DATE & GINGER COOKIES

Cookies are a great accompaniment to your coffee or tea. They come in various flavors and shapes. I whipped up these this afternoon using chopped dates.

These proved popular with my guest and family. Loved this recipe, so quick and easy also very low in fat too. It was a definite winner with spicy flavor from ground ginger.

They are wonderful just as it is but you can dress them up with colored sugar or sprinkles if you want.

DATE & GINGER COOKIES
Yield  :   25 cookies

1/2 cup self rising flour
3/4 cup all purpose flour
65g butter
1/4 cup chopped dates
1/4 cup water
1/4 cup brown sugar
1 tsp ground ginger

METHOD

In a small saucepan, boil butter, water and dates. Cool until lukewarm.

Combine flour, ground ginger and sugar in a mixing bowl.

Pour butter mixture into dry ingredients, forms into soft dough.

Pinch dough and shape into small balls, flatten slightly or roll out dough on floured surface about 1/4 in thick, cut into shapes, dipping the cutter into flour as you go.  Place  cookies  onto baking sheet.

Bake for 15-20 minutes @ 160C. Transfer onto rack to cool.

CAULIFLOWER STIR FRY

Stir fry is an easy way to bring out the flavor of the vegetables and it is a healthy way to eat them. I realized that you can stir fry pretty much any vegetable, carrot, spinach, potato, french bean, long bean and many more with the same method with fantastic result/

CAULIFLOWER STIR FRY
Servings   :    3

300g cauliflower cut into small florets
1 carrot sliced
1 onion chopped
2 red chili sliced
1 tsp mustard seeds
1 sprig curry leaves
2 tablespoons oil
1/4 tsp turmeric powder
salt to taste

DATE BUNDT CAKE (EGGLESS)

This is the best Date Bundt Cake I've ever baked. My family was super impressed.  It  really has a great consistency and smells wonderful while baking..

This cake slices nicely and looks so appetizing served on pretty plate.  Would make a great dessert for dinner party or picnic.

DATE BUNDT CAKE (EGGLESS)
Yield   :    10-14 servings

1.5 C all purpose flour
3/4 C brown sugar
1 C water
60g  butter
1 tsp baking soda
1 C chopped dates
1 tsp mixed spice

METHOD

Place water, butter and dates in a pan.

Heat the mixture until butter melt, slightly simmer for 1-2 minutes.

Add in baking soda and mixed spice, stir well. Preheat oven @ 180C, grease 7 in bundt pan.

While still warm. mix in flour and sugar, combine until well incorporated.

Pour the batter into prepared pan and bake for 30-40 minutes or until a skewer inserted comes out clean.

Let sit in the pan for 10 minutes, transfer onto rack to cool.

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STUFFED BREAD

The idea for stuffed bread was inspired by the bread we had at the nearby bakeries. A little stuffed bread is exactly what I want as a snack in the afternoon.

I love to re-create a bread recipe with different toppings or add on.  Bread baking is a satisfying and challenging project I truly enjoy.

For this recipe, the filling is sandwiched  in between the dough.   The filling will be different everyday, based on what's in season and its availability in our pantry. The possibilities  are endless. You can even make half the bread savory and the other half sweet.


STUFFED  BREAD
Serves     :    3-4

2 cups all purpose flour
1  tablespoons sugar
1.5 tsp instant yeast
1/4 cup melted butter
1/2 cup + 1 tablespoon warm milk
1 medium banana mashed
1/2 tsp salt

FILLING
4 medium banana sliced
2 tablespoons brown sugar
2 tablespoon all purpose flour
1/4 tsp salt

METHOD

Place flour, salt, yeast and sugar in a mixing bowl.

Combine milk, butter and banana, add this mixture to the flour and forms into soft dough.

Place the dough  onto floured board, knead by hand for 10 minutes.

Transfer onto oiled and  covered bowl, let rise into double for 1-1.5 hours.

Combine all ingredients for filling.

Punch dough down, divide dough into 4 equal balls.

Roll   these out one at a time   into 7 in  round about 1/4 in thick on floured work surface, transfer onto baking sheet.

Divide the filling into two,  place one portion into  the middle of  round dough.

Cover the filling with another disc, using your thumb and fingers, press the two pieces of dough firmly together. Press the edges with fork, prick a couple of holes in the bread.  Repeat the same with the other set of dough. Let sit for 30 minutes. Towards the end of rising time, preheat oven @ 180C.

Brush the top with milk, bake until golden brown for 20 minutes. Transfer onto rack to cool.

Linking to  Yeastspotting 4-20-12  

OAT CRUNCH COOKIES EGGLESS

 Treat your family with this classic favorite that are easy and whole grain seekers will appreciate, the rolled oats. This is the most requested oat cookies I've ever made. Using rolled oat and breakfast cereal or only rolled oat, these are great to work with. They hold their shape well while baking, not much spreading at all.

They are wonderful. These cookies came out just crisp enough to be absolutely delicious. Not too soft, not too crisp. Will be keeping this recipe for my future cravings of crunchy cookies!

OAT CRUNCH COOKIES EGGLESS
Yield     :     20-22 cookies

50g rolled oat
50g breakfast cereal
100g all purpose flour
100g butter melted
80g fine sugar
1/4 tsp baking powder
1-2 tablespoons milk

METHOD

Combine flour and baking powder in a mixing bowl.

Add in rolled oat and breakfast cereal.

Beat melted butter, milk  with fine sugar until well blended.

Add butter mixture into dry ingredients, mix until well incorporated.

Shape into small balls, flatten slightly, transfer  cookies onto ungreased baking sheet.

Bake for 15-20 minutes @ 160C until  crisp, let cool in the pan for 5 minutes.

Transfer onto  rack to cool. Store tightly covered.

CHUNKY TOMATO SOUP

Nothing beats slurping up a bowl of warm tomato soup that is super easy to prepare from your own kitchen.  It tastes so much better than the store bought versions.  Transform this soup with a little twist by adding some of your favorite herbs or spices. Try making it thick or thin, chunky or smooth, the way you love them  most.

My method involves  a quick and much easier way  eliminating the blending process but this is a personal choice. I prefer my soup in its original state, love to bite into a chunky bit of tomato in them.

Have added  some chili powder for extra hotness also for  its  beautiful color. This can easily be replaced with freshly ground black pepper if the chili powder isn't available in your kitchen.

CHUNKY TOMATO SOUP
Serves    :    4

6 medium tomato chopped
2 medium onion chopped
2 cloves garlic minced
2  tablespoons oil
2 tablespoons tomato paste
salt and sugar to taste
1/2 tsp chili powder (optional)
4 cups vegetable stock/water
cilantro for garnish

METHOD

Heat the oil in a deep pot. Saute onion and garlic until fragrant.

Add in chopped tomato and salt, cook until tomato turns soft.

Now add the tomato paste and chili powder, cook for a minute.

Add the stock, bring to boil and simmer for 5 minutes.

Remove from heat, season with sugar and extra salt if needed. Garnish with cilantro at the time of serving.

FOODBUZZ TOP 9 - BRAIDED APPLE BREAD

Today's Top 9: April 05, 2012
The best of 7,144 posts from the Foodbuzz Community, as chosen by our editors and users. Browse all 9 »

Hi everyone,

My post  Braided Apple Bread  made it to the Foodbuzz Top 9 on  April 5, 2012.

Thanks so much for buzzing and voting my post,  without your support this will never happen.

Have a wonderful break!

Cheers

BRAIDED APPLE BREAD

This braided  bread looks insanely good yet  really easy to make.  You can use any sweet dough  or dinner rolls recipe for making this braided bread.  It can be shaped according to your preference but most common shape is simply an oblong loaf.  They can also be knotted or twisted into complex shapes.

The dough used in braided breads vary. Some are rich with eggs or butter and they may be brushed with egg for a glossy finish.  They can also be mixed with raisin, nuts, dried fruit or spices for added flavor.

Feel free to choose your own  filling by substituting with your favorite jam or preserves. The stuffing can be made  either sweet or savory too. Before adding more brown sugar to the apples, have a bite to see whether you need extra dose of sweetness, it all depend on apple you'd use.


BRAIDED APPLE BREAD
Yield   :     2 loaves

2 cups all purpose flour
1 tablespoon sugar
1/2 tsp salt
1.5 tsp instant yeast
2  tablespoon melted butter
2/3 cup warm milk

FILLING

3 medium apples peeled and thinly sliced
3 tablespoons brown sugar or to taste
2 tablespoons all purpose flour
2 tsp lemon juice
1 tsp ground cinnamon

METHOD

Place flour, sugar and  instant yeast  in a mixing bowl.

Combine milk, melted butter and salt, stir until well incorporated.

Gradually add milk mixture to the dry ingredients and forms into a soft dough.

Transfer onto floured board, knead by hand for 8 minutes until smooth.

Place dough into oiled and covered bowl, let rise until doubled for 1-1.5 hours.

While the dough is rising, prepare the filling. Combine all ingredients in a small bowl. Reserve the filling until ready to fill the braids.

Punch  down  dough, divide into 2 balls. On floured board, roll each ball into rectangle about  1 cm  thick , keep the the other half  covered.

Spread the filling in the center of the dough, leaving 1.5 in  free on all the sides of the dough. Using pizza cutter, cut 1 in strips along the sides , making sure both sides have same number of strips.

Beginning on the left, lift the strip across the filling diagonally. Repeat the same with other side of the dough so that  the 2 strips crisscross each other to form into a loaf.

Repeat the rolling, filling and braiding steps for the  second  piece. Rest the dough covered for 45 minutes.

Preheat oven @ 190C, bake the loaves for 15-20 minutes until golden brown. Immediately brush them with melted butter after removing from the oven.

Leave to cool on the rack for 15 minutes before serving.

Linking to Iron Chef Mom 1 - Apples

Linking to  Yeastspotting 4-6-12