As Mary Berry stressed at The Cake and Bake show last rainy Sunday afternoon, 'Don't use fat free or low fat ingredients in your baking! Just don't! Help the farmers and the taste and have a smaller slice!' (Well....Maybe not quite her exact words but something along those lines!)
I have always been a foodie, growing up with my mothers home- cooked food; jams, chutneys and my favourite spiced apple and cinnamon tart. Not forgetting my fathers "special" curry recipe (given to him from an ageing Bahamian woman countless yrs ago) as a regular back from weekly boarding school Saturday night treat!. Food to me is all about enjoyment and experimentation and I like nothing more than cooking up a feast for my friends, family and boyfriend.
The older I get ( ripe old age of 25 now) the more I like to indulge, not only in the delight of restaurant cuisines that London especially has to offer (we'll save that for another blog) but also for my own personal gastronomic creations.
Diagnosed with the unfortunate Type one diabetes just a month away from my 18th birthday (when alco pops should have FINALLY become a legal weekly indulgence!!) I had to baton down the sugar and carb hatches and re-evaluate my teenage diet! (A hard task when your used to eating whatever and whenever). Anyway- without boring you on the trials and tribulations of T1 (this "ain't" no sob story!) I have spent yrs working out recipes that can be kinder on the waist line, easier on the teeth and for diabetics, less insulin! Hurrah.
Now, I'm no miracle worker; unfortunately I haven't yet mastered the double choc chip hazelnut, marshmallow and clotted cream muffin for 0 insulin, 0 carbs, 0 sugar, 0 fat. However, I have trialled, tasted and adapted lots of recipes in the hope of allowing my body to enjoy and indulge in all those naughty things all you non diabetics can do!
Anyway, to wet your appetite and tantalise your taste buds I'm going to start with two recipes I regularly make . The first being a perfect winter warmer (very low carb, low sugar and low fat) and the second, a "fruity chocolatey spongey treat". . .ha!
Butternut squash and chorizo soup with brown rice.
What you need:
1 butternut squash (medium size - chop in to 1 inch cubes)
2 onions
1 tsp paprika
1 tsp salt
1 chicken (or veg) stock cube
1tsp coriander
1/2 tsp cumin
Twist of pepper
Chorizo
2 tbsp Olive oil or butter
Brown rice
Process:
1) Sweat off onions (finely chopped) and butter nut squash in olive oil or butter until onions are soft
2) Add spices and sweat off for a further 2 mins- if starts to stick add a tbsp at a time of water
3) Add chicken stock in 1pint of water
4) Bring to boil and simmer for 20 minutes (until butternut squash is cooked)
5) Allow to cool slightly and blend in food processor or with hand mixer until a smooth and velvety texture
1) cook off 50g (per person- this is a small amount and therefore v low carbs for a meal and those taking insulin) brown rice in water
2) bring to boil and simmer until cooked, the water should have disappeared and the rice be pitted and cooked
In a separate pan:
1) Fry off cubes of chorizo in olive oil (1/4 tsp) - PLEASE NOTE: chorizo produces its own oil. This will be very hot and may spit so be aware
2) You should only need to fry for 2/3 minutes until chorizo has developed a crunchy coating
1) Add cooked rice to the bottom of a deep soup bowl
2) Ladle soup slowly (not to break or move rice) on top of the rice
3) Add chorizo (4/5 pieces per person) to the top of the soup
For those wanting wanting even less carbs, just don't add any brown rice!
A quick extra tip: Don't waste the butternut squash skin! It's delicious. Put them on to an oven tray with a quick spritz of olive oil then in to the oven at 200 degrees Celcius
(fan assisted) for the duration you are cooking and prepping everything else: about 30 / 40 mins in total.
The skins will crisp up and make a lovely accompaniment - make sure to add some rock salt on top!
Enjoy!
Blissful Berry, Chocolate and Yoghurt Muffins
What you need:
1/2 cups Self raising flour
1/3 cup rolled oats (any oats you have really!!)
3 eggs
3/4 cup firmly packed brown sugar
3/4 cup plain yoghurt (I always use Yeo Valley natural yoghurt-NOT low fat version!)
1/3 cup veg oil
200 g mixed berries (I always use 3/4 raspberries to 1/4 blueberries- but totally up to you, good to experiment!)
100g chopped up 70% chocolate (edible chunks - 1 cm cube) - if you want to be naughtier you can use white chocolate or milk choc- or none - for you healthy bears!
Process:
1) Preheat oven to 200degrees . 180 for fan assisted ovens.
2) Put out 8 muffin cases - grease if necessary
3) Sift flour into mixing bowl. Stir in oats, eggs, sugar and yoghurt and oil and then mix. After a slight mix- you do not want to over mix- this isn't a cake, add the berries and chocolate and mix in.
4) Bake muffins about for 23-25 mins. Check after 20 with a clean knife in the middle of one, if it comes out clean then it will be ready. You never want an over cooked muffin!
5) Stand muffins on a cake stand/ wire wrack
6) Taste and smirk at your amazing delight!
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The blueberry colour splits nicely
If you don't have a cake stand just use some old biscuit tins and layer for height and colour
Tilly likes to get involved with any baking I do!
Delicious!
Enjoy baking / creating and let me know if you have any questions! Would love to hear how you get on / what you might change/ enhance etc.
Until next time!
xx
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