Matcha pistachio cupcakes

I attended a chanoyu (茶の湯 or Japanese tea ceremony) a couple of weeks ago at House of Tea. While not a lover of ceremonial preparations and presentations per se, I have been interested in matcha and its culinary application for some time now. 

Last November, I made a loaf of matcha pistachio bread (recipe and pictures to follow). It was quite a success. This time, adapting a recipe from Wheat Belly 30-Minute (Or Less!) Cookbook, I made a batch of matcha pistachio cupcakes complete with frosting, which Husband helped to pipe! 

Matcha pistachio cupakes

Baked Mediterranean salmon

Dinner on 15 January 2016 was a darn of baked Mediterranean salmon, half of a spicy roasted whole cauliflower, and peppers stuffed with cheese.

Daikon cake 蘿蔔糕 (1)

I've been on a daikon roll for a couple of months now. And seeing as the lunar new year is just around the corner, I decided to try making daikon cake, an item commonly eaten at home during the celebrations. This is my first attempt.

Steamed daikon cake

Cinnamon raisin walnut bread (2)

Tweaking the original recipe from a year ago, I made a loaf of cinnamon raisin walnut bread to take to my in-laws over the holidays. 

Cinnamon raisin walnut bread

Rhubarb & ginger jam drop biscuits (2)

Because my first batch of rhubarb & ginger jam drop biscuits only yielded 12 cookies that were never going to last long, I promptly decided to make another batch with some tweaks. 

Rhubarb & ginger jam drop biscuits

Rhubarb & ginger jam drop biscuits (1)

This is a recipe adapted from Wheat Free Market. These biscuits are cake-like in texture but very light. They go very well with tea (or milky tea as Husband says!). If you like a firmer texture, freeze them for an hour or so and serve.

Rhubarb & ginger jam drop biscuits

One-Minute Bread

From the Wheat-Free Market recipe.

Ingredients

makes 2 slices

¼ C Wheat-Free Market All-Purpose Baking Mix Scant 
⅛ tsp of salt 
1-½ tbsp ghee, expeller pressed coconut oil or extra light olive oil (Using butter will create air pockets in the bread from the small water content)
1-½ tbsp water 
1 large egg

Instructions

1. In a small bowl blend the baking mix, salt, oil, water and egg.
2. Pour the batter into a 5 inch microwave safe square or sandwich shaped container. Tap the container on the counter to ensure the batter is spread out evenly. 
3. Microwave for 60-90 seconds (microwave ovens may vary) or until the center is done. 
4. Once bread is cooked, invert onto cooling rack and allow to cool at least 2-3 minutes before using a serrated knife to split the bread into 2 slices. 
5. Make sandwich as you like it with warm bread or allow the bread to cool. Consider using smoked turkey breast or turkey leftovers; lettuce; sliced avocado; bacon.

Blueberry cheesecake

It's been over a year since I last made a cheesecake, so a month ago, I made a raspberry cheesecake with a chocolate glaze from Dr William Davis's Wheat Belly Cookbook. It was beautiful and tasted divine, but all the photos of this cake mysteriously disappeared from my mobile before I had a chance to upload them. 

So a couple of weeks later, I tweaked the original recipe slightly and made another cheesecake, this time with blueberries and leaving out the chocolate glaze. The result was still satisfying. 

Blueberry cheesecake

Spicy & crunchy meatballs

Spicy, crunchy meatballs in sundried tomato sauce, served with turmeric wholegrain basmati and garlic sautéed cavolo nero