Eat, Fast and Live Longer. A 5-2 Fast Diet Recipe Idea Under 400 Calories. Shredded Kale Salad With Grilled Haloumi, Roast Pumpkin And Beetroot Crisps

Posted on May 11, 2015 by thepaddingtonfoodie

Shredded Kale Salad With Grilled Haloumi, Roast Pumpkin And Beetroot Crisps

Sometimes, to be honest perhaps most times,  on a 5-2 fast day I crave a substantial plate of food. Something I can look forward to and makes me feel like I am not really fasting at all. On days like these I turn to kale. Its rustic, robust leaves effortlessly fill my plate.

I’m a relative newcomer to the delights of kale, having only discovered last summer how sweet, silky and deliciously addictive it an be in this post. The secret to transforming those verdant sturdy leaves into something moreishly delicious is really rather simple. A quick massage with just a little olive oil, lemon and garlic eliminates all hint of the grassiness and biting bitterness so often associated with sturdy greens.

This Autumn I’m pairing my kale leaves with the big bold flavours of roasted pumpkin and beetroot chips. The natural sweetness of the dish perfectly offset by the addition of salty grilled haloumi. The result? A large inviting 319 calorie salad that fills my plate and brightens up an otherwise dreary day.

Shredded Kale Salad With Grilled Haloumi, Roast Pumpkin And Beetroot Crisps
Serves 4 (319 calories per generous plateful serve)

3 cups butternut pumpkin, deseeded, peeled, sliced into chunks (90 calories)
2 medium sized (about 175g) beetroot, washed, peeled and very thinly sliced using a mandolin (74 calories)
1 large bunch kale, rinsed and dried, ribs removed, leaves thinly sliced crosswise (about 500g shredded weight) (250 calories)
2 tablespoons olive oil, divided (240 calories)
180g block  haloumi cheese (612 calories)
finely grated zest and freshly squeezed juice of half lemon (6 calories)
1 garlic clove, grated (4 calories)
sea salt flakes and freshly ground black pepper

PREHEAT oven to 180 C. Line three baking trays with non-stick baking paper.
PLACE pumpkin in a shallow bowl. Drizzle with half a tablespoon olive oil and season with a generous pinch of sea salt and a good grinding of black pepper.
TOSS gently to coat, then arrange in a single layer on a lined tray.
DRIZZLE half a tablespoon olive oil into a large shallow bowl. Add 2 generous pinches of sea salt. Stir to combine.
PLACE thinly sliced beetroot into the oiled bowl. Mix well to ensure each slice is coated with a little oil.
LAY the beetroot slices in a single layer on the remaining two oven trays.
PLACE trays of pumpkin and beetroot into the preheated oven at the same time. BAKE the pumpkin, turning once, for about 30 minutes or until golden brown. Remove from oven and aside to cool a little.
BAKE the beetroot for about 30 minutes. Halfway through baking  turn the slices over and rotate the oven position of the trays. The beetroot will begin to crisp from the outside in. Baking time will vary depending on your oven and how thinly the beetroot has been sliced. Check the beetroot often towards the end of their baking time to make sure they are not beginning to burn.
TURN off the oven when beetroot is baked, leaving the trays in the oven to allow the beetroot slices to continue to crisp up in the warm oven as you prepare the kale and grill the haloumi.
PLACE thinly sliced kale in a very large bowl and toss with remaining tablespoon olive oil, garlic, freshly squeezed juice and finely grated zest of half a lemon.  Add a generous pinch of sea salt and massage with your fingertips for two or three minutes until kale is shiny and well-coated. The leaves should be a little darker in colour and volume decreased by a third. Set aside.
HEAT a griddle pan until smoking. Slice haloumi cheese into 10 -12 thick rectangular slices.
GRILL haloumi slices on both sides until golden brown. Set aside to cool slightly as you start to assemble the salad.
TO ASSEMBLE SALAD arrange dressed kale in an even layer over the base of a large serving platter.
TOP with cooled roasted pumpkin chunks, beetroot crisps and grilled haloumi. Serve.

Posted in Salad, What I Love to Cook | Tagged , , , , , , , , | Comments Off on Eat, Fast and Live Longer. A 5-2 Fast Diet Recipe Idea Under 400 Calories. Shredded Kale Salad With Grilled Haloumi, Roast Pumpkin And Beetroot Crisps

Rustic Baking At Its Best. Hazelnut Coffee Cake With A Sour Cherry Jam Swirl And Chocolate Crumble.

Posted on May 7, 2015 by thepaddingtonfoodie

Hazelnut Coffee Cake With A Sour Cherry Jam Swirl And Chocolate Crumble

As always in our house Autumn brings cooler weather and a spate of baking as I give in to a seemingly never ending demand for cake. As long as there is no request for fancy decoration I’m always happy to oblige. Naked, rustic offerings being my particular forte.

This coffee cake was an easy collaboration of the contents of my pantry. Jars of my mother’s home-made jam and bags of hazelnuts. I had envisaged throwing a handful of two of my favourite new food obsession cacao nibs into the crumble topping but sadly the packet was empty. A return visit by our elusive pantry raider Mr or Ms Nobody perhaps? No matter I used dutch process cocoa powder instead. The result? Gorgeous but very rustic. A true reflection of what Autumn baking should be about.

Hazelnut Coffee Cake With A Sour Cherry Jam Swirl And Chocolate Crumble

For the Cake Batter
200g unsalted butter, softened
200g (3/4 cup) caster sugar
4 eggs, separated
1 pinch salt
125g (1 1/4 cups) self raising flour
110g (1 cup) ground hazelnut meal
30ml strong espresso coffee, cooled
1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract

For the Jam Swirl
1/2 cup sour cherry jam

For the Chocolate Crumble
50g butter, chilled and diced
4 tablespoons caster sugar
4 tablespoons self raising flour
2 tablespoons dutch process cocoa powder
3/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/3 cup (40g) hazelnuts, roughly chopped

PREHEAT the oven to 180 C.  Butter a 20cm square cake tin and line with greaseproof paper.
TO MAKE THE CRUMBLE TOPPING, using your fingertips, rub together the flour, sugar, cocoa, cinnamon and butter until the mixture resembles breadcrumbs. Stir through the coarsely chopped hazelnuts and set aside.
IN A MEDIUM bowl combine ground hazelnut meal with self raising flour. Set aside.
BEAT the butter and sugar together using an electric mixer until pale and fluffy, about 5 minutes.
ADD egg yolks one at a time, beating well after each addition.
STIR through vanilla and cooled espresso coffee. Then fold in the hazelnut and flour mixture until just combined.
IN ANOTHER  bowl, whisk the egg whites with salt until they form soft peaks.Fold the egg whites into the cake batter.
SPOON the batter into the prepared tin. Dollop jam all over the surface, then swirl into the batter with a spoon.
SPRINKLE chocolate crumble in an even layer over the top of the cake.
BAKE  in preheated oven for 45 – 50 minutes, until golden and well risen.  A wooden skewer inserted into the centre of the cake should come out clean and sides begin to pull away from the pan. Leave in the tin to cool for 10 minutes before turning out and cutting into squares.

Posted in Baked, What I Love to Cook | Tagged , , , , , , | 10 Comments

Eat, Fast and Live Longer. A 5-2 Fast Diet Recipe Idea Under 100 Calories. Beef Broth, Stock or Brodo.

Posted on May 4, 2015 by thepaddingtonfoodie

Beef Brodo Beef Brodo Gel

According my news feed  New York City’s latest health trend is a steaming cup of bone broth. For the stylish and sophisticated, purchased from the hip and happening Brodo, a take-out window attached to Marco Canora’s popular Hearth restaurant. Simply but cleverly marketed as “broth. the world’s first comfort food.” Co-incidentally, bone broth also happens to be receiving popular coverage as a staple du jour of the upwardly trending paleo lifestyle diet. Credited as a delicious and nutritious powerhouse packed with protein, vitamins, minerals, collagen and keratin. Each element widely acknowledged to be an essential building block for a healthy, well functioning digestive system.

What’s old is suddenly new again. Indeed as long ago as mid eighteenth century France, inn keepers would offer bowls of broth known as restoratifs to travelers stopping at their establishments at night. Happily, this magical cure all elixir is simply stock made from roasted animal bones and simmered in a pot or slow cooker for a long time. Something that can cheaply and easily be made at home and ironically never fails to transport me back to my own childhood. In our house, each weekend, there was always a big stockpot of beef or chicken brodo simmering on the stove for an entire afternoon. Delicious on its own, but also the backbone of so many of our family meals; soups, sauces, risotto, stir-fries, braises and casseroles.

Despite all the hype, a good stock has always been an essential staple of a well stocked kitchen larder. Not so long ago there were no convenient commercially available tetra packs of stock and consommé. The closest flavour substitute was a powdered bouillon cube ready to be dissolved in hot water at a moment’s notice. Needless to say, nutritionally and flavour wise, nothing compares to sparkling homemade stock. Hence over the years, I too, like my mother and grandmother before me, have always tried to find the time to make up a batch in my rather large stockpot. Sometimes regularly, sometimes not. But often times  enough, that stock making has somehow also, in turn, become ingrained in my children’s psyche as a panacea for the soul. 

There’s no way around it, a good stock needs time and patience to develop great body and depth of flavour, but it’s always well worth the effort. I’ve included our family recipe below. For a chicken brodo I simply substitute 4 or 5 chicken carcasses (purchased from the butcher) and simmer for a shorter period of time, usually 3 – 4 hours, as the bones are more fragile. 

Simmered, skimmed and clarified, brodo also happens to be the perfect 5-2 fast day pick me up. Nutritionally dense, it also happens to be low in calories with one warming, healthful homemade cup consisting of anywhere between 17 and 38 calories depending on how much fat has been successfully removed from the broth. As brodo is simply the broth that remains when the bones, vegetables and aromatics have been removed from the soup, I have departed from my usual habit of listing the calorie count of each ingredient separately. The resulting calorie count of your brodo will depend on how successfully you have removed fat from the stock. The easiest way to do this is to place the brodo in the fridge overnight. Any fat in the stock will rise and solidify to the top and is easily removed with a spoon. The hallmark of a well made brodo is a wobbly, gel like consistency when cold. This indicates a good amount of nutrients, including the all important collagen and keratin, have been extracted from the bones.

 Beef Brodo

Beef Broth, Stock or Brodo
Makes 10 – 12 cups. (17 – 38 calories per cup depending on how successfully fat has been removed from the stock)

1.5 kg beef bones, any combination of oxtail, shin and marrow bones
enough cold water to cover the bones, this will depend on size of the stock pot; approximately 4 litres (16 cups)

Vegetables
2 medium carrots, peeled, sliced into chunks
2 stalks celery, sliced into chunks
1 leek, white part only, rinsed well, sliced lengthwise into quarters,
1 large onion, halved and peeled  (or 8 long green spring onions, trimmed and cut in half lengthways)

Aromatics
2 cloves garlic, peeled and bruised
1 thumb sized piece of ginger, peeled and sliced thickly
8 sprigs Italian parsley
2 fresh bay leaves
12 peppercorns
plenty of sea salt flakes, to taste

PREHEAT oven to 180 C and line a roasting tin with baking paper.
RINSE the bones well, removing visible fat.
PLACE onto the baking tray and bake in hot oven for 30 minutes until golden brown.
TRANSFER the roasted bones into a large stock pot with tongs. Add just enough cold water to cover them.
BRING the water to a bare simmer over moderately low heat.  Skim the surface to remove any impurities.
AS THE stock begins to bubble, add the vegetables and aromatics.
ADJUST the heat to a gentle simmer, the bubbles should barely break the surface. Do not allow the broth to boil or the brodo will be cloudy.
SIMMER gently without stirring for 5-6 hours. I prefer to use a diffuser or simmer under my stockpot to ensure a long slow simmer. Skim regularly to remove impurities.
REMOVE from heat. Strain the stock through a fine sieve and discard the solids. Season to taste with sea salt.
PLACE in refrigerator, preferably overnight. The hallmark of a well made brodo is a wobbly, gel like consistency when cold. Any fat in the stock will rise and solidify to the top and is easily removed with a spoon. Remove all visible fat.
STORE in jars or containers in the refrigerator for up to three days or in the freezer for 2-3 months.

Posted in Beef, Soup | Tagged , , , , , , , , | 7 Comments

The Pleasures Of The Feast. Three Layer Salted Caramel Slice With Popcorn Brittle

Posted on April 30, 2015 by thepaddingtonfoodie

Salted Caramel Slice With Popcorn Brittle

Oh my. Sometimes I throw caution to the wind and totally abandon any semblance of clean eating.  To shamelessly indulge in the pleasures of the feast. Sometimes I just can’t say no, particularly so when staring down something like this.  A three layer Salted caramel slice with popcorn brittle. Temptation on a platter. For me, I will freely admit, there’s simply no defence. Salted caramel will always be my friend. Where’s there’s a choice it will always win, hands down over chocolate, every single time. After all, it’s my not so secret achilles heel.

One of the most requested and much loved slices chez nous has always been Chocolate Caramel Slice. For years it’s made a regular appearance in our cake tin, mostly so in the cooler months. A hands down crowd pleaser, its what I bake when I don’t know what to make. A recipe so familiar, it comes together quickly and easily, almost mindlessly on auto pilot. Much to my family’s enduring disappointment, all the way through this year’s incredibly humid Indian summer, it was missing in action from their well stocked cake tin. Too hot. Too melty. Too messy.

Absence does of course make the heart grow fonder. The silver lining of last week’s Sydney storms, under their collective accusatory gaze? The long awaited return of the caramel slice. Albeit, re-imagined this time, with a generous layer of popcorn brittle replacing the traditional chocolate. Three layers of decadently delicious sinfulness.

Of course this version took my family a little by surprise. At first it’s appearance was met with more than a fleeting glance of suspiciousness. I knew what they were thinking. Why mess with the original?  Happily it took just one bite of one little square to win them over. This is my new favourite.It’s something I’m happy to over indulge in. Every single time. Safe in the knowledge, of course, in my full house it will be slim pickings to gain access to more than a square or two.

Three Layer Salted Caramel Slice With Popcorn Brittle

Three Layer Salted Caramel Slice With Popcorn Brittle

For the Base

1/2 cup (75 g) self-raising flour
1/2 cup (75 g) plain flour
1 cup (80 g) coconut, shredded
1 cup (220 g) brown sugar, firmly packed
1/2 teaspoon mixed spice
100 g butter, melted

PREHEAT oven to 180C.
GREASE and line a 25cm square baking dish with deep sides. Ensure that baking paper extends over the sides of the dish for easy removal of the slice.
COMBINE sifted flours, coconut, sugar, mixed spice and melted butter in a medium-sized mixing bowl.
PRESS the mixture evenly over the base of the dish.
BAKE for 15 minutes in 180C oven, centre rack position until base is slightly risen and a pale golden brown colour.
COOL for at least 10 minutes before adding the caramel layer.

For the Caramel

1/3 cup golden syrup
125 g butter, melted
2 x 395 g cans sweetened condensed milk
1 – 2 teaspoons flaky sea salt

PLACE the golden syrup, butter and condensed milk in a small saucepan over low heat.
STIR for 7 minutes or until the caramel has thickened slightly.
POUR  evenly over the cooled biscuit base and sprinkle with flaky sea salt.
BAKE for 12-15 minutes in a 180C oven, centre rack position until caramel is golden.
COOL to room temperature before adding the popcorn brittle topping.

For the Popcorn Brittle

1 cup sugar
60g unsalted butter
2 cups popped popcorn
1 teaspoon sea salt flakes

PLACE sugar in a wok or wide heavy based saucepan. Stir over medium heat until all the sugar has melted. As the sugar prepares to melt it will clump together and form lumps. Keep stirring and heating – the lumps will disappear as the sugar melts. This should take no more than 7 minutes depending on the size of your wok or saucepan. The wider the base, the quicker the sugar will melt.
REDUCE heat to low.  Stop stirring and wait for the sugar to turn a rich golden colour (technically this will be hard ball stage or 130 C on a candy thermometer).
STIR in butter. Allow to cook for a few more minutes, stirring constantly until the butter is completely incorporated (hard crack stage or 150 C on a candy thermometer).
ADD popcorn and sea salt. Remove wok from heat.
USING a wooden spoon, pile the popcorn brittle in an even layer over the top of the caramel slice.

Posted in Baked, What I Love to Cook | Tagged , , , , , , | 11 Comments

Kitchen Secrets. How To Quickly and Easily Seed A Pomegranate.

Posted on April 27, 2015 by thepaddingtonfoodie

We’ve been seeding pomegranates in our house. Splitting open plump and heavy orbs by the bowl full. Releasing a tumble of ruby red arils from their jewellery box and capturing a crimson river of sweetly scented juices as we work. Last count? Eight in almost no time at all. Our  coveted prize courtesy of the changing of the seasons or more specifically  Autumn and my father’s rather prolific pomegranate bush. Of course this means we now like to think of ourselves as experts in the the art of pomegranate seeding.

Over the years we’ve tried every method known to man. For a long time our favourite method was simply to slice each leathery orb in half, grab a wooden spoon and whack really hard until hundreds of glistening little jewels and their juices were released into a large bowl underneath. This whole process best performed over a large kitchen sink. The easiest way to deal with the clean up aftermath with its inevitable staining mess.

This year we discovered a far more elegant and efficient technique. With five or six clever incisions into the peel, each pomegranate opens out like petals off a flower to reveal its prize. Each petal is then simply flexed or twisted to easily release the seeds and their juices into a large bowl with minimum of mess. My Instagram link above explains how.

High in Vitamin C and so very rich in antioxidants, pomegranates are an ancient Middle Eastern super food attributed with a wide range of health benefits.  From improving immunity and aiding digestion to protecting against cancer and heart disease. High in flavour but low in calories they’re also a very welcome Autumn addition to my 5-2 fast day repertoire. One medium sized pomegranate contains approximately 105 calories, or more specifically half a cup of seeds yields just 72 calories.

Tart but sweet, crunchy yet juicy pomegranate seeds are wonderful eaten on their own, but more importantly can be used to add sweetness and texture to all manner of fast day brunch bowls and salads. Personally I like to scatter them by the 9 calorie tablespoon, using as little or as much as is allowed with reference to any particular fast day’s progressive calorie count.  With pomegranate season in full swing I’ll been feasting while I’m fasting on my 5-2 diet adaptation of  Ottolenghi’s Tomato, Pomegranate And Roasted Lemon Salad.

Once seeded, pomegranate arils can be stored in the refrigerator in an airtight container for 3 days or so. It’s worth noting they also freeze beautifully for up to 3 months. I simply scoop them by the half cupful into snack sized ziplock bags. For something a little different that delivers an intense flavour, I sometimes also like to dry roast them in a heavy based wok or skillet over a medium flame until the arils release their juices and begin to caramelise. The result is something akin to a cross between a semi dried sour cherry and cranberry.

Posted in Fruit, What I Love to Cook | Tagged , , , , , , | 4 Comments

Lest We Forget. Honouring Our Traditions. Little Anzac Ripple Cakes.

Posted on April 23, 2015 by thepaddingtonfoodie

Saturday marks the 100th anniversary of  the Gallipoli campaign in World War I.  A bloody eight month campaign which commenced on April 25, 1915 with the landing of the Australian and New Zealand Army Corps  on the Gallipoli Peninsula in Turkey. Through its course there were over 25,000 Australian casualties. The selfless courage, determination and mate-ship of our troops created a legend; the ANZAC spirit.

Each year on the anniversary of the Gallipoli landing we honour the bravery of all the men and women who have served our country through war.  Tomorrow, to mark this very special centenary year, we’ll be attending a Remembrance Mass and Commemorative Lunch. On Saturday, ever hopeful that the Sydney storms will well and truly be over, we’re planning to attend the Dawn Service at the Centopath in Martin Place. A poignantly beautiful requiem, held at half-light to remember those who had fallen. Ending with a lone bugle call of the Last Post, it never fails to send a shiver down my spine.

Apart from the hundreds of commemorative services which will held across the country, ANZAC day is all about our legendary mate-ship. There’s gatherings and barbecues with family and friends, and perhaps an opportunity to  take your chances at a true blue game of two-up at your local pub or club. It’s the only day we can legally bet on the flipping of two coins; a gambling game well favoured by our troops in the trenches.

Each year I’ve marked April 25 with a special ANZAC day post. Of course, there is nothing more traditional than a good, old-fashioned Anzac biscuit. Baked by wives and mothers during World War I, they were packaged up in food parcels and sent to their loved ones in the trenches. So far my posts have involved a re-interpretation of that iconic coconut, oat and golden syrup biscuit; first there were Anzacs filled with a white chocolate ganache and last year, an Anzac Day granola.

Building on those ideas, this year I improvised just a little more to devise an Anzac Day version of yet another well loved, old fashioned Australian dessert – the Chocolate Ripple Cake. I’ve assembled my little Anzac Ripple Cakes using stacks of four biscuits. Brushed with a little tea to ensure a soft cakey texture. Filled with three layers of jam and chocolate buttercream. Smothered in vanilla scented whipped cream. Garnished with a sprinkling of crushed Anzac granola for good measure.

Bake your own Anzac biscuits using the recipe provided or buy them from the bakery or store; it really doesn’t matter. With the biscuits taken care of there’s no baking involved at all. Just a little whipping and careful assembly, with an overnight chill in the refrigerator to allow the cakes to set.

Little Anzac Ripple Cake

Little Anzac Ripple Cakes
Makes 6 Stacks

24 Anzac biscuits, homemade (recipe here) or shop bought
1/2 cup strong black tea
1 cup raspberry jam
1 1/2 cups chocolate buttercream, recipe follows
500 ml thickened cream
1 teaspoon  caster sugar
1 teaspoon  vanilla essence
a pinch of xantham gum, to stabilise the cream (optional)
1/4 cup Anzac granola (recipe here), crushed, to decorate

BRUSH each of the Anzac biscuits, on flat side with tea. Set aside.
TAKE a biscuit and spread a teaspoon of raspberry jam over its tea brushed surface.  Cover with a generous (heaped teaspoon) layer of chocolate buttercream, then sandwich with another biscuit.
CONTINUE to sandwich biscuits together with layers of jam and chocolate buttercream until you have six stacks;  four biscuits high filled with three layers of jam and buttercream. Do not spread jam and buttercream on the top layer – this will be covered with whipped cream.
USING an electric mixer, whip together cream, sugar, vanilla and xantham gum (if using) until soft peaks form. Xantham gum stabilises the cream, making it much easier to spread.
COVER the sides and top of each filled Anzac biscuit stack with cream, using a palette knife to smooth the edges.
PLACE cakes in a deep lidded container and refrigerate overnight to set.
JUST before serving, remove from refrigerator and dust the cakes with crushed Anzac granola.

Chocolate Buttercream Filling
60g butter, at room temperature, diced
225g (1 1/2 cups) pure icing sugar, sifted
1 tablespoon milk
100g  milk chocolate, melted, cooled

BEAT butter in a medium bowl on high speed for at least 5 minutes until pale and creamy.
GRADUALLY add icing sugar and milk, continuing to beat until mixture is smooth and fluffy.
FOLD in cooled chocolate until just combined.

Posted in Baked, What I Love to Cook | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , | 6 Comments

Eat, Fast and Live Longer. A 5-2 Fast Diet Recipe Idea Under 100 Calories. Black Forest Trail Mix.

Posted on April 20, 2015 by thepaddingtonfoodie

Black Forest Trail Mix

With the April holidays almost over, it’s time to properly embrace my 5-2 eating regime again. Somewhere along the line I’ve fallen into a pattern of faithful adherence during our 8-9 week  school terms coupled with a slow but certain falling off the wagon during holiday breaks. Seduced by the pleasures of a continuous caravan of catch ups and feasting 5-2 becomes 6-1 and soon thereafter 7-0.

Not surprisingly, for me at least, the first week of term now always signals a return to fasting. To be perfectly honest, I’m almost relieved to have a self mandated opportunity to wean myself  from my holiday habit of daily excesses. To mark the occasion I’m beginning this term’s campaign with something a little different. A sweet but super healthy Black Forest Trail Mix. Not really a recipe per se, but more of an idea. A  nutritious little something to tantalise jaded taste buds yet satisfy the inevitable hunger pangs as I re-embark on my 5-2 journey.

It’s a triumvirate of super foods. The tart sweetness of goji berries combined with the crunch of deep dark bitter cacao nibs and the creaminess of flaked coconut come together to provide an anti oxidant rich pick-me-up which strangely reminds me of Black Forest Cake. Perfect for satisfying any errant sweet tooth cravings, easily sprinkled over yoghurt or smoothie bowls to add texture and flavour or by the small handful to ease a mid afternoon energy slump. Best of all, by paying careful attention to relative proportions, this particular combination comes in at just 32 calories per tablespoon serve.

I will admit that cacao nibs are a very welcome new addition to my pantry shelves. They’ve been on my radar for a little while now, and I only recently took the plunge and bought a packet to try them myself. Made from fermented, dried and roasted cacao beans, they’re crunchy with a deep dark unsweetened bitter chocolate flavour – think pure  70% chocolate with a shot of espresso coffee. Right up my alley. So much so I’m a convert and will be trying them in place of chocolate in some of my regular recipes. They’re very rich in flavour, so a little goes a long, long way. Interestingly, cacao nibs are noted as having higher anti oxidant levels than blueberries, red wine and tea, and also contain chromium an important mineral for stabilizing blood sugar levels. All in all a delightful inclusion to my trail mix.

Black Forest Goji Berry, Cacao Nib and Flaked Coconut Trail Mix

Black Forest Trail Mix
Makes 1 1/2 cups or 24 tablespoons (32 calories per tablespoon serve)

3/4 cup goji berries (310 calories)
1/2 cup unsweetened flaked coconut (268 calories)
1/4 cup raw organic cacao nibs (181 calories)

MEASURE goji berries, flaked coconut and cacao nibs into a clean dry jam jar. Screw lid on tightly and shake to combine

Posted in Chocolate, Fruit | Tagged , , , , , , , | 1 Comment

A Little Taste Of Italy. Lemon Polenta Cookies With Rosemary and Pine Nuts.

Posted on April 17, 2015 by thepaddingtonfoodie

Lemon Polenta Cookies With Rosemary And Pinenuts

There’s a certain curiosity associated with baking with herbs. For me it started with a visit to Lavandula in Victoria’s beautiful Hepburn Spa region and Stephanie Alexander’s lavender scones. Before too much longer I was inspired to add a little finely minced fresh lemon thyme and a tablespoon of gin to one of my family’s favourites; a cream cheese pound cake. The result was divine. A revelation. The sharp tang of citrus rounded out by subtle herbal undertones. A marriage made in heaven.

These holidays, with a full house of willing taste testers, I’ve been at it again. Experimenting in the kitchen. Our rosemary bush and lone lemon tree are thriving; two of the few non ornamental plants in our garden I somehow haven’t managed to kill off. Rosemary and lemon. A classic flavour combination used in Italian cooking all the time. Granted usually in a triumvirate with garlic as a wonderful flavour base for all manner of savoury dishes. Here they’re combined with polenta and pine nuts, sans garlic, to produce a gorgeously crisp on the outside but soft on the inside Italian style cookie. Deliciously sophisticated and decidedly moreish, they’re a little taste of Italy, receiving a resounding thumbs up.

Lemon Polenta Cookies With Rosemary and Pine Nuts
Makes 36 cookies

1 cup sugar
finely grated zest of one lemon
2 teaspoons fresh rosemary, plus extra to garnish
1 cup (250g) butter, softened
2 eggs
freshly squeezed juice of 1  lemon
1 1/2 cups plain flour
1 cup finely ground polenta meal
1/2 cup pine nuts, lightly roasted and coarsely ground, plus extra to garnish
1/2 teaspoon fine table salt
1 teaspoon baking powder
a little caster sugar, to garnish

PREHEAT oven to 170C. Line 3 baking trays with baking paper.
PLACE sugar, lemon zest and rosemary in the bowl of a food processor and pulse to combine.
TRANSFER the sugar mixture to a large mixing bowl and beat with softened butter until pale and fluffy.
ADD eggs one at a time beating well after each addition. Scrape down the sides of the bowl with a silicon spatula.
STIR through the lemon juice.
SIFT together flour, polenta meal, baking powder and salt. Fold through the biscuit batter with the coarsely ground pine nuts.
FORM level tablespoons (or heaped teaspoons) of the mixture into balls.
SPACE well apart on baking trays and flatten very slightly. Garnish with rosemary, pine nuts and a sprinkling of caster sugar.
BAKE for 15 minutes at middle to top oven rack positions until golden on the edges and bottom.
ALLOW to cool a little on oven trays  before transferring  to wire racks to cool completely. Store in an airtight container.

Posted in Baked, What I Love to Cook | Tagged , , , , , , , , , | 7 Comments

Eat, Fast and Live Longer. A 5-2 Fast Diet Recipe Idea Under 100 Calories. Mini Berry And Yoghurt Smoothie Bowls.

Posted on April 15, 2015 by thepaddingtonfoodie

Smoothie Bowls

Last summer I was introduced to the instagram smoothie bowl craze by my teenage daughters. Literally a smoothie in a bowl. Thickened with frozen fruit to  add natural sweetness and creaminess. Topped with an ever-changing but always pretty array of fresh fruit, nuts and seeds. Designed to be eaten with a spoon, rather than slurped through a straw. Consumed at any time of the day – breakfast, brunch, after school or sport snack and even the occasional dessert. The flavour combinations are limitless, guided by whatever is fresh, in season and happens to be sitting in the fruit bowl or fridge. Here is my take on a mini 5-2 fast day berry and yoghurt smoothie bowl. Easy and delicious, high in anti-oxidants, with just 95 calories per serve, I know this is going to become one of my favourite fast day fixes.

With berries in peak season at the moment I’ve been buying them up by the punnet to restock my freezer. Taking it one step further, when I have the time I fully intend to make up big batches of  smoothie base, apportioning generous one-third cup serves into snack size ziplock bags and freezing for a quick smoothie bowl fix. All that will be needed when those pesky hunger pangs strike is a quick blitz in the blender or, even easier,  simply leave the smoothie to soften in a bowl as you select your toppings. Thinking out loud, why stop at berries and yoghurt. I’m very certain my fast day mango buttermilk lassi would also make an excellent smoothie base.

Mini Berry And Yoghurt Smoothie Bowls
Makes 4 half cup capacity smoothie bowls (95 calories per serve)

For the Smoothie Base
1 cup frozen berries (90 calories)
1/2 cup low fat Greek yogurt (70 calories)
1/3 cup freshly squeezed orange juice (40 calories)

For the Topping
1/2 punnet (125g) fresh strawberries (40 calories)
1/2 punnet (75g) fresh blueberries (40 calories)
1/4 cup pomegranate arils (seeds) (32 calories)
1 passionfruit (17 calories)
2 teaspoons roasted pumpkin seeds (32 calories)
1 teaspoon chia seeds (20 calories)

PLACE  frozen berries, Greek yogurt, and freshly squeezed orange into a blender and pulse until smooth and thick.
DIVIDE smoothie base evenly between four half cup ramekins.
GARNISH with fresh strawberries, blueberries, pomegranate arils, roasted pumpkin seeds and chia seeds. Serve immediately.

Posted in Breakfast, Fruit, What I Love to Cook | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , | 4 Comments

So Rich. So Buttery. So Chic. Pear and Almond Friands

Posted on April 13, 2015 by thepaddingtonfoodie

Pear Friand

One of the things I love most about school holidays is the welcome change of pace from a frenetic, breakneck speed to an almost leisurely meandering. Time to stop and smell the roses. Throw routine out the window and indulge in all the little things that make me happy.

Upon our return home from the Easter long weekend, there’s finally a chill in the air. Autumn has well and truly arrived. Time to bake and surprise the troops with something special for afternoon tea. Like these little pear and almond friands. So rich. So Buttery. So Chic.

Pear and Almond Friands
Makes 6

100g unsalted butter
4 large egg whites
1/3 cup plain flour
1 cup pure icing sugar
3/4,cup, almond meal
2 drops almond essence
1 tablespoon brandy or pear liqueur (optional)
2 ripe pears
freshly squeezed lemon juice
extra icing sugar, for dusting

PREHEAT oven to 190C.
GREASE and flour a six hole friand or muffin tin.
MELT butter and set aside to cool.
IN A medium bowl, whisk the egg whites with a fork until just foamy.
SIFT flour, icing sugar and almond meal together over the foamy egg whites. Add almond essence and brandy.  Stir ingredients together until just combined.
LASTLY add the melted butter, stirring lightly to combine.
SPOON the batter evenly into the prepared tin.
PEEL, core and halve the pears. Slice each halve thinly. Squeeze over a little lemon juice to prevent discoloration. Insert 6-8 thin pear slices vertically into each friand.
BAKE for 25 minutes until the friands are a light golden colour and spring back lightly when pressed.
REMOVE  from oven and allow to stand for five minutes before turning the friands out. Cool on a wire rack. Serve dusted with icing sugar.

Posted in Baked, Fruit, What I Love to Cook | Tagged , , , , , , , | 8 Comments