Muesli munchies

Felt like baking with the girls today.

These cookies aren't entirely guilt free but they don't have any sugar apart from a little golden syrup. These are going to be a great lunchbox snack this week. Sultanas would be great to add, but I've got one who likes them and one who doesn't, so what can you do?

You'll need:

1 cup plain flour

1 cup shredded coconut

2 cups rolled oats

1 tbs sesame seeds

200g butter

2 tbs golden syrup

1 tsp bicarb-soda

3 tbs boiling water

1. Pre-heat oven to 180C.
2. Sift the flour into a large bowl then add the coconut, oats & sesame seeds.
3. Melt the butter with the golden syrup in a saucepan until melted together.
4. Dissolve the bi-carb in the boiling water then add to the butter mixture and mix well.
5. Add the foaming mixture to the dry ingredients and mix well.
6. Roughly spoon teaspoons of mixture onto baking trays and bake until golden. They won't take long, so keep an eye on them.

Thai green curry with salmon & eggplant

As last nights weather was reminiscent of a balmy night in Thailand, I created a Thai green curry with a twist. I'd picked up some fresh salmon fillets from the market not knowing what the heck I was going to do with them and created this dish with ingredients I had on hand. Such good warm weather food.

Thai Green Curry with Eggplant & Salmon

Serves 4

You'll need:

2 tbs rice bran oil

2 tbs good quality thai green curry paste

3 cloves garlic, crushed

2 birdseye chilli's, finely sliced

1 400g can coconut milk

2 tsp raw or palm sugar

1.5 tbs fish sauce

1 large eggplant, diced

2 salmon fillets, skinned, pin boned and diced

1 small handful peas

Serve with jasmine rice.

1. Fry off the curry paste in the rice brain oil until fragrant.
2. Add the garlic and chilli's and cook for 1 minute.
3. Add the coconut milk, sugar and fish sauce and check for seasoning. It should have the perfect balance of sweet & saltiness. Stir and bring to the boil.
4. Lower heat to a simmer and add the eggplant. Simmer for 10 minutes or until the eggplant is nice and soft but not breaking apart.
5. Add the salmon and peas and simmer for 2 minutes then turn off heat and serve. The salmon should be just cooked.

Spring Onion Pancakes

One of my favourite bloggers published a rather special spring onion pancake recipe recently. Those of you that have not tried these tasty snacks at yum cha or the like, do yourself a favour. But as Jess rightly points out, they have to be done right or not at all, so it's probably best to make them yourself.

Check out thatjessho for the recipe.

And here's my attempt (we devoured them in the tropics with icy cold beer).

Roasted beetroot dip

This is a regular when I entertain. Grill some yummy turkish bread or ciabatta to scoop up the deliciousness. My girls are drawn to the beautiful vibrant colour and eat it by the bucket load, which is fantastic because it's really healthy too.

You'll need:

3 medium fresh beetroot

1 lemon squeezed

1/2 cup greek yoghurt

Salt & pepper

1. Pre-heat oven to 180C.
2. Wrap beetroot loosely in foil and bake in the oven for 1.5-2 hrs until tender. Allow to cool.
3. Gently rub the skins of the beetroot and place them in a food processor and process with the yoghurt and lemon and season to taste with sea salt & pepper.

Stuffed red peppers

There seems to be a million versions of stuffed peppers out there. Previous attempts have always been quite bland but this one is pretty damn tasty and healthy too. This is a great make ahead dish that can be warmed in the oven just before serving.

You'll need:

2 cups cooked brown rice

1 brown onion, finely chopped

2 cloves garlic, finely chopped

3 bacon rashers, finely diced (optional)

2 celery stalks, finely chopped

1/4 of a pumpkin, cubed and cooked in chicken stock

200g crushed tomatoes

1 tbs olive oil

2 tbs grated grana padano

1 small handful oregano, chopped

Salt & pepper to taste

3-4 red peppers with a flat base

1. Preheat oven to 180C
2. Saute the onion and bacon together in a large frypan, until starting to golden. Add the garlic and celery and cook until soft.
3. Drain the pumpkin and puree or mash it. Add it to the onion mixture with the tomatoes and rice and heat through.
4. Lastly, stir through the parmesan and the oregano and season to taste (I add chilli flakes as well, but up to you).
5. Cut lids of the peppers and discard the membrane and seeds.
6. Place the peppers into a oven proof dish and fill with the rice mixture. Place the lids on top and bake in the oven for 30 minutes, then take the lids off and bake for another 10 minutes.

Hedgehog slice

Be warned, these are likely to give you a head rush. In a good way.

You'll need:

250g unsalted butter

300g caster sugar

2 eggs, lightly beaten

3 tbs good quality dutch cocoa

250g digestive or granita biscuits, crushed into chunks

160g good quality dark chocolate buttons

1 tsp vanilla essence

1. Line a lamington tin (smallish rectangle) with baking paper, allowing extra to go up the sides.
2. Heat the butter, sugar, egg and cocoa in a large saucepan on a gentle heat, stirring to dissolve the sugar. Slightly increase the heat and stir until starting to bubble.
3. Add the chocolate (reserving a little to drizzle the top with) and stir to melt through.
4. Allow the mixture to cool slightly, then add the vanilla and the biscuits.
5. Press into the prepared tin as evenly as you can. I like my hedgehog about 3cm deep.
6. Drizzle the remaining melted chocolate on top using a spatula and sweeping movements.
7. Allow the hedgehog to cool before turning it out onto a board and cutting into squares.

Welcome to the world Lucie!

Baby no.3 has arrived safely and is thankfully very good at sleeping and eating (just like her mum). Now that I've adapted to 5 hours sleep a night, you'll see regular posts from me again. It feels good to be back in the kitchen, I must say.