Green Chicken Burgers

You always need a good chicken burger recipe and this one is a cracker.

Made on the BBQ or in a pan it works well both ways.

Makes 6 burgers.

Ingredients

500g minced chicken

75g chickpea flour

30g fresh coriander, leaves and stalks chopped

2 spring onions/green onions, sliced finely

1 garlic clove, crushed

1 jalapeño, deseeded and finely diced

Salt and pepper to taste

Method

Combine all of the ingredients in a large bowl and place in the fridge for at least two hours.

Heat a little olive oil in a non stick pan over a medium to high heat.

Form the meat into six patties.

Place the patties into the pan and cook for 5-6 minutes and then turn and cook for a further 4-6 minutes until cooked through and golden.

Serve with some fresh aioli in a gluten free or regular bun.

Gluten Free Sweet Waffles

Bit of a lazy Sunday morning breakfast that the boys love making.

If you don’t have nutmeg, cinnamon works beautifully too.

Makes 6-8 waffles depending on the size of your waffle iron.

Ingredients

150g gluten free plain flour

40g caster sugar

2 and 1/2 tablespoons gluten free baking powder

1 egg

300mls milk

Freshly grated nutmeg

Method

Heat your waffle iron.

Using a stick blender, whizz all of the ingredients until lump free.

Cook according to your waffle iron instructions.

Lemon Infused Salt And Pepper

One of the best cheats to have in your pantry here! Fantastic on fish, prawns, chicken and summery salads.

I make this quantity and then store the extra in an airtight spice jar for another day.

Ingredients

6 teaspoons salt flakes

Zest of 4 lemons

20 peppercorns

Method

Preheat the oven to 150 degrees Centigrade. Line a baking sheet with baking parchment.

Measure the salt and lemon zest onto the baking parchment.

Bake for 15 minutes until the lemon has dried out and is really fragrant.

Allow to cool a little and then pour into a mortar, add the peppercorns and grind to a powder.

Coconut And Chocolate Squares

Another sweet treat was required this weekend for cricket morning tea so, introducing one of the easiest sweet treats to make with no baking required.

Makes 30-50 pieces depending on how you cut them up.

Ingredients

600g desiccated coconut

420g icing sugar, sieved

2 x 395g condensed milk

2 teaspoons vanilla extract

1/2 teaspoon apple cider vinegar

50g plain chocolate, I use 70% cocoa 

Method
Line the base and sides of  a large roasting tin with baking parchment.

In a very large bowl, weigh out the coconut and sifted sugar, stir to combine.

Now add the condensed milk, vanilla extract and cider vinegar.

Using your hands, mix really well.

Pour the coconut mixture into the prepared tin and push down with the back of a silicone spatula to flatten it out evenly.

Melt the chocolate carefully in the microwave and drizzle over the coconut base.

Pop the roasting tin into the fridge for three hours and then remove the paper and cut into squares.

I keep this in the fridge here as we are in summer but if you are in a cooler climate, in the cupboard is fine.

Baked Ricotta With Oregano

This is a great gluten free alternative to quiche and savoury tarts.

If you don’t have Pecorino Romano, a sheeps milk hard cheese, Parmesan works brilliantly too and the oregano can be swapped with fresh thyme.

Serves 4-6.

Ingredients

750g smooth soft ricotta

4 eggs, beaten

150g Pecorino Romano, finely grated

12 oregano sprigs, leaves picked and roughly chopped

Freshly ground pepper

Method

Preheat the oven to 200 degrees Centigrade.

Grease a 21cm side sprung loose bottomed cake tin. Line the base and sides with baking parchment, make sure that you have an overlap on the base to ensure nothing can leak out.

In a large bowl whisk all of the ingredients reserving a little cheese and oregano to top the ricotta.

Spoon the ricotta mixture into the prepared tin, smooth out the top and then sprinkle over the reserved cheese and oregano.

Place the cake tin on a baking sheet and slide into the oven. Bake for 30 minutes and then turn the oven down to 160 degrees Centigrade and bake for a further 15-20minutes until the ricotta is golden and set. 

Allow to cool a little in the tin before gently loosening the sides and pulling off the baking parchment.

Cheese And Bacon Puffs

I have shared my cheese puff recipe before but these combine two of my all time favourite foods.

These little gems are crispy on the outside, slightly gooey on the inside and utterly delicious!

I like to use a smoked bacon as it gives more flavour.

Makes 48-60 mini muffin sized puffs. Leftover batter happily lives in the fridge for 48hours.

Ingredients

200g bacon

350g tapioca flour

170g Cheddar, grated

2 eggs

150mls oil

350mls milk

A pinch of cayenne pepper

A little salt

Method

Over a high heat, fry the bacon until crispy and the fat has rendered.

Spoon the cooked bacon onto some absorbent kitchen towel and squeeze to get as much fat out as you can.

Place the bacon in a food processor and pulse to create bacon crumbs.

Now add all of the remaining ingredients and whizz to form a thick batter.

Preheat the oven to 200 degrees Centigrade.

Grease 2 x 24 hole mini muffin tin, I just use the fat from the bacon!

Fill the muffin hole to two thirds and pop the tin in the oven.

Bake for 15-18 minutes. 

Depending on the size of your muffin tins you may have batter leftover, you can repeat the above or cover and keep it in the fridge, it will last 48 hours.

Slow Cooker BBQ Beef Brisket

This photo really doesn’t do this recipe justice but to be honest the beef was eaten so quickly I only got the one shot!

I’ve taken the principles of using a rub with herbs and spices to coat the meat and then allowing it to sit for 12-24 hours in the fridge. Then, instead of using the BBQ, the slow cooker has stepped in and worked its magic! Finally, I take the meat out and pop it in a hot oven just to crisp up the fatty bits for a fab tortilla filling or serve with lots of salads to cut through the richness of the meat.

Serves 8-10. Leftovers keep well in the fridge, freeze well and are very popular in wraps for school with my boys.

Ingredients

2.2kg beef brisket, cut into 8-10 large pieces

5 tablespoons sweet smoked paprika

3 tablespoons dried oregano

1 teaspoon chipotle chilli powder

1 teaspoon cayenne powder

1 teaspoon ground all spice

1 teaspoon dried thyme

1 teaspoon garlic powder

2 tablespoons salt

Pepper

375mls passata

100mls gluten free Worcestershire sauce

100g brown sugar

2 teaspoons liquid smoke

Method

I leave the fat on the top of the brisket, cut it into large chunks, around 5-8cm square. Take a sharp knife and score the fat to create a crisscross pattern.

Combine the spice rub in a bowl.

Tip the meat into the rub and cover completely.

Place the meat and any excess rub into a zip lock bag and refrigerate for 12-24 hours. 24 hours is better if you can!

Tip the meat into your slow cooker, I use a 6.5l Cooker.

Add the wet ingredients and sugar and using your hands massage the sauce all over the meat.

Turn the cooker on and set to nine hours on low.

After nine hours the meat should be falling apart a little if you push it with the back of a spoon.

Preheat the oven to 200 degrees Centigrade.

Gently spoon the meat into a roasting tray, scored fat side up, and slide it into the oven, roast for 30-45 minutes to let the fat crisp up.

Pull the meat apart with forks to serve so everyone gets a little of the crispy fat as well as the delicious, sticky sauce covered meat.

Brazilian Chocolate Orange Balls

These are a rather dangerous treat to have in the house!

I get the boys involved in rolling the balls out as they are often for their social events or cricket club morning teas.

Makes 28 balls.

Ingredients

30g butter

395g tin condensed milk

100g dark chocolate, 70% cocoa

Zest of one orange

150g desiccated coconut

Method

In a large heavy based pan, heat the butter and condensed milk over a low heat, slowly bring it up to the simmer and simmer, stirring all the time, until it thickens, around ten minutes.

Take the pan off the heat and beat in the chocolate.

Once the chocolate has melted add the orange zest and 100g of coconut. Stir well and set aside to cool.

Once the chocolate mixture has cooled, pour the remaining coconut onto a plate and roll walnut sized balls of the chocolate mixture in the coconut. Repeat until all of the chocolate mixture has been used up.

Keep in a cool place.