CHICKEN SALAD

Mix together in a bowl 500gm of shredded chicken , 235gm of julienned apple , 60 gm of thinly sliced celery , juice of 1 lemon and 125ml of coconut cream ..
Serve on a bed of fresh spinach leaves
Season with cracked black pepper and fresh chopped coriander .

COCONUT CHICKEN WITH BAKED SWEET POTATO

BAKED SWEET POTATO
Preheat your oven to a solid 180deg C
(1/2 whole sweet potato per serve ) Wash and pat dry whole sweet potatoes
Using a sharp knife make 3/4 deep  incisions along   the whole potato .
Then spray each whole potato with coconut cooking oil
Sprinkle liberally with a mixed herb mix
Place on a sprayed oven tray and bake for 45 minutes or until softened but nut mushy.

COCONUT  CHICKEN
You will need 1/2 chicken fillet per serve ...Slice the fillets and set aside .
Heat a pan with 1 tbs of coconut oil and cook  sliced onion and a clove of garlic   (1/2 onion per serve ) till softened .
Add cracked black pepper to taste .
Remove from heat , set aside .
Thinly slice and remove the core of an apple ( 1/2 apple per serve ), add the juice of 1 lemon and stir in  coconut cream  ( 125ml per serve )
Add the coconut sauce to the chicken and place back over a low heat and stir through , simmer gently allowing to heat through and flavour to develop ,
Season with salt
Serve over baked sweet potato..

TEXAN PORK CHOP AND SALAD

Season 4 pork chops with salt and cracked pepper .
Cook the chops over a medium high heat 4minutes on each side until golden and cooked through .
Remove from heat and let sit for 2 minutes .
Return the pan with the chops to the heat and add a fresh sliced jalapeno and saute for 30 seconds .
Reduce the heat ....
Now add 375 gm of thick and chunky salsa and let simmer for 4 minutes to warm through
Serve with an easy
MEXICAN SALAD
Toss together 50gm of spinach leaves , 6 cherry tomatoes halved , 1 tbs of lemon juice , 1/4 cup of fresh coriander leaves ...

RAW CHOCOLATE MACAROONS

In a bowl combine 80gm of shredded coconut
30gm of raw cacao powder
90gm of honey
1/2 tbs of coconut oil.
1/2 tsp of salt .
Roll into 8 even sized balls ,
Place on a tray sprayed and lined with baking paper .
Freeze for 20 minutes .
Then place in the refrigerator till you are ready serve .

RAW CHOCOLATE BROWNIE ...... (Paleo and vegetarian friendly )

Line a slice pan with spray and baking paper .
In a separate bowl combine 128gm of almond meal , 60gm of raw cacao powder , 130gm of peanut butter ( any nut butter ) and 80gm of honey ...with a pinch of salt and stir well.
Press the mixture in to the prepared pan and refrigerate for 1 hour .
Slice to serve .

RAW CHOCOLATE GNACHE
Combine 30gm of raw cacao
18gm of coconut oil
Mix to combine
Spread over top and chill it immediately .
 

MOROCCAN STEW

Preheat your oven to 160 deg C
Heat a good slug of  oil in a large pan over a medium heat .
Brown 500 gm,of diced lamb shoulder
Add 2 sliced red onions and 2 tbs of minced garlic and cook for a further 2 minutes .
Add 1 dsp of ground turmeric
1 dsp of smoked paprika
1 dsp of ground cumin
1 cinnamon stick
1 tsp of chilli flakes
4 cups of beef stock
1/4 cup of tomato paste
Bring this mix to a simmer , then cover and bake I the oven for 1 and 1/2 hours .
When done remove from oven and add 8 dried dates , pitted and sliced .
The diced lemon rind of 1/2 lemon ..(rind only )
Season with cracked pepper and salt  ( to taste )
Cover again and oven cook for a further 30 minutes until meat is falling apart .
Remove the cinnamon stick before serving .
Serve with couscous ,fresh mint and coriander .

TUESDAY COOKING CLASS .....CHOUX PASTRY

Tomorrow we are revisiting an old favourite ....choux pastry
To be honest I`m surprised at the ladies request ,
Cooking class participants tend to rush the process , that is something you can`t do with choux pastry .
It`s very simple but you need patience .......
If they bugger up , it will have to be remade
Just to make it interesting I have prepared the ladies pastry ingredients .......
.almond flour
coconut flour
ground psyllium flour
ground golden flax seed
bicarbonate of soda ......
It`s the wheat belly all purpose baking mix .
Just a tip ...it`s not a race .



 

BEETROOT CHIPS WITH FETA AND MINT

Preheat your oven to 180 deg C
Line 2 oven trays with baking paper .
The ingredients you need are ......

 

Place in a bowl

4 beetroots , peeled and thinly sliced

1 tbs of coconut oil melted and 1 tsp of sea salt tossed with the sliced beetroot .

Spread the beetroot out over the trays .

Bake for 20 minutes .

Then remove the baking paper and rotate the racks in the oven and bake for a further 10 minutes .

Remove the chips as they lighten .

 

Place the chips on a cooling rack cool.
Serve with mint and feta ....

 

 

COCONUT POLENTA WITH BAKED PUMPKIN

These are the ingredients you will need ......

Pumpkin, coconut milk , tamari , garlic , polenta , coconut oil  and parsley .

 

Preheat your oven to 200deg C.

Slice the  pumpkin into wedges , remove the seeds and leave the skin on .

Prick the pumpkin with a skewer .

In a separate bowl whisk together 2 tbs of tamari , 1 tbs of melted coconut oil ,4  tbs of water and 1 tbs of minced garlic .

Massage this mixture into the pumpkin

Place pumpkin pieces in a sprayed baking pan.

Cover with a sheet of baking paper and roast for 40 minutes or until tender but not mushy .

 

Bring 200ml of water mixed 800ml  ( 2 cans )of coconut milk to the boil .
Reduce to a simmer and pour in 180gm of polenta , stirring constantly until the polenta thickens .
Sprinkle with parsley and serve with the baked pumpkin .

 

 

FENNEL AND SMOKED SALMON SALAD

For this light but filling salad you will need ........coconut cream, feta cheese , dried dill leaves , capers , lemon , fennel bulb and smoked salmon .

 

Whisk together 50gm of coconut cream with juice of a lemon and a tsp of dried dill . Set aside .

Slice the fennel bulb very thinly and arrange on serving plates .

Follow with 200gm  smoked salmon , tearing them into large pieces and then follow with the thinly sliced feta cheese .

Drizzle the salad dressing over the salad

Scatter 1 tsp of capers on top.

 

 

DEVILLED STEAK

Everything old is new again .
For this hum dinger of a meal you will need to combine 1 and 1/2 tbs of plain flour with 1 and 1/2 tbs of brown sugar , 1 tsp of salt , 1/2 tsp of ground mixed spice , 1/2 tsp of ground ginger , 1/2 tsp of mustard powder , 1/2 tsp of curry powder .
Mix all the ingredients together to make a coating mix .

I used 4 slices of gravy beef and coated each slice with the seasoned coating mix

These are  now to be covered and refrigerated over night .

 

Next day place the dry marinated steaks in your tajine or  casserole , or cassolette , or slow cooker , or the original orange crock pot  ( I have my mother`s ).........seriously what`s in a name ?

 

In a jug combine the juice of 1 lemon , 1/3 of a cup of med- dry cherry , 1/2 cup of tomato sauce , 1 tbs of Worcestershire sauce .

Now add enough vegetable stock to just cover the meat , you won`t need much .

Cover with a lid and cook in a preheated oven for 2 and 1/2 hours on 180 deg C

At the 1 and 1/2 hour of the cook add the grated zest of 1 lemon , 2 chopped bacon rashers and 12 chopped and pitted prunes .

Continue to cook , serve with rice or pasta .

 

FRIDAY NIGHT

 

I hate sausages because of the casings ....so you can pick any gourmet sausage  available in the meat section of supermarket and  extract ball shape sized rounds from the casings. .I selected camembert , onion and pork sausages

 

 Soften onion slices along with garlic cloves in coconut oil , add 1 x tin of  diced tomato , a good pinch of cracked pepper .

 Add sliced mushrooms .

 Add 1 packet of fresh spinach leaves .

This was a filling and tasty meal .
 

ZIGGY IS THE BEST

Nana`s  Ziggy ...we have had  some rocky periods , she loves sleeping in the car , and having someone with her all the time . I love her to pieces ....

WHERE ARE THE BUTCHERS ?

I spend a lot of time looking at what is on offer in the meat sections of the big supermarkets ...
Things have changed
Everything comes from a  processing plant in outer Melbourne .
Tasman Meats is no different , they purchase the whole animal in wholesale pieces and employ butchers to process the meat to the popular cuts .
How times have changed under our  nose ....
 

THAI BOLOGNAISE

Heat 1 tbs of coconut oil over a medium heat in a large heavy based pan .
Add 1 diced onion
2 dsp of minced garlic , 1 dsp of minced ginger  and cook until onions are softened
Add 500 gm of lean minced beef and cook through until separated .
Then 2 tsp of Chinese 5 spice and a 1/3 rd of a cup of red curry paste ...cook for a further 2 minutes .
Add 1 can ( 400ml ) of coconut cream  simmer gently for 30 minutes , stirring regularly
Cook 350 gm of dried spaghetti according to instructions on packet .
To the simmering sauce add 1 red capsicum sliced
1 cup of frozen peas
1 medium carrot cut into match sticks
1 cup of torn coriander leaves
1 tbs of fish sauce
Salt and pepper to taste .
Combine pasta with sauce before serving
Serve with lime wedges , fresh coriander and sliced red chilli

CURRY

What is a curry ?
Curry means a mixture in Hindi .
In South East Asia it means a stew of fish , vegetables , beef or  chicken in a pungent aromatic sauce .
In the western world curry is term for highly spiced dishes of meat , vegetable or fish originating in India and South East Asia containing varying portions of chilli.
 

SALMON CURRY .......TUESDAY COOKING CLASS

It`s just about coconut oil , onions , capsicums , garlic, fresh  or dried curry leaves , chilli to taste  and tamarind paste stirred and cooked through till the onions soften ....then a tin of coconut cream added to the mix .....Simmer this till it thickens and then remove from the heat and add the tamarind paste ... Stir to combine ..then add the fish fillets and bake in a medium oven ( 160 deg  C ) for 20 minutes to cook and warm through .
Serve with your favourite grain .

NO BAKE CRACKLE CAKE

Spray a 16cm round cake pan with coconut cooking oil .
Slowly melt a 1/4 cup of ghee in a large saucepan over a LOW  heat and add 4 cups of miniature marshmallows , stirring constantly until melted and well blended .
Now pour in 5 cups of rice bubbles stirring till thoroughly combined .
Remove from the heat and spoon the sticky mix into the prepared pan
Gently press to smooth over the top .
Refrigerate to set for 1 hour .
To serve use a hot knife to run around the sides of the pan to loosen to cake and reheat the knife to slice .
Decorate as desired ..

( 4 Ingredients Celebrations by Kim McCosker )
 

INGREDIENTS

I USE THEM ALL !

MARINADE FOR 660GM RIB EYE STEAKS

The marinade ....mix together in a bowl
5 tbs of white miso
10 tbs of  blue cheese mayonnaise
2 tbs of honey
3 tbs of Chinese cooking wine
1 tsp of apple cider vinegar .
Mix to blend and then brush both sides of steaks and bones
Let marinade for 2 hours

I steamed a combination of brown rice with red quinoa and diced capsicum .
Peeled and cut a celeriac into cubes , sprayed the celeriac into cubes and roasted them in a preheated oven on 200 deg C till tender ...but not mushy .

Prepare the sauce for the steak ..horseradish cream.
Mix together 1/4 cup of horseradish cream with 1/4 cup of  Greek yoghurt and 2 tbs of freshly chopped chives .

I grilled the steaks under the preheated griller for 6 minutes each side ...( medium )

 

MARINATED PRAWN , FENNEL AND ROASTED BELACHAN ...ENTREE

Slice onion , garlic cloves  and fennel into a bowl , cover with cling wrap and place in the refrigerator .
Place 500 gm of shelled and deveined prawns with tails intact into a bowl .
In a mixing bowl add 1 roasted belachan tablet softened with a tbs of coconut water
5 tbs of coconut water
3 tbs of tamarind paste
3 tbs of minced garlic
2 tbs of balsamic vinegar
Using a pestle mix together  well .
Pour over the prepared prawns ..
Let marinate for 2 hours .

Heat a pan with 4 tbs of ghee ..add sliced onion , fennel  and garlic .
Cook till softened and aromatic
Add prawns and marinade .
Cook for 6 minutes , moving the prawns constantly
Serve garnished with parsley .

QUATRE EPICES - SWEET

European four spice blend , used in French and European recipes as a rich mixed spice for fruit cakes , desserts and pastries .
Traditional `speculaas`spice .
Also compliments strongly flavoured foods such as pork, duck and game .
Ingredients : allspice, nutmeg, cloves and cinnamon .

GOODNESS CAKE

I hope your mum liked her cake Carol .
Thank you for your order .
Recipe for the goodness cake was posted on my blog 22/10 2014. (V)

BAKED CAULIFLOWER

Preheat your oven to 200deg C.
Spray an oven tray with cooking oil then line it with baking paper.
In a large bowl break a head of cauliflower into small florets , add 4 tbs of melted coconut oil , 1 tbs of cumin seeds ,
1 dsp of sweet smoked paprika , tsp of salt  and cracked black pepper ....mix these together with your hands.
Spread the coated cauliflower florets in a single layer on the tray .
Bake for 20 minutes until golden and edges are crisp.
Remove and pour the juice of 1 lemon over to serve .

 

WORTH THE EFFORT WHOLE WHEAT CHOCOLATE CHIP COOKIES

3 . Steps must be followed for this recipe to be successful .

1. You need to exercise patience

2. Make sure the butter sugar mixture is cooled to room temperature before adding the egg.

3. Chill the cookie dough overnight ...( this is where you need to practice patience )

In a medium saucepan , heat 114gm of butter / margarine with 150gm of brown sugar and 55gm of granulated sugar over a low heat , keep stirring until the butter melts ....
Remove from the heat and set aside for 15 minutes or until it cools to room temperature .
Set aside .

In a separate bowl combine 95gm of plain flour 80gm of whole wheat flour ,4gm of baking powder , 2gm of baking soda , 2 gm salt and 81 gm of dark 80% lindt dark chocolate coarsely chopped .
Set aside .

When the butter sugar mixture has cooled add 1 egg ( lightly beaten ) and 3/4 tsp of vanilla bean paste  , use a spatula to incorporate .
Add the flour mixture and stir till there are no flecks of flour remaining .
transfer the dough to a cling wrap , wrap tightly and chill overnight in the refrigerator ....the longer the better , this allows the butter to re solidify , the cookies will be crispy on the outside , chewy on the inside and full of melty chocolate .

Preheat your oven to 180deg C.
Lightly spray 2 cookie trays and line with baking paper .
Break off tbs sized  balls from the dough and roll into balls , place on tray and flatten with fork to a thickness of 1.5 cm , allow 20cm  between each cookie ball .
Bake for 12 - 14 minutes until golden brown on top .
Remove from oven and let the cookies cool on the trays, then transfer to a cooling rack .
Cookies can be frozen , if they last that long .
.

PIZZA PARMA BALLS ...TUESDAY COOKING CLASS

You will need a kilo of sausage meat or mince of your choice ,  placed in a large bowl , to this you will add 1 medium sized onion finely sliced into dice ...
Then add 2 tbs of minced garlic
1/2 cup of breadcrumbs
100gm of grated parmesan
1tbs of fresh parsley finely chopped
1 tbs of finely chopped fresh basil
1 tbs of fresh oregano or 1 dsp of ground oregano
Pepper to taste .
Use your wet hands to combine all ingredients .
Now shape the meat mix into meat ball shapes and brush with tomato paste .
Set aside .
In class the ladies bought the bowls from their slow cookers , spraying the bowl with coconut oil .
Add 1 x 800gm tin of whole Italian tomatoes
1 dsp of stevia or sweetener of choice
Any left over chopped herbs from the meatballs
1 tbs of ground Italian herbs or ground mixed herbs  ( commercial blend )
300 ml of thickened cream
1/2 fennel bulb sliced and 1 red or yellow capsicum sliced .
Add the meatballs , turn on to slow setting and cook for 2-3 hours from point of simmer .
the longer it stands the better the flavour .

Serve with your favourite grain , cauliflower mash , pasta or just as it is .

BREAKFAST

Who says you can`t have it all ?
Raisin bread spread with avocado topped with poached eggs and drizzled with maple syrup.

FRITTATA ......YYNNFC PLAYER`S MEAL

I used large trays ( 10 serves per tray )
Sprayed each tray and  lined them with sliced zucchini and sliced yellow capsicum , sprinkled with cumin seeds .
Then  layered with  pulled pork , pulled beef or chicken .
Added on top  were fresh broccoli , beans , carrots and cauliflower slices ..
Sprinkled with shaved parmesan ..
In a separate bowl place minced garlic , shaved parmesan , 1/2 cup of chia seeds , 1/4 cup of turmeric ,18 eggs and whisk till well combined ....then add 600ml of  cream and whisk until well combined .
Pour this over the prepared tray , sprinkle with extra grated parmesan  and top with cherry tomatoes ...

Place in a preheated oven on 160 deg , it will take about an hour  then place a sheet of baking paper over the top and continue to cook for 30 minutes to cook through to the centre .

QUOTABLE QUOTE

`HE WHO OPENS A SCHOOL DOOR , CLOSES A PRISON DOOR ...`
No body knows it all ...never stop learning , reading , practicing , sharing .... when you stop you create your own prison .
Boredom kills ......

BECHAMEL SAUCE

I am frequently asked for my béchamel recipe ......
Melt 8 tbs of ghee in the bottom of a large pot over medium heat .
Once melted add 1/2 cup of  plain flour and stir it into your butter until smooth .
You will need 4 cups of whole milk ..( and yes cold milk is fine as long as you add your milk slowly .)
Drizzle a small amount of milk at a time into the butter flour mix until the mixture is smooth , the mix has to be stirred constantly , once you have added half the milk you will find that you have a thick sauce or batter ...now you can start adding the milk a little quicker , just be sure to keep mixing .
Once all the milk ( 4 cups ) is added , add 1 tsp of table salt , 1 dsp of minced garlic and  ground nutmeg to taste along with a good sprinkle of cracked black pepper .
Bring the mix to a slow simmer and cook it for 10 minutes , stirring frequently .
Taste to adjust seasonings if needed .
 

HOMEMADE MAYONNAISE

This recipe makes about 2 cups of mayonnaise

Whisk 1 egg in a medium bowl , with 1 tbs of white basalmic vinegar and 1 tbs of Dijon mustard as well as 3/4 teaspoon of salt until the mixture is smooth ...almost fluffy .This sets the foundation for the mayonnaise .
Whisk for at least 1 minute before drizzling in a few drops of canola oil , whisking continually , build to a very slow but steady stream until all 1 and 1/2 cups of canola oil is incorporated .
The sauce will come together to make a stable emulsion .

SI STAVA MEGLIO QUANDA SI STAVA PEGGIO

`we were better off when  things were worse`.......
15TH  century Tuscan saying ....
My  dad grew all our vegetables and fruit and he had to work on the construction of the Hazelwood Power Station to keep the farm afloat , I remember a copper that was heated from below with wood to boil the water to clean the bed sheets every Sunday , I also remember tomatoes that were picked when ripe and full of flavour ....the Gravenstein apples so full of flavour and juice , it was on the family farm that I fell in love with the quince blossom , the fruit and the beautiful leaf of the quince tree.
Oh and the big fig tree that grew in front of the farm house , the big purple figs so fleshy and full of God`s nector ...I`ve never sickened of figs ...
The farm was hard work and proved harder when my dad Jackiw Grunberg was taken away to a psychiatric ward to have his post traumatic stress issues dealt with ....at this time his behaviour was  strange ...he wouldn't allow certain colours in the house , nor radios , we were living in a war zone .......all due to time he was interred in a prisoner of war camp .Many of the families from the Ukrane / Russian community that I knew in the Latrobe Valley  in the 60`suffered similar torments of war .......
Seriously a new generation of war savaged families are living the  traumas now in 2016 ....not much has changed ...except the tomatoes ,there is no commercially grown tomato that is bred for  flavour!

 

LEFT OVER DELIGHTS

OPTION 1
Open your fridge ... what`s left over , sitting on plates covered with cling wrap ?
Right now in my fridge there are a few slices of smoked salmon , there are always capsicums in my fridge , fennel bulb ( it is in season ), a drawer of part used cheeses , 1/4 jar of capers , left over coconut cream in a container
STUFFED CAPSICUM WITH FENNEL SLAW ....
Using the juice of a  beautiful fresh lemon ( they are in abundance at this time of the year ), whisk this together with the remnants of a can of coconut cream and chop up the fine fronds of the fennel and mix this all together .You have just made your dressing ...How easy and delicious .
Now thinly slice your fennel bulb , using a sharp knife slice the left over smoked salmon on the diagonal , depending on the cheese you have in the fridge ...either crumble it , shred it or grate it ..
It`s time to mix the dressing with all other ingredients ...set aside
So with the capsicum  using a circular cut  remove the core leaving the lid intact ..slice off the seeds .
Now you can fill your fresh capsicum with the salmon , fennel slaw .
I would serve this as a side ....Depending on the numbers you are serving , vary the colour of the capsicum...

OPTION 2
Prepare your fresh capsicum as above , but fill it with any left over main meal , lasagne and pasta are a great filling ...top with grated cheese and shaved parmesan for a crunchy top ....
Place the capsicum with the filling on an oven tray and spray with cooking oil ...and bake in a preheated oven on 160 deg C  for 30 minutes ....
If the topping darkens too quickly loosely lay a sheet of baking paper over the top of the capsicum ...