Tuna Dip

I made the yummiest dip this afternoon, best thing is, it's Gluten-Free.

Tuna Dip.

It had a packet of Light Cream Cheese
A Shallot
Parsley
A Clove of Garlic
2 tins of Tuna Slices in Spring Water (but you could use any light tuna).
Mayonnaise (about 2 tablespoons).

I put it all in the Thermomix.  First I put in the Garlic, Parsley and Shallot (I used the whole shallot).  After that was crushed I added the cream cheese and mayonnaise and blended that.  I then added the drained tins of tuna and blended that.

Served it with gluten-free rice crackers.  It was delicious!

Chocolate Chip Cookies

These are sort of chocolate chip cookies.  Actually I call them "Shoe Box Biscuits" They are my grandmothers recipe and she used to make them for me when I was a child and would send them to me in a shoebox, always in a shoe box.  Kind of strange, I was wondering the other day if she actually used that as an excuse to go and buy a new pair of shoes, so she had a box to send some cookies to me, LOL.

This is such an easy recipe.  Takes hardly any time to whip up and they are so tasty and a little chewy.

So this is what I use  to make them...
1 x 225g bag of Shredded Coconut, (I try to buy from the health food store)
2 x 250g bags of Nestle Choc Bits - Dark Chocolate (not sure if they have Nestle Choc Bits in other countries, in Australia they are in the baking/cooking chocolate section at the supermarket, not the confectionery section and they are gluten free),
1 x 395g can of Nestle Sweetened Condensed Milk
1 teaspoon of Baking Powder.

You just put the coconut and baking powder in a bowl, combine well.  Add the dark chocolate bits and stir again to combine.  Then add the can of condensed milk and mix it through well making sure all of the coconut is covered with condensed milk (I often find a little hidden patch of dry coconut in the middle of the bowl at the bottom).  Spoon about dessert spoon sized balls onto a baking tray and bake at 180 degrees Celsius for about 15 minutes.  Keep an eye on them as they burn easily.

So simple, so yummy, it is almost impossible to stop at just one (unless you don't like coconut of course, then you really won't like these at all, LOL).  

An Old Family Favourite

I know this is not diet food, but this is a family favourite recipe passed down through the generations of my family.  When my parents got married, my dad came with this recipe.  So this is something that my great grandmother used to make my grandmother, my grandmother used to make my dad and my mum made for me and I am now making for my son.  My son absolutely loves it so I know it is something that he will carry on to the next generation (phew, that was a long story, LOL).  Anyway I thought I would share this dish with you.  It is SO easy, really a great dish for the whole family and I was going to say cheap, but it has veal in it, so not so cheap.

So the dish is called "Rice Number".  That's it, just rice number.  Maybe it had a fancy name once upon a time, but as long as I have known it, it's rice number.

So the ingredients..

Veal (that has been beaten out) (about 4 or 5 large pieces)
Wheatgerm (I used about a cup)
2 x Cans of Campbells Condensed Cream of Chicken Soup
2 x Cans of Mushrooms in Butter
1 x 250ml Tub of Natural Yoghurt
1 to 2 Bay leaves
Paprika
Rice

Slice up the veal into small bits.

Place wheatgerm into large zip lock bag (This is obviously a modern day addition to the recipe that I have created as when my dad was young and when I was young, we didn't have zip lock bags, LOL).  Place veal into the wheatgerm filled bag and seal the bag.

Move veal around until it is completely coated with veal (making sure no pieces are stuck together).

Once coated, heat a pan and add some oil.  Cook veal in small batches until lightly golden brown.

Place cooked veal into baking/casserole dish.

Into large bowl or blender add chicken soup, mushrooms and yoghurt.

Blend until well combined and if in a bowl used a hand blender to mix ingredients until well combined.

Pour sauce mixture over veal and mix lightly.

 Add a couple of bay leaves to the top of and press slightly.  Sprinkle top with paprika.

Place in moderate oven for about one hour.

Cook some rice.

 Add rice to a bowl or plate

Scoop a couple of large ladles of Rice Number over the top.

I have never tried to freeze this, so don't know if it freezes, but it is just as good the next day if stored in the fridge and then reheated.

Enjoy....