BROWN RICE SALAD

Here’s another great offering from Katy.  She went on holiday to Queensland recently and got this recipe off a friend:-

INGREDIENTS:

1 cup cooked brown rice
Shallots
Red capsicum, chopped
1/3 cup currants
60g roasted cashews
Parsley chopped
2 Tbsp roasted sunflower seeds

Dressing
3/4 cup oil
4 Tbsp soy sauce
2 Tbsp lemon juice
1 clove garlic, crushed
Salt and pepper

METHOD:

Combine all ingredients in a bowl together and mix well.  Place dressing ingredients in a jar and shake well.
Pour over salad.

CHILLI JAM

My lovely friend Donna has shared this Recipe.  She says it’s a wonderful BBQ dip – served warm with torn flat bread, or it can even be used as a base for homemade pizza too!  She’s promised me a photo next time she makes it.

She also gives this Warning:  This is a real eye waterer!  I use my goggles during the cooking process and open all windows!!!

INGREDIENTS

1 cup peanut oil  (you could drop that to ¾ or even ½, I’ve only used the whole cup)
1 whole bulb of garlic peeled and chopped (again, you can lower this to 3-4 cloves if you like)
2 onions roughly chopped
2 cups of fresh chillies de-seeded and tops removed (or you can use all red capsicum.  I used about 12 fairly large chillies and two capsicums and this is a scrumptious mix of both flavours)
3Tbsp tamarind paste (I can buy tamarind from Woolies, and it had all the seeds in it.  This was quite fiddly to remove, so see if you can get it without seeds)
2-3 Tbsp of fish sauce
3Tbsp of palm sugar (or I use brown)

METHOD
1.    Heat oil.  Add garlic and onion and cook until clear.  Add chilli (and/or capsicum) and cook until soft.
2.    Add sugar, tamarind paste and fish sauce.  Simmer for ten minutes then turn off heat.
3.    Very carefully (it’s very hot) scrape mixture into a blender and blend until the lumps disappear and consistency is jam like (smooth).
4.    If you want to store it for a longer period of time, pour into sterilised jam jars and store in fridge.  It normally doesn’t last that long because it’s so yummy, so pour into a nice bowl and serve with lot’s of fresh bread (Turkish is nice, or French sticks sliced).

GOOD OLD FASHIONED YORKSHIRE PUDDING

Here’s another scrumptious sounding Recipe from Hazel who says “If you want your Yorkshire Pudding to rise and have delicious crunchy edges, then try my Recipe”.   

INGREDIENTS

2 cups of white plain flour
4 eggs
1 cup of milk
1 cup of water
1/2 teaspoon salt
cooking oil

METHOD

1. Turn oven to 240 degrees.
2. Put all ingredients except the oil, in a bowl together and whisk well. Leave to stand.
3. Pour enough oil in over proof lasagne/pie dish, to cover the bottom generously.
4. When oven has become hot, place dish in oven to heat up oil to a high temperature.
5. Remove dish (oil must be extremely hot!) from oven and pour mixture into dish. Immediately place back into oven.
6. Cook for twenty five minutes or until Yorkshire Pudding has risen and browned. (removing too early from oven will result in a soggy middle.)
**Serve with roast meat, various roasted and steamed vegetables and a generous amount of gravy! 

CHOCOLATE & LICORICE ALLSORTS SLICE

Here’s a very delicious Slice Recipe shared by my friend Steph.  We ate this at work today and it was VERY yummy.  I had to have two pieces – just to be sure it was that good! 

INGREDIENTS

Melted butter, to grease
125 g butter, chopped
160 ml sweetened condensed milk
1 tablespoon golden syrup
1 (250 g) packet plain sweet biscuits, crushed (such as Marie)
45 g desiccated coconut
375 g licorice, coarsely chopped (packet licorise allsorts)
200 g dark cooking chocolate, chopped
30 g Copha

METHOD

Brush a 19 x 29cm (base measurement) lamington pan with melted butter to lightly grease. Line the base and sides with non-stick baking paper, allowing it to overhang slightly.

Combine the butter, condensed milk and golden syrup in a medium saucepan over low heat. Cook, stirring, for 5 minutes or until butter melts and mixture is smooth. Transfer to a large heatproof bowl. Add the biscuits, coconut and licorice allsorts and stir until just combined. Press the mixture into the base of the prepared pan and set aside for 30 minutes to set.

Place the chocolate and copha in a heatproof bowl over a saucepan half-filled with simmering water (make sure the bowl doesn’t touch the water). Use a metal spoon to stir over low heat until chocolate melts and mixture is smooth. Pour the chocolate mixture over the slice in the pan. Place in the fridge for 1 hour to set. Cut into squares to serve.

MARSHMELLOW SMARTIE SURPRISE – PARTY FOOD

Here’s another great recipe from Hazel:-

Marshmellow- Smartie Suprise … (or as some children like to call them, Smartie Eye-ball Treats!)

An absolute favourite at childrens birthday parties!! Very colourful and very tasty!

INGREDIENTS

1 bag marshmellow
2 boxes of smarties
1/2 bar Cadburys dark or milk cooking chocolate
Mini colourful cupcake cases

METHOD

1. Melt the chocolate.
2. Place mini cupcake cases on a large platter.
3. Dip the bottom of each marshmellow in the melted chocolate and place in mini cupcake cases.
4. Spoon a little dob of melted chocolate on the top of the marshmellows.
5. Place a smartie on top of each marshmellow.
6. Refrigerate.

Simple and fun

SELF SAUCING BANANA PUDDING

Here’s another recipe from Katy.  This one sounds absolutely delicious too.

This is a great recipe for anyone wanting to use up those black bananas!  We seem to always have a couple in the fruit bowl.

INGREDIENTS

1.5 cups SR flour
1 tsp bicarb of soda
0.75 cup sugar
3 mashed bananas
0.5 cup oil
2 eggs

Sauce
0.75 cup dark brown sugar
0.25 cup golden syrup (we used honey)
1 cup boiling water

METHOD

Mash bananas, oil and eggs together in a 2-3 litre casserole dish.  Add sifted flour, bicarb and sugar and mix well.
Combine sugar, syrup and boiling water and stir until sugar is dissolved.
Pour syrup mix over the back of a spoon over the cake batter (it will look terrible but don’t worry the cake rises to the top and the syrup thickens on the bottom).
Bake at 180 degrees for about 50 minutes.

Make sure you have a dollop of ice cream at the ready!

STRAWBERRY SHORTCAKE

Today’s Recipe come from my very dear friend Jenny who is one of THE most talented people I know when it comes to stitching and sewing.  Have a look at her Jenny of Elefantz Blog and see for yourself.

She posted this Strawberry Shortcake Recipe on her Blog the other day, so I asked if I could borrow it to post here.  She very kindly agreed – thanks Jen (I borrowed your photo too – hope you don’t mind?!).

Doesn’t it look delicious?  I’m definitely going to be giving this one a try.

INGREDIENTS

125g butter
1/2 cup (110g) caster sugar
1 egg
3/4 cup (110g) plain flour
3/4 cup (110g) self raising flour
2 tablespoons strawberry jam
1 medium green apple (grated)
grated rind of 1 orange
250g (1 punnet) strawberries, sliced thinly
2 teaspoons sugar extra

METHOD

Grease a 20cm springform tin. Preheat oven to 180C (375F).

Beat butter, sugar and egg until light and fluffy.
Stir in sifted flours in 2 batches. Mix well.
Cover dough in plastic wrap and place in refrigerator for 15 minutes.
Press 1/2 the dough into the base of the greased springform tin. Spread the dough with jam.
Sprinkle the grated apple and the orange rind over the jam. Top with the sliced strawberries.
Use the remaining dough to cover the strawberries. Press down, and sprinkle with the extra sugar.
Bake for 50 minutes or until lightly browned.
Serve with cream or ice-cream for dessert, and eat the rest next day cold from the fridge – if it lasts that long!!

PUMPKIN AND GINGER SOUP

I decided to make Pumpkin Soup recently but had never been very happy with the recipes I’d tried at home.  I Googled Pumpkin Soup and came across the Healthy Eating Made Easy site, which had a Pumpkin and Ginger Soup Recipe (and lots of other great Recipes too – go and check it out).

Anyway, I made the Pumpkin & Ginger Soup and was asked for the Recipe the next day by one of the people who ate it, so I figured I was on to a winner.

Why not give it a try?  I think it’s really delicious and very easy to make.

Fresh ginger is a great addition to many vegetable soups. In this recipe, it gives the pumpkin flavour a real lift.  [Serves 4]

INGREDIENTS

1 tbsp olive oil

1 onion, finely chopped

2 cloves garlic, crushed

2.5cm (1 inch) piece root ginger, peeled and grated

650g (4 cups) peeled and chopped pumpkin flesh

850ml (3 cups) vegetable stock

METHOD

Sweat the onions gently in the olive oil for 5 mins, add the onion, garlic, ginger and pumpkin and cook for 5 mins more. Add the water or stock and simmer for 15-20 mins, until the pumpkin is tender. Puree the soup in a blender or food processor and thin with a little extra stock, water or milk if necessary.

HUNZA PIE

Today’s Recipe comes from my good friend Hazel.

HUNZA PIE

(A delicious vegetarian dish, that even the most serious meat eaters will enjoy!)

INGREDIENTS

2 cups cooked white rice
2 packets finely chopped spinich
1 tsp minced garlic
1 onion finely chopped
2 large carrots diced
8-10 sliced mushrooms
small packet of pine nuts
1/2 cup soy sauce
4 Tbsp sweet chilly sauce
3 Tbsp ABC sauce (optional)
black pepper
250g philly cheese (Philadelphia cream cheese)
250g ricotta cheese
grated cheese for top of pie
1 white or cheese sauce packet

METHOD

1. Cook rice and carrots separately and set aside.
2. Heat pan with oil and brown onion and garlic.
3. Add drained spinach and soy sauce -stir and cook for a few minutes.
4. Add sauces, pepper, mushrooms, carrots and pine nuts. Stir for short time before removing from heat.
5. Add rice to the vegetable mixture and stir well.
6. Make a white or cheese sauce and stir ricotta into the sauce.
7. Layer ingredients as follows, (in a large lasagne or baking dish); one layer of vegetable and rice mixture, followed by a layer of philly cheese, then another layer of the vegetable and rice mixture.
8. Pour the ricotta cheese sauce on top of pie and sprinkle with grated cheese.
9. Cook in moderate oven until top is browning. Approximately 40 minutes.
10. Serve with a mixed salad and garlic bread. ENJOY!

(Cut up left over pie into meal size pieces and freeze.)

So what are you waiting for?  Get cooking….

Fee

CHOCOLATE MUG CAKE

Alright – here is our first Recipe on The Recipe Roundabout which is shared by my good friend Katy from Dymond’s Secretarial Service.  We came across this Recipe on a Virtual Assistant network we are both members of.

INGREDIENTS

4tbs self raising flour
4tbs sugar
3tbs milk
3tbs oil
2tbs cocoa
1 egg

METHOD

Mix it all together is a LARGE mug or small bowl and microwave for 3 minutes.  Easy and extremely yummy!  Add ice-cream or cream for an added touch of decadence.

Katy says: Ok I know it’s not a Dinner Recipe but it’s something that is very child friendly, easy to remember and you’ve always got the ingredients in your cupboard.  You’ve just got to decide whether you are willing to share!!

Please leave a comment if you try this Recipe and let others know what you think.

Ciao for now….

Fee x