Almond Cookies

Long time no post, dear friends; but I had to get one recipe in before we bid adieu to 2013 and decided to end this year on a sweet note. December was a busy month, I baked a lot and tried my hand at several new baked goodies so look out for recipes in the new year. My apologies if it competes with your "get fit" resolutions for 2014 ; >

This month our blog celebrated 2 years since we started and we'd like to thank you all for following us and reading our stories. We'd like to take this opportunity to wish you all a wonderful new year filled with happiness good health and success. For our part, we will try and bring you more recipes and try posting healthy versions of old favourites. For our annual post Christmas pre New Year party this year, I made a vegetarian lasagna using thinly sliced eggplant instead of pasta. Our friends pronounced it a hit so look out for that in January. My personal big win and proudest baking achievemenr this season was making baklava and watching it disappear and making it all over again. That will be my first post for 2014 - start the new year on a sweet note as well.

My mum gave me this super easy recipe that she baked with my nieces this Christmas. I made three batches, using pecans, walnuts and almonds. All were equally delicious.

Happy 2014.

Skill Level: Easy 

Makes: 16-18

INGREDIENTS:

• 1/2 cup ground almonds
• 1 cup + 2 T flour
• 1/2 cup + 1 T butter
• 1/4  tsp ground cinnamon
• 1/4 cup icing sugar 
• 1/4 tsp salt
• 1 tsp vanilla extract

METHOD: 

1. Pre heat oven to 400 degrees F
2. Put almonds in a food processor and pulse a couple of times. Do not make into a fine       powder, should resemble coarse breadcrumbs
3. Mix sugar and butter together, add flour, cinnamon, nuts and vanilla until dough               comes together and forms a ball.
4. Wrap it in plastic wrap and refrigerate for 10 minutes
5. Take dough and roll into balls, place them open an ungreased cookie sheet
6. Using the prongs of a fork press to flatten the dough
7. Bake for 11 - 13 minutes
8. Cookie is still soft when it comes out at 13 minutes. Allow to cool completely 
9. Keeps well for one week in an airtight container

Chinese Steamed Black Pepper Pork Ribs

First of all, Spice Divas would like to wish you a Happy New Year. We hope you had a good Christmas with your family and friends. Christmas is one of our favourite holidays as it is filled with laughter, tons of food and good wine (for sure)! 

The year of 2013 has been great to us. We have more readership and managed to post more recipes to share with our readers. If you really really love our site and recipes, we strongly encourage you (ok, maybe begging you) to pass the word: forward our link to your family and friends. This blog was created out of our passion to cook and share with you all. Leave us comments in our blog. We would love to hear from you! 

As for myself, 2013 has been a great year. With all hard work and perseverance, I am happy to announce that my son, baby A, who is 17 months old now is free of eczema. He was on a special elimination diet for 4 months and we now are able to find certain foods that trigger his itchiness. As for now, he is able to tolerate wheat and dairy. We still have more allergens and food to introduce to see his reactions. The journey will not be short but I am sure it will be a fruitful one. Ever since Baby A was diagnosed with eczema, I have become more aware of this chronic skin disease. I did my research and was told by health professionals that eczema, unfortunately, has no cure. There are treatments only and he will grow out of it. But the question was: how long do we have to wait? Do we need to just sit and do nothing and wait for him to grow out of it while he is itchy here and there? 

With the success story that I have, I am hoping to be able to help mothers out there who have children who suffer from multiple allergies or eczema that triggered by food sensitivities or allergies. In the course of 4 months of elimination diet, I have developed recipes that are allergy-free and are baby/toddler friendly. In the coming year of 2014, I will share those recipes and hopefully, able to inspire mothers that living allergy-free may not be hard at all! We also received some emails from our viewers if we will eventually be blogging on dot com. We are happy to announce that we are working hard and on our way to launch our website to dot com, so stay tuned! We will also get our site exposed to social media so be prepared to see us launching our account on facebook, pinterest and twitter!

New Year is only one sleep away but my mind is already ahead of celebrating Chinese New Year. Chinese New Year will fall on January 31st in 2014. In South East and East Asia, it is the biggest celebration, just like Christmas in the western hemisphere. The holiday is celebrated for 15 days with family and friends visiting, chatting over plates of food as well as Chinese New Year snacks and cookies. I will be posting more recipes to come in the near future so you can celebrate Chinese New Year with your family and friends in style! 

Today I am featuring a Chinese Steamed Black Pepper Pork Ribs. This dish is juicy, succulent and flavoured with the spiciness from black pepper sauce and the sweetness from honey. It is one of my favourites and my mother-in-law loves this dish dearly when she came to visit this summer. I think it is a perfect dish to serve on Chinese New Year's Eve or even any other weekday dinners. 

Skill Level: Easy

Serves: 6 

INGREDIENTS:

• 1.2 kg pork side ribs (request your butcher to cut into bite sizes)
• 3 1/2 tbsp Lee Kum Kee brand black pepper sauce
• 4 cloves of garlic, minced
• 2 tbsp soy sauce
• 3 tbsp honey
• 1 tbsp corn starch

METHOD:

1. In a small bowl, mix the black pepper sauce, garlic, soy sauce and honey with a spoon till uniform
2. Place bite-sized pork side ribs in a heat-proof dish, pour the sauce in and mix well 
3. Add in the corn starch, mix uniformly and marinate for at least 4 hours in the fridge. Best if left marinated overnight
4. In a steamer, boil water. Once the water comes to a rolling boil, place the pork side ribs (with the heat-proof dish) in a steamer
5. Steam for 35 minutes and best served warm

Flourless Snow Drops

In my pursuit of gluten free cookies, I have been reading a lot of recipes and happened to come across this recipe card from CHATELAINE magazine. Not only is it easy to make, but tastes great and with all the chocolate and cocoa involved, you really do not notice the lack of flour. Like the flourless chocolate cake that I posted earlier, these are quite dense and heavy, which is great because you cannot eat too many of them. I used unsweetened Baker's Chocolate because I wanted something not overly sweet. I am notorious for reducing sugar in my baking recipes (I figure it will ease the guilt and be kinder on the waistline). Not having made anything flourless before, I did not want to mess with the sugar in case its functionality impacted the cookie texture. I made small "toonie" sized cookies that were soft and chewy. I powdered whole unblanched almonds in a food processor, although it was not very fine, I think leaving it a coarse like breadcrumbs would enhance the texture.
I hope to post more gluten free offerings in the coming weeks. I can hear my friend G asking for egg free recipes so look out for that as well.
Stay warm and bake lots, nothing quite like holiday baking and eating.

Skill Level: Easy 

Serves: 8-10

INGREDIENTS:

• 1/2 cup ground almonds
• 1/2 cup unsweetened Dutch-processed cocoa powder
• 1 tsp baking powder
• 1/8 tsp salt
• 1/4 cup unsalted butter, at room temperature
• 2/3 cup brown sugar
• 1  egg
• 1/2 tsp vanilla
• 112 g unsweetened dark chocolate, (4 squares) chopped, melted and cooled
• 1/4 cup granulated sugar
• 1/4 cup  icing sugar

METHOD: 

1. Whisk almonds with cocoa, baking powder and salt in a small bowl.

2.  Beat butter with brown sugar in a large bowl, using an electric mixer, until light and fluffy, about 3 min.

3.  Beat in egg and vanilla. Stir in cooled chocolate. Fold in almond mixture until combined. 

4. Cover dough with plastic wrap and refrigerate until dough is firm enough to roll, about 10 min.

5. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Line 2 baking sheets with parchment paper

6. Put the icing sugar and granulated sugar in two separate bowls

7. Make small balls with the dough, roll first in the granulated sugar and then in the icing sugar

8. Bake in the middle and bottom racks for 12 -14 minutes in total

9. Rotate and switch sheets halfway through until cookies crack

10.Remove and allow to cool

11. Cookies will look undercoked but will continue to bake as they sit

12. Cool completely before storing in an airtight container for a week

13. Can be frozen for up to a month

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Fabulous Flourless Chocolate Cake

This past weekend, Ju had a few friends over at their place for a holiday get together and I was in charge of dessert. It proved to be the perfect opportunity to try out some gluten free/no flour recipes. I made a cake and some cookies, the cake made it to the party, the cookies were consumed too quickly (but not before I took pictures, so I will be posting the recipe). Both used no flour, lots of chocolate and cocoa and were delicious. The Flourless cake is thanks to the recipe on www.epicurious.com; it is heavy, dense, almost fudge like in texture and is a real treat for chocoholics. I am sure it will be an equal success among those who are avoiding gluten and for those with no gluten issues. This cake is easy to make with only 5 ingredients; it is rather heavy so a 9" cake serves 12 people. You can get creative with the topping - I macerated very ripe raspberries with some sugar and lime juice, then used a potato masher to make a thick pulp which I poured on top of the cake. I wanted to strain it and make a coulis but only had a half pint of berries on hand so that is an option for you folks reading this. 
One change I made from their recipe, was using a 9" springform pan as I do not have an 8". I doubled the recipe and it made 4 ramekins in addition to the 9" pan. Perfect if you want to serve individual cakes for a small group.
This one is for Mitra, who had the best reaction to my foray into flourlessness :) Enjoy.

Skill Level: Medium

Serves: 12 - 14

INGREDIENTS:

• 4 oz good quality bittersweet chocolate (do not use unsweetened)
• 1 stick (1/2 cup) unsalted butter
• 3/4 cup of sugar
• 3 large eggs
• 1/2 cup unsweetened cocoa powder 

Raspberry topping:

• 1/2 pint (one clam shell) raspberries
• 1/4 cup granulated white sugar
• juice of 1/2 a lime

METHOD: 

1. Pre heat oven to 375 degrees F
2. Butter the sides of a 9" round baking pan and line the bottom with parchment paper and set aside
3. Break chocolate into small pieces. Place a glass bowl (or use a double boiler) over a pot of simmering water on the stove. Reduce heat to medium and add chocolate and butter. Stir until most of it has melted, then remove from heat and continue to stir until all of it is melted 
4. Add sugar and whisk. Then add eggs and mix well
5. Sift the cocoa powder over the chocolate mixture and mix until well combined
6. Pour the batter (it is quite thick) into the cake tin and give it a good thump on the counter so as to have a batter without any air pockets
7. Bake for 25 minutes, this does not rise because there is no baking powder, it will form a thin crust on top
8. Macerate the fruit with sugar and lime juice, allow it to sit for 10 minutes. Mash the fruit with a fork and pour it on top of the cake; it will not soak through even if you top the cake  up to 4 hours before serving
9. Cake keeps well for 1 week in an airtight container
   

Easy Apple Strudel

 

This is my second recipe for the day; I had to post this as today is the day I overcame my fear of phyllo. While the result is not picture perfect, it is a first attempt working with phyllo and I wanted to share how easy it is to make a strudel within an hour. 

I have always associated phyllo with pastry chefs and baking experts and stayed away from using the box of phyllo dough I had in the freezer. This morning I moved it from the freezer to the fridge so I could try it out. The box had a recipe on it but I looked up some recipes online to see if there were any particular watch outs, the filling varied between pears and apples with the addition of dried fruits like figs or apricots. But once I read a few recipes, it was not so daunting.

One recipe called for brushing the phyllo with walnut oil instead of butter. I recently bought avocado oil which is what I used since I did not have any walnut oil. It was not too greasy, nor did it have any particular flavour, in fact, the cinnamon was the perfume in the house as this was baking. My next try will be a sweet ricotta with lemon rind and raisins.

Skill Level: Medium 

Serves: 8-10

INGREDIENTS:

• 1 packet frozen phyllo dough (1lb/454 g)
• 1/2 cup avocado oil
• 5 apples  (I used macintosh and crispin)
• 1/4 cup brown sugar + 1 Tbsp brown sugar
• 1/4 cup panko breadcrumbs (the only kind of breadcrumbs I had on hand)
• juice of 1/2 a lemon
• 1/4 tsp cinnamon powder

METHOD: 

1. Allow the phyllo to thaw in the refrigerator and work when it is room temperature
2. Once phyllo has thawed, brush oil on one sheet, then move it on to a sheet of wax paper
3. Place the next sheet on top of the first and then brush oil on that sheet
4. Repeat until you have a stack of 6 sheets
5. In a bowl, cut apples into thin slices, add lemon juice, sugar and cinnamon
6. Add breadcrumbs to the apples
7. Spoon the apple mixture on to the long side of the phyllo sheets (horizontally)
8. Gently roll the sheets until the end and tuck in the short end
9. Place the seam side down put put on to a baking sheet
10. Using a pair of scissors make small cuts on the surface to allow steam to escape
11. Brush oil on the surface and sprinkle with reserved sugar
12. 1 box of phyllo dough makes three strudels with 6 sheets each
13. Bake at 350 degrees F for 30 minutes. Allow it to rest for 5 minutes before cutting

Minty Lemony Beany Soup

Cold days are the perfect excuse to make a big pot of hearty soup. My love for lentils and legumes is certainly no secret. Beans and lentils are fibre rich, a good source of protein, vitamins and minerals and can be added to grains, soups and salads. There are so many shapes sizes and colours to choose from that you have endless options with this inexpensive, healthy ingredient. 
Several years ago, a classmate from Iran made me a delicious soup called Ash with several kinds of beans and grains garnished with crispy fried onions and garlic. While my inspiration is certanly from that delicious dish I had 20 years ago, my version transpired because I had leftover boiled chickpeas and wanted to use it up. This is a vegetarian dish that is quite filling and definitely tastes better the next day.

Skill Level: Medium 

Serves: 8-10

INGREDIENTS:

• 4 cups cooked chick peas (if using canned chickpeas - 2 x 454 ml)
• 2 cups cooked red kidney or fava beans (if using canned - 1 x 454 ml)
• 2 Tbsp cooking oil
• 1/2 cups red lentils (masoor) 
• 2 large red onions sliced
• 5 cloves garlic
• 2 tsp salt
• 1 tsp pepper
• 1 tsp red chili flakes
• 1 tsp turmeric powder
• 1 tsp chili powder
• 1/2 tsp all spice
• 1 tsp cumin powder
• 1/2 tsp cinnamon
• 1/4 tsp nutmeg powder
• rind and juice of 1/2 a large lemon
• 3 Tbsp dried mint
• 4 cups of fresh chopped spinach 
• 7 cups vegetable stock

METHOD: 

1. In a large pan on medium heat, add oil and saute onions and garlic until transparent
2. Add all spice, cumin, chili flakes, turmeric and chili powders, nutmeg, cinnamon, salt and pepper and stir into the onion garlic mixture
3. Add chickpeas, fava beans and red lentils and stir, then add vegetable stock
4. Check seasoning, reduce heat, grate lemon rind and add juice of 1/2 lemon into the pan
5. Cover and cook for 1/2 an hour until red lentils are cooked (the chickpeas and beans are already cooked and will get softer but should still retain its shape
6. Add spinach and cook until just wilted, serve hot
7. If serving the following day, you may need to add more water as the beans will have absorbed some liquid and the consistency will be quite thick