95 CALORIE ANZAC BISCUITS

Who doesn’t love a good anzac biscuit? Especially one that you can eat without feeling guilty whilst following a healthy eating plan! These anzac biscuits are super cute and very moreish. Be mindful that they are 95 calories each, so only 1 per day as a treat. 

After giving away all of my Mini Cacao Fudge Treats that I made last week, I decided that it was time for another treat. Michelle Bridges recipe for these biscuits calls for ¼ cup brown sugar, however if you use granulated stevia you save a massive amount of calories overall. I always like to bake with gluten-free flours, however you can use plain flour if it is more accessible to you as it contains the same amount of calories. I added more cinnamon than Michelle, as I love this spice and like to really taste it in desserts. I replaced golden syrup with honey as honey is slightly lighter in calories and I am not a big fan of golden syrup, even though theres a very neglected bottle of it in my pantry that desparetly needs to be used! No doubt I'll be sharing these bad boys around so I can clear my kitchen of sweets and be able to make another treat recipe next week! 

Ingredients

• 1 1/2 cups rolled oats (150g)
• 1/2 cup gluten-free plain flour, plus extra (75g)
• 1/2 cup desiccated coconut (45g)
• 2 teaspoons ground cinnamon (8g)
• 1/4 cup granulated stevia 
• 1/4 cup honey (85g)
• 1/4 cup olive oil / rice bran oil (60g)
• 1 teaspoon bicarb of soda (5g)

Baking  

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

2. Combine the oats, flour, coconut, cinnamon and stevia in a large bowl and stir well. 

3. Pour the honey, oil and 1/4 cup water (60g) into a small saucepan and heat over low-medium heat, stirring until all ingredients are mixed. Stir in the bicarb of soda and once the mixture has foamed, remove from heat. 

4. Pour the wet ingredients into the dry ingredients bowl and stir until well combined. To shape the biscuits, make sure your hands are slightly wet (you will need to re-lubricate your hands a few times).   Roll heaped tablespoons of the mixture and place on the prepared tray 2cm apart. Press each ball lightly with a fork covered in flour, just to flatten the biscuits slightly. 

5. Bake in the oven for 10-12 minutes, or until biscuits are golden brown. Remove from the oven and leave to cool completely on the tray (during this cooling time the biscuits will harden slightly, so do not worry if they are a little soft when you remove the tray from the oven). 

Makes  / 20 

Each biscuit / 95 calories

Total Preparation time / 20 minutes 

Total Baking time / 10-12 minutes 

x Emily 

BAKED MEATBALLS

A scary dish when you look at all that it entails, however ‘Souzoukakia’ or Baked meatballs tastes delectable. A real winter warmer. This recipe was shared in the July Feast magazine by the head chef of Xanthi, an eclectic Greek restaurant in the centre of Sydney. Alas, all of David Tsirekas' childhood inspired recipes require quite a number of steps and ingredients, however they are well worth the labour in the kitchen for a special occasion. I cannot express how much my mouth waters when I think of his caramel baklava ice-ream, Turkish stuffed eggplant and homemade filo pastry with cheese and spinach filling. Oh but if I had time to cook all day, I’d be 500 pounds but I would be so satisfied. 

INGREDIENTS

• 500g extra lean beef mince
• 1 teaspoon smoked paprika
• 2 teaspoons ground cumin & ground coriander
• 1 egg, beaten
• 100g polenta 
• 2 cups beef stock
• 1 teaspoon dried rosemary & dried oregano
• 2 garlic cloves, finely chopped
• 1 red onion, finely chopped
• 1 cup doongara rice
• 1 cinnamon stick
• coconut oil
• 1 red capsicum, finely chopped
• 400g red kidney beans 
• 100g reduced-fat feta cheese

Tomato sauce

• 1 tablespoon dijon mustard
• 810g diced tomatoes
• 1 tablespoon ground coriander

COOKING 

1. Preheat fan-forced oven to 200 degrees celsius. Prepare a casserole dish by greasing it with coconut oil. 

2. Combine mince, paprika, 2 teaspoons ground cumin & coriander and egg in a medium bowl. Knead until combined, then set aside. 

3. Heat a large saucepan over medium heat with 1 tablespoon coconut oil. Add onion, garlic and rosemary & oregano and stir until onion is soft. Add rice, cinnamon stick, stock and 1 cup water. Simmer until low heat, then change to medium heat and cook for 15 minutes or until stock is absorbed, making sure the saucepan is covered. Remove the lid and remove the cinnamon stick. Leave to cool. 

4. Meanwhile, make the tomato sauce by all ingredients in a small saucepan over medium heat. Simmer for 15-20 minutes or until sauce is slightly thick. 

5. When rice mixture is cool, add to mince mixture and stir to combine. Shape the rice & mince mixture into 20-24 even sized meatballs, dusting well with polenta. Place the meatballs into the prepared casserole dish, pour the tomato sauce and sprinkle the capsicum and kidney beans on top. Bake in the oven for 30 minutes, covered, then remove the lid and add feta cheese. Bake for a further 10 minutes, then remove and serve warm. 

Serves / 8

LAMB KEBABS / SKEWERS

I am endeavouring to cook with lamb more, as it is a red meat and therefore high in iron. A word to the wise; be careful with lamb as it can be super fatty if fat is not removed before cooking. Last week when I made this recipe, I needed some brightening up. Life can sometimes get us down and we all have our own unique ways of dealing with stress, anxiety or restlessness. Some people choose to drink, others to paint, shop, read, write, kick things…I choose to cook. My purple, green, red and brown lamb skewers served the all-important purpose of cheering me up on my blue day. As a plus, they were super tasty.  

INGREDIENTS

• 400g lean lamb fillet, all fat removed and cut into even 3cm pieces 
• 1 medium green or red capsicum, seeds removed & cut into even 4 - 5cm pieces
• 1/2 red onion, chopped into thin 4cm pieces
• 1 teaspoon sumac
• 1 teaspoon coconut oil (in liquid form)
• 1 teaspoon lemon juice 
• 8 skewers 

COOKING 

1. Combine lamb pieces, capsicum, red onion, sumac, oil and lemon juice in a medium bowl. Toss well to combine and marinade in the refrigerator for 30 minutes. 

2. Meanwhile, place skewers in water for 30 minutes to soak (do not skip this step or your skewers will break whilst cooking in the oven). 

3. Preheat a fan forced oven to 200 degrees celsius. Line a baking tray with baking paper. Thread lamb and vegetables onto the skewers, alternating with each ingredient or making whatever pattern you like. Place skewers in the oven for 10 minutes or until lamb is cooked through and capsicum and onion are just slightly char-grilled. 

Serve warm with a yoghurt dressing or my tomato & parsley dressing (1 tomato, finely chopped, 1/2 teaspoon lemon juice and 2 tablespoons of finely chopped fresh parsley, tossed well). 

Serves / 4 (2 skewers each)

Total Preparation time / 12 minutes (plus 30 minutes to soak & marinade)

Total Cooking time / 10 minutes 

x E

CHOCOLATE & PISTACHIO BROWNIES

For half of this weekend, I had an old friend visiting me from Sydney. We had worked together 3 years ago in Washington D.C, and had not seen each other since. I was amazed that during the 26 hours that she was in Brisbane, she was not particularly interested in seeing the sights, museums, galleries, but instead wanted to talk about my blog, healthy cooking and nutrition. Of course I LOVED THIS! We made dinner and dessert together on Friday night, and she vowed to learn how to cook when she returned home to South Korea shortly. I was dying to try out a new brownie recipe I had discovered in ‘The Best Gluten-free, Wheat-free and Dairy-free Recipes’ cookbook by Grace Cheetham and thought this was the perfect occasion. Like a true fearless (or is the word erratic?) baker, I changed the recipe considerably, however the brownies were the tastiest gluten-free, dairy-free dessert I have ever had the pleasure of eating… If I force one recipe down your throat from my blog, this is the one!  

INGREDIENTS

• 50g dairy-free spread (like Nutalex), plus extra for greasing pan 
• 2 eggs, lightly beaten (preferable free range)
• 200g dairy-free dark chocolate (a minimum of 70% cocoa solids)
• 35-40g pistachios, shelled & finely chopped
• 1/4 cup maple syrup
• 1/2 cup gluten-free plain flour
• 1 teaspoon vanilla essence
• 1 teaspoon gluten-free baking powder
• baking paper

COOKING

1. Preheat a fan-forced oven to 180 degrees celsius. Lightly grease a narrow baking tin (around 20 x 30cm) with spread and line the base and sides with baking paper. 

2. Place chocolate in a large heatproof bowl or frying pan, breaking the chocolate into pieces (if bought as a block). Place the bowl/frying pan over a saucepan of boiled water that has been reduced to a simmer (make sure that the bottom of the bowl/pan does not touch the water). Stir frequently until chocolate has melted, then add the dairy-free spread, stirring until melted and mixed in. 

3. Remove the bowl/pan from the heat. If using a frying pan, place the melted chocolate in a large bowl. Stir in the eggs, vanilla essence and maple syrup, mixing well. Then add the flour and baking powder, making sure to sift these ingredients as gluten-free flour can be very lumpy. Stir well to combine, using a metal spoon. Fold the pistachios into the brownie batter gently. 

4. Pour the batter into the prepared baking tin, spreading the mixture evenly. Bake in the oven for 35-40 minutes until brownie has risen and is quite firm to touch. (Another way to test- insert a skewer into the middle of the brownie- if the skewer comes out with just a little mixture on it, the brownies are done). Remove from heat and cool for 10 minus in the baking tin, then place on a plate or wire rack for 15 minutes to cool. Cut into however many brownie squares you desire. 

Serves / only a few dire chocolate fans

Total Preparation time / 12 minutes 

Total Cooking time / 35- 40 minutes (cooling time is an extra 25 minutes)

x E