Apple & Cinnamon Bran Muffins

These are the easiest and most versatile muffins you can make. No need for any scrabbling around in the back of your cupboard looking for that elusive beater for your electric mixer...no, no. These beautiful muffins require the absolute basic kitchen equipment.  

Layered King Prawn Salad

I'm slowly making my way through The Lord of the Rings book by J.R.R Tolkien - I haven't seen the films so it is a very exciting read, oh there are times when I fly through the chapters, fight scenes, chases through beautiful countryside with beautiful elven queens bestowing their knowledge on shrewd hobbits and then it slows to a halt where I feel it is happening in real time, every nap, every meal and every tree is accounted for, where it seems that nothing can happen in middle earth but Mr. Tolkien has described it in minute detail. 

However, after all that belly aching I am enjoying it. It is in my opinion the seed for a large number of the fantasy books that I have read. I can't help but compare the ringwraiths with Harry Potters Dementors and faithful old Dobby is the kinder less deadly version of Gollum. There are characters that I love. Who doesn't love Gandalf - not to mention his similarity to Dumbledore, okay I'll stop now I promise - his all knowing knowledge of all the creatures of middle earth and his astounding ability to be two steps ahead of the "One" we don't speak of -no not Voldemort but Sauron. 

The wood elf Legolas, is very easy to like, he is like all elves in fiction, light footed and deadly accurate with his bow and arrow, he has had such a very long life that there isn't much he hasn't seen. Samwise is utterly faithful to Frodo and apart from the occasional blunder he just the kind of person you would want on your side, but it is Frodo that I admire the most, this unwanted burden bestowed on him that has lead him on a dangerous but wonderful journey, his courage and wisdom make him a very likable if somewhat aloof character. I am on this journey with you little hobbit. 

Guinness Bread

This bread is a quick bread, no rising or kneading required. The Guinness imparts a subtle yeast flavour to the bread, making it perfect to be slathered with real butter and topped with dressed prawns, smoked salmon or a sharp mature cheese.

The Guinness, well I think it would be fair to say that Guinness is our national drink. That distinctive ebony body, the creamy top and each glass gilded with golden harp, it is synonymous with all things Irish.

Chunky Black Bean and Chicken Soup

This recipe came about after I had some leftover chicken and stock from my previous post - Whole Chicken in a Slow Cooker - so I decided that I could put both to good use in this warming nourishing soup. 

Porridge with Frozen Summer Berries

It took me thirty seven years to fall in love with porridge - to be honest I wasn't sure I even wanted to - childhood memories of grey gloopy stuff in a bowl was not my thing. Don't get me wrong my parents never forced it on me - but they are my memories of it all the same.

Apricot and Almond Granola Bars

Mid-morning I enjoy a mug of coffee, usually accompanied by some sort of snack, by snack of course I mean some piece of good for nothing processed rubbish. I know, I know you'd think that I would have a steady supply of my own baked goods to choose from, but alas not always.

Kale Crisps

Regular readers of my blog will have noticed that I have changed the look, this new minimalist approach has taken time to build and will be tweeked in the coming weeks. I wanted to focus on the food and to highlight the photography, I hope you like it and to celebrate here is a feel good snack recipe :)

I have to admit I really love eating snacks, especially in the evening time when things calm down after a busy day. I have tried plenty of healthy snacks but few can compare with these delights. I'm all for health but I am equally for taste. I find that I will eat a healthy snack for a couple of days but alas, if it is more healthy than tasty I will eventually give up! These are different, they are light and crisp but above all they are really tasty.

Now like any parent I sometimes lose the battle of getting green vegetable into my children's diet, these were welcomed with open arms!! So now the kale is in season (until early in the new year) and very easy to get, try these handy snacks out and see what you think.

Serves 2-3

Ingredients
200g Fresh kale leaves
Light oil spray or olive oil
Salt

Method
Wash the kale and dry completely in a clean tea towel. Preheat the oven to 170ºC/340ºF/Gas Mark 3.

With a kitchen scissors or vegetable knife cut the kale into bite size pieces and discard the tough salk.

Lay the kale in a single layer on two flat unlined baking sheets. Spray or drizzle with the oil and season with salt. Bake in the preheated oven for 5-10 minutes, checking frequently. The crisps are cooked when they are light and crisp but not burned around the edges. Allow to cool slightly before placing in a serving bowl and season with salt again if necessary.

These are my second batch because the first didn't make it off the baking tray, they were eaten straight from the oven by the whole family!

My New Juicer

I have been on a health kick recently, trying to incorporate more fruit and vegetables into my diet, food blogging takes it toll on your waistline if you aren't careful, so what better way to consume more goodness than by drinking it.

Behold my new Kenwood AT644 Fruit Press Attachment, to give it it's full title. My reason for buying this attachment and not a stand alone juicer was space, over the years I have bought lots of various appliances (this is not my first juicer!) all of which end up in either the recycling bin or our attic. So with that in mind I decided that this relatively small piece of machinery would be the best for me.

Light Coconut Broth with Spinach

My blog is celebrating it's second birthday this week, so I have been delving into some of my older cookbooks the last few day. It is lovely to revisit recipes that served me so well in the past, but have since been set aside and forgotten. Now if you are looking for a very versatile recipe that can be thrown together in a few minutes, with the added benefit of being healthy, then can I humbly recommend this recipe. Rachel Allen's original recipe called for four heads of pak choi, which is very tricky to get in these parts, I substituted them for fresh spinach. An inspired decision, if I may say so myself, the whole dish comes together beautifully, very moreish! Rachel also suggested adding (32) tiger prawns if something more substantial is called for, I opted instead for cooked noodles, but for a special treat I would consider the prawns. Really I think that this is the kind of dish that you can call your own, experiment and enjoy!  

*Recipe adapted from Rachel's Favourite Food at Home by Rachel Allen

Serves 4

Ingredients
1.2ltrs Chicken or vegetable stock
410g Tin coconut milk
1-2 Red chillies, deseeded and cut into rings
4 Spring onions sliced diagonally
1 Garlic clove, peeled and crushed
1 tsp Fresh ginger, grated
150g -200g Fresh spinach leaves, shredded
3 tbsp thai fish sauce (Nam Pla)
Juice of a 1 lime
2 tbsp Coriander, chopped
200-300g Cooked medium egg noodles (optional)

Method
Prepare the vegetables in advance, this whole dish doesn't take long to cook so you can add in the vegetables as needed.

Place the stock and coconut milk in a large saucepan over a medium heat.

Stir, add the chilli, spring onions, garlic and ginger to the saucepan and bring to the boil to infuse the flavours.

When the broth has come to the boil, add the shredded spinach and noodles (if using), reduce the heat and cook for 2-3 minutes. Add the fish sauce (nam pla), juice of the lime and the coriander.

Serve with a wedge of fresh lime and sliced chillies for seasoning. This is best eaten on the day it is cooked as the spinach tends to discolour.

Neven Maguire's Satay Vegetable Noodles

Recently I have been making an effort to eat more fresh vegetables and try to include much more colour into our meals, this definitely meets with both requirements. I've made this a lot recently and it comes in really handy when you have some unexpected dinner guests as it will divide out very easily. This is a quick and easy dinner that will have you licking you lips for more!!

Neven says:
Stir-frying is a traditional Chinese cooking method that's very easy to master. To check if the vegetables are cooked, pierce them with the tip of the knife - the vegetables should feel as soft as butter. We often make this for a staff dinner when we're looking for something speedy but tasty. Feel free to use different vegetables depending on what you have in your fridge. You could always add some cooked peeled prawns or diced cooked chicken if you're not looking for something vegetarian.

*This recipe has been taken from Neven Maguire's The MacNean Restaurant Cookbook  

Serves 4-6

Ingredients
275g Fine egg noodles (That's about 2¾ blocks of Blue Dragon Express Noodles )
1 tbsp Rapeseed oil
175g Baby corn, cut in half lengthways
100g Fine green beans, trimmed
100g Sugar snap peas
1 Large red pepper, cored and thinly sliced
2 Garlic cloves, crushed
400g Can coconut milk (sometimes I use low fat coconut milk)
100g Crunchy peanut butter
2 tbsp Dark soy sauce
2 tbsp Sweet chilli sauce
1 tsp Light brown sugar
Juice of ½ lime
Sea salt and freshly ground pepper
Chopped fresh coriander, to garnish.

Method
Place the fine noodles in a pan of boiling water and cook for 3-4 minutes, until tender, or according to the packet instructions.

Heat the wok until very hot.

Add the oil and swirl it around the edges, then tip in the baby corn, green beans, sugar snap peas, red pepper and garlic and stir fry for 3-4 minutes, until the vegetables are tender, sprinkle over 1 tablespoon of water if the mixture is getting too dry.

Add the coconut milk, peanut butter, soy sauce, chilli sauce and sugar, then squeeze in the lime juice. Stir fry for another 2-3 minutes, until all of the ingredients are piping hot and the sauce has reduced a little.

Drain the noodles and fold into the satay vegetables until evenly combined  (I like to run a knife through the noodles a few times to cut them up, it makes it easier stir them through the vegetables and to serve them). Season to taste.

To serve, divide among warmed plates or bowls and scatter over the coriander (I prefer wedges of fresh lime instead).

Cook ahead:
The vegetables can be prepared and the other ingredients can be weighted out and left ready to cook to order up to 2 hours ahead.

White Chocolate, Oat and Raisin Cookies

I'm trying to beat the system here with these cookies, can I munch away on these and not feel guilty!! Well yes I believe I can, I'm not one to deny myself so I will eat a cookie no mater what. Perhaps if that cookie has real goodness in it and still tastes delicious then I'm onto a winner. I regard the goodness as the porridge oats and the sunflower seeds all very beneficial for lowering Cholesterol , fibre and long lasting energy but the guilty part is the white chocolate! Now if you really need to be very, very good then I suppose you could half the amount of chocolate or perhaps omit it all together...there, these cookies are squeaky clean on the healthy front, but down right guilty on the tasty front!! 

I made these little beauties for January Calendar Cakes which is hosted by Laura Loves Cakes and Dolly Bakes, well worth checking out their brilliant blogs.

Makes 22-24

Ingredients
50g Plain flour
½ tsp Bicarbonate of soda
½ tsp Salt

75g Butter
85g Soft brown sugar
1 tsp Vanilla essence
1 Egg, beaten

150g White chocolate chips
75g Raisins
50g Sunflower seeds
80g Porridge oats


Method
Preheat  the oven to 180C/350F/Gas Mark 4. Line two large baking sheets with baking paper, set aside. Sift the flour, bicarbonate of soda and salt into a small bowl. Cream together the butter and sugar until light and fluffy. Add the vanilla essence and the beaten egg along with a tablespoon of the sifted flour (this prevents the egg from curdling, especially if like me you keep your eggs in the fridge) 

Fold in all of the remaining ingredients until completely combined and you have a stiff dough. 

Shape into walnut-sized balls and flatten slightly by pressing in the centre with wet fingers. Allow about 5cm between each cookie as they will spread while baking. 

Place in the oven pre-heated  for 10 to 12 minutes until golden around the edges. Allow to cool on the baking sheet for a couple of minutes before transferring to a cooling rack. 

The cookies will crisp up as they cool and are suitable for freezing.

Recipe adapted from Annabel Karmel's Oat and Raisin Cookies recipe.

Date Cake

 

 

 

I don't often regard something as tasty and filling as this cake as healthy, but I think this cake has it's fair share of healthy ingredients. Dates are full of carbohydrates which will release their energy slowly throughout the day, so after you coffee break you'll have energy to tackle into the day's long list of jobs. Dates are also a source of fibre, for every 100 g of dates, approximately 8g is fibre and to top it all off they are low in fat!! What more could you ask for from your morning coffee break.


Mich says: Moist and tasty,  this nutritious cake is sustaining and simple to make, and it turns out well every time. It can be covered with marzipan ans sugar paste and decorated for a impressive centrepiece, or simply enjoyed on it's own with English breakfast tea or some freshly brewed coffee.

Recipe complements of Mich Turner's Cake Masterclass.

Ingredients
200g Unsalted butter, cut into pieces, plus extra for greasing (I used salted butter)
240g Medjool dates, stoned ( I used Delget dates)
50g Sultanas
300g Light brown sugar
2 Eggs lightly beaten
25g Preserved stem ginger, chopped
Grated zest of 2 lemons
1 tsp Vanilla extract
250g Bramley apples, peeled and cored, then grated or chopped
200g Plain flour
½ tsp Baking powder

Method
Preheat the oven to 150C/300F or Gas Mark 3. Grease and line a deep 15cm (6in) round cake tin or a 900g (2lb) loaf tin with non-stick baking paper, or use a non-stick tin. Ensure all the ingredients are at room temperature. Place the dates and sultanas in a bowl and cover with boiling water.






Melt the butter and light brown sugar together in a (large) saucepan and leave to cool slightly. Beat the eggs, ginger, lemon zest and vanilla extract into the butter and sugar.





Drain the fruit and chop the dates finely. Add to the saucepan with the apples and mix well.





Sift the flour and the baking powder and fold in well.




Spoon the mixture into the tin and bake in the oven for about 1¼ hours until well risen and a skewer inserted into the middle of the cake comes out clean.




Leave to cool in the tin.




To store, this cake will lasts for 1 week if wrapped in greaseproof and aluminium foil and stored in an airtight container. Alternatively, wrap the cake in a double layer of greaseproof paper and foil and place in the freezer for up to 1 month. It is delicious if kept in the fridge and served cold.


I've entered this healthy cake into Laura Loves Cake and Dolly Bakes Calendar Cake, if you like this then vote for it!
Laura Loves Cakes: January Calendar Cakes
Dolly Bakes: A yummy blog worth checking out!

Roast Pumpkin Soup with Bacon

Now that Halloween is approaching it's time to enjoy the vast array of vegetables that are in season. This time of year evokes memories of golden leaves scattered on the footpath and being settled into a school routine. But most of all it reminds me of piping hot meals, that warm me right through and are easy to make and not in the slightest bit fussy. This is a beautiful soup that has a sweetness to it unlike any other, I think you'll enjoy it as much as I did.  

Recipe adapted from  Tesco Homegrown Recipe Book

Serves 6

Ingredients
1kg Pumpkin peeled or 1 large butternut squash, unpeeled
1 Onion cut into wedges
3 Cloves garlic, unpeeled
Oil for drizzling
125g Pancetta or smoked bacon pieces
400ml Chicken stock
250ml Milk

Method
Heat the oven to 200C/ 180C Fan/Gas Mark 6. Cut the pumpkin or squash into 3cm slices; remove the seeds. 





Put the pumpkin onto a baking tray with the onion wedges and garlic, and drizzle with oil. Bake for 20 minutes. Add the pancetta (keep in a separate corner of the baking tray). Bake for a further 20 minutes until the pumpkin is soft inside and brown around the edges. Reserve the pancetta.





Remove the pumpkin skin, place the flesh in a food processor along with the onions and garlic (squeeze with garlic from each of the cloves). Add the stock and milk. Blend until smooth, add a little extra milk if needed.





Place in a pan, season and heat to taste, and serve with pancetta, crispy bread and easy homemade butter.





Related Reading:
Good Food, Shared: Butternut squash soup
Bord bia: Calender of availability guide for fruit and vegetables.