Strawberry & Coconut Oat Muffins

ok, so this is another muffin post. i do make more than muffins i promise, but i couldn't wait to share this one with you because the results were... well... AMAZING! coconut and i go way back, we're old buddies. it's been one of my all time flavours since i was knee high to a grasshopper. as far back as i can remember my favourite chocolate bar was bounty and my favourite biscuit was coconut macaroons. i love coconut milk/cream in cooking like Thai curries or even banana bread, and have recently discovered Lindt 70% coconut intense dark chocolate. DROOOOOL!!!!

anyway, enough of me ranting about coconut, onto these little gems. i came across a blender recipe for oat muffins, that sounded ok and because i wanted something fairly clean and nutritious i figured i'd give them a whirl but give it my own touch. i had a punnet of strawberries kicking around in the fridge - i LOVE strawberry season, huzzah! - so decided to chop them up and mix into the recipe. problem was, once i had made the mix i just felt that something was lacking. it need a bit more OOMPH. something with a strong enough flavour and texture to make it more interesting, but not so strong as to overpower the strawberries. after thinking about it for, oh let's say 3 seconds, i settled on dessicated coconut. nom.

for this recipe you will need a blender, a big bowl for mixing, and:

2 ripe bananas

2 eggs

2 1/2 cups rolled oats

1 cup of low fat Greek yoghurt (strawberry or plain)

1/2 cup sugar

1 1/2 tsp baking powder

1/2 tsp baking soda

dash each of cinnamon and vanilla essence

1/2 cup dessicated coconut

1 punnet of fresh strawberries, sliced

preheat the oven to 180 celcius and spray your muffin tin with oil (you could use liners, but avoid paper liners as oat mixtures tend to stick to them badly). place all ingredients except for the strawberries and coconut in the blender and whizz up until smooth. transfer to a large mixing bowl and stir in the coconut and most of the strawberries leaving a few in reserve so you can add them to the tops. spoon mixture into the muffin tin and top each muffin with one or two slices of fresh strawberry and push it in ever so slightly so that it doesn't sit too high on top. place in the oven and bake for approx 18 minutes (your oven may need a little more or less). once cooked (check using the old toothpick test) allow to cool in the tray for 10 minutes before turning out onto a wire rack to cool completely.

i chopped my strawberries into quarters as they were smallish, but the chunks were pretty chunky so if you want smaller pieces then slice them smaller, though they will mush up a bit more that way. i used a mix of strawberry chobani and plain chobani, approx 1/2 cup of each as i only had a little sachet of the strawberry flavoured one - i think it lent a bit extra sweetness and strawberry-ness to the muffins, so if you want more of that flavour then use all strawberry if you wish! i also found removing them from my allegedly 'non-stick' muffin tin a little tough, and found a dessert spoon worked best to gently prise them out - it didn't gouge into them like a knife did. i can attest to the fact that these are amazing when warm - the strawberry is still soft and gooey! best enjoyed outside, sitting on the lawn in the sunshine, with a cup of tea ;)

Spiced Banana Zucchini Muffins

these little bad boys were the result of a mid-study urge to distract myself with something more pleasant and creative, and i was in desperate need of a little warmth and comfort. those two words often mean cinnamon for me, i can't get enough of the stuff, it ends up on most of my breakfasts and in most of my cakes and baked goods!

after a quick rummage around in the kitchen, i had decided to raid the stash of bananas and use up an old zucchini that i had bought with more 'savoury' intentions but never quite got around to actually using. yep, that old chestnut. so, armed with my chief ingredients, i set about guesstimating what would be needed and worked my way from there.

3/4 cup wholemeal flour

3/4 cup self raising flour

1/2 tsp baking powder

1/2 tsp baking soda

pinch of salt

2 eggs

1/3 cup sugar

1/2 cup low fat Greek yoghurt

1 tbsp vegetable or olive oil

2 small-medium bananas

1 small-medium zucchini

1 tsp cinnamon

1 tsp mixed spice

mash up the bananas until well mixed and not lumpy. add in the other wet ingredients (eggs, yoghurt, oil) and whisk to combine. add in the sugar and spices, and whisk to combine. add in the dry ingredients (flours, baking powder and soda, salt), and stir to combine, then finally stir in the zucchini. be careful not to overmix or the batter will become tough.

line a muffin tray (mine has 12 cups) with liners (i just used large paper cupcake liners, whatever size fits your muffin tray best) and spoon mixture evenly among the liners. they should be about 3/4 full. at this stage i added a little sprinkling of a cinnamon sugar mix (about 1 tbsp caster or raw sugar mixed with 1 tsp cinnamon) to the top of each muffin. bake at 180 celcius for approximately 20 minutes, or until a toothpick comes out clean. leave to cool in the tray for a few minutes before transferring to a wire rack to cool completely. or you could do as we did, and wait only 2 minutes before having a warm one with a cup of tea in the sunshine in the backyard. word of warning - the downside to this is that they stick to the liner more when they're warm, so be prepared to lose a bit, or get very messy.

Super Simple Almond Butter

i don't know about anyone else, but i am a big fan of peanut butter. BIG fan! it's kind of salty and savoury but slightly sweet, sticks to the roof of your mouth yet is gooey and melty all at the same time. i do like it a LOT! i haven't gone so far as to start incorporating it into smoothies and biscuits and cakes and whatever else i can think of, partly because i prefer it straight, and partly because, well... it's not that great for you in larger doses. well, ok, even smaller doses aren't that great either. despite many sites claiming it to be high in protein (and it is!) and therefore good for you, i tend to disagree, largely because while the protein content is pretty good, it's not much chop for anything else. it doesn't have the range of nutrients that other nuts have (leaving aside the fact that it isn't a true nut, but a legume, but hey, we call it a nut and treat it like a nut so i may as well go with the flow!) and as it is so high in fat and calories, you want good nutritional bang for your buck. so... what are the alternatives? other nut butters of course!!!

so off i merrily go to the local supermarket to hunt me down some nut butter, and lo and behold, one tiny jar costs more than double my jumbo jar of peanut butter. i mean, $10 for 375g?!?!?! i do NOT think so!!!! so home i head with a large bag of whole almonds, thinking 'stuff it, i'll just make some myself, surely it can't be THAT hard'! and it's not... but it is time consuming, so bear with me...

you will need... almonds and a food processor. really.

i started with 2 cups of almonds, i wasn't sure if my little old food processor could handle any more, but i think you could easily do anywhere from 1 to 3 cups at a time depending on the capacity of your food processor. i lightly roasted them in the oven for about 10 minutes to get the oils going and firm them up a bit. it gives the resulting paste a slightly deeper flavour, but you could do them untoasted for more of that raw nutty flavour. once cooled, add into the food processor and start blitzing!

it will be very noisy at first but this only lasts a few seconds, as the processor starts to break down the nuts. keep the food processor on for a good minute or two, then check.

this is when you will need a spatula. scrape down the sides of the processor and check to make sure the blade is still touching the bottom (mine started to lift a bit and the almonds started to gather underneath meaning they weren't getting processed at all). turn on again for another minute or two, then re-check, scrape, and repeat.

keep processing, stopping occasionally to check and scrape. it seems like this will go on forever and that the processor isn't breaking them down. stay with it. after a good 5-8 minutes the almonds will start to release their oils and the mixture will gradually start to clump.

keep processing. you shouldn't need to stop and scrape so often now. keep going for another few minutes.

it will eventually start to resemble a speckly paste and look oily and buttery. keep going for a few more minutes, i promise it will continue to break down.

after a good 10-15 minutes (depending on your food processor) it will start to look glossy and smooth. this is where i stopped. or rather, this is where my food processor could go no further. you see, after some googling, i learned that eventually it should thicken up even more and truly resemble peanut butter. but mine never did. it just stayed a thick glossy paste no matter how much extra processing i gave it. and that's ok, i'm more than happy with that! you can now give your food processor a rest, and using the trusty spatula scrape/pour it into jars (as you would with jam) and let cool. once cooled enough to handle you can pop them into the fridge where they will keep for a good month or two.

lastly, you can FLAVOUR the almond butter! YUM! so with my batch, i decanted half the mixture plain, then with the half left in the food processor i added in about a teaspoon of ground cinnamon, a teaspoon of vanilla essence and half a teaspoon of vanilla paste. approximately. as always, i didn't really measure, i just went by taste, i wanted something relatively subtle that wouldn't overpower the almond-ness. experiment. follow your tastebuds. i imagine honey or nutmeg or cardamom would all work well! and you can keep your $10!

Double Choc Low Fat Muffins

it should come as no surprise to anyone who has ever met me that i am a big chocolate fan. i love the stuff. nothing in the world quite comes close to the pleasure it brings - except maybe wine and hugs with my husband. it makes your heart happy, your soul fulfilled, and the tastebuds on your tongue dance and sing! the only problem is, i'm a bit of a chocolate snob... i like pure chocolate. preferably dark. preferably smooth. and expensive. i'm a purist - i don't go in for the ones that are filled with gooey sugary flavoured fillings like jelly beans or runny strawberry cream. not that i wouldn't ever eat it if offered, of course, i'm not THAT much of a snob! but if i'm buying/choosing for myself, i'll get high quality stuff that i know is delicious and revel in it's glory.

the reason i say all this is because it means that i rarely go in for chocolate cakes, slices or other 'diluted' versions. i'll enjoy a good brownie from time to time, but generally when going for cakes or other sweet treats i veer away from chocolate themed goodies. mostly because they're often too sweet and sickly and never quite as satisfying as an actual piece of chocolate, and why waste my precious calories on that?!?!

until one day i decided i DID want a chocolate flavoured baked item. that was healthy and not loaded with sugar or sugary 'additions', but not the full on chocolate experience either. problem was, i didn't really have anything in my repertoire to fill this void - it's uncharted territory for me. what to do?!?! cobble something together based on a few recipes on my shelf, with a few of my own changes thrown in, and see what they turn out like of course!

3/4 cup applesauce

3/4 cup no fat Greek yoghurt

1 tbsp honey

2 egg whites

1 teaspoon vanilla essence

1/2 cup SR flour

1/2 cup wholemeal flour

1/2 teaspoon baking powder

1/2 cup cocoa powder

1/2 cup sugar (i used raw)

50g dark 70% chocolate, roughly chopped into something approximating 'chips'

preheat over to 190/200 celcius. in a large bowl whisk together all the wet ingredients (applesauce, yoghurt, honey, egg whites, vanilla) until smooth and no lumps. add in the sugar and whisk to combine. sift in the rest of the dry ingredients (the flours, baking powder and cocoa powder) - tipping in the husks leftover from the wholemeal flour at the end, and then gently stir to fully combine but don't over stir. fold in the chopped chocolate. spray a 12-muffin tin with olive oil spray, and divide the mixture among the 12 cups (don't use liners, the muffins will stick to them). bake for 5 minutes at the high temperature, then turn the oven down to 170 and bake for a further 12 minutes. check them using a toothpick/skewer, if it comes out clean they're cooked. if not, add back in for another minute or two but no longer - they overcook very easily! allow to cool for 5 minutes in the muffin tin, then gently prise them out and transfer to a cooling rack to cool completely. or enjoy one warm with a cuppa. while the chocolate 'chips' are still slightly melty. oh yeah!

i calculated these at approximately 118 calories each, so relatively guilt free! i think the next time i fancy chocolatey baked goodness i might try adding in some raspberries, oh my, now THAT is a good chocolate 'addition'!!!

Banana Greek Yoghurt Pancakes

it's no great secret that breakfast is my most favourite meal of the day. when else can you eat something sweet legitimately as a meal? and eggs? and beans? and bread? and fruit? and yoghurt? etc etc... one of my all time favourites is pancakes, generally drizzled with copious amounts of maple syrup and topped with fresh fruit. those fluffy little rounds of sweet joy! problem is... they ain't all that healthy. so, what's a girl to do? try and healthify them of course!

these pancakes are my attempt to get plenty of good nutrition as well as a filling breakfast without overloading on the calories. they're crammed full of protein from the eggs and Greek yoghurt, as well as plenty of fibre from the wholemeal flour and banana.

this recipe makes enough for two, but you can easily divide or multiply the recipe as required. you will need:

2 large eggs

1/4 cup self raising flour

1/4 cup wholemeal flour

100g (ish) fat free Greek yoghurt (i use Chobani, 2 very heaped tablespoons)

1 banana

in a bowl mash up the banana with a fork until very mushy and not lumpy. in a separate large bowl, whisk the two eggs together until well combined. add in the flours and whisk until well combined, no lumps! whisk in the yoghurt and then finally the mashed banana and whisk or stir until well combined. (if you prefer your pancakes super fluffy, maybe add in half a teaspoon of baking powder)

meanwhile put a large non-stick fry pan on high heat until nice and hot, then turn heat down to medium, spray the pan with a little spray olive oil, and spoon on the batter. i make mine relatively small, and 3 fit nicely in my pan. make sure you spread the mixture out a little so that it's not too thick or it may stay mushy in the middle. when the pancakes start to bubble on top and look golden underneath with a quick peek by lifting the edges up with a spatula, flip them over and cook until cooked through and golden on both sides. repeat with remaining mixture until all cooked.

i top mine with whatever fruit is handy, or jam, or syrup, or honey, or more yoghurt, or really whatever tickles my fancy on that day. my apologies for the terrible photo, i didn't want to wait until i took some pretty photos before sharing the recipe, but hopefully you get the ides! in this photo you can see a mix of yoghurt, lemon curd, mixed berries and maple syrup. ok so it was a sweet day, what can i say?! do whatever you fancy, and start your day with a smile!

Vietnamese-style 'Rainbow' Salad

i don't know if this really counts as a 'recipe' per se, as it's something that seems to change a little each time i make it. it's more a list of things to put together! i hesitate calling it a 'Vietnamese' salad because i am far from being in any such position to attribute it in such a manner with any authority. however, after eating a few such style salads at Vietnamese restaurants over the years, i know that it is close enough to at least acknowledge the roots of the concoction.

i've also attributed it the name 'rainbow salad' for two reasons. two very important reasons... well, they're little people rather than reasons! last christmas we stayed with my family in far north queensland, and it was the first time that literally the whole family was together in many many years. my sister's two young boys were a delight to spend such a magical time of year with, and we bonded quickly! one evening i wanted to cook up dinner and decided on this dish due to the hot weather and a desire for something fresh and healthy. however, i knew that it might be a tough sell to a 4 year old and a 3 year old! so when we rbought out the bowls full of salad, and i noted they eyed it with a mix of curiosity and suspicion, i proudly proclaimed it 'rainbow salad', and they gobbled it up without question! hooray!

so anyway, on to the recipe/list. most of these ingredients are available at most of our local supermarkets and/or farmers markets year round (though of course the price will vary according to seasonality). you will need:

2 cups thinly sliced Chinese cabbage (often named wombok or similar)

1 cup thinly sliced red cabbage

1 medium red capsicum, sliced into long thin pieces

1 large or 2 small carrots, grated (i leave the skin on when they're fresh for extra fibre, but if not then peel them)

1-2 cups beansprouts

2 spring onions (scallions) thinly sliced

1/2 cup or more of fresh coriander leaves, roughly chopped

1/2 cup or more of fresh mint leaves, roughly chopped

1/4 to 1/2 cup unsalted peanuts, roughly chopped

fried shallots, to serve

simply slice all the veggies thinly or to your liking, and add into a large salad bowl. use more or less of the herbs to taste, we really like both so i always put plenty of both in, the mint in particular really makes this dish! add the peanuts last, and then you're ready for your dressing! the problem is, i never really measure the amounts so i'm just purely guesstimating here, you'll need to trust your own judgement and taste... (i promise i'll get better at this!) in an old jam jar or other suitable container that is easily sealed and shakeable:

teaspoon-ish of olive or peanut oil

1-2 teaspoons sweet chilli sauce

2 teaspoons soy sauce

1-2 teaspoons rice wine vinegar

juice (and zest if you like lime!) of 1 lime, or 2 teaspoons of lime juice from a bottle

1/2-1 teaspoon sambal oelek

1 garlic clove, crushed

put all ingredients in the jar and shake shake shake! you could add a teaspoon of fish sauce for a more authentic taste if you're not vegetarian. smell it before you add it to get an idea if it's well balanced among the 4 elements of salty, spicy, sweet and acidic. adjust by adding in a little extra of any of the components you feel it requires. then simply pour over the salad and toss to combine! we serve ours with tofu for me and beef or chicken strips for him, and then a small sprinkling of the fried shallots for extra crunch (would estimate maybe half a tablespoon?!). i tend to either buy marinated tofu and briefly cook in a fry pan before slicing thinly and serving on top, and he often stir fries his in a pan or wok with a dash of black pepper, paprika and cayenne pepper or chilli powder. again, experiment! let me know how your 'concoction' goes!

Orange and poppy seed zucchini loaf with glaze

so in my 'to do' folder sitting on my recipe book shelf, there are a multitude of lemon and poppy seed recipes. the combination just really appeals to me - the tangy sweetness of lemons, the earthy bitterness of the poppy seeds, all rolled into a sweet delicious baked good! what's not to love?!?! lemon and poppy seed pancakes. lemon and poppy seed muffins. cake. biscuits. you name it... it's there! and when i decided i finally wanted to try such a combination, lo and behold i had no lemons. you wouldn't read about it! but rather than go to the supermarket for some overpriced and undersweet lemons, i decided to use what i had - oranges!

kicking about in the vegetable drawer i also had a zucchini that needed using. i've never been a lover of zucchini (or, when i was growing up in England, courgette) but in recent years have realised this is due to texture and not taste. when it's cooked badly it turns into soft gluggy mess that catches in the back of your throat and feels disgusting, but when cooked right (still working on this one) or just grated up and added into things the texture becomes a non-issue! i've baked cakes and loaves with zucchini before, it lends a beautiful softness without any major flavour, so i decided to throw that in as well.

2 cups plain flour (i used 1 1/2 cups plain and 1/2 wholemeal)

2 tsp baking powder

pinch salt

1 tbsp poppy seeds

1 whole egg and 1 egg white

1/3 cup extra virgin olive oil

1/2 cup sugar (i used raw, but you could use white or brown)

1 large navel orange, zested and juiced (i like things tangy, if you're not such an orange lover you could just zest half the orange)

1/2 cup low or non-fat Greek yoghurt

1 cup grated zucchini (approximate guess... i just grated 1 medium sized zucchini)

preheat the oven to 180 degrees celsius. in a bowl whisk together the eggs until well combined and a uniform pale yellow colour, then add the oil and sugar and whisk to combine. Then add the orange zest and juice, and the yoghurt. whisk again to combine, and then lastly stir in the grated zucchini. in a separate bowl, stir together the flour, baking powder, salt and poppy seeds. add the wet ingredients to the dry ingredients and stir until just combined. pour into loaf pan that is well greased and/or lined with baking paper and bake for approximately 50 minutes or until a skewer comes out clean (i tend to check about 10 minutes before the stated time for most recipes as each oven is different so it might be worth checking around 40 minutes and then judge from there how much extra it needs). once removed from the oven allow to cool in the tin for 10 minutes before turning out onto a wire cooling rack.

now, i know i said that this loaf is glazed... and i just wanted to mention here that the loaf is delicious as is! however... if you want to make it more of a cake and less of a breakfast loaf, then simply whisk together 2 heaped tablespoons of pure icing sugar with some more orange zest (i used half an orange) and a squeeze of orange juice, enough to make your desire consistency (i kept mine reasonably runny, hence the need for the foil underneath to catch the drips!). super simple!

this loaf isn't super sweet, so you could use it for breakfast or brunch quite easily. i prefer my 'loaves' to be more on the bread side than the cake side, but feel free to tweak it to your tastes. experiment! be creative! tweak! and let me know how it turns out!