Rice cooker hack

Websites:
Life Hacker 15 Surprising Things You Can Make In A Rice Cooker

Rice Cooker Instructions:

Teriyaki Marinade

This recipe is an adjusted version of a recipe from Budgetbytes.com Easy Homemade Teriyaki Sauce or Marinade.

The changes I've made include almost doubling the recipe and reducing the amount of sugar. I also used Tamari Soy Sauce, which is a Japanese Soy Sauce that is thicker and less salty than Chinese Soy Sauce.

Ingredients
1/2 Cup Tamari Soy Sauce
2 Tbsp brown sugar
2 Cloves of garlic, minced
2 Tbsp of ginger, minced
1 Tbsp of water

Method
Mix up the ingredients in a bowl. It does take a while for the brown sugar to dissolve.
Add whatever you are going to marinade to the mix.
Allow the marinade to work its magic for at least 30 minutes before stir frying.

Watermelon Fruit Salad "cake"

Layer watermelon with your other favourite fruits.

We used:

Watermelon
Strawberry
Mango
Blueberry

You could  also add:

Apple
Peach
Nectarines
Plums
Rockman
Orange
Mandarin
Kiwi Fruit
Passion fruit
Cherries
Or any other fruit you can think of...

You could even add whipped cream or dipping chocolate you want it to be a bit more naughty.

We did this for my daughter's birthday. She was acting up just before her birthday, and I made the threat of no cake if she keeps playing up. Then she kept Playing up. Since I believe you can make empty treats when you're a parent, we chose not to have a birthday cake. Instead, we made an alternative... Here is the result:

FYI, I'm not a totally terrible parent. She did get a proper cake at her birthday party, which was on the weekend before her actual birthday. Needless to say, there was a massive sugar crash afterwards. 

We made the layered watermelon cake for her actual birthday, which fell on a school night. She actually loved it! 

 There were no more sugar crashes!

Since it was so successful, we did it again for our Sister's birthday. At the time she was on a very strict diet. She also loved it. She felt special we made the effort, and she could still enjoy a sweet fruity treat while keeping the calories low. 

Vegan Mushroom Burger

This recipe makes 2 burgers, but you could easily double the ingredients to make more.

To come up with a recipe, I researched what ingredients help bind. I have recently been turned off eggs, therefore I wanted to find an alternative binding ingredient. Technically, these are vegan burgers, but it does depend on what you put on the burger itself.

You can use a food processor to combine them more finely and turn the mixture into a more processed consistency. It's a personal choice for me not to do this in my recipe because I like the texture of bits of veg in my burger. It just makes them seem less like meat and more like a veggie burger.

The beetroot needs to be very finely grated to cook by frying. I use the fine side of my box grater, or you could use a microplane. Alternatively, you could cook the beetroots by boiling or in a microwave before using them in the recipe.

I used quick oats in this recipe, as they are already quite finely processed. You could use whole oats, but you may need to use a food processor to break them down a bit so their binding magic works better.

It's also important to let the mixture sit before baking or frying, so the mixture has more stickiness too it and binds better.


Ingredients

Olive oil
1 onion, diced finely
Salt & pepper to taste
3 cloves garlic, diced finely
250g Mushrooms, diced finely
1/2 beetroot, grated finely
1/4 cup quick oats

Method

Fry the onion, garlic, salt & pepper in olive oil until translucent & aromatic.
Add the mushrooms and fry until browned and softened.
Add the grated beetroot and fry until softened.
Remove from heat and transfer to a bowl.
Add the oats and mix them together.
Let the mixture sit in the fridge for about 30 minutes to an hour.
Remove from fridge and use your hands to make the mixture into burger patties.
Bake in the oven at 180 degrees Celcius for about 15-20 minutes.
Turn them over, drizzle with a bit of olive oil, and bake for another 15-20 minutes.


Serve on a burger bun with fresh salad, like grated carrot, tomato, baby spinach leaves, red onions, and vegan mayo or cheese.

Anzac Biscuits

Traditionally, Anzac biscuits are made from butter. In this recipe, I've substituted the butter for coconut oil, or you could use a vegan butter, like Nuttelex, or Nuttelex lite. You could use olive oil, but I wouldn't recommend it, as olive oil has a stronger taste. If you choose to do this, I recommend a "light" or "pure" olive oil, as they have a less strong taste than extra-virgin olive oil.

I've also tried to make this recipe a little healthier by halving the amount of sugar normally used. Coconut sugar is very slightly better than brown sugar, but it's still sugar.
There are recipes that also substitute brown sugar with rice malt syrup. However, if doing this, I would recommend adding the rice malt syrup to the wet ingredients, and removing the golden syrup. You could add maple syrup instead, but it wouldn't have that Aussie, traditional, Anzac biscuit taste.



What you'll need

1 cup rolled oats
1 cup plain flour
1 cup desiccated coconut
1/2 cup brown sugar, or coconut sugar
1/4 cup coconut oil or vegan butter
2 tablespoons golden syrup
2 tablespoons water
1/2 teaspoon bi-car soda

What to do

Mix oats, flour, coconut and sugar in a bowl.

In a pan, melt the oil, golden syrup, and water in a pan.

Add the bi-carb soda, and watch it foam up!

Add the wet mix to the dry mix. Mix well.

Take small tablespoon sized scoops, and roll into balls.

Place on a tray, well spaced apart.

Bake at 175 degrees Celsius for 15-20 minutes.

Tepenade

What to put in a tepenade?

• 1 packed cup pitted Kalamata olives
• ¼ cup almonds
• 1 small garlic clove, pressed
• 1½ tbsp capers
• lots of freshly ground pepper
• a handful of fresh parsley or fresh thyme
• 2 tbsp extra virgin olive oil

Slow Cooker Dal

You'll need: 

1 cup yellow split peas, soaked in cold water for 1 hour
3 cups of water
1 tsp salt

And

1 tbsp oil (coconut, olive)
1/2 tsp cumin seeds
1/2 tsp black mustard seeds
1 onion
5 clove garlic
a large knob of ginger
3 tomatoes
1 tsp ground coriander seeds
3/4 ground turmeric
curry leaves
coriander leaves




How to cook it:

Add lentils, salt, and water to the slow cooker.

Meanwhile, in a pan, fry the cumin & mustard seeds until poppin'.
Add the onion, garlic, and ginger, then fry until aromatic.
Add tomato add spices, then cook until tomatoes are breaking down.

Add to slow cooker. Cook on high for 4 - 6 hours.

Mediterranean Meal Ideas

Pasta

Mediterranean pasta salad
Mediterranean fettuccine
Mediterranean tagliatelle
Mediterranean pasta salad
Chargrilled Mediterranean vegetable pasta
Penne with roasted tomatoes, capsicum, artichokes & basil

Tarts Quiche Lasagne Pie Loaf

Spanakopita
Pumpkin, spinach and lentil lasagne
Mediterranean antipasto tart
Veggie Mediterranean Quiche
Mediterranean-style picnic cob loaf

Stuffed Vegetables

Chickpea and couscous filled capsicum
Mediterranean roasted mushrooms

Salads & Roasts

Roasted Mediterranean vegetables with fetta and olives
Lentil tabbouleh with haloumi
Almond and pistachio dukkah couscous
Mediterranean roast vegetables
Bruschetta



Other Antipasto Ideas

Olive Tapenade
Focaccia
Parmasan cauliflower soup
Tabouli salad with whole grain pita
Falafel

Breakfast & sweeter snacks

Greek yogurt topped with berries and a drizzle of honey
Fig & ricotta with honey on Crusty wholegrain bread
Creamy Blueberry-Pecan Overnight Oatmeal


Common Mediterranean Diet items

Garlic
Onion
Herbs (basil, thyme, parsley)
Olives
Spinach
Capsicum
Tomato
Artichoke

Greek yogurt
Ricotta
Bocconcini cheese
Parmesan
Feta

Blueberry
Figs
Peaches
Dates

Honey

Almonds, walnuts, pistachio

Olive oil

Legumes
Chickpea
Lentils

Banana Hot Dogs

A vegetarian hotdog, with a twist.

Grab a hot dog bun.

Cut a slit and butter if desired (I used Nutlex Lite).

Place a banana in the hotdog, with a sprinkle of cinnamon and a drizzle of honey.

Yum!

Cinnamon

Little did I know, there is a thing or two to learn about Cinnamon.

Most cinnamon sold in the supermarket is Cassia Cinnamon (Cinnamomum cassia) and this is not real cinnamon.

This cinnamon contains a compound called Coumarin, and it can me toxic if consumed in as little as 1-2 teaspoons per day.

“True cinnamon” is called Ceylon Cinnamon (Cinnamomum verum). It is native to India and Sri Lanka. It is more expensive, but if you consume cinnamon regularly and in large amounts, this cinnamon is the safest to consume.

I needed to search quite thoroughly before finding Ceylon Cinnamon. Even at Indian Supermarkets, I was not able to find “True cinnamon”.  I eventually found it at my local organic Wray Supermarket.

Slow Cooked Oats in Apple Juice

Oats are a super healthy food. They are so versatile, and can be used to make a myriad of creations.

The two ways I usually make oats are:

1. A cold oat bowl:
   This is great for Summer. I soak my oats for a few hour in a plant-based milk, like coconut milk or cashew milk. Then I add whatever flavor combination I feel like at the time, like cinnamon, banana and honey, or I go tropical by topping the bowl with pineapple, passion-fruit, mango and toasted coconut. Sometimes if I'm wanting more, I'll add in chia seeds, LSA, cashews or almonds.
2. A hot oat bowl:
   This is better in winter. I cook my oats in water, in the microwave, as per the instructions on the oats. I mix up the extras by adding them pre-cooking, so the extras cook with the oats. For example, I add sultanas and cinnamon, and the sultanas become soft and add texture to the oats. Or I mix through cacao and rice malt syrup, so the oats become like a chocolate pudding. Or I even fresh strawberries, so the strawberries stew threw the oats as the oats cook. 

The possibility with oats are endless. However, I had never considered cooking my oats in the slow cooker, let alone cooking them in apple juice. 

That was until, this recipe was suggested by one of my work colleagues. Our team was discussing how they use their slow cooker. 

"I use my slow cooker to cook my oats in apple juice",  she said.
My mind was blown!
"You can also add nuts to make it a healthy apple crumble", she suggested.
Brilliant! I had to try this.

Instead of adding nuts, I decided to toast some oats by dry frying, the way I would usually toast my nuts before chucking them into a salad. I can imagine toasting them in the oven would also work.

I was a bit naughty, adding brown sugar and cinnamon too. I didn't know if dry frying them would work. However, I was glad I tried it, because the result was awesome. The brown sugar must have caramelized because it stuck all over the oats, and the oats had a lovely crunch to them.

Ingredients

1 & 1/3 cup of oats
3 & 1/3 cup of 100% apple juice

An extra 1/4 cup oats
1 tsp brown sugar
1/2 tsp cinnamon

Method

Put the oats and apple juice in the slow cooker.
Leave the slow cooker on high, if you're wanting your oats faster, or low if you want them to cook over a longer period of time (eg overnight).
The oats are cooked when they are no longer super liquidy and the oats absorbed all of the apple juice.
If they become too gluggy, you've probably left them on too long.
I cooked mine for 2 hours on high, and they were perfect.

When the oats are ready, put the extra oats, sugar and cinnamon in a small non-stick fry pan.
Keep shaking the pan over the heat until they look toasty.
Sprinkle the extra oats over your bowl of apple oats to add crunch and texture.

Creamy Roast Pumpkin Pasta

Ingredients

1/2 a pumpkin
1 tbsp olive oil
1 onion
6 cloves Garlic
Salt & pepper to taste
200 mls lite coconut milk
Parmesan
Herbs to taste

Method

Preheat oven to 190 degrees Celsius.
Remove pumpkin peel and cut it up into cubes or chunks.
Put 1/2 the amount of the pumpkin chunks onto a baking tray.
Drizzle olive oil over the pumpkin and mix until pumpkin is coated.
Bake for 20 minutes until soft and baked.
Remove from oven and set aside to cook slightly.
Heat oil in a pan.
Fry onion, garlic, salt and pepper until fragrant and browned.
Add pumpkin, and the soft pumpkin should start to break up becoming mushy.
Stop mixing before it all breaks up if you want the sauce to be chunky pumpkin, or stir until the pumpkin is mushed up well if you want a smoother sauce. 
Add coconut milk, and stir until the mix becomes a bit saucy.
Add pasta and mix until well coated.
Serve with a sprinkle of Parmesan, and whatever herbs you prefer.

Yogi Tea

Adapted from Yoga with Adriene Yogi Tea

Ingredients

1 liter of boiling water

7-8 cloves
10 black peppercorns
1-2 cinnamon stick
10 cardamon pods, split
4 large slices of ginger


Method

Boil water in a pot
Add spices
Simmer for over 30 minutes up to a few hours
Add the tea bag for length of time to brew desired strength of tea

SALADS TO TRY: Quinoa salad with chickpeas, roasted eggplant and feta

Taken From https://www.taste.com.au/recipes/quinoa-salad-chickpeas-roasted-eggplant-feta/9002fb54-ee14-48a8-b146-d16999306d6f?r=recipes/vegetariansaladrecipes&c=N1KYwM3n/Vegetarian%20salad%20recipes

INGREDIENTS

1 eggplant, cut into 2cm pieces

2 red onions, halved, cut into thin wedges

1 large zucchini, cut into 2cm pieces

250g small cherry tomatoes

1 teaspoon olive oil

1 garlic clove, crushed

1 teaspoon ground cumin

200g (1 cup) Tricolour Quinoa

500ml (2 cups) water

400g can no-added-salt chickpeas, rinsed, drained

1/2 cup fresh basil leaves, torn

50g low-fat feta, crumbled

2 teaspoons extra virgin olive oil

Balsamic vinegar, to drizzle

Fresh basil leaves, extra, to serve

METHOD

Step 1

Preheat oven to 200°C. Line a large baking tray with baking paper. Place the eggplant, onion and zucchini on the tray. Spray with oil and season with pepper. Roast for 10 minutes. Add the tomatoes to the tray and roast for a further 10 minutes or until the vegetables are golden and tender.

Step 2

Meanwhile, heat the olive oil in a medium saucepan over medium heat. Stir in the garlic and cumin for 30 seconds or until aromatic. Add the quinoa and water. Bring to the boil. Reduce heat to low. Cover and simmer for 12 minutes or until the quinoa is tender and the water has absorbed. Set aside to cool slightly.

Step 3

Place the quinoa, roast vegetables, chickpeas, basil and feta in a large bowl. Toss gently to combine. Divide among bowls and drizzle with extra virgin olive oil and vinegar. Top with basil leaves.

ENERGY 1550 kj

FAT TOTAL 11g

SATURATED FAT 2g

FIBRE 13g

PROTEIN 18g

CARBS (TOTAL) 50g

SALADS TO TRY: Lentil and crispy haloumi tabouli

Taken From https://www.taste.com.au/recipes/lentil-crispy-haloumi-tabouli/1798fd97-ba47-46de-80a3-297420360bb0?r=recipes/vegetariansaladrecipes&c=N1KYwM3n/Vegetarian%20salad%20recipes

INGREDIENTS

1 1/2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil

150g haloumi, cut into 1.5cm cubes

1/4 cup lemon juice

1/2 teaspoon ground cumin

400g can lentils, drained, rinsed

3 cups fresh flat-leaf parsley leaves

3/4 cup fresh mint leaves

1 small red onion, halved, thinly sliced

250g cherry tomatoes, halved

1 tablespoon thinly sliced preserved lemon rind

METHOD

Step 1

Heat 2 teaspoons oil in a small frying pan over medium-high heat. Add haloumi. Cook, turning, for 4 minutes or until lightly browned. Remove from heat. Cool for 5 minutes.

Step 2

Combine remaining oil, lemon juice and cumin in a large bowl. Season with salt and pepper. Add lentils, haloumi, parsley, mint, onion, tomato and preserved lemon. Toss to combine. Serve immediately.

NUTRITION

ENERGY 1069 kj

FAT TOTAL 17.9g

SATURATED FAT 7.6g

FIBRE 7.5g

PROTEIN 14.7g

CHOLESTEROL 10mg

SODIUM 825mg

CARBS (TOTAL) 11.8g

Chana Aloo Curry (Chickpea & Potato)

Ingredients

2 tablespoons oil or ghee

1 large onion, finely chopped

3-4 garlic cloves, finely chopped

1 inch ginger, finely chopped or grated

1 can diced tomatoes

1-2 can chickpeas

2 large potato or 4 small potatoes

1.5-2 cups water

coriander

juice of 1/2 lime




Spices

Whole Spices

1 bay leaf

3 green cardamom pods

2-3 whole cloves

1 teaspoon cumin seeds

1 cinnamon quill

Ground Spices

1 teaspoon coriander powder

1/2 teaspoon turmeric powder

1/2 teaspoon ground cumin

1/2 teaspoon paprika

1/2 teaspoon chili powder

3/4 teaspoon salt, or to taste

Instructions

Heat oil in a pan.

Once the oil is hot, add the whole spices (bay leaf, cardamom pods, cloves and cumin seeds) and fry until fragrant.

Cook the onion, garlic and ginger. Then add in a can of diced tomatoes.

Add the ground spices (coriander powder, turmeric powder, garam masala, ground cumin, smoked paprika, cayenne pepper/chili powder) and salt. Stir to combined.

Add in the chickpeas and potatoes

Transfer to slow cooker, add water, and let the magic happen.

Serve with coriander and lime juice to taste.

Nutrition

Calories 297

Calories from Fat 99

Total Fat 11g

Saturated Fat 1g

Sodium 1046mg

Potassium 588mg

Total Carbohydrates 39g

Dietary Fiber 11g

Sugars 4g

Protein 12g

For more information about chickpeas, I recommend this post on My Fitness Pal blog: Your Guide to Cooking & Eating Chickpeas 

SALADS TO TRY: Butter bean & tomato salad

Taken from https://www.bbcgoodfood.com/recipes/1977/butter-bean-and-tomato-salad 

Ingredients

420g can butter beans, drained and rinsed

500g cherry tomato, quartered

2 small green or yellow cucumber, chopped into small dice

1 small red onion, chopped

15-20g pack fresh coriander, chopped

2 tbsp lemon juice

3 tbsp olive oil

 1 tsp ground cumin

Method

Tip all the ingredients into a bowl with some salt and pepper and mix well. 

Cover and leave at room temperature until ready to serve. 

This salad can happily be made the day before and chilled. On the day, bring the salad to room temperature and give it a good stir before serving.

Nutrition

kcal 109

fat 6g

saturates 1g

carbs 9g

sugars 0g

fibre 3g

protein 4g

salt 0.41g

Sushi Rice

Take from Sushi For Kids from Taste.com.au

Cook rice as per packet instructions. Nishiki Sushi rice is cooked with a 1 cup rice to 1.3 cup water ratio. No rinsing is required.

1 & 1/2 Cup Sushi Rice
2 Tbsp Rice Wine Vinegar
1 Tbsp Caster Sugar

Rinse rice 3 times or until water runs clear. Place in a sieve over a bowl. Set aside for 10 minutes to drain.Place rice and 1 1/2 cups cold water in a saucepan over medium heat. Cover. Bring to the boil. Reduce heat to low. Simmer, covered, for 12 minutes or until water has absorbed. Remove from heat. Stand, covered, for 10 minutes.Meanwhile, place vinegar and sugar in a microwave-safe jug. Microwave on high (100%) for 30 seconds. Stir to dissolve sugar. Transfer rice to a large ceramic dish. Using a spatula, stir to break up lumps. Slowly add vinegar mixture, lifting and turning rice, until rice has cooled.

Ginger

Ginger reduces bloating.  Here are more was to cook with it.

101 ways to cook with Ginger
E.g. Citrus Ginger Ice Cubes With Honey

https://www.cookinglight.com/food/recipe-finder/ginger-recipes?slide=233096#233096
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Vegan Gingerbread cake
https://www.cookwithmanali.com/vegan-gingerbread-cake/
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Ginger Stir Fry
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Ginger rice
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Ginger cookies
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Ginger pumpkin soup
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Coconut ginger smoothie
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TO TRY: Watermelon Mint Margaritas

https://www.cookinglight.com/food/sparkling-watermelon-margarita?utm_source=facebook.com&utm_campaign=shape_shapemagazine&utm_content=internalcrosspromotion_shape_boe&utm_medium=social&utm_term=CDB106BC-9439-11E9-83CF-00DD4F017A06