Healthy Carrot Cake

You heard it before. Carrot cakes are healthy. After all it has carrots in it! I have been guilty of it too- having indulge with a few slices of carrot cake in my life time- including having it as our wedding cake. Hubby would bring home carrot cake whenever I am sick to make me feel better.

I come across as Teresa Cutter's recipe and instantly book marked it. It is a fabulous simple recipe with a lovely yogurt icing on it. I love the fact that this does not have any wheat and uses mainly almond meal. A mix and melt recipe means less washing and quick cake to whip out when guests decide to pop by on a weekday or on a lazy weekend. It could possibly even pass as a birthday cake.

I think a handful of raisins or even dates will go well with this cake. I increased the ratio of carrots and think it's nice to have some chunkier strips rather than the thin down version. Give it a go. You may surprise yourself by how delicious healthy treats are.

Healthy Carrot Cake (Adapted from Teresa Cutter)
4 carrots
3 eggs
1/2 tsp or less of vanilla paste
1 tablespoon of cinnamon
3 cups of almond meal
handful of crushed walnuts
1/4 cup of coconut oil melted
2 tablespoon of honey
few dates or 1/4 cup of raisins (omitted)

Icing
1 cup of yogurt- I use lemon myrtle. Try to find a greek yogurt than is low in sugar
1/4 lemon juice
toasted walnuts

Pre heat Oven 280C. Line 9 inch cake pan.
Whisk oil and eggs together. Place dry ingredients in a bowl. Pour wet to dry and mix well. Bake for 45-50 minutes till done.

Whisk yogurt and lemon juice together.

Cool cake. Ice with yogurt icing. Serve!

Chicken Cacciatore

There is just something about cold weather that I want saucy food. Stews, soups, casseroles..they appeals because it just makes me feel warm and fuzzy inside. I have been wanting to make chicken cacciatore for some time but for some odd reason, kept postponing it.

Having some wine in the fridge, and wanting to clear it asap, this recipe came naturally to me. It's probably not the original version but it does the trick. I think adding some bacon or pancetta will give it a deeper flavour but I like this version nonetheless.

It's ver tomatoish and I reckon the bite of olives just makes the dish. Again, olives are something that I never thought I will like but it has grown on me quite abit in recent years. This is one that I cook in a big batch and freeze it- ah, yes, I love it on those days when I know food is already waiting for us in the fridge/freezer.. and the kitchen is clean.

Chicken Cacciatore (serves 8)
1 kg of chicken thigh trimmed into bite size pieces
1 red onion chopped
1 tsp of garlic
2 red chili
1/4 cup of white wine
100 grams of kalamata olives sliced
1 can of diced tomatoes
2 tablespoon of tomato paste

Saute red onion and garlic. Brown chicken. Add wine and simmer for 5 minutes. Toss through tomato diced and paste. Cook for 10 minutes or so before adding in olives. Simmer for 15 minutes till mixture thickens.

Lamb Bake with Cauliflower Crunch

I realised how versatile a head of cauliflower is. I came up with an idea one day, to make a lamb bake dish using cauliflower as a topping rather than the traditional mash potato. Instead of cheese, I sprinkled some dukkah for that roasted crunch texture.

The combination is surprisingly pretty good! I love the slight crunch of the cauliflower with the tangy lamb bake at the bottom of the pan. It's not a very fancy dish, but it is a nice warm meal on a winter night.

You will notice that I am featuring a lot of baking dishes recently. So much that it is darn tempting to re name my blog to a "Many ways to cook using an oven" blog instead. Bear with me while I am in transition at the moment to a different home/different kitchen altogether.

This does push me out of my comfort zone and I am learning how to embrace our oven for sure! LOL

Lamb Bake with Cauliflower Crunch 
500 grams lamb mince
1 red onion
1 can of diced tomatoes
1 red capsicum chopped
1 cup of button mushrooms
2 red chill chopped
1/4 cup of red wine

Cauliflower chopped
1/4 cup of dukkah.

Preheat Oven 200C.

Saute onion and chill. Cook and break mince up. Simmer with some red wine. Add diced tomatoes. capsicum and button mushrooms. Simmer for another 10 minutes or so. Spoon into oven safe dish. Top with cauliflower and sprinkle with dukkah. Bake for 20-25 minutes.

Lemongrass Ginger Over Baked Salmon Fillets and Prawns

My mother in law came to visit a few weeks ago and commented my frequent use of our oven used to cook meals. Growing up, I recall that our oven was used to bake but not to cook. In fact, our oven was so under utilised that it fused, and my parents decided to remove it for good.

I love how I can stick my food into this hot space, and have meals ready while I do other things. The programming function of my oven is really well used in my home. I like coming home, knowing that our food is cooking in the oven, ready for our meal after a hot shower.

I know I could have cook this dish in a steamer, or on a pan. Now, we are nearly ready to move, hence I have been slowly packing things away-meaning, I do not have a steamer, wok or anything huge in my kitchen at the moment. A baking tray, some baking paper- that I can handle. I chose to wrap it in baking paper to create a steam effect. Stuck it into the oven, head to the gym and dinner is done. In order not to overcook the prawns, I added it when I came back.

The flavours of soy, lemongrass and ginger is really hard to beat. A healthy easy meal- served with some stir fry veges.

Lemongrass Ginger Over Baked Salmon Fillets and Prawns (Serves 4)
3 Salmon fillets
2 tablespoons of soy sauce
2 red chill chopped
1 knob of ginger grated
1 tsp of minced garlic
2 stalks of lemongrass chopped finely
1/2 lemon juiced
1 lemon zested
1 tablespoon of olive oil

Marinate salmon and prawns with all the above for 10-15 minutes. Reserve prawns.

Preheat oven to 180C. Line a baking tray with baking paper (with double the length of paper), place salmon and marinate onto the paper, fold over to create a parcel. Bake for 20-25 minutes. when it is done, stick the prawns in and cook for another 5 minutes or so. Remove from oven when done. The seafood will continue to cook so it's ok to be a little under. Serve with veges.

Almond and Coconut Waffles

One amazing thing about adapting Paleo as much as I can is extending my comfort zone in using ingredients. Take these waffles for example, they introduced me to coconut flour. I never even knew such an ingredient exist. It's another alternative if you are after gluten free treats, or just wanting to reduce refined carbs like I am on most days.

It's also intriguing how the use of clever ingredients taste just as good if not better than the usual waffles I have. These was slightly crisp with fluffy insides and tastes awesome with some maple syrup. I omitted coconut flakes- just because I didn't have them on hand but they were still good.

Now, you know that coconut was an acquired taste for me..and I am please to say that I have since been won over and love my coconut in baking and cooking now.  Oh you should have seen my hubby when I made this batch of waffles up. He was smiling from ear to ear. My MIL? she asked me for the recipe- now that's one of the greatest compliment one can get right? :)

Almond and Coconut Waffles (Makes 5)  adapted from PaleoOMG
1.5 cups of almond meal
2 eggs
1 tablespoon of coconut flour
3/4 cup of coconut milk
1 tablespoon of honey (I used jarrah)
1 tsp vanilla extract
1 tsp baking powder
1 tablespoon of cinnamon
pinch of sea salt

maple syrup

Preheat waffle iron.

Whisk almond meal, coconut flour, baking powder, cinnamon and salt together. Whisk eggs in a jug with coconut milk, honey and vanilla. Pour wet to dry and whisk to combine- if it is too dry, add more coconut milk. Spoon onto waffle iron, wait for it to beep or turn green and serve with some maple syrup or fruits if you like!

Garlic Prawns, Smoked Salmon and Avocado Salad

I am such a fan of 10-15 mins preparation meals. The best way to do it seems to be making meal plans and making sure I have quick ingredients on hand. Prawns and Salmon are such lovely protein, and easy to prepare. At times, we would purchase shelled prawns, or just shell them immediately when we come home. Frying prawns in some oil, garlic, chill, and combine it with smoked salmon and salad. A meal done. It's so simple, that I was actually thinking it doesn't need a recipe! I make a quick dressing by whisking lemon juice, olive oil and sesame seeds. Monday's meals... easy peasy right?

Tadah! Meal done.


Do you have such recipes at home?

Garlic Prawns, Smoked Salmon and Avocado Salad (seves 4)
300 grams peeled prawns
1 tablespoon chopped garlic
2 chili padi

 250 grams smoked salmon
1 avocado chopped
1 lebanese cucumber chopped
 1 cup of cherry tomatoes
4 cups of salad leaves

 Dressing 2 tablespoon of extra virgin olive oil 1 tablespoon of lemon juice 1 tsp sesame seeds Cook prawns quickly with oil, garlic and chill. Cool slightly. Combine it with other ingredients. Toss dressing through! EAT! ;)


 

Moroccan Spiced Lamb Meatballs in Tangy Tomato Sauce

It's finally here. Autumn that is. Where the weather is cool and the breeze comes in. Autumn and Spring are probably my favourite seasons of the year. It isn't too warm but there is enough sun to get out there and seize the day.

As I am writing this, I'm recovering from a very sore left index finger. We had some friends over for a bbq and I sliced my finger while chopping spring onions! Since the bleeding didn't stop for 2 over hours, I went to the doctors who placed a pressure bandage on.

So with the bandage on, everything seems to operate a little slower. Like typing for instance and washing your hair. It may be one finger but it reminded me of how we tend to take little things like this for granted. It also forced me to slow down a little- like no boxing classes and scheduled our little break away. Sometimes, accidents remind us to take a breath before going again.

My disclaimer is that I rarely cut my fingers while cooking. I think it is a reflection of my internal exhaustion. In the mean time, I had a few days off with cooking with hubs taking over the reins. He turned around and said- indeed it's a lot of planning and prepping.

I'm on the road to recovery by the time you read this... and don't worry, I made these meatballs when my fingernail was still intact so no blood lost with this. It's a nice warm dinner on a cool night. Who says one cannot have salads with baked dishes?

The sauce keeps the meatballs moist and lovely. You can probably sauté the mince if you like and top it with the sauce, but I was looking for a less to wash dish. I didn't put cheese in mine but you could sprinkle some before baking it.


Moroccan Spiced Lamb Meatballs in Tangy Tomato Sauce (serves 4)
450 grams of lean lamb mince
1 red onion chopped
2 tsp of dukkah (spicy)
1 tablespoon of cumin
1 tsp of fennel seeds
1 tsp of chill powder
1 egg
pepper

Tomato Sauce
1 tinned chopped tomato
2 tablespoon of tomato paste
2 tablespoon of water or more if needed
squeeze of lemon
salt and pepper

Make lamb mince balls- just combine all ingredients. Roll into balls and place into over proof dish- it should make around 16 meatballs.

Sauce- combine all in a jar. Pour over meatballs and bake for 25-30 minutes.

Chicken Fillet with Almond Sauce

This is one of those handy quick dinner recipes that I love to have in the fridge. Ever since I discover Almond Butter- it's no turning back. I am also a fan of brazil and almond nut butter as well. They taste fantastic on crackers or vegetable stick.

So looking at the container one day, I thought why not make this into a sauce. I know that almonds has lots of fat but from a nutritious point of view, it's good for us and our hearts with the mono saturated fats. Plus it's filling. The key here is portion size of course. The creaminess of the sauce makes it rich hence you don't really need too much of it- maybe 1 or 2 tablespoons will be fine.

It certainly jazz up a salad. I oven baked some chicken fillets rather than pan frying it- one pan on the stove to make the sauce was enough for me. Shove the fillet into the oven, hop into the shower, assemble salad while making sauce. Take chicken out, place on plate, drizzle sauce.. EAT.

There should be more dinners like this every weekday.

Chicken Fillet with Almond Sauce (Serves 4)
6 chicken thigh fillets or 2 chicken breasts slice horizontally
salt/pepper

1/4 cup of almond butter
1/4 cup of water
1 tsp of garlic
1 tablespoon of mirin
few drops of sesame oil

4-5 cup of salad leaves
sliced capsicum
tomatos
lebanese cucumber
1 avocado

Cut fat off chicken thighs. Place on lined oven tray. Pre heat Oven 200C. Season chicken and place in oven for 20 minutes or so.

Heat pan. Saute garlic. Then add almond butter till it becomes soft and nearly runny. Add water and whisk together. Season with mirin and sesame oil. Drizzle on chicken and salad.

San Choy Bow

San Choy Bow is one of those dishes that regularly appear in chinese restaurants in Perth. It's considered as a staple- yet we have never tasted it at home before. It's one of those dishes, that I wondered when Chinese restaurants decides on their menus, obtain inspiration from different parts of China, Singapore and Malaysia and call it "Chinese". Nothing wrong with that, just my curiosity that's all! ;)

Making it at home is fun. Wrapping the lettuce with hot pipping mince mixture, topping it with peanuts, crunching them up and biting into it. YuM! Cold and hot together.

I'm not sure if this is the authentic version- it's one of those quick home cooked meals that I came up. I omitted water chestnuts but think they will be a good addition. Dried chopped shitake mushrooms were added and I do like the texture it creates.

What is your favourite Chinese order at a restaurant? In Singapore, it would be the yam ring basket filled with seafood and chicken! In Perth, probably yam duck (noticed my fondness for yam?!)

San Choy Bow (serves 4-5)
300 grams chicken mince
1 small red onion chopped
1 tablespoon garlic
2 red chill padi chopped
2 tablespoon of soy sauce
2 tablespoons of oyster sauce
1 tsp of minced ginger
2 tablespoon of hua tiao jiu
1 tsp of sesame oil
2 spring onions chopped

50 grams of roasted peanuts
ice berg lettuce- separated in cups.

Saute garlic, ginger, chili and onion till done. Cook chicken mince, breaking it as you go along. Add in all sauces and mix well. Cook for around 5-8 minutes. Then add the chinese cooking wine. Drizzle sesame oil and finish it with spring onions. Serve with lettuce cups and roasted peanuts.

Almond Chili Mushrooms Chicken Patties

 One of my fitness goals is to increase muscle mass and reduce fat percentage. Recently, I decided to go on a low carb meal plan (don't worry, I have a cheat day in the week where i get to eat WHATEVER I want!) to help increase my strength and fitness.

With some chicken mince on hand, I decided to create some patties. The challenge is to not use breadcrumbs. Using some almond meal and an egg, I was surprised that the mixture actually bind together very well. Using some fresh shitake mushrooms, chill and spring onions as flavouring, the patties turned out moist and fresh.

I think it is a myth that one cannot enjoy food while on a meal plan. Every bite of the chicken patty was enjoyable and tasty. Food is still meant to be delicious and not plain I say!! ;)

(ps- hubby had his with bread! He had toasted chicken patty sandwiches the next day for lunch!)

Almond Chili Mushrooms Chicken Patties (serves 4) 
500 grams chicken mince
2 stalks spring onions chopped
2 chili chopped
1/3 cup of almond meal
1 egg
200 grams fresh shitake mushrooms chopped
salt/pepper

Mixed everything together. Shape them into patties and pan fry. Easy!