Banana Loaf

I love sugar in my tea and coffee, but having 4-5 cups a day, with a teaspoon of sugar, you do the maths!  I'm seriously thinking this is not good for my health and well being. So I started to look at other options, I came across coco sugar at a neighbour's house, and decided to give it a go.

So it's fine in tea/coffee, it resembles natural sugar in colour and texture, so I thought I would try baking with it, the result was great. Coco sugar is derived from the sap of the coconut palm tree, and has a lower GI (glycemic index) than sugar, so healthier for you.  I would probably use it for denser cakes like banana, apple or carrot cake, and stick to the refined sugars for your sponges and light cakes.  If  you are watching your sugar intake give this a go. I adapted this from the Edmonds cook book as it had 1/2 cup of sugar, my other recipe I love using has 1 cup, so I used this

Banana Loaf

1 3/4 Cup Self raising flour
1/4 Tsp Baking soda
1/4 Tsp salt
1/2 Cup Sugar
2 Eggs
1/4 Cup milk
75g Melted Butter
1 Cup mashed banana

Sift flour, baking soda and salt into a bowl. Mix in sugar, in another bowl beat eggs. Stir in milk, butter and banana.

Mix quickly into dry ingredients, stirring until everything is combined. Pour into a greased  22cm loaf tin.

Bake at 180 c for 40-50 min, until a skewer comes out clean. Leave in the tin for 10 min before turning out.
Serve sliced, with butter (if you prefer)

Enjoy!

 

till next time

 

Ashia

Adam's 12th Birthday

Wow, I cannot believe how time flies, first you have a tiny wriggly bundle in your arms and before you know it, they are taller than you!
My son Adam turned 12 last week, and he just wanted some friends over to hang out, shoot some baskets and watch movies on the media screen in the lounge.  So we decided to do it over the long weekend, was it wise having six  12/13 yr olds sleep over....ummmm I don't know if any of us got any sleep!  But they had a great time hanging out and being boys.

I love baking cakes for both my children on their birthdays, but I must admit it's getting harder to figure out what they like without being too childish (for a 12 yr old that is!) So when I saw something like this on a fb page, I decided to have a go.

Really simple, I used my no fail chocolate cake recipe ( in one of the earlier entries), made three cakes - using 23 cm cake tins, and sandwiched them with chocolate icing.
I made a simple chocolate icing, using butter, cocoa, icing sugar and boiling water. And crumb coated the cake.  In hind sight though butter icing is also a good option.
After crumb coating I attached the chocolate wafers, and six types of chocolates, jaffas, maltesers, pebbles chocolate covered raisins and some mint balls and white chocolate drops.

 

 

The result was fabulous and the cake went down a treat!  I don't think anyone will be eating chocolate for a while.

 Dinner was chicken burgers and fries ( they said no to salad....) followed by birthday cake and then ice cream.

Shooting hoops....what they do best, four of them are in the school basketball team

The quietest I saw them the whole weekend ;-)

Salmon Parcels with Roasted Vegetables

I honestly haven't dropped off the face of the earth, I am here, and feeling very guilty about not blogging and keeping up with my regular posts.  I do have an excuse, a valid one I might add.  We are in the process of selling our home and buying another one.  A very stressful process, causing me a lot of anxiety and grief, and far too much time being spent in the car going through open homes, hence the lack of posts.

But you have to eat, it really does not matter how stressful your life is,  you need to feed the family, so with this in mind I turn to quick and simple dishes that are nutritious and full of flavour.  I love parcel food, its a great easy concept for a busy life, it's one that I first saw in one of Jamie Oliver's earlier books.  He used chicken, but you can use any meat/fish.  I love this one as salmon is packed full of goodness and does not require too much flavouring.
Here I have used two marinades a simple parsley one ( for the children) and one with chilli flakes for a kick (for moi)

You will need 4 pieces of salmon fillets ( or more depending on how many you are feeding)
4 Foil envelopes (tightly  folded on 3 edges, with an opening)
For the marinade -;
1 Tbl of Olive oil
Salt and pepper to taste
squeeze of lemon juice
small handful of parsley ( I use the dry variety)
or 1/2 tsp chilli flakes if you are going for the kick version
Mix it all together
Place the salmon fillets in the foil bag and drizzle your marinade over the salmon, seal the envelope/bag at the top so that no air can escape, this is important, as the fish will cook in the steam created in the bag.
Place on an oven tray in a preheated oven at 160 for about 15-20 min.

Serve with a medley of roasted vegetables  (one of my earlier blog entries has this recipe) or a potato mash.  Delish!

 

Enjoy!

 

Till next time.

 

Ashia

Mango Raita and Tomato & Onion Salad

A couple of great refreshing side dishes that go with any Indian meal, that needs the heat toning down.

Mango Raita - you can make variations of this using different ingredients, cucumber and mint, beetroot, apple, orange.
1 Large mango
200g plain yogurt
1 Tbl  dessicated coconut
salt & pepper to taste
handful of chopped coriander
1/4 tsp chilli powder

Slice the cheeks of the mango and cut diagonal lines into the cheek, pop it out and then cut the pieces  out
Mix the yogurt and coconut and S&P and add the mango pieces, mix together and then add the chopped coriander and chilli to decorate.

Tomato and Onion Salad

2-3 medium size Tomatoes, chopped
1 small onion, chopped
handful of chopped coriander
handful of chopped cucumber (optional)
Mix the ingredients in a bowl.
For the dressing
1 Tbls Oil
1/4 Tsp Salt
pepper
1/4 -1/2  Tsp chilli powder
1/2 Tsp white vinegar
1/4 Tsp sugar
Mix all the ingredients and taste, add more salt, chilli to taste. drizzle over the salad.

Enjoy!

Till next time

Ashia

Spicy Lamb Kebabs with Pita Pockets

Spicy Lamb kebabs is one of my children's favourite meals.  It's easy to prepare and perfect for a mid week "fast food" option.  You can make these up and freeze them before or after cooking them, and defrost as you need them.  They can be eaten hot or cold, served with warm pita bread, salad, and a yogurt dip.  I also serve them with potato wedges.

Great for summer as you can barbecue them if you choose or cook them in a griddle pan.

You will need -:
500g Lamb Mince (you can use other minced meat if you wish)
1 Tsp Cumin powder
1 Tsp Coriander powder
1/4 Tsp Turmeric
1-2 Cloves fresh garlic, crushed
2 Tsp Crushed Green chilli & coriander mix (this is optional as it gives quite a kick)
1 Tbls Fresh chopped coriander
1/2 Tsp salt and peppar to taste
2 Tbls Oil
1 Egg
Handful of breadcrumbs

Method -:
1. In a large bowl, mix the minced meat, all the spices, egg, coriander (& green chilli if using) and breadcrumbs, until it is all mixed well together
2. Divide the mince into 12-14 balls (the number will depend on how big the kebabs will be)
3. Taking a wooden spoon and using the handle, mould the ball around the handle into an oblong and gently slide it off the handle.  You should end up with an 8-10cm long sausage shaped kebab with a hole in the middle.

4.  At this point you can either BBQ, griddle or freeze them for later use.

If you are using a griddle pan, lightly coat with oil and fry them on a medium heat, until they are cooked through and brown on both sides.

To assemble -:

Heat the oven to 200c, wrap 2-3 pitas in foil  making sure there are no gaps, heat in the oven for 5-7 min, remove from the oven and cut the tops off to form a pocket, and then add your salad, kebabs, chilli sauce and raita.

8-10  Pita Pockets with a slit on the top
Mixed salad leaves
Raita (Yogurt, cucumber & coriander dip)
Thai sweet chilli

 

 

Enjoy!

 

Till next time

 

Ashia.

 

Wedding Celebration Lunch

 

So I have been back for just over 2 weeks and its so hard to get back to routine and normality. I miss my family, and I miss my mum's cooking! While we were away celebrating my sister, Farah's wedding, we had lots of family occasions to celebrate. One of these were the civil ceremony of my sister, where we had a vintage themed lunch, with some Indian food for good measure, I'm just going to post some photos of that special day

We had petite sandwiches, and wraps and  mini filled rolls,
 gorgeous chocolate eclairs and cheesecakes, fruit tarts, petite pattisserie savoury pastries, pasta salads,  spicy  potatoes with a tamarind sauce and cupcakes.

It was a beautiful day, filled with love, laughter and food, happy family memories to treasure forever.

 

Enjoy!

 

Till next time

 

Ashia

From my family home in the UK

Well it's been great being back home, ensconced in the folds of family, tradition and food. It's been 3 weeks here and we have been busy running around helping my sister Farah prepare for her wedding ( which is next week by the way) hence the lack of blogging.
But my mum has been busy in the kitchen cooking everyone's favourite dishes, so I thought I would post some photos of some of the lovely food we have been eating. Recipes to follow.
A busy week next week with the wedding and then off to Dubai and Abu Dhabi for a resort holiday and then back to NZ. I look forward to posting some great blogs when I get back.

Enjoy!

Till next time

Ashia.

Spice of Life - NZ House & Garden, June issue 2013

 Well here it is if you missed getting yourself a copy of the magazine.  The team at NZ House & garden did a fabulous job.

Recipes & Text - Ashia Ismail-Singer

Food Styling - Bernadette Hogg

Photographs - Manja Wachsmuth

 

Thank you to everyone that went out and bought the magazine. I really appreciate your  support and kind words. 

Enjoy!

Till next time

Ashia  

One Pot Wonder

Who doesn't salivate  at the word chocolate brownie, that gooey warm chocolate on the inside and chewy on the outside, perfect warm with ice cream as dessert on a cold evening ( or  anytime for that matter) don't let me stop you from indulging, our brownies do not survive in the tins for very long!

I love baking brownies, they are easy and require no fuss, a perfect delight, cold,  for a picnic or equally moreish warmed and served with cream or ice cream. Definately a one pot wonder.   There are so many versions out there, this is divine!

This makes 12-16 depending on the tray you use and the size you cut them

250g Butter
2 Cups muscovado sugar (light brown)
4 Eggs
1/2 Cup Dark good quality cocoa
2 Tsp Vanilla essence
1 Cup dark chocolate chopped up
1 Cup Plain flour (sifted)
1 Cup dessicated coconut
1 Tsp Baking powder
1/2 cup raspberries (when in season) optional

1. Pre heat the oven to 180 c

2. Melt the butter in a large saucepan and add the cocoa, stir over a low heat for 1-2 min.  Remove from the heat and add the sugar ( you can use ordinary white sugar).

3. Add the eggs one at a time, making sure you beat well between each egg, add the vanilla, coconut and chopped chocolate and then the flour and baking powder.  Stir the mixture until it is smooth and luscious and everything is well mixed.

4. Pour into a lined shallow baking tin, I used a square one 23 x23 x 5 cm, it doesn't matter, you will cut them to your desired pieces.  When in season I scatter  raspberries in just before baking, and gently push them in just  below the surface.

5. Bake for  25-30  min, the brownie will look set but  with a wobble when you take it out, and the skewer comes out chocolaty, this is good.  Transfer to a rack to cool and then cut in the desired pieces, dust with icing sugar and you can serve these warm or cold.  Yum!

 

Enjoy!

Till next time

Ashia

Sausage Tray Bake

This is a great meal to do when you have a large number to feed, or simply don't have the time to cook, just chuck everything in a tray and you will have a lovely heart  warming meal.

It is adapted from Delia's sausage, thyme and apple bake.  The sausages she uses are pork and  then she compliments it with thyme and apple.  I don't eat pork so have often made it with beef or lamb sausages.  And used rosemary, but i still use the apple. And this time I also  added chunks of carrot, I don't usually, but it actually tasted great.

This recipe serves  3-4 people I usually double it.

1 Tbl Olive oil
500g New potatoes thickly sliced (I leave the skin on)
2 Tbls Onion Marmalade
2  Red apples (whatever is in season - peeled, cored and cut into wedges)
2 Tbl  chopped thyme and /or rosemary
500g Lamb or Beef sausages
2-3 carrots peeled and cut into 3-4 cm chunks (optional)
300ml Chicken/Vegetable  stock

1. Pre heat the oven to  180c.  Heat the oil in frying pan and cook the potatoes over a high heat for 2-3 min until they start to brown.

2. Transfer to a roasting pan and stir though the onion marmalade, add the apples and carrots  with the chopped herbs and plenty of seasoning.

3. Tuck in the sausages in amongst the potatoes and apples and then pour over the stock to almost cover.  Bake for 50-60 min until everything is cooked through. Serve with your choice of vegetables.

 

Enjoy!

 

Till next time

 

Ashia

Media coverage!

Well what a busy and exciting month it's been.  With the food feature in NZ House and Garden - June issue and then an interview with the Breeze radio as a follow up!

If you have missed the radio interview, it is on their website now, so if you go on to Auckland Breeze Radio website it's there on the homepage,   they have called it "Ashia's Dream" .  They have done a fabulous job with it, it's great!  here is the link too :

http://www.thebreeze.co.nz/Regions/Auckland/Home/tabid/76/Default.aspx

The June issue of NZ House & garden should still be available but not for long! So if you haven't got your copy, hurry!  I will be posting the article on my blog when the magazine goes off sale too so look out for it.

I am also off to my sister's wedding in the UK in 4 weeks time, and will be blogging from there with lots of yummy family recipes as I will be  in my family home cooking up a storm with my mum and  3 sisters.

So the next couple of recipes are simple no fuss, one tray, one pot, great if you are rushing around and perfect for winter

Enjoy!

Ashia

Cookbooks

I feel I have really neglected my blog since my last entry.  Life  has been pretty hectic, with the children back at school and the days getting shorter it seems there are never enough hours in the day!  I have been cooking, I promise,  scrumptious, slow cooked meals and warm hearty dinners and pies and casseroles.  All from my range of cookbooks and magazines that I collect and plenty from my own cookbook that is waiting very patiently to get published. Although I am very excited because this month NZ House & Garden has published a food feature, with some of my recipes.  It's called "Spice of Life" and it looks (and tastes) divine!  Thank you so much to Sally Butters and her team for a fabulous job! Go out and get a copy its on sale now in the shops.

Writing is a passion, I love books, I think technology is great too with Ipads and Kindles ect taking over the world, I still think there is a place for books.  Call me old fashioned but I love holding a book, turning the pages, it's tangible, you can put it  down and pick it up at your leisure. The same goes for cookbooks, the ones that are published beautifully look amazing just sitting on your coffee table to admire.

I have my favourites, that I use again and again. I never tire of buying new ones (so there is a hint for gifts!)  I love adding to my collection, I get an amazing feeling when I look through a gorgeous cookbook, the wealth of information of countries and their cuisines.  The ones that I really like are the ones that tell a story, of a world completely different to mine, you can learn so much about a country through the food.   I admire all chose amazing chefs out there who have the talent to create some amazing food.   I like collecting magazines too, this provides some light reading as well yummy recipes, and then I cut up my favourite ones (as the magazines take over the house!) and put them in a folder to refer back to.

I have a wish list of cookbooks that I want, and I don't think that I will stop collecting them, and hope that one day I will be adding mine to the collection. Watch this space!

Enjoy the article in NZ House & Garden!

Till next time

Ashia