Keto Brownie Fudge

I found a recipe in my Women's World magazine a few weeks ago and had to try my hand at it.  I did twiddle with it a little, and have to say that while they called it a Brownie, I found it to be more like a good fudge.  

A small piece was the perfect size for me. 

OK, so I sampled two pieces, but then I took the rest to work and shared them there.  

They liked them.  

I do have a caveat here though.  I chopped up the dates a little, but didn't think to make sure that all the pits were gone.

I took the package at its word that they were pitted, and one slipped through.  I got it out though

After I got it all mixed together, I pressed it into an 8 inch pan which had parchment paper in the bottom and decorated it with some pecan halves.

I let them set up overnight before slicing it into little squares.

I had to repeat the picture.   These were rich and so full of chocolate flavor.

Print

Keto Brownie Fudge

Yield: 16-20 pieces of fudge

Author: Sid's Sea Palm Cooking -

Prep time: 15 MCook time: Total time: 15 M

This is not a classic fudge or brownie but it sure hits all the delicious points that either one needs. And because it's not only keto friendly, but also low carb it's perfect as a sweet treat

Ingredients:

• 8 oz. package pitted dates
• 1 cup shelled walnuts
• 1/2 cup almond butter
• 1/2 cup unsweetened extra dark cocoa powder
• 1 cup pecan halves or pieces

Instructions:

1. In the bowl of your food processor, add the dates which have been roughly chopped, checking to make sure that no pits have made their way into the bowl. ( The blades don't like pits).  Pulse it to chop the dates up a little, then add the shelled walnuts and process, letting them get chopped up more.   Add the almond butter and continue to process.  Let it go for a couple of minutes, then add the cocoa powder and mix it in well.   
2. In an 8 inch pan, place a sheet of parchment paper, then place the processed date mixture into the pan, evenly.  Press the mixture down firmly and then add the pecan halves or the chopped pecans pressing them down into the mixture.  Place in the fridge for a minimum of 4 hours or overnight before slicing into squares and serving. 

Created using The Recipes Generator

Wonton Soup for #SoupSaturdaySwappers

It's time for Soup Saturday Swappers and even though it's hot outside, I decided I wanted to join in this month. 

Our hostess this month  is Juli Meyers of Pandemonium Noshery

We're doing Asian or Asian inspired soups this month.

I love joining in on blog events like this, I stretch my virtual cooking muscles and quite often end up making a dish that becomes part of our overall menu plan.

I've been craving potstickers lately and learned how to make my own Gyoza Wrappers for an SRC event, and wondered if maybe I couldn't use the basic recipe and make a Wonton Soup.

It never hurts to try making new stuff, at least in my kitchen.  Even if sometimes they turn into offerings to the kitchen goddess.

Which these certainly weren't. 

This month,  I decided to try making a Wonton Soup using the Gyoza Wrappers.   I made the filling for the Wontons using part of a package of frozen Asian Style stir fry veggies.  I let them thaw, then chopped them up and cooked them quickly in a lightly greased pan, mostly to dry them out and get the moisture out.  And I won't be buying that particular kind again. It was full of broccoli stems, but that's my own personal peeve. 

These days, it's all about using what you have on hand, and not making any extra shopping trips.

I also added in a few more mushrooms, cause I like mushrooms, as well as some chopped carrots and celery.

Finishing it off with a splash or two of sweet soy sauce and a bit of Sesame Oil. 

If you use the Gyoza Wrapper recipe, be warned, you'll get a generous 30+ wrappers out of it.   I just froze the excess, after rolling them out a little, I placed them between sheets of parchment paper.  I'll be making some Potstickers from them soon.  

I also used up some of the Chicken Stock I've had in my freezer.  I've been stockpiling it, and love being able to just grab some as needed.  

After I'd made the filling for the wontons, I filled up a few, and placed them under a damp cloth to keep from drying out, as I heated the frozen stock, to which I'd added an additional couple cups of water, along with some carrot, celery, a small piece of ginger and some of the frozen veggies.  I let them cook and then added the filled Wontons.

These are a form of pasta and will absorb some of the stock as they cook.  I let them simmer for almost 10 minutes, and then checked for doneness.  Since the wontons skins were homemade, they needed to cook for a little longer than storebought ones.  

And then added another 5 minutes to the cook time.

As for serving size, I'd suggest a cup and a half per person, and depending on how hungry you are, 2-3 wontons per person. 

I served them with a sprinkle of parsley and chives on top, for color and flavor. 

This ended up being mostly vegetarian, not on purpose.  You can certainly use a good vegetable stock here to make it totally vegetarian or vegan even.  
It's all good.

FYI- if you have any left over, take the wontons out of the soup and place them in a separate container before storing them in the fridge.  The wontons will continue to absorb liquid and you end up with some big blobs otherwise.

Print

Wonton Soup

Yield: 2 servings

Author: Sid's Sea Palm Cooking -

Prep time: 10 MCook time: 10 MTotal time: 20 M

Ingredients:

• 6 cups chicken or vegetable stock
• 1/2 stalk celery
• 1/2 carrot
• 1/2 inch piece of ginger
• 6 wontons- filled with finely chopped cooked vegetables)
• Chopped Parsley and Chives for decoration.

Wonton Filling

• 1/2 cup frozen mixed Asian style vegetables - thawed and chopped fine.
• 1/2 stalk celery-minced
• 1/2 carrot - minced
• 3 mushrooms - minced
• 1 tsp. Sweet Soy Sauce
• 1/2 tsp. Sesame Seed oil

Instructions:

1. Finely mince all the vegetable and saute in a dry pan which had bee sprayed with non stick spray, just until the vegetable have released all their moisture.   Add the Sweet Soy Sauce and sesame oil.  Stir together and set aside to cool. 
2. Fill 6 wonton skins with the minced vegetables, and put under a damp towel while you heat the soup stock.  Add the carrot, celery and ginger and simmer for a few minutes, then add the filled wontons and let cook for an additional 5- 10 minutes.  If using commercial wonton skins, cook for 5-7 minutes. If using home made Gyoza skins, cook for an additional 3-5 minutes or until the wontons are done.
3. Arrange 2-3 Wontons in each bowl and pour soup stock over them and sprinkle a little chopped parsley and chives on top to serve.

Created using The Recipes Generator

Check out what some of my fellow bloggers made.  I can't wait to see what they came up with. 

• Karen's Kitchen Stories: Japanese Beef Curry
• A Day in the Life on the Farm: Asian Vegetable Noodle Soup
• Sid's Sea Palm Cooking: Wonton Soup
• Palatable Pastime: Ham and Sweet Corn Soup
• Veggies First Then Dessert: Egg Drop Soup
• Making Miracles: Japanese Clear Soup
• Sneha's Recipes: Vegetable Stew in Coconut Milk
• Pandemonium Noshery: Wonton Soup

Toaster Oven No Knead Rolls

I'm an unabashed lover of bread.   Well, let me qualify that, I love home made bread.  The very act of making the bread, kneading it, watching it as it rises and then the amazing aroma of the baking bread.

It makes my heart sing and my mouth water. 

However, sometimes, you want home made rolls and don't have time to either let it rise slowly or even feel like kneading the dough.  

Which is where this month's Multicooker Monday offering comes in.  Sue of Palatable Pastime is our hostess for this particular foray.  

We're a group of bloggers who are asked to make something with one of our favorite or even not so favorite kitchen helpers, ie: Toaster Ovens, Crockpots, Instant Pots, etc.  Honestly, with some of the great recipes other bloggers have posted, I've almost made up my mind that I need more kitchen toys. 

But for right now I'll stick with the few I already have. 

Although that toaster oven with convection air fry capabilities is getting higher on my list of must have toys, kitchen appliances.  

To be honest, I almost forgot about Multicooker Monday this month, but managed to come in under the wire.

Whew...

I do a 2-3 week menu plan, and use it to plan out shopping trips, and also try to keep track of what is in the freezer, to vary our meals. 

Variety is the spice of life?

It works,  mostly.

On the menu plan the other day was Steak and Salad, and for some reason, just Steak and Salad, isn't quite enough for me.  I need a carb to go with it.  

Either potatoes or bread.   That completes the meal for me.   And I was out of potatoes until my next shopping excursion, so I opted to make some bread.  

It didn't hurt that I was able to score some bread flour recently, so I felt like I could go ahead and make some of my No Knead Rolls, but with the hot weather, I didn't want to turn on the oven, so I baked them in my little toaster oven.   Which fits perfectly with the theme of Multicooker Monday. 

I also didn't want to make a full recipe, 6 rolls are more than enough for us.  We ate two with our meal, and I had the rest for breakfasts the next few days.  They make a great egg and bacon breakfast sandwich, substantial enough for the entire day of working.

They're also good toasted with a little butter and honey on top.  Using my toaster oven, of course.

Print

No Knead Rolls for the Toaster Oven

Yield: 6 Rolls

Author: Sid's Sea Palm Cooking -

Prep time: 1 H & 20 MCook time: 15 MTotal time: 1 H & 35 M

These rolls are basically a quick and easy yeast roll that tastes great, and is nice and hearty.

Ingredients:

• 2 cups Bread Flour + 1-2 tablespoons for dusting
• 3/4 cup milk,  warmed to 120 degrees
• 1 egg
• 1 tablespoon sugar
• 1/2 tablespoon yeast
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 2 tablespoons  melted butter

Instructions:

1. Warm the milk, add the egg and sugar to it and whisk together.  Sprinkle the yeast over top, and wait a couple of minutes.  Add the flour and mix in.  Then add the salt.  This is a wet and sticky dough, so don't be surprised.   Cover the bowl and let rise for an hour or until doubled in size.  I use the bread proofing setting on my oven and let it rise there for 1/2 hour.  Punch down the dough, and then separate it into 6 equal portions.  I dust the dough with a little flour at this point as the dough is very sticky and hard to handle.  Form into 6 equal balls, and place on a greased pan that will fit into the toaster oven.  Brush the tops of the rolls with a little melted butter and place a piece of plastic wrap over top.  Let rise for 1/2 hour or so, or until the rolls have doubled in size.   Turn the toaster oven on to 400 degrees and place the rolls inside.   Bake for 15 minutes and if not browning enough on top, turn the oven up to 450 degrees and bake an additional 3-5 minutes.  Brush the tops with butter as soon as they are out of the oven.  Serve hot.
   
2. NOTE:  This particular day I started the dough at 4:15 pm, and started baking them at 5:40 pm.  We ate at 6:05 pm.    It really can be that quick to make and enjoy lovely home made yeast rolls for dinner.  

Created using The Recipes Generator

Multicooker Monday June 2020: Recipes using Small Kitchen Appliances

• Beef and Smoked Sausage Goulash from Food Lust People Love
• Instant Pot Ground Beef and Pasta from Making Miracles
• Black Eyed Pea Hummus from Karen's Kitchen Stories
• Sweet Potato Fries using the Breville Smart Oven (air fryer) from A Day in the Life on the Farm
• Crockpot Veggie Fajitas from Veggies First Then Dessert
• Spinach & Masoor Dal - Pressure Cooker from Sneha's Recipe
• Saucy Taco Chicken Wings from Palatable Pastime
• Toaster Oven No-Knead Rolls from Sid's Sea Palm Cooking

Banana Oatmeal Muffins for Baking Bloggers

It's time for Baking Bloggers again.  And this month we're challenged to bake something with Bananas.
It can be sweet or savoury, the only requisite is that some part of it is baked.  I originally had a great idea, but it didn't work out, but I'm glad it didn't cause I made something that will probably be repeated a lot. 

At least in my house.

These Banana Oatmeal Muffins with a surprise inside.

However, they're not just ordinary muffins, these are a powerhouse of flavor, and healthy to boot. Well, mostly healthy.  I split them open and added a little butter.

They're also a pretty good, stick to your ribs, grab and go breakfast. 
They're almost gluten free as well.  Except for whatever gluten is present in the oats. I have no control over that.  

I made these, promptly ate a couple then hurried up and froze the rest. And I've been eating them as a quick, healthy and totally delicious breakfast for awhile now.

Away back when, I used to buy Muesli and ate it for breakfast a lot.  Then one day I decided to try making muffins out of it, and they were good.
I can't find that brand of Muesli anymore, sad sigh.   But then I started to think about the ingredients that were in Muesli and this is the result. (I also made some Muesli, and it was good.)

It didn't hurt that when I defrosted the freezer I found all kinds of almost forgotten goodies in it, including some bananas that had been frozen for awhile.  I didn't have to go and buy any.

Did you know you can just freeze them whole, in the skin? Well, you can.  Take them out of the freezer, just let them defrost for a few minutes and then peel them.    Just don't let them defrost all the way, it can get a touch messy, trying to get the peels off.

I also found some blueberries and blackberries I'd cooked up a little so I added some of that to the muffins as well.  The only sweetener in both the muffins and filling is Agave Syrup.

If you'd like to join in on the fun, Sue of Palatable Pastime is our hostess and you can send her a message via her FB page or her email.
Deliciousness will ensue. 



   

Print

Banana Oatmeal Muffins

Yield: 12 Muffins

Author: Sid's Sea Palm Cooking -

Prep time: 5 MCook time: 40 MTotal time: 45 M

These are a hearty, stick to your ribs, keep you going for a few hours breakfast muffin.

Ingredients:

• 3-4 bananas- mushed up
• 2 eggs
• 3/4 cup gluten free flour
• 2 1/2 cups quick oats
• 1/4 cup dried cranberries
• 1/4 chopped roasted Almonds
• 1/4 cup flax seeds
• 2 tablespoons Agave Syrup
• 2 teaspoons baking powder
• 1/2 tsp. salt

Filling - Optional

• 1/2 cup blueberries
• 1/4 cup blackberries
• 1 tsp. cornstarch
• 1 tablespoon agave syrup

Instructions:

Muffins

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees and grease a 12 cup muffin tin. 
2. Mix the bananas and eggs together.  Add the gluten free flour, baking powder, salt and mix in.  Then add the oatmeal, cranberries, almonds, agave syrup and flax seed, combining well.
3. Using a scoop, place equal amounts of the filling into the greased muffin tin. 
4. If you do the filling, then place a teaspoonful or so of filling in the center of the muffing and dollop a little more of the batter on top.  
5. Bake at 350 degrees for about 40 minutes or until the tops are lightly browned.

Filling - optional

1. Combine all the ingredients and place into a small pot over low heat and let come to a boil, then turn off the heat and set aside.

Created using The Recipes Generator

Baking Bloggers

June 2020: Let's Go Bananas!

• • • • Baked Raw Banana Chips from Cook with Renu
      • Banana After School Snack Cake from Karen's Kitchen Stories
      • Banana Oatmeal Muffins from Sid's Sea Palm Cooking
      • Brown Sugar Banana Cake from Cookaholic Wife
      • Dulce De Leche Banana Cake from Sneha's Recipe
      • Hummingbird Muffins from Veggies First Then Dessert
      • Margy's Best Banana Bread from Food Lust People Love
      • Peanut Butter Banana Baked Oatmeal from Making Miracles
      • Roasted Banana Ice Cream from Caroline's Cooking
      • Soft Baked Banana Oatmeal Bars from A Day in the Life on the Farm
      • Sourdough Banana Bread from Culinary Adventures with Camilla
      • Triple Chocolate Banana Bread from Palatable Pastime

Home Made Muesli

I like, no, I love Muesli.  I would fork over the money for the good one, cringing as I did so, but then the store I bought it at stopped carrying it. sigh.
And a good Muesli is not anything like Granola.
Not even close.
It doesn't have added sugar or fats, just the goodness of rolled oats, with some brands also adding wheat flakes or rye flakes. And of course seeds and nuts.
I was making some muffins for a blogging event recently, and a lightbulb lit up.  The recipe I was playing with resembled a muffin I used to make for myself as a grab and go breakfast before work.  Well, the next thing I knew I was playing with my food again.

And here it is.   My version of Muesli, and best of all, it didn't cost me more than a few extra calories today, cause I had to taste test it.

How can I tell you how good it is, if I don't at least try it.

I'm excited, I can now make and enjoy Muesli, when I want it, and not fork over way too much money for a very simple recipe.

Honestly, I'm going to give you just a few suggestions. I kinda winged it on this, and I think you should as well.

Here's what I put together.

I measured out about 2 cups of old fashioned rolled oats and drizzled 2 tablespoons of Agave Syrup over it. 

I toasted it in the oven for about 5 minutes at 375 degrees, turned the oven off and walked away for awhile. 

When I came back (I had to water the garden, and that took me a few minutes.)  I added a good handful of dried cranberries, a handful of chopped, roasted almonds, a handful of raw pumpkin seeds, and mixed it all up.

Then I put some in a bowl, added a little milk, and a touch more agave syrup and had second breakfast. 

The rest of the mix, is sitting in a jar, ready for future breakfasts.  

The second best part of this recipe, is that it isn't a true recipe.  You can add whatever fruits and nuts you want along with whatever cereal you like. 

It's not sweet, but it is a nutrition powerhouse. 

2 cups Old Fashioned Rolled Oats - can also use any combo of cereals here
1/2 cup Dried Cranberries
1/2 cup Chopped Almonds
1/2 cup Pumpkin Seeds
1/4 cup Flax Seeds
2 tablespoons Agave Syrup

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees.  Spread the oats evenly over a cookie sheet.  Sprinkle with the Agave Syrup.  Place in oven for 5 minutes, turn the oven off and leave to cool.   Place the toasted oats into a bowl, and add the remaining ingredients.   Mix together and place into a sealed container.  This will keep for a few weeks.  I used a glass jar to keep it in.  Measure out 1/2 cup per serving and top with your favorite milk.  It also goes well as a topping on yoghurt.   
You can use any combo of cereal or nuts or fruit in here.  Just make it to your taste.