Spicy Carrot Soup

This soup is packed full of vegetables and packed full of flavour. I guarantee you will get rave reviews.  If your not a chilli addict, cut down the amount of fresh chilli.  The addition of the fried curry leaves, ginger and garlic adds even more flavour.

Ingredients

1 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil
1 onion, chopped
3 cloves garlic, finely chopped
1 tablespoon fresh ginger, grated
1 long red chilli, seeds removed, chopped
2 teaspoons mild curry powder
2 tablespoons tomato paste
750g carrots, peeled and chopped
1/2 cup red lentils, rinsed and drained
400g can diced tomatoes
4 cups (1 litre) Vegetable stock
Juice of one lemon
Fried - curry leaves, garlic slices, shredded finer
Lime wedges to serve

Method

In a large saucepan, heat oil.
Add onion, garlic, finer and chilli, cook for 3-4 minutes until soft.
Add curry powder and tomato paste, cook for a further minute.
Add carrot, lentils, stir then add tomatoes and stock. Season
Increase the heat and bring to the boil.
Reduce heat to low, cover with a lid and simmer for 35-40 minutes until carrot is tender.  (This may vary depending how large the carrots were cut)
Cool slightly then blend with a stick blender until smooth, if too thick add some boiling water to achieve desired consistency.
Stir in lemon juice.

Serve soup and top with fried curry leaves, garlic and ginger.

Spicy!!

Mamma Marmalade

Very easy Ciabatta

This is so easy and super impressive, you must give it a go.  Because saying to people that you make your own bread lifts your status as a cook to a new height.  As an added bonus it tastes delicious, even the next day when toasted on the grill.  Thank you Silvia Colleca !

Ingredients

1 x 7g sachet dried yeast
4 cups of strong flour (bread and pizza flour)
Extra virgin olive oil
Salt


Method

Place yeast and 3 cups flour, 360ml water and 2 teaspoon salt in an electric mixer fitted with a dough hook.

 Beat on medium high speed for 3-4 minutes until the dough comes away form the sides of the bowl (the dough will be quite wet) I did add extra flour at this stage to achieve this consistency.

Tip into a greased bowl and cover with a clean tea towel, leave at room temperature for 2-3 hours until doubled in size.

Preheat oven to 220 degrees Celsius.
NB: Place a metal baking dish on the bottom of the oven with the rack above it.
Flour a baking paper lined baking tray with 1/2 cup flour.
Gently turn the dough straight onto the tray.
Top with remaining 1/2 cup flour.  Shape dough into a long oval.
Carefully pour cold water into the hot pan in the oven to create steam (this very important step helps the bread to rise and expand before forming a crust)
Place the tray with Ciabatta onto the rack above the pan.
Bake for 25-30 minutes until bread is risen, golden and the bottom sounds hollow when tapped.

Cool on a wire rack for 1 hour IF you can resist.

Mamma Mia

Pear and Pecan Puddy Cake

I have been searching for desserts to share with friends who require Dairy-Free recipes. In addition, the desserts needed to be transported easily and had limited fridge opportunities.  So, I hunted through my books in search of a "Puddy Cake" - my name for a cake that tastes equally delicious as a dessert or a cake - a pudding cake!

The incomparable Belinda Jeffery always seems to have the solution to these dessert dilemmas! This cake is rich, sturdy but not too heavy, keeps well, delicious served either warm or room temperature, tastes even better the day after it is cooked and best of all for my Dairy-Free friends - uses olive oil instead of butter!

PS Thank you to my super clever friend Jenna who surprised me with the"Eat Up" plates plus my "feed your inner cook" engraved silver spoon that appears in some of my photo posts! Brilliant and perfect! 

Pear and Pecan Puddy Cake from Feed Your Inner Cook

Pear and Pecan Puddy Cake from Feed Your Inner Cook

Preparation      20 minutes

Cook                1 hour

Cool                 15 – 20 minutes

Serves             10 – 12   (keeps well, can freeze remaining slices)

Ingredients

2 cups Plain Flour

2 teaspoons ground Cinnamon

½ teaspoon ground Nutmeg

½ teaspoon ground Cloves

1 teaspoon Bicarbonate of Soda

½ teaspoon Salt

1 cup Pecans – roasted and chopped +  plus some extras for decorating cake

                           (dry roast the pecans on a tray for a few minutes in the preheating oven)

3 eggs

1 ½ cups brown sugar

¼ cup castor sugar

½ cup Light Olive Oil  (TIPS AND HINTS: this only means ‘lighter flavour’ – it has a much milder taste than Extra Virgin Olive Oil, so will not overpower the taste of the cake -  “Moro” brand make a ‘light oil’ that is usually available in many supermarkets. ‘Light oil’ has the same calories as regular olive oils)

1 ½ teaspoons vanilla extract

¼ cup water

5 just-ripe small-medium pears.  Peeled, cored and cut into chunks  OR  825 gram canned Pears in natural juice (if possible)  - drained and chopped. 
TIPS AND HINTS: 
Hayden's Adventures  recommended : Don’t chop too small. If too tiny the chunks will not hold their juice that keeps the cake moist and it gives variety in the cake texture.  Plus it is nice to see the chunks dotted through the cake. A rough guide -  About 1 - 1 ½ cm cubes approximately. 

Decoration Options:

The reserved roasted pecans – either glazed with a little reduced apricot jam  OR thick honey

And / or  a dusting of icing sugar

Method

Preheat oven 150 °C

Butter and flour (OR   if DAIRY Free – use a food spray)  26 cm fluted non-stick Bundt tin.

In a large bowl – using a whisk – combine the flour, cinnamon, nutmeg, cloves, bicarb and salt.

Toss the nuts in and ensure they are well coated in the flour mixture.

In a separate medium large bowl (I use a large pyrex jug)  add the eggs and whisk to just combine.

Add the brown sugar and castor sugar, oil, vanilla and water.  Mix thoroughly to combine.

Pour this wet mixture – 1/3^rd  first, then the remainder – into the dry ingredients.  Stir until just combined. Do not overwork the mixture.

Add the pear pieces and gently fold through.

Pour the batter into prepared tin and ensure top is evenly spread out.

Bake for approx. 55 min – 1 hour.  Check at 50 minutes.

Cake is cooked when fine skewer inserted into middle bits comes out clean.

Cool on a cake rack for 10 – 15 minutes whilst still in the pan.

Gently invert cake onto rack to cool.   or  onto a serving platter if serving warm.

Decorate with the glazed nut options and/or icing sugar dusting.

Serving Options  (omit creams / ice creams, caramel sauces for Dairy-Free diners)

Delicious served at room temperature as a cake with cream

OR

Perfect as a dessert option – served warm with ice-cream or cream.

Even better dessert with a little drizzle of caramel sauce on top of that cream!

(can also serve at room temp for dessert).

Slices can be gently reheated in microwave if you want. 

And

Store remaining cake in an airtight container (NOT in fridge) – keeps well for 3 -5 days

Any left-overs freeze well.   Use within 2 weeks.

Please NOTE 

Disclaimer: The Feed Your Inner Cooks are not nutritionists or dietitians. We recommend people with specific dietary requirements seek appropriate professional advice for their dietary needs.  This recipe is provided as a general guide to assist with recipe ideas.

If you are searching for dietary cookbooks, we suggest:

Dr Sue Shepherd  Recipe books and website  are an excellent resource especially for low FODMAP books.

                             Enjoy!   Colleen

Indian roasted cauliflower pineapple, chilli, with coronation dressing

Another winner from Jamie Oliver, looking out for our health and vegetable intake.  This makes eating your veges a taste and look sensation.  Give it a try.



Ingredients

2 heads of cauliflower
1/2 a medium pineapple
Olive oil
1 heaped teaspoon each of fennel seeds, black mustard seeds
30g flaked almonds
1 x 400g tin of chickpeas
1 level teaspoon ground turmeric
2 level teaspoons medium curry powder
1/2 bunch of fresh coriander
3cm piece of ginger
1 lemon
2 teaspoons mango chutney
200g natural yoghurt
1 fresh red chilli


Method

Preheat oven to 200 degrees Celsius.
Chop the cauliflower into large florets. Cook in a large pot of boiling salted water fro 6 to 8 minutes.
Drain and tip into a roasting pan.
Peel, core and chop pineapple into 3cm pieces, add to the roasting pan with 1 tablespoon of oil, fennel and mustard seeds and a pinch of salt and freshly ground black pepper. Toss together to combine and roast for 30 minutes.

Turn everything over and then add flaked almonds, drained tin chickpeas and cook for another 10 minutes, or until cauliflower is slightly charred.

Toast turmeric and curry powder in a dry pan on a low heat for a few minutes until you can smell the spices.  Tip into a blender with coriander stalks, ginger, lemon juice, mango chutney and half the yoghurt.  Whiz until smooth add remaining yoghurt until you achieve a consistency you like.

Pour onto a large platter, top with the cauliflower combination, garnish with sliced chilli and coriander leaves.

Serve with chapattis or other flat bread.

Veg never tasted so good!

Mamma Marmalade