editor, Author at The Kind Cook

Deep Fried Ice Cream

on April 8, 2012

There are only a couple of dishes I thought I would never have again, once I moved to a plant based diet and this was one of them. I saw it on the menu at a nearby vegetarian/vegan restaurant, but sadly it was made using cow’s milk. It’s clearly not something I would eat every day. In fact I have only had it a handful of times in my entire life, but it’s nice to know it’s doable! It is also SO EASY to make.

I do hope you try it. Let me know if you do.

YOU NEED

2 cups of GF soy or coconut vanilla ice cream

2/3 cup GF plant based milk (I used soy milk because I wanted a thick consistency)

4 teaspoons of GF egg replacer

1 1/3 cup GF bread crumbs

rice bran oil for cooking

pure maple syrup

YOU DO

Place slightly softened ice cream into a 1 cup measuring cup. Using the bottom of a dessert spoon, flatten the ice cream into the cup as you go, to avoid air pockets. Once the cup is full, turn the cup, upside down and gently but firmly tap the ice cream out onto a plate. Place it into the freezer. I popped mine into a plastic bag so it wouldn’t get that horrible “fridgy” flavour that food gets when left uncovered in the freezer. Freeze for 2 hours.

Put the milk and egg replacer into a bowl and whisk till any lumps are gone.

Put the bread crumbs on a plate.

Remove the ball from the freezer. Remove it from the plastic and pop it into the milk mixture. Using a fork, roll it until it’s well coated. Quickly place it onto the plate with breadcrumbs. Using one hand to roll it and the other to sprinkle bread crumbs onto it, roll the ball around till well covered in crumbs.

Put it back into the plastic bag and into the freezer. Repeat this process 2 more times now, freezing for half an hour between each crumbing.

After the final crumbing, put it back in the freezer for a couple of hours.

Heat a small pot of vegetable oil in a small pot. You will need enough oil to cover the ball. Once the oil is hot (180c), use a large serving spoon with holes, to lower the ball into the oil and fry till the crumbs are browned. Pop onto some draining paper.

Serve IMMEDIATELY with pure maple syrup.

Yields: Serves 1 very excited person that maybe didn’t also have an entree. Or easily serves 2 who are willing to share it.

Time: 15 minutes, plus the freezing times.

Notes: GF Egg Replacer is found in most supermarkets in the health food section.

If you don’t need to use GF bread crumbs the Japanese ones from the Asian section of the supermarket are great, because many other breadcrumbs in the supermarket contain dairy, eggs and/or fish.

It’s imperative that the frying oil is at the right temperature. If it’s not hot enough the batter will absorb all the oil and be soggy and awful. If it’s too hot it will burn the batter. You can guess by throwing a tiny bit of bread into the oil when you think it’s hot enough and if it pops to the top of the oil and sizzles, the oil is hot enough. I do however recommend investing in a thermometer. They aren’t expensive and are available at most home wares stores.

Little Treats for Little People

on April 3, 2012

Little treats packed with, protein, calcium, minerals, fibre, vitamins & omegas 🙂 AND SUGAR FREE 🙂

Like many of my recipes this one came about today because I had a few things that needed using up. I also made it because my son is obsessed with chocolate but not so obsessed with the things I want him to eat like dates, tahini and nuts. I hide thin layers of nut spreads and tahini under his peanut butter on rice cakes but wanted to get a big hit of these other nutrients into him.

I just rolled them in cocoa when they were finished and told him they were chocolate 🙂

YOU NEED

3 tablespoons of hazelnut spread (the kind found in the health food section of supermarkets and health food stores)

1 teaspoon of tahini (you will find this in the same places as above)

1 tablespoon of almond chia spread (you will find this in the same places as above)

1 tablespoon of peanut butter (I use one that is sugar, salt and oil free. Just peanuts. Strange but true)

10 dates, roughly chopped

2 heaped teaspoons of desiccated coconut

YOU DO

Blend all ingredients together in a blender or with a hand blender.

Place some cocoa onto a plate, pop the balls on the plate and move the plate around in circles on the bench till the balls are covered.

I like the fact that these aren’t sweet and that you can taste an earthy nutty flavour, but if you want your balls a little sweeter or a little more moist just add a little brown rice syrup, pure maple syrup or agave.

Servings: 15 balls

Time: 5 minutes

Freezing: Haven’t tried freezing this one.

Chilli con Queso

on April 3, 2012

Chilli con Queso is a spicy Mexican cheese dip. This is my dairy free <3 version …….& it’s easy, quick and yep…… “cheesy”.

YOU NEED

¼ cup of water

1 cup of raw cashews (soaked in water for a few hours and drained)

1 small lemon, juiced

2 teaspoons of apple cider

1/4 of teaspoon salt

1 cup of dairy free cheese

1 large red onion, peeled and finely diced

1 ½ cups of vegetable stock

2 long green chillies, halved, deseeded and finely sliced

3 small red chillies, halved deseeded and finely sliced

2 tablespoon of jalapenos, drained and finely chopped

2 large garlic cloves, peeled and minced

½ teaspoon of sweet paprika

1 handful of fresh coriander, washed and roughly chopped

YOU DO

Drain the cashews you have soaked and discard the water they were soaking in. Place them into a container along with the 1/4 of a cup of water, lemon juice, salt, apple cider vinegar and blend. Then put aside.

Heat a little water in a large pan, add the onions, chilli and garlic and stir over a low to medium heat until the onions are softened.

Add the stock, cashew mix and the cheese into the pan and stir all the ingredients until they are well combined and the cheese has melted. Gently simmer for a minute or two.

Remove the pan from the heat and stir through the jalapenos. Check the seasoning & spice level and if you are happy with both place the dip into a serving bowl, garnish with the paprika and coriander and serve.

Serve warm with corn chips and/or celery and carrot sticks.

Yields: 500ml.

Time: 35 minutes plus the soaking time.

Freezing: Not suitable for freezing.

Orange Juice & Co

on April 2, 2012

Lately I have been eating a lot of the same coloured foods~ bread, cereal, bread!

I got up this morning and JUST NEEDED FRUIT and colour.

YOU NEED

1 small pear

1 small apple

1 cup of fresh pineapple

1 small orange, peel removed

1 lemon, peel removed

1 lime, peel removed

2 very large carrots, skin left on

1/4 teaspoon ginger (I would normally use fresh but only had minced this morning)

YOU DO

Roughly chop all the ingredients and throw through your juicer. Stir in the ginger if minced.

Enjoy.

Servings: 1

Time: 10 minutes

Freezing: Haven’t tried freezing this one.

Coconut “Custard Pie” ~Chocolate Balls

on April 1, 2012

I have been on a bit of a chocolate mission lately and if I say so myself these are AMAZEBALLS. Think fudge, coconut, creamy centered, white chocolates. They take a little time but they are SO easy to make.

YOU NEED

4 x 100 gram blocks of white Sweet William chocolate. (Found in the health food section of Coles and Safeway)

100ml of Bonsoy soy milk

1 1/3 cups of desiccated coconut

YOU DO

Very carefully chop up 250 grams of the chocolate into smallish pieces.

Place the Bonsoy and the chocolate into a pan and gently heat on a low flame. Stir until the chocolate is melted. Do not boil the mixture. Once the chocolate has melted, place the mixture into a bowl.

Add the coconut to the chocolate mix and combine. Place it in the fridge till the mixture sets. This takes a good hour or so. You are looking for a consistency you can roll into balls with your hands. Stir the mix every now and then while it is cooling.

Once the mixture is cooled and set, remove from the fridge and remove approx a teaspoon at a time of the mixture and roll in the palm of your hands into a ball and place onto a tray with grease proof paper. If it starts to get too hard to ball the mixture, stop, wash your hands, dry your hands and then continue balling. If you are still having trouble, just add a little extra coconut to the mixture. But don’t add extra coconut if you don’t have to. That way the centre of the chocolates will remain fudgy. Repeat till all the mixture balled. Place the tray into the freezer to allow the balls to chill and firm up.

Once the balls are chilled and hard, break up the remaining 150 grams of chocolate and melt it in the microwave or over a double boiler. Allow it to cool for a couple of minutes.

This is where things get messy! Remove the chilled balls from the freezer, put some melted chocolate on the palm of your hand, pick up one of the balls and roll it with both hands so that it covers in chocolate. Place it back onto some baking paper. Repeat until all the balls are covered in chocolate.

When all the balls are covered in chocolate pop them back in the fridge for the coating to set. Then serve.

If you want extra crunch coat the balls with another layer of chocolate. If you choose to do this you will need another 100 grams of chocolate. It’s worth it!

Sieve icing sugar over the top if you wish for garnish before serving.

YES you have to buy 4 (or 5) packs of Sweet William chocolate which is over $3 a block but if you make 50 these work out to be about 1/3 the cost each of the cost of 1 Lindt ball and they are freaking delicious!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

THEY ARE VERY SWEET!

Yields: 50 chocolates

Time: 5 minutes to make the mixture. 10 minutes to coat the balls in chocolate. Plus cooling and freezing time.

Notes: Bonsoy is found in most supermarkets in the UHT milk section (I used Bonsoy in these because I wanted them to be super rich and creamy).

Almond & Pistachio Dukkah

on April 1, 2012

Dukkah is an Egyptian dry dip made from aromatic, herbs, seeds and nuts. It is incredibly easy to make and will fill your home with its fragrant aroma.

YOU NEED

50 grams of sesame seeds

2 tablespoons of coriander seeds

2 tablespoons of cumin seeds

50 grams (in total) of almonds & pistachio nuts

1 teaspoon of salt

1/2 teaspoon of black peppercorns

YOU DO

Place all the ingredients into a pan on a medium heat and dry roast them for a few minutes. Stir the mixture while they roast. Be careful not to burn anything. Place aside and let cool.

Place in food processor and roughly grind. (I don’t have a food processor so just used my mortar and pestle)

Serve with sourdough and a *good quality cold pressed olive oil*. I promise you it DOES make a difference.

Dip chunks of bread into the oil and then the Dukkah. Heaven on a plate.

Servings: Makes about a cup of dukkah

Time: 10 minutes

Freezing: Not suitable for freezing

Coconut, Kaffir Lime & Lemon Grass Pudding

on March 30, 2012

YOU NEED

4 cups of coconut milk

6 kaffir lime leaves

1 lemon grass stalk, halved and bruised

½ cup palm of sugar, grated (if you don’t have palm sugar you can use brown sugar)

½ cup of Arborio rice

fresh lime juice

YOU DO

Place the milk, kaffir lime leaves, lemon grass and palm sugar into a pot and bring to the boil.

Stir until the sugar has dissolved and add the rice. Continue cooking on a high heat for a minute or 2, then turn down to a gentle simmer.

Cook until the rice is cooked (approx 30 mins). STIR REGULARLY.

Once the rice is cooked, remove the lemon grass and kaffir leaves and serve.

Squeeze fresh lime juice over the pudding just before you serve it.

Lovely also served with mango, papaya and/or guava

Servings: 2 large or 4 small

Time: Haven’t timed yet

Freezing: Not suitable for freezing

Semi dried Tomato & Garlic Chive Chickpea Pancakes

on March 27, 2012

YOU NEED

150 grams of chickpea (also known as besan flour or garbanzo flour)

220ml of water

2/3 cup of zucchini, washed and grated (also known as courgette)

1.5 teaspoons of salt

1/3 cup of fresh chives, washed and finely sliced

¼ cup of semi dried tomatoes, drained of their oil and finely sliced

2 cloves of garlic, peeled and minced

YOU DO

Put the chickpea flour into a large bowl and add the water. Whisk until the mixture has a smooth batter consistency.

Squeeze the grated zucchini in a clean, dry tea towel to remove extra water content from it.

Add the zucchini and the rest of the ingredients to the batter and mix well to combine.

Gently heat a small non stick pan with enough oil to grease the pan (I used the oil from the semi dried tomato jar).

Put a well greased pancake ring (I used one because I wanted my pancakes to look pretty) in the pan and pour in just under ¼ cup of the mixture (I used a 1/4 cup, cup measurer). Each time you scoop up ¼ of a cup of the mixture make sure you stir the mixture first so that all the fillings are well distributed in the batter.

Watch your pancakes while they are cooking and when you see bubbles on the surface of the pancakes and also when you touch the sides and they have firmed slightly, gently pull the ring up and place it aside. Then turn the pancake over with an egg flipper. Do this GENTLY. Cook until till browned.

Repeat this process until you have used all the batter and serve

I served mine with a spicy eggplant pickle, semi dried tomatoes and rocket.

Yields: Makes 10 depending on the size of the cooking ring you use and if you use a ring.

Time: Approximately 20 minutes

Freezing: Not suitable for freezing

Notes: If your batter is too wet, simply add more flour and if it’s too dry add more water..

You REALLY want your oil to be fairly hot before you pour the batter onto, otherwise your pancakes will be soggy and oily. Not too hot though or they will burn. A gentle to medium heat after the batter has hit the pan is perfect, because you want your pancakes to cook through. If your pan gets too hot at any stage just remove it from the heat. Remember like all pancake making sessions that the 1st couple are usually crap and they get better as you keep cooking.

If your pancakes stick a little to your cooking ring when you try to lift it, just get a small, sharp, thin bladed knife and gently run it around the edge of the ring to release the pancake.

These are also lovely with corn, but I do find ingredients with strong flavours like those I have listed or by adding things like olives, capers, spring onions etc work best with besan flour as they compete well with the strong earthy flavour of the flour.

Cashew, Coriander & Cauliflower Soup

on March 26, 2012

YOU NEED

1 tablespoons of rice bran oil

1 medium brown onion, peeled and roughly chopped

1 medium head of cauliflower, leaves removed and roughly cut into small peices

3.5 cups of vegetable stock

1 cup of raw cashews

2 – 3 large cloves of garlic, peeled, and roughly chopped

1 teaspoons of salt

pepper to taste

1 bunch of fresh coriander washed and roughly chopped. Including the stems!

YOU DO

Heat the oil in a medium pot, add the onion and cook on a medium heat until it is coloured. Add the garlic and cook for another minute or 2.

Add the rest of the ingredients, except the coriander. Place a lid on the pot and bring the soup back to the boil. Once it has boiled, turn it down to a gentle simmer and cook until the cauliflower is tender.

Once the cauliflower is tender, turn the heat off, add the coriander and blend until smooth.

Yeilds: 2 large

Time: Approximately 30 minutes

Notes: You can sauté the onion in a little water instead of the rice bran oil if you wish. It will alter the flavour though, as the oil helps the onion to release its natural sugars and caramelise, giving this soup a richer flavour.

The thickness of the soup will vary depending on the size of the cauliflower you use. If it is too thick, simply add a little more stock.

For a super smooth soup, soak the cashews overnight in enough water to cover them. Drain and discard the soaking water and then add them to the soup.

Spicy Curry, Chickpea & Cauliflower Soup

on March 26, 2012

YOU NEED

1 small brown onion, peeled and finely diced

2 large cloves of garlic, peeled and roughly chopped

1 medium cauliflower, leaves off and cut into rough florets

3 cups of vegetable stock

1.5 teaspoons of small red chillies, seeds and all, roughly chopped

1 can of chickpeas, drained and rinsed

½ cup of rice milk.

¾ teaspoon of salt

2.5 teaspoons of curry powder

YOU DO

Heat a little water in a medium pot, add the onion and cook on a medium heat until it the onion has soften and started to colour.

Add the garlic and cook for another minute or 2.

Add the curry powder and the chilli and cook on a gentle heat for another minute. You may need to, add a little more water so the curry powder does not burn.

Add the remaining ingredients, except for the rice milk. Cover the pot with a top and simmer gently until the cauliflower is tender.

Remove from the heat, add the rice milk and blend till smooth.

Servings: 4 large

Time: Approximately 20 minutes

Freeze: Suitable