Zucchini and Parmesan Muffins

Recipe from 100 Favourite Muffins and Slices
Images by Yasmin

This is a really scrumptious and filling savoury bite of goodness. The different types of cheese just take this muffin to a whole new dimention! I really enjoy eating these muffins because I can have the satisfaction of eating something delicious without feeling guilty about eating something sweet and unhealthy.

Ingredients:

• 2 cups standard (plain) flour
• 4 tsp baking powder
• 1/2 tsp salt
• black pepper, to taste
• 1 cup grated tasty cheese
• 1/4 cup grated parmesan
• 3/4 cup milk
• 2 large eggs
• 3 zucchini, grated (250g altogether)

Method:
Heat oven to 200'C fanbake, with the rack just below the middle.

Sift or fork together the flour, baking powder and salt in a large bowl. Grind in black pepper to taste, then add the grated cheeses and stir to combine.

Break the eggs into another large bowl, add the milk and whisk together with a fork, then add the grated unpeeled zucchini.

Tip the dry ingredients into the liquid mixture, then carefully fold everything together, taking care not to overmix. As soon as all the flour is moistened, spoon the mixture  into 12 lightly buttered or non-stick sprayed regular muffin pans or 24 mini muffin pans.

Bake for 12-15 minutes or until the tops are golden and the muffins spring back when pressed in the centre.

Enchiladas

Recipe and Images by Yasmin
I LOVE enchiladas because they have a great flavour and can have a soft or crunchy texture depending on which enchilada you take; the one at the top (most exposure to heat from oven) or the bottom (least exposure to oven heat). Since my mum has been in Melbourne for a week, I have been the designated cook, meaning I have had more practice at savoury main meals! This was one of the first recipes for the week. I will post the other recipes shortly.
Makes approx. 8

Ingredients:

• 500 - 600g beef mince
• 1 onion, diced
• 2 - 3 cloves of garlic, diced
• 1/4 tsp crushed chili, from jar
• 1/2 cup carrot, finely chopped
• 1/2 zucchini, grated
• tin red kidney beans, well drained
• approx 8 flat bread wraps

Method:
Brown the mince in frying pan with 1-2 tsp of oil. Strain and rinse thoroughly. Lightly rinse fry pan. Add 1 tsp of oil to frying pan and cook diced onion, garlic and chili until onion turns a foggy white. Add carrot and zucchini, cooking until carrot is softened. Add browned mince, stirring thoroughly. Lastly, add the red kidney beans and mix well. Put the lid on the fry pan and allow to cook for a few minutes.

While the filling is cooking, lay out the wraps - ready to roll. Place a couple of spoonfuls of cooked mixture 3-5 cm from the end of one wrap. Roll the wrap into a enchilada and place in a greased casserole dish. Continue rolling enchiladas until all of the filling has been used - stacking the enchiladas in rows on top of each other in the casserole dish. Cook for 20 minutes at 180'C.

Serve the enchiladas with sour cream and guacamole.

To make guacamole, mash 2 avocados, 1 onion (diced), a pinch of salt and 3 tsp of tomato sauce into a paste. Serve sour cream and guacamole with a garden salad as sides to the enchiladas.

Pasta with potato, beans and pesto

Recipe from Perfect PastaImages by Yasmin

Use the recipe for making pasta/fettuccine previously to enable this dish to be created. In this post I will show you one way to serve your homemade pasta. This recipe is vegi-licious! No meat required.

Ingredients:

• 600g small new potatoes, halved or quartered
• 250g broccoli, cut into small florets
• 1/2 cup  shelled broad beans, peeled or 350-400g in pods
• 175g fine green beens, topped and tailed
• 2 zucchini, cut into bite-sized chunks
• 300g fettuccine or tubular and hollow pasta shapes (homemade)
• sprigs of fresh basil to garnish

For Pesto:

• 3-5 cloves garlic, coarsley chopped
• 2 tblsp pine nuts
• 100g fresh basil leaves
• 1/2 cup freshly grated parnesan
• 2 tblsp olive oil
• 2 ripe tomatoes, diced
• salt

Method:
Cook the potatoes in boiling water for about 15 minutes or until they are tender but not soft. Add the broccoli, broad bean, green beans and zucchini, simmer together for a further 5 minutes.

Meanwhile, cook the homemade pasta in boiling water for 2-4 minutes or until al dente. If not using homemade pasta, cook in boiling water for 10-15 minutes.

Make the pesto while the vegetbles and pasta are cooking. Using a food processor, add all ingredients except for the oil and whiz to paste. Gradually add the oil through the feed tube with the motor running.
Drain the pasta and vetgetables  and toss both together. Top with the pesto, garnish with sprigs of basil, scattering them over the top. Serve immediately.

Meringue Cupcakes

Recipe from CupcakesImages by Yasmin

I love meringue. It is beautiful on lemon meringue pie, so it is just as beautiful as an icing for cupcakes. To make this cupcake look even more sweet and appetising it is dusted with jelly crystals. De-lic-ious! This was served for afternoon tea with Citrus Slice, posted previously. Great for a hot summers day.

Ingredients:
For cupcake:

• 1 1/3 cups plain flour
• 1 1/2 tsp baking powder
• 1/8 tsp salt
• 1/2 cup unsalted butter, softened
• 1 cup brown sugar
• 1 tsp vanilla essence
• 2 large eggs
• 1/2 cup milk

Meringue Topping:

• 3/4 cup sugar
• 2 large egg whites
• jelly crystals, to decorate (any colour)

Method:
Line cupcake tins with patty pans.

For cupcakes, combine the flour, baking powder and salt into a small bowl. In a medium sized bowl, beat the butter, sugar and vanilla until creamy. Add the eggs one at a time, beating until just blended after each addition. With mixer on slow speed, add the mixed dry ingredients and milk. Spoon the batter into the prepared patty pans, filling each 3/4 full. Bake for 10-20 minutes, until golden brown and firm to touch. Transfer to wire rack once cool.

For Meringue, beat at high speed the egg whites until soft peaks form when beaters are removed. While the motor is running slowly pour the sugar into the egg whites. Beat until meringue is thick and forms soft peaks.

Spoon meringue on top of the cupcakes. Using the spoon create small peaks on the cupcakes. Dust with jelly crystals. Store in refrigerator in sealed container.

French Toast

Recipe and Images by Yasmin

Quick, simple, hot and delicious! French toast makes for an exotic breakfast!!!

Ingredients:

• 1 egg
• 1/4 - 1/2 cup milk
• 2-3 bread slices

Method:
Combine egg and milk until smooth mixture. Soak bread slices in mixture. Cook for a few minutes until golden brown in a sandwhich toaster or place in a frying pan with butter.

Vegetable Pie

Recipe and Images by Yasmin

This is a delicious and healthy dish for dinner or lunch; a boxing day delight! Although the many vegies, this pie is sweet in some sections because of the sultanas which give the dish a nice sweet kick! I would recommend this pie to anyone, as my family knows - I love pies!!!

Ingredients:

• 2 sheets puff pastry
• 1 cup cooked brown rice
•  1/2 cups sultanas
• 3 tsp curry powder
• 2 medium carrots grated
• 1 onion grated
• 1 stalk of celery, chopped
• 125g grated cheese
• 2 cups broccoli
• egg for glazing
• seasame seeds

Method:
Line pie tin with sheet of pastry. Combine  remaining ingredients and place in pie shell. Cover with pastry and bake in moderate oven until golden.

Chocolate Cherry Ice-cream Cake

Recipe from Women's Weekly The Barbecue Cookbook
Images by Yasmin

This is a beautiful idea; two wonderful creations combined - ice-cream and cake! Ice-cream cake is fun to make with a few people as it brings you together and enables you to relax as you work. As a result, this is how the image below came to be made. Because there are chocolate and cherries in this recipe, I naturally don't like it; however, I am under the impression that my friends and family LOVE it so I'm sure you will too! Boxing Day was also when this dish was served, alongside the Orange Creme Caramel dessert. Good combination! Unfortunately, as you can see in the image below, the loveheart tin chosen to make this dessert in wasn't deep enough, so we could only stack two layers into the cake; serving the third as a scoop of ice-cream.

Ingredients:

• 2L vanilla ice-cream
• 90g dark cooking chocolate
• 1/2 cup thickened cream
• 2 tblsp cocoa
• 2 tblsp red glace cherries, chopped
• 1/2 bag of honeycomb chocolates

Method:

Heat chocolate and cream over low heat until chocolate is melted, stir in sifted cocoa, cool to room temperature. Whip cream until soft peaks form.

Soften Ice-cream tube slightly, divide between three bowls. Mix glace cherries into ice-cream in one bowl. Spoon ice-cream into cake tin. Freeze while preparing the next layer.

Gently fold chocolate cream into the second bowl of vanilla ice-cream. Spoon chocolate ice-cream over first layer.

For third layer, half or quater the chocolate honeycomb pieces. Mix into the last bowl of ice-cream. Spoon over chocolate ice-cream (if you have room!!!). Freeze several hours or overnight.

Orange Creme Caramel

Recipe from Women's Weekly Barbecue Cookbook

Images by Amanda and Yasmin

This is a yummy dessert with an interesting texture. It is not as hard as a cheesecake but not as soft as custard. This dessert has double points for me because it is a citrus flavoured dish; however, it looses points because it is a very subtle flavour of citrus orange - and I love a strong citrus flavour. However, if you have a pallet similar to my sisters, you will love the infusion of orange you taste with each bite. It seems as though you might taste the orange but then as you grasp for the flavour it slips out of reach until another bite is taken. I served this dessert on Boxing Day and everybody loved it.

Ingredients:

• 3/4 cup sugar
• 1/4 lemon juice
• 1/2 cup water
• 4 eggs
• 1/3 cup sugar, extra
• 300ml jar thickened cream
• 1 1/2 cups milk
• 2 tsp grated orange rind

Method:

Combine sugar, lemon juice and water in pan, stir over low heat without boiling until sugar is dissolved. Bring to the boil, do not stir. Boil rapidly, uncovered, until syrup turns golden brown, about 5 minutes. Pour the syrup into an 18cm round cake tin.

Lightly beat eggs and extra sugar together. Heat cream, milk and orange rind until hot, whisk into egg mixture. Strain mixture into tin, place in baking dish with hot water to come halfway up side of tin. Bake in moderately slow oven 45-50 minutes or until set. Remove from water, cool, refrigerate overnight. Turn onto serving dish, decorate with cream and orange segments if desired. Serves 6.

Home Made Sushi

Recipe and Images by Yasmin

I LOVE SUSHI! It is delicious! I could survive on sushi if I had to I love it that much. This is my own version of sushi. The best thing about sushi is the filling options are endless! I usually slice carrot, cucumber, avocado and ham to fill the centre of the sushi roll, but this time my sister enlightened me to the idea of an omlette filling, which is equally as yummy! When making sushi it is best to have a sushi mat to make rolling the sushi easier.

Ingredients:

• 2 cups Sushi rice
• 1-2 packets of Nori Paper
• Cooked Omlette

Method:
Cook Sushi rice via instructions on the packet. Allow to cool completely. Put Nori paper on sushi mat and place 3-4 tablespoons of cooked rice along the width of the nori paper, 3cm in from the top of the nori to allow room to roll. Place thin strips of omlette on top of the rice. Roll the sushi. Slightly wet the end of the nori paper to stick to the rest of the roll. Slice into sushi pieces. Continue this process until all of the sushi rice has been used. Serve with soy sauce.

Zucchini Slice/Pie

Recipe and Images by Yasmin

This is a delicious snack or meal to serve. We ate this on Boxing Day 2011 with a group of friends along with many other small dishes which I will post at a later date. This slice is also great for pic-nics. Yum Yum!!!

Ingredients:

• 4 large zucchini
• 1 large onion
• 4 bacon rashers
• 1 cup grated cheddar cheese
• 1 cup SR Flour
• 1/4 cup oil
• 4 eggs
• Salt and Pepper, to taste

Method:
Grate unpeeled zucchini, chop onion finely, chop bacon. Combine ingredients. Season with salt and pepper. Pour into greased flan or slice tin. Bake for 30-40 minutes in moderate oven.

Marshmallow Puddings

Recipe from 'Woman's Weekly Chrsitmas Entertaining'
Images by Yasmin

I know that I said I would never post chocolate recipes, but it is christmas and I thought why not post a chocolate recipe to get familar with the jolly season. This recipe is a modern day twist to the classical mini puddings. Instead of having some pudding smothered in chocolate, it is a marshmallow in the centre. It is very clever, and I'm sure it tastes nice. My sister made these for some family friends for christmas. Seasons Greetings!

Ingredients:

• 12 large Marshmallows
• 1 1/2 cups (225g) milk chocolate melts, melted
• 1/4 cup (35g) white chocolate melts, melted
• coloured cachous or chopped cherries, to decorate

Method:
Line a large baking tray with baking paper. For each pudding, insert a toothprick in the top of a marshmallow. Place the marshmallow in milk chocolate. Using a teaspoon, coat the marshmallow in chocolate, leaving a small gap around the toothpick. Using a fork, lift the marshmallow from the chocolate, letting excess drip into bowl. Place on the prepared tray. Allow to set.

Remove toothpicks from marshmallows. Using a teaspoon, drizzle a little white chocolate over each marshmallow. Sprinkle with cachous or cherries. Allow to set.

Place each pudding in a small coloured patty pan (optional).

Blood Orange Cheesecake

Recipe and Images by Yasmin

I had some left over cream cheese in the fridge today and I thought it would be a nice idea to make some cheesecakes for dessert. As I raided out fruit bowl for something to add flavour to the cheesecake mixture I saw and orange. I thought that was perfect to go in my cheesecake but when I cut it in half to juice it I saw that it was actually a Blood Orange. I still used it and the end result was delicious! I would recommend this recipe to anyone - it is one of my best!

Ingredients:

• 225g Cream Cheese, softened
• 2/3 cup caster sugar
• 1/2 blood orange, juiced
• 2 eggs, lightly beaten (room temperature)
• 1 tsp. vanilla essence
• tart cases (can be bought at local supermarket)
• Fresh fruit, to decorate (optional)

Method:
Preheat your oven to 180C. Beat the cream cheese with the sugar. With the mixer running, slowly add the eggs, blood orange juice and vanilla. Arrange tart cases on a tray. Fill 3/4 (1-2 tblsps) of cases with the mixture. Bake for 15 minutes and leave to cool. When completely cooled (or after refridgeration), decorate with fruit (optional). Serve for afternoon or morning tea or dessert with a bowl of mixed fruit.

Scones

Recipe from NMAA Cooks
Images by Yasmin

I love having scones, jam and cream with friends. It is such a delight to catch up in the holidays and have good, simple food to jumpstart the conversations. I wish everyone a happy holiday and to keep safe.

Ingredients:

• 250g self-raising flour
• 1/2 tsp salt
• 2 tblsp powdered skim milk (optional)
• 1 tblsp butter
• 1 cup milk
• milk or egg yolk for glazing
• jam and whipped cream, to serve

Variations:

• Yoghurt: Use yoghurt instead of milk or 1/2 yoghurt and 1/2 milk
• Cheese: Add 2 tblsp grated cheese
• Date: Add 1/2 cup chopped dates and 1 tblsp sugar
• Egg: Crack an egg into measuring cup, fill to 1 cup with milk, beat together before mixing into flour
• Wholemeal honey: Use wholemeal self-raising flour, omit butter and add 2 tblsp honey dissolved in the milk
• Savoury: Add 2-3 tblsp finely chopped cooked bacon, 2 tblsp finely chopped cooked onion, 1 tsp curry powder, and 2 tblsp finely chopped parsley

Method:
Heat oven to 220'C fan forced. Grease scone tray or oven slide. Sift flour, salt and skim milk. Cut butter into flour and using fingers rub in lightly. Mix to a soft dough with milk. Turn on to a floured surface and knead slightly. The less the dough is handled, the lighter the scones will be. Flatten out with heel of hand to approx 2-3cm in thickness. Stamp out with scone cutter or glass dipped in flour. Place scones touching each other on tray, glaze tops with milk or egg yolk. Bake 8-10 minutes. Serve with jam and cream.

Jam Drops

Recipe from NMAA Cooks
Image by Cath Muscat

This is an old time classic which I would like to revive for old times sack. This was one of the first recipes I made by myself and I thought I was so clever!!! If you are going to teach your children, grandchildren or neighbours children how to cook, I would recommend starting them of with this recipe and the simplicity cake recipe. If you are just starting this is definately one to try!

Ingredients:

• 60g butter
• 60g sugar
• 1 egg
• 1 cup self-raising flour
• jam

Method:
Beat butter and sugar together until fluffy. Add egg and flour and beat well. Put small teaspoons on ungreased tray. Press hole in centre. Fill hole with any type of jam. Bake for 10 minutes in hot oven.

Honey Joys

Recipe by Yasmin
Image by 'Grub'

Honey Joys are another simple and quick beginner recipe. I thought it important recently to go back to the basics and explain the simplistics before posting complicated (for me anyway!) recipes. If you have young children, they will enjoy this sweet treat.

Ingredients:

• 85g butter
• 85g white granulated sugar
• 30g honey
• 140g cornflakes

Method:
Preheat oven to 150'C fan-forced. Line a 24 hole patty pan tray with paper cases and spray with canola oil. Melt butter, sugar and honey over low heat together in a large saucepan until frothy. Add corn flakes and stir through quickly to coat evenly. Working quickly, spoon into paper patty cases. Bake for 10 minutes. Let it cool completely before serving.

Raisin or Date Loaf

Recipe and Photo by Yasmin

This is a really yummy and moist loaf for breakfast, morning tea, afternoon tea or supper. We had left over cream cheese icing which we used up on this cake, but I usually have it plain with a bit of margarine on the side, heated. It is delicious when it is hot and has melted butter on it!!! Lovely on a winter's morning!

Ingredients:

• 1 cup raisins or pitted dates
• 1 cup cold water
• 1 tsp bi-carb soda
• pinch salt
• 1 cup sugar
• 1 tsp butter
• 2 cups self raising flour
• 1 egg, beaten

Method:
Put dates, sugar, water, butter and soda into a saucepan and leave on stove until butter melts. Cool. Mix flour and salt in a bowl, add egg. Mix in other ingredients. Bake in moderate oven for 30 minutes. When cool ice with cream cheese icing (optional) or serve plain, heated and with 1tsp of margarine or butter on one side.

Lemon Cheesecake

Recipe and Photos by Yasmin

Today I felt like being distracted from my assignments and exams so I decided to bake a cheesecake, just because I could! Then I discovered halfway through that I did have an occasion; a friend was coming over! So it all worked out in the end! It was my best cheesecake yet! It is presented a little differently with the base, but it still tastes delicious; the best part about this base is that you don't need a cheesecake tin! Enjoy!

Ingredients:
For Pastry:

• 100g chilled butter
• 1 1/2 cups plain flour
• Zest of half a lemon
• 50g icing sugar
• 1 egg, lightly beaten
• 2 tblsp chilled water

For filling:

• Zest of half a lemon
• 300g cream cheese, softened
• 2/3 cup caster sugar
• 2 eggs, lightly beaten (room temperature)
• 3-4 tblsp lemon juice
• 1 tsp vanilla essence
• fresh fruit, to decorate

Method:
For pastry: Using a food processor, pulse butter and flour until mixture resembles fine breadcrumbs. Add lemon zest and icing sugar, pulse for 1 minute. Combine the egg and water in a separate container. With motor running, slowly pour water mixture into the food processor. The mixture should stick together making dough. Remove. Roll into a ball in glad wrap. Chill for 30 minutes.

Preheat oven 220'C. Prepare an oven proof dish. On a flowered board, roll out pastry to fit the cooking dish. Blind-bake for 10-15 minutes or until lightly browned. Remove from oven and reduce temperature 180'C.

For filling: Beat zest of half a lemon, cream cheese and sugar together in a food processor. With motor running, slowly pour in the eggs, lemon juice and vanilla. Check that the consistency is smooth and not too liquidly. Pour mixture into blind baked base. Bake for 20-25 minutes until lightly brown on top. Refrigerate and decorate with berries. Serve with ice-cream.

Coffee Loaf/ Cake

Recipe from NMAA Cooks
Images by Yasmin

This is just another version of the simplicity cake I have made; coffee cake. I hate coffee, but I love tea with a slice of coffee cake or loaf. It is heavenly and enough of a pick-me-up to get me through the day. It is so simple and quick to make, no effort or energy required for those of you who need three cups of coffee a day! Wake up everyone to this great idea!

Ingredients:

• 2 tblsp margarine or butter
• 1 cup self-raising flour
• 1 cup sugar
• 1/2 cup milk
• 2 eggs
• 1/2 tsp vanilla flavouring
• 3 1/2 tsp of instant coffee dissolved in 3 tblsp of boiling water, cooled

Method:
Grease cake tin. Heat oven to 180'C fan-forced. Melt butter. Beat in other ingredients. Put in tin. Bake for 30 minutes or until a skewer can be inserted and come out clean. Serve with coffee or tea.

Apricot, Date Bars

Recipe from NMAA Cooks
Images by Yasmin

This is a healthy fruit bar to have as a snack in lunch boxes, with coffee, for afternoon and morning tea, or as a snack during the day. It has a crusty appearance and texture similar to shortbread. The flavour is delicious though!

Ingredients:

• 125g dried apricots, chopped
• hot water
• 1 cup raw sugar
• 2 cups self raising flour
• 3/4 cup coconut
• 1/2 cup chopped dates
• 1/4 tsp salt
• 185g butter or margarine, melted

Method:
Soak chopped apricots in hot water for 30 minutes, drain. Put in bowl with sugar, sifted flour, coconut, dates, salt. Add melted butter, mix well. Spread mixture into greased lamington tin. Bake in moderate oven for approximately 25 minutes or until cooked. Remove from oven, allow to cool, and cut into squares.

Variations:

• Omit dried apricots and double quantity of dates
• Omit 1/4 cup flour and substitute 1/4 cup wheatgerm

Cornflake Cookies

Recipe from Hannah
Images by Yasmin

This is a VERY quick and simple cookie to bake in a hurry when you want something to snack on. I do warn you though that it is mostly margarine and is very bad for you. The mixture is very yummy though! I know when I made it that there wasn't much mixture left to make the cookies! The texture is very nice, a combination of crunchy and soft with the overall sweet flavour! YUM! Enjoy!

Ingredients:

• 2 cups flour, sifted
• 1/2 tsp baking powder
• 250g margarine (can put in only 200g if wanted)
• 1 cup sugar
• 2 eggs
• 1 tsp vanilla flavouring
• 1 1/2 cups cornflakes

Method:
Preheat oven to 180'C fan-forced. Sift together flour and baking powder in one bowl. In a separate bowl, beat the margarine and sugar together until light and fluffy. Add eggs and vanilla, beat well. Add sifted dry ingredientsand cornflakes. Mix for about 2 minutes. Drop in tblsps onto ungreased baking sheets.

Bake in moderate oven for about 10-15 minutes or until lightly brown. Makes approx. 30 (unless you eat the dough!!!)