Category: Food

Homemade Vietnamese Roast Pork Roll (Banh Mi) Recipe

Warning: This is seriously easy and seriously addictive… lol.

This is my cheat version of a Banh Mi, with readily available products that you can get from any supermarket. I substituted a Vietnamese baguette with a Turkish roll because.. well, Turkish rolls are deliciously fluffy on the inside and crusty on the outside which makes this roll the best thing in the world! Ok, maybe I am overreacting but my mouth is watering even as I type this.. so that’s a good thing right?!

Whether you’re craving a nice big delicious lunch that will surely make you feel sleepy after lunch and unable to continue being productive, or you just felt like banh mi for dinner but all the Vietnamese shops are closed… this is for you! Kimba’s cheat but yummy banh mi replacement recipe hehe.

Ingredients:

300g pork belly or pork spare ribs (the sliced ones as shown in this pic below)

1 carrot, julienned

1 cup of fresh coriander

Turkish bread rolls

Mayonnaise

Sweet Chilli Sauce

Salt and Pepper

Method:

Slice the pork into little strips, season well with salt and pepper and roast it in the oven for approximately 30 minutes until it is brown and crispy.

To assemble the roll, slice the bread roll to form a pocket without slicing all the way through. Spread mayonnaise on one side of the roll. Stuff in carrots, coriander and pork according to your preference. Drizzle some sweet chilli sauce and take a huge first bite in contentment! Then keep eating and hope you don’t crave for more than you should eat.. because I know I tend to have that problem! Haha 🙂

by Kimberly Peterson

Beef & Corn Burrito Recipe

Most nights, after looking after the kids and keeping up with house chores and working on my business from home and socialising and play dates and grocery shopping and all the things I have to do as a working mum… cooking seems to be impossible.

Thankfully, I have a collection of easy meals up my sleeve that take very little effort to prepare and tastes absolutely delicious – plus they are usually a big hit with the family! Imagine that.. I don’t even need to slave in the kitchen for hours to please my family 🙂

Mexican food is so yummy. I love their tacos and burritos and enchiladas and nachos. Whenever I make wraps, I make a Mexican burrito wrap and this one is my favorite version of a quick and easy burrito. I love the freshness of the tomato and the flavors from the coriander. So stop stressing about dinner tomorrow night, Mexican it is!

Ingredients:

1 tbsp olive oil

1 small red onion, chopped

2 tomatoes, chopped

1/2 cup fresh coriander, chopped

500g lean beef mince

1 cup corn kernel

2 tbsp taco seasoning powder / spice mix

1 baby cos lettuce, shredded (or salad mix)

1 avocado, sliced

Sour cream

Sweet chilli sauce

A packet of white wraps / tortillas

Method:

Heat oil in a frying pan and brown beef over high heat for 5 minutes. Add corn and taco seasoning. Stir through for a few more minutes, season further with salt and pepper if required and set aside.

Mix chopped red onion, tomatoes and coriander to create a fresh salsa.

Fill wrap with lettuce (or salad mix), sliced avocado, cooked beef, and fresh salsa with sour cream and sweet chilli sauce and enjoy!

by Kimberly Peterson

Dairy Free Scones Recipe

Here is another recipe to prove that you are not missing out if you cannot have dairy! Scones! While I was still breastfeeding my daughter (who is allergic to dairy, eggs, peanuts and cashews), I myself could not eat any of the things she was allergic to. So whenever we go around to other people’s houses and scones were served, I have always felt so deprived! So I did a little bit of research online and found just the right recipe for dairy free scones… and this one is delicious! When served with jam and coconut yoghurt, this comes pretty close to the real deal (although obviously coconut yoghurt is no yummy cream.. mmm) but this satisfies the occasional craving for scones! So easy peasy to make too! Enjoy 🙂

Ingredients:

3 cups of self raising flour

1 cup of coconut cream

1 cup of lemonade

 

Mix all the ingredients in a bowl and gently knead into a soft dough. Flatten dough using a rolling pin and using a round scone cutter cut them into round portions. Bake in a preheated oven at 170C for approx. 8 – 12 minutes, depending on your oven, or until they are nicely risen and slightly brown crusted.

To serve, cut scones into half horizontally, spread jam onto each side and spread a generous dollop of coconut yoghurt on top… and enjoy!

by Kimberly Peterson

Dairy Free Lemon and Coconut Cake

This is one of my favorite cakes to make for when we need a treat around the house that is suitable for my youngest daughter Silver, who is allergic to dairy, eggs, peanuts and cashews. It is amazing how we don’t have to miss out so much on treats just because we have a kid with allergies. The only problem is when we go out and people are unaware of what she cannot have, but when we are at home, it is so easy to whip up something yummy without dairy / egg.

Ingredients:
2 cups self raising flour
1 cup sugar
2 cups fine desiccated coconut
250g dairy free butter (I use Nuttelex)

Combine all ingredients and flatten onto slice pan lined with baking paper and cook in preheated oven at 180C for 20-25 mins until brown. Allow to cool in tray before turning onto a chopping board. Spread Lemon Icing onto the top of the cake whilst still slightly warm. Cool in the fridge to firm up before slicing.

Lemon Icing:
Icing Mixture
1 tsp Nuttelex
Enough lemon juice to turn mixture into a smooth, spreadable icing.


by Kimberly Peterson

Dairy Free Banana Pancake Fritters / Dairy Free Egg Free Banana Cake

My daughter is allergic to dairy, eggs, peanuts and cashews. So naturally, I have learnt to substitute a few things around the house to suit her. For example, Nutella for Sweet Williams Dairy Free Chocolate Spread. Cow’s milk for soy milk. Butter for Nuttelex dairy free spread. Eggs for silken soy tofu (for the soft texture in meals). We have adjusted really well, and our meals at home have been allergy-free 80% of the time. The other 20% include chocolate snacks (just stay away from her while eating it), ice cream (she has her own dairy free soy ice cream), peanut butter (again, eat away from Silver and wash hands and mouth immediately after). Thankfully she is not anaphylactic, so we are not as paranoid.

This is the simplest snack I make once a week for morning or afternoon tea for the kids, especially if we have some browning bananas just sitting around in the fruit bowl because nobody wants to eat them now that they look disgusting. Those browning bananas are so useful for snacks such as this, or my dairy free banana bread.. so I will share both recipes now. Enjoy!

Dairy Free Banana Pancake Fritters

Ingredients:
2 browning bananas
1 cup soy milk
1 cup plain flour
1 tsp baking powder
1 tbsp caster sugar
A pinch of salt
Method:
Combine bananas and soy milk in a mixing bowl. Mash bananas and stir well. Add plain flour, baking powder, sugar and salt. Mix well. Heat 4 tbsp vegetable oil in a fry pan. Cook batter for about 1 minute on each side. Be careful not to burn them! 

Dairy Free, Egg Free Banana Cake (Very Moist)

Ingredients:
2/3 cup brown sugar
2/3 cup Nuttelex spread
2 browning medium sized bananas
2/3 cup soy milk
1 1/2 cup self raising flour
1 tsp baking powder
1 tsp vanilla essence
Lemon Juice
Icing Sugar
Method:
In a bowl, mix brown sugar and Nuttelex spread well using a hand mixer. In a separate bowl, mash bananas and mix well with soy milk. Add vanilla essence and baking powder. Combine the banana mixture into the sugar and Nuttelex, and add the self raising flour. Mix well.
Pour onto a cake tin and bake for approx 40 – 50 minutes at 160C, or until a skewer comes out clean (or cake doesn’t wobble when you give the tin a little shake), depending on the oven you may need a longer time to bake as my oven is HOT and cooks very quickly!
Leave cake out to cool for approx 15 minutes. Then, sprinkle some lemon juice onto the warm cake for a hint of lemon flavour. Sift icing sugar onto the cake. Wait another 20 minutes to let it cool further before slicing, the longer you wait the more the butter will emulsify and therefore make the cake more solid and ready to slice. The cake fresh from the oven can be extremely soft and crumbly so let the Nuttelex cool and be more binding to hold the cake together better.
by Kimberly Peterson

What’s With The Cookbook Obsession?

What is it about cookbooks that makes me go… “mmm.. tempting (to buy)”… ALL. THE. TIME. It’s not like I actually use it to cook at home. It’s not like I actually follow recipes to cook, in fact 95% of the time I wing it and food still turns out pretty tasty. I am not saying I can naturally whip up a 5-star dish without referring to any guidelines on the Internet, but I know what tastes good so I cook what tastes good to me.
So… why do I keep buying these cookbooks??
The more and more I contemplate, the more my reasonings don’t make sense.. but I will share it here anyway, because well, this is my comeback post lol. My comeback post is meant to be me being myself, and light, and non-serious, and hopefully encourages some discussion. So here goes…
  1. I have a crush on the Author aka The Chef – this is particularly true in the case of Curtis Stone. I have always had a massive crush on that Aussie chef… so I collect his cook books. I own all 6 of his published cook books and they are all still in mint condition because I just let it sit pretty on the shelves just like that pretty face on the cover. There you go.
  2. I love swooning and drooling over beautiful food porn – not just in cookbooks but also on Instagram and food blogs. I admire pictures of beautiful looking food, so it kinda makes sense that cookbooks appeal to me, and therefore I pay money for them. Serious case of Want not Need.
  3. Cookbooks are like textbooks – you don’t particularly read them all the time, but when you need to learn something it serves like a useful guide. So occasionally I do read them, to learn a certain technique, to find out roughly what ingredients make a particular dish / even just a sauce, or just some light educational reading for when I am bored.
  4. I love touching them – this one sounds weird… but I love holding a brand new cookbook in my hands. The hard cover, the smooth pages, the gloss, the matte, the textures, the beautiful stationary used to make it… the delicious “new book smell”… it just makes me happy, so I buy.
  5. They look pretty on my shelves.
  6. They make me look like I really know what I am doing (with cooking).
  7. They make a great collection.
  8. They are not particularly expensive. Unless it’s a Jamie Oliver book!
So those are some of my absurd reasons for buying and owning so many cookbooks… do you have the same problem? Do you maybe have another addiction with silly reasons behind it? Please share! I need to know I am not crazy… xoxo.
by Kimberly Peterson

Product Talk: Lucky Smart Snax + Product Giveaway!


Disclaimer: This is not a paid sponsored post, my opinions are not bias in any way. This is a Product Talk by Nuffnang and I received these products mentioned below in exchange for a review.
If you are like me, many times throughout the day the munchies attack will cause you to go searching through the pantry and fridge (or if you are at work, your bag and your drawers.. and maybe the office pantry and fridge haha) for a snack. If you are like me, many times you may not be as organised as you should be – ie packing a good supply of healthy snacks to keep you going throughout the day. I am guilty of snacking on all the wrong things most days during the week.

This is why I agreed to review the Lucky Smart Snax range of nut snacking mixes, re-launched in the Dried Fruit and Nut aisle. Snacking on nuts, fruit and seeds are a perfect way to remove any guilt associated with mid-meal snacking, because they are all packed with nutritional goodness and they taste great. Lucky Smart Snax are the smarter way to snack – plus they come in convenient little resealable bags which can easily go in your bag as you head out the door each day.

For me, it is very handy to just keep a few packets in my nappy bag. They are not just great for me, but also for my kids, but mostly for me hehe.

The Lucky Smart Snax range has been extended to include six products:

Lucky Smart Snax Digestive – Oven Roasted Almonds, Peanuts, Hazelnuts, Cranberries, Sunflower Kernels and Pepitas.
A great source of dietary fibre to help maintain a healthy digestive system. I usually snack on these while stuck in traffic jam…

Lucky Smart Snax Recovery – Oven Roasted Almonds, Peanuts, Cashews and Pepitas.
A good source of protein, a vital nutrient that is important for body systems, growth, muscle development and recovery from exercise. I go to Zumba two nights a week, and it is a pretty intense 1-hour session, so having these handy to snack on after each session really helps my body recover from my Zumba sessions!

Lucky Smart Snax Womens – Cashews, Almonds, Brazil Nuts and Walnuts.
Because women need a variety of nutrients to meet the demands of each busy day, this is a source of Vitamin E, iron and good monounsaturated fat, as well as calcium, folate and selenium. All the nutrients you usually find listed in Womens Supplementary Tablets, all the good stuff we need. I find this range perfect to go into any salad I make, especially the almonds and walnuts. Great for snacking while you are on the go.

Lucky Smart Snax Cardio – Almonds, Sultanas, Cranberries and Blueberries.
A delicious mix of natural almonds and berries. Great to snack on during my Zumba days leading up to the session, just to make sure my body is prepared for the intense cardio routine 🙂

Lucky Smart Snax Power – my personal favourite – Oven Roasted Peanuts, Almonds, Walnuts, Hazelnuts and Dark Chocolate.
Did someone say chocolate??? Yes, chocolate is in this mix! Dark chocolate, which happens to be my favourite. Gives a boost of natural energy, a perfect snack to help me power through each day… or chasing around an active toddler and caring for a young baby! The tasks are neverending and the house is always a mess that needs to be tidied up, the grocery runs are endless and the kids always demand your attention, and they always need to be fed, changed, entertained, and we are always going on a million playdates and I am always getting in and out of the car and getting kids and prams in and out of the car all day everyday and without the boost of a supercharged snack (and coffee) I don’t know if I will ever survive and get through my day!

Lucky Smart Snax Low Carb – Brazil Nuts, Peanuts, Pepitas, Almonds and Walnuts.
It is a tasty mix of nuts and seeds that is perfect for people watching their intake of carbohydrates. Nuts and seeds are one of nature’s super snacks and fit perfectly in a balanced diet.

The Lucky Smart Snax range is sold at Coles, Woolworths and independent supermarkets in the Dried Fruit and Nut Aisle (near the sultanas and other Lucky nut baking products). Check out their website for more information.

GIVEAWAY: Want to win a hamper which includes the whole range of Lucky Smart Snax products? All you have to do is comment on this post and tell me

“Which is your favourite Lucky Smart Snax product and why?”

This giveaway is for Australian residents only and the best response winner will be announced and contacted after Cup Day on 5th November 2014. Please don’t forget to include your name and valid email address next to your comment so I can contact you!

Good luck everyone and happy snacking!

by Kimberly Peterson