Healthy Homemade Granola

I've just returned from a week's holiday with Mr L & the in-laws in Somerset. It was a lovely break, but goodness me, we could have done with a little less rain. But because of the rain Mr L and I built a tricky 1000 piece jigsaw puzzle, what fun! Neither of us have built a jigsaw puzzle in years! When last have you tried building one?
But now after lots of unhealthy eating, we're trying to be healthy again, and what better place to start than breakfast!?

This morning I decided to try and make a homemade Granola (granola is muesli, but baked so it's crunchier) after finding a video on how to make it. The supermarkets do have some great varieties of muesli and granola, but boy oh boy can they be expensive? Plus, freshly made granola with only ingredients you like is so much tastier and this recipe only uses a bit of honey, so no added sugar! This recipe so easy, and extremely tasty, and costs less for the amount you get. But do experiment with different ingredients to get it just the way you like it! I used dried apricots and sultanas, as well as adding chopped Brazil nuts, it was delicious!


I've posted the video showing how to make granola right here in this post for you to try too. This is not me in the video, but a lady named Sophie Uliano.
Even better, below that video is another one which Sophie shows how to make Almond Milk, I am going to HAVE to try that too... have any of you ever made Almond milk? I've never even tasted Almond Milk, so I'll let you know how I get on with making and having some. Enjoy the videos!

HOMEMADE GRANOLA- SOPHIE ULIANO - watch more recipes and videos

ALMOND MILK- SOPHIE ULIANO - watch more recipes and videos

South African 'Melktert' recipe

This weekend I again attempted to make a tart that I've failed to make successfully before. It's a traditional South African recipe called 'Melktert' or directly translated as milktart. A melktert is usually a shortcrust pastry base with a filling not dissimilar to a custard tart, but much more milky and softer than a custard tart and topped with a sprinkling of cinnamon. This really is comfort food although South African, the recipe has some Dutch influences.

For a bit of history on this tasty dessert:

Before the Suez Canal was built, all ships travelling east to the spice islands of what is now Indonesia had to sail round the tip of South Africa. The Dutch and their East India Company were a force to be reckoned with along the spice route for a large part of the 17th century, and South Africa was a convenient stopping place on the long journey from Europe to Asia.

The first permanent Dutch settlement was established at the Cape of Good Hope around the middle of the century. The cinnamon used in this recipe would have been imported from Indonesia; and the milk would have come from the increasing number of Dutch farms that sprang up around the Cape to supply the Dutch ships and their scurvy-ridden crews with fresh vegetables, meat and dairy products.

Extract taken from an article by Cecily Layzell on Suite101.com

I'm happy to say that for the first time I have made a successfull melktert! This is with thanks to a new recipe I tried that I adapted from here. However, I used my own shortcrust pastry recipe which I'll share with you too. If you're not up to making your own pastry, just buy those ready made pastry cases or bake a ready-rolled shortcrust pastry from the supermarket... but give pastry making a go, it's fun! Just remember to keep all your ingredients as cold as possible, and it will help if you have a blender or mixer.

I'm also dedicating this recipe specially to my blog friend Ivy from Little Ivy cakes... she always does great recipes on her blog and loves trying new things, so this one is for you Ivy - I hope you get a chance to try this one yourself one day.

Melktert
This recipe is enough to make 2 tarts.


Sweet shortcrust pastry

• 200g unsalted butter (cold)
• 300g plain flour (I put mine in the freezer for 20 minutes on a hot day)
• 2 tablespoons caster sugar
• 2 small chilled eggs beaten

Cut the butter into cubes and add it to the food processor or mixer (use a flat blade in the mixer) along with the flour. Blitz the flour and butter until it resembles breadcrumbs and there are no big lumps of butter. Add the sugar and blitz again. Now add the beaten eggs only a little at a time (you don't have to add all of it, instead check the consistency, it musn't be too wet) until the mixture binds into a ball. Dust the dough with flour and form it into two discs and cover with clingfilm. Chill in the fridge for 20 minutes.

Butter two pie/tart dishes. Now roll the two discs out to about 3- 5mm thickness or to fit the dishes. Once the dough is in, prick liberally with a fork to prevent the pastry rising. Put some parchment paper and beans inside to blind bake the crust.

For the Filling

• 4 1/2 cups milk
• 2 1/2 tablespoons of corn flour
• 2 1/2 tablespoons of flour
  
• 1 cup sugar
• 3 eggs
  
• pinch of salt
• 1 teaspoon vanilla
  
• 1 1/2 tablespoons of butter
• cinnamon to sprinkle over the top
  

Mix the dry ingredients together.
Beat the eggs in a large mixing bowl, and then slowly add the dry ingredients whilst whisking.
Bring the milk to boil in a large saucepan, then remove the milk from the heat and add the mixed ingredients slowly into the milk whilst stirring to avoid lumps. Turn the stove top down low, and return the saucepan on the stove and slowly boil, stirring until the mixture has thickened - do not be tempted to remove from the heat before the mixture has thickened to a thick custard consistency or the filling wont set. Remove from the stove again, and add the butter and the vanilla. Pour the mixture into the two pastry cases whilst the mixture is still hot. Note: This tart does not get baked again, the heating of the milky filling is sufficient for the tart to set.

Allow to cool, cover with clingfilm and put the tarts in the fridge for 1 to 2 hours. Once the tart filling has set, sprinkle liberally with ground cinnamon. Serve cold on it's own or with fresh berries as a dessert, or enjoy it as a teatime treat!


And now I have to show you my poppies that I have grown from seed... I am so excited that they have opened! They are Laura Ashley seeds, and I was expecting them to be more pink than dark purple, but I still think they are gorgeous! I'd send you all some seeds if I could. Well, actually, if any of you do really do want some seeds, leave me a comment before next Sunday saying you've emailed me, then email me with your address at laundrybasketcase @ rocketmail .com (remove spaces) and I will try and collect some when the pods have dried in the autumn and post them to you with instructions how to grow. I can't guarantee they'll be exactly the same, because the bees might be cross-pollinating them, but it' worth a try.



Have a great week!
x

The best Steak Salad...

We've had some internet troubles at home, so I've not been able to post this recipe on Monday as I hoped. But better late than never.

My sister owns and runs a Medical Spa and Guesthouse in South Africa. At the restaurant they serve the most delicious salad I've ever had, and I am genuinely not a fan of salads in general (lettuce is for rabbits!). But this steak salad is filling, tasty and healthy and would probably be enjoyed by most men too. I've been dying to make it myself and got my mum to interrogate the chef about how he makes it. So shh, don't tell my sister I'm sharing this recipe with you. It is actually a very simple recipe and can easily be adapted, but I think it's the sauce and dressing together that makes this work, so pay attention to those bits!

Steak Salad
Makes 2 large portions to be served as main meals


2 Sirloin steaks - fat removed
1 Diced onion
Mixed salad leaves (I used spinach leaves, and a mixed bag of lettuce)
A handful of cherry tomatoes, halved
1 Red/Yellow Pepper, cut into strips
2 Rounds of feta cheese, cut into cubes
1 Carrot grated
olives
1 Lemon
Olive oil
BBQ Sauce
Herbs
Salt & pepper

Prepare the fresh salad by washing the salad leaves, slicing up the peppers and tomatoes, and grating the carrots. Mix in a bowl adding the feta cheese and olives.

Fry the diced onion gently until slightly soft, then add the steaks to the frying pan cooking them to your preferred taste. Add the BBQ sauce to the pan covering both the steaks and onions with the sauce. Remove the pan from the heat, slice the steak into smaller strips and toss the steak strips again so that they are covered in the sauce.

Top the salad with the steak and onion. Now squeeze the juice from the lemon into a separate bowl, add some olive oil, salt, pepper and herbs of your choice. Mix it up, and drizzle over the salad to serve.

This is such a perfect recipe for a warm summer's evening - the warm steak goes surprisingly well with the cold salad, and the lemon and BBQ sauce is a great taste!

Enjoy!
x

Rhubarb Crumble and gardening

It's been a bit cooler here this week, but my spring cleaning is still underway. Mr Laundrybasketcase was in the mood for a Rhubarb crumble and I found a delicious recipe by Gordon Ramsay which I highly recommend. Rhubarb is of course in season now in the UK, so it's perfect timing, and you should be able to find some delicious fresh rhubarb from a farmer's market now. My gardening skills are not quite good enough to grow my own, but I'm hoping to try it next year. In the meantime try out this recipe - it's got a couple of tweaks from the original.

Rhubarb and Ginger Crumble

• 500g rhubarb, trimmed
• 2-3 inch piece of ginger
• 100g golden caster sugar
• 40g unsalted butter, cut into cubes
• Splash of Calvados
  

For the crumble

• 50g oats
• 100g plain flour
• Pinch of ground cinnamon
• 45g cold unsalted butter, cut into cubes
• 75g demerara sugar
• Clotted cream or ice cream, to serve

1. Preheat the oven to 200˚C/gas 6.

2. Cut the rhubarb into 2 inch pieces and halve lengthways if the stems are thick. Peel the ginger.

3. Gently heat the sugar in a pan until dissolved and beginning to caramelise. Add the rhubarb and grate in the ginger. Toss to coat. Gradually add the butter and shake the pan to combine. Allow the rhubarb to caramelise evenly, turning if necessary. Add a splash of dark rum and stand back as the alcohol may flambé. Cook for a further minute until the sauce is thick and syrupy and rhubarb is breaking down.

4. To make the crumble topping place all the ingredients in a food processor and blend until evenly combined (if you want to make your crumble mixture a little stickier also add a splash of water at this stage). Transfer the mixture to a bowl until ready to use.

5. Spoon the caramelised rhubarb into the bottom of 4 small individual serving dishes. Sprinkle the crumble mixture on top and bake for 15-20 minutes until golden brown and bubbling.

6. Remove from the oven and serve with a spoonful of clotted cream.

Mmmm... it really is tasty, and I think the reason this recipe is so great is because of the caramelised sugar, yum!

As I mentioned before, I'm a bit of a novice to gardening, but I'm keen to learn. Our back garden has allot of work that needs doing, so I started last year with the front garden. This is what the front looked like when we first moved in.

And this is how it looks now. My next plan is to replace the front path with some stepping stones.

I've also bought a propagator and I'm attempting to grow some verbenas. I've only just planted them last weekend, so I'll keep you posted as they are growing.

Are you any good at gardening? And how's your spring cleaning coming along?
x

Venison Pie & Sauteed Potatoes

Our house is in order, but truthfully only because we had visitors at the weekend. I'm amazed how a cold can throw out a whole routine and create chaos. It took me ages to clean the house on Saturday purely because I haven't been keeping on top of it when I was ill. And even though all is back in order, I feel guilty to preach bout housework when I've not been doing that much practicing. So while I get my 'housework mind' back in order, I thought I'd share with you a lovely recipe from the weekend.

Mr L and I decided to stay put for Valentines evening (partly because the rugby was on - clearly a woman was not involved in the decision behind having the 6 nations rugby on Valentines day). We decided to cook for each other - I made a venison pie with sauteed potatoes on the side, and Mr L made us some chocolate souffles for desert, it was his first desert ever! Unfortunately it was so good that we ate it before I managed to take a photo. But the Venison pie was also a treat - warm and comforting the way only a pie can be. So here is the recipe for you to try too.

Venison Pie
I didn't have enough meat for the original recipe, so I had to improvise with some veg, and actually it turned out wonderful!

Serves 3 - 4 people
300- 500g Venison cut into 1 inch cubes
Pinch of Nutmeg
Pinch of All spice
Salt and Pepper
80 ml red wine
40 ml red wine vinegar
150ml venison or beef stock (or more depending if it is enough to cover all the meat and veg)
1 onion peeled
2 medium carrots roughly chopped
1 leek sliced
Half a teaspoon chopped Parsley
1 tablespoon redcurrant jelly
Puff pastry - enough to cover your pie dish & decorate
1 egg beaten for brushing the pastry top.

• Wash and clean the meat, remove any fat and gristle, and tenderise with a mallet or rolling pin
• Mix the flour with the nutmeg, salt & pepper. Pat the meat in the flour until all pieces are covered.
• Pour the wine, vinegar and enough stock to cover the meat into a pan. Add the meat, bring to the boil and simmer gently for one hour.
• Remove from the heat, add the onion, carrots, leek and parsley (and extra stock if needed) to the broth and return to the heat to simmer for 30 minutes.
• Pre-heat the oven to 200 degrees Celsius.
• Remove from the heat again, and allow to cool. Skim off any excess fat and scoop the broth into the pie dish. Add the redcurrant jelly on top, or mix it in.
• Roll out the pastry so that it will be big enough cover the pie dish, as well as have extra sides to make decorations with. Don't forget to put your pie bird in now if you have one.
• Brush a bit of water on the rim of the pie dish, then cover the dish with the pastry, pinching the sides and trimming the excess.
• Make a whole in the centre allowing for steam to escape, and decorate your pie, finishing it by brushing the top with beaten egg.
• Place in the oven and bake at 200 degrees Celsius for 20-30 minutes, or until the pastry is golden brown.

Sauteed Potatoes

These are easier to make than deep fried chips, a tad oily, but just lovely!

100g-150g waxy potatoes per person
1 tablespoon of olive oil
15g unsalted butter
Chopped or dried Rosemary

• Peel and cut the potatoes into cubes. Place in slightly salted water and bring to the boil.
• Simmer for 3 - 4 minutes.

• Drain the water away in a colander, then heat up the oil in a non-stick frying pan.
• Next is to fry the potatoes in batches. Place some of the potatoes (they should all be touching the surface of the pan) and some rosemary into the pan, only turning them once they are brown underneath until they are all golden and browned on all sides.

• Turn the done potatoes onto a cloth or some kitchen paper to absorb some of the oil, and keep them warm in a low oven. Continue frying the rest of the potatoes as before.

And there you have it - a lovely wintry meal! Enjoy.

'I Love You Pie' - Fall into Winter Recipe Roundup

I was meant to do this ages ago! Sorry Ivy!
Ivy from the Ivy's Little Cakes blog asked her blog readers to submit a Fall/winter recipe in October. So I'm a bit late with this as today is November, but I hope you all enjoy this recipe anyway. It's not really called "I love you pie", but I just made it like that because I think pies are such loving meals to make. This one is a Chicken and Coconut Milk Pie taken from Sophie's Conran's Pies book. It was easy, and delicious, and Mr Laundrybasketcase did think it was sweet that I put the loving gesture on top. Sorry I didn't take any photos of the inside of the pie.



Serves 4

2 tbsp olive oil
4 chicken breasts cubed
salt & pepper
1 medium onion
1 large leek
+/- 200g broccoli
300 g puff pastry ( I used ready rolled frozen)

for the bechamel sauce
50g butter
2 tbsp plain flour
600ml organic coconut milk (about 1 1/2 tins worth)

Preheat the oven to 220 C. Heat the oil in a pan, then brown the chicken cubes. Season with salt and add the onions to the pan, frying until soft.

Meanwhile slice up the leeks and broccoli (removing the broccoli stems) and add them to the pan. Remove the pan from the heat.

Make the bechamel sauce by melting the butter in a pan. Add the flour and cook for a few minutes. Gradually add the coconut milk, stirring and cooking until it has thickened. Season with salt & pepper.

Now pour the coconut bechamal sauce over the chicken and stir gently. Pour the mixture into a pie dish. Brush the rim of the pie dish with water, roll out the puff pastry and cover the pie dish with it, trimming away the excess sides. Decorate the pie top as you wish with shapes or words, and remember to cut a whole somewhere to let the steam escape (my hole was cut in the middle of the heart shape. Bake in the oven for 25 minutes and serve with rice.

Don't forget to check Ivy's blog for the other recipes from the roundup. Mmmm, winter food is so delicious.