The Best White Chocolate Fudge..Ever.

Rather than a cake, my lovely Pete made me white chocolate fudge. 
I'm in love with Granny Mac's fudge (Mt Tambourine Fudge) but I can say this fudge, was even better.

It's certainly not healthy, or vegan, but I had to share this sprinkle-covered baby all the same.


Ingredients

• 400g Good quality white cooking chocolate, cut or broken into small pieces (2.4 blocks - oops!)
• 250g Butter, chopped (1 stick butter)
• 3 Cups icing sugar
• 1/3 Cup cream
• 1 tsp Vanilla Essence
• Sprinkles/Hundreds & Thousands 

Method

• Place the chocolate, butter, sugar and cream into a saucepan over gentle heat
• Stir continuously until all ingredients have melted and mixture is smooth, let simmer for one minute then remove from heat.
• Beat using a hand held mixer for 3 minutes, then add vanilla essence
• Pour mixture into a 20cm square cake pan lined with baking paper
• Smooth surface & coat in sprinkles
• Refrigerate until firm - this took around an hour, although we did hurry the process by popping it in to the freezer for about 30 minutes! So about 2 hours should be enough in the fridge.
• Cut into small pieces & store in an air tight container in the fridge!

Note

• In this recipe, Pete used Milkybar white chocolate
• You could easily experiment with this recipe, perhaps using regular chocolate, baileys or caramel!
• Please let me know how you go making this!

Vegan Chai Biscuits with Cacao Coconut Butter

These biscuits were meant to be a shortbread, however I replaced the rice flour with Spelt flour, and they were just as amazing! 




Ingredients
(Makes about 20 biscuits)

• 2 1/2 Cups white spelt flour
• 3 Tbs Nuttlex (or any other vegan butter)
• 1/2 Cup caster sugar
• 3 Tsp Cinnamon
• 3 Chai teabags
• 1/4 Cup boiling water
• Extra flour for dusting

Cacao Coconut Butter

• 3-4 Tbs Coconut Butter (I use Loving Earth)
• 2 Level tsp Cacao/Cocoa powder
• 1 Tsp Agave syrup

Method

• Place the Chai teabags in a mug, add boiling water & leave to brew
• Preheat oven to 180 degrees & line a baking tray with baking paper
• Sift flour into a mixing bowl, add in Nuttlex/butter, sugar and cinnamon, bring mixture together.
• Once the Chai has brewed for about 5 minutes, dispose of tea bags and add Chai into the flour mix.
• Mix together until a smooth dough forms (it shouldn't be too sticky or wet, you can add more flour if needed)
• Turn out onto a lightly floured surface & briefly knead 
• Roll out dough using a rolling pin until you have uniform thickness (about 1cm)
• Cut out using a cookie cutter & place on baking tray
• Bake for about 15-20 minutes or until slightly golden!
• For the cacao coconut butter: Simply mix coconut butter, cacao/cocoa & agave together 
• Once the biscuits have cooled,  top with coco butter mix as desired.

Note

As these cookies do not contain eggs or baking soda/powder, they will not grow much in size; so make them close to the size you'd like them to turn out!

Homemade Vegetarian Pizza

This was a good night. Pizza, movies and teddy slippers.
The toppings I've listed below are what I used when making the pizza pictured below, however feel free to add whatever toppings you like!

Ingredients
(Makes 3 pizza bases)

• 1 1/2 Cups warm water
• 2 Tsp dried yeast (1 sachet/7g)
• Pinch of caster sugar
• 1 Tsp salt
• 600g/4 Cups plain flour
• 60ml/1/4 Cup olive oil, plus extra for brushing

Toppings

• Tomato pizza sauce or BBQ sauce
• 1 Diced tomato
• 5 sliced mushrooms
• Roast pumpkin (roast in small cubes)
• A handfull of pitted olives
• 1/2 Brown onion
• 1/4 Diced Capsicum
• 'Pizza topper' herb sprinkle
• Grated cheddar cheese
• Baby Bocconcini, finely sliced
• Rocket to serve

Method

• Preheat oven to 200 degrees.
• Combine the water, yeast and sugar in a small bowl. Set aside for 5 minutes or until foamy. 
• Combine the flour and salt in a large bowl and make a well in the centre. Add the yeast mixture and oil. Use a round-bladed knife in a cutting motion to mix until the mixture is combined. Use your hands to bring the dough together in the bowl.
• Lightly brush a clean bowl with olive oil. Turn the dough onto a lightly floured surface and knead for 10 minutes or until smooth and elastic. 
• Place in the prepared bowl and turn to coat in oil. Cover with plastic wrap and set aside in a warm place to rise for 30 minutes or until dough doubles in size.
• Place dough on a floured surface & roll out using a rolling pin to your desired thickness. Leave to rest whilst preparing above pizza toppings.
• Place bases on an oven or round pizza tray, spread pizza sauce over your prepared bases & top as you desire!
• Sprinkle with pizza topper herbs and bake in the oven for 15-20 minutes or until cheese is melted and golden.

Tips

• If you don't have the time to make home made dough, or simply don't trust yourself making it (which you should, it's simple) Then there is an excellent alternative! You can buy pizza base mixes from Coles & Woolies, all you need to do is follow the packet instructions. There's a few different brands but I have tried Anchor/Lion and Laucke Pizza/Foccacia mix. I've included a photo below so you know what you're looking for. These were with the flour/bread making kits. 

Chickpea and Lentil Veggie Patties

I make these at least once a week (& did so even before I was veg). They are definitely one of my favourite staples! Serve them on a burger, or with salad and chips, yum.

Ingredients

• 1 400g Can chickpeas, drained
• 1 400g Can lentils, drained and rinsed
• 1 Egg
• 1 Brown onion, finely diced
• 2 Cloves garlic, or 2 tsp minced garlic
• 1 Tsp Curry powder (I use Clive of India)
• 1 Tbs Moroccan seasoning 
• 1/2 Tsp Organic 'all purpose seasoning'
• 3/4 Cup breadcrumbs (the Macro gluten free crumbs are my favourite)
• 1 Tbs Chia seeds (I use a mix of both black and white)
• Olive Oil
• 'Veggie Salt' and pepper to taste

Method

• Place drained chickpeas and egg in a food processor and blend until a smooth paste has formed - transfer to a large bowl.
• Add in onion, lentils, breadcrumbs, chia, curry powder, all purpose & Moroccan seasoning. Season with salt and pepper to taste. Mix well.
• Roll handfulls of mixture into patties
• Fry the veggie patties in olive oil in a large frying pan over a moderate heat for 5 minutes each side, until crispy. Drain on kitchen paper.
• Serve with a salad (& chips) or on a burger with avocado, alfalfa, cheese, tomato, beetroot, lettuce and sweet chilli sauce - yum!

Vegetarian Spaghetti 'Bolognaise'

So, you all know what 'Spag Bol' is, and I'm sure 99% of you love it. Seeing as I'm vegetarian, I had to get creative. And let me just say, I personally think my vegetarian lentil spag bol shi*ts all over the regular mince version!

This photo belongs to http://thellamamomma.blogspot.com.au. She also blogs recipes, and each one has a cute hand drawn water colour picture to show which ingredients she uses - clever!

Ingredients
(Serves 3)

• 2 Stalks celery, finely diced
• 2 Carrots, finely diced
• 1 Large zucchini, grated
• 1 Large brown onion, finely diced
• 1 Small red capsicum
• 2 Cloves of garlic (or 2 tsp minced garlic)
• 250g 1 Tin lentils (you could use dried lentils, however refer to my tips at the bottom of this page before starting!)
• 2 Tbs Organic tomato paste
• 2 Bay leaves
• 1/2 Tsp Paprika
• 1 Tsp 'Veggie Salt
• 2 Tsp sugar
• Pepper to taste
• 2 Tsp mixed herbs or bouquet garni
• 1/2 Cup red wine
• 1 Cup vegetable stock
• 1 Tin diced tomatoes
• 1 Pk Button mushrooms (250g)

Method

• Sauté the celery, carrot, capsicum and onion until translucent, add in garlic, mushroom & zucchini - cook for a few minutes more.
• Add red wine, vegetable stock, tomato paste, tinned tomato, sugar and lentils, bring to the boil then reduce to a medium heat.
• Add in all herbs (feel free to add your own favourite herbs or spices here) and allow to simmer gently for about 15 minutes.
•  If you have used a bouquet garni or bay leaves, ensure you remove these before serving!
• Serve over pasta with some crusty bread - yum!

Tips

• If you are using dry lentils, you will need to cook them before adding them to your bolognaise. Place in a pot of boiling water, and cook uncovered for about 30 minutes. Continually check the level of the water as the lentils will absorb some of the liquid - you don't want them to burn to the bottom of your pot. I use tinned lentils simply so I can skip this step, and they taste much the same.

Banana, Coconut & Choc Protein Smoothie

Lately, I've had a Choc protein smoothie every morning for breakfast as I don't usually have time to cook anything decent. This particular smoothie, is definitely my favourite.

For this recipe, I use Tony Steirs Chocolate flavoured 'Pea Protein'. I have recently changed to a vegetarian diet and have greatly reduced my intake of dairy and other animal product.
(You can use which ever brand you prefer.)

"100% Pea Protein Isolate is a Premium Vegan/Vegetarian Quality Protein Powder. 
It is pure and contains no Artificial Flavours, Colours, Preservatives or Sweeteners and is naturally free from wheat, gluten, lactose, soy, egg and animal products" 

Ingredients

• 2 Tbs Protein powder
• 300ml of Vanilla 'So Good' Soy milk (which I use) or regular soy, coconut milk, almond milk, rice milk or dairy milk.
• 1 Small banana
• 1 Tbs Pure, Organic Extra Virgin Coconut Oil (Cold pressed)
• 3-4 Ice cubes
• 1 Tbs Raw Cacao Powder (or any other chocolate powder/milo)
• 2 Tbs Raw Rolled Oats

Method

• First up, gently heat Coconut Oil in the microwave if yours has solidified. It usually take 10 seconds in mine. In the warm months, it's usually liquid any - so in which case, skip this step!
• Add milk, protein powder, banana, cacao powder, oats and ice to a blender and blend until smooth.
• Gradually add in the coconut oil whilst blending. This step is important as if you throw it all in together, your coconut oil will solidify and leave you with a clumpy smoothie!
• Enjoy!

Gluten Free Chocolate Muffins

As my daughter Ollie is gluten intolerant, I usually make her muffins or cupcakes for kindy. Some gluten free baked goods are stale and have an almost 'gritty' texture to them which I hate. So my aim here was to make a delicious, moist muffin for Ollie! 


If you are gluten/lactose intolerant, this recipe can be easily altered; I've listed alternatives at the bottom of this page.



Ingredients

• 125g Milk or dark chocolate, chopped
• 50g Butter, chopped
• 4 Eggs, separated
• 1/2 Cup milk
• 2 Cups almond meal
• 1 Tbs Cocoa powder
• 1 Tsp vanilla essence
• 1 Tsp baking powder
• 1/2 Cup firmly packed brown sugar
• 3/4 Cup chocolate chips

Method

• Preheat oven to 220°c
• Line a 12 hole muffin pan with muffin cases
• Melt chopped chocolate and butter in the microwave on medium heat (ensure you are using a heat proof bowl) stirring after a minute. Allow to cool slightly.
• Working quickly to prevent chocolate from solidifying, stir in egg yolks and gradually add the milk and vanilla essence.
• Combine almond meal, sifted cocoa, baking powder, sugar and choc chips
• Stir in chocolate/butter mixture
• Beat egg whites in a large bowl until soft peaks begin to form
• Gently fold in egg whites into chocolate almond mixture
• Spoon into muffin cases until each is about 3/4 full
• Bake for approximately 20 minutes, or until a skewer inserted into the middle of your muffins comes out clean
• Allow to cool & enjoy!

Tips

• If you are lactose intolerant, simply swap the butter for pure organic coconut oil, milk for lactose free versions or rice/almond milk, and use lactose free chocolate. Eggs can also be substituted for 1 1/2 tso xanax gum!

Baked Raspberry Cheesecake

Cheesecake would have to be my all time favourite dessert.

This recipe is so simple & I'm positive that if you are a cheesecake fan, you'll love this!

Ingredients

• 1 x 250g Packet Butternut snap biscuits
• 3 x 250g Tubs Cream cheese 
• 125g Butter, melted
• 3/4 Cup raw caster sugar
• 1 x Pack organic frozen raspberries
• 3 x Eggs
• 1/2 Tsp Pure vanilla extract
• Rose pink food colouring
• 1/4 Cup cream

Method

• Grease and line a 24cm (base measurement) spring form pan
• Place butternut snap biscuits into a food processor and process until finely crushed
• Add melted butter and mix until combined
• Transfer to the prepared pan and press firmly over the base and side. Cover with plastic wrap and place in the fridge for 30 minutes to chill.
• Place raspberries, 1/4 cup caster sugar and 2 tbs water in food processor and blend until you have a smooth puree (if your mixture is too thick, continue to add water until the desired consistency is reached). 
• Strain puree through a sieve to remove any seeds. Set aside
• Preheat oven to 160°C. Place the cream cheese, cream and remaining sugar in a large bowl and mix with an electric mixer until smooth. Add the eggs one by one, and mix until well combined.
• Add in vanilla extract, a few drops pink food colouring and raspberry puree, mix well.
• Pour your cream cheese mixture over the biscuit base. Bake for approximately 50 minutes or until set in the centre. 

Tips

• To test whether or not your cheesecake is ready, simply insert a skewer into the centre of the cake,  if the skewer comes up with some wet mixture on it, the cake needs to bake some more. If it is dry, then the cake is done!
• You can replace the raspberry puree in this recipe for just about anything! You could try strawberry, blueberry, passionfruit, caramel, chocolate...I've even made a strawberry milk cheesecake before...yum!

Stuffed Capsicum

• Stuffed capsicum make a delicious meal on their own, or can be used as a side dish (as I usually do). They are super quick & easy & good for you too. Capsicum are very low in kilojoules, contain three times the vitamin C of an orange, are an excellent source of beta-carotene and one of the best sources of other carotenoids.

There are so many different fillings you can use to stuff capsicum, but the recipe below is my favourite!

• Ingredients

• 1-2 Large Red, Green or Yellow capsicum per person
• 2 cups/250g Cooked brown rice (you can use microwave rice)
• Olive Oil
• 1 tsp garlic
• 2 cups chopped mushrooms
• 1 medium sized tomato, diced
• 1 medium sized brown onion, finely chopped
• 3 tbs tomato paste
• 1 tsp Paprika
• 2 tsp mixed herbs

Method

• Preheat the oven to 200 °C fan-forced
• Cut the top off each capsicum, using a teaspoon carefully remove the seeds.
• Place capsicums on an oven tray lined with baking paper. Drizzle with olive oil, season with salt and pepper and roast in oven for 5 minutes or until just tender.
• Heat oil in a frying pan over medium heat, cook onion, garlic & mushrooms for 3-4 minutes until tender.
• Add cooked rice, tomato paste and a few tbs water, stir to combine and cook for one minute until reduced
•  Add paprika and mixed herbs, season with salt and pepper
• Fill capsicums with mushroom/rice mixture, top with either feta or cheddar cheese and place in oven. Roast for 10 minutes or until filling is hot & cheese has melted. Serve!

Amy Sedaris' Vanilla Cupcakes with (my) Buttercream Icing

These are my all time favourite vanilla cupcakes. Amy Sedaris also won second best in the city by New York Magazine - I totally understand why!

• Ingredients

• 1 1/2 stick (12 tbsp) unsalted butter
• 1 3/4 cup sugar (I used 1 1/2 cup sugar)
• 2 large eggs
• 2 teaspoons vanilla
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 2 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
• 2 1/2 cups flour (I used all purpose, but I guess you could use either all purpose or cake flour)
• 1 1/4 cup milk

Method

• 1. Preheat oven to 180 degrees
• 2. In a bowl, whisk flour, baking powder, salt together
• 3. Cream butter and sugar until light and fluffy.
• 4. Beat in eggs, one at a time making sure it's well mixed
• 5. Beat in vanilla
• 6. Add flour mixture in 3 batches, alternating with milk. Do not overbeat.
• 7. Divide batter evenly. Bake for 16 to 20 minutes and toothpick inserted into center comes out with a few moist crumbs attached.
• 9. Cool on wire rack for 5-10 minutes then transfer cupcakes to cool completely

Basic Buttercream Icing

Makes enough for 30 cupcakes

Ingredients

• 1 cup unsalted butter at room temperature
• 6 to 8 cups confectioner's (icing) sugar
• 1/2 cup milk
• 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract

Method

• Combine butter, 4 cups icing sugar, milk, and vanilla. 
• Beat until creamy for 3 to 5 minutes. 
• Add remaining sugar, 1 cup at a time. Beat for 2 minutes after each addition.
• Ice cooled cupcakes and decorate!

Sweet Potato, Pine Nut, Ricotta & Spinach Ravioli

My next recipe, I'm going to make for dinner tonight! Once again, this was originally a Dairy Free recipe, however as I have some Ricotta in the fridge at home, I'm going to add it to my ravioli.
Of course, it can be removed, or substituted for other types of cheese.



For the dough...
Ingredients

• 3 cups unbleached flour
• 1/2 teaspoon of salt
• 2 eggs
• 1/2 cup water

Filling...
Ingredients

• 2 small/medium sweet potatoes, peeled & cubed
• 1 300g tub Ricotta cheese
• 1 bag (160g) of fresh spinach
• 1/4 cup fresh grated Parmesan cheese
• 3 Tbs toasted Pine Nuts

Method

• Bring a medium sized pot of water to the boil
• Add the sweet potato and cook for 10-15 minutes, or until soft
• Transfer sweet potato to a large bowl and mash, set aside
• Sift both flour and salt together in a large bowl
• Make a 'well' in the centre of the flour and add eggs, using a fork break the yolks and beat slightly
• Combine flour and eggs, gradually adding enough warm water to make a firm dough
• Knead dough until smooth; wrap in cling film and let rest for approx 15 mins
• Whilst the dough is resting, bring a small pot of water to a gentle boil and add spinach. Cook until the spinach has wilted and relatively soft. 
• Drain water from the spinach and add to the sweet potato along with the ricotta, pine nuts and Parmesan. Season with salt and pepper.
• Cut dough in half and roll each half on a floured board until very thin (a few mm)
• Using a pasta wheel, cookie cutter (or even an upside down glass) cut out as many circles as you can from the pasta sheets.
• Place about a tablespoon of the potato mix in the centre of each circle. To close, simply fold in half and seal closed using a fork. You can get creative here by making tortellini, or making different shaped ravioli.  I find the method used here is the easiest way.
• Once you have filled and folded all of the ravioli, bring a large pot of water to the boil and add pasta.
• Cook until they begin to float (this should only take a few minutes). If you like your ravioli a little crispy, heat a little olive oil in a pan, then add the cooked ravioli and pan-fry over medium heat for a few minutes on each side, or until lightly browned. Feel free to add your favourite pesto or pasta sauce and enjoy! 

Tips

• There are SO many different fillings for ravioli, you could try things like dried porcini and fresh mushrooms, butternut squash/pumpkin, spinach and fetta - the list goes on!
• For those wanting a more traditional shaped ravioli, instead of cutting circles out and folding over, simply roll half of your dough out in a rectangular shape, place evenly-spaced spoonfuls of filling on the dough. Roll the second half of the dough out, replicating the size and shape of the first. Brush a little bit of water in between the spoonfuls of filling, then place the second sheet on top and press to seal. Cut out ravioli with a sharp knife or a pasta wheel. To make extra-sure they are sealed, press the edges with a fork. 
• If you don't have the time to make home made pasta, you can cheat here by using store bought Gow Gee pastry wrappers. These are available in most supermarkets in the cold food section.
• Ravioli can be frozen, so you always have a quick meal ready to go!

If anyone would like a gluten free/vegan version of the dough and filling, please just let me know!

Dairy Free Coconut Ice Cream

As one of my favourite things to eat is icecream, and I love anything coconut, I've decided that my first recipe will be Vegan/Dairy Free Coconut Icecream! Let me tell you, it's delicious.

For this recipe, I make my own coconut milk. 

Don't stress, it's really simple & can be used as your every day milk.
It's a far better alternative to cow’s milk, rice, soy or other processed milks. 
Unfortunately, the store bought versions of coconut milk are lined with BPA and many have added sweeteners & preservatives. Plus, home made tastes so much better!

Coconut Milk...

Ingredients

• 4 cups of water
• 1.5-2 cups of unsweetened shredded coconut (can use packaged or fresh)

Method

• Heat water, but don’t boil. 
• Place both coconut and water in a food processor or blender. 
• Blend on high for a few minutes until thick and creamy.
• Pour through a sieve to remove any larger pieces of coconut.
• Drink immediately or store in the fridge. Should be used in 3-4 days after making for best flavour and texture. Since there are no preservatives or fillers, the “cream” of the coconut milk may separate on the top if stored in the fridge. Just shake or stir before using.

Coconut Ice cream...

Ingredients

• 4 cups home made coconut milk (recipe above)
• 1/2 cup Raw Caster Sugar
• 1/4  Teaspoon coconut oil flavouring (I love Dram Lorann which you can buy from most cake decorating suppliers - if you cannot find flavouring oil, just use regular extract or flavouring)
• 1 1/2 Cups unsweetened coconut flakes

Method

• Combine the coconut milk and sugar in a bowl & whisk until sugar has dissolved
• Mix in coconut oil and flakes, mix well
• Place in freezer for around 3 hours, stirring occasionally
• Top with toasted coconut chips, or flakes (optional)
• Serve & enjoy! 

Tips

• If you are clean eating, or even just trying to reduce your calorie intake, you can replace the sugar with 1/3 to 1/2 cup of honey. Opt for a mild organic version if possible
• If you are not lactose intolerant/vegan, you can also add about 1/2 a cup of thickened cream. This helps to give a smoother, creamier texture as home made icecream has the tendency to go a little icy sometimes!
• If you cannot find any coconut flavouring/oil/extract, just use vanilla! It will give the icecream an almost 'marshmallowy' flavour. 
• If you don't like coconut flavour, this recipe is so simple to edit! You could replace the coconut flakes for cocoa/cacao powder, mashed banana, Strawberry milk flavouring, powdered coffee etc. There are plenty of different options!