Xmas goodies!!

 Oh how I love Xmas time, all these first time creations (except for the shortbread) of home-made treats... makes you feel all warm and fuzzy inside, and realise that things are not as hard as they seem. Finding solitude in the kitchen and marvel at your wonderful creations that please both the eye and the puku. Happy new year everyone :)

Pearl Barley Risotto

Apparently the correct term for this risotto is an Orzotto... so there you go, something new to discover around every corner! I decided to try this as a healthier option, and seeing as Barley is so cheap I thought i'd give it a  go.. Barley is high in fibre (double that of brown rice), high in protein, contains several vitamins and minerals including niacin (Vitamin B3), thiamine ( Vitamin B1), selenium, iron, magnesium, zinc, phosphorus, copper, antioxidents and phytochemicals. All of which are good for your health! So eat away happy in the knowledge your doing your body a favour of which it will return to you feeling great. 
 I love the nuttiness of the flavour and chewiness of the texture.. and as I am known as being a slow eater, this meal sure took that to a whole new level of slowly grazing through.. or happily chewing away should I say. 
This recipe is loosely based on another I quickly browsed in search of a recipe, you can find this at: http://edenkitchen.com/green-vegetable-risotto/

For this you will need:

1 Onion
 A few cloves of Garlic
1 Cup Pearl Barley
5 Cups of Vegetable Stock
1 Can chopped Tomatoes
Feta
Asparagus
Spinach



Heat a pan with Olive Oil, add chopped Onion and Garlic then add Barley and slowly add stock,canned tomatoes, stirring  every now and then as it sticks to the pan so you may need to add more boiling water every now and then to prevent it from drying out and let the barley cook through. This usually takes about 40 mins all up to cook, it certainly doesn't need as much stirring and isn't as time consuming as normal risotto as you can go into the kitchen every 10 mins or so and give it a stir and add more hot water if it needs it. I chopped up the greens and added it about 5 mins away from the end of the cooking time. The results were delicious, a very hearty and satisfying meal to cook and enjoy eating. I plan to make many more times adjusting the ingriedients from time to time. Bon Appetit! :)

Delicious, Hearty & Healthy Salad

Yum, I must admit- this is one of my all time favourite salads- It is so packed full of protein that it keeps you full for ages- great for lunches!


You will need: 
Cous Cous
Red Onion
Carrot
Celery
Tomatoes
A Can of Mixed Beans
sunflower & sesame seeds
A Can of Tuna
Feta Cheese

Soak the Cous Cous in a little boiling water. Leave for a few minutes until it has soaked up all the water and fluff it up with a fork. Chop up the celery, carrots, red onion and tomato. Add all of the above to the cous cous and prepare the vinaigrette.
For this you will need a few tablespoons of Olive Oil, a teaspoon of wholegrain mustard, red wine vinegar, balsamic vinegar and lime infused Olive Oil.( A friend recently got me onto this and I must say its well worth the price you pay for it- you only use a small amount at a time so it lasts ages and makes any salad taste incredible!) Put into a jar and shake up well. Sprinke with sunflower and sesame seeds and enjoy the energy this salad gives you :)

Banoffie Pie

I must admit, this pie was so tasty that I ate all of it- apart from one measly little slice!

You Will need: 


A Packet of Malt biscuits
50g Melted Butter
Whipped Cream
Chocolate Chips
A Can of Caramel Condensed Milk
3 Bananas


Crush the biscuits and add the melted Butter, set into pie tin to set in fridge. Melt the condensed milk slightly in the microwave or stovetop as it is rather set and easier when soft. Put this on top of the biscuit base, chop and add the bananas, whipped cream and choc chips. Put in fridge to set for a couple of hours and enjoy being a piggy like me! :)

Banana Meringue Pie

This is one of my most loved and remembered pies from my childhood- I would request it at every birthday and special occasion.

You will need: 


1C Sugar
2T Butter
3/4 C Flour
1 1/2 C Milk
3-4 Bananas
2 Egg Whites
2 Egg Yolks
                                                                                    Vanilla
                                                                                    2T Sugar
                                                                                    Pack of plain biscuits
                                                                                    50g Melted Butter

BASE: Crush up biscuits ( I can never be bothered with a blender but this is by far the easiest method and gives you smooth crumbs- alternatively, if your like me you can put into a sealed bag and smash up to let out any frustrations you may have until they are all crumbs.) Add the melted butter, mix together and press into a pie dish and put in fridge to set until your custard is ready.

CUSTARD: Soften Butter and add 1 C Sugar & Cream together. Add egg yolks one by one and cream. Add flour and mix, and milk & stir well. Put on stovetop for a few minutes until it thickens to a custard consistency, be careful not to let it burn, stir it continuously. Slice up bananas and add once the custard is done. Put onto set biscuit base and put into fridge for a couple of hours until set.

MERINGUE: Beat egg whites until they are glossy white and when you hold upside down it doesn't move.. you should not be able to see any little bubbles, should be a glossy and smooth consistency. Slowly add 2T Sugar and keep mixing. Put onto set pie and using the back of a spoon form peaks in an upward motion so they can brown. Cook for 5 -10 minutes in 180 degree oven until meringue slightly browns
Enjoy! p.s. this is delicious the next day cold! Can be eaten still warm from oven or cold. YUM!

Cinnamon Apple Nut Buns

I am so happy that I also spent the following night after baking these dreaming about them...



For the dough

two eggs

a stick of butter (unsalted is best if you do not want to the salt to retard the yeast)

1/2 cup brown sugar

1-1/2 cups of milk/ buttermilk (I used soy and it worked fine)

flour (good quality plain white is the easiest to work with)

yeast (first time I used fresh yeast was lovely)

---



the yeast was added to a good dollop of flour and mixed together... in a saucepan the butter, sugar and milk was stirred together on a low heat until the butter had began to melt... this was all added to the flour with the eggs and quickly blended with a big wooden spoon... then dumped on a floured surface and kneaded for a good 8 minutes till the dough was soft and elastic...

then left in a ball somewhere warm to double in size about an hour...

then it was punched down and left again for 15 minutes to spring back up into shape...

then you can roll out the dough onto your surface...

and slop over the apple mix and/or other goodies prepared...



Apple mixture...

the best thing about this is how versatile it is, next time i will try rhubarb and apple but for now here is a good apple mix...



-apple grated...

-walnuts

-cinnamon a good dusting

-brown sugar

-butter

-a dash of maple syrup

-almonds

stew this mixture in a pot a little till the butter is just melted... if you are making a crisscrossed style bun you only need to slightly slice the apples and addd armed butter...

to make a criss cross bun roll out a large oval and add the filling in a line down the middle, cut parallel lines from the middle filling out toward the edge of the oval then plait these strands down across the filling and tuck it in at the end...

To make individual buns spread the mixture over the entire rolled out rectangle then roll this up carefully and slice into individual pieces and sit them upright together in a baking dish...

leave this to sit for a further hour till the dough has again risen to fill the space...

bake for twenty minutes

then enjoy

drool

Some Alternative recipes can be found here



vegan... http://www.foodista.com/blog/2009/12/21/vegan-cinnamon-rolls/

easy... http://theblackapple.typepad.com/inside_a_black_apple/2009/02/cinnamon-rolls-for-two-insane-people-or-four-sane-ones.html

strudel... http://chefinyou.com/2009/05/austrian-apple-strudel/

eva darling salad

easy peasy lemon squeezy,
this is now my winter I wish it was summer salad, that my gorgeous friend Eva gave me, what an easy treat for any time...

red cabbage shredded
apple cut into thin slices
carrots roughly chunky grated
and a little orange juice over the top

YUM YUM YUM
great salad with great subtle sweetness and a fantastic crunch