seriously good bread {recipe}

I first stumbled across this bread recipe on Instagram { follow @mynewroots } for more amazing, healthy recipes; and then went on to check out the linking website: mynewroots.org

The recipe caught my attention because {1} Chris & I don't eat a lot of bread, but this looked pretty tarn tootin' yummy {2} it seemed easy enough - no kneading like most other breads and {3} it was healthy!

As quoted from Sarah: "The Life-Changing Loaf uses whole grains, nuts, and seeds. It is high in protein. It is incredibly high in fiber. It is gluten-free and vegan. Everything gets soaked for optimal nutrition and digestion. I will go so far as to say that this bread is good for you."

So....I gave it a go....

And I think you should to. I rate it :)

I used a mixture of Flannery's Organic foods and Woolworth's Macro Foods in the ingredients. Both affordable and easily accessible to buy.

And here's how.....

Makes one loaf:

Seriously GOOD Bread:

Ingredients:
1 cup sunflower seeds
½ cup  flax seeds
½ cup  hazelnuts or almonds
1 ½ cups rolled oats
2 Tbsp. chia seeds
4 Tbsp. psyllium seed husks (3 Tbsp. if using psyllium husk powder)
1 tsp. fine grain sea salt (add ½ tsp. if using coarse salt)
1 Tbsp. maple syrup (for sugar-free diets, use a pinch of stevia)
3 Tbsp. melted coconut oil or ghee
1 ½ cups water

Directions:
1. In a flexible, silicon loaf pan combine all dry ingredients, stirring well. Whisk maple syrup, oil and water together in a separate smaller bowl. Add this to the dry ingredients and mix very well until everything is completely soaked and dough becomes very thick (if the dough is too thick to stir, add one or two teaspoons of water until the dough is manageable). Smooth out the top with the back of a spoon. Let sit out on the counter for at least 2 hours, or all day or overnight. To ensure the dough is ready, it should retain its shape even when you pull the sides of the loaf pan away from it it.
2. Preheat oven to 175°C.
3. Place loaf pan in the oven on the middle rack, and bake for 20 minutes. Remove bread from loaf pan, place it upside down directly on the rack and bake for another 30-40 minutes. Bread is done when it sounds hollow when tapped. Let cool completely before slicing.

Store bread in a tightly sealed container for up to five days. Freezes well too – slice before freezing for quick and easy toast!

NOTE: Make sure you use a silicon loaf pan. I didn't have one, so just used a standard tin loaf pan {greased} and it did the job fairly well....but the bread did stick and fall apart as I was trying to get it out mid-bake for the flip! I'm off to buy a silicone one this week so I can bake the bread again. Coz it ROCKS!!!

Breakfast - egg, spinach, avo...and THE bread. It was good.

I'm no food photographer, am I? You get the gist though!? IT WAS YUMMMMMMY!

Moist, nutty, tasty....addictive!

Original recipe can be found here. All photos in this post are my own, except the first one - I copied it from here and edited it with the text.

Are you a bread eater? What are your thoughts on this recipe?

Chicken Noodle Soup. Winter Warmer.

Last Friday I made my simple Chicken, Noodle & Vegie Soup & posted some photos on Instagram. The recipe was requested.....so here it is :)

I got this recipe off a friend a few years ago. We went around to their place for lunch & she cooked the soup in front of me so I would remember the recipe easily {yes, I'm a visual learner} :)

I like it, because it contains simple ingredients, it's very easy to make....and perfect for winter!! And because the bits are chunky....you can pick out certain bits for fussy eaters....{aka my 4yr old!}

Ingredients:

• Chicken Drumsticks {I use 6 to feed my family of 4, but you can use more or less}
• Chicken or vegetable stock powder {I recommend Vegeta for this recipe}
• 2 carrots
• 1 parsnip
• 1 suede {I accidentally bought a turnip last week...it was great...not a huge difference really}
• 1 whole {peeled} onion
• 5 garlic gloves
• A pinch peppercorns
• 2 teaspoons of Rock salt
• Fresh Parsley
• Fresh chilli {chopped}
• 1 packet of vermicelli rice noodles
• Water

Steps:

1. Peel carrots, parsnip & suede. Chop into chunks. Peel skin from Garlic Cloves but leave whole. Peel onion but leave whole.
2. Place chicken drumsticks in a large pot and fill with cold tap water, so chicken is covered...about 3/4 of the pot full.
3. Put on stove top; on high.
4. Add rock salt, peppercorns, whole onion, 1 heaped tablespoon of Vegeta Stock powder & 3 garlic cloves.
5. Throw in the chopped vegetables once the water has started to heat.
6. Let it boil on high for 30mins-1hour. {I sometimes add some more water & stock powder if needed as it decreases}.
7. Turn it down, and let it simmer/cook for up to another hour. {I'm casual on the time....as you can eat it as soon as the chicken is boiled through.....or you can let it slow cook for as long as want.
8. 20mins before serving, add the chopped parsley, and any other salt or pepper {if taste requires it}.
9. Boil kettle and in a large bowl, cover the noodles with boiling water. Let them sit to soften for 5-10mins.
10. When you're ready to serve up..... Using a pasta strainer and another large bowl/pot, pour the liquid from the soup, so the liquid & chunks are now separated.
11. Put a large handfull of cooked noodles in the bottom of each person's soup bowl.
12. Using tongs, pick out all the good chunks of vegies & chicken {which will beautifully fall off of the bones & the skin can be left behind} and place into each person's bowl on top of the noodles. 
13. Pour the declicious liquid over the noodles & chunks; into each person's bowl.
14. Serve with cut up fresh garlic & chopped chilli sprinkled on top.

ENJOY!!!! Simple wintery goodness! And it's been perfect soup weather here in Brisbane this week. COLLLLD!

Lentil Dhal Recipe

I've made this a couple of times now. I love it because it's easy....it can be made earlier in the day & then reheated at dinner time....and it's fairly healthy. I don't usually experiment with 'international flavours or cuisine', I'm a pretty simple girl when it comes to cooking. But this one caught my attention because it is vegetarian {which can be nice every now & then} yet FULL of flavour.

Lentil Dhal

Ingredients:

• 1 cup (210g) red lentils, rinsed well. I used the packet ones...but you could probably use the tin kind.
• 3cm fresh ginger, sliced
• 2 bay leaves
• 1 cinnamon stick
• 2 tbs (40g) butter
• 1 large onion, finely chopped
• 2 cloves garlic, crushed
• 2 tsp turmeric
• 1 tsp cumin
• 1/2 tsp garam marsala
• 1/2 tsp chilli flakes{I left this out, as I'm not a huge chilli fan...and so Ella could eat it too}
• 2 tbs lemon juice
• 1/2-1 tsp salt
• 1 tbs chopped coriander leaves
• Naan bread or pappadums, to serve {we use garlic naan bread bought at the Deli}

Mmmm cinnamon stick.

Steps:

1. Place lentils, ginger, bay leaves and cinnamon in a large saucepan with 3 cups of cold water. Bring to the boil, reduce the heat to medium and simmer, stirring to prevent sticking for 10-12 minutes. Discard spices and set aside.

2. Heat the butter in a large frying pan over a medium high heat. Add the onion and cook for 3 minutes. Stir in the garlic, turmeric, cumin, garam marsala and chilli flakes and cook for a further minute or until fragrant. Stir in the lemon juice and season to taste with salt.

3. Add the lentils to the pan and mix well. Cook for a further 3 minutes, stirring constantly. Remove from the heat. Stir in coriander and serve hot with naan bread or pappadums.

And the end result:::::

In fact I had to borrow this last photo from Taste's website...as we were so busy devouring the meal that I forgot to take a shot of the final product LOL!

This recipe is so full of flavour....the aromas are divine! I think you'll enjoy it too. And it triggered funnies from Chris, like; "What's for dinner Darl?" knowing very well we were having Dhal :) Just some dhal darl :)

I also served it up with a side of cooked Brown Rice....to mix the dhal with & to make it a little more filling.

ENJOY!

{I found the original Recipe here}

Linking up to Veggie Mama's MEATLESS MONDAY - 25.3.13

The Simple Things.

Ok, I'm a little late....as this is traditionally a Sunday link-up post over on {simple as that}, but hey...how does the saying go? ......better late than never :) And it's about enjoying the simple things that make us smile....and really I can find them in my everyday.......

Yesterday, was a scrumptious balance of being out & about with hanging out at home. A few simple things I enjoyed were:

Our handsome little man....13 weeks old now....and simply delightful. His eyes get me every time :)

Making raspberry jelly in gingerbread shaped moulds with my little lady.

{this photo was taken on Sunday} However, drawing happy pictures happens everyday in our house :) One of the joys of having a creative, inquisitive 4yr old in the house :)

What simple things are you enjoying right now at your place? I'd love to know!

Head on over to Simple As That's gorgeous blog {one of my new faves} to see more Simple Things Being Enjoyed:

Happy Tuesday All.

P.S. All of these images were taken on my iPhone in the Instagram app.

At My House.....

At my house, we've been having early morning cook-ups! Pancakes was on the menu this morning :)

We also picked the first of the Shallots from Ella's mini vegie garden! That was exciting! And they were a delicious addition to our Risotto for dinner :)

We've also enjoyed MORE popcorn...Ella's latest obsession & favourite snack :) And with popcorn comes a movie session of course :)

And sharing with Patch is a must too ;o)

To be honest, I haven't spent a whole lotta time at my house lately!! Working fulltime has been hectic! But it's made me cherish my time at home with my family even more! These little moments of cooking mess, gardening & popcorn is enough to make me realise....Home truly is where the heart is!!

I can't wait til next week when I'm on 2 weeks holiday...yipppeeee! And then back to my routine of part-time work! Oh how I miss my crafty days at home with Ella every Monday & Tuesday!

To see what other people are up to At their Houses....head over to Lou's!

What's been happening at your house lately?

A Favourite Recipe In Our House....

Last month, we celebrated my lovely Husband's Birthday! For his Birthday Dinner, we decided to stay in! He requested a healthy meal...that's my man!! I made some super tasty Thai Pumpkin Soup in the slow cooker {I got that recipe from here} and then we enjoyed Chickpea & Lentil Patties for the main course! Served with hot chips, salsa & yoghurt....they are so simple to make, healthy and VERY tasty! Since then, they've become a new favourite in our house!

If you are looking for a new recipe...something easy, healthy ~ rich in goodness & yummy, then give these a go! And because they contain no meat, they are fairly budget-friendly!

Chickpea & Lentil Patties

Ingredients (serves 4)

• 2 tablespoons olive oil
• 1 brown onion, sliced
• 3 garlic cloves, crushed
• 1 tablespoon ground turmeric
• 1 tablespoon ground cumin
• 400g can chickpeas, rinsed, drained
• 400g can lentils, rinsed, drained
• 1/2 cup sunflower seeds
• 1/2 cup coriander leaves
• 2 eggs, lightly beaten
• 1 cup plain flour
• vegetable oil, for frying
• 40g butter, chopped
• 2 red onions, thinly sliced
• 1/4 cup brown sugar
• extra coriander and hot chips, to serve

Method:

1. Heat olive oil in a frying pan over medium heat. Add onion and cook until soft. Add garlic, turmeric and cumin and cook, stirring, for 4 minutes or until soft.

2. Process chickpeas, lentils, sunflower seeds, coriander, egg and onion mixture in a food processor until almost smooth. Transfer to a large bowl. Add 2/3 cup flour. Stir until well combined.

3. Place remaining flour on a plate. Form chickpea mixture into 8 patties. Coat in flour.

4. Preheat oven to 180°C. Cover base of a frying pan with oil. Heat over medium heat. Cook patties, in batches, for 3 minutes each side or until golden. Place on a baking tray. Cover with foil. Keep warm in oven.

5. Melt butter in a frying pan over medium heat. Add red onion and cook, stirring, for 10 minutes. Add sugar and cook for 1 to 2 minutes or until onions are caramelised.

6. Place patties on plates. Serve with coriander, caramelised onions and hot chips.

{Recipe from here} The first time I made them, I made the caramelised onions which was yummy! But havent' made it since {to save time really} so serve these with sweet chilly sauce & yoghurt...YUM!

ENJOY.... :)