Thursday, November 24, 2011

Comfort Food Recipe: Quick Stove top Rice Pudding


Cold, dreary weather always leaves me wanting warm food to warm me from the inside out. 
Rice pudding is one of these foods that leave you feeling all cozy and snug,
however, the baked version can leave you waiting for hours!

Lately, Sydney has been having unseasonably cold, wet and dreary days.
This called for a steaming hot batch of rice pudding to warm up my family.
Plus, it gave me an excuse to stand close to the hot stove and warm up.

This recipe is super easy and is perfect for any time. 
It uses ingredients that you most likely have lying around your kitchen, so it's fantastic for a last minute dessert or a lazy day. 

Stove top Rice Pudding
Serves 4

100g long grain rice 
2C milk (you can use whole/light/skim/whatever)
1-2 tbsp sugar (depending on tastes)
2 tsp vanilla extract
1/4 tsp Cinnamon (or more/less/different spices - depending on tastes)
1C milk 
Optional: a touch of cream

In a medium saucepan, add the rice, 2 cups of milk, sugar, cinnamon and vanilla extract and bring to the boil. 
Cover and reduce to a low heat, leaving the rice to simmer for 15 minutes - stirring every now and again. 
Add in the 1 cup of milk and bring the heat up to high. 
Stir the rice constantly for around 7 minutes, until your desired consistency is reached - let the milk absorb fully for a thicker pudding or leave some milk for a creamier pudding. 
If using, stir in the cream . Transfer the pudding to bowls or a serving dish and leave to cool slightly before serving.

Tell me, 
What's your comfort food of choice?
or go-to cold weather dish? 
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Wednesday, November 9, 2011

Jazz it up! Gluten free goodies

 The weather is definitely warming up! 
The skies might be gray, but you can definitely tell summer is here. 

In my last post I shared a bunch of goodies from realgoodfood and I'm back with more!
You may already be aware that I've recently eliminated gluten from my diet in an effort to sort out some health issues.
Because of this, I've definitely been on the look out for delicious GF products and recipes
and I was lucky enough that realgoodfood sent me a bunch of gluten free things along with the wheat free products you saw in my last post!

I was also able to eat the wheat free products too, don't worry! 
Some people who can't tolerate gluten are fine with oats, while others will still have a reaction - it really depends on the individual! 

realgoodfood's Organic Gluten Free Bircher Muesli may just be my staple breakfast for summer!
 It's a mix of brown rice flakes, sultanas, almonds, sunflower kernels and apple. 
Just mix it up the night before (or a little bit before you want to eat it) with some milk or yogurt and leave it to sit and soften.
Top it with some fresh fruit and you have a perfect summer breakfast!   

The High Protein Mix is also a perfect topper for the bircher muesli or any other breakfast!
It's also perfect for mixing into smoothies or using in baked goods!
It's a mix of almonds, sunflower kernels, sesame seeds and linseeds which give your breakfast a protein punch!


Realgoodfood also have a line of baby cereals, including this Organic Apple Baby Rice Cereal.
It's a smooth blend of brown and white rice and dried apple and is 100% biodynamic, organic and gluten free.
It's not just good for babies though! It makes a super creamy porridge that can be mixed with other grains or eaten by itself and it also works really good in baked goods!

The Organic Lemon Polenta Porridge is another creamy breakfast.
It's a gluten free mix of  polenta, wholegrain rice, sultanas, almonds, dried apple and lemon. 
This energy filled breakfast has a delicious tang from the lemon and is delicious!


Salads are made for summer, but they can get a little boring!
This Toasted Seed Mix in Tamari is a perfect salad topper, making a simple salad SO much more appetizing!
It's a gluten free mix of sunflower kernels, sesame seeds, pumpkin seeds and organic tamari.

All of the products I was sent from realgoodfood were fantastic and they have so many more!
You can pick up their products from one of their many stockists across the country and internationally!

So tell me, 
Do you have a favourite gluten free product? (even if you're not GF!)
and what's your favourite way to jazz up a salad?

I love to add things to my salads to make them more of a meal. 
Great things to add are different cheeses, nuts, dried or fresh fruit, avocado and my absolute favourite? roasted pumpkin!

Kristy received these products courtesy of www.realgoodfood.com.au
If you'd like a review of your products, send an email to ksayerphotography@gmail.com

Wednesday, November 2, 2011

Granola Breakfast Muffins and a bunch of breakfast goodies!

Breakfast is by far my favourite meal of the day.
I can't understand how people can say they just don't like breakfast.
If I started without it, I'd probably be a zombie for the rest of the day.

So, as you could imagine, I was super excited to receive the package from realgoodfood,
filled with breakfast goodies as well as a whole bunch of other fantastic products. 
So many products, in fact, they won't fit into the one post!
Plus, I also have a delicious recipe for you at the end of the post!



The Organic Oat Porridge is a Wheat Free Mix of Biodynamic and organic rolled oats, sultanas, apple and cinnamon.
It has no added oil, sugar or salt and is GMO free!


It can be made hot on the stove (or in the microwave) as a porridge, 
but now as the weather is warming up, I love to use it as a base for overnight oats!
Just mix up the oat porridge with milk or yogurt (or a combination of both) and leave it to soften in the fridge overnight.
In the morning, all you have to do is pull your breakfast out of the fridge, add any extra toppings you might like and eat up!
Fast, easy and delicious :)

The Choc Berry Street Mix is a fantastic snack to keep around and it's also Gluten Free!
This organic snack mix is filled with sultanas, almonds, cranberries, blueberries, goji berries, sunflower seeds, pumpkin seeds and delicious dark chocolate pieces.
The mix also makes a fantastic topping for oatmeal or overnight oats!



The Organic Street Mix is also gluten free 
 and filled with organic sultanas, almonds, sunflower kernels and pumpkin seeds.
It's a perfect on the go snack for when the hunger monster attacks!

The Organic Bircher Muesli is a wheat free mix of organic & biodynamic rolled oats, sultanas, dried apple, almonds and sunflower kernels.
Bircher muesli is a lot like overnight oats, some people like to soak theirs in fruit juices or water and top with milk or yogurt the next day, while others prefer to use milk or other combinations.
Ultimately, the decision is yours! Play around with different combinations until you find what you like!

You can get realgoodfood products from a variety of stockists across the country!



 Now, the recipe I promised!
As soon as I opened the Organic Toasted Muesli I was hit with the delicious aroma of honey and new it'd be perfect in baked goods!
It's a mix of organic & biodynamic rolled oats, sultanas, honey, sunflower kernels, almonds, barley malt, pear juice and orange.
It's delicious eaten as a cereal, but I decided I wanted to make a way for busy breakfast-haters to enjoy it too!

Thus, the breakfast muffin was born!
It's a perfect on the go breakfast that's fuss free and delicious!
The recipe is also completely adaptable, so it's easy to whip up with whatever you have at hand.


Muesli Breakfast Muffins 
makes 12 muffins or 6 extra large muffins


2 1/2C Flour (you can use white/whole wheat/GF/spelt)
2/3C Sugar (choose whatever sugar you prefer - white/brown/raw etc)
1C toasted muesli/granola + extra for topping
1 egg
1C fruit* 
1/4C vegetable oil 
1 1/4C milk 

Preheat oven to 180*C. Grease/spray muffin tins with oil or line with paper cases.
Combine flour, sugar and muesli in a bowl. 
Mix together egg, vegetable oil and milk and pour into dry ingredients. 
Stir in fruit and mix until just combined. 
Pour muffin batter into muffin tins and top with a sprinkle of extra muesli. 
Bake for 20-25 minutes or until golden and a skewer inserted in the centre comes out clean.


*For the fruit, I used a cup of leftover pie apple from a pie I had made earlier - just cooked apples mixed with a pinch of brown sugar and cinnamon 
You can use any fruit you like canned, fresh or frozen apple/pear/peaches/pineapple/blueberries etc.




So tell me, 
Are you a breakfast lover?
What's your go-to breakfast of choice?

Stay tuned for the other half of my review! It's packed full of delicious gluten free goodies :)

Kristy received these products courtesy of www.realgoodfood.com.au
If you'd like a review of your products, send an email to ksayerphotography@gmail.com 
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