Tag Archives: seeds

Fruit and Nut Damper

Traditional damper, developed by the Aussie stockmen, is made with plain flour and water and typically cooked in the ashes or coals of a campfire. Nowadays, there are hundreds of variations to the original recipe.

I usually make beer damper, just flour and beer. However, on a recent road trip from Darwin to Adelaide, I decided to try something different and threw in a heap of fruit, nuts and cinnamon for a sweet treat.

Chocka-block full of fruit, nuts and seeds, I didn’t bother adding a sweetener. I got Dwayne, who likes things a little sweeter than me, to add his sweetener with honey or jam. I don’t have much of a sweet tooth and enjoy my damper with dripping hot butter.

Our Camp Kitchen

I made this yummy fruit and nut damper when camping at Burra Creek Gorge with Dwayne, our friends Kate and Martin, and their dog Boris.

Fruit & Nut Damper – Ingredients

3 cups of self raising flour

2 teaspoons of cinnamon

1 cup of raisins

1/2 cup of walnuts, roughly chopped

1/2 cup of pumpkin seeds

1/4 cup of sunflower seeds

About a cup of water

Method

Mix all the ingredients with a wooden spoon or your hands and shape into a cob shape.

Line the camp oven with grease baking paper or a layer of flour to stop the damper from sticking.

Put the damper in the camp  oven, put the lid on and coat the lid with hot coals.

To cook the damper with hot coals.

If you want to cook on coals from a campfire, you need to burn large logs to create hot coals. It can take an hour or so for your campfire to make enough coals to cook upon. Be sure to factor the process of producing the embers into your prep and cooking time. Alternatively, if you have time limits or a lack of good wood, use heat-beads as they heat up quickly and hold their heat well.

The easiest way to cook in a camp oven over hot coals is to lift the coals out of the fire with a long-handled shovel. Select a safe place next to the fire and put a small amount of *coals on the ground. Place the camp oven onto the coals. Get some more coals from the fire to place on top of the oven. Getting the right amount of coals is not always easy. Be aware of cooking the damper too hot and burning it. It will take some experimentation to get the temperature right. Therefore, check the damper after 10 minutes to make sure you are not cooking it too hot or not hot enough.

*You only need a small number of coals under the camp oven or none at all. Too many, and you will burn the bottom of the damper.

Many factors determine the heat of the coals, such as ambient temperature and wind. If you have wind, the coals will cook hotter. Make allowances for wind by reducing the number of coals used.

The time it takes to cook the damper is directly related to how hot you cook it. It should take approximately 30-40 minutes. You can tell when the damper is cooked by tapping on the top. If it sounds hollow, it is ready. Alternatively, stick a knife in it, and if it comes out clean, it should be ready.

To Serve

Serve with butter, maple syrup, jam and cream, chopped fruit or any other topping you desire.

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Fruit and Nut Damper cooked on the campfire over hot coals. Full of dried fruit, nuts, seeds and cinnamon. #campfirecooking #fruitandnuts #damper #campcooking

Chia Seed Pudding

Pudding for breakfast? Yes, please! I love this delicious, super nutritious breakfast dish. What’s not to love? I love how easy it is to make; I love how tasty it is, and I love how simple it is to dress it up and add different flavours. I also love that this breakfast is packed full of superfood goodness. This is my simple recipe for Chia Seed Pudding and a few simple modifications to add variety as well as ideas to increase the fibre!

Chia Seed Pudding Superfood Nutritional High Fibre
Layered chia seed pudding with chopped mango.

Before we look at the recipes, please note I have not added any sweetener. This is precisely how I like it. However, it is simple to make this ‘pudding’ sweeter. Experiment with adding honey, maple or sugar syrup.

Making it even easier! I don’t know about you, but I love things to be simple in the morning. I am a morning person, but I like to sit with the computer, write and drink tea. That is when my brain is at its best, and I get the most done. So having breakfast prepared and ready to eat is super handy. I also have a ready-mix of chopped nuts, seeds and coconut, which I keep in an airtight container. This makes topping my chia breakfast pudding quick and easy!

Chia Seed Pudding Superfood Nutritional High Fibre
Chia Seed Pudding with blackberries and natural yoghurt

Basic Chia Pudding

Serves 2

Ingredients

1/4 cup Chia seeds
1 cup milk – almond milk, coconut milk or cows milk

Method

Mix the chia seeds and milk well with a fork, breaking up any lumps, then leave to sit for 10 minutes. Mix again with the fork, cover and refrigerate for several hours or overnight.

I refrigerate mine overnight. It will keep in the fridge for a few days. So I make several breakfast puddings at one time.

*Alternatively, you can mix as above and pour into individual serving dishes (after the second mix) before refrigerating.

To serve

Divide the chia seed pudding between two serving dishes and top with yoghurt, berries and nuts and seeds. Get creative!

Some of our favourites!

Choc Berry

1/4 cup Chia seeds
1 cup almond milk
2 Tablespoons of cocoa

Fresh or frozen berries

Mix all ingredients well with a fork, breaking up any lumps, then leave to sit for 10 minutes. Mix again with the fork, cover and refrigerate overnight. Serve topped with berries, nuts, seeds and desiccated coconut.

Choc Coconut

1/4 cup chia seeds
1 cup of almond milk
1 teaspoon vanilla essence
1 Tablespoon cocoa
1 Tablespoon coconut

Mix all ingredients well with a fork, breaking up any lumps, then leave to sit for 10 minutes. Mix again with a fork, cover and refrigerate overnight. Serve topped with coconut, and chopped nuts.

Tropical Fruit Salad

1/4 cup chia seeds
1 teaspoon vanilla essence
1 cup almond milk

Mix all ingredients well with a fork, breaking up any lumps, then leave to sit for 10 minutes. Mix again with a fork, cover and refrigerate overnight. In the morning I layer chia seed pudding and chopped tropical fruit (mango) in several layers. Top with tropical fruit such as mango, dragon fruit, passionfruit, pineapple and banana.

For a bigger fibre hit, I use Psyllium.

Banana Berry

2 Tablespoon chia seeds
180ml almond milk
1/2 cup water
3/4 – 1 cup mashed ripe bananas
1 tablespoon desiccated coconut
2 tablespoons psyllium husk
1 teaspoon vanilla essence

Mix all ingredients well with a fork, breaking up any lumps, then leave to sit for 10 minutes. Mix well again with a fork, and pour into serving glasses. Cover and refrigerate overnight. Top with berries and yoghurt, a sprinkle of coconut and seeds.

Chia Seed Pudding Superfood Nutritional High Fibre

Banana Choc

2 Tablespoon chia seeds
180ml almond milk
about 1/2 cup mashed ripe bananas
2 tablespoons desiccated coconut
2 tablespoons psyllium husk
1 teaspoon vanilla essence
2 Tablespoons cocoa

Mix all ingredients well with a fork, breaking up any lumps, then leave to sit for 10 minutes. Mix again with the fork, cover and refrigerate for several hours or overnight.  I then serve this in bowls topped with banana, coconut, seed and nut mix.

Chia Seed Pudding Superfood Nutritional High Fibre
Chocolate Chia Seed Pudding with Banana

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Chia Seed Pudding Superfood Nutritional High Fibre

Chia Seed Pudding Superfood Nutritional High Fibre