What diet?

My stomach is crying out for me to make these CHOCOLATE CREME BRULEE tarts over the weekend...(I haven't counted a propoint in weeks, the jolly fat (wo)man has entered my home and it's not even Christmas! Oh dear...save me..no...feed me...no..save me from these amazing looking treats!!)



DONNA HAY

3 sheets store-bought shortcrust pastry
butter, for greasing
2 cups (500ml) milk
200g dark chocolate, chopped
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
4 egg yolks
1/3 cup (75g) caster (superfine) sugar
1 tablespoon cornflour (cornstarch)
2 tablespoons coffee liqueur
caster (superfine) sugar, extra, to sprinkle
dark chocolate shavings and double cream, to serve

Preheat oven to 160ºC (320ºF). Cut the pastry into 12 x 10cm rounds. Cut a slit halfway through each round (this will make it easier to mould into tart shells). Line the bases of 12 x ½ cup-capacity (125ml) lightly greased muffin tins with the pastry. Prick the bases with a fork and line with non-stick baking paper. Fill with pastry weights and bake for 15 minutes. Remove the paper and weights and bake for a further 5–8 minutes or until golden and crisp. Allow to cool on a wire rack.

Place the milk, chocolate and vanilla in saucepan over medium heat and stir until melted. Bring to the boil and remove from heat. Place the egg yolks and sugar in a bowl and whisk until pale and creamy. Add the cornflour and whisk to combine. Gradually pour in the hot milk mixture, whisking continuously. Return to saucepan and cook over medium heat, whisking continuously, for 1–2 minutes or until slightly thickened. Stir through the coffee liqueur. Pour mixture into the tart shells and refrigerate for 4 hours or until set. Sprinkle tarts with caster sugar. Use a blowtorch to caramelise the sugar. Top with chocolate shavings and double cream to serve. Makes 12.

Try not to eat all 12 at once!
Recipe stalked down and hunted from here.

ADDICTION.

I have a confession to make.

My name is Beth, and I'm a frozen-raspberry-aholic.

I made the below Raspberry Eton Mess for dessert when a friend came over for dinner last weekend - and the 500g bag of frozen berries lasted all of 24hrs thereafter. We are now onto our second bag. If I eat a kilo of raspberries in a week will my skin begin to glow red? I sure hope not!

But they're so good! They're like little frozen treats of goodness that pop in your mouth! A small handful of these berries totally hits my evening sugar craving for six!

Enjoy the waist-friendly recipe below :)

RASPBERRY ETON MESS

Servings: 4
Preparation Time: 5 min

Ingredients
120 g Raspberries, fresh
1 tsp fresh lemon juice
2 tub(s) Weight Watchers , Ice Cream Mini Cups, French Vanilla, (290g)
30 g meringue, (3 x 10g nests), lightly crushed

Instructions
1. Reserve 8 raspberries to garnish. Place the remaining raspberries and juice in a medium bowl and lightly crush with a fork.

2. Fold in the ice-cream and meringue until just combined. Spoon Eton mess into four small serving glasses. Serve garnished with the reserved raspberries.

Guess who's cooking at my house?

Well, me...actually. But guess who I'm cooking with?

JAMIE!

This fabulous book travelled through Amazon's trusty courier services across the globe to my hot little hands. Can't tell you how excited I was! The Jamie obsession continues in our house.

This book is great, Jamie talks his readers through basic cooking techniques, cuts of meat, how to shop for the best produce and what to pair with what. I'm excited - as a novice cook this book is bound to help with my tasty creations!!

Now - all that's left is to decide which amazing dish we'll create tonight!

Happy weekend all!

xxx

Friday's feast!

This recipe is quickly becoming a favourite in our home. With a dollop of home made guacamole on top - this salmon dish is tasty to the max!

Ingredients (serves 6)

Salmon
1 tbs each dried thyme and oregano
1 tsp ground cumin
1 tbs ground coriander
1 tbs ground dried garlic
2 tbs pimenton (sweet smoked paprika)
6 x 120g skinless salmon fillets
2 tbs olive oil
Guacamole and lime wedges, to serve

Corn salsa
2 tbs olive oil
Cooked kernels from 2 fresh corn cobs
1 red capsicum, roasted, peeled, diced
1 small red chilli, seeded, finely chopped
3 spring onions, thinly sliced
1 1/2 tbs lime juice
1/4 cup chopped coriander leaves

Method
For salsa, heat 2 tsp oil in a non-stick pan over high heat. When hot, pan-fry corn until just golden. Mix with remaining oil and ingredients, then season.

Preheat oven to 180°C. Mix herbs and spices with 1 tbs ground white pepper and 2 tbs salt. Brush salmon with 1 tbs oil and coat in spice mixture. Heat remaining oil in an ovenproof frypan over medium heat. Cook fish for 2 minutes. Turn and cook for 1 minute. Transfer to oven for 3-5 minutes until cooked. Serve with salsa, guacamole and lime.

Enjoy!

green thumb!

image curtesy of here

So the love obsession with Jame Oliver continues.

There's just something so wholesome about the guy. Seeing the way he talks about his wife and children seriously warms my heart. And his passion for food is really addictive. Watching him hack away at food and create the most amazing dishes has kept me and LB busy this week. It's become our weeknight ritual, watch an episode of Jamie while we cook/eat our (not-as-appealing-as-jamie's) dinner.

The "Jamie at home" series is on our box at the moment (and the catchy jingle stuck in my head all day!) and it's made me realise what our dishes are missing: fresh herbs.

Fast-forward to DIY weekend activities and guess what LB and I have planned for tomorrow? Making our own herb garden! We don't have a courtyard at our apartment, so instead a herb box on our balcony will make do. I'm rather excited about this: hello Bunnings! Yes, even a girl can get mighty excited about a trip to Bunnings!!

Really looking forward to creating my own dishes with fresh home grown herbs and spices!

Happy weekend y'all!

My very own Mr Oliver

It has been a tough second week back at work - ridiculously busy! Lucky LB has a whole month off work, jealous!! Last night he asked whether he could cook me dinner tonight since he would have the whole day off to prepare something. 'Fo sho!' I hollered back - my desire to cook having dwindled away with this week's busy work schedule...

I came home tonight thinking I'd be greeted with a curry of some description (LB's favourite - which I rarely cook due to their incompatibility with the WW way of life!) But low and behold he was in the kitchen rocking out a Jamie Oliver meal and dessert!

Ok, so the TV show boasts "30 minute meals" and I'm sure the skilled cook could meet Jamie's pace...but the novice cook in LB took a little longer to complete his dishes - bless his cotton socks! I was so proud of his efforts - all this for me! What a sweetheart.

So what was this tasty treat of a surprise? Piri Piri chicken, rocket salad, dressed potatoes and quick Portuguese tarts! With a yummy glass of Wolf Blass Verae (a great summer red - chilled!) and we have ourselves a romantic home date! And yep - those flowers were surprise flowers from last weekend, lots of surprises in this house of late!

{lucky we have those extra 49 pro points, WW ladies - I think I used them all up tonight!}



Tasty Tuesday: home-made sausage rolls!

This weekend, being the Australian Federal Election weekend, LB and I have decided to host an Election Party!

While the party will have an election flavour (hello blue balloons decorations!) it won't be all polly-waffle! LB plans on perfecting his wintry mulled wine for the occasion too!

In preparation I've started on some baking to feed the troops - and what better way to add an Australian feel to the party than with home made sausage rolls! I'm sure everyone knows this recipe - but just to make your mouth water a little...here it is!




HOME-MADE SAUSAGE ROLLS
Recipe from http://www.taste.com.au/
Preparation Time25 - 40 minutes
Cooking Time40 minutes
Makes20

Ingredients
2 sheets (25 x 25cm) frozen ready-rolled puff pastry, thawed
500g pork or sausage mince
70g (1 cup) fresh breadcrumbs (made from day-old bread)
1 small brown onion, finely chopped
2 tsp chopped fresh thyme
1 egg, lightly beaten
2 tbs poppy seeds

Method
Line 2 baking trays with non-stick baking paper. Cut pastry sheets in half. Combine the mince, breadcrumbs, onion, thyme and reserved chutney in a large bowl and season with salt and pepper. Divide the mince mixture into 4 portions and shape each portion into a 25cm log.

Arrange sausage logs along the centres of pastry sheets.

Brush 1 long side of the pastry with the egg. Roll up to enclose the filling. Cut each roll evenly into 5 pieces. Place rolls, seam-side down, on the lined trays.

Preheat oven to 220°C. Brush the rolls with the remaining egg and sprinkle with poppy seeds.

Bake in oven for 30 minutes or until golden. Serve with tomato sauce (in our case - my grandpa's home made tomato sauce!)

And as for the election...may the best man win! (can I say that? did I just say that? I think I just said that....)

Tasty Tuesday: She's a lemon, tart!

Who said watching your weight meant a diet of celery sticks and lettuce leaves?

Check out this lemon tart - I made little mini ones for LB and I over the weekend and they were Divine! Might have to whip up another over the weekend as Mum and Dad are coming to visit!

Ginger nut biscuits always make me think of my Pa (below). Pa is a legend. At 86 he's still as sharp as a tack and by far the wisest person I know. Growing up I have fond memories of Pa sitting at the head of his laminated table, sipping Lipton tea and crunching down on a few ginger nut bikkies. I thought they tasted terrible at the time, but now - they make for a great tart base!

Creamy lemon tart

As featured on Weight Watchers

POINTS® Value: 3

Servings: 10

Preparation Time: 15 min

Cooking Time: 15 min

Ingredients

100 g ginger biscuit

25 g butter

405 g Nestle Skim Sweetened Condensed Milk

1 whole whole egg, lightly beaten

1 serve (s) egg white, (1 egg white)

2 medium lemon, rind finely grated, plus juice

Instructions

Preheat the oven to 180C. Place the biscuits in a food processor and pulse until fine. Transfer to a bowl.

Melt the butter in a small saucepan over low heat. Add the biscuit crumbs and carefully press the mixture into the base of a 23cm cake tin. Refrigerate until required.

Place the condensed milk and eggs in a bowl. Beat until smooth. Add the lemon zest and juice and stir well. The mixture will begin to thicken. Pour into the prepared base. Bake the tart for 20 minutes, then remove from the oven and allow to cool completely. Refrigerate until set.

Decorate with a slice of lemon just before serving.

Ta-da!

Tuesday's bite

As mentioned, I'm part of a fat fighting group of marvellous women who subscribe to the weight watchers lifestyle. I started WW in September and soon found the support of this great bunch of ladies and have not looked back since! Well, from time to time the motivation has wavered, but the girls have been there to pull me back on course whenever it's needed.

While it may be taking me a little longer than planned to reach my goal, I do enjoy the WW way, being able to eat what I want, when I want - so long as I account for it within my set points.

One of the greatest aspects of being part of the group is sharing yummy yummy recipes! A few years ago if you had told me I'd be eating tofu or lentils - and loving them - I'd have scoffed a laugh! But when one of the girls suggested this WW recipe I decided to give it go, and boy is it good! It's a great dish to cook a big batch of and freeze to have for lunch throughout the week - keeping you full all afternoon long!

But let me get off my soapbox and share the recipe with you, it's a cracker!

RED LENTIL AND TOFU CURRY

Adapted slightly :) from www.weightwatchers.com.au

Points value: 4.5

Servings: 4

Preparation Time: 20 min

Cooking Time: 50 min

Level of Difficulty: Moderate

Ingredients

2 tsp (s) vegetable oil

1 medium onion, chopped

2 clove garlic, crushed

2 tbs (s) curry paste, (tikka curry paste)

1 tbs (s) ground cumin

400 g canned chopped tomatoes

3 whole stock cube, dissolved in 3 cups (750ml) hot water

1/2 cup (s) dry lentils, (red), rinsed, drained

175 g fresh green beans, ends trimmed

300 g cauliflower, trimmed, cut into florets

300g brocolli, trimmed, cut into florets

2 carrots, chopped

200 g Tofu, cut into 1.5cm cubes

3/4 cup (s) raw white rice, (basmati)

Instructions

Heat oil in a large saucepan over medium-low heat. Add onion. Cook, stirring often, for 10 minutes or until very soft and golden brown. Add garlic, curry paste and cumin. Cook, stirring, for 1 minute.

Stir in tomatoes, stock and lentils. Increase heat to medium-high and bring to the boil. Reduce heat to medium. Cover and cook for 15 minutes. Stir frequently to avoid lentils catching on the bottom of the pan.

Add beans and cauliflower, and cook for 5 minutes. Add tofu and cook for a further 5 minutes, or until vegetables are tender and tofu is heated through.

Meanwhile, cook rice according to packet instructions. Serve curry on rice :)

Notes

Any leftovers can be stored in an airtight container in the fridge for 1-2 days. This curry is best reheated in the microwave.