Sriracha Chicken Salad with Grilled Pineapple

Every now and then I turn to Pinterest for meal inspiration. I pin anything that catches my eye - with every best intention to try out the recipes. But more often than not, I find I don't ever try them at all. So they just sit deliciously in a food filled folder online, untasted, and unloved.

I decided to change things up and actually try one of the hundreds of recipes I had saved. I had found a recipe for Sriracha Chicken Salad and thought - YES. I got out the ingredients I thought I would need, set up my ipad, clicked on the link, and then...

"THERE'S NOTHING HERE". That is literally what it said.

So plan B - I winged it. And here is the resulting recipe for you, so that you do not need to look in dismay at your blank screen when you are really hungry and just want chicken (I've got your back).

Ingredients:
(Serves 4)

For the chicken:
3 chicken breast
1 cup whole egg mayonnaise
Sriracha sauce (to taste)
Bread crumbs (can substitute with almond flour)

1/2 tsp ground coriander 

1/2 tsp oregano

Salt and Pepper (a good pinch of each)
A good pinch of paprika
Grated cheese (optional)

For the salad:
1 large iceberg lettuce, roughly sliced/chopped
4 tomatoes, chopped
1 red onion, chopped
1 cucumber, chopped
1 tin pineapple rings (or use fresh)

Preheat oven to 180C (fan bake) and grease a baking tray.

To prepare the grilled pineapple, simply drain the pineapple slices, before frying for a few minutes each side in a hot pan until they look golden and fabulous.
To prepare the salad, simply combine all the ingredients when chopped and plate with the grilled pineapple.

Prepare the chicken by patting it dry with a paper towel. Set aside.
In a bowl, combine the mayonnaise, herbs, spices, and sriracha (start with 1/2 a tsp sriracha and build up to taste).
In another bowl, combine the bread crumbs with the salt and pepper.
Evenly coat the prepared chicken in the mayonnaise mixture, before coating in breadcrumbs and laying on your baking tray. Top with a little grated cheese halfway through cooking if you please.
Bake for 25 minutes, or until the outside is golden, and juices run clear.
Slice into pieces and plate next to your salad.

Feel free to add more sriracha on the side if you like spice!

Pea, Coconut, and Mint Soup

When a lighter dinner is desired, this  refreshing soup is tasty and satisfying. The peas, mint, and baby spinach give the soup a delicate colour. While the coconut cream keeps me thinking of warmer weather. The soup is beautiful served hot or chilled.

Ingredients:

2 medium onions, chopped

1 tbsp minced garlic

2 cups baby peas

A handful of fresh mint leaves

6 cups water

2 stock cubes

400 ml coconut cream

2 large handfuls baby spinach

Salt and pepper to season

In a medium pot sauté the onions and garlic together on a low heat until the onions are translucent. 

Add the peas, mint, water, and stock cubes and bring to the boil.

Let the soup simmer for 5 minutes before turning off the heat.

Add the coconut cream and baby spinach.

Using a hand blender, blend the soup until smooth (no hand blender? Cool the mixture and blend it in a food processor or blender instead).

Season with salt and pepper to taste.

Gingerbread Loaf

Gingerbread loaf is one of my all time favorite baked goods. It is moist and dense and festive and awesome.

This Gingerbread Loaf is a little different - it is full of body friendly ingredients, perfect for those of you in particular who are gluten, dairy, grain, or refined sugar free.
And it is super easy to make!
Need I say more?

Gingerbread Loaf:
(makes one large loaf)

3 c ground nut flour (I used almond)
2 tsp ground ginger
1 tsp ground cinnamon
1 tsp ground nutmeg
1 tsp ground mixed spice
1 + 1/2 tsp baking soda
1 + 1/2 c pitted dates, pre-soaked
7 eggs
1 + 1/2 tbsp apple cider vinegar

Preheat oven to 180C (fan bake).

Mix the dry ingredients together in a large bowl.
In a food processor, combine the dates, eggs, and apple cider vinegar - blending until just smooth.
Add the wet ingredients to the dry ingredients and mix until well combined.
Pour into a lined loaf tin and bake for 40 minutes, or until a skewer comes out clean.

Serve warm (maybe with a little sneaky butter spread on top...)

Gingerbread Coffee Syrup

I have been a very dedicated and long standing fan girl of Starbucks' Gingerbread Latte.
Every year as November approaches I make sure to keep an eye out for their Christmas coffees to become available. One year I even asked for the release date, so that I could be there the day they came out. And I checked at the other store across town. What a loser.

But if being in love with a coffee that tastes like a mug full of Christmas is lame, then I'm the lamest, and I frankly do not care.

The downside to this love affair is the expense however. So the time has come for me to end the relationship and betray Starbucks, and create my own homemade Gingerbread Coffee Syrup.

This syrup is simple to make, and makes a festive addition to your coffee, chai tea, or hot chocolate. Enjoy!

Ingredients:
(makes approximately 500 ml of syrup)

2 c water
3/4 c white sugar
3/4 c brown sugar
2 + 1/2 tsp ground ginger
1/2 tsp ground cinnamon
1 thumb size piece of fresh ginger thinly sliced

Combine all ingredients in a saucepan and simmer for 15 minutes, stirring regularly.
Strain and pour into a sterilized bottle.
Leave to cool before storing in the fridge.

Filled Apples

Sometimes when we crave something sweet it takes everything in us not to succumb to the raging BUY THE CHOCOLATE NOW craving inside us. Sometimes we have just enough fight left to squash that crazy voice and instead choose to make something nourishing for ourselves.
But if you are like me, it will need to be simple and relatively quick, so that my chances of winning the inner battle are more likely.

I give to you my recipe for Filled Apples.
Inspired by a past flatmate who often sought to find something delicious and healthier for dessert, and my affinity love for tart apples.
Stuffed with almonds, pistachios, cinnamon, and apricots; filled apples are comforting and ideal for satisfying that sweet tooth of yours.
Serve them warm at either end of the day.


Ingredients:
(Makes 1 filled apple)

1 tart apple, cored (we used Granny Smiths)
A small mixed handful of toasted almonds, pistachios, walnuts and chopped dried apricot.
Pinch of cinnamon
1 tsp brown sugar


Place your apple in a microwave proof bowl.
Mix the remaining ingredients and stuff into the apple, making sure to pack the mixture down as you go.
Microwave uncovered on high for 5-7 minutes or until the apple is tender.

Pumpkin Pie with Salted Almond Crust

The humble pumpkin pie can do wonders for ones comfort levels. I think it is a combination of the smooth texture of the filling, with the smell of rich spices, and the satisfying crunch of the crust that somehow calms one's mood. When the day has been long, I recommend cutting yourself a slice of this pie, grabbing a good book, and cuddling up on the couch.

The crust for this pie is paleo friendly and a little on the savoury side - the perfect contrast to the sweetness of the pumpkin filling.

(Makes 1 large pie)

Ingredients:

For the crust:
3 C almond flour
2-3 tbsp coconut oil
1 egg
1/4 tsp salt

For the filling:
1/4 small pumpkin
Oil
1 tsp ground nutmeg
2 tsp cinnamon
2 eggs
1 C coconut cream
1/2 C brown sugar
1 tsp vanilla

Preheat the oven to 180C (Fan bake).

Skin the pumpkin and chop into small pieces. Add the pumpkin, spices, and a little oil to a bowl and toss until the pumpkin is evenly coated. Spread evenly on a baking tray and bake until the pumpkin is tender (round 15-20 minutes). Set aside to cool.

To prepare the pie crust, first grease or line a pie dish. Combine all the crust ingredients in a bowl and mix until well combined. Press the crust evenly around the pie dish by hand. There is no need to blind bake this crust (hooray!).

To a food processor add the eggs, coconut cream, brown sugar, vanilla, and pumpkin. Whizz until smooth and pour into the prepared pie crust.

Bake the pie for 25 minutes, or until the center is firm (to test this give the pie a little jiggle, remember: jiggle not wobble). Leave to cool before removing from the pie dish.
This pie is delightful on it's own, but does enjoy the company of a scoop of vanilla ice cream.
Enjoy!

Roasted Vegetable Salad

Our house recently went through a meat and carb dinner phase due to feeling quite uninspired and lacking in energy when it came to dinner time. We have all been there am I right?

So to break our funk, I decided a good hearty vegetable based meal was in order.
Roasted Vegetable Salad has been on our meal rotation for many years now, and it never fails in it's simplicity and tastiness.

You can change out the vegetables as you please, I usually use a mixture of any of the following that I have on hand; beetroot, kumara, carrots, onions, potatoes, pumpkin, garlic or parsnip. Brussel sprouts, broccoli, capsicums, and tomatoes are also delicious - just add them in halfway through your cooking time.

Ingredients:

2 large beetroot
2 large kumara
4 large carrots
2 medium onions
1 tbsp garlic paste
oil for tossing
salt and pepper
30g feta cheese
2 sprigs of spring onions
2 good handfuls of baby spinach

Preheat your oven to 180C (fan bake).
Chop up your veges, keeping them all around about the same size (for even cooking times). You can decide what size the pieces are, I usually aim for bite sized.
Put all your vegetables into a generous size roasting pan.
Coat the vegetables in the garlic and a little oil, then sprinkle with a healthy pinch of salt and pepper.
Roast for 20 minutes, before turning them and roasting for a further 30 minutes, or to your liking.
Roughly crumble the feat cheese and finely chop the spring onions.
When the vegetables are ready, top with the feta, spring onions, and baby spinach and toss gently.
Serve while still warm - easy.

Ugandan Ginger Tea

When I was living in Uganda one of the most comforting recipes I learnt to make was a simple ginger tea. Sometimes this is termed 'chai' or 'milk tea' - and it is great for aiding digestion and adding some calm to your day.

Ingredients:
(per cup)

1 cup milk (fine to use your preferred non-dairy choice)
1-2 tbsp roughly chopped fresh ginger

Combine the milk and ginger in a saucepan and simmer for 5-10 minutes. The longer you simmer the stronger the ginger flavour.
Strain and pour into your favourite mug.
Boom.

Nordic Nut Bread

This wholesome bread is sometimes nicknamed 'stone age bread' as it is very similar to traditional rye pumpernickel bread, which is made mainly from very coarsely ground rye. Nordic Nut Bread is mainly made up of nuts and seeds, with eggs to bind, and a little apple for sweetness. A lively addition to your lunchbox with beautiful texture (I mean just look at that cross section!!).
And just between you and I, it is divine toasted.


Ingredients:
(Makes 1 medium sized loaf)

100g Sunflower seeds
100g Pumpkin seeds
100g Almond meal
100g Walnuts
100g Sesame seeds
100g Poppy seeds
100g Dried apple, chopped
70g Hazelnuts
30g Brazil nuts, chopped
Good pinch of salt
5 eggs
1/4 cup coconut oil, melted


Combine all ingredients together in a bowl and mix thoroughly until no whole egg parts remain.
Pour into a greased or lined loaf tin and bake at 160C for 60 minutes.
Let the loaf cool in the tin completely before removing (patience is paramount here!)
To serve I recommend slicing it thin, and accompanying it with your favourite cheese or spread.

Almond and Sunflower Seed Crackers

These delicious wholesome crackers are a great protein packed snack, and are so simple to make that you likely won't have any excuses left to continue buying packaged crackers.

Ingredients:

1 cup sunflower seeds (*Pre-soaked: see note)
1 cup almond flour
a decent pinch of your favourite fresh or dried herbs
salt and pepper

*Pre-soaking note: Pour the sunflower seeds into a bowl and cover with water. Cover and leave to soak for a minimum of 1 hour (I usually prep mine the night before and leave on the bench overnight).

Preheat your oven to 150C (fan bake), and line a tray with baking paper.

Rinse the sunflower seeds and strain before adding them to a food processor.
Add all the other ingredients and pulse until the mixture is well combined and start to form a sticky 'dough'.
Taking teaspoon size scoops of the mixture, form a ball shape and flatten out on the prepared tray. You want to aim for a 2mm (ish) thickness.
Sprinkle a little more salt on top if you wish.
Bake the crackers for around 30-45 minutes, or until they are just starting to turn golden and feel dried out when pressed.
Leave to cool completely before removing from the tray and eating gleefully.

Doughnut Diaries: Fail-nuts

When I wrote my introduction post a few weeks back I mentioned two things; that I love doughnuts and hope to find the holy grail of recipes (for both cake and yeast based doughnuts), and that I would share my fails with you.

So today I humbly invite you to share and giggle through some experimentation I attempted on my quest to doughnut glory.

Often I set out to bake with plenty of confidence. Baking is something I have always enjoyed, and have been rather successful in. So a weekend or two ago, as I set out to bake as per usual, spatula in hand like I was about to conquer some great floury feat, I had no idea of the slice of humble pie I was about to be served.

Lets be frank here, sometimes what starts out as a friendly cake doughnut recipe, actually rapidly evolves in to what I shall now term 'Fail Nuts'.
And we are talking so many fail nuts. Serial fail nuts all over my kitchen. On every surface.
This is what happens sometimes when you get cocky and push the recipe too far.

I had managed to create my near perfect cake doughnut recipe for deep frying, but the oil based cooking method still bugged me. So baking experiments started in the hope to eradicate this, and that is really where all the trouble began...

I have always been annoyed by many cake doughnut recipes requiring a specialized doughnut mold if you want to bake them instead of deep frying. I turn my nose up often at specialized 'one use' kitchen things as they take up space and rarely get used. But after the fail nuts, my opinion may be beginning to shift...

I just have a simple dream, to bake the cake doughnuts, not fry them. And without the aid of a doughnut mold. But I still want to achieve the quintessential doughnut hole 'look' in my doughnuts. You know, not picky or anything.

I also thought I would just flag adhering to the 'egg yolks' required of the recipe and just throw the whole egg in. Naive.

The above picture is my altered recipe simply baked until golden, rather than deep fried.
Result: Bready as heck, dense, chewy (not in a pleasant way), and all round unpleasant on the mouth feel front. The shape displeased me as the hole disappeared almost entirely. Definitely no improvement gained when a simple glaze icing was applied.

Then genius struck me! WHAT IF I TREAT THEM LIKE BAGELS!!! I swore I was onto a good thing here. I took my altered dough, and boiled the doughnut for a few minutes each side. The hole closed up and I was sad (see below). I then baked it until golden.

Result: Shinier exterior, but inside was just as bready, just as unpleasant.

I decided the original recipe was a better idea, so I remade the dough. I also decided that keeping the doughnut hole look was of paramount importance (#dreambigdreams), so I persevered with the bagel method and boiled the doughnut for longer, sealing in the shape.

Success on the hole keeping! I then baked the doughnut until golden.
Result: Nope. Just the same as the other two. Just better on the shape side of things.

Sigh. Below shows where I tried to selvage them with glaze icing. Do not be fooled, they are doughnuts of disappointment and lies. I had two flatmates try them, both took one bite and left the rest back on the tray. FAIL.

So I had all these fail nuts left, as I had had lots of the dough from the wrong recipe leftover. So I figured I better try and resurrect the situation somehow so as not to waste all the ingredients.

I introduce you to one of the most heinous desserts I have ever made; The Bread and Butter Fail Nut Pudding Of Despair.

Oh she might look pretty with her mixed berries and custard, but don't let her fool you. She is actually just a really big helping of fail nut amalgamation.

Sometimes you just need to let it die. So I did. The whole lot ended up in the bin, along with the untouched glazed fail nuts.

At least I got to try out styling with my Citta cork place mats. Look, arty:

On reflection of the methods I have tried, and with the help of feedback from many friends, I have determined the following:

- The recipe should stay as yolks only.
- Baking the doughnuts with the current recipe and method is potentially overcooking the dough (hence the bready result).
- Never try to selvage a fail nut, they are not to be toyed with.
- If I want to bake the doughnuts, I may need a new recipe altogether.

Things I think I will try in my next experimentation session:

- A higher oil temperature to avoid excess oil absorption.
- Adding apple cider vinegar to the dough to encourage oil repelling.
- Baking the dough nuts at a higher temperature for less time.
- Creating a new cake doughnut recipe that is oven friendly.

If you have any ideas of what you think I could try, feel free to comment below or get in touch with me. I still believe we can get there! And then it will be all sitting-back-with-our-doughnuts-on-the-veranda-in-the-late-afternoon-as-the-sun-goes-down*, like it was never an effort at all.


*Don't have a veranda? Me neither.

Apricot and Coconut Squares

Did your friend/ mum/ local internet provider just turn up on your doorstep and all you have to offer them with a cuppa is a ghost-town-empty biscuit tin?

Well here is a recipe to save the day! 

These wee morsels are so simple to whip up, and they use just a few key ingredients. 

See the bottom of the recipe for more flavour combo ideas.

Preheat oven to 180C (Bake).

Line a square tin with foil. A handy tip; flip your tin over and shape the foil around it to create an easy to insert foil lining! (Cannot claim the genius on that one sadly).

Ingredients:

115g butter (melted)

1/2 cup brown sugar

1/2 cup caster sugar

1.5 tsp vanilla essence

A good pinch of salt

1 large egg

1 cup standard flour

1/2 cup desiccated coconut 

1/2 cup chopped dried apricots

Melt the butter and set aside to cool slightly.

Add the sugars to a bowl, along with the butter and mix until combined.

Add the vanilla, salt, and egg to the bowl and mix quickly and thoroughly.

Add the flour, along with the coconut and apricots (or your choice of additionals) and mix until well combined.

Pour and smooth the mixture into the tin and bake for 25 minutes, or until the top is golden.

Leave to cool before cutting into squares.

Additionals:

( essentially add 1 cup total of any of the options below that you like to the mix )

Chocolate chips

Dried fruit 

Nuts 

M&Ms 

Freeze dried fruit

Flavour combo ideas:

Coconut and Apricot Squares:

1/2 cup desiccated coconut, 1/2 cup chopped dried apricots

Chocolate Chip Squares:

1/3 cup dark chocolate chips, 1/3 cup white chocolate chips, 1/3 cup milk chocolate chips

Raspberry and White Chocolate Squares:

1/3 cup freeze dried raspberries, 2/3 cup white chocolate chips

Cranberry and Almond Squares:

1/2 cup dried cranberries, 1/2 cup chopped toasted almonds, .5 tsp almond essence 

Coffee and Walnut Squares:

1 cup chopped toasted walnuts, 2 tbsp instant coffee (may need to dissolve in a splash of hot water before adding to the mix)

Baked Banana Pie with Brown Butter Caramel Sauce

Inspired by my love for cooked bananas, this pie is straight sassy, and a nice update on the beloved banoffee pie we all know. This pie features a seared banana coconut cream custard encased in a sweet short pastry shell, with a brown butter caramel sauce, topped with toasted walnuts (say whaaat).  While there are a few steps involved, it isn’t as complicated as it seems and I can guarantee this pie will be a delicious and memorable finale to your next gathering.

(Makes 1 large pie)
See the bottom of the recipe for a gf variation.

Ingredients:

For the crust:
1.5 sheets sweet short pastry (or 1 packet)
(For a paleo, gluten free crust option see the variations at the bottom of recipe)

For the filling:
5 ripe bananas (the riper the better, but not black)
Knob of butter
Pinch of salt
Sprinkle of cinnamon
1 C coconut cream
2 large eggs
1 tsp vanilla essence

For the toppings:
2 ripe bananas
Oil for pan frying
¼ C walnuts

For the Brown Butter Caramel Sauce:
1 C white sugar
3 tbsp water
6 tbsp butter
¼ tsp salt
½ C coconut cream



Preheat your oven to 150C (Fan bake).
Prepare your pie crust, greasing and lining your pie dish with baking paper before molding the pastry around it evenly. Prick with a fork all over and blind bake for 10 minutes (for notes on blind baking see bottom of recipe). Set aside.

To start the pie filling, roughly chop five bananas into pieces.  Heat a knob of butter in a frying pan on a medium heat, and when hot, add the bananas. Sprinkle with a pinch of salt and cinnamon. Fry until the bananas are squidgy and soft. Set aside to cool completely.

In a large bowl whisk the eggs, coconut cream and vanilla essence.
In a food processor/blender combine the mixture with the cooled cooked bananas and whizz until smooth.
Pour the mixture into your pie crust and set aside.
For the topping, slice the two bananas into 2 cm thick rounds and pan fry in a little oil until the bottoms are nicely browned. Arrange them in a decorative fashion on top of the pie.

Bake the pie for 25 minutes, or until the center is firm (to test this give the pie a little jiggle, remember: jiggle not wobble). Leave to cool before removing from the pie dish.

While the pie is baking it is the perfect time to toast the walnuts and make the brown butter caramel sauce (drool).
Roughly chop the walnuts, and move them around in a dry sauce pan on a medium heat until they are golden and fragrant. Sprinkle them on the pie at your leisure.

To make the sauce, start by making some gorgeous brown butter. To make brown butter you simply add the butter to a saucepan on a low heat and cook it down until it is a golden brown colour. Set this aside to cool.

Combine the sugar and water in a sauce pan, and cook on a low heat, stirring continuously until the sugar is fully dissolved.  Remove from the heat and slowly whisk in the brown butter, salt, and coconut cream until well combined. Set aside to cool, and stir occasionally to encourage it to stop separating (note: if left overnight, this sauce gets exceptionally thick and glossy).

And just like that my friend, we are done and there is pie! hooray!
To serve I recommend the pie is warm and the sauce plentiful.

Variation Ideas:

Paleo and GF Pie Crust:
Combine the following in a large bowl and press into the pie dish by hand. You need not blind bake this crust. Please note this is not a sweet crust.

3 C almond flour
2 -3 tbsp coconut oil
1 egg
¼ tsp salt

Blind Baking tips:
Blind baking will stop your crust getting misshapen during the cooking process, and it is as easy as pie (ahem). Simply put some baking paper down in your pie crust, and fill it will baking beans/ dry rice/chickpeas. The weight from this will prevent the crust from getting crazy yay! You can keep your rice/ chickpeas in an airtight container when cool for future blind baking. 

Introductions and Round Foods

Well hello and welcome!

This blog is my small start toward a much larger goal, and I am thrilled you are here to take a look around.
For those who don't know - my name is Bridget and I'm a part time foodie, maker, and lover of all things yesteryear.
My passion for cooking comes from my love of serving good food and sitting down together over a plate.

As time has gone on I have adapted my cooking style to be more and more inclusive of the dietary requirements of others.
I love experimenting with new ingredients and methods, and discovering alternative ways to create culinary dreams. When I look over a recipe I can almost 100% guarantee you I will not strictly stick to it, as adaptation and variation are constantly on my mind.

Outside of the kitchen I love to spend my time sewing, painting, reading, drinking coffee, walking around my city, buying fresh flowers and just recently; riding my bike Merida around the coastline (bliss!). I love most round foods, but particularly bagels and doughnuts. I also have a ridiculous love of home wares, so it is not out of place to find me in interior/ kitchen stores on my days off from work.
My hopes for Togetherness Journal include creating many delicious dishes and treats, refining and expanding my cooking skills, sharing my thoughts on meals, and one day discovering the holy grail of doughnut recipes.
I'm intending to post here regularly, as I have a heavy arsenal of recipes up my sleeve that I just can't wait to share with you. And I'll try to share the cooking fails too so that we can all learn together, because hey, I'm willing to take one for the team.

So to you - welcome, stick around, and let's start cooking!

Also go listen to this song - it's my favourite to blast while cooking (or while doing anything really).

Coconut Bread

This simple and delicious coconut bread is the ideal morning tea treat, moist and sweet you’d be crazy not to pair it with a hot cuppa. It has a gorgeous coconut aroma that will fill your home and leave your neighbors contemplating why they aren’t more neighborly.

(Makes 1 loaf)
See the bottom of the recipe for gf and other delicious variations of this recipe.

Ingredients:

1 C plain flour
1 + ½ tsp baking powder
½ C white sugar (caster if you have it)
½ C brown sugar
1 C desiccated coconut
1 C coconut cream
1 tsp vanilla essence

Preheat your oven to 180C (Fan bake).
Grease and line a loaf tin.
Sieve the flour and baking powder together into a large bowl.
Sieve the two sugars together into the bowl and mix with the other dry ingredients. If you find the brown sugar is being a pest and won’t sieve – using a spoon to push it around the sieve may help, but as long as the big lumps are out dump it in the bowl and move on.
Add the coconut cream, desiccated coconut and vanilla essence to the dry ingredients and mix until everything is just combined.
Pour into a lined/greased loaf tin and bake for 45 minutes (or until a skewer comes out clean).
Your baked coconut bread should be golden brown and beautiful.
Leave it to cool in the tin for 10 minutes before removing.

Variation Ideas:

Lemon Coconut Bread:
Add zest of a medium lemon, and a good two squeezes of the juice to the mixture.

Lime Coconut Bread:
Add zest and juice of a small lime to the mixture.

Gluten Free Coconut Bread:
Replace the flour with 1 cup of gluten free self raising flour, and follow all other steps as per usual.