Mint Jelly

I don't know about you, but I can never find gluten free mint sauce or mint jelly for Christmas. In the last few years I've made my own, which has been quite successful.

Ingredients:

375ml white wine vinegar
One gelatin sachet
125 ml boiling water
3/4 cup fresh mint about 3-4 sprigs from the garden
2 tsp caster sugar*

1 large sterile jar (big enough to hold 2.5 cups)

*If you are diabetic you can leave the sugar out.

Method

Assemble your items. Once you pour the boiling water you will need to move quickly.
Chop your mint finely. Once you are happy with the size I put the kettle on to boil with the minimum amount of water allowed, as you will be only using 1/2 a cup.
Have your gelatin sachet and caster sugar ready to go straight in!!!
Pour your boiling water into the heat proof mixing bowl and add the gelatin, stirring with a whisk until it is dissolved.
Add the caster sugar and mix in well.
Once that is dissolved add the finely chopped mint and and white wine vinegar.
Mix thoroughly and then pour into your glass jar.
Seal it and leave it to set in the fridge for at least 24 hours.

I hope you enjoy that. I find it very quick and easy to make. :)

Pumpkin Chili Soup

Ingredients

1 large butternut pumpkin or 2 smaller ones
1/6 bunch of parsley
1 red chili (This makes it quite hot - don't add the chili if this is for people who have a low tolerance for hot food, or if there is a mild tolerance use half of the chili.)
1/2 bunch of spring onion (green tops only for low FODMAP)
Dash of oil (you could use garlic infused olive oil)
500 ml of chicken or vegetable stock - I used Sue Shepherd's low FODMAP stock.  (Obviously, use vegetable stock if you are making this vegetarian/vegan.
1 cup of almond milk (you could use coconut or soy if you need it nut free)
1/4 teaspoon paprika
2 pinches of salt - optional

 Method
Wash all veggies
Put the parsley, chili and spring onion in the bellini and blitz for 20 seconds starting on speed 5 and going up to speed 7.
Peel and chop up the pumpkin into small cubes.
Add the pumpkin, stock, oil, paprika, salt and almond milk.

Cook on speed 1 at 100 degrees for 30 minutes
Using a tea-towel on top of the lid to prevent any blow out slowly increase the speed from 3-6 - but wait until it has cooled somewhat so you don't accidentally get 2-3 degree burns!  Alternatively, leave this step out, and just let it take it's time to break the pumpkin up by stirring.
Cook again on speed 3 at 90 degrees for another 10-30 minutes with the clear top out to allow it to reduce.

Very yummy.  If you need to keep protein up add some cooked chicken to the soup when you serve it.

Serve with hot multi-grain toast.

Sweet Chili Chicken Nuggets

This chicken nuggets need a bit of refinement but if you're game to try now feel free to go ahead, and I'll modify this recipe down the track.

Ingredients

1/4 cup plain GF flour (you can use whole grain if you have it to make these lower GI)
1/2 cup rice crumbs
Pinch of salt
Sprinkle of parsley
*Sprinkle of garlic - Adding garlic here is not Low FODMAP.  If you need low FODMAP eliminate this step and use garlic infused olive oil.
1 teaspoon of paprika
1 sprinkle of black pepper
1-2 teaspoons of chili (mine wasn't very strong so you could add more or leave it with less for a non-spicy chicken nugget.
500 grams diced chicken breast (thawed)


1/2 cup Rice Malt  Syrup

Oil for frying - if you want low FODMAP use garlic infused olive oil.  Otherwise any other cooking oil will work.

Method

Mix all the flour and herbs together in a bowl until all your spices are well mixed in.

Melt your rice malt syrup either in the microwave (faster, but needed to be watched carefully and it started to harden like candy) or in a bain-marie (which will probably work better for this purpose).
As soon as your rice malt syrup is melted roll the chicken nuggets in it and transfer to the flour mix.
Coat in the flour and spice mix then transfer to the frying pan.

Cook immediately on high for about 6 minutes, then turn and cook for about another 4 minutes

As always with chicken check to make sure it is cooked before you eat it so you don't get food poisoning!  I usually break open one large piece to check the pink is gone, when I'm thinking they should be ready soon, as you don't want to over cook them either.

Serve with tomato sauce. - make sure it's a low FODMAP option for those who need it.  :)

Honey Mustard Chicken

Ingredients:

2 Tablespoons Dijon Mustard
1 Tablespoon Mustard Powder
2 Tablespoons White Vinegar
2.5 Tablespoons of Honey
1/2 Teaspoon of Rosemary
2 Chicken Breast Fillets (fresh not frozen)

Instructions:

Place everything except the chicken in a small bowl and give it a good stir until it is well mixed.

Pour over chicken fillets in an oven proof dish.

Cover with alfoil and cook in the oven for 40 minutes.

After 40 minutes take the alfoil off and cook for another 15-20 minutes until well cooked.

Serve hot with steamed vegetables.

Soy Yoghurt

Several people have asked about my Soy Yoghurt.

I do have a few aids for this:

1. An easy yo maker (I highly recommend you invest in one of these if you will be making yoghurt regularly, as it's not that expensive and makes it really easy.)
2. Bellini (BIKM) - but anything else that mixes and heats would do the trick.

Following is my foolproof recipe.

Ingredients:
1 litre Bonsoy or Pureharvest Soy Milk.  (Both are non GMO - Pureharvest is organic) *1

30 grams rice malt syrup (normal sugar or honey would also work, but honey will alter the flavour.) *2

Tiny flick/shake of Greenliving Australia Dairy free culture *3

Method:

Using a Bellini, Thermomix, Kogen, etc al.

Fill jug with water, cook at steaming heat/veroma on speed 2-3 for 20 minutes or until it has reached the max temperature for at least 5 minutes to ensure it kills all other bacteria.

Once that is done, empty water into the easy yo container to also kill the bugs in it. *4

I do this utensil less, but any utensils you use need to be heated to kill bacteria too.

Place the jug on kitchen scales and measure in rice malt syrup

Add soy milk.  Mix on speed 3 for 7 minutes at heat of 37 degrees C.  Do not heat hotter than this or it will kill the culture.

Pour hot water from the tap into the base of the easy yo maker as per instructions.  (I don't use boiling water because I don't want to kill my culture.)  Set this aside somewhere it won't get bumped or disturbed.  Empty out the water from the easy yo container.

When your milk and sugar mix is heated perfectly add your culture.  I do 2-3 small taps on the side of it to shake a few grains in.  If you want it thicker, definitely go for 3-4 taps.

Mix on speed 4 for 4 seconds.

Pour into easy yo container.  There will be a little more than you have space for due to the froth.  You may as well put it in a glass and drink it.  It's basically probiotic milk.  ;)  Put the lid on, the easy yo container, pop in the easy yo maker, put that lid on, and leave it to set for 8-24 hours.

It needs to be undisturbed for this time, once it has been disturbed, take it out the hot water bath in the easy yo maker and put in the fridge.

The longer you leave it the thicker it gets, and as this soy yoghurt is sans thickener, leaving it longer is better.

* Kitchen tips:

1. You may use either.  I find bonsoy tastes better and is thicker, but it costs about x2 the price, and Pureharvest is Australian and organic.  I personally use Pureharvest in yoghurt for cooking, but prefer bonsoy with my breakfast.
2. The culture needs simple sugars to feed off of, so don't use agave or skip this step.
3.By the way, I don't get anything for giving a promo to green living Australia (or anyone else), I just know they worked for me and I was pretty happy with them.
4. Ensure that you thoroughly wash and rinse out your easy yo containers prior to using as any contamination or detergent could wreak the yoghurt.

Easy Dinner, Healthy Dinner?

Recently I took too much on.  By too much, I mean, I was drowning in it.  I had about one free day normally, and I took on enough extra stuff to cover a full week!  Might be slightly crazy.

I started getting worn out and exhausted.  I just couldn't cope.  Finally I spoke to someone who is like a father to me.  His first question for me was: what happened to your boundaries Felicity?  You can't let that happen.  People will violate your boundaries if you don't enforce them.  I sobbed something about it being so hard... and I was trying, but they weren't being respected, and I wasn't being respected either.

I was so discouraged I nearly quit a subject because I couldn't manage it all, and I was as miserable as a little kid with a cold.  The spark of life was missing.  In fact, it felt plain awful in every way.

It's funny.  It was a short conversation, because he didn't have long, but I felt a thousand times lighter afterward.  I spent a bit of time in worship, and let the tears and pain that had been held back for weeks go, and the tension and the stress left.

For the first day in several weeks I wasn't exhausted half way through the day.

I even got home and wanted to cook.  (The dishes took priority though.)

When I get around to cooking I think it will either be bread, brownies, or hot cross buns.  :)

Yesterday evening my easy, yum and healthy dinner was:

Easy Roast Chicken Dinner

1 chicken breast fillet

1 onion

4 chunks of butternut punkin (Washed, unpeeled)

2 carrots chopped in wedges

1/4 section of sweet potato (Peeled)

I poured a little olive oil over them and sprinkled with mixed herbs and garlic.

Covered with alfoil and put in the oven at 180C.

I then went for a walk, etc., and when I got it out the oven about 1.5 hours later it was cooked.  (I checked and turned it in-between, and I ended up cutting some of my chunks smaller.

Then I put some water on to boil with broccoli in it, and added some frozen peas and beans for about 5 -7 minutes.

It took almost nil effort and hardly any prep, but I then had a really nice dinner and leftovers for another 2 meals. 

As they say, winner, winner, chicken dinner.

Pineapple Strawberry Mint Sorbet

It's been a hot day, and I cooked up a fabulous pizza for tea, but that was hot too.

While I was outside picking some of my happy greens for my pizza I had this marvellous idea.  I could make strawberry mint sorbet.  I was trying to think of what other flavours I should include... I have lemons, that could give it a bit of zing.  But then I saw the pineapple - yes!  Perfect.  It was better than I imagined it would be.

Approx 400 grams of frozen strawberries.
1/3 a large pineapple, with the peel cut off
5-6 fresh mint leaves.

Blend for approx 2 minutes on speed 9.  Check for no lumps, but otherwise - that's it!

Try not to eat too quickly as it will give you a cold headache.  ;)  This makes 3-4 serves.  I think.  Depending on how hot it is, how hungry you are, and your ice cream eating habits.  I know males who could have easily eaten the whole lot themselves!

If you don't have a Bellini, Thermomix, Kogan, al, etc. a good blender should do the trick, but be careful that you don't kill it.

Chicken Curry

Ingredients:
2 chicken breasts
Dash of Macadamia Nut Oil
3 cloves of garlic
3 tins of coconut milk
3 carrots
1/2 bunch of kale
1 brown onion
1/2 bunch of spring onion
1 capsicum
2 small zuccini

1 broccoli head
1/2 cauliflower
Additional dried garlic, curry, tumeric - to taste

Method:

Chop and cook the chicken in a wok or huge frying pan.

After a few minutes add the onion and 1 tin of coconut milk.

Blitz the garlic and add.

Blitz the carrot, broccoli and cauliflower in a blender until they are fairly small chunks, but not tiny, add them, stir in a bit.

Blitz kale and add.

Add another tin of coconut milk.

Add other herbs and spices.

Blitz capsicum, and zuccini and add (if you wanted more veg then you could add eggplant and/or mushroom here - especially if you want a vegan version.)

Stir in final tin of coconut milk.

Cook for a few more minutes, and then it should be done.  (taste test - curry amounts vary on the strength of the curry and the stomach of the person eating it.)

This can easily be vegan, just skip the chicken, and it should still be just as delicious.

Shepherd's Pie

One of my favourite recipes is Shepherd's pie.  The normal version has potato and butter and milk and nasty things I can't eat, but this version is amazing and contains none of those things.  You can make this using leftovers or you can make it from scratch.

Ingredients:
500gm of mince - preferably lamb
1 onion (finely chopped if using stove, not if using a kitchen aid)
Half a cauliflower
Approx 2.5 kg of other veggies (carrots, peas, beans, cabbage - green or purple, zucchini, eggplant, spinach, broccoli,pumpkin etc.)
Organ veggie gravy
Gluten free beef stock (I use Massels)
Cheese, soy cheese or a nut based replacement cheese

Method:
Preheat oven to 180 degrees

Keeping cauliflower separate, cook vegetables on the stove by either boiling or steaming for approx 15-20 minutes until soft.

If you have a Bellini, Thermomix or Thermochef, etc. you can cook the mince and onion in that on speed 3, heat 90 - 100, with a good dash of water and oil each, for 20 minutes.  After about ten minutes add gravy and 2 teaspoons of stock.  You can add other flavourings if you like such as garlic, rosemary, or whatever herbs suit your fancy.  So easy as it cooks it for you and you don't have to worry about stirring.

On the stove method: cook mince in a pot on a lowish heat with a small dash of oil and/or water. Once it has browned a little, add the herbs, etc and onion.  When it is fully cooked add gravy stirring continuously until it has thickened, and then take off the heat.

Assemble veggies into your oven dish in layers.  I usually put chunky stuff at the bottom, but really veggies can go in any order or even mixed through except your cauliflower.

Add mince with gravy on top of veggies.

Mash the cauliflower well and add a dash of olive oil to it for texture.  You can add salt and pepper to it also or leave that out if you're keeping the salt low.

Add the cauliflower mash to the top and smooth over.

(If you want to freeze it unmade this is the best point to do so)

Put your cheese or fake cheese on, and zip in the oven.

If everything is already hot it will only take a few minutes, but if you have prepared ahead and then stored in the fridge or freezer then it will take 40 minutes in the oven from defrosted.  Just check it has heated all the way through.

Delish!

Roast Capsicum and Semi-dried Tomato Dip

This dip is another great starter, and fairly easy if you just buy the ingredients from a jar, however if you had leftover roast capsicum that would also work quite nicely in here.

Ingredients:
1/3 cup roast capsicum
1/3 cup semi-dried tomato

Method:
Blend well with a stick mixer or in a blender.

If you're unsure about it you can sample it at this point to check you are happy with the taste combination.

Serve with crackers or veggie sticks.

Semi-Dried Tomato and Olive Dip

This is another favourite.  I love this stuff, and once you make it, I'm sure you will also love it.  Even my friend who doesn't like olives thinks this is great!

Ingredients:
1/4 cup high quality pitted olives  (You can buy non pitted and pit yourself if you prefer.)
1/4 cup semi-dried tomatoes

Method:
Blend with stick mixer or in a blender.
Check it's not poisonous and tastes okay.  ;)
Make more, because you ate it lots before the guests came...

Quinoa and Chia Seed Porridge

This is my standard breakfast, quinoa and chia seed porridge.  It's very yummy, warm, quick to make and just plain fabulous.

I have several variations, so if you're wanting to try it different ways, be brave - it's better with variations!

For one person:
In a bowl place:
1/4 cup rolled quinoa
1 Tablespoon chia seed
1 cup of milk of choice (I like almond milk and coconut milk) or 3/4 cup of water.
Good teaspoon of cinnamon
Fruit to sweeten (1 handful of sultanas, or 1 mashed banana or 1 mashed pear, or stewed apple, etc.) Alternatively you could use honey, agave, stevia or another sweetener.

I prepare that the night before, and leave it in the fridge to soak, as it tastes better this way.

The next morning I pull it out the fridge, and pour it into a small pot. Mix it around well so everything is evenly distributed, and if it's completely absorbed the liquid add a little more so it's slightly runny.

Put it on a very low heat, and check it regularly, but it will probably take around 7 minutes to heat up.  DO NOT raise the temperature to make it happen faster.  (I usually use this time to clean the kitchen or do some other job, as it will take a few minutes...)  Once it has heated it will start bubbling a little.  Stir it gently, to make sure it doesn't stick.  This may take another 2-3 minutes.  (You don't need to stir constantly, give it a stir, leave it for a sec, come back give it another stir...)  Once it's a nice porridge consistency, you're done!  Take it off the heat and pour into a bowl to eat.  Yummy, yummy.  Just beware - it's hot.

Variations:
Chuck in a handful of nuts at step 1- almonds or walnuts are nice.

1 Tablespoon of coconut at step 1

You could add 2 teaspoons of Cacao powder for a nice chocolate flavour instead of the cinnamon, but you would want to think carefully about what fruit you matched with it (banana might be nice) and it may need extra sweetener to take off the bitter edge.