Sweet and Sour Sauce

I love this recipe as it is so easy to make and is a good complement to most stir-fry recipes.  You could add diced pineapple or mango to add to its flavor.

Ingredients:

60 ml tomato sauce (ketchup)
60 ml vinegar
15 ml soy sauce
30 ml corn flour
60 ml sugar
375 ml water

1.  Combine all the ingredients together in a microwave proof, heatproof jug.
2.  Microwave on high for 2 minutes, remove from microwave and stir.
3.  Repeat step 2 until the mixture starts to boil.  The mixture will change color and thicken when it is ready.

This is not ready yet...

Now it's ready!

See "Sweet and Sour Pork with Mango"

Sweet and Sour Pork with Mango

This is one of those meals that can be made fairly quickly.  Preparing the vegetables for frying probably takes longer than anything else!  I like to cut my vegetables in different ways to add variety to the dish. To save on dishes, I put them into separate little plastic bags as I prepare dinner.  This could be done beforehand and then stored in the refrigerator until you are ready to make dinner.

1.5 pounds pork tenderloin or steaks - cut into small cubes
1 medium onion - sliced
2 large celery sticks with leaves - cut in small strips
1 cup green beans - French cut
2 - 3 medium carrots - sliced, julienned, thick peeled or cut in rings
1 cup broccoli - chopped
4 - 6 mushrooms - sliced
15 ml coconut oil
1/2 cup small mange chunks (fresh or frozen)
2 cups Jasmine rice prepared according to package directions.
1 jug "Sweet and Sour Sauce"


1.  Melt coconut oil in a large, non-stick frying pan.
2.  Add the meat and sauté until it begins to brown, stirring occasionally to prevent it burning.
3.  Add the onions and celery and sauté for about 5 minutes.

4.  Add all the rest of the vegetables together and sauté to the desired 'done-ness.'
5.  Add the mango.
5.  While the food is cooking, make sauce according to the recipe found under "Sweet and Sour Sauce" (click the link :-))

Quinoa Vegetable Salad

I would like to introduce you to a grain that was new to me, and may be new to you too.  It is a grain called Quinoa. (Pronounced KEEN-WA)

Quinoa is a grain that originated in South America, in the Andes region.  It was one of the main foods sources for the indigenous people there.  It is unusually rich in nutrients and can be grown in a wide variety of conditions.  It is very versatle and has a pleasant, mild flavor.  A website that discusses the nutritional value and benefits of quinoa can be found here.

I made this salad as part of our dinner, along with chicken and other salads, but it could be eaten as a light lunch or dinner with the addition of some smoked salmon or tuna, etc.

Salad Ingredients:

1 cup broccoli
1/2 cup quinoa
1/2 cup grated carrots
A few sprigs of cilantro
1/4 cup chopped spring onions
1/2 cup thinly sliced green beans (as you would cut spring onions)
2 tbsp. chopped almonds

For the dressing:

1 orange, zest and juice
1 tbsp. soy sauce
1 tbsp. olive oil
1 tbsp. balsamic vinegar
1/5th tsp. ginger, crushed


Instructions:

1.  Cook the quinoa according to the package instructions.
2.  Chop the Broccoli, cilantro, spring onions, and green beans into small pieces.
3.  Mix all the salad ingredients together in a suitable bowl.
4.  In a small bowl or jug combine the dressing ingredients.   This can be either added to the salad or set aside and added per individual preference.

Chocolate Almond Biscotti

3 large eggs
1 cup sugar
1.5 cups flour
4 tbsp. cocoa
3 tsp baking powder
3/4 cup milk
2 tbsp. vegetable oil
1/4 cup raw chopped almonds
1/8 20oz. Almond Bark bar

Before you begin, set the oven to 350F and grease two 9 x 13 baking pans.  Line with wax paper and grease that too.  The wax paper makes the baked cake easier to work with, as you want the biscotti to be fairly thin.

1.  Combine eggs and sugar in a bowl and beat until thick.
2.  Combine flour, cocoa, and baking powder in a separate bow.
3.  Add oil to the egg/sugar mixture, and then add the flour mixture and milk.
4.  Beat thoroughty - about 2 minutes.
5.  Pour half the mixture into each of the pans.
6.  Sprinkle the almonds evenly throughout the mixture
7.  Bake for about 10 minutes.  Reduce the heat to 200F and allow it to continue to cook for another 10 minutes.

8.  Remove from oven and allow to sit for 5 minutes, then using a knife or egg lifter, gently make sure the edges are loose.  Gently lift the whole 'cake' out onto a clean, smooth surface (Remember it has wax paper underneath it.)
9.  Use a pizza cutter to cut into desired biscotti size pieces without cutting the wax paper.
10.  Gently lift the cake pieces off the wax paper, placing them either on a clean oven tray or preferably on an oven safe, wire cooling rack.

11.  Return the pieces to the oven and allow to dry out at 200F for approximately 4 hours or until crisp.  At this point the 'cake' has become biscotti :-)
12.  Remove and allow to cool.

Then...

1.  Cut up 4 blocks of the 20oz. Almond bar and place in a heat proof bowl.
2.  Heat over a small pot of water until melted.
3.  Dip the biscotti into the melted chocolate as desired and allow to cool.
4.  Enjoy with a cup of fresh honeybush tea or your favorite coffee!

How to make a tea bag out of a coffee filter

I don't know about you, but I enjoy tea.  There is such a huge variety of tea available out there. Some are esteemed to have amazing health benefits and others that just taste good and are a healthy alternative to regular tea or coffee.  One of the frustrating things about the loose-leaf tea is just that - the leaves are loose and can end up floating around in your cup of tea.  Here is a very easy, cheap way to make tea bags.  I have played around with this idea with mixed success and failure and for the most part, the one presented here works perfectly every time! If you are looking for somewhere to buy loose-leaf tea, I like to buy mine from Mountain Rose Herbs.

I use an 8 - 12 cup size coffee filter to make my teabags.

Step 1.  Fold the filter in half and cut as shown in the picture.

Step 2.  Add about a tablespoon (15ml) of tea leaves of your choice in two distinct piles.  If you like to add anything to your tea, now is a good time to do it.  In these photos I am making Honeybush / Ginger tea.  I buy fresh ginger root, break it into smaller portions, vacuum seal them in individual packets and then freeze it.  I use this frozen ginger - it is easy to cut thin slices off the root and return the rest to the freezer for later use.

Step 3.  Fold the edges of the filter up so that it has a flat base, roughly 1.5 inches wide and the two long edges meet in the middle.

Step 4.  Fold the edges in the middle over twice to create a seal.

Step 5.  Now you see why we placed the leaves in two distinct piles.  Fold the filter in half, then fold the top corners to make more of a point, fold that over and staple with a regular stapler.

Step 6.  Your tea bag is ready for use.  I use just one tea bag made like this to make a pot of tea that's good for 5 to 6 cups of tea.  Enjoy!

South African Style Macaroni and Cheese

Ingredients:

1 package bacon

1 medium onion

15ml (1 tbsp.) olive oil

Pinch salt

3 cups milk

1 very heaped tbsp. flour

8 oz. Cheddar cheese grated

Garlic salt

Ground cayenne red pepper

2 medium size or one large tomato sliced into thin rings

1.     Cook macaroni according to the package directions, adding olive oil to the macaroni boil water.  This will help prevent them sticking together.  Drain and set aside. (I used 20oz of Brown Rice Spiral Pasta for the photographed meal)

2.    Cut bacon into 1-inch pieces and fry until it starts to get crispy.  (The bacon is easier to cut when it is frozen.

3.  Chop onion into small pieces and fry with the bacon.

4.    Set oven to 350.

5.    Once Bacon and Onion is cooked remove as much of the bacon fat as possible. Add most of the milk, saving some to mix with the flour.

6.    Combine flour and milk and stir until it is smooth, then add to the mixture.  Slowly bring to the boil stirring gently, continually.  The mixture will thicken as it begins to boil.

7.    Remove from the heat and add about 2/3 the cheddar cheese, garlic salt and cayenne pepper.  Stir well.

8.    Combine macaroni and sauce in a large baking dish.

9.    Cover the top with tomato rings and lightly sprinkle with pepper and garlic salt. 

10.  Cover the tomatoes with the remaining cheese.

11.  Put the Mac and Cheese dish into the pre-heated oven and set oven to broil.

12.  When cheese is melted to the desired state (I like it turning brown) remove from oven.  Allow it to stand for 5 minutes, serve and enjoy!

Thank you Lynn Renard for your photo share!  

It looks good!

Home Made Gluten Free Flour Mixture

For those that know the frustration of trying to cook 'Gluten Free' I have discovered a delicious and very successful combination of flours that can be mixed together to make a very versatile, all purpose flour.  The key to success is to weigh the individual flours carefully!  So - to the recipe...  This makes 1kg all purpose gluten free flour.

Mix together 

200g sorghum flour

200g brown rice flour

300g white rice flour

300g tapioca starch

Try using this with your favorite recipes, adding a little xanthum gum (+-1/8 Tsp) at the time of mixing.

Here is one to try... Gluten Free Short Bread

Microwave Fudge

This one is for Tyla :-)

Ingredients:

125g butter

2 cups pure cane sugar

1 tin condensed milk

1 tsp vanilla essence

1/2 tsp white vinegar

In order to make this you need an approximately 5 quart, heatproof, microwave safe, glass bowl - a HUGE heat proof bowl.  The mixture needs to boil for approximately 10 minutes and expands considerably.  

1. Place butter and sugar into heatproof glass bowl and cook on high for 1 minute.

2. Remove from microwave and stir well.

3. Add condensed milk and stir well. Cook on high for 11 - 12 minutes (Until it starts to go brown in the center)  I typically will pause the cooking after about 4 minutes and give it a good stir, then allow it to continue cooking.

This is not ready yet.... Getting there but still a few minutes to go....

4. While it is cooking, combine vanilla essence and vinegar in a small container.

5. Very carefully remove from microwave.  It will be extremely hot!!! 

6. Add vanilla and vinegar to the mixture and stir well.  Mixture will start to set so work quickly!

7. Pour into a 9" x 13" greased baking dish.

8. Cut when cool.

9. Enjoy!

Notice the browning.  Now it's ready!

Gluten Free Short Bread

Gluten Free Short Bread

This recipe works just as well with regular all purpose flour for those not into "gluten free" cooking. Xanthum gum is only necessary when using gluten free flour. 

Ingredients:

225g corn starch

225g gluten free flour mixture

110g pure cane sugar

150g soft butter

1/16th to 1/8th tsp xanthum gum

1.  Mix the corn starch, gluten free flour, sugar and xanthum gum together in a large mixing bowl.

2.  Rub the butter into the dry ingredients until the mixture resembles fine breadcrumbs

3.  Press dough into a 9 x 11 baking tray.

4.  Prick dough with a fork. 

5.  Bake at 320 F for +- 1 hour

6.  Cut while soft, then allow the shortbread to cool in the baking tray before turning out.

7.  Drench with a little additional sugar if desired.

8.  Enjoy!

South African Milk Tart and Jam Cookies

Milk Tart Crust and Cookie Dough

Ingredients:  
1 cup sugar
3 cups flour
2 tsp baking powder
250 grams butter
1 tsp vanilla essence
2 eggs

1. Cream butter and sugar until light and fluffy.
2. Add the eggs to the butter/sugar mixture and mix well.
3. Add the flour and baking powder.  Mix until it becomes a smooth dough.
4. Gently spread and press about 1/4 of the mixture into each of two pie dishes.
5. Bake until golden brown.

With the remaining dough....:

1. Roll into 1 inch balls, flatten between palms of your hands and place on cookie sheet.
2. Press forefinger into the middle of the cookie to make a small depression.
3. Fill depression with jam of your choice.
4. Bake until golden brown.  Allow to cool on cookie sheet before moving to cooling rack.

Milk Tart Filling

Ingredients:
2 eggs
1 tin condensed milk
3 "tins" fresh milk
3 heaped tblsp corn starch
1 ml salt
5 ml vanilla essence

Combine all ingredients in a large microwave proof dish.  Microwave on high power for 10 minutes stirring occasionally.  When it becomes thick, pour it into the two prepared crusts.  Sprinkle with cinnamon.  Refrigerate - Serve Chilled.


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