February 2019 - Cape Demo Appliances

Chocolate Caramel Pancakes – Yum!

by capedemo | Feb 27, 2019 | Cooking with Cape Demo

These caramel chocolate pancakes are great for breakfast or as a dessert. The recipe is vegan, gluten-free, nut-free, and can be made refined sugar-free. Because we all know chocolate is life. And so is caramel. So combining both is pretty amazing.

Ingredients:

Dry ingredients:

1 cup oats ground (90 g) (*see recipe notes)
1/2 cup white rice flour (80 g)
3 tbsp cacao powder
2 tbsp coconut sugar (or brown sugar)
1 tbsp ground chia seeds (or flax seeds)
1/2 tsp baking powder
1/4 tsp baking soda

Wet ingredients:

220-230 ml plant-based milk (a little bit less than a cup)
1 small banana (80 g) (*see recipe notes)
1 tbsp blackstrap molasses (optional)
1 tbsp lemon juice or lime juice
coconut oil (for frying)

Instructions

Caramel

Put all “caramel filling” ingredients into a small bowl and stir with a whisk.
Line a sheet pan with parchment paper and spoon about 1 heaped tbsp onto the paper. Use the back of the spoon to spread it out into a round disc about 7-8 cm in diameter (see photo above in the text). Make 6 discs in total.
Put the pan into the freezer for about 20 minutes.

Pancakes

Meanwhile, put all dry pancake ingredients into a bowl and stir with a whisk.
Process all wet pancake ingredients (except the oil) in a blender.
Pour the wet ingredients into the bowl of dry ingredients and stir with a whisk to combine. Let the batter rest for a few minutes.
Once the caramel discs are firm, you can start making the pancakes: Preheat a skillet to low-medium heat and add a little bit of oil (or you can use cooking spray).
Pour about 1 1/2 heaped tbsp of the pancake batter into the skillet, spread it and place 1 frozen caramel disc into the center of the batter. Add more batter (approx. 1 tbsp) to cover the caramel.
Put a lid on the skillet and cook the pancake for approximately 3 minutes. The lid is important, otherwise, the pancake won’t cook properly because of the frozen caramel disc! Flip the pancake and cook if from the other side for a further 1-2 minutes. Continue with the remaining pancake batter. (Tip: By using two skillets at the same time you’ll save time).
Enjoy with banana slices and a chocolate sauce!

Original source of recipe: https://elavegan.com/caramel-chocolate-pancakes-vegan-gluten-free/

Zesty Cucumber-Apple Salad

by capedemo | Feb 19, 2019 | Cooking with Cape Demo

Ingredients

Finely grated zest of 1 medium lime

2 tablespoons freshly squeezed lime juice

1/2 teaspoon salt

1/4 teaspoon chili powder

1/8 teaspoon cayenne pepper

1 medium pineapple cut into cubes

2 large English cucumbers cut into cubes

1/2 small red onion, thinly sliced

1/2 cup coarsely chopped fresh cilantro leaves

Instructions

Combine the zest, lime juice, salt, chili powder and cayenne together and whisk. Add the rest of the ingredients and toss. Cover and refrigerate for 20 minutes to allow the flavours to melt together. Enjoy with your next chicken braai!

Recipe and image source: https://www.thekitchn.com/pineapple-cucumber-salad-260384

Chinese Style Bolognese. Wait. What?

by capedemo | Feb 12, 2019 | Uncategorized

You will need:
8 oz. dried spaghetti
Salt
1 tablespoon oil
12 oz. ground beef
1 medium onion, finely diced
2 cloves garlic, minced
2 teaspoons dry sherry
2 cups chicken stock
3 tablespoons oyster sauce
2 tablespoons light soy sauce
1/2 teaspoon dark soy sauce
1 teaspoon sesame oil
1/8 teaspoon white pepper
1 cup frozen peas
2 tablespoons cornstarch, mixed with 2 tablespoons water

Instructions:

Bring a pot of salted water to a boil for the spaghetti. Cook the spaghetti according to the package instructions, undercooking it by about a minute (it will finish cooking in the sauce). While the pasta is cooking, start the sauce.

Add the onion, garlic, and sherry, and turn the heat down to medium. Cook until the onion is transparent, and then add the chicken stock.

Heat a wok over high heat and add a tablespoon of oil. Add the ground beef and cook until slightly browned, breaking up any large chunks of beef.

Bring to a boil and lower the heat to a simmer. Stir in the oyster and soy sauces, sesame oil, and white pepper. Cover and simmer for 10 minutes. Remove the cover, add the peas, and stir for one minute.

Stir up the cornstarch slurry (since the starch will separate from the water when left to sit), and drizzle the slurry into the sauce while stirring constantly. The sauce should thicken until it coats a spoon.

Drain the pasta, and add it directly to the wok. Toss until the pasta is coated in sauce. Feel free to add some of the pasta cooking liquid if the sauce is too thick, and add more cornstarch slurry if the sauce is too thin.

And enjoy!

Source attribution: https://thewoksoflife.com/2015/12/chinese-spaghetti-bolognese/