Wednesday, August 31, 2016
Black forest mug cake
I hit publish on this post with a certain amount of pride, as it is the first recipe I've made and posted post-baby. However, there is a poignancy in said recipe featuring 1-1/2 minutes of microwave cooking time and no washing up to speak of! Whilst I have done some more labour intensive cooking in the 3 weeks since Mini Bite was born, microwave mug cakes are definitely appropriate to this stage of life.
This is the third mug cake I've shared on Bite-Sized Thoughts and it is nicely different to the last two (which were sticky date pudding in a mug and banana peanut butter cake in a mug). I'm tempted to say this black forest version is my favourite, but really they are all good in their own ways. Certainly this version is very good, and delightfully chocolatey, with just the right mix of chocolate to cherries to cake.
Saturday, August 27, 2016
Thai bean burgers
This is another pre-baby meal and, again, another meal I look forward to recreating one day. Some of the pictures also reveal my late pregnancy craving for vinegar. I was making homemade chips regularly for the primary purpose of smothering them with the stuff! I had very few pregnancy food cravings (just aversions in the first trimester) but in the final weeks I seemed to want malt vinegar in copious quantities.
As for the actual burgers, I have previously shared two Thai-style veggie patty recipes flavoured with ginger, chilli and soy sauce. Clearly I know my burger tastes because today's recipe is really a third variation of the same concept. However, I think it is the best variation yet. These burgers are bigger, heartier, meatier, and sturdier than the patties I've shared before.
As for the actual burgers, I have previously shared two Thai-style veggie patty recipes flavoured with ginger, chilli and soy sauce. Clearly I know my burger tastes because today's recipe is really a third variation of the same concept. However, I think it is the best variation yet. These burgers are bigger, heartier, meatier, and sturdier than the patties I've shared before.
Monday, August 22, 2016
Smoky barbecue calzone with aubergine and peppers
Many thanks for your lovely comments on my last post. It's safe to say that parenthood is a whole new world, with many ups and downs, and that I have a new appreciation for the effects of persistent sleep deprivation. However, Mini Bite is delightful and I am learning to ride out the challenging moments and savour the cute, lovely, satisfying ones.
This post shares a recipe from before we had a newborn. I am definitely not rolling out dough or finely chopping vegetables at the moment! However, I hope I can re-create this one day because it was a meal we both enjoyed and I absolutely loved the smoky vegetable filling.
This post shares a recipe from before we had a newborn. I am definitely not rolling out dough or finely chopping vegetables at the moment! However, I hope I can re-create this one day because it was a meal we both enjoyed and I absolutely loved the smoky vegetable filling.
Saturday, August 13, 2016
In my kitchen - The new baby edition
This month brings a rather special In My Kitchen edition, as Mr Bite and I welcome a new addition to our household. With hindsight, some of you may now spot a shift in my posting frequency over the last 9 months - a serious drop early in the year, accompanied by a reduction in recipes (as I felt constantly sick!), followed by a recent increase in recipe posts as I started maternity leave and waited for Mini Bite to arrive.
She graced us with her presence early on Tuesday 9th August, defying many predictions from others that she would be a boy (we didn't find out the sex ahead of time) and ending my impatience at pregnancy stretching on (she came at 40 weeks + 3 days). Our kitchen and house is now significantly more chaotic, but we are loving getting to know her.
I share these early photos with the expectation that I'll be posting a little less over the immediate term!
Monday, August 8, 2016
Fruity summer coleslaws: Apple peanut butter slaw and sweet + spicy pineapple slaw
There is a big coleslaw divide in our household. I can't stand the traditional sort - it is up there with macaroni cheese as one of my most disliked dishes - whereas Mr Bite loves it. Unfortunately for him, my dislike of mayonnaise-y coleslaw means he rarely gets it at home, and if he does, it has to be store bought. More fortunately, he is quite tolerant of coleslaw variations like the Asian style slaw I've posted before (with a dressing of ginger, lime, soy and chilli instead of mayonnaise).
Whilst he likes some of my coleslaw variations, the two in this post were more to my tastes than his. This may be attributable to the inclusion of fruit in both; I am always happy to have fruit in my savoury dishes whilst he's not such a fan. So, if you share my preference for fruit in your salads, and for light coleslaw alternatives, I recommend these salads to you!
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| Peanut butter slaw |
Whilst he likes some of my coleslaw variations, the two in this post were more to my tastes than his. This may be attributable to the inclusion of fruit in both; I am always happy to have fruit in my savoury dishes whilst he's not such a fan. So, if you share my preference for fruit in your salads, and for light coleslaw alternatives, I recommend these salads to you!
 |
| Sweet + spicy pineapple slaw |
Friday, August 5, 2016
Lemon raisin drop scones with caramelised apple pieces
To my amazement, I think it has been 18 months since my last drop scone or pikelet recipe. Given I have 10 prior recipes of that type on Bite-Sized Thoughts, that is a long time to go without a new one (although I did post a pancake recipe in January). Clearly I need to make up for lost time!
After 18 months, some of you may not be familiar with what drop scones or pikelets actually are. I use the terms fairly interchangeably now, although there are probably some technical differences if you study food history closely. Basically, pikelets are an Australian term for small fluffy pancakes and drop scones are the British equivalent. Both may also be called Scotch pancakes.
After 18 months, some of you may not be familiar with what drop scones or pikelets actually are. I use the terms fairly interchangeably now, although there are probably some technical differences if you study food history closely. Basically, pikelets are an Australian term for small fluffy pancakes and drop scones are the British equivalent. Both may also be called Scotch pancakes.
Tuesday, August 2, 2016
Vegan caramel cashew fudge
This is not a perfect recipe, but I am sharing it anyway because it is a very delicious one!
The lack of perfection stems from this fudge being too soft in the fridge and too hard in the freezer. I got around this by storing it in the freezer and removing pieces 15 or so minutes before I wanted to eat them (which does also help with portion control...). I am sure the recipe could be tweaked to give a better final texture, but if you're making this for yourself, it's eminently edible as is.
I made this to use up some soya cream, which was leftover from making a repeat of Mr Bite's favourite chocolate mud cake. The (vegan) mud cake uses soya cream for the ganache icing but doesn't require a lot of it, so I am always left with some spare. Often I don't use it in time and have to throw it out, which is terribly wasteful. On this occasion I was determined to avoid that and fudge seemed as good a use as any.
The lack of perfection stems from this fudge being too soft in the fridge and too hard in the freezer. I got around this by storing it in the freezer and removing pieces 15 or so minutes before I wanted to eat them (which does also help with portion control...). I am sure the recipe could be tweaked to give a better final texture, but if you're making this for yourself, it's eminently edible as is.
I made this to use up some soya cream, which was leftover from making a repeat of Mr Bite's favourite chocolate mud cake. The (vegan) mud cake uses soya cream for the ganache icing but doesn't require a lot of it, so I am always left with some spare. Often I don't use it in time and have to throw it out, which is terribly wasteful. On this occasion I was determined to avoid that and fudge seemed as good a use as any.
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