Author Archives: The Cooking spoon

Smoky Chili con Carne with Pumpkin

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Smoky Chili con carne with Pumpkin is a hearty family favourite full of flavor!

This Chili con carne with Pumpkin is slightly spicy and also has a smoky flavor that makes you want to take just one more bite each time.
A true crowd pleaser that freezes well and even tastes better the next day. The recipe can be easily doubled so you can keep some in the freezer. You can also serve this over a tray of nachos or in tacos. Or how about in a bun? The possibilities are endless…
The recipe itself is a no-brainer, although the ingredient list may seem long it’s put together in minutes. I started off with browning the beef in a heavy based pot, then added the onion and garlic. Then basically you add the remaining ingredients up until the corn meal and just leave it to simmer for about an hour and a half, or until 30 minutes before you want to eat. Finally you add the beans and pumpkin and Voilà…chili. The pumpkin adds a seasonal twist.

Prep time : 15

Cooking time : 90 min

Serves : 6 – 8



INGREDIENTS;

1 Tablespoons Olive Oil
1. lbs. ground beef
1 tsp. salt and freshly ground black pepper
1 medium onion, peeled and chopped fine
3 garlic cloves, peeled and grated or chopped
2 tsp. ground Cumin
2 tsp. dried oregano
1 tsp. dried Thyme
1 tsp. chili powder
2 tbsp. sweet smoked paprika
1 – 2 tsp. chopped chipotles in adobo (depending on how hot you like it)
1 tbsp. tomato paste
1 tsp. Worcestershire sauce
1-2 tbsp. Liquid Smoke (you may leave out)
2 tsp. sugar
1 (28-ounce) can crushed tomatoes
1/2 cinnamon stick
1 tsp unsweetened cocoa
2 C. beef stock
2 tbsp. cornmeal (for thickening)
1/4 C. Chopped Coriander reserve some more for serving
1 cup diced peeled pumpkin
1 (15-ounce) cans dark red kidney beans, drained and rinsed



INSTRUCTIONS:


Heat a large casserole or pot and add the olive oil. Once hot add the beef and fry until brown, add the onion and stir for a few minutes , add the garlic.
Add the spices; cumin, oregano, thyme, chili powder and smoked paprika. Keep stirring
Add the chopped chipotles, the tomato paste, Worcestershire sauce, liquid smoke and the sugar, stir and add the crushed tomatoes.
Add the cocoa and the half cinnamon stick and the beef stock. Simmer for an hour and a half.
Add the drained kidney beans and pumpkin and the chopped coriander, reserving some for serving. Add these about 30 minutes before serving.
Thicken the chili if necessary with some corn meal.
Serve in bowl with avocado slices, sour cream, grated cheese, chopped onion and nachos if desired.

Enjoy!

If you make this recipe please be sure to leave a comment and/or give this recipe a rating! I love hearing from you.  And please don’t forget to tag me on Instagram so I can see your creations!

Amish Baked Oatmeal, healthy version

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Amish Baked Oatmeal


A warm and comforting breakfast like Amish Baked Oatmeal is by far our favourite breakfast. Especially now in Fall, when a warm breakfast casserole is so cozy and everyone can dig in. Baked oatmeal is a traditional and comforting Amish breakfast casserole. Unlike regular oatmeal, which is cooked on the stove like a porridge, Amish baked oatmeal is made in the oven and is very very good. Although the authentic Amish casserole has tons of sugar and butter , I have reduced and replaced some of the sugar for maple syrup and just added a tiny bit of butter to make it not only delicious but healthy too.
In Fall we eat this all the time, adding different kinds of fruit like blueberries, or banana, and it’s the only breakfast that keeps us full until lunchtime. Also it’s a great way to get a head start on busy mornings, you could make this in the evening and simply re-heat in the morning. It keeps all week and freezes well too so I usually make double and freeze half, either in individual containers or in one.
It’s crazy good and tastes like a bakery style Vanilla muffin!


For this healthy baked oatmeal recipe, you’ll need:

Eggs – Eggs give lift and give the oatmeal structure, it also adds a good amount of proteins and nutritional value.
Maple syrup – you can adjust the amount to taste, it give the baked oatmeal a caramel like flavor and also depth. Perfect in combination with vanilla extract.
Applesauce– the perfect sugar substitute, use instead of maple syrup when using stevia extract or other sugar substitute.
Baking powder – also for a good lift, making the baked oatmeal more cake-like
Cinnamon and nutmeg – these two spices give the oatmeal the true Amish flavour.
Vanilla extract – use real vanilla if you can, otherwise a good extract. You must incorporate this into the oatmeal for optimal flavor.
Salt – a pinch of salt is what keeps it from tasting bland.
Milk – Use any kind of milk you like, the fattier the milk, the creamier the baked oatmeal will be. Plant milk works great too. I always use oat milk.
Butter – even a few tablespoons can work a miracle, it gives a smooth texture. You may replace it with neutral olive oil or coconut oil. If you don’t want any butter or fat, simply leave out.
Oats – use a combo of both old fashioned and quick oats for the perfect structure balance.
Banana – instead of all the butter.

Prep time : 5 min

Cooking time : 25

Serves : 6

INGREDIENTS:

1 tbsp. melted butter for baking dish
2 cups quick-cooking oats
1 ½ cups old fashioned rolled oats
1 ½ tsp. baking powder
½ teaspoon cinnamon
¼ tsp. nutmeg
¼ teaspoons salt
1 small very ripe banana, mashed
2 eggs
2 tbsp. melted butter (you could leave this out but it adds good flavor)
¼ cup maple syrup (or 1/4 cup unsweetened applesauce plus 2 tsp. liquid stevia)
2 teaspoon vanilla
1 ½ cups milk
1-2 tbsp. brown sugar for sprinkling on top. (optional)

INSTRUCTIONS:

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Grease a 8 x 10 inch baking dish, or similar.
In a large bowl combine the dry ingredients, the quick-cooking oats, the old fashioned rolled oats, the baking powder, the cinnamon, the nutmeg and the salt. Stir to combine well.
In a food processor, mix the banana with the eggs, the melted butter, the maple syrup (or 1/4 cup unsweetened applesauce plus 2 tsp. liquid stevia), the vanilla and the milk.
You can also do this part in another bowl, mashing the banana with a fork and then adding the remaining wet ingredients. Add the wet ingredients to the dry and mix to combine. Pour into the greased baking dish and sprinkle the brown sugar over the top. Bake for 25-30 minutes or until the mixture is golden brown and appears set. Serve warm with extra milk or fruit.

Enjoy!

If you make this recipe please be sure to leave a comment and/or give this recipe a rating! I love hearing from you.  And please don’t forget to tag me on Instagram so I can see your creations!

Apple Blueberry Maple-Cashew Crumble

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With the temperature finally dropping we are really getting in the mood for more comfort food, like this cozy Apple Blueberry Maple Cashew Crumble. This healthy version is made with maple syrup instead of sugar and there’s no butter involved. I have used cashew nuts instead that I blend to a paste, it gives the crumble a nice nutty creamy flavour. The result is so, so good that I don’t think I’ll ever do it any other way.
And since it’s pretty healthy you can even have this for breakfast with a dollop of Greek Yoghurt.
I’ve used frozen blueberries for this recipe because they hold their shape better.
If you can, it is best to soak the nuts for an hour or two, but if you don’t have time to do that, just add two tablespoons of water to the nuts before blending them, this will help them on their way.

Prep time : 10 min

Cooking time : 30 min

Serves : 6 – 8

INGREDIENTS:

  • 4 Large Apples
  • 1 cup frozen blueberries
  • 1 tbsp. flour
  • 1 tsp. cinnamon
  • 1 tbsp. Maple syrup, for the fruit
  • 1 cup cashew nuts soaked
  • 2 tbsp. soft (coconut) butter
  • 2 1/2 cups oats
  • A pinch of salt
  • 2 tsp. vanilla
  • 1/2 cup Maple Syrup, for the crumble

METHOD:

  1. Pre heat the oven to 160° C / 320° F
  2. Start by soaking the cashew nuts for about 1 to 2 hours.
  3. Put the oats and salt in a food processor and pulse until it’s flour.
  4. Remove to a bowl.
  5. Drain and blend the cashew nuts in a food processor with the coconut oil until it’s a paste. Add a little water if necessary.
  6. Add maple syrup and vanilla.
  7. Add the oats back to the food processor and pulse to just mixed to a crumble, set aside.
  8. Meanwhile peel the apples, remove the cores and chop them.
  9. Place in a backing dish that you have buttered lightly.
  10. Add the blueberries.
  11. Sprinkle over the flour, cinnamon and the one tablespoon maple syrup and toss to mix.
  12. Scatter the crumble over the fruit.
  13. Place the dish in the oven and bake for about 30-35 minutes or until golden brown on top.
  14. Remove from oven and let it rest for 5 to 10 minutes.
  15. Serve with (half ) whipped cream.


Enjoy!

Healthy Chocolate Chip Blondies

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Healthy Blondies? I know, it’s hard to believe right? Although they do have a tiny little drizzle of white chocolate on top, a microscopic amount of sprinkles and a few choccy chips they are still super healthy. I swapped out butter for cashew nuts, the flour for white beans and the refined sugar for agave syrup and coconut sugar. It works perfectly, I always make healthy brownies and honestly I think they taste better than the regular sugar and fat laden brownies. Here are some of my favourites;

As you can see, the possibilities are endless. I make these Healthy Chocolate Chip Blondies in a food processor, it works great and gets the smooth texture just right and more importantly… it saves cleaning up, so it could not be more simple. Just remember to soak your cashew nuts a few hours in advance for easy blending.

Makes 16 squares
Needed: 8 x 8 inch baking dish

INGREDIENTS:

• 1 1/2 C. cooked white beans from a can, drained
• 1/2 C. soaked Cashew nuts
• 2 large eggs
• 11/2 tsp. baking powder
• 1/2 tsp. baking soda
• a pinch of salt
• 1/4 C. coconut sugar
• 1/2 C. agave syrup
• 1 C. flour (you can use spelt, oat or whole wheat)*
• 1 tbsp. vanilla extract
• 1/2 C. chocolate chips (vegan)

FROSTING;
• 3/4 C. cooked white beans
• 1 C. soaked Cashew nuts
• 1 tsp. Vanilla extract
• 2 tsp. Agave syrup

EXTRA:
• 1/4 C. white chocolate melts (or vegan white chocolate)
• sprinkles


METHOD:
1. Pre heat the oven to 180° C / 350° F
2. Line a baking dish with baking parchment and oil lightly.
3. Soak the cashew nuts in advance for a about two hours. Drain before use.

4. Place white beans and cashew nuts in a food processor and blend until completely smooth.
5. Add the remaining ingredients and blend again. * Depending on the flour type you use you may need to add a splash of milk (of choice).
6. Add the chocolate chips and stir thru with a spatula.
7. Pour the Blondies batter into the prepared baking dish, level out with a spatula.
8. Bake for 25-30 minutes
9. Remove from oven and let completely before frosting.
TO MAKE THE FROSTING:
1. Blend all the ingredients for the frosting in a blender until completely smooth.
2. Keep in the fridge until ready to use.
TO DECORATE:
1. Spread frosting over the bars. (I do this after cutting them in squares).
2. Then melt the white chocolate melts in the microwave at 30 second intervals and drizzle diagonally over the frosting.
3. Decorate with sprinkles straight away so they stick to the chocolate.

Enjoy!