Monthly Archives: April 2013
ROCKY ROAD BROWNIES
This remains a firm favourite with my kids. We have it at least twice a month and they never get tired of eating it! We love it with vanilla ice cream or whipped fresh cream.
ROCKY ROAD BROWNIE BARS
Makes about 2
Ingredients
2 cups of chocolate chips
1 1/4 cups of cake flour
2 tablespoons of cocoa powder
1 ½ teapoon of baking powder
¾ cup of sugar
1 1/4 cup of soft brown sugar
6 tablespoon of unsalted butter, at room temperature
1 teaspoon of vanilla essence
2 eggs
2 cups of mini marshmallows
1 ½ cups of walnuts, coarsely chopped
Method:
Preheat your oven to 180C. Spray a 13x9inch baking pan with non stick cooking spray and lay the bottom with parchment paper.
Add 1 cup of the chocolate chips in a small bowl and melt in the microwave and set aside.
In a large bowl, cream together the butter, granulated sugar and brown sugar, add the eggs and vanilla and mix until combined. Add in the melted chocolate and beat until smooth.
Beat in the dry flour mixture and spread this mixture evenly in the prepared pan. Bake for about 18 to 20 minutes or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out slightly sticky.
Remove from the oven and sprinkle evenly with the marshmallows, remaining chocolate chips and walnuts. Return to oven for 2 minutes or until the marshmallows begin to melt.
Variation: Substitute the vanilla essence with peppermint essence and sprinkle peppermint crisp chocolate over instead of the chocolate chips for a pepperminty flavour.
Let them cool for about 30 minutes and cut into bars.
CHICKPEA CHAAT
This is a very easy recipe to prepare, and quite an aromatic dish. Use as a side dish for your braai (BBQ)
Serves 4
Ingredients:
1 tin of boiled chick peas (240g)
1 large potato cut into small cubes
1 small onion chopped small
10ml olive oil
1 heaped teaspoon jeera/coriander powder
¾ teaspoon salt
½ teaspoon turmeric powder
1 teaspoon chilli powder
1 teaspoon ginger
2 table spoons lemon juice
1 teaspoon sugar
Half tin chopped tomato about 200g
1 cup plain yogurt
Fresh Coriander leaves to garnish
Method:
Boil cubed potato till tender
Heat oil in a pan and add ginger and onion and sauté till onions are transparent but not brown
Add tin of chickpeas to onion and ginger along with the salt, turmeric, jeera/coriander powder and chilli powder
Stir well and add in lemon juice and boiled potatoes to the pan.
Then add the chopped tomatoes along with the teaspoon of sugar and allow to simmer for about 5 minutes on a medium heat. Allow chickpea and potato mixture to cool slightly.
Transfer mixture to another dish and mix in the plain yogurt
Garnish with fresh coriander.
CHICKPEA CHAAT
Gingernut Biscuits
GINGERNUT BISCUITS
Makes about 30 biscuits
Ingredients:
2 cups cake flour
1 cup soft brown sugar
½ teaspoon bicarbonate of soda
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
2 teaspoons ground ginger
125g softened butter
1 egg
3 teaspoons golden syrup
Method:
Preheat the oven to 170C.
Melt the butter, and mix in the beaten egg and golden syrup. (margarine can be used instead of the butter, but they do lose some of the melt in the mouth quality).
Mix together the dry ingredients, and then add the butter/egg mix. Make sure these mix thoroughly, it should be a firm dough consistency
Shape the resulting dough into small balls roughly 2cm across.
Place WELL APPART on a thoroughly greased tray and bake for 20-25 minutes.
Loosen the biscuits gently and leave to cool completely on the tray.
CHILLI CON CARNE
Chilli Con Carne Recipe
This great chilli has to be one of the best dishes to serve to friends for a casual get-together. It’s easy to throw together using mostly store cupboard ingredients.
Chilli Con Carne
Ingredients:
1 tablespoon oil
1 large onion, chopped
1 red pepper, chopped
1 teaspoon crushed garlic
1 heaped teaspoon hot chilli powder
1 teaspoon paprika
1 teaspoon ground jeera
500g lean minced beef
1 beef stock cube
400g can chopped tomatoes
½ teaspoon dried mix herbs
1 teaspoon sugar
2 tablespoon tomato purée
410g can red kidney beans
Method:
- Put your pan on the stove over a medium heat. Add the oil and leave it for 1-2 minutes until hot. Add the onions and cook, stirring fairly frequently, for about 5 minutes, or until the onions are soft. Add in the garlic, red pepper, chilli, paprika and cumin. Give it a good stir, then leave it to cook for another 5 minutes, stirring occasionally.
- Brown the mince. Turn the heat up a bit, add the meat to the pan and break it up with your spoon . The mix should sizzle a bit when you add the mince. Keep stirring and prodding for at least 5 minutes, until all the mince is in uniform, mince-sized lumps and there are no more pink bits. Make sure you keep the heat hot enough for the meat to fry and become brown, rather than just stew.
- Making the sauce. Crumble your stock cube into 300ml/1⁄2 pint of hot water. Pour this into the pan with the mince mixture. Open the can of chopped tomatoes and add these as well. Add the mixed herbs and the sugar, and add a good shake of salt and pepper. Squirt in about 2 tablespoons of tomato purée and stir the sauce well.
- Simmer it gently. Bring the whole thing to the boil, give it a good stir and put a lid on the pan. Turn down the heat until it is gently bubbling and leave it for 20 minutes. You should check on the pan occasionally to stir it and make sure the sauce doesn’t catch on the bottom of the pan or isn’t drying out. If it is, add a couple of tablespoons of water and make sure that the heat really is low enough. After simmering gently, the saucy mince mixture should look thick, moist and juicy.
- Bring on the beans. Drain and rinse the beans in a sieve and stir them into the chilli pot. Bring to the boil again, and gently bubble without the lid for another 10 minutes, adding a little more water if it looks too dry. Taste a bit of the chilli and season. It will probably take a lot more seasoning than you think. Now replace the lid, turn off the heat and leave your chilli to stand for 10 minutes before serving, and relax. Leaving your chilli to stand is really important as it allows the flavours to mingle and the meat. Serve with boiled plain rice or my kids love it with cooked spaghetti.
CHICK PEA RICE
CHICK PEA RICE
Having canned chick peas on hand is quite useful for a quick and easy meal. When using canned chick peas, you don’t even have to cook for long. To make rice using chick peas doesn’t take much time at all. I like to add chopped pieces of boneless chicken for a filing meal for the kids. I don’t use much chili powder but to make an adult version, go ahead and increase the amount of chili powder and add some chopped green chilies to spice it up.
Chick Pea Rice
Ingredients:
2 cups of cooked rice
1 tin of canned chick peas
1 onion, chopped
1 tomato, chopped
2 sticks cinnamon
3 cardamom pods
Salt to taste
½ teaspoon ginger and garlic paste
½ teaspoon chili powder
Pinch of turmeric
½ teaspoon garam masala
½ teaspoon jeera powder
2 teaspoons oil
Small pieces of boneless chicken
Chopped dhanya leaves for garnish
Method:
- Heat oil in a saucepan.
- Add onions and sauté till translucent.
- Add stick cinnamon and cardamoms.
- Add the chicken now if using.
- Stir and cook approximately 10 minutes or until chicken are cooked.
- Then add the ginger garlic paste and sauté for 30 sec before adding the tomatoes.
- Add the chick peas and some salt.
- Cover and cook for about 5 minutes till the chick peas are cooked.
- Add the turmeric, chili powder and garam masala and sauté for another couple of minutes.
- Add in the cooked rice and mix it up well the cooked chick peas.
- Garnish with chopped coriander leaves.
- Serve warm.
BANANA AND DATE MUFFINS
Makes 12
Ingredients:
2 overripe bananas, chopped
100g dates, chopped
½ cup vegetable oil
2 eggs
¾ cup brown sugar
1 teaspoon bicarbonate of soda
½ teaspoon cinnamon
1 teaspoon vanilla essence
1 ½ cups self raising flour
METHOD:
Mix all the wet ingredients together, add the dry ingredients until just combined.
Put into muffins trays, lined with muffins cases and bake at 150C for 20 minutes or until done.
Delicious!!
BANANA & DATE MUFFINS
Chocolate Coconut Dream Cookie
CHOCOLATE COCONUT DREAM COOKIE
Delicious chocolate, coconut and oats biscuits, the whole family as well as the chocolate addicts will enjoy this biscuit.
Chocolate Coconut Dreams
CHOCOLATE COCONUT DREAMS
Ingredients:
2 cups plain flour
2 cups rolled oats
1 cup sugar
1 ¼ cup desiccated coconut
250g soft butter
5ml bicarbonate of soda
25ml boiling water
25ml cocoa powder
25ml golden syrup
2 large eggs, beaten
To complete: 150g cooking chocolate
Method:
Combine flour, oats, sugar & coconut in a large mixing bowl.
Rub in butter with finger tips to resemble fine crumbs.
Pour boiling water over bicarbonate of soda, stir in cocoa powder and golden syrup.
Beat eggs well and combine all ingredients. Mix well to form soft dough.
Divide into approx. 30 small balls. Place on a baking tray and press flat with a fork.
Bake in a preheated oven at 190C for 10-12 minutes.
Cool on a cooling rack and decorate with melted cooking chocolate.
COCKTAIL FRUIT CAKE
Cocktail Fruit Cake
Ingredients:
2 cups (500ml) selfraising flour
1 cup (250ml) sugar
2 eggs
2 teaspoons bicarbonate of soda
Pinch salt
1 tin (410g) fruit cocktail
Method:
Preheat oven at 170C. Beat eggs and sugar well. Add the dry ingredients and fruit including juice. Mix until combined. Pour into greased dish and bake in preheated oven for ¾ hour or until a skewer inserted comes out clean.
Sauce:
1 small tin evaporated milk
½ cup desiccated coconut
½ cup sugar
3 tablespoons butter.
Add the ingredients for the sauce into a small saucepan. Boil for 5 minutes. Pour over hot cake. Cut into squares and enjoy warm or cold, on its own or with whipped cream.
CINNAMON RING DOUGHNUTS
Ring Doughnuts
Makes +/- 30
Ingredients:
500g selfraising flour
3 eggs
¾ cup sugar
70g butter/margarine
1 teaspoon vanilla essence
½ teaspoon baking powder
1 – 1½ cups buttermilk
Oil for frying
7cm and 3cm round cutters
For the coating:
1 level teaspoon ground cinnamon
125g caster sugar
Method:
Cream together the eggs, sugar and butter in a large mixing bowl. Add vanilla essence.
Add the flour and baking powder. Make a slight dent in the middle of the flour.
Add the buttermilk.
Mix together into a smooth ball and then turn out on to a floured work surface.
Roll the dough out to a thickness of just over 1cm. Flour the cutters and use the larger one to cut out rounds of dough, then cut out the centres using the smaller cutter. (Or you can buy a ring doughnut cutter from your local spice shop)
Re-roll the trimmings to make more doughnuts.
Put the doughnuts to one side and make the coating.
Mix the cinnamon into the sugar in a small bowl.
Now fry the doughnut. Place the rings carefully into the hot oil and fry for 3-4 minutes, until golden on the bottom, then turn them over and fry for a further 2-3 minutes, until they are an even golden colour and cooked through.
Lift on to kitchen paper to drain briefly and, while they’re still hot, toss them in the cinnamon sugar until evenly coated. Shake off any excess and place on a wire rack to cool. (Not suitable for freezing).
Cook’s tip
GLAZE
1 cup of icing sugar
1 tablespoon of vanilla essence or a drop of food colouring
Whisk in enough boiling water to make a thin glaze, drizzle over donuts.
Cover with sprinkles.
Kids love these different coloured doughnuts!!
Or
Spread the doughnuts with chocolate spread
Ring Doughnuts
MINI SAUSAGE ROLLS
This is a firm favourite in my house at anytime. So easy to prepare. I usually make a batch to freeze, so there is always something to cook when unexpected quests arrive or whenever the kids feel like nibbling.
MINI SAUSAGE ROLLS
Makes 16
Ingredients:
500g ready-made puff pastry
Flour for dusting
1 egg, beaten
8 good quality sausages cut into two
Salt and freshly ground black pepper
Small handful fresh thyme leaves
Method:
Preheat the oven to 200C
Roll the pastry out on a floured surface to a rectangle of about 48x32cm.
Cut the large rectangle in half lengthways, then cut both smaller rectangles into eight equal sections. You now have 16 rectangles in total. Brush one end of each rectangle with a little of the beaten egg, lay a piece of sausage at the other end, then season the sausage with salt and freshly ground black pepper and sprinkle with thyme leaves. Roll the sausage up in the pastry to enclose and repeat with all the sausages. Put the sausage rolls in the fridge for 20 minutes for the pastry to harden.
Once the pastry is hard, remove the sausage rolls from the fridge and score the tops with a sharp knife for decoration, or prick with a fork. Brush well all over with the rest of the beaten egg and bake in the oven for 25–30 minutes, or until the pastry has turned golden-brown and looks crisp. Remove from the oven and leave to cool slightly before serving.
Variation:
Use viennas (Frankfurters) instead of the sausage
Cape Malay Cooking & Other Delights - Salwaa Smith 
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