A slice of health....

Courgette bread is one of my favourite things to make, not only because it tastes delicious but also because it's gluten and (virtually) carb free. 

As a Christmas treat and massive thank you for all my yelps of pain... (and abuse) over the last 6 months, I made this one especially for my wonderful personal trainer, Henri. 

What you need:

• 275g of almond flour 
• 1 TSP of baking powder
• 2 pinches of sea salt
• 1 pinch of dried rosemary
• 1 handful dried cranberries *
• 1 handful chopped almonds / pecans/ walnuts *
• 3 eggs (free-range if possible) 
• 1 TBSP of honey
• 2 courgettes

*Optional 

Directions:

• Set the oven to 180°C (fan assisted)
• In a bowl mix the almond flour, baking powder, rosemary, cranberries, nuts and salt together 
• Grate the two courgettes and leave to one side
• Beat the eggs with the a hand held electric beater for 2 minutes then add the grated courgette and honey in and beat for a few more seconds until the mixture is fully mixed
• Add the dry mix into the wet mix, stir with a spoon and mix well
• Poor the mixture into a medium loaf tin (make sure that you have lined it with greaseproof paper!)
• Bake for 30 minutes

Eat within 2/3 days and keep stored in a tin.

It's delicious when still warm from the oven or cold or even toasted. We like to have ours with houmous, beetroot and beef tomatoes, or even as an accompaniment to a hearty bowl of soup. 

Cooled down, packaged up and a big blue bow later, it was ready to give to Henri.

I am sure you could use many different vegetables as alternatives to courgette, I would like to try beetroot and maybe even butternut squash too.

Emi x

Easy peasy mince pies!

Limited ingredients, little effort and practically no washing up. . . can this be true?! These were my first batch of mince pies for the festive season and I didn't think they would be as simple and tasty as they turned out. Needless to say 12 oven warm mince pies quickly disappeared. 

What you need: 

• 1 x 500g block Jus-Rol shortcrust pastry
• 350g mincemeat
• Caster sugar for sprinkling
• 1 egg 

Equipment:

• Rolling pin
• Pastry brush (or just your clean finger if you don't have one!)

What you need to do:  

• Preheat oven to 200°C (180°C for fan assisted ovens. Have ready a 12 hole tart tin
• Roll out pastry (or be clever/ lazy like me and buy pre rolled Jus Roll short crust pastry) and using a 7.5cm/3" cutter (Or, a normal sized mug!)cut out 12 discs ands use to line tart tins.
• From remaining pastry cut 12 smaller discs for lids, I used a heart cutter that I had lying around but you could use anything.

• Fill each with 2 generous teaspoonfuls of mincemeat, lightly moisten undersides of lids with water and use to top tarts, pressing gently at edges to seal (If you have just created a smaller lid then no need to seal).

Brush with egg and sprinkle with sugar

Bake for 15-20 minutes or until golden brown.

Sprinkle again with icing sugar once cooled (If yours can last that long!)

Enjoy with your friends and family with a Chritsmassy tipple. My favourite is home-made mulled wine.

My spooktacular birthday cake!

So, having been sworn by the birthday girl not to wear anything "sexy" or "sultry" P and I wracked our Halloween brains and decided that in apt fashion and preparation for next year we would go as a Zombie bride and groom. Prior to the party I spent hours on eBay in bidding wars against other zombie brides to be- and maybe some real ones too- trying to win "the dress".

  

Tilly wasn't quite sure who the scary woman holding her up was...

Eventually after day's of trying and failing I succeeded and purchased a rather large, rather puffy, rather PERFECT wedding dress. I did feel a little bad that once upon a time this dress had been worn on someones very special day, but I figured this was all in aid of someone else's very special birthday party... so it was ok.  I also purchased a veil- which helped set the whole outfit off just perfectly!

P on the other hand just shoved on his dinner jacket, a white shirt and his black work shoes- boys have it so darn easy, don't they? -  but he looked absolutely brilliant non the less.

We whitened up our faces, blackened out our eyes, talc'ed our hair and reddened our lips- oh, and added a vital bullet wound to each of us!

 

In aid of Kate's birthday dinner party I decided early on in the week to make her a cake as a surprise.

Black Swan (a.k.a Birthday Girl) and the Grim Reaper. 

Us! The Zombie bride and Groom

  Death doll

Cake pops prior to decoration!

The finished cake!

I decided to make pumpkins out of cake pops and a spiders web victoria sponge cake. On the cake I decorated it in white chocolate ganache and drew a spiders web on it in black icing with some sporadic edible flys dotted around. I then made a large dark chocolate mint spider with red liquorice legs.

For the pumpkins I made an orange icing and dipped the cake pops in the icing on about 4 separate rounds until the icing completely stuck and you couldnt see the cake underneath. To decorate I used chocolate dropping for eyes and different icing for the mouths. For the stalk I cut up green wine gums!

It was a lot more stressful then I thought it would be, especially as I originally tried to make the orange colour for the pumpkins out of white chocolate- which I urge you never try- on trying to melt the white chocolate it started to congeal and on adding the colouring turned a really disgusting brown colour- needless to say, that was 5 bars of chocolate in the bin! 

 

  

 I took some candles along and after the dinner Becca and I went off to the kitchen to light the cake and took it through for Kate to blow out in typical birthday fashion. I didn't try the cake myself but I did taste a few of the "mishapen" cake pops  when I was making it and they were scrummy!

As my first "novelty" cake I was really pleased with how it turned out and I can't wait to make my next one!

Did you guys make any novelty cakes for Halloween?

Emi x  

Frit Ta Ta! My skinny pizza....

A healthy, quick dish which can be eaten for breakfast, lunch or supper and served hot or cold. What is this wondrous creation you ask? The Frittata.

 

An Italian dish, seemingly similar to an omelette or quiche- but without the crust! The Frittata is usually packed with a multitude of ingredients such as meats, cheeses, herbs, spices and / or vegetables.

 

The difference from the Frittata to an omelette is that the omelette is usually folded in half, with half the filling on one side whereas the Frittata stays flat and is usually stacked with the ingredients all over it, making it thicker and slightly more indulgent!

 

The great thing about the Frittata is you can literally put whatever you want in to it. We decided to make our Frittata with the following ingredients:

 

2tsps coconut oil

10 eggs

10 large baby tomatoes

1 large onion

1 red pepper

Chorizo (we used about 10cm cut in to cubes of a normal supermarket chorizo)

3 large handfuls of Spinach

1 log of goats cheese (about 100 g)

 

Pepper and rock salt to flavour

 

Pan:

Best to use a deep frying pan, the smaller the pan, the thicker the Frittata etc - depending on how many ingredients you have and how many eggs you want to use. 

 

Oven:

Pre-set oven to 200degrees to bake the Frittata for 10 - 15 minutes once it has set in the pan. 

 

What you need to do:

• In the frying pan allow your coconut oil to heat up, then put in all your vegetables and fry off until softening

 

• Add in your chorizo and fry off for another minute
• In a jug whisk up your 10 medium sized eggs, add a pinch of salt and pepper

• Add your spinach and cover all the vegetables, then mix in. You will find that the spinach wilts very quickly- even though it may look like a lot when you put it in

• Pour in your egg and stir around until it begins to set. Leave for 5 minutes on a low heat to allow to set

• Add in your lumps of goats cheese and allow to melt slightly on top

• Once the goats cheese has melted, place in the oven (or under the grill) and allow to bake for 5 - 10 minutes until golden brown

• Take out of the oven and allow to cool - you will find that it shrinks slightly as it cools

 

• Season with some more pepper and serve hot - or allow to cool and serve cold with some salad. The Frittata can last up to three days in the fridge and as the flavours infuse the more the tastier it gets!

I am going to try this again next week with brocolli, sundried tomatoes, butternut squash and bacon, you can literally try it with anything! The "healthier" pizza, some could say!

Enjoy!

When you just know exactly what you want to eat. . .

When my fiancé's travelling - which seems to be a lot at the moment- I try to be as healthy as possible- or so i make out to him! I don't snack (lie) and I go to the gym every night (another lie). Truth be told I'm definitely one of those people who comfort eats. If I'm on my own, I eat, if I'm low, I eat, if I'm bored, I eat,  if I'm happy, I eat.  . . i think you get the gist! Anyway in an attempt to start getting wedding body ready I have decided to give up evening carbs after 6pm...  but this does not mean neglecting my body of eating delicious meals. Meals are all about being creative- trial, error and success!  Thus, sitting at my desk earlier today staring out the window at the miserable grey afternoon I decided that I wanted steak and cabbage and even wrote up a little recipe then and there so I didn't over spend on anything sinful at the shop in my way home. Do you ever get that when you suddenly just know exactly what you need and want no matter what any one suggests, odd isn't it!

I know a lot of people hate cabbage and I just don't know why- you can do almost anything with it (fry, boil, wok, roast and even bake to turn in to crisps-for another blog!) and flavour it up to be utterly taste bud tantalising !

So, dressed in my gym gear- but not having made it further than my kitchen I set to work, Blue Peter style.

What you will need:

For 2. ( or a very very hungry one! )

500g steak - I use rump but you could use anything you desired (or more if you so desire)

1 tsp minced or diced garlic

1 small chili diced

8 inch spring onions to be chopped finely from the root up about 1.5 inches

Swig of soy sauce on hand (vital)

1tsp honey or marmalade

Pinch of rock salt Shake of pepper

 

For the Cabbage:

Any type of cabbage will do, cut thinly in to strips to wok

1 chicken stock cube (don't worry if you don't have one)

1/2 tsp salt (use 1 tsp if no chicken stock

Shake pepper

1/2tsp paprika

Squeeze 1/2 lime

 

What to do:

This is such a quick dish- literally 10 minutes max after preparation

Hob on, put a glug of olive oil in a wok it and let it heat

Drop in your garlic and allow it to fry until slightly golden

Drop in your chili and spring onion

Make space for the steak in the middle

Drop in steak and allow to fry on each side until sealed

Once sealed immediately add soy sauce- I normally allow a large swig (one missisipi, two missisipi, three missisipi).....

Add your marmalade or honey and mix in

Allow to simmer for 5-6 minutes on lower heat whilst you make cabbage

Note: If you want your steak to be rarer then add it later on in the process and only cook for a shorter period. I like to cook for longer so that the steak absorbs all the juices and tenderises

Cabbage

In a mixing bowl place your freshly chopped cabbage

Add in a glug of olive oil and seasoning and toss

Turn on wok or Frying pan and let it get hot

Add cabbage and fry for about 3 minutes- or less.

Note: You still want it to retain all its natural goodness and not reduce in size too much

Serve up and eat!

Great served with an ice cold glass of Chablis .......... Apparently!!! ;o)