Anzac Biscuits...

The word ANZAC stands for the Australian and New Zealand Army Corps. The Anzac biscuit as we know it today seems to have originated during WW1 and was sent as part of the rations to the troops fighting in Gallipoli. These biscuits are an important part of Australian and New Zealand history.

Although there is some debate as to where the actual recipe came from, it seems to have been based on Scottish oatcakes. Oats of course are healthy and would have provided the troops with much needed nutrients. The lack of eggs in the recipe also gave the biscuits a long shelf which was essential in preventing them from spoiling on the long journey

Anzac day is held on April 25th in both countries. It is a special day to commemorate all those who have died fighting for their countries.

If you have never tried Anzac biscuits then give these a try. You can find the recipe here at the BBC Good Food website or follow it below.

Anzac biscuits (recipe from the BBC Good Food website)

Ingredients

• 85g porridge oats

• 85g desiccated coconut

• 100g plain flour

• 100g caster sugar

• 100g butter, plus extra butter for greasing

• 1 tbsp golden syrup

• 1 tsp bicarbonate of soda

Directions

1. Heat oven to 180C/fan 160C/gas 4. Put the oats, coconut, flour and sugar in a bowl. Melt the butter in a small pan and stir in the golden syrup. Add the bicarbonate of soda to 2 tbsp boiling water, then stir into the golden syrup and butter mixture.

2. Make a well in the middle of the dry ingredients and pour in the butter and golden syrup mixture. Stir gently to incorporate the dry ingredients.

3. Put dessert spoonfuls of the mixture on to buttered baking sheets, about 2.5cm/1in apart to allow room for spreading. Bake in batches for 8-10 minutes until golden. Transfer to a wire rack to cool.

Anzac Biscuits

Black Bean Wraps – An Easy Tex-Mex Treat...

Every so often I get a craving for a Tex-Mex style wrap. Anything with beans, cheese and sour cream is an immediate hit with me. This is a very quick and easy meal to make and it tastes fantastic! It is also quite healthy – o.k. adding copious amounts of cheese and sour cream may not be too healthy but the beans, tomatoes and fresh veggies balance everything out (well that’s what I’m telling myself anyway). The spices, lime juice and fresh coriander really bring this dish together and give it that amazing Tex-Mex flavour.

Luna Raye’s Black Bean Wraps (this will make approx 5 wraps)

Ingredients

Black Bean Filling

• 2 Tbsp olive oil

• 1 red onion finely chopped

• 1tsp dark brown sugar

• 1 short green chilli chopped (add the seeds as well for extra heat)

• 2 cloves of garlic finely chopped

• ½ tsp cayenne pepper

• ½ tsp cumin

• ½ tsp paprika

• 1 tin of black beans (I love using Biona organic black beans)

• ¼ tin of chopped tinned tomatoes (the rest safely stored for another recipe)

• ½ cup of sweet corn

• 1 Tbsp chopped fresh coriander (cilantro)

• Squeeze of fresh lime juice (just before dishing up)

Wrap Extras

• 1 medium avocado (Peeling and chopping them can get messy so I halve them and just use a spoon to scoop out what I want for each wrap)

• 1 Romano pepper sliced finely

• 1 cup grated mature cheddar cheese

• 150g sour cream

• Handful of fresh coriander (cilantro) chopped

• Handful of cherry tomatoes quartered

• 4 wraps (I love Mission Deli multigrain wraps)

• Salt and pepper to taste

Directions

• Put oven on a low temperature (this is so you can gently warm the wraps)

• Prepare the ‘wrap assembly’ ingredients. Grate, slice and chop so everything is ready to go

• Heat oil in a frying pan and add the chopped onions and brown sugar

• Once onions have softened add the chilli, garlic and ¼ tin of chopped tomatoes.

• Give everything a good stir

• Rinse the black beans and add to the pan along with the cayenne pepper, paprika and cumin

• Cook mixture on medium heat for about 5 minutes stirring regularly. The mixture will start to get nice and mushy

• Add the sweet corn and chopped coriander and mix well

• Add a squeeze of fresh lime juice and turn off the heat

• Place the number of wraps you plan to use right away in the oven so they can gently warm. This takes approx 1-2 minutes(if they are in the oven for too long they will go hard and crunchy. They will still be delicious but not so good for wrapping!)

• Once warmed remove wraps and begin assembling your wrap

• I tend to put some cheese on first and then 3-4 Tbsp of the bean mixture followed by some peppers, tomatoes, a spoonful of avocado and the fresh coriander

• It is then topped off with a big spoonful of lovely sour cream and some salt and pepper

• Wrap it all up and enjoy!

We had mixture for 2 wraps each that night plus there was enough left over so my husband was able to have a wrap for lunch the next day. I didn’t heat that wrap and didn’t add any sour cream but added everything else. He told me that it tasted even better then the night before and when he opened his lunch everyone commented on how wonderful it smelled.

A successful dinner and lunch – what more could you ask for?

Black Bean Filling

Wrap Extras

Black Bean Wrap A Tex-Mex Treat