Sweet and Savoury Promo

To view this on Youtube, go to: http://youtu.be/Br-qHHACtEI

Walnut Shortbread

This is a great sweet and savoury snack that is great at parties. Here is the recipe for all of you :)

Ingredients:

• 1 1/4 cups walnuts
• 3/4 cup all-purpose flour
• 1/2 cup whole-wheat flour
• 2/3 cup confectioners' sugar
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1/2 cup (1 stick) unsalted butter, melted
• 2 tablespoons light olive or canola oil
• 2 teaspoons finely grated lemon zest
• 1 teaspoon freshly squeezed lemon juice

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Butter and flour two 8-inch round cake pans; set aside. In a food processor, combine nuts, flours, sugar, and salt; pulse until nuts are finely ground but not oily. 
2. Divide the mixture between the two pans and press in until even. With a knife, cut each round of dough into 8 wedges. Lightly prick the tops with the tines of a fork. Bake until set and pale tan, about 22 minutes.
3. Transfer to a wire rack and cut through each wedge. Cool 10 minutes, then place onto a plate served with recommended wine :) enjoy!

Almond Crescent Cookies

Taking interest into my nuts and almonds addiction i decided to investigate into some sweet recipes i can show to all of you :)










Ingredients:

• 1/3 cup sugar
• 1/2 cup whole blanched almonds, finely ground
• 5 ounces (10 tablespoons) unsalted butter, room temperature
• 1 1/2 cups plus 1 tablespoon all-purpose flour
• Vanilla sugar, for rolling

Directions:

1. Beat all ingredients until combined, about 2 minutes. Let rest at room temperature for 2 hour.
2. Preheat oven to 325 degrees. Roll 1 tablespoon of dough into a crescent shape. Place on a baking sheet. Repeat. Bake until light golden brown, 25 to 30 minutes. Cool on trays for 10 minutes. Roll in vanilla sugar or sprinkle over the top.

Note: Easy and fast meal to make taste fantastic :)

Chocolate Peanut Butter Truffles

Who doesn't love chocolate? And which chocolate lover doesn't love truffles? Truffles are surprisingly easy to make yet look expensive and delectable. No thanks to the sky high prices charged by the likes of Lindt and Guylian. No fear, here's a great 3 ingredient recipe that definitely aims to please!

Recipe and pictures courtesy of Bakerella

Serving: 36 Truffles

Ingredients

• 8 oz cream cheese, softened to room temperature
• 10 oz semisweet chocolate
• 1/2 cup peanut butter

Method

1. In a mixer, beat cream cheese until creamy and smooth.
2. Melt chocolate in microwave in 30 second intervals, stirring in between until melted and smooth.
3. Add peanut butter to chocolate and stir until smooth.
4. Pour over cream cheese and stir until completely combined.
5. Spread into an 8X8 dish and chill for several hours.
6. Scoop chocolate out with a spoon or melon ball size scoop. Roll chocolate mixture into balls and chill for a few minutes if necessary as your body temperature will warm up the balls.
7. Coat balls in your choice of cocoa, powdered sugar, sprinkles or chopped pecans.
8. Keep refrigerated.

Note: Feel free to omit the peanut butter if you would like them straight up chocolate.

Ingredients!

Coat the chocolate balls with different toppings- YUM!

Wrap them up individually for a professional finish..

..or place them in mini cup holders.

Savoury Mince Rolls

Recently going to a party on the weekend i witnessed my aunty making a delicious savoury snack for her guests. I asked her to give me a really good recipe the next day so i can share with all of you :) 

These are 3 important steps for all of you cookers to follow. 

1. Making the Filling:

Ingredients:

  

1lb of ground meat  (see note)

2 carrots finely grated (optional)

4 boiled potatoes coarsely mashed

1 medium onion chopped

2 green chilies seeded and chopped

1-2 Tbs of grated fresh garlic

2 inches of fresh ginger grated 

10-15 curry leaves (torn)

1 small stick of cinnamon 

1 Tbs of finely minced fresh mint leaves

2-4 Tbs of soy sauce

1 Tbs of vinegar 

1 Tbs of curry powder

1/2 tsp of turmeric

1/2 tsp of chili flakes or powder

salt and pepper to taste (I used a lot of pepper)

juice of half a lime

2. The Pancake:

2 cups cold water

1 cup milk

1 tsp salt

1 egg

2 cups of all purpose flour

Beat all ingredients together until it forms a thin pancake batter. 

Heat an 8 inch non-stick frying pan and grease it with a little oil between each pancake. Pour a ladle full of the batter into the pan and swirl it around gently until it forms a thin pancake.  Cook until set without browning. 

Place the cooked pancake on a plate and add about 2 Tbs of filling. Proceed to roll the pancake like an egg-roll. 

3. Adding the base to the Rolls:

Roll the pancake roll into the plain breadcrumb base gently, covering the entire roll.  

After u have finished adding the base deep fry them. 

THE FINISHED DISH :) Serve on a plate with some spicy sauce :) 

Easy Guacamole

I recently got a packet of Chili & Lime Nachos, and what better dip to go with that than some fresh home made guacamole?
Guacamole is a surprisingly easy dish to make and is deliciously packed with nutrients.
Also, they complement many foods, such as a sandwich spread, dips or as a side dish for meats, making them perfect for picnics, parties and potlucks.

Below is an easy 10-minute recipe which gives you a batch of basic guacamole:

Ingredients:

• 2 ripe guacamole (mashed, but leave some chunky bits!)
• 1 medium tomato (pulp removed; finely diced) - I used 2 small Roma tomatoes instead
• 1 small red onion (finely chopped) - I used 1/2 a medium onion
• Juice of 1/2 large lime (or lemon)
• Salt & black pepper to taste

Steps:

1. Mix all the ingredients in a bowl.
2. Chill for at least 30 minutes before serving. (Store in air-tight container/glad wrap the bowl to prevent oxidization.)

Before..

After!

Variations:

• Add finely minced garlic (some people might be put off by its strong flavour)
• Add minced serrano chilis (remove seeds first) for that extra kick! (Add a little at a time as these chili can be extremely hot.)
• Add a little sour cream or cottage cheese for a thicker, creamier texture.

Serving suggestion: Arrange nachos evenly on a plate, top with some salsa and guacamole, sprinkle generously with shredded parmesan cheese and microwave for 30-60 seconds or until cheese has melted.

Yum! The perfect afternoon snack on a sunny day!

Hey Dhal!

Hello dhal-ing is what I was saying tonight to everyone who came across my path when I was busy cooking dhal for the first time. Indian was on the menu. Curried vegetables, rice and dhal. For my first time I decided to try and cook this delicious lentil dish. Here's the recipe I used. I didn't need to add any extra water to it, but if you feel the lentils are getting too dry and thick, you can add extra hot water as it is boiling away. This recipe serves 4-6. We managed 5 meals out of it.

Ingredients:

• 250g red lentils
• 1 1/2 tbs oil
• 1 large onion, finely sliced
• 2 cloves garlic, crushed or finely chopped
• 1 teaspoon of finely grated ginger
• 1/2 tsp ground tumeric
• 3 cups of hot water
• 1 tsp of salt
• 1/2 tsp garam masala

Method:

1. Wash lentils thoroughly- pouring water and draining them several times.
2. Drain well
3. Heat the oil and fry the onions, garlic and ginger until onion is golden brown
4. Add lentils and fry for a minute or two. 
5. Add hot water and bring to the boil reduce heat to simmer
6. Cover and cook for 15-20minutes
7. Add salt and garam masala
8. Continue cooking until the lentils are soft and of the consistency of porridge (If there is too much liquid, leave the lid off the pan to speed evaporation)

Lentils

Bringing it to the boil

Almost finished

Voila! Dhal with rice and curried vegies!

You can eat dhal by itself, with rice or Indian breads, as an accompaniment to curry or simply garnished with fried onions on the side. It's to me one of the lighter and healthier Indian dishes.