Food on Friday #5 Grasshopper Bark (sans Grasshopper's)

 

-Here's a little surprise for you!

- Chocolate.

- I can't eat it anymore, but it just looks so darn pretty! haha Chocolate and mint are some of my favourite flavours, and one night whilst perousing pinterest (!) I stumbled over this ingenious concoction. Borrowed from here.

- It didn't last long in our fridge.

 
- She's pretty simple really!

1. Do some crazy origami with some greaseproof paper inside your roasting tin!

2. Melt one bar of white chocolate over a bain marie, once melted, remove from the heat and stir in a few drops of peppermint flavouring and sufficient green colouring to turn the chocolate a nice shade of grasshopper green! - Pour into your prepared tin an allow to set.

3. Melt one bar of milk or dark chocolate in the same manner as the white, remove from the heat and allow to cool slightly. Whilst cooling, chop up a handful of after eight mints (or Tekkies alternative if yer cheap like me).

4. Pour the slightly cooled chocolate over the white, and sprinkle on your massacred mints. 

5. Allow to cool.

No here's the fun bit, unfold your creation!




Now chop it up. Keep it in the fridge; and chomp on it whilst reading the latest novel!
 

Food on Friday #4 Vegan Coconut Ice Cream

Being Vegan doesn't mean you have to give up ice-cream! You just have to get a little inventive. . . . But Vegan ice-cream, doesn't mean you have to be Vegan!

I'm currently an accidental vegan, but I don't mind too much, I'm enjoying eating foods I probably would never have come accross otherwise. There really is a vast variety to choose from. I got home the other night and the boy had made me quasadillas with quorn mince, yum! anyway,

Here is my take on coconut vegan ice-cream. Enjoy. (and I know it's the end of summer, but in our household you eat ice-cream all year round, whether you like it or not!)

Take one tin of Coconut Milk, and one tin of Coconut Cream ( you don't have to use coconut cream, it works with just the milk, but the texture is closer to 'real' ice-cream with the coconut cream) 

  Measure out 600ml of soya milk (I know, some crazy substances are going into this, trust) 

   
In a small dish, add 1tbsp of arrowroot powder to a splash of soya milk, stir well and set aside for later.

  To the 600ml of soya milk, add 1/2 cup of brown sugar, stir until mostly dissolved and transfer entire mixture to a pan. Heat gently until sugar is entirely dissolved then stir in the arrowroot mixture, bring pan to the boil continuously stirring. When boiling point is reached the mixture will be thick like this (now turn off the heat!) 

   
stir in the Coconut Cream and the Coconut Milk and leave to cool. Once significantly cool either transfer into containers to freeze stirring hourly until frozen, or (my favourite method!) bung it in your parents' ice-cream maker, wait an hour and then devour! 

 

Food on Friday #3 Cinnamon Rolls

- Every now and then you have to treat yourself. . right. . . right?!

- This week's Food on Friday is a little more complex than others, but totally worth it. It's not a difficult recipe, it's just time-consuming because of the rising time of the dough.

- I wasn't actually allowed to eat any of these, however I did share one with my mother and they are ace, the best we've managed so far, although we think that along with the nuts there should either be some chopped dates or raisins.

 

(before second rising, they fill all of the gaps eventually!)

I found the recipe at AllRecipes.com, I didnt really make any alterations, except I used some chopped nuts instead of peacans, because we had a package of chopped mixed nuts in the pantry, and I didnt want to go and do any special ingredients for this project.

Dissolve 1 package of fast action yeast in 1/2 a cup of warm water

While this is beginning to react, heat 1/2 a cup of milk gently in a small saucepan adding 1/4 cup of white sugar, 1/4 cup of butter and 1 teaspoon  of salt stirring until melted & dissolved

 combine the milk mixture with the yeast mixture, add two beaten eggs to this mixture

Stir in 4 cups of self raising flour, 1 cup at a time.

Pull your dough together & knead for approximately 5 minutes until it becomes particularly elastic to touch.

Lightly oil a bowl, roll your dough in this bowl and set aside in a warm place covered with a damp tea towel, after an hour your dough will have doubled in size.

melt 3/4 cup of butter and mix with 3/4 cup of brown sugar and 1/2 cup of chopped nuts, place in the bottom of baking tins - I used two IKEA small roasting tins ( I don't really think this step is needed and if I did it again I would miss it out!)

Roll out your dough paint  1/4 cup of melted butter and sprinkle with a mixture of 3/4 cup of brown sugar, 1 tbsp of cinnamon powder and 1/2 cup of  chopped nuts ( This is where I would have added some dates, I think some grated apple would be nice aswell.)

Roll up your dough into a long sausage shape and cut into rounds - I believe I yeilded 32 overall!

Place into your prepared tins and let rise for an hour, covered with your damp tea towel

Bake at 190 C for 25 minutes.

Good served hot, or cold!

 

Food on Friday #2 Savoury Kale Cheesecake!

- I love brunch! who doesn't love brunch? when you can be really lazy, do things in your own time. It is the perfect saturday!

- I made this "cheesecake" - which is more or less a quiche, for a very special brunch!, it is my Granddad's 81'st birthday tomorrow so I decided to treat him to a yummy brunch.

 - Obviously there will be other things to eat, a selection of cheese and ham and salami, various breads, cinnamon rolls (coming next week!), croissants and (of course) cake! haha.

 - Anyway, whatever your saturday holds, I hope it is a good one, and I hope you all get your breakfasts' in bed!

Combine 8oz of Plain Flour with 4oz of butter- process in the food processor until they resemble bread crumbs 

with the processor still running add warm water (about 1 tbsp) until the pastry forms a clump and lumps around the machine (it will combine itself) (of course you can do this by hand, which is also dead easy, I just like to do it this way) roll out pastry on a floured surface, and line quiche lorraine dish 

chop up two handfull's of kale, 1 onion, 1 chilli, add 1tbsp of rosemary, 1tbsp of basil and 1tbsp of dried chilli flakes

 In a jug combine 8oz of soft cheese with 6 eggs, 2oz of grated sharp cheddar and 1 tbsp of milk

 layer the prepared ingredients into the pastry, and fill up the case with the egg mix. bake at 180 degreees c for 35 minutes 

 

Food on Friday #1 - Flourless Cake

- I am well aware I post quite a few of my adventures in the kitchen to my blog!

- Although I don't want this to turn into an entirely food obsessed blog, I still like to share my escapades! Therefore I thought I would start "Food on Friday" in order to share recipes!

 - As many of you who have been reading for a while may know, I have quite a few health problems! haha! - one of the newest dilemmas for me to overcome has been the strict dietary requirements, I've had to adapt the way I cook to suit my needs, so here is a recipe for a flourless cake, which just so happens to be very low-carb aswell!

 recipe found here.

   

I took 1/2 cup butter and softened in the microwave

4 1/2 ounces almond flour were then whizzed in the food processor with 1/4 cup dessicated coconut. 

I then added 1 1/4 cup granular Splenda (or equivalent of sugar if needed)

Stir in 1 beaten egg 

Then add 1 tablespoon lemon zest, from one large lemon!,1/2 teaspoon vanilla essence,1/4 teaspoon baking soda and 1/4 teaspoon cream of tartar

Spread into a baking tin lined & greased with tin-foil 

( I used the small IKEA roasting tin- you all know this is my favourite tin ever!! seriously, buy one) 

Bake at 160ºC for 15-20 minutes. 

*These keep really well in the fridge and also freeze well