Christmas Nut Roast - Vegetarian Main Dish

written by: Bel

 A Christmas Nut Roast is hard to find.   

I'd never really seen a Nut Roast let alone tasted one till last week.

A good challenge thanks Declutterbug Versus Captain Stingy Pants!  

I looked in all the latest Christmas mags for a good Vegie. main for Christmas and was a little disappointed with what was on offer.  Lots of dishes but not what I'd call a main - like a Turkey.

Then googling around i found Green Gourmet Giraffe  who has lots and lots of Nut Roasts on her Blog all of which looked pretty good and i learnt probably the most here.  

I decided to make my own. 

Seen as i was doing that I'd make it Wheat, Dairy and Egg FREE to look after one of my BBF's .   

I also wanted it to slice without crumbling and be Christmassy.

I was really really happy with the end result.   

Its a little red and green and really tasty and i think it will suit the Declutterbug for her Christmas.

Ingredients
400g Walnuts
2 tbsp Olive Oil
2 tbsp Chopped Garlic
250g Cashews
1 cup Potato mashed
250g Frozen Chopped Spinach
1 cup Peas
1/3 bunch Basil
1 Red Capsicum


Method
Preheat oven 180 degrees Celsius. Line a large loaf tin with baking paper.

Defrost and cook your frozen chopped spinach in saucepan until all thawed then squeeze out moisture and drain really well. Leave in strainer whilst you make the rest below.
You can use fresh i just prefer the less mucking around.



Slice the capsicum thickly and cook in fry pan with little cooking spray till malleable.







Lay on bottom of a baking paper lined loaf tin with skin side down.  Then add a few large basil leaves. This just adds to the colour when you take it out.

In a processor chop up well all 400g of walnuts add 2 tbsp of Olive Oil.
Pending on the size of your mixer you might need to transfer to a large bowl.







Then add your cashews whole, garlic (you can use the jar stuff no worries)  and mashed potato mix up well.
(i made my mash with 2 potatoes and 2 tbs water)

Press about a 1/3rd of the walnut mixture into loaf tin on top of capsicum and whole basil leaves.  I used my hands it was much easier.  Press it down tight.







In the processor again put the 1 cup of peas and 1/3 bunch of basil leaves mush them up well and put into a bowl.  Give the spinach a good last squeeze to get rid of any excess water and add to peas and basil. Mix it together well.

Layer it down on top of the walnut mixture and press down well.

I added a little salt and pepper here.






Then put the remaining Walnut on top and press down firmly.



Cover with foil and bake in oven for 45mins and then remove foil and cook for further 15mins.





Rest in tin for about 10mins and then cover with plate and tip up and over so its right side up. Remove tin and paper.   Viola!

Slice into wedges and serve with salad, vegies whatever you like.   

Stole another idea from Green Gourmet Giraffe  and mixed some mashed potato with chives and Parmesan and filled the star cookie cutters. Then baked them for about 10 mins.  I'll have to have another go at that as they weren't nearly as good as Johanna the Green Gourmet's 

Linking up with Jess for IBOT.

Blueberry Custard Loaf - Quick & Easy Recipe

Written by :Bel

  At Christmas i always end up making a couple of these.  They can be made ahead about a week. pending on your tin they don't take up a lot of room in the freezer and only use a few ingredients. 

I've made it many a time and can happily recommend as a quick, easy and enjoyable dessert.

I think the recipe was originally in the Coles Magazine from 2010. 

Ingredients

250g Savoiardi Finger Biscuits

2Tbs Orange juice

500g Premium Style Custard

300ml Thickened Cream whipped

250g Blueberries 

Method 

Line an 11cm x 24cm loaf pan with baking paper allowing a good overhang on long edges.

Arrange the sponge fingers crossways over the base of loaf pan. Drizzle over the orange juice.

Gently combine the cream and custard. Pour half mixture over the sponge fingers.

Scatter over half the blueberries (or whatever berries).

Top with another layer of sponge fingers

Pour over rest over custard mixture and top with rest of berries.




Cover with foil.

Place in freezer at least four hours (overnight) to set.

Remove from freezer ten mins before serving.

Use baking paper to lift out of tin. Cut into slices and serve.

My amendments

I use smaller tins.  In fact i like to put it in one of my plastic containers with a lid so its well protected. 

This recipe gives me two desserts. 

I forgot to whip the cream once and now i dont bother at all its fine without whipping.

I have to trim the ends off the sponge fingers to fit in these tins.

I use frozen berries instead of or as well as fresh berries.  

I also use mixed berries rather than just Blueberries.

My small tin isnt deep enough for another layer of sponge fingers so i use all the ends i trimmed off. 

Can be made ahead a week.

Can use brandy in the base layer of sponge.

Christmas Turkey Roulade with Sage Stuffing

written by: bel
Review number three in the Christmas Magazine Recipe Reviews

We've done  Mini Root Vegetable Cakes  and Mini Fruit Mince Cakes

This one is from Delicious Magazine December/January Issue 2012

Turkey Roulades with Sage Stuffing 

This was a good one, i loved it, so easy.

Four ingredients, You can prepare it ahead, Takes up much less room in the fridge than a whole turkey,  fast to cook  and easy to serve.

4 180g Turkey or Chicken Breast fillets
2 Tbs Sage (plus sage to serve which i didn't have)
4 thin Pork and herb sausage casings removed (my deli had pork and fennel so i used them)
24 Slices of Pancetta

They say to put the breast in between baking paper and roll it out to 1.5cm thick. I put mine in a thick freezer bag and rolled it out so the raw meat didn't go everywhere.  Maybe their method works well in a commercial kitchen but i don't want raw meat sliding everywhere in my tiny twenty centimetres of bench space.



Then you just put some Pancetta down on some foil, put the Turkey/Chicken on top, add some Sage, put the sausage on top of that, top with some more Pancetta so its covered the breast completely and wrap it up tight.





That's it :)
Put it in the fridge for an hour to firm up






Bake for 35 mins covered and another 10 uncovered so the Pancetta goes crispy.
Too Easy.   I also did one if you are looking closely with Sopressa instead of Pancetta just to see and we all agreed the Pancetta was better.





I think this one will be one on my menu sometime over Chrissy.

The full Recipe and Method can be found in the December/January Issue of Delicious Magazine.

Linking up with Jess  

Christmas Vegetable Cakes

written by: bel

Testing out the Christmas recipes before Christmas is always a good idea however who has the time, desire or kilos to spare ?!  So I'm flicking through a few and reporting back to try and help us all find some some good ones for the festive season.  

We've done Mini Fruit Mince Cakes from the Nov/Dec of the good ole Woman's Weekly  

Here is one from Delicious December/January 2012 Its from the Guest Chef Trine Hahnemann who has a new book Scandinavian Christmas.

Mini Root Vegetable Cake with Horseradish Cream.

We were mixed about this one, two saying they liked the texture but not so much the taste and two saying they liked the taste but not so much the texture  but all agreed they were nice and are a good 'base' for something like the Horseradish cream. It really does need that one more thing. 

We had them in tuna and salad rolls the next day for lunch and they were beautiful.

I liked them but of course being root vegetables and from a book called Scandinavian Christmas they are a winter food not a summer one so if you're doing a traditional roast they'll be fine. If you're doing the light meal maybe seafood then skip this and safe it for your next Christmas in July.

The combination of Beetroot, Parsnip, Almonds and Oats were just too intriguing and they look really pretty in the magazine.   I found them to be pretty easy to make and i had all ingredients but the beetroot on hand.

250g of each grated Beetroot and Parsnip
1/3 cup blanched Almonds finely chopped ( i used flaked)
2 tbs chopped Thyme
1 tsp ground Ginger
1 cup Rolled Oats
3 Eggs lightly beaten ( i used four)
1/4 cup Olive oil
parsley to serve

You just grate up all the vegetables. Stir in the oats, almonds, egg and oil and leave for an hour. It does say to use blanched almonds finely chopped, i didn't have time for that so i just crushed by hand some flaked almonds and they were fine.

 Squeeze them into little balls it says 16 and i think i got 14 so close enough but that was because I did find when cooking them that they did fall apart a little so i threw them all back in added another egg and made them slightly bigger than it looks in the picture. They were then fine. 

 You cook them either side in pan and then put on baking tray and bake for another twenty minutes.  

You can make them ahead and just warm them in the oven before serving so that part i was keen on. 

Don't forget to put the Horseradish cream on when you take the photo.  (ah bugger) 

The Full Recipe and method can be found in the Dec/Jan Delicious Magazine.

I served these with couple of roast potatoes and another recipe from the December/January Delicious

 Turkey Roulade with Sage Stuffing.

Linking up for Open Slather at :

Mini Fruit Mince Cakes

http://mumstakefive.blogspot.com.au/

written by: Bel


Who doesn't love a good Woman's Weekly Recipe :)

I tried to find the recipe on the AWW website but couldn't find it you can try to find it here :)
or it is in the November 2012  Issue "Christmas Countdown" section

This was really easy, only needed a few ingredients all of which most would have except maybe the fruit mince but it is Christmas.

You need 440g of fruit mince I only had a jar of 410g and didn’t want to open another jar for such a small amount.  1 jar was fine.   

Also on page 191 of this mag you can make the Maggie Beer Fruit Mince recipe. 

 Ingredients:

11/3 cups SR Flour

1/3 cup Brown Sugar

11/2 cups (440g) Fruit Mince

1/2 cup Olive Oil

1/3 cup Milk

1 egg

(250g ready made icing and 1/4 cup cachous. To cut stars and decorate as in the picture above. I didn't do this. mine are in the freezer and I'll just make some stars with fondant or something later on)

 The Method is easy. 

Sift the flour and sugar into a large bowl.

Whisk the Fruit mince,oil,milk and egg together and then stir into the flour.

Put into mini muffin tin with little patty cases.  

 Bake about 15 mins at 180C fan forced.

It says it makes 40 you could stretch it to 40 I guess, but I don’t think I over filled them and I only got 32.  The ones in the mag are pretty level with the cases mine did go above.

Do we like them ?   

well yes but they are soooo sweet.  really really. 

If i make them again i will probably quarter the brown sugar if i add it at all.  

Bonus of these you can store in freezer uniced. 

I do need something for a morning tea in a couple of weeks so might use these as not even I could eat two with my cup of tea. 

Wheat,Yeast,Dairy & Egg Free Muffins & Product Review

FOOD FOR HEALTH PRODUCT REVIEW

Super healthy muffins http://mumstakefive.blogspot.com.au/

written by: bel

Last week i was lucky enough to receive some of the great products from Food For Health.


All of their products use the highest quality ingredients including sulphur-free fruit and are free of wheat, sulphur, dairy, yeast and cane sugar. The benefits and dietary requirements are clearly stated on the boxes which i found great when selecting a product.

 Narelle Plapp a Naturopath, was a Health Food Retailer and originally developed two homemade allergy-friendly muesli's to satisfy her patients’ digestive need. Mixing and packing her home-recipe muesli s on her kitchen table her feedback positive and demand grew. From there her Brand Food for Health has become one of Australia’s most trusted allergy-friendly health brands.

The range is pretty thorough - Muesli's, Clusters, Health bars, Kids snack bars and "bites". There is also two new ranges Berries and Dark Chocolate Antioxidant health bar and Ancient Grains health bar with Chia seeds and Yoghurt. Sounds good huh.


Banana Custard Filled Snack Bars

I really didn't think my kids would go for these bars.  They don't usually like this filled style of bar.  Well i was completely wrong on this. even the little seeds on top of the bars didn't deter them.  I admit i have been using them as bribery and i was the best mum when i pulled one out for the after swimming lessons I'm starving snack.   Master four really loved them and now asks for the Monkey bars.  I'm loving the fact they are amongst other goodness, gluten and sulphur free.

The Fibre Cleanse Muesli


"It’s time to get serious and ensure your
insides get the nutrients and digestive
support they need.
Food For Health’s Fibre Cleanse Muesli
aims to help you maintain regular bowel
functioning and digestive support with a
mix of psyllium, oat bran, rice bran,
lecithin, magnesium and slippery elm
topped off with a delicious cinnamon  taste"

The ingredient list itself is pretty impressive : Organic rolled oats, oat bran, psyllium, linseeds, almonds, rice bran, linseed meal, sunflower seeds, lecithin, cinnamon, magnesium chelate & slippery elm. 

I had it on its own - Its pretty tasty and has a real Cinnamon taste - which is good for adults which i do understand the product is aimed at but there is no way MY kids would eat it.

So me being me i got creative :)

Fruit Salad and Fibre Cleanse Muesli layers with homemade apple custard 

This was so nice one of the best breakies I've had in a while (until you see the recipes below). I just layered apple, pear, blueberries and banana with muesli in between and topped it off with some homemade apple custard which i had made for the baby but that's ok she won't know :)

I went further and made some muffins which were great though they do contain Flour and Dairy.  You can find that recipe here: Banana and Blueberry Muffins .

A friend mentioned to me shes looking for wheat free, yeast free, dairy and egg free recipes and i thought i would take the challenge with this already fantastically healthy muesli and i made my muffins catering to all her requests.   I was surprised how good these actually tasted, they're pretty good even if i do say so myself.



Wheat free, Yeast Free, Dairy Free, Egg Free
 - Banana and Blueberry Muffins

Ingredients
3 medium Bananas mashed
1 cup Almond Meal
1 cup Coconut Milk
1 1/2 cups of Food for Health's Fibre Cleanse Muesli
2/3 cup brown sugar
1 cup frozen Blueberries
2 tbls spoon Olive Oil (you can use another oil)
2 tsp Vanilla Extract
Cooking spray for your tin.

Method
Mash up your Bananas in a large bowl.
Add Sugar, Olive Oil and Vanilla stir it all in.
Then mix in the Almond Meal and Coconut Milk.
Fold in the Food for Health Fibre Cleanse Muesli and your Blueberries

Spoon evenly into a well greased muffin tin. I used Olive oil spray. I also sprinkled a little brown sugar and muesli on the tops before baking for no other reason other than to make them look pretty :)

Bake approx 1hr  at 160 degrees Celsius fan forced. I did give  little spray on top of the muffins about half way through, i thought the tops were getting a little dry.

12 yummy moist muffins that a great for breaky and snacks.

Thank you to Food for Health for sending me some products to try and create with.

Food for health have a website and a Facebook page Facebook page for creative ideas, product info, competitions and where you can find their products and when they're on special :)