FINYS FABULOUS FOODS AND FINDS

I am not a vegan, and I am no longer even a vegetarian - I eat little red meat, and have a lot of milk and cheese. However, now, as I have often said, my lovelies, I have had to cut down on the amount of sugar I eat, so am always trying new low fat, no added sugar desserts and snacks. This is actually a vegan recipe, I believe, however that was co-incidence.  Often these raw desserts are vegan, and nearly always they are delicious. It is another recipe that needed to be made several times to get the consistency correct, but hey, I love creating and experimenting.  This one I had tasted a similar one at a friend's place, however she had bought it and did not quite know what was in it! This recipe does have some maple syrup in it, and I always buy the pure maple syrup as the cheaper one is more processed.  Even though "sugar is sugar" regardless of how it is presented, I really believe that using a natural sugar like maple syrup, or coconut sugar, is far healthier....

DUCK - I used to breed them, so now it is a bit odd to eat them! They are beautiful creatures, but then again if you think this way, we would all be vegetarians! Many people just love duck and some, of course, do not like it.  I think there is an art to cooking it, and I have cooked it over the years many way. One of my favourite meals, when I eat out is Peking Duck and you can read about some of the restaurants I have tried at this link , or this link . When done correctly, duck can be tender and delicious, however getting it right is not so easy. The latest way I am doing it is in slow oven, and baking it for longer than normal.  Getting the skin crisp is an art that I sometimes achieve and sometimes not.  I have even bought an Asian speciality to make the skin look like it does in the photos on the above links, however it was difficult to work with, went a nice colour but was still not crisp. One good way to bake duck is in a clear bag that is freely availa...

I may "harp" about the 5/2 diet however I was fanatical about it for a few years. Not that I wanted to lose weight - it has other effects which include lowering blood pressure and more.  This worked well for me for a while, however eventually I had to go down to 6/1 as I found I was losing too much weight! Currently this is what I do - I eat my 500 calories just once a week instead of two though it has not had the good side effects that doing it twice had. Anyway this article is not supposed to be about a diet but about food that is suitable for someone who wants to eat healthy, low fat and low calorie food, which this is. The other advantage of this recipe is that I have heard and read that we "should" eat fish twice a week as it also has so many health benefits, the main one being the Omega 3.  Many of us take fish oil supplements to get our Omega 3 however I am a firm believer in eating and getting vitamins naturally rather than taking a pill. On saying...

Chicken parmigiana is one of my favourite ways to do chicken, however it CAN sometimes be fiddly to make. But not now, my lovelies, here is an easy way to make it, AND it is an unusual dish with the addition of Ramen noodles, mushrooms and tomato- so not your ordinary parmigiana!  Parmigiana is generally also put in the oven as well as on the stove top. Ramen noodles are an inexpensive type of noodle and I find they are very versatile. This recipe is very tasty, easy and uses just one pot, making it quicker, and my favourite point of sale - less washing up! I served this with my mini pumpkin pies, and it was all so very "yummy" that I urge you to try it. Preparation Time : 20 minutes Cooking Time: 15 minutes Makes: 4 servings Ingredients 2 boneless chicken breasts (about 600g) 1 small egg beaten Up to ½ cup breadcrumbs 2 tbsp olive oil 500 - 600 g jar spaghetti sauce ¾ cup water 225 g mushrooms, quartered 150 g packet Ramen noodles, broken up ¼ to ½ ...

Salads are a favourite of mine, my lovelies!  However I do perhaps say many things are my favourites, as I love to eat. Which reminds me, do you eat to live, or live to eat?  Guess which one I am! Although this is a salad, I will sometimes have just a salad as my main meal as it is healthy and if you eat enough, quite filling. In this instance however, I  have eaten it with leftovers I had from my chicken filled with apricots , and the two meals married very well together. If you want to be really healthy, cut out the chorizo and make it vegetarian! Chorizo is a Spnash type pork sausage, and is not the healthiest of foods, as it is so processed, however once in a while I think Chorizo is fine, and it IS delicious. You could also use bacon instead of the Chorizo - well that is just as unhealthy and also very good.  I always use Short Cut bacon as this cut has little fat on it - so you see, even if you do eat bacon, you can buy one that is healthier! Pr...

This recipe will have everyone coming back for seconds, as it just delectable. My visitors voted this a hit, and gave it an 11 out of 10, and quickly came back for more!  Sadly, there were no left-overs for me for the next day - it is quite rare that visitors ask for another lot of dessert, but this one with it's tart sweet taste is just one of these popular desserts that most people seem to love. I have made several different versions of a lemon dessert, however I think this one is the best. The flavour of the lemon mixed with cream, and the runny texture of the middle of the pudding, will make this dish a "stunner" for any visitors, or family.  Best make it for family, then you might get more yourself! Preparation Time: 15 minutes Cooking Time : 45 minutes Makes: 5-6 servings Ingredients 60 g softened unsalted butter, or ordinary butter 1 cup caster sugar 1 tbsp marmalade 3 eggs 60 g self raising flour 350 ml milk Grated zest of 2 lemons 80 ml lem...

This is an apricot upside down cake or pudding,  whichever you call it, and if you want it as a cake you drain the apricot pie filling first.  If on the other hand, you prefer a pudding, you leave the liquid from the tin of apricots in the cake - the choice is yours. I personally like the pudding as it is very moist however the cake is also delectable. Apricots have a slight tart taste which makes them ideal to use in cakes as it takes away from the sweetness and makes it delicious! In other words, it has the taste of the sweet dough mixed with the tart apricots. Although I used apricot pie filling, you could also use apricot halves, and particularly if you want to use it as a cake. Either way, you cannot go wrong with this beauty! Preparation Time: 20 minutes Cooking Time: 40  minutes plus custard Makes: 12 servings Ingredients 425g can apricot pie fruit filling 90g butter ½ cup brown sugar, firmly packed ½ cup castor sugar 1 cup plain flour 1 t...

This toasted sandwich is packed with sauteed, slightly sweetened cinnamon apples and peanut butter.  Once again I am using peanut butter in a recipe as well as bacon.  Bacon is one of the most versatile foods as you can cook it with either sweet or savoury, and there is so much you can do with this product. Although this is slightly messy to eat, this toasted sandwich will please both children and adults alike. It is quick to make and could even be eaten as a breakfast or a brunch for the whole family. Preparation Time: 10 minutes Cooking Time: 8 minutes Makes: 2 sandwiches Ingredients 2 small apples 2 tbsp butter 1½ tsp cinnamon 8 pieces short cut bacon 2 tsp brown sugar or coconut sugar ¼ cup water ½ tsp vanilla 4 slices bread -preferably wholemeal 5 tbsp peanut butter Method Brown the bacon in a fry-pan or in the microwave.  I did this in the microwave between sheets of paper towel.  I always like to use "short cut" bacon as this has v...

Traditionally strudel is made with apple, and this roulade or strudel is a similar idea but with a  different filling. Strudel originated in Europe and I learnt to make these many years ago, though it was mainly apple strudel that I used to make.  I then decided that this pastry would be nice with many varied fillings, so started experimenting with other things. They did not all work out so good, however this one is one I have made repeatedly over the years as it is just so delicious, and liked by everyone! This is a classic roulade dessert which is not over sweet, and looks and tastes impressive. Hard to resist Preparation Time: 20 minutes Cooking Time: 25 minutes Makes: 8 servings Ingredients ½ cup dried apricots, chopped 2 tbsp apricot jam 1 tsp lemon juice 50g light brown sugar, or coconut sugar 2 pears, peeled, cored & chopped 1-2 tbsp slivered almonds 50g melted butter 8 sheets filo pastry Icing sugar for dusting -optional Method Put the...

Baklava is considered a national dessert in countries like Lebanon, Turkey and Greece. I love this sweet, odd shaped dessert or accompaniment with afternoon tea.  It is quite sweet, but the taste of the filo pastry mixed with butter and nuts is just divine. They are not real big, and if you didn't want to eat as much, you could always cut them into smaller shapes than I have, as mine are cut to the traditional size. I made it slightly different to the traditional Baklava you buy, however it has no added chemicals as the store ones do, and they taste absolutely delicious. Here in Australia these tiny morsels can cost up to $5.00 a piece, so I decided to make my own.  I had a few failures before they actually turned out right, but I think these are even nicer than the store bought ones as there is more  walnuts and almonds in them. An added benefit is that it's cost is so much lower than $5 a piece! Preparation Time: 40 minutes Cooking Time: 55 minutes Mak...

Spinach is one of the few vegetables where the health benefits increase after cooking. I generally have spinach of some sort growing in my garden, as it is very easy to grow and seems to grow for a large part of the year here.  I actually grow several types of spinach and these are:  silver beet as well as a climbing spinach which has a bit more "zing" to it than the silver beet.  This variety grows well at certain times of the year (starting in the cooler months of autumn), and it seems to come up new each year. If you can, use fresh spinach in this recipe, as freezing spinach diminishes the health effects. This recipe was very popular with our visitors however will also last well in the fridge Preparation Time: 20 minutes Cooking Time: 40 minutes Makes: 4 servings Ingredients 20g butter, preferably unsalted 1 tbsp olive oil 2 leeks, chopped 250g spinach leaves (or baby spinach) Pinch of ground nutmeg 1 ½ cups milk 5 large eggs or 6 small ¾ cup grat...