Mushroom and Chickpea Curry

Mushroom and Chickpea Curry

Preparation time: 15 min
Cooking time: 20 min

1 tablespoon canola oil
1 onion, chopped
1 clove garlic, crushed
250 gram mushrooms, cleaned and sliced
2 tablespoons of curry paste
2 tablespoons of tomato paste
1 can chickpeas, drained
1 can coconut milk

Heat the oil in a saucepan and gently fry the onion and garlic for about 5 minutes. Once soft, add the mushrooms and fry another 3 minutes. Then add all other ingredients and simmer for 20 minutes. Do not boil, just gentle heat!


Rice
Put 1 cup of rice and 2 cups of water in saucepan and heat. Once boiling, reduce heat and gently simmer for 20 minutes.

Handy Hints

• You can substitute 1 stock cube and 400 ml of water for the coconut milk
• Add other vegetables and pulses to the curry depending what you like and what is in the fridge, e.g. carrots, courgettes, peas, red kidney beans

Carrot Cake

Carrot Cake

Preparation time: 20 min
Baking Time: 90 min

1 cup Canola Oil
11/3 cups brown sugar
3 eggs
3 cups coarsely grated carrot ( about 3 medium carrots)
1 cup chopped walnuts
1/2 cup raisins
21/2 cups self raising flour
1/2 teaspoon bicarbonate of soda
2 teaspoons mixed spice
1 teaspoon cinnamon


Heat oven to 180C. Grease a 15cm x 25cm loaf pan and line with baking paper. Beat oil, sugar and eggs with electric mixer until thick and creamy.

Stir in carrots, nuts and raisins, then sifted dry ingredients.
Pour mixture into prepared pan,  and bake for 45 min. Then cover loosely with foil and bake another 40 minutes. Check with wooden skewer whether it is cooked. If still moist, cook a little longer.
After 5 minutes transfer onto wire rack to cool.


Cream Cheese Frosting

30 g butter

80 g cream cheese

1 teaspoon greated lemon rind

1 tablespoon lemon juice

11/2 cups icing sugar

Beat all ingredients except icing sugar until light and fluffy. Then beat icing sugar in gradually.
I always put the frosting in the fridge before I use it to make it more spreadable.

Of course you can omit the frosting to keep it more healthy.

Top cool cake with frosting and enjoy!

Kids could not wait to eat it, hence the frosting was runny because it was still warm!

Apple Crumble Recipe

Apple crumble

Preparation time: 20 min
Baking time: 1 hour

About 1kg green apples ( green apples are best for baking)

¼ cup Lemon Juice ( stops the apples from browning and adds Vit C)

½  cup white sugar

½ cup brown sugar

½ teaspoon nutmeg

1 teaspoon cinnamon

¼ teaspoon salt

¾ cup flour

½ cup butter, cold and cut into small pieces

Heat oven to 180 C.

Peel apples and cut into fine slices. Arrange them in a large, flat, buttered casserole dish and cover with lemon juice.

Mix together all other dry ingredients and work the butter with your fingers into the dry ingredients until it  resembles breadcrumbs.

Put in oven, covered with aluminium foil for 30 minutes, then bake another 30 minutes without foil.