halved
• 2 tomatoes, finely sliced
• 1 tablespoon pine nuts
• 100-120g Four Leaf salad mix 
• Or any lettuce you have on hand

Mustard Dressing 

• 1 teaspoon lemon juice
• 1 teaspoon olive oil 
• 2 tablespoons dijon mustard
• a pinch of salt
• 1 large garlic clove, sliced thinly
• 1 tablespoon water 

COOKING 

1. Place all dressing ingredients in a screw-top jar and shake well to combine. 

2. Place all salad ingredients in a large serving bowl and toss well to combine. Drizzle mustard dressing over the top of the salad and enjoy! 

x E

LEMON SORBET

Here is another sorbet attempt from me, this time mixing it up with lemon. I think this is my best homemade sorbet to date, although I may have been a little biased to start out with as lemon is my favourite flavour. Despite the freezing time, the cooking process below is very quick and simple. Concerned about making the sorbet a little too lemony, I decreased the amount of lemon juice, however the rest of the recipe is exactly the same as the instructions for the lime sorbet on the blog. Despite the flash flooding and torrendous weather in Brisbane at the moment, it is still very muggy and humid outside and I thought fresh sorbet may brighten up my spirits during this week (and it really and truly did). Coming soon: Raspberry Sorbet! 

INGREDIENTS


•    2 tablespoons finely grated lemon rind 

•    2 1/2 cups water 

•    1 egg white

• 1/2 cup lime juice

•    1 cup caster sugar 

COOKING

1. Combine rind, water and sugar in a medium saucepan on high heat and stir until the sugar dissolves. Bring to the boil. Decrease heat and simmer without stirring, uncovered, for 5 minutes. Pour mixture into a large heatproof jug. Let liquid cool to room temperature and then stir in lime juice.


2. Place the mixture into a loaf pan (I used a cake loaf tin) and freeze overnight (or until frozen).


3. The next day remove the loaf tin from the freezer and allow sorbet to thaw for a few minutes. Using a food processor, process the sorbet with the egg white until smooth and fluffy. This should only take a few minutes at most. Return the mixture to the loaf pan and freeze until solid. This will take a minimum of 4 hours. Serve with lemon slices or raspberries if desired. 


Note- as this sorbet contains egg white, it should be eaten within 2 days of the second freezing process- which really shouldn't be an issue! 

x E

TANDOORI CHICKEN

I have the best memories of my mother making Tandoori chicken for us several years ago. For someone with no Indian background whatsoever, she sure did love to fill the kitchen table with papadums, naan bread and zesty chicken dishes. Tandoori chicken was my first attempt at cooking a remotely Indian dish. I found a tandoori paste tin that had been at the back of my pantry for the better half of last year (unopened of course) and I decided that the time had come to use it. I added black beans and red onion for a bit of a Mexican touch to the dish. Baking the chicken in the oven is far superior to frying it, as the chicken retains its juices and is much more tender. Dukkah makes an appearance in this dinner as well, to add some extra flavour to the rice. Perhaps not a traditional Indian dish by a long stretch, but it tasted damn good.


INGREDIENTS

• 500g chicken breast, cut into 4cm pieces
• 1/2 cup tandoori paste
• 1/3 cup fat-free natural yoghurt 
• 1 1/2 cups doongara rice 
• 1 tablespoon olive oil
• 200g red capsicum, finely chopped
• 1 medium red onion (120g), finely chopped
• 3 cloves garlic, thinly sliced
• 1 x 400g tin black beans, rinse and drained
• 1 1/2 tablespoons dukkah 

COOKING 

1. Preheat oven to 180 degrees celsius fan force. Line a large baking tray with baking paper. 

2. Cook doongara rice according to packet instructions. 

3. Meanwhile, combine chicken pieces, yoghurt and paste in a medium bowl and toss well to coat. Place chicken pieces in a single layer on prepared baking tray and cook in oven for 12-14 minutes or until no pink flesh of the chicken remains. (Tip- to make this call- choose the biggest piece of chicken on the tray and cut it in half- if no pink flesh is visible, then all the chicken is ready).  

4. Heat olive oil in a large frying pan over medium to high heat and add onion, garlic, capsicum and black beans. Cook, stirring constantly, for around 5 minutes or until vegetables are tender. 

5. When rice has absorbed, remove from the stove and stir in dukkah. Arrange rice, cooked vegetables and chicken on a platter and serve. 

x E