[non-halal] Grain-free beetroot pork burger

I stumbled upon a beetroot in my fridge today which i totally forgot about it. It doesnt look newly bought fresh anymore and i had an idea to turn it into a pork patty. The outcome is really good, hubby or myself thought it looks like beef patty, the beetroot taste is invisible.

Recipe

For the pattie :
1 small beetroot, cut into chunks
1 cup of cut pork belly (i trim off some excess fat, optional)

Blend the above ingredients. Add and mix in :
finely chopped 1 medium-small onion
dash of black pepper
dash of ginger powder
dash of mixed herbs
dash of salt

(1) Heat up some coconut oil in a frying pan. Drop about 2-3 Tbsp of blended patty meat and press and form into round patty shape.

(2) Cook till slightly brown on both sides, around 5-8 minutes at 140c.

For the bun :
1 Tbsp almond meal
1 Tbsp coconut flour
1/4 tsp baking powder
1 egg
1 Tbsp coconut oil

(1) Mix all ingredients in a bowl, dry ingredients first. Add in wet ingredients and mix well.

(2) Divide into 2 portion for top and bottom bun. Lay on a parchment paper and roughly shape it.
Sprinkle some white sesame on top of each batter and roughly press using metal spoon.

(3) Bake in preheated oven at 175c for 10 minutes. Remove from oven and let it cools.

Grain-free Carrot Cake

For my daughter's 3 years old birthday, i adapted a carrot cupcake recipe from www.texanerin.com titled 'Healthier Carrot Cake Cupcakes (grain-free,gluten-free, paleo and dairy-free options). I actually tried making once before the actual one for her birthday. Im glad that i did that because the first time doing it, the recipe that i followed exactly was a little too sweet and the texture slightly oily and plain too. I then decided to reduce the oil and sugar substitute (honey), as well as adding some raw walnuts and raisins for a more complete taste and texture.

Recipe (I made 2 sets of ingredients below for 2 tiers of cake) :
1 1/4 cups blanched almond flour
2 Tbsp organic coconut flour
1/2 tsp baking soda
1/8 tsp pink himalayan salt
1 1/2tsp organic cinnamon powder
1/2 tsp ginger powder
1/4 tsp nutmeg powder
2 eggs, room temperature
1/4 cup organic coconut oil
1/8 cup raw honey
2 tsp organic vanilla extract
1/2 cup grated organic carrot

Frosting :
2.5 stick 200g Philadelphia Cream Cheese (in grey box)
4 tsp maple syrup / raw honey
1 1/2 tsp organic vanilla extract
dash of salt
plain yogurt for thinning

Red Colouring :
I blend one small organic beetroot and filter over a cheesecloth for the colouring. I then add with portion of frosting, 1 tsp at a time to achieve pink hue that i wanted. For the pulp, i dried it under low temperature in oven for a good few hours (roughly 3-5 hours) and made into beetroot powder.

For the cake :

(1) Mix dry and wet ingredients in a separate bowl. Add the dry ingredients into the wet ingredients and mix well.

(2) Bake in preheated oven at 175c with Fan for 17 minutes. Once done, remove from oven and let the cake sit in baking pan for another 5-10 minutes before removing.


Steps for setting up the cake :

(1) Spread cream cheese frosting on top of 1 cake and stack another cake on top. Trim off the side or top for smoother look or for easy frosting layering.

(2) Pink frosting done

(3) Design that i piped out. Spot something missing on Hello Kitty 's face !


Verdict : This is now a must keep recipe for us, as it is healthy, delicious and wholesome. I definitely need to improve my skill on doing a better frosting, look at the lettering that i did. Thankfully, no one complained !@

Okay, i kept the cake for a week now in fridge and it still taste good. The only difference is the pink hue slowly varnished or lightened out probably due to the natural colouring.

Gluten-Free Chicken Mushroom Pie

Hubby was in outstation on his birthday, so this is like a treat for his belated birthday. Generally, the filling were awesome but the gluten-free crust has to improve !

Pie dough Recipe -

2 cups organic gluten-free flour mix (i bought Radiant readily mixed GF flour, consists of Sorghum, buckwheat, maize and quinoa, all organic)

1 kampung egg

1/2 tsp pink himalayan salt

1/2 stick of grass-fed butter (melted)

some filtered water (or cold water)

(1) Pulse or manually mix all ingredients till a soft dough is form. Divide into 2 portions and wrap in cling wrap. Refrigerate for 1 hour or till the dough slightly firm.

(2) To set the base crust, take about 1/4 of whole dough portion and press to the bottom of medium size ramekin (modify to suit thickness preference). Repeat for 2nd ramekin. Put both ramekins with the crust base in a preheated oven at 175c and bake for 10 minutes. Once done, remove and let it cools in room temperature.

Filling Recipe -

1/2 cup free-range chicken fillet (cut small)

1/4 cup brown button mushroom (cut small)

2 cloves garlic (minced)

1/2 medium size carrot (cut small, cube)

1/4 cup green peas 

1 Tbsp organic gluten-free flour mix\

1-2 Tbsp grass-fed-butter

2 medium to small size onion

1/2 cup fresh milk

sufficient water

some chopped fresh parsley

some salt and pepper

(1) Marinate chicken cubes with dash of salt and pepper for 15-30 minutes. Stir fry with coconut oil and dish out. Keep aside.

(2) Heat up frying pan again with some coconut oil. Brown garlic and onion. Add in mushroom and stir fry. Add in carrot and stir fry till soft. Add in green peas and stir fry shortly.

(3) Heat up butter, once melted add in flour. Let the flour dissolve in butter and add in milk. Once its thicken, add in all the cooked ingredients - chicken first and then vegetables.

(4) Add dash of salt and pepper or preferred seasonings. Cook in medium to low temperature. Once done, add in fresh parsley, give it a stir and dish out to cool. (Optional: To add some water if too dry, 1 Tbsp at a time)

(5) Bring back the 2 ramekins with crust base earlier. Divide the ingredients into 2 portions or scope it into 2 separate ramekins equally.

(6) Separately, using a rolling pin, roll flat the remaining dough (2 portions) and top the pie of each ramekin accordingly. Press the edge of the ramekin to close any gap. Note : The dough will be a little difficult to handle or it goes separate easily than normal gluten dough.

(7) Baked in preheated oven for 20-30 minutes or till the top crust looks lightly brown or done.

Curry Chicken (Less Spicy)

My 2yrs 10mths has been asking for curry chicken lately, and this is the second time for the week im making. I thought of keeping this recipe as the level of spiciness as well as the texture for potato is just nice. There is some light seasoning now that we start to use for cooking as the elder grows.

Recipe :
5 antiobiotic free chicken drumsticks
2 antibiotic free chicken wings
3 white potatoes
4 red chillies, roughly remove seeds
5 shallots (i like to use dark purple colour type)
4 clove garlic
2-3 one inch size bentong ginger
3 Tbsp organic curry powder (dilute with 5 Tbsp of water)
About 500ml / 3 cups filtered water
125ml fresh coconut milk
1 Tbsp plain greek yogurt (optional)

To make the chilli paste, blend chillies, shallot and garlic together.
To marinate the chicken parts, rub 1 tsp pink himalayan salt all over the chicken. Dilute 1 tsp organic soy sauce with 5 Tbsp of filtered water, add 1 tsp organic turmeric powder, add 1 Tbsp curry powder. (I marinate for about 30 minutes)

(1) Heat up some coconut oil on a deep frying pan (shown in picture). Stir fry whole one inch size ginger till fragrant.

(2) Add in chili paste and stir fry till the oil separated. Add in diluted curry powder and continue to stir fry. Add in chicken and stir fry till the paste mixture absorbed.

(3) Add in water and bring it to boil. Once boil, add in potatoes and simmer in medium temperature for 10 minutes.

(4) Once the potatoes roughly soften (al-dente), add in coconut milk and let it boil for 2-3 minutes. Stir in yogurt and mix properly. Taste the curry and add more seasoning if necessary. Once done, off fire and serve accordingly.

Verdict : Chicken flesh is so soft that it is effortless when eat and potato's texture is just nice. I wish the colour would look more red, which suggest i may need to add chilli powder or more chillies (may need to remove seeds to maintain the level of spiciness while adding the red-ness) next time.

Homemade Mayonnaise

I finally had a chance to show my first successful homemade mayonnaise attempt. I had previously tried making it but the texture was too runny to be mayonnaise. I did not take the step-by-step pictures thus i would write in details on the steps required to achieve the right texture as well as my thought on the taste and other improvements.

Recipe (made slightly less than 1 cup of mayonnaise):

2 kampung egg yolks (picture should show 2 eggs)
1/2 tsp organic Dijon mustard
1/4 tsp pink himalayan salt
2 Tbsp lemon juice / apple cider vinegar (i decided to use lemon after i found out
i have remaining from fridge)
1 full cup olive oil (i used extra light by Borges as it has natural taste) - Divide the oil into 2 separate cups (1/2 cup + 1/2 cup for easy pouring)

Tools you need :
Immersion hand blender comes with tall mug (the mug looks like picture no.3 above)

To prepare the egg yolk, take the eggs out from fridge and let sit in room temperature 20-30 minutes before using. Roughly coddle the whole egg in a big bowl of boiled water for 2 minutes and rinse over running tap water. Separate the yolk and put in a clean bowl.

NOTE : Please make sure all tools eg jar, bowl, mug etc are clean and dry otherwise wipe with kitchen towel before use.

(1) Pour egg yolks into mug or jar intend to use to mix. Add in Dijon mustard. Add in vinegar and salt.

(2) Put the blender all the way to the bottom of the mug and pulse till all mix. There would be bubble but continue to pulse till all ingredients properly mixed.

(3) SLOWLY [SLOWLY I REPEAT] add in oil, roughly 1 Tbsp drip each time and continue to pulse till it form mayonnaise like texture each time.

(4) Slowly, add oil in a stream while pulsing it, scraping the sides all round necessarily.

(5) Once the oil finish pouring and mixing it, it is consider done.

Verdict :
1. The taste is a bit too sourish to my liking. Suggest to add honey to hide the overly sour taste.
2. Herbs, pepper or cayenne can be added for a twist of taste.
3. 1-2 Tbsp of water can be added to thin or improve the texture.

Overall, it is such a satisfaction to be able to make own mayonnaise. We had never buy commercial mayonnaise though it is hard to avoid when we dine out. The question that always ponder behind my head when looking at those sold at counter is the bleaching white colour mayonnaise. I wonder why is it so white as my both attempts trying with or without egg yolks, it still look much off white.

It is always good to start with basic recipe before attempting to try adding herbs or spices in order to get the right taste or texture. We still eat it with much delight although it is a little sourish.

Buckwheat Coconut Bread

I baked this lovely grain-free buckwheat coconut bread, it has a strong buckwheat flavour and surprisingly my 2yrs 10mths daughter loves it ! The texture is soft, the only thing is it uses a lot of eggs. I adapted from here - the link has no picture or whatsoever but i was attracted to the list of ingredients and was glad i tried.

Recipe:
150g cup organic buckwheat flour
50g organic coconut flour
50g natural psyllium husk
1 tsp natural baking soda
1/2 tsp sea salt
5 kampung eggs
1 Tbsp organic apple cider vinegar
1 Tbsp olive oil
1 Tbsp raw honey
125ml fresh coconut milk

(1) Using a large mixing bowl, beat in eggs and whisk till all mix.

(2) Add in all the wet ingredients and mix well.

(3) Add in all the dry ingredients and mix well.

(4) Pour the batter into a small baking tray lined with parchment paper.

(5) Bake in preheated oven at 180c. Let it cool before serving.


We had it with homemade mayonnaise, recipe can be found here

Sugar free banana coconut muffin

4 bananas
4 kampung eggs
1/2 cup organic coconut flour
2 Tbsp vco
1 tsp bentong ginger powder
1 tsp baking powder
1 tsp baking soda
1 tsp organic vanilla extract

(1) Using a large mixing bowl, mash banana.

(2) Beat in eggs and mix well.

(3) Add in coconut flour and mix well.

(4) Add the rest of the ingredients and mix well.

(5) Pour into medium size muffin paper cups carefully.

(6) Bake at preheated oven at 175c for 25 minutes. Once done, remove from oven and let it cools on s/s rack for 5-10 minutes before consuming.

** I only use fork to mix

Simple Yogurt Bread

Recipe using Tesco Breadmaker (In sequence) :
2 antibiotic free eggs
1 1/4 cup plain greek yogurt
2 1/3 cup + 1/2 cup organic high protein flour
1/2 cup organic millet flour
1 tsp pink himalayan salt
1 Tbsp organic molasses sugar
1 3/4 tsp organic yeast for baking

I set to French Bread mode. The texture is similar to light crunchy french toasted bread as i used light mode for the crust.

Banana coconut pancake

We have been making this so many times, but i found out that i have not put this recipe in my blog ! Let me know though if i did. I knew i have shared in some FB groups before definitely. If you ignore the outlook of it, as i am impatience or always rush to make stuffs with kids around, they taste really awesome i assure you.

Grain Free, Gluten Free, Sugar Free, what else could we ask more :)

Recipe:
2 medium size banana (I used pisang berangan)
2 kampung egg
2 Tbsp coconut flour
1/2 tsp organic vanilla extract (optional)

(1) Mashed banana in a mixing bowl.
(2) Add in egg and mix well.
(3) Add in coconut flour and mix well.

Note : This is not regular pancake like batter, is should look thicker and that is fine.

(4) Scope 1 Tbsp and drop on lightly greased cooking pan (I used vco).
(5) Cook on both sides till lightly brown or till done.

Surprisingly, the toddler wearing 'Enjoy the'.....pancake !! top LOL

Butter Walnut Cake

Its been a while and i almost dont recall if i ever baked a mouth-watering butter cake ! As of lately, i hardly able to post recipes of what i have been preparing for the family simply because i started ordering homecooked catered food due to rushing for my design thesis works while juggling the 2 kids.

I have been thinking about butter cake lately and thought of using the simplest recipe due to my other commitments. This is however not gluten-free (as what i tried to do or achieve all along) because i want to make this a successful piece before blend in gluten free ingredients and flour. Other than that, i actually need more time to make gluten-free cake as i am still learning while experimenting it.

Here you go, i would say it is quite a successful butter cake with its much reduced quantity of sugar. I started using minimal amount of sugar after my toddler turns 2.5years old but usually only for baking cake or bread. As for butter cake, note that the more sugar reduction, the less fluffy it becomes. Sugar basically needs to tenderise the texture as well as to volumise the cake nicely. I try to use 'CUP' to measure whenever i bake because it is the fastest and simplest for me ! You find leisure in following my recipes if you think the same like me in this case ;)

Recipe (in order):
1 whole Grass fed butter (melted)
1/3 cup Organic raw cane sugar
2 cup Organic self raising flour
1 tsp baking powder
3 kampung egg
1 tsp organic vanilla extract
1 Tbsp natural greek yoghurt
10 organic raw walnut (roughly chopped)

(1) Using a mixing bowl, beat butter with sugar till it looks pale or dissolve.
(2) Add in flour and baking powder mixture, 1 cup at a time, mix in and fold well.
(3) Beat in egg, 1 at a time and fold well.
(4) Add in vanilla extract.
(5) Add in yoghurt and fold till all mix well.
(6) Transfer into a round lined with greased paper, baking pan. Add walnut all round on top.
(7) Bake at preheated oven at 180c for 30minutes.
(8) Leave on cooling rack for 20 minutes before serve.

The 2yr 8mths wanted to enjoy the cake with her strider bike's helmet ! :D 

Cinnamon Raisin Bread

I received this breadmaker as a replacement to our out-of-order Tesco Breadmaker from my mother-in-law a few weeks ago, which i have not been free to explore it. I finally find time to try it for the first time. A little bit introduction of this breadmaker -


This is a Sanyo Breadmaker and you may not find it in the market anymore as it has been kept by my mother-in-law waiting to be passed down at the right time and this it is now ! :D

It comprises all the basic programme selection modes, and only come with simple START and STOP button to make bread. There is a simple display time screen as well as timer setting (if needed).

After browsing the recipe book that comes along, i decided to make cinnamon raisin bread as it looks more nutritious and i have the ingredients ready. Besides, i know my daughter will like it too !

Recipe (in sequence)
3/4 cup filtered water
2 1/4 cup organic high protein flour
1 Tbsp grass-fed butter
1 Tbsp organic molasses sugar
1 tsp himalayan pink salt
1/3 cup organic green raisin
1/3 cup organic cashew nut (roughly chopped)
1 tsp organic active dried yeast

MODE : 7 (sweet)

One thing i realised about this breadmaker is that it doesnt come with different loaf sizes setting, thus recipe adjustment for the loaf size is needed (which included in the recipe book). As the first time user, i made the smallest loaf based on the recipe given. Compared with my previous Tesco Breadmaker, this breadmaker also did not come with crust (dark/medium/light) setting. On another hand, i dont have to wait for the right time to dump in extra nuts and seeds as the recipe instruction shows i just need to put in 'all ingredients' even the extra ones from the beginning (it may not be that bad huh !).

This is so far my findings and there may be more to come. I am missing my Tesco Breadmaker and i still cannot believe it has stop making my proven breads. I came to realised after a few unsuccessful breads even using my failed proof recipes - i found out that the Tesco Breadmaker was not properly heated up when i was using it, thus bread unable to rise or bread turned out to be really hard as rock.

One thing about using breadmaker i realised is that each recipe may or usually customize for that specific bread machine. Thus my previous Tesco Breadmaker's recipes may not be usable for this Sanyo Breadmaker anymore !! It is a big thing for me, though not difficult as i had spent so much time creating the right 'gluten-free' recipe to fit that Tesco Breadmaker usage. For now, i only hope that this breadmaker could take over as to make basic breads for us, which it just did ! Gradually, i may explore or customize various recipes. I would say im satisfied with the cinnamon raisin bread i just made though i still need to make adjustment to the ingredient quantity esp sugary part. I try to do it low / no sugar even with the previous breadmaker and i would do the same and hopefully it turns out well. Keeping my fingers crossed !



UPDATE : I am back using my Tesco breadmaker because this old machine officially gave way when i tried baking it the second time !! :(

Rolled oat in almond milk

[2yrs 5mths] I made this savoury rolled oat in almond milk for our breakfast this morning.

Recipe:

4 Tbsp organic rolled oat (soak overnight)
2 Tbsp organic almond powder
2 Tbsp organic sweet corn (i removed from cob)
1 big white button mushroom (diced)
2 Tbsp shredded organic broccoli (i only use floret part)

(1) Using a sauce pan, heat up sufficient water till boiling, add in rolled oat and reduce temperature slightly. Cook till soft.

(2) Add in sweet corn and button mushroom and cook shortly.

(3) Put to low temperature and stir in almond powder. Lastly, add in shredded broccoli and dish out immediately after 1-2 minutes.

Organic carrot cake

I customized this organic carrot cake for my 2yrs old toddler as she has been flipping my baking recipe book and requested for it.

Recipe (ingredients in sequence):

5oz vco
3 kampung egg
1 Tbsp organic molasses sugar
1 tsp organic vanilla extract
1 medium size organic carrot (shredded)
1 whole mandarin orange skin (diced)
2oz walnut / cashewnut (chopped)
2oz sultanas / dates (cut small)
6oz organic self raising flour
2 Tbsp organic coconut flour
1 tsp organic cinnamon powder
1 tsp natural baking soda

Mix all ingredients in a mixing bowl and fold till well mixed. Transfer into baking pan and bake in preheated oven at 170c for 40 minutes.

For the frosting, i mix cream cheese with some orange juice.

Verdict: A less sweet version, kids friendly recipe. For adult, quantity of sugar could be more. I kept the cake in fridge after 2 days in room temperature and it could last for another week.

Toddler peanut butter cookies

I did this very last minute right before chinese new year eve as i wanted to make sure my girl is not being left out when visiting relatives or friends. She was so excited upon seeing the cookies, and i still have 1/3 remaining which i chilled in fridge.

Recipe:
200g organic peanut (roasted and removed skin)
1 cup organic wholemeal flour
1/3 cup organic coconut flour
1 kampung egg
100-120ml vco
20ml organic raw honey
1 egg yolk for brushing (lightly stir)

(1) Using a food processor, pulverise roasted peanut till smooth. Add 1 Tbsp vco to ease blending
(2) Mix all ingredients in a mixing bowl to form a dough.
(3) Shape the cookies and brush the top with egg yolk
(4) Bake in preheated oven at 175c for 15 minutes. Allow the cookies to cool in room temperature before transfer into air-tight container.

Verdict: The coconut taste overtook the peanut taste slightly, so the vco could be replaced with peanut oil if one prefers to have a full peanut taste rather than coconut peanut taste. The sweetness is just nice, although i still find it slightly sweet for my toddler. Just a few of this cookies will fill one's stomach as there are fat and/or natural fat as part of the ingredients.