Cauliflower ‘Polenta’ with Mushrooms & Hazelnuts

I don’t know if you guys know this, but I really love cauliflower. Like it is my absolute favourite vegetable, so this week I made this Cauliflower ‘Polenta’ with Mushrooms and Hazelnuts.

This cauliflower polenta is just as creamy and delicious as the real thing, but so much more healthy! The cauliflower is roasted with onions and garlic, so it has tons of natural sweet, nutty, buttery flavour. Once it comes out of the oven, it goes for a spin in the food processor till it’s perfectly creamy, just like real polenta.

This polenta is great as a side, but can also work as the main meal! If you plan on making just the polenta and not eating it with anything else, I would say use more mushrooms!

If you make this Cauliflower Polenta, make sure you snap a pic and tag @LocknessDIY on Instagram so I can like and comment on your photos. I love seeing LocknessDIY recipes you guys create!

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Yields: about 4 servings

Ingredients:

• 1/2 cup hazelnuts
• 1 medium sized head of cauliflower, chopped
• 1/2 medium yellow onion, roughly chopped
• 4 cloves of garlic, in their skin
• 1 tbsp, plus 2 tsp of olive oil, divided
• 3 cups chopped mushrooms (I like to use cup mushrooms)
• 1/2 cup chicken stock
• 3 tbsp Parmesan cheese
• 1 cup thickened cream
• parsley, to garnish

Method:

1. Preheat your oven to 180 degrees celcius. Line a small baking tray with baking paper.
2. Place the hazelnuts on the tray and toast in the oven for 10-15 minutes, or until they are golden brown. Once you have removed the hazelnuts from the oven, increase the oven temperature to 190′C. Roughly chop the hazelnuts once they are cool enough to touch.
3. Place the chopped cauliflower on a larger baking tray (lined with baking paper), and drizzle with one teaspoon of the oil. Place in the oven and bake for 30 minutes.
4. Whilst the cauliflower is in the oven, place the chopped onion in a bowl and drizzle with 1/2 tsp of olive oil. Place the garlic in a small piece of aluminium foil and drizzle with 1/2 tsp of olive oil. Wrap garlic into a package.
5. After half an hour, remove the cauliflower from the oven and turn each piece over. Add the onion to the cauliflower and place the foil-wrapped garlic on the sheet too. Return to the oven for another 20-30 minutes.
6. Once the cauliflower is done, put the onions, cauliflower and garlic (remove the skin from garlic first) into a blender or food processor. Add the stock and parmesan cheese. Blend until creamy. Season with salt and pepper to taste. Transfer into a casserole dish and leave in the oven whilst you prepare your mushrooms/hazelnut topping.
7. Heat the remaining tablespoon of olive oil in a large frying pan over medium high heat. Add the mushrooms, stirring occasionally until the mushrooms are dark brown. About 8 minutes.
8. TO SERVE: Top with mushrooms, chopped hazelnuts and parsley.

YAY! You did it!!!

xoxo Vanessa

@LocknessDIY

 

Cookies & Cream Fudge

A list of things that make me happy would very, very long, however very high on the list would be fudge and Oreos. So imagine this: Oreo Fudge. This is my go-to fudge recipe for parties and the like: it’s always a hit!

With big chunks of cream-filled chocolate cookies in every bite, this fudge is not only delicious, but it looks pretty too! Not only that, but it’s incredibly easy to make- all you really need is a microwave or a stove and 4 simple ingredients. The hands on time for the fudge is less than 10 minutes, and then all you’ve gotta do is put it in the fridge to set! Enjoy!

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Cookies and Cream Fudge

Yields: about 40 serves (let’s be real though, 10 people could easily finish it)

NB: There are two methods for making the fudge, which I outline below, but unless you don’t have a microwave I would recommend method 2, simply because it is faster and less work.

Ingredients:

• 3 cups (450g) white chocolate chips
• 1 can (400g) sweetened condensed milk
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 1 teaspoon salt (optional)
• 24-30 chocolate sandwich cookies, cut in quarters (I used Oreos)

Method 1:

1. Line a 9-inch square baking pan with baking paper and set aside. (do this first, if you don’t you’ll regret it later)
2. Put white chocolate chips, sweetened condensed milk, vanilla and salt in a heavy sauce pan over low heat and cook until melted, stirring occasionally.
3. Remove from heat and stir in cookies. Pour into prepared pan and then refrigerate until firm (at least 2 hours to overnight). Cut into squares.

Method 2:

1. Line a 9-inch square baking pan with baking paper and set aside. (do this first, if you don’t you’ll regret it later)
2. Put white chocolate chips, sweetened condensed milk, vanilla and salt in a microwave-safe bowl and heat, stirring every few minutes, until completely melted.
3. Stir in cookies. Pour into prepared pan and then refrigerate until firm (at least 2 hours to overnight). Cut into squares.

YAY! You did it!

xoxo Vanessa

@LocknessDIY

 

Roasted Cauliflower and Cheddar Soup

With autumn well underway the weather is getting colder and colder, and I’m getting more and more excited for delicious hot soups like this one! On a recent trip to America, I ate a lot of broccoli and cheddar soup and pretty much fell in love. However when we got home I decided that the only soup that could be better than broccoli and cheddar would have to be cauliflower and cheddar soup. I finally got around to making it today, and I am so glad I did. The soup ended up creamy and packed full of flavour. In my opinion what makes it so great is the roasted cauliflower, it takes the soup to a whole new level. In fact it was hard for me not to eat all of the roasted cauliflower before adding it to the soup, I love the stuff!

We had this soup with some toasted olive bread and it was amazing, but honestly you could have it with just fresh bread or on its own and it would still be wonderful.

Enjoy!

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Roasted Cauliflower and Cheddar Soup

Yields: about 4 servings

Ingredients:

• 1 large head of cauliflower (800-900g), cored and chopped into small, bite size pieces
• 2 tbsp olive oil
• salt and pepper
• 3 tbsp butter
• 1 onion, finely chopped
• 1 clove garlic, minced
• 3 cups milk
• 400mL chicken stock
• 1/2 cup thickened cream
• 1 tsp of dried parsley
• 1/4 tsp dried thyme
• 1 bay leaf
• 1/4 tsp white sugar
• 100g shredded cheddar cheese
• 25g grated parmesan cheese

Method:

1. Preheat your oven to 200 degrees. Place your chopped cauliflower onto a baking sheet and drizzle with olive oil. Toss/awkwardly move around to ‘evenly’ coat, then spread into an even layer. Season lightly with salt and pepper.
2. Bake the cauliflower in preheated oven until golden, about 25 minutes. (Don’t worry too much if they get a little burnt, it doesn’t really impact the end product) Remove from oven and set aside.
3. In a large pot, melt butter over medium heat. Add in the diced onion and saute until tender, about 4-5 minutes.
4. Add in the flour and cook, stirring constantly for about one minute. Add the garlic and stir for another 30 seconds or so.
5. Whilst whisking, slowly pour in the milk, then the chicken stock and cream. Add the parsley, thyme, bay leaf, sugar, roasted cauliflower and season the soup with salt and pepper to taste.
6. Bring to a boil, stirring occasionally, then reduce heat to low. Remove the bay leaf at this stage or you will regret it later. (trust me, you will regret it) Puree 3 cups of soup in a food processor or blender (being careful as you’re working with hot liquids) and then return the pureed soup to the pot.
7. Remove from heat and stir in the cheese. Serve warm. (with bread if desired)

YAY! You did it! This soup is honestly my fave and I hope you guys enjoy it too!!!

xoxo Vanessa

@LocknessDIY

DIY: Hot Cocoa Cookies!

Today’s DIY is a recipe for cookies, because in my opinion nothing says Christmas like a big batch of cookies. In the northern hemisphere, it’s cold during Christmas which to me means that you guys get to drink hot chocolate 24/7 to ‘keep warm’, but here in Australia that isn’t really a think. In fact most people try to keep cool, so I’ve tried to put the joy and taste of Hot Cocoa into delicious cookies, that are significantly more weather appropriate. Here’s how to make them:

https://locknessdiy.wordpress.com/2015/12/14/diy-hot-cocoa-cookies/

tps://locknessdiy.wordpress.com/2015/12/14/diy-hot-cocoa-cookies/

Ingredients:

• 1/2 cup unsalted butter
• 350g milk/dark chocolate (depending on how sweet you want your cookies)
• 1 1/2 cups flour
• 1/4 cup unsweetened cocoa powder
• 1 1/2 tsp baking powder
• 1/4 tsp salt
• 1 1/4 cups brown sugar
• 3 eggs
• 1 1/2 tsp vanilla extract
• approx. 25 large marshmallows cut in half

Method:

1. In a microwave safe bowl, melt the chocolate and butter, stirring frequently. Once melted, set aside to cool.
2. In a medium bowl, whisk together the flour, cocoa powder, salt, and the baking powder.
3. In a large electric mixing bowl, beat the sugar, eggs and vanilla extract on a low speed until fully combined.
4. Add the cooled chocolate mixture and blend until just combined.
5. While mixing, add the flour mixture bit by bit and blend until just combined.
6. Scrape down the sides of the bowl, then cover the dough (still in the bowl) with cling wrap and refrigerate for about one hour. (You want the cling wrap to be touching the dough). If making the dough a day ahead, let the dough sit at room temperature for 20-30 minutes before attempting to shape it. You might think the dough is a little wet and want to add a bit of flour. You can if you want, but the dough does become more dough like after you refrigerate it.
7. Preheat oven to 160 degrees celcius fan force. Line a whole bunch of baking trays with baking paper. (Honestly you are probably going to need all the trays you own, and still have to do rotations) Use a tablespoon to scoop the cookies and roll the dough in your hands to create balls. Arrange the balls about 7cm apart on the baking sheets and then flatten slightly. You might think that 7cm is a lot, but trust me these cookies expand like crazy. I had one batch that ended up being one giant cookie because I didn’t space them out enough. Bake cookies about 12 minutes.
8. Once the cookies have baked, remove them from the oven and press one marshmallow half into the center of each cookie. Return the cookies to the oven for another 3-4 minutes. Allow the cookies to cool for a few minutes then transfer to a cooling rack.
9. At this stage, you can just leave the cookies as they are. They are still absolutely delicious, however you may wish to add a chocolate icing and sprinkles to make them a little more pretty.

That’s it!

Happy Holidays!

xoxo Maggie and Vanessa

 

 

DIY: Triple Layer Ombre Cake

So because I wasn’t feeling too good last week I didn’t post, but I’m back now with a pretty cool DIY/How To. This week it was my sisters birthday, so I made her this cake.

So for the three layers I used the amount of batter I would normally use for 2 cakes, then coloured them separately. I baked them then let them cool completely before stacking them with icing between each layer. For the outer decoration, I covered the whole thing in white icing to fill any gaps between the layers, then put a mint coloured icing around the base. There was extra icing so we piped around the sides of the cake, piped diamonds onto the sides, and then piped a message onto the top of the cake. For an extra little sparkle, I put silver balls (they’re like made of sugar) all around the sides, on the diamonds.

I’m pretty happy with how it turned out overall. My sister looked pretty happy with it too!

xoxo Vanessa

@LocknessDIY

DIY: Rasperry and Chocolate Frozen Yogurt

So with the weather getting hotter and hotter, I was looking for a way to cool off, hence this creamy and delicious Raspberry and Chocolate Frozen Yogurt. You do need a ice-cream maker for this recipe, but you can get them relatively cheaply, and it is totally worth it. This recipe only has 5 ingredients so it really couldn’t be any simpler. The frozen yogurt is a little tart with a really refreshing raspberry flavour, whilst the dark chocolate pieces add the ultimate amount of sweetness.

Ingredients:

• 2 cups of plain Greek Yogurt
• 2 cups of fresh or frozen raspberries
• 1/2 teaspoon of Vanilla Extract
• 3/4 cup of caster sugar
• 1/3 cup of chopped dark chocolate

Steps:

1. Place the yogurt, raspberries, vanilla, and sugar into a blender or food processor. Blend until very smooth. At this point I really recommend that you press the mixture through a strainer to remove the raspberry seeds. I didn’t but it would have been so much better if I hadn’t left the seeds in.

2. Freeze in your ice cream maker according to the manufacture’s instructions. During the last few minutes of churning, add the chopped dark chocolate. You can serve it straight away for a soft serve texture, or you can place it in a container and freeze for 3-4 hours for a firmer texture.

and it’s that easy! The perfect cool down treat for summer- Creamy and healthy frozen yogurt in just two steps!

xoxo Vanessa

@LocknessDIY

DIY: Chicken and Zucchini Fritters Recipe

So this weekend, my sister suggested we make chicken and zucchini fritters for lunch. As an avid zucchini and just general vegetable hater, I was skeptical but after we made these, I can confirm that even the most fussy, vegetable hating people will enjoy these. It’s a great way to add some veggies to your diet! And you won’t even notice they’re there!

Ingredients:

• 2 medium zucchini, grated
• 2 tsp salt, divided
• 500g minced chicken
• 1/4 tsp freshly cracked black pepper
• 1/4 cup chives, finely sliced
• 1 large egg
• 2 cloves of garlic, pressed
• 225g ricotta cheese
• Olive oil to saute

How to make them:

1. Place the grated zucchini into a bowl and sprinkle with 1 tsp salt. You should leave this for 10 minutes, but if you’re in a hurry, you can probably get away with 5 minutes. Squeeze the juice out of the zucchini by the fistful and put it into a bowl. It’s important to get the juice out, or else your fritters will end up being a soggy, wet mess.
2. Add the chicken, salt, pepper, chives, egg, garlic and ricotta cheese. Basically add everything you haven’t used yet, apart from the olive oil.

3. Mix everything up really well. If you don’t then you WILL end up with chunks of cheese and chives which will be just generally gross. At this point it doesn’t really resemble anything you would really want to consume, but just stick with me for another minute.

4. Heat a large non-stick skillet (or a frying pan) over medium heat and add 3-4 tbsp of olive oil. Scoop up a heaped tablespoon of the mixture and put it into the pan, then shape them into circle-like shapes. Cook uncovered for until golden on one side (about 2 mins) and then flip and cook for another 2ish minutes. Add more olive oil as needed.

And there you go. These taste really great on there own, or with some sweet chilli sauce!

xoxo Vanessa

@LocknessDIY

DIY: French Onion Soup Dip

So I’ve been thinking a lot about healthy eating lately, and I know that I for one certainly need more veggies in my life, so I whipped up some of this French onion soup dip which tastes great with just about anything, although personally I really like to have it with carrots. So here’s how you can make it!

Ingredients:

– 30g satchel of French onion soup mix (makes 1L of soup)

– 250g lite sour cream

Method:

1. Put all ingredients in a bowl and combine. Chill for at least two hours.

2. Serve with your favourite dippers.

This dip is jam packed with flavour, and super easy to make!

xoxo Vanessa

@LocknessDIY