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Homemade Tortilla Wraps

Homemade Tortilla Wraps are simple to make and unlike store bought varieties, actually have real flavour. Once your family tries these, you'll be doubling the recipe in no time.

Course Bread

Author The Klutzy Cook

Ingredients

• 3 cups flour
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 3 tablespoons oil
• 1 cup of warm water

Instructions

• Combine flour, salt and oil in a bowl. Rub the oil in slightly with your fingertips.
• Start to add the water. Mix it into the flour mix with your hands.
• Continue adding the water until all the flour comes together in a ball. The dough should not be too wet or dry. That is, not sticky and not crumbly. If it is, add a little flour or water as needed.
• Knead the dough on a floured benchtop for around 1 minute. You want a nice smooth ball that springs back when touched.
• Divide dough into 8 balls and form these into small discs. Put onto a floured board/bench/plate and leave for a minimum of 15 minutes. They can be left for up to an hour.
• When you're ready to start cooking, put a pan onto medium heat and allow to warm up while rolling your first tortilla.
• Take one disc of dough and roll on a lightly floured surface or mat. Make sure it will fit in your pan and don't worry about rolling it too thin.
• Place the tortilla into the heated pan. While it's cooking, go back and roll your next one.
• Once the surface of the tortilla starts to bubble, it is ready to turn (1 - 2 minutes).
• Flip it over and allow to cook on the other side for 30 seconds to 1 minute. Remove and place onto a plate.
• Continue with the rest of the dough balls.
• Once done, you can use them straight away or store in airtight container for a few days.

Notes

- Use any flour you like. I often use one or a combination of the following - white bakers, khorasan (kamut), wholemeal or atta flour.

- Similarly, use any oil you like. I use olive or macadamia oil. Coconut oil or butter would also work.

- Tortilla wraps can be frozen.

I hope you enjoy these – they are a real favourite in our household and get devoured very quickly.

Sam xx

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A winner of a cake that takes only minutes to mix.   But don’t be fooled by the simplicity,  it tastes fantastic.

Citrus season usually means boxes of oranges, mandarins and more recently lemonades in our house.  This is what it looks like…

I try to buy in bulk and make the most of the fruit while it is in season.  Not only do we enjoy eating the fruit ‘as is’ (my eldest easily gets through several oranges a day), but I also cook up desserts, cakes, muffins, cordial and citrus butters.

This is a new recipe added to my list and for me it ticks all the boxes…easily mixed, simple ingredients that are in the pantry and it tastes fantastic.  I have used a combination of citrus each time I’ve made this cake – just go with whatever you have on hand.

The recipe is adapted from Stephanie Alexander’s Kitchen Garden Companion.  A great book for growing and using seasonal produce that is just beautiful to read.  It also has a really funky cloth cover.  You can see it on Booktopia here.

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Citrus and Coconut Cake

A winner of a cake that takes only minutes to mix.

Course Baking

Prep Time 15 minutes minutes

Cook Time 1 hour hour

Total Time 1 hour hour 15 minutes minutes

Author The Klutzy Cook

Ingredients

• 1 cup shredded coconut
• 75 g plain flour
• 100 g ground almonds
• 1 cup sugar I used rapadura
• grated zest of 2 oranges lemons or limes (or a combo)
• 4 eggs
• 125 g butter melted and cooled
• 1 cup strained citrus juice
• 1 cup milk

Instructions

• Preheat oven to 180C. Grease a 22cm springform pan. Line bottom of the pan with baking paper.
• Combine dry ingredients in a bowl and mix together well.
• In a separate bowl, lightly beat the eggs. Add cooled butter, milk and citrus juices. Combine well.
• Make a well in the dry ingredients and pour in the wet mixture. Mix together well - the batter should be smooth and quite runny.
• Pour into prepared pan and bake for 1 hour, or until golden brown. It is ready when a skewer inserted into the middle comes out clean.
• Remove from oven and place on cooling rack. Gently run a knife around the edge of the cake to ensure it isn't stuck.
• After 5 minutes, release the spring and remove the outer ring. Allow to cool completely before removing from base.
• Serve dusted with icing sugar and a big (optional) dollop of cream.

Notes

- The cake is quite dense and moist. It is best stored in an airtight container in the fridge.

- You can use desiccated coconut instead of the shredded.

- The cake freezes well. Cut into portions and wrap or put into zip lock bags.

Watch the video below to discover how to blanch vegetables and create your own frozen veggie stockpile.

Blanching

Plunging food into boiling or simmering water for a very short period of time, so it is only partly cooked. It also acts to render the enzymes in vegetables inactive, thus preserving and preparing them for freezing.

Why You Should Blanch

When there is an abundance of vegetables in season, blanching is a way you can make the most of them for months to come.  Here’s why:

• Saves money – when vegetables are in season, they are at their cheapest.  Make the most of it and stock up.
• Saves time – building up a freezer stockpile of veggies means you will have what you need, when you need it.
• Best quality – vegetables are at peak quality when in season as they don’t get stored for long.  It helps to avoid produce that has travelled long distances and been stored to keep it looking good for another 6 months.  Try farmer’s markets to get the freshest available.
• Prevent spoilage – blanching stops enzymes that would otherwise spoil some produce put straight into the freezer.  It also cleans off any dirt or organisms that might be lurking.
• Maintain freshness – blanching helps to maintain the vibrant colours, preserve flavour and texture while locking in nutrients.

Here’s a great guide to help you know what is in season and when – Seasonal Food Guide

What To Blanch

Most vegetables can be blanched and it is ideal for ‘harder’ veggies.  When it comes to leafy greens, blanching is optional but it does help to reduce freezing space.

It is best to cut the vegetables into serving size.  For example, cut broccoli or cauliflower into florets, carrots into slices, and so on.  That way, when you reheat/recook the veggies, they’ll require no more cutting and be ready to go.

Here’s a list of vegetables suited to blanching:

Asparagus
Beans
Broccoli
Brussels Sprouts
Cabbage
Capsicum
Carrot
Cauliflower
Celery
Corn
Kohlrabi
Leafy Greens – spinach, collard, chard, kale
Mushrooms
Parsnips
Peas
Squash
Turnips

The time for blanching can vary and if you are someone who needs specifics, here is a chart you can refer to.

Steps for Blanching

1.  Place some water in a saucepan and bring it to the boil.
2. Cut vegetables into even sized pieces, ideally the size they will be served.
3. Setup a bowl of ice cold water and insert a colander.
4. Once the water is boiling vigorously, drop the vegetables in.
5. Leave them for 1-2 minutes, or until bubbles start to come up from the bottom of the pan again.  Don’t let them go too long and get limp or soft (except of course if they are leafy greens).  The colour should remain nice and vibrant.
6. Remove vegetables from pan with slotted spoon and drop immediately into cold water.  Allow to cool right down.  Remove colander and allow to drain.
7. Pat veggies dry and put into freezer bags or containers.  Freeze until ready to use.

I also have a tutorial on how to freeze fruit the right way.  You can check that out here.

If you have any questions about how to blanch, please put them in the comments below.

Have fun and happy blanching 🙂

Sam xx

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This date loaf recipe ticks 3 major boxes for me – fast, easy and tasty. The first time I made it was when I needed something new for the school lunch boxes. The recipe came from Nanna’s vault and it was a winner straight away both for me and the kids. I love it with a spread of butter on top alongside my morning coffee (see above :))

It’s easy to make because you only need one pan and a baking tin. Everything gets thrown in, add a bit of heat, follow up with a quick stir and into the oven. If your dates are already chopped, it takes only 5 minutes.  You can’t get much quicker than that.

Another box the recipe ticks is budget friendly.  With no eggs and only a small dose of butter, it’s super cheap.   I used dried pitted dates and chopped them into chunks.  Scissors make a ‘sticky’ job like this a lot easier.  You could easily substitute other dried fruits if you prefer.  Enjoy 🙂

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Easy Date Loaf Recipe

Quick and easy one pan recipe that is also budget friendly.

Course Baking

Prep Time 5 minutes minutes

Cook Time 45 minutes minutes

Total Time 50 minutes minutes

Servings 1 loaf

Author The Klutzy Cook

Ingredients

• 1 cup chopped dates
• 3/4 cup sugar see notes
• 60 g 3 tablespoons butter
• 1 teaspoon bicarbonate of soda
• 1 cup boiling water
• 1 1/2 cups self raising flour

Instructions

• Preheat oven to 160C (320F). Grease and line a loaf tin (or use one of these)
• Put dates, sugar, butter and bicarbonate of soda into a saucepan. Pour over boiling water.
• Heat mixture to a boil and let it boil for a couple of minutes. Remove from heat.
• Allow to cool for a bit then add the flour. Mix flour in until just combined.
• Pour into lined loaf tin.
• Bake for 45 minutes, or until skewer comes out clean.
• Serve warm or allow to cool and store in an airtight container.

Notes

- I used rapadura sugar which is why my loaf looks so dark. You can use any sugar but brown or raw would be best.

- Super Subs: other dried fruits you could try are sultanas, cranberries, apricots...anything really.

- A handful of nuts could easily be added to the recipe for a bit of crunch. Walnuts would be great with the dates.

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Pots and pans make the kitchen go round right?  But it can be a bit of a minefield trying to get the best out of your cookware at times.  I love the infographic below as it outlines very simply some of the main considerations when it comes to cookware.

One tip I actually didn’t realise is that you can season stainless steel cookware.  Seasoning cast iron pans and woks I’d heard of, but not stainless steel.

I’ve actually tried this (see the video below) and it works brilliantly.   I purchased a great stainless steel frying pan a few years ago but it quickly got relegated to the back of the cupboard because everything stuck.  It was a nightmare to cook things like chicken, steak, eggs and bacon.  But not any more.

Here’s the infographic.

Image via Healthlisted.com

Have you got any cookware tips you’d like to share?

Sam xx

Fruit Mince Pies are a traditional Christmas sweet.  These little morsels are a must during the festive season and taste so much better when homemade.

Every Christmas it has become my responsibility to make Fruit Mince pies for the family.  It all started many years ago when I made my first batch.  Once we tried homemade versus the store bought versions, there was no going back.

The recipe below uses Homemade Fruit Mince encased in almond shortcrust pastry.  If you’ve never made pastry, don’t be daunted – it is easily done in a food processor.

Make the pies using either mini muffin or patty pans.  The recipe will make at least 24 pies, maybe more depending on the size of your pans.  I like to do some of both.

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Fruit Mince Pies

A traditional Fruit Mince Pie recipe that is a 'must make' at Christmas time. Homemade fruit mince encased in almond shortcrust pastry, these little morsels melt in your mouth.

Course Seasonal

Prep Time 30 minutes minutes

Cook Time 15 minutes minutes

Total Time 45 minutes minutes

Servings 24

Author The Klutzy Cook

Ingredients

• 1/2 cup 60g almond meal
• 2 cups plain flour
• 1/2 cup caster sugar
• 200 g chilled butter diced
• 1 egg yolk and 1 tablespoon water lightly beaten
• Around 1 cup of Homemade Fruit Mince

Instructions

To Make Pastry

• Put almond meal, flour and sugar into food processor. Pulse a couple of times until combined.
• Add butter and process until crumbly.
• Add egg yolk mixture and process until a ball forms. If the mixture is too wet, add a little more flour. If it is too dry, add a little more water.
• Wrap and refrigerate for 30 minutes.
  

To Make Pies

• Preheat oven to 180C (360F)
• Prepare pans. You can use either mini muffin or patty pans. The recipe makes at least 24 pies (depending on pan size it may make more), so allow for this. If you only have a 12 hole pan, bake the pies in two batches. Grease pan well with butter.
• Take a piece of dough, around 3cm in diameter (15g). Put it into the hole of pan and using your finger, press the ball evenly onto the base and sides. Repeat for remaining holes.
• Fill pastry cases with fruit mince.
• To top the pies, you can use either pie lids or a cut out decoration e.g. small star. To make these, roll the dough out and cut the desired shape. Gently press onto the pie. If it's a solid lid, cut a small cross in the middle to allow steam to escape.
• Bake for 15 minutes or until golden.
• Cool and store in an airtight container for up to 1 week.
• Dust with icing sugar before serving.

From my kitchen to yours,

Sam xx

A traditional fruit mince recipe – perfect for mince pies at Christmas time.  Easy to make, lasts for months and tastes delicious.

Every Christmas this fruit mince is a very important part of our preparations.  Why?  Because the fruit mince pies that result are close to the most prized food on the Christmas table.  We all love them, and so I need to make a lot.  And I mean a LOT. Not just to get us through Christmas day, but the days after (and sometimes prior) as well.

Apart from the flavour, the best part of this fruit mince is that it will keep for a long time in the fridge.  So you can make it well in advance and lots of it.  If there is any leftover after the festive season, use it up in other recipes.  I’ve used it to make scrolls and muffins in the past.

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Homemade Fruit Mince

A traditional fruit mince recipe that is perfect for Christmas mince pies.

Prep Time 10 minutes minutes

Total Time 10 minutes minutes

Servings 4 1/2 cups

Author The Klutzy Cook

Ingredients

• 1 1/2 cups raisins
• 1 1/2 cups currants
• 1 1/2 cups sultanas
• 1/2 cup almonds
• 1 large cooking apple grated
• 3/4 cup brown or rapadura sugar
• 75 g butter melted
• 1/2 cup rum/brandy/whisky
• 1/4 teaspoon grated nutmeg
• 1/4 teaspoon ground cloves
• 1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
• grated rind and juice of 1 orange

Instructions

• Place dried fruits and almonds into food processor.
• Pulse several times until the mix is coarsely chopped.
• Add to a large bowl and stir through the remaining ingredients
• Cover and place in refrigerator. Stir daily.
• Allow at least 2 days before using, preferably a week. The mix gets better with age so the longer the better.

Notes

-- If you prefer, other dried fruits can be used e.g dates, glace cherries, cranberries. Dried ginger is also a nice addition.

-- Traditionally blanched almonds are used. I just used regular almonds with the skin on. Either is fine.

-- Once the mixture has been in the fridge a few days, there is no need to keep stirring daily.

This recipe is perfect for Fruit Mince Pies.  Check out the recipe here.

From my kitchen to yours,

Sam xx

A slow cooker pudding with a flavour twist on the traditional fruit variety.  Perfect at Christmas time it is super easy to make compared to the old fashioned way.

Christmas pudding is something I’ve been making for several years now.  It took a while for me to get on board.  I used to watch my Mum (and before her my Grandmother) go through a monumental effort year in year out.  Boiling pots, pudding cloths, hanging rods and mould (this happened when we moved to Queensland).  And although it used to be worth it on Christmas day, it just seemed like a lot of hassle.

That all changed a few years ago when I discovered how to make a slow cooker pudding.  You can read more about that and get my recipe for a traditional Christmas pudding here.

This year, it was time to change things up and try something new.  So, the idea of trying a different flavour came about.  The result, this delicious Chocolate Orange Slow Cooker Pudding.  Although I will still always make a traditional fruit pudding, I will always make one of these too.  I’m sure you will too once you try it.

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Chocolate Orange Slow Cooker Pudding

A delicious flavour twist on traditional fruit pudding that is super easy to make in the slow cooker.

Course Seasonal

Author The Klutzy Cook

Ingredients

• 2 cups sultanas
• 1 1/2 tablespoons rum/brandy/whisky
• 125 g butterat room temperature
• 2/3 cup brown or rapadura sugar
• Grated rind of 1 orange
• Juice of 1/2 orange
• 2 eggs
• 1/2 cup plain flour
• 1/4 cup cocoa powder
• 1/2 teaspoon baking powder
• 1/4 teaspoon mixed spice
• 1/4 teaspoon ground ginger
• 1/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon
• 1 cup fresh breadcrumbs

Instructions

• Combine sultanas and alcohol in a large bowl, cover and soak overnight (or longer).
• Grease a pudding bowl or basin of around 3-4 cup capacity.
• Cream butter, sugar and orange rind together until light and fluffy. Pour in orange juice and mix well.
• Add eggs one at a time and beat well after each addition.
• Stir in soaked sultanas.
• In a separate bowl combine sifted flour, cocoa, baking powder and spices.
• Fold this through the wet mixture. Lastly, stir in the breadcrumbs.
• Pour into pudding basin and smooth the top with the back of a spoon. Leave at least 1 cm at the top for the pudding to expand.
• Cover the bowl or basin with a lid or foil.
• Place the pudding into the slow cooker. Pour in enough water to come 2/3 of the way up the side of the pudding bowl.
• Put on the lid and cook for 5-7 hours on HIGH.
• Remove the pudding from the slow cooker and allow to cool. Turn the pudding out and wrap well with plastic wrap followed by a layer of foil. Store in a cool, dry place or in the fridge.
• The pudding can be served warm or cold. To warm the pudding, heat in microwave or slow cooker. If using the slow cooker, put the pudding back in the original bowl or basin, place into the slow cooker and pour in water as before. Cook on HIGH for up to 2- 3 hours.

From my kitchen to yours,

Sam xx

P.S  If you want a traditional Christmas pudding, check out the recipe here.

This Creamy Coleslaw is a light, tangy homemade salad that is quick and easy to prepare.

In high school my friend Sue worked at KFC. I worked at McDonald’s. And so we would always have a little rivalry going on about the two fast food chains. Back then, there wasn’t the plethora of chains there is today. There wasn’t a fast food outlet on every corner, in every food court and at every service station.

Apart from the occasional KFC or McDonald’s, fast food options were limited. The only other fast food we bought was fish and chips or Chinese takeaway (not a hint of Thai/Korean/Vietnamese either back then).

As a result, most people tried the KFC Coleslaw. It was a ‘healthy’ side dish to have with your chicken and chips and was popular. In fact, it was so popular that many tried to copy it, a bit like the secret KFC chicken spice recipe.

But as my friend Sue told me, the ‘secret dressing’ for the coleslaw was in fact secret. Back then, there was one lady who was responsible for making the coleslaw in store. Only she knew what the dressing recipe was. Today the coleslaw would be prepared off-site, with the secret recipe still kept safe.

For me, I did used to enjoy the KFC coleslaw. And it was one thing Sue could say KFC had over McDonald’s. Today, I wouldn’t touch the stuff. Not just because it’s a processed salad. But compared to this fresh coleslaw, it doesn’t rate when it comes to flavour.

Also, I prefer a crunchy, chunky texture to my coleslaw which KFC could never deliver. The final beauty of this creamy coleslaw is the dressing. Light and tangy it doesn’t drown the coleslaw mix like a traditional mayonnaise dressing.

I hope you enjoy it too. And tell me, what do you think of KFC coleslaw?

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Creamy Coleslaw with Yoghurt Dressing

A light, tangy salad that is quick and easy to prepare.

Course Salad

Prep Time 10 minutes minutes

Total Time 10 minutes minutes

Author The Klutzy Cook

Ingredients

• Salad
• 1/4 head of cabbage shredded
• 2 small carrots grated
• 1/2 red capsicum chopped
• 1/2 cup chopped shallots or spring onions
• Dressing
• 2 tablespoons mayonnaise
• 3/4 cup plain yoghurt
• Squeeze of lemon juice optional
• Salt and pepper

Instructions

• Toss all the salad ingredients together in a large bowl.
• Combine the mayo, yoghurt and lemon juice in a jug and mix well. Season to taste.
• Pour dressing over salad mix and toss to combine.

Notes

-- A food processor can be used to prepare the vegetables. I like mine fairly chunky so I hand cut them.

-- Green or red cabbage can be used. Even a combination of the two.

-- The size of cabbages can really vary. All up you want around 4 to 5 cups of shredded cabbage.

Tomato sauce (or ketchup) is a favourite everywhere.  Here in Australia we love it with pies, burgers, sausages and hot chips.  Some people even like it with eggs, which to me is revolting.  Am I the odd one out?

Any way, the problem is, that store bought tomato sauce doesn’t actually taste like tomato.  It is sickly sweet (which of course is why kids LOVE it) and on the whole doesn’t add a lot of goodness to anything.  Which is why whenever I watched my kids put it on food (or my beloved put it on eggs!), it made me cringe. Not any more.

After a bit of experimenting, we now enjoy this chunky tomato sauce.  Sometimes homemade tomato sauce can be a bit runny, but the addition of apple in this helps to thicken it up.  It also contributes to the sweetness.

The sauce is chunky because its just gets a final whizz in the blender or food processor once cooked.  No straining or removal of said ‘chunky’ bits.  The more you blend, the less chunky it will be, but it won’t be as smooth and runny as the store bought version.  As a result, this sauce is better suited to spooning, not squeezing.  If the chunky bits bother you, you can try straining them out after blending.

With the addition of this wonderful sauce to our pantry, I am now happy for everyone to put it on their food in big blobs.  I’m even OK with seeing it on eggs. 😉  I hope you enjoy it too.

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Chunky Tomato Sauce

A chunky tomato sauce that is great with pies, burgers, sausages and hot chips. Spoon it on and enjoy.

Course Preserve

Prep Time 5 minutes minutes

Cook Time 30 minutes minutes

Total Time 35 minutes minutes

Servings 375 g

Author The Klutzy Cook

Ingredients

• 500 g ripe tomatoes chopped
• 1 green apple cored and chopped
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 100 g vinegar see notes
• 50 g sugar see notes
• 1/8 teaspoon ground cloves
• 1/8 teaspoon allspice
• 1/8 teaspoon cinnamon

Instructions

Stovetop Method

• Combine all ingredients in saucepan.
• Bring to the boil over medium heat. Cook for 30 minutes. Stir occasionally to prevent mix sticking to the bottom of the pan.
• Once it's cooked, the sauce will have thickened up.
• Remove from heat and place into a food processor or blender. Blend until it reaches the 'chunkiness' you would like. The longer you blend, the less chunky it will be.
• Pour into sterilised jar and seal with lid (see notes). Allow to cool. Store.

Thermo Cooker Method

• Combine all ingredients in machine.
• Cook for 30 mins/ST/Sp1.
• Blend for 30 seconds - start at speed 6 gradually increase to speed. Check for consistency. Blend longer if desired.
• Pour into sterilised jar and seal with lid (see notes). Allow to cool. Store.

Notes

-- Use any vinegar you have on hand - apple cider (what I used), white or wine vinegar are all good. A good quality vinegar is best.

-- Similarly, use any type of sugar - white, raw, brown, coconut, rapadura (what I used).

-- To sterilise jar- wash in warm soapy water and rinse. Place in 100C oven for 30 minutes. To sterilise lid - boil in water for 5 - 10 minutes.

-- The recipe yield will vary but it should be around 1 1/2 cups, so ensure your jar is a suitable size.