Carrot Cake (scroll down for GF version)

Dark, rich with goodies, walnuts, raisins, carrots. Dense and soft to the taste. 

Careful!  Not to make this too sweet. 
Very very good.

Ingredients
1/2 cup vegetable oil
1/4 cup (packed) dark brown sugar
1/4 cup sugar
2 large eggs
1/3 cup orange juice
1 tablespoon orange zest
1/2 cup plain flour
1/2 cup GF flour
1 teaspoons baking soda
1/2 teaspoon baking powder
1/2teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon ground ginger
1/4 teaspoon ground nutmeg
1/4 teaspoon salt
1.5 cups finely grated peeled carrots
1/2 cup of Walnuts
1/3 cups of raisins

• Mix all the wet ingredients:
• Oil, egg yolks, orange juice, zest, sugars,

• Dry ingredients: flours, Baking soda, Baking powder, ginger, nutmeg, cinnamon, salt, walnuts, grated finely carrots, raisins

• Whisk the egg whites to soft peaks.
• Whisk the wet ingredients together.

(I forgot to include the yolks here!) still came out tasty :)

• Stir dry ingredients, slowly add to the wet ingredients. 
• Mix. 

• Fold in the egg whites.
• Place in greased or lined pan in pre-heated oven 160oC for 50 mins or till brown and done. 
• To check slide a skewer or toothpick in the middle. 
• If it comes out clean.  It's ready. 
• Take out of oven and let to cool before adding frosting/topping of choice.

American frosting:
This frosting sets quickly when mixed.

225g caster sugar
4 tablespoon of water
1/2 cream of tartar
1 egg white only

Boil sugar and water together slowly.  No need to stir.
Blend cream of tartar with a teaspoon of water.  Add to sugar syrup.
Bring to boil without stirring till it reaches "soft ball" stage (see below)
Carefully pour into the already whisked egg white.  Stir.
Over cooled carrot cake.


Soft ball:  One drop of hot syrup in cold water forms a soft ball

Source recipe:
Thanks Laura!  It really is the best!
https://lauracowan.blogspot.com/search?q=cake



Gluten free!
Substitute plain flour with coconut flour.

Pickles!! Okra

Nothing beats the crunchy spicy bite of a homemade pickle okra

Just use what you already have in the kitchen.  I had chili flakes (I always have chili flakes)
black mustard seeds, coriander seeds, all spice, sliced or crushed fresh garlic, bay leaves and super hot Thai chilis.

1.  Place fresh  okras in jar, tightly packed.  They loosen up as they start to pickle.
2.  Add spices you have in hand ie: mustard seeds, black pepper seeds, lemon zest,  

     black mustard  

     seeds, coriander seeds, allspice, sliced or crushed fresh garlic, bay leaves, chilis

3.  Dissolve 1tsp of salt in 1/2 cup of hot water.  Leave to dissolve.
     Then fill with cold water to top of cup.
4.  Pour cold salty water in to the okra jar till 3/4 full.
5.  Top with vinegar to make a ratio of 3/4 salty water and 1/4 vinegar.
6.  Close tightly lid and leave to pickle.

The water will start to get cloudy and the okras will change from a bright green to a dull khaki colour.
They should be ready to eat after a week (depending on the climate)
If you want to slow the process.  Often I open a jar and want to eat the other jars for later, I just put them in the fridge for later. Easy peasy.

• Benefits:
  Potassium, vitamin B, C, folic acid, calcium
  Low in calories, high in fibre. 
• Contains beneficial antioxidants. Okra packs many antioxidants that benefit your health. ...
• May lower heart disease risk. ...
• May have anticancer properties. ...
• May lower blood sugar. ...
• Beneficial for pregnant women. ...

Okras, and baby cucumbers are being pickled simultaneously.

Pickle party!

Crunchy heaven!

Asian Market - Soups and exotic veggies

Bags of chopped fresh veggies ready for soup making!

Gorgeous greens!!

Just look at those green/purple onions roots!

Beautiful tiny spiky acidic baby limes

?? What are these?!

 Rice flour - nice price

 Tapioca

Indian shop

Fish 120 nis for 6 fishes - Dennis
Mussels 40 nis per bag (2 bags here)

White wine
Garlic
Onions
Salt
Pepper
Coriander leaves
Butter

Yum!!

 Indian Shop outside central bus station TLV

5 nis per bag of spice

Indian spice shop

Outside the central bus station - TLV

Spices 5 nis a bag

Gluten Free flour on-the-go

My go-to GF flour mix. 
I AlWAYS have a big bag of this in the fridge ready to go

Flour mix:

3 cups if Sorghum flour (I've used  oat flour (blended oats) instead of Sorghum - worked fine)
3 cups White Rice flour
3 cups Topica flour
3 cups glutinous rice flour (original recipe with sweet rice)
3 Tbps of Xanthan gum

I always have a big bag prepared all ready to go.

Apple Strudel

And then there was Strudel.....

Filling
Apples (I like tarty - of-course)
Cinnamon
Raisins (with my soaked raisins in brandy of 25 years)
Walnuts
Lemon if  you like on the apples to stop them from browning.  But honestly if you work fast and this is such a simple quick recipe you probably won't need the lemon juice.
Good mix with hands or spoon, coating of everything over everything.

Wrap in store bought phyllo sheets, I used 2 or 3 sheets only, ideally with butter brushed between each sheet.

Bake in 180oC for 30 mins or till crispy brown.
Take out of oven.
Cool slightly (if too hot the icing sugar and cream will not "behave" and just melt un-deliciously)

Serve with icing sugar and whipped cream (and any excess apple/raisins/cinnamon juice filling) pour over

Bake at 180  oC on middle shelf.
Till brown


Cool slightly,  before sprinkling generously icing sugar

Ready to serve

Yummy, afternoon tea.

Dollop of whipped cream. Evening sunset.  Cuppa tea...

Thank-you Life.

Note:  I LOVE store bought phyllo.  Yes, it is not like home made phyllo and for the same reason I don not make puff pastry - I can but choose not to.  Because...I have a life that is full on most of the time and a full family of kids and kids friends and spouse and more friends.  Open house and not plans who ever is around is welcome, so freezer is stocked ALWAYS for the unexpected but very welcomed guests.  Embracing the unknown both explores all boundaries, as well as discovering new challenges, triumphs and spectacular failures! 
If not with families and friends then who with?
Long live dessert!  ...especially Apple strudel ;)

Brisket

My first brisket

Brisket no# 5 -
Tastes as good as looks. Wrong. Even better!

Cold cuts rules OK!

source recipe:
Brisket recipe: this was a new recipe for me:
3 onions chopped large
1/4 sherry or wine vinegar
1/4 cup Silan / brown sugar / honey
6 cloves garlic
1 tablespoon coarse black pepper
salt for taste
2 cups water Stock (optional)

preheat oven to 150c
place onions on the bottom of pan, then brisket on top of onions
mix the remainder of ingredients and pour over brisket
cover with baking paper then seal with aluminum foil
cook for 2.5 hours. I added another 2.5 hours as the brisket was not even close to being done after 2.5hours. I could have just added 1.5 though

after brisket is done, broil uncovered for 5-10 minutes at 200c, to crisp the surface.

for gravy, pour liquids from pan into a saucepan
add 1/2 cup water
2 tablespoons flour
bring to boil

pour gravy over meat when serving (I am lazier than that so just poured it into the pan with the meat now)

Ramen soup

Fast, hot, super tasty with a fiery zing!

Scones GF2

3 cups (420 g)  GF flour
1/3 cup (48 g) cornstarch
1 tablespoon baking powder
1/4 teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon kosher salt
8 tablespoons (112 g) unsalted butter, diced and chilled
6 ounces cream cheese, chilled
Optional - cheese, herbs, mustard
1 1/4 cups goat yoghurt with lemon juice
Brush tops with egg for golden brown


Mix flour, cornstarch, BP, BSoda, Salt,
Crumble in cold butter
add cream cheese
add Yoghurt mix
Pat to 1 inch height
cut and bake in  pre baked 210c oven till brown

Original Recipe

Day1

Day 1: Low Fodmap diet and no nightshade diet

Quinoa
Turkish spinach
Snow peas
Yam

Munchies
Home made granola bars
Oats, cranberries, walnuts, treacle, sunflower seeds, pumpkin seeds, dates, almonds

Attempt to reduce bloating, gas and inflammation to the joints.
What foods can not only reduce inflammation but also enhances movement?

Gluten free bread - Revisted

 Gluten-free bread, that NO ONE will notice it's GF

Ok, tips and tricks from ingredients to accelerating the rising to get these babies faster in our mouths!

This recipe I made my own.  After making it so many time and tweaking to perfection, it comes out EVERYTIME.  Love the smell of fresh bread in the house again!

I always have a big bag of GF flour mix all ready to go. Call me old fashion, I like to mix my own bag of GF flour

Flour mix:

3 cups oat meal (ground regular rolled oats)
3 cups White Rice flour
3 cups Topica flour
3 cups glutinous rice flour 
3 Tbps of Xanthan gum

Note: I've used 6 cups of rice flour only, or 6 cups of glutinous rice flour only, whatever I had (when I don't have a mixture)



Bread Recipe

2  1/2 cup of GF flour
1  1/4 cup  soy milk
25 gr (1 cube)  (I prefer to use fresh cubes and test it's still active)
2 tbps sugar to yeast for fermenting
2 tbps of olive oil
2  Eggs
1 tsp Vinegar
1  1/2 tsp Xanthan Gum
1 cup Flax
1 tsp Salt
Walnuts/Craberries optional

Pre-heat oven 250c

Dry Flour Mix:
Add freshly ground Flax, Xanthan gum , GF flour, Salt

Yeast Mix:2 tbps of water.

Add Yeast.
Add 2 tbps of sugar
Stir well. Leave to ferment.
Tip: place in boiling water bain marie to speed up fermentation

Dry ingredients:

GF Flour
Add freshly ground flax seeds, Xanthan Gum, salt,
Mix slightly.
Add Eggs,
Add Vinegar,
Add Olive oil
Soy milk
Mix knead well with hooks.
GF bread is stickier than regular bread and can only be kneaded with hooks.

Then add walnuts/cranberries/ your choice: ie. dried Tomatoes, Olives etc.,  at this stage.
Incorporate well into the dough.



TIP:
I place the loaves to rise in a bain maire filled with boiling water.
Takes about an hour to rise to a glorious crown height.



The oven should be hot now.
Line loaf tin.  I always make two at a time.
Place bread on the middle shelf.
Continue baking at same temperature.   Check after 10 mins if the top has brown enough.
Cover with aluminium foil to protect and continue baking till done.  (Done = tap on bread all sides for hollow sound)


*Note Yeast:  use a big enough bowl to allow yeast to grow and not overspill.
Watch carefully for it to ferment.  It could foam very fast.
(Trick: Bain Maire it in boiling water from the kettle to accelerate the fermenting)
Once proofed the yeast is working quickly

Tip:
To speed up the rising I rest the bread tin in a tray of boiling water.
This really hastens the rising time dramatically, especially in the winter.

This GF bread comes out every time and I've made it SOOO many times.  It comes out moist and best cut thinly when cold.
Dust with "flour" for a professional amazing look!

 They always rise like crazy.  Here dusted with quinoa and oats

 Spread with mayo, avocado and cured fish

 So nice to have the smell of fresh bread in the house again. Gluten Free! WoooHooo!

 Laced with cranberries

Zarter GF Bread

 My classic walnut, never tire from this

Nor Cranberries