Chocolate Fudge Brownies

Sometimes you just crave something sweet and delicious... and sometimes that means it's time for some experimental baking!

Ingredients

3/4 cup instant oats
1/2 cup dutch processed cocoa
1/2 cup Natvia for Baking
1/4 cup flour
1/4 chocolate PB2
1 tsp baking powder
Pinch of salt
1 tsp vanilla bean extract
3/4 cup Jalna natural fat free yoghurt
2 eggs
2 Tbs milk
1/4 cup extra virgin coconut oil
1/2 cup chopped nuts (your choice!)

1. Preheat oven to 180C
2. Line a brownie pan with baking paper
3. Place all dry ingredients into a food process and process until well combined and oats are broken down a bit.
4. Add all of the wet ingredients and pulse in processor until a smooth consistency.
5. Check that the mixture is a nice thick batter. Add more flour or PB2 if required. Stir in nuts.
6. Pour into brownie pan and bake for 15 - 20 minutes.
7. Remove from oven and cool in pan for 5 minutes.
8. Turn onto a board and slice into 16 pieces.

I served mine warm with some vanilla frosting. Very indulgent, very delicious!

Enjoy!
Ella xx

Ain't Nuttin'

Tonight I just had a huge craving for cookies. So as I was waiting for dinner to finish cooking I whipped up these cookies from what I had in the pantry. I was a bit worried that they wouldn't have a nice texture as I didn't use butter and the PB2 can be quite heavy, but they are great! They have a nice crunchy outer layer and a soft centre.

Zucchini Fritters with Yoghurt Dressing

One of my favourite ways to spend a few lazy hours on the weekend is browsing the fresh food markets. One of my favourite stores is the Asian grocer at our local market. They carry all types of Asian foods as well as some great US and Tex-Mex foods.

This week while browsing the shelves I saw Chickpea Flour and grabbed it, thinking instantly of making zucchini fritters. A few years ago one of my students made zucchini fritters using chickpea flour for an assessment item. I loved the recipe and have always wanted to recreate it. Unfortunately, I didn't keep a copy of the original recipe so I've just had to stubble forward and work it out myself. This is the first incarnation, but I'm sure that I will be experimenting with them some more in the future.

Chilli Con Carne with Broccoli and Kale

I've been on a new endeavour to prepare budget conscious, healthy meals ahead of time on Sundays to have lunches and weeknight dinners ready to go in the fridge and freezer. There are two types of meals that I make - vegetarian stews based on lentils or other pulses and slow cooked meat dishes with either cheap large cuts of meat or mince.

Chilli Con Carne is not really the sort of dish that you need a recipe for, but this is the way that I make it. Very simple, not very "gourmet" but a great way to prepare a few nights worth of meals ahead of time, ready to be pulled out of the freezer on a cold and tired night.

I decided to serve it with brown rice, broccoli and kale to make a wholesome and filling dish. I hadn't cooked or eaten kale before as it has not been readily available in Australia until recently. I have to say that I was pleasantly surprised by the mild flavour and firm texture of the kale once it had been cooked. I'm looking forward to serving it as a salad with avocado and a sesame dressing.

Osso Bucco with Creamy Mash

All of sudden it has gotten really cold and wintry here. The sharpness in the wind and the cool mist in the air in the mornings tells me that the summer days are gone for this year.

It the spirit of embracing the change of seasons and all the beauty that the changes bring, I decided to cook a lovely warming and rich dish. It's great to have the time to slowly cook a meal on the weekends, especially when you are trying to be budget conscious and buy cheaper cuts of meat which are much better suited to lower, slower cooking.

This recipe is inspired by the search for the ultimate mashed potato, which, as is so often the case when searching for ultimates, has involved many incarnations of Heston Blumental recipes. This is the way we did it this time. You can check the link I've provided to see the extra steps involved in the original recipe, or just go with this simplified version. Thank God for Heston and his thorough curiosity and experimentation!

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Pancake Tuesday!

In Australia, it is traditional for some Christian groups to eat pancakes on Shrove Tuesday.  This tradition is said to be based in the Fat Tuesday or Mardi Gras custom of using up all of your fats and indulgent foods before the beginning of Lent.

Although strict adherence to religious practices might be  becoming less popular, many people still hold onto cultural practices of religions, especially those surrounding special days in the calendar.

Regardless of your religious convictions or opinions, doesn't everyone love a holiday or seasonal food?

Tonight, to mark Shrove Tuesday in our household we enjoyed some delicious homemade pancakes. It was nice to think of these as an indulgent special treat, as we sometimes forget how lucky we are in our wonderful abundant life here in Australia. Only two generations ago ice cream itself was a rare and expensive treat, not something just kept in the household freezer (what freezer?) to grab a scoop any old time. And of course, many people around the world could never dream of eating such a beautiful and superfluous meal. But I think that is a discussion for another time.

Onto the recipe.

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Chocolate Coconut Brownies with Fluffy Maple Topping

This week's adventure in baking is Chocolate Coconut Brownies with Fluffy Maple Topping.

As I've mentioned in previous baking posts, I enjoy experimenting with different ingredients, especially those that enhance the healthiness of my baked goods.

This week I decided to make brownies and include one of my favourite ingredients, coconut oil. Coconut oil is apparently full of health benefits, I definitely find that it fills me up and gives an energy boost that is felt pretty soon after consuming. I usually include coconut oil in my breakfast smoothies during summer.

Chocolate Coconut Brownies with Fluffy Maple Topping

Brownie Ingredients
1/4 cup extra virgin coconut oil
1/4 cup Nuttelex olive oil spread
1/2 cup cocoa
1/4 cup brown sugar
1/4 Natvia for Baking
4 eggs
1 small tub SPC apple puree
2 tsp vanilla extract
1 cup plain flour
1/4 cup chocolate chips
1/4 cup almonds

Topping Ingredients
1/2 cup marshmallow fluff
1/4 cup Nuttelex Olive Oil spread
3/4 cup icing sugar
2 Tbs maple syrup

Method
1. Preheat oven to 170 celcius (fan forced)
2. In a large glass bowl melt coconut oil and Nuttelex in the microwave.
3. Add cocoa, sugar and Natvia and use a whisk to combine.
4. Add eggs, apple puree and vanilla and whisk to combine.
5. Sift in flour and whisk to combine.
6. Add chocolate chips and almonds and stir to combine.
7. Pour into a greased square brownie tin (about 20cm square).
8. Bake for 20 minutes, or until cooked to your liking (I  like my brownies a little gooey in the middle)
9. Remove from oven and cool for 10 minutes in tin before turning onto a wooden board.
10. Cut into 25 even squares.

11. To make topping, use electric beaters to beat together all four ingredients until light and fluffy.

12. Serve brownies with a dollop of topping.

Enjoy!

Ella xx

The Ultimate Comfort Food

We all have them. Those foods that we crave when we are tired and down and need a food hug. This does not have to be a bad thing. Most of my comfort foods are homemade, nutritious and good for the soul all at once.

My all-time favourite comfort food is one that my partner first prepared for me when I had a leg injury and was feeling pretty blah. I suppose my love for this dish is all wrapped up in the experience of having him prepare this for me, with love and care, at that time when I felt really down.

Eggy Pasta

Serves 2

160g large shell pasta or casarecci
4 eggs
1 Tbs mild flavoured olive oil
4 Tbs extra finely grated (using a Microplane) parmesan cheese
2 Tbs white truffle oil
Salt and pepper

1. Cook pasta to al dente according to instructions (about 8 minutes).
2. In a separate large pot bring water to the boil and add a dash of white vinegar. Poach four eggs and drain well using paper towel.
3. Drain pasta,  add olive oil to lubricate. Arrange on plates/bowls.
4. Top each bowl of pasta with two eggs, half of the parmesan and truffle oil.
5. Season with salt and pepper to taste.
6. Serve with love.

NOTE: If you can get your hands on some truffle infused eggs they elevate this dish to an extraordinarily beautiful food moment. I promise.

Enjoy!

Ella xx