GREEK YOGHURT WITH HONEY AND CINNAMON…

I am right into yoghurt this month. I am really happy to share this healthy, simply prepared snack with you. Ingredients......200g gm of Greek yoghurt, 1 dsp of honey, 1/2 tsp of ground connamon, 1/2 tsp of vanilla extract. Simply mix the ingredients together and enjoy, this is one serve . Increase the ingredient amount for each person you are serving.

CAULIFLOWER RICE

Ingredients......1 cauliflower head with the stems and leaves removed, 1 tbs of sesame oil, 1/2 tsp of cracked black pepper, 1 spring onion, thinly sliced,canola/ rice bran oil for frying, fresh basil to garnish. Pulse the cauliflower florets in your food processor until it likes like rice. Set aside. Heat the vegetable oil in a large frying pan over a medium heat. Add the spring onion and saute for a further 3 minutes. Stir in the processed cauliflower and cook for for 5 minutes. Finally drizzle over and stir through the sesame oil. Serve warm, garnished with basil.

ITALIAN FISH BITES

Ingredients....500 gm of firm white fish fillets, cut into bite sized pieces, 1 tbs of Italian herb mix, 1/2 cup of plain flour, 2 eggs lightly beaten with 1 tbs of milk, 1 cup of fine breadcrumbs, 3/4 cup of canola/ rice bran oil, 1 tbs of butter/ marg, 1/2 cup of fresh coriander leaves, chopped, juice of 1 lime, cracked black pepper to taste, lemon wedges to serve. Place the fish cubes in a large zip lock bag with the plain flour and Italian mixed herbs. Shake gently to coat each piece. In a separate bowl season to taste the breadcrumbs with cracked black pepper. Dip the floured fish into the egg and milk wash and then into the breadcrumb mix. Fry the crumbed fish pieces in a pan over a medium heat with the oil until golden, turning a couple of times. Serve with wedges of lemon.

WHAT DO YOU KNOW ?

Here are the answers to February's challenge: 1. Salad 4. Mocha 2. Shortening 5. Korma 3. Pastry. 6. Gluten Here is my challenge for you this month: 1. A snack food from India, consisting of a deep fied turnover filled with spiced meat or potatoes? 2. An hors d'oeuvre of sliced herring fillets filled with pickles and onions? 3. An inexact cooking term usually meaning less than 1/4 teaspoon? 4. A Chinese sauce and condiment made of soy beans, chilli, garlic and spices? 5. The part of a cereal seed that sprouts, thus forming the new plant? 6. The fruit of a tree of the ebony family, that is more or less round in shape and ranges in colour from yellow to orange?

STRAWBERRY AND PASSIONFRUIT CREAM SLICE.

Ingredients...... 2 sheets of frozen puff pastry, 1 egg yolk, 1 tbs of milk, 1/4 cup of flaked almonds, 1 cup of cream, 1/2 cup of sweetened condensed milk, 1/2 cup of passionfruit pulp, 1 punnet of fresh strawberries, sliced. Preheat your oven to 180 deg C. Line 2 baking trays with baking paper. Place the pastry on the oven trays. Brush one sheet of pastry with the combined egg yolk and milk, sprinkle with the flaked almonds. Bake both pastry sheets in the preheated oven for 10 minutes or until golden. Set aside to cool. Beat the cream and sweetened condensed milk until thickened. Fold in the passionfruit pulp. Spread the thickened cream over the plain pastry sheet, arrange the sliced strawberries over the cream. Top with the almond coated pastry sheet, dust with icing sugar. Refrigerate until ready to serve, cut into slices to serve.

BAKED SPICY EASTER PUDDING.

Ingredients.......2 tbs of sultanas/ raisins, 5 tbs of polents, 350 ml of milk, 4 tbs of molasses, 2 tbs of soft brown sugar, 1 dsp of salt, 30 gm of butter/ marg, 1 dsp of ground ginger, 1/2 tsp of ground cinna,on, 1/2 tsp of ground nutmeg, 2 eggs , lightly beaten. Preheat your oven to 160 deg C. Liberally grease a 900 ml/ 1 litre ovenproof dish, you will also need a larger roasting pan that will hold the ovenprrof dish. In a small bowl mix the dried fruit with 1 tbs of the polenta, set aside. Place the milk and molasses in a medium / large saucepan over a medium heat until the molasses has dissolved. Add the sugar and salt and continue to stir until the sugar has dissolved. Sprinkle over the remaining polenta and bring to the boil, stirring constantly. Reduce the heat and continue to stir until thickened. Remove the saucepan from the heat, add the butter/ marg, ginger, cinnamon, and nutmeg, continue to stir until the butter. marg has melted. Now add the eggs and stir in the coated dried fruit. Pour the pudding mixture into the greased ovenproof dish. Place the dish in the roasting pan and pour in enough water to come halfway up the side of the dish. Place the dish in the preheated oven and bake uncovered for 2 hours or until the pudding is set. Test with a skewer inserted comes out clean. Serve immmeately with ice cream.

THE SIMNEL CAKE. ( THE HISTORY).

SIMNEL CAKE..A spiced Easter fruit cake. This is traditionally English. A rich, spicy fruit cake topped with a layer of almond paste ( marzipan) and decorated with 12 balls of marzipan which are said to represent the Apostles, sometimes the number is reduced to 11 to exclude Judas Traditionally baked on Mothering Sunday, the fourth Sunday in Lent.