Home – made Fruit Jellies

One of my biggest weaknesses is sweets….wine gums, jelly babies, sour worms – anything chewy. I have given them up mostly except as an exception once in a while. I do miss them though.

I saw these in one of my recipe books. Even though they arent as chewy as wine gums they are still really tasty and satisfy a craving when in need. You can go crazy with flavours and colours just keep it as natural as possible.

I made two types:

Strawberry

Cranberry

For either of them, you need:

1/2 cup freshly squeezed juice (strained)

1 tbsp sweetener of choice (i used xylitol but you could use honey)

1 tbsp gelatine (grass fed)

Fresh fruit if you want to add it to the jellies

In a pan, pour in your juice and sweetener. Stir and then add your gelatine. Let it stand for 5 minutes.

Now put on medium heat and stir constantly for 5 minutes. Pour them into moulds straight away – either an ice tray or shaped moulds like I had. I added a strawberry slice to my strawberry flavoured ones, before putting them in freezer. They will set within 20 minutes. Take them out and put in a container and store in fridge!

Coffee Nut Keto Fat Bombs

Fat Bomb is usually a generic term for any snack that is as close to 100% fat as you can get it. They are great for post workout or if you are having a sugar craving.

Obviously do not eat these when you are eating carbs! And don’t eat more than 1 or 2 a day

Ingredients

1/4 cup melted coconut oil

1 tbsp ground coffee of your choice

1 tbsp almond butter

1 tbsp xylitol

1 tsp vanilla essence

Place all in a pan on low medium heat and bring to a simmer for 2 minutes. Remove and stir to dissolve coffee and combine everything.

Pour into an ice tray or mold of your choice and put into deep freeze for a few hours. Remove from mold and put in a jar. Store in the fridge

Chicken in a mustard cream sauce

This is another “one pan wonder”. For those lazy nights when you want something tasty without the effort.

Ingredients

2 x chicken breasts, sliced in half

1/2 punnet sliced mushrooms

1/2 red onion, finely diced

1 garlic clove, finely diced

1 chicken stock cube

1 glass white wine

1 tbsp strong mustard (i like hot english in here but dijon works well too)

3 tbsp sour cream

A few sprigs of thyme, leaves picked

1/4 cup grated parmasan

butter/olive oil for cooking

salt and pepper

• Season your chicken breasts and fry in a pan until cooked through, then remove to the side.
• To the same pan add your mushrooms, garlic and onion and saute for about 7 minutes until mushrooms are golden.
• Add your white wine, chicken stock cube and thyme. Simmer for 5 mins for wine to cook out and reduce a bit. Add your mustard and sour cream, and your chicken back to the pan.
• Simmer for about 10 minutes then remove and serve with the parmasan sprinkled on top

Sunday Brunch – Pancakes

My darling boyfriend decided to make me breakfast this morning:)

What a lucky girl – although not so much if you have tried some of his other dishes – pancakes however, are his thing and he does them very well

Ingredients

1 cup all purpose flour

1 cup milk

2 eggs

1 tsp baking powder

2 tbsp sugar

pinch of salt

2 tbsp melted butter

Toppings: we had crispy bacon with maple syrup and cheese (sounds gross but really works!)

Mix all your batter ingredients together and heat up some butter in a pan on medium heat. Pour in some mixture with a soup ladle so it covers the bottom of the pan in a thin layer. Leave until you see bubbles forming, then flip to the other side and cook until golden.

Beautiful Blogger Award

Thanks so much to Natascha for this nomination. Yours was one of the first blogs I started following when I started blogging! Go see what Natascha has to offer at https://nataschaspalace.wordpress.com

THE RULES:

Link the blogger who nominated you.

List seven random things about yourself.

Nominate seven creative, beautiful bloggers.

7 random things about myself

1. I love living near the ocean and couldn’t imagine living somewhere that didn’t have the smell of the sea close by

2. I like to shop for bargains…i think buying 10 pairs of pretty but cheap shoes is better than buying one expensive name brand

3. My favourite smell is chicken roasting in the oven….second fave is freshly cut grass

4. I dislike pretentious people

5. My guilty pleasure is KFC once every now and then

6. My favourite food to eat out is pizza or steak

7. My fave chef is Jamie Oliver – I love his passion for food and unpretentious cooking, and that he likes to educate people about food

My latest favourite blogs:

http://isaynomato.com

https://glutenfreemakeover.wordpress.com

http://mealswithmel.com

http://foodiegoesprimal.com

http://lynzrealcooking.com

http://springtomorrow.com

http://ohjade.wordpress.com/

Notify the people that you nominate.

Almond crackers and Cheese crisps – Low Carb snacks

Just because you do low carb doesn’t mean you can’t have snacks….

These are good for both banting and paleo diets and literally take 20 minutes to make BOTH.

Cheese Crisps:

1 cup cheddar cheese, grated on large grate

1 cup parmasan cheese, finely grated

1 tsp paprika

1 large jalapeno, sliced (deseeded if you don’t like hot things)

Preheat your oven to 180. On a baking tray, place some baking paper. Now take about a tablespoon full of your cheese and place in a mound on paper. Do this until all cheese is used up – you may need to do batches. Put a round of chilli in the middle of each pile. Don’t place mounds too close together.

Bake for 10-12 minutes or until the edges are going a darker gold colour. Let them cool for 5 minutes then remove from paper. Delicious with some zesty salsa

Paleo crackers

1 cup almond flour

1/2 cup golden flaxmeal

2 egg whites

pink salt

1 tsp of spices of your choice – I used cumin

Place all ingredients in a processor and blitz to form a dough. Remove to a piece of baking paper and cover with another piece. Roll out until as thin as you can get it. Slice into biggish wedges – you can break them into smaller bits when cooked. Bake for 12 minutes or until crispy. Let them cool. Great with gaucomole

Cheesy stuffed Mexican Burgers on Sweet potato rosti

Yum…that’s all i can say about this one really. So so delicious. Did not miss out on the roll at all but then again I’m quite used to having bunless burgers now. As for stuffing the burgers with a cheesy pocket of amazingness – i saw it on the food channel – Guy’s big bite. Got to love that guy.

For the burgers

Makes 4 burgers Approx 250g lean beef mince

1 large egg

3 slices of cheddar per burger pattie

1 tsp ground cumin

1 tsp cumin seeds 1 tsp ground coriander

1 tsp paprika

1 tsp chilli powder

salt and pepper

For the Salsa

1 cup cherry tomatoes

1/2 cup fresh coriander

1 large red chilli (deseed if you don’t like it hot)

1 red onion juice of 1 lemon

For the sweet potato rosti

1 large sweet potato, grated on the big grate

1 large egg

salt and pepper

Start by making your patties. Mix all the burger ingredients except the cheese in a bowl. Now take about a baseball size of mince and roll into a ball. Divide that ball in half and roll each half again until a ball. Take one half and place on board. Start flattening it out, picking it up and turning it around after each flattening so it doesn’t stick to board. Do this until it is quite thin. Don’t worry – you will be adding the other half soon to make a thicker burger.Do the same with the other half of your original ball. Lay your cheese in the middle of the first pattie, don’t put it too close to the sides as you need to fold those up. Now lay the other pattie on top and bring the sides of the bottom one up. Pinch the two together and smooth over so it becomes one burger with the cheesy pocket inside. For your salsa, put all ingredients in a processor and blitz quickly until all finely chopped. If you prefer your salsa chunky, do it by hand. For your rostis, mix all ingredients in a bowl. Heat some oil in a pan and when hot, add a spoonful of your mixture and flatten with spatula. DO NOT TOUCH for at least 4 minutes. You need a crust to form so you can turn it over. Fry your burgers on a hot grill until golden brown on both sides. Serve on rosti topped off with some salsa and gaucomole ( i just mashed some avo’s with lime juice)

Melting Moments with Raspberry and Buttercream filling

I am quite proud of myself for these, because this is the first time I have ever baked properly! I have never baked a cake or made biscuits before. Shameful I know but sweets aren’t really my thing.

Anyway on Masterchef a few seasons back, Julia made these and they have stuck with my ever since and I have wanted to make them but they seemed rather daunting. In actual fact (and anyone who makes biscuits will know) it’s quite easy actually!

Makes about 10 sandwiched biscuits

For the biscuits:

250g softened, unsalted butter

1 cup icing sugar, sifted

1 cup all purpose flour

1/2 cup cornflour

3 tbsp custard powder

1 tsp vanilla essence

1 tsp lemon zest

For the filling:

80g softened butter

2/3 cup icing sugar

1 tsp lemon juice

1 tsp vanilla essence

about 1/2 cup good quality raspberry jam you may need less or more

Preheat oven to 150

Start by putting your butter and sugar for the biscuits in an electric mixing bowl and whisk together until creamy and fluffy, about 5 minutes. Add your lemon zest, vanilla essence and turn it on again for 30 seconds.

Add your flours and custard powder to the mixing bowl of butter mixture and turn on the electric whisk again, just until it starts to come together nicely. At that point you can use your hands to mix.

Once your dough is mixed well, lightly flour your hands and shape pieces of dough into quail egg sized balls. Place them on a baking sheet lined with baking paper. Do this until all your dough is used up, but try get an even amount as you will be sandwiching them together.

Once all the balls are on the sheet, dip a fork in flour and use the back of the fork to lightly push down on the balls, creating that melting moment shape.

Bake for 15 minutes. Remove to wire rack to cool completely

To make your filling, cream the butter and sugar together until fluffy (use an electric mixer) and then add your lemon juice and vanilla. Mix again.

When your biscuits are completely cooled, smear some buttercream on one half and some jam on the other and sandwhich together. Do this to all of them

Enjoy with a big glass of milk or cup of tea!

Creamy Spinach and Butternut Bake

I have been craving veggies all day. I think it’s because I’m getting a cold so my body is asking for more nutrients or something. I was so badly craving an orange this morning I drove to the store from work just to buy 1 orange.

Anyway when I got home I checked what veggies I had laying around because I am trying to waste less food by using up what I have before I buy more. I saw butternut, spinach and 2 random courgettes. I also saw cream and cheese….and the rest is history. This dish is very more-ish and makes an awesome side to lemon & thyme roast chicken thighs which is what we had with it.  (https://knysnafoodie.wordpress.com/2015/06/17/crispy-lemon-thyme-chicken-thighs-with-shallots/)

You could add other veggies if you want to! Just remember veggies that take a while to cook like butternut or sweet potatoes would be best cooked a bit beforehand.

Ingredients

1 whole butternut – sliced in half

2 cups spinach – roughly chopped

2 courgettes – topped and tailed and thickly sliced

1 shallot or onion, finely diced

1 clove garlic, peeled and chopped

1 tsp nutmeg

3/4 cup grated parmesan

1/2 cup grated cheddar

1/2 cup cream

butter/olive oil

salt and pepper

Preheat oven to 180

Start by cooking your butternut. I did this by placing the halves (skin on for lazy folk) in a microwaveable bowl and covering the bowl tightly with cling wrap. Microwave for 12 minutes.

While that’s busy, put your spinach in a pan and cover with water. Bring to the boil and simmer for 3 minutes. Drain.

To the same pan, add some butter/olive oil and add your shallot and garlic. Fry for 2 minutes.

Add your spinach back to the pan, and add your cream, nutmeg and season with salt and pepperLet it simmer for a 2/3 minutes. Stir in the grated parmesan.

Now get out a baking dish and put your chopped courgettes in the bottom (these don’t need to be cooked first). Get your cooked butternut halves and just use a spoon to spoon out the good chunks. Leave behind the skin and pips. Put that on top of the courgettes, and season a little bit. Now put your spinach on top of that and top off with the grated cheddar.

Bake for 20 minutes

Easy mid-week meal – Coconut Pork Stir Fry

 

400g pork fillet – sliced thinly

3 tsp curry paste

3 cloves garlic, finely chopped

1/4 cup coriander finely chopped

1 tbsp fish sauce

1/2 cup chicken stock

1/2 cup coconut milk

1 cup sliced mushrooms

1/2 cup spring onions finely sliced

1/2 cup baby corn, chopped

1/2 cup mange tout shredded

1/4 cup unsalted cashews, roughly chopped

Combine the curry paste, garlic and coriander in a small bowl and mix well.

Heat the oil in a wok, swirling to coat the surface. Add the curry mixture and stir-fry until garlic is aromatic, about one minute.

Add the pork and mushrooms and stir-fry, stirring often, until meat is cooked (about five minutes).

Add the oyster sauce, fish sauce, chicken stock and coconut milk.

Stir to combine and heat thoroughly.Add the vegetables and chopped cashews and toss for one minute.

Serve with zoodles! To make zoodles just use a julienne peeler to peel about 4 or 5 zucchinis. Lay the zoodles on some kitchen towel and cover with kitchen towel too for at least 20 minutes to get rid of moisture. Pan fry them in a dash of olive oil for 2 minutes.