Apple, Oat & Sultana Cupcakes

You can just imagine how much of a drama it was when, whilst packing her lunchbox for kindy the next day, my 3yo opened up the freezer to find out there were no more cupcakes left!  So she helped me to make these cupcakes.  You just need to make sure you use soaked oats!  We drizzled these cupcakes with honey when they were done.

Ingredients (makes 12):
1/2 cup rolled oats, soaked overnight in 1/2 cup of water
1 cup whole kamut (or spelt) flour
1/2 cup rapadura or raw sugar
1 apple, grated (if organic, no need to peel)
30g organic sultanas
50g butter, melted
1 free range egg
1/2 cup water
1 tsp vanilla essence
2 tsp baking powder

Optional to serve - drizzle of pure honey

Method:
1.  Preheat oven to 180 degrees and line a cupcake tray with cupcake cases

2.  In a large bowl, add all the ingredients except baking powder and stir to combine.

3.  Add baking powder and stir briefly until just combined.

4.  Divide between cupcake cases and bake for around 15 minutes or until the centre of cupcakes springs back when pressed lightly.

Apple & Rhubarb Pie

So I have never cooked with rhubarb - up until now!  That's right, I don't muck around... my first ever rhubarb recipe is going on my blog!!  I made the pie filling on one day so that it was refrigerated for when I was ready to make the pastry for the pie the next day.  I'm quite proud of my effort really - and the pie is delicious!

Ingredients:
Filling:
1/2 bunch rhubarb, diced
3 apples, cored, peeled and diced
1/2 cup raw sugar
1 orange, juiced and zested
1/2 vanilla bean, cut in half

Pastry:
2 cups light spelt flour
1/4 cup icing sugar
50g butter, cubed
Pinch of salt
1/4 cup water

Extra raw sugar to sprinkle on top of pie

Method:
1.  To make the filling, I added all the ingredients to a saucepan and simmered on low heat, stirring occasionally.  I did this until the rhubarb had broken down and the apple was soft.  This took about 10 minutes.  (I would've done this in the Thermomix, except Thermie was busy at the time cooking something else!  To do this step in Thermie, add all ingredients to the Thermie bowl and cook 10min/90deg/rev+sp1).  Remove the vanilla bean.  Set the filling aside to cool completely or if not using the same day, refrigerate until ready to make the pie.

2.  Preheat oven to 200 degrees and grease a pie dish with butter.   

3.  To make the pastry, I did this in the Thermomix - add flour, icing sugar, butter and salt to the bowl and mix 10sec/sp6.  Add water and mix another 5sec/sp6.  Then knead for 30 seconds on interval setting. Remove pastry from Thermie and separate pastry into 2 bowls - 1/3 of the pastry into one bowl and the remainder into the other bowl.  Cover and refrigerate for around 15 minutes.

To make the pastry without the Thermomix - add flour, icing sugar, butter and salt to a food processor.  Process until the mixture resembles breadcrumbs.  Add the water and process again to combine.  Turn out the pastry and knead until smooth.  Separate out into 2 bowls - 1/3 in one bowl and 2/3 in the other.  Cover and refrigerate for around 15 minutes.

4.  Remove the larger portion of pastry from the fridge and roll out in between 2 sheets of baking paper until it is big enough to cover and base and sides of the pie dish.  Transfer the pastry to the pie dish.  Prick the base and sides and blind bake for around 10 minutes.

5.  Turn down the oven to 180 degrees.  Fill the pastry shell with the cooled pie filling.

6.  Roll out the remaining pastry and cut into 2cm wide strips.  Arrange on top of the pie in a criss-cross pattern and sprinkle the top of the pie with extra raw sugar.

7.  Bake the pie for around 15 minutes or until the pastry on top is cooked through and golden.  

Spicy Tomato Soup

Well I must admit I'm still getting used to how cold Perth is (and I know it's going to get much colder yet!).  I've been in the mood for soups as a result!  This one is a great winter warmer thanks to all the spices.  And I've also topped it with slices of pan-fried nitrate-free chorizo which was a great addition but it can be a bit difficult to find!

Ingredients (serves 4):
1 onion
2 garlic cloves
1 tbsp cooking fat
1 tsp dried oregano
1 tsp dried parsley
2 tsp ground cumin
1 tsp paprika
1 tsp ground coriander
1 tsp garlic powder
1 tsp onion powder
1/8 tsp cayenne pepper
5 tomatoes, halved or 400g can diced tomatoes
1L chicken broth (or Campbell's veggie stock or 1L water + 1 tbsp TM veggie stock concentrate)
Sea salt, pepper and Herbamare to taste
Optional - nitrate-free chorizo sausage, sliced and pan fried

Method:
1.  Dice onion, mince garlic and add to a saucepan with cooking fat.  Cook on medium heat, stirring, until softened.  Stir in herbs and spices.

(Thermomix - add halved onion and garlic cloves, chop 5sec/sp7, add cooking fat, herbs and spices and cook 2min/Varoma/sp2)

2.  Puree tomatoes (if using fresh ones) and add to the saucepan along with the stock, sea salt, pepper and Herbamare.  Bring to the boil and then reduce to simmer for around 20 minutes.  Serve.

(Thermomix: add tomatoes if using fresh ones and puree for 5sec/sp7.  Add stock, salt, pepper and Herbamare.  Cook 20min/90deg/sp2. Serve).

Apple & Cinnamon Upside Down Cake

This blog has been a great creative outlet for me.  I've come up with some recipes that I didn't even realise I was capable of creating.  I've also never done a lot of baking so I'm loving that through this blog I've had the chance to do just that - experiment with different cooking methods and also be able to share what I've come up with!  Here's one I'm quite proud of!

Ingredients:
Base:
1 large apple, peeled, cored and sliced
3 tbsp butter, melted
2 tbsp rapadura or raw sugar
2 tsp cinnamon

Batter:
125g butter, softened
3/4 cup raw sugar
1.5 cups light spelt flour
2 free range eggs
3/4 cup milk (I used Bonsoy)
2 tsp cinnamon
1/2 tsp nutmeg
2 tsp vanilla essence
2 tsp baking powder

Method:
1.  Preheat oven to 160 degrees and grease a round cake tin with butter.

2.  Combine the base ingredients and then arrange along the bottom of cake tin

3.  In a large bowl, cream butter and sugar with an electric mixer until light and fluffy (1min/sp4 in Thermomix).

4.  Add flour, eggs, milk, spices and vanilla.  Continue beating until combined (20sec/sp3 in Thermomix, scrape down sides and mix for another 20sec/sp3).

5.  Add baking powder and mix in for a few seconds (5sec/sp4 in Thermomix)

6.  Pour batter into the cake tin over the top of the apple base and smooth out the top.

7.  Bake for approximately 30 minutes or until the cake springs back when pressed lightly.  Take out of the oven and allow to rest for 10 minutes in the cake tin before inverting out onto a serving plate and allowing to cool before serving.

Slow Cooked Pepper & Red Wine Roast Beef

I recently bought a slow cooker, mainly for the purpose of making bone broths.  Though as I found out, you can also make really lovely "roasts" in it.  The beef just falls apart.  Below is the recipe we used to make dinner last night.  We had this with some roast potato, pumpkin, beetroot and carrot, as well as steamed green beans and broccoli.   

Ingredients:
1-2kg beef roast (I used a 1.3kg grassfed topside roast)
1 cup water
1 cup preservative free red wine (I used Settlers Ridge brand)
1 onion, peeled and coarsely chopped
2 garlic cloves, peeled
A few whole peppercorns
Sprinkle of Herbamare

Gravy:
Juices from roasting dish/slow cooker
2 tbsp gluten-free cornflour
Splash of tamari sauce

Method:
1.  Into a slow cooker, add the meat, water, wine, onion, garlic, peppercorns and Herbamare.  Cook on "low" setting for around 8 hours, turning the meat over a couple of times if possible.  If you don't have a slow cooker, you can do this in an oven - just preheat the oven to 150 degrees and add your ingredients to a roasting dish, cover with alfoil and cook for 2.5-3 hours.

2.  If having with roast veggies, pop these into the oven at the appropriate time. 

3.  Once the roast is done, set it aside to rest while you make the gravy.  Add the juices from the roasting dish or slow cooker to a small pot.  Whisk on a low heat as you add in the cornflour mixed in with some water, and also add the tamari.  Whisk for a couple of minutes or until thickened.

(To make gravy in Thermomix, add the pan juices with the garlic and onion bits, add cornflour and tamari and cook for around 3-4 minutes/100deg/sp5 or until thickened slightly).

Dairy-free "Cheese" Spread

Don't knock it till you try it!  This nut cheese tastes like a super yummy nacho cheese which is fab for someone like me who doesn't tolerate dairy too well.  I recently had something similar at a cafe called Samudra's while on a weekend away in the Margaret River region and I liked it so much, I had to have a go at making something like that myself!  This would also make a delish dip to have with crackers or veggie sticks!

Ingredients:
1.5 cups raw cashews, soaked overnight, drained and rinsed
1/4 red capsicum
3 tbsp nutritional yeast flakes
1 tsp ground cumin
1 tsp ground coriander
1 tsp good quality salt (I used Celtic)
2 tsp garlic powder
1 tsp onion powder
1/8 tsp cayenne pepper
1/4 lemon or so, juiced

Method:
Add all ingredients to Thermomix/food processor and blend until smooth (1min/sp5 in Thermomix).  Adjust seasonings if necessary, scrape down the sides of the food processor and blend some more. 

Choc Cherry Mousse Cups

Don't these choc cherry mousse cups look super cute?  And so easy to make.  You could use pitted cherries from a jar for this (just make sure they're additive free) but I did see some fresh cherries at the supermarket so decided to use those. I made 6 choc cherry mousse cups but you could easily double the ingredients to make more.  And in case you're wondering, the avocado in the mousse is for the creamy texture... you cannot taste the avocado in the finished product!

Ingredients (makes 6):
Base:
1 cup dessicated organic coconut
4 fresh Medjool dates, pitted
2 tsp coconut oil

Mousse:
Flesh of 1 ripe avocado
1/3 cup cacao powder
3/4 cup coconut cream (I refrigerated the tin first and then used the cream portion off the top)
1/2 cup pure maple syrup
2 tsp vanilla essence

Also need:
Jar of pitted cherries or some fresh pitted cherries (I used fresh ones)

Method:
1.  Make the base - in Thermomix or food processor, blend together all the base ingredients (10sec/sp6 in Thermomix).  Evenly distribute the mixture among serving cups and press down slightly.

2.  Top the base with pitted cherries.  I used 3 fresh cherries in each cup (I have a nifty little cherry/olive pitter that I bought from a kitchenware shop... surprisingly it gets used more than I expected!)

3.  Make the mousse - add to a bowl or Thermomix all of the mousse ingredients and whip with an electric mixer until fluffy or whip in Thermomix for 1min/sp5-6.  Spoon the mousse over the top of the cherries.  Refrigerate until set.