Sweetpotato, pumpkin and onion mash

The weather is becoming cooler by the day and the last of the momiji are parting from their branches.  Winter is approaching fast and the thought and excitement of winter deliciousness is beginning to excite my taste buds.

The thought of this yum also frightened my waist line, or what's left of it anyway (I bake cakes way too much) so this past month has been filled with the need to get back in shape.  Yoga every day has started me off to a decent start.  I also bought this genius little application for my ipod for strength training.  It's basically a game where you battle other users to beat their score.  The ipod scores you on your form and control.  such a genius piece of equipment.  Impressed.  Anyway, only just started using it and my body is feeling tender...I didn't realise how out of shape I became!

Let's just hope the motivation lasts longer than a week.

As for food, this week I wanted a wee change from our usual rice and veg, so decided to pick up some fresh fish fillets, leafy herbs and of course pumpkin and sweet potatoes and created this delicious dish.

   

The recipe will follow shortly....

Ingredients:

2 cups sweet potatoes

1 cup pumpkin or butternut squash

1 cup celery

1 cup red onion

1 tsp powdered stock/ vegetable or konbu dashi

1 clove garlic

fresh ground black pepper

a dash of olive oil

a dash of soymilk

Directions

- Cut the pumpkin and sweet potato into cubes and boil untu\il tender

- Meanwhile, saute the onion, celery and garlic for a couple of minutes until translucent.  You want to have a bit of crunch to the vegetables.

- When the potato and pumkin is tenter and crumbling slightly, drain and return to the pot

- mash with the powdered stock, soy milk and a little olive oil

- mix in the sauted oinion etc

- sprinkle the black pepper

To accompany the mash I served mixed herbs with a lemon dressing and cherry tomatoes and

grilled a fillet of white fish and placed on top of the mash.

Beautifuly colourful and of course...delicious!!!

Pumpkin & Coconut Soup

This soup is one I picked up from working in a bistro a few years ago. It is an absolute favourite of mine. It's deliciousness is 5 star. You have to try it to see what I mean.

Ingredients

Half a Kabocha (Japanese pumpkin) or 1 squash

1 onion

2 pints of vegetable stock (I used 2 sachets of Konbu dashi)

200 ml Coconut milk (1/2 tin)

Juice of 1 lemon

1 tsp Chinese 5 spice

1 scallion (garnish)

Directions

1. Cut up the Kabocha/squash and cook it in the stock until the pumpkin becomes soft.

2. In the meantime chop up the onion and sauté in a pan with a little olive oil.

3. When the pumpkin is cooked add the onion, spice, and coconut milk.

4. Spoon half of the soup into a blender and blend until smooth then transfer back to the pot and reheat.

5. Quarter the lemon then squeeze the juice into the soup and stir.

6. Serve with your garnish.

Day 2 soup = Pasta sauce!!

Brown pasta mixed with pumpkin soup, 1 small eggplant, a cup of spinach, 2 scallions, 1 big juicy tomato, 1 tub of firm tofu(diced).... basically all the leftovers in my fridge

Nice, quick and very satisfying : )

Shiawase Sunday...pure bliss...

Unfortunately my Sunday had to come to an end :(

We are into the 2nd week of November and the shorts and T-shirt are still a strong contender in the wardrobe stakes. 24 degrees and a clear blue sky.

A lazy morning uploading images from the Japanese wedding we attended on Sat mixed with a yummy Sunday breakfast and watching "In treatment". I had the intentions of a morning full of Astanga, but that thought passed when I realised I need to clean (That also didn't happen). Instead we took an hour bike ride to our favourite cafe "Cotton Time" and devoured a smoked salmon and cream cheese wrap (above) coupled with Japanese study.

These wraps are sooo unbelievably fresh and addictive, you pretty much inhale it! Only one problem, fujuubun (not enough).

Arriving home and only an hour to spare before the family were online for their weekly catch up, so I spent it making unleavened bread or more like yeast-less garlic focaccia...(Oh my gosh) It has been soooo long since eating bread I almost forgot what it tasted like (not such a bad thing, as it does stick to your insides like glue, but it was a sunday and best time to indulge a little).

This bread was too easy to make and so easy to manipulate with any flavour you are in the mood for.

I'm gonna make more later so I can take a picture, but here is the recipe for now.

2nd time bread (above) with garlic and sunflower seads (I cut the cooked bread into slices, drizzled a little olive oil onto one side then toasted it and served it with soup...oishiiiiii)

2 cups all purpose flour

3/4 cup water

1 tblsp extra virgin olive oil

2 tsp baking powder

1 tsp salt

1 tsp dried crushed garlic

sprinkle of fresh cracked pepper and salt

sprinkle cayenne pepper.

1. Sieve the flour, salt, baking powder into a bowl then mix in the water little by little. Depending on your flour you may not need to use all of the water.

2. mix into a dough.

3. turn onto a floured surface and kneed into a ball.

4. Plop the dough ball into the greased rice cooker flattening it to 1/2 and inch. It doesn't have to be even, but make sure there are no holes.

5. brush the dough with the olive oil.

6. sprinkle the pepper, garlic, etc. onto the dough

7. Set the rice cooker to the cake setting and time it to 45mins

8. wait for the beep then turn it out onto a wire rack and eat immediately. (best when hot)

9. It also tasted great day 2, toasted :)

Chick Pea Chocolate Cake

This is how my Sunday began.  Woke up at stupid o'clock 6.30am and couldn't get back to sleep for the life of me.  Possibly has a lot to do with the fact that this weekend wasn't active and neither was I.  hhmmm no exercise for 1 month...I really should get back on track.

The only thing on my mind was to try out a new cake recipe.  I love secret ingredients and especially if they are healthy.  Chick peas were on my mind and that is what I used.

I didn't hold many hopes for this one working as the batter was pretty runny and minimal.  It was just too easy to make, but I bunged it into the rice cooker and the results, well...actually pretty good.  I wish I had a tub of creme fraiche to go with this one.  The consistency was similar to a chocolate fudge cake, but a little dryer and very nutty.  Next time I'm gonna mix in some chopped dates to give more moisture or perhaps a banana...hmmm...maybe both.

I love how this is healthy naughtiness.  It makes me feel a little less bad about not exercising.

I will post the recipe later, but for now here is a lovely find....This is the diamond in the rough and it goes by the name, "Graffiti"

Beautiful little gallery cafe in Kochi city, very fresh and bright with funky style.  The cherry on the cake was the free wireless.  Now I can spend all day here, blogging, studying Japanese and planning lessons.

A perfect Sunday afternoon.

Ok so now for the recipe to this protein rich gluten free cake.

Ingredients

1 tin of chick peas (garbanzo beans) drained.
1 cup dark chocolate (I used 70% greens organic)
1/2 cup sugar
1/2 cup raisins
20g Butter
3 eggs
0.5 tsp baking powder

Directions

1.  melt the chocolate
2.  Mix the butter, sugar and baking powder to a paste
3.  mix the sugar mixture into the melted chocolate
4.  Put the beans and the eggs into the blender and blend until smooth
5.  Pour in the chocolate and blend together ( the smoother the better to avoid the cake to crumble when cooked)
6.  Add the raisins and pulse a few times
7.  Add batter to the rice cooker then set to the cake setting and cook for 45mins.
8.  When the timer has timed out, check the cake with a chopstick.  If it comes out clean transfer the cake to a wire rack and allow to cool before cutting and serving.

Dress the cake however you please.  For me, a cup of green tea works just fine, but for others a spoonful of creme fraiche or double cream.

Autumn Spiced Boiled Raisin Cake

Unlucky for me and due to the crazy changes of temperature, I caught the cold :( it was inevitable really since everyone around me seems to be sick.  Luckily though, it wasn't the piggy variety : )  For this I was surprised, considering the high school I teach at has been closed down twice in the past 4 weeks because of it.

On a good note though staying at home and trying to rest encouraged me to do a bit more baking, making and movie watching :)

Here is one cake I made (see pic below).  I took the recipe from www.allrecipes.com I have their funky wee spinner application on my iPod and this recipe took my fancy because of the easy instructions and I had all the ingredients.

WOW!! I love it!! It tastes like autumn and a bit like those little ginger German cakes covered with icing.  I know there is no ginger in the recipe, you don't need it either as the cake is super fragrant and tasty!!  I can't wait to have another piece today with my new fresh green tea : )

There were crumbs and chunks of cake remaining on the chopping board after cutting it into edible pieces, so Andy put them into his plain yogurt.  Now, this could be an excuse for me to eat it for breakfast I think!

I wish I could send a piece of this cake to everyone! instead this blog posting will have to do!!  Enjoy!

       INGREDIENTS 

• 
  
• 2 cups raisins
• 2 cups water
• 1/2 cup vegetable oil
• 1 cup cold water ( or soda water - for a fluffier texture and appearance)
• 2 cups white sugar
• 4 cups all-purpose flour
• 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
• 1 teaspoon ground cloves
• 1 teaspoon ground nutmeg
• 1 teaspoon baking soda
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
 DIRECTIONS

1. Boil raisins in 2 cups of water for 15 minutes. Remove from heat.
2. Add vegetable oil and cold water to the raisins.
3. Mix sugar, flour, spices, baking soda, and salt in a large bowl.
4. Add the raisin mixture, and stir till just mixed.
5. Pour into a greased and floured 9 x 13 inch baking pan or rice cooker bowl, and bake for one hour in a preheated 350 degrees F (175 degrees C) oven or 1hr 30mins in the rice cooker switched on to cake setting. It is done if a toothpick comes out clean.