Soon after Easter I started watching my diet again but reading blogs all the day, there are some times I am really tempted to make some of the recipes I see.
Being on diet doesn’t mean that you can’t eat a dessert once in a while or a snack. Instead of eating anything else in the evening, I ate one of these sausage breads or two cheese breads with a salad.
Here is what I made during the past month and still managed to lose 3 kilos.
When I saw these sausages on Fimeres blog, they looked so beautiful that I could not resist and made them immediately. In fact I’ve made them twice this month.
Fimere writes in French and some times it’s hard for me to understand all the instructions and the google translator is not so reliable, so I decided to make the dough with the Tangzhong starter which I learned from Angie.
However, this time I made a few changes: instead of using butter I used olive oil and instead of maple syrup I used honey. Instead of adding the 70 grams sugar I just added a teaspoon to help the yeast rise and instead of milk I added water. This dough is great both ways and I love how well it pairs with savory fillings.
I don’t know what kind of sausages Fimere used but I made mine with chicken sausages.
Sausage rolls and Tyropita with Tangzhong Starter
Tangzhong Starter
Makes: 250 grams starter
Ingredients:
- 50 grams all purpose flour
- 250 grams water
Directions:
- Whisk together the water and the flour until the mixture is well blended and lump free.
- Stir the mixture while it cooks over the medium heat to reach 65C/150F. It takes about 2-3 minutes. If you don’t own a thermometer like I do, continue whisking until the mixture starts to thicken up and remove immediately from the heat.
- Transfer to a bowl and cover loosely with plastic wrap to prevent from drying and after completely cooling down you can start using it. Store the remaining starter in the refrigerator, covered with cling film.
- To use the starter, measure out the amount called for in a recipe and let it warm to room temperature.
- This starter must be used within three days.
Ingredients for the dough:
- Half of the above starter (125 grams)
- 120 grams all purpose flour
- 510 grams bread flour
- 42 grams fresh yeast
- 2 tablespoons water
- 1 tsp sugar
- ½ tsp salt
- 1 large egg (65 gr.)
- 95 g warm water
- 45 g honey
- 45 g olive oil, divided
Sausage rolls
For the filling
- 12 chicken sausages
- 1 egg, for egg wash and a sprinkle of Halloumi Cheese and poppy seeds on top
Tyropita (cheese breads)
Makes: 20 cheese breads
- Dough (same as above)
- 200 grams feta
- 200 grams graviera (or pecorino)
- Or 200 grams halloumi
- 200 grams graviera (or pecorino)
- 2 tablespoons dried mint
- 1 egg for egg wash
- 1 tablespoon milk
Directions:
Dissolve yeast with sugar and 2 tablespoons water.Place all the dough ingredients, except the oil, in a mixing bowl. Mix with dough hook at slow speed for 1 minute. Switch to medium speed, and continue to knead until a dough forms. Add half of the olive oil gradually and beat until gluten is fully developed, i. e. elastic and smooth.
Place the dough in a bowl and wet the dough with the remaining olive oil on all sides.Cover and leave in a warm place for about ½ an hour until the dough has doubled in size. Punch the dough and make a large roll.Cut it into 20 even pieces, which form each one into a ball again.
Meantime grate graviera and crumble feta or the other combination could be halloumi with graviera and mix in the dried mint.
Whisk the egg and add reserve 2 tablespoons for the egg wash which mix with a tablespoon of milk. Add the remaining egg to the cheese..
Roll out each piece of dough into a round disc, as thin as you can and add a heaped tablespoon of cheese in the middle.Take the edges and join together to form a pouch.
Place each pouch in a lightly greased pan or on parchment paper and brush with the egg wash.
Bake in a preheated 180C for about 25 – 30 minutes or until golden brown.
To make the sausages:
Roll out one big piece of dough. Place the sausage on the dough and cut the dough, just enough to roll the sausage once. Cut it into 1 cm slices but do not cut all the way through. Take the first piece and twist it to the left and the other piece to the right and continue the same with all the pieces. Place them on a baking tin lined with parchment paper and allow to rise. Brush with the egg wash, sprinkle with some cheese and poppy seeds.
Bake in a preheated oven at 180 degrees C for about 25 – 30 minutes or until golden brown.
How could I resist not making these delicious and so healthy cookies. There is no butter and no eggs in these cookies. I made a few changes to this recipe, not that I did not like how Angie made it but because I did not have all the ingredients at home. Instead of coconut shreds I added some leftover chocolate chips I had and grated almonds. Finally instead of walnuts I used pecans and I added raisins, black currants and cranberries. The remaining ingredients are the same.
Banana Oatmeal Cookies, adapted from Angie’s recipe
Makes: 20
- 160 g Instant oatmeal
- 6 demerera sugar cubes
- 3 Ripe bananas
- 30 g Raisins
- 60 g Walnuts (pecans)
- 50 g Dried cranberries
- 50 g black currants
- 50 g Dried coconut shreds or (1/2 cup chocolate chips (white and dark))
- 1/2 cup blanched and grated almonds
- 1 tsp Vanilla extract
- 1/2 tsp Salt
- Mash the bananas with a tablespoon, adding vanilla extract and salt. Mix well. Chop the walnuts and dried cranberries.
- Mix all the other ingredients with the banana mixture. Scoop out on a baking tray lined with a baking paper. Bake in a preheated 165C/330F oven for about 30 minutes until the cookies lightly golden in colour.
Regarding the last recipe, I was not planning to make a cake but I had unexpected family coming over yesterday and as I avoid making desserts the past month I did not have most of the ingredients. I remembered seeing Kevin’s Banana cake in the morning and I had the ripe bananas at home. I did not have all purpose flour, which I used the last to make the tangzhong snacks so I used self raising flour and omitted the baking powder. I did not have brown sugar nor did I have sour cream, which I substituted with yoghurt. I did not want to use too much butter in this dessert, so I made a different caramel using water instead of butter. I did not have chocolate chips and used some white chocolate chips and chocolate shavings I had leftover from other desserts. As the amount was not enough, I added some blached and grated almonds as well.
I attempted to reverse the cake in a platter but unfortunately I did not think of brushing the baking pan with butter or placing it on parchment paper before adding the caramel and when it cooled it stuck to the pan.
Banana Caramel Cake, adapted from Kevin’s recipe
For the caramel
1/2 cup sugar
2 tablespoons water
1 tsp lemon juice
For the cake:
- 2 bananas (peeled and sliced)
- 1 3/4 cups self raising flour
- 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
- 1/4 teaspoon salt
- 1 teaspoon cinnamon
- 1/2 cup butter (room temperature)
- 3/4 cup sugar
- 2 eggs (beaten)
- 1/2 cup Greek yoghurt
- 2 overripe bananas (mashed)
- 1/2 cup white chocolate chips
- ¼ cup chocolate shavings
- ¼ cup blanched almonds, divided
Directions:
- Add the sugar, water and lemon juice in a frying pan and mix until it becomes brown.
- Pour the mixture into the bottom of an 8 inch square baking dish and spread it out.
- Cover with a layer of sliced bananas and sprinkle half of the almonds on top.
- Mix the flour, baking soda, salt and cinnamon in a large bowl.
- Cream the butter and sugar in the mixer.
- Add the eggs, yoghurt and bananas into the butter and sugar.
- Stir the dry ingredients into the banana mixture.
- Stir in the chocolate chips and half of the almonds.
- Gently spread the batter over the bananas in the pan.
- Bake in a preheated 350F oven until a tooth pick pushed into the center comes out clean, about 40-50 minutes.
Serve with ice cream.
Eftychia
Sunday 17th of July 2011
All recipes look delicious. I think I will give your cookies a try soon. My husband and kids like oatmeal a lot! My recent post Organic Strawberry Cupcakes
Niki
Monday 17th of May 2010
Maybe it's just me, but these "treats" seem healthy still! Okay, maybe not the healthiest, but you seem to be doing a great job at sticking to your guns on eating healthy, and even making your tempting treats not so bad for you! Kudos Ivy b/c not a lot of people do that, and I think with the smarts you have, you willl be able to continue reaching your weight loss goals!
mylittleexpatkitchen
Monday 17th of May 2010
Ivy you've outdone yourself. I can't imagine what you'd cook if you weren't on a diet! I fell instantly in love with the first recipe, the sausage rolls. I will definitely be making this. Magda
Peter G
Monday 17th of May 2010
Seems you have been busy in the kitchen! It's true regarding "dieting" and eating well. Once in a while it's good to break out and try some things you may be missing...it never hurts. Love those cookies...very healthy Ivy!
Reeni
Monday 17th of May 2010
It is very hard to resist making all the delicious food I see every day! The sausage rolls look really delicious. And I love the healthy cookies from Angie's blog. And last of all who can resist caramel and banana? Congratulations on your weight loss Ivy! That's great.