Sweet Potato Brownie

Recipe adapted from I Quit Sugar

Makes 16 slices

Ingredients

oil for greasing
3 tablespoons coconut flour
2 tablespoons raw cacao powder
¼ teaspoon gluten free baking powder
¼ teaspoon ground cinnamon
pinch of sea salt
1 scoop vanilla protein powder
50g dark chocolate, melted & cooled
1 cup sweet potato puree, cooled
3 eggs, whisked
¼ cup coconut oil
⅓ cup rice malt syrup
½ tsp vanilla extract

Method

1. Preheat oven to 180°C
2. Grease a 20x20cm baking tin and line with baking paper
3. In a bowl, combine dry ingredients. In a separate bowl add the wet ingredients, including sweet potato puree and whisk
4. Stir dry ingredients into wet ingredients and mix well. Pour into lined tin and spread evenly
5. Bake for 20 minutes, or until a skewer inserted into the centre comes out clean
6. Cool for 10 minutes before cutting into squares

Notes & Tips

To make sweet potato puree: cut sweet potato into evenly sized chunks. Place into a steamer for 20 minutes or until they become really soft. Add to food processor and puree until smooth.

Dairy free option- use brown rice protein powder

Beef stir-fry with garlic shoots

Ingredients

500g beef stir fry strips
1 bunch garlic shoots, cut into 4cm pieces
2 cloves garlic, finely sliced

Beef Marinade

2 tablespoons soy sauce
1 teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon sugar
1 teaspoon sesame oil
2 teaspoons corn flour
pinch of white pepper

Method

1. Marinate beef for at least 30 minutes
2. In the pan, add 1 tablespoon oil on a medium high heat. Add the garlic and sauté until fragrant, then add the beef and cook until halfway.
3. Add the garlic shoots and stir fry until beef is cooked. 
4. Season with salt and pepper. Serve

Gordan Ramsay's Broccoli Soup

This is by the far the most easiest soup I've ever made! Yummy and super healthy- it's also a great way to get some greens into your diet

Ingredients

2 medium broccoli
1.5L water
1 tablespoon salt
olive oil

Method

1. Bring water to a boil in a large sauce pan. Add salt. Add broccoli and boil rapidly for 4 minutes. Your broccoli is ready when you can piece it with little or no effort.
2. Remove broccoli using a slotted spoon and put into a blender. Pour the broccoli water to fill the blender half way. Add a pinch (or more) of salt. Use several pulses on your blender to break the broccoli up and then puree for several seconds.
3. Pour soup into a bowl. Drizzle lightly with olive oil and serve at once!

Green Beans Stir Fried with Oyster Mushroom & Garlic

Recipe by Luke Nguyen

Ingredients

1 tablespoon vegetable oil
2 garlic cloves, thinly sliced
200g green beans, cut into 5cm lengths
100g oyster mushrooms, torn in half
2 teaspoons light soy sauce
1 tablespoon oyster sauce
2 teaspoons sugar
1 teaspoon sesame oil
½ teaspoon freshly ground pepper
Coriander sprigs, to garnish

Method

Place a large frying pan or wok over high heat. 
Add the vegetable oil and fry the garlic until fragrant. 
Add the green beans and stir fry for 2 minutes, the add the oyster mushrooms, soy sauce, oyster sauce, sugar, sesame oil and pepper. 
Toss for a further minute, then transfer to a plate. 
Garnish with coriander and serve immediately

Pippies wok-tossed with chilli & Asian basil

Recipe adapted from Luke Nguyen

Ingredients

1 ½ cups water
2 lemongrass stalks, bruised, finely sliced
1kg pippies/vongole
2 tablespoons sugar
1 tablespoon fish sauce
3 tablespoons oyster sauce
2 tablespoons oil
1 tablespoon finely diced garlic
1 tablespoon finely diced red Asian shallots
1 tablespoon corn flour mixed with 1 tablespoon water
2 long red chillies, finely sliced
1 handful Asian basil leaves
green shallots, to garnish

Method

In a large saucepan, bring water to the boil. Add lemongrass and pippies. Cover and cook until pippies open slightly (roughly 4 minutes).

In a bowl, add sugar, fish sauce & oyster sauce. Mix until sugar dissolves and set aside.

Strain the pippies, reserving its broth.

Heat a wok to high, add oil, garlic and red shallots, followed by the pippies, then wok toss for 1 minute.

Add the sauce and 6 tablespoons of the pippie broth, toss for a further minute, then add the dissolved corn flour.

Add chilli, pepper and Asian broth and toss to combine.

Gluten Free Banana Bread

I had some leftover ripe bananas sitting in my fruit bowl today. Not wanting them to go to waste nor put them in the freezer since I often forget about the things I put in there, I decided to make banana bread. Since I'm trying to cut out wheat and refined sugars from my diet at the moment, I made a gluten-free version. This banana bread is much lighter in texture and healthier to eat. It's also very simple to make and very tasty. Making this at the start of the week means I now have something healthy to snack on for morning or afternoon tea. Especially since I still enjoy eating desserts :)

Recipe adapted from Teresa Cutter's The 80/20 Diet recipe book

Ingredients

1 ¼ cups mashed ripe banana (about 2 large bananas)
3 eggs, room temperature
2 tablespoons rice malt syrup
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
¼ cup coconut oil
½ teaspoon ground cinnamon
½ teaspoon baking soda
1 tablespoon lemon juice
2 cups almond meal
2 teaspoons chia seeds
chopped walnuts, to decorate (optional)
1 extra banana, sliced, to decorate (optional)

Method

1. Preheat oven to 160°C. Grease base and sides of a 7cm deep, 11cm x 21cm (base) loaf pan. Line with baking paper, allowing a 2cm overhang at both long ends. 
2. Combine the mashed banana, eggs, rice malt syrup, vanilla extract, coconut oil, cinnamon, baking soda and lemon juice in a large mixing bowl.
3. Add the almond meal and chia seeds. Mix well until combined. 
4. Pour batter into loaf pan. Decorate the top of banana bread with sliced banana or a handful of chopped walnuts. 
5. Bake for 45 minutes or until a skewer inserted into the centre comes out clean.
6. Cool in pan for 10 minutes. Lift onto a wire rack to cool completely. Cut into 10 even slices.

Notes & Tips

• Cover the top of the cake with foil if over-browning
• Keeps in the fridge covered for up to one week

Hummus Dip

Ingredients

1x 400g can chick peas, drained, rinsed 

½ teaspoon ground cumin

2 tablespoons lime juice

2 cloves garlic, crushed

2 tablespoons tahini paste (sesame paste)

Up to ½ cup olive oil

Method

Blend all ingredients together in a mini food processor until smooth. Add oil last, a little at a time. Depending on the taste and consistency you like, add as much as necessary up to the 1/2 cup.

Serve with paprika sprinkled on top and extra olive oil drizzled over the top.

Pearl Barley & Smoked Paprika Minestrone Soup

Warm, hearty and healthy soup

Recipe adapted from taste.com.au, April 2014

Ingredients

1 tablespoon olive oil
1 brown onion, diced into 1cm cubes
1 carrot, diced into 1cm cubes
1 zucchini, diced into 1cm cubes
2 garlic cloves, crushed
2 teaspoons smoked paprika
2x400g cans diced tomatoes
1.5L-2L vegetable stock
⅓ cup pearl barley
400g can barlotti beans, rinsed, drained
½ bunch kale, shredded
flat leaf parsley leaves, roughly chopped, to serve

Method

1. Heat oil in a large saucepan over high heat. Add onion, carrot, zucchini and garlic. Cook stirring for 5 minutes or until onion softens.
2. Add paprika and stir to combine. Add tomatoes, stock and barley. Bring to the boil. Reduce heat to medium-low. Cook, stirring occasionally for 30 minutes or until barley is tender. Add beans and kale. Stir until kale wilts. Taste and season with salt and pepper.
3. Divide soup among serving bowls. Sprinkle with parsley to serve. 

Chocolate Protein Balls

I first came across chocolate protein balls when I was watching the reality tv show Recipe to Riches. In this show, everyday home cooks have the opportunity to take their home recipe and turn it into a product to be sold at Woolworths supermarkets. Each week, there are different food categories and contestants battle it out to be the final winner in that category. Viewers can then buy the winning contestant's product, straight from the supermarket shelf the day after the episode goes to air! The more products that are sold, the greater chance the contestant has of seeing their product on the supermarket shelf permanently and win the competition/tv series. I absolutely love watching this show. It's very inspiring, interactive and entertaining. Someday, I wish I can create something worthwhile to enter!

In season 2, I think on the third week, they had a health food category and the product that won was called "Choc Bombs". Basically these were chocolate protein balls made from cashews, dates, chia seeds, cacao, protein powder and coconut oil. I bought this product and absolutely loved it. They were a great snack to eat on my way home from work when I would feel peckish and since they were individually packaged, I was able to conveniently keep them in my handbag. Since purchasing this product, I've wanted to try making my own protein balls. I found a few recipes online and I tried the one from Women's Health magazine today since it had the ingredients most similar to the Choc Bombs. The taste was pretty spot on! Next time I make this recipe, I'll try adding the chia seeds and coconut oil.

Makes 16 balls

Ingredients

1 cup raw cashews

2 tablespoons rice malt syrup

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

8 medjool dates, pitted

2 tablespoons cacao powder

½ cup desiccated coconut, for coating

Method

Place cashews into a mini food processor and blend until smooth

Place remaining ingredients (except the desiccated coconut) and mix until well combined

Roll a tablespoon of the mixture into a ball

Roll ball into dessiccated coconut until evenly coated

Place ball on a plate lined with baking paper

Place in the fridge to set

Notes & Tips


You can cheat and buy cashew butter rather than making your own-  I wasn't able to find any in my health food store though.

I found rice malt syrup in the health food section of Coles supermarket. If you can't find this product, substitute with honey instead and adjust the sweetness to your taste. 

Chocolate Berry Power Smoothie

They say breakfast is the most important meal in the day as it fuels your body, so what better way to start than with a power smoothie!

This recipe is by Melissa Ramos from her Remodel Sexy Cookbook. It's very quick and easy to make, plus it tastes really nice.

In Melissa's recipe she also adds 1oz E3 live and a generous handful of spinach. I didn't have both these ingredients so did without it.

Ingredients

1 cup unsweetened almond milk

½ cup frozen mixed berries

1 scoop vanilla protein powder

1 tablespoon cacao powder

1 tablespoon coconut oil

Method

Combine all ingredients in a high powered blender, pour and enjoy

Papaya, Carrot & Sweet Corn Soup

Home style Chinese comfort food. This is great to drink in Summer or Winter for hydration

Ingredients

½ papaya, peeled and chopped into large chunks
1 sweet corn- chopped into large chunks
1 carrot, chopped
750ml-1L water
80g rock sugar
2 honey dates
1 ginger slice
1 white fungus (optional)

Method

1. Add all the ingredients into a pot and boil for 10 minutes
2. Reduce heat to low and simmer for 10 minutes
3. Serve warm or cool

Sweet Basil Seed Drink

This is a really cool and refreshing beverage to drink on a hot summer day like today! Sometimes I make it ahead of time in the morning and by the afternoon, it's ready and cold enough to quench my thirst and cool me straight down.

It is a bit of a strange drink though since the basil seeds turn gelatinous once soaked in water. I also sometimes like to add some grass jelly cubes to this drink to make it more like a sweet dessert soup.

Ingredients

3 cups hot water
Approx 50g rock sugar, or to taste
2 teaspoons basil seeds
Mint, to garnish

Method

1. Mix the water, sugar and basil seeds together in a bowl and stir until sugar is dissolved
2. Stand for 5 minutes before cooling in the refrigerator. 
3. Add ice cubes prior to serving

Notes & Tips

I normally leave the drink in the fridge for at least 45 mins so that it has enough time to cool down. 

You can also add honey to this drink if your prefer it sweeter

Penne boscaiola with asparagus

Recipe adapted from Super Food Ideas, October 2011 issue, page 24

Ingredients

400g penne pasta
1 tablespoon cornflour
½ cup chicken stock
300ml evaporated light cream
1 tablespoon olive oil
100g bacon, diced
x2 chicken minute steaks
200g button mushrooms, sliced
2 garlic cloves, crushed
2 green onions, sliced (or 1 small brown onion)
1 bunch asparagus, trimmed, cut into 1cm slices
¾ cup frozen green peas
1 teaspoon finely grated lemon rind
Parmesan cheese, grated

Method

1. Cook pasta in a saucepan of salted boiling water, following packet directions, until tender. Drain.
2. Meanwhile, place cornflour in a bowl. Add the stock. Stir until smooth. Add cream and whisk until smooth. Set aside. 
3. Heat oil in a large, deep frying pan over medium high heat. Add bacon. Cook, stirring, for 4 minutes or until golden. 
4. Season chicken steaks and add to pan. Cook for 1 minute each side or until golden. Remove chicken steaks onto a plate to rest.
5. Meanwhile, add mushrooms and garlic to pan. Cook, stirring, for 5 minutes or until mushrooms are tender. Add onion and asparagus. Cook, stirring, for 2 minutes or until onion is tender.
6. Add cream mixture and peas to pan. Bring to boil. Reduce heat to medium-low. Cook, stirring for 2 to 3 minutes or until thickened and asparagus is tender. Add pasta and lemon rind. Slice up the chicken steaks and toss to combine. Season with salt and pepper. Serve with some grated Parmesan cheese.

Stir-fried hoisin pork and beans

Recipe adapted from Feast Magazine, October 2014 issue, page 36

Ingredients

375g green beans
¼ cup hoisin sauce
1 tablespoon soy sauce
1 teaspoon sesame oil
1 tablespoon vegetable oil
2 spring onions, sliced
1 long red chilli, finely chopped
2 garlic cloves, crushed
½ teaspoon ginger, finely grated
500g minced pork
chopped chillies, extra to garnish (optional)

Method

1. In a pot of boiling salted water, cook the green beans for about 3 minutes, or until just tender. Using tongs, transfer the green beans to a plate lined with paper towels and cool to room temperature. 
2. Combine hoisin sauce, soy sauce and sesame oil in a jug. Set aside
3. Heat 1 tablespoon vegetable oil in a frying pan over medium heat, add the spring onions, chilli, garlic and ginger, and cook for 1 minute or until softened. 
4. Increase heat to high and add the pork. Cook for 7 minutes or until browned and slightly crisp.
5. Add the hoisin, soy sauce, sesame oil and beans, and cook for a further 2 minutes.
6. Serve with steamed rice.

Mini Lemon Meringue Pies

Ingredients

12 frozen sweet tart cases

Lemon Curd Filling

½ cup lemon juice

100g unsalted butter

½ cup caster sugar

1 egg

3 egg yolks

Meringue Topping

3 egg whites

3 tablespoons caster sugar

pinch of cream of tartar

Method

To make lemon curd filling: heat lemon juice and butter in a small saucepan and simmer until butter has melted. Add sugar, egg and yolks and cook, whisking continuously until mixture becomes thick and glossy. Transfer to a bowl. Cover with plastic wrap and place in the fridge until cooled completely (approx. 30mins - 1hr).

Preheat oven to 200°C. Place the tart cases on a baking tray. Bake in oven for 10 minutes or until brown.

Meanwhile, make meringue topping: use an electric mixer to beat the egg whites in a clean, dry bowl until soft peaks form. Gradually add cream of tartar and sugar, a tablespoonful at a time, beating until sugar has dissolved between each addition. Continue beating until sugar is dissolved and mixture is thick and glossy. Spoon meringue mixture into a piping bag.

Spoon the lemon mixture evenly among the tart cases, being careful to not overfill (approx.1 tablespoon per tart). Pipe a swirl of meringue mixture on top of each tart or use the back of a spoon to create peaks.

Place under heated grill for 60-90 seconds until meringue is lightly golden brown or run a kitchen blowtorch over the meringue. Stand for 5 minutes before serving. Serve hot or cold with cream or ice cream.

Peking Style Shredded Pork

Ingredients

350g pork, thinly sliced
1 teaspoon baking soda
green shallots, thinly sliced
2 tablespoons vegetable oil

Pork Marinade 

1 tablespoon Chinese cooking wine
1½ teaspoons chicken stock powder
1 teaspoon cornflour
pinch of ground white pepper

Sauce 

2 tablespoons spicy bean paste sauce 
3 tablespoons water
2 teaspoons sugar

Method

Marinate the pork with the baking soda for 10 minutes and then rinse clean the pork thoroughly of the baking soda. Pat the pork dry with paper towels and then marinate with the Chinese cooking wine, chicken stock powder, corn flour and ground white pepper. Mix well and let stand for 10-15 minutes.

In a sauté pan, heat up 2 tablespoons of oil on high heat. Add pork and stir fry until half cooked, about 2 minutes. Drain and set aside.

Using the same sauté pan, reduce to medium heat. Add bean paste sauce, water and sugar. Sauté until sauce begins to thicken, about 1 minute. Add back the pork to sauté until fully cooked. Sprinkle over the sliced green onions. Serve with rice.

Rolled Oat Biscuits

I ate some rolled oat biscuits at a Xmas family gathering and loved them. Have been wanting to recreate them ever since and finally got around to doing some baking today. They were actually quite easy to make!

Ingredients

180g butter, softened
1 cup brown sugar 
1 cup flour, plus extra
1 teaspoon baking powder
1 teaspoon ground ginger
1 teaspoon mixed spice
2 cups rolled oats
½ teaspoon baking soda
¼ cup milk

Method

1. Preheat oven to 150ºC.  Line and grease 2 large oven baking trays with non-stick baking paper.
2. Cream the butter and sugar in a cake mixer, beat well for about 5 minutes. Sift over the flour, baking powder, ginger and mixed spice. Add rolled oats, fold these in by hand. 
3. Dissolve the baking soda in the milk, then mix thoroughly into mixture.  
4. Roll about ½ tablespoonfuls (about walnut size pieces) of the oat mixture into balls and place, about 5cm apart, on the prepared trays. Press down slightly with your hand or a floured fork.
5. Bake for 12 minutes or until golden. Set aside for 10 minutes to cool slightly before transferring to wire racks to cool completely. Biscuits will keep in an airtight container for up to 2 weeks.

Notes & Tips

• Brown sugar helps give the biscuit a browner and richer flavour. It also helps hold in moisture and makes the biscuits softer and chewier. If you prefer a crunchier biscuit, replace with caster sugar instead
• Make sure that the biscuits are totally cooled before you put them away.
• To keep your biscuits soft and chewy, place them in a sealed container with a slice of bread. The biscuits will draw moisture from the bread making it nice and soft again. The bread will become hard in a few days though so be sure to change it. This trick also works if you have hard sugar.

Shredded Pork with Carrot & Garlic Shoots

This is a Chinese home-style dish. The pork in this dish is smooth and tender, whilst the garlic shoots & carrot are fresh and crunchy. 

Serves 2

Ingredients

250g-300g lean pork fillet

1 teaspoon baking soda

1 bunch garlic shoots, cut into 5cm long sections

1 carrot, cut into thin strips

2 tablespoons light soy sauce

1 teaspoon sugar

½ teaspoon cornflour

salt and white pepper powder

2 tablespoons vegetable oil

Method

Step 1: Marinate the pork with the baking soda for 10 minutes and then rinse the pork thoroughly (make sure the pork is properly rinsed clean of the baking soda). Pat the pork dry with paper towels and then marinate with the soy sauce, sugar and cornflour. Add a pinch of salt and white pepper powder. Mix well and let stand for 10-15 minutes.

Step 2: Place a wok over high heat until hot. Add 1 tablespoon vegetable oil, swirling to coat sides. Add the pork and stir-fry until the meat turns pale yellow in colour. Remove them from the wok put into a dish, and set aside.

Step 3: Add the remaining vegetable oil into the wok. Add the carrot strips and garlic shoots and stir-fry for about 2 minutes. Add some salt and pepper powder, and stir-fry for 10 seconds more. Add the stir-fried pork and stir them well. Turn off the heat. Serve with rice

Strawberry Mousse Chocolate Cake

This is a revised recipe of my strawberry mousse cake. I first made this cake for my mum's birthday and have since made it again for a Christmas family gathering. 

Ingredients

A) 1x 20cm chocolate sponge cake, cut into 2 even layers

B) 300g strawberry, cleaned and hulled
     ¼ cup caster sugar
     1 tablespoon water
     1 teaspoon strawberry essence

C)  300ml cream
     3 tablespoons icing sugar
     ½ teaspoon pink food colouring (optional)

D) 1 tablespoon gelatine powder 
     50ml warm water 

E)  Extra strawberries sliced and cubed (I used approx 1/3cup)

F)  100ml thickened cream

     1 tablespoon icing sugar, extra

G)  Sugar syrup glaze (optional)

H)  6 even sized strawberries, halved for garnish 

Method

1. Set aside 6 even sized strawberries for the garnish on top of the cake.
2. Dice approx. 1/3 cup strawberries and set aside.
3. Clean and hull the remaining strawberries. Add ¼ cup caster sugar and let it sit for 5 minutes. Purée them in a blender together with 1 tablespoon of water and 1 teaspoon strawberry essence then put it through a strainer. You should get about 400ml strawberry purée. Discard the strawberry seeds. Reserve 1½ tablespoons of the purée for the swirl effect on top of the cake.
4. In a chilled bowl, whip 300ml cream with 3 tablespoons icing sugar till mousse state.
5. Dissolve 1 tablespoon gelatine in 50ml warm water, whisk with a fork, let stand for 5 minutes. Whisk the gelatine again then strain it into the strawberry purée. Stir until combined. 
6. Fold the whipped cream into the strawberry mixture. Add pink food colouring, if using. Pour into a measuring jug if your bowl doesn't having a pouring lip.
7. Line the inner circumference of a 23cm spring form cake pan with plastic cake tape. Place a slice of the chocolate sponge cake at the base, cut side up and top it with approx. 1 cup of the mousse. Add in the strawberry pieces (leave a 2cm border around the cake). Press the fruits down gently if needed. Top it with some mousse just enough to cover the strawberry pieces.
8. Top it with another layer of chocolate sponge cake and pour the rest of the mousse evenly over on it.
9. Spoon teaspoonfuls of the reserved purée onto the surface of the mousse on desired positions and swirl it with a toothpick to create the swirls. I put a few teaspoons on the middle of the cake and the rest at clock position of 12, 2, 4, 6, 8 and 10.
10. Cover the cake pan with cling wrap (twice). Refrigerate for at least 6 hours.
11. Make the sugar syrup, then brush the reserved halved strawberries with sugar syrup. Set aside.
12. Use an electric beater to beat 100ml thickened cream and 1 tablespoon icing sugar in a medium bowl until firm peaks form. 
13. Place the cream in a piping bag fitted with a 1cm fluted nozzle and pipe rosettes around the edge of the cake. Arrange some glazed strawberries around the cake between the cream rosettes. 
14. Cut the cake into wedges to serve. 

To make sugar syrup:

50ml (1/4 cup) water

1/2 tablespoon sugar

1/2 tablespoon unflavoured gelatine powder

1. Pour water, sugar and gelatine powder into a small sauce pan.
2. Stir the ingredients to combine over medium heat until the sugar and gelatine dissolves and the water begins to simmer.
3. Remove the pan from heat and set aside for 5 minutes to cool slightly. Brush the glaze over fruit while slightly warm.

Notes & Tips

• I lined the inner circumference of my spring form cake pan with plastic cake tape.
• You can make your own plastic cake tape using clear acetate sheets bought from an arts & craft store. Start by measuring the height of the cake pan (approx 2.5 inches) and cut a long rectangular strip out of the acetate sheet (length of the strip is the circumference of the cake + 2 cm extra).
• You could also decorate this cake with a patterned white chocolate collar if you wish
• If you can't find acetate sheets, you can use baking paper instead
• I placed my cake into a larger spring form cake pan- approx. 23cm. This way the mousse will cover the whole cake and you don’t need to cream the cake. If you don't have a larger spring form cake pan, you can trim your cake smaller.
• If you notice that you have not completely covered the cake with the mousse, you could do a bit of patchwork by using up the left over cream for the rosettes- add  ¼ tsp pink food coloring to the cream and spread/fill in the spaces and smooth it out using a cake scraper. 
• If you don't have strawberry essence, you could use strawberry flavoured gelatine powder instead
• You'll need approx. 2 punnets of strawberries for this recipe.