Peanut Butter Cookies, Citrus Lime Steak and Cider Poached Pears

Peanut Butter Cookies

I’d like to start off with some personal news and a bit of a plug. Last week I was made redundant. It wasn’t out of the blue but I had a weeks notice & no indication that I wouldn’t have to work out my notice period.

The extra free time is a wonderful treat, but it can’t be for too long! With all this spare time, I plan on doing a fair bit of baking.

So if you’re looking for some baked treats for a cafe or restaurant, need to increase your Gluten Free range, or want something for a special occasion, please let me know.

I’d love to make something just for you. Ok, end plug. Let’s get to the recipe huh? Today we are making COOKIES! These are a perfect after-school treat, or just because of the treat.

I would know, I’ve eaten two today! What? They were asking for it. They’ve got this beautiful texture, slightly crunchy, a little soft and almost like shortbread, it just melts in your mouth.

We recently put the call out for requests and our friend Simon from Simon Says Eat suggested Peanut Butter Cookies.

This recipe has been sitting in the “To Make” list for a little while & I couldn’t resist. Four ingredient cookies? So simple. There’s no excuse not to make these.

Oh and there’s a bonus! They’re gluten & dairy free for those of you with allergies or diet restrictions. The other bonus is that they take almost no time at all to make.

Twenty minutes, from getting your ingredients out, to getting those cookies in your belly!

Peanut Butter Cookies

These are the ingredients you’ll need. Sugar, peanut butter, egg, and baking powder. 1 of each (cups of the big stuff, a teaspoon of the small stuff)

You beat them all together, then start rolling them into balls. Make a pretty pattern on the top. Then pop them in the oven to bake for a little while.

And once they’re done, let them cool for a little while. Then gobble them all up!

 

Ingredients 

Makes about 2 dozen

  • Sugar: 1 cup
  • Good quality peanut butter, crunchy or smooth: 1 cup
  • 1 egg
  • 1 tsp baking powder

 

Directions

  1. Beat sugar and peanut butter together until smooth.
  2. Beat egg and baking powder together lightly & beat into peanut butter mixture.
  3. Roll dough in 1 tablespoon sized balls and place 5cm apart on a lined baking tray.
  4. Bake for 8-10 minutes until golden and puffed.
  5. Remove from oven and allow cool for 5 minutes.
  6. After five minutes, move them to a rack to cool.

 

Need Variations? Try the following:

  1. Mix some smooth & some crunchy peanut butter.
  2. Put a chocolate chip/M&M on the top as soon as they come out of the oven.
  3. Once fully cooled, paint the underside with chocolate.
  4. Add a chocolate square & a marshmallow on top before they go in the oven. Peanut butter more!

 

Citrus Lime Steak

I’ve just recently become fond of steak. It’s just really chewy, like really. I feel like my jaw becomes so tired that my stomach gives up all hope of ever being satisfied. But there is still hope stomach, don’t give up now!!

Citrus Lime Steak

My cute little old man (that’s my father if you didn’t get my jist) showed me what a london broil was a few months ago and I’ve fallen in love.

If you can’t get a guy, get a steak, right? That sounded weird. I just totally made you uncomfortable, didn’t I? My b. But I’m serious.

So now that it’s summer and comfort food just seems a bit hot and overbearing, it’s time to find a dish that is crisp and refreshing…Well DAMN, you are lucky that you’re reading this paragraph this very second.

Lucky I tell you. Because this meal is delicious, refreshing, and sets your taste buds into pandemonium.

 

Ingredients 

  • 1.5-2 lb London broil
  • ¼ cup apple cider vinegar
  • 3 tablespoons coconut aminos
  • Tarragon: 1 teaspoon
  • Parsley: 1 teaspoon
  • Garlic powder: 1 teaspoon
  • Onion powder: 1 teaspoon
  • Salt: 1 teaspoon
  • Black pepper: 1 teaspoon
  • gallon sized Ziploc bag
  • ⅓ cup apple cider vinegar
  • ¼ cup olive oil (I used a mild flavor)
  • Juice of 3 limes
  • Zest of 1 lime
  • Juice: 1 orange
  • Juice of 1 lemon
  • Italian seasoning: 1 teaspoon
  • ¼ teaspoon salt
  • ¼ teaspoon black pepper

 

Directions

  • Grab your Ziploc bag, add your London broil to it along with all the other ingredients below. Not the citrus dressing ingredients you weirdo.

 

  • Shake the bag, push all the ingredients together, knead the steak. KNEAD IT! Just give it some loving. Then set it in the fridge to marinate for 2+ hours. How long did I marinate mine? Freaking 48 hours people. You know why? Because that’s how sh*t goes sometimes people!

 

 

  • Now, you have 2 options. #1 If your grill has 2 burners, turn one on HIGH. You will sear both sides of the steak on the HIGH heat burner.

 

  • This will just take 1-2 minutes per side. #2 Or, if you don’t have a grill with multiple burners, sear your steak in a pan over very high heat with a bit of fat in the pan. This will only take 1-2 minutes per side.

 

  • Once you’ve seared both sides of the steak, flip it to your medium heat burner and close the grill. Let this side cook for about 4-5 minutes. Then flip to the other side

 

  • While the steak is cooking, head in the kitchen to make your citrus dressing.

 

  • Add all your ingredients for your dressing together and whisk together.

 

  • Once your steak is done cooking–you can poke at it to tell if it’s done–if your finger sinks in deep, it’s probably not quite ready.

 

  • If the meat has a bit of pushback when you poke it, that chunk o’ meat is ready!! It all depends on how cooked you’re like yours. I like mine pink. I know you cared.

 

  • Once the steak is done, set it on a plate to rest for at least an hour. That means leave it the hell alone and let the juices meld together.

 

  • After it has finished resting, cut it thinly with a SHARP knife and add it to your dressing. Mix thoroughly. Store in the fridge for a more crisp and refreshing flavor.

 

Citrus Lime Steak Recipe Credit: http://paleomg.com/citrus-lime-steak/

 

 

Cider Poached Pears

Peel your pears. Use a melon baller to take out a couple of ‘balls’ from the base. This will remove the core & seeds while keeping it presentable.

Cider Poached Pears

Place them all in a large pot, it’ll need to be big enough to have a cup of liquid per pear.

You’ll need dry cider, while I don’t like to drink Strongbow Dry, I think it worked well in this recipe.

Add in the nutmeg, cloves and cinnamon.

Simmer until they’re beautiful and soft.

Once they’re done, remove the cinnamon and pears and boil down the liquid until it’s halved. The best thing about this recipe is that it’s served cold, so all of this can be done the day before!

Serve cold on rich honey yoghurt (we only ever buy Mundella, SO good) with the syrup poured over the top.

It’s simple but delicious and a great dessert to serve at a dinner party without too much hassle.

 

Ingredients 

Adapted from Food for Weight Watching

Serves 4

  • 4 pears, peeled and core removed
  • 4 cups of unsweetened cider
  • 2 cinnamon sticks
  • 6 cloves (or 1/2 t of ground cloves)
  • 1/4 t ground nutmeg
  • 2 tbs honey

 

Directions

  • Place pears, cider, cinnamon, cloves and nutmeg all in a large pot and bring to a simmer over a medium heat.

 

  • Simmer slowly for around 25 minutes (if the pears are not fully covered, turn them over at the halfway point) until the pears are soft enough to easily pierce with a fork.

 

  • Remove the pears, cinnamon and cloves (if using whole cloves).

 

  • Add the honey to the liquid and boil gently until it reduces to a syrupy consistency or by half.

 

  • When ready to serve, spoon yogurt into a bowl, top with a pear and spoon over a few tablespoons of the syrup.

Alternatives:

  • Serve warm with ice cream or custard.
  • Poach apples instead of pears.
  • Try poaching in different ciders with the range available at the moment there are a lot of combinations!

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