My collection of favourite recipes..tried and tested!
INGREDIENTS 650 gms medium lean ground beef1/4 large onion, minced3 cloves garlic, minced1 beef cube1 tsp cayenne or chilli powder2 tsp paprika powder2 tsp cumin powder1 1/2 tsp coriander powder1 heaped tablespoon fried tomato paste or tomato puree1 tablespoon Canola oilSalt to taste DIRECTIONS Heat …
This was a very fresh dressing for a mixed salad with lettuce, cucumbers, tomatoes, capers, stuffed olives and pickled jalapeno which we got from Epicurious. Instead of buttermilk, we used Activa Light. We didn’t have sour cream this time so it was a bit too …
Buffalo wings were first envisioned by their inventors at the Anchor Bar Restaurant in Buffalo, NY in 1964. The classic version of buffalo wings are deep-fried chicken wing segments tossed in a spicy sauce, and served with celery sticks and blue cheese dressing.
They are really nice as an appetiser or even as a main meal with a salad. Its also not a bad dish for a small party at home…although it can get messy with the bones and the messy fingers!
Hubby makes this off and on at home for dinner but he never ever wrote down the ingredients! Until now.
Its not a hard dish to make but you might find this a bit too spicy or too sour! Obviously once you have tried making it using this recipe, you can fine tune it by playing around with the hot sauce and vinegar to suit your own taste buds!
INGREDIENTS
20 pieces chicken wings
Celery sticks
Canola oil for frying
For the hot sauce:
30 gms butter
200 ml hot sauce
1 tbsp garlic sauce
1 tsp white vinegar
1/4 tsp paprika
For the dip:
10 gms blue cheese
100 gms mayonnaise
DIRECTIONS
Cut the wings into 2 segments at the joint and clean them thoroughly. Drain all the water and pat each wing segment dry. Lay them on paper towels on a plate and allow them to come to room temperature. Pat them dry again with more paper towels. The goal here is to get the wings as dry as possible.
In deep fryer or in small saucepan, preheat oil to 350 degrees F.
Fry the chicken wings covered for 10 to 15 minutes or until they are cooked through and golden brown. Remove from pan onto a plate covered with paper towels to drain the oil.
Discard the oil and wipe the pan clean. Heat the butter, and when melted add the hot sauce, garlic sauce and paprika. Mix well and cook on low heat for a while allowing the sauce to reduce. Then add the vinegar and mix well. Taste for salt and add if required.
Switch off the heat and add the wings back to the sauce. Mix them in the sauce ensuring they are well covered with the sauce. Turn onto serving dish.
To prepare the dip, place the blue cheese and mayonnaise in a small bowl and mix well.
Serve the buffalo wings with the dip and celery sticks.
After I successfully made the sugar-free low carb Tiramisu, hubby said I should next try to make a sugar-free, low carb New York Cheesecake! I felt challenged but now that I’ve discovered almond meal, I felt I could make anything! When I posted my accomplishment …
When we’re on one of our diets (LOL) we don’t really want any sugar in our desserts! If possible we don’t even want any dessert. Actually, make that, we CAN’T have dessert!
So I found a way to make Tiramisu which we can eat when we are on any diet that calls for sugar-free and low carb. It was truly amazing!
The technique is the same as Gordon Ramsay’s Easy Tiramisu – but I’ve substituted sugar for “Sweet and Low” one for one sugar and instead of Savoiardi biscuits, I have used Karen’s Almond Cookies recipe which I’ve modified.
Tiramisu can be high in calories and fat but have one of these dessert glasses of Tiramisu and it’ll be ok!
MAKING the Almond Fingers
1 cup almond flour or sometimes called “almond meal”
1 tbsp cooled, melted butter
2 eggs
2 tbsp Sweet & Low or equivalent liquid
1 tsp baking powder
1 tsp vanilla extract
Preheat oven at 175º C.
In a bowl, beat the eggs lightly then add all the other ingredients. Mix well into a paste. You can also use a food processor.
Grease an 8” x 8″ baking pan and spread the paste evenly.
It’s helpful to cover the paste with a sheet of plastic wrap, then gently press on the plastic to spread it evenly. Peel off the plastic and discard.
Bake for 15-20 minutes until golden brown.
Let cool then turn it out and cut into even-sized fingers.
NOTE: These almond fingers can be frozen and they will keep for up to 6 months!
MAKING the Tiramisu Filling
(For 6 dessert glasses)
250 gms mascarpone cheese
200 gms whipping cream
3 tbsp Sweet & Low or equivalent liquid
2 tsp vanilla extract
3 shots Espresso, (or 3 tsp instant coffee made up to the size of 3 espresso coffees) cooled
Unsweetened chocolate for grating
6 tsp unsweetened cocoa powder for dusting
DIRECTIONS
Place the mascarpone cheese in a bowl and leave it to come to room temperature. It should become creamy and soft. Set aside.
In another bowl, pour out the whipping cream, add the sugar and beat with a whisk or use an electric whisk. Whisk only until the cream starts to peak and stop – careful not to over whip as the cream will turn clumpy and eventually become butter!
Add the vanilla extract to the the cream and blend it in. Add one shot of the cooled espresso or instant coffee and mix it in.
Pour the cream mixture into the cheese and mix everything into a smooth creamy consistency.
MAKING UP THE TIRAMISU
Get your dessert glasses ready.
In a flat container, mix the balance of the espresso or instant coffee with 100 ml of water. Dip each finger into the coffee mix. Soak only one side but make sure that its not dripping liquid. Place at the bottom of the dessert glass.
I used four fingers for each of my dessert glasses. You can break each finger into smaller pieces to make it fit in your glass.
Divide the filling into six portions and spoon in a portion into each glass and flatten it out with a small spatula.
I only used one layer but you can create another layer by soaking another set of the cookies and placing them on top of the first layer of filling. Follow with another layer of filling.
Chill for at least 20 minutes. Just before serving, grate a bit of chocolate over the top then dust with cocoa powder.
NOTE: To make one single Tiramisu in a dessert bowl, line the whole bottom of the bowl with the coffee dipped fingers, spoon the filling over it then repeat 2-3 times till the bowl is full in alternating layers. Chill for at least 4-5 hours or overnight.
Decorate just before serving.
INGREDIENTS 4 ounces almond flour, 1 cup 1 teaspoon baking powder 1/4 teaspoon salt 6 eggs, separated 2/3 cup granular Splenda or equivalent liquid 1 teaspoon vanilla DIRECTIONS Grease a 11×17" baking sheet and line with parchment paper or a silicone baking liner. Grease the …
We all love Caesar Salad especially if its made the right way. As a side dish or to start a meal. But as a main meal, its nice with Cajun-style grilled chicken breasts. I never knew how to make Cajun chicken so the first time …
Since we started the South Beach Diet, we’ve discovered that we could eat really interesting stuff AND lose weight. Well, I still can’t eat pasta but I’m getting there.
We discovered Kalyn’s Kitchen when we Googled for South Beach meal plans and recipes…she has an exhaustive collection of recipes. The most interesting of which was her egg muffins which she has revisited over and over again.
I knew I had to try it because I hated fried eggs or omelettes for breakfast and there were only a few things I could do with hard-boiled eggs for breakfast. Her egg muffins seemed easy to make and could be kept in the fridge for up to a week, or even frozen. They can be re-heated in the microwave or eaten cold. Its something you make in batches, stick them in the fridge, eat for breakfast, eat as a snack and best still, hubby could take it to work for snack or lunch!
So last weekend we bought a ton of eggs and a muffin pan. Tonight I have made it and it turned out great.
INGREDIENTS
9 large eggs
1/2 medium-sized red pepper
1/2 medium-sized yellow pepper
20 gms onion
20 gms spring onions
Shredded mozarella or cheddar cheese
Salt to taste
DIRECTIONS
Preheat oven to 180C.
Mince the red and yellow peppers and onion in a food processor or chop them finely. Slice the spring onions finely. Beat the eggs well in a spouted container. Add salt to taste.
Distribute the cheese in each muffin segment just enough to cover the base. Next add 1 – 1.5 teaspoon of the minced vegetables and sprinkle the spring onions.
Pour the beaten egg in – try to distribute evenly up to around 2/3 of each segment. Bake in preheated oven for 20 – 25 minutes or until a knife inserted in the middle comes out clean.
We love this very simple spicy condiment on its own as a tapas or as an accompaniment with a fish or chicken main dish. Its a Spanish tapas dish which I tasted for the first time in a Tapas Bar in the centre of Madrid …
