Sticky Date and Banana Loaves

June 16, 2014 By

Why is it that as soon as the weather gets cold, we instantly want some yummy comfort food? Well, this last week in Perth the weather during the day has been beautiful, but the temperature has definitely dropped making us crave some serious comfort food. That’s where this recipe for sticky date and banana loaves comes in.

What’s not more comforting than a sticky date pudding? It’s such a rich, fluffy pudding and when topped with some delicious salted caramel sauce hits the nail on the head for ultimate indulgence.

For our recipe, we added some banana for extra texture and flavour to the traditional recipe.  I like this combination as the two flavours really complement one another and I find it breaks up each mouthful – one full of dates one full of banana or both!

When making the mixture, rather than mashing the banana through the mixture Brooke leaves the banana in chunks to help leave pieces of banana throughout the cake. Then lastly stirs through the chopped dates and you’ve got yourself the perfect mixture for sticky date and banana loaves.

To serve we made a simple salted caramel sauce which was featured with our French Apple Cake. Serve your sticky date and banana loaves warm with some vanilla ice cream and the ooey gooey sauce this recipe will definitely satisfy your cravings this winter.

Sticky date and banana loavesSticky date and banana loaves ingredientsSticky date and banana loaves recipeSticky date and banana loavesSticky date and banana loaves in ovenSticky date and banana loavesSticky date and banana loaves recipe

Mini Sticky Date and Banana Loaves – Recipe Instructions

Sticky Date and Banana Loaves
 
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Sticky date and banana loaves topped with some delicious salted caramel sauce.
Author:
Recipe type: Dessert
Cuisine: Australian
Serves: 12
Ingredients
  • 2 Cups Plain Flour, sifted
  • 1 ½ Tsp baking powder, sifted
  • ¾ Cup butter, at room temperature
  • ½ Cup brown sugar
  • 2 Eggs
  • 4 Ripe bananas, chopped
  • 1 ½Ttsp vanilla extract
  • ½ Cup dates, chopped
  • 1 cup salted caramel sauce, or other caramel sauce to top
Instructions
  1. Preheat oven to 175°C. Grease and flour an 8 loaf tin or 12-cake cupcake tin.
  2. Beat butter and brown sugar until fluffy. Add eggs, one at at time. Add bananas and vanilla and mix until blended.
  3. Slowly mix in flour and baking powder, until just incorporated. Stir in chopped dates.
  4. Divide batter equally among cups and bake for 20-22 mins, or until lightly golden on top. While cakes are baking, prepare caramel sauce.
  5. Serve cakes warm with ice cream and salted caramel sauce.

 

Filed Under: Baked Goods Tagged With: , , , ,

Spanish Baked Eggs

June 9, 2014 By

Over the last couple of years, Baked Eggs have become a popular item on many café menus. They are great brunch item and became a regular go-to choice for Brooke during our current phase of always going out for breakfast on the weekends. Since getting into a regular pattern of going to the local markets, we tend not to eat out so often and either opt for bagels from The Holy Bagel Company or experiment with our own breakfast cook-ups. This weekend we made Spanish Baked Eggs which were delish! Using some home grown red capsicums we added some other key ingredients to give the dish a Spanish kick.

There are various ways to make baked eggs, however, I am a fan of a tomato base which can easily be altered depending on the ingredients you have in the fridge. To make our recipe we simply sautéed some onion, capsicum and garlic together before adding a can of diced tomatoes and some thick tomato paste. To add some heat, we seasoned with red chilli flakes, smoked paprika and salt and pepper to taste. In the meantime, we wilted some spinach while the sauce came to a light simmer. When the spinach is ready simply place the spinach in the bottom of your greased ramekins and top with the tomato base. Create a little well in the middle and crack the egg into the well. We baked our eggs in a moderate oven for around 12 minutes ensuring the whites were cooked and the yolk was still runny.

Serving with some crusty bread these Spanish baked eggs make for a perfect lazy Sunday brunch.

If you are looking for some alternative breakfast options then check out our savoury muffin recipe, maple mixed nut granola, or coconut and vanilla chia pudding or coconut flour pancakes.

Spanish Baked Eggs IngredientsSpanish Baked Eggs RecipeSpanish Baked Eggs IngredientsSpanish Baked Eggs with SpinashSpanish Baked Eggs RecipeSpanish Baked EggsSpanish Baked Eggs Recipe

Spanish Baked Eggs – Recipe Instructions

Spanish Baked Eggs
 
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Spanish baked eggs made with sautéed onion, capsicum, garlic, diced tomatoes and some thick tomato paste seasoned with red chilli flakes, smoked paprika and salt and pepper... and course a fresh egg.
Author:
Recipe type: Breakfast
Cuisine: Spanish
Serves: 4
Ingredients
  • 400g tinned diced tomatoes
  • 1 red capsicum, diced
  • ½ brown onion, diced
  • 1 clove garlic, crushed
  • 1 tsp salt
  • 1 tsp fresh ground pepper
  • 1 tsp smoked paprika
  • 1 tsp red chilli flakes
  • 2 cups spinach
  • 4 eggs
Instructions
  1. Preheat your oven to 180 °C and grease your ramekins well.
  2. Over a moderate heat in a non-stick fry pan, sauté onion, capsicum and garlic for a couple of minutes. Add the tinned tomatoes, tomato paste, smoked paprika, chilli flakes, salt and pepper.
  3. Put the spinach in a pot and allow to wilt over a medium heat.
  4. To assemble, place equal amounts of wilted spinach in each ramekin. Fill each ramekin with tomato filling and create a small well in each. Crack the egg and pour into the well.
  5. Cook in the oven for 10 – 12 minutes until egg whites are cooked.
  6. Serve hot with crusty bread.

 

Filed Under: Breakfast and Brunch Tagged With: , , , , ,

Simple Potato Salad

June 2, 2014 By

Potato salad is a great accompaniment to most barbeques, family gatherings and a great general “go to” recipe. Potato salad is super easy to put together, hard to mess up and is a general crowd pleaser. What’s not to love about a creamy carb and bacon salad?

Everyone has their own variation of potato salad, usually a recipe passed on from one family member to another but this is our favourite simple potato salad recipe. With a simple combination of capers, spring onion, garlic, boiled eggs, bacon and of course whole egg mayonnaise. Some people may use just onion however the addition of capers gives the salad a slight tangy flavour which I like.

When making your potato salad be careful not to over boil your potatoes. Brooke starts here potatoes off in cold water to ensure a more even cook to ensure the inside of the potato is cooked and the outside isn’t too mushy.

Once you potatoes are boiled and cooled, simply add the remaining ingredients and mix until the potatoes are well coated. Serve in a bowl and enjoy this delicious creamy goodness!

Simple Potato salad IngredientsSimple Potato salad recipeSimple potato saladSimple Potato salad recipePotato salad recipeSimple Potato Salad

Simple Potato Salad
 
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Simple potato salad made with a combination of capers, spring onion, garlic, boiled eggs, bacon and of course whole egg mayonnaise.
Author:
Recipe type: Salad
Cuisine: American
Serves: 8
Ingredients
  • 15 even-sized chat potatoes
  • 4 rashers of bacon, finely chopped
  • 1 clove garlic, crushed
  • 4 green spring onions, finely sliced
  • 2 tblsp capers, chopped
  • 2 eggs, boiled and broken
  • ⅓ cup whole-egg mayonnaise
  • Salt and freshly ground black pepper
Instructions
  1. Place the potatoes in a large saucepan and cover with cold water. Bring to the boil over high heat. Boil, uncovered, for 10 minutes or until tender when pierced with a skewer. Drain, then set aside for 30 minutes to cool completely. Cut in half and place in a large serving bowl.
  2. Meanwhile, place the egg in a small saucepan of cold water. Bring to the boil over high heat. Reduce heat to medium and gently boil, uncovered, stirring occasionally, for 12 minutes for medium-hard boiled. Drain and cool under cold running water. Peel and set aside.
  3. Heat a small non-stick frying pan over high heat. Add bacon and cook, stirring, for 3 minutes or until crisp. Remove from heat.
  4. To the cooled potatoes, combine the mayonnaise, garlic, capers, spring onion, boiled eggs and bacon.. Gently toss to combine. Season accordingly
  5. Top with extra spring onions and bacon to serve.

 

Filed Under: Salad

Healthy Purple Smoothie

May 26, 2014 By

It’s no secret that winter in Perth is usually pretty timid, that being said I have still managed to be struck down by the dreaded and often lethal “Man flu”. For more info on this debilitating illness you can read more here. Facing an uphill battle I decided a healthy purple smoothie was my only chance of survival. Plus, what’s not to love about a smoothie? They are so easy to make, hardly any prep is required and you can almost put anything you like into them and end up with a pretty tasty drink. The only thing left is cleaning the blender!

After over doing the Kale Smoothie a couple of weeks back, we have branched out to making a blueberry, banana, pineapple, kiwi fruit and coconut water smoothie. I know the name doesn’t say much about it, but this flavour combination is tasty as well as healthy!

Using a combination of frozen fruits we had in the freezer and adding some fresh kiwi fruit we had we ended up with a flavour packed drink.

Blueberries are delicious, they’re also packed with fiber, vitamin C, and antioxidants and are something we always try and keep around whether they are fresh or frozen. When added to this smoothie they not only add some yummy berry flavour they give the drink an amazing vibrant colour! This drink is definitely one I can see us drinking for the next couple of weeks till we have a new winning combination.

Healthy Purple Smoothie IngredientsHealthy Purple Smoothie in BlenderHealthy Blueberry SmoothieHealthy Purple Smoothie

Healthy Purple Smoothie
 
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Healthy Purple Smoothie made with blueberry, banana, pineapple, kiwi fruit and coconut water and ice.
Author:
Recipe type: Drinks
Cuisine: Australian
Serves: 4
Ingredients
  • 1 cup blueberries fresh or frozen
  • 1 cup fresh or frozen pineapple
  • 1 cup fresh or frozen banana
  • 4 peeled kiwi fruit
  • 1 cup coconut water
  • 1 cup Ice
Instructions
  1. Combine all the ingredients in the blender and blitz for 1 – 2 minutes.
  2. Serve chilled.

 

Filed Under: Drinks

Salt and Pepper Squid

May 19, 2014 By

Salt and Pepper Squid is a popular item of modern Australian cuisine, making a regular appearance on many café and restaurant menus. For those who haven’t made it before it is actually really easy to make at home. After preparing the squid hoods, just toss a few dry spices and flour together, coat the squid and with a quick cook in some vegetable oil you have yourself a great appetizer or main meal.

When preparing the squid we used baby squid hoods, however you can use whatever size is available and cut them into small pieces. You want to ensure the hoods are well cleaned and score the inside of the hood being careful to not cut all the way through. Before coating in the mixture give the hoods a quick dry with some paper towel to ensure your flour doesn’t go too gluggy.

There are a few variations to the spice combination; some people prefer to use szechuan pepper, Chinese five spice, even some garlic powder or dry chicken stock etc. For our recipe we used a combination of spices we always have in the cupboard – red chilli flakes, smoked paprika, chilli powder and of course the main stars salt and pepper.

Once the squid is ready ensure the oil is hot enough and fry the squid in batches till golden brown. The squid will only take a couple of minutes to cook. Serve immediately with a simple salad for entrée or main. We had ours with a yummy lime and caper salsa from A Bit On The Side which we picked up in Denmark over the Easter break!

Salt and Pepper Squid IngredientsSalt and Pepper Squid Recipe IngredientsSalt and Pepper Squid

Fried Salt and Pepper SquidSalt and Pepper SquidSalt and Pepper Squid

Salt and Pepper Squid
 
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Salt and Pepper Squid made with a combination of red chilli flakes, smoked paprika, chilli powder and of course the main stars salt and pepper.
Author:
Recipe type: Seafood
Cuisine: Australian
Serves: 4
Ingredients
  • 500g Squid hoods
  • ¼ Cup Plain Flour
  • 2 tsp salt
  • 1 ½ tsp cracked pepper
  • 1 ½ tsp red chilli flakes
  • 1 ½ tsp smoked paprika
  • 1 tsp chilli powder
  • Vegetable oil
Instructions
  1. Use a sharp knife to cut through 1 side of each squid hood lengthways. Open out flat with inside surface facing up and score surface diagonally. Pat dry with paper towel.
  2. Combine the flour, spices, salt and pepper in a bowl or on a plate. Gently coat each piece of squid in the spice rub.
  3. Heat the oil in a large wok over medium heat until it reaches around 180°C.
  4. In batches cook the squid in the wok for 2 minutes or until the squid just turns golden and curls. Use a slotted spoon or tongs to transfer to a plate lined with paper towel to drain.
  5. Ensure the oil has returned to temperature before cooking next batch and repeat.
  6. Serve immediately with a simple salad, a dipping sauce and fresh lemon or lime wedges.

 

Filed Under: Seafood
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