Honey Coated Pistachio Palmiers Recipe

I found this palmiers recipe in the Australian Women's Weekly Moroccan  cook book. Having a massive sweet tooth of course I tried most of the sweet dishes with this palmiers recipe being one of the first.

The original palmiers recipe had butter and an egg in it which I replaced with low lactose melted margarine.


Honey Coated Pistachio Palmiers Recipe

Ingredients:
3/4 cup roasted shelled pistachios
1/4 cup caster sugar
1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
2 tablespoons raw sugar
20gm low lactose or milk free margarine
50gm melted low lactose or milk free margarine
2 sheets puff pastry
1/2 cup honey

Method:
Blend nuts with sugar, cinnamon and margarine until mixture forms a coarse paste.

Sprinkle board with half of the raw sugar; place one sheet of pastry on the sugar. Using rolling pin, press pastry gently into sugar.

Spread half the mixture on pastry; fold two opposing sides of the pastry inwards to meet in the middle. Flatten folded pastry slightly; brush with a little of the melted margarine.

Fold each side in half again so they just touch in the middle, flatten slightly.

Repeat process with remaining raw sugar, pastry sheet, nut mixture and melted margarine.

Cover pastry pieces, separately, with plastic warp and refrigerate for 30 minutes.

Meanwhile, preheat oven to 200C and grease oven trays.

Cut rolled pastry into 1cm slices; place slices cut side up, on trays about 2cms apart.

Bake palmiers for about 12 minutes or until lightly browned.

While palmiers are coooking bring honey to the boil in a small frying pan. Reduce heat; simmer, uncovered for 3 minutes. Remove from heat.

Add hot plamiers, one at a time to honey mixture turning to coat all over; drain on greased rack and serve cold.

M’hanncha a Moroccan Sweet Dish

I am guessing you are wondering what this M'hanncha is. It is actually a Moroccan sweet dish that is made with ground almonds a little bit of chocolate and filo pastry.

A few years ago I ate at a Moroccan restaurant and absolutely fell in love with the food. So recently I bought myself the Australian Women's Weekly Moroccan cookbook and discovered this recipe.

At first it is a little tricky but once you have done it the next time will be much easier just persevere through it.

I used a Cadbury chocolate hazelnut bar but you can omit that or use a milk free chocolate bar.

It is an incredibly delicious dish which you will find you will keep for yourself as it is too good to share.  

I say indulge!

M’hanncha

Ingredients:
90 g margarine melted,
1 2/3 cups ground almonds
½ cup icing sugar
1 x 45 gm Cadbury hazelnut bar or milk free chocolate
6 sheets filo pastry
100gm melted margarine
½ teaspoon ground cinnamon

Method:
Preheat oven to 160C and grease a 20cm springform tin.

Combine margarine, ground almonds, sifted icing sugar and chocolate in a medium bowl.

Roll rounded teaspoons of mixture into balls and then into 2.5cm log shapes.

Brush 1 sheet of pastry with some of the extra margarine top with a second pastry sheet and brush with margarine.

Place one third of the chocolate logs along the long end 5cm from the edge and leave a 2.5cm border on the short ends.

Roll pastry tightly to enclose logs. Repeat with remaining pastry, margarine and logs. Brush pastry logs with margarine.

Pinch one end of the pastry log to seal, this will become the centre of the spiral. Wind the pastry log into a tight spiral, brushing with margarine to join.

Continue adding pastry logs end to end in a spiral pattern brushing with margarine to join and seal ends.

Transfer spiral to tin. Brush top with margarine and sprinkle with cinnamon and chocolate shavings as I have done.

Bake M'hanncha for about 25 minutes or until golden. Serve dusted with a little sifted icing sugar.

Enjoy.

Recipe for Chocolate Peanut Butter Brownies

I got this recipe for Chocolate Peanut Butter Brownies from an ice-cream book called the Vegan Scoop. I was thrilled to find it there because I thought it only had ice cream recipes but to find this recipe for Chocolate Peanut Butter Brownies was a treat.

I checked the ingredients in the recipe and found I had them all so off I went to bake it.

As you can see it is a very easy recipe for Chocolate Peanut Butter Brownies. I used Rice Milk because I didn't have soy milk and I used olive oil because I didn't have vegetable oil which I think was a mistake as the flavour of the oil is quite prominent.

I can't taste the peanut butter either so next time I will put more. The brownies are quite crumbly too so maybe I need to put more water and rice milk next time. Hmm it seems there are a few issues with this recipe.

Don't cook them for more than 4o minutes either as they are from a fudge brownie recipe so if you put in a toothpick to test it, it will have batter on it but wait for it to cool down a bit then cut and they will be fine.

They are still tasty and easy to make so don't be too concerned with my issues they may come out better for you. The best part is they are easy on your stomach. 

No upset tummy makes me a very happy lactose intolerant person!


Recipe for Chocolate Peanut Butter Brownies

Ingredients:
2 cups plain flour
2 cups sugar
¾ cups cocoa powder
1 teaspoon baking powder
1 teaspoon salt
½ cup crunchy peanut butter
¾ cup water
½ cup rice milk or soy milk
¼ cup vegetable oil
1 teaspoon vanilla paste or essence

Method:
Preheat oven to 180C. Grease a 23x33cm baking pan.

In a large bowl mix flour, sugar, cocoa powder, baking powder and salt.

Next add rice milk, vegetable oil, peanut butter and vanilla paste.

Mix until well blended.

Spread mixture into baking pan and bake for 25 – 30 minutes.

Let cool then cut into squares.

Enjoy :)

Peanut Butter Ice Cream Recipe

This is a gorgeous crunchy peanut butter ice cream recipe that I found by chance and adore, it is heaven. It is fairly low lactose but you can make it lactose free by using lactose free cream which I will do next time I make it. As you can tell it is the first time I have made this.

I love peanut butter, anything with peanut butter and I am in. I didn't realise you can get peanut butter ice cream until I went to Baskin Robbins and tasted it and was hooked. So I went searching for a peanut butter ice cream recipe and found this delicious one.

Even though I use cream it doesn't upset my stomach too much it's very mild but next time I make it I will use lactose free cream. 

Be warned you will be addicted.

Peanut Butter Ice Cream Recipe
Serves 2


Ingredients:

1/2 cup crunchy peanut butter
1/4 cup sugar
1/2 cup lactose free milk
2/3 cups lactose free thickened cream
1 tsp vanilla paste


Method:

Combine the crunchy peanut butter and sugar until smooth. Add the milk. Blend on low speed until smooth and the sugar is dissolved. Stir in the heavy cream and vanilla paste ( don't stir too much, just a few turns until it's well blended).

Pour the ice cream mixture into a container, I placed mine in a loaf tin (as metal freezes faster) and into the freezer for 30 minutes.

Take out of freezer and beat for a few minutes until smooth.  Place back in freezer.

Take out of freezer again and beat for another few minutes until smooth. Place any add-ins now into you ice cream as the mixture is set and it won;t fall to the bottom.

Place back in freezer and allow to freeze until set.


As you can see I have my Lactose Free Vanilla Ice Cream next to it.

Lactose Free Vanilla Ice Cream

This lactose free vanilla ice cream recipe is my first attempt at making my own ice cream. Since I don't have an ice cream machine I placed the mixture in a loaf pan tin because it is a metal bowl and they freeze faster than glass or plastic.

It's not my favourite recipe as the gelatine gives an unusual consistency but it's a start and the best part is it doesn't upset my stomach.


Lactose Free Vanilla Ice Cream


Ingredients

1 1/4 cups lactose free milk
1/2 cup caster sugar
2 teaspoons gelatine, dissolved in 2 tablespoons boiling water
1 1/4 cups lactose free cream
1 teaspoon vanilla extract

Method

Combine milk, sugar and gelatine mixture in a large saucepan, stir over low heat until sugar dissolves. Allow to cool then stir in cream and vanilla, chill for 2 hours.

Using an electric mixer, beat cream mixture for approximately 10 minutes or until the mixture has slightly increased in volume.

If you have an ice-cream maker place in the machine using the manufacturers instructions.

If you don't have an ice cream machine pour mixture into a shallow tray and freeze for 2 hours then, remove and beat with an electric mixer for 1-2 minutes, return to freezer until firm.

When ready grate lactose free chocolate on top and enjoy this lactose free vanilla ice cream recipe.

Curtis Stone Pasties Recipe

I haven't had a pastie in ages so went looking for a pasties recipe to satisfy my craving. I was shopping at my local supermarket when I picked up one of the recipe pamphlets by Curtis Stone and found a delicious Beef and Vegetable Pasties Recipe.

Of course I changed the pasties recipe around a little. I don't like corn so swapped it for peas and I got rid of the egg and swapped that for melted milk-free margarine.

Note: Make sure you divide all the mixture between the four pastry sheets. You may think the pastry will not be able to take all the filling but it can. The pastry will stretch over and stay. Otherwise like me you can make five pasties. 

What I love about pasties is they are a meal in themselves. Just heat 'em up and eat. Wash one plate and then you can sit on the couch and relax!

Great recipe. Enjoy!

Curtis Stone Beef and Vegetable Pasties Recipe

Ingredients
2 tbsp olive oil
400g beef mince
1 small brown onion
3 cloves garlic, finely chopped
1 medium carrot, peeled and cut into 1cm cubes
1 baby potato, peeled and cut into 1cm cubes
1/2 cup peas
1 medium truss tomato, finely diced
4 cups baby spinach
1/4 cup fresh parsley, roughly chopped
4 sheets Short Crust Pastry, cut into 20cm rounds, leaving plastic on base
1/4 cup melted margarine


Method
1. Preheat the oven to 200°C.

2. Heat 1 tbsp oil in a large fry pan over high heat and sauté the beef for 5 minutes, breaking up any large clumps. Strain the beef and discard liquid from pan. Place the pan back on heat and add 1 teaspoon of oil.

3. Add the onion, garlic, and cook for 3 minutes. Add the carrot and potato to the pan and cook for an additional 3 minutes stirring often.

4. Return beef to the pan, add the peas, tomato and spinach and cook a further minute or until the spinach has wilted. Remove from heat and stir through the parsley, season to taste with salt and pepper and let cool for 7 minutes.

5. Lay the 4 rounds of pastry onto a clean work surface and divide the filling evenly between the centre of each round of pastry. Brush the edges of the pastry with the melted margarine and carefully fold and crimp the edges together to seal the pasties. Remove the plastic and poke several small holes with a knife in the pastry to allow steam to escape whilst cooking.

6. Place pasties onto a baking tray lined with baking paper, brush with a little of the melted margarine.

7. Bake for 18-20 minutes or until the pastry is golden brown and the filling is cooked through.

8. Let sit at room temperature for 5 minutes before serving.

9. Serving suggestion: for extra flavour, serve with tomato sauce.

Ginger Biscuits Recipe

 
I went looking for a Ginger Biscuits Recipe as I went swimming with the dolphins a few weeks ago which I was very proud of myself for doing as I am terrified of deep water and while we were on the boat searching for dolphins to swim with we were handed ginger biscuits to eat.

I don't think I have ever eaten ginger biscuits before but I took one bite and was hooked. They were delicious. So once I got home after having a sensational day of swimming with the dolphins :) I went searching for a Ginger Biscuits Recipe.

The Ginger Biscuits Recipe I found was by Jamie Oliver as it was getting rave reviews. Always a good sign.  Firstly it took me ages to convert everything from grams into cups. Then I removed the egg from the recipe and used raw sugar instead of demarara sugar as it was all I had. I also used honey instead of golden syrup as again honey is what I had.

I found this recipe to be incredibly sweet after making in twice and reducing the sugar amounts considerably. 

I made them and they were incredibly sweet but also in credibly delicious.

Please note the strength of the ginger depends on how long it's been in your cupboard and please make sure the cookies cool completely before you pop them in your biscuit container as they will go soft.

These are incredibly delicious cookies. Every time I open the biscuit tin I get this wonderful sweet honey, ginger aroma float up into my nostrils and totally hypnotise me and demand I eat them all.

You won't be able to stop eating at one you will definitely eat two at a time or more! You have been thoroughly warned hahaha.

This recipe makes 12 biscuits of course if you want more cookies just double the recipe.


Ginger Biscuits Recipe


Ingredients
50gm Miracle margarine or any low lactose or lactose free margarine such as Nuttelex.
1 tbsp honey
1/4 cup raw or demarara sugar
3/4 cups plain flour
1 tspn baking powder
1/2 tspn bicarbonate soda
1 tspn ground ginger
Pinch of salt


Method
1. Pre-heat the oven to 160c gas mark 3 and line two baking sheets with grease proof paper or the reusable baking sheets.
2. Put the margarine, sugar and honey in a pan and bring up to heat melting the margarine and allowing the mixture to amalgamate. Allow to cool slightly.
3. Sift together all the other dry ingredients into a bowl.
4. Pour in the warm butter mixture and bring it all together.
5. At this point the mix should be holding its shape but it will be slightly brittle but don't worry as this creates the ridges and finished texture of the biscuit.
6. You can roll the mixture into balls about 1-2cms in diameter or you can just place heaped teaspoons on the baking tray. These biscuits really spread so leave a bit of room between each so they don't stick together. 
7. Place in the oven for 10-15 minutes until they start to colour, they will be initially soft when removed but as they cool they will firm up nicely. Perfect with a cup of Chamomile Tea!

Please make sure the cookies cool completely before you pop them in your biscuit container as they will go soft if still warm.


Enjoy :)