BBQ Sauce

This is an easy homemade BBQ sauce.  The base recipe comes from mywholefoodlife.com but of course I have adapted it a little!  I reduced the quantities to ensure that I use it all while it's fresh and substituted Worcestershire sauce with coconut aminos, a soy sauce alternative made from coconut sap available from health food stores.

Simple Salad Dressing

Make your own salad dressing and avoid preservatives and additives. This is a really easy salad dressing to make.  Into a small jar place 1 teaspoon of Dijon mustard per serving required.  Pour in extra virgin olive oil to desired quantity and add a splash of apple cider vinegar* to taste. Replace lid and shake well. Pour over your salad and enjoy!

*read about the benefits of apple cider vinegar:

http://www.mindbodygreen.com/0-3598/7-Reasons-to-Love-Apple-Cider-Vinegar.html

http://bodyecology.com/articles/apple_cider_vinegar.php#http://bodyecology.com/articles/apple_cider_vinegar.php#

 http://health.howstuffworks.com/wellness/food-nutrition/facts/the-health-benefits-of-vinegar3.htm

~ take every opportunity to put the good stuff in ~

 

This blog is about me, what I'm doing, what's working for me, and what's not. It includes my experiences and opinions. It is for general information only and is in no way intended to replace the advice of a health care professional.



Carrot Stringer

I'm a big fan of kitchen gadgets that make my life easier.  Here's a handy gadget for making carrot strings.

Let's face it, munching on carrot sticks can get a little tedious.  A carrot stringer is an easy way to incorporate carrot in your salads, adding appeal with colour and keeping it light, and it's easier and far less messy than grating.

This carrot stringer was given to me as a gift a few years ago.   I believe it came from House but I'm sure you'd be able to find one at any good kitchen store.

~ take every opportunity to put the good stuff in ~

 

This blog is about me, what I'm doing, what's working for me, and what's not. It includes my experiences and opinions. It is for general information only and is in no way intended to replace the advice of a health care professional.



A Peek At A Day In My Food Life

This evening was a particularly productive evening because the rest of the family was still out for a couple of hours after I got home from work, but this is fairly typical of my daily routine.  First let's flash back to this morning...

I started the day with a lemon water - 500 ml warm water with the juice of a whole lemon.

I drank a further 2 litres of water throughout the rest of the day.

For breakfast I had porridge made from rolled oats, oat bran, chia seed, goji berries, and macadamia nuts fermented overnight in water and natural yoghurt as recommended by the Weston A Price Foundation's "Healthy 4 Life" dietary guidelines brochure.  I topped the porridge with sliced banana, cherries, homemade nut milk (whizzed up in my blender last night) and a sprinkle of cinnamon.

For a mid-morning snack I had a slice of my homemade sourdough bread, toasted and spread with tahini and a little honey.

For lunch I had a salad made from lots of mixed leafy greens, some chopped leftover beef rissoles, leftover fried onion, tomato, cucumber, avocado and dressing made from mustard, olive oil and apple cider vinegar.

Sourdough Easter Bun

As Easter was approaching I thought to myself that I would like to try and make some hot cross buns this year.  I wondered if I could adapt the bread machine sourdough recipe to make hot cross buns.  So I just gave it a go!

SOURDOUGH HOT CROSS BUNS

1/2 cup plus 2 tablespoons yoghurt

3/4 cup water

4 cups wholegrain flour, less 3 tablespoons (I used Atta Wholemeal)

1 3/4 teaspoons dried yeast granules

3 tablespoons arrowroot powder + plenty extra!

1 teaspoon unrefined salt

1 tablespoon molasses 

2 tablespoons butter

1 cup mixed dried fruit

Mix together yoghurt and water and add to flour.  Mix to form a dough. Cover and leave in a warmish place for 18-24 hours.

I prepared the water, yoghurt and flour mixture and left it to do its thing overnight.  The next afternoon instead of putting everything into the bread machine I added the yeast, unrefined salt, molasses and butter directly to the bowl containing the "sourdough" and began to mix with a metal tablespoon. The mixture was rather sticky but that was OK at this point because it made mixing in the other ingredients easier.  I found it important to pay particular attention to breaking up and distributing the butter evenly through the mixture.

Then I added the arrowroot, 3 tablespoons initially.  I had actually forgotten to take out the 3 tablespoons of flour (4 cups, less 3 tablespoons) the day before when preparing the "sourdough" but it definitely still needed the arrowroot.  In fact it was so sticky that I ended up adding a total of 10 tablespoons of arrowroot plus more on my hands and on the board that I used to knead it on.  Just add as much as you need to handle it, knead it and work it into six buns.  To make the crosses I put about 1/3 cup Atta flour into a small bowl and added a little cold water to form a dough.  Then I rolled this dough between my hands to make long skinny "dough strings" which I cut into 12 pieces to form the crosses.  I placed the buns onto a pizza tray greased with a little coconut oil and decorated them with the crosses.  I found that the crosses stuck to the buns without needing to dab any water on them. I left the buns to sit for about 30 minutes to rise.  I covered the buns with some plastic wrap to prevent the dough drying out. I recommend spraying the wrap with a little oil to prevent it sticking to the buns!

My oven was playing up so I actually cooked the buns in our bbq at around 170-180 degrees (C) for about 30 minutes, turning the tray around halfway through.  The bread is cooked when it sounds hollow when you tap it. Cool on a wire rack and then enjoy with some real butter!

So here they are my hot cross buns . . . um my hot cross bun pull-apart bun! It was surprisingly light and fluffy given that this is made from wholemeal flour, and delightfully delicious, if I may say so myself!

Of course you don't have to wait until next Easter to try this . . . make it without the crosses for a morning/afternoon tea anytime.

Source / Further information:  Recipe adapted from Bread Machine Bread from the Weston A Price Foundation's "Healthy 4 Life" dietary guidelines brochure
http://www.westonaprice.org/images/pdfs/healthy4life2011.pdf

http://www.bdfarmpariscreek.com.au/index03.php?id=36&pl=20&tl=8 natural ~  biodynamic non-homogenised natural yoghurt available from Woolworths supermarkets*

Jimmy's Atta Wholemeal Flour ~ available from Woolworths supermarkets*

http://www.mainland.com.au/cheese-product/buttersoft-pure-butter/ ~ Mainland Buttersoft butter available from Woolworths supermarkets*

*possibly also available from Coles supermarkets, I just haven't checked yet!

~ take every opportunity to put the good stuff in ~

This blog is about me, what I'm doing, what's working for me, and what's not. It includes my experiences and opinions. It is for general information only and is in no way intended to replace the advice of a health care professional.