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Messages - farfallina

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1
Chit Chat / Re: What have you been doing today?
« on: December 20, 2018, 09:31:05 am »
Hello to you all beautiful people  :-*

Just wanted to stop by to say Merry Christmas and Happy New Year..
It is a tad early, but better early than never right?  ;D

The truth is I can be forgetful sometimes. Just like cookie's husband I have an issue with my keys! ;D  I locked myself out the other day and it wasn't even the first time! I needed to go upstairs in the building, shut the door in a hurry and in that millisecond realized I hadn't got the keys!!  :o Luckily my mother in law lives nearby and has our spare keys so I walked down there in my slippers praying that she was home! Thankfully she was! ;D ;D I hope 2019 bring a clearer mind to us all :)

Wishing you the best!






2
Desserts / Re: 2-Ingredient Chocolate Pudding
« on: December 15, 2017, 08:10:40 pm »
Merry Christmas Farfallina🎄
Thank you for the recipe. I will lookout for ripe Permissions in the supermarket.

Well... You sure have my "Permission" Denise !  :D :D :D
I hope you enjoy it
Happy holidays 🎄 :-*

3
Desserts / Re: 2-Ingredient Chocolate Pudding
« on: December 15, 2017, 02:09:41 pm »
Hello farfallina, lovely to hear from you again.  I am a persimmon lover but we can only buy them in February - May here in Australia. This recipe sounds very interesting, 2 ingredients, wow.  It will be worth trying when the fruit starts to appear here.  Thanks for sharing such a simple recipe with us.

In fact I was wondering about that ... Our seasons are different...  Well... February is not so far away judy.  ;D I hope you enjoy this recipe when the time comes   ;) :-*

That sounds and looks delicious farfallina. Merry Christmas to you and your family.

Merry Christmas and a happy new year to you all!  :-* :-* :-*



4
Desserts / 2-Ingredient Chocolate Pudding
« on: December 15, 2017, 11:18:46 am »
Hi guys,

Christmas is very near... After a long time I am here today to share with you a very sweet, healthy and easy recipe. No refined sugar, no refined oil... Only persimmons and cacao powder... This could be a game changer when you aim to eat healthier but crave for something sweet. ;)

As some of you know I live in a small town in Italy. Our town becomes a persimmon paradise in this time of the year. You can see persimmon trees anywhere you go.

I am lucky enough to have friends with persimmon trees in their garden and some days back I've been given so many of them. So I've decided to prepare this easy peasy dessert.

VERY IMPORTANT TIP: We need only two ingredients for the recipe. Some very RIPE persimmons and unsweetened cacao powder. It is essential to use ripe persimmons in order to obtain the sweetness and the consistency we want in our pudding. Because there is a huge difference between ripe and unripe persimmon fruits in regard to taste and the texture!

As ripe persimmons have darker color, gel-like consistency and are very sweet, unripe fruits are, instead, harder and astringent because of their high tannin content. As they mature the tannin gradually disappears and the fruit gets sweeter and more aromatic.

If your persimmons are not ripe enough you can let them ripen at home. When they are ready the flesh will become completely soft, almost gel-like.
 
 Here comes a tip from my mother in law to speed up the ripening process: Put your persimmons on a plate with their stem side down. Place 2 - 3 apples among persimmons. Put the plate in a bag and place it in a dark place at room temperature, for example inside a cupboard, until the fruits are ripe enough.

I've got this recipe from my dear friend Andrea who told me to use 1 tsp of cacao powder per persimmon.
 I prepared this pudding with 7 persimmons. It was enough for 7 people. Here are the exact ingredients..
 
Ingredients:
7 very RIPE persimmons ==> 1.150 g
7 tsp organic no sugar added cacao powder ==> 50 g

Preparation:

    Wash and gently peel persimmons.

    Place peeled persimmons and cacao powder in TM Bowl and blend until smooth for about 40 seconds, gradually increasing the speed to 10.

    Transfer the mixture into serving cups. Store them in the fridge for at least 3 hours before you serve.

    Store in the fridge for up to 2 days.


Enjoy...


Photos: http://bitkiselcafe.blogspot.it/2017/12/2-ingredient-chocolate-pudding.html





5
Breakfast / Re: Oat Blueberry Breakfast Smoothie
« on: February 13, 2017, 02:07:03 pm »
@cookie, thank you so much...  I made Stefano work a lot those days:)

@judy, maybe you should try ripe and sweeter varieties.. You may enjoy them more. Depending on the variety and ripeness the taste changes a lot from sour to sweet. The ones we had were a little sour but they go great with our breakfast so no problem. It may be an acquired taste. If you end up with sour pomegranates you can always mix pom.juice with orange juice.

6
Breakfast / Re: Oat Blueberry Breakfast Smoothie
« on: February 10, 2017, 03:33:54 pm »
@CC... It is a very pretty tree with small leaves and big fruits. Unfortunately it loses all its leaves in the winter and becomes completely naked. Next time pomegranates are in season I take some photos and share with you Denise  ;)
I don't know why but here it is a popular kind of tree even though most of the fruits go wasted unfortunately. People don't like it much. Probably because they are  less sweet than store-bought ones.

@MM... Thank you so much for noticing. I am trying to improve my photo skills. I am far from being a professional photographer but just trying to give my best shot.


7
Breakfast / Oat Blueberry Breakfast Smoothie
« on: February 10, 2017, 10:00:42 am »
Hi everyone

I'd like to share with you guys our "Plan B" breakfast today.
We usually prepare our breakfast the night before.. We often have Mixed Berry Overnight Oats for breakfast.
However, If, for some reason, we skipped preparing our breakfast the night before, our darling Thermomix comes in our aid and we prepare this smoothie in the morning.
It is a sweet and fresh way to start our day, mostly in summer.

I hope you enjoy it. ;)



Ingredients (for 2):
50 g oats
20 g flax seeds
10 g chia seeds
120 g frozen bananas
50 g pomegranate juice (100% fruit, sugar-free)*
50 g frozen or fresh blueberries
10 g raisins
10 g goji berries
20 g walnuts
1/2 tsp cinnamon
300 g organic sugar-free soy milk or almond milk

Topping:
60 g frozen or fresh blueberries

* We use pomegranate juice ice cubes to be exact. We are lucky enough to have some friends around who have pomegranate trees in their gardens, we are given many when they are in season. We first juice them and then freeze pomegranate juice as ice cubes and store in the freezer for future use.

Preparation:

    Place oats, chia and flaxseeds in TM Bowl and pulverize for 10 seconds on Speed 10.

    Add the remaining smoothie ingredients and blend until smooth for about 30 - 40 seconds, gradually increasing the speed to 9.

    Transfer into bowls.

    Decorate with blueberries and serve.


Enjoy...


Photos: http://bitkiselcafe.blogspot.it/2017/02/oat-blueberry-breakfast-smoothie.html




8
Vegetarian / Re: Mushroom Tofu Loaf (with photos)
« on: February 08, 2017, 09:10:46 am »
Thank you girls
I hope you enjoy it if/when you make it.

Cuilidh, it is not a well-known product here in Italy. I haven't ever seen it supermarkets. I read about it for the first time in a cookbook which promotes clean eating. I had to buy it online from a health food store.

9
Vegetarian / Mushroom Tofu Loaf (with photos)
« on: February 07, 2017, 09:22:11 am »
Hi everyone,

I'd like to share the recipe of a non-meat loaf today. I've made it many times. We like it very much.
It could be prepared in advance.. It freezes well too.

Besides vegans/vegetarians, I thought it might interest also those who may want to try something new, low in fat and cholesterol, high in nutrients and plant protein.

I often serve it together with oven baked potatoes and a simple tomato salad.

The recipe is originally from Eat to Live Cookbook. I've made some changes on the original recipe due to our needs. It may include some unfamiliar ingredients (well.. familiarity issue may change from one country to another but they were unfamiliar to me), I've explained how to replace them in case you don't have them.

After trying both ways, with and without Thermomix, I've found that chopping vegetables by hand and sauteing them in non-stick pan more desirable for this particular recipe.

I've used Thermomix as a blender instead.

Here comes the recipe..


Ingredients (for 6):

Non-meat Mushroom Tofu Loaf:
250 g onions
60 g celery stick
400 g mushrooms
1 - 1 1/2 Tbsp salt-free meat loaf spice (*1)
1 Tbsp oregano
50 g water
40 g arrowroot powder (*2)
2 tsps Bragg's Liquid Aminos (*3) or low sodium Soy Sauce or Tamari
400 g organic natural firm tofu (with no added salt, sugar or spice)
100 g chopped walnuts
100 g brown rice
80 g whole wheat bread crumbs

Roasted Potatoes:
1 kg potatoes
A few sprigs of rosemary
Freshly ground black pepper
Very little salt

Tomato salad:
500 g cherry tomatoes
150 g green or red pepper
75 g scallions
Parsley
Freshly ground black pepper
Fresh lemon juice


(*1) You can buy any no-salt added meat loaf mixture of your preferred brand, or you can simply prepare your own special mixture. When I don't have any ready to use meatball spice at home, I prepare one using ground cumin, sweet paprika, black pepper and allspice.

(*2) Arrowroot powder (aka arrowroot starch) is a thickening agent often used to thicken baby formulas, puddings, soups ... etc. It aids digestion, boosts immune function. You can substitute with potato starch or cornstarch.

(*3) Bragg's Liquid Aminos, is an alternative to soy sauce and tamari. It is rich in amino acids, containing 16 of the 20 found in nature. It is not fermented, made of non-GMO soybeans and purified water. It can be substituted with low sodium soy sauce or tamari.


Preparation:

Mushroom Tofu Loaf:

    Cook brown rice for the cooking time specified on the package. It is usually around 30 - 45 minutes according the type of the rice. Drain and let it cool to room temperature.

    Chop onions, celery and mushrooms into small pieces. Transfer all into a non-stick pan.

    Sauté vegetables until they are soft, stir occasionally. If/when needed add 1 - 2 Tbsps of water to prevent them from sticking.

    Add meatball spice and oregano 1 - 2 minutes before turning the heat off.

    Drain tofu. Pat it dry with paper towel.

    Melt arrowroot powder in 50 g of water. Add Bragg's Liquid Aminos and mix all.

    Mix tofu and arrowroot water for 5 seconds on Speed 5-6.

    Add walnuts into TM Bowl and mix for 5 seconds on Speed 5-6.

    Transfer tofu mixture in a large bowl. Add cooked vegetables, rice and bread crumbs.

    Mix all with a spoon or by hand.

    Cover a loaf pan (11 x 30 cm) with baking paper. Add mixture to pan and spread evenly.

    Bake in preheated oven at 180°C for 1 hour and 15 minutes.

    Remove from the oven and let cool for 30 minutes.


Roasted potatoes:

    When the end of cooking time of your non-meat loaf is near, start washing potatoes with a brush. Do not peel them. Cut them into pieces.

    Sprinkle with freshly ground pepper and very little salt. Add rosemary leaves and mix all. Transfer into oven tray previously covered with baking paper.

    Cook in preheated oven at 220°C for 25 minutes.


Tomato salad:

    Chop all the ingredients and dress with lemon juice and pepper. Serve at room temperature.


Service:

    Turn loaf out.

    You can place loaf in a serving tray with potatoes.

    Slice and serve with roasted potatoes and tomato salad.


Enjoy.


Photos: http://bitkiselcafe.blogspot.it/2017/01/mushroom-tofu-loaf.html




   

10
Desserts / Re: Chocolate Peanut Butter Banana Bites (with photos)
« on: February 07, 2017, 08:31:44 am »
Thank you girls
I hope you enjoy them  ;)  :-*

Judy, according to my calculations in nutritiondata web site, each bite is around 80 - 90 calories.
Let me add that one bite is quite satisfying. Well... ok... let's make it two!  ;D

11
Desserts / Chocolate Peanut Butter Banana Bites (with photos)
« on: February 06, 2017, 10:34:08 am »
Hello dear friends,

Today I'd like to share the recipe for some yummy healthy chocolatey bites.
They are super easy to make and very practical to prepare in advance!
I believe they may become one of your go to recipes!

A few tips:

It is very important to have enough ripe bananas to have the right sweetness and flavor. I can't emphasize this enough.
The bananas with some dark spots are usually ideal for this. They shouldn't be neither green nor overripe.

I always prepare my own sugar-free oil-free salt-free chemical-free peanut butter. I use toasted or lightly toasted peanuts. In my recent peanut butter I used very lightly, almost barely toasted peanuts. That's why my butter has a lighter color than usual.

With the given ingredients and having my bananas sliced about 0.7 cm thick, I've got 22 Chocolate Peanut Butter Banana Bites.

Ingredients:
2 enough ripe bananas (I weighed mine to be precise. They came 350 g unpeeled, 225 g peeled in total)
Peanut Butter
150 g dark chocolate (70% cacao)


Preparation:

    Slice bananas. (Mine were around 0.7 cm thick)

    Spread some peanut butter on one slice, cover it with another.

    Place peanut buttered banana slices on a baking paper.

    Put them in freezer for about 1 hour.

    Break chocolate in pieces and put in TM Bowl. Chop for 10 second on Speed 8.

    Clean the sides of TM Bowl with spatula and let chocolate melt for 3 - 4 minutes at 50șC on Speed 2.

    Transfer melted chocolate into a small cup.

    Remove bites from freezer and dip them in chocolate with help of two toothpicks. Place chocolate dipped bites on baking paper. You should work quickly so they wouldn't thaw. (You may prefer to get some, lets say 5 bites out of freezer, dip in chocolate, put back in freezer and continue with the remaining bites)

    If you are planning to serve them in a house party it may be a nice idea to use some mini cupcake liners.

    Store them in freezer.

    Before you serve let them stay at room temperature for a few minutes.


Enjoy...


Photos: http://thermomixtarifdefterim.blogspot.it/2017/02/chocolate-peanut-butter-banana-bites.html








12
Desserts / Chocolate Chia Pudding (with photos)
« on: December 29, 2016, 09:49:08 am »
Hi everyone,

I'd like to share a very delicious and healthy recipe today. I do hope you like it.

I prepared it for 4 people. The portion size is very generous.
It could be easily prepared in smaller cups, like shot glasses, to serve as mini desserts in house parties.. A new years eve party maybe ?  ;) ;D

By the way... Let me wish you all a very happy belated Christmas and a happy new year, full of joy, laughter and anything you wish for.








Ingredients:

Pudding:
400 g unsweetened organic soy milk
70 g chia seeds
120 g pitted dates
30 g unsweetened cacao powder
1/2 tsp cinnamon
1/8 tsp salt
1 vanilla pod (scraped pulp and seeds only) or 1 tsp vanilla extract

Top:
2 bananas
1 - 2 Tbsp dark chocolate (minimum 70% cacao), chopped into small pieces


Preparation:

    If your dates are hard, let them soak in warm water until they soften.

    Put all pudding ingredients in TM bowl and blend for 40 seconds by speeding up gradually to Speed 10. If needed, scrape down the sides with spatula and blend some more seconds until you have a smooth, creamy pudding.

    Transfer pudding into serving cups.

    Refrigerate them for at least 2 hours.

    Decorate with banana slices and sprinkle with dark chocolate pieces on the top.


Enjoy...


Photos: http://bitkiselcafe.blogspot.it/2016/12/chocolate-chia-pudding.html





13
Cakes / Re: Chocolate Souffle (With Photo)
« on: December 29, 2016, 09:22:30 am »

Some things are best kept secret cookie1 !! ;D ;D

Great photo by the way  : 8)

14
Cakes / Re: Chocolate Souffle (With Photo)
« on: December 28, 2016, 09:36:50 am »
Thank you for sharing your modifications to the recipe Bootobethin..
I haven't tried it with gluten-free flour. I am happy to hear everything turned out satisfactory.
I believe there may be some gluten-sensitive or celiac friends who can benefit from your experience.  ;)

15
Soups / Re: Rustic Soup with Legumes and Cereals (with photos)
« on: November 21, 2016, 10:08:25 am »
Thank you all for your good wishes  :-*

@judydawn The blog Queen ??  :o Loved my new title !!  ;D :-*


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