Tidbits in my Pantry from Bloggers Party

This month I have had an interesting collection of products in my pantry to sample. They did not arrive through the post, instead I had the opportunity to attend the Bloggers tea party where a few of these brands were showcasing their products. I had the chance to meet the creators behind the brands and taste their awesome products.

Fruit Jerky- A delicious vegan gluten free fruit snack made from misshapen rescued fruit. Two delicious flavours Apple and Raspberry and Apple and Mango.These are the perfect on the go snacks.

Pic's Peanut Butter -  Pure peanut butter made from roasted peanuts and ground to make peanut butter. There is the smooth or crunchy variety. No other additives are found in this jar of goodness from New Zealand.The crunchy peanut butter was divine.

Chika's A taste of the Exotic- A collection  of tasty snacks from West Africa which include Chickpea crisps, cashew nuts , peanuts, smoked almonds and plantain crisps.There were truly delectable and moreish,I could continue to nibble on these fore ever.

Jakes Boost- All natural nut and seed butter which is sugar-free, palm oil-free, salt-free, gluten- and dairy free and vegan.I loved the addition of the seeds and the crunchy texture they gave the butter.

Biotifuldairy's Kefir Organic Cultured milk smoothies - Smoothies with probiotic cultures and vitamins and minerals in 4 different flavours Honey and Mint, Morello Cherry, Riazhenka(baked milk) and Kefir. I had never tried Kefir before so was pleasantly surprised at the taste.

Drink me chai-  Drink Me Chai Latte is range of delicious award winning Chai Latte’s inspired by the original Chai from India.Being a chai drinker these collection of chai's really rocked my boat.

Just Bee Honey water- Natural spring water enriched with a drop of honey in three delicious flavours Blueberry, Lemon and Green tea and Apple and ginger.I was really  so impressed with this drink and really enjoyed the Apple and ginger one although all three flavours were great.












I would like to Thank all the brands that  gave me their product samples to taste. All views and opinions are my own.

Vegetables in Tao Pan Sauce with Garlic Rice #PowerofFrozen

During the week when I work, I always plan my meals the night before and make a point of cooking meals that can be done in less than 45 minutes. To achieve this, I rely a lot on my freezer for pre prepared frozen vegetables, herbs and spices and some pre prepared home cooked meals. New freezing methods used nowadays ensure that the full nutritional value of the vegetables and their freshness is retained fully so that I can reach out to my freezer at anytime and can be assured that the vegetables we consume are at their best. I am a big fan of freezing vegetables when they are in season so I have use of  them all the year around.

This delicious Garlic Rice and Vegetables in Tao Pan sauce with cashew nuts is one of my family's most favorite meals and I can have it from wok to table in less than 45 minutes.

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Vegetables in Tao Pan Sauce 

by Nayna Kanabar March-2-2016

A medley of vegetables cooked in a sweet and sour Tao Pan sauce with cashew nuts served with aromatic Garlic Rice.

Ingredients:

• 450g Iceland Mixed peppers
• 450 g Iceland Broccoli mix (broccoli, cauliflower and carrots)
• 200g Tinned Pineapple cubes (drained and serve juice)
• 6 Spring Onions (finely chopped)
• 3 Garlic cloves (finely chopped)
• 1 Red Chilli finely sliced
• 4 tablespoons Sweet and sour chilli and garlic sauce
• 2 tablespoon Tomato Ketchup
• 1 tablespoon White wine vinegar
• 2 tablespoons Dark Soya sauce
• 1/2 teaspoon Salt
• 1/2 cup Pineapple juice
• 1 teaspoon  Corn flour
• 1 teaspoon Fresh ginger(finely chopped)
• 1 teaspoon Iceland Taste red chilli flakes
• 1 tablespoon Sunflower oil
• 2 tablespoons Cashew Nuts

Method:

1. Chop the broccoli and cauliflower florets into smaller pieces.2. In a wok add the oil, when the oil is hot add the cashew nuts and fry them until they are golden brown, remove them from the oil and drain them onto kitchen paper.3. To the remaining oil, add the garlic and spring onions followed by the peppers, broccoli, cauliflower, red chilli and carrots and stir fry the vegetables on high heat for 3-4 minutes until they are cooked through.4. In a jug add the pineapple juice and corn flour and whisk together. To this mixture add the salt, garlic chilli sauce, tomato ketchup, soya sauce, fresh ginger, red chilli flakes and whisk together again. Add this sauce to the vegetables in the wok and stir fry until all the vegetables are fully coated with the sweet and sour sauce.5. Toss in the pineapple chunks and  the fried cashew nuts. Transfer the Tao pan vegetables from the wok into a serving bowl.

Details

Prep time: 5 mins Cook time: 15 mins Total time: 20 mins Yield: Serves 4

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Garlic Rice

by Nayna Kanabar March-2-2016

Aromatic grains of Chinese rice fragranced with sauteed garlic, scallions and a hint of chilli.

Ingredients

• 3 bags Iceland Easy Steam white rice
• 1 tablespoon Soya sauce
• 6 Garlic cloves
• 1/2 teaspoon Salt
• 1 Red chilli(finely sliced)
• 1/2 teaspoon Iceland Taste red chilli flakes
• 4 Spring Onions(finely sliced)
• 1 tablespoon Sunflower oil

Method:

1. Place the Iceland Easy Steam white rice bags in the microwave for 6 minutes.2. Peel the garlic and cut it into thin round slices.3.Remove the rice from the microwave and carefully cut open the bags and transfer the rice onto a plate and allow it to cool slightly.4.Add oil into a wok and allow it to heat up. Add the garlic slices and saute until they start to turn slightly brown. Remove the sauteed garlic slices from the oil onto kitchen paper.5. To the remaining oil, add the spring onions, red chilli slices, chilli flakes, salt and the rice and toss the rice. Add the soya sauce and a sprinkle of salt and then toss the rice until it is well infused with the garlic oil flavours. Add the pre sauteed garlic slices and toss them into the rice.Transfer the rice to a serving bowl.

Details

Prep time: 5 mins Cook time: 15 mins Total time: 20 mins Yield: Serves 4

This post was in collaboration with Iceland as part of the #Powerof Frozen Campaign. To learn more about Icelands frozen foods, do visit the #Powerof Frozen website where you will find lots more recipe ideas.

You can also see some delicious recipes created by some of my friends below, please note they are not all vegetarian.:

Emilys Five Spice Scallops with Noodles
Kerry's Chocolate Berry Crumble
Kate's Pesto and Cauliflower picnic pies
Sarah's Five Fish Pie
Jacqueline's Creamy Mushroom Potatoes

Master Class with Paul Hollywood

I am sure that all my readers have at some point watched Great British Bake off. I really enjoy the show and each season I make a point of watching every episode. In fact my whole family including my sports mad hubby enjoys the show.

I love watching the contestants creating their challenges and watching their progression from one show to the other. I love the gentle Mary Berry, who is so tactful and inspiring and the contrast of Paul Hollywood who appears really strict and rather stern. They both give the perfect balance to the show.

I was recently invited to attend a master class with Paul Hollywood. The class was held to launch a new set of Artisan mixes that are being launched by Paul Hollywood. I was really excited to meet the man in person so I took a day off work and attended the class the violin factory in London, a lovely and stunning venue.

After a short introduction by Paul of why and how he started baking, he demonstrated making some amazing chocolate brownies with one of the mixes. The brownies were delicious.

Paul then went on to show us how to create a lovely tear and share bread.

I was lucky to be chosen to assist Paul in creating the bread. It was very interesting to learn from Paul the perfect  technique to roll the bread rolls so that they were smooth with no cracks. You can see in the video below Paul showing me how to roll the bread rolls.

The Paul Hollywood range of mixes are a perfect way to create your own home baked goodies using very little effort.

After the  demonstration we enjoyed tasty lunch of the freshly prepared breads and cold meats, cheeses etc. I was invited as a guest to attend the launch of The Paul Hollywood baking range. All the views and opinions in this post are of my own experience of the day.

I attended the master class with my friend Heidi  Roberts from Heidi Roberts Kitchen Talks.Sho was quick with my camera and captured the video and photos for me. Thanks Heidi for capturing these lovely memories for me.You can read all about Heidi's experience here.

Cadbury's Creme Egg Eggless pancake roll Cake.

**WARNING** Try at own risk!!! :) This cake is not for the faint hearted.You have to have a serious sweet tooth,  have a genuine love affair with Nutella, chocolate and Cadbury's Creame Eggs!!!! A small slice will go a long way especially round your waist!!!

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Cadburys Creme Eggless pancake roll cake

by Nayna Kanabar March-22-2016

Eggless crepes rolled with nutella, topped with fresh cream and Cadbury's creme eggs.

Ingredients:

• 1 cup Plain Flour
• 1 teaspoon Baking Powder
• A small pinch Salt
• 1 tablespoon Melted Butter
• 1 teaspoon Sugar
• 1 teaspoon Vanilla essence
• A few squirts Sunflower spray oil
• 1.5 cups Skimmed Milk
• 1 tablespoon Chocolate chips
• 100 ml Fresh Double cream
• 2 large and 8 mini Cadbury's creme eggs
• 3 tablespoons Nutella

Method:

1. Sieve together the flour, salt and baking powder and keep aside2.To the flour add the sugar, vanilla, melted butter and milk and make a thin batter. Cover and leave the batter to rest for 20 minutes. Transfer the mixture into the OXO pancake batter dispenser for easy pouring.3.Spray the frying pan with sunflower spray and wipe surplus off with kitchen paper.4.Place the frying pan to warm up and pour a thin layer of batter into the frying pan, swirl the pan around until batter is thinly spread and covering the whole pan. Wait for bubbles to form and them flick the pan cake and cook underside.Repeat for all batter and keep pancakes covered whilst making more.To Assemble your pancake cake. Whip up the double cream until it's stiff peaks and fill up a piping bag with a star nozzle.2. Lay a pancake on a flat surface and spread with nutella, sprinkle with a few chocolate chips. Roll up the pancakes and arrange the pancake in a spiral in a serving dish. Make all the pancakes in this way and keep adding them to the serving dish in a swirl until the whole dish is packed with pancake swirls.Spread a little more nutella on the top and sprinkle some more chocolate chips on top.Pipe some fresh cream rosettes on top and then decorate with some chopped up cadbury's creme eggs, letting the insides ooze out.Chill and serve.

Details

Prep time: 20 mins Cook time: 20 mins plus 20 min rest time Total time: 40 mins Yield: Serves 4

The pancake batter dispenser, the stainless steel  mixing bowl and the 9 inch balloon whisk featured in this post are all available from Oxo and they would make ideal utensils to have in your kitchen for baking. I was sent the samples to review by OXO, all the opinions are my own.

Gluten and Grain free Hot Cross Buns

Hot cross buns are very traditional to Easter and I love baking them on Easter morning so that we can enjoy them piping hot straight out of the oven. This year I have a friend who has a gluten intolerance visiting so I have decided to bake a batch of gluten free ones so she too can enjoy them with us. The recipe is not my own but one that I have book marked from the Alternative Healthy Easter Treats cookbook.

The recipe was simple to follow and the ingredients used in it were all natural too. You can purchase the Sweet Freedom Choc Shot Liquid chocolate Coconut and the Sweet Freedom 100% Natural fruit sweetener  from Discount Supplements.

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Gluten and Grain free Hot Cross Buns

by Nayna Kanabar March-19-2016

Gluten and Grain free Hot Cross Buns

Ingredients:

• 150g Ground Almonds
• Small pinch of  Salt
• 1/4 teaspoon Bicarbonate of Soda
• 30 ml Olive Oil
• 1 tablespoon Sweet Freedom natural dark sweetener
• 1 tablespoon Orange Zest
• 1 teaspoon Vanilla essence
• 1 tablespoon Egg replacer (Aqua Faba)*
• Small Pinch Cinnamon
• 40 g Dried cranberries or dried fruit of choice
• 25 g Chocolate Chips
• 1 tablespoon Sweet Freedom Choc Shot for Icing buns

Method:

1.Preheat oven to 160 degrees C2. In a bowl add the ground almonds, bicarbonate of soda and salt and cinnamon mix together.Add the cranberries and chocolate chip and mix again.3. In a jug add 1 tablespoon Aqua Faba (This is the cooking water from precooked tinned chickpeas) Whisk this liquid till it resembles egg whites.4. To the aquafaba, add the oil, orange zest, natural sweetener, vanilla essence and whisk together again to combine. Add this liquid to the dry ingredients and combine all the ingredients.5. Pinch small lime size balls of the mixture and place them on a baking tray flattening them slightly.6. Bake in a preheated oven for 25 minutes until golden brown.7. Remove tray from oven and leave to cool , do not attempt to move the buns whilst hot they will fall apart.8. Once buns are cooled add a chocolate cross on each one using the Sweet Freedom Choc Shot.

Details

Prep time: 10 mins Cook time: 25 mins Total time: 34 mins Yield: 10 mini buns

*NB- You can use 1 egg in the recipe, however I used Aqua Faba this is an egg substitute which is the cooking liquid of beans. I drained a can of precooked chickpeas  and used a tablespoon of the liquid, the remaining you can freeze to use later. you can read about AquaFaba here.

Although this recipe was a hit with my friend and family, I did find that the texture of these Gluten and Grain free Buns was not like a real hot cross bun it was more like a cross between a chewy cookie and cake.

This is a collaborative post, I was sent samples of Sweet Freedom Choc Shot and Sweet Freedom natural dark sweetener to use in my recipe, I was compensated for my time for trying out this recipe.