Apple Muffins

These Apple Muffins are completely from organic produce, except the Baking Powder, but its aluminum free and low allergy. They are easy to make, good for you and delicious!

220 grams plain purpose flour
2 teapoons baking powder
1/2 cup caster sugar
3/4 cup milk or butter milk (butter milk will make then raise more)
1 egg
3/4 cup olive oil
1 green apple - chopped
100 grams (1/2 cup) sultanas
1 teapoon cinnamon

Preheat Oven to 180 celsius (350 fahrenheit).
Place Muffin Papers in Muffin Tin x 12.
Mix/Sift flour, sugar, cinnamon and baking powder into large bowl.
Add sultanas and chopped green apple. Mix, coating fruit.

Sift flour and baking powder into large bowl. Add Sugar.

Combine milk, egg and olive oil in a separate bowl and whisk.

Make a centre in dry ingredient, pour in liquid and mix lightly, its better to be lumpy than over mixed. (Over mixed batter makes rubbery muffins)

Spoon batter into muffin tin. Cook for 20-25min, cool on wire rack.

Note: I used to scoff at sifting flour, but then I discovered that it adds air to your mixture and makes much better muffins.

Christmas Gingerbread Men Recipe

When I was a kid my Grandma use to always buy us giant Dutch Gingerbread men and they where very yummie.... God knows what was in them. This Christmas I thought I'd make my own.... much smaller little guys, but turned out delish! This is the recipe I used.

Ingredients
3 cups (420 grams) plain flour
1/4 teaspoons salt
3/4 teaspoon baking soda
2 teaspoons ground ginger
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/4 teaspoon ground nutmeg
1/4 teaspoon ground cloves
1/2 cup (113 grams) unsalted butter, room temperature
1/2 cup (100 grams) granulated sugar
1 large egg
2/3 cup (160 ml) molasses
(you can use golden syrup)

How to:
In a large bowl, sift or whisk together the flour, salt, baking soda, and spices. Set aside.

With a mixer, cream the butter and sugar until light and fluffy. Add the egg and molasses and beat until well combined. Gradually add the flour mixture beating until incorporated.

Wrap dough in in plastic wrap and refrigerate for at least two hours+.

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (177 degrees C) and place rack in center of oven.

On a lightly floured surface, roll out the dough to a thickness of about 1/4 inch. Use a gingerbread cutter to cut out the cookies. With a spatula lift the cut out cookies onto a oven tray.

*If you are hanging the cookies or using as gift tags, make a hole at the top of the cookies.

Bake for about 10 minutes. They are done when they are firm and the edges are just beginning to brown.

Remove the cookies from the oven and cool. When they are firm enough to move, transfer to a wire rack to cool completely. You can decorate with raisins, chocolate, nuts or frosting.

Optional Frosting
2 cups (230 grams) icing sugar - sifted
1/2 cup (113 grams) unsalted butter, room temperature
1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
1 1/2 tablespoons milk.

In an electric mixer, cream the butter until smooth and well blended. Add the vanilla extract. With the mixer on low speed, gradually beat in the sugar. Add the milk and beat on high speed until frosting is light and fluffy (about 3-4 minutes). Add a little more milk if too dry. Place the frosting in a pastry bag fitted with a decorative tip and decorate the gingerbread men as desired.

Chocolate Mousse

A video of my friend Jane and I making Chocolate Mousse. Filmed by Christopher.

Spiced Pumpkin Soup

hmmm... this pumpkin soup recipe is really yummy. You can make it mild or spicy, depending on your preference.

1 tablespoon olive oil
1 large onion
1 clove garlic
20g green or yellow curry paste (or to taste)
1 medium tomato
1 to 2 cups vegetable stock
1kg pumpkin
1 can coconut milk
pepper and salt

Chop onion and garlic and fry in large heavy based pot in olive oil - on a low heat. Cook until soft. (1)

Add curry paste, cook for another minute.

Add chopped pumpkin and tomato, coconut milk, vegetable stock (add stock in stages for desired thickness), salt and pepper and cook until pumpkin is soft. (about 20min) (2)

Puree mix until smooth. At this stage you may like to add more curry paste depending on your prefference. (3)

Simmer for another 10 min and serve with damper or bread.

Simple Pasta Sauce

This recipe is really fast, cheap, packed full of vitamins and much tastier than you'll ever buy in the supermarket. Make it in bulk as it freezes well (4-5 months) and will keep in the fridge for up to 3 days. Great for that instant meal when you don't feel like cooking. We use the tomatoes from our garden but you can also use canned or fresh ones from the green grosser. Go organic if you can afford it.

12 tomatoes or 4 cans chopped.
2 cloves of garlic
a bunch of fresh basil chopped (you can also add oregano)
150g mushrooms
2 onions
1 cup of vegetable stock or red wine.
1/2 teaspoon sugar
black pepper & salt to taste
olive oil

variation: add chili to taste.

STEP 1: On a medium heat in a large pot cook chopped onion, garlic and mushrooms in olive oil. Sprinkle sugar and cook till soft.

STEP 2: Add tomatoes, vegetable stock (or red wine), herbs, salt and pepper.

STEP 3: Simmer for 20 minutes if using canned tomatoes and 30 for fresh ones.

Stay Tuned

So I've decided to start a blog for all my recipe's. I'm currrently in the middle of re-designing the template. Watch this space!