the recipe box swap; Spag Bol

Spaghetti Bolognaise

2 tbsp oil
2 cloves garlic, crushed
1 onion, chopped
500gm minced beef
1 x 400gm can's of chopped tomatoes
2 tbsp mixed herbs - optional
1/2 glass of wine - optional

Brown the garlic and onion in the oil. Then add the mince and the other ingredients and boil until nice and thick.

Serve with fresh pasta and yummy cheese on top!

(photo to come!)

New look to the blog...

Huge KUDOS to my wonderful hubby, who saved the day when I updated the blog to the not-so-new blogger. I managed to lose everything except the posts - it was a sad, sad moment! Still here we are with a new blog template and two sidebars!!!

Let me know what you think in the comments!

The Recipe Box Swap

From Randi's I have to say blog; My little recipe box is in need of some new ideas, so I think that a recipe swap is in order.

On Thursday, February 7th, I will be posting a couple of my favourite recipes here on my blog and I invite you to do the same on your blog. I will provide an auto-link at the bottom of my post so that you can leave your post URL so that others can visit and see what you have cookin'.

Any recipe you choose will be perfect! I hope to see you on Thursday!

What a great idea - I say! :D

Shrove Tuesday - Crepe's

Using the crepe recipe and yummy ice cream recipe on this blog created a wonderful Shrove Tuesday experience for our family!

By way of explanation;
Shrove Tuesday is a great day for pancake lovers, but Shrove Tuesday also has a special religious significance for Christians, and provides a valuable message for people all over the world.

Shrove Tuesday, or Pancake Day as it is often called, is the last day before the Christian festival of Lent begins. Lent is the time when Christians prepare for Easter by giving up something special for 40 days. Traditionally Christians would fast (give up food) as a way of remembering the 40 days that Jesus spent alone in the desert, but nowadays people give up all sorts of things for the 40 day period. Television, meat, wine and chocolate are common sacrifices, but people can choose to forgo anything in recognition of the festival.

Lent begins with Ash Wednesday. Traditionally Christians would rub ashes on their forehead on this day, as a way of showing they were sorry for their sins. The ashes are made from the palm crosses from last year’s Palm Sunday celebrations, and symbolise the death and resurrection of Christ.

Scones made the dairy-free way!

3 cups flour
6 teaspoons baking powder
1/4 teaspoon salt
50 gm dairy free margarine
1 1/4 cups coconut cream (slightly less than a can)

Sift flour, baking powder and salt into a bowl. Rub the margarine into the flour mix until it resembles fine breadcrumbs. Add coconut cream and mix quickly into a soft dough. Lightly knead. Lightly dust an oven tray with flour. Press scone dough out onto this. Cut into even sizes. Leave a 2 cm space between scones. Brush tops with left over coconut cream. Bake at 220 degrees Celsius for 10 minutes or until golden brown.

homemade hamburger patties

Makes around 30 patties.

2kg minced beef
2 cups soft bread crumbs
1 cup homemade tomato sauce
4 eggs, lightly beaten

Combine all ingredients in a bowl, and then shape mixture into patties, and snap-freeze on trays in freezer. Store in freezer bags until required.

Homemade Tomato Sauce

Makes 2-3 cups.

2 tbsp oil
2 cloves garlic, crushed
1 onion, chopped
2 x 400gm can's of chopped tomatoes
2 tbsp mixed herbs - optional
1/2 glass of wine - optional

Brown the garlic and onion in the oil, then add the other ingredients and boil until desired consistency.

Can be used to add to bolognaise sauce or as is.

Mayonnaise Dressing

1/4 cup Maize cornflour
3 tsp Citric Acid
1 tsp Sea Salt
1/2 cup Sugar
1 1/4 cups Water
2 eggs
175ml Oil

Cook together cornflour, citric acid, salt, sugar and water in a saucepan. When thickened, pour into a blender and while whizzing, add eggs and drizzle oil. Keeps well in the refrigerator for approximately 2 weeks.

DELICIOUS Dairy Free Ice Cream

1 can Coconut Cream
1 can Fruit (Any Kind will do)
2 Banana's (optional - is more sorbet-ish without)

Puree all of the above in a blender. Pour into prepared icecream maker and waa-lah!



The easiest and tastiest dairy free icecream option.

Some variations I've tried; Apricot and chocolate chip, Fruit Salad, Peppermint (just add 1 tsp Peppermint Essence).

My hubby's 36th Birthday Cake

Here it is... It's my first time trying any icing flowers on the cake and I think for a first time I did okay. I made the dairy-free chocolate cake I made cupcakes out of on the weekend - It's a very versatile recipe!!!

dairyfree carrot cupcakes

1 cup flour
1 cup sugar
1/2 teaspoon baking powder
1 teaspoon cinnamon
salt, pinch
1/2 cup oil
2 eggs
2 cups grated carrots

1. Blend all ingredients and mix very well.

2. Put in spoonful amounts into a prepared patty tin.

3. Bake until cooked (20 minutes) at 170 degrees Celcius.

Dairy Free Chocolate Cupcakes

This recipe is based on a very moist chocolate cake. I've also known it to be called Wacky Cake or Crazy Cake. It is delicious and similar to the other chocolate cake I have on this blog.

3 cups flour
2 cups sugar
6 tablespoons cocoa
2 teaspoons baking powder
1 teaspoon mixed spice
1 teaspoon salt
2 tablespoons vinegar
3/4 cup canola oil (almost any kind of cooking oil will do)
2 teaspoons vanilla essence
1 cup soy milk
1 cup water

1. Sift first 6 ingredients together in mixing bowl.

2. Make 3 wells and in each hole place the next 3 ingredients.

3. Pour 1 cup of water and 1 cup of soy milk over top and mix with a fork or wire whisk.

4. Put spoonfuls into patty tin.

5. Bake at 170 degrees Celcius for 20 minutes.

Sugar Cookies

INGREDIENTS

2 cups all-purpose flour, plus more for rolling

1/2 teaspoon baking powder

1/4 teaspoon salt

1/2 cup dairy free margarine (or butter)

1 cup granulated sugar

1 large egg

1 teaspoon vanilla essence

Assorted candies, sprinkles, or coloured sugars, for decorating (optional)

1. In large bowl, whisk flour, baking powder, and salt. With an electric mixer, cream butter and sugar until light and fluffy. Beat in egg and vanilla. With mixer on low, gradually add flour mixture; beat until combined. Divide dough in half; flatten into disks. Wrap each in plastic; freeze until firm, at least 20 minutes, or place in a resealable plastic bag, and freeze up to 3 months (thaw in refrigerator overnight).

2. Preheat oven to 180°C. Line baking sheets with parchment. Remove one dough disk; let stand 5 to 10 minutes. Roll out 1/8 inch thick between two sheets of floured parchment, dusting dough with flour as needed. Cut shapes with cookie cutters. Using a spatula, transfer to prepared baking sheets. (If dough gets soft, chill 10 minutes.) Re-roll scraps; cut shapes. Repeat with remaining dough.

3. Bake, rotating halfway through, until edges are golden, 10 to 18 minutes (depending on size). Cool completely on wire racks. To ice cookies, spread with the back of a spoon. Let the icing harden, about 20 minutes. Decorate as desired.


Note: To make icing, sift 1 1/2 cups confectioners' sugar into a small bowl. Whisk in 3 to 4 tablespoons milk, water, or lemon juice, 1 tablespoon at a time, until smooth and thick enough to coat the back of a spoon. If too thin, whisk in more sugar; if too thick, add more liquid.


TIPS: Use flour on utensils to keep dough from sticking: Dip the cookie cutters, and dust the spatula before transferring uncooked dough to a sheet. Rolling dough between two sheets of floured parchment will keep it from sticking to the rolling pin.
You can store cookies in airtight containers at room temperature, up to 1 week.

Muesli Bread - breadmaker recipe

This is a great recipe for people, like me, who are not good at having breakfast (cereal & milk, that is!). Toast is a whole lot easier to do when your eyes are blurry and head fuggy! I make a large 1.5kg loaf that lasts me just over a week if I slice and freeze the bread.

2 cups water, tepid
4 tablespoons coconut milk powder
2 tablespoon honey
1 tsp salt
4 tablespoons oil
4 cups plain flour
3 tablespoons gluten flour
3 cups muesli (I used a real cheap brand that had lots of dried fruit in it)
3 tsp breadmaker yeast

Place all the ingredients in the baking pan in the order in which they are listed above. Set the programme to 'Basic'.

At the end of the cycle, turn out the bread onto a wire rack and leave it to cool. It's as simple as that, and oh so DELICIOUS!

Dairy Free Muffins

Sweet Muffins

2 Cups plain flour
2 tsp baking powder
3/4 cup lightly packed brown sugar
1/2 cup milk I use rice milk for the milk but have used soy and regular.
1/3 cup canola oil
2 eggs whisked

TIP ~ If just doing plain you will need to add a little more milk or it will be too dry.

1. Preheat the oven (190-200 degrees Celsius).
2. Sift flour and add sugar in 1 bowl. In another bowl put whisked eggs, milk, and oil. Add wet to dry, using a large metal spoon to mix until just combined. I use a big serving spoon for this or the mix goes smooth like a cake mix and the muffins are very heavy and don't rise.
3. 3/4 full the muffin pans and cook for 18-20 min. Leave in pan for 10-15 min before turning out.

Variations
Banana use two mashed.
Pear 1 1/2 pear mashed.
Choc chip I use chopped up dairy-free chocolate.
Jam 1⁄4 teaspoon of jam in the middle. Put 1⁄2 mix in, put jam in middle then add extra mix on top.
Honeycomb on top or mixed into the mixture.
Coconut Small amount of coconut is nice.

I use muffin cases for all my muffins and they nearly all get frozen to be put in lunch boxes.

Savoury Muffins

2 cups plain flour
2 tsp baking powder
2 tablespoons brown sugar
1 cup milk (or milk substitute)
1/3 cup canola oil
2 eggs

Variations (add any of the following to muffin mix)
chives
Basil
Coriander
Cheese
Cheese and Bacon

The savoury ones are nicest on the day they are cooked or warmed in the microwave.

PIZZA

Breadmaker Pizza Dough
400 ml Water
2 Tbsp Oil
2 tsp Salt
2 1/2 cups Plain flour
2 1/2 cups Wholemeal flour
2 Tbsp Gluten flour
3 tsp Breadmaker Yeast

SETTING: Dough

Suggested Toppings
Tomato Sauce, capsicums, onions, tomatoes, pineapple pieces, olives, herbs, salami, ham, cheese, chicken, bacon

Handshaping (or bringing it all together to make pizza)
1. Half the mix. Roll the dough on a lightly floured surface into a 25 cm round for a thick based pizza or into 2 x 20cm rounds for a thinner based pizza.
2. Place onto a lightly greased baking tray. Spread or sprinkle pizza with selected pizza toppings.
3. Bake in a preheated oven at 200 degrees Celsius for 12-15 minutes or until base is cooked and topping heated through


Variation (CALZONE)

I do this for my dairy-intolerant daughter, because without the cheese pizza toppings tend to fall off.
1. Take a portion of pizza dough and roll it out into a circle on a lightly floured surface.
2. Spread with pizza sauce, and other assorted pizza toppings. Fold in half pinching the edges to join.
3. Bake in a preheated oven at 200 degrees Celsius for 12-15 minutes or until cooked.

I made both kinds of pizza for dinner tonight – DELICIOUS. We used lots of different kinds of meat, purchased from the deli and chopped up, Mozzarella Cheese for those of us okay with dairy, on a base of homemade pizza sauce!

wordless pancake recipe online...

Look at what some creative genius has created - great for if you are a visual learner, or if you can't read, or if you just like the way it looks! :D I am envisaging the creation of a wordless recipe book...

Cow Clear Chocolate Cashew Cookie

(fits in well with Cession – all the ccccccc’s that is;) )

1 cup dairy-free margarine
1/2 cup caster sugar
1 cup brown sugar
2 eggs
1 tsp vanilla essence
3 cups plain flour
2 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp salt
2 cups chopped dairy-free chocolate (dark/bitter-sweet)
1 cup chopped cashew nuts

1 Preheat oven to 180`C. With an electric mixer, cream the margarine and both the sugars together until light and fluffy.
2 In a shaker or another bowl, mix the egg and vanilla essence, and then gradually beat into the margarine mixture. Sift over the flour, baking powder and salt and stir. Add the chocolate and cashew nuts, and mix to combine well.
3 Place heaped teaspoonfuls of the dough roughly 4 cm apart on baking trays. Bake in the oven until lightly coloured, about 10-15 minutes.

TIP
Don’t chop the chocolate and cashew nuts too fine – these taste great with big hunks of chocolate and nuts – MMMMMMM!!!

3.20pm (27th September 2006)
Name changed from "Best Ever Dairy-free Chocolate/Cashew Cookies" :- Thanks Jonathan for the idea - you win, you guessed it, a yummy cow clear chocolate cashew cookie as a prize.

Cake #4

Dairy version of cake #2 – We promised to take a cake in for Aimee to share with her class, and Aimee wanted it to look like last years cake (My Little Pony on a meadow of green grass). :)

The things we mum’s do for our kidlets!!!

Cake #3

This "cake" I am pleased to say, cos' it was so terrible, was not made by me.

After a morning of shopping we didn't have time to make one, and so it was off to the supermarket to get one. Not the nicest, but did the job, so that we could all sing "Happy Birthday" once again... :D And it put a lovely smile on the birthday girls face!

HAPPY 8th BIRTHDAY AIMEE!!!!