Lazy steamed jam pudding

Another lazy pudding, able to be made and eaten in about ten minutes with yourself, a couple of mugs, and a microwave. The jam I'm using is some seriously amazing stuff: cherry and mint, by ma belle Cherie. Homemade. I think this is the last jar left since it's pretty seriously delicious.

Let's get to this.

Ingredients:

flour to dust mug

non-dairy margarine or oil to oil mug

2 tB jam (homemade and slightly underset best so it's a bit runny. Otherwise you could add 1 tsp of hot water and give it a stir)

2 tB flour (I prefer wholemeal/whole wheat, as usual)

2 tB sugar (I use brown)

1/4 tsp baking powder

1/4 tsp oil

dash vanilla (1/4 tsp ish)

1 tB fauxmilk or water

FURTHER WATER FOR THE STEAMIN'.

Directions:

Oil/marge up your mug, and dust it with flour. I find a tea strainer very useful for this.

(If you've got a tapered mug like mine, you can frankly probably skip this step. But remember, unlike most mug puddings, this one will be tipped out at the end.)

Spoon the jam into your mug.

Now (and here's the tricky bit) get A SECOND MUG. In this place your dry ingredients (flour, sugar, baking powder). Add your wet ingredients and stir until smooth. Spoon on top of jam in first mug.

Boil some water in the kettle. Pour into the second (now mostly empty) mug. Bonus: this starts to get this sucker clean! Place both mugs in microwave and nuke for 3 minutes.


Turn your cake out onto a plate. Eat.

Look, I got fancy for you. (Considering most of the mint in our back yard seems to have leprosy at the moment, that's some fancy mint.)

This actually makes bugger-all cake, so if you have a big mug like mine, I suggest making double. If you don't have a big mug, make double anyway. Put it in a small microwave proof bowl. You can still use a mug to stir it, I promise.

DOUBLE THE FUN amounts

Ingredients:

flour to dust mug

non-dairy margarine or oil to oil mug

3 tB jam (I wouldn't double this because 2 tB over that microwave cake was A LOT OF JAM, YO. But maybe you like it like that. And your jam isn't ubersweet like mine.)

1/4 c flour (I prefer wholemeal/whole wheat, as usual)

1/4 c sugar (I use brown)

1/2 tsp baking powder

1/2 tsp oil

dash vanilla (1/4 tsp ish)

2 tB fauxmilk or water

FURTHER WATER FOR THE STEAMIN'.

I know you didn't really need all those images. But I was so shocked when I took the first one on my phone and it actually looked like it was supposed to despite it being at night that I got carried away.

Check out my new favourite food-making person!

My Drunk Kitchen.

It's like this food blog, only actually funny.

Microwave butterscotch pudding

Some years ago, Peg Kerr posted her go-to comfort food: microwave chocolate cake. Properly what the British and Commonwealth countries (at least this one) would call a pudding, it's what I grew up knowing as a self-saucing pudding. There were several flavours available in packet mix form that I remember having as a child: chocolate, butterscotch, and I'm pretty sure we had a lemon one at some stage, too.

Where Peg's differs from those packet mixes, though, is that it's designed to be a single-serve treat.

Tonight I'm far too tired to cook. I made pasta for dinner, but then I was still hungry and hankering after something sweet, and all we have in the house is 'ingredients'. So I decided to have a go at making a butterscotch microwave pudding, based in part on Pegg's original recipe. Usually I halve her chocolate pudding recipe and make it in a mug, but I'll give the direct bowl equivalent first, and then a handy cup version at the end, so no-one winds up making twice as much as they mean to because they forget to halve, e.g., the sugar. (I'm currently on pain relievers for muscle spasm, and they've left me rather woolly-headed.)

Bowl version:

Mix together in a microwave-safe bowl:

1/4 c flour

1/4 c brown sugar

2 tsp golden syrup

1/2 tsp baking powder

handful oats (opt)

Stir until smooth:

1 tsp oil

dash vanilla

2 tB milk/water

sprinkle on top:

1/4 c packed brown sugar* (see note)

mix 2 tsp golden syrup with 1/2 cup boiling water. Pour over mixture and microwave on medium high for about 4 minutes.

Cup version:

Mix together in a microwave-safe bowl:

2 tB flour

2 tB brown sugar

1 tsp golden syrup

1/4 tsp baking powder

small handful oats (opt)

Stir until smooth:

1/2 tsp oil

dash vanilla

1 tB milk/water

sprinkle on top:

2 tB packed brown sugar* (see note)

mix 1 tsp golden syrup with 1/4 cup boiling water. Pour over mixture and microwave for about 3 minutes (I'm guessing; keep an eye on it. I meant to make this amount and accidentally doubled it.)

===

Notes:

Everyone knows that self-saucing puddings are served with vanilla icecream, so it hardly seems worth it to suggest that. I can point you to an awesome vegan icecream blog if you need recipes, otherwise SoGood does fine for me (shame I finished the last of the tub earlier in the evening, and am yet to have the energy to make a fresh batch).

I used wholemeal flour, as I always do, though you could use white flour (if you must). A gluten-free flour would probably substitute just fine.

The cake seems just right to me: not too sweet. The sauce, though... I think there's a little too much. Maybe cut back on the amount of packed sugar sprinkled on top? I'd try 3 tB for the full version, and about 1 1/2 tB for the cup version, and probably reduce the hot water by a smidge (say a tB or two).

No photos for you, tonight. I'm tired and my camera and I have not been on speaking terms for a bit (I lost the memory card). Also, it's cake in a cup. Nobody needs photographic urging to make that.

Red cabbage deliciousness

Wow, accidental hiatus.

In the interim, my domain name provider decided that it didn't like me, and wouldn't let me renew my name, even with the "I forgot my password" option. This is the second time I've lost my domain name, although the first time was just plain old laziness. So I've moved to Blogspot, and now I have to redo all the photos. Bah.

So, between getting costochondritis last year and going from 6–7 hours of exercise (mostly yoga, but also morris) per week to getting literally none, and the fact that Steph and I really really like our food and were treating ourselves a bit too much, I've put on about 10 kg in the last year and a half. I've actually moved into the "obese" range by about 2–3 kilos – just enough that I feel it, but it's a small enough amount that most people think that I'm being neurotic. Steph and I are thus trying to eat better, and more Fuhrman-friendly. The main aim is to get the most bang for your buck (nutrition per calorie) possible. Part of that is cutting out refined grains & flour, and minimising unrefined grains and flour to only one serve per day.

One of the recipes I'm making this week for dinner is cabbage nori rolls. And since I apparently ordered half a red cabbage instead of 500g of red capsicum (rassa frassa stupid cookies resetting), which Steph won't eat, I decided to give them a trial run for today's lunch. OMG so good. I love cabbage, especially red cabbage, and this is just so nomable. And quick and easy to make. Especially since I left out the baked tofu (too much bother for lunch, especially when I'm this hungry). I didn't use the sweet corn either, but did put in some pickled roast red capsicum, which works well since lots of sushi has a pickle of some sort in it (I like the bright yellow one). I also didn't steam the carrot, since I like crunch and it's more Fuhrman-friendly that way. I also added some alfalfa sprouts for added virtue, and because we had them in the fridge and sprouts go off quickly.

You can technically eat them with soy sauce and everything, but I didn't because it was delicious as was, and also because I had two-thirds of my daily recommended intake of salt at breakfast with my miso soup. I found that 1/4 of a medium-sized cabbage made about three nori rolls. I sort of chopped the cabbage into strips, but I think it would be better if it was more shredded. You'd probably want a whole head of cabbage if this was a main meal for 3–4 people.

Yum. Totally doing this again tomorrow.

Date and Honey Cake

I made this for a festival. I was going to make rosewater and cardamom cake, but we don't have any rosewater. This smelt like madeleines. I'll have to make this again soon!

You can halve this recipe easily. I make a half-quantity of this recipe last time as I was using small decorative cake pans.




Date and honey cake

1 C self-raising wholemeal flour (or 1 C plain wholemeal flour and 2 tsp baking powder)
1/4 C pitted and chopped dates (about 4)
1/2 C honey
2 tB margarine (I used Nuttelex)
1/4 tsp each ground cardamom and cinnamon
oat milk until it looks right (about 1/4 to 1/2 a cup)

Set the oven to 180°C (356°F).

Sift the flour, baking powder and spices in a mixing bowl. (OK, I never bother with sifting wholemeal flour, but whatever rocks your boat.) Toss the date pieces in the flour to coat – date pieces are really sticky and this means that you'll get more than one big datey ball in the middle of the mixture.

Combine the honey and margarine in a small saucepan and warm gently until the margarine is melted. Add the honey and margarine and stir to combine. Slowly add the milk until you get a consistency slightly thicker than pancake batter. Pour into a greased cake tin and place in the oven. Bake until a skewer inserted in the cake tin comes out clean (I'd guess 15–20 minutes).

Potato and leek soup

It always astounds me that I can never find a recipe for something I consider a basic dish in any of my cookbooks. Admittedly, our collection of recipe books is, thus far, pretty small, but I feel the point still stands.

So I made this one up. And it was wildly successful. I know, because my sweetheart, who is not as enamoured of soups as I am hadn't even finished her bowl before she was demanding I make it again.

It's very creamy, with a delicate flavour. And very, very filling.

Notes on the recipe:
I used a masher on my potatoes rather than a blender because 1) according to the Hugh Fearnley-Whittingstall, using a blender on potatoes causes them to assume a glue-like consistency, and 2) using a blender seems like a pointless use of electricity when a masher does just as well.

If you don't have fresh sage leaves, add 1 tsp of dried to the potatoes while they cook.

This method also leaves quite large pieces of leek. I used an antique handheld beater (I like my non-electrical kitchen tools) to whisk the soup at the end to break some of the leek up so it's more evenly distributed. This way you still get some pieces of leek. It would be just as easy to use a hand blender to puree some or all of the soup for a similar effect.




Potato and leek soup

1 L vegetable stock
3 large leeks, sliced into rounds
2–3 cloves garlic
3 large potatoes (about 1kg), cubed
1 tsp French mustard
1 cup fauxmilk (I use oat milk, but you could use soy or a nut milk easily)
black pepper
small amount fresh sage leaves (reserve some for garnish if you fancy)

Combine leeks and garlic in a lidded pot, along with about 1/2 cup of water. Cover and cook for about 15 minutes, or until your leeks have lost their raw-onion sharpness.

Meanwhile, in a large soup pot, combine your potatoes and the stock, and simmer until the potatoes are ready-to-be-mashed done – about ten minutes. Then, add the mustard and mash enthusiastically until smooth. Add the milk, and give it a good stir – you'll probably find it's a bit thin on top and quite thick down the bottom.

Finally, add the pepper and leek mixture to the potatoes. Tear the sage leaves, or mangle them in a mortar and pestle, and add those in. Cook for a further five minutes or so and serve, garnishing as poshness requires.

Serves 6–8

Winter leftover wraps

I love this. I think this is possibly my new favourite Saturday breakfast/lunch. It's simple and just uses things you have in the cupboard. Of course, I've listed the ingredients I used here, but it can be made with any spices or condiments, or, come to that, any vegetable you have left over. I'd recommend one that needs little cooking and prep (pumpkin would thus be out), and goes well with whatever condiments you have. Broccoli would bring a nice bit of colour, as would using chilli flakes instead of powder.

If you want to use up all the spring onion, I recommend chopping the white end up and steaming it with the cauliflower. It's a bit much to have it raw.

I might make more for my housemates later, using the romanesco we have.


Market morning cauliflower wraps

1 head cauliflower
2 tsp ground cumin
2 tsp paprika
1/2 tsp chilli powder
1/4 cup vegan mayo
1 tsp curry powder
2 tB gerkin relish
2–3 spring onions/scallions
salad ingredients (green leafies, cucumber slices etc) as desired/available
wholemeal flatbread

Chop the cauliflower into small pieces. Don't bother separating it into florets. Place in a frypan. Sprinkle over spices. Add water to cover bottom of pan to depth of 1cm (or thereabouts). Cover with lid and steam for about 5–6 minutes. Add water if necessary.

Mix mayo and curry powder, and spread on bread with relish. Chop green end of spring onions and sprinkle. Add cauliflower and salad ingredients (if using).

Feeds 3–4.

English Risotto

Frankly, I may be biased, but I think this was a work of genius.

I'm a big fan of "fusion food". Well, perhaps that's not quite the word. Certainly multicultural food. I love mixing the flavours of one culture with the traditional dish of another. This may be the result of growing up in Melbourne, which is a melting pot as far as food is concerned.

The basis for this dish is "risotto with English flavours". As my partner, Steph, said: "Think a risotto with English pub food": lamb with mint, spinach, potatoes with rosemary, mushrooms, worchestershire sauce. I used a mix of vegie and "chicken" stock to mimic the approximate flavour tone of lamb.


English Risotto

1 onion
1–2 cloves garlic
1 1/2 C brown rice (preferably risotto rice, or other short-grained rice)
1 L vegie and 1 1/2 L "chicken" stock, combined
200g mushrooms, diced
500g potato (about two large), diced
1 1/2 tsp rosemary
1 tB vegan worchestershire sauce (or mushroom ketchup)
100g spinach, chopped
4–5 sprigs mint, torn

Steamfry onions and garlic. Add rice and 1/2 a cup of stock. Add mushrooms, potato, rosemary and worchestershire.

Stir frequently, adding a 1/4 cup of stock when it begins to dry.

When rice is mostly cooked, add spinach and mint, and continue stirring until rice is cooked and spinach is just wilted.