Sweet Potato Brownies

Being the keeper of this blog allows me to do awesome things like see what gets people going. Do people like to read about sweet delicious things or beef?

These are the questions I get to ask myself on the weekend.

Turns out you mostly loved the coconut ice cream, so I've made another sweet-ish treat from paleomg.com the recipe is slightly different because I had different ingredients on hand and don't know where to/I am too lazy/busy to source the magical healthy chocolate - so carob had to do; once you are done here please check out her blog because it is amazeballs!

I also put these in the freezer when they are cooled and they are like a chewy frozen brownie - I say yum, other people may read that last sentence and never attempt a recipe of mine again.

Ingredients:

1 sweet potato

3 eggs, whisked

1/2 cup dessicated coconut

3 tablespoons psyllium husk

1/4 cup coconut milk - full fat

⅓ cup honey

2 tablespoons unsweetened carob powder

¼ teaspoon baking powder

1 teaspoon mixed spice

 

Method

1. Baked the sweet potato - stab it with a fork a few times so it doesn't ooze and go feral, put it in to a 200 degree oven for about an hour
2. Once your sweet potato is soft and cooked through, peel off the skin and mash it up in a bowl. And turn your oven down to 180 degrees. DO NOT think you are smart and put it in a food processor, I did this the first time around and it wouldn't set properly in the oven and the mixture stayed 'wet'.
3. Combine all wet ingredients and mix about: coconut milk, honey and whisked eggs to the bowl and mix together.
4. Then add your dry ingredients: coconut, carob powder, baking powder, psyllium husk, mixed spice and salt .
5. Mix well together it will look all brown and brownie-like
6. Pour into a square or rectangle baking dish
7. Bake for 45min to an hour.
8. Let rest to cool and (My preference) is to put them in the freezer and eat them frozen!
9. One batch made about 8 serves for me!

Espresso Coconut Oats

I love coffee. Michelle Koen introduced me to her cappuccino oats recipe in her amazing cookbook - you can buy it here.

It's awesome, she taught me pretty much everything I know, from Adelaide... yep that lady has skills!

I really felt like her oats last week but I have an insatiable coconut thing going on at the moment and have no WPI in the house, so what's a girl to do!?

Improvise! For any of you that like to train you will be familiar with eggy oats, also with the fact the oats can get weird solid egg bits and just be ruined so you have to choke down the bowl and feel like you ingested the appropriate protein/carb breakfast fuel. Gross.

No-one wants to eat a weird combination of poached egg flavours with watery oats.

Some tips for this recipe though, buy the frozen egg whites, they taste less eggy and don't solidify so quickly and won't make you sick if they don't get cooked through.

This makes a giant looking bowl of oats with surprisingly little ingredients. I love a big breakfast, enjoy the illusion of a whopping amount of food this gives you!

Ingredients - Serves 1 -

(double/triple oats & coconut and add WPI scoop if you need more calories)

• Water
• 30gm Oats
• 2 teaspoons dessicated coconut
• 1 long black (200ml?)
• 1/2 cup pasteurised eggs whites (preferably)

Method

1. Get that water boiling - I like really inflated oats, I probably had at least 2 cups of water boiling
2. Add oats and coconut to water
3. Let it boil away till it is a thick, almost ready to serve consistency
4. Add the long black to the pot and let boil down again - the oats by now will have doubled in size
5. Once it is almost ready add egg whites and stir until combined and the whole mixture looks cooked and delicious.
6. You can add more or less water to your liking!

Shredded Beef and Veges

Last slow cooker dish for a while. Promise. This week James is away so I don't need to produce as much food from the kitchen!

The good news is you can't stuff up slow cooker meals. Stuff can't burn and the meat is always tender and amazing.

I packed in a heap of veges and sweet potato because I didn't want to make any accompanying dish. One pot wonder. Hoorah.

Also don't stress if you don't like something in the recipe or you want more of less of anything. Change it up and add pumpkin instead of sweet potato, mushrooms or whatever takes your fancy - my only caution is if you want to veges to look like veges after cut them BIG and chunky and go with sturdier veges rather than ones that might dissipate into the sauce.

Ingredients:

1. 700gm chuck steak. You can afford to go with cheap cuts here, buy whatever is on special, expensive meat is wasted in the slow cooker.
2. 2 sweet potato - cut big and chunky
3. 2 onions cut chunky
4. 3 carrots peeled and chopped into big segments
5. Maybe 4-6 celery stick cut up - I didn't count them - just use what you feel like!
6. 1-2 large yellow onions, sliced
7. 1 - 1 1/2cup beef stock
8. 1 teaspoon minced garlic
9. 1 teaspoon paprika
10. 1 teaspoon chili flakes
11. 1 teaspoon yellow mustard seeds
12. 1 teaspoon black peppercorns

Method

1. Grind the pepper and seeds in a mortar and pestle
2. Add all spices to stock and stir around
3. Put all veges in slow cooker
4. Add the steaks too, cover them with a few veges if you like, I did.
5. Pour Stock and spices over the top
6. Set and forget for 8-10 hours on low
7. Return, uncover steaks and shred them with 2 forks.
8. Serve with as many or as little veges as you like.

This recipe has a heap of veges to meat ratio. It's so I can use the veges with other meat dishes that I cooked earlier in the week - you can change this however you like.

Coconut Pancakes with Greek Yoghurt

Sometimes I like sweet snacks. These little pancakes aren't the most delicious thing you will ever eat but put them in the microwave for 30 seconds add a teaspoon of greek yoghurt on them, roll them up and you are in business.

I made these this morning. They are super easy and if you have non stick pans they pretty much won't burn.

Ingredients - Serves 1.

1. 1/2 cup egg whites
2. 2 teaspoons psyllium husk
3. 2 teaspoons desiccated coconut
4. Splash almond milk

Method

1. Heat a pot up that has a lid, grease the pot with butter or something if it isn't non-stick
2. Mix all ingredients up with a fork
3. Pour half in the hot pot and put the lid on, leave on until it set, then remove, then let it go a bit crispy on the bottom and flip over
4. Repeat and do the same wiht the second half of the mix.
5. Let them cool and take them to where you need in a container - zap for 30 secinds and eat with some greek yoghurt.

Curried Kanga Banga & Sweet Potato

When I was little my nan made curried sausages. They were delicious and cheap. Kanga Bangas are lean and cheap. About $4.97 for a packet of 8. AWESOME!

You may be sensing a theme with my cooking this week, if you said "Yeh it is laziness and slow cooker-centric" you my friend, would be correct.

After 16 weeks of steamers and grills and Tupperware I wanted no fuss, easy, tasty cooking this week. All I James had to wash up this week was a chopping board and a giant black slow cooker bowl. Good times.

So lets hop to it.

Ingredients:

1. 1 packet Kanga Bangas - cut each banga into 4
2. 1 sweet potato - diced (about 1 -2 cm cubes)
3. 2 teaspoons minced garlic
4. 2 brown onion - cut in segments of about 8 each
5. 1/2 can canned coconut milk - full fat
6. 2 -3 tablespoon keens curry powder
7. 1 teaspoon ground cumin
8. 1 heaped teaspoon paprika
9. 1/2 teaspoon chili flakes
10. 1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
11. 1 cup beef stock

Method:

1. Mix the stock with all of the spices and coconut milk - it will look a bit odd but don't pass judgement yet - You are only at step 1!
2. Put sweet potato, onion & kanga bangas into slow cooker
3. Pour over your stock/spice/coconut milk mixture
4. Leave on slow for the day on low for 8/10 hours
5. When you get home  give it a good stir, you want the potato to turn to a mash so its like a thick curry.
6. Serve it with veges and enjoy!

Wholemeal Apple and Walnut Scrolls

Don't let the apple, the walnut and the wholemeal fool you. These are a bit naughty, definitely a treat!

Your treat and my treat may be different, James is another story all together, he could eat four of these in a sitting!

I will let you in on a secret for any boys reading this.

If you want your partner to cook for you, tell her how good she is at cooking and how delicious her food is, it's weird. James left the house and told me how much he loved these and would really love a batch before he left for a work trip. He said they were the best things I've EVER cooked for him. I felt compelled to share my amazing skills for him and whipped these up tonight!

Now James is either quite clever or these taste freaking amazing. I love James but I don't think he thinks that far ahead, lets go with the fact these are AMAZING!

Ingredients:

• 1/2 cup walnuts (crushed up in your hands will do!)
• 1/2 cup honey
• 2 cups  wholemeal self-raising flour
• 40g butter, chilled, chopped
• 2/3 cup almond milk
• 1/4 cup firmly packed brown sugar
• 2 apples diced
• 1 cup water
• 1 teaspoon mixed spice

Method

1. Preheat oven to 180°C/170°C fan-forced. Grease a 6cm-deep, 22cm round cake pan. Line it with baking powder - It doesn't have to be neat just shove it in! Sprinkle with 1/3 cup walnuts. Drizzle with 1/3 cup honey.
2. Heat a fry pan and put the water in, get it boiling and add the apple and about 2 tablespoons of sugar and the mixed spice, let it boil down and soften - the whole aim is for it so be soft and apple pie like!
3. Put flour into a bowl. Rub in butter until mixture resembles breadcrumbs. Using a butter knife, stir in milk to form a sticky dough, adding extra milk if needed. Turn onto a floured surface. Knead gently until smooth, adding extra flour if needed.
4. Roll dough out to a 20cm x 40cm rectangle. Combine sugar and remaining honey in a bowl. Spread over dough (it will be dotted as it a pasty like combo), leaving a 2cm border on all sides. Top with apple and remaining walnuts. Carefully roll up dough from 1 long side. Trim ends. Using a serrated knife, cut into 8 slices. Place slices, cut-side up, in pan.
5. Bake for 35 to 40 minutes or until golden and scrolls sound hollow when tapped. Stand in pan for 5 minutes. Turn onto a wire rack over a tray. 

ENJOY!

Mexican Chicken & Cauli Rice

I love paleomg.com it's awesome. I think Juli is hilarious and now use the phrase "are you picking up what I'm putting down" because of her.

Her recipes are easy and delicious. The two keys things I love in a good recipe.

Yes I used the slow cooker yesterday night but it's so handy and coming home to a house that smells good is just plain awesome.

I like shredded meat. It soaks up all the stock and flavours and you can eat it cold on salads or hot - whatever you like! This recipe is almost exactly like Juli's so she can have all the credit, I just cooked a bigger batch and don't have a ricer and substituted anything I didn't have on hand!

This week is exciting for me because it's the first time I'm eating anything I want with as many veges as I want. It's all clean too & tastes awesome & can be frozen & isn't too expensive - WIN!

Ingredients:

Chicken

1. 1 kilo Chicken Breast - trimmed
2. 3 brown onions - cut in about 8 segments each
3. 1 cup chicken stock
4. 1 x 400gm can diced tomatoes
5. 2 teaspoon minced garlic
6. 1 tablespoon chili powder
7. 2 teaspoons cumin powder
8. 1 teaspoon oregano

Cauli Rice

1. 1 head of cauliflower
2. 1/2 lime, juiced squeezed
3. 1 teaspoon coriander ground - whichever you have!
4. 2 teaspoons dried parsley
5. 1 tablespoon olive oil
6. pinch of salt

Method:

1. Pour stock in slow cooker
2. Mix garlic, chili, cumin & oregano together
3. Rub on Chicken
4. Put Chicken in slow cooker, drown in tomatoes and toss the onions on top!
5. Let it cook while you are at work on low
6. Come home to delicious-ness
7. 30min before dinner preheat oven to 180 degrees (or just eat chicken and vege for dinner - rice is totally optional!)

Rice

1. Haphazardly chop the cauliflower into little random bits if you don't have a ricer
2. Mix the salt, coriander and oil through all of those bit of cauliflower and lay out in a baking dish and bake for about 30mins
3. Break up the cooked cauli with utensils or your hands - whatever really floats your boat
4. Drizzle with the juice when cooked.

Serve it up!

Coconut Ice-Cream

This week has been a bit of a re-feeding week for me. I'm not a big craver of McDonald's or crappy food I love making my own nice food and I love ice cream! 

Wednesday night I trained legs for the first time in 2 weeks and it was great, I did a PB of 80kg for 4 reps = it was great I then did sled runs up and down the gym & then Crossfit type legs workout, some burpees and all that fun stuff. 

I came home and made a kanga banga curried sausage dish and had leftover coconut milk so thought mmm ICE CREAM!

You need an ice-cream maker for this recipe, never fear though James bought me a $30 one from home-mart so make the investment for this dairy free, no added sugar clean treat!

You need full fat coconut milk - pay the extra 50c for the brands without added junk like thickeners or crap. Don't be afraid of the full fat stuff, fat is all good for you, makes you strong and healthy. And yep I am not dieting anymore so I know I will be putting on a little weight in order to grow muscle and just generally be healthy, happy and sane! I really appreciate any compliments on my comp photos but be aware not many competitors look like that all year round!

So Ingredients: Serves 4 - 2 big serves & 2 small serves

1. 1.5 cans full fat coconut milk
2. 10 prunes pitted and torn up
3. 5 teaspoons psyllium husk (has like a gelatin effect and I had no gelatin)
4. 1/3 cup crumbled walnuts
5. 1/2 cup desiccated coconut 
6. Optional Honey to serve - James needed this

Method

1. Whack it all in trusty little machine and wait for about 30-45mins or until thickens!
2. Enjoy!

Shredded Lamb with Ginger & Prunes

I didn't want to put the word prunes in the title. I stuffed around, wondered if I could call them dates, or maybe just be as vague as 'dried fruit' but I thought best just be honest and put it out there.

Poor prunes get a bad wrap for being for old people or upsetting your tummy. They are most definitely for young people and your tummy will be fine with this recipe.

I love fruit and meat. Fruit is sugar, sugar is a carb, you can have this and not really need potato / rice / pasta whatever takes your fancy if you like. I had this for breakfast today. I was running late and it came straight from the slow cooker and smelt awesome, breakky doesn't have to be cereal!

I've packed it for lunch with some steamed greens, it's going to be great. James trains like a demon and burns more calories so he has cannellini bean mash with his today.

So here is how you do it:

Ingredients:

1. 1.5kg Lamb Shoulder or another cut - pick whatever is on special! - trim this up and discard fat
2. 3 brown onions - cut into about 8 segments each
3. 1 cup prunes (pitted)
4. 1 cup vegetable stock
5. 1 teaspoon minced garlic
6. 2 teaspoons minced ginger
7. 1/4 cup lime juice
8. 1/2 teaspoon cinnamon

Steps

1. Put the stock in the slow cooker
2. Mix together garlic, ginger, lime juice and cinnamon
3. Rub the mix all over the lamb
4. Put the lamb in the slow cooker
5. Toss in the onions on top
6. Sprinkle over all the prunes
7. Leave cook for 8-12 hours on low

Once the meat is cooked, shred it between to forks and mix back with all the juices and onions and prunes.

Thats it - you are ready to eat!

Excuse the photos. I have an iPhone and dodgy lighting! It doesn't look beautiful but it is easy and tasty!