CHRISTMAS PUDDING TOTAL INDULGENCE

TRADITIONAL CHRISTMAS PUDDING FROM MY MOTHER'S RECIPES.

I am going to modify this to make it wheat free but all other ingredients except sugar, which I will halve, will stay as they are.

I use a large plastic wash bowl for the total mixture and divide the mixture into small flower pot/muffin baking containers. It usually takes me a couple of days to complete steaming all the puddings. I wrap them individually in plastic cling film then in foil. They make quite acceptable gifts. Each mini pudding is suitable to divide into two or up to 4 servings. My mother always used butter and served her Christmas pudding cold with cream and icecream. Christmas falls in summer in New Zealand and I have wonderful memories of blue sea, kayaks and swimming.

My favourite Christmas lunch is reasonably simple and held at the beach house. Hot roast leg of lamb, small, new potatoes boiled with mint, lettuce and mixed salad veggies with mint sauce and whatever salad dressing  you like. This is followed by a desert of Christmas pudding and cream. We would have a light evening meal of ham and lettuce salad, followed by fruit salad and trifle. Pavlova is also usually served but unless there is a big crowd of people I like to keep dessert down to a single dessert for the whole day. This year we might even limit ourselves to strawberries and cream.

We are a small family these days and no-one wants to spend hours in the kitchen. We are also a wheat free family and everyone is concerned with not over-eating on this feast day. We plan to have no left-overs that will tempt us to de-rail our weight loss efforts.

12 EGGS WELL BEATEN, 14 no 7 eggs
2 LB RAISINS...2 kg raisins currants, sultanas
2 LB CURRANTS
2 LB SULTANAS
8 OZ PRESERVED  LEMON PEEL OR MIXED PEEL, CHOPPED 450 gm + 450 gm maracino cherries left whole because I like cherries.
8 OZ ALMONDS, CHOPPED 220gm did not blanch almonds and roughly chopped into thirds, halves and left some whole
8 OZ PEELED AND DICED APPLE 220gm
2 NAVAL ORANGES, ZEST AND JUICE
2 LEMONS, ZEST AND JUICE
1 LB FLOUR 250gm almond meal or flour, 250gm coconut flour maybe more? 250gm tapioca flour 250gm brown rice flour
1 LARGE TABLESPOON MIXED SPICE 25 ml
1 TEASPOON SALT 5 ml
2.5 LB SUGAR 400 gm demarara
2 LB BUTTER OR SUET 500 gm
1 GLASS BRANDY
1 GLASS RUM  instead of brandy and rum I used shiraz

total juice and booze = 625ml aprox

NB  the dried fruit and coconut flour gobbled up the liquids. 

RUB BUTTER INTO FLOUR
ADD SUGAR
ADD FRUIT AND NUTS I am lazy and just tip fruit in. trusting that it is clean when packed
ADD WELL BEATEN EGGS
ADD ALL OTHER LIQUIDS

NB the raw mixture /batter did not look as smooth and pudding-like as other years but the taste was OK. I cut back on sugar and butter. Will be interesting to see how the non-wheat flours work.

Finished mixing this 8 am Sat 8/12/12

LET MIXTURE STAND FOR 24 HOURS
DIVIDE INTO SUITABLE BASINS AND COVER
STEAM 6 HOURS
STORE IN A COOL PLACE FOR SEVERAL WEEKS BEFORE CONSUMING will keep years especially if brandy is used!!! I store in fridge. Freezes OK too.

TO SERVE, HEAT IN STEAM BATH or microwave same as muffins

MAKES 4 LARGE PUDDINGS OR ? EXTRA LARGE MUFFINS

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MINI MEAT LOAF

http://www.lifeasaplate.com/2012/10/31/garden-veggie-meat-muffins/

LOW CARB HOLIDAY FOOD

Here are some of the best articles about having a low carb holiday season:

• Low Carb Thanksgiving Tips by Dana Carpender
• More Low Carb Thanksgiving Tips by Dana Carpender
• Low Carb Stuffing Recipes by Dana Carpender
• You Can Have Gravy For Your Thanksgiving Dinner by Dana Carpender
• Refusing Holiday Food by Dana Carpender
• Thanksgiving Day Leftovers – Includes Her Turkey Tetrazinni Recipe by Dana Carpender
• Low Carb Cooking 101: Lesson #30: Complete Low Carb Thanksgiving Turkey Dinner by Di Bauer
• Turkey-Lurkey by Zack Grady
• A Low Carb Thanksgiving Something To Really Be Thankful For by Rani Merens
• How to Survive a Holiday Meal by Di Bauer
• Leaving An Old Thanksgiving Tradition Behind: Friends Should Not Let Friends Give Fruitcakes by Zack Grady

Low Carb Christmas/Holiday Articles:

• A Gourmet Christmas by Zack Grady
• The Twelve Days of Christmas by Denise C. Lopez
• The Twelve Days Of Christmas Part II: The Aftermath by Denise C. Lopez
• Low Carb Holiday Gifts by Dana Carpender
• A Letter From Santa By Brian Pierce
• Make Someone Happy with Low Carb Gifts by Amy Dungan
• Make Ahead Holiday Recipes, Part I: Appetizers by Di Bauer
• Make Ahead Holiday Recipes, Part II: Main and Side Dishes by Di Bauer
• Make Ahead Holiday Recipes, Part III: Holiday Desserts by Di Bauer

PUMPKIN PIE

Yummy Pumpkin Pie

COCONUT OIL mANY USES

http://lconeday.blogspot.co.nz/2012/11/10-ways-to-use-coconut-oil.html

MUFFALETTA SALAD OLIVES

MUFFALETTA SALAD

CHOCOLATE TRUFFLES

http://primaljourney.blogspot.co.nz/2012/10/rum-raisin-truffle-chocolate.html

CLAM CHOWDER AND HEALTHY BREAD

http://mariahealth.blogspot.co.nz/       JUNE 3RD

PIZZA BASED ON OOPSIE ROLL RECIPE (JAMIE AT http://yourlighterside.com/

I used my oblong baking dish lined with baking paper.

Oven at 150'C

Base

5 eggs,
1-2 teaspoons Tuscan seasoning or other favourite seasoning
1.4 teaspoon salt
80 gm cream cheese

Topping

Your favourite pizza toppings
I used the following which made a very generous and tasty topping
1 jar of mild salsa
3 slices of diced bacon
200 gm grated cheddar cheese

To make the base you need two mixing bowls

Separate eggs

Add salt to egg whites and beat until stiff anf forming peaks

Add the cream cheese and seasoning to yolks and beat until smooth.

Gently fold yolk mixture into the egg whites until even. Take care not to over mix and deflate the air.

Spread evenly in baking dish and cook for about 20 minutes.

Remove from oven when centre is firm. Increase oven temperature to 200'C

Spread topping

Spread with salsa, bacon pieces and cheese in that order.

Place back into oven until happy with the colour. I finished mine by turning the grill on for a few minutes/ Altogether it took another 10 minutes.

Remove from oven and let cool for a few minutes.

I was able to lift mine out of the oven by holding the overhanging edges of paper.

Serves 4 generous servings. Serve on a plate with a fork.

Very Yummy. Very filling but also very 'morish'.

Next time try 3 eggs, less topping but expect it to only be 2 serves.

It's safe to play with this recipe and I might even try adding flaxseed flour and try for a firmer base.

ALMOND AND CREAM CHEESE PIKELETS

You need a temperature controlled hot plate. I used our Breville Healthy Grill on the sandwich setting. The non stick surface needed no extra oil or butter.


Ingredients


5 eggs well beaten
250 gm carton of cream cheese Riccotta cheese would also work
1 tablespoon of cider vinegar or lemon juice
70 gm pkt of ground almonds
1 teaspoon of baking powder


Add cream cheese and cider vinegar  to eggs and beat until smooth.


Add ground almonds and baking powder. Mix well. I used my little hand-held electric beater or mix by hand.




Ladle spoonfuls onto hot griddle. Wait until bottom is coloured and nicely golden before turning to finish cooking.


I used an ordinary non-metal spatula to turn. I suggest a thin silicon spatular at least the width of the pikelets.


I did not add sugar and didn't find it needed. You could add dried fruit such as sultanas or dried blueberries.


We ate these plain. I can imagine them topped with a little berry jam and dab of whipped cream. Alternatively they would be equally at home as canapes topped with salmon and sour cream.


They are tender but firm up when cold.


I've been hungering for pancakes. This recipe works as smaller pikelets. It is too soft to successfully turn anything larger than a pikelet. 


I guess I ate nearly half the pikelets. I was hungry after not having breakfast. Now I am very full.


This is a simple list of ingredients open to experimenting with.  

DEBBIE'S CHIA MUFFIN LINK

http://debbycooks.wordpress.com/2012/05/07/3m-chia-muffins/

Homemade Ricotta Cheese

TRY AGAIN DIFFERENTLY -FLUFFY PUFFY EGG ROULADE WITH SPINACH AND SUN-DRIED TOMATO PESTO

I've been thinking about making a souffle roulade for a while and when I saw this cake recipe based on the oopsie roll recipe I found on Your Lighter Side I thought I'd try to make a low carb version. I think it's going to work but since I have a fridge full of my 'not quite right' experiment it could be a few weeks before I get it how I want it.

Filling
2 or 3 handfuls of baby spinach. More if desired
135gm Mediterranean Chunky Dip, sundried tomato with parmesan and cashew

8 eggs
1/2 teaspoon cream of tartar

1 250gm carton of cream cheese
1 teaspoon LSA (optional)
1 teaspoon ground almonds (optional)
tablespoon finely chopped fresh parsley and thyme (optional)
good pinch salt

Prepare a suitable tin. I took the grill rack out of a grill pan about 00cm x 00cm and lined it with baking paper without buttering or spraying with oil the pan or the paper. It DID NOT to work well. Next time .... grease pan base. Do not use paper. A larger pan might work better as this came out more than 2 cm thick. Hard to roll.

Turn the oven to bake, 150'C

Wilt the spinach in a small knob of butter, pinch salt and ground pepper. Do not over cook. this is only to make it soft enough to stay in place when you roll and slice the roulade.

Set to one side.

Carefully separate the eggs, whites into the largest bowl. I separate each white into a cup before adding to the bowl as I don't want any mistakes like getting yolk into the whites when I crack the last egg..
Add the cream of tartar to the whites

Add the cream cheese, LSA, ground almonds, finely chopped herbs and salt to the egg yolks

Beat the egg whites until light and fluffy. somewhere around the soft peak almost firm peak stage.

Use the same beater to beat the mixture in the bowl of yolks. Watch out. This can go everywhere if you haven't broken up the cream cheese first.

When the mixture is fairly even, small lumps of cream cheese will not spoil the finished product, pour about one third into the whites and gently fold in. Do this two more times until all the mixture is together and fairly evenly mixed.

Pour the mixture into a prepared shallow cake tin. A slice tin works well.

Bake for 30 minutes.

 Rest on the bench for 15-20 minutes covered with a damp towel. This may not be necessary. Just give it 5-10 minutes to cool before the next stage.

Now comes the tricky bit.

Make sure the roulade is going to come loose from your pan. Cover with a clean towel and invert laying on the counter and lifting the tray off roulade.

Arrange filling. Roll up like a Swiss Roll from the short end and slice into serving size pieces. Suitable for 4 large servings which are very filling.

Spread a clean towel on the bench and sprinkle lightly with a mixture of finely chopped herbs and LSA. Make sure your herbs a dry before you chop them. The base to sprinkle on to may not be necessary as my "roll" did not stick to the tea towel.


Leave for about 20 minutes. Unroll roulade gently. May not be necessary.

Spread with a tub of your favourite pesto. I am having a love affair with sun-dried tomato, parmesan and cashew pesto. Cover with the wilted spinach as evenly as possible.

 Epic fail. My roulade seemed to be too thick to roll although had I left it a little longer to cool I might have been able to roll it from the shortest side. It certainly wasn't going to work from the long side.

I ended up eating this first effort by spreading my pesto over the whole eggy slab. I cut it in quarters and made 4 sponge squares. Then I cut each piece in half again and put three quarters on a plate in the fridge covered with glad wrap.

The spinach needs to be prepared before starting or if you are sure it's a quick finning, while the roulade is cooking.

Re roll and hey presto you have a beautiful savoury roulade. The filling I used came to about  22 gm carb in the whole recipe. The egg and cheese part = 20 gm carbs. Divide into 4 servings. Each serving = 11 gm carb.

I see no reason why other fillings will not work.

Flaked fish, spinach and grated cheese, mushroom and onion, salsa, any mixture of savoury flavours you can turn into a thin layer inside a roulade.

Comment. This is very eggy. It needs, in my opinion, a lot of seasoning including pepper. Maybe a little more heat and acid such as a squeeze of lemon juice and a little zest. Clearly it has a long way to go to be just right.

SPINACH FRITTATA

Heat grill and blacken a red capsicum. When done wrap in plastic for a few minutes before peeling off the skin and chopping into medium dice.

Prepare baking dish. I use a large quiche dish or other wide baking dish. To save on clean up I line with baking paper.

12 eggs = 24 gm
1 thick slice of bread steeped in
1/2 cup milk = 30gm
When bread is soft add eggs, beat well.
2 large onions diced =18
bacon pieces = 0
roast, coarsely diced red capsicum, (bell pepper) = 6
grated cheese = 0
crumbles blue cheese or feta = 0
1 bag of baby spinach = 4
 1/4 tub sundried tomato, pinenuts and parmesano  or any other flavouring and seasoning. you like. = 2
2 medium tomatoes sliced =16

Cook the onion and bacon until soft, while the bread is soaking in the milk. and beaten eggs
Gently add in grated cheddar or parmesan and cooked onion and bacon.
Layer half the spinach in baking dish
Cover with half egg,cheese and bacon mixture
Scatter with dollops of pesto and about half of the crumbled blue cheese
Spread the remaining spinach followed by the rest of the egg mixture.
Use the back of a large spoon to press down the spinach unril it is mostly covered by the liquid
Cover the top with the remaining cheese
Followed by the sliced tomatoes and a sprinkle of ground pepper.
Bake until firm to touch in the middle and the top is beginning to golden up.
I cooked this for 20-25 minutes at 200'F then turned the oven to 170'F for another 15-20 minutes and it was perfect. Light and not over cooked.

Aproximate total carbohydrates =100 gms

Makes 4 very generous servings, easily stretched to 6 or even 8 with a good salad.

Very Yummy. The blue cheese and pesto lifted it out of the ordinary. Perfect lunch dish with a salad.

FLAVOURSOME CABBAGE

Walnut size piece of butter
slice large onion
cut an apple into smallish pieces
4 cups sliced cabbage, about 1cm slices then cut across into 4-5cm pieces.
2 dried apricots cut into small pieces
2 teaspoons cider vinegar
pepper.salt

Melt butter in fry pan and saute onion and apple until soft but not coloured.
Add cabbage and other ingredients and cover. Cook for about an hour on low heat or as long as you wish. Add a little water if you think it might burn.

Tasty side dish with grilled meat.

MEAL IDEAS

RECIPES HERE

Breakfast suggestions

• Eggs and bacon
• Omelet
• Leftovers from last night’s dinner
• Coffee with cream
• A can of mackerel and boiled eggs
• Boiled egg with mayonnaise or butter
• Avocado, salmon and crème fraiche
• Sandwich on Oopsie-bread
• A piece of very thin hard bread with plenty of butter, cheese, ham etc.
• Cheese with butter on it
• Boiled eggs mashed with butter, chopped chives, salt and pepper
• A piece of brie cheese and some ham or salami
• High-fat yoghurt with nuts and seeds (and maybe berries)

Lunch and dinner

• Meat, fish or chicken dishes with vegetables and rich sauce. There are many alternatives to potatoes, such as mashed cauliflower.
• Stews, soups or casseroles with allowed foods.
• You can cook most recipes in cookbooks if you avoid carbohydrate-rich ingredients. It’s often a good idea to add some fat (e.g. butter, cream).
• Drink water with your meal or once in a while a glass of wine.

Snacks

When you eat a low-carbohydrate diet with more fat and a bit more protein you will probably not need to eat as often. Don’t be surprised if you no longer need to snack. Many do well on two or three meals a day. If you need a snack:

• Rolled up cheese or ham with a vegetable (some even spread butter on cheese)
• Olives
• Nuts
• A piece of cheese
• A boiled egg from the refrigerator
• Some canned mackerel in tomato sauce

JACKIE'S BREAKFAST SLAB

SLAB

PUMPKIN SLICE

I've been looking for a good veggie slice for winter lunches. This looks as though it might work.

6 eggs
1 carton of riccotta, lite cream cheese or cottage cheese (200gm aprox).
bacon or ham, about 250 gm medium dice
1 or 2 cups of grated pumpkin or pumpkin sliced very thin
1 medium onion or more, finely chopped or sliced
1 small red capsicum, (bell pepper), diced reasonably small
2 medium courgettes sliced or grated... if grating squeeze out moisture into paper towels.
20 gm grated parmesan (optional)
2 tbs chopped parsley,
2tbs chopped chives
6 basil leaves chopped
salt and pepper
90 gm grated mozzarella or cheese of choice.

Grease a suitable baking dish or line with baking paper
Heat oven to about 180'C

Beat eggs with ricotta until smooth
Cook bacon in a pan until brown
Gently toss all other ingredients except mozzarella and put into a baking dish.
Pour the ricotta and egg mixture over.
Top with grated cheese

Bake for 45- 50  minutes until set and browned on top.

Stand 10 minutes and cut into squares to serve. Makes 6 servings.

It could be served with salad greens and relish or chutney.

This looks like a very forgiving recipe. The kind where you can add or delete items according to your preferences or what is available

I'm looking forward to trying it out once  new seasons  pumpkins are available and ripe.

SWEET CORN SALAD WITH CHEESE

The original recipe has bocconcini rolled in crumbs and fried, served warm on a plate with salad leaves and corn salsa. This quantity of salad was served with 16 crumbed and fried bocconcini for 4 servings.

I liked the look of the combination of flavours so put together this version which I am yet to try. Fried bocconcini doesn't rock my boat so on my first try I will probably use cheese from the brie or camembert types but I also want to try it with a low salt version of feta..

1 cup cooked corn kernels.* see note at end of recipe
1 small red onion diced small or not as you wish
1 tomato diced ditto above
1/2 small red capsicum, (bell pepper), diced ditto above
salad leaves
Cheese of choice roughly diced according to type.
Balsamic Dressing
Pepper and salt as preferred
Toss lightly.

*I will strip these from cob which has been microwaved in it's husk for 6 or 7 minutes.