Quick & Easy Danishes;

2 squares puff pastry
Cherry jam (or any jam you prefer) + 1/2 tspn vanilla extract, stirred to combine

Cinnamon sugar
1 tblspn melted butter

Icing:
Heaped 1/2 cup icing sugar
1/4 tspn vanilla extract
15ml tblspn milk or maple syrup

Preheat oven to 200C.  Place baking paper over a large baking pan.

Place sheets of pastry over a pastry board or non stick flat surface.  Slice one square of puff pastry into quarters – set aside 2 squares and slice the other 2 squares into strips.  Place a tablespoon of jam into the middle of 2 of the squares set aside.  Place strips of pastry over the top then scrunch up the sides of the pastry into a round.

On a lightly floured surface, roll out remaining square of pastry around 1-2cm, then brush melted butter all over the base, and sprinkle over cinnamon sugar generously.  Roll up the pastry carefully, then slice into 6-8 rounds.  Use your hands to gently squash each round of pastry, opening up the sides into a rose shape.

Place danishes onto baking pan and brush a bit of milk over the cinnamon roll danishes.

Bake for 20 minutes, or until puffed up and golden brown.  Allow to cool a bit then drizzle over icing.

Icing:
Combine icing sugar, vanilla and enough milk to stir briskly into a thick icing.

Makes: 8 pastries

We’ve been living on this all summer – spicy and delicious, it’s super easy to put together earlier in the day then you get to just pour it into a bowl and enjoy it for dinner.

Summer black bean salad:

Dressing:
2 tspns maple syrup
1 garlic clove, crushed
1 tspn Dijon mustard
Pinch chilli flakes
1 lime, juiced
40mls extra virgin olive oil
Freshly ground sea salt & black pepper

1 400g tin black beans, rinsed & drained well
1 punnet cherry tomatoes, halved (or quartered if on the large side)
100g frozen or fresh sweetcorn kernels
1 medium red capsicum, diced
1 decent sized avocado, diced
3 spring onions, green parts only, sliced
Handful flat-leaf parsley, chopped

Whisk dressing ingredients in a bowl until combined.

Add corn kernels to a heat-proof bowl and pour over just boiled water – sit for 2 minutes, run cold water over then drain well.

Add salad ingredients to a bowl, season well then pour over dressing and lightly toss through until everything is coated.  Sit for 10 minutes before serving.

Serves: 2

Note: this is also nice with cannellini beans

This is so exciting I thought it well worth while coming back to blogging after a bit of a break.

Everten, an Australian home goods and kitchenware company I often shop from, recently offered me a free product to review for free and I chose this baby – how lucky am I?!  So I promptly made a deliciously tender and flavourful shredded chicken, which is super easy to throw together in this wonderful cooker.

I recommend making more than you need when shredding chicken, as it should last in the fridge for a few days and can be used on sandwiches and salads for lunches and things.

The Cuisinart 3 in 1 houses three components in one package – it steams, browns and slow cooks and is a breeze to use.  You can make anything from curries to cheesecake and it’s great to use in those warmer months when you don’t feel like turning on the oven.  This is a large cooker suitable for a decent sized family, is fully programmable and the inner pot washes easily.  If you’re into slow cooking and like the idea of throwing something together in the morning for dinner, then this is for you.

Thanks so much Everten for this great opportunity.

So onto the recipe!

Recipe for slow cooker BBQ chilli maple shredded chicken burgers:

15mls maple syrup
2 tspns Dijon mustard
2 tspns Worcestershire sauce
Heaped 1/2 cup good BBQ sauce *note
10mls olive or grapeseed oil
1 clove garlic, crushed
1 large red chilli, chopped
500g skinless, boneless chicken breasts, trimmed

4 buttered brioche or hamburger buns
Homemade coleslaw (store-bought is also fine)

Add maple syrup, mustard, Worcestershire and BBQ sauces to a bowl and stir to combine.

Add oil, garlic and chilli to the multi cooker bowl and press brown/sauté to 175C, sautéing for a few minutes until soft and fragrant.

Change to slow cook on high and add in chicken breasts.   Pour sauce mixture over the chicken – cook for 2 1/2 hours, or until chicken is tender and cooked through.

Use tongs to remove chicken breasts to a large bowl and use 2 forks to shred.  Add chicken back to the sauce mixture, stir through and slow cook on high for a further 1/2 an hour.

Put burgers together with chicken and coleslaw or serve with rice.

Serves: up to 4, depending on how hungry you are

Note: regarding the BBQ sauce – use a flavourful sauce with molasses in the ingredients – this will make for a thicker, far superior sauce in the end result.

The fragrant, slightly floral tea flavoured cake with thick, sweet honey icing is lovely. I made 2 mini layer cakes but you could easily make this in a loaf tin or round standard sized tin.

Recipe for Earl Grey & honey layer cake:

200mls milk
2 heaped tspns Earl Grey tea leaves + 1 vanilla or caramel chai teabag
120g unsalted butter, softened at room temp
1 cup raw caster sugar
1/2 tspn vanilla bean paste
2 large eggs
1 1/2 cups cake flour (see note)
2 tspns baking powder
Pinch fine sea salt

Icing:
150g unsalted butter, softened at room temp
1/4 cup good honey
3 cups icing sugar, sifted
Splash of milk
1/2 tspn vanilla bean paste
Cake decorations, if you like

Preheat oven to 180C. Grease well 2 x 10cm (7cm high) round cake tins and line bases with baking paper.  You could also use a 20cm standard cake tin with a removable base.

Grind the tea leaves, including the contents of the teabag, in a mortar and pestle until fine.  Sift flour, baking powder and salt into a bowl and set aside.

Scald milk in a small pan – don’t allow it to boil.  Remove from the heat and empty the contents of the teabags into the milk, stir then set aside to infuse and cool.

Add butter and sugar to a large mixing bowl and use electric mixer to beat on medium speed for 2 minutes, or until light and fluffy.  Add eggs and vanilla one at a time, beating on low speed between each addition, just until incorporated.  Use a wooden spoon to fold through the flour and cooled infused milk in 3 parts, starting with the flour, making sure mixture is incorporated but not over-beaten.

Pour mixture evenly into the cake tins and bake in the centre of the oven for 20 minutes, or until light golden brown and a skewer inserted into the middle of each cake comes out clean.

Cool in tins on cooling rack for 10 minutes.  Carefully run butter knife around the sides of each cake, turn the tins upside down and carefully turn out onto cooling racks upside down to cool completely.  Once completely cooled, slice each cake into 2 layers to make 2 mini layer cakes.

Ice layers and top of each cake, leaving a bit to thinly coat the sides of the cakes.  Decorate if you like.

Icing:
Beat butter and honey on medium speed for a minute or so until smooth and creamy; add in icing sugar 1 cup at a time, beating on medium speed between each addition for 30 seconds.  Once all the icing sugar has been added, add a splash of milk and beat for 3 minutes, or until icing is quite stiff.  Beat through vanilla bean paste until combined.

Makes 2 mini layer cakes; serves: 6

Note:  to make cake flour, add 2 x 15ml tblspns of cornflour to a metric cup then add plain flour until level.  Sift 2-3 times.

Recipe for carrot & sweet potato soup:

1 x 20ml tblspn olive oil
1 x 20ml tblspn unsalted butter
1 tspn curry powder
1/2 tspn ground cumin
1 medium brown onion, chopped
2 cloves garlic, crushed
400g orange sweet potato, peeled & chopped
620g orange carrots, peeled & sliced
2 cups hot, low sodium chicken stock (I used a vegetarian brand)
Freshly ground sea salt & black pepper
Greek yoghurt, to serve

Add oil and butter to a large, heavy based saucepan along with spices, onion & garlic.  Bring to medium heat, stirring occasionally, until fragrant and onion is transparent.

Add in vegetables, tossing around a bit then the hot chicken stock.  Bring to a high simmer then reduce heat to gentle simmer.  Season to taste then simmer for around 20 minutes, or until vegetables have softened.

Allow to cool a bit then use a stick blender to blend until smooth and creamy.  Serve with dollops of yoghurt and freshly ground pepper.

Serves: 4

Note: Sweet potato and carrot can be roasted in the oil instead of simmering.

This pretty cake is simple with only a few ingredients but turned out fluffy and soft with a great banana flavour.  A pretty dusting of snowy icing sugar makes it perfect for tea time.

Recipe for banana cake:

1 1/2 cups plain flour (I used stoneground, unbleached, freshly milled flour)
1 1/2 tspns baking powder
1 tspn bicarbonate of soda
1/4 tspn mixed spice
3/4 cup raw caster sugar
3 medium bananas mashed
1/2 cup oil or unsalted, melted & cooled butter
2 large eggs at room temperature
1 tspn vanilla extract

Preheat oven to 150C.  Butter a standard sized cake tin of choice.

Sift flour, raising agents and spice into a large bowl and whisk through sugar.

Whisk bananas, oil, eggs and vanilla extract until combined.  Add to dry ingredients and use wooden spoon to fold through just until combined.

Pour into prepared cake tin and bake for around 40 minutes.  This will depend on the tin you use.

Allow cake to cool in tin for 10 minutes then turn out onto cooling rack.

Dust with icing sugar or top with maple or cream cheese icing.  I like it plain and sliced with butter.

Serves: 8-10

Note:  this freezes well.  I defrost pieces in gladwrap at room temp and serve with butter.

Singapore noodles are one of my favourite things to eat; this dish was always something I’d buy as take away years ago if I felt like something spicy.  I’ve never made it though!  So last night I gave it a go and it was delicious.

Recipe for Singapore noodles:

500g chicken breast fillets, sliced thinly (can swap 200g of the chicken breast for prawns if you like)
1 x 20ml tblspn Chinese rice wine (I substituted Mirin as that’s all I had)
2 tspns honey
60mls sodium reduced soy sauce or tamari
1 x 20ml tblspn fresh ginger, chopped finely
2 cloves garlic, crushed
Pinch chilli flakes
440g fresh Singapore noodles
60mls peanut or vegetable oil
1 x 20ml tblspn curry powder
2 shallots, peeled and sliced into wedges
1 large red capsicum, sliced into 5cm thin strips
150g snow peas, trimmed
4 green spring onions, green part sliced
1 sodium reduced chicken stock cube mixed with 1/2 cup boiled water
40g raw cashew nuts (optional)
Freshly ground sea salt & black pepper

Find a ceramic, deep sided baking dish and place in chicken slices; pour rice wine, honey, 20mls of the soy sauce, ginger, garlic and chilli flakes into a small bowl and whisk to combine.  Drizzle marinade over chicken and toss through until coated, cover with plastic wrap and marinate for 30 minutes in the fridge.

Just before you take the chicken out of the fridge, place noodles in a heatproof bowl and pour over enough boiled water to cover; allow to soak for 3-5 minutes, or until tender.  Separate strands with tongs, drain and set aside.

Add 20mls of oil to a large pan or wok, heat to high and add in half the chicken mixture.  Stir fry for a few minutes until browned and cooked through and place onto a plate.  Add the remainder of the chicken mixture along with the marinade and repeat, making sure to reduce heat if need be.  Add the second batch of chicken to the plate.

Add the remaining oil in the pan then add in the curry powder and shallots, stir frying over medium heat for 2 minutes or so until shallots are transparent.  Add in a tablespoon of the chicken stock to deglaze the pan then the capsicum and snow peas, tossing for a further few minutes until tender but still brightly coloured.    Turn heat to high, then add the chicken mixture (with the juices), remainder of the soy sauce and a further 40mls of chicken stock as well as the noodles, stirring through until hot and combined.  Add more chicken stock if you think it’s needed.

You can season if you like however I found it wasn’t necessary.

Take pan off the heat and stir through spring onions and cashews then serve.

Serves: 4

Note: you could totally make this vegetarian – just replace the chicken with 500g vegetables (things like steamed broccoli florets, peas, green beans, brown mushrooms) and cook as above.

I know, I sound like a complete knob asking people to use organic stoneground unbleached freshly milled plain flour but the reason for that is that I accidently purchased some online, thinking it was just regular old plain flour.

Anyway, if you manage to get your hands on it, it’s a lovely, healthy flour which I recommend for rustic muffins/loaf/cake type things (you wouldn’t make a sponge cake or cuppies with it).  These autumn inspired muffins turned out soft and fluffy, gorgeous with butter and a cup of tea for breakfast this morning.

In saying all that, you can use whatever flour you like but I’d replace around 1/2 a cup of it with wheat germ or oat bran just to up the health factor a bit.

Recipe for spicy pumpkin & date muffins:

2 cups flour
2 tspns baking powder
1/2 tspn bicarbonate of soda
1 tspn mixed spice + 1/2 tspn ground nutmeg + 1/2 tspn ground cinnamon + 1/2 tspn ground ginger + 1/4 tspn ground cloves (OR 1 3/4 tspns pumpkin spice + 1 tspn granola spice)
A couple of grinds of sea salt
1/2 cup raw caster sugar or brown sugar
80g dates, finely chopped
2 large eggs, lightly beaten
1/4 cup maple syrup
1/4 cup Greek yoghurt, sour cream or buttermilk
80g unsalted butter, melted & cooled
1 tspn maple or vanilla essence
1 slightly rounded cup of roasted or steamed, mashed and cooled pumpkin (about 340-400g raw, peeled pumpkin)

Topping:
Cinnamon sugar
1 tblspn melted butter

Preheat oven to 180C.  Line a 6 cup Texas sized non-stick muffin tin (or 12 cup standard sized muffin tin) with baking paper.

Sift flour, raising agents and spices into a bowl.  Add salt, sugar and dates then whisk to combine.  In a separate bowl combine eggs, maple syrup, yoghurt, melted butter, essence and mashed pumpkin and whisk until fairly smooth.  If using brown sugar, I find it easier to stir that into the wet ingredients as this type of sugar tends to clump.

Add the wet ingredients to the dry, folding until combined but do not over-mix.

Spoon batter into prepared muffin tin.  Bake for 25 minutes (for large muffins) or 18-20 (for standard sized), or until tops spring back when gently pressed.

Remove from the oven, brush melted butter over the tops and sprinkle over cinnamon sugar.  Sit in tin for 5 minutes before placing on cooling rack.

Serve warm with butter.

Makes: 6 large or 12 standard sized

Note: pumpkin can be made the day before and stored in the fridge. Cut into 3cm cubes, steam for 15 minutes, or until tender, mash well and cool. Before using, allow it to come to room temperature.

Note 2: Muffins can be frozen and reheated in the microwave.

Baked gnocchi, meatball & mozzarella bake:

30mls olive oil
1 medium/large red onion, diced
2-3 garlic cloves, crushed
1 small pinch chilli flakes
300g store bought turkey or beef meatballs (or make your own!)
Freshly ground sea salt & black pepper
2 heaped tblspns no sodium tomato paste
2 x 400g tins cherry tomatoes
2 level tspns raw sugar
500g store bought gnocchi
1/3 cup cooking cream
1 decent handful fresh basil, torn
300g fresh cherry tomatoes
220g cherry bocconcini
Handful finely grated parmesan cheese

Preheat oven to 200C.

Add oil to a dutch or french oven then the onion, garlic and chilli flakes, seasoning well and sautéing over low/medium heat until onion is transparent and softened.  Turn heat to medium-high and carefully place in meatballs, stirring until browned on both sides.  Add tomato paste, stirring for a minute to cook down then add the tinned tomatoes, stirring to combine.  Add further seasoning to taste, the sugar and gnocchi, folding through to make sure gnocchi is covered by the liquid.  Place the lid on and turn hotplate down to medium, gently simmering for 10-15 minutes or so, stirring quite often.  This is to make sure the meatballs and gnocchi are cooked through.

Add cream just before the end of cooking time with further seasoning to taste, stir through then remove from hotplate and stir through basil.

Add the fresh cherry tomatoes, fold in gently then scatter the bocconcini over the top (if you have large bocconcini, then tear into smaller pieces first); sprinkle over parmesan.  Bake uncovered for 20-25 minutes or until cheese is all melty and golden brown and mixture is bubbling.

Allow to sit for a few minutes before serving with buttered crusty bread and a salad.

Serves: 4

Inspired by and adapted from: Simply Delicious

These are brilliant and so easy to make – I just made a bunch for new year’s to have with drinks.  You could easily add different flavours to your liking (chilli & sweetcorn, feta and roast pumpkin, just for example).

You can store them in the fridge for a few days for lunches too.

Recipe for mini zucchini & bacon quiches:

125g packet short cut bacon (can sub with 120g crumbled fetta cheese if preferred)
1 packet Old El Paso Stand ‘N Stuff Mini Whole Grain Tortillas
5 eggs, whisked
1 medium zucchini, grated & squeezed in a paper towel to remove excess liquid
2 x 20ml tblspns plain flour
1 cup coarsely grated cheddar cheese or 4 cheese mix (120g)
2 x 20ml tblspns cooking cream, milk or Greek yoghurt
3 spring onions, green part only, chopped finely
3 tblspns flat leaf parsley, chopped finely
Freshly ground sea salt & pepper
30g finely grated parmesan cheese (optional)

Preheat oven to 200C.  Place baking paper onto a baking tray and layer over bacon pieces.  Cook in oven for 10 minutes, turn over pieces then bake for a further 10 minutes until crispy around the edges.  Chop finely and cool a bit.

Meanwhile, add eggs, zucchini, flour, cheese, cream, herbs and seasoning to a bowl and whisk until combined.  Fold through cooled bacon.

Replace baking paper on tray and place 12 tortillas onto tray.  Spoon zucchini bacon mixture into tortillas, sprinkle over parmesan and bake for 20 minutes, or until cases are light golden and filling has puffed up, is golden and cooked through.

Serve warm, at room temperature or after chilling in the fridge.

Makes: 12 mini quiches (approx.3 quiches per serving)

Adapted from: Plateful