tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-150332162024-03-16T03:12:23.213+02:00Random RecipesSuehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11835205817921501248noreply@blogger.comBlogger101125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-15033216.post-4183915630331011132023-07-18T17:24:00.003+03:002023-07-18T17:24:58.425+03:00Sardine and Lentil Salad<p><b>Sardine and Lentil Salad</b></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; font-weight: bold; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhTTz2TG61oIrJIFNTMb6AdAIuiEWupuiI8tHZqieP603A0GMmhdq1-HsYw9e9r0XLZg08yidaMl4ZTzZFPcb7y5o-jLX9uRJPJV8QtcHREtfk6PfOqsOkrq-1iL4HyBJgaTHZvV0iCfiiX-q1G6qTGFTEmwooGDPU6bKFWg-FVs0TgRg1rpEtxfQ/s3363/20230717_184241.jpg" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img alt="sardine lentil salad" border="0" data-original-height="2629" data-original-width="3363" height="250" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhTTz2TG61oIrJIFNTMb6AdAIuiEWupuiI8tHZqieP603A0GMmhdq1-HsYw9e9r0XLZg08yidaMl4ZTzZFPcb7y5o-jLX9uRJPJV8QtcHREtfk6PfOqsOkrq-1iL4HyBJgaTHZvV0iCfiiX-q1G6qTGFTEmwooGDPU6bKFWg-FVs0TgRg1rpEtxfQ/w320-h250/20230717_184241.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><i>serves 2-3</i><br /><p></p><b>Ingredients:</b><p></p><p>1 can sardines in tomato sauce<br />50g lentils, cooked and drained<br />1 small cucumber, chopped<br />50g frozen peas<br /><br />20-30g lemon juice<br />fresh or dried mint to garnish</p><p><b>Method</b>: </p><p>Mix the first four ingredients together. There is no need to thaw or cook the peas first. Then toss in the lemon juice. Sprinkle chopped fresh or dried mint over to garnish. </p><p style="text-align: center;">-----</p><p><br />During the summer months in Cyprus, when temperatures rise well into the 30s (Celcius) I don't use my oven and we eat mostly cold food. For the past few years I have acquired and experimented with a variety of different salads, since we quickly get bored of a diet consisting of lettuce, tomatoes and cucumbers. I've scoured recipe books and the Internet, and adapted what I've found to suit our tastes.</p><p>The great thing about salad recipes is that they can be adjusted as much as one wants. Quantities are usually approximate, and substitutions can easily be made depending on preferences. I don't recall where I found the original of this salad, but it's one that's very quick to make, so long as you remember to cook the lentils earlier in the day (after soaking, if necessary; I tend to use the small orange lentils that don't require any pre-soaking). </p><p>If you can't find sardines in tomato sauce, you could substitute pilchards in tomato sauce, or possibly tuna (with a little tomato puree added). If you don't eat fish at all, leave it out entirely: there is still valuable protein in the lentils and peas. Without the fish, this is a good vegetarian or vegan protein salad.</p><p>I usually try to have one 'main' (protein) salad such as this for our evening meal, with at least one other 'side' salad (various vegetables, usually), and some form of carbohydrate, either included in one of the salads or separately. We've eaten this with air-fried potatoes, for instance, or air-fried sweet potatoes, or with a side salad including rice.</p><p><br /></p>Suehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11835205817921501248noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-15033216.post-67561063840575654612023-05-01T18:12:00.003+03:002023-05-01T18:13:51.224+03:00Trifle (dairy-free)<h3 style="text-align: left;">Trifle</h3><p><i>Makes one biggish trifle</i></p><h4 style="text-align: left;"><strong>Ingredients</strong>:</h4><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEip99U8MrUKKd7HUSN_hGfRBa3cRNmzkYDLYpVP1mdiiB7dqvFnigF_ZXmYje7gQu5EjqGu4qbXNIM7RK_4Bpi9UXEvHj3XQCK70jgEFpSKjwkgccyg2Ta3h7ma8yObfa5rMQDzbDemZ7CA9z8SdvgvpW1kJLuCPwgXZJAL5wLGVkFQg6YqIGs/s2048/20211016_155433trifle.jpg" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img alt="Dairy-free trifle" border="0" data-original-height="1536" data-original-width="2048" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEip99U8MrUKKd7HUSN_hGfRBa3cRNmzkYDLYpVP1mdiiB7dqvFnigF_ZXmYje7gQu5EjqGu4qbXNIM7RK_4Bpi9UXEvHj3XQCK70jgEFpSKjwkgccyg2Ta3h7ma8yObfa5rMQDzbDemZ7CA9z8SdvgvpW1kJLuCPwgXZJAL5wLGVkFQg6YqIGs/w320-h240/20211016_155433trifle.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><p>a medium sponge cake or pack of sponge fingers<br />a large can of fruit in syrup (eg pineapple)<br />1 litre dairy-free milk substitute<br />4 tbsp custard powder<br />4 tbsp sugar<br />1 can thick coconut milk or cream, chilled<br />extra sugar, to taste<br />dairy-free sprinkles or glacé cherries</p><h4 style="text-align: left;"><b>Method:</b></h4><p>Line a large bowl with sponge fingers or crumbled pieces of cake. Drain the fruit, then pour enough juice over the cake to soften it. Cover with the fruit.</p><p>Make the custard according to the instructions on the tin: either make a paste with a small amount of milk in a saucepan and then gradually add the rest, stirring over a low heat, or use a very large jug in the microwave (when the milk boils it will rise very high unless you catch it), stirring every minute until thick. <br /><br />Cool the custard for a few minutes, then pour carefully over the cake. Cool completely and refrigerate. </p><p>If you're using canned coconut milk, open it upside down and drain off any liquid. Turn the remaining cream into a large bowl and whip, using an electric mixer if possible, adding a spoonful or two of sugar, if liked. It won't whip as well as dairy cream does, but should become thick enough to spoon over the cold custard. </p><p>Top with halved cherries or sprinkles, and refrigerate until needed. </p><p style="text-align: center;">------</p><p style="text-align: left;">Trifle is a classic British dessert, quick and easy to assemble, and attractive to look at, particularly if served in a glass bowl so the layers can be seen. It's traditionally made with dairy milk and cream, of course, and an 'adult' variation uses sherry rather than fruit juice to soften the cake at the bottom. </p><p style="text-align: left;"></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhPzhJWPxyET_qmceTij7Vl92VIYyBsEJpPW37N4AhVE4Lt_VczveU6U_In7HFkzOIzYp43YJ9b7Kh0iQ9ZQW9b4wqm519CG8b7YkVUgio8_lbtY4HBbkSKVbW_He-Btq3nozeHilVeY1KE-Kb93xKWSlQaBukz7aTOm-OwH0M6wVN-jDQkNm0/s2048/20211016_155138trifle.jpg" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img alt="making trifle with pineapple" border="0" data-original-height="1536" data-original-width="2048" height="150" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhPzhJWPxyET_qmceTij7Vl92VIYyBsEJpPW37N4AhVE4Lt_VczveU6U_In7HFkzOIzYp43YJ9b7Kh0iQ9ZQW9b4wqm519CG8b7YkVUgio8_lbtY4HBbkSKVbW_He-Btq3nozeHilVeY1KE-Kb93xKWSlQaBukz7aTOm-OwH0M6wVN-jDQkNm0/w200-h150/20211016_155138trifle.jpg" width="200" /></a></div>The last time I made trifle, I forgot to put the fruit on top of the sponge fingers until I'd poured the custard over. No problem: I put the pineapple on top of the custard, instead. <p></p><p style="text-align: left;">There are many variations; some people like to use jelly (or fruit in jelly) on top of the cake layer rather than simply fruit. But it's hard, nowadays, to find good quality jelly to make up, without artificial sweeteners, and of course most jelly is not vegan (or, indeed, vegetarian). </p><p style="text-align: left;">You can make your vegan jelly own using fruit juice and agar-agar instead of gelatine, but I prefer to use just fruit. It's quicker, too; if you use jelly you have to ensure it's fully set before adding the custard, and the custard must be completely cold before you do so, or it will melt the top of the jelly. </p><p style="text-align: left;"></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhyz3_-6Ur9-se0WHxs9_ZLmcUMAn8Nb4bNpU0z6aRsLpgJXjmfcvIkzTzlayD-ANiBdU8-DWJVCp64SfN4_yeLm6A3FY3JT6IOGnUrDUDGXuSBs-hr5gjySNrPMp91CsBai5ZxYx4-j9_HutxQ8c3RtoGKFke9HYbRVUSQmwRD0pfhVcKo4x8/s2048/20211016_155133%20aquafaba.jpg" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img alt="whipping canned coconut milk" border="0" data-original-height="1536" data-original-width="2048" height="150" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhyz3_-6Ur9-se0WHxs9_ZLmcUMAn8Nb4bNpU0z6aRsLpgJXjmfcvIkzTzlayD-ANiBdU8-DWJVCp64SfN4_yeLm6A3FY3JT6IOGnUrDUDGXuSBs-hr5gjySNrPMp91CsBai5ZxYx4-j9_HutxQ8c3RtoGKFke9HYbRVUSQmwRD0pfhVcKo4x8/w200-h150/20211016_155133%20aquafaba.jpg" width="200" /></a></div>It's possible to make nut-based creams, according to other recipe blogs, but I prefer to keep things simple, in keeping with the idea of trifle. So the discovery of canned coconut milk was a revelation. If you can find canned coconut cream, that probably whips more thickly, but we tend to use Lidl's full-fat canned coconut milk, which is virtually all cream. Even their 'low-fat' version has more of the thick, creamy part than many other brands. <div><br /></div><div>Fresh fruit can, of course, be used instead of canned; moisten the cake with a little fruit juice (or sherry) if you do so. Fresh fruit such as halved strawberries or sliced kiwi can make an attractive topping. </div><div><br /></div><div>If you prefer a chocolate version, use chocolate cake at the bottom, and add a couple of tablespoons of cocoa powder to the initial paste when making the custard. Alternatively make chocolate blancmange and use that. Grated vegan chocolate is a good alternative to sprinkles, although a bit more time consuming, and somewhat messier too.</div>Suehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11835205817921501248noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-15033216.post-28319919469601275682022-11-10T17:45:00.001+02:002023-01-24T15:11:35.318+02:00Oat Milk<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><b><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj0lM6O8L_003G7gJDEr4uCHeNBpig4RZbI_8NnhSpgVXhCqSJwpKfPJdvqG1-kFv7w1bWPnCDVqWBpRsbN08IyLOiQr87WP9LJzojT81-a4HYjMHO4e6O2-pHubiKvpyOF9uuf0v2yMGVrQTnHDWRwXTTOZ1Rnk7u7kvTzH6NVXD8oh8aEC0A/s2048/20220911_084120.jpg" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img alt="oat milk" border="0" data-original-height="2048" data-original-width="1536" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj0lM6O8L_003G7gJDEr4uCHeNBpig4RZbI_8NnhSpgVXhCqSJwpKfPJdvqG1-kFv7w1bWPnCDVqWBpRsbN08IyLOiQr87WP9LJzojT81-a4HYjMHO4e6O2-pHubiKvpyOF9uuf0v2yMGVrQTnHDWRwXTTOZ1Rnk7u7kvTzH6NVXD8oh8aEC0A/w240-h320/20220911_084120.jpg" width="240" /></a></b></div><p></p><p><b>Oat Milk</b></p><p><i>makes about a litre</i></p><p><b>Ingredients:</b></p><div style="text-align: left;">About 65g (3/4 cup) whole oats<br />1-2 dates<br />About a litre of COLD water</div><p><b>Method</b>: </p><p>Place the oats with the date or dates (stone removed) in a high speed liquidiser (blender). Add enough cold water to make it up to about 500ml. </p><p>Blend on high speed for up to about a minute. </p><p>Pour into a fairly large-meshed sieve over a wide jug, then use about 200ml more water to rinse out the liquidiser container and pour over the sieve. Use a teaspoon to collect the pulp on one side so that it all drains through. Do not try to squeeze out any extra, but pour a little more cold water over if liked. </p><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgVS3iyzJ4ocWS5lNUqzoCVBbJjnIkH4WccFZbRsuYfvJDNTdtTQwWkhv9jZDHepkwjBJc_X16CBzlj57K9Q744xld0QD4uX2tSsXW0IQYvItJq5ESws9YIMwk8sBjBCD5t6dqrYbtSgafTtqzvhia3sq-1_7WWRSkX1VeJ-pRUsWj67hGa2QU/s2048/20221002_072704.jpeg" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img alt="straining oat milk" border="0" data-original-height="2048" data-original-width="1536" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgVS3iyzJ4ocWS5lNUqzoCVBbJjnIkH4WccFZbRsuYfvJDNTdtTQwWkhv9jZDHepkwjBJc_X16CBzlj57K9Q744xld0QD4uX2tSsXW0IQYvItJq5ESws9YIMwk8sBjBCD5t6dqrYbtSgafTtqzvhia3sq-1_7WWRSkX1VeJ-pRUsWj67hGa2QU/w150-h200/20221002_072704.jpeg" width="150" /></a></div><br />Now use a fine-meshed sieve such as a tea strainer over the jug or other container where you plan to keep the oat milk in the fridge. Pour the milk from the large jug slowly over it, using the teaspoon to stir gently or remove any more pulp so it all flows through. Use any remaining cold water to pour over the sieve or rinse the large jug to get as much of the milk as possible. There should be around a litre of milk, which needs to be refrigerated. <p></p><p>Oat milk can be used like any other dairy-free milk as a substitute for cow's milk. </p><span><a name='more'></a></span><p>My first foray into dairy-free milk was to make <a href="http://randomrecipes.blogspot.com/2014/03/almond-milk-step-by-step.html" target="_blank">almond milk</a>, which was very good, but quite time-consuming and a tad fiddly. Next I tried <a href="https://randomrecipes.blogspot.com/2012/07/coconut-milk-from-desiccated-dried.html" target="_blank">coconut milk</a> (with desiccated coconut) and we liked that very much, except when the coconut wasn't such good quality. And there was no way of knowing in advance. </p><p>A huge leap forward came with the discovery of <a href="https://randomrecipes.blogspot.com/2016/07/cashew-milk.html" target="_blank">cashew milk</a>, which is extremely quick and easy to make. It's not even too expensive, despite cashews being high priced in most of the world; only 50g are needed to make a litre and a half of milk. The only disadvantage was having to put cashews to soak in the fridge two days in advance, but it became a habit and I mostly remembered in plenty of time.</p><p>The problem with either almond or cashew milk is that they can't be used by people with nut allergies. And if the allergies are extreme, they shouldn't even be in the house when someone is visiting.</p><p>In the summer we were introduced to commercial oat milk, and I thought it delicious in coffee - rich and creamy, barely changing the taste at all. So I searched online, as you do, and found so many recipes, all differing slightly, that I lost track of which one I followed. I made my own variations anyway. </p><p>The most important part of the process, according to several sites, is to use cold water. Not just room-temperature water from the tap, but chilled or refrigerated water. As one of the sites pointed out, the aim is not to make porridge ('oatmeal' in the US) and we don't want it to become gloopy. Using whole (rolled/porridge) oats is recommended, but quick-cooking ones can also be used; I did so the first time I made this, and it came out just fine.</p><p>If you don't want gunge to settle at the bottom of the container in the fridge, you can do a further straining through a muslin or equivalent, but you have to avoid the temptation of squeezing it to get out the last drops (as one does with almond or coconut milk). Apparently that can lead to rather gloopy oat milk. So I decided to avoid using a muslin, and simply to rely on a fine-mesh tea strainer for the second sieving, and it's fine. There's some sediment at the bottom of the jug, after a few hours, but I don't have a problem with that. It's more like cream than pulp; it can be stirred in before using. </p><p>The huge advantage of oat milk is that it can be made at a moment's notice, so long as you have refrigerated or ice-cold water easily available. If I need extra milk for some recipe, I can whip up some oat milk in just a few minutes with no need to pre-soak anything. For savoury purposes, you can even miss out the dates. And if you forget the dates before blending (as I have done a couple of times) a tablespoon of maple syrup or honey (or even golden syrup) can be stirred in. It's not necessary to add any sweetening, but for use on granola or muesli, or in drinks, I find it improves the taste significantly to do so.</p><p>The other huge advantage is that it's inexpensive! I can buy a kilogram of oats for not much more than €2.40. That will make around 15 litres of oat milk. Even with the addition of the date or dates, and a little electricity for blending, the cost is not much more than 20c per litre. Even if you buy higher priced organic oats this is still a very inexpensive milk. Even if you're not keen on the slight oaty taste that is evident when drinking this on its own, it's so mild that we don't notice it in coffee, milk-based sauces, or baking. </p><p>As for the pulp removed in the straining process, that can be added to muesli or other cereal, or just eaten with a little honey. No need to waste it. </p><p><br /></p>Suehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11835205817921501248noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-15033216.post-52180547739085692642022-07-26T21:08:00.000+03:002022-07-26T21:08:13.446+03:00Chocolate sorbet <p><b></b></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><b><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi-2g3wQfPdjp5fTIG3S1kuYL66lGEV1V_5rq8p3XnMTaiBQtpnc6oRzWU8UrtX3kSVbkH-STIfDHAnQ2sP_LyXbwQXVBnIOdI84WjJWtDD71CngNEVUydC5Bg0s6MQfbXMy2roby9o28SQyUG9AI17vHa1RHeoFD9twXap1nspCBaqCti2Xc8/s2048/20220716_193118.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img alt="chocolate sorbet" border="0" data-original-height="1536" data-original-width="2048" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi-2g3wQfPdjp5fTIG3S1kuYL66lGEV1V_5rq8p3XnMTaiBQtpnc6oRzWU8UrtX3kSVbkH-STIfDHAnQ2sP_LyXbwQXVBnIOdI84WjJWtDD71CngNEVUydC5Bg0s6MQfbXMy2roby9o28SQyUG9AI17vHa1RHeoFD9twXap1nspCBaqCti2Xc8/w320-h240/20220716_193118.jpeg" width="320" /></a></b></div><b><br />Chocolate sorbet</b><br /><i>makes about 900ml</i><p></p><p><b>Ingredients:</b><br />560ml water<br />160g sugar<br />40g cocoa powder<br />pinch of salt<br />180-200g dark chocolate<br />1/2 tsp vanilla extract/essence<br /><br /></p><p><b>Method:</b><br />Break the chocolate into individual squares or smaller pieces, for easy melting. </p><p>In a large pan, whisk together the sugar, cocoa powder, salt and about 375ml of the water. Bring to the boil, stirring until the sugar has dissolved, then allow it to boil while whisking for about 45 seconds.</p><p>Alternatively, make a paste with the cocoa powder and a little bit of the water in a large pyrex or similar jug, then stir in the sugar, salt, and water up to 375ml. Bring to the boil in the microwave, stirring well every minute, then allow to boil for about thirty seconds, ensuring it does not boil over. </p><p>Remove from the heat (or microwave) and immediately add the chocolate pieces, stirring well until completely melted. Add the rest of the water and the vanilla essence. </p><p>Cool for at least an hour, then refrigerate for several hours until well-chilled. Pour into an ice cream churn and it should take about twenty minutes to become thick. Transfer to a litre container with a lid and freeze until needed.</p><p style="text-align: center;">------</p><p>So long as you use vegan/dairy-free dark chocolate, this recipe is suitable for vegetarians and vegans. I find it works perfectly well with the cheapest own-brand dark chocolate, such as that from Lidl, although more expensive chocolate would make it even more luxurious.</p><p>You really do need an ice cream churn for this, although the mixture does thicken a little in the fridge while it's chilling. You could put it in the freezer at that point, but would have to remove it and stir every hour to stop ice crystals from forming. </p><p>But a churn works extremely well. Do ensure the mixture is very well-chilled, down to no more than 3 degrees Celcius, before churning. The churn itself, of course, should be prepared according to its instructions: mine requires at least 24 hours of freezing before use. In hot weather I put a couple of frozen ice packs underneath it while it's working. </p><p>This is excellent with stewed fruit or any kind of cake. If you don't like the very slightly gritty texture that can sometimes occur, you can use a liquidiser to blend the mixture after adding the vanilla and extra water, before chilling. However, this creates extra kitchen equipment that needs washing. I have made this for several different people, and nobody has mentioned the texture. </p>Suehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11835205817921501248noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-15033216.post-7269847879767473022022-06-22T15:31:00.001+03:002022-07-22T15:22:13.945+03:00Lemon Slices<p><b></b></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><b><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgyZ-1-hpltVtYOPzpw4dh9ZfRujUhBzKi29hYbax7kpKtNNKAoylOvzRqxPcn-FwaOqaIuuiBbte3qNWVsOv4ryzTEpQieOqdtIZHjIp7jiHnrSywi5jN-HxS33is6R-jh8o7khvbQ3eP8HkNMuBfDx84LKqVJNyYAVfye385_1-fNSYiHoZU/s2048/20211212_111532.jpg" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img alt="lemon slices" border="0" data-original-height="1536" data-original-width="2048" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgyZ-1-hpltVtYOPzpw4dh9ZfRujUhBzKi29hYbax7kpKtNNKAoylOvzRqxPcn-FwaOqaIuuiBbte3qNWVsOv4ryzTEpQieOqdtIZHjIp7jiHnrSywi5jN-HxS33is6R-jh8o7khvbQ3eP8HkNMuBfDx84LKqVJNyYAVfye385_1-fNSYiHoZU/w320-h240/20211212_111532.jpg" width="320" /></a></b></div><b>Lemon Slices</b><br /><i>Makes about 24</i><p></p><p><b>Ingredients:</b><br /><b>Base:</b><br />225g dairy-free spread<br />150g wholemeal flour<br />150g plain flour<br />50g icing sugar</p><p><b>Topping:</b><br />4 medium eggs<br />400g white sugar<br />4 tbsp white flour<br />120ml lemon juice<br />1 tsp lemon zest</p><p><b>Method:<br /></b>Mix the base ingredients together in a bowl or food processor. It should make a dough-like ball. Press into the base of a greased or lined pan, about 32cm x 22cm and at least 3cm in depth. Use the flat of a large spoon or a spatula to ensure the mixture reaches the whole base, and flatten as much as possible. </p><p>Bake in an oven set at 160C for 18-20 minutes; it should be turning golden but not brown. Remove from the oven and cool slightly.</p><p>Meanwhile, beat the eggs in a large bowl, with an electric mixer if possible, then gradually beat in the other topping ingredients. Carefully pour over the base, then return to the oven and cook for about 20 minutes. The top should feel firm to the touch when it's ready, and golden in colour. </p><p></p><div style="text-align: left;">Cool in the pan, then refrigerate until needed. Cut into squares before serving. </div><div style="text-align: center;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: center;">- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -</div><p></p>I read about lemon slices - or squares - in a novel, and searched online for a recipe. I found hundreds of them, all roughly similar but with minor variations. Most had measurements in cups. So I converted the recipe to grams, chose the variations that suited us, used half wholewheat flour in the base, and experimented. <div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEia_OhE3OgUsBW7VMirhpfm-jPjv6x6ic9WFWng7-kopRBRLOWTaipCbGdVJqn8UlPodqLIFZB81opn4mAiTseziCvLycifJGQz2Xt5bZO208B0gLFLuBAEPtVNzWC1tu1I9Y52F38epq2BEONz5aCjzqj3YjYZaMJm1W99HdyIi0veQBHJK7I/s2048/20211213_071525.jpg" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="lemon squares" border="0" data-original-height="1536" data-original-width="2048" height="150" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEia_OhE3OgUsBW7VMirhpfm-jPjv6x6ic9WFWng7-kopRBRLOWTaipCbGdVJqn8UlPodqLIFZB81opn4mAiTseziCvLycifJGQz2Xt5bZO208B0gLFLuBAEPtVNzWC1tu1I9Y52F38epq2BEONz5aCjzqj3YjYZaMJm1W99HdyIi0veQBHJK7I/w200-h150/20211213_071525.jpg" width="200" /></a></div>For my first experiment I made 75% of the recipe which fit perfectly in a 25cm x 20cm pan. Cutting the squares proved a bit messy, and the resultant squares did not look all that appetising. But they were extremely tasty! </div><div><br /></div><div>Lemons are widely available where I live, during the winter and spring, so this was an ideal dessert to make over Christmas. It proved so popular that I made it again, also in smaller quantity, a few weeks later. When we were given a large crate of lemons, I froze several containers of the juice in the right quantity to make this through the rest of the year. </div><div><br /></div><div>More recently I tried the full recipe in a large takeaway pan, to take to a potluck meal. Once again, they slices didn't look all that wonderful, although I cut them and left them in the container to serve, but everyone who tried them were surprised at how good they tasted. They are somewhat reminiscent of <a href="http://randomrecipes.blogspot.com/2006/01/lemon-meringue-pie.html" target="_blank">lemon meringue pie</a>, but so much easier to make with the shortbread-style base and the all-in-one topping. </div><div><br /></div><div>If you eat dairy-products, you can, of course, use butter in the base, and if you don't have wholewheat flour, all white flour is fine. </div>Suehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11835205817921501248noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-15033216.post-44885391616155788882021-10-18T19:56:00.006+03:002021-10-18T19:59:17.936+03:00Chocolate fudge cake<b><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEizxVf_P6lCuatNYaNeDYvveb-H9SXpDayiPAJgJcy5z3q6dtLUjR24cenLkfl2DS1adF4iKeVUSFxSFHwuVqBa3806sW1nDUiitPFQ5ZhInld_2SzHC6IZUOMi478gO9Nw3IBxaw/s2048/20211016_192752.jpg" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img alt="chocolate fudge cake" border="0" data-original-height="1536" data-original-width="2048" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEizxVf_P6lCuatNYaNeDYvveb-H9SXpDayiPAJgJcy5z3q6dtLUjR24cenLkfl2DS1adF4iKeVUSFxSFHwuVqBa3806sW1nDUiitPFQ5ZhInld_2SzHC6IZUOMi478gO9Nw3IBxaw/w320-h240/20211016_192752.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>Chocolate fudge cake</b><br /><i>Makes one 18cm square or 20cm round cake</i><br /><b><br />Ingredients</b><br /><div>100g wholemeal flour</div><div>70g white flour</div><div>10g (2 tsp) baking powder</div><div>5g (1 tsp) bicarbonate of soda<br />25g cocoa powder<br />125g sugar<br />pinch of salt<br />75g softened butter or spread<br />150ml milk (dairy or otherwise)<br />2 eggs<br />1 tbsp molasses or treacle<br /><br /><b>Icing:</b><br />25g butter or spread<br />1 dessertspoon cocoa powder<br />1 dessertspoon milk<br />125g icing sugar, sifted<br /><br /><b>Method:</b></div><div>Grease and line an 18cm square (or 20cm round) cake tin. Place all the dry ingredients into a bowl, sifting the cocoa powder if you wish, then add the spread, milk, eggs and molasses. Beat for 2-3 minutes or until smooth. Pour into the prepared tin and bake at 150C for 45-50 minutes. Cool for five to ten minutes in the tin, then turn out carefully and cool on a wire rack.<br /><br />To make the icing, place all the ingredients in a bowl over a saucepan of hot water. Stir and then beat until smooth and glossy. Remove from the heat and leave until it starts to cool and thicken. Spread over the cake.</div><div><br /><span face="Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif" style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-size: 13.2px;">- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - </span></div><div><br /></div><div><b>Notes:</b> While the original recipe called for butter and cow's milk, I make this with dairy-free spread (in both the cake and the icing) and dairy-free milk. There does not seem to be any difference in texture or taste. I have not tried making this vegan. </div><div><br /></div><div>The original recipe used 175g self-raising flour, with 5g baking powder. Since I can't easily get self-raising flour, I increased the amount of baking powder, and substituted 100g of the flour for wholemeal flour to make it more nutritious. But you could use all white flour, or indeed all wholemeal if you don't mind it being slightly heavier. </div><div><br /></div><div>I usually cut the cake in half horizontally when it’s cooled (before icing), and put jam or lemon curd in the middle. To make it extra rich you could make even more of the icing and put some of that in the middle too, but we prefer a contrasting taste. Home-made apricot or strawberry jam is particularly good. </div><div><br /></div><div>The fudge icing makes enough to cover the top of the cake, but not the sides, so double the quantity if you want it to cover the side too - although it's a bit difficult to get it to stick, as it's inclined to puddle at the base. I prefer to use something like chocolate finger biscuits, broken in half, around the sides, held in place by a little melted chocolate.</div><div><br /></div><div>This cake cuts into twelve reasonable sized portions, or eight rather larger ones. If you have leftovers, keep them in the fridge. </div>Suehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11835205817921501248noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-15033216.post-23786646674351658962018-10-20T19:40:00.002+03:002018-10-20T19:40:10.999+03:00Dairy-free chocolate cheesecake <div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiZ4hzEWQDCKbvO0mf6Qd1NzrlzzVwWSrKq1Mzf72NvdkGR9hx9HyFabxKMp4R9P7tuZ4TTy0044Zed_2LWatdDpLtyv0sv3tgvN2OHtuz0OF35kDo3XjadDjXQKmEvdoZudNfxbA/s1600/IMG_8002.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img alt="Dairy-free chocolate cheesecake" border="0" data-original-height="831" data-original-width="1200" height="139" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiZ4hzEWQDCKbvO0mf6Qd1NzrlzzVwWSrKq1Mzf72NvdkGR9hx9HyFabxKMp4R9P7tuZ4TTy0044Zed_2LWatdDpLtyv0sv3tgvN2OHtuz0OF35kDo3XjadDjXQKmEvdoZudNfxbA/s200/IMG_8002.JPG" title="Dairy-free chocolate cheesecake" width="200" /></a></div>
<b>Dairy-free chocolate cheesecake</b><br />
<i>Makes 4 portions</i><br />
<i><br />
</i> <b>Ingredients</b><br />
<b><i>base: </i></b><br />
130g digestive biscuits<br />
60g dairy-free spread<br />
<br />
<i><b>topping:</b></i><br />
90g raw cashews, soaked for 48 hours in the fridge<br />
20-25ml lemon juice<br />
2 tblsp liquid coconut oil<br />
150ml full fat coconut milk<br />
100g dairy-free dark chocolate, melted<br />
2 tblsp soft brown sugar<br />
<br />
<b>Method</b><br />
Crush the biscuits with the end of a rolling pin in a bowl, or place in a strong zip-lock bag and using the rolling pin to squash them. They should be fairly finely crumbed. Meanwhile heat the spread in the microwave or a small pan, until just melted. Stir together with the biscuits until well mixed, then press down into four small individual greased dishes. Put in the fridge.<br />
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Drain the cashews thoroughly and rinse. Place in a blender with all the other ingredients, and blend well for about two minutes, scraping down the sides with a spatula half-way through. If you prefer, melt the chocolate while blending the other ingredients, then add it and blend again.<br />
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Divide the topping between the dishes, and then put back in the fridge for three to four hours before serving.<br />
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It's not, of course, real cheesecake. But in my quest to find a dairy-free equivalent, this is our favourite so far. I don't remember where I found the recipe on which I based it. Searching now, I've seen similar recipes on several sites. Inevitably I have tweaked it to suit our tastes, and what we can find readily available.<br />
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The original recipe used a healthier base using dates and nuts. I've done this, and it's delicious and makes it gluten-free as well as dairy-free. But it's more complicated and rather more expensive than good old-fashioned digestive biscuits (similar to American graham crackers, if anyone from the US happens to see this) and Flora or Pure dairy-free spread.<br />
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If you forget to grease the bowls, it probably won't matter as you eat this directly from the bowl. But it comes out more easily if you use a few drops of coconut oil to grease them. I did try making this recipe in a spring-form cake tin, all in one rather than individual portions. But it didn't cut very well. Perhaps I hadn't refrigerated for long enough.<br />
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The first time I made this, I only soaked the cashews for 24 hours, and although the flavour was good, the texture was a tad gritty. Perhaps if I had a super-high-powered blender it would be fine with 24-hour soaking, or even just overnight, but with my ordinary 400 watt blender, I've found that two full days of soaking makes cashews perfect for blending into milk, cream or - in this case - pseudo-cheese.<br />
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The lemon juice is what gives it the hint of cream cheese flavouring. If you don't in fact like cheesecake you could miss that out, and perhaps add a little more coconut milk, and you would get quite a good dairy-free mousse. Don't miss out the coconut oil; that helps it to solidify, as coconut oil becomes quite hard at fridge temperatures.<br />
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The chocolate needs to be melted but not too runny. If, when you blend it, the mixture becomes grainy rather than mixing thoroughly, you can scrape it all out of the blender, put it in the microwave for thirty seconds or so, and then blend again. I know, I've done it. But I had used a frozen lemon cube, and some previously frozen coconut milk (from a can) and they hadn't fully thawed, so they chilled the chocolate too quickly.<br />
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If you don't want added sugar, you could leave it out, or substitute carob syrup. I originally tried golden syrup (the recipe I first found said agave syrup, but we don't use that) but it was a bit runny. I prefer the texture that comes with soft brown sugar.<br />
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It's very easy to halve all the ingredients and make this as a dessert for two; the only problem is that it's not quite enough for a regular blender, so when I did that, I had to scrape down the sides and encourage ingredients into the middle several times. </div>
Suehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11835205817921501248noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-15033216.post-73674452248178932042018-04-29T15:54:00.000+03:002018-04-29T15:54:07.785+03:00Uncooked chocolate coconut cake<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgaYIUvvGOGiMzYIIRyjaV1CTtGlZVLCIHDzQHUQqhlGcY0qX63dn8Dpf4PXvc8niO-oV8utu3E2Jzf1MCJmo04zP8P6x9VA_IR7rBES2WUBm2s-vKg1rD0xD13LQt7errpCt8GEA/s1600/IMG_7344.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img alt="raw chocolate coconut 'cake' topped with halved strawberries" border="0" data-original-height="681" data-original-width="1024" height="132" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgaYIUvvGOGiMzYIIRyjaV1CTtGlZVLCIHDzQHUQqhlGcY0qX63dn8Dpf4PXvc8niO-oV8utu3E2Jzf1MCJmo04zP8P6x9VA_IR7rBES2WUBm2s-vKg1rD0xD13LQt7errpCt8GEA/s200/IMG_7344.JPG" title="strawberry topped raw chocolate coconut 'cake'" width="200" /></a></div>
<b>Chocolate coconut cake with raw ingredients</b><br />
<i>Serves 2</i><br />
<i><br />
</i> <b>Ingredients</b><br />
1/2 cup sunflower seeds (or mixed with other seeds)<br />
1/4 cup desiccated coconut<br />
2 tblsp cocoa powder<br />
1/2 tsp cinnamon<br />
6 dried dates, with stones removed<br />
1 apple<br />
<br />
a few strawberries and a teaspoon extra coconut to decorate<br />
<br />
Method<br />
Grind the seeds in a food processor or blender. Add the coconut, cinnamon, cocoa and dates, and process briefly until mixed. Cut the apple into quarters and remove the core and stalk, but don't peel. Cut each piece in half, and add to the food processor or blender, and process until fairly homogenous.<br />
<br />
You may need to scrape down the sides of the food processor, depending on its size. With a large one, it may be easier to double all the quantities. However if there are still pieces of recognisable apple or date, it's not a problem.<br />
<br />
When it's mixed well, place in a serving dish or tin, and press down firmly. Sprinkle a little coconut on the top, and some halved strawberries, then put in the fridge for an hour or two.<br />
<br />
This doesn't cut like a cake, but makes a fairly firm dessert.<br />
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Many years ago, I read the book <a href="https://www.amazon.co.uk/gp/product/0099468107/ref=as_li_tl?ie=UTF8&camp=1634&creative=6738&creativeASIN=0099468107&linkCode=as2&tag=suesboorev-21&linkId=2f3867aeb19555d3ae983d0330ec1e3d" target="_blank">Raw Energy: Eat Your Way to Radiant Health</a><img alt="" border="0" height="1" src="//ir-uk.amazon-adsystem.com/e/ir?t=suesboorev-21&l=am2&o=2&a=0099468107" style="border: none !important; margin: 0px !important;" width="1" /> by Leslie and Susannah Kenton. I was quite inspired by their insistence that we should eat 75% raw foods, and for a while we followed at least some of the ideas in it. One of their recipes, carob and apple cake, can be found if you scroll down <a href="https://lesliekenton.com/health/blog/go-for-it/">this page about raw eating</a>. I recall making it a few times, but we weren't all that keen on carob powder. Moreover, we found the raw system quite difficult to sustain. So gradually we eased away from it.<br />
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However, today I wanted to make something quick and reasonably healthy as a dessert. I paged through the book wondering if I could adapt one of the raw cake recipes for two of us, and spotted this one. I didn't want to make the whole thing - the recipe as given would serve six people - so I used just one apple, and very roughly scaled down the other ingredients.<br />
<br />
I didn't have any sesame seeds, and didn't have very many sunflower seeds, so I mixed the sunflower seeds I had with some flaxseeds (linseeds) and that worked well. I used cocoa powder rather than carob; it doesn't have as many health properties, but we like the taste better.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhDZk_fdxInF-_e1yjzn9ic_LO67uxQK17z7f3-Qq0S-7UtMi0mw7L4K5YU6y8ZkshCFMEnkPtudNT1gBLOqnCXgKwRSsWSQP2oi8DNfy5tXLjXk8_YlQo1AKoPkelbK0ZDb3jagQ/s1600/IMG_7346.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="portion of strawberry chocolate cake (raw)" border="0" data-original-height="1024" data-original-width="927" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhDZk_fdxInF-_e1yjzn9ic_LO67uxQK17z7f3-Qq0S-7UtMi0mw7L4K5YU6y8ZkshCFMEnkPtudNT1gBLOqnCXgKwRSsWSQP2oi8DNfy5tXLjXk8_YlQo1AKoPkelbK0ZDb3jagQ/s200/IMG_7346.JPG" title="one piece of raw strawberry chocolate cake" width="180" /></a></div>
I couldn't open my bottle of vanilla essence, so I left it out. I used cinnamon rather than allspice. And since we like dates and coconut, I used more of both than the accurate scaled down amounts.<br />
<br />
While the amount was a bit too small for my food processor, and I had to scrape it down several times, it eventually turned into a fairly homogenous mixture, which I scooped out and pushed into a small dish.<br />
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It only had about an hour in the fridge, but set quite well and came out of the dish in tidy portions. It was very good, and the quantity exactly right for two of us. It's neither low-calorie nor low-fat, but is grain-free, has no added sugar, and is suitable for vegetarians and vegans.<br />
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Suehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11835205817921501248noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-15033216.post-77236981592239662502018-01-24T12:14:00.003+02:002018-01-24T12:31:19.699+02:00Deep Dark Secret Cake (Dairy-Free)<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjfkQZDD3GQ-Eh7NdHi8-hlrKz8hQ3vfVhzkqYdTNKTBVZSnvCA3pdDjx2-pk1jZoLJ3B7X7sC_Zaq6ql12mxYo9F7RoxXZDKv2lX6D7ULfdpjHPDrXrWyP-8ffxUpBLkDwCs_P2g/s1600/4-IMG_7040.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img alt="Deep Dark Secret Cake with coconut cream topping" border="0" data-original-height="1035" data-original-width="1200" height="172" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjfkQZDD3GQ-Eh7NdHi8-hlrKz8hQ3vfVhzkqYdTNKTBVZSnvCA3pdDjx2-pk1jZoLJ3B7X7sC_Zaq6ql12mxYo9F7RoxXZDKv2lX6D7ULfdpjHPDrXrWyP-8ffxUpBLkDwCs_P2g/s200/4-IMG_7040.JPG" title="Deep Dark Secret Cake" width="200" /></a></div>
<b>Deep Dark Secret Cake (with coconut cream topping)</b><br />
<i>makes up to 12 slices</i><br />
<br />
<b>Ingredients:</b><br />
3 cups chopped dates (about 36 medium)<br />
100g (1/2 cup) sugar or honey<br />
100g (about 1 cup) walnuts, chopped finely<br />
4 eggs<br />
50g (1/2 cup) wholewheat flour<br />
1 tsp baking powder<br />
1 tsp salt<br />
1 tsp vanilla essence<br />
<br />
<b>Middle: </b><br />
3-4 bananas<br />
2 large oranges or 4-5 satsumas<br />
<br />
<b>Topping: </b><br />
435g can crushed pineapple<br />
400g can full fat coconut milk, chilled<br />
<br />
<b>Method: </b><br />
Combine the first eight ingredients in a bowl, and mix together thoroughly. Spread them into a greased and lined cake tin, approximately 20x30cm. Bake for about half an hour at 180C, until the top is firm to the touch. Cool, then turn onto a wire rack.<br />
<br />
Break half the cake into small pieces and spread out on a platter or flan dish, at least 30cm in diameter. Chop the bananas and spread over. Peel the oranges or satsumas, and place segments over the bananas, squeezing a little of the juice over them to stop them browning.<br />
<br />
Break up the rest of the cake, and pile it on top, hiding the fruit. Top the whole with the can of pineapple, including the juice. Whip the coconut cream (see below for detail) and pile on top. Refrigerate until needed.<br />
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<span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: "arial" , "tahoma" , "helvetica" , "freesans" , sans-serif; font-size: 13.2px;"><br />
</span> I had never seen or heard of this dessert until a friend brought it to a house group, many years ago. I asked for the recipe, and put it in my folder, but didn't get around to making it until recently. As I read through the ingredients, I realised that it would probably work just fine to make an ordinary cake - maybe a chocolate one, or even a plain cake - rather than the more expensive one using dates rather than fat.<br />
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But I had plenty of dates, including some medjool ones, so decided to follow the recipe as given. The only change I made was to use 100g sugar rather than 200g which was given in the original recipe. The dates make it very sweet anyway. Perhaps sugar could be left out altogether.<br />
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I suspect that egg substitutes, maybe even <a href="http://randomrecipes.blogspot.com.cy/2015/07/aquafaba.html">aquafaba</a> would work for vegans, but I was a little dubious about replacing four eggs, so, again, decided to follow the recipe. I used my food processor to chop the dates, about twelve at a time. I then used it to chop the walnuts finely.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjUHur6C0Rkm0URfgvmyzE90PyZKT-ETKEpWa62vJSeEfUBcZ1XAkQCwOCu3bW8wCiT36MKaertCLSzXvUlu10IJAEY-YgDCv0wXCCvMWf3NZf4Qr-ZkHObssPckijk2yMLEkkK8w/s1600/1-IMG_7036.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img alt="half the deep dark secret cake, covered in bananas and satsuma segments" border="0" data-original-height="1041" data-original-width="1200" height="173" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjUHur6C0Rkm0URfgvmyzE90PyZKT-ETKEpWa62vJSeEfUBcZ1XAkQCwOCu3bW8wCiT36MKaertCLSzXvUlu10IJAEY-YgDCv0wXCCvMWf3NZf4Qr-ZkHObssPckijk2yMLEkkK8w/s200/1-IMG_7036.JPG" title="deep dark secret cake at the fresh fruit stage" width="200" /></a>The mixture did not seem at all cake-like when I put it into the tin, but after half an hour's baking, it looked and felt like any cake. It was a bit gooey when I broke it up and placed it in a suitable sized flan dish, but the original recipe mentioned that it probably would be.<br />
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I used three bananas, as they were quite big, and five satsumas left over from Christmas. Piling them on top was easy, and I made sure it started to form a mound, as shown in this photo. If you use oranges or mandarins, make sure you remove any pips. If they are not in season, or are expensive, you could substitute a can of mandarin oranges, drained.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjB3-MRTdXXqxcSGbllzK7JT5CceRcSe2J7QkQJbwIrbk__qDmEJjGcZwCvS3D8UqobaZW2OTvsvPJB76682-carELgWHqXH6xdZChU_ZOclBFXfqiOxot7xaKGeEECscT6ry9oyw/s1600/2-IMG_7037.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="deep dark secret cake, with the fresh fruit covered in the rest of the cake" border="0" data-original-height="1049" data-original-width="1200" height="174" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjB3-MRTdXXqxcSGbllzK7JT5CceRcSe2J7QkQJbwIrbk__qDmEJjGcZwCvS3D8UqobaZW2OTvsvPJB76682-carELgWHqXH6xdZChU_ZOclBFXfqiOxot7xaKGeEECscT6ry9oyw/s200/2-IMG_7037.JPG" title="deep dark secret cake before the topping" width="200" /></a></div>
Piling the second half of the cake, in broken pieces, was a little more tricky as it kept falling down the sides, but I made sure the pieces were fairly small, and pushed them around the fruit so that it was all covered in cake. This, apparently, is the 'deep dark secret' - that the centre of this sweet and tempting treat is full of fresh fruit.<br />
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It didn't look particularly appealing at this point, but I had already tasted a few of the cake crumbs and realised that the resultant concoction was going to be extremely tasty, and well worth the apparent complexity of the process. It wasn't, in fact, particularly difficult or time-consuming.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiO79_sRtDBpbcjyy7QshETREDSwXFYvruh0IZNaGUAhS_XT-vSem33of08gUO-c3xxMJS6NMR1QODPhCG4PcERC_y3fKpu9dm6krUJ9lbekbHP-uIqXS_izKQu861XC2iKRHlnzw/s1600/3-IMG_7038.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img alt="deep dark secret cake, after adding the pineapple, before the cream" border="0" data-original-height="930" data-original-width="1200" height="155" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiO79_sRtDBpbcjyy7QshETREDSwXFYvruh0IZNaGUAhS_XT-vSem33of08gUO-c3xxMJS6NMR1QODPhCG4PcERC_y3fKpu9dm6krUJ9lbekbHP-uIqXS_izKQu861XC2iKRHlnzw/s200/3-IMG_7038.JPG" title="deep dark secret cake with pineapple topping" width="200" /></a></div>
My can of crushed pineapple wasn't the same size as the one in the original recipe (an American one, so it said 20 ounces, which is 566g). But I realised by this stage that it didn't much matter as it was just used as a topping. So I emptied it over the cake, juice and all.<br />
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If you are trying to avoid fat, then you could serve the cake at this stage. But it won't look as good as it does with the final topping.<br />
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The recipe I was given used ordinary dairy cream, 500ml of it, which is quite a large amount when whipped. We don't use dairy products these days as my husband is intolerant of cow's milk. There are many ethical and health-based reasons to avoid dairy produce too. However, if you use them, you could simply whip some cream to go on top. Soya cream would make a good alternative for those who can tolerate it, but soya products give me migraines, and there are some health concerns about soya too.<br />
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However, the cream substitute we use (on the rare occasions we use cream!) is that found in canned coconut milk. And yes, I know there are health reasons to avoid cans! The coconut milk must be full fat, with as few additives as possible. Then you need to put it in the fridge overnight, <b>upside-down</b>. This part is important if there's a ring-pull can opener. If not, you can turn it upside down after you take it out of the fridge, and then open the bottom.<br />
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The reason for this is that when refrigerated, coconut milk separates into water and cream, with the cream at the top. It's important to open the can at the watery end, so the water can be poured away or into a jug; it's not used in this recipe.<br />
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What remains is fairly solid, and needs to be assisted out of the can into a bowl with a knife or spatula around the edges. Add a drop or two of vanilla essence, and then whip, ideally with an electric mixer. You'll need to be careful at first or it will spatter around the bowl, but it should whip easily and after a couple of minutes reaches the consistency of whipped cream.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiGsbf5ISoB27_q0ztFy-F-nvMWtNJIWhtWmd3aExABBUugC0PUCuHR5vU2svi8rqFMuNt3ooXP5g8VwlzGJzfTrvLAJkzPqwvFGrxf72HVVJomYqoLqhpkpv85ktcTtvCVMuEeEg/s1600/5-IMG_7042.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="900" data-original-width="1200" height="150" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiGsbf5ISoB27_q0ztFy-F-nvMWtNJIWhtWmd3aExABBUugC0PUCuHR5vU2svi8rqFMuNt3ooXP5g8VwlzGJzfTrvLAJkzPqwvFGrxf72HVVJomYqoLqhpkpv85ktcTtvCVMuEeEg/s200/5-IMG_7042.JPG" width="200" /></a></div>
There was probably only about 200ml of cream, and it didn't reach the bottom edges of the mounded cake, but it was plenty to make a suitable topping. It needs to be in the fridge until it's served, and any leftovers also need to be refrigerated.<br />
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The original recipe says it serves 6-8 people and I was sharing it with a group of eight of us. But we cut it into twelve slices, and each one was a good size. The remaining four portions kept well in the fridge and we enjoyed them over the next couple of days. </div>
Suehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11835205817921501248noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-15033216.post-65942160816229635622017-05-01T16:20:00.000+03:002017-05-01T16:20:00.153+03:00Carrot Cake (dairy-free topping)<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj09J6gYJQiEZ34QSX0t-kaX5qtVwnexK3QH6V-tEIqqQZvwzF6n-FjbdFo8lmte8YP_4mrn_kW3WR2-KWiCeMCZHuKmg0KOoNVcnHerYy6gsYVvYeymBFeUkgJMARWkbkh07WYOQ/s1600/IMG_6050.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img alt="luscious carrot cake with dairy-free (cashew) topping" border="0" height="168" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj09J6gYJQiEZ34QSX0t-kaX5qtVwnexK3QH6V-tEIqqQZvwzF6n-FjbdFo8lmte8YP_4mrn_kW3WR2-KWiCeMCZHuKmg0KOoNVcnHerYy6gsYVvYeymBFeUkgJMARWkbkh07WYOQ/s200/IMG_6050.JPG" title="carrot cake with cashew based topping" width="200" /></a></div>
<b>Carrot cake with cashew topping</b><br />
<i>Makes 12-16 slices</i><br />
<i><br /></i>
<b>Ingredients</b><br />
100-150g (2 cups) grated (shredded) carrots<br />
200g (1 cup) white sugar<br />
200g (1 cup) soft brown sugar<br />
120g (1 cup) white flour<br />
120g (1 cup) wholewheat flour<br />
1 tsp baking soda<br />
2 tsp baking powder<br />
pinch salt<br />
1 tsp cinnamon<br />
60ml (1/4 cup) vegetable oil<br />
4 eggs (or substitute)<br />
435g can crushed pineapple, drained (about 1 cup)<br />
100g (1 cup) raisins<br />
60g (1 cup) crushed walnuts (optional)<br />
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<b>Topping:</b><br />
150g (1 1/2 cups) cashews, soaked overnight<br />
60ml lemon juice<br />
2 tblsp coconut oil, melted<br />
2 tblsp sugar or honey<br />
(water if needed)<br />
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Method:<br />
Heat the oven to 180C, without using a fan if possible. Grease a deep 23cm (9 inch) springform or loose-bottomed round cake tin with butter or coconut oil. Line the base with greasefree paper if the pan is likely to stick.<br />
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Mix all the ingredients together in a large bowl, until well combined. Place in the pan, and cook for about 45-50 minutes until risen and firm in the middle.<br />
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Cool in the pain for at least 20 minutes, then remove carefully to a wire rack.<br />
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<b>To make the topping:</b><br />
Drain and then rinse the cashews, which should be quite soft and larger than they were. Blend or food process with the other ingredients, stopping every thirty seconds or so to scrape down the sides. If it seems very stiff, add a little water, but it needs to be quite firm. <br />
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Eventually it should become a homogenous mixture, rather like traditional cream cheese topping, which can be spread roughly over the cake when it's cooled down. <br />
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This was originally an American recipe, which is very easy to make with US measuring cups. So if you have a set, or indeed any cup or small jug with a 225 ml capacity, it's much quicker than weighing everything separately. Exact quantities don't matter too much in this recipe, which is very rich and moist.<br />
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It can also be made in other sizes of cake tin; a larger round one or a big rectangular pan would lead to a flatter, dryer cake; you would have to adjust the cooking times accordingly, and perhaps make more topping. <br />
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This is a good cake even without the frosting; if you want a low-fat cake, omit the walnuts and eat it without a topping. You could use all wholewheat flour to make it healthier, although it would then also be denser. Carrots, pineapple and raisins ensure that this is a surprisingly nutritious cake as well as being delicious.<br />
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However, carrot cake is traditionally topped with a cream cheese based frosting, whipped with a considerable amount of icing sugar. Since we are mostly dairy-free, I was delighted to discover this cashew-based equivalent. Raw cashews can be expensive, but if you can find them in bulk they are the basis of many dairy-free desserts, and make an excellent milk. </div>
Suehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11835205817921501248noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-15033216.post-81045402382267298782017-03-25T19:56:00.001+02:002017-03-25T19:58:15.199+02:00Flapjacks<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhGlC8wYhsNK6x-6rOIySihpDRssXcT7STQmHymNcN_eVvpA8ukIDHC0N1s8ekirBvuebaK5MMtCysN-rqdnkb4kquq_PWxjNZZ5KPBdGC4TT7t_Xgcl5lgf7N53yFIiqbcwzPbBQ/s1600/IMG_5999.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img alt="flapjacks" border="0" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhGlC8wYhsNK6x-6rOIySihpDRssXcT7STQmHymNcN_eVvpA8ukIDHC0N1s8ekirBvuebaK5MMtCysN-rqdnkb4kquq_PWxjNZZ5KPBdGC4TT7t_Xgcl5lgf7N53yFIiqbcwzPbBQ/s200/IMG_5999.JPG" title="flapjacks" width="174" /></a></div>
<b>Flapjacks</b><br />
<i>Makes 16 bars</i><br />
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<b>Ingredients: </b><br />
190g butter or spread<br />
280g soft brown sugar<br />
4 tblsp golden syrup<br />
370g oats<br />
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<b>Method:</b><br />
Heat the oven to 180C (or 170 fan)<br />
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Melt the spread, brown sugar and syrup in a small saucepan over a low heat, stirring lightly, until the ingredients are mixed together.<br />
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Put the oats into a bowl, then pour in the contents of the pan, and mix together until well blended.<br />
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Line an ovenproof tray, 25cm x 20cm in size, with baking paper, then spoon the mixture in, pushing into the corners and smoothing the top so it's fairly even.<br />
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Bake for about 20 minutes, until the top is just starting to turn darker golden (or longer if you prefer them more crunchy). Remove from the oven, then leave to cool in the pan for about ten minutes. Cut into squares or rectangles in the pan, then turn out when cold.<br />
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Flapjacks are popular as a quick snack, and sometimes considered healthy, despite the high fat and sugar content. Perhaps it's because they contain oats rather than flour. They are very sweet indeed; as a child I could eat two or three, but now I find that one is sufficient. <br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh5jVhYUC-A41i11w0jzbkFlT9mjpnHON-Ex1FkO9OL1rfFr0HnsI1Ir898r9jIEsEbxmRWafjhsOif_xMftBs5orY9ul_mjv6pZRRoya24v1eD7AkSXGS0ScleR8-EAwmiOkIOfQ/s1600/IMG_5991.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img alt="flapjacks in the tin with baking paper, before cooking" border="0" height="133" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh5jVhYUC-A41i11w0jzbkFlT9mjpnHON-Ex1FkO9OL1rfFr0HnsI1Ir898r9jIEsEbxmRWafjhsOif_xMftBs5orY9ul_mjv6pZRRoya24v1eD7AkSXGS0ScleR8-EAwmiOkIOfQ/s200/IMG_5991.JPG" title="flapjacks in tin prior to cooking" width="200" /></a></div>
This is a recipe I remember from my childhood. I don't know where my mother found it; perhaps on the side of an old-fashioned tin of Lyle's golden syrup. Her recipe was for a 10 x 6 inch pan, which she greased rather than lining. I've had flapjacks stick too many times to risk it.<br />
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Even with a good non-stick pan, it's well worth using some baking paper too. Make sure it's not the kind that needs greasing, or the flapjacks will probably stick to the paper and make a mess. <br />
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I have tried other recipes, from books or online, but although they're all good, none of them match up to this. Other recipes sometimes include spices, and are picky about what kind of oats are used. I just use the breakfast oats that we can buy cheaply. I should think any kind would work but have not tried with any other kind. <br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi3MsQRwlebZCPTXOxCCevtPnrsGHD3tLnxQ5GPTYjmJsq5uHqkeBp1PBBLEfMh4_NoPoupjtrd_iNKevzL-HgpvlrKy4eTML9eBZl8oSagpnsRsDsNd_OpU37w9KWAlNdc5TLe1Q/s1600/IMG_5997.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img alt="cooked flapjacks cut up" border="0" height="133" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi3MsQRwlebZCPTXOxCCevtPnrsGHD3tLnxQ5GPTYjmJsq5uHqkeBp1PBBLEfMh4_NoPoupjtrd_iNKevzL-HgpvlrKy4eTML9eBZl8oSagpnsRsDsNd_OpU37w9KWAlNdc5TLe1Q/s200/IMG_5997.JPG" title="flapjacks cut into squares" width="200" /></a></div>
I cut mine using a plastic firm spatula, so as not to damage the non-stick pan, and it works well. It's important to cut them before the mixture hardens, as it becomes much more difficult once it's fully set. If the cuts are made while warm, it's easy to break them apart when cool. <br />
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I cut mine into 16 good-sized bars, but you could of course cut them into smaller bars, perhaps 24 or even more, although it's more difficult to keep them looking even with smaller pieces.<br />
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If you are in the United States or somewhere else that does not stock golden syrup, I don't recommend using the high fructose corn variety that's popular there, but not legal in Europe. Honey might work as an alternative, or maple syrup, or even molasses; but they will each give their own distinctive flavour, which is best (in my view, anyway) with traditional plain golden syrup.<br />
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I was a bit dubious about using spread rather than butter; we use the Flora dairy-free one, as we tend to avoid dairy products, and I was afraid the flapjacks might not be solid enough. However they turned out just as I remembered them, gooey and yet firm, and I could not taste the spread at all. <br />
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Suehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11835205817921501248noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-15033216.post-80986816774367046082016-07-25T17:33:00.004+03:002023-01-24T14:30:03.501+02:00Cashew Milk <div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh7ROpu_g8NWpEkUUZ8RGbhVm78XxG9bkGWqOnhd9zIOuGvwg4kkH5pCd7xUQa8s8jy5c4axRL9wvaZKFGs0wy-nEzQZDdjjixND3oP2rMUw4xD9pVwdeqrs5pJ1xW90Bb6E-nqkA/s1600/IMG_5203.JPG" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img alt="home-made cashew milk in a jug" border="0" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh7ROpu_g8NWpEkUUZ8RGbhVm78XxG9bkGWqOnhd9zIOuGvwg4kkH5pCd7xUQa8s8jy5c4axRL9wvaZKFGs0wy-nEzQZDdjjixND3oP2rMUw4xD9pVwdeqrs5pJ1xW90Bb6E-nqkA/s200/IMG_5203.JPG" title="Cashew milk in a jug" width="133" /></a></div>
<b>Cashew Milk</b><br />
Makes 1.2-1.5 litres (<i>US: 2-3 pints</i>)<br />
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<b>Ingredients:</b><br />
50-60g unsalted cashews (<i>US: about 1/3 cup</i>)<br />
About a litre of water (or more)<br />
<br />
Extra water for soaking and rinsing<br />
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<b>Note:</b> You need a fairly high-powered blender for this; it's possible with an immersion blender but a bit messy. A food processor might work, but a good blender is best.<br />
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<b>Method:</b><br />
Put the cashews in a container with enough water to cover them well. Place in the refrigerator for 24-48 hours (or longer). I usually do this for around 48 hours for the best consistency.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiXUDmwvIPe04JZH1jmTk96znWoFD0eIwXF3Ge7BL8ndBTt4TVHbUt0NNKSqUlnpvje7ZPGFJWHFPW9An5cC2lVlBB-4a7gs-8JiyCduFC9PLbVpSo6IXi7D9qgF-J-Fnj_aqvmcQ/s1600/IMG_5196.JPG" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em; text-align: center;"><img alt="cashews for cashew milk, in the blender" border="0" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiXUDmwvIPe04JZH1jmTk96znWoFD0eIwXF3Ge7BL8ndBTt4TVHbUt0NNKSqUlnpvje7ZPGFJWHFPW9An5cC2lVlBB-4a7gs-8JiyCduFC9PLbVpSo6IXi7D9qgF-J-Fnj_aqvmcQ/s200/IMG_5196.JPG" title="soaked cashews in blender" width="150" /></a>When you are ready to make the cashew milk, drain away the soak water carefully through a sieve, and rinse the cashews thoroughly under running water. They will be quite soft by this time.<br />
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Place the cashews in the blender with enough water to cover.<br />
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Remember to put on the lid!<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiF8zNYDPAi0IWGJtazXGZ0AdvS0XjJ4q0xSsHVQFBI2iuVSkrSGHepO8q9BHonrlJvy_aE2BrF_r8mmX37K73me2Ku9OgBiq7V06J51YyASRFMrIVhVsGC_L9MaxtXVpy4_F0dMA/s1600/IMG_5197.JPG" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiF8zNYDPAi0IWGJtazXGZ0AdvS0XjJ4q0xSsHVQFBI2iuVSkrSGHepO8q9BHonrlJvy_aE2BrF_r8mmX37K73me2Ku9OgBiq7V06J51YyASRFMrIVhVsGC_L9MaxtXVpy4_F0dMA/s200/IMG_5197.JPG" width="150" /></a></div>
Blend for about 40-50 seconds. I usually do about 20 seconds on low power, to get it started, then another 20-30 seconds on high power.<br />
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Milk starts to form almost immediately, but with a traditional blender like the one in the photos, bits of cashew will fly up around the sides, so remove the jug from the blender and carefully drizzle water around the insides to wash it all down and into the milk.<br />
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Blend again until well combined.</div><div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on"><br /></div><div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">If you have a 'nutrition' blender with the lid at the bottom, just process for a minute. I usually then turn the whole thing upside down before removing the jug from the machine, so as to avoid any leakage. It's a bit awkward, but much less messy as the lid can occasionally work loose. <br />
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Pour the resultant milk into a jug (<i>US: pitcher)</i> that holds about a litre and a half or more (<i>US: three pints</i>) then use more water to rinse out the blender and add this to the milk until the container is full. Cover.<br />
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Keeps in the fridge for at least four or five days. You will need to stir before use, probably each time, as the thicker, creamier parts of the cashew milk will tend to sink to the bottom of the jug. <br />
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The above instructions hardly seem like a recipe, as cashew milk is so very simple. When we first started using non-dairy milks, due to lactose intolerance in the family, we began with <a href="http://randomrecipes.blogspot.com.cy/2014/03/almond-milk-step-by-step.html" target="_blank">almond milk</a>, which I liked very much, but it was a bit of a hassle to make. Moreover, there was all that almond meal left over each time. I used some of it in granola, and some for other recipes that needed ground almonds, but I wondered if there was any nutritional value at all in the milk.<br />
<br />
Then we discovered <a href="http://randomrecipes.blogspot.com.cy/2012/07/coconut-milk-from-desiccated-dried.html" target="_blank">coconut milk from desiccated coconut</a>, which was simpler and very good indeed in coffee. I used the leftover coconut meal as an extra sprinkle on granola, so there was no wastage, but we found that it didn't really work in some recipes. Or rather, it worked, but there was a strong coconut taste. I like coconut, but it's not always appropriate. It's very strange in cauliflower cheese, for instance.<br />
<br />
Then I read about cashew milk, where there's no need to strain at all; the cashews become so soft with soaking that there's almost no residue. Having said that, the milk does settle somewhat, and the 'cream' sinks to the bottom. It's a good idea to stir it before use; sometimes if mine becomes very creamy towards the end of its use, I stir in some extra water. But the creamier milk is extremely good on granola.<br />
<br />
Cashews are high in monounsaturated fat, and also - my research tells me - high in trace elements such as copper, manganese, phosphorus and magnesium. More importantly, it makes an excellent and inexpensive milk that can be used in drinks and in cooking, and has such a mild flavour that it's almost indistinguishable from dairy milk.<br />
<br />
The most important thing is to give the cashews plenty of time to soak. The first time I made this, I gave them about eight hours and it wasn't enough; the milk was gritty. The second time I gave them 24 hours - longer than I had intended - and the milk was excellent. Sometimes my cashews soak for 48 hours - two entire days - if I think we're running out earlier than we actually do.<br />
<br />
I only occasionally make almond milk now, but I do continue making coconut milk, usually right after I've made cashew milk; one litre of each usually lasts two of us about four to five days. </div>
Suehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11835205817921501248noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-15033216.post-67593409855168933382016-06-04T20:56:00.002+03:002016-06-04T20:57:17.464+03:00Cashew and Mushroom Pilaf<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjmpj5oc2CRDPjpUIBWwsxZ61vk9hcDOXr9i1-XcZT8GprK5jzeYCEbmJ2g5Z1oUVsv4dS0vcSzquNcfC1UF-y87wf6I6_4rUuRbGD_TFBJAT87UZm4M-OugvCf975wTbW3SQoQGA/s1600/IMG_5056.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img alt="cashew and mushroom pilaf, almost ready to serve" border="0" height="159" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjmpj5oc2CRDPjpUIBWwsxZ61vk9hcDOXr9i1-XcZT8GprK5jzeYCEbmJ2g5Z1oUVsv4dS0vcSzquNcfC1UF-y87wf6I6_4rUuRbGD_TFBJAT87UZm4M-OugvCf975wTbW3SQoQGA/s200/IMG_5056.JPG" title="" width="200" /></a></div><b>Cashew and mushroom pilaf</b><br />
<i><br />
</i> <i>Serves 2</i><br />
<br />
<b>Ingredients:</b><br />
60-100g brown or basmati rice<br />
1 onion, chopped<br />
1 tblsp oil<br />
2-3 garlic cloves, crushed<br />
1/2 tsp paprika<br />
1/2 tsp turmeric<br />
1/4 tsp cayenne<br />
1/4 tsp salt<br />
1 chopped bell pepper (any colour)<br />
50g cashew nuts (raw)<br />
100g mushrooms, sliced<br />
<br />
<b>Method:</b><br />
Rinse the rice well, then cook in plenty of water, on the stove top or in a rice cooker or steamer until just cooked, slightly al dente if preferred.<br />
<br />
Heat the oil in a large frying pan, then add the onions and cook until softened and transparent, and just starting to caramelise, stirring occasionally. Add the crushed garlic and stir in for a minute, then add the spices and salt, and stir quickly to combine.<br />
<br />
Lower the heat, then add the cashews, chopped bell pepper and mushrooms, and keep stirring to prevent burning and to ensure all ingredients are well mixed.<br />
<br />
Lastly, drain the rice and add to the mixture, stirring well to ensure it's all coated with the spicy mixture. Add a little water if it seems too dry or starts to burn, and stir fry for a few minutes until it is all piping hot.<br />
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Serve with other vegetables to suit your family.<br />
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<span style="background-color: #fefdfa; color: #333333; font-family: "arial" , "tahoma" , "helvetica" , "freesans" , sans-serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 18.2px;">- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -</span><br />
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<div style="border: 8px solid white; float: left;"><iframe frameborder="0" marginheight="0" marginwidth="0" scrolling="no" src="//ws-eu.amazon-adsystem.com/widgets/q?ServiceVersion=20070822&OneJS=1&Operation=GetAdHtml&MarketPlace=GB&source=ac&ref=tf_til&ad_type=product_link&tracking_id=suesboorev-21&marketplace=amazon&region=GB&placement=0572029098&asins=0572029098&linkId=&show_border=true&link_opens_in_new_window=true&price_color=223344&title_color=0066C0&bg_color=EEEEEE" style="height: 240px; width: 120px;"><br />
</iframe></div>I discovered the recipe on which I based this in my elderly edition of Carolyn Humphries' '1000 quick and easy recipes', which offers a wide range of quick ideas for meals. I had wanted something rice-based but without meat, and had a memory of something called 'pilaf'.<br />
<br />
The recipe I found was intended for four people and included soy sauce, one of my migraine triggers, so I tweaked it somewhat, adding a few spices - particularly my favourite healthy one, turmeric - and missing out the celery, which we don't particularly like. I also halved it as there are only two of us and I didn't suppose it would freeze too well.<br />
<br />
We don't have huge appetites so I only use 60g dry rice, which is plenty for the two of us; others may prefer to use more. I buy brown basmati rice, which takes about half an hour to cook in water, and doesn't clump together as white or non-basmati rice is inclined to do. I don't suppose basmati rice is intended for pilaf, but I find it works very well.<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjMrJGRJNBLrw3eFKGMn1EQDwRWKQHJaDDPjsp2fvbBctBqB199a3N909n5WavByg2j-v_2GiEaLnqDHlv3YkyxHA1TOeSNyjvLp98YOUNxlg_mNuAhFO6PWpX6OxADyIf7O6nBsw/s1600/IMG_5051.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img alt="cooking the pilaf - adding mushrooms after the initial frying of onions etc" border="0" height="163" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjMrJGRJNBLrw3eFKGMn1EQDwRWKQHJaDDPjsp2fvbBctBqB199a3N909n5WavByg2j-v_2GiEaLnqDHlv3YkyxHA1TOeSNyjvLp98YOUNxlg_mNuAhFO6PWpX6OxADyIf7O6nBsw/s200/IMG_5051.JPG" title="" width="200" /></a></div>It's important to use a large enough frying pan to take everything. A large saucepan might work but it's not so easy to fry onions to the right consistency, nor to stir fry so that the resultant pilaf is dry but not burned, the flavours blending together well. I haven't tried it in a wok, but would use one if I needed to make double quantity.<br />
<br />
I wasn't sure what my decidedly non-vegetarian husband would make of this, but he was highly complimentary, and said he would be happy to eat it regularly, by which he usually means about once a month. So it has become part of my regular repertoire.<br />
<br />
While it already contains mushrooms and peppers, it's all rather brown (unless you use green or red peppers) and we like our meals to be more colourful, so I do at least one separate vegetable, ideally a green one. I have sometimes cooked <a href="http://randomrecipes.blogspot.com.cy/2016/05/stir-fried-collard-greens-with-onions.html" target="_blank">collard greens</a> in a different frying pan at the same time to serve this this; other times I have been less ambitious, and have merely served microwaved frozen peas as an accompaniment.<br />
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</div>Suehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11835205817921501248noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-15033216.post-31308708284611864822016-05-09T20:51:00.002+03:002016-05-09T20:51:16.027+03:00Stir-fried collard greens with onions and garlic<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjwnwpwudPhosCKc1CVkfYWuOI6hteLJXOIHudcpN91iVnWR-xG8yTisr52mSA0iL-T305lQzWhJfvmYm92X1bATd5A-53se-SYv79N1iOnzA2UzjeYKs9RuT3PYsz-kGjkO1YrJg/s1600/IMG_5057.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img alt="Collard greens, stir-fried with onions and garlic" border="0" height="177" itemprop="image" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjwnwpwudPhosCKc1CVkfYWuOI6hteLJXOIHudcpN91iVnWR-xG8yTisr52mSA0iL-T305lQzWhJfvmYm92X1bATd5A-53se-SYv79N1iOnzA2UzjeYKs9RuT3PYsz-kGjkO1YrJg/s200/IMG_5057.JPG" title="collard greens" width="200" /></a></div>
<span itemprop="name"><b>Stir-fried collard greens</b></span><br />
<br />
<i>Serves <span itemprop="recipeYield">2-3 as a side dish</span></i><br />
<br />
<b>Ingredients:</b><br />
- <span itemprop="ingredients">1 bunch of collard greens</span><br />
- <span itemprop="ingredients">1 tblsp olive oil</span><br />
- <span itemprop="ingredients">1 large onion</span><br />
- <span itemprop="ingredients">2-3 cloves garlic (optional)</span><br />
<br />
<b>Method:</b><br />
<span itemprop="recipeInstructions">Wash the collard greens, and chop off the thickest part of the stems stems. Place them on a chopping board, and roll them together then slice across, so as to make strips. These can be any thickness, but I prefer about 2-3cm slices. <br />
<br />
Place the greens in a pan with boiling water, and simmer for a few minutes. This is to remove any bitterness. Drain them and keep them warm in the pan.<br />
<br />
Meanwhile, heat the oil in a large frying pan, while you peel and slice or chop the onion. Toss it into the pan and stir to coat, then cook on medium heat until the onions are beginning to brown. Add the crushed garlic and stir in well for about a minute, then tip in the drained collard greens, which by now should be softened and quite reduced. <br />
<br />
Stir well over medium heat until any water has drained off, and the greens are thoroughly wilted. Serve hot as a side dish with any cooked meal.<br />
</span><br />
<span itemprop="recipeInstructions"><br />
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Collard greens sound to me like something out of the American south. I've read about them, but until about six months ago, didn't have much idea what they were or how they were cooked. <br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjxK5XXfrqTKV61WWdJiZGFL8rM9sLsOrqwa9C2e181-OzPdojZi4FBPDbRYdlUYePaLY12ZM0eyUJ4xxZRtNpIwa-1P1T4_qFxvZ5nKKlgmNe6Q9nuvi0F6vbx-NBwqwalQwDreg/s1600/IMG_4846.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img alt="colourful Cyprus vegetables, showing collard greens" border="0" height="105" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjxK5XXfrqTKV61WWdJiZGFL8rM9sLsOrqwa9C2e181-OzPdojZi4FBPDbRYdlUYePaLY12ZM0eyUJ4xxZRtNpIwa-1P1T4_qFxvZ5nKKlgmNe6Q9nuvi0F6vbx-NBwqwalQwDreg/s200/IMG_4846.JPG" title="vegetables including raw collard greens" width="200" /></a></div>
But I know that leafy green vegetables are very healthy, and also very inexpensive, so I decided to buy some at our local fruit and veg shop. I chose what looked like a cross between lettuce and spinach, and a Google image search revealed that I had bought collard greens.<br />
<br />
Further searching revealed many ways of cooking them, but the most basic ones suggested cooking in water, then frying with a bit of olive oil and a sprinkling of garlic. <br />
<br />
So that's what I did the first time, and we liked them very much, but felt they were lacking texture. So the next time I chopped and cooked an onion first, creating the above recipe - and it was (to our tastes) perfect. <br />
<br />
Others might prefer to omit the garlic, or perhaps to add in some spices. But this is how we like it, and I now cook them at least a couple of times per month. <br />
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Suehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11835205817921501248noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-15033216.post-68055624671411801122016-03-28T16:51:00.001+03:002023-01-24T14:34:34.767+02:00Chickpea and Spinach Curry <div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
<div itemscope="" itemtype="http://schema.org/Recipe">
<span itemprop="name"><b>Chickpea and Spinach Curry</b></span><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiyhPwJkHMDKc4w_7fUEOu61IcXB2aKfdytCJ9vwKGXi_Hc5DhcpLUX7EEsiGx8SacaLZqoqptuWK_lQ9-wrzGj9anzmKlHWeBjoe8hWzXVJliVTAEhfsg4Qocb2ucKscejYoQmvQ/s1600/IMG_4933.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img alt="Chickpea and spinach curry cooking, with steam rising out of the pan" border="0" height="150" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiyhPwJkHMDKc4w_7fUEOu61IcXB2aKfdytCJ9vwKGXi_Hc5DhcpLUX7EEsiGx8SacaLZqoqptuWK_lQ9-wrzGj9anzmKlHWeBjoe8hWzXVJliVTAEhfsg4Qocb2ucKscejYoQmvQ/s200/IMG_4933.JPG" title="Chickpea curry" width="200" /></a></div>
<br />
<i>Serves <span itemprop="recipeYield">3-4</span></i><br />
<b><br />
</b> <b>Ingredients:</b><br />
<span itemprop="ingredients">1-2 tblsp olive oil</span><br />
<span itemprop="ingredeints">1 onion, sliced or chopped</span><br />
<span itemprop="ingredients">3-4 cloves garlic, crushed</span><br />
<span itemprop="ingredients">1/2 tsp turmeric</span><br />
<span itemprop="ingredients">1/2 tsp cumin seeds</span><br />
<span itemprop="ingredients">1/4 tsp dried ginger</span><br />
<span itemprop="ingredients">1/4 tsp ground coriander</span><br />
<span itemprop="ingredients">1/4 tsp chili powder</span><br />
<span itemprop="ingredients">1/4 tsp salt</span><br />
<span itemprop="ingredients">1 tsp garam masala (or curry powder)</span><br />
<span itemprop="ingredients">1 small can (approx 140g) tomato paste or puree</span><br />
<span itemprop="ingredients">400-500g cooked or canned chickpeas</span><br />
<span itemprop="ingredients">100-200g fresh (or thawed frozen) spinach</span><br />
<span itemprop="ingredients">water as needed</span><br />
<br />
<b>Method:</b><br />
<span itemprop="recipeInstructions">Fry the onion pieces in hot oil in a saucepan until they have become transparent, then add the garlic and stir for a minute or two more. Turn the heat down, then add the spices and salt and stir for about a minute, then add the tomato paste, chickpeas and spinach and stir well to coat. Add the aquafaba (chickpea cooking water), rinsing out the tomato paste can if necessary, or extra water as needed, so as to just cover the chickpeas.<br />
<br />
Simmer for about twenty minutes, uncovered, stirring occasionally, and squishing a few of the chickpeas against the sides of the pan to thicken it. The consistency of the curry should be quite thick when it's ready but don't let it burn on the bottom of the pan. It's fine to simmer for a bit longer, with a lid on the pan, but check regularly and add more water as needed. </span><br />
<span itemprop="recipeInstructions"><br /></span>
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For a very quick meal, you could use a couple of cans of chickpeas, but I prefer the slightly crunchier and larger ones that come from cooking them myself. That needs a bit more preparation since chickpeas have to be soaked for several hours (overnight, if possible) and then cooked for around an hour in fresh water, before adding to the curry. I tend to soak and cook about 500g dried chickpeas in a large pan, which leads to around a kilogram of cooked chickpeas; I freeze the ones I don't want to use immediately in 200-250g portions for quicker use later on.<br />
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The cooking fluid of chickpeas is known as aquafaba, and when cooled can be used as an egg white substitute in various ways, or - as in this recipe - it can be added straight into a curry with the chickpeas for a little extra protein. If you're using canned chickpeas, check the ingredients: if only salt has been added, then you can use the surrounding liquid in the same way. There is no need to drain and rinse them. However if preservatives and other additives are present, you might want to wash them away and just use water.<br />
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I don't remember where we first found the recipe on which this curry is based; there are similar ones in many places online, but as with everything I make, this has been adapted several times to suit our tastes. I tend to use dried spices as they're more convenient, but for more authentic flavour you might prefer fresh grated ginger, and to adjust the amounts of spices. This is quite mild, but more ginger and chili powder will make it hotter.<br />
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You could add mushrooms instead of spinach, if you prefer them, although we quite like the blend of colours in this version. We've tried it with both, but it feels a bit 'fussy'.<br />
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We usually serve this with pitta bread but garlic naan, if available, is even better. Rice is a good alternative. We also usually serve several of the following in small pots to go with the curry: chopped tomatoes and cucumber, <a href="http://randomrecipes.blogspot.com.cy/2009/11/mango-and-apple-chutney.html">mango chutney</a>, dried coconut, raisins, raw cashews, chopped apple, and sunflower seeds.<br />
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Suehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11835205817921501248noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-15033216.post-84869750124358038342016-03-08T22:01:00.002+02:002016-03-08T22:06:27.433+02:00Chocolate Avocado Mousse<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
<div itemscope="" itemtype="http://schema.org/Recipe">
<span itemprop="name"><b>Chocolate Avocado Mousse</b></span><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhvZTJ2_ekaqneoVh21H0Ucotel6GOD5lE0bOVqIyi62FY1u2p7gglpVa2AxjmaCBoY7gqCkdQ0iw-2E5yBAoBE7cSV7pXV8RS_epXJeqjpZEAIYiorIdEsrxYKYUiOcDA8H_K5zQ/s1600/IMG_4827.JPG" imageanchor="1" img="" itemprop="image" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhvZTJ2_ekaqneoVh21H0Ucotel6GOD5lE0bOVqIyi62FY1u2p7gglpVa2AxjmaCBoY7gqCkdQ0iw-2E5yBAoBE7cSV7pXV8RS_epXJeqjpZEAIYiorIdEsrxYKYUiOcDA8H_K5zQ/s200/IMG_4827.JPG" /></a></div>
<i>Serves <span itemprop="recipeYield">3-4</span></i><br />
<b><br /></b>
<b>Ingredients:</b><br />
<span itemprop="ingredients">2 ripe avocados</span><br />
<span itemprop="ingredients">20g cocoa powder</span><br />
<span itemprop="ingredients">40g dark chocolate (dairy-free if required)</span><br />
<span itemprop="ingredients">2 tblsp soft brown sugar</span><br />
<span itemprop="ingredients">1 tsp vanilla extract</span><br />
<span itemprop="ingredients">pinch of salt</span><br />
<span itemprop="ingredients">about 50ml nut or coconut milk</span><br />
<br />
<b>Method:</b><br />
<span itemprop="recipeInstructions">Melt the chocolate gently over a pan of hot water or in the microwave, stirring until it's just melted, then cool slightly. <br />
<br />
Carefully cut open the avocados lengthways and remove the stones. Scoop out the flesh with a spoon and place it in a food processor or blender. Add the cocoa powder, sugar, vanilla and salt, and about half of the milk. Process until smooth. Don't be too concerned if it looks rather a vile colour at this stage.<br />
<br />
Now use a metal spoon to fold the chocolate gently into the avocado mixture, with a little more milk if it feels a bit too stiff. When it's well combined, place in a suitable sized bowl and refrigerate for at least an hour or two. <br />
<br />
We find that it goes very well with seasonal fruit such as strawberries or sliced peaches. <br />
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<span itemprop="recipeInstructions"><br /></span>
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With a dairy-free husband and son, I have been trying various dairy-free mousse recipes. And I came across a recipe for <a href="http://chocolatecoveredkatie.com/2015/10/15/avocado-chocolate-mousse-vegan-healthy/">chocolate avocado mousse on the Chocolate Covered Katie blog</a> and elsewhere. I have to admit that it didn't really appeal, but then avocados were in season, on sale ridiculously cheap, squashy enough that they had to be used within a few days. <br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgFBdQgD7PukJL7w9r_p78xdrQEOaBSdZn5ENbcECKCDrkJDUunKVg0S-wR7szaRE99ERhOGTtIa1-spZmVjQSAodUOrL7HitVSBMPmyaEGBrfVfsvKfFElMdpmtcV5etwUVUk7-A/s1600/IMG_4826.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="150" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgFBdQgD7PukJL7w9r_p78xdrQEOaBSdZn5ENbcECKCDrkJDUunKVg0S-wR7szaRE99ERhOGTtIa1-spZmVjQSAodUOrL7HitVSBMPmyaEGBrfVfsvKfFElMdpmtcV5etwUVUk7-A/s200/IMG_4826.JPG" width="200" /></a></div>
So I tried it. Comments on a different recipe for this, using only cocoa powder, said that it was a bit dry and too strongly cocoa-flavoured. So the first time I used only dark chocolate - twice as much as in this recipe - and it was good, but a bit too sweet.<br />
<br />
I don't use agave syrup so I substituted soft brown sugar and used a bit more nut milk. Doubtless very high fat, too. The picture shows the colour before I folded in the chocolate... and it's worse if, as above, you use cocoa powder in the first part as well.<br />
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The second time I made this, I used honey, as we're not vegans, and slightly less milk. I also tried using cocoa powder AND dark chocolate, as in the recipe above. And doubled the quantities, as there were five of us. We made it stretch over two meals. We thought it worked very well, particularly served with fresh strawberries. <br />
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My favourite home-made dairy-free milk for cooking is cashew milk, but this could be equally good with almond milk or <a href="http://randomrecipes.blogspot.com.cy/2012/07/coconut-milk-from-desiccated-dried.html" target="_blank">coconut milk</a>. Canned coconut milk would add some extra creaminess if you like a faint coconut flavour in chocolate desserts. If you're not vegan, you could probably use regular milk.<br />
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The great thing about this kind of recipe is that you can adapt it to your tastes. Avocados come in different sizes, so if, when you taste it, it's not chocolatey enough, just add a bit more cocoa powder. If it's too thick, add some more milk. If it's not sweet enough, add a little extra sugar. If you don't like the appearance in a dish, drizzle over some melted chocolate, or scatter chocolate chips, or desiccated coconut, or slice strawberries.<br />
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And it's fun to challenge your guests to guess what the ingredients are...<br />
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Suehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11835205817921501248noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-15033216.post-67058278644429530312016-02-24T19:52:00.001+02:002016-02-24T19:53:57.320+02:00Guacamole<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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<span itemprop="name"><b>Guacamole</b></span><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhvA3NfrsADuRAnVn5gl6IqYbY7XwrqToUdmK3GTLEMby6dH1VqsHTFFQihDYv-xT0NvL9ATT1vw2IHGt0nlmIh45TrPQarSTL4pGmPWSe1ZogcdMqagM-FA3-YQo2A_jMkFyKQsA/s1600/IMG_4871.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img alt="Guacamole: mashed avocado, tomatoes, onion, lemon juice" border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhvA3NfrsADuRAnVn5gl6IqYbY7XwrqToUdmK3GTLEMby6dH1VqsHTFFQihDYv-xT0NvL9ATT1vw2IHGt0nlmIh45TrPQarSTL4pGmPWSe1ZogcdMqagM-FA3-YQo2A_jMkFyKQsA/s200/IMG_4871.JPG" title="Guacamole" /></a></div>
<i>Makes <span itemprop="recipeYield">1 -2 cups, depending on size of avocado(s)</span></i><br />
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<b>Ingredients:</b><br />
1-2 very ripe avocados<br />
1/4 onion, finely chopped<br />
2 medium tomatoes, chopped<br />
1 tblsp lemon juice<br />
2 cloves garlic, crushed<br />
1 tsp salt<br />
1/2 tsp paprika or cayenne, to taste<br />
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<b>Method:</b><br />
<span itemprop="recipeInstructions">Run a knife around the avocados from top to bottom, both sides, to open them. The stones should pop straight out. Using a spoon, remove all the flesh from the skin and place in a bowl. Mash roughly.
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<span itemprop="recipeInstructions"><br /></span>
Add the other ingredients, and stir to combine. Keep refrigerated, and serve as a side dish to - for instance - chili, fajitas, or enchiladas. Can also be eaten as part of a salad, on bread, or in baked potatoes. Or by the spoonful...<br />
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I don't know why I didn't start making guacamole years ago. We were introduced to it when we lived in the United States over twenty years ago. I knew that avocados are considered healthy, full of healthy fats and vitamins, but on their own I find them a bit bland. And although I tried a few guacamole recipes over the years, I didn't much like any of them, and they seemed extremely complicated.<br />
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Besides, I found it so difficult to know when was the right time to use avocados. Too hard and they won't mash (that's what happened with most of my attempts). But I didn't want them to be so soft that they were rotten, either. <br />
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I now realise my problem: I was thinking of them as if they were regular fruit, where over-softness is a bad sign. With avocados, so long as they still smell good and don't have too many black patches on the outside, the softer the better if you're going to make guacamole. Even black skin isn't necessarily a problem so long as they smell and taste okay; if there are black patches in the flesh, either mix them in or discard them.<br />
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So, given a very ripe easily mashable avocado (or two), you can use the above basic recipe, or adjust to suit your tastes. If you don't like raw onion, miss it out. Sometimes I chop mine in the food processor to make it very fine, but if you're eating the guacamole in baked potatoes (something I would recommend highly as an alternative to butter or spread) finely chopped is fine.<br />
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If you like a more garlicky taste, add an extra garlic clove. If you want a more lemony flavour, increase the amount of lemon juice, and perhaps add half a teaspoon of dried coriander. If you don't want the tomatoes, miss them out. If you'd like it to have more of a kick, add some chili flakes. If you don't want even a mildly spicy taste, don't add cayenne or paprika. <br />
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Indeed, every ingredient other than the avocado is optional - but mashed avocado on its own is not guacamole, and doesn't need a recipe. <br />
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Suehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11835205817921501248noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-15033216.post-22551224985000360832015-08-06T19:42:00.000+03:002016-02-18T13:23:48.813+02:00Peach and tomato salad with feta<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjmhc3oqluvfa6t-cnmC9Zb91fXsBu3h6iOkbUQ8oPD8rXAvZ3kpdmPhXkkf0tL3g1cU2qMkaJf3kIEyO-DpYuup4Qr-fST-ZXvnXb_iRKORGcJxvcOmh2Y4sMA0npZ0_2FmknqkA/s1600/IMG_4276.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img alt="peach and tomato salad with feta cheese and onions" border="0" height="140" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjmhc3oqluvfa6t-cnmC9Zb91fXsBu3h6iOkbUQ8oPD8rXAvZ3kpdmPhXkkf0tL3g1cU2qMkaJf3kIEyO-DpYuup4Qr-fST-ZXvnXb_iRKORGcJxvcOmh2Y4sMA0npZ0_2FmknqkA/s200/IMG_4276.JPG" title="Peach and tomato salad" width="200" /></a></div>
<i>Serves: 2-4</i><br />
<br />
<b>Ingredients:</b><br />
1 small onion, thinly sliced<br />
250g tomatoes<br />
250g ripe peaches<br />
1 tblsp olive oil<br />
1 tblsp lemon juice<br />
1 tblsp honey<br />
30g feta cheese<br />
salt and pepper<br />
dried (or fresh) basil to garnish<br />
<br />
Method:<br />
Wash the tomatoes and peaches, and cut them into wedges, placing them in a serving dish with the thinly sliced onion pieces.<br />
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Mix the olive oil, lemon juice and honey, and pour over, tossing the main ingredients until coated and well-mixed. Add salt and pepper to taste.<br />
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Chop the feta cheese into small chunks, and place in the middle, then sprinkle with basil. <br />
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Serve immediately.<br />
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I knew I had several peaches in the fridge, which weren't going to last much longer. I'd frozen lots of them, and wondered idly if I could use them as part of a salad. A quick online search led me to a recipe entitled <a href="http://www.myrecipes.com/recipe/summer-peach-tomato-salad" rel="nofollow">Summer peach and tomato salad</a> which sounded ideal, since I also had a couple of biggish tomatoes, and plenty of onions. I didn't have red onions, as the recipe suggested, but that didn't worry me. </div>
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Since my onions were large, I only used a half one, cutting very thin slices and then cutting those again. I was seriously dubious about mixing onions with peaches but I've learned, over the years, that the most unusual of combinations can work. Maybe. </div>
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I actually included about 300g peaches, using up the ripest ones. The original recipe talked about a specific kind of tomatoes, and asked for both beefy ones AND cherry ones. I simply had two ordinary tomatoes so used those. </div>
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I nearly always use lemon juice rather than vinegar, as I prefer it and it's more nutritious, and I misread the teaspoon of honey as a tablespoon... but I put it together, and tried it cautiously. It was absolutely delicious! Quite sweet, but the tartness of the feta offset that perfectly. We had a lettuce salad with it, and some other vegetable chunks, but we kept going back for more of this. The onion gave a crunchiness and extra flavour that somehow enhanced it. </div>
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I'm sure it would serve four people if it were part of a big meal, but two of us nearly finished it by ourselves. This is one we are definitely going to repeat, so long as peaches are in season. </div>
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Suehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11835205817921501248noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-15033216.post-88949006064089115772015-07-20T14:03:00.004+03:002015-10-15T11:43:11.482+03:00Chocolate chip cookie cake<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj0-tNUrdfG9K1oUeoc900bluPxPxO6GoZjzihJZOMwCM3pKu0rWUySADh5PIrm1VeQXooJUrBOJH5EpNpx_FmJitE3IVOsKNWCF8ul6um2MJmptcsAwmIS1YJywGNg86a4R-BbuA/s1600/IMG_4249.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img alt="vegan chocolate chip cake made with chickpeas and aquafaba" border="0" height="133" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj0-tNUrdfG9K1oUeoc900bluPxPxO6GoZjzihJZOMwCM3pKu0rWUySADh5PIrm1VeQXooJUrBOJH5EpNpx_FmJitE3IVOsKNWCF8ul6um2MJmptcsAwmIS1YJywGNg86a4R-BbuA/s200/IMG_4249.JPG" title="Chocolate chip cookie cake" width="200" /></a></div>
<i>Makes one 18cm (7 inch) cake</i><br />
<br />
<b>Ingredients:</b><br />
250g cooked chickpeas<br />
150g soft brown sugar<br />
50g oats<br />
2 tblsp apple sauce OR aquafaba<br />
1.5 tblsp olive oil OR coconut oil<br />
1 tsp baking powder<br />
0.5 tsp vanilla extract<br />
0.25 tsp salt<br />
0.25 tsp bicarbonate of soda<br />
<br />
85g dairy-free dark chocolate chips<br />
<br />
2 tsp cocoa powder and water to mix (optional)<br />
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<b>Method:</b><br />
Drain the chickpeas, whether home-cooked or canned, reserving the cooking water (also known as aquafaba) if you plan to use it in this recipe or elsewhere.<br />
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Put the chickpeas in a food processor and set to high speed for about thirty seconds, until the consistency is approximately that of hummus. You can use a stick blender to puree them more at this stage, if you wish, adding the apple sauce or aquafaba to make it slightly less dry.<br />
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Add all the other ingredients <b>except</b> the chocolate chips to the food processor, and use a low or medium speed to blend them well together.<br />
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Stir in the chocolate chips, then place in an 18cm (7 inch) greased and/or lined cake tin, preferably one with a loose base. If you want a more chocolatey centre section, put about three-quarters of the mixture in the tin, pushing it to the edges. Then mix cocoa powder in a small bowl with a little cold water, until it forms a slightly runny paste, and stir that into the remaining mixture. Place it in the middle of the tin, then smooth the top so it's even.<br />
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Cook for about 25-30 minutes at 180C until the top is firm but still pliable. Leave to cool in the tin.<br />
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I had never heard of a chocolate chip cookie cake (or, indeed pie), although apparently they're well-known in the US. Traditional ones, it seems, have a pastry crust, and contain flour, butter and eggs rather than chickpeas, oil and apple sauce. They are highly calorific, and not suitable for vegans, nor for those who are gluten-free or dairy-free.<br />
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I first came across the wheat-free vegan variation, called '<a href="http://chocolatecoveredkatie.com/2011/05/31/deep-dish-cookie-pie/" target="_blank">deep dish cookie pie' on the 'chocolate covered Katie' blog</a>. It sounded wonderful, but also huge. I didn't have a 10-inch (25cm) deep cake tin, either. So I did a rough calculation and decided that my convenient 18cm pan would be about right for half the quantity. That's the amount given, converted from cups to metric weights, above.<br />
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My first attempt didn't look much like the mouth-watering photos on Katie's blog, but it tasted very good. And was even better on the second day. To our way of thinking it was more a cake than a pie; pies, by my definition, contain some form of pastry. But that's merely semantics. <br />
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So I decided to try making the full recipe (ie double my version) for my second attempt, dividing it between two 18cm pans, to share with some friends. Since I’d soaked and cooked some chickpeas the day before, I decided to use <a href="http://randomrecipes.blogspot.com/2015/07/aquafaba.html">aquafaba</a> rather than apple sauce, as I didn’t want to have to cook an apple on a hot day to produce just a couple of tablespoons of apple sauce. It worked perfectly.<br />
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<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right; margin-left: 1em; text-align: right;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgxqNWbyNO_KWDxo4TBnaDgFavXe8c3MHZPNH4OMkfQLHLDMjM2ek4QoFkJDVR7-68eUNC4gUL6fIMEtsZhRy_b3pDp6zmB33lumN3-YXQ72GuaH3FtyvPeBaAZyisVIeEGRBZBEw/s1600/IMG_4239.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img alt="mixture for chickpea chocolate chip cake, in food processor" border="0" height="133" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgxqNWbyNO_KWDxo4TBnaDgFavXe8c3MHZPNH4OMkfQLHLDMjM2ek4QoFkJDVR7-68eUNC4gUL6fIMEtsZhRy_b3pDp6zmB33lumN3-YXQ72GuaH3FtyvPeBaAZyisVIeEGRBZBEw/s200/IMG_4239.JPG" title="" width="200" /></a></td></tr>
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My food processor is fairly basic and it was difficult to get the chickpeas to a puree. The first time I used my stick blender as well, as suggested above, but the second time I didn't bother as it made a lot of extra mess. <br />
<br />
It was fine from my perspective, and for those of us who like chickpeas; we couldn't taste them, but there was a hint of chickpea texture here and there. Those who don't like chickpeas may find that disturbing and prefer them more thoroughly blended.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiJnQwltm-K0EngpNP_7qc_8zTXVHqJoX9CUbOG0oVj8Zho3vWMgtAwN4wxIY0LSPeSoPosQWi2ulaa2TeIUzncwPF2k-DD0JgxiOQyqlAQXe61W-cmTaPh-GLnMYgqmr1on3ymdg/s1600/IMG_4242.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img alt="choc chip cookie pie with chickpeas, baked and in the pan, showing chocolate centre " border="0" height="133" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiJnQwltm-K0EngpNP_7qc_8zTXVHqJoX9CUbOG0oVj8Zho3vWMgtAwN4wxIY0LSPeSoPosQWi2ulaa2TeIUzncwPF2k-DD0JgxiOQyqlAQXe61W-cmTaPh-GLnMYgqmr1on3ymdg/s200/IMG_4242.JPG" title="" width="200" /></a></div>
I started wondering about adding cocoa powder to one of them, then decided to make a smaller chocolate section in the centre of each. I weighed about 400g of the mixture into each of the tins, smoothing it out and hollowing the centre slightly, then I mixed cocoa powder with water to form a paste, and stirred that into the rest.<br />
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It didn't look particularly pretty, but it worked well. It still doesn't look like the recipe I've adapted, but the taste is still amazingly good, with a fudgy texture ... and we think it's even better when it's been refrigerated overnight.<br />
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<b>Important note:</b> if you're vegan or strictly dairy-free, you will need to check the ingredients in the chocolate chips to ensure that you can eat them. Many dark chocolate chips are free of dairy products, but some of them contain traces of milk. If you are coeliac, check the baking powder too, as some brands can contain small amounts of gluten. </div>
Suehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11835205817921501248noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-15033216.post-28011877262945959362015-07-13T16:35:00.000+03:002015-10-15T11:47:01.874+03:00Chickpea and Mushroom Risotto<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhkxRHTz-e1NGxuwIJBfRbtfz4J_q_3T5xXjUblCdRtxQn5aoJrIyj6-NZCoSC7LrwDJ0YDGlRet3vQ-aJ4rPNQuInXI5k1Z2kvb5OLOuiaaA8v1BtHURG6VzXit0Dsdmbrezwa-w/s1600/IMG_4224.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img alt="Showing the chickpea and mushroom risotto cooking, with peas " border="0" height="153" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhkxRHTz-e1NGxuwIJBfRbtfz4J_q_3T5xXjUblCdRtxQn5aoJrIyj6-NZCoSC7LrwDJ0YDGlRet3vQ-aJ4rPNQuInXI5k1Z2kvb5OLOuiaaA8v1BtHURG6VzXit0Dsdmbrezwa-w/s200/IMG_4224.JPG" title="Chickpea and mushroom risotto" width="200" /></a></div>
<i>Serves: 4-5</i><br />
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<b>Ingredients:</b><br />
1 tblsp olive oil<br />
1 large onion, thinly sliced<br />
4 garlic cloves, minced or crushed<br />
200-250g mushrooms, sliced<br />
200-250g rice<br />
1 tblsp turmeric<br />
80-100ml white wine (optional)<br />
600-800ml vegetarian stock<br />
260-300g cooked chickpeas (or one 400g can)<br />
1 tblsp dried parsley<br />
1/2 tsp salt<br />
1 cup frozen peas (optional)<br />
<br />
<b>Method:</b><br />
Heat the oil in a large frying pan, then cook the onion slices, stirring occasionally, for eight to ten minutes or until they are just starting to turn brown. Add the garlic and stir in, then add the mushroom slices, and cook for another three or four minutes; by this stage the mushrooms should be nicely caramelised.<br />
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Add the rice and turmeric and stir well until the rice is completely coated in oil, then add the wine (if used) or about 100ml water, and simmer, stirring lightly, until the liquid has been absorbed.<br />
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Gradually add the stock, about 200ml at a time, stirring over a medium heat until it's absorbed; if the pan starts to overflow, transfer some of the mixture to another pan. Keep adding the stock gradually and stirring until the rice is tender but not too soft. Use extra water, if necessary. <br />
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When the rice is at your preferred consistency, add the drained chickpeas and salt and stir in for a couple of minutes; then add the frozen peas, if used, and the parsley, and stir until the peas are just thawed, then serve immediately.<br />
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I was looking for recipes that use chickpeas, and came across one labelled <i>'<a href="http://fakeginger.com/2010/03/08/risotto-with-caramelized-onions-mushrooms-and-chickpeas/" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Risotto with caramelized onions, mushrooms and chickpeas</a>'</i> on another recipe blog. It sounded good, though it didn't say how many people it would serve, and I made it pretty much as the recipe stated, other than using my favourite brown basmati rice rather than risotto rice. Perhaps that means that it wasn't, technically, a risotto. But never mind.<br />
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I used less stock than the recipe suggested, which surprised me, as I had assumed that brown rice would absorb more liquid. I also added extra garlic, as I usually do, and turmeric because it's a health food and I use it wherever I can. Rather than mixed herbs, I used parsley.<br />
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It was good, and I served it with lightly fried courgettes and home-made ketchup, and it made about four or five portions. <br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjnHOqGqqVTw3R7TniRmVaGwtEzjeHAhMdEsTy-7LJSAS5Pvh_xcn3hIMpBmv8csmn4CVKc4kOueM_CPbw8U_RIOdBPRe_pMskaWdhK3Zn1-aY4kW940YXoc8bpCtlv1AurZ0TrBQ/s1600/IMG_4223.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img alt="gently frying onions, garlic and mushrooms" border="0" height="147" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjnHOqGqqVTw3R7TniRmVaGwtEzjeHAhMdEsTy-7LJSAS5Pvh_xcn3hIMpBmv8csmn4CVKc4kOueM_CPbw8U_RIOdBPRe_pMskaWdhK3Zn1-aY4kW940YXoc8bpCtlv1AurZ0TrBQ/s200/IMG_4223.JPG" title="Preparing chickpea risotto" width="200" /></a></div>
Since I freeze chickpeas in can-sized portions, I decided to use a whole portion rather than just a cup, the second time I made this. I also decided to use a large onion and rather more mushrooms than the original recipe listed.<br />
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Since I felt it rather lacked colour the first time, I put the frozen peas in as a last-minute addition, and it worked so well that I decided to keep them in. However, I managed to forget the turmeric, which is why the photos don't look yellow.<br />
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The amount I made the first time was about four portions, but with the extra mushrooms, chickpeas and frozen peas, we found that the recipe above is sufficient for five portions; that makes it relatively low-carbohydrate, as we would normally expect about 70-80g rice (1/3 US cup) per person if served with curry.<br />
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I always serve separate vegetables with any cooked meal; this is good with courgettes and broad beans, and also with a dash of <a href="http://randomrecipes.blogspot.com/2011/06/tomato-ketchup-using-fresh-tomatoes.html" target="_blank">home-made tomato ketchup</a>. </div>
Suehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11835205817921501248noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-15033216.post-44002699092165778902015-07-07T16:24:00.000+03:002016-02-18T13:32:32.609+02:00Aquafaba<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhcmpC4jlgz95LbFOrX8Gux1RALZLzTj5x27XbaBaxOIXIpkUoBweM9H6nW5lHwJ59uVo0_H89eYpBI1K6IND2A8hhtfdKgyInFMfNHtHDhk0vEIiud5B6tOl-8LtdCUjO7YhNCHA/s1600/IMG_4168-001.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img alt="chickpeas and aquafaba " border="0" height="115" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhcmpC4jlgz95LbFOrX8Gux1RALZLzTj5x27XbaBaxOIXIpkUoBweM9H6nW5lHwJ59uVo0_H89eYpBI1K6IND2A8hhtfdKgyInFMfNHtHDhk0vEIiud5B6tOl-8LtdCUjO7YhNCHA/s200/IMG_4168-001.JPG" title="Making aquafaba from chickpeas" width="200" /></a></div>
<i>Makes about 1 litre</i><br />
<b><br />
</b> <b>Ingredients:</b><br />
About 500g/1lb chickpeas (US: garbanzo beans)<br />
Water to soak, and more water to cook<br />
<br />
<b><br />
</b> <b><br />
</b> <b>Method:</b><br />
Soak chickpeas in a large pan overnight. Make sure there is plenty of water and room to expand.<br />
<br />
In the morning, drain them well, rinse, and drain again.<br />
<br />
Then cover the chickpeas with fresh cold water, adding sufficient that there is at least a couple of centimetres of water above the level of the soaked chickpeas. If it's very close to the top of the pan, you might want to transfer it all to a larger one, or else split between two pans.<br />
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Cover, and bring to the boil over the stove. Turn down the heat and simmer gently for around an hour, checking occasionally to make sure there's plenty of water. Top up with extra if necessary.<br />
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After an hour, turn the heat off but leave the chickpeas in the pan so that they continue cooking without using energy, and gradually cool down.<br />
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After a few more hours, drain the chickpeas over a large container. Do NOT discard this cooking water. This is <b>aquafaba</b>, a vegan substitute for egg white (or in some cases egg) which can be whipped and used for sorbets, meringues or mousses. It can also be used, as it is, to glaze pastries, or in a variety of other recipes.<br />
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I'm not usually what my sons call an 'early adopter'. I'm slow to jump on band-wagons, and suspicious about trying new products. However, although we're not vegans, we all like chickpeas as an inexpensive and delicious form of protein. I make chickpea curry regularly, and humus, and chickpea burgers, and was idly looking for some other recipes for this legume when I came across a link that led me, eventually, to a <a href="https://www.facebook.com/groups/VeganMeringue/" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Facebook group about vegan meringue.</a></div>
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I wondered at first if it was some kind of hoax, but the more I read, the more intrigued I became. Here's the <a href="http://aquafaba.com/" target="_blank">official aquafaba page.</a> It's not marketed commercially, although no doubt someone will do so eventually... but it's very easy to make, as shown above. If you don't have the time to soak and cook chickpeas, then (I'm told) you can simply drain the brine from a can of chickpeas, and it should work just as well even though it may have a bit of salt or other additives in it.</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiVOL9reqJXaqMPEFmXjopeCH5kZqT4c-DJjrTzVEnoASi3vSsZFiuVBo1tZPxKAOubPbjWPjF-I2VqzdYr8ALoQ3vNT5z4p4dGb0FHWAlMa0uzMOUOZLZIsCMGyX9u-rsAhRnM0w/s1600/IMG_4172.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img alt="chickpeas in containers for the freezer" border="0" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiVOL9reqJXaqMPEFmXjopeCH5kZqT4c-DJjrTzVEnoASi3vSsZFiuVBo1tZPxKAOubPbjWPjF-I2VqzdYr8ALoQ3vNT5z4p4dGb0FHWAlMa0uzMOUOZLZIsCMGyX9u-rsAhRnM0w/s200/IMG_4172.JPG" title="Cooked chickpeas " width="150" /></a><br />
I usually cook chickpeas in bulk - half a kilogram or so at a time - and freeze them in can-sized portions. So, despite feeling dubious, I decided I had nothing to lose if I kept the cooking liquid and tried to whip it. <br />
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I felt a little foolish as I drained and measured the fluid into a litre jug, as shown in the picture at the top. I put the cooled chickpeas into plastic containers, as shown here, with about 260-270g in each, and froze them.<br />
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So far, so good.<br />
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Then I put some of the aquafaba - about half a cup, I suppose - into another pyrex bowl, and used my electric hand mixer to beat it. I started slowly, as the group recommended (not wanting it to splatter) and gradually increased it.<br />
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<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right; margin-left: 1em; text-align: right;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhYSw7DJxKvklBI-aHq8QGZ2TDXL8e6beXGGY4M3IWulLDkbj0iurZf-_U3DnA25OnmjibIgkSj5lkI34RtSw47KBzS2iZq9zTGPQSE8GQcQB_OpH2cKcutx7lijYUoMYQF5114Tw/s1600/IMG_4213.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img alt="Showing aquafaba being whipped into stiff peaks, like egg whites" border="0" height="150" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhYSw7DJxKvklBI-aHq8QGZ2TDXL8e6beXGGY4M3IWulLDkbj0iurZf-_U3DnA25OnmjibIgkSj5lkI34RtSw47KBzS2iZq9zTGPQSE8GQcQB_OpH2cKcutx7lijYUoMYQF5114Tw/s200/IMG_4213.JPG" title="Whipping aquafaba" width="200" /></a></td></tr>
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To my astonishment, it worked. The yellowy gungy liquid turned white and bubbly within about a minute, and within two or three more minutes, it had expanded almost to the top of the bowl, exactly like egg white does when whipped, and had become thick, leaving a trail.<br />
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I then had to decide what to do with it - I honestly hadn't believed it would work so well! With that first batch, I added some sugar to make meringues, then I added some melted dark chocolate to more of it to make chocolate mousse.<br />
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I whipped some more, after that, excited at the possibilities; I then folded in some thawed frozen raspberries cooked with a little sugar, and made raspberry sorbet. All were delicious, and didn't taste at all of chickpeas or anything unusual.<br />
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I'm delighted to have found a product that can be used in place of raw egg, and hope to use it in future in <a href="http://randomrecipes.blogspot.com/2011/12/royal-icing-step-by-step.html" target="_blank">royal icing</a>, and peppermint creams. Since my initial experiment I've also made chocolate sorbet, glazed pastry with it, and tried it in an ordinary cake.<br />
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Experts have discovered that one can produce twice as much aquafaba by covering the drained chickpeas with more fresh water, then refrigerating for 24 hours, and mixing the resultant liquid with the cooking water. However, I've found that I have plenty. We don't eat that many desserts or sweet foods, and I've already frozen several small amounts of aquafaba for future use. It keeps for about five or six days in the fridge; probably for several months in a freezer.<br />
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<b>A few caveats:</b><br />
1. Others have had success using the fluid from canned or home-cooked beans, such as pinto beans and black beans. I've tried, but could not get the liquid to whip. So I'm going to stick with the chickpea brine which, so far, has been very successful.<br />
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2. Aquafaba is very sensitive to fat of any kind. The bowl and beaters must be scrupulously clean and free of any trace of grease, or it won't work. I've found that plastic bowls don't make good containers for whipping; since I use my plastic bowls to make cakes, I can only assume that there's some ingrained grease despite my dishwasher. Those who have regular success with aquafaba use either pyrex or metal dishes, or very hard plastic such as that of a food processor bowl.<br />
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3. Although it starts to whip within a minute or two, it can take six or seven minutes or more to become stiff enough to use. If you're making meringues, it needs to be very thick with peaks that don't fall, and that takes longer still. So I would not recommend trying this with a non-electric mixer. It's hard enough on the arms to use a hand electric one. On the other hand, a stand mixer is harder to adjust, and it's important to 'feel' the right amount of power to use at each stage.<br />
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Suehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11835205817921501248noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-15033216.post-86536929867265776262015-07-04T15:55:00.003+03:002023-01-24T15:08:19.126+02:00Slow cooked pinto bean curry<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjOr_bhUts7OqgwLES_ZXTzQ0hy94VGtM0qRxDxA-8TyqNzz06ldow3A_03A9Y6GhYDmQYAK944V3fbuZH7Wb6gUCZjr9VD2tefwWDKfFCZ5rBxd81Jf9qjM2_vboXreuwWD5PdLw/s1600/IMG_4208.JPG" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img alt="crockpot curried pinto beans" border="0" height="213" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjOr_bhUts7OqgwLES_ZXTzQ0hy94VGtM0qRxDxA-8TyqNzz06ldow3A_03A9Y6GhYDmQYAK944V3fbuZH7Wb6gUCZjr9VD2tefwWDKfFCZ5rBxd81Jf9qjM2_vboXreuwWD5PdLw/w320-h213/IMG_4208.JPG" title="" width="320" /></a></div>
<i>Serves 8-10</i><br />
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<b>Ingredients:</b><br />
400-500g dried pinto beans, plus soaking/cooking water<br />
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1 tblsp olive oil<br />
2 onions<br />
4-5 garlic cloves<br />
2 bell peppers<br />
1/2 tsp crushed chili flakes<br />
1 tsp cumin seeds<br />
1 tsp turmeric<br />
1 tsp ginger<br />
3 tsp curry powder or garam masala<br />
1/2 tsp salt<br />
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1-2 tblsp soft brown sugar<br />
140-180g tomato puree or paste<br />
1 400ml can coconut milk<br />
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<b>Method: </b><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjML-wa4zbfY4e6V1iexhVKPNFiYZVNyjUiyGx1ppoL0aQvP3nXR991JZWgLyMYgGJDSpEfy2adEaMTBwuwcOaVzn3_-Or6iygJiNjAzFpsoH-TNEHGG3QnSZwhTRBxO9LOcBNETg/s1600/IMG_4206.JPG" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img alt="soaked and cooked pinto beans in the crockpot" border="0" height="150" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjML-wa4zbfY4e6V1iexhVKPNFiYZVNyjUiyGx1ppoL0aQvP3nXR991JZWgLyMYgGJDSpEfy2adEaMTBwuwcOaVzn3_-Or6iygJiNjAzFpsoH-TNEHGG3QnSZwhTRBxO9LOcBNETg/s200/IMG_4206.JPG" title="" width="200" /></a></div>
Soak the pinto beans in a large pan overnight, with plenty of water to cover.<br />
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Drain well, then fill the pan with water to about 2cm above the beans. Bring to the boil and simmer on a low heat, covered, for about 45 minutes. Turn the heat off but leave the pan covered for another hour or two so that it continues cooking. <br />
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Drain the beans (keeping the cooking water if you plan to use it elsewhere) and put the beans in the crockpot.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjxW-2q7Pv7EilkMjL2Xw-zsbDpQAWy60whZ7F9Pv8mn3NWajCqtFtvSa1tLHPxoBreayl4WfEaUrOcf0T8SGwsVoVAT8CI1wBD-83BntXhm2zW0NlS6SHH5Aa8vBZMroKqQ4fk0Q/s1600/IMG_4204.JPG" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="150" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjxW-2q7Pv7EilkMjL2Xw-zsbDpQAWy60whZ7F9Pv8mn3NWajCqtFtvSa1tLHPxoBreayl4WfEaUrOcf0T8SGwsVoVAT8CI1wBD-83BntXhm2zW0NlS6SHH5Aa8vBZMroKqQ4fk0Q/s200/IMG_4204.JPG" width="200" /></a></div>
Now slice or chop the onions, and sauté them in a large frying pan for 5-10 minutes. While they're cooking, chop the peppers into smallish pieces, and peel the garlic cloves. When the onions are soft and starting to caramelise, crush the garlic cloves into the mixture, and add the pepper pieces; stir for a minute or two, then add the cumin seeds and chili flakes and stir again to release the flavour.<br />
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Add the other spices, salt and brown sugar, stirring all the time, then add the tomato paste or puree, rinsing the can or packet out, if necessary, with some of the coconut milk.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhZmwMZj_AqkGjQ0DERQiWwfcLUZEsdAhLtavi60u3HFY4bAXXx6EX2Nz3_0eWNf72vQ-JTPP_4NEiPrcVONAcOPNX3LE6mzM20cVCIoQTPssO_51xUTVy7gVRBfEPGxoQMLq3REA/s1600/IMG_4207.JPG" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="150" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhZmwMZj_AqkGjQ0DERQiWwfcLUZEsdAhLtavi60u3HFY4bAXXx6EX2Nz3_0eWNf72vQ-JTPP_4NEiPrcVONAcOPNX3LE6mzM20cVCIoQTPssO_51xUTVy7gVRBfEPGxoQMLq3REA/s200/IMG_4207.JPG" width="200" /></a></div>
Stir well, then pour over the beans in the crockpot. Pour the rest of the coconut milk into the pan, and stir well to release anything that's stuck to the bottom of the pan, and then pour that over the mixture in the slow cooker too.<br />
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Stir briefly with a large metal spoon to combine; if it seems too dry, add a bit more water, or some of the bean cooking liquid to the coconut milk can and pour over. Put the lid on, and cook on 'medium' for about six to eight hours, or rather longer on 'low'.<br />
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Serve with rice or naan, chopped cucumber, <a href="http://randomrecipes.blogspot.com/2009/11/mango-and-apple-chutney.html" target="_blank">mango chutney</a> and other side dishes as preferred.<br />
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I found the basis for this recipes in Lent 2014 when our family experimented with vegetarian eating. Searching online for bean-based crockpot ideas, I came across something called '<a href="http://www.kitchentreaty.com/crock-pot-coconut-curry-baked-beans/" target="_blank">Crock pot coconut curry baked beans</a>.' I was a little dubious, but determined to try a variety of recipes, and I very much like pinto beans.<br />
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The only change I made when I first tried it was to substitute dried ginger for the recommended minced fresh ginger, and, as usual, to put in more garlic than suggested. Oh, and full-fat coconut milk. It was delicious! The combination of tomato puree, coconut milk and a little brown sugar make the most amazing sauce, and even my omnivore husband liked it. </div>
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The second time I made it, I added in turmeric, since it's currently considered a super-food, and used garam masala as I didn't have any curry powder. We liked it just as much, but being a bit more picky, I felt that it lacked texture. In addition, I like having at least one or two types of vegetable in a curry, as well as the protein. I had some red peppers that needed to be used up, so I added them, and that made it (in our view) perfect. In the batch I photographed, I happened to have orange peppers so I used those. </div>
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Spices can, of course, be adjusted to taste, and you could use canned pinto beans if you run out of time to soak and pre-boil dried ones. This isn't a particularly hot curry, but if you prefer more of a 'bite', you could add more ginger and/or chili flakes.<br />
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Different slow cookers have different settings and I find that the 'low' setting on mine doesn't really cook at all, so I tend to use 'medium'. However, some slow cookers only have two temperature settings. If that's the case, I'd recommend using 'low'. </div>
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Suehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11835205817921501248noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-15033216.post-19823713699169702422014-10-23T17:58:00.000+03:002015-07-04T16:00:48.706+03:00Microwave chocolate cake in a mug<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjaObDTakso2aMogsUqxvIY64GyIUYQ9WHqnMNy7Z7lAMc4-O27SwOfEM0ocTYOyEexB_u-WNtUUlziP-LavCgFAfbu47-L3Osvb14eK6tKLFbYzsKlaPzwo7ehcd5I6Kk0SlHvkA/s1600/IMG_3363.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjaObDTakso2aMogsUqxvIY64GyIUYQ9WHqnMNy7Z7lAMc4-O27SwOfEM0ocTYOyEexB_u-WNtUUlziP-LavCgFAfbu47-L3Osvb14eK6tKLFbYzsKlaPzwo7ehcd5I6Kk0SlHvkA/s200/IMG_3363.JPG" /></a><i>Serves 1-2</i><br />
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<b>Ingredients:</b><br />
4 tblsp flour <i>(plain or part wholewheat)</i><br />
4 tblsp sugar<br />
1 tblsp cocoa powder<br />
3 tblsp milk <i>(any kind - we use almond or coconut)</i><br />
3 tblsp oil <i>(any kind - we use olive)</i><br />
3 tblsp dark chocolate chips<br />
few drops vanilla essence or extract<br />
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<b>Method:</b><br />
Use a 15ml measuring tablespoon, with each ingredient flat rather than heaped. <br />
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Place the dry ingredients in a mug, which should be a good sized one, holding about 240-250mls (a little over an American cup). Stir in the oil and milk carefully, then gently mix in the chocolate chips and the vanilla essence. <br />
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Put the mug in the microwave, and cook for 3 minutes at 1000 watts, or four minutes at 700 watts.<br />
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This doesn't rise much, but it should have grown a little. It will be very hot. You can wait till it cools down a little and eat it directly from the mug, if you don't want to serve it in a bowl (or two) but BEWARE of the molten chocolate chips. <br />
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The first time we tried this recipe, we were rather cynical. What, we wondered, would make it rise? Wouldn't it just be a solid lump, kind of like clay, with these ingredients?<br />
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I wondered if I had made a mistake when jotting down the recipe, but then we realised that if it was a disaster, we hadn't lost much. My son followed the recipe exactly - using levelled tablespoon measures. And it came out perfectly. <br />
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Yes, these are all the ingredients necessary. No baking powder, no baking soda, no egg. I've found variations of this online which do use egg, or self-raising flour, but they all give warnings about the cake rising higher than the top of the mug. That sounds messy. The version we made rose perhaps a centimetre (we have NO idea how) and was of a delicious fudge cake consistency. We made two of them (one at a time) and shared them between three of us, with some leftover raspberry sauce. <br />
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Unbelievably delicious. <br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiQs5WeJgRUYssFeQFAddgJE1ZrPwLd_2NtuZ3uh7or7fL4hHub8O-2Qpo3mFmuLVa0i_M3MdujP4KKZrS1SB60HQQ1UcUmAcHzYNScSpeFBhkdOysiM49fcqCmd1evzFdFQJbRdg/s1600/IMG_3358.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiQs5WeJgRUYssFeQFAddgJE1ZrPwLd_2NtuZ3uh7or7fL4hHub8O-2Qpo3mFmuLVa0i_M3MdujP4KKZrS1SB60HQQ1UcUmAcHzYNScSpeFBhkdOysiM49fcqCmd1evzFdFQJbRdg/s200/IMG_3358.JPG" /></a>A week or so later I decided to try it myself. <br />
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So I started putting everything in the cup in order, wondering how on earth it would mix itself in the microwave. I then realised I should have mixed the milk and oil before adding the chocolate chips and vanilla.<br />
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Oops.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgawmGueRplgF1sd4eYAM843l4s3sL6rkM-2g-4OTGKb6W9Zy02AKjAb8K536tp6hQgsPtkNhtklQq68eOHCpRQptfQtqUtnbVuiH1xVgHIuNE3nfLexa73U0Kb26pFVYaGJ3FxxQ/s1600/IMG_3359.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgawmGueRplgF1sd4eYAM843l4s3sL6rkM-2g-4OTGKb6W9Zy02AKjAb8K536tp6hQgsPtkNhtklQq68eOHCpRQptfQtqUtnbVuiH1xVgHIuNE3nfLexa73U0Kb26pFVYaGJ3FxxQ/s200/IMG_3359.JPG" /></a><br />
So I did what I could to mix it all together in rather a limited space,<br />
using a large teaspoon.<br />
<br />
It looked like this - and despite our previous experience, I felt dubious as to whether it would work.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjKywMXJjBl4ACn-dFZh19AFbeBo41ZSUSxz_UFdxqT6dGL7iaqdnrIa-ToUiiw_I8103tNbj7xUqnWdXTCyJZkTRFyO4K-TnnE5OnZAkQLDAcvDiaGj9ANuR8a5bER285HOB7AjQ/s1600/IMG_3362.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img alt="chocolate cake in a mug" border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjKywMXJjBl4ACn-dFZh19AFbeBo41ZSUSxz_UFdxqT6dGL7iaqdnrIa-ToUiiw_I8103tNbj7xUqnWdXTCyJZkTRFyO4K-TnnE5OnZAkQLDAcvDiaGj9ANuR8a5bER285HOB7AjQ/s200/IMG_3362.JPG" /></a>Happily, all was well - and this final photo shows that it did indeed rise slightly and gave a good consistency.<br />
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This is not as good as real home-made cake, but if you have a desperate urge for chocolate cake and don't want to wait half an hour or more (quite apart from messy mixing bowls) this is ideal.<br />
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Note that the chocolate chips are very important - if you don't have any, small chopped up pieces of chocolate may work as an alternative. Don't be tempted to leave them out; they are what give this cake-in-a-mug its fudgy, gooey consistency. You can, however, use orange or peppermint essence rather than vanilla if you prefer a different kind of flavour. <br />
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Please remember that the cake - and particularly the chocolate chips - are VERY hot when they come out of the microwave. This is why we prefer to spoon it into a couple of plates to share, as shown at the top.<br />
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I don't think this can be made gluten-free, but if you use vegan chocolate chips, and almond or coconut milk, it's certainly dairy-free and vegetarian/vegan. If you serve it with fruit (fresh or lightly stewed) and use part wholemeal flour, it almost becomes a health food...<br />
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Suehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11835205817921501248noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-15033216.post-55175121824692369392014-03-29T09:42:00.001+02:002014-03-29T09:42:36.626+02:00Crunchy egg and cabbage flan <div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
<b>Crunchy egg and cabbage flan</b><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgzHoMbCzJzCCHAHtuBl3bytJmp8Nlz7ZqP3VJb2o59SaZAXxBTEujqdOtDtwvsrY2sqleGpnRqrDT4O5VfHK7Sy-sul1o6nuyUA8UiIUA1r2UpxjrrAckjPfJV5dVVbRcv4SUBkw/s1600/IMG_2872.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img alt="crunchy egg flan" border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgzHoMbCzJzCCHAHtuBl3bytJmp8Nlz7ZqP3VJb2o59SaZAXxBTEujqdOtDtwvsrY2sqleGpnRqrDT4O5VfHK7Sy-sul1o6nuyUA8UiIUA1r2UpxjrrAckjPfJV5dVVbRcv4SUBkw/s1600/IMG_2872.JPG" height="150" title="" width="200" /></a></div>
<i>Serves 4-5</i><br />
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<b>Ingredients:</b><br />
Base:<br />
100g breadcrumbs<br />
100g wholewheat flour<br />
100g oats<br />
30g flaxseeds<br />
150g butter or spread, melted<br />
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Topping:<br />
3 tblsp olive oil<br />
1 large onion, finely chopped<br />
200-300g cabbage, shredded<br />
200g mushrooms, sliced<br />
salt and pepper<br />
50g butter or spread<br />
4 eggs<br />
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<b>Method:</b><br />
Heat oven to 190C (375F).<br />
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Mix the dry ingredients for the base together in a bowl, and stir in the melted fat. Mix to combine, then press into a greased flan dish (pyrex, ceramic or metal), around 25-28cm in diameter. Press down well using the back of a large spoon, or a potato masher, then bake in the hot oven for about 15 minutes. Cool slightly.<br />
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To make the filling, soften the onions in the oil in a deep pan over a medium heat, then add the shredded cabbage and stirfry until it is hot but still crunchy. Add the mushrooms, and season with salt and pepper to taste, then place a lid on the pan and keep warm.<br />
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Melt the remaining butter or spread in another pan and break the eggs in. Beat with a fork or wire whisk as if making scrambled eggs, then as they form solid curds tip into the vegetable mixture and stir quickly.<br />
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Pile into the cooked base, and serve hot, with other cooked vegetables and perhaps some baked potatoes, or cool and then chill, to serve cold with salad.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhFLZmoPZvBNph3kxgCun3pGx_1g5EG-JdGZaI1t0mOvtYMXyfesLO4f6C9srxv56jEg_e7iqYbCXqPCcVh6KSngGdt14AmZSNIgT9dTSbvkDFrCVTT-ph5u5LuuJtlgVYILbiLSg/s1600/IMG_2871.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img alt="base of crunchy flan" border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhFLZmoPZvBNph3kxgCun3pGx_1g5EG-JdGZaI1t0mOvtYMXyfesLO4f6C9srxv56jEg_e7iqYbCXqPCcVh6KSngGdt14AmZSNIgT9dTSbvkDFrCVTT-ph5u5LuuJtlgVYILbiLSg/s1600/IMG_2871.JPG" height="150" title="" width="200" /></a></div>
I found this recipe in a book I bought, inexpensively, many years ago, called '<a href="http://www.amazon.co.uk/gp/product/0861885805/ref=as_li_tf_tl?ie=UTF8&camp=1634&creative=6738&creativeASIN=0861885805&linkCode=as2&tag=suesboorev-21">Vegetarian Cooking For Children</a>'<img alt="" border="0" src="http://ir-uk.amazon-adsystem.com/e/ir?t=suesboorev-21&l=as2&o=2&a=0861885805" height="1" style="border: none !important; margin: 0px !important;" width="1" /> by Rosamond Richardson. After deciding to become vegetarian during Lent, I was looking for something a bit different from bean curries and lentil chilis, and came across a recipe called 'Elegant egg flan'.<br />
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We thought the base - shown prior to cooking in this photo - was excellent, although I decided immediately to increase the amounts; the recipe in the book claimed to serve four, and to fit a 20cm flan dish, but I was not doing any potatoes so I used the amounts as shown here and it worked well.<br />
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The original recipe didn't have any onion, but I thought it needed some, so included that; I cooked the onion until it was just starting to go brown, but should have added the cabbage sooner, as it was still really quite crunchy. I was a bit dubious about the egg, but it worked well and made a meal that was decidedly different from anything I had made before, and just as good cold the following day as it was hot, served with some baked tomatoes and roasted carrots, and also some good dollops of <a href="http://randomrecipes.blogspot.com/2011/06/tomato-ketchup-using-fresh-tomatoes.html">home-made tomato ketchup</a>.<br />
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Suehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11835205817921501248noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-15033216.post-87952495241263968542014-03-14T17:12:00.005+02:002016-02-24T16:48:56.874+02:00Hummus<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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<span itemprop="name"><b>Hummus</b></span><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh2upZPZQK5cjQ_-ZW_YMgyWGPEisYpqJgSlO1i82R0E4vdoDOIsE19J85H9GHgpJIqvSY3q-ijDrvpJSIq9fCFDU-bKN6PPOL7Fj_uGnTMvatLaVdEN7U6zObTr42wEJ-6XqqLNw/s1600/IMG_2856.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img alt="home made hummus" border="0" itemprop="image" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh2upZPZQK5cjQ_-ZW_YMgyWGPEisYpqJgSlO1i82R0E4vdoDOIsE19J85H9GHgpJIqvSY3q-ijDrvpJSIq9fCFDU-bKN6PPOL7Fj_uGnTMvatLaVdEN7U6zObTr42wEJ-6XqqLNw/s200/IMG_2856.JPG" /></a></div>
<i>Makes <span itemprop="recipeYield">about two cups</span></i><br />
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<b>Ingredients:</b><br />
<span itemprop="ingredients">1 cup chickpeas, soaked overnight (or one 400ml can)</span><br />
<span itemprop="ingredients">2 medium cloves garlic, crushed</span><br />
<span itemprop="ingredients">2 tblsp tahini</span><br />
<span itemprop="ingredients">2 tblsp lemon juice</span><br />
<span itemprop="ingredients">2-4 tblsp olive oil</span><br />
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<b>Method:</b><br />
<span itemprop="recipeInstructions">If using dried chickpeas, rinse them well. Cover them in plenty of fresh water in a large pan, bring to the boil, and simmer for about an hour until soft. </span><br />
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<span itemprop="recipeInstructions">Whether cooking yourself or using a can, strain the chickpeas, reserving the liquid. </span><br />
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<span itemprop="recipeInstructions">Blend the chickpeas in a liquidiser (blender) with the other ingredients, adding about half a cup of the chickpea cooking water, or more if necessary until you have a smooth, spreadable consistency which is still quite thick. </span><br />
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<span itemprop="recipeInstructions">Scrape out into a suitable container, and keep in the refrigerator. </span><br />
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Hummus is originally a Middle Eastern spread, but is also extremely popular in Cyprus. Tahini, a paste made of sesame seeds, is widely and inexpensively available from supermarkets and fruit shops, and keeps for a long time even after opening. Chickpeas are an excellent form of protein, and are known as garbanzo beans in the United States.<br />
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I always used to cook them from the dried product, and still do when using chickpeas in curries or other main dishes. But we've found that the canned ones make a much smoother hummus; keeping a can of chickpeas in my kitchen cupboard also means that I can whizz up a batch of hummus in five minutes rather than having to plan ahead to soak overnight and then cook before using.<br />
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While hummus can be bought, it often contains extra preservatives, and we like this home-made version considerably better. The amount of lemon juice and garlic can be adjusted to suit personal tastes. My original recipe asked for the juice of a large lemon, and we found that made it far too lemony for our tastes. We find that the juice of half a small lemon is about right; since lemons vary so much in size, I've adjusted it to a couple of tablespoons, which is our preference.<br />
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You can add a bit of paprika, or cayenne (if you prefer it to be spicy), or caramelise a chopped onion and add that. If you add oregano, basil and a couple of tablespoons of tomato paste, you have what some people call pizza-flavoured hummus.<br />
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Hummus is often used as a dip, with carrot sticks, cucumber pieces and pieces of pitta bread, or can be spread on bread and eaten with salad. I use mine in baked potatoes rather than using butter or a spread.<br />
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<i>Note that the drained cooking water, whether from a can or from cooking chickpeas yourself, is known as <a href="http://randomrecipes.blogspot.com.cy/2015/07/aquafaba.html" target="_blank">aquafaba</a>. It can be whipped like egg whites, and used in many ways. </i></div>
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Suehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11835205817921501248noreply@blogger.com0