Mexican Stuffed Caps

No Mexican's were harmed in this post! I love the spicy and fresh flavours of cooking and much to Phillip's  disappointment, I don't enjoy cooking or eating enchiladas every night (Who would have thought?). Tonight, I was excited as I had four perfectly shaped red capsicums - perfect for stuffing - and the time required to make them into something special.

This recipe isn't super quick, but you have the ability to do other things in-between letting your capsicums roast or meat break down and become delicious - so don't write this recipe down to make on Masterchef cause you won't have enough time, but it's excellent for your dinner.

4 red capsicums (for stuffing)
600 grams prime beef mince
1/2 cup of rice
1 brown onion
1/2 red capsicum diced
1/2 green capsicum diced
2 over ripe tomatoes
1 tin of crushed tomatoes
2 cloves of garlic
1 tbsp turmeric
1 tbsp chili flakes
1 tbsp diced Jalapenos
1 tsp cornflour
1 tsp vinegar

Cut a circle around the stalk of the capsicum and pull it out. Remove any of the white or seeds from within the capsicums and then place in a baking dish. Roast at 180 degrees for 30 minutes.

Place the rice into a saucepan with boiling water and the turmeric.

Into a frying pan add mince, onion and garlic. Fry off until the mince has browned and then add in the diced capsicum, over ripe tomatoes, Jalapenos, cornflour and vinegar - cook for 10 minutes. Add tinned tomatoes, chili flakes and the cooked rice - simmer for 10 minutes. You may need to add some of the turmeric water if it gets too dry.

Remove the capsicums from the oven and stuff with the meat mixture before returning to the oven for a further 30 minutes.

To finish, I topped mine with fresh coriander leaves and sour cream. I also served mine with a side of twice cooked corn - simply boil the corn for 10 minutes and then add into the roasting tray with lots of butter, salt, pepper, diced spring onions and diced coriander stems.

Green Tea's Superpowers

I love tea - especially tea from T2 ... if you haven't been into their civic store in Canberra, get your little butt down their now!

I've been brewing tea and having an excellent time in my home office, making use of my tea pots (which is nice, as you normally only are using them when guest come around). But on top of the 'feel good' feeling that I have when I'm drinking tea - I'm also getting some wonderful health benefits from this wonder 'green tea'.

GREEN TEA's SUPERPOWERS - Scientifically proven ways it does a body good

Melts Belly Fat
Overweight and obese adult exercisers burned seven per cent more abdominal fat when they drank caffeinated green tea compared with other caffeinated beverages, according to a study in the Journal of Nutrition.

Keeps Teeth Healthy
Drinking two or more cups of green tea a day is associated with a lower risk of tooth loss, reports a new study in the journal Preventive Medicine.

Lowers BMI
People who drink two or three cups of green tea a day report a lower BMI and body weight, according to a University of Connecticut, US, review.

Prevents Stroke
Three cups a day lowered stroke risk by 21 per cent, found a 2009 US study.

Reduces the Chance of Skin Cancer
Green tea can help repair DNA damage caused by UVB rays and lower risk of melanoma, according to an animal study in Cancer Prevention Research.

Decreases Lung Cancer Risk
In a recent study, Taiwanese researchers found that drinking more than a cup of green tea a day reduced people’s odds of getting lung cancer, regardless of smoking status. In fact, non-smokers who drank green tea daily had five times less risk compared with their non-sipping peers.

Trail Mix

I am a constant grazer - so much so that some of my male (and female), but most male friends are surprised at how much food I actually eat. When I was working at Sydney Uni, TJ and I would go halves in a packet of Trail Mix ... now I am working from home, I have a little extra time to pop into the kitchen and make this in my lunch break for a perfect 'anytime' snack - just don't eat it in bed ... too messy

A perfect afternoon snack

Ingredients
1 cup whole almonds
1 cup pecans
1/3 cup plain oats
2 tbs honey
½ tsp cinnamon
1 cup craisins (dried cranberries)
1 cup dried apricots, chopped

Method
Heat oven to 180ºC. Place the nuts and oats in a bowl and coat lightly with olive oil spray. Drizzle with 1 tbs honey and mix in cinnamon. Spread nuts evenly over a tray and bake in oven for 10 to 15 minutes, stirring occasionally. Once cooled, add another tablespoon of honey and dried fruits.

Don't get fat - French Toast

I found this article online at http://au.lifestyle.yahoo.com/womens-health/ and it made me think, 'Do I really care about my indulgent treat that I have once in a blue moon being full of fat?'. Life is about balance and really being indulgent - once in a blue moon - really isn't that bad... But if you make french toast once a week, maybe you should try this:

DONT GET FAT FRENCH TOAST

Why waste your kilojoule allowance on a chocolate croissant when you can put away a plate of this melt-in-the-mouth French toast? You get plenty of protein from eggs and light evaporated milk – and you’ll satisfy your cravings for a hot, filling breakfast.

Ingredients
1 large egg plus
1 large egg white
¾ can light evaporated milk
1 tsp vanilla essence
8 slices raisin bread
1 tsp caster sugar

Method
In a wide dish, beat the egg and egg white with a fork until smooth. Stir in milk and vanilla essence.

Set a large frying pan over medium-high heat until hot (about two minutes). Remove pan from heat and coat with cooking spray; turn heat to medium and return pan to stove top.

Dip the bread into the egg mixture to saturate. Lift out, letting excess drip off before placing on pan. Cook until browned and cooked through (one to two minutes per side). Transfer to plates. Dust with sifted caster sugar.

Source:Women's Health

Recipe Swap: Jam Cake

It's that time again when I put on my thinking cap and try and be a little creative - who am I kidding, I'm always creative - it's just time for me to reinvent ye-old-recipe provided by Burwell General Store.

If you haven't click the link before ... I'm telling you 'Eat the Wagon Wheel' ... jokes (but if you're not Australian you probably don't get the joke) ... 'Click the link' - seriously the people involved in this blogging extravaganza are AMAZING!

So ... about a month ago, Christina sent through the recipe for Jelly Cake. Being Australian I initial thought of childhood memories and the Australian Women's Weekly Children's Birthday Cake cookbook - if you're Australian and were a child in the 80's then I am sure you are familiar with the 'Pool Birthday Cake' ... My Mum made me an AWESOME pool birthday cake with Whiney the Pool figurines.

But upon reading the actual recipe for the jelly cake, I found that I had been lost in translation... jelly was in fact jam. To me jelly is jelly - not JAM. So for the point of this post, if you are American here are my definitions of the following:

JAM - Properly, the term jam refers to a product made with whole fruit, cut into pieces or crushed. The fruit is heated with water and sugar to activate the pectin in the fruit. You would eat jam on toast or make a peanut butter and jam sandwich.

JELLY - Jelly is strained, so it's clear (jelly is also wobbly stuff made with gelatine). Jelly is a desert and when we were little my Mum would make us 'frogs in a pond' which was basically green or blue Aeroplane jelly with a freddo frog stuck into it when it was half set so it would sit up and 'pop out of the water'... 'I love Aeroplane Jelly, Aeroplane Jelly for me!' find out more about Aeroplane Jelly here

JELLO - So I think Americans call 'Jelly' - 'Jello'. But I would deem jello as that gross stuff that you get in hospital if you are struggling to eat solid food.

Ok - so I was thinking jam. And I realised that I still had a jar of jam that Karin's husband had created for me and even guest posted on 'Fig, Shiraz & Cocoa Jam'. And so I based my cake around using this as my key ingredient.


JAM CAKE
190 grams butter
1 1/4 cups white sugar
1/2 cup cocoa powder
3/4 cup cornflour
1 1/2 cups plain flour
1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
pinch of salt
3/4 cups of milk
6 egg whites, beaten to stiff peaks
4 tablespoons of Fig, Shiraz & Cocoa Jam

Preheat oven to 150 degrees. Grease and flour a loaf cake tin.

Sift flour, cornflour, baking powder, cocoa powder and salt three times.

Cream butter and sugar until pale and fluffy. Add half the milk (as it helps to dissolve the sugar). Add flour mixture and fold to combine. Fold in beaten egg whites and remaining milk until smooth.

Pour half of the mixture into the tin. Top with jam and then cover with the remaining mixture.

Bake for 70 - 80 minutes. Remove from the oven, cake is cooked when it springs back.