Cinnamon Stars - a Christmas biscuit/cookie

It's quite cold and grey outside but cozy at home.  Keith the dog is still active as ever but loves to snuggle up in the evening, especially when we have the fire going in the fireplace.  Outside, at this time of year, he really does blend in quite well with nature :-)

Given that Christmas is getting closer and that this time of year always reminds me of home, I have been baking some traditional German Christmas biscuits/cookies: cinnamon stars or "Zimtsterne" as we call these at home.

These biscuits don't have any flour in them whatsoever, so if you have a problem with gluten, they might be a good alternative to other biscuits.  The dough consists mainly of ground almonds with a lovely hint of cinnamon and the topping is like a meringue.  The end result is a biscuit that's crunchy on the outside but still soft in the middle - delcious on a dark winter's afternoon with a cup of tea!

Cinnamon stars - Zimtsterne

Looks good enough to eat...Korean sweet & spicy sauce

When I was a little girl I liked nothing better than sitting on the sofa looking at the pictures in my mum's cookbooks.  I still do it!  I love recipes with photos - it helps me imagine what the dish will taste like if that makes sense. 

Korean sweet & spicy tofu

I often go online and do a recipe search by image - that's exactly what happened a couple of days ago when I needed some inspiration for a tofu dish.  Not being a vegetarian, it's not something I have much experience cooking with and to be honest, I have had tofu that tasted more like a wet sponge than anything else, so I was a bit wary of what I might end up with. 
Well, this recipe for Korean sweet & spicy tofu (continuing yesterday's theme of world foods) was a revelation!  Before you recoil in horror, this would work equally well with chicken, pork or prawns :-)  The tofu was crispy thanks to a coating of cornflour applied before frying, the sauce was sticky, sweet and spicy and I demolished the lot in seconds.  The sauce is probably one of the best I have made - we will have this again soon with chicken and stir-fry vegetables! 

Slow cooking the Mexican way - chicken mole

Keith the dog has been busy helping to put the finishing touches to the new kitchen over the weekend.  Not that he has been that helpful but who can be angry with such a cute bundle of furry enthusiasm? :-)
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I've been meaning to write a post about a recipe I recently tried:

Chicken mole

Mexican chicken mole. 

It's a slow cooked dish with a deep rich sauce ("mole") - we had it with tortilla breads and guacamole and it was absolutely delicious!  As with many recipes there are lots and lots of versions for this dish but this one worked well for us.

What intrigued me when I first started looking at the different recipes was the use of dark chocolate in the sauce - it gave a lovely richness to the dish.  And being a slow cook kind of recipe it practically cooks itself whilst you can get on with other stuff :-)

A nice cup of tea...Masala chai made easy

Oh, I love drinking tea and coffee!  There is just something about starting the day with a hot drink.  And whilst I am trying not to overdo the coffee consumption, a nice cup of tea can't be that bad for you, can it?

Masala chai - a spiced tea

For a while now I have been meaning to make masala chai, a spiced milky Indian tea.  Now, from what I understand this is usually quite sweet but in my recipe I cut down on the sugar since I always have my tea and coffee unsweetened.  It was delicious with all those wonderful flavours of the spices and yet I don't have to fear that my new addiction will cost me my teeth.  Yes, after having had just one cup of the stuff I am already hooked :-)  No doubt families all over India have their own recipes for this and I bet it tastes different in every other household.

If you don't have the time to make this from scratch whenever you fancy a cup, why not put ground spices together with a little dried milk in a jar and when you are ready for your fragrant tea, simply pop a tea bag into a mug, add some of the mix and pour hot water from the kettle on top.  Leave to steep and enjoy - couldn't be easier!

Fragrant food...Malaysian curry

I am discovering a lot of new flavours and foods at the moment.  And the more I eat fresh or freshly prepared meals, the more I crave these.  Putting together different herbs, spices and other ingredients and eating fragrant, flavoursome food at the end of it is just pure joy!  Who would have thought that healthy food can taste so good?

Malaysian curry

I found this Malaysian curry recipe which is bursting with flavour and is really simple to make.  Apart from the lemongrass the ingredients were easily available at my small local supermarket - they did have lemongrass paste which I used instead of the fresh stuff and it worked fine.  Anyway, I hope you will be able to find the ingredients easily because this dish is just so well worth making!

I love how versatile it is - I had the curry with tofu but you can use chicken, prawns, just vegetables...your choice!  And instead of rice, noodles would also be great.  Oh, and why not make double the spice paste and freeze half of it in an ice cube tray for another day?  That way you can serve up a yummy and healthy meal in no time.

Have a lovely, healthy weekend!

PS:  I had lots more sauce than the picture shows :-)

Mexican wave...

Do you love Mexican food?  I simply adore it...or at least the stuff that is served over here under that name.  Unfortunately, I have never been to Mexico but I imagine that it would be an amazing trip with lots of brilliant foods to try in different regions of the country.  Whenever I watch a cookery programme and it features Mexican food, I am sure I can taste it just watching it, so one day we are going to have to visit!  And until that dream trip becomes reality, I am just going to have to cook my own take on Mexican food.

I promised you another recipe and here it is: a fajita bake...corn tortillas stuffed with vegetables and chicken in a spicy sauce (or not so spicy, depending on how you like it) with a crunchy topping...how does that sound?  Some guacamole (or my version of it) on the side and cooling yoghurt (or sour cream) on top, this makes a great meal for during the week or would also work as an informal dinner for friends. And if you need to turn it vegetarian. it couldn't be easier!

Please click below to find out how to make this - I hope I have whet your appetite...