Prawn tomato bisque with zucchini & garlic mushrooms

Ok so I guess it is confession time from my end!!!! The reason I am doing it, is because if I share this with you I have to stick to it and I have to achieve it. :) Yes ofcourse I have packed  on a couple pounds, probably from all the food that I have been cooking but also partly from the condition I suffer from called Endometriosis. I am a complete foodie, I love food, I always have and I always will. I am probably at a point in my life where I have never been happier. I love my husband, my baby boy max (he is a beagle by the way), my family, the life that I have but more importantly I love myself more than I ever have before. I have been some what of a yoyo dieter in the past but that clearly never worked out. So cutting out food from my lifestyle at this point in time is simply not an option.

My philosophy at present is about balance, balance on what I put in my mouth and balance on what and how much exercise I do. No more excuses, no more complaining but more about being happy, content, healthy and achieving healthy weight loss goals. 

SO I have decided to challenge myself and put on healthy dinner ideas for the next two weeks. If you follow my instagram feed you will see I have started to put up daily pics. I am starting with 2 weeks as I would like to see what I can accomplish in a short space of time, (ofcourse this is extendable). If you would like to join me please feel free to do so, I always love company.... :) Join me on instagram, facebook or comment in the box below. 

Last night I decided to scratch through my fridge and freezer and see what is available for me to cook but also reduce my calorie intake at the same time. The picture above is what I came up with. Now this is ofcourse the healthier version of bisque but still gives you the texture of a typical bisque. Instead of using rice and cream to thicken the sauce I decided to use julienne zucchini, mushrooms and canned tomatoes to give it texture. You can blend all this together and keep it as a bisque with prawns. However, I decided not to blend and keep the dish as is to give it as much texture and contrast as possible. 

What you will need is the following: - 

500g prawns (deveined) you can use the heads to enhance the biqsue flavour if you like 

250g Mushrooms

3 - 4 Zucchini Julienne

250g canned tomatoes

1 TBLS Tomato paste

2 Garlic Cloves

2 Tsp black pepper

1 Tsp Chilli powder

Basil leaves

Salt to taste 

1/2 onion finely sliced

Olive oil for cooking

Method: - 

Place a pan onto a medium heat with olive oil. Add onions, garlic, basil and fry ingredients until onions are transparent. Add the Zucchini and mushrooms, together with salt and pepper. Allow this to cook slightly until the water has released from both ingredients. Now add the prawns and gently toss this together, let this cook until all the water has literally evaporated.  Add the chilli powder and canned tomatoes. Let this cook until you have somewhat of a thick sauce. Add the tomato paste and season with extra salt and pepper if required. 

The dish is meant to have a seafood flavour, that is what a bisque is about. If you have to have carbs, you can always use lower carb content breads or alternatively use something like brown basmati rice to serve with the bisque. I simply enjoyed it as is, as the zucchini acts as a "rice" substitute. Enjoy. Much love as always CC :) 

And don't forget to join me on the healthy dinner idea 2 week challenge on instagram, facebook, or comment in the box below.  

Pavlova Brownies Dessert

Oh my goodness it feels like forever since the last time I blogged. Well, brace yourself because I do have some special treats coming up for you and one of them being my Pavlova Brownies Dessert!!!!! Pavlova has been a staple dessert in many australian homes, purely because it is light, typically made with fruits and fresh cream and great for the warm weather that we constantly have. However, ofcourse I decided to take things one step further and build a decedant, indulgent dessert for a friends Bridal shower. 

Now sometimes in life, time seems to get the better of me and for the pic above I ended up getting a store bought pavlova base. Nothing wrong with doing this, but if you have the time bake it at home, it is so much fun and completely satisfying when you see the end result!!! :) I will share with you the recipe I tend to use for both my pavlova bases and meringue nests. 

For the Pavlova/meringue nests 

6 eggs seperated

270g castor sugar

Corn flour to sprinkle on foil 

Melted Butter to brush onto the foil 

1/2 Tsp Vanilla extract

1 Tsp White Vinegar 

For the Brownie

250g butter

2 cups caster sugar

4 eggs

1 1/2 cups plain flour

3/4 cup cocoa powder and alittle extra for dusting

1 1/2 Tsp vanilla essence

100g brown milk chocolate squares (baking chocolate)

100g white chocolate squares (baking chocolate) 

20x30cm baking pan (greased and lined with baking paper) 

500g of whipped cream 

For the chocolate sauce you could use nutella (warm slightly in the microwave to create a "sauce") or 200g of dark chocolate which you can melt over a water bath.

For the White chocolate noodles, use 200g of tempered white chocolate. Take a piping bag and pipe the tempered chocolate into a bowl filled with tap water and ice cubes. You will see the chocolate starting to form noodles straight away. (I will upload images and possibly a video of this demo shortly to show you how to correctly temper chocolate and pipe to create the noodles) 

Extra White chocolate 200g if you are going to make the dessert hours before guests arrive (see how to assemble (below) for more details) 

Method: - 

For the Pavlova 

Line a baking pan with foil, use a 9 or 10 inch pan to draw a circle as a guide for placing  the meringue. Brush the foil with melted butter and dust with cornflour, remove any excees corn flour. Preheat the oven to about 120 degrees. 

Using an electric mixer, whisk the egg whites till soft peaks are formed and gradually add the sugar. You basically have to whisk until you can feel a smooth texture, if you can feel sugar particles keep whisking. You will know you have the right consistency once you have a smooth glossy texture and if you can hold the bowl over your head and not have anything fall out, you have mastered the art of meringue making!!!! Becareful though because if you havent the mixture might be all over you. :) 

Once you have achieved the right texture, spoon the meringue this into your circle, smooth the sides and the top and place into the oven for approx 2 hours until the pavlova is dry to touch. When it is completely cold then move it to a serving tray and decorate. 

For the Brownies

Preheat the oven to 180 degrees. Melt the butter in a medium sized saucepan over a medium heat. Once melted remove from the heat and add the sugar. 

Make sure that your mixture has cooled somewhat before you add the eggs, as you really don't want your eggs to start to scramble in the mix. Add the eggs one at a time until you achieve a thick yet glossy mix. 

Add the vanilla, cocoa powder and plain flour to the egg mix. Add all the white chocolate squares and half of the brown milk chocolate squares and mix. Pour this into your baking pan which has been lined. 

Now, place the rest of the brown milk chocolate squares at random places on the brownie mix. This will start to partially melt when you bake your brownies. Place into the oven for approx 30 minutes. Test using a skewer. Once your brownies have cooked and cooled down you can cut them into squares. 

How to assemble: - 

Place the pavlova onto a serving platter. Place whipped cream onto the base of the pavlova (if you are making this hours before your function, you might want to melt chocolate and pour this over the top of the pavlova, let it set before adding the whipped cream, the reason being is you don't want to have a soggy and collapsed pavlova) The hard chocolate will prevent this from happening. Place the chopped brownies all over the top of the whipped cream, make sure you use the whipped cream as a "glue" to hold the brownies in place. Place the chocolate noodles and then the fun part, drizzle with the melted chocolate sauce. Enjoy, Enjoy, Enjoy!!!! Your Guests will go completely nuts for this dessert!!!! Much love as always CC :)