Chocolate thumbprint biscuits with jam and peanut butter

Thank you, very much, for your kind words and thoughts on my last post. I generally steer clear of posts that are very personal, but whenever I do veer into that territory (generally for the things that seem too important not to post about), I am rewarded by such kindness and generosity of spirit. Thank you.

I hope that these biscuits, or cookies to Americans, will help to convey some of that thanks. 

Granted, you will have to make them yourself (sorry about that), but they are so quick to make that the whole process can be done in 30 minutes, start to finish, washing up included. I made them after work on Friday to take to my parents on Saturday, and was pleasantly surprised at their ease and the result. 

They are biscuits to say "I'm thinking of you", whether that be to offer empathy and sympathy, to say thank you, or just to convey general well wishes.

They can be filled with any jam or nut butter flavour of your choosing.

They are really delicious.

And they are really, really easy.

Chocolate thumbprint biscuits with jam and peanut butter fillings

Substantially adapted from Kitchen Daily's chocolate thumbprint cookies and Dairy Free Cooking's thumbprint cookies

Makes about 32 biscuits

Vegan

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Ingredients

1/3 cup oil

1/4 cup non-dairy milk (I used unsweetened almond milk)

1 tsp vanilla

2/3 cup white sugar

1 1/4 cups plain flour

1/3 cup good quality cocoa

1 tsp baking powder

Pinch salt

~1 tbsp water

Jam (the higher fruit content the better) and peanut butter (I used crunchy with 100% peanuts), for filling

Method

Preheat your oven to 180'C and line 3 baking trays with baking paper.

Mix the oil, milk and vanilla together, then add the sugar and stir well. Add the remaining dry ingredients and mix well to combine. The batter should be thick.

Add the water, enough to make the dough just thicker than thick cake batter (I used 1 tbsp).

Roll dough into small balls and place on the prepared baking trays. Do not press the balls.

Bake for 10 minutes, at which point the balls should have expanded in size. With your jam and peanut butter on hand, press the centre of each ball with your thumb, and then drop ~1 teaspoon of jam or peanut butter into the hole.

Return to the oven and bake for an additional 2 - 3 minutes. The biscuits will still be slightly soft. Allow to cool completely on the baking trays before storing in an airtight container.

My Mum described these as 'brownie like' and Mr Bite declared that I could omit the filling in future, and just give him the biscuits straight up. They are almost cake-like in their consistency and whilst I found the filling to be quite an essential component myself, I do agree that the biscuit base is highly enjoyable.

If you're feeling particularly decadent, you could even eat these sandwiched together, jam on one half and peanut butter on the other. Or you could try an almond butter filling. Or a chocolate one.

The possibilities are endless, in a very good way.

I'm not usually a big biscuit eater (and these are only the fifth biscuit recipe to make it onto the blog!) but I think these will definitely be appearing again in our household.

How do you say "I'm thinking of you" (other than saying the words...)? 

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On saying goodbye

Today, things aren't 'wrong', or at least not in the way I used that word last week. However, they are a bit sad.

Over the past few weeks, my grandfather, my dad's dad, has been fading. He lost his wife of 65 years last October. He turned 92 a month a go. There was no defined illness, no heart attack, no cancer - just old age, and I think some sadness on his part too.

He passed away early yesterday morning.

Now it's our turn to be sad, even as this is an expected passing. I feel for my Dad and his siblings most, as the loss of two parents must be so different to the loss of one. My aunt, who lives in the Victorian town that my grandparents moved to a few years back, has had a particularly rough few months.

For me, whilst my grandmother's passing highlighted the finality of death, my grandfather's death (and the lead up to it) highlights the inevitability of it. Everyone I care about is going to die eventually. I know that isn't news. In fact, I fear I sound a bit precious to only be realising this at the age of 28. We all live, and we all die, but knowing that in theory just isn't the same as realising it, truly and for real, in a personal way.

It does make you appreciate the people who are here whilst they're here, and the days that are lived.

When my grandmother died, I found it helpful to focus on the things she had taught me, the things I was grateful for, and the memories I had of her. For my grandfather, I would like to do the same. These are the grandparents I grew up with, after all, who lived an hour away from us for much of my childhood. They looked after me and my brother when my sister was born. They came to our school concerts. We spent Christmas and Easter with them. We stayed in their spare bedrooms.

My Grandpa taught me many things over those childhood, and later teenage, and later adult, years.

That it's ok to listen, to be quiet, to speak softly.

That you can be smart and wise without being noisy about it.

That caring about your family is important.

That looking after the one you love comes first, before anything, even if it's hard on you.

That you can grow, and make, things that are far better than anything you buy at a shop.

That you can get great pleasure from simple things. A walk, a flower, a cup of tea, cornflakes for breakfast.

That dessert is the best part of the meal, and things are sweeter with sugar.

That caring for people means expressing interest, genuine interest, in who they are and what they're interested in.

That you can live a long and productive and wonderful life, and leave so many good memories that your own memory will always be treasured.

His memory will be treasured, always.

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Red pepper hummus, and quinoa with purple kale

Thank you for your well wishes regarding my migraine, general 'wrongness', and overall finish to last week. I am pleased to say that the weekend brought happier times and this week things have been smoother - and migraine free.

The red pepper hummus featured today wasn't made last weekend, but it was a happy contributor to the one before. It stems from Mel's generous gift package including more than just liquid smoke. Her smoky paprika and chile chipotle powder are both new additions to my kitchen, and I suspect my experimentation with them will continue for some time yet.

Red pepper hummus - note the scrap of paper which allows me to tell you what I put in it...

My first 'experiment' was to add some of each powder to a bowl of chickpeas and vegetables. I realised afterwards that Johanna's kale and chickpea bowl on Green Gourmet Giraffe featured cayenne pepper (chilli pepper), and I may have benefited from modelling my ingredients on hers. She used a pinch of cayenne pepper, whereas I used a very generous dash of both the smoky paprika and the chile chipotle powder. This is how I discovered that chile chipotle powder is spicy! For some reason it hadn't dawned on me that it was actual, smoked jalapeño chilli, with all the heat that brings. It was an enjoyable bowl, but a warm one...

After this impromptu creation, I was a little more cautious. I was still stuck on chickpeas, though, and red pepper hummus seemed like a good way to bring together the chickpeas with modest chilli tones. There are a few sources of inspiration out there if you want to make a red pepper hummus of your own - I did recall Johanna's version this time around, as well as Angela's recipe on Oh She Glows, and a Google search brings up many more varieties.

My hummus probably drew inspiration from all of these places, but didn't follow one particular recipe. It included half of a large roasted pepper and just one-quarter teaspoon of the chile chipotle power, as well as half a teaspoon of smoky paprika. It worked well and I really enjoyed the twist on regular hummus, as well as the colour of the dip. However, I think my caution may have led me to over-compensate and under-season, just slightly. I would probably increase the spice again next time, particularly for the paprika.

I enjoyed this dip as a dip, but something about it called 'quinoa'. I don't know why. My tastebuds just wanted it to be placed on top of a pile of grains and vegetables, and I was quite happy to indulge them. This also gave me an opportunity to use the purple kale I had discovered. After not having any kale for months and months, my local markets now seem to have it in green and purple varieties, much to my delight. 

The quinoa mix was simple, with nothing more than quinoa, vegetable stock and vegetables, but it provided a perfect base for the smoky dip. My taste buds were happy. It was a great dinner for one (quinoa and chilli and kale aren't really Mr Bite's sorts of foods...) and very enjoyable to take to work for lunch.

And if you happened to have some of those smoky almonds? Throw a few of them in too. Highly recommended.

Red pepper hummus with a dash of smoke and spice, served with quinoa with purple kale

Red pepper hummus

With inspiration from Johanna's smoky red pepper hummus and Angela's ultra creamy red pepper hummus

Makes about 1 cup

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Ingredients

1 1/2 cups (1 tin) cooked chickpeas, drained

1 small or 1/2 large red pepper, roasted or grilled and then cooled (I grilled mine as part of dinner preparations the evening before, in medium slices for 6 - 8 minutes on each side)

1/2 - 1 tsp smoky paprika

1/4 - 1/2 tsp chile chipotle powder

1 tbsp nutritional yeast

1 tsp maple syrup

Dash of salt and pepper

Method

Combine all ingredients in a food processor and process until smooth.

Note. I used the lower end of the ingredient ranges for the paprika and chipotle powder, but would increase them in future.

Quinoa with purple kale

Makes 2 serves

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Ingredients

1/2 cup quinoa, rinsed

1 cup vegetable stock

1 small or 1/2 large red pepper, diced

1/2 large zucchini, diced

4 leaves kale, roughly chopped

Method

Place the quinoa and vegetable stock in a medium saucepan and bring to the boil. Reduce heat and simmer, covered, for 10 minutes. Stir occasionally.

Add the vegetables and cook on low heat for a further 5 - 10 minutes, stirring occasionally, until the vegetables are just cooked and the quinoa is fluffly.

Serve as a side dish or topped with red pepper hummus and optional almonds.

Seriously, wonderfully, brilliantly good.

As for the rest of the hummus? It's been a versatile dip, and I've enjoyed it in a number of ways - one of the more notable being as a zucchini stack.

I am definitely fond of these new spice additions to my cupboard.

How do you like to use dips - for dipping, or as part of meals? And have you ever caught yourself out with spice quantities?!

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Homemade carob crunch bites with goji berries

Some days, at least in my world, things just feel wrong. There may not be anything tangibly wrong, or at least nothing that you can put into words. Nonetheless, things may seem off kilter, frustrating, Not Right, uncomfortable, hard, wrong.

Last week finished off that way for me. There are some tangible contributors this time around, from both the anxiety and sadness camps (always a fun combination), but the 'real' stressors don't go all the way to explaining things. Friday brought a migraine. I couldn't settle into a groove with things. I wanted to stay in bed and bury my head in the covers and a book, except even that didn't really appeal - which is when I know things really are not right.

Fortunately, there are things that help when life is like that. Carob bars have been dancing around my head for a while now, and yesterday seemed like as good a time as any to indulge in making them.

These bars drew inspiration from the Lewis sugar free carob blocks that I greatly enjoy, as well as Chocolate Covered Katie's recent dark chocolate crunch bar, this recipe for carob bark, and this recipe for homemade chocolate or carob bars. They involved a hefty dose of trial and error. They are a bit of a work in progress. They calmed me down and they lifted my spirits.

I don't like mess, but this sort of mess is surprisingly soothing

I have called the final product 'carob bites' rather than 'bars', because they are not neat enough to be called the latter. They're also not neat enough to be photographed prettily (or at least, not with my photography skills). In fact, they're a bit messy all up, but in some ways that seems appropriate for my mood, and they taste so good that I'm prepared to forgive them anyway.

Delicious mess

Homemade carob crunch bites with goji berries

Created with reference to Chocolate Covered Katie's dark chocolate crunch bar, this recipe for carob bark, and this recipe for homemade chocolate or carob bars

Makes 10 - 16 pieces

Vegan

Print recipe

Ingredients

3/4 cup carob powder

1/2 cup coconut oil

1 tsp vanilla

Pinch sea salt

1/4 cup dried goji berries (or dried fruit of choice, or nuts)

1/2 cup puffed millet (or puffed rice)

Method

Melt the coconut oil, using a double-boiler system or on low power in the microwave, stirring regularly. Add the carob powder and mix through.

Add the vanilla, sea salt, goji berries and puffed millet and mix well to combine.

Line a baking tray or square baking dish with baking paper. Spread the mixture on to the baking paper.

Set in the freezer for 20 minutes and then break into pieces (or you could be neat and cut them). Store in the fridge.

These are more carob-y than most commercial carob products, because they omit the milk solids (or soy solids in dairy free blocks) and thus have a much higher carob percentage. Perhaps as a result, or for other reasons, they are also a bit crumblier. I was very happy with the taste, but the texture may need a bit of tweaking and I think the mixture needs more liquid to the dry carob. I may try thinning things out with water or almond milk in future, or just reducing the carob.

Despite the texture being a bit on the crumbly side, these were highly enjoyable to eat. The goji berries paired well with the carob tones, and the puffed millet gave crunch as well as lightening up what is an otherwise dense product. 

All in all, a highly satisfying experience, both in the making and in the final result.

Whilst this is definitely a recipe for carob lovers only, substituting cocoa powder for carob powder would yield a dark chocolate bar that I imagine would be very, very good (although you would probably want to add some sweetener, as carob powder is naturally sweeter than cocoa).

Do you like carob? And have you made your own carob / chocolate bars? I am thinking of pursuing this hobby over the remainder of the year!

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On veganism and vegetarianism - what they are and what they are not

This post has been in draft form for many months now. I have opened it up and added to it every now and then, but never quite got it into a form that I was happy with.

I'm still not sure that I'm happy with it, but this week I had an experience that  prompted me to reignite the post and ultimately finish it off. The experience in question was overhearing the following conversation:

Person 1 (male): "I was with someone the other day who was vegetarian and gluten intolerant. I was like, what on earth do you eat? What else is there if you take away meat and grains?!"

Person 2 (female): "I know! I had a friend stay for a month a little while ago and she was vegan - it was such a challenge making meals. I kept thinking of vegetarian dishes but she wouldn't have cheese or milk so there was hardly anything I could make. It was really tough by the end of the month."

Guess what? I'm vegan! Chocolate mint cupcakes

I am guessing that if you're vegetarian or vegan, conversations like that aren't entirely alien to you. Even if you have never been involved in such a discussion, you are likely to have heard others express doubts over how meat-free eating could work.


Some of the things that might have come up are... 


All you eat are plants.


It's boring.


It's weird.


You must be a hippie.


You must be hard to entertain.


You're a health freak.


That's not a healthy way to eat.


Do you enforce that on others? It's not fair to make children be vegetarian.


You must have an eating disorder.


You must really miss meat.

And so on.

Me too! Vegetarian calzone

It's possible that these sorts of stereotypes are part of the reason that I don't, generally speaking, express my vegan eating preferences. After all, if people find vegetarianism odd, veganism is seen as odder yet. At the same time, I do believe that vegetarian and vegan eaters have a responsibility to demonstrate that those eating approaches can be nutritious, interesting and enjoyable, and that has been on my mind of late (and makes me think that the houseguest of Person 2 above should have contributed to the cooking!). However, that is a topic for another post.

And yes...vegan mint tim tams

Today, I want to talk about why I find these sorts of stereotypes so frustrating. It isn't that I necessarily think meat-free eating is the 'right thing' and I want to convince you of that. Rather, I am bothered by the assumption that everyone who is vegetarian or vegan is the same. This becomes particularly ironic when some of the stereotypes conflict, as with vegetarianism/veganism being seen as ridiculously over-healthy (in some people's eyes) and unhealthy (in others).

Do I look boring? Tofu with barbecue sauce

In my view, they can be both. They can also be perfectly flexible and balanced and nutritious. The same applies to non-vegetarian eating. I'm not someone who takes great issue with other people eating meat. I know vegetarians who have returned to meat eating on occasion in order to manage low iron levels, just like I know meat eaters who enjoy meat-free days at least a few times per week. My point is, there is no right or wrong.

A chocolate strawberry tart for non-vegan and vegan's alike

To illustrate this, I would like to refer to the following (non-inclusive) list of vegan foods.

• Oreo cookies
• Broccoli
• Soy milk
• Almonds
• Chocolate avocado pudding
• (Proper) dark chocolate
• Deep fried tofu
• Apples
• Peanut butter
• Sugar (in Australia, white sugar is processed without bone char)
• (Most) potato chips and crisps
• Lentils
• Soy carob
• Arnott's Nice biscuits
• White bread
• (Most) jelly beans
• Soy icecream
• Coconut milk
• Digestive biscuits
• Kale

As you might have noticed, the list includes foods that we might call "healthy" and foods we might call "unhealthy". It includes goods you might buy at a health food store and foods that you'll find at the local supermarket (or at your non-vegan friend's house).

And you can eat pancakes...chickpea versions included

I also think it deserves note that not everyone is vegan or vegetarian for the same reason. Health, animal welfare / activism, environment, cost, taste, convenience, culture, family...there are many reasons and the people who choose not to eat animal products are as varied as those who choose to. 

On that note, studies have found that adolescents who report being vegetarian to lose weight are less healthy, less happy, and report more eating disorder symptoms than adolescents who are not vegetarian. However, adolescents who report being vegetarian for ethical, moral or health reasons are healthier than adolescents who are not vegetarian. Other research has found that 'health consciousness' is a better predictor of health outcomes than vegetarianism or non-vegetarianism, which of course makes sense.

Vegan chocolate raspberry cheesecake

I do think non-meat eaters have to work harder at some aspects of health, including the consumption of sufficient protein, iron and Vitamin B. At the same time, I think meat eaters can find it hard to consume sufficient vegetables and fibre, if they don't pay attention to doing so. Current recommendations around meat intake are also lower than what many people consume.

I guess my point, wordy as it is, is that it would be nice if we thought about eating habits in less stereotypical ways. I won't judge your beef burger if you don't judge my lentil and quinoa mix, and perhaps we'll all be healthier for it.

What do you think about the stereotypes that can accompany vegetarianism and veganism? I would love to hear your thoughts!

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Individual pot pies, inspired by Jamie Oliver

As with my chocolate cupcake recipe last month, I have posted about these pies previously. However, the post in question was one of my earliest and the pictures (and words...) now seem a bit lacking. Plus, I have refined things slightly since then. Plus, the pot pies are a good match for winter weather. All in all, it seemed appropriate to revisit them now.

The pies were originally inspired by Jamie Oliver's chicken and mushroom filo pies, which featured on his 30 Minute Meals show early last year. I was taken by the concept of individual pies, and of having just the top covered in pastry. Not being a bit pastry fan myself, and indeed not liking traditional pies much (meat or otherwise), this method of pie preparation appealed to me.

It's also a lot easier than making a traditional pie, and you can make things even easier by using store bought pastry. If you take that route, as I do, then these are quite an easy meal to create and they definitely reward the effort put in.

Our default when these are on the menu is to have a chicken and potato version for Mr Bite and a vegetable version for myself. You may prefer to make one variety but adjust the seasonings to individual tastes, or to omit certain ingredients for fussy eaters. If you live in a helpful household, you may just make everyone's pie the same. They are easily adaptable and your imagination is really the only limit.

There is something about these that makes dinner feel very British. I think it would be fitting to eat them in a pub in front of an open fire, beer to hand, perhaps with plans for a brisk walk home afterwards.

Given that I'm in Australia, I have no open fire, and I don't drink beer - well, we tend to eat them in a slightly less British way. They're still enjoyable though. They probably work in other countries too, although for those of you in the Northern hemisphere, I would recommend waiting until winter!

Individual ramekin pot pies

(vegetarian and chicken-potato)

Inspired by Jamie Oliver's 30 Minute Meals chicken and mushroom filo pies.

The vegetarian pie is vegan if made as below, but the ingredients are easily customisable to taste and dietary requirements.

Makes 2 pies in total with enough leftover puff pastry to make a small jam tart if desired.

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Individual vegetarian pot pie (serves 1)

Ingredients

~1/3 sheet Pampas puff pastry (or puff pastry of choice; Pampas is a vegan-friendly brand)

3/4 cup pumpkin, cubed

1/2 carrot, peeled and diced
1/2 cup green beans, chopped

1/4 cup mushrooms, chopped

1/2 onion

1/2 cup vegetable stock

1 tsp plain flour

1/2 tsp dried oregano

1/2 tsp dried bsil

Salt and pepper, to taste

Method

Preheat oven to 200'C and remove one sheet of puff pastry from the freezer.

Add the pumpkin and carrot to a steamer and steam for ~10 - 15 minutes, until just tender. Add mushrooms towards the end. 

Meanwhile, saute the onion in a medium non-stick pan in 1/4 cup of the stock. Cook until just golden (~2 minutes). 

When ready, add the pumpkin, carrot and mushroom mix to the non-stick pan, along with the other 1/4 cup stock, flour and seasonings. Reduce heat and simmer ~5 minutes, stirring occasionally.

Transfer pie filling to an individual ramekin. Cut about one-third of the puff pastry sheet and lay it across the top of the pie filling. 

Bake for 30 minutes or until the pastry top is golden.

Individual chicken and potato pot pie (serves 1)

Ingredients

~1/3 sheet Pampas puff pastry (or puff pastry of choice)

1 skinless chicken breast (~150g), diced

1/2 onion

1 tsp olive oil

1 medium potato, peeled and cubed

1/2 carrot, peeled and diced

1/2 cup vegetable or chicken stock

1 tsp milk

1 tbsp plain flour

1/2 tsp dried oregano

1/2 tsp dried basil

Salt and pepper, to taste

Method

Preheat oven to 200'C and remove one sheet of puff pastry from the freezer.

Bring water to the boil in a medium saucepan, add the potato and carrot, and simmer until just soft - about 10 - 15 minutes. 

Meanwhile, saute the onion in a medium non-stick pan in the oil. Cook until just golden (~2 minutes) and then add the chicken. Cook until the chicken is browned (~10 minutes).

When ready, add the potato and carrot to the non-stick pan, along with the stock,  flour, milk and seasonings. Reduce heat and simmer ~10 minutes, stirring regularly.

Transfer pie filling to an individual ramekin. Cut about one-third of the puff pastry sheet and lay it across the top of the pie filling. 

Bake for 30 minutes or until the pastry top is golden.

I usually use the leftover pastry to make a small jam tart, quite literally just with jam and some diced apple. An alternative would be to add more pastry to the top of each pie, or save it for another time.

This is a meal where we are both left very satisfied, very warm, and with slightly burnt tongues due to lack of patience in waiting for the fillings to cool. A good outcome, I think!

Do you enjoy pastry products? Or make pies of any nature yourself?

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