Tasty Tuesdays #8 plus Features & an Ad Opportunity

Tuesday, April 30, 2013

Welcome to Tasty Tuesdays!
I'm excited that you're interested in sharing your delish dishes with the blogging community through my link party. Scroll down to see if you've been featured & if you have, don't forget to display a featured badge & help attract other bloggers.

As always, I'd love it if you helped to spread the word about this party by inviting your blogging buddies to participate. Don't forget to grab a participator's button to display on your blog where you see fit. Also, if you've been featured, swipe a snazzy button for your blog/newsletter:

Grab button for Anyonita Nibbles

Grab button for Anyonita Nibbles


Before we get to the features, I'm seeking co-hosts for this link party! You'll receive loads of e-marketing of our blog including Tweets and Facebook posts featuring you and your blog, as well as weekly pins. You'll also increase your followers and likes on Facebook, all for co-hosting! Interested? Send me an email to munchies [at] anyonita-nibbles [dot] com!

 

Featured from last week's party

Want to be featured too? Then remember to stop by and visit other people's blogs!


Here are the top three most clicked or commented links! Well done, guys!
featured recipe Meyer Lemon Lemon Curd
I love lemon curd, y'all and I am so excited about this one!

Delicious-looking Goat Cheese Goodness from Inspired Healthy Organized

Refreshing Mango Blueberry "Smoothie" Cocktail from Willamette Valley Wonder Woman


A few rules of the party
  1. Follow Anyonita Nibbles socially (however you'd like) and let me know so I can do the same in return!
  2. Visit other links in the party. Leave a comment stating that you stopped by. (We all love to read comments, so share the love!)
  3. Spread the word; grab a participator's button and display it on your blog.
  4. Link to your recipes--no giveways or promos, please.
  5. As a participant, you acknowledge that photos from the post you link may be distributed as a part of the Tasty Tuesdays Feature and/or across my social media platforms. If this is the case, all photos will be credited back to your sites and posts and credit will be given.

All right, here we go, party people!



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Gluten Free Mango and Passion Fruit Sorbet with Passion Fruit Syrup

Monday, April 29, 2013

Melty mango and passion fruit sorbet with a dollop of passio n fruit syrup
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I know that in the world of food styling, there's this mentality that pictures depicting melting ice cream and sorbet aren't considered to be best practice. In my opinion, there's nothing more inviting than a slightly drippy photo of ice cream. Talk about being ready to dive in?


I love that every time I look at these sorbet photos, I lick my lips and have a strong desire to book it to the freezer and retrieve a scoop of this icy deliciousness. That's what food photos are meant to do, aren't they? Make you hungry; make you wish you were going to eat what's shown instead of what you have planned.

This sorbet is another product of the great Actimel delivery of last week. In fact, this is a celebratory post, because Actimel's new Mango and Passionfruit Yogurt is available for purchase today around the UK. Trust me, guys, you need this yogurt in your fridge. It's so versatile--handy for sipping straight for the carton, or whipping up into a tasty smoothie (try a Mango and Passionfruit Smoothie with Fresh Basil) or making into a sorbet like I've done.

Welcome spring and get geared up for summer with this super easy and healthy dessert. It's ready in just 15 minutes, plus freezing time.

A box of six cartons of Actimel Mango and Passionfruit Yogurt
Ingredients:
For the sorbet
1 large ripe mango, diced
1 tbsp Truvia sweetener
3 cartons Actimel Mango & Passionfruit Yogurt

For the syrup
1 passionfruit
1 cup water
3 tbsps caster sugar

All right, let's blitz:
Begin by preparing the mango by dicing it.

Tumble the mango into the bottom of a blender as well as the sugar sweetener and yogurt.

Whizz until blended but be sure to leave some chunks of mango for texture. 

Pour into a plastic container and allow to freeze. Should take at least an hour.

For the syrup, halve a passionfruit and scoop out the seeds. Set aside.

In a small saucepan, bring the water and sugar to the boil. Reduce the heat, add half of the seeds and allow to cook down until it begins to thicken.

Stir in the remaining seeds and allow to cool completely before decanting to a jar or bottle.

Mango and Passionfruit sorbet made from Actimel mango and passionfruit yogurt with passionfruit syrup

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20 Must Have Kitchen Gadgets of Spring 2013

Friday, April 26, 2013

20 must have kitchen gadgets of spring 2013 roundup
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It's spring! And that means time for cherry trees blossoms, sipping wine barefoot outside as the sun sets, longer days, gentle breezes and spring cleaning. In my house, spring cleaning is always a good excuse for updating worn and out-of-date kitchen gadgets.

So here's a list of my ultimate favorite kitchen gadgets for Spring 2013. There are some real treasures on this list! A huge thank you to all the PR contacts and companies who got in touch and helped make this list possible! Before we get to the list, could I trouble you to click that beautiful badge to the left and vote for me to win a BiB award, please? I'd much appreciate it!

In no particular order, 20 Must Have Kitchen Gadgets of Spring 2013:



And a bonus piece:


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Kid Friendly Honeyed Popcorn Chicken with Rice Krispies

Thursday, April 25, 2013

Kid-Friendly Honeyed Popcorn Chicken with Rice Krispies | Anyonita Nibbles

Y'all remember a few weeks ago, I posted this Rice Krispies Fish Fingers recipe? For about three days after, I was grabbing my bright blue box of Rice Krispies nearly every time I cooked, trying to come up with different things to pair them with and get them out of the breakfast nook and onto the dinner table.

NOMINATE ME BiB 2013 FOOD
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On one such quest, I came up with this sweet and crunchy popcorn chicken recipe for Callum's dinner one night. Needless to say, he loved them! I served them with oven chips and peas for him with the obligatory squirt of ketchup for dunking. They're easy and tasty and quick to make, too!

Before we get to the recipe, would you mind clicking that badge and voting me for me to win a BiB award? I would really appreciate it! Cheers!


One honeyed popcorn chicken with uncooked Rice Krispies | Anyonita Nibbles
Ingredients:
For the popcorn chicken1/4 cup sesame seeds
1/2 cup flour
1 cup gluten free Rice Krispies cereal 
1 tbsp parsley
1 tbsp honey
1 egg, beaten
2 Boneless, skinless chicken thighs
salt and pepper
sunflower oil for frying

All right, let's cook:
Prepare the batter and coating for the chicken by beating one egg with the honey in a small bowl.

In a slightly larger bowl, place the flour along with salt and pepper an parsley. Stir to combine.

On a plate, combine the Rice Krispies with the sesame seeds.

Cut the chicken into bite-sized chunks (or why not try strips?) and get the oil heating on the stove.

Dredge each chunk through the flour, being sure to coat all sides.

Next,  dip into the eggy-honey mix before rolling it around in the Rice Krispies and sesame seeds. Set aside to rest on a clean plate. Continue until you've coated all the chicken pieces before shallow frying until golden and cooked through.

Kid-Friendly Honeyed Popcorn Chicken with Rice Krispies


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Gluten Free Actimel Mango and Passion Fruit Smoothie with Fresh Basil

Wednesday, April 24, 2013

Mango and Passionfruit Smoothie with Fresh Basil
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One of the best things about summer is tropical fruit. We're big mango eaters in this house, with a propensity for purchasing cases of the seasonal fruit from outdoor markets dotted around Manchester's ethnic areas. Around this time of year, my husband can be spotted with a huge grin across his face, toting a tray of juicy, bronzed mango. Passion fruit is another favorite of ours, although we tend to buy it much less often than we buy mango.

So earlier this week, when an insulated box arrived with the freshest, sweetest mangoes and passion fruits and a pack of Actimel's new Mango and Passionfruit yogurt, I was beyond delighted to get stuck in coming up with a couple unique and tasty recipes for you guys featuring the yogurt. If you've not tweaked it yet: the materials and the equipment used in this recipe were compliments of Actimel. The recipe and the opinions expressed are my own and have been developed by me and have not, in any way, been influenced by Actimel.

That said, I really love this yogurt. When it comes to yogurt flavors, I'm normally pretty boring, sticking with classics like strawberry or cherry. Or blueberry, when I'm feeling really adventurous. So trying mango and passion fruit yogurt was a big deal for me. I was half expecting it to be sickly sweet and a bit overpowering as passionfruit can be. It wasn't! It was mellow and refreshing. You really get the flavors of both fruits in this yogurt, which can be hard to balance when having multiple fruit flavors in a yogurt, I think. It really slips down a treat and everyone in my family loved it. Especially Callum, my 16 month old. He wanted two pots yesterday for snack time! 

Actimel Mango & Passionfruit Yogurt
Actimel Mango & Passionfruit Yogurt is available in the UK from 22 April at Tesco and from 29 April at other supermarkets.

 Ingredients:
For the smoothie
1 cup milk
1 large mango
1 passion fruit
1 tsp honey
1 tbsp fresh basil leaves, torn
2 pots of Actimel Mango & Passionfruit Yogurt
3 cubes of ice


All right, let's blitz:

Prepare the mango by standing it stem-down on a cutting board. Using a sharp knife, cut through both sides of the mango, straight down so you're left with two "shells" on either side of the middle.

Take one shell, and slice three our four lines down the length of the mango, flesh side up. Do not cut through the skin, you're simply scoring the flesh here.

Rotate the mango shell and score across the flesh, making a grid.

Pick up the scored shell and push gently on the skin to cause the mango cubes to pop out of the skin. Using your knife, carefully slice between the base of each cube and the skin to remove each chunk of mango. Repeat with the second shell and, if you can feel the hard, fibrous core of the mango on the middle piece, discard it. Otherwise, slice thinly until you reach the inedible center.
Confused? Watch this great video: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lvLdPjpELyU

Next, halve the passion fruit and set aside. Tear the basil leaves and set aside.

Pour the milk and yogurt into the base of your blender or smoothie maker along with the ice, mango and the passion fruit seeds from 1/2 of the passion fruit.

Drizzle in the honey, sprinkle in the basil and blend until smooth.

Serve topped with the remaining passion fruit and garnish with a sprig of fresh basil. Swirl to disperse the passion fruit evenly before drinking.

Mango and Passion Fruit Smoothie with Frsh Basil and a blurred pot of mango and passion fruit yogurt
Actimel's mango and passionfruit yogurt with a blurred mango and passion fruit smoothie with fresh basil

Thank you so much to Actimel for the lovely parcel:

A promotional parcel compliments of Actimel with yogurt, fresh fruit and a smoothie maker



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I've been nominated & shortlisted for BiBs Food 2013!

Tuesday, April 23, 2013

NOMINATE ME BiB 2013 FOOD 
See that lovely badge up there guys? I've been nominated for the 2013 Brilliance in Blogging Awards for the Food Category! I would really appreciate it if you voted for me to win! The only way I can win is with your vote!

How to vote:
Click the badge and you'll be taken to a Survey Monkey form.
Scroll down to #4, the Food section and check the radio button next to Anyonita Nibbles.
Scroll down to the bottom and click "done" to submit.
That's it! :)  

There are other award categories included in BiB. To see these and all the other wonderful shortlisted blogs, go here:http://www.britmums.com/2013/04/bibs-shortlists-are-here/.

To those who nominated me & to those who vote for me, I say:

The BiB awards are run by BritMums and are a great way to shed exposure on UK blogs and I'm thrilled to have been included in the shortlisting.

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Link Party: Tasty Tuesdays #7 Plus Features

Welcome to Tasty Tuesdays!
I'm excited that you're interested in sharing your delish dishes with the blogging community through my link party.We had loads of new partiers with us last week, all submitting some fantastic recipes! Scroll down to see if you've been featured & if you have, don't forget to display a featured badge & help attract other bloggers.

As always, I'd love it if you helped to spread the word about this party by inviting your blogging buddies to participate. Don't forget to grab a participator's button to display on your blog where you see fit. Also, if you've been featured, swipe a snazzy button for your blog/newsletter:

Grab button for Anyonita Nibbles

Grab button for Anyonita Nibbles


Featured from last week's party

Want to be featured too? Then remember to stop by and visit other people's blogs!


Here are the top three most clicked or commented links! Well done, guys!

slow cooker hawaiian chicken
You guys loved this recipe for Sweet Hawaiian Crockpot Chicken & so did I! Can't wait to give it a try!

Taco Pizza
This is one of my favorites from the party! It's such a good idea!

wholepineapple
Not exactly a recipe, but a post filled with useful information about pineapples! You guys loved this one a lot & so did I; so helpful!


A few rules of the party
  1. Follow Anyonita Nibbles socially (however you'd like) and let me know so I can do the same in return!
  2. Visit other links in the party. Leave a comment stating that you stopped by. (We all love to read comments, so share the love!)
  3. Spread the word; grab a participator's button and display it on your blog.
  4. Link to your recipes--no giveways or promos, please.
  5. As a participant, you acknowledge that photos from the post you link may be distributed as a part of the Tasty Tuesdays Feature and/or across my social media platforms. If this is the case, all photos will be credited back to your sites and posts and credit will be given.

All right, here we go, party people!




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Gluten Free Choccy Banana Berry Smoothie

Monday, April 22, 2013

Choccy Banana Berry Smoothie
I started drinking smoothies because I wanted to be healthier. Naturally, I assumed that I would have to kick the chocolate habit and stick to a strict larder of fruits and veggies. One day while whipping up some chocolate milk for Callum, I realized that mommy could still have chocolate (of sorts) and stick to the healthier smoothies regimen! That's when the chocolate smoothie was born and although it's included in my 14 Brekkie Smoothies ebook, I first made this smoothie as a lunch replacement. It would make a very good breakfast, however. Especially when you're craving chocolate. A better alternative to a chocolate croissant, for instance.

Choccy Banana Berry Smoothie 2
Ingredients:
For the smoothie


1/2 tsp vanilla extract
1 cup milk
1 tbsp cocoa powder
1 tsp honey
1 tsp gluten free rolled oats
1 banana (about 8 frozen banana discs), plus one disc to garnish
3 cubes frozen natural yourt
5 frozen blackberries

All right, let's blitz:

First, tumble in the oats and give them a blitz in the blender.
Add the milk, followed by the vanilla extract and the cocoa powder.
Spoon in the natural yogurt, blackberries and banana drizzle in the honey.
Blitz until smooth and serve with a banana disc on top. (It slowly melts and is so yummy!)

Choccy Banana Berry Smoothie with Banana Disc

Did you enjoy this recipe? For 13 other delicious smoothie recipes that can be used as meal enhancements or replacements, download my ebook, 14 Brekkie Smoothies


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Pancetta & Pea Orzotto

Friday, April 19, 2013

Two bowls of Pancetta and Pea Orzotto (orzo risotto)

I love risotto--it doesn't matter what kind of it is. What I don't love is that it' can't be quickly whipped up on a whim. Risotto dictates that you spend some time in front of the stove, just you and the spoon, stirring. I first came across the idea of an orzotto from Nigella Lawson in her Nigellissima cookbook. As a huge orzo fan, I could see straightaway how this idea would work and loved how hands off the whole dish is. This is definitely a under 20 minutes meal.

I often find that my palette seems ... a lot less refined than Nigella's in terms of seasoning, so when following her recipes, I tend to improvise and increase the seasoning quite a bit just to punch up the flavors. I've done so here as well.

Pancetta and Pea orztto orzo risotto

Ingredients:
For the orzotto

1 tbsp butter
2 tbsp parmesan, grated
2 tbsp garlic oil
2 1/2 cups boiling water
200g frozen peas
250g orzo 
300g cubed pancetta
salt and lemon pepper

All right, let's cook:

Drizzle the oil into a large saucepan and allow to warm. 

Tumble in the pancetta, stirring, until it is crisp and golden. Add the peas and stir until they've thawed.

Pour in the orzo, stir to coat it in the oil and combine with the pancetta and peas. Pour in the water, season with salt and reduce the heat to medium and allow the contents to simmer for about 10 minutes. Remember to stir every now and then to keep everything from sticking. Once the water has absorbed, sprinkle in the parmesan and a forkful or two of butter. Stir to combine before and serve.

Pancetta an pea orzotto (orzo risotto)

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Gluten Free White Chocolate & Maple Caramel Eclairs with Orange & Star Anise Cream & Chipped Almonds

Wednesday, April 17, 2013

White Chocolate & Maple Caramel Eclairs with Orange & Star Anise Cream & Chipped Almonds
I love profiteroles and eclairs. I'd always heard horror stories about how difficult it is to make choux pastry, but, in all honesty, I've never had any trouble. A quick web search yields hundreds of tips and tricks for getting your choux just right (including a slightly bizarre stretch test, performed by stretching a snot-like clump of pastry between your index finger and thumb!). You don't need any of these tips and tricks. All you need is a foolproof recipe and clear instructions, and I've got you covered.

With their flavored cream, coat of white chocolate painted on, drizzle of maple caramel and sprinkling of chipped almonds, these eclairs are bit on the flamboyant side. You could keep with tradition, and simply fill yours with whipped cream and dip the tops in dark or milk chocolate. They'd be just as tasty. I just couldn't resist jazzing these up a bit for a midweek treat! They'd also make a stunning dinner party dessert centerpiece.

Anyonita Nibbles: Orange Syrup with Star Anise

Also, the best of my orange and star anise cream is a delicious orange and star anise syrup. So I'll be sharing that recipe with you as well. This is going to be a rather in depth recipe, but I promise, it's all easy to make!

Anyonita Nibbles: orange syrup wiht star aniseIngredients:
For the orange & star anise cream
1tbsp icing sugar
500ml of double cream
1/2 cup of orange syrup with star anise

For the orange syrup with star anise
1 star anise
1 orange, sliced
200g caster sugar
200g water

For the eclairs
(can be doubled without trouble)
1/4 cup butter
1/2 cup water
1/2 cup gluten free plain flour
1/2tsp sugar
2 eggs
a pinch of salt
-------
100g white chocolate
1 cup My Secret Kitchen maple caramel sauce or other caramel
a handful of whole almonds or chipped almonds

Anyonita Nibbles: a bite out of a white chocolate and maple caramel eclair with orange and star anise cream and chipped almonds
All right, let's cook:
For the orange syrup with star anise, Put the sugar and water in a sauce pan and allow to come to the boil before adding the star anise and orange slices to the pan. Reduce the heat to low and cook for about 25 minutes until the syrup is glossy. Allow to cool in the pan before decanting into a jar and refrigerating.

For the eclairs, preheat your oven to 220 C and line a baking tray with greaseproof paper.

In a small saucepan, combine the water, butter and salt. Bring to a boil over a high heat.
Once it is boiling, immediately remove it from the heat and stir in the flour with a wooden spoon.

Continue to stir until mixture pulls away from the sides of the pan. This should take about 2 minutes. (It's a good arm workout!) Allow to cool for about 2 minutes.

Add the first egg to the pan along with the sugar. Adding the egg will cause the batter to separate and look weird. This is what you want. Stir the batter until it comes together and looks the way it did before you added the egg. This should take another 2 minutes.

Add the second egg. Again, the batter will separate and look weird. Don't panic; just stir. Stir the batter until it comes together yet again. Continue doing this if you double the recipe, ensuring that the batter comes together again before you add the next egg. It will get more difficult to stir with each added egg.

Once all the eggs have been added and the batter is thick and gathered together in the pan, spoon into a pastry bag and pipe onto the paper-lined trays. Pipe dollops for profiteroles and long sticks for eclairs.

Fill a small dish with a bit of water and, using your index finger, wet your finger and pat down any pointy tops from the piping.

Bake for 10 minutes, then reduce the temperature to 170C and bake until the eclairs are golden, firm on the bottom and hollow. It should take 20 to 30 minutes.

Allow the eclairs to cool while you get on with the cream.

For the orange and star anise cream, pour the double cream into a large, heavy-bottomed bowl. Using an electric whisk, beat the cream until it begins to thicken. Add the icing sugar and continue to beat, about 2 minutes.

Pour in the orange syrup that you prepared earlier and continue to beat until it comes together. Once together, allow to refrigerate for a few minutes before piping into the eclairs.

To fill the eclairs, make two or three holes in the bottom of each eclair and pipe until the feel the eclairs get heavier. Try to stop before the cream starts oozing out of the eclairs. There's no way of telling you when this is likely to happen, it's a judgement call.

To finish off the eclairs, melt the white chocolate gently over a pan of boiling water. Place the chocolate in a ceramic bowl that fits on top of a small saucepan. Add water to the sauce pan, but not so much that it will touch the bottom of the bowl when boiling. Allow the chocolate to melt on its own without interfering too much.

While it is melting, whizz the almonds in a food processor or chopper, if not using chopped almonds.

When the chocolate has melted, paint it onto the tops of the eclairs using a silicone brush. Once set, drizzle over the maple caramel sauce and sprinkle over the almonds.

Refrigerate over night (it really helps to marry all of the ingredients together and eclairs are traditionally served cold) and serve the following day... if you can wait that long. If you can't, just refrigerate for an hour or two.
Anyonita Nibbles: a trio of white chocolate & maple caramel eclairs with orange & star anise cream & chipped almonds