Chocolate Cheesecake Brownie Slice

I LOVE CHOCOLATE! And I'm very surprised that I don't have more chocolate recipes on my blog. At work we were having a fundraiser and people were encouraged to volunteer their time to bake or cook for the occasion. I had many request for the Mini Nutella Cookie Cups but I really wanted to try something different. Since I cannot eat many fruits which typically features in many morning tea favourites such as apples, pears, pineapple etc, I decided to try a good old chocolate recipe. I trolled through many recipes until I settled for this one: Chocolate Cheesecake Brownie Slice.

The recipe was a little fussy and it had me using many pieces from my kitchen but nothing that was unmanageable. I had to cook it a little bit longer than the recipe had stated but I have a dodgy oven so I had anticipated this addition.

The result: a heavenly smooth half brownie - half baked cheesecake slice that was moist and nicely balanced. I had expected it to be sickly sweet or oily but it was neither. My work colleagues LOVED IT and it disappeared very quickly.

I will definitely make it again for all my chocolate loving friends. Enjoy x


Desection of the Chocolate Cheesecake Brownie Slice

 I can't seem to rotate this picture... sorry

Marble effect of the Chocolate Cheesecake Brownie Slice 



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Low FODMAP sausage rolls

How I've missed the delicious smell and taste of pie, pasties and sausage rolls? On the weekend I'm usually on the go whether it is house work or running around doing errands, the faithful meat wrapped in pastry smothered in tomato sauce (ketchup) is a yummy treat that warms the soul and takes me back to my childhood.
The down fall of bakery bought sausage rolls is the possibility of onions in the meat mixture [sigh] so it was up to me to make them myself.
These little beauties are perfect for parties or picnics. If you are anything like me, most of the dry ingredients are already in your pantry. You can try different spices and herbs to make them Mexican or Indian or Italian or Thai flavoured sausage rolls.
You can bake these sausage rolls and freeze them in an air tight container for a rainy day or if you have guest drop by unexpectedly. Try them and make up your own flavours.

Low FODMAP sausage rolls

Low FODMAP sausage rolls

Makes 20 mini sausage rolls

250 grams pork mince
250 grams beef mince
1.5 Tbsp caraway seeds
1.5 Tbsp ground cumin
1 Tbsp ground coriander (cilantro)
1 Tbsp mild paprika
1 Tbsp thyme
1 Tbsp oregano
1 Tbsp parsley
1 carrot grated
2 sheets of frozen gluten free puff pastry
3 slices of gluten free bread or 1 cup of gluten free breadcrumbs
2 Tbsp of lactose free milk (only if you are using slices of bread)
1 egg yolk lightly beaten
sesame seeds
salt and pepper

1.       Heat over until 180C and remove 2 sheets of gluten free puff pastry from the packet to defrost. This will only take approximately 10 minutes.

2.       Heat pan until hot and place caraway seeds into the pan. Keep an eye on them and swirl them around as you do not want to burn them. Listen out for the popping sound of the caraway seeds and you can tell when they are toasted when they release a lovely woody earthy aroma. Once this occurs, remove them from the pan and set aside. This method of heating spices to release their favours and aroma is called dry roasting.

3.       If you are using slices of bread, tear up the bread and place it in the bowl with the milk to soak.

4.       In a medium size bowl mix together caraway, pork, beef, carrot, cumin, coriander, paprika, thyme, oregano, parsley, bread and milk mix or breadcrumbs, and salt and pepper.

5.       Roll the meat mixture into a sausage shape making sure it is not too thick. It takes longer to cook if the meat mixture is too thick.

6.       Place the meat mixture at the edge of the gluten free puff pastry and carefully roll the pastry over the meat mixture. Brush the egg yolk where the puff pastry will overlap itself to ensure a good seal. Allow 1 inch of overlap. Trim any excess puff pastry to form a long sausage roll. Repeat process until all the meat mixture has been wrapped in pastry.

7.       Brush the top of the puff pastry with egg wash and sprinkle with sesame seeds. Cut into  bite size pieces. One whole length of puff pastry should allow 8 pieces.

8.       Place on baking tray lined with baking paper and bake in the oven for 25 - 30 minutes or until pastry has golden and puffed. It may take longer depending on your oven. Once cooked remove from tray and place onto a cooling rack to avoid soggy bases.

9.       Allow to cool for 10 minutes and serve with your favourite condiment.

Gluten free puff pastry can be found at specialty stores such as www.glutenfreeshop.com.au  

Yummy yummy with tomato sauce

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Making your own pictures into pieces of art!

befunky.com

Someone once told me that they thought, deep down, I must be a frustrated graphic designer. To clear things up, I am not a graphic designer but more like someone who likes good design. I'm always on the hunt for programs that will amend images so I can create my own things such as weekly meal planner, shopping list etc. And, of course, I'm always looking out for free stuff.

I can't remember how I stumbled across befunky.com but I was quick to try it out. For a novice like myself, I found the website reasonably easy to operate. Simply upload a picture and click on the different effects to see the potential outcome. You can also add frames, words and other images to the artwork. It then lets you save the picture to your computer, facebbok page, Twitter etc. There is also a free mobile phone app with limited effects.

The picture below is Tom at the farm; can you see the sheep in the background? I was so impressed with the way this picture turned out with this 'under painting' effect. It looks like a real piece of artwork. I'm tempted in putting the first picture on canvas for his grandma.

Check out the other effects from befunky.com

Underpainting effect

PopArt 11effect

Watercolour effect

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Low FODMAP Country Style Chicken Casserole

I had bought some free range chicken lovely legs (skinless) on the weekend because I was in the mood for a casserole of sorts. The challenge I set for myself was to use ingredients that was already in the pantry, fridge or freezer. My taste buds didn't want a tomato based sauce but rather something a little bit lighter. I pondered all day about how I was going to cook this casserole when my mind reverted back to the days I shared an apartment with a very lovely French woman.
I noticed that the style and flavours of her meals were very much influenced by her native home land and this fascinated me. Lots of clear broths with delicate flavours and the use of herbs in almost all of her dishes. So I took some inspiration from her style of cooking and started using my basic cooking knowledge to prepare my dish.
In the pantry, fridge or freezer I had the staples and later on wished I had some speck, celery and peas to add to my casserole for an extra dimension. However the result was exactly what I wanted - light, aromatic and amazingly tasty. I hope enjoy this casserole as much as me.



Low FODMAP Country Style Chicken Casserole

Ingredients

Makes 3

6 free range chicken lovely legs, skinless

1/2 cup gluten free flour

Olive oil

1 carrot, diced

1 garlic, crushed

1 potato, sliced thinly

6 whole mushrooms

1/2 capsicum, sliced

2 cups salt reduced chicken stock

1 cup of white wine (remove if intolerant)

2 Tbsp soy sauce

1 Tbsp Worcestershire sauce

1 Tbsp seed mustard

6 sprigs of thyme
1 bay leaf

1 Tbsp dried oregano

1 Tbsp rosemary

2 good handful of parsley, chopped

salt and pepper

Method


1. Coat the chicken lovely legs in gluten free flour. Heat a heavy base saucepan and add olive oil, When hot add the chicken lovely legs to the saucepan to seal and cook to a golden brown. This should roughly take about 5 minute on each side. Once completed, remove the chicken lovely legs from the saucepan and place in a bowl.
2. Add a little bit more olive oil into the saucepan then add the carrots and capsicum. Reduce the heat and cook until soften. Add the garlic and cook for a further 2 minutes. Pour in the wine and simmer until the wine reduces wine.
3. Add poatoes, chicken stock, Worcestershire sauce, soy sauce, mustard,  thyme, oregano, bay leaf and rosemary to the saucepan ensuring that the chicken is submerged in the stock. Turn the heat up and bring to boil before reducing it again to low to simmer. Place the lid on and let it simmer for 20 minutes.
4. After 20 minutes, give it a good stir and add the mushrooms. Cook for a further 20 munites with the lid off.
5. Add parsley just before serving, and salt and pepper to your taste. I served my casserole with quinoa.

NOTE: If I had celery and speck I would add it at the same time as the carrots. I would also add the peas around 10 minutes before the complete cooking time.

 



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Low FODMAP Beef Curry

The one type of cuisine I've missed since being on the Low FODMAP diet is Asian food especially curries. I went out one night and ate a Thai curry. I thought to myself "how bad could it be to eat a little Thai food?". BIG MISTAKE. It took me 5 days to fully recover from my indulgence.

So, once again, I found myself making a Low FODMAP Indian style curry from Sue Shepherd's cookbook to satisfy my taste buds. I couldn't help but include a few more spices to the mix such as curry leaves, ground coriander (cilantro) and star anise.
Culinary genius, Heston Blumenthal, said this about star anise "What particularly appeals to me about star anise is the way it helps intensify meatiness in a dish. If you've ever wondered why humble Chinese spare ribs taste so meaty, even though they don't actually carry much meat, it's the star anise in the spice marinade. Chinese five spice usually contains star anise, Sichuan pepper, cassia, clove and fennel...". Perfect for a beef curry so I had to give star anise a try!

I was so excited about all these different spices coming together to make this beef curry, I was finally going to get my curry fix. One and a half hours later, I tasted a surprisingly mild curry dish. Was I disappointed? Well if I'm honest with myself - yes - but the recipe was not to blame. I had envisioned that the curry would taste like the ones I experienced prior to my FODMAP diet which is another big mistake because they will never be the same in intensity due to the lack of onion and garlic.
Neverthless I enjoyed the beef curry and was grateful for my leftovers for lunch over the next couple of days and accompanied with quinoa.

Spice mix

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Mini Nutella Cookie Cups

I first spotted these little bad boys on Pinterest and ever since I’ve been waiting patiently for a special event so I could make them. My dear friend and work colleague is going onto maternity leave and I jumped at the chance to bake them for her farewell.

The concept is simple; basic cookie (biscuit in Australia) recipe for the case and Nutella for the filling. Heaven! I must admit that I cheated with this recipe because I didn’t have time to make the cookie dough after work so I bought pre-made Aunty Kath’s Choc Chip cookie dough from the supermarket. It worked a treat! TIP: Do not use the M&M’s cookie dough because you will not be able to crush the M&M’s with the shot glass to make a neat little indent for the Nutella. All I did was scoop out the cookie dough mixture and placed them in the mini muffin tins. Bake for 10 minutes on 180C and then followed the rest of the directions to complete these Mini Nutella Cookie Cups.

Be sure to read the TIPS on the linked recipe page because I found them super helpful. I discovered that the original recipe is actually Peanut Butter Nutella Cookie Cups but I didn’t have any peanut butter in the house. I image a small amount of peanut butter at the bottom of the cookie cup then covered with Nutella would be rich but nicely balanced with the savouriness of the peanuts. Otherwise roast some hazel nuts and place a single nut in each cookie cup before spooning in the Nutella.

For Low FODMAP diet, replace cookie recipe with a suitable Low FODMAP version because Nutella is one food we are actually allowed to eat!

Give them a go! They are so easy to make and my friends were very impressed with the presentation – and taste.

Also try the Nutella & Almond Two Bite Brownies (Chocolate Cookie Cups).

Mini Mutella Cookie Cups

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Hosier Lane, Melbourne

MoVida

I love Melbourne lane ways especially Hosier Lane. This cobble paved lane way is famous for many things. Movida is a well-loved institution for Spanish cuisine and if you want to book for dinner; make sure you book 3 months ahead of time. Its intimate atmosphere and superbly crafted dishes makes this place very popular with Melbournians and visitors alike. If you can’t wait 3 months to dine at Movida then try going there for lunch, you are more likely to get in for a sitting that way.

Keep your eye out for it when walking down the lane way – blink and you might miss it.

MoVida | 1 hosier lane melbourne |  03 9663 3038 http://www.movida.com.au/movida/

Image source: http://www.australiantraveller.com/images/galleries/3431/movida02.jpg

 



Grilled Chorizo



Misty

I recently went to a quaint little bar only 2 doors up from Movida called Misty. Misty is one of Melbourne’s original lane-way bars. For a wintery Friday night after work drink spot, it was cosy and unpretentious. We had about 15 people in our party and almost took up half of the room so, as you can tell, it wasn’t a very big space. Nevertheless, it had a good range of spirits and other alcohol (which I couldn’t drink because of Low FODMAP diet) on offer and I could’ve happily sat on a bar stool all night chatting away to friends. I was also impressed with the heating, there’s nothing worse than going to a place and ending up with hypothermia because they had misjudge the pains of a Melbourne winter.

misty | 3-5 hosier lane melbourne | 03 9663 9202 http://mistymelbourne.com/

Image source: http://mistymelbourne.com/

 Artscape

My favourite thing about Hosier lane is the every changing artscape which brightly colours the walls with eye catching designs and styles. I’m pretty certain that artist need to gain permission from the council to place their works up onto the wall to ensure no offensive material is created but the mish-mash of designs actually works. Take a walk during the daytime and another stroll during the evening to see how the lane way itself changes. I believe you get the full appreciation of the artscape this way.

Heath Ledger as The Joker

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Lazy Low FODMAP tacos

My friends and colleagues always ask me what I make for dinner when I’m feeling lazy. Being on the Low FODMAP’s diet doesn’t give you the luxury of convenience but I find tacos and wraps to be the closest meals when it comes to easy dinners.

I try to have a packet of gluten free crumbed chicken or fish in my freezer so I can whip it out and put it in the oven as part of a quick meal. I use the crumbed chicken as part of my easy taco meal. Once I have placed the chicken in the oven, I move onto making my taco sauce. Place taco seasoning (see below) and a tin of crushed tomato into a pot, bring to boil then reduce the heat and simmer for 20 minutes. The completion of the taco simmering time should coincide with the cooking time for the crumbed chicken – easy!

While the taco sauce is simmering, you can make up all the other accompaniments: smashed avocado with lime juice, diced tomato, coriander (or cilantro) shredded carrot and cheese. Whatever you feel like. Once the chicken is cooked, place your tacos in the oven as per packet direction. Once the tacos are cooked, stuff them with the chicken, taco sauce and your accompaniments.

So here is my lazy dinner meal, It might not look pretty but it's still yum. I hope it inspires you to explore your own convenient meal ideas.

Lazy Low FODMAP tacos

Taco Seasoning

1 tin of crushed tomatoes (diced tomatoes are suitable as well)

1 Tbs ground cumin

1 tsp ground coriander

1 tsp paprika

1 Tbs sweet chili sauce

Splash of Worcestershire sauce (optional)

Salt and pepper

Squeeze of half a lime (optional)

Method

·         Place all ingredients in a sauce pan

·         Bring to boil, reduce the heat to low and simmer for 20 minutes

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Lactose Free Raspberry Friands

I attempted to make lactose free friands some months ago by modifying an existing recipe from taste.com.au

I replaced the butter with low fat and lactose free Nuttelex. I didn’t have a friand tin so I cooked them in cupcake patty pans.

The verdict: I miss butter! These little pale looking friands are a tasty treat but the absence of butter made them lack the richness that only butter could give. This, however, didn’t stop my friend from downing four of these little suckers while sipping on a cup of tea.

I froze the remaining friands and, sometimes, crumble them over my ginger and orange infused stewed rhubarb (recipe and pictures to come) for a quick dessert.



Lactose free raspberry friands



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Low FODMAP Moussaka

I had planned to go to the Melbourne Museum's latest exhibition, The Wonders of Ancient Mesopotamia, on Sunday but the weather was terrible. I don’t mind if it’s cold outside but when you add wind and rain to the mix – count me out! Instead I decided to cook another one of Sue Shepherd’s recipe from Irresistible for the Irritable cookbook for my dinner and I set my sight on the moussaka recipe. A perfect meal for a stormy day.

*UPDATE: I have been surfing the web for a similar moussaka recipe to the one in the cookbook and found one on taste.com.au but don't forget to remove the onion from the recipe. Recipe below*

Once again I mingled with the recipe by adding a little bit of nutmeg and the classic moussaka flavour of all spice. To make the dish a bit lighter I also replaced half of the lamb mince quality with mushrooms. I also brushed the eggplant with olive oil infused with garlic oil (Cobram) for an additional garlic flavour.

You need a bit of time on your hands to make this recipe as it requires a number of stages but, thankfully, these stages are not that tricky.

I was pleased with the results and will be sharing leftovers with my Greek friend who will give their verdict on this allergy-friendly recipe.



Low FODMAP moussaka



CAUTION: The eggplant acts like a sponge and absorbs all of the oil and I felt that the dish was a little bit oily. So my preference next time would be to not brush the slices of eggplant prior to baking.  Also beware of the all spice, only 1 teaspoon for this recipe because it is quite strong.

TIP: I had left over lamb minced and eggplant from making this dish and wasn't prepared to waste it so I created another meal from these left overs.

I cooked quinoa in reduced salt chicken stock as per packet direction. In the meanwhile, chop up the eggplant, mix eggplant and lamb minced together then heat mixture in microwave.

When eggplant and lamb minced is heated mix with cooked quinoa. I had some parsley so I chopped that up and add to the meal.

I was so surprised how delicious this mash up meal was.

Eggplant and potato moussaka

Recipe from taste.com.au

Ingredients (serves 6)

4 (about 1kg) brushed potatoes

4 (about 1.5kg) eggplants

140ml olive oil (use olive oil infused with garlic oil to maintain galic flavour)

4 cloves garlic, crushed (remove if you have an intolerant to garlic)

1 large onion, finely chopped (remove from recipe)

500g minced beef or lamb

1/2 teaspoon each ground cinnamon and allspice

100g tomato paste

125ml (1/2 cup) red wine (remove if you have an intolerant to wine)

400g can Italian chopped tomatoes

35g (1/3 cup) dried breadcrumbs

Bay leaves, to decorate

Olive oil combined with chopped lemon segments and mint, to serve

Sauce

100g butter, chopped (replace with margarine or non-dairy spread or olive oil)

75g (1/2 cup) plain flour (replace with gluten free flour)

1 litre milk (replace with lactose free milk)

1/4 teaspoon freshly grated nutmeg

150g kefalograviera (seenote), coarsely grated (remove cheese from recipe)

3 egg yolks

Method

1.      Preheat a chargrill over medium heat. Cut potatoes and eggplants into 7mm-thick rounds. Combine 100ml oil with 1 clove crushed garlic, brush over eggplants, then season. Chargrill eggplants, in batches, for 2 minutes each side or until tender.

2.      Heat remaining garlic and oil in a pan over medium heat and cook onion and 1 teaspoon salt for 8 minutes. Add beef and spices, and cook, stirring, until browned. Add paste and wine, and simmer until nearly evaporated. Add tomatoes and simmer for 20 minutes or until very thick.

3.      Meanwhile, for sauce, melt butter in a pan, add flour and stir until grainy. Remove from heat and gradually stir in milk until smooth. Return pan to heat and stir until thick. Remove from heat, stir in nutmeg, cheese and egg yolks. Season. Cook potatoes in boiling water for 8 minutes or until just tender. Drain well.

4.      Preheat oven to 180°C. Grease a 16-cup, 23cm x 28cm baking dish. Line base with overlapping slices of half the eggplant and all the potato, then pour over 3/4 cup sauce. Scatter with half the breadcrumbs, top with beef mixture, remaining eggplant and crumbs, then remaining sauce. Top with bay leaves and bake for 35 minutes or until browned. Stand for 30 minutes, then serve drizzled with oil, lemon and mint mixture.

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Low FODMAP Osso Bucco

There is nothing like a wonderful hearty meal when it's cold and miserable outside. I struggled to find a casserole dish that didn't contain onions; the most consumed vegetable in the world.

Being a lover of food, I was determined to find something that would satisfy my winter food craving. I found Sue Shepherd’s cookbooks; Irresistible for the Irritable and Two Irresistible for the Irritable.

I was drawn to the recipe for Osso Bucco and became quite excited. Due to copyright reasons, I cannot publish the recipe but what I can say is – BUY THE BOOK, ITS WORTH EVERY PENNY!
*UPDATE: I have been surfing the web for a similar recipe and found one on taste.com.au but don't forget to remove the onion and white wine from the recipe, and use gluten free flour for coating the osso bucco.*

I added a few sprigs of fresh thyme and a zest of one lemon to the recipe and wrapped the onion with muslin cloth to ensure the onion skins didn’t escape. I simmered it for 1 hour with the lid on and then another 30 minutes without the lid. I served it with potato puree made with lactose free milk and margarine.

One mouthful and I was in heaven! I was extremely pleased with the meal and it ticked all the boxes for the perfect winter meal.

Next time I make this dish I’ll definitely add speck for an extra dimension. Enjoy!

Low FODMAP Osso Bucco
Recipe by Sue Shepherd

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Low FODMAP Chicken Wonton Noodle Soup

I  suffer from the symptoms of irritable bowels syndrome (IBS) which I ignored for most of my adult life.

It was around 18 months ago that I noticed my symptoms escalating to a point where I had to excuse myself from social occasions and head home so I could curl up into a ball due to my extreme nausea, stomach pains and light headiness that had overcome me. Sometimes I would fall asleep because I felt very weak.

I couldn't go on constantly feeling like I was going to be sick nor miss out on social events so I did a bit of research and made an appointment with a dietician.

She was great! She immediately put me on a Low FODMAP diet, which looked miserable for a Foodie like me, but I was determined to give it a good go!

I looked all over the internet and became inspired by Natalie Nott Low FODMAP 2 Minute Noodles recipe. Since I have been tested for Coeliac Disease and the results returned out to be negative, I was able to make chicken wontons to add to Natalie Nott's Low FODMAP 2 Minute Noodles.

   

Low FODMAP chicken wonton noodle soup.
Not suitable for coeliac disease.

 Chicken Wontons

Makes 30
Not suitable for people who have coeliac disease

250 grams chicken mince

1 packet of square wonton sheets (approx. 30)

1/4 cup coriander, chopped (also known as cilantro)

1 tbsp chives, chopped

Thumb size ginger, grated

1 tsp sesame oil

1 tsp soy sauce

1 tsp oyster sauce

Dash of pepper, fine

1 Tbsp water chestnut, finely chopped

Water to seal wontons wrappers

Method

1. In a bowl mix chicken mince, coriander, chives, ginger, sesame oil, soy sauce, oyster sauce and pepper until well combined.
2. Place one wonton wrapper (floured side down) on a clean surface. Scoop a teaspoon of chicken mixture and put it in the middle of the wonton wrapper. Warning make sure you don't put too much chicken mixture on the wrapper otherwise it will not close. 
3. Brush all sides of the wonton wrapper with water. Pick up one corner and pull the wrapper over so it meets the opposite corner to form a triangle. Press down on the sides to ensure wonton wrapper is sealed.
4. Wet the two side corners of the triangle, gently pull them together and press firmly.
5. Place them in a bamboo steamer with either an oiled bottom or grease proof paper cut out. Steam for 10 minutes. Freeze the remaining wontons in press seal bags in single layers otherwise they will stick together in a clump.
6. Proceed with Natalie Nott Low FODMAP 2 Minute Noodle Soup and add steamed wontons or have them on their own.

Chicken wontons

TIPS:
For more wonton folding techniques please visit Homemade Chinese Soups website

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