Category Archives: Cheat Day

Chocolate Drops

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There are many thing do with leftover food.  I had volunteered yesterday for one of the food organisations in Perth.   They  used donated food items like canned food, vegetables, fruits and spices to make dinner for two charities.  When we had  completed making  dinner, the Head Chef presented us with delicious chocolate balls.  I asked for the recipe and he replied they were from leftover cake he had made earlier on.

He blended leftover chocolate cake, rolled them up in balls and coated it in desiccated coconut. Then placed them in the fridge to harden.  He gave me the remaining mixture, so I made them today.

 

Try these Leftover dishes

Roast Chicken Pizza

Leftover Chicken Salad

Rigatoni with Chicken and Broccoli

 

Beef Patties with Mashed Potatoes

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This were the tastiest mash potatoes I ever made, baked the potatoes the same way I made the pumpkins in the   Pumpkin Mash and Steak dish.  Baked the potatoes in the oven instead of boiling them.  Added the rosemary, garlic, black pepper and salt to the potatoes.

The beef patties were yummy, marinated mince with garlic, onion, Italian herbs, red chillies, black pepper and seasoned with salt.

Made a simple tomato sauce to have with the mashed potatoes and beef parttiie.

 

Ingredients

To make the beef Patties

500g mince meat

1 small onion

4 garlics cloves

¾ inch ginner

½ red chilli

1 tbsp. Italian herbs

1 tsp black pepper

salt to season

1 tbsp. olive oil

 

To Make Mash Potatoes

500g  baby potatoes halved

1 tbsp. fresh rosemary leaves

1 tbsp. olive oil

1 garlic crushed

I tsp. black pepper

pinch of salt

 

To make the Tomato Sauce

1 onion

1 large capsicum

4 garlics cloves crushed

400g canned tomatoes

½ cup basil

½ red chilli (optional)

tbsp. oil

1½ cups water

Season with salt and pepper.

 

Method 

To make the Beef Patties

In a blender add the onions, ginner garlic, herbs chilli and black pepper. Blender until it’s almost a puree,  In a bowl add the meat and spice mixture and combine.  Let it marinate for two hours or more.

Heat a char grill pan. Reduce heat to medium and  add the olive oil.   Make six round Pattie balls and place them on the char grill pan.  Cook both sides for 20 minutes or to your liking.

To make Mash Potatoes

Preheat oven to 200ºC

In a bowl, add the olive oil, rosemary, garlic, black pepper,  salt and mix.  Add the potatoes and combine.

Layer a sheet of aluminum foil and non sticking baking paper on a baking tray, place potatoes on the foil.  Add another foil paper over the potatoes and fold the foil to make a parcel and place in the oven. Bake for 25 minutes.

Once ready, use a masher to mash the potatoes.

 

To make the Tomato Sauce

Heat a saucepan on medium heat with olive oil. Add the onions, capsicum, chilli and garlic and cook for 5 minutes or until soft.

Add the canned tomatoes and cook for two minutes. Add water and bring to the boil,  Reduce the heat and simmer for 30 minutes or until sauce is thick,

Chop basil and stir through and put heat off.

 

Notes

The dish serves 2-4

You can have the beef patties as a burger or in a sandwich for lunch.

 

Try these Mash or Patties Dishes

Mustard lamb with Cauliflower and Potato Mash

Grilled Beef and Mushroom with Broccoli Mash

Chicken and Vegetable Patties with Kale Salad

 

 

 

 

 

Apple Pikelets and Poached Apples

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I usually have  Banana Pikelets on Sundays so this Sunday I decided to swap the bananas for apples and made apple pikelets.  At first I was worried but it turned out well and tasted delicious.  I  used the  Apple breakfast crumble  recipe to make the poached apple.  I omitted the chia seeds in this ingredients.

 

Ingredients

To Make the poached apple

4 red apples chopped

2½ cups water

½ tsp ground cinnamon

(Be careful with serving size, read note)

 

To Make the Apple Pikelets

1 cup self raising flour

½ tsp baking powder

1 red apple grated

1 tbsp. Honey

3/4 cup milk

1 egg

Honey or  maple syrup to drizzle.

 

Method

To make the poached apple

Add the water, cinnamon and chopped apples in a sauce pan over medium heat. Cover with a lid and bring to boil. Once it boils reduce and simmer for 2 minutes.

After two minutes put the heat off. (Don’t spill the water, the apple will continue browning if it’s still pale or white.)

Set aside.

 

To make the apple pikelets

Place the flour and baking powder in one bowl.

In another bowl, whisk the grated apple, eggs, milk and honey.

Add the wet ingredients to the flour and continue to whisk until combines.

Put the mixture aside to set for 5-10 minutes.

Lightly grease a non tick pan on a medium low heat and use 1/4 cup to pour batter. Cook batter for two minute on each side or until bubbles form.

Once all pikelets are made, add the yogurt, poached apples and maple syrup or honey.

 

Note

Apple Pikelets serves 2

Poached apple serves 6. You cab reduce the ingredients by half or you can store the apples in a container and use it for breakfast the next day.

 

Try these dishes for breakfast

Apple Couscous

Poached Pear with Black Tea

Blueberry Breakfast Crumble

 

 

Spicy Sweet Potato and Chicken Wings

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Yesterday I decided to experiment and made spicy sweet potato.  Loved this dish because it has both the sweet and spicy taste and delicious.  The spicy taste comes from the cumin, coriander, chilli and the sweet taste comes from the natural sweetness of the sweet potato.  I combined the dish with salt and pepper chicken wings.  Yes, it is plain but you don’t want the food to have too much spicy or it will overtake the flavour. of the spicy sweet potato.

To Make the Spicy Sweet Potato

2 medium sweet potato or  1 large sweet potato

¼ cup olive oil

1 tsp mustard seeds

1 tsp. ground cumin

1 tsp coriander

1 tsp paprika

1 tsp turmeric

¼ tsp chili flakes (add more for a Spicer kick)

1 lemon

Salt for seasoning

To make chicken wings

10 chicken wings

2 tbsp. oil (feel free to add more oil)

Salt and pepper for seasoning

Method

To Make chicken wings

Preheat 0ven to 180ºC

Mix chicken wings  with oil, salt and pepper.

Line baking tray with non stick baking paper.  Add chicken on the tray and place in the oven.

Bake chicken wings for 30 minutes or until crispy.

To make the spicy sweet potato

Preheat oven to 180ºC

Chop sweet potatoes into wedges.

In a bowl add all the spices and lemon.  Add the sweet potato and combine with the mixture.

Place sweet potatoes in a baking tray and bake for thirty minutes or until cooked.

Notes

This dish serves 2

You can have spinach or a salad on the side

If you don’t have mustard seeds add 1 tsp. of mustard powder.

Try these spicy dishes or sweet potato dishes

Lamb Cutlets with Spicy Potatoes

Paprika Chicken and Sweet Potato Chips

Mexican Bowl

Spicy Chicken Salad

Paprika Chicken and Sweet Potato Chips

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A childhood dish reinvented.  Whenever we went out for lunch I always ordered fried chicken and chips and it came with some salad.  I swapped fried chicken for baked chicken, potato fries for sweet potatoes and added spinach.  I baked the chicken and sweet potatoes with paprika and seasoned with salt and pepper.

Ingredients

1 chicken thigh

23g of sweet potato.

½ tsp paprika

½ smoked paprika.

BBQ sauce to drizzle

Handful of spinach to serve

Salt and pepper to season

Olive oil to drizzle

 

Method

Preheat oven to 180ºC

Remove two trays. In one tray. Dry rub the chicken thigh with smoked paprika, salt and pepper.

Cut the sweet potatoes into chip shape. In the second tray sprinkle the paprika on the sweet potato and drizzle olive oil.

Bake for 25 minutes or  until cooked.

Place spinach on a bowl, add sweet potato and chicken.  Drile BBQ sauce.

Notes

This dish serves 1

To make a bigger portion increase the quantity.

 

Try these sweet potato dishes

Mexican Bowl

Cottage Pie

Spicy Chicken Salad

 

 

 

 

Banana, Blueberry and Coconut Muffin

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This is a  great cheat day or midweek snack .  This muffin contains no sugar or sweetener.  The sweet taste come from the ripe bananas and blueberries and a crunch from the almonds.  It’s also good to make when you have the “feel like a muffin today” crave.

Ingredients

1 cup almond meal

2 tsp baking powder

I cup desiccated coconut

3 ripe bananas

1 tsp ground cinnamon

4 eggs beaten

¼ cup coconut oil

¼ cup blaeberries

¼ cup almond flakes

Method

Preheat oven to 180°C

Add the almond meal, baking powder, eggs, cinnamon, desiccated coconut, mashed banana and coconut oil in a bowl.  Mix all the ingredients, making sure they are just combined.  Don’t overmix.  Fold blueberries and almonds in the mixture.

Use ¼ cup to pour the muffin batter into muffin tins or cups.  Bake for 30 minutes.  Insert skewer to make sure it’s cooked.  (Skewer has to be clear)

Let it cool for ten minutes, then remove to cool further on a rack.  Enjoy with a  cup of green tea.

Note

It makes 8

Try these cheat day dishes

Fruity Panna Cotta

Poached Pear with Black Tea

 

 

 

 

 

Fruity Panna Cotta

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Another Sunday, another cheat day breakfast.  I made panna cotta again but topped it with kiwi, apricots and the Fruits and Nuts crumble.

Ingredients

To make Panna cotta follow this recipe, Panna Cotta with Mixed Berries

I kiwi fruit

1 apricot

1 passion fruit

1 tbsp. fruit and nut crumble (optional) Fruits and Nuts

Maple syrup to drizzle (optional)

Method

After turning the panna cotta into the bowel, add the kiwi, apricot, passion fruit and fruit and nut crumble if using.  Drizzle maple syrup if you want.

Note

You can add nuts like almonds or your favourite nuts  instead of using the fruit and nut crumble.

 

Try these breakfast dishes

Apple breakfast crumble

Poached Pear with Black Tea

Tropical Fruit Salad

 

 

Panna Cotta with Mixed Berries

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I had gone for a run a couple months ago at Cottesloe Beach, after my run I decided to have breakfast at Il Lido Italian canteen and they had panna cotta with berries on the breakfast menu.  I decided to make my own version.  This recipe does not use whip cream or sugar and it is as delicious and wobbly as the original panna cotta.

Ingredients

For the Panna Cotta

270g milk of your choice

½ tsp.  cardamom

1 tbsp. maple syrup

1 tsp. gelatine powder

 

For Mixed Berry Compote

120g frozen  mixed berry

1 tbsp maple syrup

 

For Fruit Base

1 cup chopped berries

Handful of nuts

 

Method

For the Panna Cotta

Add the milk in a saucepan with the cardamom, bring to boil.  Once it is boiled let it cool.

Once the milk has cooled, (it should be cold.) add the gelatine and maple syrup and put it back on the heat.  Sir for 3-4 minutes or until the gelatine has dissolved.  Do not boil it, otherwise the gelatine won’t work.

Add the milk in a glass bowl or ramekin, let it cool and put it in the fridge to set overnight.

For the compote

Add the maple syrup and frozen berries in a pan on a medium heat and bring to boil.

The Final Presentation 

Add the compote, Panna Cotta, nuts and chopped  berries and enjoy.

 

Note 

This dish serves 2

 

Try these breakfast ideas

Kaffir Lime Panna Cotta with Tropical Fruits

Fruity Panna Cotta

Poached Pear with Black Tea