A tasty warm dessert perfect for a cold winter’s day. The hardest part of this dessert is peeling and cutting the pineapple, the second hardest is sharing with family and friends.
This baked pineapple recipe serves 4 as dessert.
Ingredients
- 600 g pineapple
- 2 cinnamon sticks
- 2 teaspoon brown sugar
- ½ cup water
- 4 tablespoons vanilla yoghurt or ice cream
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 220°C (425°F).
- Peel and cut pineapple into chunks.
- In a baking dish, add the cinnamon sticks and water and top with the pineapple chunks, then sprinkle the brown sugar on top.
- Cover the baking dish with foil and bake for 30 minutes.
- Remove foil from baking dish and continue baking for another 15 minutes.
- Serve with 1 generous tablespoon of vanilla yoghurt or ice cream topped with fresh mint.
This potato salad recipe has been one of my family’s favourite for over 10 years. It’s a really basic recipe that’s simple to make, keeps well in the fridge, and perfect for a summer barbeque.
This recipe is enough to feed 6-8 people as a side dish or 4-6 people as a lunch salad or small meal.
Not sure what type of potato to use? I recommend Western Potatoes’ which potato to use as a guide in choosing the right potato for the right recipe. My favourite potato is the Royal Blue potato, the most versatile potato for any dish.
Ingredients
- 1 kg potatoes
- 150 g bacon
- 3 eggs
- 1 small white onion
- 200 g mayonnaise
- ½ tsp paprika (optional)
Instructions
- Dice the 1 kg potatoes and place in a large saucepan, cover with cold water and bring to boil, then reduce heat to simmer for 8-10 minutes.
- Hard boil the 3 eggs.
- Chop the bacon and saute in a hot frypan/skillet with a little olive oil for 3-5 minutes.
- Dice the white onion.
- Gently combine all ingredients in a large mixing bowl. Season with salt and pepper.
- Chill in the refrigerator prior to serving.
Tips and Suggestions
My most significant suggestion is, experiment. Potato salads are hard to get wrong because they work well with varying amounts of ingredients. If you like bacon, add more bacon, if you don’t like egg, leave it out completely! There are no hard and fast rules with potato salad.
For a healthier version, use low fat bacon and mayonnaise.
Although paprika is an optional ingredient, it’s highly recommended to add it as it adds another dimension to the potato salad.
This Irish beef stew recipe was modified from the recipe found at Elise.com’s Simply Recipes. Being a bit of a calorie counter, I couldn’t bear to use amounts such as “1/4 cup of olive oil” just to brown the beef! Just so you know, a quarter cup of olive oil has about 477 calories, or 1995 kilojoules.
So my own version of the recipe has been developed based on Elise.com’s recipe. Some other differences, other than the amount of fats used in the recipe, are that my version of the recipe has more beef and less potatoes.
Ingredients
- 3 tablespoons olive oil
- 6 large garlic cloves, minced
- 1 kg stew beef, cut into 1-inch pieces
- 2 tablespoons chopped fresh parsley
- Salt and pepper to taste
Gravy Ingredients:
- 6 cups (1.5L) beef stock
- 1 cup of Guinness beer
- 1 cup of red wine
- 2 tablespoons tomato paste
- 1 tablespoon dried thyme
- 1 tablespoon Worcestershire sauce
- 2 bay leaves
Vegetables:
- 1 kg potatoes, peeled, cut into 1/2-inch pieces
- 1 large onion, chopped
- 2 cups carrots, 1/2-inch pieces peeled
Instructions
- Heat 2 tablespoons olive oil in heavy large casserole/crock-pot over medium-high heat.
- Add garlic and saute for 1 minute.
- Add beef in 3 to 4 batches and saute until brown on all sides, about 5 minutes for each batch.
- Add the Gravy Ingredients, ie, beef stock, Guinness beer, red wine, tomato paste, dried thyme, Worcestershire sauce and bay leaves.
- Stir to combine. Bring mixture to boil then reduce heat to medium-low. Cover and simmer 1 hour, stirring occasionally.
- While the meat and gravy stock are simmering, heat 1 tablespoon olive oil in another large pot over medium heat.
- Add Vegetables (potatoes, onion and carrots) and saute until golden, about 20 minutes.
- Add vegetables to beef stew and simmer uncovered until vegetables and beef are very tender, about 40 minutes.
- Discard bay leaves. Add salt and pepper to taste.
- Transfer stew to serving bowl, sprinkle with parsley and serve.
Suggestions
As with many stews, casseroles and curries, they taste better as left overs, so make a big pot and refrigerate the left overs for an extra tasty stew.
Many are probably not familiar with this, unless you’re Chinese. Kayang is a Chinese version of jam primarily made of coconut milk and a tonne of sugar. It’s spread over toast or any other bread and enjoyed just like jam, only tastier, that’s my opinion, but then again, I was brought up on the stuff so it might be an acquired taste thing.
I’ve never found Kayang at the groceries stores in Australia so if we ever wanted Kayang, we had to make it at home. Spurred on by a recent batch of Kayang from my folks, I decided to share our recipe.
Ingredients
- 1 can of coconut milk
- 1 can of eggs (ie enough egg to fill the coconut milk can)
- 2 cans of sugar (ie enough sugar to fill the coconut milk can twice)
Optional Ingredients
- 2 tablespoons sugar
- 1 tablespoon salt (or to taste)
- 2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice
- 2 pandan leaves (available from Chinese grocery stores)
Instructions
These are the full instructions and will include the use of all the optional ingredients.
- In a large casserole pot, caramalise the 2 tablespoons sugar.
- Once the sugar is caramalised, turn off the heat and allow to cool.
- As the caramalised sugar is cooling, beat the 1 can of eggs lightly until well combined but not frothy.
- Strain the beaten egg into a large bowl, don’t skip this step or you’ll end up with lumpy Kayang! (see below)
- Add the rest of the ingredients to the large bowl and mix, that is:
- 1 can coconut milk
- 2 cans sugar
- 1 tablespoon salt
- 2 tablespoon lemon juice
- 2 pandan leaves
- Add the mixture from the large bowl to the large casserole pot with the cooled caramalised sugar
- Put the large casserole pot over low heat and cook the mixture with continuous stirring for about 30 mintues, or until cooked. You’ll know that it’s cooked because the consistency will turn to honey.
Tips and Hints
The amounts of each main ingredients is not so important, it’s more important that the ratio of ingredients are maintained, which is 1:1:2 (milk:egg:sugar).
This is a rather easy recipe, but the trick to making great Kayang lies in the ability to avoid lumpiness. Kayang becomes lumpy when the egg in the recipe is instantly cooked. You need a lot of patience with this recipe if you want to end up with a good batch. Here’s some important tips and hints for smooth kayang:
- Don’t skip the straining of the beaten eggs
- Don’t be tempted to use medium or high heat to speed up the cooking process
- Don’t add the mixture in the large bowl to warm or hot caramalised sugar, this will instantly cook the egg and give you lumpy Kayang
Health and hearty sweets suitable for those observing a sattvic diet. Made with fresh ingredients with no cooking required, this simple to prepare recipe is both nutritious and delicious. Be warned… this is not food to be eaten by the truckloads as it does have quite a few calories!
You’ll need a blender for this recipe. Be prepared to use your hands!
Ingredients
- 75 g raisins / sultanas
- 50 g nuts (almonds, peanuts, hazelnuts, whatever takes your preference)
- 100 g shredded coconut
Instructions
- Add the raisins and nuts to the blender and blend until combined but not smooth.
- Roll the mixture into balls.
- Spread the shredded coconut on a plate and roll the balls in the coconut to coat.
- Can be enjoyed immediately or chilled prior to serving.
Optional
Instead of using shredded coconut to coat the raisin nut balls, why not try these variations?
- Cocoa
- Melted chocolate - although chocolate is not strictly sattvic, small amounts is acceptable
- Carob powder
Tim Tams are my most favourite chocolate biscuits, possibly ever. They’re made by Arnotts and from what I’ve been told, aren’t easily available other than in Australia.
This isn’t strictly a recipe, but more of a way of eating these delicious chocolate treats. This Tim Tam “eating technique” has been called Tim Tam Slams and Tim Tam Torpedos.
Ingredients
- Tim Tams, any flavour you like, but Original is probably the best
- Cup of coffee, black or white
Instructions
- Bite off opposite/diagonal corners of the Tim Tam biscuit
- Use the Tim Tam as a straw and suck the coffee through the biscuit
- As soon as the coffee reaches your mouth, pop the whole Tim Tam into your mouth.
The Tim Tam is going to melt pretty quickly, so don’t hold onto it for too long or it’ll drop into your coffee! You should get a pleasant chocolate explosion in your mouth. Enjoy!
Buy Tim Tams from Aussie Products.
Caprioskas have to be one of my favourite alcoholic drinks (not that I drink so much). It’s so simple to make so you can’t really get it wrong. It’s tangy and refreshing and perfect as a summer cocktail. Just a word of caution, this is a strong drink and not for the uninitiated!
You’ll need a cocktail shaker and a pestle (or rolling pin!) for this recipe.
Ingredients
(Per person)
- 0.5 cup of crushed ice
- 2 shots of Vodka (about 30 mL or 1 fl.oz.)
- 1 lime cut into half wedges
- 1 teaspoons of brown sugar (or however much you like)
Instructions
- Add the lime wedges and brown sugar into the cocktail shaker and crush together with the pestle until the lime juice has been released.
- Add the vodka and crushed ice to the cocktail shaker and shake vigourously until mixed.
- Pour the mixture into a glass and enjoy!
Optional
To make a Caipirinha, replace the vodka with rum.
Fruity caprioskas are a delightful variation on the traditional caprioskas. Try adding 2 pieces of fruit such as lychee, mandarin or strawberries, or 2 teaspoons of mixed berries after Step 1, crush with the lime wedges and sugar, then continue with Step 2 and 3.
Made famous by Carrie Bradshaw from Sex and the City, the Cosmopolitan is the ultimate chic chick drink. Not only does it look gorgeous with it’s pink colour, but it tastes absolutely divine.
You’ll need a cocktail shaker and (of course) a martini glass for this recipe.
Ingredients
(Per person)
- 1 shot of Vodka (about 30 mL or 1 fl.oz.)
- 0.5 shot of Cointreau (about 15 mL or ½ fl.oz.)
- 0.5 shot of cranberry juice (about 30 mL or 1 fl.oz.)
- 1 wedge of lime
- Crushed ice
Instructions
- Chill the martini glass by filling with crushed ice.
- In a cocktail shaker, add the Vodka, Cointreau and cranberry juice. Squeeze the lime wedge to release the juice and add to the shaker with some crushed ice.
- Shake well.
- Throw away the ice from the martini glass and strain the mixture into the glass.
- Garnish with a cherry, slice of orange peel or slice of lime and enjoy!
Optional
Some people think that using real lime fruit is a little too tangy and sour. In this case, you can replace the lime with lime juice or lime cordial. I don’t usually recommend this, but some people may prefer Cosmopolitans this way.
A New York style Cosmopolitan has a little more berry flavour to it. To achieve this, add ½ shot of Chambord (a raspberry liquor) to the cocktail shaker before shaking it.
I got this recipe from the side of the Rice Bubble’s box. I haven’t tried it yet, but I did buy the ingredients that I needed. Sounds yummy and easy enough to make.
Ingredients
- 200 grams white chocolate (chopped)
- 100 grams milk chocolate (chopped)
- 2 cups of Kelloggs Rice Bubbles
Instructions
- Melt the white chocolate in the microwave (in a microwave safe dish) until almost all melted. Remove and stir until all melted then add to the Kelloggs Rice Bubbles until well combined.
- Gently press the rice bubble/white chocolate mix into muffin trays to form a cup (use a spoon). Put the muffin trays with the rice bubble/white chocolate mix in the fridge for an hour or until set.
- Melt the milk chocolate in the microwave and use a pastry brush to paint the inside of the rice bubble cups with the melted milk chocolate. Put the rice bubble cups back into the fridge and remove about 30 mintues before serving.
- To serve, put ice cream and/or fruit in the rice bubble cups.
Suggestions
I can imagine filling these cups with vanilla ice cream topped chocolate sauce and sprinkled with chopped peanuts, that would be delicous! You could even add cubed bananas and you have a new way to serve banana splits.
I don’t know if it’ll work, but you could try using Kelloggs Coco Pops instead of Rice Bubbles for an extra chocolate treat. Perhaps using milk chocolate (in place of white chocolate) and dark chocolate (in place of milk chocolate) would suit Coco Pops better.
Final thoughts
I personally think this recipe is so easy that even kids can make it. It would make a introduction to cooking for kids!
