When I was a kid, my mother used to make date squares a lot. They weren’t my favourite but I still held fond memories of eating them.
I’ve always loved to bake and I’ve always baked homemade treats for my boy’s lunchbox. I was excited when I got my hands on my mum’s date square recipe and I used to follow it to a tee. My son has always loved them, even when I only put dates in them (as my mum did).
Recently, I’ve been experimenting with the recipe and this is what I’ve come up with (it tastes like Apple Crumble/Crisp…yum).
This recipe was meant to be my entry to a food blog competition. I missed the boat after realising the deadline was Australian Eastern time. Never mind. It’s still a great recipe and an easy meal to prepare with leftovers!!
Christmas parties are at their peak right now. If you need a quick, easy, inexpensive share plate idea, try my Dilly Dip. It’s like Tzatziki without the cucumber.
I’ve had this recipe for years and have made it several times. It’s delicious and gluten-free but I’m not saying it’s low in calories!! For anyone on a gluten or wheat free diet, this really hits the spot when you’re missing a piece of cake!!
Lemon Polenta Cake
250g soft butter
rind of 2 lemons
1 cup sugar (I reduce this to max 3/4 of a cup)
3 eggs, separated
1/4 cup of fresh lemon juice
150g ground almonds
1 cup fine polenta (cornmeal)
SYRUP TOPPING
1/4 cup fresh lemon juice
1/4 cup of sugar
Heat together until sugar is dissolved. Pour over warm cake.
Cake Method
Beat butter, rind and sugar until fluffy
Add egg yolks
Stir in juice, almonds and polenta
Whip egg whites to make fluffy
Fold into polenta mixture
Bake for 45 minutes @ 180 C
Pour syrup over cake
Serve warm
This cake keeps well in the fridge for several days. Enjoy!
This easy dhal recipe ticks all the boxes to most restricted diets. There is no dairy, meat, wheat, gluten, yeast, sugar, malt, sweet vegetables or caffeine in here. I have been making this version since 2005, when I heard chef Bill Granger speak to Kim Hill on Radio NZ. Thanks Bill.
Dhal
2 tbsp olive oil
1 red/brown onion, finely sliced
2.5cm piece of fresh ginger, peeled and grated
3 garlic cloves, finely sliced
1 large green chili/chili flakes (decide how hot you want), finely chopped
1 tsp sea salt
1 tsp ground cumin
250g/1 cup red lentils (I rinse first)
1 tbsp lime/lemon
Method:
Heat oil in pot, add onion, ginger, garlic, chili, salt and cumin and cook for 10 minutes. Stir occasionally to prevent burning.
Dhal in the making. Step 1
Add the lentils
Step 2
Add the water. Cook for 20 minutes stirring occasionally.
Last step..let simmer for 20 minutes
Remove from heat and stir in lime juice.
Homemade, healthy dhal ready to serve.
Top with coriander leaves. Serve with rice and/or naan bread.
Day one of my 4-week health booster has been successful. I realise the day is not over but so far, I’m kicking ass…my own ass. Here’s a quick guide to my first day of the new(est) me!
Let’s get physical
I got out of bed at 6:30am, did my daily meditation, the 5 healing Tibetans and 2 rounds of khatu pranam (yoga). Wait, there’s more.
I then did 20 minutes of cardio in my back yard which consisted of a circuit of the following:
3, 2-minutes rounds of skipping
followed by 14 minutes of:
20 push ups
20 squats
80 punches
5 kicks
10 medicine ball lifts
20 medicine ball twists
5 backyard lengths of running with weight
15 stair jumps (I jump to the second step)
This circuit list is performed as many times in the 14 minutes as you can manage. I did it 3 times. It’s meant to be 12 minutes but I usually cannot do all 3 rounds in that time so I’ve bumped it up to 14!!
I follow this (after a few minutes of rest) with 3 rounds of a short cool down yoga sequence that I like, similar to a sun salutation.
I felt great after this early morning work-out!! I was so inspired and proud of myself that I went online and ordered myself a skimpy set of shorts and a crop/sports bra. I’m determined to look good in that get-up!!!
Just Eat It
Breakfast 9am:
45g of Carmen’s fruit-free muesli
1 TSBP greek yogurt
4 fresh strawberries
1 decaf soy flat-white (like a latte) sprinkled with cinnamon
WATER
Lunch 1pm:
Salad with a spray of balsamic vinegar
1 decaf coffee (as with breakfast)
soy coffee with cinnamon
Caffeine free detox tea at 2pm
Afternoon tea/snack 4pm:
Celery with hummus (homemade)
1 fresh date
cucumber slices
Dinner 6pm:
I’m in the process of making dhal. I love dhal and I make it from time to time. Most Indian food is a fantastic option for restricted diets.
I got this recipe from Radio NZ when chef Bill Granger was on speaking to Kim Hill. I modify it depending on what I have in the house so I will include alternatives. I always serve it with rice. Tonight, it will be with brown and wild rice..no white rice for me.
Dhal
2 tbsp olive oil
1 red/brown onion, finely sliced
2.5cm piece of fresh ginger, peeled and grated
3 garlic cloves, finely sliced
1 large green chili/chili flakes (decide how hot you want), finely chopped
1 tsp sea salt
1 tsp ground cumin
250g/1 cup red lentils (I rinse first)
1 tbsp lime/lemon
Method:
Heat oil in pot, add onion, ginger, garlic, chili, salt and cumin and cook for 10 minutes. Stir occasionally to prevent burning.
Add the lentils and the water. Cook for 20 minutes stirring occasionally.
Remove from heat and stir in lime juice.Top with coriander leaves. Serve with rice and/or naan bread.
Dhal in the making. Step 1
Step 2
Last step..let simmer for 20 minutes
Homemade, healthy dhal ready to serve.
This lentil dish smells so good as all the flavors blend together. I absolutely love the smell of garlic and I’m so grateful to be able to experience it again!! Simply cannot wait to have dinner. I must say, I am famished!!! Water, I need more water!!!
This is the look I’m going for…lol…seriously though…Tracy Anderson is hot. I do own a DVD of hers and have managed to do it twice. It’s not easy and when I get it back (still have things to move from previous home), I intend to give it another go. Everyone needs goals…and for me, this one is within reach.
Tracy Anderson
As Mr M has another beer without me, I feel great here writing and inhaling wafts of garlicky dhal. I am motivated and inspired by skimpy fitness gear and Tracy’s abs to be the best, healthiest, sexiest woman I have ever been. Who’s coming with me?
So, I’m not on my restricted regime anymore. The demise started last weekend when I was feeling like absolute crap.
I was taking Panodol just to stay upright but still felt the effects of a mysterious internal infection. The day before, I made chocolate chip biscuits for Master 6 and the kids I was looking after for the weekend. Well, I decided that I wanted to try one…just one to perk myself up a bit. One wasn’t enough. However, I did stop at two. They were delicious.
The next morning, I made bacon and cheese tea biscuits (similar to scones) for the boys’ breakfast and lunch boxes. I had one. I could not resist it. Today, I made chocolate banana muffins. I thought about resisting but I choose not to and had 2 mini muffins ( baby size).
The chocolate banana muffin (regular size not the mini version).
It was the third time in 10 days that the word resist came to my present moment. When asked by my yoga teacher why I did not go to the doctor I said, “I resist western medicine.” As soon as I said it aloud, I knew I had to reflect upon it.
Then when I thought in my mind ‘I can’t resist that tea biscuit’, I knew it had to end; the controlling relationship I have with food. I remember what Eckhart Tolle said, “What you resist persists.”
It doesn’t mean I went on a binge and devoured all restricted items. I did not. But I’m over with being such a tight-ass. I don’t do this strictly because of my health condition, although that has always been the premise. I think I do it out of the need to control a situation that only I can. I know this sounds vaguely like the mind of someone with an eating disorder. I am now on a mission to change my thoughts about food. I know I have conditioned myself enough to moderate food now…in the name of my health.
That is why I made an amazing dinner tonight including one thing I normally would not eat and haven’t eaten in 8 months: Wheat Pasta. I normally insist on eating only gluten-free pasta.
The dish I wanted to create is nicer with a fresh egg fettuccine. The Garlic Lovers Pasta Sauce is a recipe handed down to me from my very good friend, Gillian McKenzie. She used to make this when we were flatmates in Vancouver, Canada. Now, it is a regular menu item at her restaurant,The Seaside Shanty in Chester, Nova Scotia. It is easy, fast and yummy! Here’s how to make 2 servings (or 3 small).
Mince 5 cloves of garlic. Add it to 2 TBSP of oil in a saucepan; sauté until soft, about 1 minute. Do not burn.
Step 1
2. Add 1tsp of dried basil or mixed Italian herbs (that’s what I use)
Step 2
3. Add 1/5 tsp of chilli flakes or cayenne pepper. ( I use a little less)
4. Add 1tsp each of salt and pepper.
5.Add 2 cans of chopped or crushed tomatoes. (I use chopped)
6. Simmer for 30 minutes. Take lid off pot half way through.
7. BBQ 2 free-range chicken breasts. I season with salt, pepper, and olive oil only before cooking. Cut into slices when cooked.
Step 7
8. Cook a package of fresh fettuccine pasta according to the package instructions. Or make your own if you’re real keen. Sometimes, I am that keen.
9. Twist pasta onto a large plate.
10. Top with 2 large spoonfuls of sauce.
11. Grate fresh parmesan cheese over the sauce.
12 Top with sliced chicken.
13. Serve.
Step 13….don’t serve with recipe card!!
14. Eat.
15. Enjoy.
16. Love
One item I am not ready to resume is alcohol. I love a cold beer on a hot summer day so I can wait until those days arrive. My goal is November. I will try the moderation thing with alcohol again. I used to do it so there is no reason I can’t again.
I know I have said all these things before and then I go and stick myself back on a restricted regime that I don’t really enjoy.
I love to cook. I love to bake. I love to eat the foods I make out of love and joy. How can that be wrong?
I do have a respiratory condition that I need to monitor but I am so grateful that I am not celiac or diabetic or have a condition that calls for me to never have the foods I love again. I think it’s time I let go of my control freak ways and just enjoy life. Isn’t that what we are all here for?
By the way, I finally gave in and saw a doctor on Friday, August 24th. I am now on 2 medications: prednisolone (which is great, I’ve been on it several times over the past 17 years) and clarithomycin tablets, which I believe is an anti-biotic*. The doctor said 17 days with a cold or flu is not the norm and he even took some swabs of my throat and nose for testing. Two days on and I am feeling much better although I haven’t had a proper night’s sleep. I’ve been awake since before 4am this morning and it’s now 9pm. My early morning coughing fit has not subsided yet. Maybe tonight’s the night.
If you are maintaining a new eating regime or trying out a restricted diet for weight or health reasons, I urge you to stick with it for a minimum of 3 weeks. Often new habits are formed around this time and you just may not even want the “bad for you” foods as much or again. If you fall off, get back up there the next day. I have been up and off that wagon so many times now that more often than not, I will choose gluten-free, dairy free, yeast free and alcohol free items first anyway. It’s about your conditioning and priorities. If your health is in question, then it’s a no-brainer. Yes, it’s damn hard especially when you’ve lived your entire life eating the foods that are making you ill.
The question is: Are you living to eat or eating to live?
*always take a probiotic supplement or have some live culture yoghurt daily while taking as away to maintain good bacteria in your tummy.
Inner Health for ummm inner health
I love this yoghurt.It may be dairy but it’s good for the tummy!
Today is pancake day. Growing up in Canada, I took part in this traditional day of overindulgence; a day to feast upon pancakes or donuts. As a kid, I wasn’t sure why and I didn’t question it. Especially when Mum would put coins in the hot cakes. Not very hygienic but we survived. I knew it had something to do with religion but you don’t have to be Christian be partake.
Catholics call it Shrove Tuesday. It is the day before Ash Wednesday and the last chance for Christians to feast and celebrate before shriving their sins to receive absolution and giving up luxury foods and festivities until Easter.
Pancakes (and donuts in some countries) were made to use up all the rich foods like eggs, butter and sugar in the house before Lent. The custom stuck through the years with feasting and parties developing into well-known traditions around the world.
In England, not only do they eat pancakes, they race them too. Long ago, an English woman was making pancakes when she heard the shriving bell ring. She was so concerned that she would be late that she ran to the church with her fry pan and pancakes. Apparently, that is how the pancake races began and continue to this day. The race is also now popular in parts of the USA where Shrove Tuesday has influenced other festivities.
Mardi Gras, which means Fat Tuesday, has grown into week-long plus parties and celebrations in New Orleans, USA and Sydney, Australia throughout the month of February. On the island country of Madeira, sugar-coated donuts called malasadas are served from streets vendors. People love an excuse to eat, drink and be festive whether you are Christian or not.
So tonight, eat and enjoy pancakes for dinner. Here’s my own family recipe (always serve with Canadian maple syrup.
Canadian Pancakes * can be made dairy-free
1.5 cups of plain flour
3 tsps baking powder
Cooking the pancakes
pinch of salt
2 TBSP sugar (optional)
1 egg
2 TBSP vegetable oil* or melted butter
1 tsp vanilla
1 cup + milk (*rice milk makes them lighter)
Combine all the ingredients together. Add more milk as you see fit, the thicker the batter, the heavier the pancake. They should hold their shape in the pan (not thin like a crepe). No need to use beaters, just mix by hand. If time permits, let the mix sit for up to 30 minutes to activate the raising agents.
The key the perfect pancakes is the correct temperature of the pan. Use a non-stick or heavy cast iron pan. You can use a bit of oil or oil spray to prevent sticking. I always test the temperature with a very small amount of mix before creating large pancakes. I call this the tester and my son usually is the recipient.
Allow bubbles to form and most of them burst before flipping over. One flip is enough. The colour should be even brown or golden. Practice makes perfect. Enjoy!!
Today has been one of those cold and extremely wet days, the kind that makes you want to stay inside and curl up with a hot cuppa and a good book.
Once again, I use these days as an excuse to eat warm, comforting food. Home made stew or soup with freshly baked bread or scones are excellent remedies for a stormy day. So is a hot, saucy chocolate pudding cake!!!
I whipped this up in no time and enjoyed it as a treat after dinner. It’s easy, yummy, gluten and dairy free and has little sugar compared to other desserts.
You don’t have to be in ill-health to enjoy flaxseed or oil. Everyone can benefit from the nutritional and medicinal properties found in this humble seed.
The ancient flaxseed, or linseed, as it is also known, has been a favourite amongst farmers and veterinarians and is now touted as a modern-day super food for humans too.
Research has found flaxseed and oil to be extremely useful for:
Lowering cholesterol
Thinning the blood
Reducing acid reflux
Inhibiting cancer cells
Intestinal and digestive issues
Reducing/ridding constipation
Internal cleansing
General disease prevention
It is may also improve health and wellness for people suffering from:
Heart disease
Arthritis
Joint pain
Stress
Stomach ulcers
Obesity
Acne
Eczema
Diabetes
The flaxseed comes from the blue flowering plant, Linum usitatissimum. As well as being very useful to the farmers, the housewives also spun the plant fibre to make high quality beautiful linen, hence the name linseed.
Today, the linseed is popular with the health conscious for its high doses of Omega 3, fibre, lignans and micronutrients and is easily found on the shelves of most supermarkets. Look for linseed bread next time you’re doing the shopping!
LSA is a ground meal made from linseed, sunflower and almond (LSA) and is fantastic as a topping for oatmeal, cereal and muesli; sprinkled on stir-frys, soups, stews, salads or added to smoothies or milkshakes. LSA can also be added to baking: cakes, muffins and breads. It is a valuable source of dietary fibre, protein and essential fatty acids.
TIP: When purchasing whole flaxseed, be sure to crush it to release the oils before consuming.
NOTEWORTHY: Flaxseed oil has a limited shelf life. Keep it in the fridge and be sure to use before the best by date.
CAUTION: Flaxseed contains high levels of lignans. If you are pregnant, breastfeeding or being treated for a particular health issue, please consult a health professional before adding flaxseed to your regular eating regime.
FLAXSEED CRANBERRY MUFFINS
This recipe was published in the February 2003 edition of Canadian Living (magazine). I am a keen collector of recipes and I am happy to share this one with you!!
1 cup flaxseed
1 cup each of: flour, wholemeal flour and bran
1 TBSP baking powder
1 tsp each of: baking soda(bi-carb) and cinnamon
1/2 tsp salt
2 eggs
1 and half cups of buttermilk
1 cup brown sugar
1/3 cup vegetable oil
1 cup+ dried cranberries
Method:
Set aside 2 TBSP of flaxseed. In a food processor, grind the remaining flaxseed to make a fine meal. Transfer to a large bowl.
Add all the dry ingredients except the sugar. Combine well.
In a separate bowl, whisk together the eggs, buttermilk, sugar and oil; pour over the flour mixture.
Stir in the cranberries.
Spoon into lined or greased muffin tins; sprinkle with reserved flaxseed.
Bake at 375 F/190 C for 20 minutes. Let cool in pan for 5 minutes before transferring to a cooling rack.
Kai Chronicles 