Tue, 22 May 2012 00:13:17 -0800WeeblySun, 19 Feb 2012 23:47:31 -0800http://www.inspirationoutdoors.com.au/2/post/2012/02/carrot-cake-biscuits-gaiter-girls-private-tour-feb-12.htmlWe made these biscuits, taken from Oh She Glows, for the Victorian group of 'Gaiter Girls'.  We enjoyed them with a cuppa overlooking the incredible turquoise waters of Dingo Beach.  If you feel like a big muffin-like biscuit that's healthy and delicious, whip up some of these for morning tea and dream about the rolling hills, great granite boulders and picturesque bays down south!     

Ingredients
1/2 cup chopped walnuts, toasted
3/4 cup ground flax
1 cup whole wheat pastry flour
1/2 cup regular rolled oats
3/4 tsp baking powder
1/4 tsp salt
2 tsp ground cinnamon
1/3 cup raisins
1 cup lightly packed shredded carrots (use finest grate)
3 Tbs coconut oil
1/2 cup pure maple syrup (or golden syrup)
1/4 cup applesauce
1 tsp vanilla extract
1 Tbs fresh grated ginger

Method
1. Preheat the oven to 165 C and toast the walnuts for 10-11 minutes.

2. Meanwhile, prepare the batter. In a large bowl, mix together the flax, flour, oats, baking powder, salt, cinnamon, and raisins.

3. Grate the carrots and ginger using the finest grate. In a smaller bowl, melt the coconut oil in the microwave for about 45-60 seconds. You want the oil hot so it doesn’t clump up when adding the cold wet ingredients.  Now add in the maple syrup, carrots, applesauce, grated ginger, and vanilla.  Stir well.

4. Remove pecans from the oven and add to the dry ingredients.  Increase oven temp to 180C. Now add the wet ingredients to the dry and mix well.  The dough will be very sticky, don't worry.

5. With a spoon, scoop about 13 cookies onto a lined baking sheet. They don’t spread much so you can put them an inch apart.

6. Bake for 14-15 minutes at 180C and allow to cool on baking sheet.

Nutritional info (Per cookie, makes 13 cookies): 186 kcals, 9 grams fat, 24 grams carbs, 5 grams fibre, 10 grams sugar, 4 grams protein. You also get 620 mg Omega-6 and 31 mg Omega-3 fatty acids per cookie thanks to all
the flax! ]]>Wed, 01 Feb 2012 18:55:53 -0800http://www.inspirationoutdoors.com.au/2/post/2012/02/coconot-spring-onion-rice-january-progressive-dinner-paddle.htmlIn January we organised a tropical themed progressive dinner paddle.  Our guests were treated to three gentle paddles down the Swan River interspersed with four delicious courses of tropical food.  We took our menu largely from one we found online called 'Kathy Casey Throws a Summer Tropical Dinner Party'.  Everything was delicious including the grilled baby back ribs with mango ginger glaze and the salad with toasted macadamia nuts, pawpaw and lychee.  The recipe that we are sure to cook over and over again though was the coconut spring onion rice.  It is very easy to prepare and it turns out so fluffy and delicious!  Apparently the secret is having the liquid hot before you add it to the rice.  Have it with any meal that suits a coconutty flavour.  For Kathy's full menu see http://www.aldenteblog.com/2009/08/luau-tropical-party-2-kathy-casey.html

Makes about 8 servings

Ingredients:
2 cups basmati rice, rinsed and drained well
1 tablespoon oil
3/4 cup thinly sliced spring onions
2 cups water
1 regular can (abt 420g) unsweetened coconut milk
2 teaspoons salt
Small pinch cayenne pepper
Garnish: thinly sliced spring onions

Directions:
1. Preheat oven to 180 degrees C. Put the very well-drained rice in a 2-litre baking dish, and set aside.
2. Heat the oil in a nonstick or heavy saucepan over medium heat. Sauté the spring onion lightly, about 1 minute. Add the water and coconut milk and bring to just barely a simmer; do not boil.
3. Stir the hot mixture into the rice; stir in the salt and cayenne. Seal tightly with foil and bake in preheated oven for about 20 to 25 minutes, or until rice is tender and all liquid is absorbed. Remove from oven and fluff with
a fork. Serve immediately or serve at room temperature.
4. If making the morning or day before serving, refrigerate and then reheat in a microwave in a microwavable bowl covered with plastic wrap.
5. Garnish with spring onions. ]]>Mon, 17 Oct 2011 17:57:38 -0800http://www.inspirationoutdoors.com.au/2/post/2011/10/low-fat-chocolate-mousse-bars-sept-2011-cape-to-cape.htmlThese were amazing.  So soft and delicious with only 3 grams of fat per serve!  Taken from Susan Powter's book "Food".  They come out quite fudgy cooked as below.  If you prefer a firmer consistency you can cook these longer.  I also increase the flour to 3/4 cup to make them more cakey.  Great with low-fat ice cream and berry's.
Makes 16 Bars

Ingredients
70g (1/2 cup) self raising flour
45g cocoa powder
45g unsweetened cooking chocolate
3tsp vegetable oil
6 extra large egg whites
300g sugar
185g unsweetened apple sauce
125ml plain non-fat yoghurt
1 tsp vanilla extract

Method
1.  Preheat oven to 180 degrees.  Spray a 23cm square baking tin with oil and wipe off excess.
2.  Melt chocolate on low heat in microwave or in a double saucepan.  When melted, turn off heat and add oil.  Mix until combined and set aside to cool slightly.
3.  Beat egg whites on high speed with sugar until very fluffy.  Add apple sauce, yoghurt, vanilla extract, melted chocolate and sift in dry ingredients.  Lower speed and continue beating until well incorporated.
4.  Pour mixture into baking tin and bake for 30 - 35 minutes.  The centre of the mixture will feel firm and not liquidy when touched lightly.  A cocktail stick inserted will come out covered in batter, not clean.
5.  Cool and serve chilled.  Cut into 16 bars. ]]>Sat, 16 Jul 2011 01:34:40 -0800http://www.inspirationoutdoors.com.au/2/post/2011/07/009900.htmlThis cake is the perfect morning tea cake.  It is so moist you can even make it a day or two before.  It is quick to whip up but the dates do require soaking for at least an hour so keep that in mind. Delicious - thanks Robyn for passing the recipe on!  We cook this with less butter than the recipe asks for (about 100g) and it is still delicious.  It could probably be reduced even further for the health conscious out there.

Ingredients:
250g (8oz) dates, chopped
1/2 cup boiling water
1/2 tsp bicarbonate of soda
125g (4oz) butter
90g (3oz) sugar
2 eggs
2 heaped Tbs self raising flour
2 level Tbs plain flour
1 Tbs cocoa
3-4 Tbs desiccated coconut

Method: 
Soak dates for one hour or more in boiling water and bicarbonate of soda. Heat oven to 190C (375F). Line a 18cm (7") square tin with paper. Cream butter and sugar, add eggs and beat well. Sieve flours and cocoa together and fold into the mixture. Fold in dates and coconut. Bake for 45 mins.   ]]>Wed, 29 Jun 2011 19:45:58 -0800http://www.inspirationoutdoors.com.au/2/post/2011/06/bush-tucker-scones-aboriginal-experience-tour-yanchep-250611.htmlNow before you say anything, yes we know Aboriginals didn't bake a lot of scones!  But these are great and the first settlers relied on the salt bushes around Perth for their greens.  Aboriginal people didn't eat salt bush because they didn't have pots to boil water.

We used Rhagodia baccata (you can use spinach if you want).  Rhagodia (and other salt bushes) should be boiled for 5 minutes and then rinsed well before eating because they have soluble oxalates in them which may have ill-effects (Note that other plants such as spinach, black tea, & cocoa also contain soluble oxalates.  Oxalates are a normal part of the diet and amino acid and asorbic acid metabolism).  
Serves: 12 Preparation time: 15 minutes or less

Ingredients
1 cup grated tasty cheese 
1 cup Rhagodia leaves
1 tablespoon finely chopped onion 
1⁄4 teaspoon ground pepper 
2 1⁄2 cups self-raising flour 
1 cup milk 
2 tablespoons cream (we don't use cream and they are still delicious)

Method
1. Prepare Rhagodia: First strip the Rhagodia leaves from the branch.  Try to choose the newest softest leaves (think the texture of spinach).  Next, boil the Rhagodia for 5 minutes in about a litre of water, then rinse thoroughly and drain. Finally, chop the Rhagodia roughly.
2.Preheat oven to 180°C. 
3.Combine cheese, Rhagodia, onion and pepper. 
4. Stir in flour, then mix in milk and cream. Add a little extra milk if required. 
5. Knead lightly on a floured bread board, flatten dough out to about 2 cm thickness and cut into 5 cm rounds. 
6. Place on a tray lined with baking paper, brush with milk and bake for approximately 15 to 20 minutes until lightly browned.Serve with some butter or they are equally delicious on their own.
]]>Wed, 29 Jun 2011 18:43:16 -0800http://www.inspirationoutdoors.com.au/2/post/2011/06/wattleseed-biscuits-yanchep-aboriginal-experience-25th-june-2011.htmlThese biscuits are legendary in some circles and are just so easy.  We had non-cookie eaters on their third by the late afternoon!  We used ground Wattleseeds which we bought from the Fremantle markets.  The brand is Oztukka and they have a beautiful coffee/cocoa aroma.  Enjoy!

Ingredients

150g butter/margarine
¼ cup raw honey, maple or agave syrup
100g oat flakes (quick oats)
1 Tbs wattleseeds
100g macadamia nuts, roughly chopped
Pinch of sea salt

Method

1. Preheat your oven to 180C. 

2. Melt the butter and honey in a small saucepan over a low heat. 

3. Tip your oat flakes, wattleseed, nuts and salt into a large bowl and stir. 

4. Pour honey mixture into the bowl with your dry ingredients and stir to combine.5. Take small handfuls of the sticky mixture, roll into balls and position on a greased baking sheet. Take a fork and press each one flat. Bake for about 15 minutes. Remove from heat, and allow to cool and harden.
Note: When we made this our oat flakes weren't quite flaky enough and this recipe was too runny to form into lovely balls for baking. We added about 1/3 cup of flour (a bit at a time) to bring it together.   

]]>Wed, 29 Jun 2011 18:20:36 -0800http://www.inspirationoutdoors.com.au/2/post/2011/06/first-post.htmlThis was a fantastic vegetarian meal served under the stars at Hewett's Hill campsite.  We had a couple of vegetarians and some carnivores along so we had some grilled chicken on the side.  Served with generous glasses of wine, it was a fantastic meal we will all remember.
Serves 6; Time: 1 hour (15-20 minutes active)

Ingredients
1 tsp olive oil
1 small brown onion sliced thinly
2 cloves of garlic minced
1/2 tsp of red chilli flakes
1 Tbs of minced, fresh ginger
2 bay leaves
A generous pinch of ground cinnamon
1 tsp ground cumin
1 tsp ground coriander
1/2 tsp of salt
2 cups of veggie broth
1 cup baby carrots (or young carrots chopped in half and then quartered to make fat sticks) 
2 zucchini, sliced into half moons
*800g canned crushed tomatoes
*800g canned of chickpeas
Fresh mint for garnish

Method
1. In a 4 litre pot, saute onion in olive oil over medium high heat until translucent, about 4 minutes. Use a little non stick spray or broth if needed. 
2. Add the garlic, ginger and chilli flakes, and saute another minute.  Add the remaining spices and salt, and saute for about 30 seconds. Deglaze the pot with veggie broth and mix in carrots. 3. Cover the pot and bring it to a boil. Once boiling, lower the heat and simmer for about 10 minutes. 
4. Add zucchini, tomatoes and chickpeas and mix in. Cover the pot and bring to a slow boil. Cook for 15 minutes. Then adjust lid so that steam can escape and cook for another 15 mins.  The liquid should reduce a little. 
5. Turn off heat and let it sit for 10 minutes to let flavours blend. Remove bay leaves and taste for salt.
Serve over couscous or brown rice and garnish with mint.

*Note: The original recipe for this dish was written in America where they must have different sized canned vegetables than we do in Australia.  It asks for 25 ounce cans of tomatoes and chickpeas which is about 680 grams of each - use one small can of each for a drier consistency or two for a more juicylicious version. Otherwise, keep the leftover 120 grams and do what you like with it.    ]]>