![]() Winter has well and truly come here in Mt Eliza, so much so that we have had to replace one fence so far this season! It's also meant that it's soup time! One flavor in particular is very versatile in the kitchen and that's tomato soup. Believe it or not, you can actually use it for more things than just putting in a pot and serving it with hot toast. How To Use- As a base for meatball sauce (see recipe below) - Use it as a base for meat sauces i.e. Sloppy Joes, Spaghetti Bolognaise and Swiss Steak - Use it to replace Passatta - Bake a cake with it ... truly! Click here for the link to the recipe for Tomato Soup Cake! - Add it to a beef casserole. - Add into a Goulash or Stroganoff - Use as a base for Tomato Pasta Sauces. - Pasta Bake MOO |
Special NoteIf your child is fine with dried fruit, replace glace ginger with sultanas or other dried fruit. | Ingredients 2 cups self raising flour ¼ cup sugar 4 tbsp margarine ¼ chopped crystallized (glace) ginger 1 tsp dried ginger ½ cup skim milk 2 egg whites Extra sugar to sprinkle on top Method Preheat oven to 190C/375F fan forced Place ginger and all dry ingredients except extra sugar into a large mixing bowl. Melt margarine and add to milk, combine. Add egg whites to milk mix, using a fork beat together until well combined. Add milk mixture to dry ingredients and mix well. On a flat baking tray lined with baking paper place large spoonfuls of mixture. Sprinkle with the extra sugar and bake for 15 minutes or until beginning to brown. |

It's Thanksgiving in the U.S. and that means this ingredient gets to shine as pie! Here in Australia the notion of eating pumpkin as other than a savory food is hard to get our heads around.
I for instance have never ever had a sweet pumpkin pie, the idea is incredibly intriguing. Yet I have had roast pumpkin everytime we have a Sunday roast. So, for this months ingredient I thought I would share pumpkin with you as a savory option for your healthy Thanksgiving meal this year.
I for instance have never ever had a sweet pumpkin pie, the idea is incredibly intriguing. Yet I have had roast pumpkin everytime we have a Sunday roast. So, for this months ingredient I thought I would share pumpkin with you as a savory option for your healthy Thanksgiving meal this year.
How to Use?
Pumpkin is an extremely versatile vegetable and extremely easy to grow. So long as you have lots of water, manure and a sunny patch in the garden any pumpkin vine will be quite at home.
Once grown a pumpkin can be stored in the dark part of your pantry whole for many months. Just make sure the stem is short and woody, and once cut it must go straight in the fridge. A good tip once cut is to dust the exposed flesh with a little cornflour and then wrap in plastic wrap. This will help prevent mold.
Uses for pumpkin include:
- mashing (with potato is nice)
- roasting (in chunks, skin on - and you can eat the skin!)
- boiling
- puree (babies will love the sweetness)
- soup (see recipe below - an absolute fav here in Oz)
- risotto (cube and add as flavoring)
- pasta (cube and add to a creamy sauce - nice with bacon)
- baked goods (hide in a cake or make pumpkin scones - see recipe below)
- curries (cube and add to Thai dishes or Indian curries)
- dry the seeds for trail mix
Once grown a pumpkin can be stored in the dark part of your pantry whole for many months. Just make sure the stem is short and woody, and once cut it must go straight in the fridge. A good tip once cut is to dust the exposed flesh with a little cornflour and then wrap in plastic wrap. This will help prevent mold.
Uses for pumpkin include:
- mashing (with potato is nice)
- roasting (in chunks, skin on - and you can eat the skin!)
- boiling
- puree (babies will love the sweetness)
- soup (see recipe below - an absolute fav here in Oz)
- risotto (cube and add as flavoring)
- pasta (cube and add to a creamy sauce - nice with bacon)
- baked goods (hide in a cake or make pumpkin scones - see recipe below)
- curries (cube and add to Thai dishes or Indian curries)
- dry the seeds for trail mix
Which do I buy?
There are so many varieties of pumpkin and lots of pretty colors as well. Some are better to use for certain recipes than others, for example for a lovely sweet soup butternut squash would be better as it purees well, whereas a more robust firmer variety like Queensland blue in better for roasting.
As there are so many click on this link and it will take you to a great site listing lots of varieties.
Buying canned pumpkin is also quite acceptable as most varieties are additive and preservative free. The best canned sups to buy are:
- Bookbinders Vegetarian Butternut Squash & Mushroom Soup
- Pacific Natural Foods Organic Butternut Squash Bisque
- Health Valley Butternut Squash Soup
As there are so many click on this link and it will take you to a great site listing lots of varieties.
Buying canned pumpkin is also quite acceptable as most varieties are additive and preservative free. The best canned sups to buy are:
- Bookbinders Vegetarian Butternut Squash & Mushroom Soup
- Pacific Natural Foods Organic Butternut Squash Bisque
- Health Valley Butternut Squash Soup
RecipesPumpkin Scones Ingredients 1 tbs butter 1/2 cup sugar 1/4 tsp salt 1 egg 1 cup mashed pumpkin (cold) 2-2 1/4 cups self-raising flour Method Beat together butter, sugar and salt using an electric mixer. Add egg, then pumpkin. Stir in, by hand, sifted flour. Turn onto floured board and cut. Place onto heated floured tray and cook on the top shelf of a very hot oven (220 to 250C) for 15-20 minutes. Serve with a dollop of butter! | Pumpkin SoupIngredients 30 g butter 2 onions 2 medium potatoes 750 g pumpkin 600 ml chicken stock 1 cup milk salt and pepper cream chopped chives, coriander or parsley Method Chop onions, peel and dice potatoes and pumpkin. Heat butter in soup pan and saute onions until soft. Add potatoes, pumpkin, milk and stock. Cover and simmer gently for about 30 minutes or until vegetables are tender. Puree with a stick blender and add salt & pepper to taste. Add cream if desired and reheat gently. Serve garnished with a dollop of cream and herbs. Special NoteYou can cook pumpkin for this scone recipe very quickly and easily with your microwave. Cut pumpkin pieces into large chunks and place in a microwave safe dish. Sprinkle with a little water and plastic wrap. Cook in microwave on your ovens settings for cooking fresh vegetable's (or until soft when pierced with a knife). It should only take a couple of minutes. Mash as you would potato. |
MOO Roast Pumpkin Seasoning
Roasting pumpkin is dead easy, just chop into large chunks, skin on, shake in a bowl with oil and then place in roasting pan. Sprinkle with salt and roast until tender and brown.
What is extra yummy is if you sprinkle your pumpkin with this seasoning. Your kitchen will smell divine come Thanksgiving lunch!
Add equal parts of the following to a spice grinder and sprinkle liberally:
salt
sugar
dried garlic (or garlic powder)
pepper
dried rosemary
dried parsley
This is also delicious on baked chicken or a roast chicken!
What is extra yummy is if you sprinkle your pumpkin with this seasoning. Your kitchen will smell divine come Thanksgiving lunch!
Add equal parts of the following to a spice grinder and sprinkle liberally:
salt
sugar
dried garlic (or garlic powder)
pepper
dried rosemary
dried parsley
This is also delicious on baked chicken or a roast chicken!
Keeping in the 'spirit' of our Halloween theme I decided this month to take a look at sugar. Sugar is one of those ingredients that can have a bad wrap and be blamed for hyperactivity in children. Like all things, it's best in moderation but here's why it's not as bad as we all may think. White sugar does not cause children’s poor behavior. It’s not so great for teeth and there are studies that demonstrate links between sugar, heart disease and diabetes, but overall it is not what is causing your child to practice their pole vaulting on your couch! That is the chemicals talkin! Quite often it is the chemicals that come with sugary foods that are the culprit - the foods your children are more likely to consume! Personally I know that sugar is a refined processed food as is flour; however I personally don’t see a problem in my children consuming between them as an occasional sweet half a cup of sugar spread out over a cake or a dozen muffins. I know that what I make is homemade and made from the freshest ingredients I can find and are not full of harmful chemicals. How to use?The best types of sugar and their uses:
Sweeteners:
Which do I buy?You can purchase any brand of sugar and sweeteners so long as they are 100% pure. Fun Fair ToffeeIngredients Serves 14 1 cup (220g) Superfine (caster) sugar 10g butter 2 tablespoons boiling water 2 tablespoons vinegar 100's and 1000's or crushed nuts, to decorate Method Stir sugar, butter, water and vinegar in a small saucepan over low heat until the sugar dissolves. Bring to the boil. Boil, without stirring, about 10-15 minutes or until a spoonful of the mixture crackles when dropped in cold water. Pour into paper baking cases in patty pan holes; sprinkle with 100's and 1000's or crushed nuts. Leave to set. Tip: For a chewier toffee, cook for a shorter time (until toffee forms a soft ball when dropped into cold water). MOO (Make Our Own) Food ColorsYellow Turmeric gives a bright yellow color and you really can’t taste it when you add natural vanilla essence or lemon juice. Preparation Time: 10 Minutes Cooking Time: 0 Makes: Enough to Cover the Basic Cake Mix Add: 3½ Teaspoons fresh lemon juice OR natural vanilla essence ½ Teaspoon turmeric The turmeric will take a while to turn yellow, so don’t be tempted to add more turmeric. Dark Pink Icing This is a rich dark coloring. The secret to the strong bright color is heating and concentrating the raspberry juice. You can make a lovely lighter pink color using the same recipe but without heating the raspberries. Ingredients 1 Cup raspberries (frozen is fine) Method Place the raspberries in a saucepan, and heat gently for a few minutes until they start to break down and yield their juice. Strain the berries through a sieve, collecting the juice in a bowl, and with the back of a spoon push through the remaining juice still in the berries. (You can discard the remaining seeds etc in the sieve, and keep the juice.) Measure out 8 teaspoons of raspberry juice and mix into the tofee with a spoon or fork until you are left with a bright pink icing. Please note this recipe will produce more than 8 teaspoons of juice, so you can store the remaining juice in the freezer for another time. Red Violet Icing Ingredients 1½ Cups blueberries (frozen is fine) Method Place the blueberries in a saucepan, and heat gently for 2-5 minutes or until they start to break down and yield their juice. Strain the berries through a sieve, collecting the juice in a bowl, and with the back of a spoon gently push through the remaining juice still in the berries. (You can now discard the berry skins, and keep the juice.) Measure out 8 teaspoons of blueberry juice and place into a mixing bowl. Reference: The Trusted Trolley www.additivefreekids.com.au | You may have your own concerns with sugar and that’s ok, because sugar is an extremely interchangeable and flexible product. Feel free to substitute sugar in baked goods with a sweetener of your choice, whether that is corn syrup, maple syrup, honey or Stevia - just make sure it’s not an artificial sweetener as these are man made chemicals. There are many sugars to use and often the differences is just the level of refinement. Refining a product is about the stripping away of by products or nutrients to make a product that’s easier to work with. It is not about adding chemicals to your diet. For example, superfine sugar or castor sugar is simply white sugar finely ground and you can do that in your thermomix at home if you like. RecipesSome alternative ideas to serving candy that has artificial colors, sweeteners and preservatives at Halloween. HoneycombIngredients: 1 tablespoon water 75g castor sugar 60g golden syrup 1 teaspoon bicarbonate of soda Method In a small saucepan (with high sides) add the water, sugar and golden syrup and place over a low heat, stirring occasionally until the sugar dissolves. Increase the heat to medium and boil the syrup until it turns a more golden color, this will take about 3 minutes, be careful that it does not burn. Turn off the heat and immediately add the bicarbonate of soda and mix it in quickly. It will foam like mad and start to bubble up the sides of the pan, quickly pour the bubbling honeycomb onto a slip mat or baking tray covered with baking parchment and allow it to flow level. Leave the honeycomb to cool and crisp up. Break into large pieces and store (separate with baking parchment) in an airtight container until needed. Can be made a day ahead. Special NoteTo decorate your toffee's or change the color see Whats in the Pantry? for natural food colors and 100's & 1,000's or try this recipe below! Light Pink Icing This is a delightful light pink with a delicate strawberry flavor. If you are not keen on raspberries or just want a gentler pink color, then this is for you! Ingredients ½ Heaped cup chopped strawberries Method Place the chopped strawberries into a small saucepan and heat on a medium heat for 5-8 minutes or until the berries become squishy and yield their juice. Strain the strawberries through a sieve, collecting the juice in a bowl, and with the back of a spoon push through the remaining juice. (You can now discard the remaining seeds etc in the sieve, and keep the juice.) Measure out 3 teaspoons of strawberry juice, add it to the toffee and mix together with a spoon or fork, until the it turns a beautiful pale pink. Please note this recipe will produce more than 3 teaspoons of juice, so you can store the remaining juice in the freezer for another time. Green Icing Don’t let the spinach in this recipe put you off. It works brilliantly and you really can’t taste it! Just don’t tell the kids until they ask for their second piece. For a different flavor, try adding some mint leaves in with the spinach to make a minty green color. Ingredients 250gms Frozen spinach ¼ Teaspoon turmeric (optional for brighter green) Method Place the frozen spinach into a saucepan of water and bring to the boil, allow to boil for 10 minutes. Pour the spinach into a sieve and strain. Now place the strained spinach into a blender and blend to a paste. Return the spinach paste to the sieve and push through with the back of a spoon. Collect the spinach pulp in a bowl and discard the spinach that won’t pass through the sieve. Add 4 teaspoons of the spinach puree (and turmeric if desired) to the toffee and mix with a fork or spoon until the toffee turns a lovely bright green. This recipe will produce more than 4 teaspoons of spinach puree, so you can store the remaining puree in the freezer for another time. Special NoteUse these colors in icing to ice cakes, biscuits and cupcakes too! |
Here in Australia we are now starting Spring, and we've had a great start with a week of unusually warm weather. Warm weather here means BBQ's! But up in the Northern Hemisphere you guys are heading into the cooler months of your year, so that means yummy stodgy foods.
The opposite changes made me think about a food that is equally at home in Summer foods as well as Winter and this lead me to Mustard!
This little jar of flavor has probably been languishing in the back of your pantry or fridge just begging to be given a new lease on life. It can be used for so much more than just adding an extra stain to your shirt while eating hot dogs, so let's see what else we can do with it.
And remember ... it's additive and preservative free! Bonus!
The opposite changes made me think about a food that is equally at home in Summer foods as well as Winter and this lead me to Mustard!
This little jar of flavor has probably been languishing in the back of your pantry or fridge just begging to be given a new lease on life. It can be used for so much more than just adding an extra stain to your shirt while eating hot dogs, so let's see what else we can do with it.
And remember ... it's additive and preservative free! Bonus!
How to Use?
Mustard comes in all spectrum's of flavors and hotness so there is one to suit both adults and children alike. It can come in paste form, seed form or powder so it's very flexible in its uses. It's also calorie free so great for when your watching your waist line.
Some common uses include:
- Spread on sandwiches to add extra flavor to cold meats and salad;
- Stir through casseroles and gravies to add extra flavor;
- Add a teaspoon to your homemade salad dressings;
- Coat chicken or fish fillets in a mild mustard spread and crumb as usual, bake in a moderate oven - delicious!
- Spread over toasted bread, top with cheddar cheese and grill - great with soup!
- Add powdered mustard to burger mince;
- Make a mayonnaise with it;
- Add in powdered form to homemade breads (but note it will inhibit yeast so may require longer rising time;
- Add to savory scones or muffins;
- Dollop on your baked potato.
Some common uses include:
- Spread on sandwiches to add extra flavor to cold meats and salad;
- Stir through casseroles and gravies to add extra flavor;
- Add a teaspoon to your homemade salad dressings;
- Coat chicken or fish fillets in a mild mustard spread and crumb as usual, bake in a moderate oven - delicious!
- Spread over toasted bread, top with cheddar cheese and grill - great with soup!
- Add powdered mustard to burger mince;
- Make a mayonnaise with it;
- Add in powdered form to homemade breads (but note it will inhibit yeast so may require longer rising time;
- Add to savory scones or muffins;
- Dollop on your baked potato.
Which do I buy?
Listed here are the best brands to buy from your local supermarket:
U.S.A
Pathmark Classic Yellow Mustard
Kraft Yellow Mustard
Crystal Spicy Brown Mustard
Pathmark Spicy Brown Mustard
Guldens Spicy Brown Mustard
Great Value Prepared Mustard
Great Value Honey Mustard
Golds Dijon Mustard
Mister Sweet Hot Mustard
Any brand of powdered mustard.
Australia
Keens Mustard Powder
Masterfoods Australian Mustard
Masterfoods Dijon Mustard
Masterfoods Honey Wholegrain Mustard
Masterfoods Hot English Mustard
Masterfoods Wholegrain Mustard
Masterfoods Squeezy Fine Wholegrain Mustard
Masterfoods Squeezy Honey Mustard
Masterfoods Squeezy Mild American Mustard
U.K.
Colmans Original English Mustard
Colmans Original English Mustard Tube
Colmans Original English Squeezable Mustard
Colmans Mustard Powder
Colmans Wholegrain Mustard
Keens Mustard Powder
U.S.A
Pathmark Classic Yellow Mustard
Kraft Yellow Mustard
Crystal Spicy Brown Mustard
Pathmark Spicy Brown Mustard
Guldens Spicy Brown Mustard
Great Value Prepared Mustard
Great Value Honey Mustard
Golds Dijon Mustard
Mister Sweet Hot Mustard
Any brand of powdered mustard.
Australia
Keens Mustard Powder
Masterfoods Australian Mustard
Masterfoods Dijon Mustard
Masterfoods Honey Wholegrain Mustard
Masterfoods Hot English Mustard
Masterfoods Wholegrain Mustard
Masterfoods Squeezy Fine Wholegrain Mustard
Masterfoods Squeezy Honey Mustard
Masterfoods Squeezy Mild American Mustard
U.K.
Colmans Original English Mustard
Colmans Original English Mustard Tube
Colmans Original English Squeezable Mustard
Colmans Mustard Powder
Colmans Wholegrain Mustard
Keens Mustard Powder
Recipes
Sweet Chicken Curry
I love this recipe because it's easy, you can make it to a heat that you like (no guessing from a random jar of curry paste), it's a curry that kids will love and it's a one pot meal - which we all know I love as I'm lazy!
Serves 4
1 kg chicken thigh fillets (or breast) cut into 2 cm cubes
1 onion diced
4 tbsp butter
1/3 cup honey
3 tbsp Dijon mustard (or other mild mustard)
1 tsp mayonnaise
2 tsp curry powder
1/2 tsp salt
1 cup Greek yogurt
1 red pepper, chopped
Method
Pre-heat oven to 180C/350F
Brown chicken and onion in an oven proof casserole dish on the stove top.
Remove the chicken from pan and set aside to keep warm.
Melt the butter and honey in the pan.
Mix mustard, mayo, curry powder and salt and add to the pan and mix well.
Stir through Greek yogurt.
Add chicken, onion and pepper and coat in sauce thoroughly.
Put casserole dish in the oven and bake for 15 minutes.
Stir the chicken once and bake for another 15 minutes.
Serve over steamed rice. You can also sprinkle with coriander leaves if you enjoy that flavor.
Serves 4
1 kg chicken thigh fillets (or breast) cut into 2 cm cubes
1 onion diced
4 tbsp butter
1/3 cup honey
3 tbsp Dijon mustard (or other mild mustard)
1 tsp mayonnaise
2 tsp curry powder
1/2 tsp salt
1 cup Greek yogurt
1 red pepper, chopped
Method
Pre-heat oven to 180C/350F
Brown chicken and onion in an oven proof casserole dish on the stove top.
Remove the chicken from pan and set aside to keep warm.
Melt the butter and honey in the pan.
Mix mustard, mayo, curry powder and salt and add to the pan and mix well.
Stir through Greek yogurt.
Add chicken, onion and pepper and coat in sauce thoroughly.
Put casserole dish in the oven and bake for 15 minutes.
Stir the chicken once and bake for another 15 minutes.
Serve over steamed rice. You can also sprinkle with coriander leaves if you enjoy that flavor.
Mustard Vinaigrette
Ingredients
1/2 cup salad oil
2 tbsp vinegar
1/4 tsp mustard powder
1 tsp sugar
salt and freshly ground black pepper powder to taste
Method
Combine all the ingredients in a bowl, mix well and refrigerate for at least an hour.
1/2 cup salad oil
2 tbsp vinegar
1/4 tsp mustard powder
1 tsp sugar
salt and freshly ground black pepper powder to taste
Method
Combine all the ingredients in a bowl, mix well and refrigerate for at least an hour.
Homemade Mayonnaise
200 gms fresh cream
2 tbsp salad oil or refined oil
1 tsp mustard powder
3 tsp powdered sugar
3 tsp lemon juice
1/4 tsp freshly ground pepper
1/2 tsp salt
Method
Beat the cream until thick.
Add the remaining ingredients and mix well.
Store in the refrigerator and use within 24 hours. Serve cold.
2 tbsp salad oil or refined oil
1 tsp mustard powder
3 tsp powdered sugar
3 tsp lemon juice
1/4 tsp freshly ground pepper
1/2 tsp salt
Method
Beat the cream until thick.
Add the remaining ingredients and mix well.
Store in the refrigerator and use within 24 hours. Serve cold.
MOO (Make Our Own!) Mustard
Makes 1 cup
Ingredients
1/3 cup (55g) mustard seeds
1/3 cup (80ml) white wine vinegar
1/3 cup (80ml) dry white wine (or water)
1 tablespoon maple syrup
1 teaspoon ground turmeric
1/2 teaspoon salt
big pinch of cayenne
2-4 tablespoons warm water, if necessary
optional: 1-3 teaspoons prepared horseradish, to taste
Method
Combine all the ingredients, except the horseradish, in a stainless-steel bowl. Cover, and let stand for 2-3 days.
Put the ingredients in a blender and whiz until as smooth as possible. Add 2 to 4 tablespoons of water if the mustard is too thick. Blend in the horseradish, if using.
Storage: The mustard will keep for up to 6 months refrigerated, although it’s best if used within one month.
Thank you to David Lebovitz for this recipe http://www.davidlebovitz.com/2013/03/homemade-mustard-recipe-joe-beef/
Ingredients
1/3 cup (55g) mustard seeds
1/3 cup (80ml) white wine vinegar
1/3 cup (80ml) dry white wine (or water)
1 tablespoon maple syrup
1 teaspoon ground turmeric
1/2 teaspoon salt
big pinch of cayenne
2-4 tablespoons warm water, if necessary
optional: 1-3 teaspoons prepared horseradish, to taste
Method
Combine all the ingredients, except the horseradish, in a stainless-steel bowl. Cover, and let stand for 2-3 days.
Put the ingredients in a blender and whiz until as smooth as possible. Add 2 to 4 tablespoons of water if the mustard is too thick. Blend in the horseradish, if using.
Storage: The mustard will keep for up to 6 months refrigerated, although it’s best if used within one month.
Thank you to David Lebovitz for this recipe http://www.davidlebovitz.com/2013/03/homemade-mustard-recipe-joe-beef/
Author
Bec Taylor hates to cut pumpkin so gets Mr Taylor to do it ... the only good purpose for him in the kitchen! That and jar opening ...
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