Coconut Rice Pudding

As if the Chicken in Heart Attack Sauce wasn't enough, I had a craving for rice pudding, which I haven't had in ages. It was my favourite dessert as a child.

1 1/2 c rice, cooked
1 c coconut milk
1/4 tsp cinnamon
1/4 tsp nutmeg
1/4 c sugar

Place rice, coconut milk, milk, sugar, cinnamon and nutmeg in a medium saucepan and cook over low heat for 10-15 minutes or until mixture thickens.

*Optional toppings: shredded coconut and cream

Sticky Rice with Mango

This is a simplified recipe. I haven't had sticky rice in ages, but it's lovely and easy.

1 cup rice (Thai sweet rice if you can find it)
400 ml water
1/2 c white sugar
1 1/2 c coconut cream
mango, peeled and sliced

Steam rice. Mix coconut cream and sugar in pot and heat through but do not overcook or you will lose the flavour of the coconut cream. Take off heat and mix in rice.

Note: can be served hot or cold and there are versions with coconut milk if you would like a lighter version

Sweets: Soul Food Desserts and Memories

I recently did a review on Patty Pinner's other book, Sweety Pies. If you like that one, you will also love Sweets: Soul Food Desserts and Memories. It's just as good but rather than only containing pie recipes it also has recipes for cakes, puddings and the like. The stories that come along with all of the recipes are delightful, and make the sweets seem that much more appealing.

Kangaroo Salad with Beetroot, Orange, Parsnips & Blue Cheese

This is as simple as it sounds.

Lettuce
Kangaroo Fillets, cooked and sliced
1 Can Beetroot
1 Orange, sliced
2 Parsnips, cooked and cut into 1/2 inch pieces
Blue Cheese, crumbled

Dressing:
Sesame Seed Oil
Rice Vinegar
Dijon Mustard
Soy Sauce

I'm not sure you even need directions!

Margaritas

I found this on Adelaide Now (a fantastic site by the way) and it might have to be given a try, as the margarita mixes I usually get are quite shocking actually. I miss Lalo's!

45ml tequila
15ml Cointreau or triple sec
10ml fresh lime or lemon juice

Salt-frost the rim of a cocktail glass.
Shake the ingredients together well then strain into the prepared glass.

Crockpot Kangaroo Chili

I love chili and make it differently each time, using different meats and different versions of veggie chilis, so when I saw a recipe for kangaroo chili I had to try it out. I've modified it to my taste and to make it slightly more robust. This chili is sweet, spicy, and smokey. It's a rich one, but a goodie.

1. Fry 3-4 slices bacon, non-stick pan (set aside)
2. Fry 1 chopped onion and 2 cloves minced garlic in bacon grease
3. Add 1/2 kg kangaroo mince and 1 red and 1 orange capsicum/bell pepper
4. Add chili powder, cayenne and cumin, to taste
5. Cook until mince is browned
6. Put the lot in a crock pot, along with:

• 2 cans spicy chili beans (or regular beans doctored up with spices if you can't find spicy chili beans: kidney, pinto, mixed)
• 1 can corn
• 1 bottle of beer (any type, to taste--half for the cook and half for the pot)
• 2-3 tbsp Vegemite, or to taste, but do not overdo it (you can do without it you can't find this in the US)
• 1 big squeeze of maple syrup
• 1/2 cup chicken stock
• 2 big squeezes BBQ sauce (must be American, preferably a nice mesquite)

Cook on low for 3 hours or so, and serve topped with some grated cheddar and sour cream, as well as come crusty bread (homemade beer bread if you have the time).

**Kangaroo, if you didn't know is a very lean, healthy meat which is similar to steak as a fillet and much tastier than ground beef/mince.

Japanese Curry

Yet another recipe hoisted from Closet Cooking, but oh so good...too good, in fact, not to share. It's like a stew/curry that is slightly spicey as well as slightly sweet.

Ingredients:
1 tablespoon oil
1 pound (1/2 kg) diced beef
2 onions (chopped)
1 sweet potato (grated, in food processor preferably)
water
carrots (cut up)
2 potatoes (cut up)
1 sweet apple (grated)
1 tablespoon honey
1 box Japanese curry roux

Directions:
1. Heat the oil in a large pot.
2. Brown beef on all sides.
3. Set beef aside.
4. Add onions and saute until soft.
5. Add the beef and cover in water.
6. Bring to a boil, reduce the heat and simmer until the beef is fall apart tender, about 1 hour.
7. Add carrots, potatoes, apple, honey and curry roux.
8. Cover in water.
9. Stir until the curry roux is fully dissolved.
10. Bring to a boil, lower heat and simmer until the vegetables are tender, about 20-30 minutes.

Serve over rice

Plum Clafoutis

I was just watching the birds knocking some plums off the tree so decided I should try and find one more recipe. Awful timing to have to sort out sweets recipes as we're not yet done with all the xmas goodies!

6 tbsp caster sugar
14 ripe plums, halved and pitted
3 eggs
1 1/4 c low-fat milk
3/4 c plain flour
1 1/2 tsp grated lemon zest
2 tsp vanilla extract
1 pinch salt
1/2 tsp ground cinnamon

Preheat the oven to 190 C. Butter pie dish and sprinkle 1 tablespoon of the sugar over the bottom. Arrange the plum halves, cut side down, so that they cover the entire bottom of the pie dish. Sprinkle 2 tbsp of sugar over the top of the plums.
In a blender, combine the remaining sugar, eggs, milk, flour, lemon zest, cinnamon, vanilla and salt. Process until smooth, about 2 minutes. Pour over the fruit in the pan. Bake for 50 to 60 minutes or until firm and lightly browned. Let stand 5 minutes before slicing.

P.S. Make sure it's cooked before you take it out of the oven...otherwise, it will fall:( I almost had a gorgeous pic for you, but I took it out too soon.

Crockpot Stewed Plums

Seems to be many ways to stew plums, although I do think I will go with the crockpot and a simple recipe.

3 pounds (1.5 kg) Ripe Plums
1/2 c sugar
1/2 tsp of cinnamon
1/4 cup water

Halve plums and put in crock pot. Add the sugar, cinnamon and water. Put on the lid of the crock pot and cook on low for about 3 1/2 to 4 hours. Plums will be soft but maintain their shape. Cook on high if you prefer them to be a mushier texture. I think I'll do some of each, since I have so many freakin plums!
*Freeze for later use.

Plum Pie

I'm going to be making about 10 of these unless I can figure out some other plum recipes;) Our tree is ready to pick (I even caught the neighbour behind us helping herself!) and there are loads, despite half of them already falling to the ground.

Ingredients:
4 c sliced plums
1/2 c sugar
1/4 c flour
1/4 tsp salt
1/4 tsp cinnamon
1 tbsp lemon juice
1 unbaked 9-inch deep dish pie pastry

Topping:
1/2 c sugar
1/2 c flour
1/4 tsp cinnamon
1/4 tsp nutmeg
3 tbsp cold butter

1. In bowl, combine first 6 ingredients; pour into pastry shell.
2. For topping, combine sugar, flour, cinnamon and nutmeg.
3. Cut in butter until coarse.
4. Sprinkle over plums.
5. Bake in preheated 375F oven for 60 minutes or until golden brown.