Cranberry, White Chocolate and Ginger Cookies

As the summer leaves and the shorter darker evenings are with us, what more could you ask for than a big mug of tea in front of an open peat fire... Oh maybe a cookie or two :o)

I found a packet of dried cranberries at the back of the cupboard and had picked up the crystallized stem ginger at the last shopping trip. To be honest it was kinda bought out of nostalgic reasons,
growing up crystallized fruit was like sweets to us... #deprivedkids ...lol

so cookies it is...  I used my uber easy cookies recipe and added the extra ingredients... you could add just about anything

Ingridients:

Butter softened 175grams
Plain Flour 2 1/2 cups
Sugar 1/2 cup

white chocolate 150grams
dried cranberries 75grams
crystallized stem ginger 75grams (cut into small pieces)


cream the butter and sugar together. Sift the flour into the bowl and mix. Mix in the rest of the ingredients. Roll into golf ball size balls and place on baking tray.

bake in a preheated oven 180c for 25minutes...

Enjoy

These would be so perfect as a Christmas Treat ( yep i did it... i said the C word in september!!!)

Apple and Rasberry Crumble

 Crumbles are the ultimate easy desert, you cant help but smile when you eat it :o)

This summer we got a nice few apples on our apple trees, has been wonderful to see the kids watching them grow and being so proud of their apples when they eat them. It really does make them respect the food put in front of them.
Along with our fabulous apples this summer has been great for summer berrys, so i couldnt resist making these little crumbles.

Ingridients:
filling
Apples (around a lb) peeled and sliced into thin slices.
a hand-full of rasberries.

topping
plain flour 300grams
brown sugar 175grams
butter 200grams (room temp)

this really could not be any easier... put your uncooked chopped apple and rasberries into a baking dish or little ramekins. i didnt use any sugar in the filling because the apple were very sweet but if you were using cooking apples you may want to add some sugar.
mix all of your topping ingridients together till they resemble bread crumbs.
cover the apples with the topping, spinkle with a little brown sugar.

bake in the oven at 200c for 30minutes

enjoy with some custard or go all out and have a big scoop of icecream.

Lets Go BANANAS!!!!

 Bananas Rock

Everyone always ends up with those black squashy bananas at the bottom of the fruit bowl, these are two recipies that i use when i have bananas to use.

Banana Muffins

1/4 cup soft butter

1/2 cup sugar

3/4 cup milk

2 cups self raising flour

2-3 bananas mashed

Cream the butter and sugar in a bowl.

Mix in the milk.

Gently sift and fold in the flour.

mix in the mashed banana.

you should have a thick batter.

spoon into muffin cases in a deep muffin tray. about 12.

bake in a preheated oven 180c for 20-25 minutes

allow to cool and serve.   

Banana Bread

3 cups self raising flour

bananas 4-6 mashed

 2 tbs butter

1 cup sugar

1 cup oil

1 cup milk

Cream sugar and butter.

Add mashed bananas, oil and milk. Mix.

Add flour and mix to a thick batter.

Pour into two loaf tins.

Bake in a preheated oven at 180c for 35minutes

Gauranga Potatoes

Gauranga potatoes is one of my all time favourite Hare Krishna meals...
It is also always a hit with the kiddies, they love their ''Yellow Potatoes'' 

Slices of potato folded with herbs, butter, and sour cream and then baked to a golden brown. Not your "every day" fare! Irresistibly rich and delicious, yet effortless to prepare.

Gauranga means Golden


Ingridients:
Potatoes, peeled and sliced into half cm disks (around 8-10 spuds)
1tbs olive oil
3/4tsp asafoetida (hing) 
1/2 tsp rosemary
1/4 tsp black pepper
1/2 tsp turmeric
3 cups sour cream
1 tbs melted butter
2 tsp salt
1/2 cup water
1 tsp paprika


boil the potatoes until they are cooked but still firm, set aside.


In a saucepan, add the olive oil heat on a medium heat. add the asafoetida, rosemary, black pepper and turmeric, saute briefly.


Add the sour cream, melted butter, salt and water. whisk to a smooth sauce.
put the potatoes into a baking tray, pour the sauce over insuring all potatoes are covered.


Bake in a preheated oven 200c for 30mins 

Peace-keeping Brownies

anyone who has a daughter knows they are a beautiful but delicate bundle of emotions...
My Uma is no exception to the rule and she has the added bonus of being the only girl, the middle child and being 3!!! So sometimes we have to take some time out to do something together (NO BOYS ALOUD) sometimes painting nails and sometimes a little bit of baking...

so these brownies were one of our baking ventures, they came out yummy and the kids devoured them :)

Ingredients:
1 1/2 cups of flour
1 cup of sugar
1 tea-spoon of baking powder
1/2 tea-spoon of baking soda
1 table spoon of Cocoa powder

4 table spoons of butter
1/2 tea-spoon of vanilla extract
1 table spoon of vinegar
1 cup of water.

icing sugar for dusting

pri-heat oven to 180c

Sift the dry ingredients,
and mix in the rest...
give it a good beat

pour into a greased and floured baking tray

it really is as simple as that :)


Bake for 30- 40mins. (depending on how deep your mixture is in the baking tin)

serve warm with a big scoop of ice cream

Mmmmm

A Special Cake for A Special Boy xxx

On the 30th of June two years ago i had a beautiful little boy who came into the world 15weeks before he should have, he gave us a precious 5 minutes to cuddle his tiny but perfect little body and say our goodbyes. The hardest thing i have ever done...

well two years on, i cant say iv healed but i guess we've learnt to include little Oja in our life's, my other kids know about their brother and we still celebrate his birthday, even if he isn't here to blow out his own candles.

Red Velvet Cake 

the last couple of months iv been kinda fascinated with the red velvet cake (think iv been watching too many American cake shows) It has this amazing red sponge and white icing... Looks so cool...

History

i stole this from wikipedia 

 James Beard's 1972 reference American Cookery describes three red velvet cakes varying in the amounts of shortening and butter. All use red food coloring, but the reaction of acidic vinegar and buttermilk tends to better reveal the red anthocyanin in the cocoa. Before more alkaline "Dutch Processed" cocoa was widely available, the red color would have been more pronounced. This natural tinting may have been the source for the name "Red Velvet" as well as "Devil's Food" and similar names for chocolate cakes.^[3][1] While foods were rationed during World War II, bakers used boiled beets to enhance the color of their cakes. Boiled grated beets or beet baby food are found in some red velvet cake recipes, where they also serve to retain moisture.

Ingredients:

2 1/2 cups of self raising flour

 1 tsp. baking powder

1 tsp. bicarbonate of soda

2 tbs of cocoa powder

1 1/2 cups of sugar

1 cup of yogurt 

3/4 cup of sunflower oil

1/4 cup of golden syrup

1 tsp vanilla extract

2 tbs of red food colouring (1 bottle) 

1 tsp white distilled vinegar

Pri-heat oven to 180c.

grease and flour two 9inch cake tins

sift flour, baking powder and cocoa in a bowl. add sugar and mix.

in a separate bowl mix the oil, yogurt, syrup, vanilla and red food colouring, beat for a minute.

add to the dry ingredients, mix well till it blends.

in another bowl, add the vinegar to the baking soda, this will fizz up, quickly fold it through the cake batter.

pour into tins and bake for 30minutes.

leave to cool before frosting.

(i will admit to cheating when it came to frosting this cake... i used Betty Crockers icing) 

but a cream cheese frosting is perfect :o)

Happy 2nd Birthday Oja from your big brother and sister

Yummy Scrumy Carrot Cupcakes

hey guys, this week it was my little baby's 1st birthday. i cant believe a whole year has passed already!!! i guess its true when they say "time flies when your having fun". He really has been a complete joy and so much fun. love him to bits.

Well every birthday boy needs a birthday cake. i found a bargain cupcake stand in a pound shop so cupcakes it was...
My other half Mark's favourite cake is carrot cake so here goes...

 Ingredients:

2 cups cake flour
1/2 cup corn flour
1 tsp. mixed spice
1/2 salt
1 tsp. baking powder
1 tsp. bicarbonate of soda
3/4 cup brown sugar
2 cup grated carrot
1 cup yogurt or cream
3/4 cup sunflower oil
1/4 cup golden syrup

Preheat oven to 180 degrees C

Place muffin cases in muffin tray.

Sift dry ingredients in large basin to incorporate air.
Add the sugar and mix.

Combine the oil, syrup and cream/yogurt together and beat for few seconds.
Pour the oil mixture to the dry ingredients and mix till all blends well.
Add the carrots and mix.
Use a little milk if the batter is too thick.

Spoon into muffin tray and bake. Takes 30-35 minutes.

For the frosting i used:


250grams of cream cheese
1/4 cup butter
1 cup of icing sugar
1 tsp vanilla essence

cream all ingredients together

Cheese and Spinach Tart

This is a recipe i use a lot, it is so easy and quick. 

It is yummy hot or cold.

I sometimes make this as a tart or make them as small tarts in a muffin tray, perfect as a party snack.

Ingredients:
1 cup of Ricotta cheese
1/2 cup of feta cheese
1 1/4 cup of bread crumbs
200grams of blanched spinach
1 tsp salt
1/2 tsp black pepper
1/2 cup of grated Cheddar cheese
sliced tomatoes to decorate top of tart
1/2 tsp brown sugar

enough puff pastry to line tart tin.

Pri-heat oven to 200c

mix the ricotta, feta, bread crumbs, spinach, salt and pepper.

line the base of a tart tin with puff pastry, prick the bottom.

Spoon in the mixture.

sprinkle the Cheddar cheese over the tart.

place the tomato slices over the top and sprinkle with sugar.

Bake for 25 minutes.

serve hot or cold

enjoy

:o)

stuffed peppers

hey guys, 

i made these stuffed peppers over the weekend for my mother in law and marks great auntie.

Stuffed Peppers are one of the easiest meals to cook and look great plated up...
there is no rules is what to stuff them with, use what you have :)

Ingredients:
Peppers (i used the long red sweet peppers)

1 courgette cut into small cubes
1 leek finely chopped
a small hand full of sun dried tomatoes
2 cups of cooked rice or cous cous
a 180gram log of goats cheese
olive oil.

in a frying pan, add a table spoon of olive oil, add the courgette and leek, cook till soft. mix in the sun dried tomatoes and rice, give it a few minutes on the heat while mixing. add seasoning.

cut the peppers in half, its nice to try cut the stalk in half also, makes in look pretty on the plate. take out the seeds and membranes.

line the empty peppers on a tray and fill with rice mixture.

slice the goats cheese into 8 equal pieces, place them evenly on top on the stuffed peppers.

drizzle some olive oil over the goats cheese.

place in a pre heated oven, 180c for 25mins.

Bean Burgers

hey everyone,

been having a lovely relaxing day, only left the house to do the school run.

have done a bit of painting, got the house sorted (although looking round now, you wouldn't know, my kids are very good at making a mess) and made some Bean Burgers.

I think part of raising children vegetarian is showing them that they are not missing out, they can have a burger if they like :o)

Ingredients:

1tbs of olive oil

1 onion, finely chopped

1 garlic clove, finely chopped

a couple of sprigs of chopped parsley

6-8 mushrooms finely chopped

a tin of beans, i normally use kidney beans but most beans will work well.

salt and pepper

plain flour for dusting

burger buns for serving

Heat oil in frying pan, add onions and cook till soft.

add garlic and mushrooms, cook till soft, set aside.

drain the beans, mash with a fork, stir in the mushrooms, onions, parsley and season with salt and pepper.

shape the mixture into patties and dust with flour.

heat some oil in a pan and fry the burgers till they have a nice crispy coating.

serve in a burger bun with cheese tomato ketchup and anything else you might fancy :0)

I'm looking forward to trying some other burger recipes soon ...

my little kitchen helper

Vegetable Hot Pot

Its Sunday, and with Sunday comes Sunday Dinner...

I am working Fridays and Saturdays now so its nice to try make the most of Sunday, make it a good family day and make sure we all sit and eat together.... "families who eat together, stay together"

today the rain has been pouring down all day ( in June ) so a good hearty warm meal was the ticket... A Veg Hot Pot is a perfect easy quick warm meal that all the family will enjoy :)

You can use any veg you like to you will nearly always have the ingredients in stock.

Ingredients:

carrots 3diced or i used little Chantilly carrots as the kids love the novelty of them and they are deliciously sweet.

1 large leek

1 head of broccoli cut into florets

mushrooms 6-8

2 tbs of butter

2 1/2 tbs plain flour

7oz milk

7oz vegetable stock

2 tbs of chopped fresh sage

salt

topping:

6 medium sized potatoes cut into slices

cheddar cheese.

steam the carrots and broccoli till tender. drain and set aside.

melt the butter and add the flour, cook for a minute than slowly start adding the milk and stock, whist till smooth. return to heat, bring to boil, stir till thickens. add the mushrooms, leek and sage, stir in the set aside veg.

add salt to taste.

pour the mixture into oven dish.

cook the sliced potatoes, arrange on top the veg and cover with cheddar cheese.

cook in pre heated oven, 190c, for 35mins.

Eggless Pineapple Upside Down Cake

And for pudding, a nice warm Pineapple Upside Down Cake with custard :)

If i am having friends over i do like to be able to make something nice, maybe because its dangerous to make a desert when theres no one to help you eat it :)

i found this recipe on another blog and thought id try it out because i happend to have the ingridients in my rather bare cupboards

the top of the cake should have been a little more caramely but my silly cake tin needs replacing and the bace doesnt fit snug enough so all the caramel ran out the bottom and dripped all over the bottom of my oven :-/

but it was still yummy scrummy :D

Ingredients:

Pineapple Slices (canned)

Sugar for caramelisation – 5-6 tb

Water – 1 tbs

Butter – 100g, softened

Sweetened Condensed Milk – 1 tin (400g)

Plain Flour – 2 cup

Baking Powder – 2 tsp

***

Preheat the oven at 180º C,

Grease a 9” round cake tin with butter. Arrange the pineapple slices at the base of the tin.

Add water to sugar & heat it in a pan till it melts and becomes brown. Pour hot caramel onto the pineapple slices and leave aside.

Add sweet and condensed milk to the softened butter and beat well.

Sieve together flour, baking powder. Mix the flour to the other mixture slowly beating well. Pour batter into the prepared cake tin and bake at 180º C for 35 to 40 minutes in the preheated oven.

Remove from oven, loosen sides of cake using a knife and immediately turn onto a plate.

Dont leave in tin because if you are lucky enough to still have you caramel (unlike me) it will stick to your tin as it hardens.

i think this needs to be served warm with either a nice scoop of ice cream or some custard :)

Vegetable Lasagne

Hello guys,

I had a lovely day today, we had a lovely family round for diner. They have 3 kids the same age as ours so they all had their little pal to double up with :)

I made a Lasagne as its a great easy fool prove meal, i think everyone loves lasagne...

Ingredients

lasagne sheets

filling:

vegetables (i used some broccoli,mushrooms, courgette and onion) you really can use almost anything though

2 tins of chopped tomato

ricotta cheese

salt

pepper

sugar

oregano

topping (cheesy white sauce)

2 tbs of butter

2 tbs of flour

milk

cheese

***

heat oven to 190c

steam the broccoli till its tender. fry off the rest of veg in a little olive oil till its cooked.

in a separate pot, pour in the tinned tomato, heat and add salt pepper and oregano to taste.

i always find a handy tip is to put a couple of spoons of the tomato sauce in the baking tray before you start layering up the lasagne, makes it easier to serve up.

mix the ricotta and cooked veg into the tomato sauce.

Now your ready to start layering the pasta sheets and the veg mixture.

to make the topping, heat butter and stir in flour, stir on a medium heat for 5mins. slowly start adding milk, i do this slowly while whisking until i get a smooth creamy texture. stir in some grated cheese and pour over the lasagne.

bake for 25-30mins

Meat-Free Munkys

Hello readers,

My name is Nitai and i have set up this blog to share and keep diary of my vegetarian home cooking...

I have been a life-long vegetarian, my mother brought me and my sister up as Hare Krishnas. We were taught to respect the lifes of animals and from a personal point of view i find it a perfect way to keep myself fit, healthy and thin...

I have always loved cooking, i think i was about 7 when i started cooking the family dinners :o)

Any feedback and other vegetarian recipes are most welcome...