Michelle Koen » Food

Quinoa

Michelle — Wed, 04 Apr 2012 22:57:19 +0000

Following on from the previous post about brown rice, I've had several questions regarding quinoa. 'What is it?' and 'how to cook it?'.

What is quinoa?

Quinoa originates from the Andes and was eaten as a staple by the Aztecs. It is a psuedo-cereal, true cereals are made from grasses; whereas quinoa, chia, buckwheat and amaranth all come from broadleaf plants which are free from gluten. psuedo-cereals may be used similarly to cereals to make flours and porridges. Quinoa is higher protein than most other grains and is the only grain to contain a complete amino profile, making it a good choice for plant based eaters (vegans/vegos).Quinoa and it's psuedo-cereal cousins are the only grains suitable on anti-candida protocols because they do not stimulate the growth of yeast. The majority of quinoa is still grown in South America, however other cool-climate, mountainous areas have started to grow it, including Kindred Organics in Tasmania. As well as whole quinoa grains, quinoa flakes and quinoa flour are also available. Quinoa flakes are a great gluten free alternative to oatmeal and quinoa flour is perfect for pancakes and crepes.

What does it taste like?

Quinoa has a texture similar to cous-cous when cooked, yet a little creamier. It has distinctive flavour which is nutty and just a bit sweet and bit tangy. It pairs well with earthy flavours such as cinnamon, saffron and nutmeg, as well as in sweet dishes with fruits and berries.

How to cook Quinoa?

Quinoa can be cooked much like rice. In my book, Healthy Helpings, I use quinoa to make paella, an Indian hotpot (similar to a pilaf) and for a cold breakfast alternative to oatmeal. Like rice, quinoa should be rinsed thoroughly before use. If quinoa is purchased in bulk it may require soaking and more extensive rinsing than commercially packaged quinoa. If the quinoa you cook taste bitter, it probably is the kind that needs soaking.

Rice cooker:

After rinsing place the quinoa in a rice cooker and cover with about 1cm of water (fingertip to first knuckle), switch on and let it cook. After cooking allow it to sit for a 5 minutes, then fluff with a spoon.

Stovetop- absorption method:

After rinsing place the quinoa in a saucepan and cover with about 1cm of water (fingertip to first knuckle), Cover with a tight-fitting lid and bring to the boil. Lower the heat to a gentle simmer and cook for 15 minutes. Remove from the heat and rest for a further 5 minutes.

Oven:

After rinsing place the quinoa in a saucepan and cover with about 1cm of water (fingertip to first knuckle), Cover and place in an oven pre-heated to 180ºC. Cook for about 15 minutes. Remove from the oven and rest, covered, for a further 5 minutes.

How do I know if the quinoa is cooked?

When cooked, quinoa will go semi-transparent and a small squiggly bit in the centre will be visible. Quinoa shouldn't be crunchy once cooked. As an added bonus I've included a video from the archives. This is where the quinoa paella in the book started out.

Coconut crepes, with banana cream and blueberries

Michelle — Thu, 23 Feb 2012 05:54:47 +0000

After losing the photos I'd taken for Shrove Tuesday/Pancake Day from my camera I was a little frustrated but posted a link to these cauliflower pancakes. From this I was asked about crepes. You see, it's quite easy to make fluffy pancakes, but much harder to get soft delicate crepes without the magic binding properties of gluten. Somewhere in the deep dark recesses of my mind I recalled I had cracked the code. Trawling through old notebooks I finally found a recipe for a very low-carb crepe using pea protein. It sounded like the perfect afternoon snack with a little ABC (almond, brazil, cashew) nut butter spread. These were really very good, but the request had been for one using quinoa or coconut flour. Again, this morning I got out my crepe pan (the pan that no one else is allowed to use for anything else) mixed up a few ingredients and like magic crepes appeared. The lovely thing about crepe batter is that it's so thin that making a batch is quick enough that the first few don't get too cold. Inspired by the coconut milk in the batter, I felt the filling needed to be banana-y. Unfortunately, I was out of bananas, but a client had given me some banana flavoured whey to try. Combined with the tanginess of the blueberries and a little sprinkle of coconut it felt like a very lavish Thursday morning breakfast! I will give both the pea protein and quinoa flour versions of the recipe. Both work exceptionally well, without cracking or falling apart. I was even able to 'flip' a few in the pan! Serves: 1 small (either protein or quinoa crepes) Prep-Time: 7 minutes Cooking times: 13 minutes Crepe: Lower-carb version

20g/ ¾ scoop Rice or Pea protein powder
1 whole egg, beaten
2 egg white
160ml/ 2/3 cup light coconut milk (or unsweetened almond milk)

Crepe: Quinoa Flour Version

35g/3 heaped Tbsp Quinoa flour
1 whole egg, beaten
2 egg white
160ml/ 2/3 cup light coconut milk (or unsweetened almond milk)

Banana Cream

15g / ½ scoop banana flavoured protein powder (or 1 small mashed banana)
40g /2 Tbsp light ricotta
a splash light coconut milk

Cooking oil for spraying/brushing
100g Blueberries
1 tsp shredded coconut, to serve.

Place the protein powder or quinoa flour in a large bowl. Add the eggs, one at a time, stirring to combine thoroughly between each addition. Gradually add the coconut milk to form a batter the consistency of runny cream. Preheat a small frying pan to a medium heat. Meanwhile mix the ingredients for the banana cream to form a smooth, yet thick consistency. Set aside. Lightly grease the pan.Pour a quarter cup of the crepe batter in to the pan and swirl to thinly coat the base. Wait for about a minute, until the edges become firm, then slide a spatula around the edges to loosen before flipping and cooking for a further 30 seconds. Repeat with the remaining mixture to make approximately 5 crepes. Fill each crepe with a dollop of banana cream and blueberries. Roll or fold, and top with a sprinkle of shredded coconut. Protein crepes 259 kCalories, 31.6g Protein, 1.7g Carbs, 0.5g fibre, 13.7g Fat Roll or fold, and top with a sprinkle of shredded coconut. Quinoa crepes 318 kCalories, 19.4g Protein, 23.7g Carbs, 2.5g fibre, 15.6g Fat Banana Cream with blueberries 167 kCalories, 15.6g Protein, 15.7g Carbs, 1.8g fibre, 4.2g Fat

Nice Brown Rice?

Michelle — Wed, 22 Feb 2012 04:31:48 +0000

For the next few posts it's back to basics. Up first I tackle the seemingly impossible task of cooking brown rice. Sure, I've cooked brown rice many times before, but very few times have I enjoyed the texture. My favourite brown rice has always been the repeatable pouches from the supermarket, but no way am I paying for someone else to cook and vacuum pack my rice. I decided the only way to get to the bottom of this was to have a side-by-side rice cook-off. I asked on Facebook whether anyone had a favourite method to share. There were a few votes for rice cookers, a lot of votes for 'blergh, brown rice' and a few votes for the pressure cooker method. For my side by side comparison, all the rice came from the same packet and was rinsed several times before cooking.

Pressure cooker

The pressure cooker has been my favourite method for brown rice cooking as it cuts the time in half. Rice to Water ratio: 1 cup: 2 cups Cooking Time: 20 minutes Method: Place rice and water in a pressure cooker. Bring to pressure over a medium heat and cook for 15 minutes. Release pressure slowly, fluff and serve. Results: Nutty and dense. This is what I've always thought brown rice tastes like. Not a real fan.

Microwave

My mum swears by cooking her rice in the microwave, for me it's never quite worked. However, when I saw this video from the Hong Kong Health Department for microwave brown rice, I figured it was worth a shot. The problem with microwave instructions is that microwaves come in a variety of strengths. Mines a whopping 1100watts which doesn't make much difference over a few minutes, but over 30 minutes I was a little worried. Rice to water ratio: 1 cup: 3 cups Cooking Time: 30 minutes Method: Place washed rice and water in a microwave safe glass dish. Cook on high for 20 minutes, stir and cook for a further 10 minutes. Results: Crispy and dried out. This was not edible. Luckily I have a dog who'll eat almost anything!

Oven

The idea of cooking brown rice in the oven was what started this whole adventure for me. I love cooking basmati rice, oats and quinoa in the oven as I've never had it go 'wrong'. My biggest question with this was getting the rice to water ratio correct. I'd seen various suggestions from 1:2, 1:2.5 and 1:3. I opted for the most water, figuring I could always drain the rice at the end. Rice to water ratio: 1 cup: 3 cups Cooking times: 65 minutes (doing time 4 minutes) Method: Pre-heat oven to 190ºC/375ºF Bring water to the boil in the kettle. Place the rice in an ovenproof dish with a tight fitting lid (no lid, use foil). Pour the water over the rice, cover and bake for 1 hour. Remove from the oven and rest, covered for 5 minutes. Results: Fluffy, slightly sticky. Soft! All signs of nuttiness gone.

Rice cooker

Due to the number of people suggesting using a rice cooker on Facebook, I figured I'd give it another go. I swear by my rice cooker for basmatti and jasmine rice, brown has always been a bit rubbery. Rice to water ratio: 1 cup: 2 cups (this seemed to be the popular ratio on Facebook) Cooking time: about 40 minutes Method: I placed rinsed rice and filtered tap water in the rice cooker. Switched it on and had a shower. Results: Rubbery and nutty. Very similar to the pressure cooker, but took twice as long.

The winner is….Oven Method!

Taste/texture: fluffy Equipment: Almost everyone has access to an oven and a ovenproof pot. Ease of preparation: Set and forget. You could even bake chicken breast and roast sweet potatoes and all your other veggies for the week while this cooks. Too easy! Time: this is the only problem. Good news is, brown rice freezes really well. Allow to cool and freeze in single serve packages. Steam in a steamer or the microwave for a few minutes to bring back to life.

Bonus cooking tips:

Instead of water, use chicken or vegetable stock. Kate rice cooking tip: "add ginger slivers, tied pandan leaf and a clove of bruised garlic. Equal amounts of water and coconut milk .... Remove garlic, giner and pandan before serving. Add flaked roast chicken, egg and some fried peanuts. Perfect nasi lemak. *drool*" How do you cook your rice?

Holy Broccaumoli

Michelle — Tue, 14 Feb 2012 05:26:59 +0000

Holy broccaumole, I've been busy. Between powerlifting training, freelance design clients, helping out with the new local chapter of ANB and organising the reprint of Healthy Helpings (nearly sold out!); I haven't had time to scratch myself. Dishes have been piling up around my computer and creative moments in the kitchen have been way too few and far between. This little gem of a dish emerged late one Friday evening, when I was faced with the last remaining items from the previous Saturday's farmers market. A slightly too ripe avocado and some tired looking broccoli. My friend Jude had told me how she likes to make broccoli mash with avocado stirred through and I'd been meaning to try it for while. As I blended the avocado into the puréed broccoli my mind started to wander 'south of the border, down Mexico way'. I rescued the last few sprinkles of some spring onions and red capsicum from a container in the fridge and a teensy squeeze of a once loved lemon. Darn, that was a nice way to end a week! That was 3 weeks ago. Since then I've left avocados to ripen too long by the time I've remembered to buy broccoli, or been out of broccoli when I've had a nice new avocado. Good things come to those who wait, and finally I've had time to get back in the kitchen. A few planned tweaks for a bit more colour, and some creamy, zingy result.

Broccaumole

200g of broccoli florets (about 1 large bunch, stalk removed) cut into bite-sized pieces
1 clove (½ tsp) garlic, finely chopped
½ avocado
½ lime, juice only (2-3 tsp)
¼ red onion, finely diced
¼ red capsicum, finely diced
½ long red chilli, finely chopped (optional)
salt to taste

Bring a large pot of salted water to the boil.
Add the broccoli and once the water returns to a boil cook for 4 minutes, or until soft but still bright green.
Drain and rinse briefly under cold water. Place in a food processor along with the garlic and purée until mostly smooth.
Add the avocado and lime. Purée for until combined.
Stir through the onion, capsicum and chilli. Season with salt to taste.

Substitutes & Alternatives:

If you don't have food processor, a stick blender or potato masher could be used.

Preparation time: 11 minute(s) Cooking time: 4 minute(s)

Diet tags: Reduced carbohydrate, Gluten free

Number of servings (yield): 2

Calories: 124

Fat: 8.9

Carbs: 2.3g

Fibre: 5.5g

Protein: 5.8

The Paleo, Raw Intermitent fasting, blood type diet

Michelle — Mon, 06 Feb 2012 07:45:27 +0000

or how we can benefit from diet 'fads'. If one diet's good then 4 diets make a superdiet, right?! Let's take a look at them individually for a minute.

Paleo

The premise: Our prehistoric ancestors ate the food our bodies were designed to consume. Supposedly this is meat, nuts, seeds, berries and seasonal fruit and vegetables. How this works in 2012: The saturated fat brigade run around trumpeting the health benefits of bacon! Because we all know our paleolithic ancestors ate the equivalent to 6 chickens, 2 pigs and a side of beef each week. Probably not. Neither did they eat antibiotics, nitrates and growth hormones. Why this might not be a good idea: Carbohydrates are somewhat restricted. If you lead an active lifestyle, especially if you like to run or play team sports you need carbs for fuel. Fat stores in animals are the places where the most toxins/chemicals are stored. Pig (those magical animals that brings us such hits as bacon, ham and chops) are heavily farmed and fed all sorts of antibiotics and growth hormones which, you guessed it, are stored in the fat. The real lesson to be learned: Eat unprocessed food as close to it's natural state. Eat a balance of fats from animals and seeds. A good guide is equal amounts of fish oil, plant or nut fats (olive, peanut, macadamia) and animal fat from free-ranging, traditionally farmed animals.

Raw

The premise: Food heated above 40ºC is dead, thus the enzymes and nutrients are no longer available to our bodies. The current popular form of this diet is raw veganism. Advocates suggest large amounts of juiced green vegetables to provide adequate amino acids. However there are people who combine raw and paleo, eating the same items as in a paleo diet but raw (including meat). Grains and legumes, if consumed are soaked and sprouted to make nutrients more 'bioavalable'. How this works in 2012: Sales of expensive juice extractors and superfoods skyrocket. Sprouting becomes cool Raw food 'gurus' emerge People look undernourished, have dull skin and look hungry Why this might not be such a good idea: Severely limiting any macro-nutrient, means that your body is not fuelled effectively for performance and even your appearance. If you are aiming to build muscle the aminos provided in greens alone may not be enough. Aminos and B-vitamins are the building blocks of muscle, skin and bones. Deficiencies can result in dry brittle skin, dull hair and weak nails. It's expensive, all those aminos from organic leafy greens have to come from lots of organic green vegetables. The real lessons to be learned Eat your greens, they're good for you. Especially the leafy ones. Experiment with sprouting and soaking grains to see if your body feels more energised from them.

Intermittent Fasting (IF)

The premise: There are many forms of IF with varying lengths of fasting periods. Some advocated sight out prehistoric cousins again, while other just claim that after fasting our bodies are more receptive to taking on nutrients and less food will be stored as waste as body fat. How it works in 2012: One of the most popular choices, lean gains or 20/4, has dieters fast for 20 hours, workout just before breaking the fast and then eat all their daily nutrients in a four hour window following. Advocates say it it allows them to eat larger portions and feel 'full' as well as partitioning nutrients more effectively. Why this might not be such a good idea: If you suffer or have ever suffered from disordered eating this might sound familiar. Starve then 'reward' yourself by stuffing your face. If you have a healthy relationship with food you may enjoy eating a variety of different foods throughout the day. It can be anti-social. If you are someone who has an active social life and has to /likes to meet people for meals then you have to schedule your catchups around your feeding window. If you are trying to maintain or gain muscle mass or enjoy running, cycling or team sports this could affect your performance and ability to improve. The lessons to be learned: Hunger isn't an emergency. Various durations and degrees of hunger can help to understand that hunger is not an emergency and that you do not have to eat straight away.

The blood type diet

The premise: Dr D'adamo suggests that depending on your blood type the human body is able to process different food items differently. This is traced back to our paleo friends, again, and how they evolved differently depending on their environment and local food sources. How it works in 2012: Food lists can be found at http://www.dadamo.com/typebase4/typeindexer.htm Depending on your blood type foods are beneficial, neutral or should be avoided. Additional refinement can be made depending on your 'secreter' status using a saliva test kit. Why this might not be such a good idea Practicality. The list of foods cataloged is massive and sometimes quite hard to remember. For example type O's can eat most berries but not strawberries (if you're a 'non-secretor'). This is made easier if you have the iPhone app, but quite troublesome if dining out or at friends houses. Skewed importance of certain foods. The perceptions that certain foods are 'super beneficial' can lead to their over consumption. Over consuming any food will not improve our health. The lessons to be learned All blood types are recommended to keep their refined foods to a minimum, including grain based products (ie flour) and instead encourage to eat their starches in less refined forms (ie rolled oats, sweet potato). Eliminating foods can be really useful to find the ones your body works most optimally on. By eliminating the most common allergens (dairy, nuts, gluten, crucifer, eggs, coffee, chilli, artificial sweeteners) and for a few weeks and then reintroducing the one at a time you may notice symptoms such as bloating, water retention, drowsiness, itchiness, inflammation, sniffles, other respiratory problems or positive effects such as boosts in energy and concentration. This paleo, raw, IF, blood type superdiet sounds possible, but pretty restrictive! The truth is, I'm not interested in the restrictiveness, but the lessons to be learned from each which can be summed up briefly.

Eat unprocessed food,
especially plants,
not too much,
but don't heavily restrict any fat, carbs or protein,
pay attention to what you're eating and how your body reacts.

Sound familiar? Micheal Pollan came to similar conclusions in his book 'In Defense of Food' I'd like to add one more rule in. Make eating enjoyable. It is not by mistake that our bodies receive pleasure from food. Learn how to cook and learn how to cook with fresh natural ingredients.

Asparagus and Scallops- Quick Eats

Michelle — Mon, 02 Jan 2012 05:44:20 +0000

This time of year it's hot, I've eaten more rich food than usual and the shops are open sporadically. All this leads to a general feeling of not wanting to be in the kitchen too long. If I can get a meal on the table in under ten minutes it's a winner in my eyes. I think the Thai's must suffer this heat lethargy all year round, other than their laborious spice paste, most of their cuisine is so quick to prepare. This beautifully simple stir fry is inspired by a recipe in David Thompson's 'Thai Street Food'. The list of ingredients are glaringly simple, yet the combination of flavours are much more than their individual parts. I'm not one to include a lot of pepper in my food, but this is the secret to the success of this dish. In David's book, he suggests switching different greens and different seafood or poultry in this recipe. I had some frozen scallops in my freezer, which I quickly defrosted in the microwave, and a few bunches of asparagus to get through and that was all I needed.

Asparagus and Scallops

Serves 1 large or 2 small

2 tsp coconut oil
2 bunches asparagus, woody bases trimmed and cut into 4cm length
350g scallops, thawed if frozen
2 cloves garlic, sliced/chopped (not crushed- it will burn!)
1 Tbsp light soy sauce (tamari for gluten free)
2 Tbsp chicken stock or water
½ tsp freshly ground pepper

Heat a wok until very hot. Add the coconut oil and heat until shimmering.
Add the asparagus and scallops and stir-fry for 3 or 4 minutes, until the scallops begin to loose their translucent quality.
Add the garlic and cook for a further minute.
Add the remaining ingredients and simmer for 2 minutes.
Taste and add more pepper if desired

Fruits of the Forrest Frozen Yoghurt

Michelle — Sun, 01 Jan 2012 05:30:18 +0000

Summer took it's time but it's finally here. 41ºC (106ºF for your American types) makes it officially too hot to leave the house or cook. I've been eating frozen peas straight from the packet to keep cool, then I spotted the frozen berries and it all became clear, I would exist on frozen yoghurt! Possibly the simplest recipe in the world, this is the cousin of the Maple Pecan Frozen Yoghurt recipe your find in my book, Healthy Helpings. No need for any fancy equipment (see the tips, below, for ice-cream maker-free options) I was able to throw this together while grilling my lunch on the bbq.

Fruits of the Forrest Frozen Yoghurt

Serves 4 small or 2 large

1 Tbsp vanilla extract
1 (30g) egg white, use pasturized egg whites if concerned about eating raw eggs
500g low-fat yoghurt, I used Paris Creek Fat Free Swiss style Biodynaic Yoghurt
3 scoops (90g) Vanilla protein powder, I used WPC
100g frozen mixed berries

Place all the ingredients except the berries in a mixing bowl and combine until smooth. Stir in the berries and place in a ice-cream maker. Churn until frozen. Store in the freezer.

SUBSTITUTES & VARIATIONS

If you don’t have an ice-cream maker, place the mixture in a metal baking tray, cover with plastic wrap and freezer for 3 hours. After 3 hours scrape the mixture into a freezer-safe container and freeze for another 2 hours
Protein powder can be replaced with skim milk powder. However, the recipe will be lower in protein.

Nutrition:

Small: 142 Calories, 1.3g Fat, 10.2g Carbs, 1.0g Fibre, 22.1g Protein Large: 284 Calories, 2.6 Fat, 20.4g Carbs, 2.0g Fibre, 44.2g Protein

A lighter Tiramisu

Michelle — Fri, 23 Dec 2011 03:00:41 +0000

Every December 23rd I make a tiramisu for my husband Stephen's birthday. It's dead easy, but we don't make many desserts, so it only comes out once a year. Traditionally mascarpone, a super thick Italian cream cheese is used, making this dish sugar and fat personified. However, with a few simple switches the calories, fat and sugar can sliced without missing a beat. As an extra special bonus, for all you protein junkies and/or gluten free folk, I've included a recipe to make your own sponge fingers. If you don't have time, just use the store bought variety.

3 eggs, separated
¾ cup sweetener (I used ½ cup native, ¼ cup raw castor sugar)
¼ cup arrowroot powder or vanilla casein protein powder
250g light soft ricotta (I used perfect italiano light)
100g low-fat quark or cream cheese
90ml (3 shots) espresso coffee
60ml (¼ cup) marsala or brandy
3 fresh egg whites
40g 85% dark chocolate
24 italian sponge finger biscuits OR

2 whole eggs, separated
6 egg whites
2 tsp sweetener
¾ cup coconut flour
¾ cup vanilla casein protein powder OR ¾ cup almond meal

To make the sponge finger biscuits: Preheat an oven to 180ºC/350ºF Beat the egg yolks until they change colour, add the sweetener. Set aside. In a clean bowl with a clean, dry whisk, beat the egg whites to stiff peaks. Fold in the egg yolk mixture and the remaining flours/protein powders. Switch to a wooden spoon and form into a dough. Divide the dough into 24 pieces and form into fingers using your hand (clean hands or gloves for hygiene, please!). Line a flat baking tray with baking paper, and place the fingers on the tray. Bake the fingers for 15–20 minutes or until golden. Allow to cool and preferably rest for at least a few hours before using. To make the tiramisu: Beat the egg yolks with the sweetener in a medium sized mixing bowl. Add in the ricotta and quark and stir until combined. Place the arrowroot or casein in a small bowl. Add a quarter of the cheese mixture and blend until free of lumps. Return the thickened mixture to the larger bowl of cheese mix and stir until combined and evenly distributed. Set aside. Prepare the coffee and combine with the marsala in a wide bottomed dish. Dunk the sponge finger biscuits in the coffee and and pack in a layer across the bottom of a large (about 30cm) square dish. Beat the egg whites to stiff peaks and fold through the cheese mixture until evenly combined. Pour over the coffee soaked sponge fingers. Grate the chocolate over the top. Cover and refrigerate for a few hours, preferably overnight, to allow the flavours to fully spread.

Hazelnut and Choc-Hazelnut Macaroons (sugar-free/gluten-free/dairy-free)

Michelle — Thu, 22 Dec 2011 08:32:24 +0000

By making these biscuits I could bring the downfall of Christmas in my family. Chocolate, the downfall of Christmas? I know…. It's a risk I'm willing to take.

Introducing anything new to our family's Christmas is risky. I got weird looks with these stuffed eggs last year; but everyone loved them. This year, I mentioned to my mum I'd seen Viv's Gianduiotti, and that I wanted to try a making chocolate Haselnussmakronen. There were serious murmurs about ruining Christmas! Chocolate, ruin christmas? Bah! Plain hazelnut macaroons are steeped in family history. Originally Haselnussmakronen, traditional German macaroons from my grandmother's recipe. These have always been my favourite Christmas biscuit ever since I was young. When the Christmas baking was handed down to me, I saw how easy it would be to lower the carbohydrates in these. No one even noticed. We now have several diabetics in our Christmas party and the low-carb approach is really appreciated. To placate everyone, and satisfy my curiosity, I prepared both. If the family don't get into them, the woman I bought the hazelnuts from will happily take them off my hands. I hope that these make your Christmas extra special. xo

Gianduja and Haselnuss Macaroons for Christmas

To make 15 of each

300g (18oz) hazelnuts, plus 30 extra
150g 85% dark chocolate or cocoa farm sugar free chocolate
½ teaspoon vanilla extract
a pinch
salt
a pinches cinnamon
1 cup granular sweetener, or 200g castor sugar
4 fresh egg whites, at room temperature

Place your oven racks near the centre of the oven, allowing for a little room for the air to flow. Preheat an oven to 120ºC/250ºF. Line two baking trays with baking paper.
Place the hazelnuts, reserving the 30 extra, in a food processor and grind until they are a fine powder. Set aside in a large mixing bowl. Break the chocolate into squares and place in the food processor, process until fine crumbs are formed. Place in a second mixing bowl.
Add the vanilla, salt and cinnamon to the ground nuts, and mix until combined. Place a third of the nut mixture (about 100g) in the chocolate bowl. Divide the sweetener equally amongst each bowl, half a cup in each. Stir both bowls to combine the mixtures.
In a large clean, dry mixing bowl, beat the egg whites to stiff peaks. Fold half the egg whites through the non-chocolate mixture until evenly blended through to form a sticky, slightly crumbly dough. Repeat with the chocolate hazelnut mixture.
Using your clean hands (for extra hygiene wear gloves), form each mixture into balls the size of walnuts and place on the prepared trays. Gently press a hazelnut into the top of each one.
Bake in the oven for 20 minutes. Turn the oven off and leave the door ajar for a further 20 minutes before cooling on a wire rack or elevating the trays on bowls to allow air to flow under them.

Substitutes and Alterations:

If you don't have a food processor, purchase ready ground hazelnut meal from the supermarket and grate the chocolate with a cheese grater.
Raw castor sugar, natvia or spenda would all make suitable sweeteners in this recipe

This time last year I shared with your my family's Christmas Cinnamon Stars

Tis the season… Layered Cherry-Yoghurt Pana Cotta

Michelle — Tue, 20 Dec 2011 07:57:04 +0000

...to be jelly…. or a whole raft of other deserts. That's why I thought I'd come to the rescue with yet another sweet dish. Back to savoury soon, I promise. Cherries are the perfect Christmas fruit. Here, in McLaren Vale, they've just come into season, I can buy organic 'seconds' from the fruit farm up the road for nearly nothing, and they're that beautiful Christmas colour. When I imagined this desert for the first time, I knew I wanted to create the layered red and white stripes. The only downside with the layering is having to wait for each layer to set. So pop on your favourite daggy christmas movie while you cook and you'll soon have a great desert to share with the family.

Layered Cherry-Yoghurt Pana Cotta

½ lemon, juiced about ½ cup water 10g (about 2 tsp) powdered gelatine ½ cup skim milk 4 Tbsp sugar substitute- I used natvia, you could use raw castor sugar or honey 375g (1 ½ cups) low-fat plain yoghurt- I used Paris Creek Swiss style 1 tsp vanilla extract Dark Cherry flavoured diet jelly boiling and cool water 250g (about 1 cup) cherries In a medium bowl, combine the lemon juice with enough water to make ½ a cup. Sprinkle the gelatine powder over the lemon-water mixture and allow to sit for 10 minutes. Meanwhile, prepare the cherry jelly as per the packet instructions. Place in the fridge to chill. Heat the milk until almost boiling. This can be done in 1 minute on high, in the microwave, or by stirring for several over the stove. Pour the milk over the gelatine mixture and stir until dissolved and lump free. Stir in the sugar substitute until it dissolves. Add the remaining ingredients and mix until combined. Using a funnel, or a measuring jug with a spout, pour ¼ cup of the mixture into the bottom of each glass. Place the glasses in the fridge to chill for 45 minutes– 1 hour. Place the remaining mixture in the fridge until it is cool, but not set. This is a bit of a balancing act between keeping the mixture at a healthy temperature and not wanting it to set. You may need to juggle it in and out of the fridge every 20 minutes. If either jelly becomes to set before you want it too, a short stint in the microwave on medium-low setting and a lot of stirring will help soften the mixture to pouring consistency. Pit and quarter the cherries, leaving aside a few pretty ones for garnish. After the first yoghurt layer has set, use a funnel or a jug with a spout to pour ¼–½ cup of cherry mixture into the glasses. Sprinkle the cherries into the glasses and return to them to the fridge to chill for a further 30 minutes. Finally, pour ¼ cup of the yoghurt mixture into each of the glasses. Return to the fridge to chill for at least 40 minutes before serving, garnished with the reserved cherries.

Substitutes and Alternatives:

Dairy-free: replace the yoghurt and milk with almond or rice milk
Higher Protein: Mix 4 scoops of protein powder with 1 ½ cup water. Use in place of the yoghurt.
'Fake food' free: raw castor sugar or honey may be used instead of sweetener. To make real cherry jelly- Sprinkle gelatine powder over ½ cup of cool water and rest for 10 minutes. Cook extra pitted cherries in ½ cups of water, puree and add sugar to taste and return to heat. Add to the gelatine to the cherry sauce and stir until dissolved. Remove from the heat and add a further 1 cup of cool water.